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What can I do with a tape of John Walker Lindh's hip hop beats?

CommonSense — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:56:55 -0800

In the mid-1990s, a now-infamous guy on the international stage personally mailed me some original compositions he'd made. What can I do with them now? (Details to follow.) Remember John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban," from back in 2001? In the mid-1990s, he was very much into underground hip hop, and was thinking of maybe becoming a producer one day. (Early- to mid-90s hip hop was one of the ways he was introduced to Islam, actually.)

He was a regular on the EFnet IRC channel #hiphop (later #hip-hop) back then, as was I, and that's how I "knew" him. (I lost touch by the late '90s.) At one point, he snail-mailed me a cassette full of beats. He also had an amusing, hand-written sheet with the offbeat titles of each beat, though I can't seem to find that, unfortunately.

We know what became of him later, and how he got to be internationally known. As you can imagine, I have my own thoughts about that, but that's neither here nor there.

Can anything be done with these? They're not necessarily what I'd call great beats, but they're definitely lighthearted, offbeat, and interesting. Fun, actually. You'd never think it was from the same person (at least going by media portrayals).

Do you tip your dog walker?

Kriesa — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:51:09 -0800

I just hired a dog walker this week... and it just occurred to me today: am I supposed to be tipping? And if so, how? The weekly bill is $60; am I supposed to leave a couple of bucks a day, or could I leave $10 or $12 at the end of the week or something? Or is it more of a holiday bonus thing (in which case I feel kind of bad, because the holidays are a year away). Some days, the owner of the business will walk my dog. Is it like a salon where you're not supposed to tip the owner, just employees? Or am I totally over thinking this, and is dog walking not a tipping sort of service?

Details on Gov Walkers Pension?

patrad — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:02:13 -0800

Does Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker receive a pension and if so, are the details of that pension public? I'm fairly certain he does, just wondering where I can find the details? I know Wisconsin makes all public worker salary information public.

walker strips: what are they?

hollyanderbody — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:59:27 -0800

what are walker strips? I have heard that one can be allergic to walker strips. What are walker strips?

I just can't wait to start throwing rice

marsha56 — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:16:36 -0800

What web sites and/or twitter feeds and/or something else (??) should I be watching to get the earliest announcement of when Judge Walker will issue his ruling on whether or not to extend the stay on his ruling? Will we know ahead of time when the ruling is coming like we did with the judgment itself, or will we only know about the ruling on the stay after the fact?

How do I know which wheelchair/rollator to choose?

happyturtle — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:20:56 -0800

Is there anywhere that has reviews of wheelchairs, wheeled walkers, and other disability aids? I'm looking into purchasing a combination wheeled walker / transport wheelchair for myself, but I'm really overwhelmed. I came down with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome about a year and a half ago and my condition has deteriorated badly. I am not able to walk very far without severe exhaustion, but my shoulders are the weakest link, which means that arm assisted crutches or a self-propelled wheelchair are not an option at all. A motorized wheelchair would be the ideal choice, but the cost is mindboggling, and it wouldn't be covered by the NHS since I can get around the house without it.

I generally limit myself to leaving the house twice a week, and use taxis for transportation. At times when I am able to have someone with me, a transport wheelchair would be ideal, but I'm usually alone. It would be helpful for me to be able to stop and rest whenever I need to, whether there's a seat nearby or not. So I am considering a combination rollator / wheelchair. (option 1, option 2, option 3)

Any of these are within my budget, but I have no idea how to judge between them, or whether my shoulder weakness would make it too hard to use as a walker at all.

And yes, I know I should ask an Occupational Therapist, but the waiting list is very long, and I'd like to get something I can use in the meantime!

Also, if there is any site similar to Cool Tools that has reviews of disability aids, I'd be very happy. I feel like I need a Dummy's Guide to being disabled. I don't need help with emotional coping or coming to terms with it - I need practical advice on which tools will help me get through the day!

tl;dr: Should I get a wheelchair/rollator, and if so, how do I choose one?

Locked in an Open Room

Acari — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:50:14 -0800

How can a wheelchair-bound lady get through doors with heavy springs? A friend's mother has recently started living at an old folks' home, and is having one particular issue which sounds like it should have a simple solution. She is either in a wheelchair [most of the time] or using a walker [rarely] and she is free to go where she chooses in this large complex.

The problem is that the doors are self-closing and push themselves shut harder than she can push them open. She can operate the latch, and she can push the door enough to *see* outside, but when she tries to push a bit farther she gets rolled right back into her room.

The nurses and assistants won't come to open every single door for her so she is reluctant to even call them to open her bathroom door [which is the same].

The best idea that her son has come up with is a sort of a doorstop onna stick that she can jam under the door to make incremental progress. I think that would be useful with a walker, but that devoting one hand to it would make her unable to push in the wheelchair. My suggestions have been less useful: a heavy remote controlled car to drive into the door or loosening the springs on her own door and bathroom door [which wouldn't help her get past her own hallway].
There are a lot of doorways to get through in this place, and the only one that is easy to get through is the main exit.

Is this something anyone here has successfully dealt with? It seems so simple, but is really frustrating for her to be essentially locked in her room all day.

How do I transport a walker?

klwatts — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:39:09 -0800

How do I strap a walker to the top of a Pontiac Sunfire for a long distance trip? I'm taking my parents to Nova Scotia for the week and my Mom requires the use of a walker. The walker is too big to fit in my trunk so the only option is to put it on the roof - but I've never done this before. Any help or suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks!

Who in San Francisco will pick up my wheelchair donation?

mrgrimm — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:47:26 -0800

Will anyone in San Francisco pick up medical equipment donations? I have a wheelchair, bedside commode, walker, and some other significant hardware that I'd like to donate, but I don't have a car. Does anyone know any org that will pick up?

How to make tennis balls on a walker take a licking and keep on ticking?

Syllables — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:36:33 -0800

How to I stop tennis balls on a walker from wearing out so darn quickly? I work in a group home for people who have a variety of handicaps. One of my little lovelies is amublatory with the help of a walker. The problem is the tennis balls on the back are wearing completely through within a week.

The budgets are tight and we are looking for clever ideas to make the balls last just a bit longer. Any ideas you ultra smarties?

Is this dog owner technically guilty of neglect?

merocet — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:47:43 -0800

I'm a dog walker in NYC and despite having stated that dogwalking is not a substitute for overnight care in the service agreement that I make owners sign, a customer is using 2 x 10 minute dog walks a day as care for her dog while she has been away for two nights. This job came in as an emergency short term thing (regular dog walker couldn't cover these few days etc.) so I left the service agreement with the owner for her to sign saying I'd pick it up when I came round to give the dog it's first walk the next day. During the interview I asked what time she usually left for work and returned home so I could get a sense of the best time to walk the dog to break up its day and she told me but then insisted that she liked the dog walked early in the day and as late as possible and could I also put some food down for it if it's bowl was empty? Alarm bells right? But with a new contract I tend to avoid calling new clients out as liars with no evidence to back me up.

So 2 days into the job it's obvious that she's not been home since it started so the only attention that the dog is getting is from me. I'm changing pee pads that are left out on the floor, feeding the dog, giving it an anti-arthritis pill, walking it and hanging around to pet it and give it some much needed company as I found it cowering in a cupboard when I first arrived.

Obviously I'll continue to care for the dog until she gets back and I've told her over the phone that much, so, aside from the fact that I'm doing a whole heap more than I'm getting paid for, is this owner guilty technically of neglect? I've tried to look up New York State laws regarding this kind of thing but am having no luck except from the info on the ASPCA website which doesn't mention this kind of abandonment as neglect.

Any Mefites clued up about this stuff?

Looking for this song

shotsy — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 15:41:02 -0800

Over the weekend I saw The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I was particularly taken by the song "I will wait for you", and as I searched for interesting versions of the song I found a reference to one by Scott Walker. (More Inside) Does anybody know if this was ever issued on CD? The only reference I can find to it is on a 1970 Phillips release called The Best of Scott Walker. I can't find it issued on any of the four preceding LPs or Singles and it doesn't seem possible to have come from his pre-Scott Walker days as the song wasn't written until 1964... Any help tracking this down would be greatly appreciated.