Notes From The Harvest Summit

On Friday (11/10), I attended the Harvest Summit, an exclusive event at the La Crema wine estate in the Russian River Valley of California. The organizers described the gathering as a day during which “250 leaders outstanding in their fields will be thinking, talking, tasting, and transforming.” The conference was a celebration of the art […]

Drug Makers Putting Profit Before The Elderly

The Medpage Today staff reported this week on a CNN investigation of Nuedexta, a drug approved for PseudoBulbar Affect (PBA). The investigation found PBA is being marketed aggressively to the elderly as a therapy for dementia. Even though independent studies indicate PBA is only rarely associated with dementia, Avanir, the drug’s manufacturer, has spent millions of dollars promoting […]

Big Pharma and Politics

At a rally in Kentucky, President Donald Trump said drug prices were “outrageous”. The next day, according to Kaiser Health News, the pharmaceutical industry donated more money to political campaigns than any other day this year. On March 21, eight pharma political action committees made 137 contributions to 77 politicians totaling nearly $280,000. Both Republicans and […]

Ranked Choice Voting

Many benefits will accrue once we get Internet voting. Presently, the various hacking fears and calls to go 100% paper ballots, we will eventually get there. In addition to more accurate, safe, private, and verifiable voting, a new capability called Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) will be possible. Ranked choice voting, sometimes called instant run-off voting […]

Congressmen Want Internet Voting

Several House members have introduced a bipartisan resolution to modernize how Congress operates. It includes the ability to vote remotely or take part in hearings online. A California Congressman said, “Across the nation we see the development of new, innovative ways of conducting business to improve communication and connectedness. It’s time for Congress to learn to be more […]