By Charlie Shapiro
At the October 25 meeting of the Greenwich Retired Men’s Association, Hollister Sturges introduced this week’s speaker, William Tong, the 25th Attorney General of the State of Connecticut. Mr. Tong is in his second term as Attorney General (AG), and a returning speaker for RMA; his prior speaking engagements were very well received as he is a dynamic and engaging speaker.
Mr. Tong began by discussing how Meta and other social media platforms “addict” young people using algorithms to lure them to spend as much time as possible on the platform. Meta and other social platforms rely on advertising revenue which yields hundreds of millions revenue dollars each year. In other words, Meta addiction monetizes products. Among other tools that social media companies use are self-appointed “social influencers,” who define what’s cool in terms of products one can buy. This technique is analogous to the way Big Tobacco’s goal was to expose as many people as possible, especially young people, to the notion that smoking was cool. Mr. Tong cited Big Tobacco’s use of the character “Joe Camel,” and contests where gifts were awarded for collecting cigarette box tops. Today vaping is especially targeted to young teens, to get them addicted. Juul, one of the largest makers of vaping equipment, is partly owned by Altria, a Big Tobacco company. As a result of prior litigation, the tobacco settlement funds give 120 million dollars annually to Connecticut in perpetuity; the settlement nationally was for billions of dollars.
Mr. Tong has now joined with other state Attorneys General in a new suit against Meta and other social media companies. A similar consortium of Attorneys General initiated the suits against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family for the marketing of OxyContin which was represented to be a “non-addictive” pain medication. The suit contended that the pharmaceutical producers and the companies that filled the prescriptions knew that the drug was in fact very addictive, resulting in the nationwide opioid crisis. In Connecticut alone opioids kill 1,500 people per year. In Tong’s opinion states have been forced to use their Consumer Protection Laws and Unfair Trade Practices Acts because our Congress is polarized and non-functioning. Fortunately, Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practices Act has no statute of limitations.
AG Tong then discussed monopolies and the safeguarding of individual privacy, noting that Connecticut has robust privacy laws.
Mr. Tong then responded to audience questions about communication, gun control, and the smoking settlement funds.
To see the full presentation, go to https://greenwichrma.org, cursor to “Speakers”
and click on “Speaker Videos.”
The RMA’s upcoming presentation, “Sinatra! The Song Is You: A Singer’s Art,” by Will Friedwald, is scheduled for 11 AM on Wednesday, November 15th. Frank Sinatra was the greatest entertainer of his age, invigorating American popular song with innovative phrasing and a mastery of drama and emotion. Unlike many biographers who dwell on the singer’s personal life, marriages, alleged mob ties, etc., Will Friedwald focuses on the music—how it was created, how it innovated, how it changed so dramatically from decade to decade, from his days with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey in the 1940s, to the swinging 1950s, to the “My Way” of the 1970s. Drawing upon interviews with hundreds of Sinatra’s collaborators as well as with “The Voice” himself, Friedwald, in his book “Sinatra! The Song Is You,” chronicles, critiques, and celebrates the singer’s five-decade career, illustrating with video examples from his vast library. He examines and evaluates classic and less familiar songs with the same astute, witty perceptions that earned him acclaim for his other books about jazz and pop singing.
Will Friedwald writes about music and popular culture for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Sun, The New York Stage Review, Vanity Fair, Playboy magazine, and other publications. He is also the host of the radio show “Sing! Sing! Sing!” on San Diego KSDS on Saturday mornings. He is the author of ten books including the award-winning “A Biographical Guide To The Great Jazz And Pop Singers,” “Stardust Melodies,” “Tony Bennett: The Good Life,” “Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies,” and “Jazz Singing.” He has written over 600 liner notes for compact discs, received eleven Grammy nominations, and appears frequently on television and in documentaries. He last appeared on the RMA speaker’s program in 2022 recounting the life and music of Nat “King” Cole, the subject of another of his acclaimed biographies.
To stream the presentation by Mr. Friedwald at 11 AM on Wednesday, November 15th, click on https://bit.ly/30IBj21. This presentation will also be available on local public access TV channels, Verizon FIOS channel 24 and Optimum (Cablevision) channel 79.
Note: The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. Any member of the public who would like to receive a weekly email announcement of future speakers should send a request to members@greenwichrma.org. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to https://greenwichrma.org/, or contact members@greenwichrma.org.
