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  The Food Desert Myth Two and nine-tenths cheers to the New York Times for running on its front page a skeptical article by Gina Kolata about the food desert myth, that is, the lack of evidence for the idea, fashionable in some circles, that what really ails the American poor is a lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The missing one-tenth of a cheer is for the lack of attention to what Mayor Bloomberg has been doing on the issue in New York, and for the lack of attention to the Times's own role in promoting this myth over the years. But wonderful to see, nonetheless. The Times even visits Camden, N.J., for its myth-shattering piece, just as I did for mine in January 2011. Privately Funded Medical Research Breakthrough The front-page New York Times obituary of Robert Edwards, the Nobel laureate co-inventor of in vitro fertilization — a technique to which 5 million people owe their lives — reports, "denied government support, the men resorted to private financing." "In 1971, Dr. Edwards's application for research support from the British government was turned down… The two men obtained private funds and continued their work." I'm not saying that the federal government should eliminate all medical or scientific research funding. But the next time someone makes the argument that any cuts in the budget for federal medical research means that the medical breakthroughs will not happen, the story of Robert Edwards and test-tube babies is a pretty good comeback. Privately Funded Medical Research Breakthrough The front-page New York Times obituary of Robert Edwards, the Nobel laureate co-inventor of in vitro fertilization — a technique to which 5 million people owe their lives — reports, "denied government support, the men resorted to private financing." "In 1971, Dr. Edwards's application for research support from the British government was turned down… The two men obtained private funds and continued their work." I'm not saying that the federal government should eliminate all medical or scientific research funding. But the next time someone makes the argument that any cuts in the budget for federal medical research means that the medical breakthroughs will not happen, the story of Robert Edwards and test-tube babies is a pretty good comeback. The Food Desert Myth Two and nine-tenths cheers to the New York Times for running on its front page a skeptical article by Gina Kolata about the food desert myth, that is, the lack of evidence for the idea, fashionable in some circles, that what really ails the American poor is a lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The missing one-tenth of a cheer is for the lack of attention to what Mayor Bloomberg has been doing on the issue in New York, and for the lack of attention to the Times's own role in promoting this myth over the years. But wonderful to see, nonetheless. The Times even visits Camden, N.J., for its myth-shattering piece, just as I did for mine in January 2011.
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