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

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's her family's decision, they're the ones who have nominated her.

And with the stipulations they have for the house being wholly wheelchair accessible, it's not really possible to go too crazy, plus accessibility modifications usually do not increase a home's value, rather the opposite, sad to say. A quick flick through US sources indicates that upkeep costs on medically necessary house modifications like these are tax deductible, so that should also be all right.

But a good precautionary line of thinking! And no, I've never seen it nor would I watch it if it were on here: reality TV and I are just not close, except for The Edwardian Country House, that show was GENIUS!

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

well, to give you an idea of what we are talking about here, take a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_NVwP4hncA&feature=related. that's a standard house for the show, and it doesn't matter if they are building houses that have to fit specific medical requirements--they always build on this scale.

i'm glad to hear about the tax deductibility, though. i often wonder if the producers of the show consider the follow-up costs they are unleashing on people when they build such extravagant homes for them.

[khittee.livejournal.com]

Hi! Yeah, EHM does tend towards the grandiose on the remodels, however, the lot that Grace's house is on is pretty small, they would have trouble getting a much larger house on it, especially if the wheelchair accessibility limits them to one floor. I did pass your concerns on to her mother, though, and thank you so much!

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

oh, it's probably good that the lot won't allow a mansion-like house! i'd hope that the producers would also listen to people's requests re: their new house and not build homes that people can't afford to pay utilities etc. for :).