Name That Town
As residents of a few slices of Shelby County continue to hum the national
anthem and quote the founding fathers on what increasingly appears to be
their inexorable march toward incorporation, we can't help but wonder if
they've chosen the right names for their proposed fiefdoms. The new law
that has so far left cities helpless to stem the Balkanization of Tennessee
did come with a time limit, so the paperwork was likely drawn up in a hurry,
without much thought to finding the perfect name.
"Independence" is classic, of course, although a little obvious,
while "New Forest Hills" and "New Berryhill" don't seem
sufficiently reactionary. May we suggest that one of these towns-to-be snatch
up "New Memphis" before it's too late. It just has that Revolutionary
War ring of "New England." Or maybe New Berryhill should go with
"New Cordova" and New Forest Hills -- given that it will include
the Tournament Players Club at Southwind and Windyke Country Club
-- should become "New Galloway."
Naming themselves after someplace else, however, might cheapen their independence,
make the whole thing feel, you know, empty. So maybe New Forest Hills should
just change its name to "Windyke" or "Southwind," or
just get it over with and become "Country Club, Tennessee," (although
the shorter "Club, Tennessee" would make for a nice logo). Our
best suggestion along those lines, however, is "Golfport."
And everyone's noticed that Wolfchase Galleria isn't in or near anyplace
called "Wolfchase." Come on, future citizens of Independence,
make it happen! The marketing muscle alone might help pay for some of that
infrastructure that's been all the rage lately.
Hear that, New Forest Hills? How does "FedEx/St. Jude Classic, Tennessee"
sound to you?
Hidden Barb?
It appears there might have been one hidden in Ann Ball's last official
act as the chair of the executive committee of the Memphis Convention and
Visitors Bureau. If you recall, Ball wasn't reappointed manager of Mud Island
last year when Memphis Mayor W.W. Herenton began his second term. Speaking
at the bureau's annual luncheon last week before turning her one-year CVB
post over to Thomas Boggs, she introduced Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout as
"everybody's favorite mayor."
Guess we know who that leaves to collect "least favorite" honors.
Likely Stories
We get some pretty strange mail, yes indeed we do. Recently a mysterious
Mr. X wrote us to share the fruits of "years of investigation"
that have led him to believe that the 1977 plane crash that killed three
members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was caused by a bomb planted
by the Black Panthers because of the band's South-celebrating lyrics and
"rebel flag backdrops."
We can only assume that Mr. X is a press agent for the Panthers and is spreading
this unsubstantiated story to enhance their image.
Compiled by Jim Hanas
P.O. Box 687
Memphis, TN 38101
FAX: 521-0129.
MD Researcher Sues Opponents
by Jacqueline Marino
cientific debate
is one thing. But Memphis scientist Peter Law thinks what some researchers
have said publicly about him is quite another.
And that's why he's suing three scientists, an Internet website administrator, and the University of Pittsburgh for libel and slander, among other charges.
Law,
who is conducting research on a potential treatment for muscular dystrophy,
argues that the statements made by Eric Hoffman, a University of Pittsburgh
associate professor; Mayana Zatz, president of the Brazilian Muscular Dystrophy
Association; and London scientist Terry Partridge have damaged his reputation
and compromised his fund-raising efforts.
"They've called me all sorts of names," Law says. "They have bombarded us to the point that we can't move forward properly and proficiently. If we don't stop them soon, people will start believing what they say about us and children [with muscular dystrophy] will suffer."
Hoffman, who is also the director of the University of Pittsburgh's Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Center, was quoted in a USA Today article as saying Law is "a complete fraud." He has called Law a "crook" on the Internet, and "not a good scientist" in a letter to Law's former leading fund-raiser. Law says Hoffman, Zatz, and Partridge have made other defamatory statements, including that his treatment for muscular dystrophy is "charlatanism."
"I think it's pretty crazy," Hoffman says of the lawsuit. "That contains nothing that me or any other person's said that's not true. It's just a tactic to take something out of the academic arena and put it in the legal arena and maybe make a few bucks off it."
Law is suing for $11 million in damages, most of which would be used to establish a trust fund for people with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.
A former star researcher for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), Law completed groundbreaking work on a possible treatment for muscular dystrophy in the 1980s. In late 1990, he was harshly criticized for leaving the University of Tennessee, Memphis, to pursue his research independently at the Cell Therapy Research Foundation (CTRF), a nonprofit organization he founded in East Memphis.
The potential treatment, known as Myoblast Transfer Therapy (MTT), involves removing some immature muscle cells from a healthy donor, growing them into 50 billion in a lab, and then transplanting them into the degenerating muscles of muscular dystrophy patients. Law says the transplanted cells repair and replace the patients' damaged cells, which allows the muscles to grow and strengthen.
Law says the foundation is preparing data from its latest clinical trials to send to the Food and Drug Administration, which will decide whether Law should proceed to the third and final phase of research. If this phase is successful, Law will be able to license the procedure and market it worldwide as a treatment for muscular dystrophy.
Although Law says his experiments on humans have been largely successful, most other scientists in his field have denounced his claims because no one has been able to replicate his results. Some have gone so far as to say Law has been deliberately secretive about his research in order to mislead the public.
In the past, Law has declined requests from other scientists to test his subjects independently. But last week Law sent a letter to the MDA inviting its scientists to participate in a clinical trial involving 30 human subjects. He wants the multimillion-dollar fund-raising institution to pay for the trials, which will cost about $4.5 million. Law is awaiting the MDA's response.
"In spite of all the criticism, I think we can move forward so much faster together," Law says.
Board May Have Overstepped Bounds
by Phil Campbell
Did an obscure Shelby County board exceed its authority by trying to improve the number of low- to moderate-income apartments in Memphis?
The Health, Educational and Housing Facility Board has given out several property-tax exemptions to developers who have renovated apartment buildings for people with low to moderate incomes.
The problem is, that's not their job, says Shelby County Trustee Bob Patterson.
"That particular agency was set up for housing for medical students and nursing students," Patterson says. Making deals with low- to moderate-income developers was never part of the plan, and that's what Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout will address when he reviews the board's actions. The Commercial Appeal recently discovered at least nine properties exempted by the board that have a total appraised value of $24.8 million, meaning that the county has lost about $600,000 in revenue. Rout hopes to make a decision regarding the board in the next 10 days, says Dawn Dugan, the mayor's communications manager.