chicago '08

The cover story of a recent Time Magazine concerns autism, and specifically "facilitated communication." Time seems to regard it as a major breakthrough, but to me it sounds like these facilitators are using autistic children as human ouiji boards. I wonder if this is something anyone in your position ever deals with, or if it is so obviously bogus that it never even crosses your radar.
 

a little of both. it's very obviously bogus, except in very rare circumstances. the parents most likely to use it are those with kids with severe cognitive deficits who are convinced that their kids are actually geniuses trapped inside an autistic body. maybe the kid can calculate calendars or count toothpicks, but that doesn't translate into functional intellectual ability. the sad part is parents may choose interventions that promise a big break-through and won't deliver in place of research-supported interventions that only offer modest gains over time.
 

What event brought you to DC? That's so cool that Obama has jelly beans in his office. I would have stolen some if I were you.
 

I never thought Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan would have anything in common, besides jellybeans and their whiteness (or in Obama's case, half-whiteness).

I'm not shocked to see the Dem staffers take their cue from Sen. Kennedy. He's the "Lion of the Senate." Plus, Kennedy will probably demand food/booze if they don't do what he says. (Yes, it's a tired joke, but it still works.)

I'm sure Hillary has a lot of weird callers. She probably has a lot of angry young people calling her office these days. I can hear the young people now: "Man, b****, what u said bout us is whack. Suck my (expletive)." Hillary would probably confuse them for Bill, because he tells her that all the time.

Norris is a huge GOP supporter. Perhaps he was there because the GOP wants him to help start patrolling the border. Dubya probably got that idea from "Walker, Texas Ranger." Either that or he was hawking that exercise equipment he uses on TV.

I got more jokes, but I need more trip info. Steve Colbert ain't got nothin on me.
 

Kristin, my trip to DC was one of the benefits of my policy fellowship- something I applied for after I started the other fellowship.

Jake, I don't even know where to start.
 

If you don't know where to start, then I suggest starting somewhere, and then hopefully, you'll get to where you want to go. The good part is that I'm an equal-opportunity offender, except for Oprah. I will always be harder on Oprah, because she thinks she's hot stff.