When Militant Deaf Liberals Use the "Fake but Accurate" Response

Dan Rather said it in his defense of the fake Bush memo. Ward Churchill basically said it about his fake but "original" painting of "Winter Attack". And now Deaf Militant Liberals are getting on the bandwagon?

In one recent Deaf blogsite the person shows pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger of his young self posing his famous muscular pose and him from a few years ago in his beach swimsuit looking mightly out of shape for a man who was 55 or so at the time when the picture was taken. Supposedly the picture is Arnold. On the Snopes message board they discuss the veracity of the photo of the older Arnold. Elsewhere one has said it was seen in People Magazine. Just because it's in a magazine doesn't mean the photograph is that of Arnold. The actual source of the photo has yet to be revealed and with modern photoshopping methods on digital photos anyone can plant a face of a famous person onto an ungodly overweight or out of shape person. Here is what one militant Deaf and Liberal person (A) said:

A: "This is gross. Hopefully, gay men will think twice before imitating this fool."

B: "It isn't his body at all you fell for the most common trick in technology!"

A: "I dont care if it's fake or not. Deal with it."

And a long pause, some rebuttal about blogging as part of the "entertainment" business and nothing about learning or education in a subsequent blogpiece along with a few expletitives and then somebody blinked:

A: "Besides, Arnie was always a lousy actor to start with."

Okayyyy. It's entertainment. Consider my blogpieces to be both entertaining AND educational. The learning never stop.

One thing I do question. I don't see a scar on Arnold's chest. He had open-heart surgery in 1997 to replace a congenital (by birth) aortic heart valve before it had a chance to get worse later in his life. This is where doctors have to crack open the chest just to get to the heart in plain open view. Scars would have been very prominent in Arnold's photo that was shot supposedly in 2003 when he was 55 years old. A scar should have been seen from at the top of the chest ribcage down to the bottom of his middle ribcage. Though the picture is not all that clear, either.

Whether it's fake or not, it's up to you people, really. But it is really just plain idiocy to call upon the old "fake but accurate" response just so you can have your say without admitting to anything in error a la' Dan Rather's bobbing and weaving style. It's called "intellectual dishonesty." For all we know, the photo could be quite real. But to say "I don't care if it's fake or not" looks a bit, uh, INANE and points out your own obviouis agenda. And for the person who said "Gross" ought to look at his own photos of himself on his own webpage with that large gut of his in the way at age late 20-ish or something and compare that to Arnold's younger days when he was 20-ish or something. Now, imagine yourself at age 55, with no exercise and continued bad eating habits enough to give you diarrhea all the time. Not an attractive picture for anybody to imagine. The results will be worse than the contested out-of-shape Arnold. Much worse.

Be careful how you judge other people's physiques. Until you walk in their shoes, being fit and healthy isn't an easy task. Keeping slim isn't easy either for many. Exercising at an older age gets harder. Exercising and proper eating become a whole different lifestyle. You have that choice. And you live with that choice. Sometimes your own genes make it harder to have that healthier lifestyle but it is does not have to become an impossible task if you're smart about it. And it make no sense to point fingers at other people's awful physiques when you need to take that plank out of your own eyes for a change. And this isn't even about politics, either. This is about common courtesy. Given that Arnold mainained his physique for nearly 35 years is amazing in itself compared to people who hardly touched a barbell or much less exercised at all want to make fun of his physique at a later age. Especially when Arnold has a keen interest in helping special people at the Special Olympics events. And at age 57, if you can look this good in a suit, then certainly you have that physique advantage that anybody would kill to look that good. Even at age 57.

BTW, it's never too late to sculpt your body, even at age 72. And it doesn't have to be bodybuilding, either.

Ward Churchill's Painting: Fake but Accurate

Ward Churchill is getting himself into more hot water. This time over copyright infringement of a famous painting called "Winter Attack." If you place Churchill's work beside that of renowned artist Thomas E. Mails, you can tell they're exact mirror images of each other. But one is a copyrighted drawing. The other is an autographed print by Churchill.

When Foxnews reporter (Chohan) questioned Ward Churchill outside of his office about the fake paintings he certainly wasn't happy:

"Get that camera out of my face," Churchill said.

"This is an artwork we've got called 'Winter Attack.' It looks like it was based on a Thomas Mails painting; it looks like you ripped it off. Can you tell us about that?" Chohan asked.

That prompted Churchill to take a swing at Chohan while he held a stack of papers in his hand.

Then after Ward Churchill calmed down a little bit he had this weak defensive reply reminiscent of CBS' Dan Rather's "Fake but Accurate" response using a mirrored response of "Accurate but Fake" reply:

"It is an original art work by me, after Thomas Mails," Churchill said.

"Original art work" ? It's an accurate piece, but it's certainly a fake one off of a truly original art work. Nobody would get away with that if one tries to pass off a Mona Lisa art work as their own.....a signed copy, that is.

When contacted at his home in North Carolina, Ryan Mails, the son of the late Thomas Mails said the family still retained the copyrights to the drawings of the Mystic Warriors book, and that his father fiercely defended the copyrights."My father invested a great deal of himself in his work, and from that he developed a great fierceness in defending his work," Mails' son said. "I cannot imagine he would ever grant permission to anyone to copy one of his pieces."

So, Churchill lied about him being in the indian ancestry by masquerading as a indian for years. A wanna-be. Aren't all Liberals like that? And now he lied about his "original art work" as if it his work was THE orginal art work along with 150 signed copies of his "original" art work.

Now, I respect the Indian culture and have a fascination over the various cultures. Even my wife is 1/60th indian but we haven't found out which tribe, yet. Still investigating. But as for Ward Churchill he has gone delusional over the years pretending to be an indian in his books and articles. Churchill has described himself as a member of the Keetoowah Cherokee tribe in Oklahoma. In past interviews, he's claimed to be one-sixteenth Cherokee. He certainly seems trying to be one with the long hair.
How INANE is that?

By the way, be sure to check out the video clip of Ward Churchill attacking the Foxnews camera man and reporter at the bottom of CBS4 webpage. Or go here for the shorter version of the attack story.

Justice for Maj. Gregory Stone

I just looked it up and found out that the trial is to begin soon for Sgt. Akbar for the killing of two officers. Maj. Gregory Stone is one of the two officers who were killed during a tent grenade attack at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait at the start of the Iraq war. Maj. Gregory Stone is my cousin.

I hope Sgt Akbar gets his full due. Akbar could get the death penalty if convicted of two counts of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted premeditated murder.

He is accused of stealing grenades from a Humvee and initiating the attack on fellow members of the 101st just days into the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Killed were Army Capt. Christopher Seifert, 27, and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone, 40. Another 14 soldiers were injured.

If convicted of two counts of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted premeditated murder, the 33-year-old Akbar could get the death penalty.

The case marks the first time since the Vietnam War that an Army soldier has been prosecuted for the murder or attempted murder of another soldier during wartime.

Henley set aside April 5 for another motions hearing to resolve any final pretrial issues. After jury selection, he said he expects testimony to begin April 11. The entire court-martial is expected to last four
weeks.

Rebuild Iraq Expo

Apparently just about everybody is vying for a piece of the reconstruction pie in Iraq. The "Rebuild Iraq 2005" expo coming up this April has over 1000 exhibitors from 35 countries (yes, USA is in this Expo show). This is an increase from 30 countries from last year's first ever expo. The 2005 Expo will be held at the Amman International Fair, Marj El-Hamam, Amman - Jordan, April 4 - 7, 2005. The "Rebuild Iraq 2005" website advertises the fact and makes clear that:

No country in the region has more business-generating potential than Iraq. Almost two-and-a-half thousand projects are creating massive demand for material and equipment. The U.S. government has set aside $18.6 billion for the rehabilitation of Iraq’s electricity, water, oil, health, transportation, agriculture, and telecommunications sectors. Global donors have committed a further total of $13 billion to projects in Iraq.

Power facilities and electrical grids need to be restored, oil and gas supplies nurtured, airports, roads and schools rebuilt, and seaports transformed. The country’s fiber optic network must be rehabilitated, its water infrastructure overhauled and its healthcare system reformed. The quality of education needs to be enhanced, local food production industries upgraded, and agricultural productivity increased.

Emerging Iraq is in desperate need of a full range of infrastructure \ products, services and systems, including hospital and security equipment, medicines, road and rail machinery, oil production tools, and finance and telecom systems.

Soaring demand for materials and technology in key sectors of the Iraqi economy may well exceed $150 billion in the long term. In the medium term, $60-70 billion will be needed to rebuild the country.

No wonder Germany and France are wanting to be nice again with the USA after losing their multi-billion dollar contracts with Saddam under the Oil for Food guise. They stand to make more money in the reconstruction business than the oil business. And by looking at the exhibitors list Germany has more exhibitors than the United States. Yet, it was the Liberals who were screaming bloody murder that the United States were after Iraq for its oil? Looking mighty foolish they are.

And yet over 50 Saudi companies are set to take part in the second Iraq Reconstruction Exhibition. Again, not exactly just a USA thing when it comes to reconstruction.

And how come the MSM won't pick up on this in a positive light? It is because they don't want to give President Bush any more credits on the success of the Iraq war than necessary? Typical mainstream media reaction.

Juan Cole's Way of Protesting Middle Eastern Bloggers

Juan Cole, University of Michigan blogger and Middle Eastern "expert," has called for a flashmob to protest the Iranian government's jailing of dissident bloggers. This is in response to the popularity of a Website calling for a day of blog action concerning the dissidents.

Very admirable and yet this is the same Juan Cole who trashed Iraq the Model! Figures.

Left-wing professor, the model (Powerline, December 14, 2004)
A University of Michigan professor named Juan Cole identifies two blog practices he considers dangerous. The first is called "blog trolling" wherein someone makes false and inflammatory comments on a discussion board to which other posters feel they must respond. The second is called "astroturfing," in which a grass roots campaign turns out to be sponsored by a think tank or corporation. Cole goes on the suggest that the Iraqi bloggers at Iraq the Model may represent a case of astroturfing -- in other words Cole thinks they may be getting funding from "neoconservatives."

Cole's "evidence" is that the views of the Iraq the Model bloggers are "outside the mainstream of Iraqi public opinion" according to "public opinion polls.

Yet, it was the Iraq the Model who had to make clear that this was never the case with several other Iraqi bloggers chiming in saying the same thing. And yet it took Iraq the Model to expose Juan Cole's wanking conspiracy theory of his.

Let's see. Iranian bloggers represent the correct mainstream views inside Iran while Iraqi bloggers represent a "not-so-correct" mainstream views inside Iraq?

Yep. Juan Cole is losing it.

Incredible Skiing Conditions on Sierra Blanca

This winter (Oct 2004 - 2005 present) snowfall is at about 160% above normal for the Sierra Blanca (12,003 ft) mountain where the Ski Apache ski resort is located nearby. Incredible snowfall continues to snow at this hour. You can compare the elevation of Sierra Blanca (12,003 ft) with that of the famous Mt. Ranier ("Mt. Tahoma) at 14,410 ft. where Sierra Blanca is the highest mountain in southern New Mexico. "Sierra Blanca" means "White Mountain" in Spanish and it usually have snow on it year round. But that was before the drought. It's nice to see an island of white snow among the vast desert surroundings of the New Mexico landscape.

From the Ski Apache Cam website:

Updated: As of Friday Feb. 25, 7:00 am
New Snow Past 24 Hours 14 inchesNew Snow Past 48 Hours 17 inchesNew Snow Past Week 25 inchesMidway Depth 84 -92" BaseSeason Snowfall Total 147"

Check out the photos of the mountain.

The drought of south central New Mexico has been on going for several years. Sierra Blanca usually looked like this with snow on it. But now it looking like this instead for a change.

But New Mexico is still in a drought mode and will take 3 or 4 years of above normal precipitation to help reverse it and raise the groudwater. All across New Mexico precipitation has been at normal to twice (even three times) above normal rainfall. This is already a good start. A very good start.

This bodes well for the forests all across New Mexico where streams flowed only intermittently are now flowing continuously. Even the Rio Grande river is flowing at near bankful.

Streams should flow throughout this year with an already thick snow pack development on Sierra Blanca and the Sacramento mountain range that ties into it. Increased tourism on fishing, hiking and camping should be the result.

Ski Apache, the second southernmost ski resort in the United States located only 130 miles from the Mexican border.

Gene Therapy is First Deafness Cure

Well, they did it. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Scientists were able to biologically repair the hearing of animals.

"It's the first time anyone has biologically repaired the hearing of animals," says Yehoash Raphael at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and head of the US-Japanese team that developed the technique.

The therapy promotes the regrowth of crucial hair cells in the cochlea, the part of the inner ear which registers sound. After treatment, the researchers used sensory electrodes around the animals' heads to show that the auditory nerves of treated - but not untreated - animals were now registering sound.

And the article makes a point about cochlear implant users.

Raphael says one future possibility would be to use the therapy to improve hearing in people who already wear cochlear implants. These electrical devices are of some help to people lacking hair cells, but the regrowth of even some hairs could boost their hearing further. Raphael says that the next experiments in guinea pigs will focus on this combination.

Scientists have to destroy the animals hearing in the first place to test the procedure:

Raphael's team first gave the guinea pigs antibiotics which destroyed their inner-ear hair cells. They then apparently repaired the damage by injecting them with genetically engineered adenoviruses.

The viruses had been engineered to be harmless while also smuggling a gene called Atoh1 into cells lining the scala media - the key chamber of the cochlea, containing the hair cells. Atoh1, also known as Math1, makes a signalling molecule known to orchestrate the development of hair cells in embryos.

The experiment worked beyond expectation. "The recovery of hair cells brought the treated ears to between 50% and 80% of their original hearing thresholds," says Raphael. Even more surprising, the team found that the hair cells were created from cells lining the scala media which, according to biological orthodoxy - should not be able to turn into other cells.

Read the rest of the article. Quite exciting. We can expect major changes in how people's deafness will be treated biologically in the next 10 years where hearing can finally be restored/repaired. People will have a CHOICE whether to have this procedure or not. But first off, it'll be easier for parents of deaf children to decide to get this type of treatment. At least 90% of all deaf children have hearing parents. So, when parents do decide to use biological therapy to restore/repair deaf children's hearing a few months after they are born, then they have that right to decide that. This shouldn't be a problem for Deaf culture as long as choice is in the equation. N'est ce pas? Until a law is passed saying that all babies born deaf must have their hearing restored biologically, then certainly Deaf culture will suffer over the long run.

Exciting, isn't it? <-- (don't read too much into this).

It's Idaho's Faults.

Well, they finally did it. University of Idaho, where I graduated to get my M.S. degree, finally published a fault map of Idaho. I spent over a year helping compile and research fault mapping information while I was working toward my hydrogeophysics M.S. degree at the time. This map "Miocene and Younger Faults in Idaho" was the work of several years, with my two year's worth of contribution while I worked at University of Idaho's Seismic library. The map link (pdf) is a big file but once you get to it, my name (McConnell) is listed among 6 other people in the legend area, including Sprenke, my advisor and Hydrogeophysics and Geology professor. I was a student there for about 5 years while I worked and raised a family. I had enough credits to get TWO M.S. degrees! But I needed to move on to my new career where basically I get paid to hike among the trees, water, snow and the mountains of the west (and east, too). You can't get a better job than that. Plus some fire fighting in the western United States. There's no other people like me, a Gallaudet alumni, who does this. I'm essentially the only person that does this. "Unique" is the word. I'll be happy to find another Gallaudet alumni who does actual wildland fire fighting. But no luck. Just me. And I'm getting ready for another fire season which is just around the corner

If it weren't for Idaho I wouldn't be where I am today. It's Idaho's fault. Sorry...couldn't help saying that.

Cool Hybrid Automobiles

I've been thinking about getting a hybrid car someday...actually a pickup truck to haul my lumber for my woodshop hobby. It may be a year til I get one. But I inquired about the hybrid car at the local automobile dealership. And then they informed me that a hybrid pickup truck will be made available in 2006. A hybrid truck? That sounds pretty cool. If hybrid cars are successful (there's a 3 month waiting list at the automobile dealership for a hybrid car), then certainly hybrid trucks and SUVs can be made. And they are being made. Even Hummers are getting on the hybrid bandwagon. Too boxy and too widdddee. Might be good to use on those California Baja races which I love to try someday. Deaf baja racing anyone? As for hybrid trucks, I'm sold. But this one I think is a neat one to have, a three-wheeler hybrid "car." Sleek and ultra fast. Talk about hugging the corners on a turn!



And, oh, what they say about SUVs? Don't be so gullible. If you want a Yugo. Be my guest. After all this is America. So, stop whinning! Sounds like my kid brother. Oh, I don't have a kid brother. Good thing.

Wikipedia? How about Wickedpedia?

You should see Negroponte's Wikipedia gathering commentaries seen here:

When President Bush announced Negroponte's appointment to the UN shortly after coming to office, it was met with scattered protest. Some critics asserted that the administration intentionally arranged the deportation from the United States of several former Honduran death squad members who could have provided damaging testimony against Negroponte in his Senate confirmation hearings.

One of the deportees was General Luis Alonso Discua, founder of Battalion 3-16. In the preceding month, the U.S. government had revoked the visa of Discua, who was Honduras's Deputy Ambassador to the UN. After returning to Honduras, Discua stated that, in 1983, he had been brought to the United States to spend two months organizing Battalion 3-16.

Nothing but negative comments about Negroponte. Seems to be the Democrats' latest new tool of choice to go after Republicans.

If you don't know what Wikipedia then you're in for a surprise. Wikipedia, a free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

I'm sure more will be added to further discredit Negroponte's February 17, 2005 naming as Director of National Intelligence.

And hey, it isn't La Shawn's fault who wanted her name removed from Wikipedia. It's not some Liberal agenda to have her name removed from Wikipedia's site. She personally wanted it to be removed and for obvious reasons. From Wikipedia on La Shawn Barber:

Her witty editorials have gained her notoriety and hatred from liberals.

You can't really say it's a truly objective online "encyclopedia" seeing comments like that. It's more like editorial commentaries than an encyclopedia. So, Wickedpedia is more like it. The Ultra Free Editable World Online Encyclopedia. Watch where you step.

UPDATE: Wikipedia has gotten words from "voters" on the "yea" or "nay" to have Wikipedia on La Shawn Barber deleted. Not a Liberal conspiracy here even though La Shawn wanted to see it gone in the first place. What's worse is seeing on the vitriolic comments on her.

How quaint and democratic this whole thing is when it's La Shawn Barber that Wikipedia ought to listen to...not the voters. But it's wickedly laughable to read these voters' inane postings (see the first link below), man. Wickedpedia Rules! Not for long though.


A request has been made on Wikipedia for this article to be deleted in accordance with the deletion policy.
This request is being discussed to form a consensus whether this is, or could be, an article appropriate for Wikipedia. Please see this page's entry on the votes for deletion page for details. Also see possible outlets for removed articles. If you feel deletion is not justified by Wikipedia deletion policy you may vote against its deletion. Please do not remove this notice or blank this page while the question is being considered. However, you are welcome to continue editing this article and improve it, especially if you can address the concerns of those who believe the article should be deleted. Should you improve the article and address the concerns of those who believe the article should be deleted, please remark on this page's entry regarding its improvement.

UPDATE 2: Things are going sidewise here on the voting process to keep or delete La Shawn Barber's Wickedpedia commentaries in an otherwise online "encylopedia":

Tentative - Keep and cleanup. Seems notable, but I can't say for sure. The fact that she doesn't like Wikipedia or want to be in it should have no bearing on whether we have an article—if you blog and write newspaper columns then you lose your right to complain about other people commenting on you. TenOfAllTrades Talk 17:48, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

So, La Shawn Barber lost her right to object as a blogger? And he's calling Wickedpedia on La Shawn Barber an "article"? It's an online, EDITABLE, encyclopedia you dimwits!! Maybe we should revist Howard Dean's latest gaffe and hopefully somebody's head will get screwed on straight the second time.

UPDATE 3: Too bad La Shawn Barber's is not on Wickedpedia's "Most Vandalized Pages." It would add a bit of extra notoriety for La Shawn. You can even see that President Bush (see the latest tape recording addition) and P.M. Blair are not immune to Wickedpedia's weakness to constant revisions and negative attacks. There is even a "Neutrality" objection at the beginning of President Bush' Wickedpedia's page.

The neutrality of this article is disputed.Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

Check out the "Vandalism" report page. Check out the pages vandalized by a "Mr. Treason," also. This kind of reminds me of stalkers to a degree. Leftist Loony Bins everywhere.

UPDATE 4: Yep. Loony Bins everywhere. There is now a blogsite dedicated to "expose" La Shawn Barber in "La Shawn Barber, Exposed." One anonymous, how nice, poster makes a comment:

The discussion of her entry has set off a firestorm of comments on Wikipedia. Nothing like this occured on Rush Limbaugh, Little Green Footballs or DailyKos. Her minions are voting but Wikipedia isn't a blog -- you need to register and set up an account or your vote is considered 'sock puppets' (their term).

So ... our self-crowned star may find herself on the wrong end of a Barber-gate scandal!

Barber-gate? Might want to try Wickedpedia-gate. Now, why is that Liberal Lefties go after successful people of various races outside of the Caucasin circle? Condoleeza Rice? Gonzalez? Colin Powell? Michelle Malkin? And yet this guy who is going after La Shawn Barber says:

in part to suggest that my differences with ms. barber are not personal, but positional

Positional? And he/she has a website to go after La Shawn Barber? Yet this blogger is anonymous. Very brave.

Yep, Leftist Racist Loony Bins everywhere!

Illegal Cell Phone Jammers to Proliferate?

Jamming away could cost you a $11,000 fine by the FCC. And one day somebody's going to get hurt when a cell phone user gets wise to the prankster.

Unsuspecting cellphone users may find themselves saying that more often now that cellphone jammers — illegal gizmos that interfere with signals and cut off reception — are selling like hotcakes on the streets of New York.

"I bought one online, and I love it," said one jammer owner fed up with the din of dumb conversations and rock-and-roll ringtones.

"I use it on the bus all the time. I always zap the idiots who discuss what they want from the Chinese restaurant so that everyone can hear them. Why is that necessary?"

He added, "I can't throw the phones out the window, so this is the next best thing."

Online jammer seller Victor McCormack said he's made "hundreds of sales" to New Yorkers. "The interest has gone insane in the last few years. I get all sorts of people buying them, from priests to police officers."

Police officers? Priests? Law abiding citizens of NYC to violate other people's properties by jamming their cell phones? That'll be news one of these days.

Jammers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from portable handhelds that look like cellphones to larger, fixed models as big as suitcases.

Their sole goal is to zip inconsiderate lips. The smaller gadgets emit radio frequencies that block signals anywhere from a 50- to 200-foot radius. They range in price from $250 to $2,000.

At least I'll be wise when my phone suddenly stops working. I'm sure some enterprising individual will find a way to track where the jamming signal is coming from. But, if it does jam, just go on talking as if nothing happened and maybe you'll find the perpetrator with a perplexed look on his face on why his jammer is not working. Or just walk 200 feet away from where your cell phone stopped working and see if anybody is following you but continue talking.

Now, with the proliferation of camera phones, it wouldn't be a surprise to see somebody's face on the internet as a "Jammer Joe" under a vigilante version of a "Public Blogsheet" reporting offenders (e.g. Mugshots of those you see at the Post Office) someday.

Just be careful on how you interfere with other people's cell phone activities. It could cost you $11,000, jail time, and maybe a fist to the face. And certainly this GOP idiot had to go to jail for his (different method) attempt at phone jamming the Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities during the 2002 election. I don't condone phone jamming (I'll let that one up to the CIA/FBI) or defacing a website via hacking, even if it's just meant to be a joke.

Deaf Republicans - An Up and Coming Political Organization

Just for nostalgia's sake here's the link of a U.S. Newswire release that we released to the public as part of the Deaf Republicans' official announcement as a grassroots political organization weeks before the November election.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- DeafRepublicans (www.DeafRepublicans.com), a national grassroots organization comprised of deaf and hard of hearing Republicans issued a statement today in response to a press release issued by the Kerry Edwards campaign on behalf of a group which purports to speak for the entire deaf and hard of hearing population in the U.S.

DeafRepublicans today repudiated recent statements by Gregory Hlibok, Co-Chair of the National Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans for Kerry-Edwards Steering Committee, in which Hlibok claims his group "speaks to the confidence and commitment of America's 27 million Americans with hearing loss have (sic) in John Kerry." DeafRepublicans strenuously objects to this fictitious declaration of endorsement, and disputes their claim that John Kerry has a "proven record" on disabilities.

The news release was just a reminder (read the whole news release) of how pathetic in the attempt of the John Kerry campaign people tried to do by setting up a "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans for Kerry-Edwards Steering Committee." Can you say..."token"?

And, oh, don't forget my up close super photo shot of President Bush when he was in Alamogordo, NM that day during his campaign run. Superb pictures! One of a kind! Especially with blue skies with a large American flag waving in the back drop. Astounding.

I'm one of several of the core founders of the Deaf Republicans organization. Don't miss out. Will Condi Rice be number #44? Even President Bush is jibbing her on that.

And, a little homework for you guys, guess who owns www.deafdemocrats.com domain name? Please, don't get too upset if you were a bit slow on the uptake to get it.

By the way, John Kerry lost. He just won't stop talking.

India's Very Own Deaf And Dumb Actress

It's hard to believe sometimes but there are still clueless countries who are much further behind on understanding deafness and the people who must live with it:

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black has become one of his most successful movies. The experimental movie has been received very well by the audience. Black is a story about a little deaf and dumb girl and her sweet relationship with her teacher. The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Ayesha Kapoor, Shernaz Patel and others. The movie was a bit slow to take-off but has been getting a great audience response in te past few weeks. The movie does not have any songs and dances, like other Bhansali movies.

A great way to advertise, eh? But the ten year old Indian actress isn't really deaf or dumb. She just portrays as one according to Indian news sources who like to call this character as "deaf and dumb."

Replying to what she did about getting into the character of a girl with rice all over her face and behaving in that brattish way, Ayesha said that she did a trembling act of her own before springing into action before the camera. "They showed me a few tapes of the blind and deaf from the institute and there were two or three teachers who taught me a bit. Amitabh was very kind to me and Sanjay too," she added.

And here's another no brainer. This Indian (send your response to life@thehindu.co.in) writer tried to show the plight of disabled people's treatment from other people cruel intentions but managed to slip in the same "deaf and dumb" remark we hear so often.

Those whose memories go back that long, recall Koshish, Gulzar's lovely film on a deaf and dumb couple, played by Sanjiv Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri. The poignant high point of the film came when their son, who can speak and hear, refuses to marry a disabled girl. Sensitive, knowledgeable portrayals of the disabled have, however, not been a premium in our movies. The physically challenged are the butt of crass one-liners; anyone with the much more difficult-to-show brain disorder is routinely laughed out of court. How many times have you been taken to mental hospitals via our movies, and the treatment left you angry and disgusted?

At least they're trying to go in the right direction in trying to do films a la Forest Gump style by increasing awareness that people with disabilities or conditions are still people.


But just when you thought that the 2005 Deaflympics was a hallmark event, you get a United Kingdom article about their very own deaf citizen bringing home a gold medal:

ILFORD AC's Polish import Konstanty Bakowski was welcomed home to Cricklefield Stadium from Australia clutching an Olympic gold medal. The 26-year-old deaf and dumb athlete won the 110m hurdles at the Deaf Olympics in Olympic Park, Melbourne.

Nice. Welcome the guy home and in the same swipe call him "deaf and dumb." He certainly wasn't dumb in how he got the gold medal. By working hard and smart.

Be careful how you call these people. You're only "temporarily" abled until one day you become permanently disabled whether through disease, age or a progressive condition. Watch what you say and how you treat people. You may become disabled someday and get the same cruel treatment on the other side of the aisle.

1st Annual World Deaf Poker Tournament

Here's the 1st annual World Deaf Poker Tournament to be held in Las Vegas this October 12, 2005. The deadline to apply is September 8, 2005. It cost $200 to buy in and a $100 entry fee for the No Limit Texas Hold'em. First prize is $6,000 if there are less than 100 entries. The pot goes up with higher number of entries, with the highest at $12,000.

I wondered about this last month when we'd have a Deaf Poker tournament seeing that we have all these No Limit Texas Hold' em cable shows going on. Essentially a mini-craze on Texas Hold'em poker games. And now, this, the 1st annual World Deaf Poker Tournament.

I love playing Texas Hold'em and its my favorite game. Played poker all of my life. And soon, next month a brand new Casino (Inn of the Mountain Gods) will open only 40 minutes away from home and an opportunity to play/practice more often. Often I play the Texas Hold' em in Albuquerque whenever I go on a business trip, which incidentally will be next week and play either the $2/$4 or $3/$6 games at the poker table.

The biggest pot I won was about $250 in the Seven Card Poker game in Reno a few years ago. That win came off of my very first Royal Flush (Ace high, King, Queen, Jack and Ten) clubs. A very rare card play. An unbeatable win and the best card to have in your had that anybody would wish for. I was shocked to see a Royal Flush in my hand when the 7th card came up showing a Jack of clubs, completing the Royal Flush straight. Too bad the pot wasn't any higher. Played against an 80 year old lady after others at the poker table folded. The little ol' lady had a Full House (three of a kind, and a two of kind) and we raised each other 3 times, which was the limit on number of raises. I never felt guilty once when I raked in the $250 pot.

Will I go? I may. Who knows. There is still time to think about this.

So, who's going?

Interpreter for Deaf and Blind Not to be Deported

Looks like Gerry Dulalia will not get deported to the Phillipines after all. With numerous e-mails, a signed petition by about 50 Ohlone College students and calls to Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont tipped the scales in Gerrys favor in getting the government's willingness to terminate the deportation proceedings and allow Dulalia to remain in the country. You can see my previous blog about Gerry Dulalia here.

I guess common sense prevailed.

When a Cochlear Implant Works

From the Post Gazette:

Six years ago, Bonnie Russo was in Erie to attend a soccer tournament for her son, Marco.
Along for the ride was her younger son Nino, who was 11. He has a cochlear implant, a device that helps profoundly deaf people hear.

The family stopped at a fast-food restaurant and encountered students from a New York school for the deaf. They took one look at Nino's implant and started signing feverishly with the help of their interpreter. They assailed Russo for choosing the implant for her son. But Russo was having difficulty conversing with them because of the signing.

"They were telling me how wrong I was,'' she said. "And there was Nino, ordering at the counter what he wanted, all by himself.

"When the interpreter got up to go to the rest room, we were lost. I couldn't sign; they couldn't speak.''

That encounter erased any doubt that Bonnie and Jerry Russo may have had about pursuing an implant for Nino, who was born deaf.

The devices, which are surgically implanted into the skull to stimulate the natural mechanism by which the brain receives and recognizes sound, were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for young children in 1990.

So when Nino was 3 1/2 in 1991, he became one of the first young children in the region to receive the implant, in his right ear. The decision put the boy and his family into uncharted territory. Nobody really knew how effective this device would be in helping deaf children develop language. How could it be most effective? Would it help children fit better into a hearing world?

Now at 17, Nino says he's doing just fine. He's a junior at Peters Township High School. He plays on three soccer teams, has friends and makes good grades. He recently got his driver's license and chats on a cell phone like any other teen. And he's been named twice by teachers as Student of the Month, a rare honor in the district.

The world's only liberal arts college for the deaf is Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. But Nino is exploring plans to attend what the deaf community calls a "hearing college" -- University of Miami, more than 1,000 miles away in Florida.

Nino's progress and that of other teens who received implants when they were very young are being watched closely by educators, researchers and parents.

"He would have been a deaf-mute had he not gotten a cochlear implant," said Dr. Douglas Chen, an ear specialist at Allegheny General Hospital who implanted Nino's device. "He represents what the potential of cochlear implantation is in children. ... It is literally a life-changing device.''

Bonnie Russo, a physician's assistant, agreed. "He completely interacts with the oral world and does not sign. I left that option up to him. At this point he has no desire to learn. He doesn't find a deficit anywhere in the ways of communicating."

Strangers who meet him and learn that he's deaf "walk away in awe,'' she said.
.
.
.
"The implants have changed the whole landscape of deaf education," said Apryl Eshelman, DePaul's director of institutional advancement. Years ago, students weren't mainstreamed until high school; now, with implants, digital hearing aids and newborn hearing tests, children are heading to regular schools by kindergarten or first grade -- many with no trace of deaf speech.
.
.
.
If you put a cochlear implant in a child, probably an oral school is best suited to that child's educational needs," he said.

"Not everybody is going to be a Nino Russo. Some kids will do better even with a cochlear implant by signing. There is a place for a Total Communication school, but you'd like to at least give the cochlear implant its maximum opportunity right up front."

Researchers of a National Institutes of Health study who have followed 180 children who received implants in the 1990s are coming to that same conclusion.

At a gathering last summer in St. Louis of 30 of those children, including Nino, researcher Ann Geers observed dramatic differences in speech quality and academic performance between those who had been educated in all-oral programs vs. Total Communication.

"On average, these kids in oral settings are doing significantly better,'' said Geers, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School who has worked with deaf children since the 1960s.

Her biggest surprise was the reading level that these children had achieved.

"I did not expect for half of the kids to be reading at grade level, that's atypical of profoundly deaf kids. The highest level kids are seen at are eighth-grade level. We have half of these kids at 10th and 11th."
===============================


Interesting article. Read the whole thing. But here's what Bienvenu said:

What's wrong with being deaf?'' asked M.J. Bienvenu, chair of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University who was born deaf to deaf
parents. "We've got a culture. We're bilingual. We're not half a person. We're
actually double."

Oohh..."double" ? Ok. What's wrong with being able to hear? And what makes Bienvenu think that cochlear implantees are unable to learn and speak another language? Or for that matter, learn sign language? As a choice?

Both Long and Bienvenu believe the benefits of implants are oversold. They're concerned that parents don't hear the full story and don't understand how much work is involved in training students to use them.

"We're getting the false myth that, 'Hey, you get a cochlear implant and boom! You're normal,''' said Bienvenu, adding that only a small percentage come close to this vision.

Just about as much work for hearing parents to learn sign language? In a day an age when kids are using and operating computers? Carry text pagers? Text phones? Please, spare the "techno" excuse. Now, all Gallaudet University need to do is show a study on deaf kids without cochlear implants and those who sign are reading >>at<< grade level and they'll have something to show for. Still waiting on that. Meanwhile, too bad that Bienvenu thinks that parents think that getting a cochlear implant means "normalcy" when they already know better prior to any cochlear implant operation. It's a serious decision. I think Bienvenu is just a bit uptight and feeling a bit threatened by some of the cochlear implant successes at the moment.

Be sure to watch out for more long term studies coming out regarding kids with cochlear implants who are now in their teens.

Thank God for hearing aids on my part. Silence isn't exactly golden.

"The Virginia Monologues"

It was bound to happen. Now that this group will play at Gallaudet University on March 4 and 5, and, of course, will be signed. This is to raise awareness on violence against women by talking about their (and from other women in their interviews), er ah, "tottita." But I must submit. This is, to me, a very odd way of increasing awareness on violence against women by talking about their, uh, "tamale" in the third and first person in a but glorified way in order to reassert themselves as proud women. Fine. But seems to me that this play isn't all about violence against women. It's more like a self-aggrandizing play about their, er ah, "cooter." And yet they try and assert their radical cultural awareness in other countries not ready for this type of thing. But didn't Tom Jones raised enough awareness through his famous song, Pussycat, when women were re-asserting themselves by throwing panties at him during his concert tours nearly drowning him in, supposedly, clean women undies?

You go ahead a buy the tickets if you want. But once you do that and enter the auditorium to watch the play, you'll be in bush country, literally.

I don't condone violence against women (or girls for that matter) but I certainly don't see that "The Virginia Monologues" be the answer, either. We've still have a long way to go.

But here's my afterthought. Is there such a thing as "The Pennsylvannia Monologues"? And wouldn't they be called sexist, dirty, adonis pigs if they are going to assert their members in such a proud way? Some people might as an odd way of doing it. Others will see it as a creative expression. The same creative expression can be said about kooks who go around exposing themselves under a trench coat. Next thing you'll see is t-shirts with the "Pee Pee Pride" on them as a badge of honor. Kind of fitting for those bloggers who insist on talking about their little wee-wees in the first and third person, as well as about other people.

Good for you if you already saw the show. I'd prefer shows with a little more taste and class. But that's just me.

And here's a little helpful clue, wee wees can be bad for your health when you let them do the thinking for you. It's the old adage, you reap what you sow.

Confused Gay Penguins Attempt to Hatch Stones

This is one of the funniest thing I've ever read. Imagine people calling in to protest the move of a zoo wanting to add female penguins in an already all male penguin in a zoo pen fearing that male penguins might become straight. I laughed outloud reading this. Fearing that male penguins might become straight?? Really nutty people to even bother protesting. But they do anyway. Put the female penguins in and see how it turns out. I'd be interested in seeing the results. But noooooooooooooooooooooooo......not according to the gay and lesbian community who fear that these supposedly "gay" penguins may become "straight." Gasppp! The horror!! Oh fer cryin outloud! Lighten up people. Heck, these penguins might turn out to be the "bi-curious" kinds or even bi-sexual. I supposed they are against that? Or maybe these male penguins really are straight and they are just simply a confused bunch of penguins just like being in an all-male prison population where you have no females to cavort with. Just don't reach for that soap, yet.

These male penguins are certainly confused if they go around trying to hatch a stone. It's an innate response since it's the father who keeps the egg warm first until it hatches and keeps the chick warm, too. The mother go out and "feed up". The father "incubate" the eggs and doesn't eat until the female penguin returns (after 6 or 7 weeks). Male and female penguins mate for life. Of course, you still get your gay penguins in an already female and male penguin population. This has been observed in zoos and in the wild that have a mixed population of female and male penguins. And if this is the case, why protest in the first place?

These people who protested the zoo's decision are absolutely nuts. Sorry. They're not thinking with a full deck of cards here in this instance when all the zoo wants to do is add female penguins to already all-male penguin society...in a closed pen. What's next? Demand that zoos put all female penguins in a separate pen, too?

The is the same level of ludicrous on the belief that a live lobster scream in pain when put in a pot of boiling water. Sure, yeah. A lobster screaming underwater. A lobster can't scream, it's impossible. The lobster does not have a vocal cord. And a lobster has a very primative nervous system. So, pain is not an issue.

The "gay penguin" protest is also on the same level of laughability when a woman complained who was offended that a cop was eating a banana when a bus full load of people who were coming to attend Rev. Jackson civil rights appearance. An why was she offended? She took the officer's banana eating to imply an analogous racial slur relating black people to apes. Oh please, the woman needs psychiatric help.

Funny how these people are sometimes. And how they whine and complain in the most obtuse and dense way.

And, oh, btw people, don't read too much into the title of my blog piece as well as my written blog, too. Don't want to come off looking like a whiner. Well, you probably are anyway.

=============

BERLIN (Reuters) - A plan by a German zoo to test the sexual appetites of a group of suspected homosexual penguins has sparked outrage among gay and lesbian groups, who fear zookeepers might force them to turn straight.

"All sorts of gay and lesbian associations have been e-mailing and calling in to protest," said a spokesman for the zoo in the northwestern city of Bremerhaven on Friday.

He said the zoo concluded the penguins might be gay after seeing male penguins trying to mate with other males and trying to hatch offspring out of stones.

German media reported that female Swedish penguins would be brought to the zoo to test the theory, but when word got out about the plan, the phones started ringing.

"Nobody here is trying to break-up same sex pairs by force," the zoo's director Heike Kueck told public broadcaster NDR. "We don't know if the three male pairs are really gay or just got together because of a lack of females."

cBS' Spawns of Hell to Cannibalize Leader

According to the Drudge Report THE NEW YORK OBSERVER will report tomorrow with an article about how former 60 Minutes Wednesday executive editor Josh Howard has told colleagues that before he resigns, the 23-year CBS News veteran will demand that the network retract remarks by CBS president Leslie Moonves, correct its official story line and ultimately clear his name.

It was Josh Howard who warned CBS to admit to the hoax of the fake Bush Guard document.

Two days after the broadcast, Howard suggested that CBS admit it may have been the victim of a hoax. But the network refused to apologize for another 10 days, when Howard recalled telling his staff: "Your management failed you. I failed you."

Even though on Jan. 10, 2005 in the 224-page investigative report the memo describes how CBS president Leslie Moonves issued a statement dwelling on the failures of the employees involved in producing the disputed segment. Bad timing on Moonves part.

It was Powerline blog who suggested on January 18, 2005 that,

The biggest threat to CBS, I think, is an employee or two who don't want to take the fall and are willing to talk about how the National Guard story came to be. Given the cultural monolith at CBS and the other broadcast networks, I'd be shocked if anything really revelatory came out, but at a minimum, recalcitrance on the part of these "terminated" employees must be making Dan Rather and many others sweat.


Looks like Powerline Blog is right on the mark. Looks like Mr. Howard will be taking the route to defend his name and honor and has retained a lawyer. He has told associates that he would like to see Moonves put under oath to talk about his own roles in the network's stubborn, hapless defense of the flawed segment on President Bush's National Guard service.

According to the Drudge Report, Howard has also indicated to colleagues that he would subpoena specific CBS documents, including the e-mails of top executives.

Now, being the recalcitrance people they are, looks like cBS has just now stepped beyond the event horizon and are now staring down into their own blackhole. Once those e-mails of top executives become revelatory then certainly cBS would lose all credibility as a news organization. And if things gets nasty, perhaps a leak or two might happen. This is going to be the bare knuckle fight between Mr. Howard, the "fired employees", Moonves and cBS.

cBS deserve this fate in their reckless zeal to try and destroy the Republican party and President. Nice going Dan Rather. You've helped seal cBS' fate.

Now here comes the bloggers who would like to see those CBS documents and emails, too.

Beta Version of Video Google Comes Up with Deaf Deportation

Check out the beta version of video Google. And to start it off, I put in the search word "deaf"...

Also, check out the latest likely deportation of this individual whose parents died. He interprets for deaf people. Dulalia, 39, has been in the United States since 1987, both as a student and an interpreter in Ohlone College's deaf studies department. He signs into the hands of students who are both blind and deaf, one of only a dozen or so such interpreters in the Bay Area.

>>And the attorney says the unexpected deaths ruined her client's chances of being a citizen.
>> When his father died and his mother died, the petition died with both parents.
>> Now he is scheduled to be deportd back to the Philippines. He is devastated.
>> There is no work for me there.

Same story here, and here, and here....

What cruel irony here.

His Filipino father fought with U.S. forces in World War II, under a promise of American citizenship from President Franklin Roosevelt. Congress revoked the promise in 1946 — an act that would take almost 45 years to be judged illegal. Dulalia's father was finally granted his citizenship in 1995. Had it been granted when promised, Gerry Dulalia would have been born an American.

Read this story. And pass it on to other deaf or hard of hearing bloggers. Doesn't matter if you're a Liberal, Republican, Democrat, Right Wing Nutjob, Green Party, or Libertarian. The power of bloggers can change this scenario for this one deaf guy who faces deportation to a country where deaf people do not have any opportunities at all. There are no deaf interactions. There are no deaf communities to be part of. There are no deaf supported services. He is that close to become a citizen in the United States. That...close...after living 18 years in the United States as a productive, legal immigrant who have helped deaf and deaf/blind people as an interpreter.

UPDATE: Seems like the deportation will go through but we can contact the Department of Homeland security to to drop the case on humanitarian grounds.

Several members of the Ohlone community, including McLaughlin and college President Doug Treadway, have written letters in support of Dulalia.

Perez said she has done everything she can. She contacted U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer several months ago, but neither offered to help. She said she received a reply from Rep. Pete Stark, but that was just asking for more information. And she received it only this week.

"It's too little, too late," she said.

Letters in support of Gerry Dulalia can be sent via e-mail to marciaiperez@cs.com. Perez will compile them and present them to government officials.

Barry Shatzman covers Ohlone College for The Argus. He can be reached at (510) 353-7003, or bshatzman@angnewspapers.com.

Mr. Ho and the Supervirus (HIV)

Is it a HIV supervirus or not? We don't know yet. But deep down in Mr. Ho's laboratory tests are being conducted to see whether or not the new strain of HIV is actually a supervirus or not.

AIDS viruses isolated from two individuals are being studied to determine whether either might be the source of a rare and potentially more aggressive form of HIV detected in a New York City man, an AIDS scientist involved in the studies said Sunday.

Many more tests need to be conducted to determine if the strains from the three people are the same, said the scientist, Dr. David Ho. He directs the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in Manhattan, which is conducting some of the studies in collaboration with the New York City health department. While some findings may be available in a week, others will take longer, Ho said.

But even if the strains prove to be the same, it does not necessarily mean that a supervirus is on the loose because there could be genetic factors in the first man that would make the infection progress faster.

"What we can't prove is that this is a supervirus" and that it caused the rapid progression from infection to AIDS in the New York man, Ho said.

Tests in Ho's laboratory and elsewhere have shown that the strain from the man whose case started the investigation is resistant to 19 of the 20 licensed antiretroviral drugs. AIDS experts said that the strain may have led to the rapid onset of AIDS in the New York man or that his immune defenses may have been weakened by drug use or genetic factors.

Now, we have a potential source (NYC and, perhaps San Diego..see below) of where this virus came from and if it's indeed a supervirus, and if you're familiar with with math there is this progression called "geometric growth," then there will be some nasty progression from here on out. This is when 2 becomes 4 and 4 becomes 8 and then 16 and then 32, 64, 128, 256, and so on, doubling after each new generation. Or it could 3, 9, 27, 81...and so on, tripling with each new generation. This is also called "exponential growth."

If this supervirus is true and that it takes 2 to 3 months for a full blown AIDS, then imagine the devastation. Imagine when the new HIV strain is resistant to 19 of the 20 licensed antiretroviral drugs, you're talking trouble.

The two male contacts in New York, only one of whom is cooperating with the investigation, are among hundreds of men with whom the New York man told health officials he has had sex in recent weeks while using crystal methamphetamine. The man who sparked the investigation is cooperating with city health officials but apparently does not know the names of all his partners.

That partner probably did have sex with the New York man in October, a few weeks before the New York man became ill with what his doctors believe was the acute retroviral syndrome. It occurs in the earliest stages of HIV infection.

"He's a potential source for this man's case," Ho said. "But he may not be."

The second virus is from an unidentified patient in San Diego. It was found by scouring the records of a commercial laboratory, ViroLogic Inc. of South San Francisco, and portions of its genetic makeup closely resemble the molecular pattern of the New York man's virus, Ho said.

Of course, he doesn't know the names of all his partners over the past several months. Who knows whether if this is a supervirus or not. If so then we would have literally, potentially so, thousands already infected or will be infected. If one had sex with 10 other people, and in turn if they each had sex with 10 other people, that's 100 that could be potentially infected. And then they each have sex with 10 other people that's 1000 potential victims. And then up to 10,000 in just a few months time. That's exponential growth. And with diseases, especially the dangerous or virulent ones, when conditions and environments are ideal, then these diseases can rapidly progress. Knowing the power of math realizes the danger of a runaway virus. It's not a pretty sight.

And using a condom might be questionable too if this is a new deadly HIV strain then we don't know if this new virus is a little smaller that can pass through the porous holes of the latex rubber. We don't know what kind of harsh environment it can survive. We don't know what other pathways this virus can take or if it can reside in saliva or not. All you need is one dinky little virus for it to multiply exponentially. Exponential growths is very fast, unlike accumulative growth which is just adding 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12...or 5, 15, 20, 25...100, 200, 300...it grows but it's very, very slow compared to exponential growth with each succeeding new generation.

Now, we have San Diego and NYC to contend with (so far) on this potential HIV Supervirus. Only time will tell if this is indeed a supervirus. Might want to stop your favorite activity for now for the next few months until health officials know for sure. Being prudent has always been a wise choice. Unfortunately, many don't give a hoot. Be very careful I'd say. Be responsible. Be accountable. Be smart.

Meanwhile, here's a good concept, and it could save your health, sanity, and life - Project Reality.

Mike McConnell - One of Liberals Worst Nightmare

If you ever have a sense of humour, this is the time. From a different blogger:

Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mike McConnell and Cunningham are at the top of their games because they are well informed, can argue their points, make you laugh, and their shows sound good. (Sure, sometimes McConnell and Hannity get a bit preachy. And sometimes Rush's parody songs and Cunningham's comedy bits are tasteless. Still, these guys are good.)

And another one:

Steven Taylor notes that Bill Kristol is predicting Bush will nominate Mike McConnell as the next Chief Justice (after Rhenquist leaves).

And this one:
Mike McConnell is a former head of America's top electronic spying agency the NSA, and he worked as intelligence officer for the then General Colin Powell during the last Gulf War. He's in Australia at the moment with the company he now works for, Booz Allen Hamilton. Mike McConnell, former head of America's top electronic spy organisation, the National Security Agency.

Oh, and one more I've found, books galore!

Gee, Mike McConnell is all over the place. All in the right places, too, including my blog - Kokonut Pundits. My cloning project must be working (although I found a few errant ones, too).

"I'm a force to be reckoned with." (with sounds of Darth Vader)

Buck Naked Bison - No Skinny Dipping Allowed

Buck Naked Bison is becoming the new deaf alternative electronic newsletter format by founders Brendan Stern and run by Jane Jonas. But Stern and Jonas are no longer at the helm and the torch was recently passed to Ben Moore and Tim Woodford. The original BNB (not to be confused with Gallaudet University’s newspaper Buff and Blue’s acronym BNB) struggled with the costs of paper and print when it came to distributing their newsletter in a paper format. It wasn’t long until they decided to go “electronic” using the internet as their medium. Buck Naked Bison’s aim is to expose controversial perspectives (supposedly so) while using, uh, colorful graphics. Some of the graphics may be deemed as “offensive” to some (probably I. King Jordan is currently offended at the moment) with one picture of a naked man sitting on a port-a-potty while the private area is covered with a newspaper as if he’s reading it while the face of President I. King Jordan is superimposed over the original photo. Funny? You be the judge. Some say that President I. King Jordan of Gallaudet University is Buck Naked Bison’s “mascot”. Is this a love-hate thing going on here with Jordan or what? Regardless, this seems to be their “de rigueur” format. If this is any indication of free literacy license to do what they want then expect Buck Naked Bison eNewsletter to expand. Let’s see whether if they can buck the trend of the past or not.

In the past, Gallaudet University students were given the artistic literary license (although not entirely *THAT* free to do what they wanted) to communicate and express their thoughts and feelings. But time and time again through their newsletters they failed to maintain the much needed circulation and enthusiasm to keep their newsletters afloat. Why? Such defunct literary contents as Mental Floss (headed and founded by Kevin McLeod who now blogs), Manus (Latin for “hand”), and Gallaudetian newsletters flopped with so much as a whimper, nobody really heard it (pun intended). When the Deaf-run Mental Floss newsletter failed (or abandoned) the name was taken up (stolen?) elsewhere on the internet and in print with a successful result. Go figure.

What caused the continued demise of these newsletters falling like dominos one after another? Could it be that the majority of deaf and hard of hearing students at Gallaudet University and their loyal alumni simply do not have the English capacity to comprehend finely written articles filled with wits, tongue-in-cheek comments, satire, and seemingly “complex” words that you could swear those articles were written by hearing people and not by deaf, Deaf and hard of hearing students?

But even with these fine examples of literary composures and free thinking thoughts could the majority of deaf student see such newsletters as “boring” pieces of work? It’s no surprise that Galluadet Research Institute made a point that 17 and 18 year old deaf and hard of hearing students’ (while in school) English literacy skill level corresponds at the 4th grade equivalent in one well known survey. Could it be that the low circulation count and lack of enthusiasm were entirely attributed to an English problem within the Deaf community as not being “Deaf-friendly” enough?? Who knows? And even with the recent blogsite called “gBlog” set up by Gallaudet University this year has only two bloggers to begin with. One being an English major and the other a Biology major. Gallaudet University seems to be excited about this new medium for students and staff to do their own blogging:

*Introducing... "gBLOG - How we see it..."
*The Office of Enrollment Services has launched an online journal (blog) site where current students write about their lives, classes, friends, hopes, dreams, frustrations, successes, and everything else. *You can also find the site by clicking on a link from the Undergraduate Admissions website.
*OES plans to add additional bloggers in the future -- maybe even recruiting our very own faculty and staff!
*This is all part of the recruitment efforts to make direct connections with prospective students and to let them meet "faces" at Gallaudet before actually applying or visiting the campus.

Recruitment efforts? A plan? Will we ever see examples of poor deaf writings in gBlog with a face posted alongside as a source of inspiration for potential Gallaudet University students seeking to apply at the school? Not likely since people who are not confident with their English reading and writing skills tend to be quite uncomfortable in exposing their English weaknesses in a public arena. But you could almost imagine the parents’ horror upon seeing written examples in gBlog of typical Gallaudet University students if this were the case. They wouldn’t even let their deaf sons or daughters attend. Will Gallaudet University make sure that this won’t happen? Can you say "dictatorial"?

If gBlog comes to a point where there are more faculty and staff doing the blogging than students, then certainly Gallaudet University will be in bigger trouble with their pet project. Not only that, Gallaudet University will have to compete with other deaf bloggers found in Blogger.com and Livejournal.com blogging sites as well as other deaf eNewsletters invoking the name "Gallaudet." But I’ll admit, the number of deaf bloggers ought to grow by the leaps and bound covering both written and (future) video blogging incorporating sign language reaching internationally rather than it being a national phenomenom.

Only time will tell whether the latest and newest avant-guard Buck Naked Bison eNewsletter with their writers’ articulate wits will survive this round of electronic and paper flops from the halls of Gallaudet University’s rows uneventful and long forgotten newsletters and magazines . To insure their survival, they even have a blogsite of their own . The more the merrier. Repeat the name often, it’ll get recognized. The Buck Naked Bison eNewsletter survived narrowly this time in their open letter to the readers in the December 2004, Volume 3, Issue #1 newsletter:

Readers,
Huh? We're alive again?

Brendan Stern, the founder of Buck Naked Bison, has passed the torch to us. It's going to be a formidable task improving on what he has done.

We plan to take full advantage of the fact we're online by becoming more multimedia and adding some exciting features (eventually). We'll continue to showcase the most riveting and funniest rhetoric in Kendall Green, as well as substantial, thought-provoking articles.

Ah, enough hype. Without further ado...

Ben Moore
Tim Woodford


Let’s hope for an eNewsletter publication that will question authority (deaf, Deaf and hearing) equally and without relegating themselves into partisan hacking spitballs. But also let us note that Gallaudet University is grounded with mostly Liberals a la the Berkley type . Of course, students, faculty and staff are known to lean politically (I’d say with near horizontal effect) with Deaf culture (or extremism in some cases if you wish) and Liberalism. You may want to note the string of Liberal commencement speakers who attended Gallaudet University’s past graduations, which seems to confirm that liberalism besets the campus of Gallaudet University. The campus is becoming a Liberal (Deaf) hotbed. All the while located in a city called Washington D.C. where 90% of the voters in D.C. voted for John Kerry. Heavily influenced I’d say. Maybe even brainwashed?

All I can say is good luck to the staff of Buck Naked Bison eNewsletter on their website and let’s see how many rocks they will turn over leaving no stones unturned while bucking the trend. It’s about time, too.

NYT Screams Alarm About New AIDS Report , Says "Not Surprise."

Super HIV on the way??

Just as health officials have feared that one of these days they'll come across a HIV that's highly resistent to drugs and has a fast onset of disease. Still, people think that taking a pill will save them and only adds to the idiocy of how these people think when it comes to playing with Russian Roulette. The New York Time screams the headline about the AIDS report. Here's a clip on idiocy at play:

Michael Justiniano, 37, who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, said he watched his father die of AIDS in 1993. "I have spoken to young kids, sometimes here, who say, 'If I get it, it's no big deal. I can just take a pill,' " he said. "I'm like, 'Are you stupid?' It is so disgusting. I find it really disturbing."

No kidding. This all started (supposedly so) when one of the infected man, gay and in his 40's, who tested negative for H.I.V. in May 2003, then tested positive last December. According to health investigators they believe he may have contracted the virus in October when he engaged in unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while using crystal methamphetamine. The usual HIV drug cocktail was used but three of the four classes of anti-retroviral drugs used against H.I.V. were not working in this case. Thus the usual signs of AIDS include rapid weight loss, a high level of the virus in his bloodstream, and a depleted supply of crucial immune system cells in the person's bloodstream. Even though the anti-retroviral drug "cocktail" has extended many lives, some infected people still deteriorate and end up with AIDS, but that process usually takes many years. Doctors say that for a patient to reach that stage in a matter of months (2 to 3 months) is extremely troubling.

Troubling indeed. Should have stayed with a one partner system instead. At least that makes the most sense...sadly for some, it is not. The New York Times reiterates on some fine points:

In 2003, a survey by New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found that more than half of city residents with multiple recent sexual partners had not been tested for H.I.V. in the previous 18 months, and 40 percent said that they had not used condoms the last time they had sex. At the time, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the city health commissioner, attributed the results to "H.I.V. precaution burnout."

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg described the failure to take precautions against H.I.V. in stark terms yesterday. "It's just a sin in our society, where we know how it's transmitted from one person to another," he said, "and we should be able to get people to conduct themselves such that they don't catch it themselves, and certainly that they don't infect anybody else."

Unsafe sex practices combined with growing resistance to medications among people with H.I.V., has had officials warning for years about a possible resurgence of AIDS, a fear voiced yesterday by many people across the country as they struggled to make sense of the news out of New York.

Thank goodness I've never had the urge to practice that sort of lifestyle. A one partner system makes the perfect AND safest sense. No back door stuff, either. Boinking around with multiple partners is asking for trouble whether with a condom or not. A condom isn't a 100% guarantee you won't get infected. But people continue to do these things without a condom and have multiple partners....a dangerous combination. The New York Times makes a point,

Oliver Palan, 19, a gay student at Baruch College, said that he had slept with 10 men recently, and that none of them had wanted to use a condom. "So many people are like, 'It is so much more fun without the condom,' so they prefer to take the risk," he said, noting that he insists on using condoms. Often, he said, partners will try to dissuade him by saying, "I trust you, you should trust me."

Trust me? Only an idiot would accept that.

"It seems like we're moving backwards in the fight against AIDS," Mr. Gonzalez said

Well, the fun can only go for so long. A decadent lifestyle is simply playing with fire. Next they will say in a few months from now that President Bush is not doing enough to produce a vaccine to stop this super HIV. Don't blame Bush. Learn to accept responsibility of your own actions.