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It's been a bad week for famous blind people

Our first Famous Blind Person is Canadian cross-skier and Olympic hopeful Brian Mc. Keever.

Understand, a lot of the world has had its face glued to the Vancouver Olympics. "A lot of people" does not include RantWoman. The quadrennial festival of falling down mountains and whirling around ice has not even induced RantWoman to plug her television in. RantWoman paid a brief visit to RantMom's where the television does work, but RantWoman and RantMom had a much better time making fun than we would have had actually watching.

Let's see, there is falling down mountains feetfirst on a sled, falling down mountains headfirst on a sled, falling down mountains on skis, falling down mountains on skis while executing jumps, spins, and somersaults, falling down mountains on a snowboard, falling down mountains in 2-man or 4-man bobsleds, falling down mountains while shooting at things, and a few events that are more skimming over snow than falling down mountains. Then there would be the events that actually formally do involve ice which would contrast notably with the ones which officially involve snow rather than ice but take place in a world of global warming and otherwise unreliable weather and high probability of ice rather than snow.

But here, let us return to Famous Blind People, first in the person of Canadian cross-country ski team member Brian McKeever:

New York Times: February 28, 2010
For a Legally Blind Cross-Country Skier, a Triumphant Perspective
By KAREN CROUSE

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - To spend any time around the Canadiancross-country skier Brian McKeever, who is legally blind, is to pity all thepeople who do not see as well as he does.
A hereditary disease stripped McKeever of his central vision, but it couldnot cloud his perspective. Although he is the first winter sports athlete toearn berths in the Olympics and the Paralympics, McKeever, 30, has stood out here less for his disability than for his demeanor.
In the first few days of the Olympics, when much of the focus was on what was wrong with the Vancouver Games, McKeever sat down with the international news media and spoke of the physical majesty of the skiers' surroundings and his gratitude at being connected to such a spellbinding world.
"I'm sometimes struck just by the beauty that's in what we get to do and the places we get to see," he said. "And I'm thankful I can see what I see."
In 2002, McKeever participated in his first Paralympics, with his olderbrother Robin serving as his guide. He qualified for these Games with avictory at the Canadian team trials in the 50-kilometer (31-mile) classiccross-country race, to be held Sunday, but found out on the eve of the eventthat he was not one of the four chosen to compete.
McKeever was the odd man out in what has become a coming-out party of sortsfor the Canadian men's cross-country team, which has posted six top-10finishes, including three in the 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) race. Flickingaway tears Saturday as he stood in the rain, yards from the cross-countrycourse at Whistler Olympic Park, McKeever said, "I'm very, very crushed bythe decision."
Inge Braten, the team's coach, also became emotional when talking abouthaving to rewrite what Canadian cross-country officials had widely promoted as the feel-good story of these Games.
"I had to be professional in cross-country skiing," he said. "I had to use my four best men in the Olympics inCanada."
McKeever said he understood the decision and stood by his teammates. "Everybody wants to race," he said. "No matter what, somebody's going to be disappointed. In this case, it happens to be me."
His perspective is great, but that does not mean McKeever, who has less than10 percent vision, does not yearn to see better.
"There's not a day goes by that I don't wish that," he said. "And yet it's apart of who I am and I like the person that I am, so if that's the case, itcan't be all bad. But I certainly wouldn't wish it on anybody else."
At his news conference, McKeever sported a broad smile and sideburns shaped like hockey sticks. He described his vision as similar to the sensation sighted people experience from a camera's flash. In conversation, McKeever picks a spot above the head of whomever he is talking to so he can see the person's face on the edges of his vision.
He was making strides as a member of Canada's junior national ski team in1998 when he received a diagnosis of Stargardt's disease , a genetic condition that affects central vision. His initial reaction was denial, then despair, but both were soon replaced by acceptance.
"To be honest with you, I don't think this has taken much away from me," McKeever said.
His can-do attitude is a gift, he said, from his father, Bill, a physical education teacher who contracted Stargardt's as a child (as did BillMcKeever's sister) but did not allow it to corrode his quality of life.
Taking his cue from his father, McKeever said he told himself, "It's not always ideal, but live with it or you'll have a miserable life." He added,"I realized it didn't have to be a limiting factor and it's best just to get on living life because otherwise, it passes you by."
McKeever speaks of his disability as if it is a minor inconvenience. Hisbrother knows better. Robin McKeever, 36, represented Canada incross-country skiing at the 1998 Olympics, and he marvels at the lengths hisbrother must go to maintain a normal training schedule.
Because he cannot drive, McKeever has to lug his equipment onto a bus forthe hour's journey from his home in Canmore, Alberta, to Lake Louise, towork out. He often has to wait in the cold for the bus to take him home.
"I'll tell you the one thing I'm most impressed with is his attitude," RobinMcKeever said in a telephone interview.
His brother has allowed himself to wonder only "a little bit," he said, whyMcKeever was afflicted by the disease while he was spared.
"I just feel the lucky one in some ways," Robin said, adding: "Growing up,we were sort of naïve about the whole thing. It wasn't until his eyesight started getting worse that we realized what a significant thing it would befor us."
McKeever said his relationship with his brother improved as his eyesight weakened. Working in tandem to prepare for the Paralympics, he explained,has brought them closer. On Saturday, his voice cracked as he said he wouldturn his focus to those Games, which start here March 12.
"It's such a great event," he said, almost in tears, "and I'm looking forward to being there."
Ian Austen contributed reporting from Whistler, British Columbia.

RantWoman's blind readers will undoubtedly be familiar with numerous "heart-warming item about a blind person" elements of this article. RantWoman is much too jaded, not to mention too much of a lazy slug to enumerate all such items, For one thing, RantWoman wants simply to use reference to the Paralympics to segue into commentary about the departure of NY Gov. David Paterson from any further candidacy for another term as governor.

RantWoman has, alas, been paying even less attention to Gov. Paterson's situation and alleged actions than she has to the Olympics. What RantWoman has heard of intervention in an aide's domestic violence matters is such a big technical foul that RantWoman could ALMOST disqualify him completely from any further candidacy for anything ever, including, say, dog catcher or vice president of his condo board. This thought is exactly what is causing RantWoman to wonder exactly what Paralympics for politicians would look like!

At last, to the great relief of MANY, Famous legally Blind person NY Gov David Paterson decided not to run for a second term. Too bad there is no paralympics category for politicians.