Oh Jon Stewart, I'm sorry. Our love affair is over. Oh, I know it was one-sided, and you couldn't see my long distance lust for you in all your geeky, goofy gloriousness. But it's over. Oh, I'll still watch and enjoy, and maybe someday you'll win me back, but as of last night, we're done.
Why last night? I know, you're hanging on by a thread wondering what you could have done to lose my until-that-point undying love. Here's what you did: You made a joke at the expense of the mentally handicapped. You and Will Ferrell were going on about helmets, because of some comment made by a Fox News talking head about people hiding under their comedian helmets or something. And you said, "... if anyone ever needed a helmet..."
Oh Jon. How could you? How could you call Fox News "retarded" like that? I know, I know, you didn't use the r-word. But you insinuated it in exactly the same way. You said that they need a helmet, implying that they were mentally challenged. It's the same as saying "retard" or "mongoloid" or "rides the short bus" or any of these other terms.
You know, Jon, I've never once met someone with Down Syndrome or severe epilepsy, or autism, or any other condition requiring a helmet who was as ignorant or mean as a Fox News host. I've met some who are adults and spend the vast majority of their time watching Thomas the Tank Engine, and talking about it when they aren't watching it. They aren't mean. They aren't assholes. They do have low IQs. And they are in danger of hurting themselves when they have seizures or meltdowns. And that's it. And I'd spend all my time with them before I'd consider spending a second with a Fox News shithead. Because they're good people (the ones I know. I'm not enough of an ignorant ass to go on about how nice all "those people" are.)
"Need a helmet", "rides the short bus", and "retard" are offensive. They don't mean "ignorant" or "unacceptable". Don't use them to mean this. Don't use them when you don't agree with someone. Or when someone is deliberately obtuse. Or when they're clueless about something. Just don't use these terms as insults. Ever. You know when you can say someone needs a helmet? When they need a helmet. When they'll literally give themselves a concussion from banging their head. You know when you can say someone rides the short bus? When they ride the short bus. And you know when you can call someone a retard? Never. Never ever.
Do you call men "bitches"? Yes, men. Because that is the same. It's a derogatory word for woman, which isn't a bad thing to be, if I do say so myself, used with another group as an insult. And when you say, "But I'd never call a woman that!" it's the same as saying, "But I'd never call a developmentally disabled person that!" Or how about "gay" or "fag"? Or how, since I'm talking to you in particular, Jon, does it make you feel if you hear someone say, "You're such a Jew" when they're insulting someone (a gentile, likely) for being frugal? It's mean, it's rude, it's bigoted. Maybe you're okay with it. But I'm willing to bet you know it's offensive in general.
So Jon, it's over. I know you're heartbroken, but I just can't love someone who could be so insensitive. Apologise and I'll probably forgive you, but I know you won't.
14 March 2012
09 March 2012
God's Grace
A conversation between me and a friend:
Me: My house is a mess. I have to clean it up before the lady who cleans my house comes over tomorrow.
Her: Isn't that her job?
Me: Well sure, but in the state it's in, it'll take her a long time. I'd rather get some of it done so she doesn't have so much to do.
Her: Ooookay. So you don't want to pay extra?
Me: No, no. She wouldn't charge extra. She'll just stay longer and then not let me pay her. And anyway, I was raised by my mother, and she'd be horrified if anyone saw the house like this.
Her: Hello?
Me: Okay, well you don't count, obviously.
Her: Right, of course not. So what are you going to do? Vacuum up the dirt and crumbs?
Me: Hell no. She'll vacuum regardless of whether it's done or not. She'll decide it's dirty and do it.
Her: Don't you tell her what to clean?
Me: hahaha. Clearly you don't understand the relationship this lady and I have. She comes to my house on Friday for 2 paid hours. She cleans whatever she wants to, however she wants to, which is to say, FAR better than I ever would. She stays as long as she likes and does as much or as little as she wants. She fixes my knitting while she's here, because I still haven't figured out how to pick up dropped stitches, she tells me about her kids, her grandkids, and her great-grandkids...
Her: Wait. How old is she?
Me: 78.
Her: OMG.
Me: I know. I wish I had that kind of energy. Anyway, she goes on about them, and then about how wonderful I am. Maybe tells me about how evil yoga is.
Her: *laughs*
Me: No, she's serious. Evil. Like her friend's soul went straight to hell. And evil priests knew she was Christian and hated her.
Her: Ummm....
Me: Yeah, I know. But whatever. So anyway, she comes over, cleans the house, talks, jokes, plays with the kids, and then, usually 4 or 5 hours later, utterly refuses to take a single extra penny. AND, what's more, she babysits when I have emergencies - like the MRI that was sprung on me - and has informed me that it is insulting to be offered money for that, because she's doing God's work and she doesn't think I should argue with God.
Her: This woman is Awesome.
Me: I know. And what's hilarious? Her name is Grace. As in, "God's Grace"? A certain Someone appears to have a sense of humour.
Her: Yeah, no doubt!
Me: Pop calls her "Great". He's right.
Grace truly is a gift from God. I love her. Sure, she's a bit wacky, and we most certainly do not agree on a lot of scripture interpretations, but she's the single kindest person I've ever met. And she's not in a position to turn down money, which is why I keep trying to pay her. But I'm going to have to stop, because she's getting offended. But it's really hard to take anything from someone with so little. She's so generous, and it seems to truly give her joy to help, so I'm trying. But eesh.
Me: My house is a mess. I have to clean it up before the lady who cleans my house comes over tomorrow.
Her: Isn't that her job?
Me: Well sure, but in the state it's in, it'll take her a long time. I'd rather get some of it done so she doesn't have so much to do.
Her: Ooookay. So you don't want to pay extra?
Me: No, no. She wouldn't charge extra. She'll just stay longer and then not let me pay her. And anyway, I was raised by my mother, and she'd be horrified if anyone saw the house like this.
Her: Hello?
Me: Okay, well you don't count, obviously.
Her: Right, of course not. So what are you going to do? Vacuum up the dirt and crumbs?
Me: Hell no. She'll vacuum regardless of whether it's done or not. She'll decide it's dirty and do it.
Her: Don't you tell her what to clean?
Me: hahaha. Clearly you don't understand the relationship this lady and I have. She comes to my house on Friday for 2 paid hours. She cleans whatever she wants to, however she wants to, which is to say, FAR better than I ever would. She stays as long as she likes and does as much or as little as she wants. She fixes my knitting while she's here, because I still haven't figured out how to pick up dropped stitches, she tells me about her kids, her grandkids, and her great-grandkids...
Her: Wait. How old is she?
Me: 78.
Her: OMG.
Me: I know. I wish I had that kind of energy. Anyway, she goes on about them, and then about how wonderful I am. Maybe tells me about how evil yoga is.
Her: *laughs*
Me: No, she's serious. Evil. Like her friend's soul went straight to hell. And evil priests knew she was Christian and hated her.
Her: Ummm....
Me: Yeah, I know. But whatever. So anyway, she comes over, cleans the house, talks, jokes, plays with the kids, and then, usually 4 or 5 hours later, utterly refuses to take a single extra penny. AND, what's more, she babysits when I have emergencies - like the MRI that was sprung on me - and has informed me that it is insulting to be offered money for that, because she's doing God's work and she doesn't think I should argue with God.
Her: This woman is Awesome.
Me: I know. And what's hilarious? Her name is Grace. As in, "God's Grace"? A certain Someone appears to have a sense of humour.
Her: Yeah, no doubt!
Me: Pop calls her "Great". He's right.
Grace truly is a gift from God. I love her. Sure, she's a bit wacky, and we most certainly do not agree on a lot of scripture interpretations, but she's the single kindest person I've ever met. And she's not in a position to turn down money, which is why I keep trying to pay her. But I'm going to have to stop, because she's getting offended. But it's really hard to take anything from someone with so little. She's so generous, and it seems to truly give her joy to help, so I'm trying. But eesh.
08 March 2012
Randomosity
1) Got a call from the NDP national office looking for money (as I donate monthly, I'm a good target for special fundraisers). Because I'm raising money myself for my trip *points to widget on the right* (and by the way, OMG, you people ROCK. Thank you a million times over. I am going to take so many pictures for you.) I told the nice man that no, I couldn't give any extra, but that I'd promote it on my blog. So here I am. Anyway, they're raising money for the Toronto-Danforth election, because of course, the Cons are playing dirty. So if you're so inclined, drop them a few bucks so we can hold on to Jack's seat. And yes, that will always be Jack's seat. So hush. (And I didn't even like the guy much, so hush even more.)
2) It's International Women's Day. A fairly important one, I'd say, given the recent attempts (and successes) at making women less than people under the law, especially in the US. Feminism is still necessary. We're getting there in some countries, but we're not equal in almost any of them. And rape culture still flourishes.
3) It's also World Kidney Day. Go fill out your donor card if you haven't already. My Mom needs a kidney. I'm not kidding.
4) This Kony thing. Do some research please. In fact, go read what Wil Wheaton posted. Also, a comedian I like (Erica Sigurdson) posted this to Facebook:
This is from my friend Arthur Simeon in response to KONY - Arthur is from Uganda -
5) A fellow blogger is doing a seriously cool project. She's collecting pictures of kids with autism and making a video about what autism looks like. Because as parents, we're pretty sick of "But he doesn't look autistic". Her answer, which I am TOTALLY ripping off, is "That's because he's not motherfucking Rain Man!" So, if you have kids with autism, or you have autism, send her some pics. She's truly awesome, so you don't need to worry (this is me vouching for Aunt Becky). But if you are, you could always send them from an anonymous account. No names are necessary, or even wanted.
6) I gave notice to our Autism service provider that we'd be going another direction with the boys. MAN that was hard, because I really liked the people we were working with. It just wasn't working for us. So as of April, we are on our own. If you're in Victoria and area and know someone interested in working for us, drop them my email address. For the Autism stuff, I'm using sonrisemama@yahoo.ca No experience necessary, just looking for someone who is happy, healthy, energetic, patient, and loves kids.
So, my Crackle has been quiet for enough time for me to write this, so I suspect he's in trouble, peed on the floor, or is happily doing a puzzle in his room. Hard to say. Love ya, Comrades.
2) It's International Women's Day. A fairly important one, I'd say, given the recent attempts (and successes) at making women less than people under the law, especially in the US. Feminism is still necessary. We're getting there in some countries, but we're not equal in almost any of them. And rape culture still flourishes.
3) It's also World Kidney Day. Go fill out your donor card if you haven't already. My Mom needs a kidney. I'm not kidding.
4) This Kony thing. Do some research please. In fact, go read what Wil Wheaton posted. Also, a comedian I like (Erica Sigurdson) posted this to Facebook:
This is from my friend Arthur Simeon in response to KONY - Arthur is from Uganda -
Please stop. I was gonna ignore this till it went away but it's a little too much. A sentimental video has people all wrapped up in huff. Kony is a coward who hasn't been operational in Uganda in 8 years. He deserves to be brought to justice but this was something we told the world 15 years ago, now some American shoots some fancy videos and VOILA, now you care? Invisible Children wants to take credit for something UGANDANS did. Kony didn't retreat into the mountains because an American with a camera came through. This a complex situation that no simplistic video and no amount of postering is gonna help. That video is a self-serving manipulative and condescending piece of work with an imperialistic tone that enrages me. People are dying in Syria as I write this. Where's the fuckin rage? Where's the international pressure?
5) A fellow blogger is doing a seriously cool project. She's collecting pictures of kids with autism and making a video about what autism looks like. Because as parents, we're pretty sick of "But he doesn't look autistic". Her answer, which I am TOTALLY ripping off, is "That's because he's not motherfucking Rain Man!" So, if you have kids with autism, or you have autism, send her some pics. She's truly awesome, so you don't need to worry (this is me vouching for Aunt Becky). But if you are, you could always send them from an anonymous account. No names are necessary, or even wanted.
6) I gave notice to our Autism service provider that we'd be going another direction with the boys. MAN that was hard, because I really liked the people we were working with. It just wasn't working for us. So as of April, we are on our own. If you're in Victoria and area and know someone interested in working for us, drop them my email address. For the Autism stuff, I'm using sonrisemama@yahoo.ca No experience necessary, just looking for someone who is happy, healthy, energetic, patient, and loves kids.
So, my Crackle has been quiet for enough time for me to write this, so I suspect he's in trouble, peed on the floor, or is happily doing a puzzle in his room. Hard to say. Love ya, Comrades.
05 March 2012
Sex/Gender socialization
This morning, Pop had an educational evaluation, an ongoing thing with him. Several things stood out to me: the examiner didn't give him enough time to look at everything before answering, for; in some cases, there were several correct answers, but only one was acceptable. But what really struck me is that he was expected to look at three pictures and identify in which one there was a girl on the stairs. The difference between the boys and the girls was interesting. The girls always had long hair, always wore pink, usually wore dresses, and often had a bow in their hair. No bloody wonder he thinks Snap is a boy. Short hair, dark clothes.
This is a test given to a three-year-old. They seriously expect preschoolers to have learned gender stereotypes by now. And no wonder given how they're fed to the kids. Toys are so gender specific it's ridiculous. I momentarily felt bad taking my boys out of the Barbie aisle. Until I remembered that I used to take Snap out of it too, and didn't let her have any of those blasted things until she got one at a birthday party.
And TV... oh my. Bubble Guppies is on my screen right now, and the girl guppie (who is a mermaid with a bikini top on) has pink hair. Long of course. The mermen have short hair (blue or orange) and don't wear tops. And in most of the shows aimed to preschoolers, the main character is a boy.
This is Treehouse's lineup from 8-5.. I've bolded the shows that don't have a male main character and italicized the ones that are geared to girls, or have a single female main character (i.e. bold, but not italics are gender neutral) Asterisks denote shows with no female characters, or only one peripheral - like a Mom :
08:00 AM Caillou
08:25 AM This is Emily Yeung
08:30 AM Rolie Polie Olie
09:00 AM Guess With Jess
09:15 AM Bob the Builder
09:30 AM Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs *
09:45 AM Thomas & Friends *
10:00 AM Cat in the Hat
10:30 AM Toopy & Binoo *
11:00 AM Max & Ruby
11:30 AM Rolie Polie Olie
12:00 PM 3rd & Bird
12:10 PM WotWots, The
12:20 PM Noddy in Toyland
12:30 PM Toopy & Binoo *
01:00 PM Caillou
01:30 PM Cat in the Hat
02:00 PM Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps
02:15 PM Olivia
02:30 PM Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs *
02:45 PM Thomas & Friends * (exception, episodes about Emily who is bossy and likes to tell everyone what to do)
03:00 PM Play With Me Sesame
03:30 PM Yo Gabba Gabba
04:00 PM Wiggles, The
04:30 PM Chuggington
04:45 PM Fireman Sam *
05:00 PM Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs * (maybe one of the dinos is a girl. Not sure.)
I almost starred Caillou and Rolie Polie Olie because they have a Mom and little sister only. On Max and Ruby, Max always outsmarts Ruby.
Of the 4 shows with female characters, one is a ballerina, one is a 5 minute show (which is a rip-off of This is Daniel Cook), I don't know what Guess with Jess is offhand (PBS has SuperWhy! on at that time, and he loves Super Why! - another male main character, two females, and one of them is a princess). Olivia is a pretty cool show about a family of pigs. Olivia is a decent female character.
And then, to top it all off, of the truly gender neutral shows, Yo Gabba Gabba and The Wiggles and The Wot Wots are so unbearable to most parents it's utterly painful to have them on. Most parents also hate Caillou, though I don't mind him. He's whiny, oh yes, he's whiny, and his parents are so perfect it's truly annoying. But hell, I figure if he's that whiny with those parents? It's no wonder mine are like they are. :)
I'll do PBS's and CBC's morning lineup another day.
(First person to tell me to shut off the damn tv gets one or more autistic kids dumped into their living room for a few days. Glutened. While you have a headache.)
This is a test given to a three-year-old. They seriously expect preschoolers to have learned gender stereotypes by now. And no wonder given how they're fed to the kids. Toys are so gender specific it's ridiculous. I momentarily felt bad taking my boys out of the Barbie aisle. Until I remembered that I used to take Snap out of it too, and didn't let her have any of those blasted things until she got one at a birthday party.
And TV... oh my. Bubble Guppies is on my screen right now, and the girl guppie (who is a mermaid with a bikini top on) has pink hair. Long of course. The mermen have short hair (blue or orange) and don't wear tops. And in most of the shows aimed to preschoolers, the main character is a boy.
This is Treehouse's lineup from 8-5.. I've bolded the shows that don't have a male main character and italicized the ones that are geared to girls, or have a single female main character (i.e. bold, but not italics are gender neutral) Asterisks denote shows with no female characters, or only one peripheral - like a Mom :
08:00 AM Caillou
08:25 AM This is Emily Yeung
08:30 AM Rolie Polie Olie
09:00 AM Guess With Jess
09:15 AM Bob the Builder
09:30 AM Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs *
09:45 AM Thomas & Friends *
10:00 AM Cat in the Hat
10:30 AM Toopy & Binoo *
11:00 AM Max & Ruby
11:30 AM Rolie Polie Olie
12:00 PM 3rd & Bird
12:10 PM WotWots, The
12:20 PM Noddy in Toyland
12:30 PM Toopy & Binoo *
01:00 PM Caillou
01:30 PM Cat in the Hat
02:00 PM Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps
02:15 PM Olivia
02:30 PM Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs *
02:45 PM Thomas & Friends * (exception, episodes about Emily who is bossy and likes to tell everyone what to do)
03:00 PM Play With Me Sesame
03:30 PM Yo Gabba Gabba
04:00 PM Wiggles, The
04:30 PM Chuggington
04:45 PM Fireman Sam *
05:00 PM Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs * (maybe one of the dinos is a girl. Not sure.)
I almost starred Caillou and Rolie Polie Olie because they have a Mom and little sister only. On Max and Ruby, Max always outsmarts Ruby.
Of the 4 shows with female characters, one is a ballerina, one is a 5 minute show (which is a rip-off of This is Daniel Cook), I don't know what Guess with Jess is offhand (PBS has SuperWhy! on at that time, and he loves Super Why! - another male main character, two females, and one of them is a princess). Olivia is a pretty cool show about a family of pigs. Olivia is a decent female character.
And then, to top it all off, of the truly gender neutral shows, Yo Gabba Gabba and The Wiggles and The Wot Wots are so unbearable to most parents it's utterly painful to have them on. Most parents also hate Caillou, though I don't mind him. He's whiny, oh yes, he's whiny, and his parents are so perfect it's truly annoying. But hell, I figure if he's that whiny with those parents? It's no wonder mine are like they are. :)
I'll do PBS's and CBC's morning lineup another day.
(First person to tell me to shut off the damn tv gets one or more autistic kids dumped into their living room for a few days. Glutened. While you have a headache.)
03 March 2012
Happy Birthday Pop!
My darling baby, my littlest man, is 3 years old today. His response to people telling him "Happy Birthday" is an age appropriate, "NO!"
He's an amazing little kid. He loves Thomas the Tank Engine, In the Night Garden (which is like Teletubbies on mushrooms, and yes, I'm aware that Teletubbies was already pretty much someone's opium dream), pretty much anything on Treehouse. He likes Spiderman, but is utterly terrified of Care Bears (NO! NO Caer Beaw. Tun ot T! (translation: No, no Care Bears. Turn off the TV). He's also afraid of bugs. So much so that he made me take him out of the tub because he was pretty sure that the black fuzz in the tub (which was sock lint from his toes) was bugs. Took quite some time to get him back in there. He's an ace on the trampoline, "BUM DWOP!" and with the BlackBerry Playbook, "Pwaybook? Pwee." He can navigate his way around on the Playbook and iPad so well, it still amazes me. He's talking up a storm and just started using pronouns this week. Favorite? "MINE". He loves to play "chate", which is his word for "chase". He subs a d or t for s, f, z and v, or just drops the sound entirely. He knows all the letters and numbers and can count to about 13. He knows a lot after that, but mixes up the order. He's pretty happy, and best of all, is when I ask him, "Do you want to _______?" if the answer is yes, he says, "*GASP* YEAH!" like I've just come up with the best idea EVER. Another thing I love: When his recording on the TV ends, he looks at the TV and says, "What heck?" And when he looks outside and it's raining, he says, "Oh crap! WAIN!"
This morning, we gave him a little present. It's a Thomas the Tank Engine game with the alphabet. He played about 2 minutes and then said, "Anudda pwet?" LOL. I said, "Not now, but more later!" "Okay!" Then I made pancakes for lunch and took him and Crackle to the playground until he tired out. Then we stopped to get ice cream (soy, of course) and some potato chips, and came home. He ate his ice cream (Wait for cake? Hell no!) and then zonked out. He's sleeping now. Later, more presents, cake, and hopefully something for supper he likes. He's a pretty picky eater.
Happy Birthday Baby. I love you.
He's an amazing little kid. He loves Thomas the Tank Engine, In the Night Garden (which is like Teletubbies on mushrooms, and yes, I'm aware that Teletubbies was already pretty much someone's opium dream), pretty much anything on Treehouse. He likes Spiderman, but is utterly terrified of Care Bears (NO! NO Caer Beaw. Tun ot T! (translation: No, no Care Bears. Turn off the TV). He's also afraid of bugs. So much so that he made me take him out of the tub because he was pretty sure that the black fuzz in the tub (which was sock lint from his toes) was bugs. Took quite some time to get him back in there. He's an ace on the trampoline, "BUM DWOP!" and with the BlackBerry Playbook, "Pwaybook? Pwee." He can navigate his way around on the Playbook and iPad so well, it still amazes me. He's talking up a storm and just started using pronouns this week. Favorite? "MINE". He loves to play "chate", which is his word for "chase". He subs a d or t for s, f, z and v, or just drops the sound entirely. He knows all the letters and numbers and can count to about 13. He knows a lot after that, but mixes up the order. He's pretty happy, and best of all, is when I ask him, "Do you want to _______?" if the answer is yes, he says, "*GASP* YEAH!" like I've just come up with the best idea EVER. Another thing I love: When his recording on the TV ends, he looks at the TV and says, "What heck?" And when he looks outside and it's raining, he says, "Oh crap! WAIN!"
This morning, we gave him a little present. It's a Thomas the Tank Engine game with the alphabet. He played about 2 minutes and then said, "Anudda pwet?" LOL. I said, "Not now, but more later!" "Okay!" Then I made pancakes for lunch and took him and Crackle to the playground until he tired out. Then we stopped to get ice cream (soy, of course) and some potato chips, and came home. He ate his ice cream (Wait for cake? Hell no!) and then zonked out. He's sleeping now. Later, more presents, cake, and hopefully something for supper he likes. He's a pretty picky eater.
Happy Birthday Baby. I love you.
02 March 2012
After the fact smear campaign? I think not.
So Herr Harper is claiming that the robocalls accusations are an after the fact smear campaign by sore losers. But this was an issue on election day.
This Twitter status warns people of a number calling people telling them that their polling station has changed.
That same day, I tweeted this:
Here's a screen cap of the link, as of today.
What's interesting is that now there is no mention of Guelph at that link. There certainly was when I posted it, because where else would I have gotten Guelph from? It's not like I randomly pulled that out of my ass on election day. I'm good, but I'm not that good.
One of the radio stations here in Victoria also warned of robocalls, and I'm pretty sure it was mentioned on ChekNews that night. Our radio and news covers Elizabeth May's riding (Saanich Gulf Islands) and it was definitely one of the ridings where calls were made.
So Dear Leader, don't give me any of this crap about it being sore losers. We were complaining before we knew you'
This Twitter status warns people of a number calling people telling them that their polling station has changed.
That same day, I tweeted this:
One of the radio stations here in Victoria also warned of robocalls, and I'm pretty sure it was mentioned on ChekNews that night. Our radio and news covers Elizabeth May's riding (Saanich Gulf Islands) and it was definitely one of the ridings where calls were made.
So Dear Leader, don't give me any of this crap about it being sore losers. We were complaining before we knew you'
29 February 2012
The Population of Pet Peeve Land has just increased by one Ricky Gervais
Welcome to Pet Peeve Land.
“@mcmannis12: how do you respond to someone that thinks there is a conspiracy against religion?” There is. It's called education.
Look, I know there are lots of ignorant, uneducated people who are religious. There are also lots of educated religious people. Education is not incompatible with religion. I know a bit about world religions, Christianity, the Bible, and science. There's no conflict that I can see that isn't explained with a healthy dose of using one's brain. Education enhanced my faith. I know it threatens others. I feel for those people.
And you know, apparently there are some ignorant, uneducated atheists too, because otherwise they wouldn't say such ignorant, uneducated things, right?
I really, well and truly, have nothing against people who don't believe what I do. I'm baffled by them, but I have no issue with atheists. The people who piss me off are the ones who insist that because I don't believe what they do, I'm uneducated.
Isn't that what non-Christians hate about evangelistic Christians? That they keep insisting that if you just read the Bible, you'd understand? That they keep insisting they know something you don't and that you're stupid or evil for not agreeing?
Like the assholes who vote for Ron Paul - I've never met (online or off) one of them who doesn't think that if people just knew what they did, they'd love Ron too. Or that if the person who doesn't think Paul is the best thing since the rise of capitalism listens and disagrees, they're just stupid. They don't understand. Because you can't possibly understand and disagree. It's the most infuriating of all "arguments".
Education is a conspiracy. Not against religion. Maybe against people who think there is a conspiracy against religion.
Unless you count capitalism. Because that seems to be doing a fine old job of destroying religion.
28 February 2012
Respect: You're doing it wrong
What a shittastic day. Crackle had an MRI this morning, and it did not go particularly well, though not a total disaster. I'm still processing, and frankly, I have more questions than answers at this point, so maybe I should just go on about politics instead. :)
So, the party of contempt, the party of robocalls (probably), has a member bitching that a member of the NDP showed up to parliament not dressed properly. Seriously? That is rich. These assholes prorogue parliament, shutdown debates, Baird all over the place, and they have the nerve to complain that someone isn't respecting parliament because of their clothing? Fuck off.
13 February 2012
Autism Funding Bureaucracy Strikes Again
Bureaucracy can take any difficult situation and make it so much worse. The Autism Funding Unit seems to excel at this. Here we are, parents of kids with Autism, and they make every step we take to help them as inhumanly difficult as possible. Some examples:
1) Neurofeedback is covered for kids over 6, IF they get a letter of recommendation from a Pediatrician, Behaviour Consultant (BC), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapist (PT), or Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). Snap has a BC, but none of the others. If the BC decides she doesn't want to write a letter, or doesn't approve of neurofeedback, we're screwed. We set this up MONTHS ago. The unit got around to telling me today that she needs a letter to have it covered. She's supposed to start in two weeks. WTF? I mean, is there a big run on people scamming the system for unnecessary neurofeedback services? OMG! It might go to someone who didn't pay someone else a bunch of money to get the stupid letter! And that's another thing, I'm going to have to pay someone to get the letter. And then they're going to have to bill the unit for it, unless I pay out of pocket for it. Which leads to...
2) Every available service for coverage must be billed directly to the autism funding unit. I cannot pay a provider and be reimbursed. Because the unit is notoriously slow at paying, most providers are very hesitant to agree to this. I am virtually certain this is by design. I talked to one a few weeks ago who absolutely will not work with the unit. She's world-renowned. So only people who can afford it can go to her. Thank you ever so much.
3) The unit will not respond to emails. In fact, they've turned off their read receipts. So, anything I send them by email is guesswork on whether they got it. I even asked if they'd hit reply and send. A blank reply. Just to prove they got it. No way. This is absolutely a ploy to avoid accountability. It doesn't take any time to allow your email program to send read receipts. There's no excuse.
4) It takes a month for them to do anything. At all. If you're lucky. It took a month for them to process my new service provider (that is, get her a billing number so she can bill at all). She's been working since Jan 2 on a promise to be paid eventually. I fail to see why they can't get a billing number same day. As in, "Hi. I'm Snap's Mom. I need a billing number for a new provider for her." "Sure, here it is". But no. It's submit her name, address, phone number, results of latest pap smear, wait for a month, get a number. The number can then be used to send off an invoice for services rendered. Invoices must include dates, times, hours, pay rates, all the names and addresses, etc. Miss one bit of info, you'll find out. In a month. When they reject it. Then, you can fill it out again, and send it off again, and wait another month to finally get a cheque. And billing for services in the future is also not allowed. Which means any small provider, i.e. a single person doing contracts, is screwed. They can't wait for that long! Pop's newest person hasn't been paid since Jan 1 (and we're still in the acceptable zone! i.e. don't bother complaining, we'll get to it when we get to it.) If she didn't have a boyfriend, cheap rent and another job, she'd have quit by now. This is completely unacceptable.
5) I need permission to buy art supplies. Seriously, I have to pay some asshole BC $120/hr to write a letter explaining why I need to buy an easel for $90. This has to be received before I buy the goddamned thing. Again, this is designed to make parents just say "to hell with this, I'll just buy it". About the only thing they cover without a letter is books with "autism" in the title. Seriously. Most OT supplies are not covered. Trampolines, for example, are not covered. Even if the OT says it would be highly beneficial to the child. OT supplies are some of the most expensive things on earth. I get catalogues in the mail and I play a game with Tony called, "How much do you think this costs?" I read him the description and he tells me how much it should cost, and then how much he thinks it actually costs. He's usually under by a LOT. BTW, if any of you know how to sew, get in the business of selling weighted blankets. If I could sew, I could make one for about $60. From the catalogue, it's $450.
6) Anything I do buy, I have to submit the original receipt. A scan will not do. Why? Why is a photocopy not enough? Why doesn't the scan I can send in 3 seconds via email not as good as the original that will take 4 days to get there and a month to process? Because they hope I won't do it. Because they hope it'll get lost in the mail. (And they don't have a physical address either. Only a box. Can't say as I blame them. There are a lot of seriously irate parents out there with these stupid policies.) So, what happens if the $600 iPad I buy breaks and I need a warranty replacement? I have no receipt. Good luck with that. And I can't go buy a new one and bill it, because they get one computer or tablet every 3 years. And what happens when they lose it, like they've lost so many other things I've sent?
7) Any money allotted to your child that you do not spend by year's end goes back to the government. It does not roll over. This is supremely stupid because when the child turns six and ismagically cured under the care of the school system, their funding is cut to $6000/yr, a good chunk of which you can spend on getting letters written to approve your actual treatments.
8) They cover travel for courses. I know, I jumped for joy. YAY! My trip will be covered. Wrong. They only cover travel for courses within BC. What? So if a course will never ever be offered here, you are shit out of luck. Not a dime is covered. Because they want the money to stay in BC. Screw your kids, screw your life, keeping our money in the BC economy is most important (except when the BC govt is shipping jobs to Alberta, that is.)
9) The automatons they hire. Okay, that's not fair. Those people have to work in a very broken system, and probably the only way they can get through the day is tohide their souls away in a cloud of darkness act cold and unfeeling. Today, the woman on the phone told me she was sorry I feel that way, when I told her that it seems like the system is designed to make every single thing more difficult. I raised my voice and said, "You're SORRY I FEEL THAT WAY?! OH THANK YOU FOR THE NON-APOLOGY" and then I hung up on her. Which wasn't my best moment, by any stretch, but it beat what I wanted to say by a million miles. Seriously? How about, "It's clearly difficult. I'm sorry." or "Yup, that's bureaucracy for ya!" or "I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do." But no. She's sorry I feel that way. I'm sorry she has to enforce idiotic policies. I'm sorry our government is more concerned with tomorrow's bottom line than kids. I'm sorry they're too shortsighted to see that denying services now means having to spend millions on adult care.
I'm done. I'm too frustrated. I'm sick withthe plague, the creeping crud, the ebola virus, a cold.
1) Neurofeedback is covered for kids over 6, IF they get a letter of recommendation from a Pediatrician, Behaviour Consultant (BC), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapist (PT), or Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). Snap has a BC, but none of the others. If the BC decides she doesn't want to write a letter, or doesn't approve of neurofeedback, we're screwed. We set this up MONTHS ago. The unit got around to telling me today that she needs a letter to have it covered. She's supposed to start in two weeks. WTF? I mean, is there a big run on people scamming the system for unnecessary neurofeedback services? OMG! It might go to someone who didn't pay someone else a bunch of money to get the stupid letter! And that's another thing, I'm going to have to pay someone to get the letter. And then they're going to have to bill the unit for it, unless I pay out of pocket for it. Which leads to...
2) Every available service for coverage must be billed directly to the autism funding unit. I cannot pay a provider and be reimbursed. Because the unit is notoriously slow at paying, most providers are very hesitant to agree to this. I am virtually certain this is by design. I talked to one a few weeks ago who absolutely will not work with the unit. She's world-renowned. So only people who can afford it can go to her. Thank you ever so much.
3) The unit will not respond to emails. In fact, they've turned off their read receipts. So, anything I send them by email is guesswork on whether they got it. I even asked if they'd hit reply and send. A blank reply. Just to prove they got it. No way. This is absolutely a ploy to avoid accountability. It doesn't take any time to allow your email program to send read receipts. There's no excuse.
4) It takes a month for them to do anything. At all. If you're lucky. It took a month for them to process my new service provider (that is, get her a billing number so she can bill at all). She's been working since Jan 2 on a promise to be paid eventually. I fail to see why they can't get a billing number same day. As in, "Hi. I'm Snap's Mom. I need a billing number for a new provider for her." "Sure, here it is". But no. It's submit her name, address, phone number, results of latest pap smear, wait for a month, get a number. The number can then be used to send off an invoice for services rendered. Invoices must include dates, times, hours, pay rates, all the names and addresses, etc. Miss one bit of info, you'll find out. In a month. When they reject it. Then, you can fill it out again, and send it off again, and wait another month to finally get a cheque. And billing for services in the future is also not allowed. Which means any small provider, i.e. a single person doing contracts, is screwed. They can't wait for that long! Pop's newest person hasn't been paid since Jan 1 (and we're still in the acceptable zone! i.e. don't bother complaining, we'll get to it when we get to it.) If she didn't have a boyfriend, cheap rent and another job, she'd have quit by now. This is completely unacceptable.
5) I need permission to buy art supplies. Seriously, I have to pay some asshole BC $120/hr to write a letter explaining why I need to buy an easel for $90. This has to be received before I buy the goddamned thing. Again, this is designed to make parents just say "to hell with this, I'll just buy it". About the only thing they cover without a letter is books with "autism" in the title. Seriously. Most OT supplies are not covered. Trampolines, for example, are not covered. Even if the OT says it would be highly beneficial to the child. OT supplies are some of the most expensive things on earth. I get catalogues in the mail and I play a game with Tony called, "How much do you think this costs?" I read him the description and he tells me how much it should cost, and then how much he thinks it actually costs. He's usually under by a LOT. BTW, if any of you know how to sew, get in the business of selling weighted blankets. If I could sew, I could make one for about $60. From the catalogue, it's $450.
6) Anything I do buy, I have to submit the original receipt. A scan will not do. Why? Why is a photocopy not enough? Why doesn't the scan I can send in 3 seconds via email not as good as the original that will take 4 days to get there and a month to process? Because they hope I won't do it. Because they hope it'll get lost in the mail. (And they don't have a physical address either. Only a box. Can't say as I blame them. There are a lot of seriously irate parents out there with these stupid policies.) So, what happens if the $600 iPad I buy breaks and I need a warranty replacement? I have no receipt. Good luck with that. And I can't go buy a new one and bill it, because they get one computer or tablet every 3 years. And what happens when they lose it, like they've lost so many other things I've sent?
7) Any money allotted to your child that you do not spend by year's end goes back to the government. It does not roll over. This is supremely stupid because when the child turns six and is
8) They cover travel for courses. I know, I jumped for joy. YAY! My trip will be covered. Wrong. They only cover travel for courses within BC. What? So if a course will never ever be offered here, you are shit out of luck. Not a dime is covered. Because they want the money to stay in BC. Screw your kids, screw your life, keeping our money in the BC economy is most important (except when the BC govt is shipping jobs to Alberta, that is.)
9) The automatons they hire. Okay, that's not fair. Those people have to work in a very broken system, and probably the only way they can get through the day is to
I'm done. I'm too frustrated. I'm sick with
12 February 2012
What's wrong with society?
This:
Grammys/Whitney Houston are top story. Then Athens burns. Then a multiple murder of women and female children. Then Whitney Houston again. And look at "More Headlines".
I'm not sure I can work up any more words for this. I'm sick with a cold. I'm killing it with garlic, which means I'm also killing Tony and the kids. Someone's sleeping on the couch tonight, I expect.
11 February 2012
Things I learned this week
1) People are incredibly generous. ChipIn is up to $800, and I've received $110 in cash and cheques. You people are wonderful.
2) You need to have a passport in hand to book a flight to the US.
3) CIDA is quietly cutting grants to various groups. Even after last years clusterfuck with the "NOT" inserted into the memo, KAIROS did not get funded again this year (read this in The Observer). Also, my friend Stacey's non-profit group lost the $500,000 it was counting on to feed hungry people in Africa. This after she secured over a hundred million dollars elsewhere. Seriously, I need to get her to fund-raise for me. Damn. Anyway, she's going to make it work somehow.
4) Melatonin is of the devil for Crackle. It's a supplement that is apparently a godsend for most kids with autism. It helps them fall asleep. Crackle has negative reactions that took me months to figure out. That is, he was on the stuff for months. And having negative side effects that I wasn't attributing to the melatonin. Like being up for hours at a time during the night. And crazy stupid hyperactivity in the day. I've had him off it for 5 days now. He's sleeping through the night mostly. And having some day time naps. I think he's been running on empty for months. Poor baby.
5) Crackle gets crazy stupid hyper when he's tired. Like so hyper he cannot sit still for 4 seconds. Literally. Yes, I know the meaning of literally.
6) There are seizures that make you laugh. They're called gelastic seizures. It is possible that Crackle is having these. Either that or something invisible is hilarious. It's almost funny to watch. No, it IS funny. Until you notice that he's not really as happy as he sounds. I have video; it made his neurologist scrunch up her face and say, "Huh. That's strange."
7) Grown men can be serious drama queens. Can't say more. Suffice it to say, "ARRRGGGGHHH"
8) Apparently I really like italics.
2) You need to have a passport in hand to book a flight to the US.
3) CIDA is quietly cutting grants to various groups. Even after last years clusterfuck with the "NOT" inserted into the memo, KAIROS did not get funded again this year (read this in The Observer). Also, my friend Stacey's non-profit group lost the $500,000 it was counting on to feed hungry people in Africa. This after she secured over a hundred million dollars elsewhere. Seriously, I need to get her to fund-raise for me. Damn. Anyway, she's going to make it work somehow.
4) Melatonin is of the devil for Crackle. It's a supplement that is apparently a godsend for most kids with autism. It helps them fall asleep. Crackle has negative reactions that took me months to figure out. That is, he was on the stuff for months. And having negative side effects that I wasn't attributing to the melatonin. Like being up for hours at a time during the night. And crazy stupid hyperactivity in the day. I've had him off it for 5 days now. He's sleeping through the night mostly. And having some day time naps. I think he's been running on empty for months. Poor baby.
5) Crackle gets crazy stupid hyper when he's tired. Like so hyper he cannot sit still for 4 seconds. Literally. Yes, I know the meaning of literally.
6) There are seizures that make you laugh. They're called gelastic seizures. It is possible that Crackle is having these. Either that or something invisible is hilarious. It's almost funny to watch. No, it IS funny. Until you notice that he's not really as happy as he sounds. I have video; it made his neurologist scrunch up her face and say, "Huh. That's strange."
7) Grown men can be serious drama queens. Can't say more. Suffice it to say, "ARRRGGGGHHH"
8) Apparently I really like italics.
08 February 2012
Progress
The flights are booked except for the one from Victoria to Seattle. That one looks to be as much as the one from Seattle to Albany! INSANE. So I'm holding out for a seat-sale.
Applied for my passport today. Pics look like a mug shot, but when they don't let you smile, that's what happens.
So, now I need to book a car and a hotel room for the last night (after the course, but before the flight), and all the travel plans are set.
I'm SO excited.
Crackle said "Water" yesterday. And "Nana" (for banana) today. This is HUGE. And that's just from me working the Son-Rise principles on my own. I have so much hope for this course.
On another note, I'm trying to generate rage for the political shitstorm this morning with an NDP MP getting booted for having her baby with her. Failing. Mostly because it's just par for the course with those bastards. Fetus? More rights than the woman. +3 months? Not even allowed to be with his mother when she's in the House. Not for even a few minutes when Dad went to take a leak and they were called back in suddenly. Give. Me. A. Break. And people wonder why there aren't many women in politics.
04 February 2012
Just a couple of whores, right?
update: I worked it out. $5000 to a billionaire is approximately the same as $10 to me. Literally. I did a "net worth" test and then worked out the percentage.
Bad week for female victims of violence and women everywhere.
CBC reports that forcibly confining a woman so that she frantically calls 911 and then while attempting to escape breaks her ankle results in 1 year probation and a $5000 fine. For a billionaire. Who is not a first time offender.
And the Goldstream Gazette reports that if you assault two sex workers so badly that they feel the need to report it (most do not), you can be released on a mere $10,000 surety. This asshole lives 2 minutes by foot away from me.
Ya know, I'll start believing our society gives a crap about women when they actually go about attempting to protect us from predators.
Bad week for female victims of violence and women everywhere.
CBC reports that forcibly confining a woman so that she frantically calls 911 and then while attempting to escape breaks her ankle results in 1 year probation and a $5000 fine. For a billionaire. Who is not a first time offender.
And the Goldstream Gazette reports that if you assault two sex workers so badly that they feel the need to report it (most do not), you can be released on a mere $10,000 surety. This asshole lives 2 minutes by foot away from me.
Ya know, I'll start believing our society gives a crap about women when they actually go about attempting to protect us from predators.
03 February 2012
You people rock
Almost $100 has come into my Paypal account from people I've never met. Two of them people I've never even heard of. You people are awesome. Thank you. And more people have emailed to ask for an address. You people are also awesome. May whichever God you believe in bless you. And if you're atheist, may you experience a run of luck that almost (or actually!) makes you believe in God. :D
This is extra awesome this week because my washing machine and my water heater need work. EESH.
In kid news, Pop is hilarious. He's utterly addicted to In the Night Garden, which has to be the trippiest show since Teletubbies. He pretty much plays trains and watches In the Night Garden all day. Or he watches the worst Thomas the Tank Engine videos EVER on YouTube. Like home videos of other kids playing with their trains. It's painfully hilarious.
Crackle kissed me yesterday. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. He's almost 6 and he's never once kissed me. Also, he was having a total meltdown about something, I forget what, and I said, "Do you want a hug, sweetpea?" and he flew at me and held on for dear life. That has also never happened. I feel like we are so close to a breakthrough with him, I can almost taste it.
Snap? *sigh* She's almost 17 and has teenage attitude multiplied by Asperger Syndrome. It's painful. She's smart, but hasn't a hell of a lot of common sense. She'd rather fight with me for an hour than do the 7 minutes of work I've asked her to do. I love her with all my heart. And it gets broken so regularly.
This is extra awesome this week because my washing machine and my water heater need work. EESH.
In kid news, Pop is hilarious. He's utterly addicted to In the Night Garden, which has to be the trippiest show since Teletubbies. He pretty much plays trains and watches In the Night Garden all day. Or he watches the worst Thomas the Tank Engine videos EVER on YouTube. Like home videos of other kids playing with their trains. It's painfully hilarious.
Crackle kissed me yesterday. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. He's almost 6 and he's never once kissed me. Also, he was having a total meltdown about something, I forget what, and I said, "Do you want a hug, sweetpea?" and he flew at me and held on for dear life. That has also never happened. I feel like we are so close to a breakthrough with him, I can almost taste it.
Snap? *sigh* She's almost 17 and has teenage attitude multiplied by Asperger Syndrome. It's painful. She's smart, but hasn't a hell of a lot of common sense. She'd rather fight with me for an hour than do the 7 minutes of work I've asked her to do. I love her with all my heart. And it gets broken so regularly.
Christian Conservatism - Oxymoronic and regular moronic
I haven't been to church in a couple of weeks. My back has been giving me serious grief. That's also why I haven't been blogging much. I can't sit more than a few minutes. So this post has taken me MUCH time to write.
Elseweb, I saw a silly pic of Jesus saying, "Get real. Like Jesus would ever own a gun or vote Republican." Someone replied, "Sorry, Jane, but 'teach a man to fish' is a conservative value". I laughed and wrote, "No it isn't. Teach a man to fish suggests universal education, and that's a liberal value". Heh. I told MrFCS, who by the way, I'm going to call "Tony" here, because Snap, Crackle and Pop's Dad should totally be Tony the Tiger. And hello, he's GRRRRRREAT!. Anyway, Tony said, "No, a conservative value is to make it illegal for a man to fish, selling all the fishing rights to a foreign corporation, and then selling the fish back to the man at a premium." He's right, of course. In some places it is illegal to collect your own rainwater. Thank you ever so much corporate greed. I know someone's going to say that corporate greed isn't a conservative value, and it didn't used to be. But it is now.
So I got thinking about it. I've often joked that Jesus was a socialist. I don't believe that, but I suspect he'd have been a lot more sympathetic to the socialist cause than the libertarian cause, which couldn't be more anti-Christian if it tried. Their basic tenet is that I am not my brother's keeper. You don't have to get too far into the Bible to see what God thinks of that one!
Jesus: Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.
Corporate: I've got mine, fuck you.
Jesus (in the story of the Prodigal Son): If you screw up, come home to your father and you'll be welcomed home with open arms and celebration.
Corporate: You made your bed, lie in it.
Jesus: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength... You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
I could go on, but I've been attempting to write this post for 3 weeks. It's getting sent.
And just for fun, some bible literalism amusement:
Elseweb, I saw a silly pic of Jesus saying, "Get real. Like Jesus would ever own a gun or vote Republican." Someone replied, "Sorry, Jane, but 'teach a man to fish' is a conservative value". I laughed and wrote, "No it isn't. Teach a man to fish suggests universal education, and that's a liberal value". Heh. I told MrFCS, who by the way, I'm going to call "Tony" here, because Snap, Crackle and Pop's Dad should totally be Tony the Tiger. And hello, he's GRRRRRREAT!. Anyway, Tony said, "No, a conservative value is to make it illegal for a man to fish, selling all the fishing rights to a foreign corporation, and then selling the fish back to the man at a premium." He's right, of course. In some places it is illegal to collect your own rainwater. Thank you ever so much corporate greed. I know someone's going to say that corporate greed isn't a conservative value, and it didn't used to be. But it is now.
So I got thinking about it. I've often joked that Jesus was a socialist. I don't believe that, but I suspect he'd have been a lot more sympathetic to the socialist cause than the libertarian cause, which couldn't be more anti-Christian if it tried. Their basic tenet is that I am not my brother's keeper. You don't have to get too far into the Bible to see what God thinks of that one!
Jesus: Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.
Corporate: I've got mine, fuck you.
Jesus (in the story of the Prodigal Son): If you screw up, come home to your father and you'll be welcomed home with open arms and celebration.
Corporate: You made your bed, lie in it.
Jesus: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength... You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
I could go on, but I've been attempting to write this post for 3 weeks. It's getting sent.
And just for fun, some bible literalism amusement:
27 January 2012
Passing the hat
You may have noticed the widget on the right. I'm asking for money. I HATE asking for money. But this is my kids. I'd crawl across glass for my kids. And I intend to even cross into the United States for them - something I swore I'd never do. Read on:
Snap is almost 17. She was diagnosed late and hasn't received treatment. She's high-functioning, but needs a little extra help. I'm not asking for this for her though, even though it will benefit her too. We can manage her help on our own. We're asking for help for our boys.
Crackle is almost 6. He's almost totally non-verbal. and almost totally disconnected from his older brothers and only nominally relates to his Dad and me. We have been praying for a miracle, while also researching and exploring medical pathways. Like every other set of parents, we want our child to fulfill his potential. Without special intervention, our boy’s future is extremely limited.
Pop is turning 3 soon. He's verbal and much more connected with us. He's higher-functioning. However, he's full of anxiety and is quite limited in interests. We want to keep him from regressing and teach him that the world isn't as scary as he thinks.
Government programs for Crackle have failed miserably. And anyway, at 6, he's all but cut off from them. We'd rather not wait for them to fail with Pop too.
Snap is almost 17. She was diagnosed late and hasn't received treatment. She's high-functioning, but needs a little extra help. I'm not asking for this for her though, even though it will benefit her too. We can manage her help on our own. We're asking for help for our boys.
Crackle is almost 6. He's almost totally non-verbal. and almost totally disconnected from his older brothers and only nominally relates to his Dad and me. We have been praying for a miracle, while also researching and exploring medical pathways. Like every other set of parents, we want our child to fulfill his potential. Without special intervention, our boy’s future is extremely limited.
Pop is turning 3 soon. He's verbal and much more connected with us. He's higher-functioning. However, he's full of anxiety and is quite limited in interests. We want to keep him from regressing and teach him that the world isn't as scary as he thinks.
Government programs for Crackle have failed miserably. And anyway, at 6, he's all but cut off from them. We'd rather not wait for them to fail with Pop too.
In the last few months we’ve
found a center that is having high levels of success bringing
children through their state of autism: The Son-Rise Program at the
Autism Treatment Center of America (for more information see their
website: http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/).
I plan to travel to the
Autism Treatment Center of America in April for the Son-Rise
Program Start-Up Program to learn how to run a home-based program for
our sons, and then I want to return for a week of intensive
training. Through this training we will be able to work more
effectively with the boys over the next several years to help them through their autism. The success rate of The Son-Rise Program instills
hope in us for his freedom from this mysterious condition. It is
difficult for us to understand fully the issue of autism and
reversing it, but we are diligently trying to do so for the
sake of their future.
In order for us to attend these
training sessions, we must come up with about $10,000 for these two
training sessions, expense of travel, and help around the house while I'm gone. Of course, we will personally carry
as much of this as we can, but with a single income —and three kids—we will need some help. Therefore, we are asking family and friends that can do so, to
consider helping us with the expenses associated with this training. We're hoping to raise $3000 for the first trip (see the widget).
It is not our intentions to place you
in an awkward position, and we assure you that we fully understand
and respect the fact that you may not be able to help. However, if
you can, we will forever appreciate it.
We plan to leave for Massachusetts on April 21 , 2012 so your rapid response will really help. If you want
to visit with us about any of this, feel free to email selenie@gmail.com . We
would love to hear from you, whether you can or cannot help with the
costs.
We would not ask this favor if it was
for us, but our concern for our boys compels us to humble ourselves and
ask. Thanks for reading our note, praying for us if that is your way, and for any
financial help you might be able to give.
With sincere thanks,
Luna and Tony
P.S. If we receive more money than we
need, we will quickly return the extra.
P.P.S. If you're not a fan of Paypal, email me, and I will provide an address and real name.
P.P.S. If you're not a fan of Paypal, email me, and I will provide an address and real name.
26 January 2012
DSM-V and all that nonsense
Well crap. I thought I'd posted this on Monday. I guess not. Anyway, here it is:
The Autism community is freaking out this week about changes to the autism diagnosis, and I can't say that I blame them. The high-functioning folks are worried that they'll test out - that is, be too high functioning for diagnosis and by extension, services. The low-functioning folks are worried that their autism symptoms will be attributed to their intellectual disability and not vice versa. So, for example, Jim has low-functioning autism and an IQ of 50. Jim's autism isn't caused by his low IQ, but some of the symptoms, like inability to understand complex directions, could be attributed to it. Enough of that goes on, and he tests out of autism and into developmentally disabled, mentally retarded, intellectual disability. Everyone is scared.
And why not? It's not like the services we get now are even close to enough. The schools are terrible at accommodating our children now. Take their diagnoses away and there's no funding. No funding, no IEPs, no aides. No fun for anyone. And services for adults? Even worse. Just try living on the paltry sum the government deigns to give you for disability. $750/mo here in BC. Considering the average price of a 1 bedroom apartment is about $675, good luck. Especially if you need meds. Or enjoy eating.
I'm not overly concerned for the low-functioning folks. Reason being, I think the latest versions of the proposal took out the clauses about the symptoms not being otherwise explained by other developmental disabilities - that's where their worry was. I'm pretty sure they're not going to get squeezed out. The Aspies? Maybe. There might be issues there. My Aspie would certainly still qualify. Pop? Maybe not. But that's because of extensive biomedical interventions. Remove those and his symptoms intensify considerably.
There are several problems with autism diagnosis. 1) It's very hard to differentiate between unusual and abnormal. Where is the defining line? 2) It's a spectrum disorder. Everyone is different. No two people with Autism are identical; 3) There seem to be a number of underlying causes of autism. Some people have mitochondrial dysfunction. Some have heavy metal poisoning. Some have genetic copies or deletions. Some have low folate levels in their spinal fluid. Etc. To me, this means there are dozens of different disorders causing a set of problems in the same areas of the brain. And that leads to the problem I think is the worst: 4) Autism is not a psychiatric disorder. It shouldn't be in the DSM at all. Autism is a neurological disorder. It is physical. It is biological. It is not brought on by trauma or abuse. (FWIW, there are a good number of "psychiatric" disorders that are neurological)
So why are they doing this? They claim that there are too many cases of autism now. That their diagnostic criteria were too broad. Um, or how about there are more and more cases of it because of the onslaught of environmental toxins causing genetic defects? Every. Single. Family. in my complex has at least one kid with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It's bizarre. And then I remember we live next to a golf course that sprays pesticides all over the place all summer. You cannot redefine the disorder and have any kid change. It's like changing the poverty level and then congratulating yourself for lowering the poverty rate. The bottom line is that there is a larger number of disabled kids than ever and something needs to change. But it's not the diagnostic criteria.
The Autism community is freaking out this week about changes to the autism diagnosis, and I can't say that I blame them. The high-functioning folks are worried that they'll test out - that is, be too high functioning for diagnosis and by extension, services. The low-functioning folks are worried that their autism symptoms will be attributed to their intellectual disability and not vice versa. So, for example, Jim has low-functioning autism and an IQ of 50. Jim's autism isn't caused by his low IQ, but some of the symptoms, like inability to understand complex directions, could be attributed to it. Enough of that goes on, and he tests out of autism and into developmentally disabled, mentally retarded, intellectual disability. Everyone is scared.
 |
| A classic autism symptom: lining up objects |
I'm not overly concerned for the low-functioning folks. Reason being, I think the latest versions of the proposal took out the clauses about the symptoms not being otherwise explained by other developmental disabilities - that's where their worry was. I'm pretty sure they're not going to get squeezed out. The Aspies? Maybe. There might be issues there. My Aspie would certainly still qualify. Pop? Maybe not. But that's because of extensive biomedical interventions. Remove those and his symptoms intensify considerably.
There are several problems with autism diagnosis. 1) It's very hard to differentiate between unusual and abnormal. Where is the defining line? 2) It's a spectrum disorder. Everyone is different. No two people with Autism are identical; 3) There seem to be a number of underlying causes of autism. Some people have mitochondrial dysfunction. Some have heavy metal poisoning. Some have genetic copies or deletions. Some have low folate levels in their spinal fluid. Etc. To me, this means there are dozens of different disorders causing a set of problems in the same areas of the brain. And that leads to the problem I think is the worst: 4) Autism is not a psychiatric disorder. It shouldn't be in the DSM at all. Autism is a neurological disorder. It is physical. It is biological. It is not brought on by trauma or abuse. (FWIW, there are a good number of "psychiatric" disorders that are neurological)
So why are they doing this? They claim that there are too many cases of autism now. That their diagnostic criteria were too broad. Um, or how about there are more and more cases of it because of the onslaught of environmental toxins causing genetic defects? Every. Single. Family. in my complex has at least one kid with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It's bizarre. And then I remember we live next to a golf course that sprays pesticides all over the place all summer. You cannot redefine the disorder and have any kid change. It's like changing the poverty level and then congratulating yourself for lowering the poverty rate. The bottom line is that there is a larger number of disabled kids than ever and something needs to change. But it's not the diagnostic criteria.
19 January 2012
SNOW!
We got a little snow yesterday. Every snow day in Victoria is Snowmageddon, or alternatively, SNOW MY GOD! Because we are not equipped to deal with it. Not enough plows, not enough sanders, and worst of all, not enough room. That is, the roads here are very narrow. Not Europe narrow, but they're certainly a hell of a lot narrower than in Regina or Edmonton. So when we get one of these babies, plows can't even get down some streets because of the cars parked on them.
Anyway, I'm not bitching. It's easier to send the kids out to play in the snow than it is in the rain. And I live close enough to walk to a grocery store, so I'm set. I do rather feel sorry for the people who live up in the hills with the glorious views of the city who can't get down their roads. Oh, no wait. I don't. HAHAHAHA.
08 January 2012
Newt Gingrich: Asshole
Newt Gingrich is such an asshole. This is not news. The Simpsons made fun of him tonight, which is just made of win. Homer had his own show on Fox News (though they didn't call it that, it was pretty obvious) and Marge said something to him about how awful he was. He said, "Oh Marge. It's just a character. Like Stephen Colbert. Or Newt Gingrich." God, how I love The Simpsons.
Anyway. Last week, the blowhard said, "On Thursday morning, the two points came together when he said he would go to the NAACP convention and explain "why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps."
Um, no. There are so many things wrong with this, it's not even funny. First of all, most people getting food stamps also work. They work shitty, lousy, hard, miserable jobs for too many hours for too little money. No one lives on food stamps and is "satisfied" with it. Second, propagating negative stereotypes like 'the lazy black man' doesn't help anyone and is just plain wrong. Third, is it even true that a disproportionate amount of black people are on food stamps? I honestly don't know. This indicates that, yes, that might be the case, with the exception of the Dakotas (because hello. if you're black and impoverished, you get the fuck out of the Dakotas if you can). So, is one's conclusion that black people get food stamps because they're too lazy to get good jobs? HELL NO. Could it be that black folks get crappier jobs and need food stamps because of racism? Hell yes.
Now, when I first heard what Gingrich said, my first thought was "YES!" but that's because I was coming at it from a socialist angle. Hell yes, the impoverished working class should stand up and say "NO! This is not enough. This is not acceptable. We need good jobs. We need benefits. We need health care. We need good food and good food availability. We need daycare. We need to be paid what we're worth." But that's not what Newt was saying, and I knew that immediately because I *never* agree with that over-privileged piece of festering shit and so I had to step back and figure out what he was saying and what I was hearing and how they differed.
I used to joke that Canada had elected Newt Gingrich and a parliament of Newts and Kucinichs. But Newt? He's like Harper if he thought he could say whatever he wants. Like drunk Harper. It's scary shit. I mean, this is what he's saying while campaigning? What the hell would he do with power?
Anyway. Last week, the blowhard said, "On Thursday morning, the two points came together when he said he would go to the NAACP convention and explain "why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps."
Um, no. There are so many things wrong with this, it's not even funny. First of all, most people getting food stamps also work. They work shitty, lousy, hard, miserable jobs for too many hours for too little money. No one lives on food stamps and is "satisfied" with it. Second, propagating negative stereotypes like 'the lazy black man' doesn't help anyone and is just plain wrong. Third, is it even true that a disproportionate amount of black people are on food stamps? I honestly don't know. This indicates that, yes, that might be the case, with the exception of the Dakotas (because hello. if you're black and impoverished, you get the fuck out of the Dakotas if you can). So, is one's conclusion that black people get food stamps because they're too lazy to get good jobs? HELL NO. Could it be that black folks get crappier jobs and need food stamps because of racism? Hell yes.
Now, when I first heard what Gingrich said, my first thought was "YES!" but that's because I was coming at it from a socialist angle. Hell yes, the impoverished working class should stand up and say "NO! This is not enough. This is not acceptable. We need good jobs. We need benefits. We need health care. We need good food and good food availability. We need daycare. We need to be paid what we're worth." But that's not what Newt was saying, and I knew that immediately because I *never* agree with that over-privileged piece of festering shit and so I had to step back and figure out what he was saying and what I was hearing and how they differed.
I used to joke that Canada had elected Newt Gingrich and a parliament of Newts and Kucinichs. But Newt? He's like Harper if he thought he could say whatever he wants. Like drunk Harper. It's scary shit. I mean, this is what he's saying while campaigning? What the hell would he do with power?
04 January 2012
Merry Christmas!
It's still Christmas until 12th Night. So there. Another Advent, another Christmas. Come and gone. Onwards to Epiphany, which I think is my favourite celebration of the whole Christian year. Because I'm weird. But you knew that.
This year, all through Advent, I told everyone and anyone that I wanted charitable gifts for Christmas. Didn't get a single one. I think people are way too set on the idea that they have to give a Thing. I told my Mom that I'd like some of the dried garlic she got me a few years ago, and that was enough. With the rest of the money, buy an Oxfam gift. No. She bought me a casserole dish I don't need, Tandoori spice with recipes (all of which were for meat - I'm vegan. Mentioned this to Mom. She said, "Well, some were chicken." Uhhh, okay... I said, "Chicken is meat. I don't eat it." Mom: "Not even a little?" Oh well. Tandoori potatoes?), some plastic cookware I won't use (PLASTIC? In the microwave? No way.) Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful. I love that she was trying to help me out in the kitchen. God knows I spend enough time there what with all the allergies. But I didn't need all that stuff. And someone did need to eat. Or be protected from malaria. Or have a place to go if her husband was beating her. Or have a warm place to sleep.
[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.
It's not too late. The problems aren't gone.
Oh Christmas. I love Christmas. I love seeing the joy on my little guy's face when he opens a present. I love the lights. I love the hustle and bustle. I love the food. I adore the mulled wine a little too much. I love the message of being saved. Of God's love, Of hope for the future.
I didn't love that Crackle was so sick from gluten (RAAR. HULK MAMA MAD. AUTISM SERVICE PROVIDER NOT KEEP BABIES SAFE FROM EVIL AWFUL GLUTEN! HULK SMASH. HULK NOT SEND BABIES BACK TO THEM.) We couldn't even go to church because Crackle was absolutely hysterical all day on the 24th and not much better on the 25th. We're at almost 4 weeks post-gluten and he's JUST getting back to normal. Like today.
So why do I like Epiphany? It's pretty simple. And somehow I can't quite write it. Revealing God the Son to the Magi, the wise men from afar, made it clear that God's love is for everyone. That we're all the same. That there is no room for intolerance, bigotry, racism, or hatred, in Christ. There's no "Us" and "Them". Everyone "belongs" to God. We are all of God. And it doesn't matter if we call him God, Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Vishnu or any other name. And it's okay if we don't believe. God loves us. Pretty sure God would like to be acknowledged and loved back, but also pretty sure he's got his big boy panties on and won't condemn someone to an eternity of misery for not seeing him. My God's just not vindictive that way. Better not be, because I've gotten pretty mad at God a time or two. Like shaking my fist in anger and screaming, "FUCK YOU. YOU BASTARD!" kind of angry. We're good now though. Mostly.
I so wish people would stop twisting the message into "Jesus is for everyone. Therefore everyone MUST have Jesus as their Saviour OR ELSE!" It's not that God isn't Great (as the late Christopher Hitchens said) it's that people are pretty damn good at Missing the Fucking Point and/or Warping the Message.
This year, all through Advent, I told everyone and anyone that I wanted charitable gifts for Christmas. Didn't get a single one. I think people are way too set on the idea that they have to give a Thing. I told my Mom that I'd like some of the dried garlic she got me a few years ago, and that was enough. With the rest of the money, buy an Oxfam gift. No. She bought me a casserole dish I don't need, Tandoori spice with recipes (all of which were for meat - I'm vegan. Mentioned this to Mom. She said, "Well, some were chicken." Uhhh, okay... I said, "Chicken is meat. I don't eat it." Mom: "Not even a little?" Oh well. Tandoori potatoes?), some plastic cookware I won't use (PLASTIC? In the microwave? No way.) Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful. I love that she was trying to help me out in the kitchen. God knows I spend enough time there what with all the allergies. But I didn't need all that stuff. And someone did need to eat. Or be protected from malaria. Or have a place to go if her husband was beating her. Or have a warm place to sleep.
[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.
It's not too late. The problems aren't gone.
Oh Christmas. I love Christmas. I love seeing the joy on my little guy's face when he opens a present. I love the lights. I love the hustle and bustle. I love the food. I adore the mulled wine a little too much. I love the message of being saved. Of God's love, Of hope for the future.
I didn't love that Crackle was so sick from gluten (RAAR. HULK MAMA MAD. AUTISM SERVICE PROVIDER NOT KEEP BABIES SAFE FROM EVIL AWFUL GLUTEN! HULK SMASH. HULK NOT SEND BABIES BACK TO THEM.) We couldn't even go to church because Crackle was absolutely hysterical all day on the 24th and not much better on the 25th. We're at almost 4 weeks post-gluten and he's JUST getting back to normal. Like today.
So why do I like Epiphany? It's pretty simple. And somehow I can't quite write it. Revealing God the Son to the Magi, the wise men from afar, made it clear that God's love is for everyone. That we're all the same. That there is no room for intolerance, bigotry, racism, or hatred, in Christ. There's no "Us" and "Them". Everyone "belongs" to God. We are all of God. And it doesn't matter if we call him God, Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Vishnu or any other name. And it's okay if we don't believe. God loves us. Pretty sure God would like to be acknowledged and loved back, but also pretty sure he's got his big boy panties on and won't condemn someone to an eternity of misery for not seeing him. My God's just not vindictive that way. Better not be, because I've gotten pretty mad at God a time or two. Like shaking my fist in anger and screaming, "FUCK YOU. YOU BASTARD!" kind of angry. We're good now though. Mostly.
I so wish people would stop twisting the message into "Jesus is for everyone. Therefore everyone MUST have Jesus as their Saviour OR ELSE!" It's not that God isn't Great (as the late Christopher Hitchens said) it's that people are pretty damn good at Missing the Fucking Point and/or Warping the Message.
18 December 2011
God talk...
I got an amazing compliment today, and so I am going to share it, because EVERYONE should know how AWESOME I AM I'm really proud of it, and it inspired this post.
So now my brain is whirring. Okay, it's usually whirring, but that's white noise. This is going somewhere. I think. We'll see. I'm wondering what a person of faith should be? I mean, we're called to spread the word. But how? And what word? That God is good? That Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Light? That only straight people who pray to the right God are going to heaven, so get with the program? That you can be as much of an asshole as you like as long as you believe in Jesus you're good?
So obviously I'm not on board with most of that. I'm pretty much only okay with the first part. God is Good. (The Way, the Truth, and the Light? I dunno. I have a hard time with that one. How about "a Way, a Truth, a Light"? I'd really like to see the original! Oh well, it doesn't really matter what I believe.) And how do I go about showing that to people? Well, Jesus was pretty clear. Love thy neighbour. Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me. Oh, and he wasn't kidding about that last part, I don't think. I'm pretty sure he meant we're all divine in our own way. We all have a spark of the divine. We are all wonderful if we choose to be. Treat someone poorly, and it's not like you're treating God that way, you are treating God that way, because everyone is of God. Yeah, I'm rambling again. I have a hard time pulling all my thoughts about the topic together coherently. You should see the looks on the Mormon missionaries' faces when I start going on. Hehehe. I love inviting them in and then debating this stuff.
I'm really tired of people using God as a weapon. Do this or you'll go to hell! Be this way or burn for eternity! Puhleeze. First off, only God gets to judge. So quit it. I know some of the rules are laid out clearly, but you don't know what's in that person's heart. And you don't have God's grace. So quit it. You're told to love everyone. That means EVERYONE. No matter what. So fucking quit it with the judgmental b.s. If you want people to see that God is good, show them. Don't go on about how nasty they are and how God hates them or hates what they're doing. Just be a decent human being.
tl;dr: Don't be a douchebag.
p.s. I'll bet the farm that God doesn't give a shit about football. Maybe I'm wrong. But I'll bet it all on that one.
[my name] you are my idea of the way people of faith should be. You don't flaunt it or judge others. You are compassionate and kind. If all religious people were like you, I would be more inclined to embrace it.Wow. Why don't you nominate me for "mother of the year" while you're at it? My ego is going to coast on this for a while.
So now my brain is whirring. Okay, it's usually whirring, but that's white noise. This is going somewhere. I think. We'll see. I'm wondering what a person of faith should be? I mean, we're called to spread the word. But how? And what word? That God is good? That Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Light? That only straight people who pray to the right God are going to heaven, so get with the program? That you can be as much of an asshole as you like as long as you believe in Jesus you're good?
So obviously I'm not on board with most of that. I'm pretty much only okay with the first part. God is Good. (The Way, the Truth, and the Light? I dunno. I have a hard time with that one. How about "a Way, a Truth, a Light"? I'd really like to see the original! Oh well, it doesn't really matter what I believe.) And how do I go about showing that to people? Well, Jesus was pretty clear. Love thy neighbour. Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me. Oh, and he wasn't kidding about that last part, I don't think. I'm pretty sure he meant we're all divine in our own way. We all have a spark of the divine. We are all wonderful if we choose to be. Treat someone poorly, and it's not like you're treating God that way, you are treating God that way, because everyone is of God. Yeah, I'm rambling again. I have a hard time pulling all my thoughts about the topic together coherently. You should see the looks on the Mormon missionaries' faces when I start going on. Hehehe. I love inviting them in and then debating this stuff.
I'm really tired of people using God as a weapon. Do this or you'll go to hell! Be this way or burn for eternity! Puhleeze. First off, only God gets to judge. So quit it. I know some of the rules are laid out clearly, but you don't know what's in that person's heart. And you don't have God's grace. So quit it. You're told to love everyone. That means EVERYONE. No matter what. So fucking quit it with the judgmental b.s. If you want people to see that God is good, show them. Don't go on about how nasty they are and how God hates them or hates what they're doing. Just be a decent human being.
tl;dr: Don't be a douchebag.
p.s. I'll bet the farm that God doesn't give a shit about football. Maybe I'm wrong. But I'll bet it all on that one.
01 December 2011
An imperfect analogy - but I like it
It seems to me that many First Nations treat their lands in a way similar to the way some Christians treat their churches. As holy, sacred, and precious. Try telling a church member that the church is “only a building”. Then tell them to imagine that all of their ancestors for as long as anyone can remember went to that church. Now imagine someone coming in and telling them they can only use one pew. One with an obstructed view, that gets feedback from the speakers. And then, after all that, tell them that if they have a problem with that, it’s their fault. They could have gone to that synagogue down the street years ago.
That's how "Why don't they move?" strikes me.
If you think I'm exaggerating about how some churches treat their buildings and the stuff in them, consider that at one church I attended, there was a HUGE fight about the removal of 4 pews from the sanctuary. When those pews were sold, there were actually people who cried. 4 pews. Out of a few dozen. And hymnals that are 50 years old, no one wants them, and they're falling apart and attracting silverfish? Don't even suggest that they should be recycled! All hell breaks loose.
That's how "Why don't they move?" strikes me.
If you think I'm exaggerating about how some churches treat their buildings and the stuff in them, consider that at one church I attended, there was a HUGE fight about the removal of 4 pews from the sanctuary. When those pews were sold, there were actually people who cried. 4 pews. Out of a few dozen. And hymnals that are 50 years old, no one wants them, and they're falling apart and attracting silverfish? Don't even suggest that they should be recycled! All hell breaks loose.
Attawapiskat and Autism. Seriously. I connected them.
Bear with me. I'm sick. My kids are sick. And Crackle just had a seizure from hell.
I'm watching the Attawapiskat story closely. I'm trying not to read comments, as they just piss me the fuck off. The best takedown of the whole situation is here.
A few points I feel like stressing:
1) The only way to get Harperco to act like they give a shit about you is to get other people to embarrass them - i.e. They refused to do anything until the Red Cross said they would.
2) Embarrassing Harperco will result in your punishment. They slapped down the Atiwapiskat community hard by putting it under someone else's control.
3) Harperco, and the Liberal shitheads before them, believe that throwing money at a situation fixes everything. And if it doesn't, it's because someone is stealing it. Funny how they'd jump to that conclusion. Says something about what they would do with money thrown at them. Like our tax money. Steal it, mismanage it, spend it on themselves. Pretty much what they're accusing the aboriginal leaders of.
4) This is the big one. In the article at the link above, the writer says,
How can a community rely on these services if the [federal] government itself isn’t even clear on what it is providing and whether the programs are working?
Indeed.
edit: Fixed spelling.
I'm watching the Attawapiskat story closely. I'm trying not to read comments, as they just piss me the fuck off. The best takedown of the whole situation is here.
A few points I feel like stressing:
1) The only way to get Harperco to act like they give a shit about you is to get other people to embarrass them - i.e. They refused to do anything until the Red Cross said they would.
2) Embarrassing Harperco will result in your punishment. They slapped down the Atiwapiskat community hard by putting it under someone else's control.
3) Harperco, and the Liberal shitheads before them, believe that throwing money at a situation fixes everything. And if it doesn't, it's because someone is stealing it. Funny how they'd jump to that conclusion. Says something about what they would do with money thrown at them. Like our tax money. Steal it, mismanage it, spend it on themselves. Pretty much what they're accusing the aboriginal leaders of.
4) This is the big one. In the article at the link above, the writer says,
That's right. And that's the problem with Autism funding at the provincial level too. They throw money at us, dictate how we can spend it, and on whom, and then don't keep track of what they do, how they do it, or whether what it is doing works.Shockingly, the federal government does not always have clear program objectives, nor does it necessarily specify specific roles and responsibilities for program delivery, and has not established measures for evaluating performance in order to determine if outcome are actually met.What!?That’s right. The federal government is not keeping track of what it does, how it does it, or whether what it is doing works. The Auditor General recommends the federal government fix this, pronto. How can a community rely on these services if the federal government itself isn’t even clear on what it is providing and whether the programs are working?
How can a community rely on these services if the [federal] government itself isn’t even clear on what it is providing and whether the programs are working?
Indeed.
edit: Fixed spelling.
24 November 2011
You might be an autism parent if...
There's been an interesting hashtag on Twitter lately. #youmightbeanautismparentif is wonderful. I've laughed so hard at some of them. And at least one literally brought tears to my eyes.
any time you buy a toy or book - you wonder whether it will be used for therapy or for reinforcement.
the line "One day you'll be begging for them to be quiet!" from other parents makes you wanna cry.
sentences like "___ peed down the heat vent again" is a normal thing to say/hear in your house
your home could pass for a sensory gym or special needs school because of all the stuff you have for your kid.
you know your child is the cleanest kid in the building - 3 baths and counting.
It's a good thing I live on the west coast where water shortages aren't an issue. Crackle has between 1 and 6 baths per day. 6 bath days are rare, but they happen. Those are days when he's what I so eloquently refer to as "melty-downy". Bathing seems to help him calm down.
you find yourself celebrating and heartbroken - at the same time and for the exact same reason.
any time you buy a toy or book - you wonder whether it will be used for therapy or for reinforcement.
Oh yes. Oh yes. I have a bazillion toys. Some we use as therapy, to get him playing with toys. Some we use as reinforcement - he gets to play with them if he does something he doesn't want to, like repeat a sound or say a word. Or put on pants. I mean, who can blame him? Pants are bullshit. But sometimes they're necessary, so put on pants, get to play with the annoying toy that you love so much.
the line "One day you'll be begging for them to be quiet!" from other parents makes you wanna cry.
I may kill a bitch if I hear this again. Of course, now that he's almost 6, they've stopped. But honestly, when he was 3 and saying nothing, and I was getting him speech therapy for copious amounts of money, I just wanted to scream when I'd hear that. Crackle still doesn't talk. Pop does.
You celebrate the simple things, like a peaceful car ride or a full night's sleep.
Wait, what? These things exist?
sentences like "___ peed down the heat vent again" is a normal thing to say/hear in your house
ROTFL. How many times a week do I say, "Crackle peed on the floor of his room again" or "Crackle stacked up all his shirts and peed on them again"? I'm guessing 5 to 7 times a week.
your home could pass for a sensory gym or special needs school because of all the stuff you have for your kid.
Actual quote from a therapist, "This place is great! It's like an OT living room!"
Actual quote from a visiting kid, "WOW! Look at all the toys! WOW! Mom, do you see this?! WOW!"
you know your child is the cleanest kid in the building - 3 baths and counting.
It's a good thing I live on the west coast where water shortages aren't an issue. Crackle has between 1 and 6 baths per day. 6 bath days are rare, but they happen. Those are days when he's what I so eloquently refer to as "melty-downy". Bathing seems to help him calm down.
you find yourself celebrating and heartbroken - at the same time and for the exact same reason.
And there are the tears. Just the other day, I was totally celebrating because Crackle said "Mom" for the first time in several years. That's huge. (He also said syrup if that gives you a clue where I stand with him in terms of importance). And then I realized I was celebrating a 5.5 year old saying "Mom" and I started to cry.
ETA:
You avoid Black Friday like it's the Black Plague.
This one had me in stitches. I can just imagine Pop in a Black Friday crowd. He'd say, "HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME" until he was at home for at least 20 minute.
And Crackle? He'd happily sit in the shopping cart and eventually would fall asleep. I have no clue what's going on in his brain. He loves Future Shop, Costco, etc. The usual places that most Autism Parents have to avoid. LOVES them. If they're busy enough, like Costco on Saturday, he dozes off in the cart.
ETA:
You avoid Black Friday like it's the Black Plague.
This one had me in stitches. I can just imagine Pop in a Black Friday crowd. He'd say, "HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOMEHOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME" until he was at home for at least 20 minute.
And Crackle? He'd happily sit in the shopping cart and eventually would fall asleep. I have no clue what's going on in his brain. He loves Future Shop, Costco, etc. The usual places that most Autism Parents have to avoid. LOVES them. If they're busy enough, like Costco on Saturday, he dozes off in the cart.
23 November 2011
Mean on Crime
Last week, the Globe and Mail reported that the Conservative crime bill would enable prisons to deny prisoners visits from family as a means of punishment for bad behaviour. The G&M calls this "mean-spirited" and I agree. (aside: Seriously, G&M. Could you at least pretend to be objective? I know it wasn't your term, but the Canadian Bar Association's, but quoting it in the headline is not a sign of objectivity.) It's not only mean-spirited, it's counterproductive, and is counter to the teachings of Jesus.
There've been a lot of posts on how counterproductive this is, so I'll sum it up with this: recidivism rates are higher when prisoners don't have visitors. So... duh. Counterproductive. Unless your agenda is to increase prisoner rates so that you can pay contractors to build prisons...
But what really strikes me is that these so-called Conservative Christians are completely ignoring Jesus. Again.
I truly cannot even imagine what they think they're accomplishing here. That they cannot see how vile their actions are isn't surprising, given their track record. But at least, I can usually at least see their twisted reasoning. This one? Not so much.
I took a Sociology of Crime course back when I was working on an undergrad degree. It was a very interesting and very eye-opening class. For so many years I'd been told how soft our system is on young offenders. Apparently not. At the time, Canada had more youth incarcerated per capita than most countries in the world. Top 10 for sure. Maybe Top 5. I don't remember now. I'd like to see the stats now to see what's changed, if anything. I also learned that the vast majority of people in jail (jail, not prison) were in for non-payment of fines. Basically, debtors prisons where the prisoners owes the government. There is not a single fine that we shouldn't allow someone to work off with community service. And during off-hours too. Suppose I get a speeding ticket and I can't afford to pay the fine. They don't let me save up for it. The longer it takes me to pay, the more it costs me. I should be able to walk into city hall with my ticket and say, "I'd like to sign up for community service to pay this off". They pay me minimum wage against my ticket to work. If I have a day job, I can do my service at night. If I have a night job, I can do it during the day. If I have 12 hour shifts, I can do off hours. No one should lose their job because they got a ticket they can't pay. And that's the other problem with incarcerating people who don't pay. If they did have a job, they don't now because they got fired for being in jail. It's ludicrous. And it costs the government a fortune.
Incarceration is for people who are dangerous. Period. There's no excuse for a society to lock up people who don't pay a fine. And there's no excuse for treating prisoners as anything less than human beings with human rights.
There've been a lot of posts on how counterproductive this is, so I'll sum it up with this: recidivism rates are higher when prisoners don't have visitors. So... duh. Counterproductive. Unless your agenda is to increase prisoner rates so that you can pay contractors to build prisons...
But what really strikes me is that these so-called Conservative Christians are completely ignoring Jesus. Again.
We're called to visit prisoners (I don't... I just can't bring myself to do it. Maybe someday.) And these guys actually want to be able to take away the prisoners' right to be visited? It's stunningly mean. It goes so far beyond not visiting a prisoner. It's stopping everyone else from visiting! It's mindblowing.Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.'Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?' And the King will answer, 'I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.' Matthew 25: 31-40
I truly cannot even imagine what they think they're accomplishing here. That they cannot see how vile their actions are isn't surprising, given their track record. But at least, I can usually at least see their twisted reasoning. This one? Not so much.
I took a Sociology of Crime course back when I was working on an undergrad degree. It was a very interesting and very eye-opening class. For so many years I'd been told how soft our system is on young offenders. Apparently not. At the time, Canada had more youth incarcerated per capita than most countries in the world. Top 10 for sure. Maybe Top 5. I don't remember now. I'd like to see the stats now to see what's changed, if anything. I also learned that the vast majority of people in jail (jail, not prison) were in for non-payment of fines. Basically, debtors prisons where the prisoners owes the government. There is not a single fine that we shouldn't allow someone to work off with community service. And during off-hours too. Suppose I get a speeding ticket and I can't afford to pay the fine. They don't let me save up for it. The longer it takes me to pay, the more it costs me. I should be able to walk into city hall with my ticket and say, "I'd like to sign up for community service to pay this off". They pay me minimum wage against my ticket to work. If I have a day job, I can do my service at night. If I have a night job, I can do it during the day. If I have 12 hour shifts, I can do off hours. No one should lose their job because they got a ticket they can't pay. And that's the other problem with incarcerating people who don't pay. If they did have a job, they don't now because they got fired for being in jail. It's ludicrous. And it costs the government a fortune.
Incarceration is for people who are dangerous. Period. There's no excuse for a society to lock up people who don't pay a fine. And there's no excuse for treating prisoners as anything less than human beings with human rights.
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