SYNDICATED COLUMNISTS WEEKLY Vol. 20 July 21, 2003 No. 51 A Weekly Publication of National Braille Press Inc. Editorial Staff: Chris Devin, Diane Croft, Andrea Duksta and Ethan Rowe. Subscription rate: 1 year for $24; 2 years for $45. A Jiffy-Braille transcription produced and supported by National Braille Press Inc., 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115; (800) 548-7323. The Jiffy-Braille process bypasses proofreading in order to provide a quick and less expensive service. There will be occasional errors, but they should not significantly affect reading. If they do, we would appreciate being notified. We hope you enjoy this weekly publication. To subscribe, simply send a check or money order for $24 for one year or $45 for two years to the National Braille Press. The opinions expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of National Braille Press. Table of Contents Title Page The Bright Stuff by Daniel C. Dennett 2 Gay marriage--the next just step by Rondi Adamson 8 There's Hope in Liberia's History by Jimmy Carter 11 Your Farm Subsidies Are Strangling Us by Amadou Toumani Tour‚ and Blaise Compaor‚ 16 The Presence of a Guide by Sarah Smith 19 Braille version of `Harry Potter` weighs in at 13 volumes by Elizabeth Armstrong 27 Dear Abby 29 0 THE BRIGHT STUFF By Daniel C. Dennett July 12, 2003 Courtesy of the New York _Times, copyright 2003. BLUE HILL, Me.--The time has come for us brights to come out of the closet. What is a bright? A bright is a person with a naturalist as opposed to a supernaturalist world view. We brights don't believe in ghosts or elves or the Easter Bunny--or God. We disagree about many things, and hold a variety of views about morality, politics and the meaning of life, but we share a disbelief in black magic--and life after death. The term "bright" is a recent coinage by two brights in Sacramento, Calif., who thought our social group--which has a history stretching back to the Enlightenment, if not before--could stand an image-buffing and that a fresh name might help. Don't confuse the noun with the adjective: "I'm a bright" is not a boast but a proud avowal of an inquisitive world view. You may well be a bright. If not, you certainly deal with brights daily. That's because we are all around you: we're doctors, nurses, police officers, schoolteachers, crossing guards and men and women serving in the military. We are your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters. Our colleges and universities teem with brights. Among scientists, we are a commanding majority. Wanting to preserve and transmit a great culture, we even teach Sunday school and Hebrew classes. Many of the nation's clergy members are closet brights, I suspect. We are, in fact, the moral backbone of the nation: brights take their civic duties seriously precisely because they don't trust God to save humanity from its follies. As an adult white married male with financial security, I am not in the habit of considering myself a member of any minority in need of protection. If anybody is in the driver's seat, I've thought, it's people like me. But now I'm beginning to feel some heat, and although it's not uncomfortable yet, I've come to realize it's time to sound the alarm. Whether we brights are a minority or, as I am inclined to believe, a silent majority, our deepest convictions are increasingly dismissed, belittled and condemned by those in power--by politicians who go out of their way to invoke God and to stand, self-righteously preening, on what they call "the side of the angels." A 2002 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life suggests that 27 million Americans are atheist or agnostic or have no religious preference. That figure may well be too low, since many nonbelievers are reluctant to admit that their religious observance is more a civic or social duty than a religious one--more a matter of protective coloration than conviction. Most brights don't play the "aggressive atheist" role. We don't want to turn every conversation into a debate about religion, and we don't want to offend our friends and neighbors, and so we maintain a diplomatic silence. But the price is political impotence. Politicians don't think they even have to pay us lip service, and leaders who wouldn't be caught dead making religious or ethnic slurs don't hesitate to disparage the "godless" among us. From the White House down, bright-bashing is seen as a low-risk vote-getter. And, of course, the assault isn't only rhetorical: the Bush administration has advocated changes in government rules and policies to increase the role of religious organizations in daily life, a serious subversion of the Constitution. It is time to halt this erosion and to take a stand: the United States is not a religious state, it is a secular state that tolerates all religions and--yes--all manner of nonreligious ethical beliefs as well. I recently took part in a conference in Seattle that brought together leading scientists, artists and authors to talk candidly and informally about their lives to a group of very smart high school students. Toward the end of my allotted 15 minutes, I tried a little experiment. I came out as a bright. Now, my identity would come as no surprise to anybody with the slightest knowledge of my work. Nevertheless, the result was electrifying. Many students came up to me afterwards to thank me, with considerable passion, for "liberating" them. I hadn't realized how lonely and insecure these thoughtful teenagers felt. They'd never heard a respected adult say, in an entirely matter of fact way, that he didn't believe in God. I had calmly broken a taboo and shown how easy it was. In addition, many of the later speakers, including several Nobel laureates, were inspired to say that they, too, were brights. In each case the remark drew applause. Even more gratifying were the comments of adults and students alike who sought me out afterward to tell me that, while they themselves were not brights, they supported bright rights. And that is what we want most of all: to be treated with the same respect accorded to Baptists and Hindus and Catholics, no more and no less. If you're a bright, what can you do? First, we can be a powerful force in American political life if we simply identify ourselves. (The founding brights maintain a Web site on which you can stand up and be counted.) I appreciate, however, that while coming out of the closet was easy for an academic like me--or for my colleague Richard Dawkins, who has issued a similar call in England--in some parts of the country admitting you're a bright could lead to social calamity. So please: no "outing." But there's no reason all Americans can't support bright rights. I am neither gay nor African-American, but nobody can use a slur against blacks or homosexuals in my hearing and get away with it. Whatever your theology, you can firmly object when you hear family or friends sneer at atheists or agnostics or other godless folk. And you can ask your political candidates these questions: Would you vote for an otherwise qualified candidate for public office who was a bright? Would you support a nominee for the Supreme Court who was a bright? Do you think brights should be allowed to be high school teachers? Or chiefs of police? Let's get America's candidates thinking about how to respond to a swelling chorus of brights. With any luck, we'll soon hear some squirming politician trying to get off the hot seat with the feeble comment that "some of my best friends are brights." 0 GAY MARRIAGE--THE NEXT JUST STEP By Rondi Adamson July 14, 2003 Courtesy of __The Christian Science _Monitor, copyright 2003. TORONTO--It seems odd to tell people they are now free, under the law, to have romantic and sexual relationships, but that others would prefer that they still can't get married. Even after 5, 10, 20, 30 years together. Such is the current reality facing homosexuals in the US4 The Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas last month gave homosexuals a boost to their right to live a private life as they see fit, while at the same time highlighting in what way that right stands a little bit short of the finish line. Gay marriages are legal in Belgium and the Netherlands, and were recently legalized in the Canadian province of Ontario. Other provinces have followed suit, and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chr‚tien has announced he will draft a bill giving legal recognition to same-sex marriages throughout Canada. In the ,US1 only Vermont recognizes "civil unions" between same-sex couples, giving them many of the same rights and responsibilities as married couples, but calling this rose by another name. Opponents of gay marriage may ask, what's in a name, after all? Large corporations increasingly are offering benefits to gay partners, and more and more communities are seeing firsthand that the gay couple next door with the 2.3 kids and the Lab and the minivan is not unlike their own family. Surely relative acceptance and "commitment ceremonies" and shared health insurance ought to be enough, no? Well, no. If someone decided blue-eyed people couldn't have "marriage," but would be marginalized with only a "civil union," I'd be mighty angry. Because there is growing evidence suggesting that gay people no more choose to be gay than I chose to have blue eyes. But our governments are here--in theory, anyway--to represent all of us, to give all constituents equal importance, to give us equal rights. Which makes Senate majority leader Bill Frist's comments supporting an amendment to the Constitution banning same-sex marriages puzzling. "I very much feel that marriage is a sacrament," said the Tennessee Republican. As far as I know, marriage is a sacrament only in the Roman Catholic, High Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox churches. Protestants generally don't regard it as such. And what of the many ,US citizens who are Sikh, Jewish, or Muslim? What about atheists? Will their marriages not be recognized? Western nations are supposed to be secularly run societies, living by a separation of church and state. For a church to refuse to recognize gay marriage is its own business, and ought to be respected. But if you don't like it, don't join that church. Or join another. I see no contradiction in a society where both gay marriage and freedom to voice opposition to gay marriage coexist. I often feel the natural place for a gay person is on the right. Conservatives should be all about an individual's right to his or her own life, his or her own business, without the interference of hypersensitive, offended others. And it follows that true conservatives ought to support gay marriage, particularly those partial to family values. It's difficult to argue that society doesn't benefit from stable relationships. And what better way to encourage stable relationships than to support gay marriage? It is hard not to snicker at the idea that same-sex marriages would threaten straight ones. We straight people in Canada and the ,US have done a good job of bringing the divorce rate close to 50 percent all on our own. Rather than weaken straight marriages, gay marriages may strengthen them. Being gay is not, I imagine, simply about sex. When a gay man mentions his boyfriend, he's not flaunting his sexuality, as the accusation often goes, any more than I am when I mention mine. Being a homosexual is, I would guess, about most of the things being a heterosexual is about, including the pain and joy of being in love. And why, oh why, should only straight people suffer through the family fights, expense, pettiness, grudges, and stress of planning a wedding? 0 THERE'S HOPE IN LIBERIA'S HISTORY By Jimmy Carter July 13, 2003 Courtesy of the New York _Times, copyright 2003. ATLANTA--Liberia is ready to be rescued from disaster, and the time is ripe for persistent but modest American involvement in this process. I have full confidence that a joint effort with West African nations will be successful. I made my first visit to Liberia as president in 1978, when the nation was a symbol of stability and economic progress in West Africa. The visit represented a continuation of the strong ties between our countries that had been maintained for more than 150 years, since freed American slaves established a government there in 1822. President William Tolbert enjoyed worldwide acceptance as an enlightened Christian layman, having been the elected leader of the Baptist World Alliance, representing almost all organizations of this major Protestant faith. My wife, Rosalynn, and I noticed the minimal level of security, both for Liberian public officials and for visiting dignitaries, quite different from what we had experienced on other foreign visits. When questioned, American Embassy personnel explained to the Secret Service that Liberians were a peaceful people and violence was unlikely. Two years later, a sergeant named Samuel Doe was assigned to a beach patrol near the president's home and he and his platoon decided to present some of their grievances to the highest authority. Within a few hours, the president and his 13 cabinet members were executed, and Sergeant Doe and his youthful followers became the governing authority. A struggle among warlords continued, and President Doe was captured in Monrovia, tortured and dismembered in September 1990. By that time, Charles Taylor gained control of 95 percent of the country, excluding only the small area surrounding the capital. The 13-member Economic Community of West African States sent troops into Monrovia to protect what was left of the government, and chose a distinguished professor as acting president. The Carter Center adopted Liberia as one of its peace efforts in Africa, and I began visiting the country in 1990, working closely with the Economic Community of West African States and its military arm. By traveling throughout the country, we also became well acquainted with civilian leaders and the different warlords, and encouraged other nations in the region (primarily Nigeria) to attempt to stabilize the country so that a democratic government might be established. As time for elections approached, there were two principal demands for any warlord wishing to be president: disbanding his army and turning in all weapons. This effort by West African leaders, strongly supported by the Liberian people, was successful. All the major armies disbanded, and coalition troops confiscated almost 40,000 weapons, ranging from pistols to artillery pieces. A blanket amnesty was declared, and a flood of refugees and displaced persons returned to their local villages to vote. As the prime monitors, we encouraged a liberal interpretation of voter registration, and there were no disputes among the candidates about this procedure. Carter Center monitors visited polling sites throughout Liberia on Election Day in July 1997, and were impressed with the overwhelming commitment to peace and democracy. Rosalynn and I began our day at a large open-sided shed near the capital, and we had tears in our eyes when we saw people, overwhelming numbers of registered voters, lined up in the dark, in a steady rain, long before the polls opened. At the end of the day, Charles Taylor received about 75 percent of the total vote--because of strong support of people whom he had dominated in the rural areas and because others in Monrovia felt that he might resort to violence if he lost. Unfortunately, the United States government played a minimal role in Liberia after the election. There were high hopes, but it became increasingly obvious that Charles Taylor was determined to maintain dictatorial powers and had little commitment to an honest government or to the well-being of the people. It was also clear that he was involved in inciting dissension in neighboring Ivory Coast and Sierra Le/_one_/. Because of these disappointments and concern about the safety of our staff, we decided to close our office and have restricted our subsequent involvement to staying in touch with regional and Liberian leaders. Now that President Taylor has said he will resign, the coalition of West African nations should reassume their former role, with Nigeria, Ghana and other countries providing troops. A relatively small but significant American military presence of perhaps 2,000 troops should join the coalition. In addition, the world community should provide necessary economic assistance to revive Liberia's economy. Drawing on our experience, the Carter Center and other international monitors can help to ensure a proper electoral process. Liberia has significant agriculture, forestry and mining resources, and with Mr. Taylor's departure the Liberian people will be eager to participate peacefully as we join them in restoring stability and democracy. 0 YOUR FARM SUBSIDIES ARE STRANGLING U By Amadou Toumani Tour‚ and Blaise Compaor‚ July 11, 2003 Courtesy of the New York _Times, copyright 2003. After too many years of Africa's being pushed to the global background, it's heartening to see the world's attention being focused on our continent. International support--both financial and otherwise--is certainly needed to help combat the severe poverty and disease gripping our nations. But first and foremost, Africa needs to be allowed to take its destiny into its own hands. Only self-reliance and economic growth and development will allow Africa to become a full member of the world community. With the creation of the New Economic Partnership for African Development in 2001, African leaders have committed themselves to following the principles of good governance and a market economy. Cotton is our ticket into the world market. Its production is crucial to economic development in West and Central Africa, as well as to the livelihoods of millions of people there. Cotton accounts for up to 40 percent of export revenues and 10 percent of gross domestic product in our two countries, as well as in Benin and Chad. More than that, cotton is of paramount importance to the social infrastructure of Africa, as well as to the maintenance of its rural areas. This vital economic sector in our countries is seriously threatened by agricultural subsidies granted by rich countries to their cotton producers. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, cotton subsidies amounted to about $5.8 billion in the production year of 2001 to 2002, nearly equal the amount of cotton trade for this same period. Such subsidies lead to worldwide overproduction and distort cotton prices, depriving poor African countries of their only comparative advantage in international trade. Not only is cotton crucial to our economies, it is the sole agricultural product for our countries to trade. Although African cotton is of the highest quality, our production costs are about 50 percent lower than in developed countries even though we rely on manual labor. In wealthier countries, by contrast, lower-quality cotton is produced on large mechanized farms, generating little employment and having a questionable impact on the environment. Cotton there could be replaced by other, more valuable crops. In the period from 2001 to 2002, America's 25,000 cotton farmers received more in subsidies--some $3 billion--than the entire economic output of Burkina Faso, where two million people depend on cotton. Further, United States subsidies are concentrated on just 10 percent of its cotton farmers. Thus, the payments to about 2,500 relatively well-off farmers has the unintended but nevertheless real effect of impoverishing some 10 million rural poor people in West and Central Africa. Our demand is simple: apply free trade rules not only to those products that are of interest to the rich and powerful, but also to those products where poor countries have a proven comparative advantage. We know that the world will not ignore our plea for a fair playing field. The World Trade Organization has said it is committed to addressing the problems of developing countries. The United States has convinced us that a free market economy provides the best opportunities for all members of the world community. Let us translate these principles into deeds at Canc£n. 0 THE PRESENCE OF A GUIDE By Sarah Smith June 2003 Editors' Note: The following is a graduation speech written and delivered by Sarah Smith, a visually impaired woman and recent graduate of Salem State College. Sarah is also the author of a children's book, "Looking Out for Sarah," which describes the day-to-day relationship with her guide dog. National Braille Press sells her book in a print/braille format for the same price as the print book: $15.95. We are graduating. Each one of us has finished a challenging program and will be awarded an advanced degree in recognition of the journey that we have completed. It is a glorious moment and one which I, and I think all of you, have been anticipating--perhaps even salivating about for weeks. It has been a journey, and like all journeys, it has involved risk and pain and surprise and pleasure, discomfort and joy. Also, like all journeys, it has involved taking risks and leaving the comfortable known in search of an only imagined unknown. Journeys, whether external and physical trips from one place to another, or mental and emotional trips of the heart and mind, offer the opportunity for change. In fact, it is almost impossible to partake in a journey without making a change. What I would like to talk about is a very important piece of most journeys. That is the presence of a guide. Sometimes you may begin a journey not thinking that you need a guide, not knowing whom to ask, or even knowing that you have begun a journey. Sometimes you will have to seek out a guide and ask them to help and sometimes a guide miraculously appears at your side. Often the guide may have been there for a long time before you understand the guiding role that that individual has been playing. Whatever the specific circumstances, however, a guide can be an incalculable support in facing the risks and fears that are part and parcel of a journey. Before I describe this guide, I'd like to share what I discovered about the meaning and derivation of the word "guide." To guide means to show the way, to direct or to lead. A guide, then, is someone who shows the way. The word is related to the Old French, "guidar," which also means to show the way. What I found particularly interesting is that if you follow the derivation further back, it is related to the Old Frankish word, "witan," and thus related to words like "wit" and "wisdom." Ultimately, if you go far enough back, guide is related to the Latin verb, "videre," which means to see. I lost my vision in 1978. I was a proud thirty-year-old teacher just beginning her career in the classroom. I was an athlete, a musician, a traveler, and an adventurer. I found the loss of vision a terribly frustrating and depressing blow. I lost my job, my ability to run and read and drive. And I felt clumsy and pathetic. I felt stared at and pitied. I felt as if my previous self, my strong, agile, capable, independent self was now masked by an image of helplessness and tentativeness. I saw myself as I believed others saw me and I didn't feel that that image was a proud one or a fair one. I learned to use the long white cane to navigate, and in my usual over-achieving way, I got good at it. I learned to travel independently in Boston and I strode out as assertively as I could. But I often had the experience of walking confidently down the sidewalk and being assailed by someone shouting, "Stop, stop!" When I actually stopped in alarm, afraid that I was about to be hit by a rampaging bicycle or about to fall into a huge hole in the ground, I found that the passer-by was trying to prevent me from hitting my cane against the very mailbox I had been looking for, the mailbox where I wanted to drop the three letters I had written. My self-image was terrible. And then I went to guide dog school. We met our handsome, lithe black Labrador retrievers and spent every day with our instructors, learning how to give directions to the dog, how to learn routes, how to move confidently behind our speedy and athletic guides. Finally, it came the day for our first solo trips. One by one, each person-guide dog team went out the front door and down the steps, halted at the edge of the sidewalk, and then swung an arm to the left, saying, "left!" Much to my amazement, Garran turned sharp left and began pulling confidently ahead. As I fell in behind him, I was overwhelmed with one thought. "We must look cool! Here I am with this beautiful black dog moving the way I used to move!" I felt terrific, and most of all, I once again felt powerful and confident. I was following the straight and tidy path of a creature whom I was directing, and he was taking me where I wanted to go. That is one important characteristic of a successful guide. A good guide empowers the traveler. A guide enables the strengths present within that traveler to shine powerfully forth, no longer masked by disabling shame or lack of confidence. I was told while at guide dog school that it would take many months for my guide dog and me to become a real team, and that until that partnership developed, our work together might not always be smooth or completely free of tension. That became abundantly clear when I got home to Salem. Away from the comfort of a familiar school and city, my dog became much less confident. I knew Salem better than he did, and that didn't make it any easier for him to relax and guide. There were many weeks when he would slow as he approached a corner, not sure when to stop. I would charge forward, reaching the curb before he did. I wouldn't let him have his head as we crossed at intersections I knew well. I began to wonder if this investment of time and energy was ever going to be worth it. Then one day, my caffeine addiction came to the rescue. I was desperate for a cup of coffee from Starbucks. I had been avoiding the huge intersection by the post office, with its complicated series of light signals and traffic patterns. But I was impatient with myself and my fear, so I harnessed up my dog and set out. We found our way to the light and onto the down ramp next to 6 lanes of traffic. I pushed the button, lined Garran up, and waited. Cars rushed by in front of me in both directions, occasionally punctuated by a car roaring around the corner from our left. I stood still in the cacophony of sound and concentrated on the corner so far away. The buzzer rang out and taking a deep breath, I swung my arm forward and said, "Forward." Garran leapt ahead and I hung on to the harness handle with a death grip. I could feel him weave behind a car that had crept across the stop line, then in front of one that had stopped correctly. A diesel truck's motor muttered ahead of us and we passed in front of its giant bonnet. Time seemed to stop. And then suddenly, I felt the up curb, just as the cars behind us began to move. I wanted to kiss the pavement, but instead I leaned down and patted Garran, saying, "Good boy!" As I ordered my coffee a few minutes later, I realized that the elation I felt was a result of the connection Garran and I had made in that crossing. Up until that time, I hadn't trusted Garran enough for real work to begin. And from that moment of connection, the team was formed and I was able to let him guide me. Whether or not the guide consciously works on creating that connection, none of the positive results of successful teamwork can occur without it. The traveler is always aware when the connection has been made, even when she or he is unable to verbalize it. That recognition comes in the anticipation of attending class with a skilled teacher, or exploring one's most vulnerable feelings with an empathetic counselor or struggling with the task of finding housing with a case manager. Many people, when they first observe a visually impaired person working with a guide dog, think that somehow, the dog knows where he's going. I, too, was under this misapprehension when I first thought about getting a dog. I thought that I would harness him up, go out to my front gate and say, "CVS," or "train station," or "Salem State," and my dog would set off in the appropriate direction and deliver me to that spot. Of course, that is not the case. A minute of reflection told me that a dog really only has a very limited vocabulary and that the task of understanding an abstract concept like train station and then finding the way there would be far beyond a dog's ability. And, if I thought that maybe he might be able to guess where we were going by the first few turns, I had only to remember how many routes begin in the same way to discard that belief. In fact, a guide dog has no idea where he is going. If I said "train station" to Garran and then let him go, he would always take me to the park where he plays off leash or to the local dumpster to look for bagels. In fact, the bald truth is that I cannot see and Garran has no idea where we are going. But that is only looking at the deficits. If you look at it the other way around, Garran can see and I know where we are going. To me, this is the most important characteristic to understand about guides. As the meaning of the word tells us, a guide shows the way, but the choice to follow belongs to the traveler. It is not the guide's job to convince the traveler of when to go, how to go or even if to go. Certainly a traveler is more likely to follow the way pointed out by a known and trustworthy guide, especially one who has worked with the traveler as a teammate, but the traveler will not truly own the journey unless she or he has chosen the ultimate goal. I hope that each one of us here--fellow graduates, families, friends, faculty, administrators and guests--will pause a minute to savor the completion of at least this phase of our journeys. For all of my fellow travelers, I would like to express my gratitude to the guides who have shown us the way. You have made connections with each one of us, you have supported and empowered, and perhaps most importantly, you have stood aside and let us choose where and how we have traveled. After a brief pause to catch our collective breaths, it will be our job to become guides and leaders, teachers and social workers, business leaders, scholars and counselors. We have had fabulous and ethical role models so far. Now it is our turn. 0 BRAILLE VERSION OF `HARRY POTTER` WEIGHS IN AT 13 VOLUMES By Elizabeth Armstrong July 1, 2003 Courtesy of __The Christian Science _Monitor, copyright 2003. Most days, each reconditioned Heidelberg cylinder press churns out 8,000 pages an hour as National Braille Press workers collate magazines, manuals, and popular children's books by hand. These next few weeks, however, the staff of 49 is producing an unusually high volume of pages from this converted piano factory near Boston's Symphony Hall. They hope to ship 500 braille versions of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" within three weeks of the book's June 21 release date. A first printing of 500 copies will fill the needs of 10 percent of the entire &+K-12 market of braille readers in the ,US1 and the work involved is no small task. After the text is transcribed into the correct notation--which involves spelling out words that don't contract in braille, such as "Hermio//ne" or "Hogsmeade"--pages are punched, proofed, and pressed through the old Heidelberg cylinders. Volunteers then help the staff collate, fold, and staple the books by hand (machines would smash the braille). Finally, the 500 copies, each of which amounts to a 13-volume stack of paper more than a foot high, are shipped. In the end, the books will be priced the same as the nonbraille versions--just under $30. "The cost doesn't even cover the paper," says Diane Croft of National Braille Press. "But we're a nonprofit, and it's our job to raise the difference. No one should be penalized for having to read braille." Braille literacy has declined since the 1970's, but National Braille Press President William Raeder believes it is on the rise once again. The most commonly cited figure--that 10 percent of blind people can read braille--is slightly skewed, he says, as it counts the visually impaired, many of whom see well enough to read print, and the "prereaders," who are too young to read. The actual literacy rate, he estimates, could be as high as 70 percent. Thanks to books such as Harry Potter, that number will continue to climb, Mr. Raeder says. "When compelling literature comes out, it gets children back on the bandwagon--and that's as true for blind children. [These books are] full of magic and intrigue." Although, adds Ms. Croft, her chuckle taking on a serious tone, "It would be nice if J.K. were a little less verbose in the next one. Harry Potter in braille shipped Monday, July 14 from NBP. You can still get a discount--$19.99--if you order before July 18. After that date, it's $29.99 (in braille or PortaBook). 0 DEAR ABBY July 14, 2003 Copyright 2003 Universal Press Syndicate. DEAR ABBY: How can I get my stepfather to stop hitting me? He's never caused permanent damage, but it hurts! I don't want my mom to know about it because she loves my stepdad. Plus, he supports my mother and me financially. Before Mom married him four years ago, we had to live with my grandparents because we had no money. Everything would be OK now if I could just find a way of making him stop hitting me. Do you have any suggestions?--SAD GIRL IN DENVER DEAR SAD GIRL: Your stepfather should not be hitting you. Please tell your mother ASAP. You are being physically abused, and it must be stopped. If your mother is unable to stop the abuse, call the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453 ((800) 4-&+A-C//HILD). Also, there is the Girls and Boys Town National Hotline at (800) 448-3000. Tell the counselor you talk to what you have written to me. All calls are confidential. DEAR ABBY: After reading the letter from "Heartbroken in Texas," whose 16-year-old son committed suicide, I would like to share a story with a happier ending. "Heartbroken" couldn't understand why her son's friends didn't alert her. Three years ago, when my son, "John," and his best friend, "Mike," were young teenagers, I overheard a disturbing phone conversation. My son was saying, "Mike, don't do this! In five or six years none of this stuff will mean anything to you. It will just be a memory!" Later, John came to me and said, "Mom, you have to help Mike. He's talking about committing suicide, and nothing I say seems to help. Last night, he put a rope around his neck to see how it feels." Although my son had been "sworn to secrecy," he realized someone had to alert Mike's parents. I did--and soon Mike was in counseling and on anti-depressants. Mike is now a happy teenager with a bright future, and he and my son have an even stronger friendship. I'm proud of my son for trusting me enough to confide in me so I could intervene. Troubled young people tell their friends because they ARE reaching out for help. As long as parents have a history of trust and communication with their children, we will have more "happier endings."--THANKFUL MOM IN MASSACHUSETTS DEAR THANKFUL MOM: Congratulations on raising a son who knew that saving a life was more important than keeping a secret.