In good news ...

[blamebrampton]

BABY PYGMY HIPPO IN POLAND!!!!

frayach , you may actually explode with delight at that video, so 15 second increments for you!

MORE IMPORTANTLY! Are you an American? You can use your voting power for good without worrying about the future of your economy! Click over to this site and vote to help Grace. It will cost you nothing except about 30 seconds and a US address, maybe a phone call if the producers ring to check you're real.

Grace is a friend of khittee 's 11 and about to enter Junior High, she also has cerebral palsy. Like every 11-year-old, she's keen to further her independence, but at the moment, she can't even get her wheelchair into her house, so is limited to short bursts of movement once she's inside, and a good rest in between. She is cared for by her single mother and grandmother, but as she gets bigger, it's harder for her to be lifted about by them.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition is that terrifying thing -- a reality show -- but it's one that does some genuine good, reworking homes to make them accessible and functional to the people who actually live in them, rather than whoever the architect had in mind. If Grace gets to 7000 votes, they will come to her house and make the thorough modification that her mum, sorry, mom, could never afford on her current salary. Currently, she is a little below half the number of votes she needs, because her mother is hardworking and sensible and does not have loads of American friends with mild Potter addictions and a bit of free internet time.

Ladies and gentlemen, we DO have loads of those useful people. Please go over and click if you live in the US, and please boost the signal. khittee's original post is here, and Grace's bio is here. The form asks that you mention your relationship with the family, something like 'friend of a friend' or 'wellwisher' might be a little less weird than 'Potter porn connection'. Thank you!

Comments

[brissygirl.livejournal.com]

I'll help boost the signal too. I'll get on the computer soon and post to both my active journals :)

[brinian.livejournal.com]

something like 'friend of a friend' or 'wellwisher' might be a little less weird than 'Potter porn connection'.

What? You mean online friends with eclectic taste in fanfiction aren't good enough for TV producers? The shame!

Thanks for passing this on...have voted appropriately :-) She's at 3128 right now.

[absynthedrinker.livejournal.com]

Just voted for our dear Miss Gracie and sent a memo to my staff. In exchange for their vote they will be given a half-day schedule on Friday.

The baby hippo is adorable but animals in cages always make me a bit sad.

Peace,
Bubba

[kayoko.livejournal.com]

Babby hippos are so tiny! My goodness!

I hate it when things are US only. Canada's not that different from the US, especially in terms of TV programming.

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

She's going to grow up to be a killer hippo, she already tried to bite off this poor guy's finger. *nods, nods*

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

i understand wanting to help grace, but i'm not sure if extreme makeover is the way to go. have you ever seen the show? they don't renovate people's homes, they tear them down and build literal mansions in their stead. the follow-up costs like utilities, property taxes and general maintenance for such a huge house are never discussed on the show, of course.

[slian-martreb.livejournal.com]

I have a nephew with spina bifida. I know that when my sister moved into her house, she was not yet pregnant with my nephew and could never have imagined that one day she would need to tear out half of her lawn to make room for a ramp.

While my nephew is just only turning two and we hope that his condition will allow him to walk with crutches instead of requiring a wheel-chair, it does require a complete re-thinking of how a family lives. Yes, my sister can now carry him upstairs to put him into bed. She won't be able to when he's eight.

I voted for Grace and would gladly vote again and again if I could.

[kudilu.livejournal.com]

OMG, the hippo was so adorable! and oooo, you have another hippo lover here?

voted, but debating whether to boost the signal - i lurk more than anything, and am not sure if this would reach more than 2 or 3 people (that it isn't already reaching) if i boosted it. maybe FB . . . i've got a bunch of re-linkers there.

[khittee.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for reposting this for Grace!

Now, to go squee at the baby hippo~

[lisbet.livejournal.com]

Just voted -- she's up to 3242 now! A close friend of mine has CP and is in a wheelchair too, after many years of braces and crutches. We sometimes talk about designing the ideal wheelchair-accessible home for people who want to live independently. I've never watched EHM but would be very interested to see how they do it. Please keep us posted if you hear anything further!

[elanna9.livejournal.com]

Done. What a beautiful little girl! I hope this helps.