Daily Archives: May 4, 2012

Wal-Mart Caught in Bribery Scandal

May 04, 2012   Joanelle Navarro   No comments

Photo Credit: www.msnbc.msn.com

The market value of Wal-Mart Stores Inc went down $10 billion due to the companies concerns that a bribery investigation in Mexico could hurt them.

According to a New York Times article, Wal-Mart’s in Mexico had been engaging in bribery in order to build their business.  Two U.S. lawmakers, as well as Mexican lawmakers, have called for an investigation on the world’s largest retailer.

If the allegations are found to be true, Wal-Mart will have violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA.  This act makes it illegal to bribe foreign government officials.

Concerns have also been raised over Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke and former CEO Lee Scott, who supposedly were aware of the situation.  The two U.S. lawmakers, Elijah Cummings and Henry Waxman, both Democrats, have requested to meet with Duke.

Shares in both Wal-Mart de Mexico and Wal-Mart have fallen.  In Mexico, shares fell 12 percent, while in the U.S., they fell 4.7 percent.

Due to the situation, Wal-Mart may now have trouble expanding into new markets.

 

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Full Breast Radiation May Be Best Treatment for Cancer

May 04, 2012   Rebecca Welk   No comments

Photo Credit: www.zimbio.com

A study that was published in the May 2nd issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at partial and full radiation treatment for breast cancer in women. The study found that women who received partial breast radiation, or brachytherapy, were more likely to have breast cancer reoccur.

From 2003 to 2007, researchers studied the records of 93,000 women aged 67 and older, some of which received whole breast radiation, and some of which received brachytherapy. The women who had whole breast radiation experienced less breast pain and were less likely to have breast cancer return later on.

The study concluded that although whole breast radiation was the better treatment, the survival rates for both types of radiation were the same.

According to Dr. Benjamin Smith, who was the author of the study, women should not completely rule out brachytherapy, despite these findings. Dr. Smith said, “There is nothing in our study saying that a woman should not choose brachytherapy if they want the convenience, but I think it is helpful for women to think about the trade-offs, such as higher rates of mastectomy, postoperative complications and infections.”

To read more about this study and both types of treatment, click here.

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$15 Million for 22,000 Arrested Without Law

May 04, 2012   Anthony Buchanan   No comments

The ruling by Judge Shira Scheindlin to pay $15 million to an unconfirmed population of 22,000 New Yorkers is a candy coated Band-Aid on a wound that New York Courts hope stops bleeding.  The case, brought up by Eddie Wise, a 44-year-old homeless man, came before court after Wise was arrested 22 times in the span of two years.  Every one of the 22 arrests made under a void law.

In 1993, New York State courts upheld their ban of vagrancy laws.  A ban enacted three years earlier, to punish panhandlers, was found unconstitutional under the First Amendment.  However, something got lost in translation.  The NYPD never stopped using the law to harass and imprison a largely black male population.

With this ruling New York hopes to set the case right.  There is one hitch however.  With nearly all of the population owed the $15 million lacking permanent addresses, phones, or Google accounts there is no way to pay them what the judge has ruled is just.

The Band-Aid is losing its stickiness and some like Dax-Devlon Ross of The Dominion of New York, here, who took to the streets in search of Wise with no success, wonder if closure is in the future.  Others may wonder if closure was ever intended.

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