From EcoSalon : Clean energy, public transit and local food make these 10 big cities the greenest of them all. Honking cars emit foul black clouds, skyscrapers blot out the sun, litter lines the gutters and healthy green space can be hard to come by. But in many of Americaâs biggest cities, these negative traits are being eclipsed by clean, efficient public transit, bike — friendly infrastructure, multiplying trees, reliance on renewable energy and a fierce pride in locally — produced products. Slashing greenhouse gas emissions and coming close to zero waste is no easy feat for a metropolis with a population of at least 250,000, but these 10 cities — from Boston to San Francisco — prove that sustainability is possible on the largest of scales, in good economic times and bad. List and captions courtesy of EcoSalon . — Continued here: 10 Big U.S. Cities Go Green With Public Transit, Energy, And Food
Beverly Hills News
Posts Tagged ‘ michael-jackson ’
WATCH: All Eyes On The Jury
LOS ANGELES — After six weeks of listening, jurors in the involuntary manslaughter case of Michael Jackson’s doctor will get their first chance to talk about the case Friday. Their discussions behind closed doors in a downtown Los Angeles courthouse could lead to the conviction or acquittal of Dr. Conrad Murray, whom the panel has heard described alternately as an inept and opportunistic physician or a naïve outsider granted access into Jackson’s inner realm. The seven-man, five-woman panel listened intently Thursday as prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over whether Murray should be convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson’s death in June 2009. The physician’s attorneys attacked prosecutors and their witnesses, saying they had over time developed stories and theories that placed the blame for Jackson’s death squarely on Murray. Jackson died from a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol, which Murray acknowledged giving Jackson to help him sleep. The real reason Jackson died, defense attorney Ed Chernoff argued, was because he craved the powerful anesthetic so much that he gave himself a fatal injection when Murray left his bedside. “They want you to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson,” Chernoff said. “Poor Conrad Murray,” prosecutor David Walgren replied in his final speech to jurors. “Michael Jackson is dead. And we have to hear about poor Conrad Murray and no doctor knows what it’s like to be in his shoes.” Walgren noted that several doctors who testified – including two who were called by Murray’s attorneys – said they would have never given the singer anesthesia in his bedroom. Murray is solely to blame for Jackson’s death, Walgren argued, saying Murray had purchased more than four gallons of propofol to administer to Jackson and had been giving him nightly doses to help him sleep. Walgren repeatedly described Murray’s treatments on Jackson as unusual and called his actions on the day of the singer’s death – including not calling 911 and not mentioning his propofol doses to paramedics or other doctors – “bizarre.” Murray was essentially experimenting on Jackson, Walgren said. Murray should have known Jackson might die from the treatments, yet he lacked the proper life-saving and monitoring equipment. “What is unusual and unpredictable is that Michael Jackson lived as long as he did under the care of Conrad Murray in this situation,” Walgren said. The prosecutor repeatedly invoked the singer’s children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, and said Murray’s actions left them without a father. The children, who range in ages from 9 to 14, were not present, but Jackson’s parents and several of his siblings attended closing arguments. The Houston-based cardiologist’s culpability will be decided by jurors, who heard from 49 witnesses and have more than 300 pieces of evidence to consider. They were given lengthy instructions about how to deliberate and interpret the case. If Murray is convicted, he faces a sentence that ranges from probation to four years behind bars, and he would lose his medical license. The sentence will be decided by Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor and not the jury; the judge will receive input from attorneys for both sides and probation officials if necessary. A recent change in California law means that Murray, 58, might serve any incarceration in a county jail rather than a state prison. If acquitted, Murray would be free from criminal prosecution, but will likely be pursued by medical licensing authorities in the states of California, Nevada and Texas. In order to convict Murray, jurors will have to determine the cardiologist was substantially responsible for Jackson’s death. Despite days of scientific testimony about what likely happened in Jackson’s bedroom from experts for Murray and the prosecution, Walgren acknowledged that some things about the events in the King of Pop’s bedroom that led to his death will never be known. “The people won’t prove exactly what happened behind those closed doors,” he said. “Michael Jackson could give answers, but he is dead.” ___ AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report. ___ McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP View post: WATCH: All Eyes On The Jury
Presented By: Energy costs facilities $202.3B / year.
More here: Presented By: Energy costs facilities $202.3B / year.
Did Jackson Self-Administer Fatal Dose of Propofol?
Prosecutors are set to cross-examine Dr. Conrad Murray’s expert on propofol Monday, as the involuntary manslaughter trial for the death of pop star Michael Jackson nears the deliberation phase. Photo Credit: See the article here: Did Jackson Self-Administer Fatal Dose of Propofol?
Propofol Expert To Blame Jackson For Administering Lethal Dose
LOS ANGELES — Jurors hearing the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson’s doctor will hear an alternate version Friday of what may have occurred in the singer’s bedroom in the hours before his death. Dr. Paul White, an expert in the anesthetic propofol, will finally lay out his rationale for the defense theory that Jackson somehow gave himself a fatal dose of the drug when his doctor left the room. White’s testimony will likely be vigorously challenged by prosecutors, who spent four weeks laying out their case that Dr. Conrad Murray is a greedy, inept and reckless doctor who was giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid. But cross-examination of White will be delayed until Monday to give prosecutors more time to review a new analysis prepared by the defense based on recently-conducted tests on samples taken during Jackson’s autopsy. “This is the entire crux of the defense case,” Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said in arguing for a delay. The judge hearing the case, which ends its fifth week on Friday, reluctantly agreed to delay the cross examination and said he is concerned about losing jurors. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor however noted that the panel of has remained rapt throughout the trial. “Every single member of that jury and all the alternates are paying extraordinary attention to every witness,” Pastor said. Murray has pleaded not guilty. White’s opinions will challenge those of the prosecution’s main expert, Dr. Steven Shafer, who testified that the only scenario he believes explains Jackson’s death is that Murray placed Jackson on an IV drip and left the room after he thought the singer was sleeping peacefully. Murray told police he left Jackson’s bedside, but claims he only gave the singer a small dose of propofol the morning of Jackson’s death. He said he left the room and returned after two minutes to find the pop superstar unresponsive. Murray’s defense attorneys have repeatedly claimed that Jackson somehow gave himself the fatal dose, but it will be up to White to explain how that would be possible. Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan said that the new models White will show jurors on Friday will offer different simulations about the drugs propofol and sedative lorazepam. They are based on a new computer program and updated test results. Flanagan did not reveal what conclusions White drew from the new models, or whether they would change his testimony. White is a retired researcher and professor who performed clinical studies of propofol for years before it was approved for usage by the Food and Drug Administration in 1989. He said he was initially reluctant to become involved in the case, but after reading through more than a dozen expert reports, he couldn’t figure out how others came to the conclusion that Murray would have had to leave Jackson on a propofol IV drip for the singer to have died with the anesthetic still coursing through his body. He said the others’ theories didn’t make sense based on Murray’s statement to police. “I thought that there were questions if in fact Murray had administered the drugs that he described in his conversations with the police department in the doses he described, I would not have expected Michael Jackson to have died,” White said. He continued to work on the case after meeting with Murray, although White was not allowed to testify about his conversations with the Houston-based cardiologist. Flanagan early in White’s testimony on Thursday asked the doctor to address “the elephant in the room” – whether he could justify Murray’s actions if he left Jackson hooked to a propofol IV and then left the room. “Absolutely not,” White replied. ___ AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report. ___ McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP The rest is here: Propofol Expert To Blame Jackson For Administering Lethal Dose
Defense to Highlight Murray’s Positives
Attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death plan to shift their case Wednesday to highlight the physician’s positive traits. Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense team plans to call up to five character witnesses to testify. Read the original: Defense to Highlight Murray’s Positives
Defense Tries To Put Jackson Doctor In Positive Light
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, Associated Press LOS ANGELES â After weeks of hearing prosecutors and witnesses cast the physician charged in Michael Jackson’s death as a bad doctor, defense attorneys will shift the case to some of Dr. Conrad Murray’s positive traits as the case nears its close. Murray’s defense team plans to call up to five character witnesses Wednesday who will likely speak about the Houston-based cardiologist’s care and life-saving abilities. The attorneys did not name the witnesses, but they are expected to be Murray’s patients. The flurry of character witnesses come as defense attorneys wind down their case. They told a judge Tuesday that after the character witnesses, they will only call two experts to try to counter prosecution experts who said Murray acted recklessly by giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid. Defense attorneys could rest their case Thursday. They have already called nine witnesses, including a doctor and nurse practitioner who treated Jackson but refused his requests to help him obtain either an intravenous sleep aid or propofol. Murray, 58, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He faces up to four years behind bars and the loss of his medical license if convicted. His attorneys contend Jackson was desperate for sleep and gave himself the fatal dose of propofol when his doctor left the room. They attempted to argue that Jackson would have been indebted to concert promoter AEG Live for nearly $40 million if his shows were canceled, but a judge blocked any mention of the figure to the jury Tuesday. Instead, jurors heard from two witnesses who knew Jackson and described their interactions with the singer in the months before his death. Nurse Cherilyn Lee testified about trying to help Jackson gain more energy in early 2009 to prepare for rehearsals for his planned series of comeback concerts. She said the singer complained he couldn’t sleep, and on Easter Sunday asked her to help him obtain Diprivan, a brand name for propofol. Lee, at times tearful, said she initially didn’t know about the drug. But after asking a doctor about it and reading a reference guide, Lee said she tried to convince Jackson it was too dangerous to use in his bedroom. “He told me that doctors have told him it was safe,” Lee testified of Jackson’s request for the anesthetic. “I said no doctor is going to do this in your house.” The singer, however, insisted that he would be safe as long as someone monitored him, she said. By Murray’s own admission, he left Jackson’s bedside on the morning of his death. When he returned, Jackson was unresponsive, according to his interview with police two days after Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009. The physician said he only left Jackson’s bedside for two minutes, although his own attorneys have suggested it might have been longer. Phone records show Murray made or received several calls in the hour before Murray summoned help. Lee acknowledged that she told detectives that she had told Jackson, “No one who cared or had your best interest at heart would give you this.” After refusing to help Jackson obtain propofol, she never saw the singer again. Another defense witness, AEG Live President and CEO Randy Phillips, said Jackson appeared to have total confidence in Murray during meetings in early June, just a weeks before the “This Is It” concerts were to debut in London. Jackson had missed some rehearsals and there were complaints from the show’s choreographer that the singer didn’t seem focused. A meeting was convened to discuss Jackson’s health, and Murray reassured Phillips and others that the singer was healthy and would be able to perform. “It was very obvious that Michael had great trust” in Murray, Phillips said. Phillips said he attended Jackson’s final rehearsal and was impressed. “I had goose bumps,” he said, adding that wasn’t a typical reaction. “I am as cynical as you can be about this business.” After the rehearsal, Phillips said he walked Jackson to his vehicle, which was waiting to take him to the rented mansion. “He said, `You got me here. Now I’m ready. I can take it from here,’” Phillips recounted. By the time Jackson and security arrived at the home, Murray had already arrived at the house and was waiting to help the singer get to sleep. Read more here: Defense Tries To Put Jackson Doctor In Positive Light
Attention Super King Shoppers: Bagged Spinach Sold at L.A. Markets Recalled, Could Contain Salmonella
Another day, another salad ruined by the threat of salmonella contamination. Friday, Church Brothers, LLC has issued a recall for 560 bags of clipped spinach as a precautionary measure after one bag tested positive for Salmonella during a random USDA Microbiological Data Program sampling. So far no illnesses have been reported. more › Presented By: Grainger covers your electrical needs. If you need conduit, relays, or complete wire management solutions, think Grainger. We stock power supplies, fuses and most other electrical components. Find all the plugs, receptacles, circuit breakers, cable and wire your facility needs in one convenient place. www.grainger.com Ads by Pheedo Here is the original post: Attention Super King Shoppers: Bagged Spinach Sold at L.A. Markets Recalled, Could Contain Salmonella
Phew! All of L.A. Animal Services’ Guns Are Accounted For, Audit Finds
In August, about 120 guns were seized from the city’s animal control officers and facilities as part of a department audit conducted by City Controller Wendy Greuel . Thursday, officials announced the audit determined that all of the department’s weapons were accounted for, though there had been previous concerns some weapons had gone missing. more › Follow this link: Phew! All of L.A. Animal Services’ Guns Are Accounted For, Audit Finds
Prosecution’s Witness Tells Jury that Conrad Murray ‘Failed’ in His Care for Michael Jackson
A key witness in the prosecution’s case against Conrad Murray had some strong words for the court yesterday, reports the Huffington Post . Dr. Steven Shafer, an anesthesiologist, told the jury that Murray “has been entrusted by Michael Jackson to look after his safety every night, and he has failed.” more › See the rest here: Prosecution’s Witness Tells Jury that Conrad Murray ‘Failed’ in His Care for Michael Jackson
