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In the Spotlight: A Computer Program That Can Help Building Managers Prepare for Chemical, Biological, Radiological Threats
December 30, 2004
A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has developed an interactive computer program that building managers and owners can use to assess their vulnerability to &mdash; and to prepare for &mdash; chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) weapons attacks or accidental toxic releases. The Building Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation Program (BVAMP) can be obtained free through a Web site established by Berkeley Lab, which provides advice on CBR responses for buildings. (<i>www.lbl.gov</i>) CBR threats can include deliberate terrorist attacks, resulting in the release of hazardous materials, or accidents such as freight-train derailments and refinery releases. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) is often the first line of defense in the case of airborne CBR agents. Consequently, according to one of Berkeley Lab's principal investigators, preplanning and manipulating the HVAC system can significantly reduce the severity of a release.
January issue in PDF format
December 30, 2004
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News Briefs
December 30, 2004
Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.
Additional Issues Brought into Play in Franchise Rule Comments
December 30, 2004
Last month, we wrote about the FTC Staff Report on Franchise Rule and the many comments it attracted. This month, we continue with broader comments about franchising regulation that were received.
Court Watch
December 30, 2004
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
The Joy of Canadian Tax: Show Me the Money!
December 30, 2004
A U.S. franchisor looking to expand into Canada has a daunting, but entrepreneurially acceptable, challenge ahead. One of the issues to be dealt with early on is: How will I be taxed at home and "abroad"? That's right: "abroad." As tempting as it may be to view Canada as the 51st state, it just isn't so. North of the 49th parallel of latitude lies a foreign country complete with all the usual structural pitfalls.
January issue in PDF format
December 30, 2004
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Case Notes
December 29, 2004
Highlights of the latest product liability cases from around the country.
Stop! Don't Take That Expert's Deposition
December 29, 2004
FRCP 26(a)(2)(B) governing the disclosure of expert witnesses in federal court was adopted in 1993 with the hope that "the length of the deposition of such experts should be reduced, and in many cases the report may eliminate the need for a deposition" altogether. Advisory Committee Notes, Fed. R. Civ. Pro., Rule 26, 28 U.S.C.A. (1993).
Online: Exploring the Depths of NIH Web Site
December 29, 2004
Last month, this column explored parts of The National Institutes of Health Web site, <i>www.nlm.nih.gov</i>; we continue to discover what it has to offer this month. ToxTown is an interactive guide in both English and Spanish about how the environment, chemicals and toxic substances affect human health. The link contains places to visit, such as factories, schools and homes, and the various toxic chemicals that might be found there, eg, arsenic, asbestos, benzene and carbon monoxide. Household Products Database contains information on the health effects of common household products under your sink, in the garage, in the bathroom and on the laundry room shelf. Medline/PubMed provides access to more than 12 million references from 4600 biomedical journals, many of which have links to abstracts and in some cases, the full text of articles.

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