The Awl http://www.theawl.com/ Be Less Stupid Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 NYC AIDS Memorial Park Designs: Apparently They All Sucked? http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/nyc-aids-memorial-park-designs-apparently-they-all-sucked http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/nyc-aids-memorial-park-designs-apparently-they-all-sucked#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/nyc-aids-memorial-park-designs-apparently-they-all-sucked Did you enter the competition to design the AIDS Memorial Park in the "upper West Village," at what they call "St. Vincent's Triangle"? Did you pay that $50 entry fee, in the hopes to win the big $5000 prize (and, you know, design a park)? Well, you did not win. And neither did anyone else who entered, because Rudin Management, the developers, hated them all, even the rather lovely design chosen by the jury. They will be sticking with their extremely dull own plans. (The memorial has a classic New York history, with lots of angry community board meetings; if you want to dive deep, start here.) Anyway, THIS IS GOING TO BE AWKWARD, but you all lost.

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]]> Did you enter the competition to design the AIDS Memorial Park in the "upper West Village," at what they call "St. Vincent's Triangle"? Did you pay that $50 entry fee, in the hopes to win the big $5000 prize (and, you know, design a park)? Well, you did not win. And neither did anyone else who entered, because Rudin Management, the developers, hated them all, even the rather lovely design chosen by the jury. They will be sticking with their extremely dull own plans. (The memorial has a classic New York history, with lots of angry community board meetings; if you want to dive deep, start here.) Anyway, THIS IS GOING TO BE AWKWARD, but you all lost.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/nyc-aids-memorial-park-designs-apparently-they-all-sucked/feed 1 Nine Arrested at Bloomberg's AIDS Breakfast http://www.theawl.com/2010/12/nine-arrested-at-bloombergs-aids-breakfast http://www.theawl.com/2010/12/nine-arrested-at-bloombergs-aids-breakfast#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:40:40 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2010/12/nine-arrested-at-bloombergs-aids-breakfast
As we promised: Nine in Bagel Suits Are Arrested at AIDS Protest.

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As we promised: Nine in Bagel Suits Are Arrested at AIDS Protest.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2010/12/nine-arrested-at-bloombergs-aids-breakfast/feed 5 Why We've Been Ignoring the AIDS Vaccine Story http://www.theawl.com/2009/09/why-weve-been-ignoring-the-aids-vaccine-story http://www.theawl.com/2009/09/why-weve-been-ignoring-the-aids-vaccine-story#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:50:52 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2009/09/why-weve-been-ignoring-the-aids-vaccine-story · AIDS Vaccine "Important Step" Against Disease (Reuters)
· AIDS Vaccine Trial Offers Hope (The Advocate)
· For First Time, AIDS Vaccine Shows Some Success (New York Times)
· HIV vaccine breakthrough (Sydney Herald)
· Vaccine Shows Promise in Preventing HIV Infection (Wall Street Journal)
· Scientists Puzzle Over Minor Success Of AIDS Vaccine (Washington Post)

Oh wait-sorry, what's that, Washington Post? "The results were barely significant on statistical grounds, perplexing for scientific reasons and unanticipated by most researchers."

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]]> · AIDS Vaccine "Important Step" Against Disease (Reuters)
· AIDS Vaccine Trial Offers Hope (The Advocate)
· For First Time, AIDS Vaccine Shows Some Success (New York Times)
· HIV vaccine breakthrough (Sydney Herald)
· Vaccine Shows Promise in Preventing HIV Infection (Wall Street Journal)
· Scientists Puzzle Over Minor Success Of AIDS Vaccine (Washington Post)

Oh wait-sorry, what's that, Washington Post? "The results were barely significant on statistical grounds, perplexing for scientific reasons and unanticipated by most researchers."

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/09/why-weve-been-ignoring-the-aids-vaccine-story/feed 10 What Can't Bill Clinton Do These Days? http://www.theawl.com/2009/08/what-cant-bill-clinton-these-days http://www.theawl.com/2009/08/what-cant-bill-clinton-these-days#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:06:49 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2009/08/what-cant-bill-clinton-these-days HAYYYThe Clinton Foundation announced today they'd gotten those monsters at Pfizer and Mylan to lower the cost of some drugs for TB and HIV in the "developing world" to just, in the case of TB, $1 a dose. (That'll go over really well in countries like Haiti, where the average individual income is something like $1 or $2 a day.). But still-something that should have happened actually happened!

For the first time, a second-line regimen of four [antiretrovirals] will be available for under $500 annually. Additionally, the cost of a key drug for treating tuberculosis (TB) in patients using second-line ARVs has been reduced by 60 percent, to $1 per dose.
Just think! For 100% of your annual income, you can have AIDS drugs now. ("You" being "really poor person.") But yes. In reality, however, this means that NGOs and health care agencies-and "leveragers" such as such as UNITAID-can actually afford to distribute these drugs, so, yay.

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]]> HAYYYThe Clinton Foundation announced today they'd gotten those monsters at Pfizer and Mylan to lower the cost of some drugs for TB and HIV in the "developing world" to just, in the case of TB, $1 a dose. (That'll go over really well in countries like Haiti, where the average individual income is something like $1 or $2 a day.). But still-something that should have happened actually happened!

For the first time, a second-line regimen of four [antiretrovirals] will be available for under $500 annually. Additionally, the cost of a key drug for treating tuberculosis (TB) in patients using second-line ARVs has been reduced by 60 percent, to $1 per dose.
Just think! For 100% of your annual income, you can have AIDS drugs now. ("You" being "really poor person.") But yes. In reality, however, this means that NGOs and health care agencies-and "leveragers" such as such as UNITAID-can actually afford to distribute these drugs, so, yay.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/08/what-cant-bill-clinton-these-days/feed 8 26 Awesome People Arrested, Released In Capitol Building Protest http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/26-aweome-people-arrested-released-in-capitol-building-protest http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/26-aweome-people-arrested-released-in-capitol-building-protest#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:35:54 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/26-aweome-people-arrested-released-in-capitol-building-protest
You know who are actually American heroes? The 26 people arrested yesterday in support of needle exchange legalization. Obama's platform has always been pro-needle exchange, but when he submitted the budget back in May, it still included the old language banning spending on needle exchange. The White House's last statement was that they wanted to handle this legislatively and also to build public consensus on needle exchange. Since then: nada. And that is extra-stupid: public health is way outside the realm of man-on-the-street approval ratings. There are 20 years of needle exchange studies and that the White House is back-burnering this is outrageous-and way more outrageous than back-burnering Don't Ask Don't Tell. (Though it is less sexy than DADT. I mean who doesn't like seeing the hot gay soldiers on the T.V.? Except when you remember that they are all in the killing business. But whatever!)

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You know who are actually American heroes? The 26 people arrested yesterday in support of needle exchange legalization. Obama's platform has always been pro-needle exchange, but when he submitted the budget back in May, it still included the old language banning spending on needle exchange. The White House's last statement was that they wanted to handle this legislatively and also to build public consensus on needle exchange. Since then: nada. And that is extra-stupid: public health is way outside the realm of man-on-the-street approval ratings. There are 20 years of needle exchange studies and that the White House is back-burnering this is outrageous-and way more outrageous than back-burnering Don't Ask Don't Tell. (Though it is less sexy than DADT. I mean who doesn't like seeing the hot gay soldiers on the T.V.? Except when you remember that they are all in the killing business. But whatever!)

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/07/26-aweome-people-arrested-released-in-capitol-building-protest/feed 3 Miley Cyrus, In A World Without AIDS http://www.theawl.com/2009/04/miley-cyrus-in-a-world-without-aids http://www.theawl.com/2009/04/miley-cyrus-in-a-world-without-aids#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:43:48 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2009/04/miley-cyrus-in-a-world-without-aids Regarding the World Health Organization raising its pandemic level to "OMG OMG FREAK OUT" level this afternoon, Rod Townsend notes: "Can you imagine if they had reacted in such a manner to AIDS? There would be art and music and fashion in the world. And Miley Cyrus would be working at a McDonald's in Branson, Missouri."

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]]> Regarding the World Health Organization raising its pandemic level to "OMG OMG FREAK OUT" level this afternoon, Rod Townsend notes: "Can you imagine if they had reacted in such a manner to AIDS? There would be art and music and fashion in the world. And Miley Cyrus would be working at a McDonald's in Branson, Missouri."

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