text:
Willard Mitt Romney, currently slated to become the presidential nominee for the Republican Party in the 2012 general election, is a descendant of Archibald Newell Hill and his first wife, Isabella Hood Hill. Archibald and Isabella were Scots living in Canada when they met two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Samuel Lake and James Standing. The Hill family joined the Church and set out for Nauvoo and then started west with the Saints. Isabella died at Winter Quarters. Archibald set off across the plains and his sisters took his three small children, Samuel, Hannah, and Rebecca, to the Salt Lake Valley. Archibald later remarried (several times) and had a large family.
|Standing, left to right: Archibald Newell Hill, Samuel Hood Hill. Seated, left to right: Hannah Hood Hill Romney, Rebecca Hood Hill Pettit.
I have wondered a time or two if it could have ever crossed the mind of Archibald and Isabella as they left Scotland, and then as they left Canada for the United States that theirs would be an integral part of the American dream: immigrants leaving old Europe and establishing a home in America and having their descendants become doctors and lawyers and professors and governors and even a possible president of the United States.
Romney's descendancy is:Archibald and Isabella HillHannah Hood Hill RomneyGaskell RomneyGeorge Wilcken RomneyWillard Mitt RomneyOur line is:Archibald and Isabella HillRebecca Hood Hill PettitMary Isabell Pettit GreenLucile Green GladeBeverly Glade Wessman
This means that Grandma Beverly was a third cousin to the current candidate.
I personally find this relation only mildly interesting since Romney, being descended as he is from Archibald Hill, Miles Romney, Parley P. Pratt, Charles Wilcken, and others (see my Brief Guide to Mitt Romney's Polygamous Heritage) probably has many tens of thousands of cousins in the Church today, and it's neither rare nor novel to be related to him.
Note: I have extensive materials about Archibald and Isabella Hill and their families. They lived fascinating and complicated lives, but for a variety of reasons I will probably not get around to blogging about them until next year.


text:
Monday, May 24, 2010
Even With Planning
For me, this is also true. Without organization, planning and foresight, life with a disability would not be survivable. Take travel. We know what we need and we take care to ensure that it happens. I book hotel rooms with disabled access. I call the hotel on the day of, several hours before arrival and double check the accessible room. This gives them time to fix something if it's been noted wrong. That way, everything is fine.
Until yesterday. We arrived at the Courtyard Marriott in Ottawa after booking an accessible room, calling to double check its availability. We arrive to be sent to a room that isn't accessible. (I think they thought we wouldn't notice.) We came back down and I was pissed. The room they sent us to was a very long way down carpeted hallways. I explained that I was upset and they explained that all the accessible rooms were taken. I had no room.
I stay here a lot when visiting family. This is 'my hotel'. I'm stunned. Eventually I get them to call hotels in Montreal to find an accessible hotel and we get in the car and drive two more hours to get to a hotel that doesn't have Internet in the room. Thereby this post isn't written and published until much later than usual.
Even meticulous planning can't trump 'I don't care service.' Even calling ahead can't trump, 'Oh, well, if you weren't crippled you could use another room' attitude. They did give me a certificate for a free stay in the future - ok, but that doesn't fix the problem.
The problem is that I had a system that worked. Planning, double checking ... it always meant that I arrived with no hassles. I can never trust that system again. I can't trust it because non-disabled people don't get what it is to have a disability, what it is to suddenly be left optionless, what it is to sit in a lobby of a hotel as people pretend to care and pretend to take action.
So, a late post and a frustrated writer.
Is there something else I can do to ensure that my travels are safe, for me. Is there something else I can do to assure myself that I'm not going to have to make a scene to get something which should be a right.
If you have answers, I have ears.
14 comments:
- Brenda said...
Such inconvenience for a paying customer! I know I'd be royally PO'd. But it got me to thinking...sometimes a phone call just doesn't do the trick. They can be forgotten, or taken while the person is doing six other things, whatever. How about a letter instead? A pre-emptive strike, faxed or emailed, notifying in a kind and professional manner exactly what will be expected from the hotel. Having been in the business world for many years BD, I was often the recipient of such letters. "Mr. So-&-So will arrive on the 6th. He will need to be met at the airport and taken directly to his hotel. He will require two non-feather pillows...", etc., etc. When I first saw one of the letters, I thought 'how tedious!'. But I quickly learned that they served a very important purpose. For me, I knew exactly what was expected, and the letter often served as my checklist to ensure that I'd not forgotten anything. For the traveller, it gave them the peace of mind that all would be as expected when they arrived, and that if it wasn't, they knew that someone in authority had it in writing, and better have an airtight excuse as to why things weren't just 'so'. Dave, you write so well, I'm sure that a quick little form letter of this nature would be nothing for you to rattle off. But it just might go a long way to setting your mind at ease the next time you travel. Just a thought!
- 24 May 2010 at 07:50
- Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg said...
Dave, I so hear you. My life is a triumph of strategy and organization, but I haven't yet found a consistent way to strategize around non-disabled people who just don't care. I find myself in this situation all the time, perhaps because my disability is mainly invisible, and perhaps because people hear the word "autism" and they think I don't have any feelings or empathy or a moral compass like a Real Person. (If they only knew how acutely I feel what everyone else feels.) It's as though they don't believe me when I say things like, "Yes, I really do mean that the loud, pounding music in the lobby should be off when I get there because otherwise, my senses get overloaded and I get sick." They don't even believe me when I say I'm not capable of lying. Go figure.
All this being said, the saving grace of my life is that I am a fiercely tenacious person and I can get good and outraged to the point that I persist until the other person has to mine levels of patience they never knew they had. Sometimes, this works. Sometimes, it turns, "Sorry, this simply isn't possible" into "Oh, just a minute, here we go..."
But sometimes, of course, I just have to mine levels of patience I never knew *I* had. Then I remember that dealing with being disabled is a spiritual discipline and I try to get right with that.
- 24 May 2010 at 08:19
- Kristin said...
I would right a letter or send an email to the local TV, radio, and newspapers near the hotel. I would detail EVERYTHING you did and the disappointing/infuriating results. Sometimes negative publicity teaches asshats the error of their ways.
I'm sorry you had to go through that Dave.
- 24 May 2010 at 08:41
The wheeliecrone says -
I often tell people that having a disability requires a high level of organizational and administrative capability. Yet even when one plans and verifies - there are adventures.
I suggest that you write a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the hotel or, if it is part of a hotel chain, a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the hotel chain. Explain carefully and clearly (you certainly know how to do that) exactly what happened. Explain how the hotel personnel inconvenienced you and discriminated against you. If you really want to make an impact, you could have your legal advisor write the letter for you. It will probably improve their service to you in the future - that is, if you are forgiving enough to consider staying in that hotel ever again.
- 24 May 2010 at 09:11
- MoonDog said...
snort. what good is a free room coupon if you cant get in the door? that was a get the heck out of here and stop bothering me coupon. I can sure understand why you would be upset. I agree that a letter to upper management is in order. Even if it doesnt change anything you can feel like you did SOMETHING to try and resolve this and save many others the hassle.
- 24 May 2010 at 10:04
- lj_cox said...
I don't have any good suggestions to offer regarding a permanent solution to the problem. I do think that a quick call or email to Marriott will generate some helpful change. When we were traveling for business we stayed in Marriott properties exclusively and they were very responsive when I contacted them with problems.
- 24 May 2010 at 10:21
- Lyndsay said...
It would be an excellent plan to write to the manager, and tell them what exactly an accessible room means, and what it meant for your trip when they lied to you about having an accessible room. Because they lied to you. Not cool. If they don't own up, apologize or discuss further training their staff... well, call the newspapers and TV stations and CBC radio of course :)
- 24 May 2010 at 10:24
- Andrea S. said...
All of us who in some way have needs that differ from other people's needs experience similar barriers. I have faced this "Can't Plan Around Other People's Incompetence or Lack of Caring" barrier both as a deaf person and also as a vegan trying to get something I can eat. Back in the days when airlines used to actually feed people on their flights (I don't know about Canada, but those days seem to be basically gone for flights within the US), all vegans and vegetarians knew that they had to not only request a vegetarian meal but also call again to verify a few weeks in advance, then again a few days in advance, then again the day of, and then again speak to them when arriving at the airport. And even with all this hyper planning, things would still sometimes go wrong and a vegetarian would find themselves with nothing to eat for a full day of 10 hours of connecting flights and no time to buy anything in between. These days, of course, we all have to simply plan to bring our own meals so at least we're all equally inconvenienced.
As a deaf person, I was once a guest in the home of someone who liked to do things very spontaneously. I tend to be very spontaneous also, at least in certain specific regards like when and where I go to eat out or whatever. But the person that I (and my partner) were staying with couldn't seem to grasp that, when a deaf person is involved, certain activities simply CANNOT be done spontaneously. You PLAN for them or don't do them at all. Want to go see a play? You have to call months in advance to find out which one or two or maybe, possibly three performances out of the entire season even have sign language interpretation available -- that's assuming ANY of them do. You can't randomly walk into any performance at the last minute because most will not have interpreters. Want to see a movie in the first run theatre? Only a very few options will be available in your city. And that's assuming you're in a city major enough that ANY of the theaters offer ANY captioned movies at all. (For options in the US, check fomdi.com ... plug in the zip code for your nearest US city, or a city you're familiar with, and compare with results for hearing people.) If you're not fussy about movies maybe that won't matter much. But if there are specific movies you want to see, then you have to keep monitoring fomdi.com every week to see if THAT movie ever reaches your city at all. And then you had better hope you didn't have conflicting plans for the ONE week that movie finally arrives with captions--if it does.
It can be infuriatingly frustrating when people DON'T GET that, yes, certain things DO require extra planning when a person has a disability. And, yes, it sucks.
- 24 May 2010 at 10:37
- ivanova said...
I have zero answers, but I agree with Moon Dog. A coupon for a free stay is such a cop-out. Why would you ever want to go back there and use the coupon? They haven't done one thing to make you think the same thing won't happen again.
I do think Marriott might be sensitive to bad publicity, because they get so much of it for using prison labor and other reasons. So maybe making a big fuss and taking it all the way to the top would be effective. But why should you have to do all that just to get a hotel room?
- 24 May 2010 at 10:55
- FridaWrites said...
This kind of thing can happen when people aren't disabled too--it happened on our honeymoon. But it's far more likely to happen with disability. So many, many times more likely.
It's not fair to have to live with so much uncertainty and carelessness.
- 24 May 2010 at 13:39
- Shan said...
All I can think is "lackadisabical". Seriously. That's all I can think about.
With your help I have invented a new word. Thank you.
We could use it like this:
"Dear Sir: Usually I am quite happy with your front desk staff, but today I experienced a distinctly lackadisabical attitude towards my accessibility."
"What kind of lackadisabical place doesn't even have grab bars in the bathroom?"
"Joe, seriously, that dude is completely lackadisabical. He lets his service dog crap all over the atrium lawns."
- 25 May 2010 at 00:42
- eunice gordon said...
I haven't had the same kind of problems and indeed I have only been 'disabled' for the last 8 months, but I do understand what you mean about being organized. A friend who had just recently recovered from a broken ankle came to visit a few weeks after I broke my leg. I had to smile because he didn't come out with the usual "oh you poor dear, that must hurt so much" comment. Instead he sympathised with me by saying "you have to be SOOO organized!" and I thought, boy did you get that one right!!
Eunice (in Milan)
- 27 May 2010 at 18:32
I'm many months late here but... uh... I'll blame it on my planning skills. Yeah.
I am glad for your equilibrium that you can take pride in your ability to plan for your disability. I experience the need for more planning as yet another layer of discrimination. I mean, my husband didn't acquire super administrative skills as some kind of "compensation" for his loss of mobility. To the contrary- his MS is giving him cognitive impairments that make it even harder for him to have a successful outing. Wheelchair + short term memory loss + not being able to recover a train of thought after interruption = many failed trips. And then he had to go and marry me, scatter-brained as all get-out. When a venue says we have to call ahead to make arrangements, that feels like discrimination and segregation to me, just like when the only way to get in is to get the cashier's attention and go in the ramp at the loading dock by the dumpster. I'm glad we can get in, but there is a residue of resentment that we have to have special skills to do it- skills that we don't necessarily have.
Well, now to find something to be grateful about. I can still comment here, 8 months later! hooray!
- 30 January 2011 at 03:00
- Happy said...
I'm even later, bread and roses, and I highly doubt you'll see this comment - but I understand completely! I am constantly overwhelmed by all the paperwork I have to deal with at a time when I often feel like my head is stuffed with cotton. I hate it!
- 26 October 2011 at 07:42

subset: commoncrawl


text:
More Popular Issues
See how voters are siding on other popular political issues...
Results from Fine Gael voters
Last answered 2 years ago
919 votes
985 votes
Distribution of answers submitted by Fine Gael voters.
Data includes total votes submitted by visitors since Mar 21, 2017. For users that answer more than once (yes we know), only their most recent answer is counted in the total results. Total percentages may not add up to exactly 100% as we allow users to submit "grey area" stances that may not be categorized into yes/no stances.
Choose a demographic filter
Data based on 30-day moving average to reduce daily variance from traffic sources. Totals may not add up to exactly 100% as we allow users to submit "grey area" stances that may not be categorized into yes/no stances.
Learn more about Laptop Travel Ban
In March 2017, the U.S. government notified nine airlines that operate direct flights from the Middle East and Africa that personal electronics larger than cellphones would be banned on all direct flights entering the U.S. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that the ban would affect 10 airports that it determined did not have adequate baggage security screening in place. The ban requires passengers to put all electronics larger than cell phones including laptops, cameras and e-readers in checked luggage. Passengers will still be able to fly with the items if they are stowed in their carry on luggage. Opponents argue that the ban discriminates against Muslim airline passengers and could pave the way for future restrictions against them. Proponents argue that the ban only affects 10 airports and will encourage them to expand screening of all checked baggage. See recent Laptop Travel Ban news


text:
South Dakota Broadcasters Keeping Eye on Weekend Weather
The city of Sioux Falls continues to rally and recover from a monumental ice storm this week and it looks like we have at least one more hurdle to clear before we start the real work of cleanup. Fridays wind (which is expected to pick up) is one thing homeowners with downed (and dangling) trees will be keeping a close eye on. Radio stations and other media outlets, television, cell phone towers and other electronic types will be watching and reacting to the weather as well.
Dan Collins spoke with Todd Heitkamp of the National Weather Service
Thursdays weather offered 'some' relief by warming up and hovering around an even freezing all day. This is helpful, because a quick warm up can sometimes complicate already complex problems.
In talking with Results Radio Chief Engineer Mike Langford:
Many times the real problems come, not from trees and structures icing up, but when the sun comes out and starts thawing things out. Many times it causes an imbalance, that along with a little wind can get things moving. Sometimes that moving is in the wrong direction and things come down.
The ice just complicates so many things. Many broadcast outlets send signals to their broadcast towers with an STL (Studio Transmitter Link) and many of these important cogs in a broadcast operation can be easily compromised with a coating of ice. And the ice coming down is another thing. There are chunks of ice that when falling from hundreds of feet can easily do even more damage, especially to additional equipment that also hangs -lower-on the antenna structure.
Kickin' Country has been relatively lucky so far, we had just a brief power outage that was rectified quickly. (Note, Kickin' Country's tower is fortunately located where it is 'the first in line after a substation which insures we are always one of the first to get our power restored)
If you look at a standard radio tower, you see the broadcast bays at the top. The transmission lines which carry the radio signal to the bays come down the tower. You might also see receiving dishes for STL's as well. When thick ice starts falling off a structure like this it can damage and compromise a radio stations ability to stay on the air.
I don't know a lot about it, but I've been around enough to know that if you take one link out of the puzzle due to icing, or damage from falling ice, the balance can be upset and engineers find themselves looking for alternate ways to keep a radio station on the air.
One of the things about this ice storm I find intriguing is how the cell phone coverage has been pretty good. I haven't heard a word from people saying they are having issues around the Sioux Falls area. Today, as the winds pick up as they are forecast to do, you can bet Cell Engineers will be keeping a close eye on the weather as they continue restorative and preventative work.
We live in a society where, we turn it on, and it works. It works for a reason. It works because someone somewhere is either hauling out of bed at odd hours of the day (almost every day) and putting in incredible hours during times like these.
In the meantime, we'll keep doing what we do, on the air here at Kickin' Country and on-line at KIKN.com and with social media of Facebook and Twitter. Know though, that there's a lot more to it, than 'us back here, just flipping on a switch or two.' Know also, that we're saving up to buy our engineers breakfast sometime soon.
For the time being, Kickin' Country is on the air. God willing we will make it through this storm completely. And the next one too.


text:
RAY BROOK - Supporters of preserving a pair of historic Adirondack mountaintop fire towers say their long battle is almost over.
The state Adirondack Park Agency board is expected to vote next month on a plan to upgrade, interpret and allow full public access to the Hurricane Mountain fire tower in the town of Keene and the St. Regis Mountain fire tower in the town of Santa Clara. If the agency approves the unit management plans for the two towers, it would mark the end of a more than 10-year effort to save the towers, which at one point had been slated for removal by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
"Our group has hung in there all this time, and we want to see this done," David Petrelli, co-chair of the Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower.
Petrelli said his group was first organized at Paul Smith's College in 2002.
"I can remember that because my wife was pregnant with our second daughter. That's how long we've been at this," he said. "It's always been two steps forward, one step back, because there have been ups and downs and opposition, but it feels good to be at this point."
Both towers have been closed to the public since they were discontinued for use as fire observation stations. The Hurricane Mountain tower, built in 1919, was closed in 1979. The St. Regis Mountain tower, built in 1918, was closed in 1990.
The DEC initially proposed removing the towers, but after a public outcry, the APA board voted in October 2010 to classify the land beneath the two towers as historic, which allowed them to remain and be restored. DEC has since drafted management plans for the two historic areas, and a public hearing on the plans was held Wednesday at the APA headquarters in Ray Brook.
The plans call for resuming maintenance of both towers to allow for full public access to the structures, which would require repairs to their stairs, cabs, windows and roofs. DEC also wants to install interpretive materials in the cabs, like signs that would tell the history of the towers.
APA planner Kathy Regan said the only major difference between the two UMPs is that a radio repeater powered by four solar panels would be side-mounted on the Hurricane tower. DEC officials have said the repeater would help close a gap in backcountry emergency radio coverage.
Regan said there's been some concern about the use of solar panels in a designated historic area.
"We have examples of solar panels on historic structures in wild forest," she said. "This would be the first time where we would have solar panels on a historic structure in an historic area. The State Land Master Plan compliance issue here will be addressed by the agency board."
During the public hearing, most of those who spoke voiced strong support for the plan to restore the towers and open them up to the public.
"Maintenance of fire towers enhances public enjoyment and understanding of the forest preserve and its history," said Doug Fitzgerald, co-chair of the St. Regis tower friends group, reading from a letter to the agency. He said his group would work with the state to restore, maintain and interpret the tower through a volunteer stewardship agreement.
Bill Ulinski, a member of the same group's steering committee, called the St. Regis tower "a great, unique classroom" for educating visitors and local residents about the Adirondack Park and its history.
The Friends of Hurricane Mountain Fire Tower is also ready to assist with restoration and stewardship of its namesake tower, said the group's Alta Jo Longware.
"We agree with the management objective to maximize the interpretive and educational potential of both the Hurricane and St. Regis towers as historic resources, while utilizing them for radio communications," Longware read from a prepared statement before adding, "This has been a long haul."
Of the half-dozen people who spoke Wednesday, only one questioned the move to classify the area around the towers as historic, even though that was decided more than three years ago.
"As we have stated in the past, the reclassification of this land as historic sets a precedent for spot zoning around non-conforming uses in the Forest Preserve that expressly contradict the State Land Master Plan," said Pine Roehrs of the Adirondack Council, an environmental group. "It is our hope that this tactic is not seen as a ready remedy for future classification dilemmas."
In the last few months, questions have also been raised by APA commissioners about whether the state would pay for the restoration of the towers. DEC officials have said some state funds could be used, but both towers' friends groups are also willing to cover some of the cost.
"There's really no concern we have about the funding," Petrelli said. He estimated restoring the St. Regis tower could cost from $10,000 to $15,000. "We've got close to 3,000 people who signed petitions. If even only a third of those people donate $10, that's like $10,000. Yes the costs can be considerable, and there's a good deal of work that needs to be done, but the big thing is we just need the OK to go forward."
The APA board is expected to consider approving the fire towers UMPs at its May meeting.
Petrelli said the restoration work could begin in late summer.


text:
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Skyfall
When Daniel Craig returns to the big screen as James Bond this November, Omega will be returning as his wristwatch of choice. In celebration, the brand has created a limited-edition (5,007 pieces) version of the Seamaster Planet Ocean watch that will appear on-screen. Although it doesn't include a wire garrote, Geiger counter or laser-beam cutting tool (functions found in various Bond watches of the past), it is water-resistant to 2,000 feet, has a green-lighted minute hand and diving bezel dot and a 007 logo at the 7 o'clock position.
Dolce & Gabbana DG7 Gems
Dolce & Gabbana made its first foray into the men's luxury timepiece arena in 2012, with a debut collection of 52 watches in three styles designed in-house by the Italian fashion brand and made in Switzerland. Available since June 18 exclusively through Dolce & Gabbana boutiques, the line includes the DG7, a classic '50s-inspired style; the sporty, button-festooned DS5; and the DG7 Gems collection, which adds a punch of eye-catching color to the polished pieces. Think bright green (thanks to emeralds), red (rubies) or blue (sapphires), with alligator straps in a matching hue.
Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute
On May 24, 1962, when Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter slipped the bonds of Earth, he did so with a Breitling Navitimer strapped onto his wrist, making it one of the earliest wristwatches worn into space (but not the first — that distinction belongs to Yuri Gagarin's Shturmanskie). This year, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Carpenter's three Earth orbits, Breitling has released a limited-edition (1,962 pieces) manual-wind Navitimer Cosmonaute with a 24-hour watch face (a feature of the original). On the caseback, it's engraved with Carpenter's name and an image of the Aurora 7 capsule.
Patek Philippe Nautilus
One perk to being the country's only free-standing Patek Philippe boutique is having the floor space to showcase a wider range of the brand's watches. The 1,250-square-foot Art Deco jewel box that recently opened at 360 N. Rodeo Drive stocks about double the number of Pateks found in a traditional multibrand store. Case in point: On a recent visit, Patek's Nautilus series, with a distinctive bezel inspired by the shape of a porthole, was available in white gold, rose gold and a sleek-looking stainless steel, the latter of which was briefly available with a silvery-white dial in addition to the traditional blue.
Mougin & Piquard for J. Crew Chronograph
A French watch brand that dates to 1852, Mougin & Piquard has been dormant since the '70s. Last year it was revived by Tourneau and launched exclusively at J. Crew. First out of the gate, in November, was the Grande Seconde, inspired by pilot watches of the 1930s. This summer it was followed by the Chronograph, a slightly more involved (and more expensive) timepiece inspired by 1920s Paris. It's just enough watch to break the ice — without breaking the bank.
Hublot King Power Usain Bolt
This limited-edition (250 pieces) Hublot wristwatch commemorating Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's feats of speed was announced well before the brand ambassador's latest Olympic achievements and adds Bolt-specific touches to the Swiss watchmaker's King Power timepiece. Among them, a 12-hour chronograph in the color green (a nod to the Jamaican flag), the silhouetted shape of the athlete's lightning-bolt pose at the 9 o'clock position and a strap using the same kind of metallic gold synthetic leather used to make his signature track spikes.