THE RICHEST GUY IN L.A.. And possibly the most valuable

Leaving a swank floating restaurant on the Nile

No, she is not holding me up.  It costs too much to get drunk in Egypt

The richest guy in Los Angeles also may well be the smartest, is possibly the most hard working and – using my criteria – almost certainly the most valuable.  His name is Patrick Soon-Shiong and he is – you guessed it – a cancer researcher.  By training he is a medical doctor.  He made billions developing drugs.  He owns part of the L.A. Lakers and is on good terms with Kobe Bryant.  In short, he is not very much like you or me.  Nevertheless, I am very happy that there are such folks in the world.  We need lots more of them. I wish I were one. 

 Dr. Soon-Shiong is featured in a recent 60 Minutes episode:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/billionaire-doctor-fights-cancer-in-unconventional-way/

which in turn  is summarized, analyzed and criticized in Forbes magazine as follows:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidshaywitz/2014/12/08/60-minutes-cancer-doctors-revolutionary-idea-taking-big-data-seriously/ 

Dr. S-S exemplifies my take on how to make progress in the war on cancer.  He is free to follow where his training and instincts lead.  He isn’t required to dive into the pit and wrestle thousands of other supplicants for NIH money, nor does he need to worry that a jury of his scientific peers will deem his project too chancy to support.  He can use all the new technology he can lay his hands on, and to explore any avenue that HE –as an acknowledged expert in the field – regards as promising.  He can go where his instincts and training lead him.  And, not the least blessing,  he doesn't have to write grant proposals.

As pointed out in the Forbes article, little or none of the methods and concepts that Dr S-S plans to use are original with him.  What is original is that fact that he knows about all these things, how they work, what they are good for, and how they might complement each other - and has the means, the energy, and the resources – to put them to work.

We can’t reasonably expect a whole swarm of Dr. Soon-Shiongs to emerge suddenly and bring cancer to its knees, but we MIGHT be able to swing a well-supported governmental agency with someone like Dr. S in charge.  Right, Cliff?  

I would like to write more but I am using a new computer that seems determined to put me in my place.  It took me one hour, and at least 20 tries, to get this far.  Probably slower than my old typewriter.