SEE THE HOLY LAND FOR $50

Would I lie to you?

I am leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from December 1 to 10. Cost: $2,800 which includes air fare, hotel (2 to a room), most meals and air-conditioned local transport for sight-seeing. Great deal, eh? What better way to see the Holy Land than with a Jesuit priest - who looks like a Jew?




But in case you feel you can't commit to the $2,800 (plus a couple of hundred for taxes, tips and buying presents - be realistic) there is an alternative.

We are having a raffle. ("We" being the Xavier Society for the Blind) and the First Prize is two (2!) tickets on the pilgrimage. Yup, air fare, hotel, meals, etc (See above).

Second Prize is $1,000 and Third Prize is $500.

Only 250 tickets are being sold, and each ticket is $50. If you win the First Prize and don't wish to go, it IS transferrable - you can give it to someone, or turn it in to the Xavier Society for a tax credit for the full value and we will take two blind people who would not otherwise have been able to go.

Call and buy a ticket using your credit card (212) 473-7800, or send an email so we can hold a ticket for you and send us a check

Email: Xaviersocietyfortheblind@Yahoo.com

Snail Mail address: 154 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010.

Drawing will be held on September 15, the day of our Golf Outing.

What?!? You don't know about our Golf Outing? See the post at the top of the page.

And good luck!

From A Friend - Worth Passing On

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry.

If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?"

At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was.

At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty. "A nation without heroes is nothing."

I'M HOME!!!

For a couple of days at least. And I am filled with good intentions about doing a wrap up, a summary, a reflective piece filled with brilliant observations and witty and incisive comments.

Yeah, right.

But in the meantime, a couple of photos to illustrate and amplify on my earlier comments.

The Guide Horse - see? I wasn't making it up. In the top photo you can also see the plastic diaper arrangement, a real necessity when you have a horse walking through a hotel. Or a living room. Or wherever,

Did I mention that working dogs are exempt from the Pooper Scooper laws? Yup, a blind person is not obliged to clean up after their working dog. One assumes the same is true of a working horse?

The remaining pix are from my hotel room window. Pretty much self-explanatory. If you look at the one picture, you can see the lights in the baseball stadium.

DAY THE LAST

Well, for the convention anyway. And before I launch into the last day, a word from a previous posting. Several people expressed - interest? - in how the pony which was being used as a guide animal relieved itself. I guess one might try to house train a pony, but this one had a plastic arrangement that was designed to catch whatever might be excreted. It hung below and behind - and when I saw the critter the plastic container was empty (thank you). But talking to some folks who had been with the critter when the bag was full, the aroma is - pungent.

Up in the morning - down to the gym - sweat to greet the day. What is it about sweat first thing in the morning that makes you feel as though you've done something noble. Even in this short time, the day falls into a routine - shower, dress, downstairs for a muffin and email and off to the first session. (To kill any possible suspense, Father John did not win ANY of the raffle or door prizes throughout the whole convention.)

The first session featured two of the folks who head up the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at the Library of Congress in Washington, and following their presentation they and I and another man from Talking Books in Colorado went out for a long talk and some light breakfast. I won't bore you with the details but we had several avenues to explore, and the upshot is that I learned some valuable information, got some valuable advice and I will be going down to meet with them at their place probably in August.

Because of the meeting I missed the next three sessions (See? Good things happen when you least expect it!) Actually the next session was underway when I got there and was being moderated by the guy I had been sitting next to at the ball game the night before. It was a panel, a group of people talking about their experiences learning braille and learning to uose the white cane. I stayed for that and the next session but they were running about 45 minutes late on the agenda, so at that point I bailed (No not Brailled, bailed) and took a large box to UPS to ship back to the office. Some things I had brought and had not used and a LOT of things I had collected during the week.

Down to the lobby to do email and work and then back for Dan Goldstein's talk. Dan is a lawyer who works for the NFB and I've been working with him on some of the issues with the Reading Rights Coalition, of which the Xavier Society is one of the founding members. (They always list us last though - never can figure out why.) He was very good and very direct and very encouraging about several of the issues we are engaged in.

The next speakers were also very informative, but about things I suspect you don't care about a bit, and a year ago, neither would I have. I split early - when 2,800 people all try to move at once, the elevator system can't cope, so I thought I'd leave and have some extra time.

Now I have been full of praise for the hotel -but when I got back to my room, I discovered that the cleaning crew had been a tad overzealous and the plastic tabs that makes a black shirt a clerical shirt - were gone. I assume the cleaning lady saw them on my desk and decided they were junk. Furious? Yeah, that would be a good word to decribe my mood. I was going to wear a clerical shirt for the banquet, and to visit people the next day and to travel home in - now all I have are a couple of black shirts. THAT annoyed me, but even more the thought that cleaning ladies were going through the thinks on the counter and on my desk and deciding what was and wasn't to be thrown out. If it's in the waste basket it's to be thrown away. Otherwise - not their call.

So the manager got rather a blast and quite honestly, while he was very polite, his whole demeanor was - So what? When I get home the Marriott management will get a letter, along with a copy to the BBB in Detroit and the NFB who sponsored this convention, with the suggestion that perhaps this is NOT a hotel to consider for future such activities.

The banquet was OK - with so many people they had tables out in the foyer area with loudspeakers - and with a community of largely blind, the ability to hear is more important than having a good sight line to the dais. Lots of door prizes (see above) and scholarships awarded and a terrific speech by the President (it went for an hour but it was still a good speech - remember to ask me about the vibrating vest) and off we went. I went to the porch and smoked a cigar, visited with some folks and crashed.

There will be one more posting, since I have one more day, although at this writing I suspect it will not be as productive as I might have hoped. But I'll work out at the health club and get a good night's sleep, no matter what.

DAY FIVE
(Or Tuesday, for those of you not at a convention)

Sleep. Blessed glorious more than five hours of sleep. Not a lot more but at this point, every little bit. When I signed off last night I went to the dance, and the band was quite good – and REALLY loud – which gave me the motivation to stay only a short time and retreat to my room, where I knocked off some material for a meeting next week and finished the ad so I can send it to the office for comments and even did a little work on the homily for the weekend. OK a very little work, but I have an idea where it is going to go.

Of course, the big news item is Michael Jackson’s burial and the “service” at the Staples Center. Hundreds dead in rioting in China – and all the focus is on the crowd at the Staples Center. I may be in the minority here but enough is way too much – I grant his ability to dance and sing. I also note the drug use that seems likely to have been the cause of death, a lifestyle that was bizarre if not perverted (I know, he was acquitted but so was O.J.) – not my notion of a role model nor the “saint” he is being proclaimed by those of his inner circle. With the huge estate and debts and weird people attached to the whole situation, I am sure that the legal wrangling will keep him in the news for some time, and that the merchants and brokers and publicists will have their own motives for keeping the story going. Sigh. Enough. (And I don’t think there is anything more “wrong” with a ticket lottery winner trying to sell his ticket than there is for any of the other Michael Jackson sales that are and will be going on.)

I grabbed a muffin and a container of juice and did my morning email, sending things out. Ah to feel productive even before the first session of the day. Which I went to.

I’ll cut the suspense short – lots of door prize drawings, no wins for Sheehan. Economic report – yawn. Election of new board members – more yawn. Met a man who has been a client of the Xavier Society for years and wanted to let me know how much he enjoys and values our services. I’ve heard that a couple of times, and I never get tired of it. On the roster of speakers this morning, there was a man from Humanware, a supplier of devices to help the blind gain access to materials – they are very good and he wasn’t bad; a blind athlete who took part in the paralympics in Beijing (he was interesting); a report from a man from the Perkins School (Perkins was the first school for the blind in the U.S. founded in the early 1800’s – and the school is really much more interesting than the man who spoke, who is the President of the school) and the woman who is the head of the World Blind Union – between her quiet voice, her Australian accent and the content of her talk, the ONLY thing that kept me in the hall was the thought of the $100 door prize to be awarded at the end of the session. Which I didn’t win.

I went back to the exhibit hall to buy some things and at the NFB booth (Independence Mall – cute title) it took 20 minutes to process a credit card. The whole set-up of the store was a disaster – so far the experience of the NFB convention has been very positive but THAT – grumble, fratsis, snort. When it comes time for the evaluation, that will lead my own list of things that need work. I know the philosophy of the group is that blind people are the equals of sighted, with which I have no argument – but sometimes things need to be laid out differently. It was worse situation for blind folk, because they could not see when a clerk was free, they could easily find the way through the crowd to get a better spot. I shamelessly took advantage of my sight and tonight I will try to feel guilty about it. I don’t think I will succeed.

So here I am, catching up – had a piece of Wisconsin cheese for lunch – a very small piece – pity the poor starving priest (Ok maybe not starving but something more than simply peckish) and I am about to trot back to the hall for the afternoon session. I am going to cut out a little early because I have two meetings scheduled with people, and then I am going to a baseball game. I don’t really want to – there are several activities that I would like to attend (and probably should be attending, if not participating in) but I’ve laid out $60 (which includes an all you can eat buffet – these are good seats – remember, I’m not in NY anymore) and I’m not about to blow that off. So the people I’m meeting will buy me drinks and the food comes free, so even if the afternoon session is a bust – and I don’t think it will be, the featured speaker is supposed to be very good – I am filled with high hopes for the rest of the day. I counted and I have enough underwear for the rest of the trip, and life is good.

(Later - actually the next morning)
The metings were VERY good, except that at each one the person I was talking with insisted on buying drinks - so I had my week's allotment in one sitting. But very productive and hopefully a couple of good ideas may actually come to fruition. Off to the ball game - the stadium is about a 20 minute walk and after sitting all day, I opted for the stroll. (And on the way over I got a call from an Italian friend I know from Nigeria who is visiting in Texas. Small world indeed.)

GREAT stadium. Beautiful weather. All you can eat section upstairs on an outside deck (where, had I but known, I could have smoked a cigar. Actually there is even a cigar store and lounge at this stadium but I'm tight on cash and so I was noble.) Good seats and empty enough so that it wasn't a tight fit.

And let me tell you about going to a ball game with blind folks. Next to me was a guy who grew up with mill ball and kept better track of the game with his ears and paying attention than I, who had to keep checking the scoreboard. He talked baseball all night and was terrific. In front of me were a couple of guys who had the game on radio, so the play by play helped keep them in the game - and the conversation was far wittier, baseball relevant and fun than I am used to going to games with sighted friends. It was a great night. Took the people mover home afterwards, and unlike NY city subways, this rides on an overhead track and everyone in the car is chatting with everyone else - where are you from, do you like the city, how was the game, did you go to Notre Dame (I was wearing an NDN Alumni shirt) - great night.

And so to bed. Last full day of the convention tomorrow, and then I have a day to go visiting and exploring and then back to the "real" world for a couple of days before I head off on retreat.

Sweet dreams.

DAY FOUR - (Yawn)

The yawn was not boredom but rather fatigue. I was complaining yesterday about getting up early - I was up later last night and the alarm today went off a half an hour earlier, because I went for the March for Independence. Gather at 6:30 am.

I may have commented earlier about the inherent new way of looking at things when you get a bunch of blind people together to march in a picket line. More so when you have a thousand or more of them marching through the streets of Detroit. Imagine you're blind - there are talking signs all along the hotel so you find your way to the gathering point fairly easily. Next challenge - find your state delegation. How do you do this? Simple, you listen for someone calling out "New York. New York. New York over here."

The problem with this is that there are 51 OTHER delgations all doing the same thing. And occasionally an announcement over the loudspeaker. And at one point someone thinks it will help motivate the crowd to play loud music over the loudspeaker. Which it does - thereby making it even MORE difficult to hear the all from your state.

It all got sorted out, as it usually does, and off we went. Lots of police along the way - and news cameras - I suspect we were a feature on several local tv channels. (I have a tv in my room but seldom get to use it. Same thing could be said of my room.) I did get to meet some interesting people along the way and had a long talk with one of the NFB lawyers, whom I had met before, and she was able to answer a couple of legal questions I had brought along with me. The usual questions of crowding when a wide sidewalk turned into a small one, or someone stopped and the people behind kept walking, or someone walked into a state sign - keep imagining, it probably happened.

The march ended with a rally - lots of speeches and local politicians and I left early. I have learned that when 2700 plus people all try to move at once - and a number of them are blind and visually impaired - the elevators can't handle them all at once and you spend a lot of time standing around the elevator lobby. I needed a shower before the first session, so I went back and had the shower, dressed and got a good seat in the NY contingent.

The first thing they do at each session is a door prize of $100 - you have to be in the room to win. I think they call that motivation. Opening prayer by the "other" priest, and a good local band. A presentation by and to the Blind Veteran's group, including one of the Tuskegee Airman (I had drinks with him later in the day) and then - apparently a great tradition for this group - the roll call of states. If that brings to mind an heroic parade, forget it. Each state affiliate chairman - and there are 52 of them - gets to the mike, announces his state, crams in as much PR as he or she can fit it, and answers a series of questions about who the delegate and alteraneta re, who will sit on the nominating committee, when and where the state convention will be - some are shorter and some are longer and it makes watching paint dry seem a terrific option. They do break it up with drawing door prizes, but it went from 10:05 until noon.

Lunch - except I never got lunch. I did get my computer and did some work in the lobby - and got waylaid by someone who wanted to talk. Went by the Exhibit Hall to greet people and pass out brochures - and suddenly it was time for the afternoon session.

Opening event (after the $100 drawing - I didn't win again) was the President's Report. Marc Maurer is the President (Notre Dame grad) and his report went for a full hour. In that hour, there was factual report after factual report after factual report. There was very little filler and it was all interesting and occasionally exciting and very, very good. Yes, I know it went for an hour. But they deal with questions of accessibility that most sighted people never think about. Example - more and more kitchen appliances are digital and the critical information appears on a screen. An old oven - you could turn a dial, and have marks on the dial so you knew what you were setting the heat to. With a digital display, unless it talks, a blind cook is left out. Example - we are working to save energy and there are more electric cars on the road. One of the things about an electric car - REALLY quiet. Most people would think - Aha, that's good, that's a bonus, less noise pollution. But if you are a blind person, listening for the noise of an oncoming car to guide you as you cross the street - WHAM! Stuff like that.

Before the session started I saw a woman with a guide pony. You know about guide dogs - guide pony. I don't have my cable with me so I can't get the picture out of the camera and onto the computer so I can share it with you but I will. A guide pony - think I'm not going to take a picture of that? The young woman is Muslim and apparently they have a cultural bias against dogs (unclean, unclean) and so - a guide pony.

Idle thought at some point during the day - I had mentioned that the design of the hotel is round. Did I mention that the plates on which they serve the food are all square? Go figure.

After that talk it was pretty much all downhill from there. The Honorable John Dingell was supposed to give a talk on (and I quote)"Policies to Enhance Employment, Includion, Safety and Productivity. Dingell is THE longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, I think ever. 52 years. So it's a tourist thing if nothing else. But he droned on and on (and on) about health care reform and what he was going to do, and the bill his father had sponsored (his father was a Representative before him). Never got to the topic and while I can't be absolutely sure, I was fairly sure I heard some Boo's in the crowd as well as applause.

He was followed by a former Representative, now the President and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. This could have had potential and he wasn't awful - but he has definitely taken a course in glittering generalities, and I would dare to say he probably did fairly well. He was followed by another Representative, Congers (or Conyers?) I confess to not knowing Representatives and he was not on the printed agenda. He also talked about health care - and his deep and personal relationship with Stevie Wonder. Funny, in an old man sort of way, but too long and not always coherent. He should consult with the first guy abot his diet or exercise.

The next speaker was to talk about "The Journey of Braille: From the Hands of the Creator to Earth Orbit." The proverbial straw that did in this particular camel. On the one hand I didn't want to NOT be in the hall if they calledl my name for a door prize. On the other - I'm outta there. Went out to the porch and had a hamburger - met people and then met more people and then met more people, and while I found them fascinating, I'm not sure you would. There was one man who is here because his 22 year old son is going blind and he is trying to figure out how best to support and help him. A young man from Staten Island who has had his guide dog for three weeks - he wants to come to the blessing of the Guide Dogs. Many others.

By then it was after 7, so I went back to the Exhibit Hall and sat in on a meeting with some people from the Treasury Dept (talking about accessible money - money printed so the blind can figure it out) and then to the lobby to do some online stuff. When I leave here I am going to a dance with a live band to see what the music is like, and then I have to finish laying out an ad for a magazine and finish some material for a meeting next week so I can post it in the morning, and maybe even work on homilies for the weekend and next week.

Oh - last night. (Not that this is the last night but I remembered I had never really finished last night's activities.) When I left the porch, I skipped the Kurzweil demo, and the Guide Dog meeting had started, so while I did stay for a little and got some literature, I wasn't going to get to meet anyone until it was over (10 PM) I did stop by the group promoting the use of Braille and visited with the Blind Veteran's group and then it was time for the New York caucus.

Which was actually kind of fun. About 40 people - talking mostly about the march and the rest of the convention and the NY State convention, although they did also talk about an online poker tournament coming up (in which you too can play for an entry fee of only $20 - trust me, you'll be hearing about that from me in the not too distant future.)

And finally - blessedly - bed. Which is hopefully in the not too distant future today. I have to think to realize that today is Monday. There is an unreality to all of this, living almost exclusively inside the hotel. I'm going to see how late I'm up - I need to do the gym in the morning, more for the weights than the treadmill tomorrow. We'll see. I was really unhappy with the alarm clock this morning, and I'd like to send some of the work off in the morning before the first session (and that $100 door prize).

Sweet dreams.

DAY THREE (Interim report)

Any day that starts with pizza for breakfast is a good day indeed. Although the first question of the day was - and I quote -

WHY IS THE ALARM GOING OFF AT 5:30 IN THE MORNING? A CONVENTION IS SUPPOSED TO BE A TIME OF REST AND PLAY AND SLEEPING LATE!!!

Not. At least when it's Sunday and morning Mass is at 7:15 AM and everyone knows that you're a priest. Now I was not the celebrant, so I did not need to be particularly awake,but I did need to be present. I was (present) and was not (particularly awake). But (as sometimes happens after a Mass at which I am a pew participant) a number of people came up to talk about my singing. The Mass itself was led by a priest who has been associated with the NFB (see yesterday) and it was ok. I'm a Mass critic, worse than theatre, and there were things I would have done differently. The cantor raised her hand to indicate that people shoudl sing. Hello - this is a group of blind folk. No ushers to help coordinate movement for communion, nor talking voices or guides to help people find the Minister of the cup on each side - which led to some interesting moments. And at the end they sang three of the four verses of America - leaving out the most beautiful!!! Grrrr. Now if >>I<< were in charge of the world.....

Dashed off to buy a NY Times ($6!!! - thank heaven for the pizza because having paid for the paper I couldn't afford breakfast). Made myself a cup of coffee from the room brewer and off to the meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind.

Note: For all their other talents, blind people at a meeting can be just as boring as sighted people. Equal opportunity taken to its logical conclusion. A HUGE ballroom which was only about 1/3 full, but which was chilled for full capacity so I ended up leaving early simply because I was freezing. And I needed the time to do some other business.

So I'm sending this - off to the exhibit hall to make a purchase - and to a meeting of the National Association of the Blind in Communities of Faith. I have NO idea what this group is about but I have loaded my bag with materials and off I go. I won't stay for the whole thing unless it's terrific - there is a meeting of people planning activities for Meet the Blind month at 3:15, a meeting of Kurzweil users at 5:30, National Guide Dog users at 6 PM, the National Association of Blind Veterans at 7 (also a meeting of those interested in promoting use of Braille at 7) and a caucus of the NY delegation at 9:15. Now where I get to eat in all of this I have NO idea - so it might be a low budget, low calorie kind of day.

(Some time later)
When I was on Kwaj, the golf pro used to repeat (often) "It's all good." (Have you ever known a golfer who was not a philosopher? Although the same relationship cannot be assumed of philosophers...) Today - so far - it's all good, although I have to work a little harder at finding it. I have spent the day in meetings with little or no immediate value. I went to the meeting of faith communities - veyr evangelical, lots of alleluia's and amens, and not a lot of concrete information. (Although they did manage to extract a $5 membership fee, so I expect I will receive the odd e-mail during the coming year.) From there to a meeting on how to morre effectively reach senior citizens, whose eyesight is failing. I didn't spend a lot of time there but there was a lot of talk about crafts and what it was like to be a grandmother. On to the meeting about "Meet the Braille" month, an annual event designed to help educate the wider world about the blind and what they can do. (Ie, pretty much anything.. All right, flying a plane is tricky - actually flying is easy, landing is hard)

The moderator was a sighted staff member from NFB and unusually up tight. So far the sessions have all been fairly relaxed - blind folks speak out when they want to ask a question (raising your hand is fairly counter-productive) and people need to talk to get directions on where to find a seat, so strict decorum is in the background but people are relaxed about how it is actually observed. This guy wanted everyone to sit down before he started (blind folk don't care of they can't see you) and then he started to lay out the program. I was rahter hoping it would be a session of ideas, but it seemed to be a presentation of the NFB program, which involves having students take pictures standing with other people next to a cut out figure. OK it's more sophisticated than that, but not something the Xavier Society is going to get involved in.

At one point he stopped and asked if someone was talking. Someone was talking on the phone, very rude but not unusually obstructive, but it was a high school moment, with the teacher pretending she didn't know what was going on but threatening anyway. The person stopped talking and we went on. Not two minutes later, HIS phone range, he looked at it, apologized and said he had to take the call. That was when I gathered my bag and left.

From there to the meeting of the blind lawyers. I have been working with this group in trying to free up the Kindle situation and I was interested in the section on copyright law and access to electronic material. It was a very well-done presentation, but I knew absolutely everything that was presented. Sigh.

So now I'm back in the lobby, taking a quick rest before heading off to the Kurzweil presentation, a swing by the Guide Dog Association meeting, a visit to the Blind Veterans (and maybe a quick visit to the National Association to Promote the use of Braille) and then a meeting with the NY affiliate group at 9:15. And lest all this sound too exciting, remember that I have to be up and dressed and downstairs by 6:15 AM to take part in the 4 km March for Independence, which includes a rally and a torch lighting and music and dancing in the streets. I will take my camera but I can fairly well assure alland sundry there will be NO pictures of yours truly (that would be me) dancing in the street.

In theory there should be one more entry tonight. In practice, don't hold your breath. More tomorrow.

DAY TWO - Reflections etc.

Reflections from a sighted guy at a blind convention.
And other stuff.

DAY TWO

How weird is this – I’m in Detroit on the 4th of July, watching the New York fireworks on television, on the 43rd floor of a hotel with glass walls – and there are no local fireworks to watch. Apparently their big fireworks was last week. (Probably bribed by NBC so there would be no competition. Or maybe they didn’t want to compete with the glorious sunset – which at 9:43 is still breath-taking.)

Digression – for those of you in the “older” category. Remember when the 4th meant a picnic – maybe a parade – and in the evening you would go to a park or a college football stadium and lie on the grass or gather with your friends and watch the fireworks. Maybe a little food – but that was enough. It was simple, but somehow it was also magnificent and magic and special. As I watched the tail end of the NBC Macy’s Spectacular (or whatever they called it) I had the feeling that NBC and the powers that be don’t trust us to figure out something is special. So we have bands and the Intrepid and guest singers and the dancers from West Side Story and production and more production, as if the fireworks alone wouldn’t be enough. (And of course there are about a million gazillion more pounds of fireworks than anything we ever saw as children.)

End of digression. And certainly the Macy’s fireworks were spectacular. But you know what? Half that many would also have been spectacular. Thus speaketh the crotchety old man. Curmudgeon. And increasingly proud of it. Today local communities are abandoning their own fireworks because of the expense. But I wonder if tomorrow they will abandon them because they can no longer compete with television, because the local children will be comparing the Fire Department effort with what they see on tv, and it will fall short and they will be disappointed. All right, all right, I’m done.

Today was personal contact day for the Fuzzy Jesuit (that would be me, for those not paying proper attention). I arose and after a short argument with myself, which I lost, I betook myself to the 40th floor where the “Health Club” is. All I have to say is if one is going to spend time on a treadmill, a 40th floor glass wall view of the city is the way to do it. And a tv set on every machine. And headphones. And every other machine imaginable and free weights and I had a really good workout. Upstairs to shower and coffee in the room and off to register for the convention. Which took about three minutes and then the first walk through of the exhibit hall.

I spent a couple of hours visiting tables, finding out what they were selling or providing, and introducing myself and the Xavier Society. Made some appointments for longer meetings later in the week, ran into a couple of people I knew from other events and got rid of some brochures and a lot of business cards. Met a lady who had been befriended years ago by someone from the Xavier staff. She didn’t remember who but she was still grateful. Gave away more Braille cards and Braille brochures than printed. I went to the lobby and had a muffin and cranberry juice and worked on my computer for a while. (Wifi is free in the lobby - $12.95 a day in the room. What’s the expression? Oh yeah, "no brainer.”) Met some more interesting people in the lobby, gave away some more brochures – and back for another hour at the exhibition. My thinking being that organizations change their table staff so I got to meet a whole new crew of people. Walked around for a bit and found a grocery store for a cheap sandwich, on to the porch for a cigar – and met more interesting people, including one guy who (on discovering I was a priest) talked about his wife and his marriage and a bunch of stuff.

From there on to the Mock Trial, put on by the Blind Lawyers’ group. Very (VERY!) funny, although a little weak on the law side. The large ballroom was packed and the jury (ie everyone assembled) was decidedly prejudiced. The case was about a divorced couple, each seeking custody of their children. He is claiming that she is an unfit mother because (wait for it) she is blind. Guess what the verdict was.

I left before the end so I could attend a meeting of newsletter editors. The National Federation of the Blind (hereafter NFB) has a federation in each state (or almost each state) and many have newsletters. Most of the people at this session were editors or past editors or people who wanted to be editors. I was hoping for some technical information about doing newsletters for the blind, and I think I gave more helpful information than I received. Ah well, more blessed and so forth.

At the end of the meeting I went down to the bar, to help lower the level on the Laird’s bottle. (If that doesn’t make any sense, you haven’t read Day One, have you?) But the place was crowded and I wasn’t in the mood and while I was peckish, I wasn’t in the mood for a meal, so I went up to the room and dropped off my bags. I had not visited the Hospitality Suite, and I wanted to see the view from the 70th floor so I went up.

WOW. More glass walls, only more of them. Two large rooms and a bedroom and a piano. A piano? Yup, a parlor grand, at which I promptly found myself seated, noodling away. Had a soft drink, some cheese and crackers, chatted with people, including the only other priest at this event, who has been with the group since 2000 and who is celebrating the Sunday liturgy – and up came two pizzas left over from another meeting. Yay! Vegetarian, but thick cheese and really good. Visited with some more people, played a little more and just before sunset I came back down to the room and – see the opening paragraph.

Actually, after the Macy’s extravaganza finished (Blew itself out? Naw, too easy.) I looked out the window, and turned off the lights and there were small fireworks all across the horizon – not big but from my window I counted at least six. That was after I had gone through the whole nostalgic thing.

Which was a lovely way to end what was, all things considered, a pretty good day. Mass tomorrow morning at 7:15, so I’m off to an early bed and I hope a gentle sleep. (Oh and I snarfed a piece of the pizza for breakfast. Hot coffee and cold pizza – day doesn’t start any better than that.)

And thus endeth the second day. And I looked at it and I saw that it was really, really good.

Reflections from a sighted guy at a blind convention

Reflections from a sighted guy at a blind convention.
And other stuff.

Although it is merely the arena in which this all takes place, I HAVE to start with the hotel. The Marriott Renaissance in Detroit. Right on the river. Breathtaking view. And a staff that hasn’t learned about attitude or cynical or nasty. A couple of examples:

My first night here, I went to the bar and just to make conversation, I asked the bartender if they had Applejack. A cousin was a Laird (family name, not Scottish title) and Laird’s Appplejack was the premier brand of applejack. (Well, for all I know, might be the only brand of applejack – certainly the only brand I ever saw.) The bartender had never heard of it – fair enough, I was ready to move on to something else. After all, most places I go, they have never heard of applejack. But this guy goes and asks one of the managers, and oh yes, he knows applejack, they use it in the kitchen in place of Calvados. I said fine, but nothing would do but he went and got a bottle and left it at the bar. Of course, now I am obliged to drink some it. Which is not a hardship.

The next morning I called the desk and asked if they had a sewing kit, because I needed to re-attach a button on a pair of pants. (The story of how I lost the button will be told when I figure out how to put an age barrier on the blog, sort of an adults only thing.) Oh yes, they had a sewing kit. I said I would stop by the desk and pick it up. Later in the morning, I went down and asked about the sewing kit – and the woman couldn’t find one. She was most embarrassed, went all over, finally said she would send one up. Not to worry, says I, I’ll come by again later today. And I did. And they still couldn’t find it, so they offered to send it up and I said sure. Went upstairs to my room – and there were three sewing kits on my desk. And as I marveled at this multiplication of mending stuff, there was a knock on the door and a young lady was standing outside – with ANOTHER three sewing kits. (I only had one button. Something of overkill.)

The whole hotel has obviously gone through training on dealing with blind people. They know how to give directions, they know how to offer an arm to guide, there is braille everywhere. This is a great hotel. They charge outrageously for internet in the room, but there is free WiFi in the lobby. And several free computers for those who did not bring theirs. (Although badly set up and really slow.) There is a food court with cheaper food – good food at the hotel spots – even a couple of grocery/convenience stores where you can get cheaper food and drink and cigars. (Although they sell soda more dearly than you can buy it in a machine. Go figure.)

Now let’s use our imaginations. Imagine 3,000 people in a hotel where the major design feature is that the building is circular. And most of these people are blind. So in addition to learning new geography, the geography doesn’t have corners. Some have canes, some have dogs. Think traffic jam where most of the people can’t see. Half the elevators are “high rise” (floors 40 and above) and half are “low rise” (floors 40 and below). When the bell rings to announce an elevator, a blind person doesn’t know if it is high or low – and there are usually MANY people crowding into the elevator lobby to find a ride up. Or down, since the lobby of the hotel is on the 3rd floor. There are four levels between the 3rd floor and the ground floor (interesting arithmetic, eh?) and no straight line way to get from three down. People who work here aren’t always sure how to get to some places.) People with sight get lost – and how the blind fare is one of the more amazing dimensions of this gathering. Because they do – with grace and with great humor and with a degree of patience I will probably never possess, they find their way into meeting rooms and they find seats, the find rest rooms and food courts, and order where there are no Braille menus or directions, and all somehow on schedule. On Monday there is going to be a March for Independence (independence for the visually impaired, of course, which is one of the foundation principles of the NFB).

My room is comfortable – wide screen tv, two beds (so I can use one for organizing papers and other things), a desk and a comfortable arm chair, a closet, bathroom, and one wall that is nothing but window looking out over downtown Detroit and the river. I can see the riverboat at its mooring from my window. An iron and ironing board – although at a convention for the blind, crisp creases is not one of the priorities.

THE FIRST DAY
Went to the first session on Jaws 11 and Microsoft Windows 7 and how they interface and some tricks that Jaws can do (including a remote feature that is built in) and a look at a new magnifier that is coming out later this summer and a look at a bunch of technical stuff. Fascinating. I went into the lobby during the break to make some phone calls and maybe get a muffin and ended up buying 15 shirts from the Michigan Federation of the Blind Chapter – gifts for the staff. Met a guy from Nigeria. Went to a session about DAISY and using DAISY on your own computer. DIASY is program that lets you insert comments and notes and bookmarks into oral text. Technical but for someone who is blind, really important.

Went to another session about the knfb reader, which is a mobile device with which you take a picture of a document, and then the gadget reads you what you just shot. So a blind person can deal with a menu, a note, a boarding pass – without asking assistance from anyone else. Talk about mobility and accessibility. Not cheap but what price freedom?

In the first meeting, the presenter (sighted) walked up and down, and was able to see raised hands from people who wanted to ask a question. In the second, the presenters were blind, and so people simply spoke up when they wanted to ask something. When a presenter asks a question like how many people use a certain program, rather than raising hands (a sighted response) people applaud or make a verbal response. In the first session there were sighted people from the company to help late comers find a seat – and one guy who had to leave the meeting a couple of times was NEVER able to return to his seat without help – he always thought the row was farther back than it was and he ALWAYS had to have help.

I took a break at lunch time (not eating lunch) and went out to the outside area to smoke a cigar and enjoy the outside. Chatted with some folks – enjoyed the view and the weather. Walked around the complex and helped some folks who were getting lost – some blind and some sighted. I tell you, it’s a confusing place. Went and sat by the river for a little, skimmed the Wall Street Journal, and then off to the last formal session, talking about mobile readers, including a new program for the Blackberry that will be introduced later this year that essentially turns the Blackberry into a reader.

And later in the evening there the “Rookie Roundup” an orientation session for first time convention attenders. When the national president made his opening remarks, he mentioned me by name, that I was involved with the Reading Rights coalition and of course, the Xavier Society for the Blind. I skipped going to the karaoke and went instead to have – you guessed it – or maybe you didn’t – an applejack and 7-Up. And it was really good, out on the porch overlooking the river. Almost went to get a cigar but it was just chilly enough to be discouraging.

And thus – with my window wall overlooking the city with its lights shining and the amusement park next to Caesar’s glowing in the summer night – endeth the first day. And I looked back on all that had happened and I saw that it was good.

THANK YOU - AND NOW.....

First of all, thank you - make that THANK YOU - to everyone who took part in our NFL Raffle, or our online auction, or the live party at the New York Athletic Club. As I write this we do not have the final figures, but it seems we raised more money than last year, which (given the current economic situation) is no small accomplishment. YAY!!!!



Of course, the need continues. The work continues. The salaries and the expenses and the costs continue. So - if you did NOT have the chance to contribute something to the Xavier Society for the Blind during our event, it's not too late. (Let's be honest - it's NEVER too late!!!) Donations are 100% tax deuctible and 100% needed and appreciated.



UPCOMING STUFF

On September 15, we will be hosting a Golf Outing at a wonderful golf course just outside New York. You get breakfast, 18 holes of golf, lunch and prizes and an auction and prizes during the round and presents when you get there. If you don't play golf, buy a ticket anyway, and come to the resort, and after brunch, spend the morning at the pool or the spa or the exercise room - and then join the golfers for lunch. You'll be on the road and home before the afternoon traffic, having had a GREAt day and supported the Xavier Society.



The ticket is only $150 for all the above. But there are only 60 slots available, and I get one, and sponsors get some and several people have already indicated an interest



SO DON'T WAIT TOO LONG!!!



AND - LAST BUT NOT LEAST



Visit the Holy Land with Father John. (That would be me.) From December 1 to December 10, I will be leading a group to the Holy Land. What better way to see that very special place than with a Jesuit priest who looks like a Jew.



Basic fare (double occupancy) is $2800. Figure a couple of hundred more for tips and taxes, and whatever you plan on spending for souvenirs and Christmas presents. (Christmas shopping in Bethlehem - how's THAT for a notion)



If you'd like more information about the trip, drop me a line, send me an email or ring a ding ding on the telephone.



OK - enough for now. More stories and adventures to come.

THINGS TO KNOW

WWW.XAVIERSOCIETY.COM

That's the web address for the Xavier Society for the Blind auction that is going on RIGHT NOW!! Go and see what GREAT stuff we have. Bid. Spend money (!)

MAY 19
That's the date of the Annual Benefit Reception at the New York Athletic Club. We'll have a silent auction, a raffle draw, door prizes, a terrific jazz guitarist to keep things moving - and drinks and munchies. Ticket - $100 ($50 of which is tax deductible.)

THE NFL RAFFLE
That's the one for which we will draw the winners on May 19th (See above). First Prize: two air tickets to Miami for the Superbowl, 4 nights in a hotel, 2 tickets to the Superbowl and two tickets to the NFL Alumni Player of the Year Award Dinner. (At least one Hall of Famer at each table.) You're not just here, you're the guest of the NFL.
Second Prize: $1,000
Third Prize: $500
Tickets - $100, and there are only 250 of them, so it's a one in 250 shot to win something.

SEPTEMBER 15 - Xavier Society Golf Outing. For $150, brunch, golf, lunch and prizes.

DCecember 1 - 10 - Fr. John leads a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Base price - $2,800. Includes air fare, hotel, at least two meals a day, guide, air-conditioned buses for touring. And of course, me. Brochure on request.

For more information on any of these exciting moments, or to book me for a concert, or just to give us money - hehehehe -
Phone (212) 473-7800
Email: johnrsheehan@Yahoo.com
or
xaviersocietyfortheblind@Yahoo.com
(I know - it's really long but it's also easy to remember)
or mail:
Xavier Society for the Blind
154 East 23rd St
New York, NY 10010

Thank you. As my grandmother would have said, you'll get an extra star in your crown in heaven.

And Now for A Couple of Pictures

They're not great pictures - they take in large sections of the stage and don't do much toward telling the story. But they all have the advantage of including me. Sort of like Waldo - where's Fr. John

Here are two more shots - that thing that looks like a flower growing out of my hat onto my face - well, that was a flower. And the picture of the gorgeous young lady - I got to spend most of my time on stage in the second act cuddling and schmoozing with her. One of the highlights of my theatrical career - second perhaps only to I DO, I DO when I actually got to kiss a girl on stage (other than on the forehead or the cheek or the hand). And she was a very good actress - she pretended she liked it every single night.

ANOTHER REVIEW

I attended opening weekend of the Blue Hill Troupe's production of The Sorcerer. I enjoyed both 'opening performances' as the shows are double-cast.

Savoynetters in the show:
Rich Miller - Closing cast Alexis
Dan Rous - Closing cast Marmaduke
Carol Davis, Eric Peterson, Katie Holler and Matt Hughes, chorus.
Gary Slavin - Stage Director

I enjoyed viewing two slightly different interpretations of the characters in ways that all worked beautifully. Gary Slavin is open minded when he works with the principals, enabling them to develop their own subtle character interpretations, while maintaining continuity in the
characterizations to fit his vision for this opera.

I too was leery about the contemporary vision (for me, part of the fun of G&S is seeing or getting to wear 19th Century costumes, traditional appearances, etc.), but in this case I was very pleasantly surprised. The Sorcerer's plot is the kind that can work in any time frame.

I do not want to give too much more away, with the hopes that I can entice folks to attend one of the six remaining performances in New York City but here are highlights of the principals and chorus:

I have to repeat Jim's note about the chorus. I have NEVER (well hardly ever) heard an amateur chorus use so much diction. I heard and understood every word which is really important when performing a G&S that is not as well known to the general public. The vocal blending and
quality was outstanding.

In addition to Jim Cooper's positives about Craig Burmeister's excellent tenor voice and strong acting as Alexis, I equally enjoyed Rich Miller's realistic and energetic interpretation of the character and strong vocal quality. While Amanda Smith had a sweet, tender voice and truly delicate features that epitomizes Aline, I also thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Sanders' command of the role with her strong, glorious voice and her strength of character that worked well against Rich's Alexis. I laughed at the Aline's text messaging during Alexis' Act I monologue.

I particularly enjoyed both of the J.W. Wells – David Pasteelnick and Kevin Murray. Both used excellent diction during the patter and exhibited very believeable characterizations. I also liked the genuine displays of remorse in Act II generated by them both.

Both Constances - Kathleen Stetson and Dena Cubbin have outstanding voices and rather different, but equally effective interpretations of their characters. Both had me laughing out loud. Ditto with the Partlets - Lesley Berry and Suzanne Taylor. Both are strong actresses and I loved what Gary did with their characters, expanding their roles.

Now on to the 'parents'. The Sir Marmadukes - were played effectively, yet differently by Dan Rous and Alan Abrams. I love Dan's deep voice and his depiction of someone with a truly aristocratic nature. Alan Abrams exhibited a believeable character and several times had me laughing in the right places. The Sangazures were handled with aplomb by Leslie Middlebrook and Cornelia Iredell, both nailing their two intense and lengthy duets that round out their characters. The staging for both numbers with Marmaduke and Wells is exceedingly
clever.

Dr. Daly is one of my favorite characters (after Captain Corcoran, of course), and I had the pleasure of watching two wonderful actors, Win Rutherfurd and Ron Madden who brought such a genuine sensitivity to this character. The singing of Daly's two notable songs were beautifully done.

I was intrigued by the staging coordinated for the quintet. (Most of the time the actors are kept standing in a static group - which I gladly did not see in this case).

The principal parts are rounded out by a seemingly cold-ridden snuffy (but not so poorly dressed) Notary played by William Tost. He had me in stitches every time he was featured. The Hercules was played most effectively by Julian Rosenberg. I think this was his first on-stage
performance, but he had full command of the stage. His part was increased but I will not give away what his unique and engaging activities entailed.

The chorus members each developed a unique character in great detail (some of these characters are famous today). I was glad to see the show more than once to get to watch how all the chorus members were intricately intermingled. The Sorcerer is one of the best operas for chorus because it really gives each person a chance to do his or her own thing and make it work within the confines of the plot.

The orchestra was excellent and Music Director Zachary Schwartzman expertly kept everyone together, utilizing solid, realistic tempi (which is something I always notice) and kept the pace moving briskly.

The set and lighting are incredible. How so? Buy a ticket and find out!

I strongly encourage anyone available to be in NYC next week to attend a performance. The production benefits Inwood House, a charitable NYC organization that helps troubled teens.

For more information and to order tickets, go to:
www.BHT.org.


Wendy Falconer
Stamford, CT

THE SORCERER - A review

I am currently appearing as a humble chorus member (OK, a chorus member - I don't really "do" humble) in the Blue Hill Troupe production of THE SORCERER. I don't usually go out of my way to promote shows in which I am movable scenery - but this is a really good production, and the chorus has an unusual role in a most unusual staging. we opened on the 17th, and below is a review that appeared from the Savoynet, a group of folks interested in (fanatic about?) Gilbert and Sullivan. Better to let another voice to the talking:

THE REVIEW
Last night I went to see the Blue Hill Troupe's Sorcerer production with several friends, including Wendy Falconer, Vikki Willoughby, and 2 non-Savoynetters whom I've done G&S with for too many years (Rick Churchill and Marianne Barcellona).

Despite my misgivings about a version set in 2009 New York, it was a marvelous production: the sets were stunning, the lighting magnificently creative and the performances top drawer. Gilbert's lines take on different shades of meaning when done with intentionally American cadences. I saw the Opening Cast (they double cast their shows). I was particularly impressed with David Pasteelnick's JW Wells: I got every single word, and he delivered much of it while moving about with a hat and cane.

The set was mostly white with some black trim, and decorated with various Gobos and projected patterns during different scenes. The Teapot Brindisi was particularly effective with every cast member having a translucent teacup with dry ice steaming away, along with little electronic sparklers that appeared to be inside the cups.

The chorus diction was superb, and Craig Burmeister's Alexis lovely. I really enjoyed Aline's 21st century sensibility, she really stood up to Alexis and walked off stage in disgust during the 2nd verse of "Thou has the power" after refusing to take the potion. (He sang the second verse to a scarf she dropped) I think it makes the characters more believable.

They perform twice more this weekend and 5 more times next week. If in the NYC area, this is definitely worth seeing.

-- Jim Cooper
Webmaster and Past President, Troupers Light Opera

For a link to see more about the show and order tickets online
http://www.bht.org/download/emailinvite.html

NFL SUPERBOWL RAFFLE

As you know (and if you don't you have NOT been paying attention to previous postings) one of my jobs for the Xavier Society is raising money. Some might say it is the MAIN job.

So, in May we are going to have a fund-raising Benefit at the New York Athletic Club. There are several elements - the admission to the party (GREAT party, $100 a ticket) - and the Silent Auction at the event - this year the auction will go online starting on April 13, so people not in New York can take part (more on that in a slightly later post - I don't want to overload you) - AND the NFL Superbowl Raffle.

We are a designated NFL charity, and so we have 250 Raffle tickets to sell, at $100 apiece. The first prize is:
2 Tickets to the 2010 Superbowl in Miami
Airfare to and from Miami
4 Nights in a hotel
2 tickets to the NFL Alumni Player of the Year Award Dinner (with at least one Hall of Fame player at each table - tickets for this even alone are $1,250 apiece)

If (for some strange reason) you win and don't want to go - you can get a $5,000 prize instead.

Second Prize - $1,000

Third Prize - $500 (By my math, that's three chances in 250 to win something. Beats the Lottery.)

How do you get tickets? Send me a check for $100 (or multiples thereof if you want more than one ticket.) Make the check out to Xavier Society for the Blind - and I will send you your ticket by return mail.

If you win - it will be the trip of a lifetime. Past winners report that they are treated like visiting royally - you are not just at the game and all the festivities, you are there are the guest of the National Football League. And if you don't win - you have helped the Xavier Society for the Blind during tough times. Sounds like a win-win to me.