Check out Million Dollar Bigot's updated website.

I just added some more updates to the Million Dollar Bigot website. I was interviewed for the Maine Video Activist Network's series, which screens on public access throughout Maine, and somewhere online, but I'm not sure if it is done or not. Expect some coverage of the Maine People's Alliance Medicare part D forum (and some genuine criticism about the event) some mp3's about DIY media from the Maine Social Forum, and hopefully a new layout, because, like, John Hockenberry's blog is kicking my butt, and I find that rather disturbing.

get my movie on googles top 100 videos

Lewiston Maine – Michael Reynolds, filmmaker and webmaster, is proud to announce two new events surronding his documentary “Million Dollar Bigot.” The film will be screened on Saturday, July 29^th, 2006 at the Lewiston Public Library in conjunction with the Maine Social Forum Film Festival. Reynolds is also embarking on a campaign to have the film appear in the top 100 videos Wednesday July 26, 2006, on Google Video’s daily ranking, to coincide with the “Sweet Sixteen” anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act. The video can be viewed and downloaded at http://video.google.com and searching for million dollar bigot

(updated as it seems google was acting up on the original link.)

(please watch or download for sony psp or your ipod. There are ways to burn it for a DVD directly from this site, but the internet archive video may be easier.)

The video stands as one of the first grassroots based disability documentaries to been completed largely through online networking and collaboration. The inclusion on the Google top 100 daily video rankings would provide a needed focus on the struggle people with disabilities are still facinbg for full inclusion in our society.

The film chronicles the disability rights opposition to film “Million Dollar Baby” with insights from CSI Star Robert David Hall, Reporter John Hockenberry, disability publishing pioneer Mary Johnson, and many others. The film was completed with the support of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, Not Dead Yet, and Maine Independent Media Center.

Reynolds, 32, considers this a “documentary film by accident.” While attending a conference in Washington DC, it was literally a “eureka” moment, when he realized most of the major players in the grassroots disability struggle over the movie were easily filmed. Networking with a friend who was taping with a DV camera and using his own stock footage, Reynolds set out to chronicle the disability resistance to the Clint Eastwood film.

Reynolds is also breaking new ground by working to establish a new distribution systems. Besides Google Video, the film is available through the Internet Archive. The film has been screened at the Reel Life Film Festival in Detroit, as well as an upcoming screening in collaboration with the “Dis This” film series in New York City in mid September. Reynolds will also be hosting a session on do it yourself media at the Maine Social Forum after his film screening. The media workshop will be at the Bates Mill in Lewiston.

Million Dollar Bigot, a website started by Reynolds, received international attention in 2005 before the Oscar Ceremonies. John Hockenberry graciously contributed an incredible essay, “And the Loser Is”, and the website was featured in a number of different media outlets, including Fair.org’s “Counterspin”, and Common Dreams.

About Uppity Disability dot Net.
Uppity Disability dot Net is a nonprofit web site/publishing entity promoting progressive views of disability rights and culture. Uppity Disability dot net has Resources for Organizing Social Change as its fiscal sponsor. Reynolds is 32, has Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities, and is a part time wheelchair user. Reynolds has a part time job in the teleservices field, is a graduate of the University of Maine and lives with his partner, Jim.

because we all need a cure...

ARGH! Sitting in the waiting room trying to get pain relief for my broken toe (silly accident details withheld) I came across this ad for "The Cleveland Clinic" which touts implants for brain activity for individuals with Parkinsons disease. Now, granted, it is a devasting disease, but do you really need to pour over how you can not play Cholin anymore? I mean, i began to wonder if this type of technology existed for CP, Then, amoungst the rediculous amounts of stuff that has been in my inbox - maybe we just need cures, because killing kids with autism makes no sense to me, but curing my cp doesnt either. Maybe, I'm the problem, *I* need to be cured. I dont know why I was so infuriated, but dammit, when kids are being killed because their mothers feel that mercury immunizations cause autism, yet people completely disregard the autism community in general, something is wrong.
The complete other side of this debate happened a few hours earlier, while listening to NPR's Joe Shapiro interview a man who has aspergers syndrome and is proud of it. i dunno why those depictions are so few and far between. I guess seeing the ad in a hospital waiting room is just appealing to their target audience...

I dunno...

mr. broken toe - it really freaking hurts!
MJR

Links:

The Autism Hub (a www feed of bloggers who reject cures for autism)

Npr.org (search joe shapiro autism)

Not Dead Yet (for mucho info on the string of murders of kids with disabilities.)

and yeah - the photo is from my cell phone. is this the "new internet?"

uppity disability dot net goes mobile - new laptop. Publishing Empire Coming Soon...

...well, Empire may be stretching it.

But a wonderful friend gave me her old laptop, it is running an ancient copy of win 95 (an yes, i AM running firefox on it...) A fresh OS, (yep, linux does run...) a couple pcmcia cards...and a usb wireless hub, and Well, we'll be doing the wifi media server. Give me a week or two. And a new head of hair because upgrading computers sucks. But no - it is really insane how cheap this can all be done, well under a hundred dollars... I hope to to explain the joys of diy media creation at a few events in the future, notably the Maine Social Forum and some sort of event in NYC in September. *I* even think i can upload video with the laptop. We will see. Tons more interesting stuff to post, like my review of 'Letters to Sam",some stuff about ssome local activist stuff and maybe a new design

Mike R.

Crip joins "Wired"

john hockenberry - the crip journalist we all love...

is a contributing EDITOR for wired magazine.

which is still extremely cool.

and he did some panel with al gore last night for them.

i was going to go - but he said it wasnt worth the trip - i guess the
afterparty he would have got me into if he knew about it WAS worth the trip...

and he edits his own site, which is soooo cool...

not bitter...(i can just imagine lindsey lohan and paris hilton at
some after party with al gore and hock...well, maybe i can't - that
is a stretch...)

maybe it went like this...

Hilton: global warming is so hot...

Gore: That's actually an oversimplification...(inane sputtering about
science and how he really doesnt want to run against hillary)

Hilton walks over to Hockenberry

Hilton: That wheelchair is, like, so hot...

Hockenberry: Uh. Thanks. its like seven years old, needs new
suspension and everything...but uh thanks (completely obvious to who
he is chatting with...

Reynolds: Ummm...that's Paris Hilton.

Hockenberry: Really, oh, that's right, i've been saving olivia's old
books so i can give them to help fight illiteracy...maybe giving them
to Paris counts?

Lohan: I'm a movie star what are all these old people doing here...

Reynolds: Uh, it's the former vice president

Lohan: Wow, I thought Reagan died.

(tongue planted firmly in cheek)

some dork named mike...with too little sleep.

MJR

army recruits autistic teen

note -
the only reason *I* had any idea about this story was because i was
listening to a cbc radio station - there has been very little
coverage in the us msm and nothing in the blogosphere

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1147229743197640.xml&coll=7

what is the world coming to these days...i mean autistic recruits?
Maybe i better be glad for dont ask dont tell, , cus CP probably wont
make me a guaranteed 4F

mike r.

Million Dollar Bigot now live on google video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6312549118275450865

you can download it from archive.org as well, embed it into your
myspace acct, play it on your video ipod or psp (or even burn it to dvd)

i know there were streaming issues with the archive.org stream.
specifically synch issue between audio and video - those should be corrected...

more stuff as soon as i get a chance.

oh - go watch it or something - i am not too sure how that popularity
thing works, but i should be doing a uppity disability myspace page,
and hopefully will have mucb more stuff online soon.

and yeah, at some point i will have subtitles for the entire thing...

and yes, it should be screening at a nyc film festival in july...more
info on that as soon as we confirm a date.

dvd with covers and stuff hopefully with cool distro soon. go wild
downloading it - if you have a dvd burner and a windows based pc, i
can send you the info on how to make it a DVD.

mike r.
ps - more content soon...

The Hell of Medicaid part D

The Hell of Medicaid part D
By Mike Reynolds.

Journalists are supposed to be objective, yet it is impossible for me to have any objectivity over the new prescription drug plan offered as part of the new Medicaid part D coverage. As an individual with a disability, I knew this was going to be a bit of an adjustment. The difficulty I experienced, however was totally unpredictable. I feel I did have some benefits; my best friend is a technician at the pharmacy where I get my medications. I have worked in the insurance industry, and I would like to think I advocate for myself effectively. All of these assumptions would be tried in my mind in the month of dealing with part D.

I should preface this with the fact that I did go through a medicine change that was unexpected and unrelated to Medicaid. I am disabled due to Cerebral Palsy (CP) and also have a diagnosis of Panic Disorder. The CP is due to a difficult birth, my Panic Disorder was diagnosed when I was 15, though I know I have had it from a very young age, I think my first panic attack was at 7, which wasn’t considered plausible when I was growing up. I need various durable medical items to get through the day, but since this law did not affect DME, there is no need to really discuss the entirety of those needs.

I tried to get a drug I was out of on December 30th. But there were some complex issues with my doctor’s office, the drug was never refilled, and I found myself without it for a week. This drug was a form of neurontin, which I was taking for post surgical pain and spasms, which had been treated with physical therapy. I had some of my Lexapro, which I had used for years to help with my anxiety issues, in conjunction with a script for klonoprin, a drug I have been on since I was 17.

On January 3, I went to go get my klonoprin refilled. I had my part D card from a company, which, I guess was better than some folks, who did not even receive any information in the mail. I also have since learned that this was the program the government threw me into, without looking at my medicines at all. My friend informed me that no drugs in the same class as my klonoprin were covered by any plan. My neurontin drug was to be picked up at my doctors office as it was also, not covered without some lengthy paper trail. This had already taken a couple of hours, and as I was going home, my friend called my cell phone and let me know that my Medicaid was also somehow cut off. This was more than 2.5 hours after “just trying to get a script refilled.” It took an hour to go to the Human Services office and get my Medicaid re-instated. It was discontinued due to a computer error. I received a letter and was told by the pharmacy I could get my drug refilled in 3 days, luckily I had enough to last those 3 days. I went home exhausted, physically, spiritually and mentally. I am usually a pretty resilient person, but this had left me wiped out. I was left wondering why part D didn’t pay for meds I needed to stay sane. Was I some sort of horrible person for needing the medication? Was it a frivolous drug expense? I went to sleep early, my partner looking in on me, as I seemed a bit distressed.

The same week my body went into crash mode, or just basically deciding it would not cooperate with what a 32-year-old body should do. I had lost bowel control, something that has happened before but after the third day of “oops,” my partner decided that maybe an ER visit would be advisable. I had no idea why my lower half of my body just stopped and said to my brain “He, you thought you had control of us, eh, well, we’re rebelling, and you can’t stop us.”
The ER visit sucked, most do, but this even more so. Instead of my neurological impairment being the main focus, my sexual preference was somehow more important. The ER attending ruled it a bout of diarrhea, a dubious diagnosis because I know my body, it wasn’t that, but after four hours in the ER, I could care less, I just wanted to go home.

I decided to see my general doctor. He was on vacation, but I got a script and the need to try and get on a bowel program seemed to iron things out. My doctor came back and decided to change my anxiety meds to see if a different combo worked. It did, but a bit too well; I was constantly tired and stopped after a couple weeks.

My disability does have some effects on my body that are less than desirable, but after the runaround I have dealt with part D of Medicare, I cannot see how this drug benefit really helps anyone except insurance and drug companies. I mean I am glad I have coverage, and I am glad Maine is one of the states that made sure that there was some stopgap protections. Certainly I cant be the only one with these problems, but after the amount of bureaucracy, I can only imagine how other people who may not have the education or background, or a good friend who knows the benefits from working in a pharmacy and was helpful enough to tell me that my Medicaid was cut off, which probably saved me time by getting it all done in one day. So I guess I’m frustrated, but overall, not hurt by Medicare part D. I just hope they don’t plan on doing this to DME supplies or it will be an enormous headache.

Jerrys orphans in Chicago - With Edited Audio

Orphans in Chicago shut down Lewis

On Wednesday night, 12 disability activists shut down a speech by MDA telethon host Jerry Lewis. While many sites are reported that the disabled protesters may have "walked out and drove home" This is a bulls**t lie. Lewis is extremely RUDE to the folks, and shows even more of his hatred to all things "crip." Yeah, we know who led the protests, no, noone was arrested.

Lewis censored himself by refusing to address the crowd, It is rediculous to say he cares about his kids. I think is is really rediculous when Jerry Lewis Fans are so blinded by their own ineptitude to consider MS a "type of MD" and "well my mother used a chair as she was elderly" as definitive knowledge of MD, or having a loved one with MD.

Folks - My best friend had MD, as did over a dozen of my closed friends (THE ONLY downside to crip summer camp.) So do not even try to get into an argument about the merits of criticizing Lewis.

-Background



http://www.geocities.com/chicagoadapt/9-12-jerry.html

http://webhost.bridgew.edu/jhuber/readings/mda_telethon.html

http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/extra/jerrylewis052401.htm

http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/archive/jerry92.htm

http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/sep97/drnat9.htm

http://www.cripcommentary.com/LewisVsDisabilityRights.html



-September 2, 1990 Parade Magazine Article



http://www.cripcommentary.com/parade.html



-Jerry Lewis Fans



http://www.jerrylewisfans.com/lofiversion/index.php/t349.html



-Alternative to MDA



http://www.mdff.org/



-The Kids Are All Right



http://www.thekidsareallright.org

special ed supreme court ruling

I am not sure why this hasn't been on MORE listservs, but the supreme
court ruled on the case monday, against parents of students with disabilities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/politics/15scotus.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

is a NY Times story that details the decision.

This case was argued the same day as the Gonzalez vs. Oregon
case. When I listened in to the hemlock type folks, after the case
was argued, they expected an early decision.

John Roberts did not vote on this case, as his law firm was involved
with the case.

If someone wants to find the ruling - i would definitely like to see
the opinions as they were written...

Mike Reynolds