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Atlanta's Weekly E-Magazine
Mar 1st - Mar 8th, 2002
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They realized their Olympic Dreams
and now off to Italy
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Our thanks to gotlaughs.com for sharing this classic with the WORLD.
Our thanks to: Big Nose Bird for sharing this with our READERS.
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NEW ZONING AFFECTING
MIDTOWN
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The City of Atlanta is adopting a revolutionary new zoning system, designed to create an urbanism euphoria for the people. The Atlanta City Council is expected to vote next month on new zoning ordinances which represent sweeping changes. One of the proposals involves Midtown which is the work done by the Atlanta Alliance for the past couple of years.
They are desperately trying to create the success and atmosphere of Piedmont & Tenth Street. No matter what time of the day you pass through those four corners, there are people walking, socializing and patronizing the stores.
One crucial point the planners have underestimated and continue to miss is that the Piedmont & Tenth Street atmosphere was created by the people who live in the neighborhood. The stores and businesses are owned by people who live in the area.To paraphrase the success from President Lincoln's famous Gettysburg speach: It is the business of the people, by the people, for the people ... of Midtown.
A new addition to Midtown has been the Post Properties apartments on Tenth Street. They attracted new residents who in turn have contributed to the success of Piedmont & Tenth Street. We need more developments of the kind.
The existing zoning limiting residential apartments to a maximum of 35 feet is wrong, old and outdated. The residential homes and apartments on Tenth Street across from Piedmont park should be allowed to renovate, reconstruct and rejuvenate Tenth Street beyond 35 feet, same as the Post Properties.
R. Charles Loudermilk, a Buckhead and Midtown real estate entrepreneur has said: "You don't pay that much for land and put a shack on it." The land on Tenth Street has gone appreciably up during the past few years and unless the new zoning allows for new construction beyond 35 feet high, there will be a great number of shacks on Tenth Street, a real eyesore.
We urge the members of the Atlanta City Council to vote wisely and incorporate Tenth Street in their new rezoning by allowing for new construction beyond 35 feet height, if they want to see their vision of an urban euphoria materialize.
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Editor's Corner
EMBRYO SCREENED FOR ALZHEIMER'S
According to a report in a scientific journal, doctors have genetically screened an embryo to prevent a child from developing early onset Alzheimer's. This was a major scientific accomplishment achieved for the first time. The news was reported last Wednesday evening at the 6:30 PM evening news by Tom Brokaw at the NBC News Headquarters.
The procedure was used to allow a woman who is destined to develop Alzheimer's disease before she turns 40 to give birth to a child that will have the same genetic defect. The woman gave birth to a daughter 18 months ago, at the age of 30, after her baby was produced using in vitro fertilization from an embryo screened to be free from the disorder. The baby did not inherit the gene that would have given her a tendency to develop early onset Alzheimer's which causes the disease to strike before the age of 40.
Doctors at the Reproductive Genetics Institute of Chicago declared that this was the first time the technique - known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - had been used to prevent Alzheimer's. Yury Verlinsky, chief author of the report which appeared in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, said that mother and daughter were doing well. The mother did not have the symptoms of the illness but carries a genetic mutation known as V717L which develops into the disease in the 30's. The mutation was identified in three of her five family members who were tested, including her sister who developed symptoms at the age of 38.
It is worth noting here that Great Britain has taken a "front runner lead" in this area by creating the world's first bank of stem cells from embryos to become operational next year. Their Medical Research Council (MRC) has invited independent national laboratories to bid for the operation of the bank. Britain has some of the most liberal laws in the world in relation to stem cell research, and establishing a stem cell bank would allow the country to position itself at the forefront of a medical revolution. In fact, they believe that many talented young doctors would move to Britain to carry out research, thus creating a "reverse brain drain" according to MRC. Doctors in England believe that a bank of stem cells will allow them to carry out research into degenerative and chronic disease control, offering hope to millions of people who suffer from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other conditions such as cancer, diabetes, congestive heart disease and spinal cord injuries.
Let us hope that we in the United States are not going to be bugged down and held back from this medical revolution. Our Congress needs to act wisely and promptly creating the first bank of stem cells.
James C. Stathis
Associate Editor
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