May 31, 2005
Questionable Taste
A Star Trek novel on a summer reading list? That's got to be a first. I'm almost embarrassed to admit, but I used to devour Star Trek books like candy when I was a teenager. When you grow up in a town without one decent bookstore, you have to be content with the available pickings, which in Green Bay amounted to a dreary corner of a Waldenbooks that carried scraps of science fiction and fantasy, and mostly franchise stuff like Star Trek and Dungeons and Dragons. I remember how ecstatic I was when I first visited a Barnes and Noble store in Appleton. This was before Amazon and the web in general. If these things had been around when I was a kid, I like to think my reading list would have been a little broader. But to be honest, I might have simply ordered more Star Trek novels.
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May 30, 2005
Non!
I've been brushing up on my French by reading some of the articles on France's rejection of the European Constitution. There seems to be a lot of hand-wringing in the European press about whether this vote signals the ultimate derailment of a unified Europe. I'm going to insert my usual disclaimer about not being an expert, but I see this as a setback rather than a permanent obstacle. There is too much momentum behind unification for it to grind to a halt. I think what we're seeing is some discontent with the consequences of a united Europe, especially regarding immigration and unemployment. The undercurrents of xenophobia are unfortunate, but in the long run I think people will recognize that a strong Europe is the only effective counterbalance to the United States and China. The final outcome is not in doubt; it's simply a question of how long it will take to reach that outcome.
I took advantage of my day off to walk over to Big Brain Comics and pick up a copy of Alan Moore's V for Vendetta. After reading that Moore has disassociated himself with the film version of his book, I decided to check out the original so that I can see exactly how badly Hollywood screws it up.
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May 29, 2005
Hakuna Matata
Today's Star Tribune has a not-overly-sentimental look at adapted high school sports in Minnesota. An officially recognized and sanctioned sport complete with varsity letters and tournaments, adapted sports allows kids with physical and cognitive disabilities to compete in softball, field hockey, and a few other games. I've known a couple kids who've been involved in adapted sports and their level of passion rivals that of any able-bodied player. I also like the fact that it's not sport disguised as a self-esteem builder. There are winners and losers, as with any sport.
I saw The Lion King at the Orpheum last night. It was a magnificent performance. Before the show, I wondered if the puppetry aspects of the show might seem artificial, but my sense of disbelief was effectively suspended. The show's designers and actors deserve a lot of praise for creating such a thoroughly enchanting world on-stage. It's hard not to be impressed when a couple giraffes lope across the stage. There were times during the show when it felt like I couldn't possibly absorb everything that was taking place in front of me.
And I continue to love how I can walk out my door and have all these experiences available to me.
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May 28, 2005
Eccentric Artist
You know, Orson Scott Card just keeps getting weirder. I tried reading his latest article, but I got lost when he started railing about something called "Smartland." Huh? As PZ says, I like the man's books, but I wouldn't want to be in the same room with him unless I was guaranteed access to a chemical shower.
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May 27, 2005
The Scales Of Justice
I know I have some readers in Oz, so I'd be interested in hearing your opinions on the conviction of the Australian woman who was found guilty of smuggling marijuana into Bali. Most Australians seem convinced of her innocence. I hadn't even heard of this story until today, but I'm curious to know what evidence exists to fuel such certitude. And would she be getting this much attention if she was a less attractive woman? And doesn't twenty years in an Indonesian jail seem just a teensy bit excessive?
On a completely different note, I had to post the picture below. There's something about it that makes me giggle like a twelve-year-old.
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May 26, 2005
Man's Best Friend
I'm sitting here at my desk and wedged in between my chair and the wall is the most cowardly golden retriever on the face of the planet. I've written before about Sasha, my parents' neurotic dog. She accompanied my parents here for my sister's graduation and she's been staying with me for the last week. I came home from work today and found her curled up in a ball under my bed. I think the thunder from a passing storm freaked her out. She's definitely not happy here; she goes outside only after much coaxing and never after the sun goes down. I think she misses my parents' yard and quiet neighborhood. But having her around makes me wonder if I should get my own dog. Nothing big; maybe a terrier or something. Are there any small dogs that aren't also incredibly stupid? Because I don't want a stupid dog. And I don't really need a Helping Paws kind of dog. With a nurse always accompanying me, a trained dog might be a little superfluous.
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May 25, 2005
Smuggler's Blues
The creators of BitTorrent have launched a search engine for finding torrent trackers. I'll be taking bets on how long it will take for the MPAA to sue this site out of existence. Speaking of, here's news of the feds taking down another torrent distribution site. This time, it looks the operators will face actual criminal charges. Yeesh. So much for the idea of setting up my own server to make a little extra cash.
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May 24, 2005
The Art Of The Deal
Kevin Featherly, a fellow Fellow, has a witty op-ed piece in today's Strib poking fun at Governor Pawlenty's decision to put a cigarette
It looks like bipartisanship hasn't totally disappeared from the Senate. The filibuster deal forces those of us on the left to swallow some bitter medicine. I'm especially dismayed that William Pryor's nomination will move forward. Pryor, an opponent of the ADA in particular and disability rights in general, strikes me as someone who places ideology well before rule of law. But the right to filibuster, at least in theory, is still preserved. And I'll admit to getting all warm and fuzzy when I read James Dobson's written
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May 23, 2005
Wasting Time
Even though I don't play as many computer games as I used to, I try to keep up on new titles that are coming down the pipe. I was browsing through some of the E3 news over the weekend and a few things caught my eye. There will be a fifth iteration of Heroes of Might and Magic. I kept meaning to get HOMM 4, but just never got around to it. I hear these games are notoriously addictive, so I'll need to finish the book first. Spore, the new project from Will Wright (creator of the Sims), looks intriguing. And then there's Quake IV, which looks like a standard shooter, but nonetheless I want to play it. I wonder if I can bribe my friend Charles to move back to Minnesota so I can play the blink-and-twitch games. It's either that or wait for the Xbox to come out with a neural interface accessory.
And what's up with putting the new Xbox on the cover of Time? Does Bill Gates really need a newsmagazine to shill for him?
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May 22, 2005
Yay, It Doesn't Suck!
The new Star Wars film is worth seeing. It doesn't completely redeem the previous two episodes, but it does offer a satisfying conclusion to the story of Anakin's fall. Everything is neatly set up for Episode IV; it's difficult not to admire Lucas' ultimate vision, whatever you think of his execution. There are some visual sequences that are simply stunning, particularly in the beginning. And this movie surpasses all other episodes in terms of lightsaber-dueling goodness. And this probably makes me as something of a sentimental geek, but I was actually disturbed when the Jedi were executed one by one. :sniffle:
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May 21, 2005
Pomp And Circumstance
Went to my sister's college graduation this morning. It was probably the shortest commencement ceremony I've ever attended. Not much in the way of invited speakers or the like. It could basically be summed up as "Good job. Here's your diploma. Now leave."
Thoughts on Episode III are forthcoming...
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May 20, 2005
Luminous Beings Are We
Today's Morning Edition had a clip of a woman discussing her life with cerebral palsy. The interview is part of the Library of Congress' StoryCorps project. I haven't checked their website to see if the full interview is available. Her remarks on relationships echo some of my own sentiments when I'm feeling melancholy.
I'm going to try to see Revenge of the Sith tonight. I've been trying to avoid the avalanche of news media screaming at me to see this movie. Like I need to be reminded. At least the reviews for this episode are a little more encouraging. Do you think the kid from Episode I pops in the DVD of that movie once in a while to marvel at his own craptacular performance? Do you think he cringes whenever he hears himself shout out "Yippie!" with all the feeling of a tree stump? God, I hope so. Over on Metafilter, they linked to some old Usenet postings containing reviews of Return of the Jedi. Even 20+ years ago, "spoiler" was part of the geek vernacular. There's something kind of reassuring about that.
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May 19, 2005
Young Turks
I was having drinks with some people in the disability community last night. In my conversation with one woman who is an established and well-known figure in the disability community, I remarked how I don't know many people with disabilities in their twenties and thirties. The majority of disability activists I know are at least ten years older than me. She replied that when she was growing up, she bonded with other disabled peers who shared her desire to fight for access and equality. She then told me that today's young people with disabilities seem more integrated into society and not interested in identifying themselves as a separate community. To some extent, she's probably right. People in my generation came of age in a time where we were already guaranteed at least some basic rights and services. We took it for granted that we could go to school and do most of the ordinary things our able-bodied friends did, like go to a movie or eat at a restaurant. Most of us assumed that we would get into college without much difficulty. And to a growing degree, we are expecting to be employed and financially independent.
A lot of the tough battles were already fought for us. And perhaps that's made people in my generation and younger somewhat complacent. Over the next decade or so, the vanguard of original disability activists will begin to fade from the scene and a new set of leaders will be needed. I'm curious to see how and whether my peers will rise to the occasion. I wonder if the world we grew up in--a world that in some ways seemed ready-made for us---will shape our own strategies for the inevitable battles yet to come.
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May 18, 2005
Power Up
As I do more research on my trip to Europe, I realize the issue of electricity issue is a little more complicated than I first realized. As most travelers know, Europe uses 220v electricity, as opposed to 110v here in the States. I think my vent has a 110/220 switch, but I need to figure out what I need to do to charge my batteries overnight, both on the vent and wheelchair. And then there are my other pieces of equipment, like the nebulizer and suction. I may have to purchase a few converters of different capacities for the trip, as well as make some phone calls to various manufacturers. I know there's a way to make this all work, but I'd appreciate any tips. I also need to figure out whether I can plug in my vent on the airplane during the flight to save on the battery. Northwest will probably make me fly first-class for that privilege.
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May 17, 2005
Facing The Future
The Jim Henson Company have announced a planned sequel to The Dark Crystal. I'm not sure this is really necessary, but I guess it was greenlighted in part because of the original's consistently strong video sales. I'll reserve fanboy judgment until I see the actual film.
I had my second-to-last Fellows meeting today. It was a conference on--wait for it--Social Security. One thing that struck me as I was listening to the panel discussions was that every speaker pointed out that addressing SS's solvency issues will be a Sunday stroll in the park compared to fixing our health care system. When you get down to it, the choices for making Social Security solvent aren't that many. You can either raise taxes, cut benefits, or a combination of both. And when the politicos finally do get serious about SS, they probably will both raise revenues and cut benefits. But if we can't fix SS, there's no way we're ever going to get a handle on the multi-headed hydra that is health care.
One of the speakers also said that if you want to assure yourself job security, you should go into health policy. To which I say, Score!
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May 16, 2005
Oh, The Places You'll Go
I'm thinking about adding Berlin to my trip itinerary to see my brother. I was doing a little research and I found this hotel in Berlin that is apparently targeted at and run by people with disabilities. An intriguing concept; I wonder how much business they do. Too bad I can't find anything similar in Paris. London is another possibility if Berlin doesn't work out. This is probably one of the things about travel I like best: the planning. There's something very left-brain about it that really appeals to me.
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May 15, 2005
Going Underground
One of my favorite torrent sites, btefnet, went down the other day after the MPAA threatened to go after sites distributing television programs. I'm going to have to find another source for my weekly fixes of Lost and Dr. Who. I'm not too worried. Some other site will spring up soon, most likely in a former East Bloc country that MPAA lawyers can't easily touch. Meanwhile, I need to check out the last episode of Enterprise to see if it's as bad as I think it will be.
By the way, you really should see the film Crash. It's a compelling set of interlocking stories set against the backdrop of multicultural Los Angeles. Kind of like Magnolia, but without the "it's raining frogs" weirdness.
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May 14, 2005
Naptime
Was up at 6 a.m. to go to retreat. Was not happy. Got rained on. Had some good conversations. Mulled trip to Europe in fall. Very tired. Must veg.
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May 13, 2005
The Great Outdoors
I'm going to a Civics retreat tonight at a YMCA camp just across the Wisconsin border. I'm not sure how much time we'll actually be spending outside, though. Temperatures won't rise much above 50 today and tomorrow, and that's if we're lucky. Summer comes in fits and starts around here, which can be aggravating. But it might be nice to get out of the city and actually see the stars, for a change. I haven't set foot (or wheel, if you prefer) in Wisconsin for a few years, so this will be a sort of prelude to my trip to Green Bay in June.
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May 12, 2005
Home Improvements
I'm giving serious thought to installing hardwood floors in my condo. The carpeting is taking a beating from the snow, grit, and dirt that my wheels sometimes track inside. My wheels also tend to sink into the carpet, which can make maneuvering difficult at times. And I just like the look of wood floors. When I was looking for a place to buy, I wanted hardwood floors, but couldn't find anything I liked. I think I've built up enough equity in my place to allow me take out a loan to cover expenses, with maybe a little extra for a Paris vacation in the fall. It seems like a good deal, especially considering that I can write off the interest on my taxes. To paraphrase the Cranberries, everybody else is doing it, why can't I? Now I need to find a contractor, preferably using a method that doesn't involve throwing darts at the yellow pages.
The city is ordering buses off of Nicollet Mall from 6:00-11:00 every evening, beginning later this month. I'd like to think someone was getting ideas from my blog, but I'm fairly certain nobody at the city has heard of The 19th Floor. Regardless, I'm looking forward to spending some exhaust-free evenings on the Mall this summer.
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May 11, 2005
Moral Majority
Missouri's governor recently signed legislation that will cut nearly 100,000 people from the state's Medicaid rolls (see NPR coverage here; editorial here). The cuts will limit Medicaid coverage to those who are living under 75% of the federal poverty guidelines, or about $587/month. Coverage for items such as wheelchairs, crutches, and oxygen will be eliminated for adults. It eliminated Missouri's Medicaid buy-in program, which allowed people with disabilities to hold jobs and still receive Medicaid services. And plans are in the works to completely eliminate Medicaid in Missouri by 2008. Yet the governor still insists his state's Medicaid coverage is "very generous." For better or worse, Missouri has transformed itself into a laboratory for purposes of examining the effects of deep health care cuts. Some disability advocates are already planning on suing the state on Olmstead grounds. Olmstead was a Supreme Court decision stating that the ADA requires people to be served in the least restrictive environment. If Missouri's Medicaid cuts force people into nursing homes, that could be an Olmstead violation. The state's Republicans seem convinced that cutting Medicaid was necessary to keep taxes low and grow the economy. But I've wondered if they have considered this: if Missouri completely eliminates Medicaid, they will lose out on hundreds of millions in federal matching dollars. They may also be jeopardizing the jobs of thousands of people in the health care industry who currently serve Medicaid enrollees.
I also find it interesting that the blind are exempted from many of these cuts. That's sure to lead to some nasty recriminations within the disability community.
The people of Missouri are about to find out just how compassionate their conservative leaders really are. I guess they can console themselves with the fact that their state is free from the scourge of gay marriage. If that sounds callous, it's intended. They knew the ideologies of the people they elected. Now they can deal with the consequences.
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May 10, 2005
Version 3.0
Whew. Okay, everything should be back to normal. Let me know what you think of the new design. And now here's the entry I was going to post yesterday before everything went to hell....
Whole is a documentary from Minneapolis indie director Melody Gilbert. It tells the stories of people who have a deep yearning to become an amputee, so much so that some of them take it upon themselves to cut off the offending limb. The doc is currently airing of the Sundance Channel (which, amazingly, I don't get). If someone has a tape or torrent of Whole, I'd love to take a look at it. I'm sure that many of us in the disability community are familiar with the subculture of amputee devotees, but the concept of someone actually wishing to be an amputee seems much more taboo. I know the DSM has a specific name for this compulsion (Body Integrity Identity Disorder), but I'd be really interested to hear the how these people view themselves. Do they desire to be in a state of disability or is it something else that motivates them?
Switching to more mainstream cinema, here's the teaser for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (56 MB QuickTime file). It looks promising. I wonder if I still have my Narnia collection lying about somewhere. I still grew up to be an atheist, so I guess the underlying allegory didn't take. That isn't to say the execution of Aslan didn't freak me out when I read it as a kid. It did, but not in a come-to-Jesus kind of way.
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May 09, 2005
Ascetics
Yeesh. I had to do a complete reinstall of MT and now my sidebar is on the left. How do I move it to the right? I know it has something to do with the stylesheet, but it's late and I'm flummoxed. Katja, any tips?
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May 08, 2005
Playtime
I called my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's Day and she asked me about the new Star Wars movie. Then she proceeded to remind me of my collection of Star Wars action figures. Yes, even back then, I was way cool. I had the standards, of course. Luke, Han, Yoda. I even had a model landspeeder. But I absolutely coveted my friend's TIE Fighter. I should look on eBay to see if I can one that has been collecting dust in some fanboy's closet. Of course, I would own something like that purely as a statement of hip irony.
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May 07, 2005
Eureka
Figured out what was going on with the site. I'm running low on disk space and that was causing the template to load improperly. I've temporarily solved the problem by freeing up some disk space, but I'm going to have to hit up my hosting company for more storage.
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Gremlins
Suddenly, the entire sidebar is missing on this page and I can't figure out why. I haven't messed with the MT template at all. Any ideas.
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May 06, 2005
Build It And They Will Come
It looks like we may soon be getting a new Twins stadium in Minneapolis. This could be the finale in a decade-long public debate about whether to build a new baseball stadium for the Twins. Everyone agrees that the cavernous, sterile Metrodome is a terrible forum for almost any professional or collegiate sport. I've been to the Dome for a variety of sporting events. As a venue for professional football, it's tolerable. For baseball and college football, it's depressing. A new stadium in the Warehouse District, with views of the downtown skyline, could be a splendid setting for a baseball game. The proposed financing deal is probably the best we can hope for. The owners will put up $125 million; the other half will come from a .015% sales tax increase in Hennepin County. A lot of county residents want to put the issue to a referendum, but the County Commission has already approved the tax increase. Now it's up to the legislature to give final approval. I can understand how people continue to be upset about using public dollars for a stadium. As Jay Weiner, a fellow Humphrey Fellow and a local sports writer, likes to point out, a new sports stadium does not necessarily translate into economic benefits for the host city. But the tax amounts to only three cents on every twenty dollars. I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I'd like to see the Twins stay in Minnesota. And if we do get a new outdoor stadium, I might be persuaded to actually go to a few games.
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May 05, 2005
Insult To Injury
I have to catch up on some things, but I thought this LA Times article by Orson Scott Card was interesting. He's relieved that Enterprise is being canceled and he implies that rabid Trekkies remain ignorant of the much more literate science fiction that exists in print. Trekkies, what say you?
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May 04, 2005
The Fairer Sex
Two recent news stories have caused me to question how much we really value the equality of women in American. First, some pharmacists are now deciding that they don't have to fill prescriptions for birth control pills. Let's leave aside the validity of their :cough:medieval:cough: beliefs for the moment. They are refusing to fill a physician's prescription for a federally approved drug. Pharmacists are professionally obligated to dispense prescriptions, with a couple narrowly defined statutory exceptions here in Minnesota. When a pharmacist refuses to fill a prescription, that pharmacist is interfering with the doctor-patient relationship. Of course, this particular moral stance exclusively affects women. The underlying need for birth control pills may not even be related to reproduction, but the objecting pharmacist need not be bothered with such details. The pharmacist suddenly feels qualified to pass judgment on a complete stranger's sexual habits and choices.
Americans love to pass judgment on women who are perceived as behaving badly. Look at the case of the woman who decided to skip out on her imminent wedding. As far as I know, it's not a crime for a single woman to get on a bus and cross state lines. I'm sure it was upsetting to the family, but I think it's ludicrous for the local DA to publicly mull whether he can bring any charges against the woman. After the woman returned, her fiance said that his only concern "was to get Jennifer well." This quote bothers me because of its implication that she MUST have been crazy to not want to marry the guy. After all, women are impulsive, emotional, and unpredictable. Who knows why they do the things they do, right?
Fuck.
As someone with a disability, I have a passing familiarity with paternalism and condescension. And these stories smack of both. Unfortunately, the media turned the pharmacist issue into just another sideshow of the culture wars. Their coverage of the "runaway bride" was even more abhorrent for its voyeurism and almost Victorian undertones of disapproval. We may pay lip service to gender equality, but we aren't even close yet.
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May 03, 2005
Feeling Left Out
The Ragged Edge, an on-line magazine on disability news and culture, did a short list of disability-related blogs. It's a good list, except for one thing. I'm not on it. A simple clerical oversight, I'm sure. I suppose I should send a polite request to the editors to include me in the next version of the list. I'm not always comfortable promoting myself, but I'm good enough for the BBC, and that's a whole different country.
Last week, Congress passed a budget resolution that included $10 billion in Medicaid cuts. It also included $106 billion in tax cuts. I've said before that I'm open to some kind of Medicaid reform. But I don't get the impression that Republicans in Congress, based on these budget priorities, are terribly interested in reform. They are so hellbent on slashing taxes that they are willing to gut services that won't cost them points with their political base. At some point, the Dems are going to have to find the balls to talk openly about taxes and their role in a civil society. If people understood that funding these services now (like health care) actually saves us all money in the long term, they might be less inclined to exhibit the usual knee-jerk hostility to government services. It will take years to reframe the issue and Dems cannot be their usual pontificating, condescending selves. We have to convince people that it's better to pay a few dollars more in taxes than $500 monthly health insurance premiums or a second mortgage for your kid's college education. If it's framed in a way that actually addresses the daily budget challenges of the average American, I'm convinced we can start pushing back against the GOP's slash-and-burn style of governance.
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May 02, 2005
What's Next?
When I got to work this morning, I noticed a couple snowflakes fall onto the windshield of my van. Snow. On May 2nd. Excuse me while I shake my fist at the sky… Okay, that's better. I didn't really shake my fist, though. It was more like a couple twitches of the wrist. Anyway, the Weather Oracles have assured us that Spring will return by the end of the week.
Now that summer is coming, a lot of my extracurricular activities will be ending. My Civics class ends in a couple weeks and my Humphrey Fellowship ends next month. In some ways, this is a good thing. I haven't been able to stick to my daily writing schedule as much as I would like, at least as it relates to the book. A more open schedule might allow me to actually finish the thing this year. At the same time, I'm going to miss these regularly scheduled social interactions and group discussions. I've met a lot of cool people through these opportunities and I now consider many of them part of my circle of friends. I'll have to resolve to find ways to keep in contact with them while looking for other networking opportunities. There's a part of me that likes being kept busy and constantly meeting new people. I've never considered myself an extrovert, but I think people are endlessly fascinating and love learning about what drives them, what their quirks are, and so on. I'm sure other things will come up, even though I have no idea what they will be.
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May 01, 2005
Don't Panic
I've been listening to the radio play version of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on my iPod. The writing and voice acting is brilliant. I especially love the portrayal of Marvin the Paranoid Android. Except he's not really paranoid, is he? More like chronically depressed. And how can you not love the idea that the Earth is a gigantic laboratory for a millenia-long experiment overseen by superintelligent white mice? I'm not expecting the movie to have the same degree of cleverness, but based on an interview I heard on NPR, it seems the producers did try to remain faithful to Adams' original vision. So there's that, at least.
Here's the ultra-cool-looking trailer for Joss Whedon's Serenity. I need to sit down and watch the rest of the Firefly DVDs, but I'm hoping that's not a prerequisite for enjoying the movie.
Finally, Happy May Day.
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