Protesters Against Health Care Reform...

...at a rally in D.C. on Saturday. This is coverage from the Columbus Dispatch of a protest rally for and against health care reform in Washington, D.C. today. 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/video/video.html?video=949486

To summarize, in the video, a man is sitting on the ground in front of protesters against the health care bill with a sign that states that he has Parkinson's and that he would be served by the health care bill.

Several protester tell the man that "this is America," that you have to work here in America to get what you want, and that there are no handouts here.  Then, another man walks up and throws a dollar at the man sitting on the ground and tells him, "Here.  Here's some money.  Have a dollar.  Want another one?  Here."

I'm so disgusted.  Some days, it's hard to believe that "this" is my America.

Testing, testing, testing...

MRI, EEG, psychological evaluation, TAKS... Tobey's been one assessed young man as of late.

Why all the tests?  Tobey has been having some "Tourette's like ticks" for the past year and his neurologist wants to see whether there might be something else going on with Tobey.   Is there something else going on?  I don't know...  After all, it doesn't really change anything.  Tobey is still Tobey, regardless of the label they put on him.  His needs remain the same.

And, this year, I've come to terms with the realization that his needs are going to be significant.  He's been moved into the self-contained classroom and he's officially one of the kids on the "short bus."  Gawd, how I hate that joke, and I cringe a bit when I hear it used as an insult.

Still, I'm reminded of a passage from Roy Grinker's book Unstrange Minds when he is putting his daughter to bed and he realizes that he will be doing this for the rest of his life.  That he has the privilege of doing this for the rest of his life.   When other parents worry about their children going out on dates, moving away to college, flunking out of college, Grinker will have his daughter at home with him.

And, I will have Tobey.  He may live in an independent living facility; he may not.  But, I will always have him with me in some capacity.

And, that is okay.

I've been saying for years...

...that Jenny McCarthy's son wasn't really autistic.

Now, she finally admits it in an interview in Time magazine this week.  How many children have been harmed by parents who were afraid to vaccinate their children?  And, how much money has McCarthy made by exploiting these parents' fears?

Shame on you, McCarthy.  And, I feel sorry for those parents who trusted the "expertise" of a Playboy Bunny before the educated, medical experts.

A Letter to High School English Teachers...

As my students start writing their first paper in my Comp I course, I have had many conversations w/ students this week on the differences between the writing they have done in high school and the writing I expect from them in college.  Some students seem to embrace the freedom that comes with using "I," "you," more than 5 paragraphs, and "In this paper, I will discuss..." in their papers.   Others seem indifferent and have just rolled w/ it.  And, one student stormed out angry yesterday.

My conversations w/ students is much like the conversation happening online on the WPA list serv.  I found this exchange between a high school teacher and college department chair to be especially interesting.  In the interest of furthering the conversation about student writing, student needs, and professional development, I'm posting it here, too.


http://illinois.edu/db/view/25/22040?count=1&ACTION=DIALOG

Recent News on Autism, Wakefield, and the MMR Fraud

Looks like Andrew Wakefield will probably lose his license--as he should.  I feel nothing but contempt for the man for the pain and suffering that he has put autistic individuals through because of his quackery.

And, now, The Lancet has finally retracted Wakefield's 1998 article that made the supposed connections between autism and the MMR vaccine.  Again, 'bout time.

If you're interested in sound, scholarly research that discredits any connection between autism spectrum disorders and MMR vaccinations or mercury, check out Paul Offit's book, Autism's False Prophets.  As a rhetorician, Offit's book is such an excellent example of logical analysis that I can't recommend it enough.

Emanuel, Palin, and the "R" Word

What is just as offensive as Rahm Emanuel's use of the word "retarded" to describe Conservative ads against health care reform?  Sarah Palin exploiting the situation to get herself back in the spotlight by insisting that he should resign. 

Emanuel reminds me of the student who says something off the cuff without malice intent.  Palin, on the other hand, is completely exploiting the "I have a child w/ special needs" to further her own political celebrity.  [Groan]

Back to Blogging...

I have neglected this blog.

I'm a terrible owner because--after what could only be described as 9 months of a dissertation writing frenzy--I have had quite a bit of writer's block. My desire to write has been strictly limited to updating my Facebook status, which--like Chris--I do much too often. I'm sure my friends have just been dying to know that I am on my 6th cup of coffee, that I need to run to the post office, or that I really, REALLY hate Glenn Beck. And, yet, they all do.

Still, during my dissertation defense, my chair and two readers suggested that I return to my blog and present a public discursive presence. They encouraged me to continue posting on disability and rhetoric in the public culture. Too often, academics get "locked into" their own offices writing for the 3-4 people who will be at their conference presentation. But, it's important that academics contribute to the public discourse--even if it's from our tiny, little speck of the Interwebs. So, now that the dissertation is done and I'm Ph[inishe]D, I am returning to my blog to use my powers for good.

And, scene...

The dissertation defense is complete. I am officially, Dr. Rochelle Gregory, PhD. I had some great feedback during my defense from my committee members, all of whom commented on my blogging over the past five years. So, I'm thinking of pursuing what Dr. Greer referred to as a "professional intellectual" more seriously. He suggested blogging about disability and rhetoric since I have the expertise, interest, and education. So, that's what I've been thinking about in more detail over the past couple days. That, and other things. Now, I just need to get the revisions made and turn in this bad boy.... Hahh, the sound of a done dissertation is wonderful...

The end is near...

Yes, the dissertation is turned in. And, a defense date has been announced. August 26th at 1:00 on the 9th floor conference room.

I'm going to gather some resources so that I feel the confidence that I hope to project.

Now, what to do about this blog... I'm thinking of changing the name and moving forward with it. Blogging on FYC theory, disability theory, new book ideas, etc. Because I've got several.

Graduation: December 17th. (I'm so random this morning)

June Expense Report

Okay. I've got 10 minutes to type up the blog before I have to get back to cleaning the house. My mother, father, sister, her boyfriend, her twins, my aunt, and my grandfather will be here with me, my boys, and Marc in about 2 hours. It's going to be a looooooong day.

But, here's my June expense report. Some areas were a great improvement. Others could use some more work.

• Groceries $589.42 (Huge improvement from last month--$400 less than last month)
  
• Healthcare/Medical 562.21 (This will probably be a bit high for a while.)
  
• Education 476.60 (This is high b/c I had to buy a buttload of books for next fall and for my dissertation. This should go down a lot next month.)
  
• Mom 300.00
  
• Car Payment 300.00
  
• Utilities 290.00
  
• Gasoline 259.48
• Restaurant 202.83 (A huge improvement from the $400 we spent last month.)
  
• Travel 190.00
• Home Improvement 159.35 (This was a bit higher b/c I did some home improvements in the yard. Dirt therapy.)
  
• Insurance 150.00
• Entertainment 128.43
• Telephone 111.55
• Cable 100.00
• Hobbies 93.39 (This went down b/c I dropped Tobey from karate.)
  
• Service Fees 77.00 (Okay, this is seriously all my fault and way too much--six $10 overdraft fees to move money from savings to checking when I don't pay attention and have insufficient funds in my checking. I have GOT to do better here.)
  
• General Merch. 62.28
• Auto 57.69 (Yearly inspection and oil change.)
  
• Clothing 39.40
  
• Other 40.00

Total Expenses for June 1st - June 27th: $3910. (Not really an improvement from last month. However, my income did go up this month since I'm finally getting child support for the first time in almost a year. Still, I've got some work to do here.)

Overall, medical went way up, but that was to be expected between my minor medical procedure and Tobey's medication. It will probably go down some in the next couple months, but not by much. However, I was able to compensate for the increase in medical expenses with less grocery expenses.

Education was way up, but that was including a Sallie Mae payment and some much needed resources for the fall and my dissertation. That will go down dramatically next month. But, I need to start thinking about the student loan payments that'll be there in the next couple months.

Still, the winner for this month were the groceries and restaurant expenses, which went waaaay down. Last month was almost $1100. This month, $800. That was a huge improvement for us, especially considering that this is the summer when the boys are home and doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and swimming.