Archive - 2006
September 16th
Updates
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 09/16/2006 - 13:11Lyme Disease
Yes. It is official. Kim has Lyme disease and facial paralysis known as Bell’s Palsy. Her face started going numb during a meeting on September 8th. She called her doctor who told her to go straight to the emergency room. Facial paralysis can be a symptom of a few different things. Two of the most common are strokes and Lyme disease. Kim’s vitals were fine so it wasn’t a stroke, and Lyme disease was the most likely suspect.
They prescribed prednisone for the Bell’s Palsy. There was some confusion over her antibiotics. The center for infectious diseases recommends starting the course of antibiotics when there is strong indication of Lyme disease, even before a positive test comes back. A resident at the hospital called us and said he would call in the prescription. However, this got lost in the shuffle and the prescription didn’t get called in until Monday afternoon, after the Lyme disease test came back positive, several trips to the pharmacist and several phone calls.
September 11th
Almost overwhelmed
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 09/11/2006 - 10:319/11
I read a lot about the path to remember 9/11. Meanwhile, I’ve been bombarded by online social network requests. There is a blog post there worth writing.
Lyme Disease?
Kim is very sick. She has Bell’s Palsy. She has slept all weekend. We are waiting for test results to see if it is Lyme disease. I’m running around getting meds, taking care of Fiona, etc. Developing.
New Canaan Democratic Picnic
I took Fiona there. Much more to write about that, when I get a chance.
40 Laptops to clean
For a group I’m working with, I just purchased 40 used laptops from a private school in a neighboring town. I’m cleaning off all the stickers, personal data, viruses, old software etc. Thinking about these laptops, the digital divide, Gina, Laura Ingalls Wilder, John Edwards, etc. There is a lot of stuff to write about this.
My own computer crashing
My main computer is about ten years old. It crashed several times this weekend. I lost some of my personal scheduling stuff. This added more work, more to worry about, and if I forget something important this week, that’s why.
About 1000 unread emails
Things pile up quickly when I’m otherwise occupied. On top of that, I haven’t visited a blog in several days. Bloglines lists 18,527 unread posts.
So, if you don’t hear from me for a few days, that’s why.
September 6th
Media Education
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 09/06/2006 - 12:20(Cross posted at One America.)
Today, Fiona started her final year of nursery school. Yesterday, Ned Lamont unveiled his education plan, and across the blogs, there are discussions about media education issues, so I thought this would be a good time to talk a bit about media education.
Over on MyLeftNutmeg, CTBlogger writes about how a local paper has started covering an important local story because of what was being written in blogs. On MyDD, Jerome Armstrong writes about critiquing political advertisements. Meanwhile, Act for Change is encouraging people to contact ABC about their planned ‘docudrama’ about 9/11 which Editor and Publisher reports, “at least two real-life figures portrayed in the movie, Richard Clarke and Sandy Berger, have raised factual objections.”
There is a famous quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, "An informed citizenry is the bulwark of a democracy". To have a better-informed citizenry, we need better journalism and people who better understand the media. That is why the Citizen Journalism efforts, such as those at the One America Committee blog are so important.
For those who have a strong interest in media education, I want to recommend the Action Coalition on Media Education conference that will be happening Oct 6-8 in Burlington, VT. Jerome Armstrong will be speaking there. I will be on a panel, and a lot of other prominent media educators and citizen/activists will be speaking. I hope some of you will be able to attend.
September 3rd
Andre Agassi and Joe Lieberman
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 21:19(Cross posted at DailyKos)
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this stanza from A.E. Housman’s great poem, “To an Athlete Dying Young” recently. Andre Agassi’s tearful farewell brought it into sharp focus. I sat in my father-in-law’s living room, with the extended family as we watched his last set, cheering him on each painful step of the way. It is sad to see him go. He has brought so much grace and excitement to the U.S. Open, and it will not be the same without him. Yet he knew it was time to step aside for a new generation of tennis stars, and he has done it incredibly gracefully.
This marks a profound contrast to Sen. Lieberman. Voters in Connecticut no long see Sen. Lieberman as a champion of the causes of the people of Connecticut. Some people question whether he ever was such a champion, others defend him to this day, but still call on him to recognize and acknowledge his defeat last month, when a record number of voters in a Connecticut primary voted for his opponent.
Andre Agassi leaves the field, with his head held high and people wishing it wasn’t time for him to go. Sen. Lieberman sticks around as people wish he would just leave.
Incense and horse manure
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 09:36The faint odor of incense lingered in the sanctuary as light from the gray sky streamed in through the clear glass windows. My mind wandered back to memories of years past. It was seven years ago this weekend when I first attended Christ Church. I had been dating Kim for about six weeks, and her mother had just died after a long battle with cancer.
