| The Research Trip That Wasn't
I'm not writing this at a desk in the British Library, having not taken the 73 bus from Stoke Newington to the Euston Road stop this morning. I won't be having lunch with any of my Victorianist buddies who also work at the British Library in the summer months. And the manuscript of Kipling's Kim that I had requested be made available to me is languishing unretrieved behind the desk of the Manuscripts Room. The week I had picked to schedule a research trip to London turned out to be just after British police announced they had foiled a new terrorist attack aimed at bringing down airplanes traveling to the United States. The lines at the airports, the fear that I wouldn't be able to take my brand new laptop -- purchased specifically for this research trip -- in my carry-on bag, and the knowledge that my seat was on one of the airlines supposedly targeted for the thwarted bombings led me to cancel a trip I had been looking forward to all summer.
The truth is, I miss you
I have the good fortune of having friends scattered across the country. This means that when I travel, I infrequently check into hotels, and frequently become a house guest. I have the misfortune of having friends scattered across the country. This means that a lot of e-mails and phone calls end in I miss you. Last week, as a long-distance catch-up phone call wound down, my very good friend Lindsay who lives in Washington D.C. told me that she misses me. I miss her, too. Since 2000, Lindsay and I have lived in the same part of the country for approximately four consecutive months. The rest of the time, there have been oceans, the mighty Mississippi, the Appalachian Mountains, and many hours of travel between us. We try to catch up once a week, but play a lot of phone tag and send diverting e-mails back and forth as the work day permits.
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Disability advocates urge travel subsidy for carers
Advocates for people with disabilities want the Federal Government to subsidise the cost of carers flying with disabled passengers. The Community Services Minister says he is yet to see the detail of the proposal. But David Gordon from the group Paraquad says carers' airfares need to be subsidised. "Yes I have a disability and they turn around and instantly say now we need to make a booking for your support worker," Mr Gordon said. "I can travel independently on my own I don't need a support worker but the call centre staff are taking the view that we need to have a carer with us." Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway says carers are offered the cheapest airfare. "We're generally not of a view that subsidies are generally a good thing," Mr Westaway said.
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