November 21, 2014

So sorry to hear of your loss, Will. That eulogy is good, but you express yourself so well in

writing, that -once you get over the initial shock and collect yourself - your eulogy for you friend will be amazing. If you make the effort, which I'm sure you will, your heartfelt words will mean so much to his family, and your whole constellation of friends.

My younger brother died of pancreatic cancer not long ago, and many of his friends were journalists. I gotta tell you, the eulogies were so good...and comforting to all of us.

But that task is down the road for you. I'm sure now you are just 'there' for the family.

-F2C

November 17, 2014

525,600 minutes...each one precious...and yes, they do speed up...as you realize

you can't get a single one back.
However, if you make the most of them, with love in your heart and good will toward all, you may not regret too many of those...moments of your life.

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November 16, 2014

Bethel near Bielefeld, Germany was sort of similar for people with epilepsy, as well as

people with mental health issues, but minus all the camera monitors. People could lead normal lives there knowing that if they had an epileptic episode, people all around them - the bus driver, the store clerk, a passerby - would not be alarmed and would know how to assist. The town had been functioning that way since the mid 1800's.

(We lived in Bethel in the mid sixties while my father was working with thalidimide children and their families all over Europe)

October 30, 2014

Tell that to these 'illiterates':

October 19, 2014

Burglar... or jealous classmate? Your post jogged a memory of a viking ship assignment

I had long ago in grade school. Most kids bought the Revell plastic model, I chose to build from scratch. Mine had balsa wood hull, toothpick oars, tiny painted shields along the gunnels, etc. The teacher gave me a lower grade saying it wasn't as detailed as the other kids (kit) ones (!). I remember being somewhat disenchanted with that teacher from then on. And one day the display area got wacked by some kid, and mine ship was the only casualty. Coincidence? I think not.

September 29, 2014

Your significant other need not give up on TV and movies. Descriptive Video Service (DVS) provides

audio track narration of many TV shows and a large roster of movies. I would guess this may not be high on your lists of immediate concerns right now, but in time your pal may like to check it out. It was first pioneered at public TV WGBH station in Boston in the early 1990's. DVS is easily acessed by turning on the SAP (separate audio channel) channel button on your TV.

Link for more info:

http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/description.html

"The Descriptive Video Service (DVS) is a major United States producer of video description, which makes visual media, such as television programs, feature films, and home videos, more accessible to people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired. DVS often is used to describe the product itself. It is a special audio track that includes extra descriptions of what is happening on screen for the visually impaired."

P.S. Dear snot, I would like to add my voice to the many here who are distraught to hear of the new direction your life is taking, but are encouraging you to seek out the myriad resources available to one of the oldest and most supported of disabling conditions. I have been amoung people with disabilities all my life and know many people who are blind or visually impaired. They lead successful, fulfilling lives. Keep your courage up!

July 11, 2014

And 'the beautiful game' welcomes you! The youth league in our town has 1700 kids and

growing strong. I volunteer coached for over ten years and loved (almost) every hour of it. It really is a terrific sport for kids because it requires teamwork, because it's basically simple, but loaded with complexity, because it's great exercise (one of the U.S. players ran TEN miles in ONE game at the World Cup), because it doesn't cost more then the price of a ball, because the rest of the world plays it, you will learn about other cultures, because, because, because, so many more reasons...

Sure, basketball, and some other sports have those qualities too, but right now, during World Cup, it's futbol!

July 10, 2014

Much progress HAS been made. In 1991, under Bush I, the Nunn-Lugar threat reduction bill...

(Senator Nunn and Senator Richard Lugar) initiated a modest, bipartisan, $400-million-a-year program of investment in securing Russian nuclear weapons and materials.

As of this report from 2011, nearly 92% of 'loose nuke' material and sites had been secured:
http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/factsheets/protectioncontrolaccounting

more here:
http://www.cfr.org/arms-control-disarmament-and-nonproliferation/global-nuclear-nonproliferation-regime/p18984

"The Obama administration brought additional attention to this issue, pledging to secure all vulnerable nuclear weapons materials by 2014 and convening a high-level global nuclear security summits in 2010 and 2012. The 2010 summit yielded tangible results, with Ukraine announcing that it would get rid of all its Soviet-era highly enriched uranium, and five other countries stating intentions to convert their research reactors to run on low-enriched uranium, which is less dangerous. The next global nuclear security summit is planned for 2014 and will take place in the Netherlands."

Pres. Reagan projected a outward bluster of tough stands, and greatly re-ignighted the Cold war and nuke insecurity. He had nothing to do with ending the Cold War for which many falsely give him credit.

May 17, 2014

That IS rare, Thanks! The closest I've been to a President (and First Lady) was at FDR wheelchair

statue dedication during the Clinton years. It is in the beautiful parkland along Patomic basin, a short stroll from the MLK statue.
I remarked how quiet it was given that we were near Washington's busy airport and my father reminded me that there is always a 'no fly zone' above where the President is attending.

April 10, 2014

The great civil rights act, the ADA, was bipartisan, and signed by GHWBush in 1990...

The gist of the article- originally from Liberaland - is certainly true, but this is kind of a big omission.