RKS Health: The Central Strategy of Big Pharma

“Between 1991 and 2017, drug companies paid more than $38 billion in fines and settlements to federal and state governments: many of those companies-including Merck pleaded guilty to having misled doctors and the public about drug safety and efficacy. (GlaxoSmith Kline led the pack with $7.9 billion in financial penalties). Even so that seemingly enormous amount of money represents a miniscule percentage of drug company profits over the same period, and drug company executives were rarely jailed for wrongdoing. Increasing sales by misleading American doctors (even when this involved breaking the law) had become central to Big Pharma’s business strategy.”

“John Abramson, MD, MSc: ”sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We can Repair it”: Mariner Books 2022.

RKS 2023 Film: “Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age” (Je vous salue salope, Backlash): Revulsion, Disgust and Frustration

When you watch “Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age” unless you are a Proud Boy or a January 6th insurrectionist you might be thoroughly disgusted.

Women and men from the United States, Canada, France and Italy tell their story of on-line harassment of themselves or their loved ones by woman hating rednecks. It is not pretty. In fact it is revolting and disgusting. Some of the abusers are identifiable and some are anonymous cowards hiding in the reeds. Squirm in your seats when you watch. “Bitch”, “slut” and so forth and then its rape, beat and murder playing on the misogynist trumpet on social media.

The documentary was the number 1 box office documentary in 2022 in Quebec and currently ranked #10 in the list of highest grossing documentaries in Quebec history.

Listen to the stories of women hating social media attacks from Laura Boldrini, the former President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Kiah Morris an Afro-American Democratic representative in the Vermont State legislature, Marion Seclin a Parisian based actor, the father of Rehtaeh Parson driven to suicide by vicious and relentless social media-based attacks and Laurence Gratton an elementary school teacher in Montreal.

It is an epidemic and its extent may be vast and, in some cases, deadly. Sickening. But the inability or willingness by law enforcement to investigate and prosecute is even more sickening. Law enforcement is at best only beginning to recognize the savage nature of digital misogyny. As a lawyer I find the attitude of law enforcement puzzling and frustrating. I recall as a law student years ago learning that verbal abuse may constitute an assault. In this documentary verbal abuse is clear and in some instances the abuser is identifiable so why not prosecute?

Perhaps this documentary begs the question of why the law has not caught up with social media abusers in most jurisdictions? Why aren’t social media platforms eliminating misogyny? Could it be that they are user generated platforms and hatred generates traffic? I note in the documentary Donna Zuckerberg the sister of Marc Zuckerberg says, “Social media has elevated misogyny to new levels of violence.”

Read social media posts and query are they jokes or a vicious attacks? The misogynist comments are so blatantly idiotic it would appear they are moron generated and akin to a joke. However this is a comment made by an outsider and not in the mind of the recipient who is threatened with all sorts of vile acts and very sick comments coming from the mouths of out of the closet misogynists.

Digital misogyny is a combination of idiocy and psychopathic behaviour, potentially life threatening. Aside from being disgusting it is disturbing that in the instances where the perpetrators are identified law enforcement appears reluctant to prosecute. Is this just as sickening as misogynist palaver in the social media or is social media these days unsociable and full of devious distorters of reality? As one woman remarked what person emerges these days that is raised on social media?

One point of criticism and that is the documentary can be seen as a broad-based attack on all men. You know we aren’t all evil. What might have rounded out the documentary is an explanation why misogyny flourishes in the first place instead of simply documenting it.

The documentary has been a smash hit in Quebec and will have its English theatrical premiere in Toronto at the Hot Docs Cinema on 13/14/15/17 January. After that it will be showing throughout Canada.

RKS 2023 Film Rating 86/100.

You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voEsn8BysG4

RKS 2023 Wine: Perez Cruz: A Tsunami of Winners: Confessions of a Carmenère Convert!

At the Drink Chile 2022 event held last November in Toronto I tasted the Perez Cruz Limited Edition Carmenère and it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps Chilean red wines had turned the corner and escaped their minty characteristics of a decade ago. That was one reason I took a Chilean red wine hiatus for a decade but the Drink Chile event caused me to rethink my rather dated thoughts about Chilean red wine. Subsequent tastings have verified, at least for me, Chile and red wines seem to be meant for each other at least with the limited tastings I have done.

So can the positivity continue with a 2020 Perez Cruz Carmenère Limited Edition from the Maipo Valley?

Aromatics: Yet more of that Chilean raspberry and cherry encountered! Rich plum and blackberry with a hint of milk chocolate.

Palate: Full bodied yet smooth despite its firmness. Raspberry, blackberry, Greek fig and black cherry with a long finish with some tat tat tat of pepper.

Personality: Chatting and cheerful on the palate and on the nose but I become very serious afterwards but not overbearing.

Food match: Cornish hen and roast potatoes.

Cellaring: Drinking beautifully now. It should improve over the next two to three years and will coast into 2028.

In a nutshell: The wine is approachable and inviting supporting my conjecture that raspberry and cherry just may be a characteristic of Chilean reds. A high quality Chilean red wine at a very reasonable price. So says this Carmenère convert!

Price: $19.95 (Ontario)

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 94/100. Patricio Tapia 93/100.

(Perez Cruz 2020 Limited Edition Carmenère, D.O. Maipo Andes, Pérez Cruz LTDA, Huelquén-Paine. Chile, 750 mL, 14%, Liquor Control Board of Ontario #670539)

RKS Health: Misleading Physicians to Increase Sales

“The Kaiser v. Pfizer trial provided two key lessons about drug company marketing: First, because drug companies fund most of the research about their drugs and control the resulting data, they can (and do) mislead physicians in order to increase sales. And, second, under our current system, it is more profitable for large pharmaceutical companies to commit crimes and pay the fines than to obey the law.”

John Abramson, MD, MSc: “sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair it”: Mariner Books 2022.

RKS 2023 Wine: Viña Tarapacá Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

It is quite remarkable Chile can offer us excellent Cabernet Sauvignon in the under $25 category. Why muck about with Californians in that price range. You’ll often be disappointed. Years ago one might have avoided Chilean red wines due to that minty touch on the palate as one would avoid South African reds due to an earthy if not a barnyard influence. Thank goodness that minty taint has largely disappeared and Chilean red wines are ready to take on if not take over reasonably price high quality red wines.

How will a Viña Tarapacá Gran Reserva 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley fare? Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 60% of the total wine production in the Maipo which is in the Central Valley Region.

Aroma: Loads of raspberry and sweet red cherry with blackberry and strawberry.

Palate: Moderate amount of tannins do not detract from the smoothness on the palate. Blackberry and red cherry with a bit of brackishness on the finish.

Food match: Seared duck breast with cherries and Port wine sauce.

Personality: I may be a Cabernet Sauvignon but don’t be misled into think I am a big hulking wine. My cherry and raspberry make me approachable and friendly. Many of my Chilean brothers have this raspberry and cherry streak in them. I am no weirdo in this regard. Just part of the pack.

Cellaring:  Might improve slightly over a couple of years. Consume by 2025-year end.

Price: $18.95.

In a nutshell: Yet another reasonably priced quality Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that has little in common with Cabernet Sauvignons from California and Washington. Drink on its own or with food.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 91/100.

(Viña Tarapacá 2020 Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, D.O. Valle del Maipo, Viña Tarapacá, Isla de Maipo, Chile,14% 750 mL, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 18721)  

“The Penniless Pensioner” : Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous” : Chapter 29: All Shook Up! The Fat Fox Backs Down

I mean how would you feel receiving a severed goat’s head via Fedex! And how would dear Ginerva feel about her little “currykins” (my nickname) being threatened by her Daddy! We both were all shook up. Ginerva requested we not talk about it until our Saturday “Discover New York Day”. She had a few calls to make and set somebody straight. And when Ginerva is mad, as I saw with her knife fight with the Puerto Ricans in Harlem, you don’t want to mess with my little plum who is transformed into a tigress!

Well Saturday came and I met Ginerva at our usual bench at the lagoon on a sweltering hot day. I stopped in at Whole Foods at Columbus Circle and picked up some organic pear juice and two carrot muffins for our breakfast prior to meeting up with her.

Ginerva told me a bit about her Daddy, Don Lupara, with a warning that if I ever repeated what she was about to say she could not guarantee my safety. Daddy was a huge cocaine and heroin importer bringing in hundreds of kilos of cocaine from El Salvador and heroin from Afghanistan for distribution in the Scampia district of Naples. Daddy controlled the retail network operating like a fine-tuned machine. In fact he had so many people working for him (267) they were referred to as the Cattivo Family and he was the don (boss) of that family. His nickname was the Fat Fox. In addition to his illegal activities he owned real estate, restaurants and a cheese factory selling to all the restaurants in Scampia and in Sorrento. Of course, in addition to restaurants in Scampia and Sorrento paying protection money to the Fat Fox they were “persuaded” to buy all their cheeses from the Fat Fox. Don Lupara was not fat but the enormous amount of money he generated made his pockets “fat”. And he required a constant flow of money to pay his family and their funeral costs. Family members rarely lived a full life. Ginerva remembered with dread the “wars” between rival families that Don Lupara survived unlike many other Naples family bosses.

Ginerva let Daddy have it between the eyes threatening never to talk to him again and should she have children that he would never see them. After all she was a grown woman and Daddy must not interfere with her life. And while she had Daddy whimpering like a naughty puppy she told him she and I were engaged! I could have blown up and walked back to Fifth Avenue and out of her life but I liked the idea. Oh those piercing green eyes set in that beautiful face had me saying yes when she asked if that was OK before slipping a ring on my finger.

There was only one little problem. We needed to visit Naples, introduce myself and then I had to ask the Fat Fox for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

RKS Health: Should the Real Goal to be Lower Cholesterol?

“Americans and their health care providers must remember that the real goal is not to have the lowest cholesterol level but to have the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke. Had the guidelines Jane’s doctor followed so scrupulously with regard to statin therapy first called for an in-depth program to help Jane overcome her resistance to making the lifestyle changes that would have far more effectively protected her health, surely her doctor would have followed that advice.”

John Abramson, MD,MSc, “sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It” : Mariner Books 2022

RKS 2023 Wine: South African Chenin Blanc: A Signature Grape/Wine?

In today’s wine world can one properly speak of a signature wine or grape? Given most wine producing countries produce a variety of wines how can you select a signature grape? By volume produced? By sales? By quality? By exports? The categories are many and varied and who can agree on them? At best one might try and identify a signature wine within an appellation or viticultural area. But even then is there any point in trying to identify a signature wine? Perhaps we might want to say a “notable wine”?

South Africa has several notable wines one such white wine being Chenin Blanc. I recently attended masterclass on South African wines in Toronto given by Christopher Waters. One comment that caught my attention is that a certain producer of Chenin Blanc in South Africa sells a limited quantity of “premium” Chenin Blanc for several hundred dollars a bottle and even if you are on “the list” there is no guarantee you’ll receive a bottle of the coveted Chenin Blanc.

South Africa is the 8th largest wine producer, 6th in export values and 19th for wine consumption. The percentage of vineyards growing white gapes is led by Chenin Blanc. In Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc is second to Sauvignon Blanc in terms of acreage.

In this case at $15.95 there is no waiting list for the Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc. There is a huge supply in the pipeline now in Ontario.

Aromas: Pineapple, mango, guava and tangerine.

Palate: Definite underlying acidity but not to the degree it threatens the wine. Pineapple upside down cake, South African tangerine, Granny Smith apple with some grapefruit and a bit of brackishness in the finish which extends its length.

Cellaring: Will not improve. Consume by the end of 2024.

Personality: With my acidity you might say I am a bit high strung. I am a bit salty. With the salt and acidity I urge you to drink me with food.

Price: $15.95 (Ontario).

Food Match: Grilled sardines with a lemon, olive oil and oregano sauce with Swiss Chard and crispy bread as a side.

In a nutshell: Signature Chenin Blanc pineapple aroma. Its acidity and brackishness a good accompaniment to white fleshed ocean fish. Might do well with a roasted chicken with lemon and potatoes Greek style. Not a particularly good sipper.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 87/100. Wine Spectator Rating 90/100.

(Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2021, Rustenberg Wines, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 698274, 12.5%)

“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous”: Chapter 28: Goat’s Head Special Delivery from Don Lupara?

Ginevra and I had earmarked Saturdays for an exploration of New York City. There were so many sites to see.

My favourite site was Central Park an oasis from the urban frantic New York. No matter the mood or weather we had frequent walks. I liked the lagoon with its ducks and benches to watch the world go by. I would often pop up to Whole Foods at Columbus Circle and pick up our lunch or breakfast from their huge deli section. New Yorkers were obsessed with eating out so Whole Foods deli was for many New Yorkers a “home cooked meal”.

Ginerva’s favourite was The Met Cloisters at the tip of Manhattan. It was always quiet and although the installations were in my opinion somewhat boring the calmness and serenity was so anti-New York. I discovered something fascinating about Ginevra on one of our trips to The Cloisters. We took the bus up through Harlem to get there and the bus broke down and we were thrust out in the street awaiting a replacement bus. Four Puerto Rican hoodlums approached us making jokes about Ginerva’s ass and one of them tried to pinch it. Well my little plum took out a stiletto knife and slashed the buttons of the aggressor’s leather jacket. Well they took their knives out and in thirty seconds they were on the pavement bleeding. My little plum! My sweet little plum! She bellowed in what she later told me was in Neapolitan dialect, “Want more sons of a whore. Come and meet your end!” Well those scratched up hoods ran off in terror. What a tough bird my little plum was although she was shaking like a leaf. I asked her about her knife wielding talents and she told me Daddy had taught her how to knife fight! In Naples he had said a girl is not safe with men unless she knew how to cut. My my. It was time to meet Don Lupara.

After our visit to The Cloisters we headed to a safer part of Harlem to one of our favourite restaurants “The Red Rooster” where we split a Charleston Boil and some shrimp grits. Ginerva had to calm herself down with two Tito’s Vodka martinis. She loved her martinis.

Speaking of love she insisted we return to my pad at the Dakota. She looked me in the eyes when we arrived and attacked me like a savage animal. Too many months of good behaviour she said. It was a pleasurable attack but damn Wuhan Wet Market Publishing. I am not going to soil my reputation and that of my little plum by giving any salacious details. In the morning exhausted by our “cavorting” and numbed out and a bit shy about our amorous explosion she left back to her place to finish some research.

Well my readers within 24 hours I received a special delivery package. When I opened it up, I could do nothing but scream and then vomit. There was a severed goat’s head in the box and a message, “The next time you fool with Ginerva it will be your head and balls in this package.” I had the feeling it was time to talk with Daddy!

RKS Health: Deadly Profit Seeking

“Sadly, those priorities did not include the safety of Stacey Palmer or all the other tens of thousands of Americans who had suffered cardiovascular complications as a result of taking Vioxx. Many of those injuries and deaths could have been prevented if the New England Journal of Medicine had corrected its erroneous article as soon as it knew of the problem; instead, it left the article uncorrected, allowing Merck to profit from the drug’s blockbuster status for another three and a half years and the journal itself to profit from selling reprints of the misleading article to Merck.”

John Abramson, MD, MSc “sickening: HOW BIG PHARMA BROKE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE AND HOW WE CAN REPAIR IT”: Mariner Books 2022