Yahoo! Picks - bringing you the best of the Web since 1995

In 1939, Nazi Germany embarked on a eugenics program that targeted disabled people, whom they called "ballastexitenz" or "life ballast." Now, just barely into the 21st century, a "non-speaking physically disabled and autistic woman" has repurposed that epithet as the title for her blog. In writing that is bold and provocative and sometimes ferociously moving, she tackles topics like the depiction of autism in the news, hatred, issues of "responsibility," and "assumption Ping-Pong." One heart-rending post speaks directly to a three-year-old autistic child who was murdered by her mother in 2006. Some of the posts are touchingly intimate: her relationship with her cat, the soothing quality of rocks, revealing video clips. Her life, as she says, "is an extreme departure from stereotype." For that reason, among so many others, everyone should dip into this remarkable blog. It is, in the end, about the unique condition of being human.

Jan 01, 2008
Good-Bye From Yahoo! Picks - Good-bye!

Dec 31, 2007
Long Awkward Pose - smile for the camera. Keep smiling.

Dec 28, 2007
Starship Dimensions - space invaders.

Dec 27, 2007
Kiddie Records Weekly - the gang's all here.

Dec 26, 2007
Japander.com - money changes everything.

Dec 25, 2007
Scared of Santa - who is that bearded man?

Yahoo!'s crack team of editors serves up the coolest, funniest, or quirkiest sites we encounter on the Web. Got a favorite new link of your own? Share it with us!