I didn't think it was too newsworthy that a Harvard prof stepped down from academic medicine to give lectures full time for industry.

I did think it interesting that Daniel Carlat, a psychiatrist and prominent blogger, called up the Harvard prof's foundation and tried to interview his wife (she hung up on him).

If that's not chutzpah, I don't know what is.

Way to go, Dr. Dan. The muckrakers of the 1920s and '30s would be proud of you.

So I had the bright idea to call Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel. Part of the power trio of Emanuel brothers this seems to be a guy who can get things done in Washington. He has met with Barack Obama to advise him on health care reform written books on the subject etc. I thought I could appeal to him about this JNCI issue. Basically I think the journal of our National Cancer Institute should be free for all American taxpayers to access. We paid for that research and writing and we should get to read it for free. It would be like NOAA making you pay to get the weather data.