should I read Foucault?

I've been not-reading Foucault for about twenty years now, since I first ran across his stuff in college. And I'm starting to feel like between the whole birth/breastfeeding/childrearing thing, and the should-I-be-tested-for-cancer thing, and now the autism thing, that I should just stop not reading Foucault and start reading him. Enough pissing around with Ivan Illich and R.D. Laing and go straight to the incomprehensible, hard core source.

Anyone out there make it through any? It looks like there is now (as of 2006) an unabridged English translation of Madness, so at least I won't have to slog through it in French, introducing untold errors every sentence or so.

autistic child in the outdoors

I've been reading my New Favorite Blog and some of the lovely things she references, and thinking about what kind of environment is Really Great for a kid with some of the traits she describes. Several really stuck out:

identifying objects embedded in a field
completely non-reactive to loud noises (clap, starter pistol fired directly behind head)
immediately response to very quiet noises of interest, even from a substantial distance (video in the next room, played quietly)
undistracted by socializing, chitchat
quiet -- does not talk much if at all
able to and interested in imposing order on collections (arranging books, video, etc. in a row)
interest in producing music, perfect pitch

If you had to be transported back in time and space to a hunter gatherer society, I cannot imagine a better kid to have around. They'll help you collect food (flora and fauna), they won't respond to Big Scary Animal Noise in a way that gets you into trouble, if you are interesting to them, they'll probably be able to find you from a good distance away and come instantly and quickly to you (or to whatever else might interest them). And they'll be able to keep your gear together, arranged in a way that makes it easy to access and transport.

If you're lucky, they'll be able to amuse you in the quiet, long stretches of the night by singing, or playing a pipe or something similar.

Just because someone isn't going to make a great lawyer, or a talk show host, or whatever, doesn't mean they can't be useful.

This Is What Terrorism Looks Like

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/01tiller.html?_r=1&hp

There are doctors out there willing to do hard things: late term abortion to save a woman's health, life, reproductive capacity. During democratic administrations in particular, these doctors are at severe risk of attack by terrorists. Much like the WTC, this particular victim has been hit a second time. Much like the WTC, while he recovered from his first attack, he died in the second one.

We're willing to go after people who espouse the same belief system as terrorists, who donate money to terrorists, who associate with terrorists, who sympathize with or provide safe haven to terrorists.

If we treated the guy who did this -- and the people who think the way he thinks -- the same way we treated the people who attacked the WTC, would we be waterboarding pro-lifers right now? Would it be enough for Operation Rescue to denounce this heinous act?

Today's Activities include: horses! bicycles!

And a trip to Applebee's.

First thing T. and I did today: ride around the neighborhood on bicycles. Then T. and R. went to the pool. Then T. and I rode around the neighborhood on bicycles. Then T. rode in the trailer behind R.'s bike. (I don't recall if there was more neighborhood at this point.) Then we all went to try to convince T. to feed carrots to, brush and ride a pony. This was actually not too unsuccessful, all things considered (altho why both my children decided upon arriving at a farm that then was a great time to poop, I do not know). After returning from horses, I put A. down for a nap. More bicycles. More pooping. Attempt at napping for T. and R. Dinner at Applebee's and one last trip round the loop.

Lots and lots of bicycling. I'm a little tired, actually.