#5SmartReads - March 28, 2023

Hitha on what's happening in Israel, drug supply, and the gun safety measure we're not talking enough about

March 28, 2023

What’s happening in Israel with the judicial court reform (and the subsequent firings, and protests) is really alarming and could have lasting global consequences.

What exactly is happening, you may ask.

Here’s the TL;DR - Netanyahu’s coalition has proposed massive changes to the country’s judiciary that would limit judges’ powers and weaken the independence of their Supreme Court. 

One of the biggest changes is that the Knesset (Israeli parliament) would be permitted to overall nearly every Supreme Court decision and appoint judges. And given that Netanyahu himself has a criminal trial ongoing for bribery charges (though in a separate court), the whole thing is not a good look.

More importantly, the majority of Israelis are against the proposed changes. Yesterday, the country saw hundreds of thousands stop working to protest these changes.

This article does an excellent job of recapping the entire issue with solid reporting, and I highly encourage you take the time to read it. 

This is such a niche read, but a FASCINATING one. Even if you’re not a mythology and Marvel geek (guilty on both fronts).

I love how Marvel is playing a small role in preserving Mesopotamian myths and legends (especially in keeping Gilgamesh a legend out of time), and I think it’s such an important and engaging way of preserving our world’s rich history.

And there are benefits to being a student of mythology, in whatever form is most engaged in our present times:

“Thomas’ belief in the benefits of learning myths is well founded. Story-telling has been recognised since ancient times as a powerful tool for imparting wisdom. Myths teach empathy and the ability to consider problems from different perspectives.

The combination of social and analytical skills developed through engaging with mythology can provide the foundation for a life-long love of learning. A recent study has shown that packaging stories in comics makes them more memorable, a finding with particular significance for preserving Mesopotamia’s cultural heritage.”

The drug shortage problem is something I’ve been studying in my industry for 10 years how - and things just keep getting worse, not better.

In one year (from 2021-2022), the number of new drug shortages increased by 30%, with nearly 300 drugs in short supply across all therapeutic areas.

Now, supply chain management is tough. And when you consider the high standards for everything that goes in a medication - the active ingredient, excipients, components for packaging, and even filters and tubing for the manufacturing cycle…well, it’s a miracle it all works in the best of times since all of these items are manufactured globally.

We are still dealing with the impact of the pandemic in our industry deeply, especially when it comes to manufacturing. But for me, it’s also highlighted the need to scale domestic manufacturing in life sciences, and I don’t just mean fill-finish (the final product). You can hear me talk all about this on my episode of the Heart of Healthcare podcast, but this read shows the urgency behind it.

And we won’t be able to do it without federal investment, simply because it is just so much cheaper to manufacture these items abroad. HHS - call me! I have lots of ideas.

Art has a way to shift our hearts in a way that nonfiction work can fall short.

And while Orange Is The New Black contributed to a changing view of the justice system, it was but the first step for many of us. UnPrisoned - a new Hulu series - is funny, heartfelt, and certainly has me questioning the institutions we believe protect us, but also cause harm to so many. And like OITNB, it doesn’t try to sum up the entire system but shine a light on a single family’s story - and superbly.

“UnPrisoned does not purport to cover or encapsulate all that it means to have been incarcerated or have a systems-involved loved one. Instead, it seeks to demonstrate how incarceration disrupts lives and creates conversation around what healing can look like in reaction to such a gruesome system—and it does all of this while managing to create moments of joy.”

It’s also one of the best written shows I’ve watched in a while, with such full, nuanced characters you can’t help but love and slightly loathe. If you love a dark comedy, you will love this show for that alone.

I’m again horrified at yesterday’s school shooting, and of my own numbness to the event.

I’m in full agreement that access to guns is a key part of the problem. But another major problem that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is the lack of resources, staff, and awareness of how we cannot enforce the gun laws we already have on our books.

The ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) is largely responsible for the enforcement of laws related to these items, with state and local staff responsible for inspections and other enforcement activities. And they have been woefully underfunded, under resourced, and still working from paper records and a handful of old computers in a world where someone can 3D print a gun and commit unspeakable violence.

“Matthew Varisco leads the Philadelphia office of the ATF. He argues his agency works closely with police to pull crime guns off the streets, but admits ATF falls short on yearly inspections of Pennsylvania's 3,100 federal firearms dealers.

"We can’t do that based on the amount of manpower that we have," Varisco said. 

Instead, Varisco says his agents look closely at dealers who’ve sold firearms later used in crimes.

Lloyd says that’s too late.

"If we’re always looking behind us, and solving things after the fact, we’re never going to get out in front of the gun violence epidemic that we're currently facing - particularly as it relates to illegal firearms," Lloyd explained.”

We need stronger gun safety laws - AND the resources to properly enforce them. It’s a both/and for me, and I hope we amplify this part of the issue the way we are demanding a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban and greater gun safety measures.

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