Monday, March 31, 2008

Genealogy


I got it from my sister in law by an email. I got to share it on this blog! I just want to bring a little humor to make your day! :)


Genealogy


A little girl asked her mother, "How did the human race appear?"
The mother answered, "God made Adam and Eve and they had children
and so was all mankind made."
Two days later the girl asked her father the same question. The
father answered, "Many years ago there were monkeys from which
the human race evolved."
The confused girl returned to her mother and said, "Mom, how is it
possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and
Papa said they developed from monkeys?"
The mother answered, "Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you
about my side of the family and your father told you about his."

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

For Tayler, I'm not functional because I can't hear?










For those who read Jodi's blog, I would like to say something, too!

The message from Tayler:

"He's had about 75% hearing loss since birth but uses implants that allow him to be functional." I need cochlear implants to order to funciton? I'm not functional?

Okay. I have a beautiful answer for you, so I quickly got started to write a haiku, a type of traditional Japanese poetry! Ready?

Signing speaks so well!
Wasn't it also functioning?
We are functional.


We are functional.
Because we hear and speak well
in our sign language!


Amen! One more poetry.

Speak or sign alive
No one is unfunctional
Unfunctional Dead


We all are so proud to be DEAF! Signing is speaking!
Right?

A Nearly Deaf Girl Who Isn't Allowed To Sign


Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

It's a very good book. I need to return it to the library today, so I thought I just post it before I go.


From the book:

Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey has never been allowed by her mother to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her but often fails.

Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibiities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow- until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.

Now you see how it affected her when she learned the sign language. It is not the only thing she learned but bloomed her world.

In the end, it's kind of sad.

I don't want to ruin your surprise if you're going to get it to read. In the book, a lot of things are happening that it made me into reading without a stop.

Gotta go now!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Can a Deaf Finger Write?






















Deaf Fingers

I'm expressing on my poems and waving with my deaf fingers not my head. An express finger!

Waving with my deaf fingers is moving in a poem. A moved finger!

My deaf fingers are moving from my heart. It’s flowing in a vessel and moving my deaf fingers. A finger flows!

How miraculous my deaf fingers wave. Like the fingers creating in the sand. A miraculous finger!


Written by Deb Ann

Saturday, March 22, 2008

"Super Nanny" will be with a DEAF family!


Just a quick information:

http://www.aslclips.com/mar2008/supernanny_marie.swf

(you can copy and paste it.)

It's a video of the news about "Super Nanny" with a deaf couple and kids in Omaha, Nebraska.
They'll be on the air this coming fall.

(my apologizes: just got your attention about deaf family as a title, it's not actually a deaf family, I just mean that it's a deaf couple with kids)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The interview with an interpreter about CI

I had an interview with Tom, an interpreter that is working with ADA, about Cochlear Implants. I feel that this interview appeared in Deafread is so important to be shared.


Tom:
If I happen to have a deaf baby, I wouldn’t have him/her implanted because I know a lot about Deaf community, Cultures, and Sign Language, I’d be so proud to use ASL to expose and communicate with my deaf child. I know what deaf children need from the beginning. I understand about hearing parents who try their best to make a good decision for their deaf child about Cochlear implants. I don’t blame them, but it’s not for me. I would be proud of my deaf child if I happen to have one.

If my deaf child wanted to have a cochlear implant when he or she was around 12, I’d rather have him/her to wait until he/she’s 18. I believe that teens make decisions by their emotions and/or being in the peer pressures by society. I don’t want them to feel they will make a mistake by making a decision too early, the same way I had that experience when I asked my mom about tattoos. She told me to wait until I was 18. She knows that I was trying to make a decision just to fit in. When I became 18, I decided not to get a tattoo, and I feel good about it.

If they still want to have the same decision at later age, they’d have a cochlear implant or both cochlear implants. I’ll be always on their side no matter what.

Brazil Burger and Sweet Potato Pancake



I'm going to give it a try!

Brazil Burgers


Egg Substitute: 1/3 cup water and 4 teaspoons flax seeds

1 cup raw Brazil nuts

2/3 cup clery chunks

2/3 cup celery chunks

2/3 cup onion chunks

1/2 cup parsley leaves

1/2 cup green pepper chunks

1/3 semsame flour or sesame seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

Handful of gresh dill, foliage only

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt and ground pepper to taste

Combine the water and flax seeds ina small saucepan. Bring to a full boil, then turn off heat. Let them soak until needed. Preheat the oven to 375. Grind nuts and transfer them to a large bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor, or put them through a grinder. Grind into meal, not a puree. Add this mixture to the ground nuts. Scrape the flax seed mixture into the bowl with everything else. Toss and stir several minutes to mix well. Line a cookie sheet with parchment, or oil it, and drop scoops.

Hope you'll enjoy it!




Sweet Potato Pancakes


It takes 30 minutes to prepare.

1 cup grated carrot (firmly packed)

1 cup grated white potato (firmly packed)

1 packed cup grated sweet potato

2 Tablespoons grated onion

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Dash of nutmeg

4 beaten eggs

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

fresh black pepper and juice of 1/2 lemon

Place grated sweet and white potatoes in a colander over a bowl. Salt lightly and let stand 15 minutes. Rinse and squeeze out well to get rid of all the extra water. Combine all ingredinets and mix well. Fry in butter in a heavy skillet until brown and crisp. Serve immediatley, topped with yogurt or cour cream and fresh-chopped chives and chopped fresh tomatoes.
It's my favorite!

Keep healthy

by eating healthy meals.

You are what you eat.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Thrives

A railroad and the moon thriving...





Weeds and flowers thriving together...whatta concept!





A new friend helps you break out of an old routine,

from a beginning of the new life style line,

this friendship stays true all the time as you know,

All this happening thrives with you now.

~Deb Ann

It applied to me, already yesterday that I realized it was my friend, Debbie who broke me out of my old routine. I'm ready for what God has planned for me and I move on to thrive what's leading me on a new railroad with my husband and kids. I also hope that my poem applies to you.

I got the exciting news that my oldest daughter, Tami is getting
married this summer! We gotta busy arranging for her wedding.
I'll add the wedding pictures to my blog this summer. ;)

Friday, March 14, 2008

What Would He Say After 20 Years in a Coma?






Something got to my attention when I read this article. I thought about what he would say when he sees some deaf people using their sidekicks or any kind of devices. He might say the same thing of what he thought of Hearing people using their cell phones. Or he still has no idea since he only hears/sees them doing their text-messaging or using their sidekicks. So, here’s the article I read.

He’s awake:

Jan Grezbski, a resident of Poland, fell into a coma in 1988 following an accident. His wife cared for him for 19 years, never giving up hope that he might some day wake up. Her dreams came true recently and now her husband is rediscovering a world he hasn’t been a part of for almost 20 years. He learned his four children were married and he had 11 grandchildren. Communists no longer ruled Poland. And he says that when people talk on their cell phones, all they do is complain. “I have nothing to complain about,” he says.

You may not really care, but it can be fun to image what he would say about something after 20 years in a coma. I’d like to consider something different from what was in this article. Hmm, I think he might say, “it’s a miracle the deaf person can speak, but why is the voice so different?” Or it could be another way, he can be in awe when he sees one and says a fantastic impression on the cochlear implants if he doesn’t know any of a deaf culture or sign language. It’s just a thought. What do you think?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

ASL student can understand this story

I think that ASL students can understand this story. Enjoy!

Muslims in a Deaf World

I found this very interesting and would like to share it as well!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Snap!VRS newwork is back up and running again!



Hey!

The lady in the photo is waiting to use the OJO and SNAP!VRS. That's what I experience all the time!

I got the call from my friend, mentioning that OJO and Snap!VRS is running again! I'm so excited that OJO is back at last! It has been past a month and I kept wondering if they would succeed getting it back up or not.

There are few reasons I'm so relieved that I use OJO again:

I can talk with my friends through OJO while I'm on the computer.

If someone's talking on VP with a deaf friend, I can't wait to call through VRS, so I use the Snap!VRS during the time.

If I want to call someone, I don't need to go upstairs and make a call through VP, I could stay in the same room to make a call.

Anyway, it's so funny that my son, Sam talks on the phone, my husband talks on VP, Hannah uses the computer, and I use the SNAP!VRS all at one time! Isn't it cool?

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Uncovered a rare photo of a young Helen Keller



Nearly 40 years after her death, the rare portrait of Helen Keller with her teacher, Anne Sullivan surfaces in Boston.


(From the article) Thaxter P. Spencer Collection, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, New England Historic Genealogical Society-Boston/AP

This 1888 photo shows Helen Keller when she was 8 years old, left, holding hands with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, during a summer vacation to Brewster, Mass., on Cape Cod. A staff member at the society discovered the photograph in a large photography collection recently donated to the society.

This photo is so awesome. It never stops me from finding it so amazing about Helen Keller. I used to teach children ASL and the history of Helen Keller in an active and fun way . I got a video of her as a real person from Lake Arbor Library and showed my class. ~Deb Ann


BOSTON (AP) — Researchers have uncovered a rare photograph of a young Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan, nearly 120 years after it was taken on Cape Cod and tucked inside a family album.
The photograph, shot in July 1888 in Brewster, shows an 8-year-old Helen sitting outside in a light-colored dress, holding Sullivan's hand and cradling one of her beloved dolls.

Experts on Keller's life believe it could be the earliest photo of the two women together and the only one showing the blind and deaf child with a doll — the first word Sullivan spelled for Keller after they met in 1887 — according to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, which now has the photo.

"It's really one of the best images I've seen in a long, long time," said Helen Selsdon, an archivist at the American Foundation for the Blind, where Keller worked for more than 40 years. "This is just a huge visual addition to the history of Helen and Annie."

For more than a century, though, the photograph was hidden in an album that belonged to the family of Thaxter Spencer, an 87-year-old man in Waltham.

If You Don't Study in ASL?



If you don't study in ASL? You shall not pass!