Forced to limit our social interactions to get through this pandemic, millions of us are using apps and online services to try to bring some measure of normalcy and convenience to our lives. Demand for food and alcohol delivery is through the roof and thousands of other platforms are still popular and ripe for a […]
Netflix Series Reveal Injustice and Junk Science Are Plaguing Courts
With so many of us doing our part to stay at home, it’s been the perfect time to dive into a binge-worthy Netflix series. For many, it’s been “Tiger King” or reruns of “Friends,” but some of the more interesting series deconstruct the American justice system and its complexities: innocence or guilt, truth and facts, […]
Overreaching Lockdowns Are Flattening Our Livelihoods
Millions of Americans are in the penalty box as we speak. They have followed the advice of state and local officials and stayed home to stop the spread of COVID-19. Businesses are on hold, birthdays are canceled, travel is limited, and we are glued to our screens to see how this all ends. While some […]
COVID-19 gives us the opportunity for legal reform
Public life is now at a standstill in the United States. Millions are social distancing and staying at home to avoid further community spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. It’s important to remain positive, but times are tough. Nearly 18% of American households are facing reduced hours or layoffs at work according to […]
Are Timeshares the Ultimate Vacation Racket?
Last year, I won a free trip to a Las Vegas resort. But it came with a catch: I had to listen to a sales pitch on at least one afternoon of my three-day, two-night stay. No biggie, I thought. I’d pop in and hear the pitch before I hit the pool. The trip was […]
The Green Rush Is Already Here, and We Need Smart Cannabis Policy to Direct It
This week, 60 Minutes ran a report on the failure of cannabis policy in California, specifically the marijuana-rich region of the Emerald Triangle. Though California legalized cannabis beginning in 2017, the region has created a special conundrum for law enforcement and regulators. The northwestern region of the state, with its ideal growing climate, grows an estimated 70% of the […]
Have We Reached Peak Lawsuit?
Another day, another bogus lawsuit. That seems to be the trend in today’s frantic fever to adjudicate every aspect of our lives. It’s gone much beyond the famous $3 million McDonalds “hot coffee” lawsuit of the 1990s. We see this with the landmark $572 million opioid lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in Oklahoma, boiling down […]
Nicotine is Not Your Enemy
In the fourth season of the popular show Mad Men, creative advertising executive Donald Draper pens a page-long ad in the New York Times explaining why he’s “quit tobacco.” A long time creative force in pushing cigarettes in popular media, he decides he’s had a change of heart when it comes to the dangerous effects […]
We Must Make Consumer Privacy a Priority
Nearly every day we hear of more major cases of identity theft, financial crime and other forms of attacks or malicious interference on the internet. Breeches become commonplace and lax standards leave consumers worried about how their information is safeguarded. The colossal breaches at British Airways and Marriott and Starwood in 2018 compromised the private […]
Facebook Trustbusters Are Motivated by Partisan Politics, Not Concern for the Consumer
Channeling the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt and nostalgia for the early 20th century Progressive Era, the latest bad idea being circulated in elite circles is to use the trust-busting power of the federal government to break up the social network Facebook. The idea has been promoted by the likes of Democratic politicians like senators Elizabeth […]