Global
The Supreme Court’s first chief justice, John Jay, would have empathized with the billionaires who’ve been freaking out ever since Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York last Tuesday. “Those who own the country ought to govern it,” Jay insisted. But now, oligarchs accustomed to such governance are furious that the nation’s capital of capitalism is in danger of serving people instead of megaprofits.
As industry conflicts of interest at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) come into the spotlight, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) merit special concern.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
While alcoholics or addicts now have “use disorders,” (and people aren’t disabled they have disabilities) NIDA retains the archaic and judgmental “abuse” in its name as in National Institute on Drug Abuse. What? Is this 1960?
Its current landing page says, “There is little scientific evidence to support the stereotype that people who return to use after a period of abstinence inevitably do so at the same intensity” and proposes using less drugs or alcohol as an addiction solution!
Worsening alcoholism or addiction after a relapse is a stereotype? Abstinence can be replaced by “cutting down”?
I’ve been away from “the world” for a while – by which I mean, away from home and my life of computer-focused hermitude.
As I wait for round 2 of my cataract surgery (my right eye), I remain with my loving family in Appleton, Wisconsin. Yeah, I have my computer with me, but hardly have the wherewithal to stay intensely focused on global events, beyond “Oh my6 God, we’re bombing Iran now?” and masked ICE gunmen are rounding up “illegals” all across the country.
As I sit on the couch, presumably recovering from my left-eye surgery, I want to scream and shove all this obnoxious news into a corner of my mind, where I can absorb it slowly, in a context of hope/ Yeah, we will move beyond all this. The media may not report on it, but humanity is evolving. Right?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persistently declares his ambition to "change the face of the Middle East". Yet, his repeated assertions seem to clash with the unfolding reality on the ground.
Netanyahu's opportunistic relationship with language is now proving detrimental to his country. The Israeli leader undoubtedly grasps fundamental marketing principles, particularly the power of strong branding and consistent messaging. However, for any product to succeed over time, clever branding alone is insufficient; the product itself must live up to at least a minimum degree of expectation.
Netanyahu's "product," however, has proven utterly defective, yet the 75-year-old Israeli Prime Minister stubbornly refuses to abandon his outdated marketing techniques.
But what exactly is Netanyahu selling?