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It’s a do or die situation for the Pittsburgh Penguins in tonight’s playoff contest against the Washington Capitals. It is the best of seven games, and when the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. it won’t be long until we know which team will advance to the next round - one step closer to the Stanley Cup. Being born in Pittsburgh and growing up on the outskirts of the city was wonderful.  You had the best of both worlds - what the city people called “country living” if you didn’t live in city limits, to city and inner city life.  It really didn’t matter where you lived, though. Everyone donned the black and gold and displayed it everywhere. You knew what sport was being played by which flag was flying outside of your house or your neighbor’s house. Today, most of the people in the Pittsburgh region (and fans everywhere) are flying a Pittsburgh Penguins flag, wearing their Pens shirts or black and gold gear getting ready for tonight’s game. Some will be waving those Pens towels while others have special rituals believed to help the Pens win. Keep up the good work, fans, because it all boils down to tonight! Let’s go Pens!!!

I recently had the chance to visit wine country in the Lake Erie area with my friends.  We had a wonderful host, Doug, who let us stay in an old boat house that he had renovated into a charming cottage situated directly on Chautauqua Lake.  Chautauqua Lake is an 18-mile long, 2-mile wide lake in western New York near Lake Erie.  It is beautiful, and you could not beat the view from our cottage as we could literally see the lake out of almost every room. We did get off to a bit of a rough start, though, before we even parked our vehicles at our destination.  Doug had instructed us to park in front of a garage on his property.  The problem was that it had rained for six days straight and the garage did not have a paved or graveled driveway.  Basically, we pulled into a yard in front of the garage and sank—it was our “memorable moment” for this trip.  A call to AAA and about an hour later we were pulled out and on our way to explore the area. There are 22 wineries along a 50 mile stretch of road that is known as the Lake Erie Winery Trail.  We managed to visit about 15 of them during our two days in the area and we did a lot of wine tasting.  There are also 30,000 acres of vineyards in the area---it’s all about the grapes!  It’s also a wine lover’s idea of heaven, but there is more to see and do in the area besides visiting the wineries.  There are a lot of quaint, historic little towns along the winery trail whose citizens obviously take pride in preserving the old historic homes in the area. We also paid a visit to Chautauqua Institute, which was founded in 1874 as a teaching camp for Sunday school teachers.  “Camp” is hardly the word to describe the Institute as it is a whole gated community consisting of beautiful old historic homes along scenic Chautauqua Lake.  The Institute still to this day holds conferences, lectures, and provides entertainment to groups and individuals during the summer months.  One of the centerpieces of the Institute is the beautiful, historic Athenaeum Hotel, which still provides lodging, meals, and entertainment to its guests.  Driving down into the Chautauqua Institute community is like taking a step back in time to another era. Despite our little mishap with the truck getting stuck, we had a wonderful time visiting this area of New York and plan on making another trip to restock our wine supply sometime in the future.

Having worked with insurance companies for the past 15 years, I have been watching the tides turn, so to speak. I am seeing the day of having an “agent” to go to for information and clarification slowly dwindle away. Insurance companies, in an effort to compete financially with each other, have been doing away with the “agent layer” and implementing call centers and websites. I personally find this to be a double edged sword. I realize the younger, tech savvy generation does not want to make time to go see an agent. They would rather be able to logon to a website or make a quick call to get the insurance that they are required to have. This is where I find that it is failing. There is no agent explaining what policy limits, bodily injury, med pay and underinsured/uninsured coverage is and how important it is to have in the event that you are in an accident, injured and/or facing a lawsuit.  Many are choosing the rock bottom limits required by law, no med pay or not enough med pay and no un/underinsured coverage. No one is there waiving a red flag saying, “Whoa, you need this!" Unfortunately, for many, when they find out what it all means, it's too late… the accident has already happened and now there's a big mess to deal with and it can be devastating. I urge everyone to look at your policy. Research it. Find out what it all means. Look at your policy to make sure you have the coverage necessary to protect yourself. From the young to the old, you may think you have the coverage you need and don’t. It may be the same policy you’ve had for years and you are thinking, its perfect, not realizing maybe your financial situation has changed since you purchased the policy and now you need more coverage, or maybe you “thought” you selected underinsurance and you didn’t. Don’t wait until it is too late. Take a good look today!!

Spring has sprung and with that, thoughts usually turn to the end of the school year and deciding on summer vacation destinations. Are you in the market for a tropical locale with sand and surf or do you prefer to spend some time relaxing lakeside, in a hammock, with a good book? If you’re still considering your options, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the best family summer vacations that may help to jumpstart your travel planning. U.S. News considered family-friendly resorts and hotels, attractions that appeal to kids and easy travel itineraries when determining the rankings. The top 15 destinations are as follows: 1. Ocean City 2. Puerto Rico 3. Whistler 4. Niagara Falls 5. Myrtle Beach 6. New York City 7. Bahamas 8. Minneapolis – St. Paul 9. Vail 10. Virginia Beach 11. Hamburg 12. Boston 13. Portland, OR 14. Jackson Hole 15. U.S. Virgin Islands Regardless of the type of destination you’re thinking about for your summer vacation, I am certain there’s something for everyone in the above list. Don’t wait too long to decide and make those reservations, though. It might not seem like it right now, but summer will be over before you know it.

Today is the National Day of Prayer, an annual observance held on the first Thursday in May when individuals of all faiths are asked to join together to pray for our nation. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but do you know how it came to be? According to nationaldayofprayer.org, the observance is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting and prayer” in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual National Day of Prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations. Like Thanksgiving or Christmas, this day has become a national observance placed on all Hallmark calendars and observed annually across the nation. Regardless of your religious affiliation, prayer unites people, provides hope and guidance and is an opportunity to give thanks. Take some time today to pray with your community or on your own – perhaps by attending a service or having some quiet time alone, but consider celebrating the ways in which we can be spiritual. If you’ve been considering rejuvenating your own faith, this may be just what you need.

America is a coffee loving country! We drink 102 billion cups of coffee annually or 280.5 million cups per day.  That’s a lot of coffee.  But Americans aren’t the largest coffee lovers in the world.  The largest coffee consuming country is the Netherlands. The U.S. imports over 27 million 60 kg bags (a little over 132 pounds) of coffee each year. Retail coffee revenues total $36 billion in the U.S. each year.   Thirty-four percent of coffee-drinking Americans prefer gourmet coffee, setting them back an average of $3.28 per cup. The average price for a plain cup of coffee is $1.38. While making coffee at home can be much cheaper per cup, it depends on how you make it. A cup of coffee made with a K-cup is about 66 cents while making it the old fashioned way with a drip pot and a filter, is about 28 cents. Of course, you have to add in the price of the coffee machine and the travel mug (my Yeti was $24.99 but worth every penny). Now let’s talk about the types of coffee available either at home or at a coffee shop. Have you ever walked up to a coffee shop and wondered what the difference is in all those types of coffee being offered? Let’s see there is: American, Cappuccino, Flavored Coffee, White Coffee, Café Latte, Café au Lait, Café Breva, Café Macchiato, Café Latte Fredo, Café Mocha, Espresso, Espresso con Panna, Espresso Granita, Frappe, Turkish/Greek Coffee, Indian (Madras) Filter Coffee, Hammerhead or Shot in the Dark, Iced Coffee, Cuban Coffee, Arabica Coffee, Irish Coffee, Kopi Tubruk, Lungo, Ristretto, Melya, and Vietnamese Coffee. After you decide the type of coffee you want, the next decision is the flavor! The flavors are, obviously, unlimited. One of the best flavored coffees I ever had was at a small coffee shop in Parkersburg, W.Va., close to the hotel where we were staying for a trial we had there. It was peanut butter mocha! I was a little leery of trying peanut butter coffee, but after one cup, I revisited that coffee shop on several more occasions for the peanut butter mocha coffee. By the way, did you know that coffee was “discovered” by a goat herder that noticed his goats became a little over zealous after eating what has come to be known as coffee beans?  What a grand (or should I say, grande) discovery!!

Are you or someone you know a frequent talcum powder user? If so, you NEED to read the following! Inasmuch as there are many senior citizens living the tri-state area, it is important to know some of the risks of injury, death and causes for death of which you many not have heard.  Bordas & Bordas is representing and continues to review potential lawsuits on behalf of individuals who developed cancer after using talcum powder on a daily or weekly basis. The talcum powder in Shower to Shower products that have been on the market for more than 35 years were produced mostly by Johnson & Johnson. Incredibly, Johnson & Johnson knew of the potential life altering problems that talc might cause because its scientists performed studies that linked talc to ovarian cancer, among other things. Unfortunately, Johnson & Johnson, like the cigarette manufacturers, hid the results and distributed misleading information to deceive the public. Talc is a moisture absorbing mineral that is widely used in cosmetics and personal care products. Over the last 40 years, there have been over 23 medical studies that have linked talc to ovarian cancer. In 2006, the World Health Organization classified genital talc as a carcinogen. The American Cancer Society has now advised that there is a 30-40 percent increased risk of ovarian cancer associated with regular talc use. Lawsuits representing patients who have suffered from ovarian cancer have now been filed, and some of these lawsuits have yielded verdicts in excess of $55 million. One of the most recent cases yielded a $72 million verdict. If you’re using talcum powder, beware. If you have suffered cancer from frequent and regular use of products containing talc, particularly products made by Johnson & Johnson, then you may have a claim/cause of action against the company. You should also know that you will not be alone. There are thousands of these cases now being processed by attorneys across the United States, and our firm is one of only a handful of firms that is undertaking review of these cases in the tri-state area.

About a year and a half ago, my daughter brought home a kitten. I didn’t want this kitten.  I KNEW it would end up being mine to take care of after the newness wore off.  As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t even call him by his name, Shadow.  To me, he was “Cat.” Now, why does it seem to be that animals choose to come around the person who really doesn’t want to have anything to do with them?  I mean, Cat was everywhere I was.  I had no peace with Cat around.  Even the bathroom, taking a bath or showering, he would (and still does) stand on the ledge and meow at me.  If I would make the slightest move in the morning, he would jump on my bed and meow. I finally came to the conclusion that this is my lesson on kindness.  As much of a pain he seems to be, this is his way of being kind.  Cat loves me enough to follow me around, wanting my attention.  Maybe he feels I need the kindness he has to offer. Nowadays, when he greets me at the door, I take the time to say hello and pet him.  I acknowledge the fact that he took time away from doing whatever “cat thing” he was doing, to come see me.  He finds me deserving of his time and kindness and, by all means, I am giving it back to him.  After all, why wouldn’t I? You see, there are certain traits that we can learn from animals that would be very useful in regard to humanity.  As much as we are in touch with each other in a technological way, we are lacking greatly on a personal level.  People have become desensitized because of the overuse of cell phones and other devices.  My message…LOOK UP!  Be nice and acknowledge the people that take time from what they are doing to give you kind words.  If someone finds you worthy enough to engage, do yourself a big favor and acknowledge that person back.  It’s good character. Even Cat figured it out without the use of Google.

Hockey, in general, is a game of intensity. It’s fast and it’s rough with a lot of contact between players with maybe a hip check or a punch thrown in, but have you ever noticed how that intensity increases during the playoffs? The action on the ice seems faster, emotions are running high and the level of play seems to skyrocket. The closer you get to the end, the better the games get. And let’s not forget about the fans. They cheer louder and root harder to the point that it seems the arenas are vibrating. For our region, post-season hockey is even more exciting again this year because our very own Pittsburgh Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champions. Tonight in Round 2, Game 1, the Penguins will take on the Washington Capitals, which will be an action-packed and intriguing contest between the two top teams in the league. Did you know that prior to 1991 the Penguins and Capitals had never met in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Since then, the two sides have met nine times in the postseason with the 10 th being tonight according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Following tonight’s contest, the Pens versus the Capitals schedule is as follows: - Game 2 at Washington: 8 p.m., Saturday - Game 3 at Pittsburgh: 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 1, - Game 4 at Pittsburgh: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 3, - Game 5 at Washington (if necessary): time TBD, Saturday, May 6 - Game 6 at Pittsburgh (if necessary): time TBD, Monday, May 8 - Game 7 at Washington (if necessary): time TBD, Wednesday, May 10 Even if you’re not an avid hockey fan, check out one of the upcoming playoff contests. I bet you’ll be hooked, and at the very least, you’ll have a great time cheering on the Penguins!

Is there really a need to litter? It bothers me to drive down the road seeing bottles and cans strewn about along with the cardboard boxes and other assorted receptacles that, at one time, housed said bottles and cans. And do you ever wonder about all of the clothing and shoes? I have seen those strung out for miles. If you lost a box of clothes and/or shoes out of your car or truck, wouldn’t you go back and get them? A couple of months ago when I was taking my sister home from church, I saw an entire living room suite smack dab in the middle of the interstate. I don’t know who lost their furniture, but they had to know that it fell off the truck. Not only would it make noise when it’s falling out, it would also shift around everything else that was packed up. I understand that things happen, but I don’t understand why, when such mishaps occur, people don’t pull over and pick the things up. Even if the pieces are broken, don’t leave them there. They create a safety hazard. Dealing with the usual challenges on the road is bad enough. None of us need the added stress of avoiding furniture, too. So do yourself (and others) a favor and put a trash bag in your car. It takes just a few seconds to tie the bag up and take it into your house and put it in your trash can. You don’t even have to do it every day. Do it once a week. Take pride in your home. Yes, the United States is your home. It’s where you live. Take pride in your roads and streets, and everyone’s yards. Don’t make the rest of us clean up after you. Don’t be a litterbug!

Research has shown that some 90,000 to 180,000 Americans die each year as a result of preventable medical errors. Patients who are given the wrong medication, are scheduled for unnecessary procedures, or are neglected by health care providers who do not take the time to listen to their patients, lose their lives far too often. The practice of medicine is supposed to be governed by standards of care, and when the standards are not followed, the consequences for American families are devastating. Many years ago, what doctors, nurses, hospitals and nursing homes could do to stay within the bounds of the law was considered “more art than science” or a nebulous matter of “judgment.” But research by America’s best teaching hospitals and by medical societies studying the major areas of medicine such as cardiology, surgery and obstetrics, allowed standards to be established that are backed up by evidence, and a track record of success. These groups are able to publish these standards in journal articles, books, and what is more broadly called the “scholarly literature of medicine.” Health care providers need to stay current on these standards and make sure that they follow them. These safety rules within the field of medicine are not unlike safety rules that cars and trucks are subject to on the highway. An 18-wheeler that is routinely going too fast might get away with it a few times, but eventually we know that the consequences of recklessly operating heavy trucks fall on innocent victims driving cars alongside them. Likewise, a nursing home, hospital or doctor that ignores the rules may get away with it for a while, but eventually lives will be lost as a result of subpar practices, rule breaking and carelessness. We all notice how doctors and nurses seem to want to spend less and less time with actual patients. That tendency was created by insurance companies and hospital corporations pushing them to try to drive greater profits. Nurses and doctors need to resist that pressure and make sure that the protection of human life is their top priority. When hospital corporations, doctors, nurses or nursing homes violate the standards of care, the legal system needs to be there to make sure that the standards are enforced. By enforcing the rules, judges and juries make it clear, not only to health care providers, but to all Americans that following the safety rules that exist for everyone’s protection is not optional. Medical and nursing standards of care exist for the protection of the most valuable thing there is — human life. Standing up for standards of care saves lives.

Did you know that the permanent hair loss suffered by breast cancer survivors may not be caused by radiation or chemo, but instead may be caused by a drug called Taxotere. For those who don’t know, this blog may be of great interest to women who are breast cancer survivors who have hair loss that persists longer than six months after treatment.  If in fact, you are one of those people, or you know one of those women who have suffered this type of injury, then you or those you know should have your case reviewed by my law firm or some other law firm in which you have confidence. This hair loss issue was identified by Sanofi, the manufacturer of Taxotere, more than 10 years ago. It was Sanofi who reported that the company itself found permanent hair loss in almost 10 percent of the Taxotere patients. Unfortunately, Sanofi has reported not only that there is a hair loss, but that the strong possibility exists that patients may experience hair loss that may be irreversible. Additional unfortunate news is that while Sanofi warned Europeans of the permanent hair loss issue, there has been no warning about this problem for U.S. patents. Unfortunately, it is believed by some that Sanofi misrepresented the effectiveness of Taxotere and hid the problems about the permanent hair loss issues in order to increase its market share and profits. Obviously, those of you who have suffered this problem know of the emotional and psychological issues that the loss of hair has had on you.  If in fact you have suffered from this problem, please call us so that we may discuss what may be done in order to obtain a measure of justice for you.