February 28, 2005

Total Downer

I have a theory about the Oscars. Films that feature characters living with (or dying with) disabilities are almost guaranteed to take home a golden statuette. After seeing the results from last night's Oscars, my theory holds true. Million Dollar Baby, The Sea Inside, and Ray all won major awards. If you don't buy my theory, look at previous Oscar Winners. My Left Foot. A Beautiful Mind. Shine. Children of a Lesser God. The voting members love to vote for films that bring a tear to the eye and a certain "glad it's not me" pathos. Hollywood eats up that kind of stuff. And while I don't deny the artistry and skill behind these movies, it would be nice to see a disability-themed movie that wasn't so damn tragic. I'm not saying it has to be ha-ha funny, but it doesn't have to be uplifting/inspirational/melancholy either. Make a thriller or a romantic comedy or a science fiction film with a character with a disability. If the story is good, people will go see it. I'll even write the script.

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February 27, 2005

Gremlins

I had another telephone headset fail on me today. I can hear the party on the other end fine, but they can't hear me. I've probably gone through 5-6 headsets over the last year because of this problem. I can't figure out if the headsets are cheaply made or if I'm doing something to short out the mike. Remember the movie Gremlins from the mid 80s? Maybe one of those ugly little bastards is responsible. Better leave the lights on at night...

That movie scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, by the way. I had to ask my parents to leave the hallway light on outside my bedroom for several nights afterwards. As you can guess, I had a hyperactive imagination when I was a kid. I still do, but the movies playing in my head are probably more the NC-17 variety. That's also reflected in my book. My protagonist is getting more sex than I ever have and I'm getting a little envious .

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February 26, 2005

House Call

I'm off to help a friend integrate her TiVo into a home theater system. I'm my own one-man Geek Squad, but with much more reasonable rates. I'll write more later if time permits.

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February 25, 2005

Exercise Caution

Katja at Broken Clay points us to some disability-themed road signs at the BBC. Some are more clever than others. I especially like the No Patronizing sign. Er, that should be No Patronising. Mustn't offend my readers who speak the Queen's English.

It's a dangerous time to be a blogger. Bloggers are getting thrown into Iranian jails, denied organ transplants, and dissed by self-important presidents of library associations. There should be some kind of printed warning distributed to all new bloggers, listing all the bad things that might happen because of your blogging activities. Sort of like the warnings on packs of cigarettes. WARNING: Blogging may result in sudden unemployment, unexpected dumping, familial resentment, feelings of deep regret, and in some cases, arrest and imprisonment.

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February 24, 2005

Specs Appeal

The Pope has been hospitalized again and has had a tracheotomy performed on him. I sincerely hope that he recovers. Despite what the Catholic Church thinks of atheists like me, I admire the man's endurance and I certainly sympathize with his current situation. I might suggest that he use his convalescence to reconsider his characterization of homosexuality as part of "the ideology of evil," but that's probably a futile hope. We won't even get into his comparison between abortion and the Nazi Holocaust. No, on second thought, I'm not letting that pass, either. I'm willing to recognize the moral qualms people have with abortion. I'm absolutely not willing to let them compare it with the bureaucratized, forced exterminations carried out by the Nazis. And now that it's come up, I don't seem to remember the Church having much to say about those events while they were taking place.

I'm wearing a new pair of glasses. They're much lighter than my old pair and the lenses are a bit smaller. I can also finally see things clearly in my left field of vision without turning my head. I got my new specs at a place called Downtown Eyes, a family-run business not far from where I live. My last experience getting new glasses was less than perfect; my prescription was off because the doctor couldn't accommodate my wheelchair during the exam and I couldn't see the chart properly. I was pleasantly surprised when things went much more smoothly this time and I'm happy to recommend Downtown Eyes for your eye care needs.

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February 23, 2005

Dying Wish

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving my favorite physician-assisted law, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. For those of you who don't know, I wrote a law journal article focusing on the ODDA when I was a 2L (that's a second-year law student, for the uninitiated). The Bush Administration is hanging its hat on the federal Controlled Substances Act. The drugs used in physician-assisted suicide are barbiturates and controlled substances under the CSA. The Administration is arguing that physicians who prescribe controlled substances for the purposes of facilitating suicide are violating the CSA. I'm not sure how the Court will rule on this. The only other Supreme Court case involving physician-assisted suicide was Glucksburg and the majority, while declaring there is not a Constitutional right to PAS, seemed to leave the issue open for further debate. This Court absolutely adores states' rights and limited federal powers, so we'll see if that trend continues.

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February 22, 2005

Urban Hymns

Andrew Sullivan is a well-known blogger who embodies a mystifying contradiction. He's a conservative, Catholic, gay man; a combination of characteristics that must leave one feeling deeply conflicted. But I'm intrigued by a recent column he wrote for the Times of London. He observed that the familiar white iPod wires dangling from a person's ears are becoming a ubiquitous sight on sidewalks, subways, airplanes, cafés, etc. His point is that we are cocooning ourselves in a portable shell of sound and distraction, shielding ourselves from the unexpected encounters and discoveries that used to be an integral part of urban existence. Things like a chance encounter with a stranger or overhearing a snippet of music that you might not normally choose for yourself. I was walking through the skyway the other day and I suddenly noticed all the people who were walking with a cell phone glued to their ears. It’s like we’ve become a nation of hyperactives. It’s no longer acceptable simply to be walking somewhere; we have to be walking and doing something else at the same time.

Even though I own an iPod, I don’t wear it when I’m walking around. Couple reasons for that. First, I want to be able to communicate in case I need something. Second, I think it would be kind of rude to the person accompanying me. And besides, I’m well aware of my own isolating tendencies. I know I spend way too much time in front of the computer. That’s why I try to make a point to get out and listen to the madding crowd. Unfortunately, I can’t do much of that now when the temperature is below freezing and snow drifts block every other curb cut. But when spring finally does return, I'll be hitting the streets with my ears wide open.

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February 21, 2005

It Takes A Village

I was looking at Slashdot earlier and saw a post from someone who uses a headmouse (similar to mine, I assume) and was looking for ideas on games he could play. I skimmed the thread and was initially discouraged by all the trolls who posted brain-dead remarks. But then I dug deeper and found some comments from people who had thoughtful suggestions, thus restoring my faith in on-line communities. I even got a few ideas for games to try, if I ever feel so inclined. I'm actually surprised at the frequency at which disability-related questions are posted on /. Most of the postings usually deal with accessibility, either in terms of software or hardware. Which means that geeks are actively thinking about these issues, which can only mean good things for the future of assistive tech.

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February 20, 2005

Break Time

Constantine was one of those movies that left me feeling conflicted. I liked a lot of what the film does. Reeves gives a more substantial performance than he did any of the Matrix chapters. The movie provides some effective thrills and scares but the CGI doesn't overpower the movie. And I really liked Tilda Swinton's embodiment of the androgynous angel Gabriel. The ending, however, irritated me. It seemed to sputter and hiccup towards a climax and resolution, with way too many lengthy exchanges of dialog interrupting the pace. I'll probably need to wait until I see it again on DVD before I can form a more concrete opinion.

I have a three-day weekend because of President's Day, so I'm trying to get the most out of this extended break. I should do a comprehensive backup of my data using my new DVD burner, so that might be my goal for today. I also need to get off my ass and critique a friend's manuscript.

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February 19, 2005

Old Vs. New World

The new trailer for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy looks like fun. I'm a little disappointed that Ford Prefect doesn't have an English accent. If the film versions of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings could keep their British feel, I'm not sure why this movie couldn't do the same. But the trailer seems to convey the book's sly tone.

I think I'm also going to see Constantine today. I know that Jessa at Bookslut thinks this movie is a the perfect example of Hollywood screwing up the source material and dumbing it down for the prepubescent crowd. She probably has a point. The Hellblazer comics are set in London and John Constantine is blond, British, and a bit of a bastard. The film is set in LA and John Constantine is...Keanu Reeves. But it looks noirish enough to spark my curiosity. As long as I don't compare it to the comic, I think I'll be happy.

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February 18, 2005

What's Up, Doc?

Warner Brothers is redesigning their classic Looney Toons characters for a new show called Loonatics. And, holy fuck, are they frightening:

It looks like something out of a nightmare of a meth addict who fell asleep in front of the television while eating really spicy Indian food. Except meth addicts don't eat, so I guess that simile doesn't work. I realize the suits at WB feel like they have to update their catalog of characters for today's EXTREME kids, but does Bugs have to look like Satan's pet bunny?

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February 17, 2005

Parlez-vous Francais?

I'm thinking about going to Paris in the summer of 2006. I've been talking about it for so long and it's time that I do something about it. A year plus a few months should be enough to set aside some money and get all the arrangements made. This will take a little more work than trips I've taken in the past, but I think it's doable. In the meantime, I want to work on my French language skills. I had four years of French in high school and one in college before I stopped because I wouldn't be going to a French-speaking country anytime soon. I think it would come back to me relatively easily, especially the grammar. It's the vocabulary I need to work on. It's going to take more than a few scattered words like fromage and bibliotheque to get me by. My mom (a retired professor of German) suggested I pick up some Berlitz tapes. I'd like to find some interactive material on the Web as well. Too bad I don't have my old French textbooks anymore. If anyone has some language tips, e-mail me.

And speaking of all things French, I've been totally grooving on the new M83 album. It's become one of my preferred playlists for writing. I just know the Secret Service is going to haul me in for questioning one of these days for being such a francophile. The songs do get a bit overwrought at times, but there's enough ear candy here to keep things interesting. It's like a more drugged-out version of Air.

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February 16, 2005

Game Off

The NHL declared the hockey season officially dead today. I could care less, but Minnesota is hockey country and there are probably more than a few disappointed Wild fans out there. It seems to me that canceling an entire season of a sport is an excellent way to kill a league. Baseball still hasn't fully recovered from the 1995 strike; hockey was on even less certain footing before this travesty. Before long, the only professional sports left on television will be basketball, football, and golf.

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February 15, 2005

Healing Touch

I had my first professional massage yesterday. One of my nurses thought I might enjoy it, but I wasn't so sure. We went to the student clinic at St. Paul College and I was fairly certain none of the students had worked with someone with a disability. It had the potential to be an awkward experience. The therapist assigned to me didn't show any signs of being fazed, however. It became a sort of combination massage-physical therapy session. She worked on some of the muscle contractures that inevitably accompany spending so much time sitting. What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed her fingers on my neck. I didn't realize how tight those muscles get; probably from all the time I spend writing at work and at home. I used to get PT regularly when I was in school, but I kind of let that fall by the wayside when I started working. And even though I get handled regularly by nurses, it was definitely pleasant to experience a more therapeutic style of touch. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue seeing her on a semi-regular basis.

I scored some free tickets to the Timberwolves game tonight. Let's hope they play better than they have in recent games.

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February 14, 2005

Believe It Or Not, It's Just Me

Next to Christmas, Valentine's Day is the one holiday that seems to be fraught with expectations and disappointment. Flowers are bought and chocolates are given, but sometimes that's not enough. I drove past a floral shop on the way home and there was a security guard milling about in the parking lot. I guess fights could break out over that last dozen roses. And then you have all the single people gnashing their teeth and donning T-shirts with slogans like "I think, therefore I'm single." I know I'm getting at least one Valentine's Day card. From my mom. So to all the happy couples, frustrated singles, and thoughtful moms, Happy Valentine's Day.

The first season of The Greatest American Hero was just released on DVD. Man, I loved that show when I was a kid. I used to sing the theme song to myself during the bus ride to school. Since then, I've gotten much better at concealing my inner dork.

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February 13, 2005

Will To Live

Here's the lesson I learned from The Sea Inside, which I saw last night. If I want to get pretty women to fall in love with me, I need to publicly declare my desire to end my life. I've been going about things all wrong. Enough of this trying to assimilate with the rest of able-bodied society. Starting tomorrow, I'm confining myself to my bed and I'll begin dictating morose yet moving poetry. I'll write letters to the editor bemoaning my tragic situation and my wish to end it all. I'll post my writings to this blog and before long, beautiful women will be knocking down my door in their determination to give me a reason to live. I should have thought of this sooner.

I actually thought the movie was an even-handed treatment of the euthanasia issue. I used to be really critical of people with disabilities who chose suicide; it was one of the main theses of my law journal article. My views have become more nuanced over time. I don't think it's my place to judge another person's quality of life. What may be tolerable for one person may be unbearable for another. I'm not advocating suicide as an acceptable solution, but I'm also increasingly wary of the indignant, self-righteous tones of some disability activists who scream bloody murder when someone decides not to live with a disability. I'd like to see a little less pontificating and a little more honest discussion. A lot of these activists seem to gloss over the genuine struggles that accompany living with a disability. We all have our personal tipping points; that point where we say, "Enough. No more." I don't exactly know what mine is. I don't think any of us know. But I think it's the height of arrogance for any of us to pretend that we know when someone has a decent quality of life. The people who tell me they'd rather die if they were in my position and the people who argue that the Terry Schiavos of the world should go on living are equally presumptuous

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February 12, 2005

What's In A Name?

I'm shutting down the computer soon to put in a DVD burner and a new 200GB hard drive. These sorts of upgrades always take longer than you anticipate; I'll be pleasantly surprised if it takes me less than an hour.

I was sitting in a weekly legislative briefing yesterday; we were discussing a current bill at the Minnesota Legislature that would update disability-related language in state statutes. You can still find words and phrases like "handicapped," "mentally retarded", and even "idiot" in current Minnesota laws. But as with many seemingly innocuous proposals, unexpected problems have arisen. For example, is a "developmental disability" the same as being "mentally retarded" for purposes of eligibility for various programs. My department has used the terms interchangeably for years, adding to the confusion. Further complicating matters is that many people with physical disabilities don't seem to fall under the category of people with developmental disabilities. Do we create a separate definition for them? The language definitely needs to be updated, but when archaic terms are embedded in eligibility requirements, it becomes more than doing a simple Find and Replace.

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February 11, 2005

Bowing Out

The big news around here has been Senator Mark Dayton's announcement that he will not seek reelection in 2006. He made the correct decision. Dayton has never achieved much visibility since becoming Senator. He's never seemed comfortable giving speeches or, for that matter, being in the same room with other people. I probably agree with 90% of his political views, but he lacks the ability to convey those views with any passion. He also said that he abhors fundraising, which is certainly understandable. I give him a lot of credit for making the decision this early. He must have known that the Democrats will have a difficult enough holding their ground in 2006 and that he was primed to be the Republicans' primary target. Personally, I'd like to see Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar be the Democratic nominee. She's intelligent, articulate, and I think she could appeal to a wide swath of Minnesota voters.

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February 10, 2005

To Boldly Go...Away

When I got back from DC, I had to catch up on all things geek, including the news that Enterprise is being cancelled. Given its lackluster performance and so-so writing, this didn't come as a complete shock. I've said before that the franchise should be put to bed for a while and brought back with a fresh vision (and better writers). One of the great things about the original series was that it had people like Harlan Ellison and Theodore Sturgeon writing scripts for the show. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga never seemed to have much time for things like character development or metaphor, and the quality of subsequent series suffered as a result. You can only jump the shark so many times before even the shark gets bored and splits. If a new series does ever get the green light, I hope they bring in people who know how to tell stories, and not just remix old ingredients into a bland casserole.

In the meantime, we geeks still have Battlestar Galactica, which just got renewed for another season.

I now have a Gmail account set up. You can reach me at MCSiegel19@gmail.com. This is the new official e-mail address for the 19th Floor and the sidebar reflects that change.

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February 09, 2005

Guns And Butter

How big of a policy geek am I? I'm such a geek that I've been browsing through the President's 2006 budget. One of the last things we did before leaving Washington was to meet with White House Budget Director Josh Bolton and he mentioned that lots of people would be unhappy with the proposed cuts. Many in the disability community are not likely to be happy with reductions in programs like housing for people with disabilities (cut from $238 million to $128 million) and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (from $47 million to $28 million). Bolton did say that they tried to propose cuts in programs that were not living up to performance measures, but my concern is that those measures may not take into account the time needed for some of these programs to show results. The budget does propose some interesting demonstration projects, including:

Money Follows the Person
This demonstration would use federal grant funds to pay for home and community based waiver services for individuals who transition from institutions to at-home care. Costs would be funded at a federal matching rate of 100 percent for the first year with the condition that states would agree to continue care after the first year at the regular Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage and to reduce institutional long-term care. Over five years, $1.75 billion is authorized for this program.

Community Alternative to Children’s Residential Treatment Facilities
This demonstration would allow states to provide home- and community-based services to children who would otherwise receive care in psychiatric residential treatment facilities. This demonstration would permit the delivery of intensive mental health services for children in their homes and communities. This program would cost $5 million in FY 2006 and $99 million over five years.

Respite Program for Caregivers
Two of the demonstrations would provide respite care for caregivers of disabled children and adults. The respite program for caregivers of disabled adults would test whether respite care can lead to reductions in primary caregiver fatigue. The administration argues that such fatigue or “burn-out” can lead to institutionalization of persons with disabilities. This proposal would cost $7 million in FY 2006 and $134 million over five years. The program for caregivers of children with substantial disabilities would collect specific data about the cost and utilization of respite care services. This proposal would cost $1 million in FY 2006 and $23 million over five years.

Whether or not these initiatives go anywhere is up to Congress. I seem to remember these same proposals being offered up last year and then falling off the map. And let's not forget that this budget doesn't include the additional $70-80 billion to fund our presence in Iraq. Meanwhile, this Administration wants to make the recent tax cuts permanent, proving that everyone can have their cake and eat it too. Please note that "everyone" doesn't include farmers, college students, inner-city residents, the rural poor, veterans, and people with disabilities.

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February 08, 2005

Call Me

I just downloaded Skype after hearing about it on numerous blogs and podcasts. My user ID is wintermute2_0, in case you want to reach me. I don't know any Skype users; I'm just trying to keep up with the cool kids. Which reminds me that I still need to track down a Gmail invite. A couple nice people sent me invites over the summer, but I promptly misplaced them. Anyway, maybe I can talk my brother in Germany into using Skype. I want to see how the voice quality compares to a regular telephone line. I'm anxiously waiting for internet telephony to take off. Here are some features I want. I want caller ID to pop up on my computer and television when someone calls. I want to access and manipulate voicemail with my PC. I want 911 service. And I want to be able to make phone calls without having to ask someone else to punch the numbers for me.

Yesterday's Pioneer Press had an article about Minnesota political blogs (reg. req'd). Toni Coleman, a Humphrey Fellow, wrote the article. In the article, she mentions the blog of Kevin Featherly, another Fellow. We're like the Freemasons, subtly exerting our influence on the unsuspecting public. There's even a way-cool secret handshake.

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February 07, 2005

Name Dropping

My apologies to those of you who visited the site in the past couple days only to find a generic search page. Once again, my domain registration expired and once again, my hosting company failed to send me a renewal notice. I may need to consider a new hosting company because AffordableHost has never been particularly helpful.

I got back from DC late Saturday night. I had a really good time in Washington. This was kind of like the class field trip that I never went on when I was younger. I got to bond with the other fellows and I met some fascinating people; a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Here are a few pictures:

This, of course, is newly elected Senator Barack Obama. I was touring the Capitol with one of the Fellowship directors, former Minnesota Congressman Tim Penny, when we ran into him in the halls of the Senate. I didn't get to talk to him very long, but he seemed every bit as charming as the media portrays him to be.

Some of us went out to dinner Wednesday night and we walked past the White House on the way back to the hotel. It was rather cold and we were all impressed that the fountain was running. Your tax dollars at work.

On Friday, we met with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Most of us later admitted that we were a little awed in her presence. She spoke at length about the arrogance she perceived in Bush's foreign policy and how she believed that North Korea is the most dangerous nation on the planet.

On our last day, we had a tour of the West Wing of the White House. This is all of us milling about outside the gate as we waited for the guards to let us in. The White House is actually smaller than it looks on television. The Oval Office is not especially big, but it looks more like a museum display than an actual working space. I think they keep it immaculate for the benefit of the tourists, but the effect is a little unsettling.

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February 03, 2005

Foggy Bottom

This is the first time since Tuesday I've had time to sit at the computer. I'm writting this from my hotel room in Georgetown. Actually, it's a suite. Being a fellow carries a few perks. Yesterday, I was at various think tanks and walked past the White House during the State of the Union Address. Today, I was at the Capitol and spent an hour at the Holocaust Museum before it closed. Still hope to see a few of the monuments on the Mall. It snowed today, which sucked. Up next, some hobnobbing with former Clinton officals and a visit to the West Wing. Pictures are forthcoming.

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February 01, 2005

Prepare For Takeoff

Spent way too much at the iTunes store last night. But I should have plenty of stuff to keep me amused during the plane ride. If I don't blog while I'm in DC, I'll catch you again Saturday night with a brief recap.

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