whyroots

Last week a team of scientists successfully grafted a windpipe fabricated from a woman’s own stem cells. This is big news if you have diabetes.

For years researchers have made promising strides in treating diabetes, and those in the field are constantly extolling the virtues of their studies, promising a cure within our lifetime. But being told a cure is around the corner is no solace for someone who is living daily with the disease. Though because of the progress made recently and advances in stem cell research lurking around the corner, I think our fantasy $5 billion will really be used well in this field. Some mandates can wait, others cannot.

Obama says he’ll reverse a bunch of the dumb-shit Bush laws. Thank god. Bush's veto of expanding stem cell research based on religious convictions is costing lives. Treating this disease now and in early stages in a person’s life is a good preventative measure, both for the spleen and for the economy. After all, managing and fighting this disease is costing Americans over $200 billion annually. 

If you live in New York, you’ll find couched next to ‘benefits of sleep’ stories in the paper too often an "everyone is getting diabetes" story. In New York, one in eight adults have the disease and the rate of new cases is increasing. These are staggering numbers. If we threw some cash at this problem and lifted the ban on embryonic stem cell research, we could actually make a difference.

Huh. Now that I’ve spent my fantasy money, I feel sort of... sad. I miss it, I suppose. I feel like I want to throw it at a million other issues, but there are rules to this fantasy. No hard feelings, sustainable energy.

-- Jonah H. Green

The Good (inter-web links judged not by moral or righteous good, but by highest level of absurdity or artistic merit):

1)      The gorgeous irony of Palin pardoning turkeys in front of a turkey slaughter.

2)      This photo of Charlie Rangel as a sun-tanning walrus.

3)      Young swedish vampire love: Let The Right One In was a beautiful movie. A love story between two twelve-year-old's in the 70’s. One happens to be a vampire. No, it’s not like Twilight.

4)      I’m Gonna Kick Some Ass With My Own Pipe Wrench

5)      Rachel Maddow <3!!

6)      Somali pirate culture and their swinging luxurious lifestyle. Will somebody make a Somali-pirates-dancing-on-a-yacht video already?

7)      Jamie Livingston took a Polaroid every single day from March 1979 to Ocotober 25th, 1997, the day of his death. The website of a man who documented his own death deserves to be perused obsessively.

 8) And, of course, baby cheetahs.

The Bad:

1. The Media Holiday Party Recession--so the media industry is dying, but now we can't make out with coworkers and cry in the coat-check room? Is nothing sacred?

2. Bloomie Forces Third Term on NY: This could have easily been avoided with a referendum, but no.

3. Hillary as Secretary of State. I don’t know. We are slightly concerned. But I do enjoy the return of the headband look.

4. George Bush is nothing like the Dark Knight. I would know. I made a useless video about it.

5. "Bush 'very pleased' with Iraq war outcome " [Anguished yelp of rage].


The Ugly (Physically and otherwise)

1. Ashley Dupre. Maybe her trashy borderline learning disability shtick would fly if she were a fox, but she is not a fox. And no, I refuse to put an accent on the -e in her fake name.

2. See Charlie Rangel picture.

On Thursday I went to a moveon.org meet-up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It wasn't clear what, exactly, they would occupy themselves with now that Obama had won. Dance party? Celebratory orgy? There seemed to be such an excess of energy post-victory I thought there'd at least be some catharsis.

The premise of the meeting was actually a surprise to many of the members. Moveon had concocted this bizarre photo-gathering project that, frankly, seemed a bit superfluous. Take photos of strangers holding up some sort of sign supporting Barack Obama? Really? And spend an hour discussing different places one could potential take said photographs? "A public park," said one. "A dog park," said the other. "No, it's too cold out." "Yes but they're already standing in the dog park." The members couldn't agree on anything. They just wanted to vent and come together, drink, maybe, release that nervous energy, that terrible elated now-what-ness. Also, they wanted Move On to listen to them.

The meeting quickly devolved into chaos. The young leaders couldn't control the older, liberal, opinionated members who just wanted to talk it out. A schism formed in the group. Eileen, the most vocal of the lot, started gathering emails separately from the Move On group. "No! No no! We want to have each other's numbers, not through the council!" There was cursing, anguished head holding/face-wiping, disingenuous applause, and then the "celebration." Weee!

Before Democrats won this election, I assumed every progressive meeting sort of resembled this one--a mess of opinion and open-mindedness, a rodeo of free-thinkers and non-leaders. I left wondering how we won. But really you can't infer anything here on a grand scale, except maybe that the most liberal and active troupe of the Upper West Side are like these few outliers (god bless the literate liberals on the UWS, though).

At the meeting there was much said about the difference between MoveOn.org and MyBarackObama.com. Throughout Obama's campaign, MoveOn struggled to find its purpose with "MyBo" so perfectly organized, an even rootsier-grass movement than MoveOn. Forged in the fires of the impeachment, and now with a president that shares its values, the progressive organization is struggling to find its place in this new era. But if Jon Stewart can still be funny without a Dubya punching bag, perhaps MoveOn can come back. Thoughts?

MoveOn Up to the Upper West Side (NYMag.com)