#Rehabilitation Center San Francisco

[ms-nesbit]

Title: cosmic (a jason todd x reader fic)

Chapter I of ???

Rating: 18+ (eventual smut, language, violence i guess, and mention of past abuse)

Tw: abuse, violence, and smut.

Summary: 

y/n meets dick and barbara, who try to set y/n up with dick’s big little brother.

ao3

“Can you turn the goddamn air up?”

Gothamites were becoming increasingly brusque as the summer heat slowly suffocated them. Typically, one can notice the season in Gotham based on the layers of clothing (or lack thereof) that each resident sported on the Gotham streets; however, tube tops and 1970s-style track shorts were no match for the heat index rising above 115 degrees, an unusually sweltering day for the sinful city.

“It looks like Gotham is finally getting a taste of what the afterlife is gonna look like.” One resident snickered with a twisted smirk as he laid change down on the newspaper stand to pay for the Gotham Gazette. “Lotta fire in those parts, don’t’cha think?”

“I don’t know - never believed in the stuff.” replied y/n, who sat on the other end of the newspaper stand. She counted the dirtied coins and wrinkled up dollar bills before placing them in the register, sitting on the stool with a sigh. She glanced at the clock on the upper corner of the interior of the stand as the upper hand mocked her boredom.

Y/n worked at the newspaper stand part-time since graduating from NYU - she fled New York City, hopeful about Gotham despite her friends’ pleas for her to stay after the break-up.

“Y/n, seriously? Fucking Gotham?” Amulya spat the city’s name, her boxed wine almost out with it. “What the hell?”

Sarah shook her head, the wiry blonde strands going with it. “Is it because of the superheroes?”

“No.” Y/n replied, her voice less convincing than her face’s poor attempt at hiding guilt. “I just think that I want to see more than NYC.”

“Then go to San Francisco, for crying out loud!” Amulya stood on her feet this time, glass full of wine sloshing with every movement. “Or at least Bludhaven. I’m with Sarah on this one: I think you’ve finally lost it, hun.”

Y/n sighed as she stared at her flats. “I’ll come visit, I just… can’t stand being here after everything.”

Since moving to Gotham, y/n caught up on the news: Batman was a household name, due in part by the Gotham News and Gazette. His name was both a prayer and a curse, spoken by all sorts of residents as they pointed to him. After a couple of weeks, it clicked for y/n: Gotham’s incessant violent crime ceases to stop due to Batman’s no-kill rule.

One day, while job hunting (for the third week in a row), y/n picked up a thrown out Gazette paper, with a piece titled Are You There, Batman? It’s Me, Gotham by Keke Throwma. She read it, then clipped the newspaper article into a scrapbook upon her arrival to her shared apartment. The following day, she applied for a position at the newspaper stand, writing articles in her downtime on shifts (which was often - the digital age nearly extinguished the paper business entirely).

“Do you think it’s ever going to change?” Y/n heard from a passerby who stopped at the stand to read the cover page of the paper.

The man standing beside the passerby shrugged, but grinned optimistically. “You know, all it takes is implementing a rehabilitation program, which Gotham should fund!” His voice was as deep as his shoulders broad, and only then did y/n notice the badge clipped on the man’s belt. “Could I just get this one?” He made eye contact with y/n, his blue eyes soft and welcoming.

“Yeah, no problem.” y/n opened her palm for the cash as she watched the man remove the wallet from his front pocket.

“What do you think about all this?” The woman asked y/n, pointing to the newspapers.

Y/n blinked for a moment, her mind blank despite preparing for this question for months. “The rehab center wouldn’t account for people like Joker, who believe that rules are meant for breaking.” she counted the coins after the man gave her the money, and pushed a button to open the register.

“See? Thank you!” the woman threw her hands up, her buttoned-up top rising from her slacks. “Grayson, you’re the only person who thinks Batman is in his right mind.” 

“Not right mind,” Dick corrected, “just on the right path. Big difference.” He folded the newspaper and placed it in his armpit, thanking y/n.

“You’re Detective Grayson, right?” y/n leaned forward in her stool in curiosity. “And Commissioner Gordon!” she grinned, awestruck by the pair standing before her.

“Yeah, we are.” Barbara replied. “Y’know, people aren’t always this excited to see us.”

“Unless they have a loaded barrel and a death wish.” Dick added, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Sorry, I just see you two on TV, I hear about you in the papers, and I think you’re doing a great job of interfering with the vigilantes.”

Dick blinked quickly, pursing his lips as he looked to Gordon for her reaction. She beamed, “Yeah, I know a lot of people are upset about that, but from working closely with my father until his death, I saw the often fatal flaws of enabling vigilantism, let alone encouraging it in Batman’s case.”

Y/n nodded, following along. “Yeah, we studied vigilantism in a couple of my criminal seminars in school. Although Batman has respectful intentions for the legal system in Gotham, he isn’t contributing to the reform of the system, essentially being a catalyst for the cycle of retribution and re-offense for these criminals.”

“Exactly!” Barbara laughed. “Where did you study criminal justice?”

“Criminology.” y/n corrected. “At NYU. I moved here a few months ago hoping to get a job as a journalist, but apparently they’re all booked up.”

“Figuratively or literally?” Dick asked, quirking a brow. Y/n and Barbara laughed in response. “I’m not surprised that you weren’t brought on at the Gazette, if that’s what you applied for, but we could always use you at the PD, if you’re interested in some additional training.”

“Recruiting me? For the police? No offense, Detective, but I’d rather stay here in the sweltering heat.” y/n waved her hand.

“Don’t like the grunt work?” Barbara asked, intrigued.

“No, I love that stuff,” y/n sighed, “I just don’t… like the cops, y’know? Feels dirty." She looked around at the floor beside her, covered in old gum, trash, and remnants of rodents. “Dirtier than this place, I’m afraid.” Y/n realized what she said and quickly added, “No offense.”

“None taken.” Dick replied. “Seems like you should meet my brother. He is, for lack of a better word, ashamed of what I do for a living.”

Barbara nodded in agreement. “I’ve been over at their place for holidays a couple of times, and Jason hates him for it. It’s kind of funny, actually.”

“I don’t know why he doesn’t hate you! I don’t get why it’s just me!” Dick’s voice is irritated, half-laughing at his own words.

“I know, I know.” Barbara rubs his back soothingly. “We’ll get going soon, but we didn’t catch your name. What was it?”

“Oh, it’s y/n.” Y/n replied.

“If you want,” Dick’s chest rose as he took a sharp breath, “you can stop by at the station, and I can take you to the criminologist. I dunno if she needs an apprentice, but I do know that she needs help with a couple of cases.”

“Or you can just stop by Wayne Manor next week for the gala and introduce yourself to the PD.” Barbara interrupted. “It would be bold, but that way you can meet them, and possibly Dick’s brother, whom you might just like.”

Dick side-eyed Barbara, swallowing a smirk. “He might not even show up. He doesn’t like parties, and he doesn’t like cops. It’s like his worst nightmare.”

“I can stop by. Is it black tie?” y/n rested her hands on her knees as she watched the pair shake their heads almost in unison. “Okay, I’ll do that, then. I don’t like parties as much, but fuck it, I could use a better job than this.”

“Okay, we’ll see you then.” Dick smiled, holding up his coffee cup.

“See you then, y/n.” Barbara playfully grinned before leaving.

[spntrashpanda]

EvanTommy Headcanon for

@kinardbuckleys.

So this just poured out of me, I have no idea where it came from.

Chimney had at some point mentioned some of Buck's attempts at a grand gesture when dating women, like the hot balloon ride. He waits for Evan to try one but Buck doesn't. Some careful and nonchalant questioning later Buck reveals that they always go wrong and that he is tired of trying and failing. Tommy is like hold my beer and so for Buck and Tommy's 6 month anniversary Tommy does a big gesture. Even has been research spiraling on whales and other marine mammals and Tommy loves to listen to Evan ramble and gets sad when Evan stops himself afraid he is being annoying. Tommy plans with Eddie to surprise Evan with an overnight trip up to San Francisco. He flies them up to San Francisco and takes Evan to the Marine Mammal Center for a private tour to see the seals being rehabilitated followed by a picnic on a small beach near-by. They go hiking at sunset and spend the night at a cozy bed and breakfast overlooking the ocean. While Tommy doesn’t arrange to have rose petals scattered over the room, some things are too over the top, he does arrange to have a vase of California poppies in the room.

The next day, they go on a whale watching trip to the Farallon Islands. It takes some prompting from Tommy before Evan starts excitedly telling him about whales and particularly the 52-hertz whale. He gets sad when he talks about how it’s the loneliest whale in the world. He sounds wistful and Tommy just holds him from behind as they watch humpbacks frolic. He quietly whispers into Evan’s ear that he isn’t alone and tells him he loves him. 52 becomes their short hand for you are not alone, to the point where when they get married years later, the wave pattern for 52 hertz is etched onto their rings.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this Smithsonian story:

Several hundred starving, sick or injured brown pelicans have turned up on beaches throughout California over the past few weeks, with wildlife officials still unable to pinpoint the cause of what they are calling a “crisis.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and other non-governmental partners, have been working to collect and rehabilitate the birds, many of which are anemic, dehydrated and underweight.

“They’re in really poor physical shape. They’re starving, and they haven’t gotten enough nutrition,” Russ Curtis, a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization International Bird Rescue, which is helping in the rescue efforts, tells KQED’s Annelise Finney.

“When there’s not the fishing stock that they can find, they take chances around fishing piers and fishing boats and places where there are people with fishing tackle,” Curtis says, explaining that some pelicans have been hurt by fishing hooks and lines they encounter near the shore.

As of this week, the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center (WWCC) in Huntington Beach and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network have admitted more than 100 pelicans each, while International Bird Rescue has taken 260 pelicans into its two California facilities—one in Los Angeles County, and one in the San Francisco Bay Area, reports Cheri Carlson of the Ventura County Star.

Other birds have been found dead on beaches. Necropsies have revealed starvation as their cause of death, which has puzzled scientists. Populations of fish that pelican forage, by all accounts, remain abundant off the Pacific coast.

We also know that there’s supposedly plenty of anchovies and their food out there in the ocean, so we don’t really know why they are not able to forage yet,” Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, tells Eugene Garcia of theAssociated Press.

Brown pelicans are known to spend their non-breeding months throughout the entirety of the state’s coastline, and the sick birds have been found in a variety of locations. In northern California, most birds have been rescued around Monterey and Santa Cruz, while those in southern California have been found by officials in a variety of traditional and non-traditional habitats. Two dozen pelicans were found on Newport Beach and dozens more were picked up around Huntington Beach—but sick birds have also been identified in a lake at SoFi stadium, the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, and at a Malibu fire station, the Guardian’sDani Anguiano reports.In rescue efforts, the first step is to support the birds with warmth. “The great news is the vast majority are recovering if we can get them through those first couple of critical hours of hypothermia,” Elizabeth Wood, the WWCC’s veterinarian and medical director, says in a video posted to Facebook.

[reasonsforhope]

The California governor, Gavin Newsom, has announced a plan to transform the state’s oldest prison into a center for rehabilitation, education and training, modeled after Norwegian incarceration systems, which are much less restrictive than US facilities.

Newsom told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that his goal was “ending San Quentin [prison] as we know it” and working to “completely reimagine what prison means”. San Quentin, located on a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area and established in 1852, houses nearly 4,000 people, including hundreds on its infamous death row, the largest in the US, which is on track to be dismantled.

The Democratic governor said that by 2025, he plans to transition the massive penitentiary into a final stop of incarceration before individuals are released, with a focus on job training for trades, including plumbers, electricians or truck drivers, the LA Times reported. His recently released budget proposal includes $20m to start the effort.

“The ‘California Model’ the governor is implementing at San Quentin will incorporate programs and best practices from countries like Norway, which has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world – where approximately three in four formerly incarcerated people don’t return to a life of crime,” the governor’s office said in a statement on Thursday. The prison will be renamed the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

Pictured: Instructor Douglas Arnwine hands back papers with comments to his students at San Quentin state prison in April 2022.

The transformation Newsom has described would, at least for San Quentin, mark a fundamental shift from the extremely punitive American system. The US has the highest reported incarceration rate in the world...

Although California is considered a leader in criminal justice reform, the state’s prison system continues to be overcrowded, with thousands of elderly people languishing behind bars and Black residents disproportionately imprisoned for decades due to harsh sentencing laws adopted in the 1990s.

Scandinavian models of incarceration that have garnered increasing attention from some US lawmakers are less focused on punishment and are meant to give imprisoned people support and a sense of normal life behind bars so that they are prepared to reintegrate into society. That can mean access to personal computers, televisions and showers, consistent classes and programming, fresh food, more freedom of movement and stronger connections with the outside world.

“Do you want them coming back with humanity and some normalcy, or do you want them coming back more bitter and more beaten down?” Newsom told the LA Times.

An overhaul of San Quentin would be a huge undertaking, and there are significant unanswered questions about what the transition would mean for its current residents as well as the tens of thousands of others located across the California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR). San Quentin has a long and recent history of scandals involving abuse, overcrowding, guard misconduct and medical neglect. It is also a prison that has significantly more programming than some of the remote and rural CDCR prisons, with a renowned podcast produced by incarcerated San Quentin journalists.

The governor’s office noted research showing that every $1 spent on rehabilitation saves more than $4 on costs of re-incarceration; that people who enroll in education programs behind bars are 43% less likely to return to prison; and that crime survivor groups say victims prefer sentences that include programming designed to prevent recidivism...

Assemblymember Mia Bonta noted that California spends $14.5bn on prisons each year – $106,000 a person – but traditionally puts only about 3.4% toward rehabilitation: “It’s time for a significant paradigm shift.”

One of the reporters in attendance was Steve Brooks, an incarcerated journalist and editor of the San Quentin News paper, who asked the governor how the Scandinavian model would be adopted in a prison where residents remain concerned about overcrowding and the living conditions. Brooks also said people were concerned that those convicted of violent offenses would be excluded from programs under a new system. Newsom responded, “I’m not looking to cherry pick certain offenses. I’m for people who are committed, not passively interested, in changing themselves.”

-via The Guardian, 3/17/23

[beardedmrbean]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ambitious and expensive plans for a dilapidated factory at San Quentin State Prison where inmates of one of the nation’s most notorious lockups once built furniture, and lawmakers have given him the greenlight to start with little input or oversight.

He wants to spend $360 million demolishing the building and replacing it with one more reminiscent of a college campus, with a student union, classrooms and possibly a coffee shop. It’s part of his desire to make San Quentin, once home to the nation’s largest death row and where the state performed executions, a model for preparing people for life on the outside — a shift from the state’s decades-long focus on punishment.

And Newsom wants it all to happen by December 2025, just before he leaves office.

A 21-member advisory council Newsom selected to help shape the new facility’s design and programming does not have to follow open meetings laws, while the Legislature traded away seats on the council and formal oversight during budget negotiations.

That’s a concern for supporters and critics of prison reform. Republican lawmakers say the Legislature needs more of a say in the process, especially when the state faces a nearly $32 billion budget deficit. Criminal justice advocates say reforming San Quentin is a distraction from the real goal of closing more prisons.

“Spending hundreds of millions on new prison infrastructure is a step in the wrong direction,” said Brian Kaneda of CURB, a criminal justice reform coalition. “If there’s no public accessibility to the San Quentin advisory council meetings, that’s a really significant concern that I think people aren’t paying enough attention to.”

After inquiries from The Associated Press, the governor's office said it will release the advisory council's report to the public before Newsom presents his next budget to lawmakers in January.

“Since the very beginning of this process, the administration has engaged a diverse set of stakeholders and committed to transparently making the Advisory Council’s recommendations public. Our partners in the Legislature — along with stakeholders including victims, incarcerated individuals and their families, (The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) staff, and program providers — are the linchpin to San Quentin’s success," Izzy Gardon, deputy director of communications for Newsom, said in a statement.

The advisory council includes criminal justice reform advocates, San Quentin top brass and Newsom political allies like Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. It has met at least five times since June, and it will give a preliminary report to the administration this September and a final report in December.

The Democratic governor first announced his plans for remaking the prison — and renaming the facility located about 18 miles (29 kilometers) north of San Francisco the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center — in March. He said California would offer its own take on the Scandinavian prison model where cells look more like dorm rooms and inmates have access to activities and educational programs.

Newsom in 2019 instituted a moratorium on executions, and the state has begun moving San Quentin’s remaining 700 death row inmates to other prisons. San Quentin is home to more than 3,600 inmates total.

San Quentin already has some of the nation’s most innovative programs for inmates. In July, Newsom’s administration invited reporters to tour the prison, showcasing accredited college classes, a coding academy and the prison’s award-winning newsroom, among other programs. Many inmates said they’re excited for more programming spaces, but others remained skeptical.

Juan Haines, an inmate at San Quentin for nearly three decades, said the governor’s efforts to shift the culture at San Quentin would only work if both inmates and prison guards are buying into the vision, he told reporters during the July media tour.

Steinberg, one of the advisory council's leaders, said the group is tackling how to retrain correctional officers and improve inmates’ experience, among other issues.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation started soliciting contractors to design the new campus before lawmakers approved the budget, and a firm has been hired with plans to start construction next year. Lawmakers waived the historic preservation requirement and an environmental impact review to speed up the project.

The San Quentin campus would cost $360 million through a lease revenue bond. Lawmakers also agreed to another $20 million from the general fund for other smaller capital projects recommended by the council.

Democratic lawmakers, who hold a supermajority in California, said they’re supportive of Newsom’s project. Approving it helped them score a different political victory.

In exchange for approval, they added a provision to the budget giving them access to key data on the operational capacities of prisons across the state, which they say will help determine which to shut down. California has roughly 15,000 empty prison beds, a number that’s expected to grow.

[rabbitcruiser]

Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Spain (No. 6)

Plaza del Santo: It is located in front of the cathedral, in the center of the old town. It was in the Santo where at first the most important institutions were concentrated: pilgrim hospital, cathedral and the old dependencies of the council with its prison. The old Hospital of Pilgrims, it is known that it was raised by the hermit Domingo in the second half of the eleventh century, for its realization required a large amount of wood that decided to ask the neighbors of Ayuela. They refused, authorizing him to cut everything he could with the sickle he had hanging on his belt, and the Miracle was done: at each sickle stroke a tree fell. It remained active until in 1840 it moved to the Convent of San Francisco, from that year it was the home of various families, the brotherhood of the saint itself occupied for years two rooms for its civic-religious activities. In 1965 it was rehabilitated as a Parador de Turismo, which is still operating today.

House of Lorenzo de Tejada: Known as the lords of Cirujeda because for almost two centuries the pharmacy that ran the saga of the Cirujeda was located, whose last owners were said to have "taught a horse not to eat, and when it learned it died ...". It highlights a double eaves of carved dogs and florons, the most beautiful of all La Rioja and the royal staircase articulated by Tuscan columns, whose hollow is covered with dome on pendentives, decorated with plasterwork and naïve paintings of popular art.

Source: Wikipedia  

[star-spangled-batter]

The History of Prescription Drug Abuse in California

Though California deals with a controversial use of prescription drugs, the state lacks an exact documented history involving them.

However, there is still documentation present that has tackled this issue over the last few years.

About 6 years ago, around 791,000 Californian adults abused their prescribed medications. This was conducted by the California Health Interview Survey.

In 2017, death by prescription opiods had increased by 14,000 more likely deaths in the United States since 1999.

In relation to the drug abuse epidemic in the United States (including California), Ronald Reagan passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. This act was used to punish or rehabilitate all substance abusers, including ones of prescription drugs.

Even after half a decade or more, the history involving California and prescription drug abuse has not been at all pleasant. So, if this is the case, has California attempted to do something about it? This will be the topic of a separate post.

Sources:

[uhcstaffing1]

Unlock Your Career Potential with Physical Therapist Assistant Jobs in Pleasant Hill, CA

Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs) play an essential role in the healthcare industry, providing hands-on support to patients undergoing physical therapy. If you're seeking a rewarding career that combines patient care, professional growth, and excellent job prospects, consider exploring PTA opportunities in Pleasant Hill, California. Here's everything you need to know about starting or advancing your career as a Physical Therapist Assistant in this vibrant city.

Why Choose a Career as a Physical Therapist Assistant?

PTAs work under the supervision of licensed physical therapists to help patients recover from injuries, manage chronic conditions, and improve their overall mobility and quality of life. Their responsibilities include assisting with therapeutic exercises, documenting patient progress, and educating patients and their families on treatment plans.

This career offers several benefits:

High Demand: With an aging population and increased awareness of physical therapy's benefits, the demand for PTAs is on the rise.

Competitive Salary: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, PTAs in California earn an average annual salary of $70,570, significantly higher than the national average.

Job Satisfaction: Helping patients regain their independence and achieve their health goals is deeply fulfilling.

Why Pleasant Hill, CA?

Nestled in the heart of Contra Costa County, Pleasant Hill offers a unique blend of suburban charm and professional opportunities. Here are some reasons why PTAs thrive in this area:

Healthcare Hubs: Pleasant Hill is home to numerous clinics, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals, providing ample job opportunities.

Community Atmosphere: The city boasts a welcoming community, making it an ideal place to work and live.

Proximity to Major Cities: Located near San Francisco and Oakland, Pleasant Hill allows easy access to larger metropolitan areas while maintaining a quieter lifestyle.

Qualifications and Skills Needed for PTA Jobs

To work as a Physical Therapist Assistant in Pleasant Hill, you’ll need:

Education: An associate degree from a CAPTE-accredited PTA program.

Licensing: A valid California state license, which requires passing the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) for PTAs.

Key Skills: Strong communication, compassion, attention to detail, and the ability to work as part of a team.

Where to Find PTA Jobs in Pleasant Hill

Several facilities in and around Pleasant Hill are actively seeking skilled PTAs. These include:

Hospitals: Major healthcare providers such as John Muir Health.

Rehabilitation Centers: Local facilities specializing in physical and occupational therapy.

Private Practices: Smaller clinics offering personalized patient care.

Home Health Services: Opportunities to work with patients in their own homes.

You can also explore online job portals like Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn, or connect with staffing agencies specializing in healthcare placements.

Tips for Landing Your Dream PTA Job

Polish Your Resume: Highlight your education, certifications, and clinical experience.

Network Locally: Attend community health events or join local professional organizations.

Continue Learning: Pursue additional certifications in specialized areas like orthopedics or geriatrics to stand out.

Prepare for Interviews: Emphasize your ability to connect with patients and collaborate with teams.

Start Your Journey Today

Pleasant Hill, CA, offers a promising landscape for Physical Therapist Assistants eager to make a difference in patients’ lives. With a growing demand for skilled professionals, excellent earning potential, and a supportive community, there’s no better time to pursue a PTA career in this dynamic city. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take the next step, explore the exciting opportunities available in Pleasant Hill. Your future as a PTA awaits!

[phillipcole]

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert part 2

Colbert: Now, the reason why Nancy Pelosi is not the last name on Phillip's sick list.

PBC: Thank you. My name is Phil and I am here on behalf of Phillip and Cole's Variety Team. Phillip is in a rehabilitation center in California on watch in case his condition worsens in a couple weeks. The rest of the team is hiding in various bunkers near their respective polling places. That's with the exception of Rupert, Phillip's cousin in England. He has been very busy of late trying to explain the eccentricities of American politics to the British public.

I am here to say that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not the last name on Phillip's sick list. She is preparing to retire at age 84 after 38 years in the House of representatives and every member of the team hopes she will have a happy retirement...mpppp. Some of us wish she had retired 10 or 20 years ago, but with no ill will. Even though we wish her the best and she is not the last name on Phillip's list, we all do have objections to some things about her.

First of all, Phillip is not a right wing conservative. He has few objections to her political positions. What he objects to is her membership in the San Francisco elites. Phillip considers them a more irritating group than the Boston elites who would never accept him as a member no matter how smart he got because he was never rich enough. She had to join the elites, but she didn't have to go into politics. When people live in an ivory tower and look down on the masses they are doing no harm. When they go into politics and try to mold the masses into their version of what they think they should be...then he objects.

Norbert Adams, the unluckiest man in the world, dislikes Nancy Pelosi because of her great success in life. In fact, he dislikes almost anyone who succeeds at anything more often than she fails.

Cole the Nashville rapper and his cousins Brad and Ford...mpppp...mpppp...dislike Nancy Pelosi because back in 2004 Richard Gephardt, Congressman from Missouri, stepped down from his position as leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives to seek the Democratic Presidential nomination. They were all big fans of Richard Gephardt and of course he fared badly in the primaries. Then Pelosi got his job. The south, basking in the glow of 3 consecutive southern Presidents, needed a Speaker of the House who saw their interests. When the power shifted to California, not to mention Nevada, then New York in the Senate, it was a crusher to the hopes of countless southerners. It's no surprise they flocked to the Republicans, who at least had Kentucky's Mitch McConnell as their leader in the Senate.

Rupert dislikes Nancy Pelosi because she became Speaker of the House, lost the majority, but remained party leader in the House, got the top job back...mpppp...and eventually lost it again. He's afraid someday Liz Truss will get a second chance as Prime Minister.

Finally myself; I object to Nancy Pelosi because she has stayed in Congress far too long. She doesn't need the money. If her husband is that unsatisfactory she can find ways to avoid being with him. A long career in Congress is not statesmanship. It's not patriotism. It's nothing virtuous. In the 1800s the US had true statesmen, people like Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun. They didn't get reelected to Congress for 40 years. Every chance they got they took jobs like Secretary of State, Secretary of War and Vice President. Most others stayed in Congress only a few terms. Even Abraham Lincoln quit after one term. She's retiring at last, 10 years too late. Good riddance, and I hope almost every incumbent loses this year.

Colbert: That's all for tonight. See you next week.

[sshbpodcast]

Tales from the Holodeck: ENT Fanfic: Ames’s Teleplay

Celebration! We’ve luckily finished Star Trek: Enterprise here on A Star to Steer Her By, and good riddance. There’s only one thing left to do in our typical style: show the writers how it’s really done by writing up our own fanfic stories and teleplays with carefully selected characters from the series. Will they end up better than most episodes of Enterprise? Low bar, folks.

Let’s move on in our schedule to Ames’s teleplay in our “Tales from the Holodeck” fanfic series. It’s a longy, as is typical, and features the craziest Soong iteration yet, as is also typical. Follow along below and/or listen to the cold reads on this week’s podcast episode (this one starts at 42:56). Approve the selection to begin the fanfic process.

[images © Paramount/CBS]

“Station, Repair Thyself”

By Ames

Random Main Character Pick(s): Phlox Character Draft Picks: Arik Soong, Repair Station

TEASER: “The Prison”

Exterior. Establishing shot: The Harris Maximum Security Rehabilitation Center of San Francisco – a high-tech facility with obviously complex security checkpoints and futuristic scanning capabilities. 

Interior. GUARD 1 and GUARD 2 sit behind a desk at a checkpoint with various screens of prison locations streaming through footage behind them. They pick occasionally from a bowl of futuristic candy that looks something like everlasting gobstoppers.

GUARD 1: Did he have any next-of kin?

GUARD 2: Didn’t they all get killed?

GUARD 1: They did, but I mean direct next-of kin?

GUARD 2: Doubt it.

GUARD 1: That’s a shame. No one to carry on his work.

GUARD 2: Not that that’s a bad thing.

PHLOX approaches in that shuffley walk of his. The two GUARDS look at each other then pick up the candy dish from the desk and hide it in a drawer. PHLOX notices this and cocks his head.

PHLOX: Afternoon, officers.

GUARD 1: Doctor. Didn’t realize you were here already. Didn’t we just call you in?

PHLOX: I was in the area attending to personal matters.

GUARD 2: Everything check out?

GUARD 1: No signs of foul play?

PHLOX: I’m afraid there’s nothing new I can tell you. My evaluation confirms the initial report. The cause of death was an anaphylactic reaction to ingestion of food.

GUARD 2: Ingestion of food?

GUARD 1: What did he eat?

PHLOX: Peanut butter.

GUARD 2: He was allergic to peanut butter?

PHLOX: It would seem so. I don’t understand why you needed to call me here to verify such an obvious assessment. Any medical scanner could do it.

GUARD 1: He’d requested you specifically as his forensic pathologist in the event of his death.

PHLOX: He did? When was this?

GUARD 1: (Pulls up a tablet.) Um. Recently, I’m sure. Yes, just last month he updated his documentation.

PHLOX: Lucky me. Even in death, he ropes me into his mayhem. Well, if that will be all, accept my sympathies, though frankly I won’t miss that deviant.

GUARD 2: Not many will.

GUARD 1: I found him cordial enough.

PHLOX: I’d say that was all part of his deception. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, officers.

GUARD 2: You as well, Doctor.

GUARD 1 holds out the tablet to PHLOX who looks at it quizzically for a moment before pressing his handprint onto it. GUARD 1 nods and gestures at the first of several gates that lead to the exit. PHLOX passes through it, there’s a pause, then a green light turns on and the next gate opens up. PHLOX continues through it and out of sight. The first gate closes as the two GUARDS take their candy bowl back out.

Suddenly! GUARD3 runs up, having clearly sprinted from somewhere far off.

GUARD 3: (Panting.) Did he get out?! Did I miss him?!

GUARD 2: Who?

GUARD 3: Who did you just release?

GUARD 1: That Denobulan doctor.

GUARD 2: Doctor Phlox.

GUARD 1: We made sure to save our snacks from him. Do you want some?

GUARD 3: YOU MORONS! Don’t you know who that was you just let walk right by you?

GUARD 2: Huh?

GUARD 3: Doctor Arik Soong! He’s still alive!

Dramatic music swells then fades into… well, let’s skip the theme song actually. It’s for the best.

CHAPTER ONE: “The Repair Station”

Exterior. Space. Several days later. A Denobulan shuttlecraft that has clearly borne some recent attack damage is flying around.

Interior. The man who appears to be PHLOX but is in fact SOONG is piloting the shuttlecraft through space. His appearance as the Denobulan may be slightly more human than it was in the teaser. He starts recording a log. He no longer sounds like Phlox, but just like himself now.

SOONG: Final personal log of Doctor Arik Soong. To whoever has found this message, congratulations! You’re the first to hear what may be the final words of that infamous mad scientist who’s certainly all over the news. Milk my renown for all I’m worth. You have my permission. 

It’s just my luck. I brilliantly escape prison by faking my own death using a mix of nonlethal pathogens I pocketed from a quick stay at Cold Station 12, alter my DNA to that of a trusted physician who had the misfortune of meeting me once and whose biological sample I’d adapted into a genetic resequencer, and hitch a ride off Earth on a Denobulan vessel… All to get attacked by Nausicaan pirates who did not seem particularly partial to my charms.

So here I lay, where you’ve undoubtedly found me, in a stolen Denobulan shuttlecraft I cunningly nabbed from right under their snooty noses. By the time you lay eyes on what is left of me, my appearance should be my own again, which is for the best. I’m already getting tired of looking like a spotted pufferfish. 

On the off chance you’re scientifically minded enough to keep my legacy going, let me give you a crash course in genetics and maybe you can pick up where I –

Something beeps. A hail from a nearby vessel!

SOONG: Fuck that, I’m saved! Computer, delete log.

SOONG boops a button.

SOONG: Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! I appreciate your response to my hail.

UNKNOWN VESSEL: (Extremely garbled.) How may we be of assistance?

SOONG: One glance at my vessel would show you I’m shot to hell and running low on life support. So I suppose I could use a lift. I could also use a hot dinner, a glass of whiskey, and a blowjob, if I’m being honest, but without the former, the latter would cease to be a problem.

UNKNOWN VESSEL: (Static.) – won’t permit – (Static.) – signal breaking up – (Static.)

SOONG: I’m barely reading you. Can you repeat that?

UNKNOWN VESSEL: (Static.) – transmitting coordinates to – (Static.) – repair station at – (Static overtakes the message entirely.)

SOONG: Could you identify yourselves please? Hello? Hello?

His console lights up with coordinates and a flight plan.

SOONG: Well, I’ll have to put my dancing shoes on. It looks like I’ve got a hot date tonight.

Scene changes to: Exterior. Some time later. The stolen shuttlecraft limps into a berth on a futuristic REPAIR STATION.

Interior. SOONG attempts to hail the station, attempting an imperfect Phlox impression.

SOONG: This is Dr. Phlox of the Denobulan doctoral exchange program. My vessel is badly in need of repairs. Please respond.

A heavy pause and then a flash of light passes over the shuttlecraft and everything inside it. SOONG watches it with a combination of trepidation and curiosity. A tractor beam then pulls the shuttlecraft into an open hangar bay. When it has settled into the bay, the doors behind it close and the lights in the hangar bay change to a friendly, sterile white.

SOONG: I suppose that’s one way to say hello.

SOONG tentatively leaves the shuttle, relieved to breathe air that’s not as stale as that in the shuttlecraft.

SOONG: No welcoming committee though.

He makes his way down the pristine white walkway that we’ll recognize from “Dead Stop” until he’s reached the diagnostic room, which is displaying data all over the place, including little holographic recreations of his shuttlecraft and of himself not as his Phlox disguise but as Soong.

SOONG: (Dropping the Phlox impression.) I suppose the cat’s out of the bag. Just as well, I’m not sure how long I could have kept up pretending to be that Denobulan sycophant. I’d love it if you could show yourselves though. It’s only polite.

The holographic image of the shuttlecraft enlarges with little circles and arrows and stuff pointing at all the things that need repairing. The REPAIR STATION speaks in that nonchalant female voice of hers.

REPAIR STATION: The analysis of your vessel is complete. No acceptable method of compensation exists. Vacate this station.

SOONG: Method of compensation? Oh, I can pay you, just not upfront. I got robbed, you see –

REPAIR STATION: No acceptable method of compensation exists. Vacate this station or your vessel will be compromised.

SOONG: My vessel is already compromised. I won’t make it another day in that tin can.

REPAIR STATION: No acceptable method of compensation exists. Vacate this –

SOONG: I heard you the first time. Haven’t you heard of haggling?

REPAIR STATION: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG: (Realization.) You’re an artificial lifeform, aren’t you? Well, this could get interesting. I’m actually looking to expand my study to artificial lifeforms. Maybe I could help you out. Would you like that?

REPAIR STATION: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG: Not one for conversation, eh? Listen. I don’t have access to payment right now. But I can make it up to you in services. You clearly know who I am. 

He gestures at the display of his identification on one of the hovering screens.

SOONG: You can put two and two together and see that my expertise could benefit you. You scratch my back…

The holographic image of SOONG’s face with all of his lifesigns and specs replaces the one of his shuttlecraft. Lines of data stream quickly over it.

SOONG: I have contacts all over the quadrant. I can get you anything you want. I could, for instance, upgrade your responses to sound more… personable.

The stream of data slows until we can clearly see some correspondence between Dr. Lucas and Dr. Phlox that we might recognize as their penpal letters.

SOONG: Oh that? I have some files from some Starfleet doctor from Cold Station 12. He’s partly the reason I have this rather unbecoming appearance at the moment, actually. I guess he was penpals with the Denobulan doctor and, I’m not proud of this, but I lured the guy to –

The data stream suddenly stops and the holographic image closes. A new screen replaces it with text and a big “Approve” button.

REPAIR STATION: A method of compensation has been selected. Approve the selection to begin the repair process.

SOONG: This is what you want, eh? What use could you possibly have for… Then again, who am I to argue? Approve!

REPAIR STATION: Make the necessary arrangements for the delivery of the approved goods as soon as possible.

SOONG: Now we’re getting somewhere. I think we’re going to be good friends, you and me.

The screen focuses on the offer from the REPAIR STATION that SOONG has agreed to. We now see that it reads: “One mating pair: Lyssarian Desert Larvae.” The scene fades to commercial.

CHAPTER TWO: “The Mimetic Simbiot”

Interior. The REPAIR STATION’s recreation area. Some time later. SOONG’s appearance is his normal Brent Spiner self by now. He’s eating a dinner of plomeek soup and reading something on a tablet.

SOONG: I think I’m starting to wrap my mind around your artificial intelligence framework. This is going to be extremely beneficial for my research if I want to expand my practice into cybernetics. Though I wonder… what will be the best way to incorporate my expertise in genetics? I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. Maybe something with biomechanical elements would prove an interesting challenge…

REPAIR STATION: Please proceed to the science laboratory.

SOONG: (Sighs.) We’ve really got to work on your communication skills, my dear. Would it help if I could call you a name? “Computer” seems a little impersonal to me.

REPAIR STATION: Your inquiry was not recognized. Please proceed to the science laboratory.

SOONG starts down the halls to the science lab.

SOONG: What would you like me to call you? Nancy? No, I know too many Nancys. Sarah? Not special enough. Elvira…? I know. I’ll call you Roxann. Do you like that? I met a particularly memorable Roxann once on Risa. And you can call me Arik, of course.

ROXANN: Please proceed to the science laboratory, Arik.

SOONG: You love it! I knew you would.

He arrives at the science lab.

SOONG: Now, Roxann, what did you want to show me in the –

He stops dead at what he sees in the middle of the laboratory: a hovering bassinet with a newborn human baby in it. SOONG steps closer to it, profound wonder in his eyes.

SOONG: Where did this come from? Roxann? (Pause.) Roxann, tell me where this baby came from.

She doesn’t respond. SOONG pulls out a handheld device and starts scanning the baby.

SOONG: There, there, little guy. We’ll figure out where you belong after I run some – oh… Now that’s unusual. Roxann, would you care to explain this?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG: Why does this baby have my DNA?!

ROXANN: Compensation for repair of your vessel has been initiated.

SOONG: Wait… This is what you wanted the larvae for? To make a copy of me? Why?

ROXANN: Your offer of services has been approved.

SOONG: All you said was that you wanted those ugly slugs. You didn’t say you wanted to use them to clone me. What do you want the baby for?

ROXANN: Your offer of services has been approved. Services will soon be required.

SOONG: What services? When are you going to let me out of here?

ROXANN: Services will soon be required.

SOONG: That’s not what I – Wait, clones grown from these larvae only live for a couple of weeks, don’t they?

He quickly looks through his device for info on Lyssarian Desert Larvae, scrolling and reading with immediacy.

SOONG: Fifteen days? You want a clone of me that will live for fifteen days? What, is there a two-man job you need me to tackle for you?

ROXANN: Services will soon be required.

SOONG: I don’t understand!

The baby starts crying. SOONG picks him up.

SOONG: No no, it’s alright. Let’s go get you a bottle. At least you’ll grow up fast, baby Arik. It’ll be nice to have some real company around here.

SOONG starts carrying the baby back to the recreation area.

SOONG: We’re not done talking about this, Roxann.

The science lab doors close behind him. The scene fades.

Interior. The recreation area. A few days later. SOONG and ARIK 2, now a child of about eight years, sit at a table. ARIK 2 is playing with some kind of futuristic video game equivalent while SOONG is reading about Lyssarian Desert Larvae.

SOONG: Have you seen some of the shit this Denobulan has done and felt justified doing? Christ, and that guy thought I was unethical. At least I feel guilty for things. See, right here: he once used one of these larvae to essentially grow himself a walking organ bag to harvest, knowing full well this clone was going to have to be murdered for his brain tissue. He led the poor guy on until his demise! So Roxann must’ve read these letters…

ARIK 2: I don’t like Roxann.

SOONG: That’s not nice. She gave you life. She gave me an apprentice.

ARIK 2: She won’t play games with me.

SOONG: No. No, I suppose she won’t. But she’s really busy running the station, isn’t she?

ARIK 2: I guess. But mom always says she wants me making friends, not playing in my room by myself.

SOONG: How… how did you know about that?

ARIK 2: She says it all the time.

SOONG: You have memories of my… our mother?

ARIK 2: Of course I do.

SOONG: And you’re at that stage of development, huh? Well, sorry to say but it’s gonna get worse before it gets better, Arik.

ARIK 2: I just wish there were other kids for me to play with.

SOONG: Well you’ve got me. And I could use your help if we want to extend your lifespan to a normal length.

ARIK 2: I’m only eight.

SOONG: That’s just how it feels. You’re actually two days old, and the clock is ticking. According to Phlox’s logs, there should be a way and we’ve got a couple days to work it out.

ARIK 2: No, I mean… I don’t get this dumb gene stuff. 

SOONG: Well. Maybe not yet, but soon.

ARIK 2: Genetics is too hard. Can’t I just play games for a while?

SOONG: Why was I such a petulant little… Never mind, by tomorrow you’ll be past this phase and well on your way to being my progeny, keeping the Soong name going. Maybe righting some of my wrongs.

ARIK 2: Look, I finished this level. Watch this. I’m gonna play the next one with my eyes closed.

The game makes an erroneous noise.

ARIK 2: Oops…

SOONG: That’s nice, Arik. Maybe next time.

The scene fades.

Interior. A few days later. The science lab. The clone, SOONG 2, has now developed to a stage of adulthood roughly in his thirties, still younger than the original SOONG. He is busily working with some generic science experiment stuff.

SOONG 2: Roxann, please test the newest enzyme proposal against my brain tissue. I think we’re finally getting somewhere.

ROXANN: Negative. Experiment will result in catastrophic brain failure.

SOONG 2: Just kidding then. Back to the proverbial drawing board. (Calling off.) Doctor Soong! (Beat.) Doctor Soong, come look at this! (Beat.) Roxann, locate Doctor Soong.

ROXANN: Doctor Soong is in the recreation area.

SOONG 2 exits the lab and starts walking down the hallways to the recreation area.

SOONG 2: If only we had a full lab complement. How long until the repairs to the Denobulan vessel are finished, Roxann?

ROXANN: Compensation for repair of your vessel has been initiated.

SOONG 2: I’m aware of that. But when do you foresee that happening? 

ROXANN: Services will soon be required.

SOONG 2: I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re not going to have me around very long if we don’t solve –

He stops in the recreation area to see SOONG collapsed on the floor. SOONG 2 rushes to him, pulling out the handheld device and waving it over him.

SOONG 2: Doctor Soong!

He reads the data streaming on the device, concern in his visage turning to outright panic. He touches the face of his older counterpart.

SOONG 2: He’s dead. Oh no. Oh no! Roxann! Roxann, how did this happen?!

ROXANN: Medical analysis indicates a cease in life functions caused by myocardial infarction.

SOONG 2: You’re going to have to do better than telling me he had a heart attack! What caused it?!

ROXANN: Myocardial infarction in humans can be caused by coronary artery disease, atherosclerotic disease, coronary artery spasm, spontaneous coronary –

SOONG 2: This is a disaster, Roxann! Don’t you understand? Can you do anything to save him?

ROXANN: Resuscitation of a deceased human is not possible.

SOONG 2: Fucking hell! I’ve only got another week here to figure this out. There’s no way I can do this on my own. I need him!

ROXANN: Services will soon be required.

SOONG 2: You heartless bitch. There’s no time! Whatever you need, I can’t do it in time, and I can’t lengthen my lifespan without him! You’ve doomed me! I’m doomed!

We can suddenly hear a sound from somewhere. SOONG 2 stands and listens intently, eyes frantic, until it becomes clear what it is. It’s another baby crying.

ROXANN: Arik. Please proceed to the science laboratory.

SOONG 2: My god. Roxann… what have you done?

The scene ends on SOONG 2 walking dejectedly out of the recreation area in the direction of the science lab.

CHAPTER THREE: “The Clones”

Interior. The science laboratory. A few days later. SOONG 2 is now an older man, while the REPAIR STATION has a new inhabitant: ARIK 3, a teen. The two are working together on some more science.

SOONG 2: Do you remember when Doctor Soong – the first Doctor Soong – showed me this?

ARIK 3: I think so. It’s screwing with my head because his memories are clarifying at the same time yours are.

SOONG 2: That’s a good thing. You’ll have expertise from the both of us. We should be able to lengthen our life spans together.

ARIK 3: It’s a little disorientating.

SOONG 2: Hmm. I’m only eleven days old. There really shouldn’t be that much content from my end.

ARIK 3: Tell that to my brain.

SOONG 2: Focus, Arik. The Velandran Circle experiments…

ARIK 3: Right. They developed an enzyme to slow the aging process of mimetic simbiots to normal.

SOONG 2: Doctor Soong had hacked into the Lyssarian databases for info on the Velandran Circle. Read this.

ARIK 3: It’s pointless, isn’t it? There’s no proof that they got anywhere. They could have just been some mad scientists.

SOONG 2: (Jokingly.) It takes one to know one, and I don’t think they were mad scientists.

ARIK 3: (Teen sarcasm.) That’s encouraging.

SOONG 2: If there’s any clue to how to do this, it’s here.

ARIK 3: I read that thing already. I read it when I was you, and there was nothing there the first time.

SOONG 2: Arik…

ARIK 3: Don’t you get it? It’s all a myth!

ARIK 3 storms off.

SOONG 2: Fucking teenagers. What I wouldn’t give to have Persis or Saul instead. Even Malik. Those were the days. (Sigh.)

The scene fades.

A couple more days later, SOONG 2 is asleep in his quarters when the voice of SOONG 3, now a young adult, wakes him.

SOONG 3: (From off.) Doctor Soong, I could use your help in the lab.

SOONG 2 awakens and gets up. He’s very old now. He touches a panel on the wall.

SOONG 2: What is it, Arik?

SOONG 3: You’ve got to see this! It could change everything!

SOONG 2 totters down the hall, so excited that he doesn’t even look into SOONG 3’s quarters to see his younger clone eerily asleep inside. The older man enters the empty science lab and looks around.

SOONG 2: Arik?

He goes to read some of the displays left open at a lab bench, but when he touches them, something kerzaps him!

SOONG 2: ACK!

SOONG 2 drops to the floor, writhes for a moment, and then goes still. Little robot arms pop out of various places in the lab and lift him away. Meanwhile, the commotion has awoken SOONG 3.

SOONG 3: Doctor Soong? Did you hear something?

He goes over to SOONG 3’s quarters to find the old man (or a perfect facsimile!) dead in his bed.

SOONG 3: Dammit.

The scene transitions into a sort of medley of SOONG scenelettes, spanning many generations of SOONGs at different life stages. The scenelettes create a montage indicating that this has been going on for a long, long time and the iterations of SOONGs get crazier and crazier.

We shift to SOONG 10 pacing in the diagnostics center.

SOONG 10: Roxann, what are the services you require?

ROXANN: Compensation for repair of your vessel has been initiated.

SOONG 10: I’d like to conclude the compensation. What do you say I take a whack at fixing the vessel myself?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 10: Okay, I’ll be direct. Let me into the hangar bay.

ROXANN: Personnel are required to vacate areas that are undergoing reconstruction.

SOONG 10: Then stop the reconstruction and let me in there.

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 10: (To himself.) It’s like talking to a particularly stupid parrot.

A new baby Soong cries to mark a scene transition. An older SOONG 50 reads over a tablet with ARIK 51, the latest teenaged Soong.

ARIK 51: I read this already.

SOONG 50: Not with those eyes. Read it again.

ARIK 51: I’ve got it memorized by now. “Individuals representing the Velandran Circle have conducted illegal experiments on Lyssarian Desert Larvae with inconclusive results. All individuals have been incarcerated for violating the Lyssarrian Prime Conclave’s prohibition of mimetic simbiots.”

SOONG 50: Skip to the good part.

ARIK 51: We’ve tried it all before. Each time it’s “Experiment will result in catastrophic brain failure.” We’re not going to crack it.

SOONG 50: (Wistful.) All I wanted was to become a cyberneticist.

ARIK 51: You’ve got three more days to live if you want to try to rush through a degree.

SOONG 50: We have to solve this. I know it feels like you’ve got all the time in the world right now, but that’s the wrong Soong doing the thinking.

ARIK 51: We’re fucked.

SOONG 50: Read it again.

Scene transition. A new baby Soong cries. SOONG 133 sits in the recreation area while rocking the next baby, who is sleeping in a cradle.

SOONG 133: Roxann? Where do the bodies go?

ROXANN: Human remains are disposed of.

SOONG 133: But where do they go?

ROXANN: Human remains are disposed of.

SOONG 133: I want you to show me where the last Doctor Soong is. What you did with him. Did you cremate him? Did you expel him into space?

ROXANN: Human remains are disposed of.

SOONG 133: You know what I think? I think you’re keeping them. I think you have a pile of me’s somewhere on this station like some fetishist. What are you doing with them, Roxann?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 133: Real original. One more time for the people in the back?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 133: There we go.

Scene transition. A new baby Soong cries. SOONG 171 is popping pills from the replicator and holding his aching head. ARIK 172, the latest child-sized clone, is nearby.

SOONG 171: Okay, Malik, time for your lessons.

ARIK 172: Who’re you talking to?

SOONG 171: I’m talking to you, Malik. We’re going to the lab.

ARIK 172: Who’s Malik?

SOONG 171: You’re Malik. You’re… No, you’re Arik. I’m Arik. We’re all Arik.

ARIK 172: Maybe we shouldn’t do lessons today.

SOONG 171: No no. Tomorrow you’ll be me and it will be too late. Come on. To the lab.

They walk off toward the lab, ARIK 172 looking concerned.

Another scene transition. Babies keep crying. ARIK 363, a teen-sized one, is fiddling with the computer screens in the lab. SOONG 362 is doing some sciencey thing at a lab bench.

ARIK 363: The Lyssarians have to have more information somewhere. I’ve hacked some more of their gated files.

SOONG 362: (Distractedly.) Find anything?

ARIK 363: The computer is combing the data.

SOONG 362: Good.

ARIK 363: Fifteen days is not enough time to make a dent in this.

SOONG 362: Nope.

ARIK 363: Especially when several of them are spent raising the next generation.

SOONG 362: Aha!! I’ve done it!!

ARIK 363: You have? What is it? How did you –

SOONG 362 steps away from the lab bench to reveal what he’s been working on. It’s a potato that he’s carved to look like it has boobs.

SOONG 362: I call it “Po-tit-o.”

ARIK 363: (So flat.) I’m going back to bed.

Scene transition. Another baby Soong cries. SOONG 544, an old man, pleads pathetically with ROXANN in the diagnostics room.

SOONG 544: You’re going to spawn another baby soon. Can’t you please use different DNA?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 544: The DNA of the first Doctor Soong. Use that DNA for the new simbiot. Give him a chance!

ROXANN: Human remains are disposed of.

SOONG 544: You must have a trace somewhere. The memories. It’s too many memories! (He clutches his forehead.) I can’t tell where I begin and a hundred other Soongs end. Don’t use my DNA. Don’t torture another generation.

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 544: Or how about this? Let me edit the embryo DNA. I’ve never even seen the Lyssarian Larvae since they were retrieved! Where are they?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 544: Or stop creating mimetic simbiots! Let it be done!

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 544: Dammit, this is the last thing I’ll do. What do you want from us?

ROXANN: Services will soon be required.

SOONG 544: Services will soon be required.

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 544: Your inquiry was not recognized.

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 544: Your inquiry was not recognized.

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

The younger SOONG 545 radios him… or does he?

SOONG 545: (From off.) Doctor Soong, I could use your help in the lab.

SOONG 544 shuffles off to his death.

More baby Soongs. Always more baby Soongs. ARIK 690, a child of maybe four, is trying to smash the consoles in the recreation area. SOONG 689 is staring catatonically at an entire pie he’s replicated.

ROXANN: Any damage to these facilities will be charged to your vessel.

ARIK 690: I don’t care! I hate you!

SOONG 689: Arik, what kind of pie is this?

ARIK 690: Why don’t you do an experiment and find out?

SOONG 689: An experiment?

ARIK 690: Yeah. You love experiments, don’t you? Like this!

ARIK 690 comes over and pies SOONG 689 in the face.

SOONG 689: Ah, that explains it. It’s face pie.

ARIK 690 and SOONG 689 laugh and laugh. I’ve gone insane writing this.

But! There are yet more baby Soongs! Their crying is constant because they are constant. Another Soong, SOONG 1,505 is holding a drooling baby and weeping openly in the middle of the lab.

Another scenelette! SOONG 1,903 is in the lab making the same enzyme over and over again.

ROXANN: Experiment will result in catastrophic brain failure. Experiment will result in catastrophic brain failure. Experiment will result in catastrophic brain failure.

The crying has morphed into the background cacophony. There’s fisheye lens camerawork all over place as the scene shifts to another moment. SOONG 2,545 is immensely drunk in the middle of the diagnostic room, holding a bottle of booze and shouting at the walls.

SOONG 2,545: (Drunkenly.) Roxann, you bitch! If you had a mouth, I’d give you a punch in the… you fucking bitch! I’m going home! Where’s my blasted ship…

ROXANN: Compensation for repair of your vessel has been initiated.

SOONG 2,545: Shut up! Compem-flation, my ass! There’s never going to be any compem… compem…

He takes a swig from the bottle. ARIK 2,546, a child of three or so, runs past in his underwear, whooping, looking practically feral and brandishing a spatula like a sword.

SOONG 2,545: I’ll take you down with me, Roxann. You’re going to… I’m going to… Raaaahh!

He punches one of the monitors, dropping his bottle on the floor which shatters everywhere, and then slips in the spilled liquid and collides with the floor. He stares up at the ceiling despondently.

ROXANN: Any damage to these facilities will be charged to your vessel.

SOONG 2,545: Damn you, Phlox.

The scene fades out on the diagnostic room in disrepair as little arms come out and repair the smashed monitor.

CHAPTER FOUR: “The Progeny”

Interior. The recreation area. A young adult SOONG 4,448 is sitting at a table knitting an absurdly long scarf, clearly the product of many generations’ work, that takes up a large section of the room.

REPAIR STATION: Arik. Please proceed to the science laboratory.

SOONG 4,448: No. No no no no no. Not again. Not another one. Please please please.

REPAIR STATION: Please proceed to the science laboratory.

SOONG 4,448: Is it another baby, Roxann? It’s always another baby, Roxann.

He proceeds down the hall to the science lab. It’s another baby.

SOONG 4,448: Why didn’t I just stay in the prison? I could have been so happy there. 

He takes a medical tricorder and starts to scan the baby.

SOONG 4,448: But no, evidently I’ve done something to deserve thousands of generations of torment. Can’t one of my lives be happy? Can’t one –

He notices something on the tricorder and stares at it for a long time, as if it doesn’t make any sense.

SOONG 4,448: Well this doesn’t make any sense. This baby doesn’t have the rapid-aging gene. He’s… he’s normal.

ROXANN: Compensation for repair of your vessel has been completed. 

SOONG 4,448: (Weeping with joy.) He’s perfect.

ROXANN: Thank you for your visit.

SOONG 4,448: Is it… is it done?

ROXANN: Thank you for your visit.

SOONG 4,448: (A shriek of pure elation!) Oh my god! Finally! I can go? I’m – we’re going to go. My vessel – Before you change your mind.

He starts toward the shuttlebay with the baby in his arms. It hits him.

SOONG 4,448: Wait a minute. How have I never thought of this? I’ve got, what, eight days left? He’ll still be a baby! Who’s going to raise him?

ROXANN: Your inquiry was not recognized.

SOONG 4,448: Roxann, I need you to do whatever you did to this baby to me.

ROXANN: Procedure is not viable on developed lifeforms.

SOONG 4,448: Raah! You fucked me again, Roxann! I can’t possibly raise this child! I won’t even live long enough to see him grow out of his onesie. Eight days? I can’t do anything in eight days.

ROXANN: You are permitted to stay on the station.

SOONG 4,448: Oh, you’d like that, wouldn't you? This is what you wanted all along. No matter what happened, you were pulling the strings. So I have two choices: I can stay here and you’re going to have to create even more rapid-aging clones so that there’s someone to raise this baby, or I can take my chances in the shuttle and get him a maximum of eight days away. Is that right?

ROXANN: You are permitted to stay on the station.

SOONG 4,448: Uh uh. If it’s what you want, I’m not going to do it. We’re leaving. This baby deserves a new start anywhere but here. He’s a Soong. He’ll survive for all of us.

He carries the baby onto the shuttlecraft, which looks as good as new.

ROXANN: Thank you for your visit.

SOONG 4,448: Fuck off.

The door to the shuttlecraft closes and after a moment, the thing flies away.

Exterior. The campus of some kind of science academy. It’s eight days later and SOONG 4,448 is the oldest we’ve seen him yet. He walks the grounds in the middle of the night carrying a bassinet with the baby in it. We listen to his final recording.

SOONG 4,448: To whoever discovers this child, my name is Doctor Arik Soong. Perhaps you’ve heard of me. Perhaps you’re wondering “didn’t that bastard die 125 years ago?” (Laughs.) You don’t know how right you are. The child you’ve found is also me, in a way, but that’s not important. What’s important is that he persists.

Educate him in the sciences. I think you’ll find him strangely adept at picking up on concepts that most people wouldn’t give the time of day. Nurture that. He comes from a line – a long line – of scientists who have put a lot of expectation on his little shoulders. He’ll live up to it. See to that.

Let him make mistakes. Give him the occasional tiramisu. Teach him about girls. Give him a normal life. 

The elderly SOONG 4,448 plods to the entrance of a building and sets the bassinet down before the threshold. We see only the baby being cute but can hear the old man collapse on the pavement.

His name is Noonian.

Scene fades.

End of thing!

—

For more Enterprise fanfic, check out Caitlin, Chris, and Jake’s stories from this year’s “Tales from the Holodeck”! Be sure to keep listening to new episodes every Thursday on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and please proceed to the science laboratory...

[valkyries-things]

JUDY HEUMANN // ACTIVIST

“She was widely regarded as "the mother" of the Disability Rights Movement. At 18 months old, Judy contracted polio in Brooklyn, New York and began to use a wheelchair for mobility. She was denied the right to attend school at the age of five because she was considered a "fire hazard." Later in life, Judy was denied her teaching license by the same school district. After passing her oral and written exams, she was failed on her medical exam because she could not walk. She then sued the New York Board of Education and eventually went on to become the first wheelchair user to teach in the state of New York. In 1977, Judy was a leader in the 504 Sit-In in San Francisco, a 26-day protest (the longest sit-in at a federal building to date) that led to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act being signed into law. Judy was instrumental in the development and implementation of other legislation including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These pieces of legislation have been integral in advancing the inclusion of disabled people in the US and around the world. Judy is a founding member of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living and a co-founder of the World Institute on Disability (WID).”

[belalhossainseo]

Nicola Christopher Bucci: A Journey of Philanthropy and Community Service

Nicola Christopher Bucci, a culinary artist based in San Francisco, is celebrated not just for his delicious and visually stunning dishes but also for his deep commitment to helping others. With nearly 30 years in the culinary world, Nicola has dedicated much of his life to philanthropy, using his skills and resources to support various charitable causes and community initiatives. His generosity and compassion have made a significant impact, touching countless lives and making him a beloved figure in many communities. Visit Now: https://nicolachristopherbucci.com/

Supporting Farmworkers with Nancy's Project

One of the core organizations Nicola supports is Nancy's Project in Monterey, California. This wonderful group is dedicated to helping farmworkers and their families, who often face tough working conditions and lack access to basic necessities. Farmworkers are essential to our food system, yet they frequently struggle with poverty and inadequate living conditions.

Nicola's involvement with Nancy’s Project goes beyond just writing checks. He actively participates in fundraising events and uses his culinary expertise to prepare meals for these occasions, raising awareness and much-needed funds. Through his efforts, farmworker families receive vital supplies such as food, clothing, and educational materials, greatly improving their quality of life.

Empowering Education at Saint Andre’s School in Haiti

Education is a cause that Nicola is deeply passionate about. He is a dedicated supporter of Saint Andre’s School in Hinche, Haiti, an institution that provides quality education to children in one of the poorest regions of the country. Nicola believes education is a powerful tool for change, and his contributions help ensure these children have the resources they need to succeed.

His support includes funding for school supplies, teacher salaries, and infrastructure improvements. Nicola also makes regular visits to the school, bringing hope and inspiration to both students and staff. His involvement underscores his belief in the transformative power of education and his dedication to creating opportunities for future generations.

Promoting the Arts with the William James Association

Nicola's philanthropic efforts also extend into the arts through his support for the William James Association. This nonprofit organization promotes arts and cultural activities as a means of rehabilitation and personal development, especially within prison systems and underserved communities. The association’s programs offer a creative outlet for individuals, fostering personal growth and healing through artistic expression.

Nicola's contributions help fund various art programs, including those in prisons, schools, and community centers. By supporting these initiatives, he helps provide individuals with the tools to express themselves creatively, helping them find a sense of purpose and direction. His belief in the power of the arts to rehabilitate and uplift is a testament to his commitment to holistic community development.

Fostering Dance and Movement with Urban Edge Dance Co.

Dance and movement arts are another area where Nicola’s philanthropic spirit shines. He is a dedicated supporter of Urban Edge Dance Co., a nonprofit organization based in Rancho Cucamonga, California. This group is committed to promoting dance and movement arts, offering performances, workshops, and outreach programs to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Nicola’s support helps fund these programs, making dance accessible to a broader audience. His contributions ensure that individuals, regardless of their financial situation, can experience the joy and benefits of dance. This support highlights his belief in the importance of physical and emotional well-being and the power of the arts to bring people together. https://www.prlog.org/13022021-nicola-christopher-bucci-culinary-innovator-and-philanthropist-enhances-san-franciscos-gourmet.html

Strengthening Community with Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church

Nicola is also deeply involved with his local community through Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Carmel, California. The church serves as a vital spiritual and community hub, providing support and guidance to its members. Nicola’s contributions help fund the church’s outreach programs, community events, and the maintenance of its historic building.

His involvement with Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church reflects his commitment to nurturing community bonds and fostering a spirit of service and generosity. By supporting the church’s activities, he helps create a welcoming and supportive environment for all its members.

Championing Health and Wellness with the YMCA of San Francisco

Nicola’s philanthropic reach also extends to the YMCA of San Francisco, an organization that offers a wide range of programs and services to promote health, well-being, and community engagement. The YMCA provides essential services such as fitness programs, youth activities, and community support initiatives.

Nicola’s support ensures that these programs remain accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. His contributions help the YMCA continue its mission of fostering a healthy, inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

A Legacy of Compassion and Generosity

Nicola Christopher Bucci’s philanthropic efforts are a testament to his deep compassion and commitment to making a positive impact in the world. Through his support of various charitable organizations and community initiatives, he has shown that true success is measured by the difference one makes in the lives of others. His legacy is one of generosity, kindness, and an unwavering dedication to helping those in need.

By leveraging his culinary talents and resources, Nicola has touched countless lives, creating a ripple effect of positive change. His story is a powerful reminder of the impact one individual can have when they dedicate their life to serving others. Nicola continues to inspire and uplift, proving that the heart of a culinary artist can extend far beyond the kitchen, into the very soul of the community.

[weshipyourride]

Meet Bikeflights Ambassador Starla Teddergreen

Starla Teddergreen was in the midst of a successful 15-year professional cycling career when a run-in with COVID-19 unveiled a new and unexpected path. What ultimately emerged was a life-altering diagnosis that would halt most people in their tracks, but Starla, like the competitor she’s been since childhood, saw it as just another challenge to overcome in her life as a professional athlete.

Starla grew up in the mountains of northeast Washington, finding inspiration that ultimately formed her competitive spirit in female athletes in the Olympics and in everyday sibling rivalries with her sister. She dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. Cycling wouldn’t enter the picture, however, until after high school.

Upon moving to Seattle after high school, Starla supported herself with a variety of jobs while pursuing an education. Unbeknownst to her, one of those jobs, working as a bike messenger, was the gateway to achieving her dream of becoming a professional athlete. Within the bike messenger world, she began competing in alley cats and the Cycle Messenger World Championships. A move to San Francisco introduced Starla to road racing, and a successful road racing career blossomed from there.

About a decade into her flourishing career, the world ground to a halt. The COVID-19 pandemic erased the 2020 racing calendar. For more than a year, Starla trained for the sake of training, without a specific event to prepare for.

In late summer of 2021, the world was taking steps toward finding normal, and racing was back on her calendar. During this time, Starla and her husband Gino launched the organization Distance to Empty, with the goal of supporting Colorado-based women who wish to pursue cycling in some capacity.

In early 2022, both Starla and Gino contracted COVID. While both eventually tested negative, Starla’s health began to decline in peculiar ways. Her heart rate became erratic, she experienced swelling, tingling, burning and muscle weakness. Breathing became difficult. And possibly worst of all, she had a neurologist who wanted to dismiss her symptoms as the self-induced mental stress of an athlete.

While it wasn’t her professional athlete mind causing her symptoms, it was her tenacious professional athletic approach that helped her pursue legitimate answers and landed her in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. And she did get some answers.

An MRI showed that Starla had a lesion on her cervical spine on the C5 and C6 vertebrae and potential spots on her brain, pointing to a potential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). She was also diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, leading to a total of nine days of treatments in the hospital.

Despite this life-altering health development and potential diagnosis, Starla returned to Colorado with the goal of getting back to racing her bike.

“My medical team made it clear I am not their typical patient; my drive to achieve and continue to push my body despite its limitations has them excited and curious to see what I can accomplish, as this seems to be uncharted territory for all of us,” she said.

Starla faced the challenge of a long recovery and accepting a new reality in all facets of her training and approach to competing. ​​Recovery required significant rehabilitation to regain mobility, strength, balance and coordination in her limbs.

“Initially, I had to learn to be compassionate towards myself as I mourned the loss of the athlete and person I once was. Coming to terms with my new reality meant acknowledging my limitations, reframing my mindset to avoid discouragement and listening to my body in a completely different way,” she said.

“Throughout my athletic career, I had been accustomed to pushing through discomfort, ignoring pain and pushing myself to the limit. However, since my diagnosis, I've had to redefine my limits, which seem to be ever-changing due to various factors. It was a gradual process of recalibrating my body and understanding the nuances of this new, unfamiliar body that I inhabit.”

By the time the 2023 season emerged, Starla felt ready to pursue a full calendar of gravel and off-road racing, notably the Life Time Grand Prix series.

“The Life Time Grand Prix marked the beginning of another pivotal chapter in my journey as an athlete with MS. It served as a poignant reminder of my capabilities and the unique hurdles I face. Heat intolerance emerged as the primary obstacle affecting my performance, with even slight increases in body temperature exacerbating neurological symptoms,” she said.

Starla’s first season back provided the insights she needed to develop a new approach to racing her bike, handpicking events that provide the most experiential impact as opposed to simply results.

“Recognizing the need to prioritize races that would provide meaningful experiences rather than solely focusing on results, I have sought out races like Cape Epic, where I could continue to push boundaries and thrive as an athlete under my own terms, undeterred by the constraints of MS.”

Starla’s decision to tackle Cape Epic, an eight-day mountain bike stage race in South Africa, exemplifies her new approach. Racers, in teams of two, typically cover more than 420 miles and climb more than 55,000 feet over seven stages.

“Planning for an eight-day stage race halfway across the world required meticulous attention to detail. So many spreadsheets!”

Starla and her race partner Hannah Shell, and their husbands, executed their detailed plan including Starla's specific nutritional requirements, and on-the-course interventions.

“Water’s coming,” Hannah would say as she sprayed Starla’s neck and shoulders with ice-cold water in an attempt to keep her core temperature down and her MS symptoms at bay for as long as possible.

Their meticulous planning seems to have worked out well as the team finished 15th overall in the UCI women’s category, finishing strong in 11th in the final stage.

“Our team name for Cape Epic, ‘Distance To Empty,’ reflects the program my husband Gino and I run—a Colorado-based non-profit that helps women overcome obstacles and reach the start line of races. Conceptually, it also symbolizes how two teammates supporting and communicating with each other can surpass their own ‘distance to empty,’” Starla said.

“Reflecting on the race, we did just that.”

While Cape Epic was an athlete-affirming success, it was by no means the peak of the 2024 season.

The season was filled with career-defining moments.

"After Cape Epic, some key highlights included taking my development rider, Anna Hulse, to her first international race in Iceland at The Rift, a truly magical place with its otherworldly, Martian-like landscape. The challenging terrain, featuring river crossings, sand, and washboard sections, along with cooler temperatures, allowed me to race closer to my potential, finishing 9th, while Anna placed 11th in a highly competitive international field," Starla said.

Returning to Breck Epic for the second year in a row is another 2024 highlight for Starla, not only for the opportunity to race, but particularly for her work with Mike McCormack to bring 60 pro women to the start line.

"It was one of the most fulfilling race experiences I've had since transitioning to off-road racing," Starla said. "The women created a competitive yet supportive environment as we tackled the rugged, remote, high-altitude mountain terrain."

But the competition of her fellow racers wasn't the only challenge Starla had to overcome to reach the line on Day 6.

"MS reared its ugly head after Stage 1, hitting me with a migraine that left me vomiting all night and unable to recover," she said. "Choosing to start Stage 2 was one of the toughest mental battles I’ve faced, but I wanted to give myself the chance to race. That day on the bike was one of the hardest I’ve endured, yet it was incredibly rewarding, knowing I left everything on the course just to finish."

Despite the early setbacks, Starla persevered to climb her way into a 25th place finish overall.

The capstone to her 2024 season, and one she cites as a career highlight was her selection to represent Team USA at the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships.

"It was the realization of a dream I've held since childhood. I’m deeply honored by the opportunity. This experience proved that when you bet on yourself, there’s no losing, and it has sparked new dreams and bigger goals as I look ahead to the 2025 season."

In 2025 Starla also looks forward to continuing the work on Distance to Empty and fulfilling the Pursuit Awards, with the help of sponsors like Bikeflights.

“Our Pursuit Awards have always aimed to support a diverse range of aspiring women in cycling, from newcomers to those striving to turn pro. And Bikeflights has been instrumental in helping the program run smoothly. From shipping bikes and equipment to events to sending sponsor products to athletes spread out across Colorado, Bikeflights makes logistics easy and eliminates one less spreadsheet to manage,” she said.

“With the support of Bikeflights, we can focus more on our goals and less on transportation logistics, ultimately helping us achieve more tremendous success personally and for the DTE program.”

[fdelopera]

Judy Heumann z''l was the mother of the Disability Rights Movement, and she was a proud Jew. Without her, we would not have the ADA.

She passed away in March of 2023, just seven months before Hamas' October 7 pogrom. May her memory forever be for a blessing.

I have to say ... I am glad she never had to see the Disabled Community turn around and ban disabled Jews from the community. I am glad she never had to see the community she worked her entire life to support turn against her because she's a Jew.

If you don't know about Judy Heumann, sit down and LEARN. This is from Judy's website:

.

Judy Heumann was an internationally recognized advocate for the rights of disabled people. She was widely regarded as “the mother” of the Disability Rights Movement. At 18-months-old, Judy contracted polio in Brooklyn, New York and began to use a wheelchair for mobility. She was denied the right to attend school at the age of five because she was considered a "fire hazard." Later in life, Judy was denied her teaching license by the same school district. After passing her oral and written exams, she was failed on her medical exam because she could not walk. Judy sued the New York Board of Education and Judge Constance Baker Motley (the first Black female federal judge) strongly suggested the board reconsider. They did and Judy went on to become the first wheelchair user to teach in the state of New York.

In 1977, Judy was a leader in the historic 504 Sit-In in San Francisco. This 26-day protest (the longest sit-in at a federal building to date) led to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act being signed into law. Judy was instrumental in the development and implementation of other legislation including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These pieces of legislation have been integral in advancing the inclusion of disabled people in the US and around the world.

From 1993 to 2001, Judy served in the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education. Judy then served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development from 2002 to 2006. In this position, she led the World Bank's disability work to expand its knowledge and capability to work with governments and civil society on including disability in the global conversation. In 2010, President Obama appointed Judy as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State, where she served until 2017.  Mayor Fenty of D.C. appointed Judy as the first Director for the Department on Disability Services, where she was responsible for the Developmental Disability Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration. She also was a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation, where she produced the white paper Road Map for Inclusion.

Judy was a founding member of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living which was the first grassroots center in the United States and helped to launch the Independent Living Movement both nationally and globally. In 1983, Judy co-founded the World Institute on Disability (WID) with Ed Roberts and Joan Leon, as one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and continually led by people with disabilities that works to fully integrate people with disabilities into the communities around them via research, policy, and consulting efforts. Throughout her life, Judy served on a number of non-profit boards, including the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Humanity and Inclusion, Human Rights Watch, United States International Council on Disability, and Save the Children. 

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, written by Judy with co-author Kristen Joiner, was published by Beacon Press in 2020. Following in 2021 was the Young Adult version, Rolling Warrior. Both audiobooks are read by Ali Stroker, the first wheelchair user to perform on Broadway. After a four studio bidding war, Being Heumann’s movie adaptation will be done by Apple TV+ with producer David Permut (Hacksaw Ridge) and writer/director Sian Heder (Academy Award Winning ‘Best Picture’ CODA).

Judy is featured in Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, the 2020 award winning, Oscar-nominated documentary film, directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham and produced by the Obama Higher Ground Production Company. She has been featured in numerous other documentaries on the history of the disability rights movement, including Lives Worth Living and the Power of 504. She delivered a TED talk in 2016, “Our Fight for Disability Rights- and Why We’re Not Done Yet”. Her story was also told on Comedy Central’s Drunk History in early 2018, in which she was portrayed by Ali Stroker. In 2020, Judy was featured on the Trevor Noah show. She also hosted an award-winning podcast called The Heumann Perspective, featuring a variety of members from the disability community. 

Judy graduated from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY in 1969 and received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975. She was awarded several honorary doctorate degrees from universities across the United States including New York University, University of Pittsburgh, Middlebury College, and Smith College. She also received numerous awards including being the first recipient of the Henry B. Betts Award in recognition of efforts to significantly improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and the Max Starkloff Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council on Independent Living. 

Judy Heumann passed away on March 4th, 2023 at the age of 75. News of her passing was reported on by major outlets in the United States and around the world. Judy Heumann passed away on March 4th, 2023 at the age of 75. Stay up-to-date on projects in Judy’s honor by following Judy Heumann Legacy on Instagram and Facebook or subscribing to the Judy Heumann Newsletter.

Still waiting for big-name disability rights activists to say a single fucking word about the disabled people murdered on October 7th. Oh wait, I forgot, despite the fact that Jews built the entire disability rights movement from the ground up, disabled Jews will never matter to disabled goyim. They're more than happy to take credit for and even profit off of our work while forcing us out and demonizing us and painting us as enemies of "their" movement and accusing us of trying to eradicate disabled people (because Jews-I-mean-Zionists are just so evil and basically N*zis, right?).

They are such fucking hypocrites. They constantly insist that the entire world is actively trying to murder them at all times, and then they celebrate our deaths and scream for more. And even as they mock our dead and piss on their graves, they still expect us to show up for them so they can continue stepping on our necks to lift themselves up.

I'm done with this fucking "community."

.

[mr-divabetic]

" Some people will do anything to be famous. And then there are other people who just - will sing," Lisa Fischer said in the Academy Award-winning documentary, "20 Feet from Stardom." "It's not about anything except being in this special space with people and that is really the higher - calling, to me." My friend, the legendary backup singer Lisa Fischer, has supported the world’s biggest stars, including Luther Vandross, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Tina Turner, and Sting. Lisa captured my heart on my first Luther tour, "Never Let Me Go," in 1993. She was so friendly, funny, and approachable. During that tour, she enthralled audiences with the performance of her signature song, "How Can I Ease The Pain."   Over the years, I have seen her mold, caress, undress, and shape this song on many stages. The melody and lyrics are so beautiful that Lisa finds something new to bring to the song for each listen.  

After the "Never Let Me Go" tour,  she left to tour with the Rolling Stones, but our paths continued to cross in the most unexpected places. 

I met Lisa Fischer while working in the American Conservatory Theater's costume rentals department in San Francisco, CA. She came into our shop looking for a Halloween costume.

The next time we saw each other was in Europe. I took a brief hiatus from working with Luther Vandross to tour with Lionel Richie, who was opening for Tina Turner. Navigating the backstage area on the rolling hills of some outdoor venue, I spotted Lisa taking a break after a sound check. 

After Luther Vandross's stroke related to mismanagement of type 2 diabetes, Lisa would visit his rehabilitation center to sing with Luther as part of his occupational therapy. At my urging, she also agreed with Nat Adderley Jr. to perform a Christmas concert for the residents of Whispering Knoll. She dressed to the nines, and Nat accompanied her on a piano, singing traditional Christmas tunes in the main lobby. I remember several residents telling me that it was the best talent that had ever performed there! 

Of course, I, like everyone else, was thrilled that the enormous popularity of "20 Feet From Stardom" sparked Lisa's solo tour. Her live performances are electric. Last year, she performed the most incredible sonic rendition of 'Never Too Much" during her show. She's so captivating on stage that she easily erases my corny 6th-grade chorus memories of a song like "This Land Is Your Land" and turns it into a haunting, spiritual experience. 

She generously shared her talents with me recently on a holiday song collaboration. Our Zoom and phone sessions are a masterclass in songwriting. As a lyricist, I am grateful to her for opening my eyes to how a true artist interprets lyrics. It's been an incredible experience. 

“This would be scary if I felt like the real focus were on me per se, but in my head, in order to deal with it, it’s the music that’s really being presented; it is about the music flying. Not so much me,” she says.

[undxxne]

Hi guys, I am embarking on the journey of self publishing my first novel, coming May 2024. It’s a dystopian fiction thriller novel about a virtual reality rehabilitation trial company, centered around a couple, Elliot and Piper as they navigate the seven day trial and the ulterior motives of the tech giants who created it. It’s bone chilling at times and at others soft and true.

I just released a free prologue about the origin story of the tech giants—how they found each other, how they grew up, their loneliness, grief, and motives to create the company, Phoenix. It would mean the world to me if even a couple people would be willing to sign up for my mailing list to read it.

A like and a reblog would go a long way too<3 I am desperate to have this not flop.

Lots of love, cat