My apologies for the lack of updates over the last few days. I’m feeling better, but it may take a few more days for me to be at full strength again as this particular virus is something of a malingerer. So don’t expect any dazzling prose in the immediate future. Then again, you probably don’t expect that anyway.
Of course, my thoughts are with the people of Boston. Let’s hope the perpetrators are caught soon and that the media shows good judgment as they rush to cover this tragedy.
I seem to be fighting a cold, which is rather inconvenient. More tomorrow.
Even though I may lose my last few remaining readers as a result, I invite you to check out Shane Burcaw’s blog entitled Laughing at My Nightmare. Shane is an engaging writer who brings a sense of humor to his stories about living with spinal muscular atrophy. He’s also younger and better looking than me, although I’m trying to not let that color my assessment of his talent. Shane also answered questions about his disability on a Reddit Ask Me Anything thread. Reddit alternately fascinates and frightens me, so Shane is also much braver than me. In short, I don’t know why you’re still here when you could be reading Shane’s blog.
Let us pour out a pint of grog in memory of Lucasarts, the legendary game developer that Disney is shuttering after acquiring it last fall. My brother and I spent a good portion of our youth crowded around the computer in my bedroom, playing games like Day of the Tentacle, X-Wing, and Dark Forces. X-Wing was particularly suited to our style of collaborative play; he would handle piloting and combat duties while I would remind him when to double aft shields and punch it. Good times.
You can still find classic Lucasarts available through, er, alternative distribution channels. All you need to play them is the ScummVM emulator.
I was sorry to hear about the death of Roger Ebert today. Aside from being a gifted writer and astute critic, he became a champion of disability rights in his later as he coped with his own declining health. He promoted bloggers who wrote about disability and mentioned disability issues frequently in his own blog. I’ll miss seeing his links and commentary pop up in my Twitter feed.
Something unexpected came up tonight. More tomorrow.
The Obama administration announced yesterday that it is delaying implementation of a provision of the Affordable Care Act that helps small employers offer an assortment of health insurance plans to their employees. In most states, only one health plan will be available on the small-business version of the exchange (also called the SHOP). The administration attributed the delay to “operational challenges”, which is a bureaucratic way of saying “This is a little more complicated than we thought.”
This isn’t the first time that the administration has delayed implementing a provision of the ACA. It has already told states that basic health plans—a program meant to assist individuals who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but may not be able to afford coverage on the Exchange—won’t be available until 2015. The major provisions of the law, like the subsidies and the Medicaid expansion, will still go into effect next year and these delays might not have a significant impact. But news like this provides ample ammunition for the law’s critics who argue that the government isn’t up to the task of regulating health care. The administration may have done the smart thing; better to delay implementation than botch things up and invite even harsher criticism. But these delays make it even more important that the administration and the states implement the rest of the law without mention of “operational challenges”.
For the first time in years, I played a first-person shooter over the weekend. With the help of one of my gaming-inclined nurses, I played through the opening chapter of Bioshock: Infinite. The game has garnered an impressive number of gushing reviews (even NPR thought it was sophisticated enough to deserve a story) and I’m a fan of the original BioShock, so I was excited to get the chance to play it. And so far, it’s damn impressive. The setting–a city floating in the sky called Columbia–is rendered with stunning attention to detail and I spent a considerable amount of time poking around in various corners of this seemingly idyllic American town before proceeding with the main plot. The game slowly reveals the vitriolic mix of jingoistic Christianity and racism permeates every aspect of civic life in Columbia and I’m looking forward to discovering more about this strange place while kicking a little ass along the way.
I’ll post a more complete review once I finish the game.
NPR is receiving significant flak for its recent series of reports entitled “Unfit for Work”, which looks at the increasing enrollment in the federal Social Security disability program. Disability advocates accuse NPR of generalizing about beneficiaries based on anecdotal stories of individuals who happen to live in economically depressed areas and have little education. They also point out that disability programs provide vital support to millions of people who would otherwise be forced to live in abject poverty.
These are fair criticisms, but both NPR and advocates fail to address some key points about disability benefits:
Writers for The Onion understand the bullshit that we gimps have to put up with at times. For example: Amputee Inspires Others Not To Lose Limbs.
Choice quote:
“Bret has taught me that I enjoy walking quite a bit and that I would like to continue doing so in the future,” said family friend Leo Harris, 43, remarking upon how hard it would be to perform simple tasks such as getting into a car or putting on pants without the use of both legs. “I look at him and appreciate how much I don’t ever want to be an amputee or a paraplegic or bedridden or anything like that. It’s a lesson I really owe to Bret.”
I’ve often been told I’m an inspiration. And while I understand that it’s meant as a compliment, it often carries the subtext of “I’m glad I’m not you, you poor bastard.” The whole “inspiration” spiel is just the candy coating on a primal fear that most people are too polite to express, which is totally fine. I’m just glad to see The Onion call it out for what it is.