Personal Injury Lawyer

The personal injury lawyers at Rahman Law PC are powerful advocates for people who have been injured through no fault of their own.  These personal injury blogs contain articles with information relating to personal injury law, personal injury lawyers, and personal injury cases of interest.

The FDA Acts 32 Years Later

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Last Friday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that the drug propoxyphene (sold under the brand names Darvon and Darvocet) is going to be taken off the market.

Propoxyphene was a generic pain medication with similar effects as Extra Strength Tylenol, but with serious side-effects on the heart that has led to a “staggering” number of deaths during its 53-year use.
A petition to ban propoxyphene first came to the FDA in 1978 from the advocacy group Health Research Group of Public Citizen, led by Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe and again in 2006 after Britain banned the drug in 2005.
In 2009, medical examiners in Florida reported a large amount of deaths linked to propoxyphene, leading the European Union to ban it. And finally, in January 2009, the FDA followed suit. Dr. Wolfe responded to this victory, saying, “I would have praised them if they had done this six years ago, but it’s hard to praise them when there have been 120 million more prescriptions filled since 2005 and conservatively 1,000 to 2,000 more deaths. It’s inexcusable.”
This frightening oversight–one that kept the FDA blinded for 32 years–should come as a shock, but we have seen again and again the FDA’s fallibility when it comes to our health and safety.
Source: The New York Times – Business Day (Saturday, November 20, 2010)

Upcoming Projects and Changes for BART

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

For almost a decade, BART has been planning and funding a transit village in Walnut Creek that would house 596 apartments. This $100 million project took a few steps back after being hit by the recession. Construction is likely to start in 2012 and take 6-8 years to be completed. (Source)

And in West Dublin/Pleasanton, a new BART station is set to start operating in early 2011. BART recently set the fares at: “$4.15 for a trip to Berkeley, $5.05 for a trip to Walnut creek, and $10.40 to travel to SFO.” (Source)

Biking For the Real City Experience

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

In yesterday’s NYtimes, Seth Kugel gave his amusing and illuminating account of Los Angeles from the perspective of a cycling tourist.

Kugel made it his goal to visit a reasonably large stretch of LA county comprising of places like Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Downtown, and Pasadena on a budget of $100/day. Undeterred by lore on the impossibility of getting around LA without a car, Kugel made his ambitious week-long adventure depending only on public transportation and a rented hybrid Trek bike.
You can read his detailed saga in its entirety in “Frugal Los Angeles“. But to sum up the author’s verdict, biking is not only a possible means of sight-seeing, but ultimately gives you a more enriching and more authentic exposure to your vacation site. Even after a lot of sweat and not a lot of bike lanes (things that LA is known for), Seth Kugel came to this conclusion:
“I had expected getting around Los Angeles by bike and public transportation to be a barely tolerable chore–a money-saving second-best way to see the city. Why, then, was I feeling so elated about my trip and smitten by a city I had never particularly liked before? […]

What I had really liked were the moments in between: the strangers who shared secrets on the buses, the dog walkers and Dutch tourists who stopped to chat with me along Rodeo Drive, the aspiring actor I struck up a conversation with on Santa Monica boulevard, as he cycled to an audition and I cycled to pick up my U.C.L.A. football ticket. These were true Los Angeles moments–moments that most visitors, stuck in freeway traffic behind the steering wheel of their rental car, never get to experience.”
Kugel claims that these experiences speak to an authenticity of L.A. And I think this can be found in S.F. too. Not only is our city filled to the brim with an eclectic culture and electric sights, but we can also boast of more bikers who take advantage of this. When we fight for safer streets, we also fight for people to get out of their cars and into the “true” San Francisco.

Electric Bikes for Beginning Cyclists

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Most of us have seen in the city (if not experienced for ourselves) the spectacle of bicyclists sweating their way up a hill (Filbert, anyone?). These vertical terrors might be deterring people from biking, says a recent article in the Chronicle.

So Point Reyes is combining forces with John Granatir (owner of Go Green Electric Bikes) to encourage more people to bike and “[get] people out that normally wouldn’t be”. At Point Reyes, you can now rent an electric bike and take on all the hills you’d like. These bikes have pedals so you can still get an exercise from your outing; and the motor will start as soon as you reach an incline.
The article also mentions the stigma behind electric bikes because “many avid cyclists believe that you should earn every hill on your own”. But for those who are just starting to get in shape or just want a relaxing day outdoors without the epic (and often painstaking) workout, these electric bikes could be a good alternative.

Bay Area Bike Trail Wins Federal Grant

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Last Tuesday, under a program called TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery), the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $600 million total to 70 “innovative transportation projects.”

In February, the SFTMA was awarded $46 million to replace Doyle Drive.
This year, the east bay seems to be the winner, being awarded $10.2 million “to help the East Bay Regional Parks District close gaps in its 200-mile system of paved trails.”
Randy Rentschler of the Municipal Transit Commission attributed the win to the project’s unique goal of encouraging more and more people to choose biking and other alternative, environmentally-friendly modes of commute. (source)
The East Bay Parks General Manager Pat O’Brien echoed these sentiments, saying, “A safe convenient connection means commuters are much more likely to take public transit, walk or bike as a commute alternative to driving, and that benefits everyone including commuters, transit agencies, and our environment.” (source)
This bike path aims to aid over 700,000 east bay residents commuting to work, but will cost a total of $43.3 million. The grant covers 25% and the Parks District is hoping for taxpayers to cover the rest. So commuters might have to wait a while before the full benefits of this project can be achieved.

Safer Streets to Yield More Biking

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

After four long years of waiting for better and safer streets, the Bike Plan injunction was finally lifted in August and cyclists in the city are already beginning to see the changes.

New bike lines are being painted down on Townsend, North Point, and Laguna Honda. But these small victories are just ripples in the waves of change the San Francisco Bike Coalition has in mind for our city. In the latest edition of their quarterly publication, the Tube Times, the SFBC announced their new campaign entitled “Connecting the City” the end goal of which is to increase the range of ridership “from an eight-year-old child to an eighty-year-old grandmother” by designing a city bike network that is resolutely safe and comfortable.
Their method for accomplishing this is heavily inspired by European engineering feats. For example, in Norway, you can step on a foot plate by a steep hill’s curbside and the bike lift will roll you and your bike up at a speed of 4mph.
And according to this article in the SFGate, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu is following the same train of thought after recently spending time in the bike-friendly Netherlands.
The article says that, “Chiu believes that the share of bike trips can and should be dramatically higher, if the city makes the commitment to make two-wheel travel safer and more convenient.”
Both Chiu and the SFBC believe in the bike lifts and support plans to build separated bike pathways with physical barriers on big traffic streets like the Embarcadero, Valencia Street, Fell Street, Oak Street, and San Jose Street.
The SFBC is also pushing for a bike bridge from Marina Green, around Fort Mason, to Fisherman’s Wharf, a bridge which the city might not be able to fund. The city is looking to spend $25 million on these projects for the roads over the next 5 years, but most of this funding will be given to striping lanes and adding bike lanes.
It’s important to remember that nothing is set in stone yet, but the future seems to hold some exciting changes for cyclists.

To read the Tube Times Fall 2010 edition online: http://www.sfbike.org/download/tubetimes/tt_fall2010.pdf

“Shed the Lycra, Slip on Your Dancing Shoes”

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

November 13th is this year’s annual Bikers Ball held by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.

Come join your fellow cyclists cut a rug at Servino Ristorante in Tiburon, CA, down by the waterfront.
There will be beer, wine, appetizers, live music by the band Vinyl, and a silent auction for various goodies (one of which is a Cannondale Super Six 5).
Only 200 tickets are available; get yours at www.marinbike.org.

10th Annual AIDS LifeCycle

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

AIDS/LifeCycle is a 7-day bike ride through California, starting in San Francisco and ending in Los Angeles during the week of June 5th-June 11th, 2011. This 545-mile ride raises money and awareness for both the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

The Mission:

  1. Raise funds to support the HIV/AIDS services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation;
  2. Increase awareness and knowledge about the services and programs offered by the benefiting organizations;
  3. Increase awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS among participants, their donors and the general public;
  4. Increase AIDS activism and volunteerism among the participant and donor communities, inspiring them to become ambassadors in the fight against AIDS;
  5. Provide a positive, life-affirming experience for people affected and infected by HIV;
  6. Contribute to an increased understanding of the disproportionate impact HIV has had on the GLBT communities in SF and LA;
  7. Encourage an environment of dignity and improved quality of life for those affected by HIV and AIDS.

The Route:

“You’ll ride an average of 80 miles a day, over varying terrain. One day, you’ll be riding a flat route along the coast or through artichoke and strawberry fields, the next you might be riding through fog banks and foothills. The course is designed to be challenging but completely doable, so be sure to train well in order to fully enjoy your week. No matter what, you can count on the constant presence of our Roadies on the route, who help keep everyone safe and sound. We are serious about safety and do everything possible to ensure your happiness and well-being during this week.”

Online registration begins October 25th from 7:00 P.M. to 7:45 P.M.

To find out more, visit http://www.aidslifecycle.org.

Will Prop G Improve Muni?

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Voting Day is coming up and one of the most important propositions on the ballot for the future of public transportation is Prop G. Prop G would force SF transit operators to negotiate wages and benefits through “collective bargaining”. According to an SF Gate article, had Prop G been in effect this past fiscal year, Muni would have saved $19 million, money with which they could have ostensibly used to prevent service cuts.

Supporters of Prop G do not see this as a solution to the multitude of problems commuters have with Muni, but as leverage for management “to address inefficiencies and improve service.”
Currently, Muni operators’ base wage is $29.52 an hour. It is mandated in the City Charter that they earn at least the second-highest pay in the nation.
Muni operators believe that this proposition is using them as scapegoats for the cause instead of directly addressing the “bloated bureaucracy” whose execs and admins are making $200,000-$300,000 a year.
It seems that those higher up are putting the blame on those lower down and vice versa while the rest of us are left to deal with the increasing frustration of subpar service. Both operators and execs are neglecting the real issue at hand and if they ever stop playing the blame game, maybe they’ll get around to solving some real problems.

Try BART Week is October 18-22

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Starting next Monday, BART is giving away free prizes to random passengers who text the “Word of the Day” shown on BART platform destination signs. Prizes include $2,500 value of BART tickets, Southwest Airline tickets, tickets to local museums, sporting events and theater/musical productions, Green and Black’s chocolate, gift cards for Jamba Juice, and Alter Eco food baskets.

More prizes will be given out on Monday, October 18th for the Kick-Off Event at 12th Street Oakland City Center from noon to 1 P.M. They’ll be handing out chocolate bars and other pretty cool giveaways.
So if you normally drive to work, take a break from it next week. Even if you don’t win anything, you might save yourself a little money on gas and frustration from traffic.
More details here.