Alternative treatment for autism

Hello everyone,

I know Wednesdays are usually labeled "encouragement" days, but today I decided to switch things up a little. Just yesterday, I watched an interesting segment on Nightline involving dealing with autism and alternative treatments. What was the treatment suggested this time? Taking your child surfing.

That's right, you heard me correctly. Taking your child surfing

Currently, the statistics in the US for autism is rising at a alarming rate. So much so that the American Journal Of Pediatrics is urging parents to screen their child twice for autism. Once at 18 months and then again at 24 months. Typical symptoms for the onset of the disease are your child not smiling, a child that has trouble keeping eye contact with someone or lack of speech.

Where exactly does surfing come into play in all of this? Well.. The program is called Surfer's Healing.The theory being that the ocean waves have a calming effect on austitic children. Program founder Isaiah Paskowitz, knows this firsthand. He experienced this with his child at a early age. As a result, he and his autistic son now have a hobby they can participate in together.

"There's some kind of magic that happens out there," he said

It isn't always about the surfing though. It's about the lessons they learn through surfing- this simple fact that they can do anything they put their mind too. This weekend activity also provides an avenue for parents to get together and discuss his the trials and tribulations of having a autistic child

For more information, you can visit the website at:

http://www.surfershealing.com/

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Citation for TV Program: "Nightline" News segment, . ABC channel 7 WXYZ Detroit, News at 11: 30 pm, October 29, 2007

Citation:

The horror! The horror!

(Habit de Fontainier, from Habits des Métiers et Professions, engravings by Nicholas de Larmessin, 1690.)

It's All Hallows Eve once again, and this year, for my costume, I've decided to replicate Nicholas de Larmessin's design for the Fountain Maker's Costume. It may at first seem insufficiently frightful and quite campy, like Louis XV's high heels or an ancien régime beauty spot.

However, once I tell people that though the spraying jets and frothy pools are mere representations in generic cardboard but back at home all the faucets have been turned on at full flush — i.e., for such frivolity and hydrological gaiety, Lake Michigan is presently being drained of its clean waters wastefully, while the American South and Southwest are in the midst of a historic drought; while children in developing countries are dying due to the lack of accessible freshwater; mothers in China are giving birth to infants with mental defects because they had drunk tainted water; while genocide brought on by drought erupts in parts of the world; while aquifers everywhere are getting drained faster than it can be replenished, the imbalance of which will result in the collapse of global food security; and while Las Vegas and Phoenix want to turn Canada's river rich western territories into a desert.

When all this has been said, when people realize that they've wasted 30 minutes listening to me when they could have spend all that time drinking and whoring, they will surely be horrified by my Larmessin couture.

Happy Halloween!

Plantoid

(Image courtesy of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology; via Wired.)

Behold the future avant-gardener, conceived at the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, “the world's only laboratory dedicated to plant intelligence,” as an extraterrestrial explorer to be deployed to Mars where “[i]ts roots would explore the soil, while power and telecommunications are provided by the main stem and the solar 'leaves.'”

And when its science mission has ended, it will then prune a full scale version of Versailles Gardens out of Martian bedrock.

Differences

Hello everyone,

Thank goodness it's the weekend. It's been a very busy week with everything going on in my life. I barely have any time for myself anymore; it's a definite change from before. I'm still adjusting to everything myself. I guess that's a part of being an adult. Not a fun part. But an important part in itself, knowing that you have people counting on you every day to do your very best work. It's a big responsibility, but I know I'm up to the challenge. Anyway, since free time is difficult to find any more, I thought I would get a early start on next week. (Speaking of difficult, I am finding myself at a loss for topics. So if anyone has any ideas for me, please give me a holler. After all, this blog is for you, not only me.. I think I have tried to reiterate this point to my readers several times)

On to today's post..

Let me begin with the question.

What makes us different? I mean, really. I'm not talking about disabilities now. I'm speaking more in a broad sense. By that I mean, what makes one person unique, separate from another person? Is it our eye color, hair color and personality that makes sense unique or do our is differences go deeper than that? If you are anything like me, you probably believe that someone made you the way you are for a reason. Now, stay with me here. I'm not using this blog to preach my beliefs, by any means because honestly a relationship with Jesus is not something someone should take lightly. It is a personal matter. Anyway, where was I going with this? The point is, as I was thinking about the differences in people, a specific verse came to mind. It is:Psalms 139. I won't go through the whole thing, but here's what it says in part.

Psalms 139, verse 1-5 says:

"For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. "

Later on in the passage, David continues with his thoughts regarding being uniquely created. He continues in verses 13 through 15 saying:

" For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. "

My point in saying all this.. well. It's quite simple really. Everyone is different and we are made differently for a reason. There are no mistakes in the way we were made and it's about time we start appreciating our differences for what they are. Gifts.

Okay, so this idea differences as gifts wasn't all my usual way of thinking. But a recent who documentary on HBO family got me wondering. The show highlighted children with a variety of differences (I'm not limiting myself to disability, but also unique talents that are not often seen).

As one child puts it, "Everyone is special in their own kind of way,"

Henry Anderson is just another example. Unlike most boys, he is interested in ballet and dance. He has been dancing for seven years, since he was four years old.

10-year-old Patrick is another example of how differences don't have to overwhelm your life. Although Patrick is blind, he goes to a regular school and likes to be seen as a regular kid. Having to read using braille may seem a hassle to most kids. But he chooses to see the many good sides to his disability.

"Since I use my fingers, I can read in the dark without my parents noticing," he said

Eight-year-old Erin often gets asked why she is the way she is. Being little, this is often a difficult question to answer. Her reply:

"That's just the way I was made ."

When asked about how to cope with one's differences, one child simply replied: "Don't let them (other people) get you down, just stand tall."

-- --

Citation for TV Program: "Happy to Nappy and other stories of me", HBO Family channel 309 at 6:55 p.m., October 14, 2007. (Original air date: February 24, 2004 )

Another post on Autism.

Well,

It's been a long and busy week. I'm still getting adjusted to having a new job and there's still a lot to be done before I move out in November. But that's just a part of life, I guess. I'm kind of grateful that I have a lot to do. It makes me feel useful and doesn't give me time to feel "sorry" or have pity on myself. I tend to do that sometimes now that a majority of my friends are gone. But I shouldn't. After all, I have a lot of good going on in my life right now. A new apartment, a new job. What more could a independent woman ask for?

I don't know.

Anyway, on to today's post.

Since I have been talking about perseverance and patience in my life, I thought I would highlight others with the same prospective. (Okay, part of my decision to write about this was because the movie happened to be on, but still..) Some of you may know what movie I'm talking about. It's called Miracle Run. Based on the true story of the Morgan family, the movie chronicles the daily struggle of a mother trying to do right with her children despite the devastating diagnosis of autism. For those of you that are unfamiliar, autism is a brain disorder that affects social interaction and communication skills. In some cases, this diagnosis leads to the institutionalization of people. Unwilling to accept this, Corrrine Morgan made it her mission to get her twin sons the best education possible. At a early age, she began to research her children's rights to a normal education with such adaptations as a IEP etc.

As the boys grew, they began to see themselves as separate and unique individuals becoming involved in a variety of activities . Philip has continued to pursue his interest in music, while Steven enjoys running. At the end of the film, it updates the audience saying that they are both hoping to get full scholarships to college. Their mother, Corrine, is happily married and the founder of "Miracle Run", a organization that hopes to find a cure for the disorder as well as just being there to help people deal and live with their diagnosis

Encouragement: Proof That People can get Through Just About Anything

Hey everyone,


Another day, another post. Contrary to my previous post, things ended up working for me and the apartment. It's mine for eight months at least. That is, if everything works out like it should. I plan on moving in by the middle of November. So I'm excited. My own place, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Anyway, I'm sure I will have more about my apartment as I undergo the transition. Not much is going to change though, considering my place is only about 10 minutes away from my parent's house.


On to today's post, a post of encouragement. As I have gotten back into the habit of writing for this blog, I find it easier to highlight the good in the world rather than the bad things that can (and sometimes do) happen. That being said, here's a story that proves people can get through just about anything. This remarkable story of faith and heroism was first featured on last Sunday's episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The family chosen for the episode: the Brown's. In short, this family of four overcame the impossible when their house catches on fire. With everyone inside the house, Fred, the oldest son rushes to ensure everyone's safety. Unfortunately, Gloria, his mother is stuck inside and ends up sustaining severe burns on her chest before he is able to rescue her. Luckily, they all make it out alive.

Left with virtually nothing, the family is forced to start over in a rental house just a block and a half from where he used to live. Their old house is in shambles. Despite all the hardships they have faced, the family still takes time out to came back to their community.


"That's what it's all about. It's not about us that much; it's about the other person. It's about giving from your heart.." said Gloria

Ty Pennington, the team leader of the project summed the rebuilding of the house as a endng to their very long journey.


"I think this week for us is about knowing you're doing something for someone who's lost everything, but never really given up hope. Life is a path and these guys have had way too many obstacles thrown in their way. We have to rebuild from scratch.."



During the show, the family was able to go on vacation and visit some of the "Dancing with The Stars" cast. As they watched their old home get demolished on video, Gloria was glad for the fresh start.


"I saw that they rocked that house. I said, thank God it's over. All of the bad memories are gone."






-- -- --

Citation:


Citation for TV Program: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" , . ABC channel 7 WXYZ Detroit, at 8 pm, October 14, 2007

It Turns and Returns

Here are a couple of snapshots taken from DeLaval's business presentation for its milking rotaries, the TURN-STYLES™ PR1100 and PR2100. During the brief seconds when the camera locks in on the “parlours” as they slowly twirl about their bovine passengers, industrial food production is transformed (un)expectedly into a Busby Berkeley's musical number.

In their precisely calibrated choreography, these elegantly designed machines are undeniably mesmerizing. Singularities subsumed by symmetry and repetition, merged wholly into a patterned geometry. Frolic and hypnotic spectacle together side by side with cooly modernist efficiency. And though the rotaries do not appear to conflict with Cartesian topography, any sense of site and context can be nullified if you ignore the spoken and textual commentaries in the videos.

But perhaps they can still defy gravity. Rotate them fast enough and they will detach, a gyroscopic whirligig on its way to a dairy farm halfway across the world. With cows still on board.



Or better yet, for one week each year, the cows are replaced by these bloggers plus Kazys Varnelis, who are herded daily and singly into the compartments to blog whatever they want to write about while they are turned and “pampered” until they are returned exactly one hour later. And for anyone who did not produce an interesting post by the deadline, the abattoir awaits. Such is the brutal nature of the blogosphere.

In the Archives:
Our Daily Bread
Chicken Wing
Brave New Edible Estates

ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease)

Hey~

Okay, so this week has been a busy one for me. Not only because of my new job, but because of the changes taking place in my life. On Wednesday, I decided to take some time and look at apartments. I was able to find one but, as always, there are complications. Hopefully they will clear themselves up. So I can figure out what I want for a change.

Anyway, I digress.

Today, I have chosen to highlight the subject of ALS in my blog. ALS is more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. Why have I chosen to highlight this disease right now? The answer is quite simple really. This last week, thanks to TiVo, I was able to watch a program called "Jenifer". This documentary style program chronicled the life of the Jenifer as well as the Estess' sisters on their journey to find a cure for ALS. For those who don't know, ALS is a disease which destroys the neurons that carry messages from the brain to the muscles. Unfortunately, this disease is generally fatal within two to five years; it has no known cure or treatment.

Faced with the debilitating diagnosis, she refuse to give up as she dealt with the reality of her own death. Like always, their sisters depended on each other for support. They began to research other forms of alternative medicine, such as stem cell research etc. To find out more information about the Project, go to http://www.projectals.org/

Ensanguining the Trevi

(The ghost of Anita Ekberg was ensanguinated here. Photo by Maurizio Brambatti / ANSA / LI.)

A group calling itself the ATM Azionefuturista 2007 has turned one of Rome's most famous monuments into a bloodied protest canvas.

One of its members, in full Futurist glee, “threw a bucket of red paint or dye into Rome's Trevi Fountain on Friday, coloring the waters of the 18th-century monument bright red in front of a crowd of astonished tourists and residents.”

The man escaped, leaving the fountain, which normally runs on a closed cycle, spouting red water. Police arrived and technicians briefly shut off the water before restoring a clear flow.

Experts said the baroque fountain was not permanently damaged and the marble statues depicting the sea deity Neptune on his chariot had not absorbed the color.

At first I thought the guy read an advance copy of The New York Times Magazine's extended report on the neverending water problems of the American Southwest, and so was compelled to carry out this guerrilla attack to highlight the impending climate change disaster to an audience of intensive carbon-producing tourists. Like a self-righteous Moses to a bunch of uber-consumerist Ramesseses.

But alas, based on leaflets found nearby, officials think that he was simply protesting against the “expenses incurred in organizing the Rome Film Festival.” The red waters of the Trevi, then, “symbolically referred to the event's red carpet.”

It was one simple gesture by one person, but the whole world has taken notice. So perhaps next year, another famous fountain will be made to spew vermillion waters — or preferably, made to stagnate and concoct a toxic stew of fluorescent green algae — to successfully call international attention to our present shared hydrological crisis.

Since the fountain is constantly being monitored by CCTV cameras, there is a video of the incident:


(Watch it on YouTube or on La Repubblica.)

But here are some clearer photos, courtesy of Corriere della Serra:









The spirit of Umberto Boccioni still hovers over the heady waters of Italy.

Relationships, I guess I will continue the series

Okay,



So I just happened to be searching for new topics that I could use for the blog when I came across this article. Recently, I've gotten in the habit of looking for topics on the Internet and then saving them to my e-mail for future reference. I do the same thing for TV programs related to disability issues as well. Anyway, I figured since I explored the difficulties of being single as well as disabled in the United States. I would take this a step farther and explore the impact that friendships have on disabilities. As I believe I have stated many times before, I don't know where I would be without the friendships I've made in my life. Specifically, the ones I made in college. They not only help me in function independently without the assistance of my parents, but allowed me to florish as an individual.



Anyway, enough about me.

Looking back at the article, I find myself having a hard time trying to condense it. So I have decided to let the readers read it for themselves. All I can say is that it's a powerful story of a friendship. It really shows you the importance of looking beyond differences(both physical and religious). I encourage you to read it.

http://newmobility.com/articleViewIE.cfm?id=11001

-- -- -- -- --
Citation:

Furlong, Roxanne "Friendships That Endure " newmobilty.com, October 2007 15 October 2007 http://newmobility.com/articleViewIE.cfm?id=11001

Candor & Meridiani

Immediately after posting this photo of exposed layered deposits in Mars, I discovered these recently released images of possible landing sites for the Mars Science Laboratory. Like the earlier one, these obscenely stunning landscape photographs were taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. There are 153 in all.

One wonders if the most interesting landscape photographers aren't working here on earth and are rather spaceborne or on other planets, collaborating with NASA and government contractors. Could we be in another WPA era?

Are Opportunity and Spirit the new Anselm Adams?

Since I couldn't resist posting just one image, there will be two this time. The first one shows the swirling geology of Candor Chasma, a major canyon of Valles Marineris; the other shows a slice of East Meridiani, though it's obviously a lost texturological work by Jean Dubuffet.

Interestingly, both seem imminently palpable. If you were to decide to reach out for your computer screen, you might actually touch something other than a mechanically smooth surface. Lick it and you'll taste Martian salt.

In any case, enjoy!





(Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona.)

Ferropolis

(From left to right: Mosquito, Gemini, Mad Max and Medusa. Photo by Christiane Eisler.)

When Jardinators have lived out their usefulness, they apparently go to pasture in Ferropolis.

Located right in the middle of a former open-pit mine near the city of Dessau, in Bauhaus country, it is part open air museum and part multimedia venue inhabited by monolithic machines, perhaps belonging to the same species that had turned the surrounding landscape into a post-industrial desert.


(The Big Wheel. Photo by Christiane Eisler.)


(Mosquito. Photo by Christiane Eisler.)

Meant to be “an ominous monument and symbol of the extensive exploitation of the countryside and the ecological consequences of doing so,” this City of Iron “also represents a new start in dealing with nature and the countryside. It is an attempt, at the end of an epoch, to create new perspectives for a landscape depleted by industrial exploitation. It is also an attempt to find answers to what are currently two of the most frequently asked questions: where is structural change in the region leading, and what will a post-industrial cultural landscape look like?”

To both questions, Peter Latz has some great answers at Landshaftspark Duisburg-Nord.

And of course, there's Niall Kirkwood's Manufactured Sites. It's no coffee table book, and maybe a little bit technical for the lay person, but it's an incredibly important book.


(Neon night at Ferropolis. Photo by Andre Kehrer.)

Meanwhile, we read that there are only five mechano-titans. Surely that isn't enough. There should be at least 1,000, either arranged like the formal aeronautical gardens at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or irregularly, an inorganic forest waiting for Bangladeshi migrant loggers and for descendants of the Brothers Grimm to pen new fairy tales.

Dear Global Warming, Thanks in Advance! Sincerely, Greenland XOXO

No one really wants global warming. Unless you are mentally disturbed, you wouldn't want to see whole nations and cities hydrologically erased or entire ecologies and cultures go extinct. Some may find designing for climate change refugees an extremely fascinating studio project, but the growing inevitability of catastrophic displacements and their attendant economic and social upheavals must surely make everyone sleepless at night.

But then there's Greenland.


(The glacier flowing toward Kangerlussuaq from the interior ice cap. Photo by Andy C. Revkin/The New York Times. Via.)

BBC News, off-grid and National Geographic tell us that higher temperatures and retreating ice caps are opening up the island's “vast mineral rich wilderness” to exploration. From the off-grid article:

The belief in Greenland’s potential riches stems from the fact that the geology is identical to that found across the now ice-free north-west passage in Canada, which has led to large opencast mining in the Arctic region.

But Greenland has other potential riches too. Gold has been discovered and is already being mined, although so far at a loss, and there are deposits of other minerals such as zinc, that could be exploited. Oil giants are negotiating licences to explore blocks of the coastline covering thousands of square miles.

The melting glaciers themselves may even have some economic benefits, as a source of hydroelectricity. In fact, according to the BBC News article, “Greenland has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US company Alcoa to build a huge aluminium smelter using the country's plentiful water reserves.”


(Texaco comes to Kulusuk, Greenland. Photo by John McConnico/AP. Via)

What all these mean, then, is that Greenland could achieve financial independence from Denmark, who each year gives the province about $600m, and perhaps full political independence. So while global warming could end a traditional way of life, particularly those of the Inuit in the north of the country, they may gain a new nation with a new (and very large) immigrant population of prospectors.

A newly revealed landscape for creating new cultural identities.

In any case, a few things:

1) A new landscape needs, of course, a new breed of landscape architects.

2) What if Greenland — realizing how strategically important it will be in an iceless-Arctic-Ocean and navigable-Northwest-Passage future — rents the Thule Air Base to the U.S. for a whopping $600m+ a year? What if instead of letting Halliburton or some other sinister oil company run rampant around its virgin territory, the U.S. military somehow becomes a sort of environmental steward? There will be some fascinating examples of greenwashing, obviously, but what subtopian landscapes will come about?

3) And this is worth asking again: What if Greenland was Africa's water fountain? How about Atlanta?

Encouragement: The Life of a Disabled Young Woman

Hello Everyone,

Another early installment on my blog. I hope everybody had a nice weekend with their families. Mine was okay, simply just not long enough. Dad left on business early on Sunday; not giving us enough family time at I would like. I start work tomorrow. I'm excited.

Anyway, onto today's post..

As I set out to write this, I'm not really sure how I should approach the topic. But the simple fact is many people struggle with this on a daily basis and I want them to know they are not alone. So I guess you're wondering what the topic is. The topic is, being single and disabled in the United States. Now, I'm risking things a little by telling you I myself am single. But I feel that it is necessary to tell you, to assure you that you are not alone.

As a single woman who is disabled, I want what everyone wants. A person who loves me and accepts me for who I am. Sure, we may encounter different obstacles than most, but we love each other and are able to look past the obvious differences. I will love and respect the tasks that my husband will do for me because I realize the sacrifices he's made for me.

I just have to trust and believe in God's timing.

Other people may not have the same perspective that I do. But the key thing to keep in mind is that they never give up hope. Take for example a recent article in New doing what one Mobility Magazine. Amber Ramsden is another 27-year-old who admits she is a "chronic " dater. After being disabled in some kind of accident (it wasn't specified in article), Amber went through the typical feelings of the disabled community. She began to wonder if she would ever be capable of having normal relationships. It was as if her identity as a woman had been taken from her since the accident.

After attending a camp for people with disabilities, Amber realized that was the wrong way to think. Meeting a young man named Eric opened her eyes to the real meaning of being an individual. He gave more than just a fake tattoo, he also gave her her first kiss. It was then that she realized she liked the idea of long-term relationships. She felt that was the only way she could have someone support her.

After a number of brief relationships, she now realizes many of the mistakes she made. First, Amber understands the importance of knowing who you are before you enter a relationship.

Part two of this post deals with the waiting process. Now this can sometimes be the most difficult part of a struggle. After all, we are surrounded by a world that does often tells us we have to be a success. But what defines success? Usually, it's a good job, a family of your own, etc. it doesn't help matters when good men seem like they're all taken and all of your friends seem to be getting married before you.

So how do you respond?

The truth is, I really don't know. But here is one perspective

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001594.cfm

-- -- -- -- --

Citation:

Ramsden, Amber.. "Single In the City: In the Game " newmobilty.com, October 2007. 17 October 2007

http://newmobility.com/articleViewIE.cfm?id=11000

Another show highlights disability issues

Hello all,

I thought I would get a early start on next week's blog posts. As I have stated before, I recently got a job that may delay me from posting at a regular basis. I'm going to try to keep things up for my regular readers. I don't make any promises though. I am going to try to make as many hours as I can since my dream is to move out some time soon. That's going to take a lot of money and a lot of work. But it's a goal worth working for. In fact, I have a meeting with a apartment complex to look at one apartment this week. So, we will see how everything turns out.

Anyway, onto today's post..

During the last few posts, I've noticed a pattern amerging. That pattern being, "Understanding Disabilities." Now, this may simply be because there are no noteworthy topics of disability related interest in the news lately; but I believe otherwise. As a disabled person, I find myself encountering daily obstacles that attempt to undermine my worth as a person and well a productive citizen of the United States of America. Many of these obstacles stems from the the misunderstandings of the disabled community. In an effort to clear up such misunderstandings, people like myself and other disabled citizens are helping to provide a more accurate portrayal by pointing out serotypes and correcting them.

Take for example the recent play "The Jellybean Conspiracy."

The play has three parts, each focusing on a different aspect of disability. The first and most compelling would be comparing a disability to a jellybean. That is, everyone is born differently. One person may be of a different color (i.e. race, ethnicity) or built of a different body type (tall, skinny etc.), but everyone is good. The second half of the play focuses on a family's reaction to a potential disability. This half was adapted from a award winning play by Linda Daugherty. In the original, the story is about a young sister dealing with the realities of having a sibling with autism.

A number of disabled participants were involved in the performance.

-- -- -- --

Citation:

Diepenbrock, George.. "Show highlights disability issues" (Lansing's Journal & World News) ljworld.com 27 September 2007. 15 October 2007 http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/27/show_highlights_disability_issues/

Mars Exposed

(PIA09097. Image by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona.)

A rare occurrence.. Still

Okay,

Let me begin this post by saying this is going to be a rare occurrence on my blog. I know what you are saying to yourself, "But there is nothing different about this post." But that's not entirely correct. Thanks to blogger.com, I am able to write entries early and date them accordingly. That being said, this entry may look like it was done on Friday when in reality it's being done today-Wednesday, October 10, 2007. (Okay, so I am rambling. But I thought that would be of interest to you .) Anyway, another reason this is going to be a rare occurrence is because I have decided that for this post I am going to let another person do the "talking" for a change.

Let me explain.

Many of you have heard me talk about Joni Erickson Tada in my previous posts. For those new to my blog, a brief review. Joni Erickson Tada is a inspiring women who decided to turn a tragic diving accident, which left her a quadriplegic, into a blessing from God. She is now in charge of her own ministry and uses her story to motivate others to use their tragedies for good.

Today I was looking through my e-mail and I found that she has a new TV program coming out. Unfortunately, I am not able to receive the channel because it is part of the new DirecTV package. But I thought I would pass on the information for those of you who are looking for a encouraging word and are lucky enough to receive the channel on their cable networks.

Enclosed is a small article taken from the Joni and friends online magazine. I hope they don't mind me using it. But I think her words describe the show best.

"Joni and Friends TV Premiere!
Joni and Friends, a new television program hosted by Joni Eareckson Tada, highlights a refreshingly honest approach to people’s toughest questions about the goodness of God in a world shattered by pain and suffering. Through dramatic and powerful glimpses into the lives of real people who have endured--or are still enduring--heart wrenching trials, Joni and her guests put scripture to the toughest of tests, showing why God is worth believing and how to trust Him in the toughest of times. In this unique program, we meet with exceptional people who inspire
Joni. Joni and Friends is a half-hour of riveting images, soulstirring stories, and proof-positive truths from the heart of God’s Word which will change your life.Joni and Friends premieres October 19 at 7:00 p.m. EST on DirecTV’s NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) network
(channel 378), so check your local listings! Each episode will also be available on DVD through http://joniandfriendstv.org (goeslive October 5th), in case you don’t have DirecTV."

Debbie

PS. Another reason I did this early was so that I wouldn't forget. Chuckle.

See you next week

Encouragement: The Journey to A Life of Gannet's Own

Okay,

So not much is happening in my life right now. I am gearing up to start my new job this week,; although realistically, I still have a lot to do before I dive right into researching. Still, I'm getting excited. At least I will have something new to occupy my time, rather than always focusing on the entertainment frenzy. You probably know what I'm talking about-- reality and talk shows etc. Except for this blog, I can't help but feel I'm not doing much that is really productive lately. But then again, there's not much to do but wait. I don't like waiting though, considering all of my friends have had such an easy time a life of their own. I am ready to start my own ; plus I think it is just about time! Along with the job, I am also looking at some different housing opportunities. Although a lot of that depends on how the job goes and where I decide to permanently live in the near future, seeing as though my parents are thinking of moving back to Maryland sometime soon. So I really don't know.

Anyway, onto today's post.

Let me begin by posing a question.. a question quite appropriate considering the circumstances.. Chuckle

When is the appropriate time to move out and began a life of your own?

Gannet's mom is also trying to find the answers to those questions and more in the PBS documentary, "The Key of G."

This documentary chronicles the life of 22-year-old Gannet as he moves out on his own with the help of four personal assistants. This is all part of the state-funded project in a effort to keep disabled people from being institutionalized. People like Gannet. Born developmentally disabled, he is also partially blind. He is able to communicate using a communication book with a number of common phrases and words . Despite all this, Amy is determined to give her son the best normal life she can.

"I'm really looking forward to having a life of my own and I think Gannet is a ready to have a life of his own. He needs peers, he needs energy; he's got this great group of caregivers, you know, artist and musician, and it's kind of their influence that leads me to believe that it is time for him to move out," said Amy.

That type of friendship is hard to find for most people. However, the group sees Gannet as more than just a client, but a unique individual.

"One of the best parts of the job is watching people like start understanding that he is a person. A full person," said Donal.

Gannet spends the majority of his time playing the piano. He also enjoys playing with his toy cars as well as admiring real cars on the streets of San Francisco.

In the long run, what does everyone gain from this experience?

"Colten and I were talking about what a good house this is yesterday.. this strange state-funded little thing we have here.. we're all here because we care about him.".
-- -- --
Citation for TV Program: "The Key of G" PBS channel 6 WTVS Detroit, at 4: 30 am, October 09, 2007. (Original air date: January 12, 2005)

Pure Geography

(The ancient ruins of an extraterrestrial civilization.)

There was an interesting article published in the August 2007 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine about Punta Pite, a residential development on the Chilean coast with perhaps the most awesome oceanside trail system.

Actually, it is more than awesome. The opening image, somewhat similar to the one above, immediately put me into a state of delirious ecstasy, a reaction no other article published by the mothership has ever elicited from me, as far as I can recall.


(The coast of Chile or the landscape of an other world?)


(Monica Vitti was here looking for Anna.)

The article, parts of which appear online, begins thus:

Punta Pite is a 27-acre piece of land that follows the contours of a bay between Zapallar and Papudo, two sea towns located 93 miles north of Santiago, Chile. A residential development planned and built here between 2004 and 2006 takes its name from this place and is laid out in a way that surrenders to the power and beauty of the ocean. It was developed as a series of parts connected by a walking path, one part of which seems to be sculpted out of the existing cliffs, while the other part passes through a restored creed that were meant to create one single spatial experience of the site.

While the article says these Inca-like stony trails are on private property, it also reports that they will be open to the public in the coming months.




(The ghosts of three Australian girls are said to haunt these lithic passages.)

Nothing like Punta Pite's cliffside walking path would probably be built in the U.S., or at the very least minor design tweaks would have to be implemented to meet federal regulations and to appease anxious attorneys. Certainly if it's publicly funded, the Americans with Disabilities Act would swoop down demanding railings and specifying turning curves and maximum ramp gradients. And with even more certainty, developers would not want to subject themselves to expensive litigations.

There are, of course, many landscape projects that meet both ADA and attorney approvals and still look and work marvelously. Bureaucratic regulations are in and of themselves not anathemas to great design as some vocally voice.

But the incredible thing about the path, or El sendero, at Punta Pite is the possibility for multiple-compound fractures and even death. It is designed to be accessible and relatively safe, but landscape architect Teresa Moller wonderfully did not diminish the sublime quality of the landscape — and by sublime, I mean, terrifying.

Knocks-you-unconcsious-and-petrifies-your-soul-as-if-falling-eternally-into-the-abyss terrifying!

One second you're enjoying the cliffs, its geology, the ocean crashing against the rocks. You're lulled by the beauty of it all, but then exactly one second later, you slip and bash your head down below.

One second you are assured solidity and logical direction, and the next second, you find yourself unable to move, incapacitated by too much landscape, by the knowledge that your foot is but a millimeter away from the precipice and bloody ecstasy.

Or perhaps you find yourself lost, completely subsumed by the wilderness — an unintended reenactment of Picnic at Hanging Rock or a similarly accidental homage to the late Michelangelo Antonioni.

Or so I imagined, as I obviously have yet to visit the site. But the photos are quite suggestive.


(Pure geology or primordial beasts?)


(The choice of material is phenomenal, the details impeccable. It's a modern day extension of the Inca road system.)

Meanwhile, Moller explains in the article that she was guided in her design by “the words of a famous Chilean poet who describes Chile as 'pure geography.'” We are not told who this poet is, but one wonders if the country will now give birth to a national Romantic movement, a whole new generation writing peans to geomorphology, tectonics, hydrology and coastal erosion.

Or perhaps dark Romantic souls will haunt these cliffs, searching for a more sinister, far truer side to Nature, but in finding it too incomprehensible that even Edgar Allen Poe will have trouble expressing it in paper, will sink ever deeper into mire.

(All photos taken from this Chilean website. Additional information about the site can be found here, in Spanish.)

In the Archives:
How deeply am I willing to go into the wilderness?

The latest on disabilities; wish lists and more. Brought to you by TiVo

Hello Everyone,

It occurred to me recently that many of you might be wondering where and how I stay on top of the disability issues. Part of it just comes naturally to me, I guess; knowing what and where to research for certain topics. On the other hand, I primarily have TiVo to thank for most of the topics I post on this site.

I know what you're thinking. "Wait a minute, I thought TiVo is a personal DVR (digital video recorder) which is primarily for taping your favorite shows and playing them back whenever you want to watch it."

It is, on the surface.

But for me, it serves a more practical purpose. It allows me to create a specific wish lists on certain criteria (i.e. disabilities,) and searches according through the television listings for shows based on that criteria. This is done automatically and is not limited to looking through the description given on a program. It also looks at programs in terms of their titles. However, TiVo does not have the capability to look for other forms of the word. Therefore, I have two disability wishlists. One focuses on searching for programs containing the word "disabled" and the other searches for programs that include the word "disability ".

Any questions? I know this is a short post but I thought my readers would be interested.

Another note: I am starting a new job as I said in some of my earlier posts, so I may not be as up to date as usual. But please stick around. I promise to not forget about you

Prunings XXXVIII

(Photo by Richard Barnes, part of his series Animal Logic.)

On hydropower and why it doesn't count as clean energy.

On Sydney's ocean pools. In B&W but nevertheless absolutely fascinating Suprematist shapes carved into the city's rocky perimeter.

On Minnesota's sensible plan to generate $20 trillion in revenue by diverting water from Lake Superior to the parched Southwest, as reported by Garrison Keillor in 1995. (Thanks, Christian!)

On Brooke Singer, a Yahoo! Pick profile on the creator of Superfund365.

On underground wind farms. A coalition of local utilities in Iowa is “building a system that will steer surplus electricity generated by a nearby wind farm to a big air compressor (diagram). Connected to a deep well, the compressor pumps air into layers of sandstone. Some 3,000 feet down and sealed from above by dense shale, the porous sandstone acts like a giant balloon. Later, when demand for power rises, this flow is reversed. As the chamber empties, a whoosh of air flows back up the pipe into a natural-gas-fired turbine.”

On ghost craters, uncharted territories, and the organic remains of a former world. (Thanks, G!)

(For more, check out del.icio.us/pruned.)

If I only had a...

Everyone,

Here's a little trivia for you. Can you finish the subject line for me? No, it's not a trick question.

Most of you may recognize the line from any "Wizard of Oz" movie or Broadway Show. However, this show I am referring to is anything but typical. The cast consists primarily of people with disabilities.

Let me explain. I was watching television the other day and came upon an HBO Family special called "Yellow Brick Road". It details the four month journey of the ANCHOR program to produce their very own version of the Wizard of Oz. The ANCHOR program (which stands for Answering the Needs of Citizens With Handicaps Through Organized Recreation) is a Long Island-based program for anyone with special needs. It runs year-round, offering a variety of activities in which they can participate. Some of them include sports, several camps, dances, and yes, like I said, drama.

The drama program, which is directed by Sandy Braun, was conceived by the simple fact that many of the adults were very dramatic and "loved watching themselves on films and stuff like that." The plays are held at the Grand Avenue High School. The principal players are adults.and each bring something unique to the play. Take for example, Elizabeth O'Brien who plays the wicked witch of the West.

"Elizabeth [O'Brien] is truly her own person. She knows not just her part, but everybody's part and how it should be acted, how it should be said.. I find myself often saying to her, "Elizabeth, that's why they pay me the big bucks","

Another principle player is the David. Living independently in the group home facility, he is considered the perfect man for the role of the tin man.(That is, not because he has no heart. But the biggest of all. )

"Nothing gets this kid down. This is the kid that you would feel that life has given him a bum deal, but he really doesn't feel that way," said Braun.

Many outsiders may see this program as their typical after school activity, but the cast sees much more than that. For some, like Danny, who plays the scarecrow, acting means the world; on the Braun continues to say that the drama program feels like a family to some students.

"I think what drama gives him [David] is a total sense of family. A total sense of belonging," says Braun.

Although Braun considers the cast as "kids", she realizes the exact opposite.

"I kind of feel like a mom to them and I feel like they are my kids and that we have that,"

--

Citation for TV Program: "Yellow Brick Road" HBO Family channel 309 at 6:55 p.m., September 28, 2007. (Original air date: December 21, 2005 )

The Vortex of 80,000 Nikes

(The ruinous sweep of the new Synthetic Sea. Image by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.)

Contrary to popular beliefs, Fresh Kills in New York City's Staten Island doesn't contain the biggest collection of garbage in the world. What Wikipedia says “could be regarded as the largest man-made structure on Earth, with the site's volume [...] exceeding the Great Wall of China” and was once the temporary dump site for the remains of the WTC Towers isn't the largest landfill at all.

In fact, the largest landfill isn't even on land, but rather it is trapped in an oceanic riverine system known as the North Pacific Gyre.

Wikipedia again: “The centre of the North Pacific Gyre is relatively stationary and the circular rotation around it draws waste material in. This has led to the accumulation of flotsam and other debris in huge floating 'clouds' of waste, leading to the informal name The Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Eastern Garbage Patch. While historically this debris has biodegraded, the gyre is now accumulating vast quantities of plastic and marine debris.”

It is so vast, apparently, that these floating clouds have a total area equal to that of 2 Texas.

Which directly leads me to wonder: can you collect these patches to create a floating solid ground?

It'll be like a new Pacific island nation molded together out of “80,000 Nike sneakers and boots” and “tens of thousands of bathtub toys and hockey equipment” lost overboard from cargo ships.

Or a recycled ocean cruisers from where eco-terrorists hunt down polluting holiday cruise ships in the high synthetic seas.


(If it weren't for the booms, this storm debris in the LA River would eventually have found its way to the gyre. Photo by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.)

Or better yet, dump it all on the Polynesian archipelago of Tuvalu, which Der Spiegel says is “currently only 10 centimeters above sea level” and “likely to become the first country to succumb entirely to climate change.”

Paradise Lost it may certainly be, but it may yet still be Arcadia Regained from the bottom of the ocean.


(The atolls of Tuvalu. Photo AFP/Torsten Blackwood.)

Of course, the islanders have the option of not anchoring this newly accumulated stratum of detritus to their former nation; they could submit it to the whims of the ocean currents and trade winds.

And in their intraoceanic meanderings, they'll meet other climate change refugees on their own island nations made out of Barbie dolls. A new trade group could be formed, with the goal of developing self-sufficient economies and expanding their territorial boundaries by mining the Pacific for consumer goods Made in China.


(Image via Google Earth.)

Is this the future site of the New Central Park of the Pacific, designed by Fresh Kills head designer James Corner?

Related:
Open-Ocean Aquaculture

(Spotted in the first episode of the new series of QI.)

Dispatches from the Super-Versailles

(China's new river under construction. Photo by Du Bin/The New York Times.)

Last week The New York Times published the latest installment in its ongoing series exploring the environmental and human impact of China's epic economic growth, and from it we learn, among other things, that the country is continuing apace with the construction of “the biggest water project in the history of the world.”


(Knitting together China's main rivers - the Yangtze, Yellow River, Huaihe and Haihe. Image by The New York Times.)

Called the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, it will essential graft into the country's present hydrology three new major rivers — concretized, subterranean, gravity defying — which together will “funnel more than 12 trillion gallons northward every year along three routes from the Yangtze River basin, where water is more abundant. The project, if fully built, would be completed in 2050. The eastern and central lines are already under construction; the western line, the most disputed because of environmental concerns, remains in the planning stages.”

Dwarfing the more famous Three Gorges Dams in cost and scale, this hydroengineering colossal is China's solution to a predicted water-parched future, one that surely would derail the most dynamic economy in the world if it came to pass.

The North China Plain undoubtedly needs any water it can get. An economic powerhouse with more than 200 million people, it has limited rainfall and depends on groundwater for 60 percent of its supply. Other countries, like Yemen, India, Mexico and the United States, have aquifers that are being drained to dangerously low levels. But scientists say those below the North China Plain may be drained within 30 years.

It's a hydrological version of the Great Wall, an olympian infrastructural defensive against an impending civilization-ending crisis.



But will it work? You'll have to read the article for a complete assessment.

In the Archives:
Hydrology vs. the Apocalypse
Super-Versailles
Notes on Some Selections from the Visual Images Database of the Mississippi Valley Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers

Encouragement: Just Your Average Young Woman

Okay,

Let me begin this post a little differently than most-with a game. I'm going to give you, my readers, three questions regarding a certain person and it's your job to figure out who I am talking about.

Question One Who has worked for UNICEF during the last couple of months as a representative of the United States?

Question Two: During that time, she served as a teacher, teaching lessons of tolerance and acceptance?

Question Three: Her students simply know her as "Jenna".


Give up yet?


The unlikely response is Jenna Bush.


Most people simply view her as the President's daughter; but upon deeper reflection, you would learn she is so much more. In her first individual interview in years, this mature young woman speaks out about her life (inside & outside the White House). Although, the primary goal of the interview was to shed light on the devastating impact of AIDS all around the world, her main message is, "Meeting all the kids I've worked with, I've became impassioned. I think a lot of times kids don't realize how they have the power to change the world, "


After nine months of traveling through Latin America and the Caribbean, it's obvious that Jenna has learned as well as grown a lot because of the journey. Jenna carries back to the States an empowering message of change. One that she hopes will open people's eyes to the adversities and struggles around the world. "My job for UNICEF was to document the lives of kids living in exclusion, which means, you know, in extreme poverty, living with HIV/AIDS, living in abusive households. Kids that don't have access to school or medical care," she said.


With many years of teaching students in the inner city, Jenna seems in her element here. She listens intently as students’ talk of the realities of living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica. In fear of their lives on a daily basis, some of their faces could not be shown.


"Knowing that you’re infected, you know, would probably cause you to be hurt, maybe even killed," one child said. (Note: This part of the interview was taken on location in Jamaica while Jenna was teaching.)


This fact seems surprisingly ironic especially considering Jamaica is right "in America's backyard".


As well as teaching about tolerance, Jenna also talks about such controversial topics as protected sex and abstinence.


Despite these debilitating circumstances, some choose to see their life as "A Journey of Hope". It is this remarkable view that Jenna hopes to portray in her new book, Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope. The book follows the courageous life story of one girl living life with AIDS. For obvious reasons, the main person's name in the book have been changed. In the beginning while writing this book on location, Jenna viewed Ana's story as a life of sickness [this word was translated from the Spanish word], but Ana quickly corrected her.

In paraphrase, Ana said that her AIDS was not an illness; but rather a "situation of her life".


----
Citation for TV Program: "20/20" News segment, Diane Sawyer reporting. ABC channel 7 WXYZ Detroit, News at 10 pm, September 28, 2007

Water in the Metropolis

(In 2008 the Great Hydrological Revolution shall begin.)

The call for entries for the next Next Generation design competition is out, and this time the theme is on something very dear to Pruned's heart: WATER!

Water, glorious water! Magical water, wonderful water, marvelous water, fabulous water, beautiful water, glorious water!

Water is everywhere—in nature, industry, home, our bodies, products, interiors, buildings, landscapes, systems (just to name a few).

With up to one third of the global population living without reliable access to clean water, we need better design solutions that account for potable water, gray water, black water—its uses, re-uses, controls, management, efficiency, and conservation.

We call on your innovative design solutions at all scales and sizes—products, interiors, buildings, landscapes, communication systems, or anything else you’ve dreamed up—for handling this most precious and most threatened natural resource. The time for new thinking on water is now.

What's your solution?

Indeed, what will be your marvelous ideas?

Will you turn a city, say, Beijing (why not!), into the largest ecological wastewater treatment machine in the world?

How about a huge, thinly surfaced floating island that's both a post-oil power station and a park?

Or perhaps you'll summon the not-so-ancient spirit of Isamu Noguchi to help you design the greatest hydrological playground ever?

Will your design involve Grasscrete® or super absorbent polymers instead?

Could it be that you want to design an awesome set of cocktail glasses? And that in your poetically beautiful project statement, you will mention how water has always been considered the epitome of purity, a fundamental attribute of Paradise, and used to cleanse the soul of its sins, but it, too, can flood entire villages, terrify us with its abyss, and turn children cancerous with its impurities? You'll even say how very Treehuggable it is, because recycled hypodermic needles are used. No more shall they litter our beaches.

Will you ask yourself: What if Greenland was Africa's water fountain?

Do you have an exceptional talent for programing and so will create a computer game to rival SimCity?

I can already tell that all the winners and runners-up will be phenomenally great. But in case yours isn't one of the projects chosen, send it to me and I'll post it here on Pruned. Sometimes the best aren't chosen.

October is National Disability employment Awareness Month.

Hi~

Welcome back everyone.

I hope everybody enjoyed their weekend as much as I did. I'm still taking it slow recovering from my surgery. It wasn't as bad as I suspected it would be. I just can't wait for the day when I say I actually worked a nine hour day. That's right everyone. I finally have a job.. All that's left to do is sign the paperwork and report to work. Well, not really report to work. The truth is, I will be working as a consultant and doing research for a company.

Which brings me to today's topic of employment.

Did you know that October is National Employment Awareness Month?

Don't feel bad, I didn't know either until reading about it in a article.

I have decided to include the article link here, as I am still recovering from surgery and I find it hard to condense a small article such as this one. (Okay, so I am taking the easy way out this time) I Found it quite interesting myself.

Anyway, here it is:

http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B8/20070926/NEWS01/709260309/1002