(No subject)

[Guest guest]

Hi. when you guys stay in a hotel, are you ever worried that the toilet will

not be accessible enough for you, even tho it is suppossed to be handicapped

accessible. I am going to be staying in a hotel for 5 nights and I've noticed

that sometimes the toilet can still be difficult to use even tho It is a

handicapped accessible room...maybe only a bar on one side, not high enough,

etc. Are there any portable foldable raised toilet seats I could bring along to

raise it up even more, just in case? I dont want to bring a big bulky toilet

seat along in the car (no room anyway), but would like to be prepared in case

there is a problem. Any ideas? Thanks, Robin

Disabled Boycott Ben Stiller comedy, " TROPIC THUNDER "

A friend of mine and I were talking this morning about whether or not

it's effective to boycott a movie that's offensive to us, especially

when the movie is already known to be a satire. Of course dialogue

about how different " types " of people are portrayed in the media is

important, but it occurred to us that a different tactic might be

refreshing and have more impact. What about praising the production

company for doing such a great job at demonstrating how prevalent

negative stereotypes still are about people with disabilities?

Any thoughts on revising tactics?

- Alana

Groups that advocate for the disabled called on Sunday for a national

boycott of the Ben Stiller comedy " Tropic Thunder, " citing what they

say is its negative portrayal of people with intellectual

disabilities.

" We are asking people not to go to the movie and hope to bring a

consciousness to people about using derogatory words about this

population, " said Wheeler, spokesman for Special Olympics, one

of 22 disability groups nationwide protesting the satire.

The film, directed by Stiller, will be released on Wednesday by

Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures and its DreamWorks unit.

The groups plan to picket the movie's premiere on Monday evening in

Los Angeles's Westwood community.

" That will be the start of a nationwide protest, " said Wheeler. " We

will continue to be vocal about the destructive effect of this film. "

He said the groups are particularly offended by the film's repeated

use of the word " retard " regarding a character, Simple Jack, played

by Stiller in a subplot about an actor.

Representatives of the Special Olympics, the Arc of the United

States, the National Down Syndrome Congress, the American Association

of People with Disabilities and other groups met with studio

executives last week to discuss the film, but DreamWorks did not make

any changes.

Berns, executive director the Arc, said in a memo the groups

presented various ideas to the studio, from requesting an apology to

fixing the film before its release, to producing a national

educational campaign.

Chip Sullivan, a spokesman for DreamWorks said: " We have had

productive discussions with representatives of disability advocacy

organizations and look forward to working with them closely in the

future. However no changes or cuts to the film will be made...

" 'Tropic Thunder' is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and

its excesses, and makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-

the top characters in ridiculous situations. The film is in no way

meant to disparage or harm the image of individuals with

disabilities, " he said.

The film also features Downey Jr. as a white actor who changes

his skin color to play a black soldier.

Sullivan said that prior to the meetings, DreamWorks had taken down an

online promotion, removing references to Simple Jack it felt could

appear offensive when taken out of context.

The film was shown in more than 250 promotional screenings around the

country since April.