Our lab is interested in discovering new retinal gene-phenotype associations. We aim to apply the knowledge to developing therapies for common retinal diseases.
*BRITISH WRITER PENS THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF TRUMP*
Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:
A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.
So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump's limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.
Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.
I don't say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.
But with Trump, it's a fact. He doesn't even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.
And scarily, he doesn't just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It's all surface.
Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don't. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He's not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He's more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.
And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.
There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless or female – and he kicks them when they are down. So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy' is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and most are.
• You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.
This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.
After all, it's impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.
An incredible day of discovery, connection, and inspiration at the Southwestern Vision Science Summit!
Thank you to everyone who joined us at this inaugural event. Your expertise, curiosity, and collaborative spirit are what made SVSS possible! ✨
#utswophthalmology#utsw
Learned a lot at #ARVO2025. Proud of the whole lab… Emily and Tian presented yesterday for the first time and did a great job. Our veterans Bogale and John presented today.
#ARVO2025 is going great so far! Learning a lot and enjoying SLC! Nice run this morning. Gizem did a great job yesterday. Emily (A0304) and Tian (A0421) are presenting today.
Proud of our Ophthalmology Research run/walk team “Eye C the finish line” (copyright FeleciaSowels). Strong showing today at the DoNot Stop race in Irving despite the bad weather forecast. It was a lot of fun!
Well-deserved brunch after our lab completed the Dallas Skyline run today. We were also celebrating the publication of our recent work demonstrating a non-redundant role for Lmln in photoreceptor health (DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2024.08.016). @UfretLab @UTSWOphth
After a nice dinner with @WANG_LAB and evening walk, we say goodbye to #ARVO2024 with Gizem’s poster describing a novel gene association to outer retinal health. @UTSWOphth
Another great day at #ARVO2024. Lots of great science, awesome fish, and nice views of the city. Bogale presented his work on signaling pathways regulating retinal recovery from sublethal injury. @UTSWOphth
Here is the link to our new Scientific Reports paper:
https://t.co/yURGUJTzn3
Special honors on this one go to Yesh, Bogale and Seher. But it is always a village effort!
Congratulations to Bogale Aredo for his recent #IOVS publication https://t.co/WHS2nJadxg showing recovery pathways activated in a subpopulation of Muller cells after sublethal retinal light injury.
Farewell and Congratulations Luncheon for our @Yeshumenesh_Z at @HGSupplies
Congratulations on your new endeavors. We love you, and we will miss you! ❤️