Julianne

TWO POTENTIAL SECRETS THE McCain CAMPAIGN DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW

2008-09-07T17:57:00Z

TWO POTENTIAL SECRETS THE McCain CAMPAIGN DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW

Attention media, there are two important issues you should be digging into:

Does John McCain have Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD)?

It's well documented that McCain has quite a temper, one symptom of PTSD. After spending five years in a POW camp in Vietnam, are there lasting effects beyond the physical injuries he sustained? Being tortured, as he has described, has to leave one with mental and emotional fallout. His campaign talks about the physical effects of the torture, but rarely addresses the mental and emotional effects. Why is that?

Irritability is another sign, and he demonstrated it in a big way during his most recent interview with reporters from "Time," Magazine.

If he has it, does it disrespect other veterans who have it, to deny it by omission?

If he has it, how does that effect his ability to serve as President?

John McCain has made several verbal gaffs during the primaries and general election campaigns. Many of them are documented on YouTube. Sometimes he makes a statement in the morning, but can't remember it in the afternoon. He couldn't remember how many houses he owns. Is he showing the beginning signs of some type of dementia, or Alzheimer's disease?

Is his campaign trying to hide or deny this possibility?

These are important "Commander and Chief issues.

If either of these factors exist, does he meet the "Commander and Chief test?"

We now know that President Reagan was starting to show signs of Alzheimer's during his administration. Can we afford to have another president who is exhibiting symptoms even if in the early stages?

These questions deserve to be asked, and answers should be given.

SNIDE SNARKY AND SARCASTIC: SARAH PALIN BURSTS ON TO THE PUBLIC STAGE

2008-09-06T17:27:00Z

SNIDE SNARKY AND SARCASTIC:

SARAH PALIN BURSTS ON TO THE PUBLIC STAGE

Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin burst on to the public stage this week, turning the race for the White House up side down.

This "Pit Bull with lipstick," may have that lipstick rubbed off in short order!

She may be the savior for John McCain and the radical right, but she isn't ready for prime time just yet.

Barack Obama has been on the national campaign trail for 19 months, and Sarah Palin for eight days. Obama has been vetted through Jeremiah Wright and William Ayres, through conversations of racism, and through corruption via Tony Resco. He has been accused of being a Muslim, even though he's a practicing Christian. His battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination made him a stronger candidate; thank you Hillary!

MY gosh, he even stood up to Foxx News's Bill O'Riely!

There are now less than two months before Decision 2008, and Republicans seem to expect voters to buy into the idea that Sarah is ready to lead-in case anything happens to Grampa John.

Palin's acceptance speech may have been written for her, but she clearly delighted in delivering the one-liners with snide and snarky panache. There's just one thing, mouthiness can get you in trouble if you're not careful. Palin seems a bit cocky, something Obama has been accused of, and it's gotten him off message and given the Republicans grist for the mill over time.

Palin's personality is her strength, and John McCain's biography is his... They don't have issues or a program to run on, since Grampa John hitched his wagon to George W. Bush's over the past eight years. So, personality is the thing! McCain's own campaign manager said this election will be about personalities, not issues. This is why Bush and Chaney had little or nothing to do at the Republican Convention. Instead, Ronald Reagan was invoked by Grampa John. (By the way, wasn't Reagan a celebrity?) Grampa John took a U turn at the Convention, and took us all the way back to the 80's, because they were a better time, in his mind. This is his last shot at the presidency, and by God he's going to do whatever he has to, to win, even if that means creating his own reality. It's something the Republicans are good at-pretending a misspeak or gaff was never said, (never mind video tape,) repeating something that is untrue so many times it becomes reality in people's minds, and using fear of what might be, to motivate people to get on board.

Add to the mix, Palin's radically conservative views, her exhibition of "family values," a husband playing Mr. Mom, (maybe,) and the topper for us, a child with a disability. To many, an appealing package. But don't be deceived, the John McCain of 2008 isn't the John McCain of old, and we don't know who Sarah Palin is, outside of the image the Republicans are creating for her. (Remember this election is about image not issues, according to them.)

Let's be fair, she should be judged on her record, not on who her friends are, or on her family challenges.

She supported the bridge to no where before she apposed it, and she took the money for the state of Alaska (some $120 million) any way.

She didn't sell the state jet on E-Bay, (as was implied) it was sold privately, at a loss. (A little bending of the truth.)

She hired a lobbyist (what is this about fighting special interests) to get over $100 million in earmarks for her state. Even John McCain apposed some of her requests to congress.

On the plus side, she didn't cut money for kids with special needs as has been reported, instead she made it a line item and increased it by 12 percent.

There's a lot more to learn about Miss Mouthy, and hopefully it will be more substance than snark.

People with disabilities, don't be single issue voters. Disability impacts so many areas of our lives; education, housing, transportation, employment, health care, civil rights. Sarah Palin has a child with a disability, and Michelle Obama's father had Multiple Sclerosis.

Let the Republicans enjoy having their own "rock star," for a few days, and then take that "looking glass," {from "Alice In Wonder Land} and examine her record with a fine tooth comb. Let the issues be your guide to the right choice for America on November 4.

DISABILITY IS A VISERAL THING

2008-07-18T02:54:00Z

DISABILITY IS A VISERAL THING

They Are Afraid They Will Become, One Of Us

The buzz about the Disaboom survey has raised an age old debate. Is it better to be dead than disabled? As many times as I have seen this question posed over the years, there are always people who answer, "Yes!"

Usually they are people who are projecting onto us, how they think they would handle having a disability, rather than understanding how we handle having a disability. It's their fears that drive their attitudes.

It's such an odd question. I've never seen anyone ask, "Would you rather be blak than white?" or, "Would you rather be a woman than a man?"

It points up a core fear that non-disable people have about losing control over their body or mind.

One of my favorite quotes from a mother of a severely disabled adult child expresses this best:

"I think few things are as difficult for humans as disabilities they themselves do not have. Few differences-not race, not gender, not religion-are as threatening to a person's notion of self. Man won't turn into the devalued woman, a white into the devalued black, a Christian into the devalued Jew, but the able can turn into the devalued disabled at the next turn in the road. You would think therefore, that prejudice against the disabled would be contained, confined, because after all, at any time, "I could turn into them." Instead, such a possibility only increases prejudice, avoidance and stigma."

Well, if you think about what fear does, it repells the thing one is afraid of...

As most of us know, disability isn't a fate worse than death. IN fact living life with a disability can be pretty darn good!

Are there shades of gray in the quality of the lives of some people with disabilities, certainly, and only those who have disabilities they define as "severe," can articulate the degree to which life ebs and flows on the quality spectrum from day to day.

I wonder if by asking the question, we reinforce the attitudes we seek to change?

A lesson I've learned recently, is that by pointing out the barriers we face, we can either unintentionally support their continuence, or even more disturbing, we can halt the progress we are working to create.

STACATION: Put 'em Up Sucker Part II

2008-07-06T17:30:00Z

STACATION:

Put ‘em UP Sucker

Part II

In the afternoon we went on the Gangster bus Tour around St. Paul. Our guide for this tour was Dapper Dan Hogan, a lad with a twinkle in his eye and a great Dublin Irish brogue.

Dapper Dan provided a running commentary, with great detail, as our bus maneuvered the streets of St. Paul and its suburbs.

He ran a joint called The Green Lantern.

Dapper Dan was one of the people who collected the protection money from the gangsters when they came to St. Paul for a vacation. Of course the police couldn't collect the protection money-it just wouldn't look right!

The tour focused mostly on the Ma Barker gang and John Dillenger and his henchmen.

Dillenger actually spent most of his time in the Twin Cities, contrary to many of the movies made about him.

John Dillenger only killed one person in his short career. He usually shot to mame, not to kill. He robbed more banks in 16 months than Jessie James did in 16 years.

It was said of many of the gangsters, that they were very "charming." The exception to this was the Barker boys. They were just down right nasty!

We drove by many of the landmarks (some still in tact) of that era.

The gangsters of the 20's and 30's plied their trade effectively. They robbed banks, staged kidnappings, gambled, some of the smarter thugs ran prostitution rings, and of course engaged in the occasional shootout.

If a gangster violated the police chief's rules, he got it right between the eyes!

The whole mess got cleaned up in short order in 1934 when J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI moved in to clean house in the St. Paul Police Department.

Once the corrupt police were gone, the gangsters didn't have a safe haven.

Dapper Dan met his end in 1928 after taking on a partner who claimed to be good at math. He was so good that he figured out if he didn't have a partner, there was more money for him. So, one day Dan went out to his garage to start his car and ca boom....

Dan came back to this world just to make sure we all got the story right!

He worked from a script, but what was most interesting was the stories he collected along the way from people who have taken his tour over the years that are relatives or friends of the infamous ones.

Our tour included the nephew of Dan's counter part in Minneapolis, Jack Peipffer. Jack ran the same kind of joint in Minneapolis as Dan did in St. Paul.

The tour was a great look into one of the Twin Cities more colorful periods. I haven't shared all of the secrets... It's worth checking out if you're ever in town.

STACATION: Put 'em UP Sucker Part I

2008-07-06T16:50:00Z

STACATION:

Put ‘em Up Sucker

Part I

Yesterday we went on the Wabasha Street Caves Tour and the Gangster Tour. They were both terrific!

Our guide in the morning through the caves was John Dillenger. He told us about the years during prohibition from 1920 to 1934. This was the heyday of the gangsters in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Most of the tour information focused on St. Paul, though they also have a Minneapolis Gangster Tour.

The caves are man made and were mined for Sandstone during the 1800's.

In the 1920's a couple took over the caves and opened a restaurant called The Castle Royale.

As we entered the caves, we walked into the restaurant as it has been restored. The original stage was there and pieces of the original dance floor were being sold for a buck.

The caves are on the "Most haunted," list of destinations in America. We learned why as we journeyed from the restaurant into the "back caves."

We entered a room in the restaurant where our tour guide said, "Only the men were allowed to go." They drank, gambled and fought there and an infamous fight took place there in 1934.

As the story goes, one of the owners of the place left a cleaning person in charge to lock up after the men in the back room were done. She waited and then heard a great commotion. She went back to the room and saw three men laying in pools of blood. She went to call the police.

An important part of this story is that the police in St. Paul those days were complicit with the gangsters. The police chief permitted them to come to his town if they promised not to commit any crimes while they were there. They had to check in (more about this later) and they paid protection money so that they wouldn't be bothered by the "coppers."

The cops came and the woman waited on the front stoop for hours. They came out and said, "Don't ever do this again!" They told her not to call in false alarms. She was incredulous. They took her back to the room and she was amazed at what she saw.

All of the tables and chairs were upright, the room was clean, and there were no bodies and no blood...

We proceeded into the back caves. These caves are much rougher and the temperature is 52 degrees year round. The owners raised mushrooms back there as part of their livelihood.

As we entered one of the back caves, Dillenger said that it's believed the police berried the bodies of the three men in that cave, and as it happens, just where I was standing...

They also used the caves to dump stuff from one of the frequent Mississippi River floods. This particular flood happened in 1952. The cave was brimming with stuff...

There have been many stories of sightings of a man in a Fedora, pin striped suit and Wing Tipped shoes over the years.

The caves are a great and mysterious place!

They can be rented out for events these days.

If you're ever in town, check out the caves!

FIVE REASONS WHY BLIND BLOGGERS UNLIKELY TO WIN BLOGGING CONTEST

2008-07-04T19:08:00Z

FIVE REASONS WHY

BLIND BLOGGERS UNLIKELY TO

WIN BLOGGING CONTESTS

I am new to the blogosphere and I have a lot to learn. One thing I have seen in my perusing of the blogosphere so far is that there are a few things that put people who are blind (not visually impaired) at a disadvantage.

First let me define the group I am referring to-people who are blind. These are people who can't see there monitors, or if they can they only see the light eminiating from the monitor but can't make out any images. This doesn't apply to people who are legally blind or visually impaired and who have enough vision (or can use assistive technology) to see what's on their screen.

Formatting: a. Formatting is a buggaboo for people who are blind whether it be in a blog or in a school paper. Screen readers do give users ways to make choices about formatting. The problem is sometimes they execute the operations properly, and sometimes they don't. They can even falsely report they have completed the operation correctly. The only way to know for sure is to have a sighted proof reader look through the document. Many of us don't have a sighted person just hanging around waiting to proof our writing.

This includes things like; indents, bold, italics, font size and color etc.

b. bulleted lists. They are very useful, but again difficult to do with a screen reader. A blind writer may not know if the bullets are in the right places, or may not be able to accurately choose the type of the bullets.

2. Graphics: Choosing a graphic for a blog is a challenge when you can't see the graphics. I often go to "insert smily face," on the "write a blog, " page and choose the one I think is the safest. The graphics don't have descriptive labels, so there is no way for blind bloggers to know which image they are selecting for their blog.

3. Writing in HTML: This can be tricky because to do this a blind blogger has to be in "Forms Mode," when using their screen reader. Editing in HTML using a screen reader can be challenging because one can get popped out of "Forms Mode," (which permits the writer to write in the edit field) and then one has to go back in and find the place to resume editing. Often this results in writing over text that has already been written causing great confusion.

For this reason I choose to paste my entries from Word. Pasting from Word to HTML can mess up the formatting the writer has attempted to apply.

4. Inserting hyper links: This may be operator error. I tried following the instructions on how to do this, and was unsuccessful. This is an extremely useful tool, and if anyone has tips I would appreciate getting them. Obviously, this is one of the best ways to promote one's blog.

5. Uploading images: Photography isn't something I engage in since I can't see what I'm photographing, and I can't see the outcome of the photograph. So, using this tool is challenging, and in my mind frustrating. I realize how much images can add to a blog. I'm not apposed to doing this if folks can offer suggestions on how to do this without having to jump through too many hoops.

I have a wonderful sighted coworker who edits my material at work. She gives me useful tips, and gives me helpful feedback (kindly) that has helped me grow as a writer.

I'm interested in finding ways to solve some of these dilemmas. Some of the solutions may not be straight on, but rather parallel alternatives to what works for sighted folks.

I also believe that some the standards set may need to be adapted to be more inclusive.

I'm all about finding solutions, so if you have ideas, let me know. I'm particularly interested in hearing from other experienced blind bloggers. I'm a JAWS user.

P.S.

Helium has offered an alternative to accessing the registration to their site. I'm proceeding down that road.

STACATION: Where's The Wooky?

2008-07-03T20:09:00Z

STACATION:

Where's The Wooky?

Before I talk about today's adventure, to answer a question that I think was being asked about the boat trip on the river yesterday, my dog handled the trip with her usual calm curiosity. She takes almost everything in stride. If she does become afraid, just talking to her and petting her usually calms her down and the fear vanishes. I'm very fortunate to have a dog that is flexible and adaptive in most all situations.

Now about the Star Wars exhibit, we had a great time. The museum found a volunteer who hung with us all morning. She provided lots of great information and guided us through the exhibit.

Many of the exhibits had audio already provided and she supplemented the prepared text.

We saw some models of a couple of the ships, road in an air car (propelled on air) put magnets in cars that were like lagos and put them on a track that propelled them by magnetic attraction, looked at some of the costumes, and saw an IMAX movie on special effects. The IMAX movie had audio description which helped us know what was happening on the screen when the movie's narration didn't provide the visual information we needed.

We got to see what C3PO and R2D2 looked like, and our guide told us some fun details about the actor who played C3PO when he came to talk to the museum staff. He couldn't sit down because his costume wouldn't allow it, and he said that everyone came to hate the R2D2 robot because they weren't always able to control its actions. There was a Little Person inside the robot, but even he didn't have full control. (Of course this was in 1987 and robotics have come a long way since then.)

It's always fun to learn about things in sci fi movies that have become real in our world. The magnetic cars operate on the same principle as trains in Japan and Germany. The cars tip very easily, so the trains must have computers that help maintain their balance.

It's amazing to think that the first Start Wars movie came out 21 years ago.

I plan to send a thank you email to the museum for going above and beyond what they were required to do.

Tomorrow will probably be spent with family, and Saturday we go on the Wabasha walking caves tour, and the gangster bus tour.

STACATION: Rollin' On The River

2008-07-03T01:14:00Z

STACATION:

Rollin' ON The River

This afternoon my four legged furry friend and I took a river cruise down (or rather up) the Mississippi river on the "Minneapolis Queen." The cruise lasts about one and a half hours and takes a route through the St. Anthony Falls Lock. For those who don't know, a lock is like a water powered elevator. It raises and lowers the depth of the water level according to the needs of the river traffic.

There is a series of locks between Minneapolis and St. Louis. There are no locks from St. Louis on down to New Orleans.

My pup and I took this trip alone, but it was still a wonderful journey into a different world.

Minneapolis is the northern most port on the Mississippi. Shipping goods by waterway is still the cheapest way to go, and the goods that come out of Minneapolis include; lumber, grain, steel and rock salt. They are shipped to destinations throughout the United States.

When the I35 W. bridge collapsed almost a year ago, there was a great deal of concern about the cost of moving goods by truck because the river was blocked for quite some time with debris from the mangled bridge, and the cars and other vehicles that fell into the river when the bridge went down.

We passed the construction of the new bridge. It's scheduled to be completed by Christmas Eve this year, but they are ahead of schedule, and they may be done by the time the Republican Convention comes to town in September.

And-here's another bit of trivia, the 45^th parallel is located at a point on the Broadway Avenue Bridge. This is the half way point between the North Poll, and the Equator.

I loved sitting on a bench on the outer deck and feeling the wind in my hair, the spray from the river on my face, and hearing the Dixie Land music that accompanied our Captain's narration.

My pup just takes everything in, yesterday she made friends with a tiger, and today she entered the world of Huck Finn.

I asked one of the crew (who were all very helpful) whether he had been on the river the night of the collapse. He said he was 200 yards away. I remember the Captain saying that night that he wanted to help, but with all of the debris in the water, bringing that boat in might have caused more confusion.

I picked a good day to go. There were only three other families and my dog and me. This meant it was easy for the crew to help without taking much time from the other passengers.

Taking a vacation this way was a great idea. I've enjoyed every bit of it so far.

Tomorrow a couple of friends and I will visit the Science Museum to take in the Star Wars exhibit. I've been working with the person in charge of access at the museum so we'll see how things go.

STACATION: Hold That Tiger

2008-07-02T01:59:00Z

STACATION:

Hold That Tiger!

Today I went to the Minnesota Zoo with some friends. I always seem to have interesting experiences there, and I'll share those in a moment.

First, a couple of you have asked questions and here are the answers:

I decided a long time ago, that not having a companion wasn't going to stop me from doing the things I like to do. So, when I'm planning an activity, if I don't have sighted companionship, I call ahead to see how much assistance I can get from the place I'm planning to visit. I never expect that they will, "take care of me."

If I think it's at least something I might get enough enjoyment out of to make it worth while, and I'm in a good place with my expectations properly aligned, I go for it!

I've gotten enough info from the Science Museum about the Star Wars exhibit that I think it's a go. I'm still deciding about the Mill City Museum, and I think I will try the paddle wheel boat ride.

I mentioned I was researching other blogs, and I have contacted a couple of them about writing for them. NO answers yet. The two I'm most interested in are 451 Press, and Helium. Unfortunately, Helium uses a pictograph to register on their sight which isn't accessible to me.

Now, back to the Zoo.

I wrote about the experience a friend and I had a couple of years ago at a "Dolphin Encounter." Well, today that same friend and her husband accompanied me and my guide dog to the zoo. I had more fun watching my dog's reactions than anything else!

Fortunately, she's very well behaved, and she found a lot to look at, and still focused on her job.

She liked the monkeys, the birds (of course since she's a Labrador) the dolphins, and she met a bi-i-ig kitty!

We approached the tiger exhibit and found a tiger lazing in the hot summer sun. As we were about to leave, another younger tiger came up to the glass. My dog pressed her nose up against the glass and tried to lick him. The tiger responded in kind. He seemed curious, not threatening, or hungry...

We started to walk away, and my friend asked her husband to get a picture of the dog and the tiger. I brought her back to the window, and the tiger and she pressed their noses against the window pain once again. He snapped a few pics, and we began to move on to the next exhibit when my friend said the tiger was pacing, as if he wanted his new friend to come back.

We went into the Butterfly garden and I wasn't sure if my dog might just accidentally eat one... There lives are short enough anyway, I didn't want to see one become a snack! She was cool-no problem!

Even though I can't see most of the animals, (I could see the tiger since he was so close) I love to go to the zoo!

STACATION: Studio Stories

2008-07-02T01:26:00Z

STACATION:

Studio Stories

Last night I attended a performance called "Studio Stories," with a friend, in the Dowling Studio Theater at the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. The performers were John McCutcheon, http://www.folkmusic.com/ writer, poet, musician and story teller and Kevin Kling, http://www.kevinkling.com/ actor and story teller.

I have seen both men perform many times, but never together.

This was to be the first of several performances where well known performers come together in a intimate space (the studio theater only holds 200 people) and ply their trade.

Kling and McCutcheon shared the stage, trading places and spinning yarns from their own life's experience. McCutcheon wove his music in amongst the stories, and had no trouble getting the audience to sing along with him.

Kling commented that there weren't too many people in the audience who wouldn't know what a "78," was, and drew sustained laughter as people looked around to see an audience that was mostly gray with a few younger folk sprinkled in for good measure.

They told stories about their fathers, (and in McCutcheon's case being a father) baseball, learning from a master banjo player, the Minnesota "Twang," and theft...

Kling told a story about life after acquiring a disability.

Six years ago, I was on my way to see him perform a one-man play in the "Fringe Festival," another fun Minneapolis summer event. My friends and I were standing in front of the theater waiting to go in when someone came out to tell us that "Kevin had just been in a motor cycle accident, and was on his way to the hospital."

His recovery took a long time, but he made it and has integrated his experience as a person with a disability into his act.

He told a couple of disability jokes, which didn't go over well with a mostly non disabled audience. (no surprise.) As he said, "My humor has gotten a bit darker since my accident."

I've seen him perform in front of audiences at disability community events, and no one can get that community laughing like he can!

Kling talked about how acquiring a disability "Has been a gift, but not one I would have asked for." He said that since acquiring his disability, he is always "This close to tears."

I could relate. I would not have asked for my disabilities, but they have informed my life, and given me a depth of compassion for others I might not have been able to experience without them.

The evening was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next Studio Stories event!

STACATION Day 2

2008-06-30T02:44:00Z

STACATION

Day 2

Yesterday I spent time writing and researching other blogs.

I'm not much for reality TV, but once in a while a show catches and holds my attention. I watched the "Groomer Has It," marathon on Animal Planet. My favorite contestant won!

It was interesting that Jonathan, the runner up didn't understand the reason he didn't win was that he was lacking in being a well rounded human being. He had great grooming skills and good business savvy, but his competitor took all of the judges feedback to hart and made changes that helped him grow throughout the competition. Jonathan just couldn't move his ego out of the way.

Today I met a friend at a local watering hole for some of that hot summer jazz (salsa style) and some libations.

It's a beautiful summer evening. I have been surrounded this weekend by the Pride Festival on one side of my building, and the Jazz Festival on another side. Both the Jazz Festival and Pride are over now.

I'm still lining up some activities for the week. A couple of the things I want to do will be difficult without a sighted person to provide description.

I'm not unfamiliar with doing things on my own without companionship, blind or sighted, but some of the museum exhibits may not be fully accessible. I'll have to do some checking tomorrow.

STACATION

2008-06-28T18:11:00Z

STAYCATION

It's time for my mid-year vacation, and with the economy in the tank, I don't have money to travel. I could just sit home and enjoy the beautiful Minnesota summer, but I want more out of this time away from work! My answer, play tourist in my own back yard.

My plan-to do things I've done and enjoyed, and try some new things I've always wanted to do but haven't done.

This blog is the first in the series of chronicles of my first "Staycation."

So, the first thing is something I've done before but love to do every summer, enjoy the Hot Summer Jazz Festival in Minneapolis on the PV Plaza, an ampa theater adjoining Orchestra Hall, home of the renound Minnesota Orchestra. Well, the weather rained on my parade last night, and forced the cancellation of time with friends, but my spirit is not dampened, and I will find a way this weekend to get in some great music with good food and libations.

Some of the other things I have planned:

Attending a performance called "Studio Stories," at the Guthrie Theater featuring musician John McCutscheon and story teller Kevin Kling,

Taking a paddle wheel boat ride down the Mississippi river,

Going to the Minnesota Zoo,

Visiting the Science Museum to view the "Star Wars," exhibit,

Taking the Wabasha Street Caves and Gangster tours sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society, and if there's time, (and depending on accessibility)

Visiting the Mill City Museum to learn more about Minneapolis's history as a top producer of grain in the United States during the early 20'th century.

I may also squeeze in a massage and a walk around the lakes somewhere in this busy schedule.

I've also allotted some down time to write and do more research into blogging for pay.

Stay tuned to follow my adventures this week!

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WANT A PEANUT

2008-06-23T01:29:00Z

WANT A PEANUT?

I'm a fan of Animal Planet, and there's a show on the network called "Amazing Animals." Well, it's true!

All of my life I have lived with or around animals. During the past 24 years, my life has been informed and enriched by some very special animals.

I am sharing my life currently with my fifth guide dog, and two cats.

Four years ago, when I was in class getting my current dog, I began a journey of learning about how to relate to animals in a different way. My instructor taught our class using a method of training called Positive Training. It's based on a theory of Operant Conditioning that B. F. Skinner developed and formalized in the 1940's and 50's.

Operant Conditioning is "The process of changing an animal's response to a certain stimulus by manipulating the consequences to the response." http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/glossary.htm

This process helped me to think differently about how animals think. Until I began learning more about Positive Training, I did a good deal of anthrapremorphizing with my animals-something commonly seen with many people who are animal lovers. They (we) impose our own feelings, thoughts, and interpretations of our animals behavior onto them. Positive training changes the paradigm. It helps the handler learn to think the way the animal thinks, not way the human thinks the animal thinks.

Changing the way I think and interact with animals has given me an incredible new set of experiences with inter-species communication.

Several years ago, I was visiting a friend who has an African Gray Parrot. These parrots are thought to be the most intelligent species of parrot. I had my forth guide dog who hated our paratransit vans. She would guide me anywhere but to the door of the van as we approached to climb aboard.

It came time for us to leave, and as we walked out the door of her home and toward the van, my dog slowed down. As she approached the van, she hesitated. Freeze action!

Back at my friend's house, the door was open and she and her Personal Assistant were watching us as we approached the van. As my dog slowed down, Her bird said, "Step up."

He was relating to something he understood. When my friend holds her bird, she asks him to "Step up," on to her finger.

Another experience happened more recently. I frequent a pet store that has a resident African Gray Parrot. One day my current dog and I went in to get supplies. The woman behind the counter asked if she could give my dog a treat. I said yes, and she came around to hand my dog the goody. She asked her to sit, which the dog did, and she gave her the biscuit. The bird was watching this interaction and said, "Good dog!." My dog looked at the bird and wagged her tail.

It turns out the bird lived in a house with a dog before coming to live at the store. She had certainly heard the words, "Good dog," spoken many times in her previous home.

Another time we visited the same store, the bird kept saying something that I couldn't understand. I asked the person behind the counter what she was saying, and she said, "She's saying, want a peanut?" The woman turned to the bird and said, "You really want the peanut, don't you?"

Maybe the bird learned that by asking in that way, she could get her handler's attention, and in the process score a treat!

The most amazing experience with inter-species communication I had was when a friend and I went to the zoo for a Dolphin Encounter.

We viewed a PowerPoint on dolphins, watched a dolphin show, and then got to go back into the dolphin's home pool area to play with and feed them.

As my dog and I walked into the pool area, a young four year old dolphin made a sound that I could only imagine as her saying, "What's that?" She wasn't looking at the humans, she'd seen them before, she was looking at my dog.

While we spent time with the dolphins and their trainers, my dog stayed in the doorway of an adjoining office. She watched everything we were doing with the dolphins. The trainers used the same kind of Positive Training techniques I used with my dog-marking the end of a behavior with a signal, and then delivering a treat for performing the behavior.

After we finished our encounter, the head trainer brought my dog over to the edge of the pool. The young dolphin swam over and the two animals looked at each other for what seemed like a very long time. Then the young dolphin turned around and swam away. She picked up a toy and brought it back to the edge of the pool and placed it next to my dog on the pool deck. The trainer standing next to me said, "Who's the smarter species?"

We can't know exactly what animals are thinking, but by stepping outside of our own experience as humans, and observing their actions, we may be able to come to a better understanding about how they think.

The Feel Of Money

2008-06-21T21:02:00Z

Recently a Federal District Court ruled that the Federal government must make U.S. currency accessible for people who are blind.

This wouldn't have been an issue on my top five list of things to change, but to the organization that took the initiative to fight a six year battle and won, I say thank you!

All of us who are blind or visually impaired live by making adjustments in our lives every day to things that aren't created so that blind or visually impaired

people can readily use them. Currency is just one example.

I recall a time when I carried a typewriter into my elementary school classroom to type my assignments so that my teacher could read them. I remember a time when there wasn't such a thing as an optical character scanner to scan printed material and convert it into speech to make it accessible to people who are blind. I remember when cell phones weren't accessible to the blind-just five years ago.

My point is that in my time on this planet, my life, and the lives of other blind people have been made easier by the invention of and adaptation of devices and mechanisms, some made legal by a court of law like detectable warning domes at intersections, and some offered as products on the free market like speech software for cell phones.

Little by little the world that sighted people appreciate is opening up to those people who are blind or visually impaired. I am lucky to live during a

time when so many barriers to living a full and productive life are being torn down.

Daily, I complete many financial transactions, giving paper money to the people behind the counter, and receiving paper money back. I ask them what bills

they have handed me, and I fold my bills accordingly. I have done this all my life.

But, I will rejoice in the freedom of not having to ask, not having to trust in another to give me the correct change, and being able to tell that the money

I am receiving is the money I deserve to receive.

It's a little thing, but it's all of those "little things," that go into making big life changes for all people with disabilities.

It's a little thing to open a door for one's self using an automatic door opener. It's a little thing not to have to look for a place for one's wheelchair to safely traverse the next curb, and it's a little thing for a blind person to complete a financial transaction independently and with the assurance that everyone else including other people with disabilities have, knowing exactly what bills have been placed in their hand.

There are millions of blind and visually impaired people in this country, and our numbers are likely to grow as the baby boomers age.

Organizations that advocate for people who are blind are in disagreement about this issue. Blind people deal independently every day with situations that require identifying paper money. Yet even those people who are blind who disagree with this decision will benefit from this ruling once it is implemented.

The cost of making these changes to all tax payers including those of us who are blind and visually impaired, or those who may acquire such a disability,

is minor compared to the cost of the wars this country is engaged in that we all support financially, whether we support them ethically or ideologically.

Cost was used as an excuse not to put in curb cuts and automatic door openers when the ADA was being written and lobbied for, and cost is always the excuse

when someone thinks that something that is being proposed is unreasonable, or the group that is advocating for the change is too small.

Just as mothers with baby carriages use curb cuts, and people with their arms full use automatic door openers, most accommodations made for people with disabilities also become useful to those who don't identify as having a disability.

For the richest country in the world to be behind the curve in making such a change, when 180 countries have already found ways to make their

currencies accessible, is not just a shame, it's indefensible.

Each small step toward inclusion is one more step away from marginalization. I look forward to the day I can reach into my pocket and know with confidence what denomination I'm handing the person behind the counter.

An Open Letter To Hillary Clinton Supporters

2008-06-21T01:55:00Z

An Open Letter To Hillary Clinton Supporters

I am a 50 something white woman with disabilities. I have lived at or below the poverty level, received public assistance, and I know what it's like to work three jobs to keep a roof over my head. I have advocated for people with disabilities for 3 decades, and I understand identity politics.

I started out supporting Hillary Clinton. I've admired her for years, and always believed she would be the first woman president of the United States.

It's with these credentials, that I plead my case.

I understand disappointment; I have worked on the past three democratic presidential campaigns. So much emotion gets packed into such a short period of time. When it's all over, it's hard to decompress.

It's doubly difficult when your candidate is the first woman who has come oh, so close to becoming her party's nominee. And-how unfair, for it to happen in the same year when a bi-raicial man was running against her.

Hillary sold herself to voters as the candidate who cares about them. But she lost my vote back in South Carolina when Bill played the race card.

Back then I saw Barack Obama speak and oh-my! He inspired me in a way I haven't felt inspired since the ‘60's.

I felt so bereffed during the past eight years with all of my hope for this country dashed by the Bush administration and the way they chipped away at everything I held dear about my country. I wondered if it could ever fulfill the promise of the founding fathers when so much of its foundation had crumbled beneath the weight of Republican Neo Conservative attempts to reconstruct it in their own vision.

And then there was Barack. He spoke to my hart in a way no politician has since Bill Clinton.

He gave me hope that maybe; just maybe we could heal the wounds of the past eight years.

While Barack and Hillary competed for the nomination of the Democratic Party, I began to see a side of Hillary I didn't like. She began winning, but in winning, she used Republican style tactics. She learned well how to use them during her time in the White House. She had to, in order to survive.

As an advocate an organizer I remember being in rooms with other organizers and hearing myself say, "We have to learn how to think like the Republicans. We have to study their tactics and get just as good at using them as they are."

I couldn't envision that there might be a politician who would come along and consciously work to change "Politics as usual."

My support for Barack went from being a vote against Hillary Clinton, to a vote for Barack Obama.

I'm voting for Barack not just because he's good at speechifying, but because I believe he can return this country to greatness. I believe he will end the war in Iraq, strengthen our economy, reestablish Havious Corpus, close down Guantonamo, stop using torture as a means to get information from prisoners (not enemy combatants), use principled diplomacy with countries like Iran and North Korea, and restore this country's reputation in the world as the bright and shining beacon of liberty that others in the world idealize.

I do believe that this country will see a woman become president, and hopefully in my life time.

One thing I know from my work as an advocate, if the timing isn't right, it isn't gonna' happen.

This is Barack's time!

When the first woman is elected president, gender will be a small part of the conversation. Barack is a post racial candidate, only talking about race when it's necessary. Hillary is still fighting the battles of sexism. The first woman president will have put most of those battles behind her, and she will do politics differently than any man before her.

As we move forward into the general election campaign, I urge you to think about whom you're voting for and why you're voting for them. A vote for John McCain is a vote against Barack Obama. That may feel good right now, but think two or three years down the road. McCain will continue the policies of George W Bush, and there still won't be a woman in the White House.

We don't need to come together and sing Kum bi yah just yet, but we do need to keep our eyes on the prize. This is the Democrats election to lose. It's up to you as Clinton supporters to make sure that the next four years are brighter and more hopeful than the past eight years under a Republican administration.