| | Dose Of News Useful Today Tuesday August 20th | | | | Texas Ransomware Massacre
| Good morning. If you’re in need of a boost, it may be good to talk to someone from Minnesota – they were ranked the friendliest state in the country by survey of 1.5 million people… the least friendly? (Hint, it begins with an N) | | | We use a rating system powered by MediaBias/FactCheck. These ratings are SUBJECTIVE & should be treated as such. Learn more. | | |  | Prescription Drug Prices | On July 31st, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a plan to allow for the safe importation of prescription drugs originally intended for foreign markets. The plan involves setting up pilot programs and creating safety guidelines for manufacturers who want to bring in drugs produced for sale elsewhere. Polls show that lowering the cost of prescription drugs is a top priority for American voters, and that a majority of the public supports increased government oversight to do so. So, what’s next?
Fifteen of the 25 candidates for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president have declared a stance on lowering drug prices. For some, that’s part of a broader overhaul of the healthcare system, and for others, it’s a smaller regulatory change. | | Here’s what people are saying… | | | | Share Today’s Dose of Discussion | | |  | Damn, she’s FearceSix years ago, Chelesa Fearce (pronounced Che-lisa) was a Clayton County (GA) high-school valedictorian with a glaring secret she revealed on graduation day. That secret? She was homeless, sleeping in cars, homeless shelters and extended stay motels, studying by stove light to attain academic success. That hard work paid off – she earned a full ride to Spelman College to study biochemistry, and has now secured a spot at Yale Medical School to study psychiatry. In spite of all the success, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from – she partnered with the Clayton County school system to grant scholarships for local homeless students who have shown inklings of academic success. This program aims to reach the 2,700 students across the county that are struggling with homelessness, helping to give back to students who are going through the same trials and tribulations she persevered against. | | WSBTV Atlanta → | Philanthropy mentalityCan “Twitter mobs” actually be a good thing? Well, philanthropist Bill Pulte thinks so. Frustrated by what he perceives as the inefficiencies of donating to charities (only a percentage of people’s donations make it to those in need), he’s dedicated to spreading “Twitter philanthropy.” Bill is determined to grow and inspire an audience of philanthropy minded followers, and has pledged to give away $1 million when his Twitter audience hits 1 million people. The philanthropist has personally paid for groceries, AC units, heating bills, funerals and even arranged for a group of his Twitter followers to purchase school supplies for teachers, but his last act for a homeless vet named Horace Scott may have been his biggest yet. Horace was living in a transitional housing unit and working two jobs to save enough money to move out on his own. He had no reliable way to make it to those jobs, so when Pulte caught wind of the situation, he flew from Detroit to New Orleans to buy Horace a brand new car. Bill’s next goal? To inspire Kylie Jenner to get involved with “Twitter philanthropy.” | | Daily Mail → | Fateful connectionIraqi-born Teeba Marlowe has endured some major struggles in her seventeen years, but thanks to the selflessness of two incredible women, things are looking up. At just five years old, Teeba was the victim of an explosion, which resulted in permanent disfiguration of her head and face. The little girl was terrified she’d be bullied for the rest of her life due to her appearance. Enter Barbara Marlowe, a Cleveland, OH resident who saw a photo of Teeba in the local newspaper and felt a strange connection with the little girl. Barbara set to securing visas, and contacting surgeons and Teeba’s family to see how she could help – after getting in contact, Teeba’s mother made the heart-wrenching decision to send her to the US to receive medical care and attention (but she visits periodically). Teeba underwent 19 intensive surgeries to repair the damage from the explosion, and is now living a normal life – even preparing to head to college in the fall. As for her two moms? Teeba told Inside Edition, “Both my moms are moms. There’s no fake mom, real mom. There’s no birth mom, raising mom. It’s just Mom and Mom.” | | Inspire More → | | | | |  | New Prison BureauThe U.S. Attorney General appointed new leadership to the Bureau of Prisons. The acting chief, who oversaw the Bureau when Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell, will return to his previous appointment. | | Title X withdrawalPlanned Parenthood announced that it would withdraw from the federal Title X funding program, citing Health and Human Services rule changes regarding abortion procedures. The Title X grant program was established in 1970 as part of the Public Health Service Act to fund family planning and related preventive healthcare. | | Pantaleo firedThe New York Police Department fired officer Daniel Pantaleo following disciplinary proceedings that began in May. Pantaleo held Eric Garner in a chokehold during a lawful arrest in 2014, resulting in Garner’s death. | | | | | |  | Misinformation madnessTwitter announced yesterday it will block state controlled media outlets from advertising on its platform. The announcement came hours after the revelation that hundreds of accounts linked to China were buying sponsored tweets to sow misinformation about Hong Kong protestors. | | TechCrunch → | Grocery GrabTarget is launching Good & Gather, an in-store brand that will attempt to boost its grocery sales (for you price clubbers, think Kirkland or Member’s Mark). The company will sell 650 products under the G&G label beginning Sept 15th, and expects to expand to 2,000 by late next year. | | Fortune → | CEOs of the RoundtableThe Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs of ~200 major U.S. corporations, issued a statement yesterday with a new definition of the “purpose of a corporation.” Instead of maximizing shareholder value, the group says investing in employees, delivering value to customers, dealing ethically with suppliers and supporting outside communities are now at the forefront of American business goals. | | Wall Street Journal → | Texas ransomware massacre23 Texas towns have been hit by a coordinated ransomware attack that began on Friday morning. Though the offender hasn’t been identified, the attacks are similar to recent ones targeting NY, LA, FL and MD, and the state ordered a “Level 2 Escalated Response” as a result (the second-highest threat response of a four step process). | | CNBC → | | | | |  | Food for thought | via Atlas Obscura In the late 1890s, every time a patron ordered a drink in a bar, the bartender would serve the drink with an inedible sandwich comprised of moldy ham and cheese – sometimes even rubber. Seconds after serving, the bar staff would whisk the sandwich away to pair with another drink order, and the same sandwich sometimes circulated for weeks at a time. Why? | (keep scrolling for the answer) | | | | |  | Get Your FREE Stuff | Step 1. Click the share button below | Step 2. Share the DONUT with friends | Step 3. Cash in on tons of rewards | |  | | | | | | | Dose of Knowledge Answer | The Raines law – a pre-prohibition law controlling the sale of alcohol that was designed to curb drunkenness and put dive bars out of business. It contained an explicit loophole that allowed lodging houses with ten rooms or more to serve guests drinks with meals seven days a week, hence the inedible sandwiches.. | | |
