Racin for a Livin Final Vote Announcement!!

I have been given a press pass by the Executive Director, "JV", of Racin' for a Livin' to access a password protected website reserved for the media where the final results of the Racin' for a Livin' for the top 50 drivers (6 were already eliminated, so that leaves 44 drivers) will be shown. I am honored that the Executive Director contacted me to give me a press pass (see red bold letters informing the "members of the press"). I didn't even ask or requested this and so this was a complete surprise! This is the first time that has ever happened to me and it's great that JV, Executive Director, recognized me for my contribution in helping his upcoming reality show get recognized by the media.

So, be sure to watch here on Kokonut Pundits on August 1st this upcoming Tuesday at 3 PM EST. That is when the Executive Director will post the results for the 44 drivers competiting for the spot on Racin' for a Livin' network TV reality show. As of Friday, July 28, Greg Gunderson's rank in the tally vote is at #4. He is currently the top 5 drivers out of 50! Looks as if Greg is quite secure for the moment but please keep voting and help Greg get to the #1 spot. That will really make the news with Greg beating out 43 other hearing drivers to be #1!

Will Greg get to the #1 rank at the end? What is your prediction?

Don't stop voting until after July 31!!

Vote and support Greg!

Hillary Clinton's Bust and Plastination

Ok. How many of you saw this bust of Hillary recently?




The first thing that came to my mind was that it looked like a perfect cadaver specimen. Plastinated cadavers, that is. Sorry but it was the first thing popped into my head.

And so that brings me to this. Plastinated cadavers. They are becoming a smash hit at museums where the public go to get shocked but only to become awed and fascinated with the various positions displayed by the "plastinized" cadavers. Some museum visitors were so impressed that they even signed up to be a donor for the medical art show themselves. Donate your body to art? Talk about getting strip naked.

Now I'm thinking. When will we have our first famous "plastinized" celebrity? Will it be Michael Jackson albeit his missing nose? At least he wouldn't be frozen like a giant popsicle in a cryogenic chamber.

What about Bill Clinton? Well, I believe he could become an instant hit given his history at the White House behind closed doors. I'm sure people will want to take a closer look at Bill Clinton's "plastinized" body and see what the big deal was about just like the two couples in the picture. Look again.

You looked, too. Didn't you?

Tsk. Tsk.

But it's not a bad idea for a celebrity to do that sort of thing to help raise money for their favorite charity with their own body displayed as a "plastinized" cadaver at museums. Money collected can go to a good cause. It would be a donor's gift that can keep on giving. And it'll give Madame Tassaud's Wax Museum a run for their money.

DEAFHOODism

Click me and check inside for free!


Deafhoodism - a Deaf status quo regarding Deafhood; a system of Deaf beliefs accepted as authoritative where acceptance and, sometimes, blameless actions toward other deaf and hard of hearing individuals outside of Deaf culture would be required. It is also a self-discovery oriented process involving sustained meaningful interaction with and commitment to, Deaf social, cultural and/or political life where a deaf or hard of hearing person would become a Deaf person someday.


When I first heard about this new “Deafhood” concept it came about early into the Gallaudet University protest over the selection of Dr. Jane K. Fernandes as the 9th president. It appeared approximately at the same time with their new "Gallaudet for Unity" rallying cry. All I could do was groan over the prospect of seeing a whole new politically correct terminology invented by a Deaf person, Dr. Paddy Ladd. Somehow I couldn't shake this notion of mine that all of this "unity" and "Deafhood" cries during the Gallaudet protest were borned out of a bit of a guilt complex of theirs when they have discriminated against deaf and hard of hearing people in the past.

Dunno.

Now, lately there seems to be a mad dash to get this “Deafhood” word out and encourage people to buy, buy, buy, buy this 500+ page book. While some are hoping to set up these bible-like study groups to learn more about "Deafhood" and its concept. Or so it seems. Although none seem to be commenting about it on the Amazon website.

The "Deafhood" book is as cumbersome and as welcomed as any technical manual for any readers. That's according to some who have actually read the whole thing and have stated it as being a pretty "dry" read. If you like dry, then this is your book. So, nothing short of a Cliff Notes or Dummies book will help understand the premise of the "Deafhood" message. Maybe that should be enough of a clue about simplifying this book the next time? Else it'd become a doorstop instead.

The simple message the book puts out, according to those familiar with it, is that "Deafhood" is about inclusivity and it has nothing to do with race, degree of hearing loss, Deaf generational families or sign communication preferences. That's fine. I've no problem with that. Genie Gertz explains:

“This is not about labeling one another, not about whether you are a big "D" or a small "d". This is about all of us being deaf with full support of everyone's journey to reach Deafhood. That is to unite us all, not to divide us.”

But Genie Gertz warns in her video about the complexity of “Deafhood” and that we are all on the path to a Deaf discovery. Are we really? The definition of "Deafhood" according to her is a very complex one. It requires self-analyzing, exploring, and understanding what Deaf means to us all. Nevermind that it took the Deaf community over 30 years to get the definition of what “D”eaf means down pat but right now with this "Deafhood" thing we seem to be witnessing another attempt on changing the very definition of what "D"eaf stands for once again.

Moving the goal post?

And never mind the fact that there are deaf and hard of hearing people who do not give a fig about Deaf culture, let alone even bother with the big "D" to describe their standing as a person with a hearing loss. But since Paddy says that "Deafhood" is a process about self-identity and a person's own deafness but then he also believes that "Deafhood" is threatened by mainstreaming and by new invasive medical techniques. How can that be? "Deafhood" is supposed to be about a self-discovery process, and among other things. Perhaps getting a C.I. ought to be a part of that discovery process, too?

Now, I am not making fun about the idea of self-acceptance, self-discovery, acceptance of others, etc. as discussed in "Deafhood. " But what I am weary about is seeing another concocted terminology. Of those that I have corresponded with over the last several weeks who were RIT, Gally, CSUN students or just plain deaf/hh folks where they too are tired hearing another politically correct terminology. Many are tired seeing another new word that may ultimately prove more divisionary than helpful since Paddy Ladd keeps addressing everything "D"eaf and blaming oralism in his writings. However, the concept itself, for the most part, is fine, I guess. Basically it boils down to common sense knowing that we all go through, including hearing people, our own self-awareness discovery process as part of our journey. Self-discovery about one's own deafness or hearing loss doesn't mean the person will be led into a Deaf culture life, even with Deaf people's full suport.

Ever since I stepped foot on the campus of Gallaudet in January 1988, a few months before Deaf President Now, as a hard of hearing person I saw a completely different world versus what Deaf people saw. I’ve always accepted deaf and hard of hearing people for who they are and not worry about their background, signing abilities, the ability to speak or hear, or what have you. It didn’t matter to me. But to others, in many instances, did matter alot. Does that mean they would accept the 500+ page on "Deafhood" just to understand the concept?

In one forum I presented why this new PC word "Deafhood" would generate lots of resistence (and confusion). So, I presents a hypothetical scenario.

Let's suppose we have a deaf person who was born with a hearing loss and he wrote a similar 500+ page book called "Personhood." The deaf author has a PhD. He understands the Deaf community and its distinct culture but the author does not sign at all since he grew up orally using the visual Cued Speech method. In his book he also presents a concept for deaf and hard of hearing people to learn about acceptance of self and others, their discovery paths regarding their hearing loss, and so forth to help bring about more deaf and hard of hearing people together for a greater understanding.

Now, suppose we have these "Personhood" workshops at Gallaudet University or even at the NAD convention, would Deaf people go his workshops to learn more about this "Personhood" and buy his 500+ page book even though knowing the author of the book is a devout orally-raised deaf person? Would you go to this guys workshop? Would you be leery to go dispite the fact that the author is nowhere near Deaf? But does it matter if you are Deaf when you are also deaf? Would you go? Be honest with that question. It reveals your true attitude towards other non-Deaf people.

It's all a perception issue. I frankly, I don't care for the word "Deafhood." I just simply accept people for who they are since we're all basically in the same boat when it comes to equal access issues, legal rights and the narrowing of our communication gaps with hearing people and vice versa.

Breaking!! Greg Gunderson is still #4

The "Racin' for a Livin' " tally vote was updated today. Greg Gunderson is still at #4. There are 3 more days left until July 31 when the voting ends. What everybody should try and do is vote agressively for the next 3 days and hopefully get Greg Gunderson into the #1 position slot. This would really make the news everywhere where Greg beat out 49 hearing drivers to get to the number one spot on the total votes garnered. Greg is currently among the top 15 drivers with the most votes. After July 31, the 15 drivers and the 5 drivers from the wildcard votes will be tested to determine who the 12 drivers will be selected for the reality show. Greg is almost there!

Keep on voting! And don't stop!

UPDATE: Check out an article by Girls and Boys Town of America about Greg Gunderson and his good friend Jason Curry.

Greg Gunderson and Kansas City Star

Last week when Greg Gunderson was featured on the front sports page of the Kansas City Star newspaper the link to the news source had only the text version. But here's a look of what the front page sports section looked like with the sidebar intro as seen below with a picture of Greg Gunderson and Jason Curry, president of sComm which is the official sponsor of Greg Gunderson for the UbiDuo.

Read the rest of the story

Also, check out Greg in the Associated Press a few days ago along with a picture of him in his trophy memorabilia room.

See more Kokonut Pundits blogs about the UbiDuo.

See more Kokonut Pundits blogs about Greg Gunderson.

Rare Post Fight Pictures of Matt Hamill and Tito Ortiz

Matt Hamill sent me pictures of himself with Tito Ortiz and his buddies. You won't find these pictures anywhere else on the internet except on Kokonut Pundits. But looking at those pictures you can see those guys were having a good time winding down and relaxing after the filming of TUF3. Clowning around is essential in keeping one's own sanity in check. Even for Tito. But Matt seems to be enjoying the antics the most if you look at the last picture below.

 

Matt Hamill and Tito Ortiz in 2006

Matt Hamill - "What? Me worry?" Everybody's picking on Matt! Can't even let a King rest.


Want to help Matt Hamill with his training expense so he can prepare for his first ever UFC fight?

Send in your donations to help Matt Hamill with his training expenses to:
Matt Hamill
PO Box 61
New York Mills, NY 13417


Read here on why he needs donations during his 3rd interview about his training, TUF3 and UFC goal.


See current and past Kokonut Pundits blogs on Matt Hamill.

Breaking!! Greg Gunderson is now at #4 (Not an error!)

Check it out folks. The latest tally vote just came in today. Greg Gunderson is now at #4. Up from #5 all last week. Spread the word. Keep on voting. Also, check out sComm, Inc latest website update with the new FAQs section about the UbiDuo. The deaf owned company, sComm, Inc, is the official sponsor of Greg Gunderson. Also, check out the new FAQs page regarding UbiDuo to look up "Frequently Asked Questions." The FAQs will evolve and answer more questions about the myths and realities on using the Ubiduo.

Wanna have some fun? Make your own prediction here on what place Greg will be on the tally vote after July 31, 2006. See what everybody is saying about Greg's drive to the finish line with 8 days left to vote. Hold on to your seatbelts!

Keep on voting and don't stop!

Speed Demons, Deafness and Ethnicity Perceptions

There is this misconception that auto racing is a completely "white trash" sport event. That perception is slowly being changed today just as Tiger Woods has done for golf and continues to do so. There are avid black or African American fans out there who love the adrenalin racing, eardrum busting sports competition with cars racing around at dizzying speed who love the sport of racing just as much as the next person regardless of ethnicity.

There is a new organization called Drive for Diversity where there goal is to change the demographics to highlight and include more black/African American drivers and other people who are in the minority group such as women to make the autoracing sport an event for all to participate. NASCAR is more than happy to help make this happen.

In an effort to encourage more African Americans - and other minorities -- to get involved with NASCAR, Mr. Calhoun developed Drive for Diversity. He says NASCAR officials were enthusiastic when he approached them with the idea. "They had open arms for me," Mr. Calhoun says. "They said, 'Go out and do it, we just think that you should include more than just African Americans. We think you should have minorities as a whole.'" Drive for Diversity aims to broaden minority representation among racing crews as well as drivers, and is supporting new roles for women, who already made headlines in other racing circuits when Danica Patrick placed 4th at this year's Indy 500.

The problem in the autoracing sports is that it is extremely expensive to maintain and run a crew where it may cost several million dollars. But that didn't stop one guy from driving and his name is Willy T. Ribbs. He was the first African American to qualify and compete in the Indianopolis 500. First to compete in NASCAR's winston Cup series. First in a lot of things in his illustrious life and still going strong.

There is another famous black autoracer in the Indy 500 and his name is George Mack. He tells the people that when it comes to driving, it doesn't matter who is behind the wheel.

"Am I Black? Can you tell with my helmet on? I don't think it makes any difference. I think it's all about results. I just think it shows that anybody can do whatever they want to do, regardless of ethnicity."

And if you think that this was a recent phenenom where we are seeing black professional race car drivers, you couldn't be more wrong. From the Indiana University for Black History Month they note the famous Todd Gould during the 1920s and 1930s.

Before Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis and Jessie Owens, there was Charlie Wiggins, arguably the greatest auto racer of his era regardless of race. Known at that time as the Negro Speed King, Wiggins is the subject of a new Indiana University Press book, For Gold and Glory: Charlie Wiggins and the African-American Racing Car Circuit, and an upcoming PBS program of the same name. Author Todd Gould traces the little-known history of the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes, the highly celebrated auto racing event for African Americans in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Ku Klux Klan cast a shadow over the social and political landscape and sporting events were segregated. Held on the one-mile dirt oval at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes featured the nation's top African American drivers and mechanics and boasted one of the largest purses in all of auto racing.

Now, lest you think that these black professional race car drivers get their daily racist remarks at the raceway or in the garages, think again. Here's what one black NASCAR driver Bill Lester had to say,

Not only has he never heard anything derogatory at a NASCAR race, Mr. Lester says, "the fact of the matter is, it's been a very welcoming environment for me. I feel very comfortable whenever I'm in the garage area, whenever I'm interacting with fans." He hopes that by sharing his positive experiences with NASCAR he can encourage "minority fans who are typically in the closet" to come out the races.

Indeed. All of these people, including Greg Gunderson, have one thing in common. They're all speed demons when it comes to racing on the race track where the onlydriving requirement is skill and nerves of steel. As for a professional deaf race car driver? They can do just as well as anybody else in the world of professional autoracing. Just watch.


Watch out for Greg Gunderson as he makes his way into the NASCAR racing business.


Check for past and current updates on Greg Gunderson.

Breaking! Greg Gunderson finally drives on NASCAR race track!

This is possibly one of the best American dreams for anyone, especially for a Deaf professional race car driver, and that is to drive on a NASCAR race track for the very first time. Greg Gunderson, last week, was finally able to do that. While Greg was driving behind the official NASCAR pace car on the the Kansas Speedway, which is a 1.5 mile NASCAR track on the west side of Kansas City, Greg couldn't help but look back at all the events that had happened leading up to him driving on the NASCAR race track for the very first time. Joe Posnanski was there to make sure Greg Gunderson's dream come true on the Kansas Speedway race track. This was where Greg Gunderson, Jason Curry and Joe Posnanski met to do their photo shoots of Greg and Jason for the Kansas City Star Sunday's newspaper that came out just last week. So, go ahead and check out sComm, Inc's official blogsite for the whole story plus many pictures of this historic event that will sure to go down in the annals of deaf sports history.


Greg Gunderson, Joe Posnanski and Jason Curry.

Check for past and current updates on Greg Gunderson.

Jane K. Fernandes Poll - surprising results so far

The Jane K. Fernandes poll is still ongoing. The question posed on the poll is "Do you still support Gallaudet University's President Selection Committee on selecting Dr. Jane K Fernandes to be the 9th president?" The ongoing results is a surprising one...so far. Some 57% of the respondents said "Yes" that they support the decision. 43% said "No." While 3% said "I don't know yet." And 3% said "Not interested."

Granted. A small number of people responded to the poll. At the time of this writing it was 35 people who took the online poll. And most likely may not mean much, however. It is an interesting window to look into.

Make Your Prediction about Greg Gunderson's Final Vote Position

Folks. We have 12 days to go until voting ends on July 31 to see who will get into the TV reality show "Racin for a Livin." What is your prediction on Greg Gunderson's final position in the tally vote after July 31? Greg is currently at #5. Will he go up or go down?

The top 15 drivers are to be selected based on the highest number of votes collected after voting ends July 31. The 15 drivers will face a panel of experts to see who will be the 12 competitors as race car drivers that will be in the new TV network reality show.

Put down your prediction by clicking on one of the radio buttons. The results may turn out to be an interesting one.

What is your prediction on Greg Gunderson's final position in the tally vote after July 31? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 No, he will lose the vote race I don't care. Not interested Free polls from Pollhost.com

Increasing Trend of Deaf People on Reality Shows?

Now, Greg Gunderson would not be the first deaf person to get on a TV network reality show should he win the spot after July 31, 2006 and the TV reality show "Racin for a Livin" will be shown in February 2007. People need to to remember that there were other deaf people before Greg who were on reality shows that helped pave the way on public awareness regarding deafness issues.

Take a look at Matt Hamill (click on link for rare post-fight interview) in 2006 who became the first ever deaf Mixed Martial Arts fighter ever to compete on the The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

Then we have the Vardon family with the deaf Mom and Dad along with their two hearing sons (one is austic) who were on the Extreme Home Makeover show back in August of 2004 with Marlee Matlin making a surprise visit at the end of the show.

And then we have Christy Smith who became the first ever deaf person to be on any reality shows back in 2003 on a show called "Survivor." And probably the most controversial one since she choose to speak instead on the show rather than sign that create an complete uproar among those in the Deaf community.

Is there a trend going on here? We seems to be getting one deaf competitors on a reality show a year (except for 2005 which there weren't any). Are viewers likely to be more sympathic and supportive of deaf competitors or deaf people on reality shows? Are producers of reality shows starting to see that having deaf people on reality shows could actually boost their ratings? With 31 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States, that might be a reason why. And it has been proven that putting a deaf person into a reality show help boosts TV ratings remarkably!

People watching reality shows tend to root for the underdogs, and if there is an identifiable deaf competitor on a reality show, then viewers are more likely to favor the little guy, so to speak.

So, will the next deaf person to get on the next TV network reality show get more attention than ever before? Is this a good way to raise the consciousness of America about what deaf or hard of hearing people can do, and do just as well if not better than most hearing people?

Time will only tell.

Breaking!! Greg Gunderson jumps to #4!

Check out Greg Gunderson's latest ranking update in the Racin for a Livin vote poll. Greg is currently at #5 !! Two days ago Greg was at #20. Yesterday he was at #8. And today, with the latest update, he is now at #5 !

Can Greg get to #1 before the voting ends July 31? Will Greg get more news media coverage to help him earn more voting points? Keep watching and keep on voting my friends!

Don't stop now.

See more Kokonut Pundits blogs about UbiDuo.

See more Kokonut Pundits blogs about Greg Gunderson.

UPDATE: Just corrected the error where "Racin for a Livin" showed Greg as #4 in their tally update. It is really #5. Still that's a big jump from #8 to #5 !! Let's go for #1 !

Whooo!

Interview #3 with Matt Hamill

See my update by scrolling to the bottom.


Kokonut Pundits: In the TUF3 show was there anything else that wasn't shown on tv that Hamill fans would be surprised to hear? Anything that would be new to Hamill fans about behind the scenes in the TUF3 filming.

Matt Hamill: the show didnt show how much trouble the other fighters were giving me. I would be sitting in the hot tub and someone would be throwing beer bottles at me. I was never sure of who it was though and someone sprayed Pam all over the floor by the stairs just for a joke. Always trying to find ways to hurt me.

Kokonut Pundits: So, some of the fighters in the house during the TUF3 filming was taking advantage of your hearing loss?

Matt Hamill: Yes. They wanted me to quit and leave the show.

Kokonut Pundits: No kiddin. Now, when you say PAM you mean the cooking oil spray?

Matt Hamill: Yes

Kokonut Pundits: And you slipped on it?

Matt Hamill: Yes, I slipped on it.

Kokonut Pundits: Did you get injured?

Matt Hamill: No, luckily. Jokes can be dangerous haha...but nothing will ever make me quit.

Kokonut Pundits: That's good to hear. Don't let a little deafness defeat you.

Matt Hamill: I've had it all my life. It's not going to stop me now.

Kokonut Pundits: Of course. Now, you were born deaf, right?

Matt hamill: Yes.

Kokonut Pundits: Rubella?

Matt Hamill: I dont know what caused it... just born that way. My mother had no illnesses during her pregnancy.

Kokonut Pundits: Is there deafness in your family?

Matt Hamill: No, I'm the only one. A good gift.

Kokonut Pundits: Your family sounded very supportive of your recent TUF3 fights.

Matt Hamill: They are behind me in every decision I make 100 percent.

Kokonut Pundits: In our last private talk, you were talking about making a very tough decision choosing between training for Olympic 2008 wrestling or go for the UFC route. Have you made your decision?

Matt Hamill: I have chosen to take the UFC path. I feel that I am having more success with it. The Oympics has been my dream all my life but I feel like time is passing by.

Kokonut Pundits: So, is there a 3 year contract you were talking about?

Matt Hamill: I dont know about the contract just yet. I haven't come across anything yet.

Kokonut Pundits: So, no contract yet?

Matt Hamill: No, I didn't get a contract yet. I still have to prove myself.

Kokonut Pundits: But you are training with Tito Ortiz, correct?

Matt Hamill: Yes, I will be traveling back to his camp soon again to train. I trained with him prior to the fight against Jesse.

Kokonut Pundits: And where is that training camp?

Matt Hamill: Big Bear Camp in CA.


Big Bear Training Camp.


Kokonut Pundits: Yeah, I saw that fight on pay per view. Jesse was a goner.

Matt Hamill: Jesse thought I was going to be an easy fight. He asked to fight
me.

Kokonut Pundits: That was Jesse big mistake! He actually asked you to fight him??

Matt Hamill: Yeah, ha ha. As far as that goes that probably just comes from me living at his camp while I was training along with 8 other fighters.

Kokonut Pundits: Also, I'm hearing that you and Tito are roommates. True?

Matt Hamill: No. It is just me, Dean Lister, Josh B, Kendall.

Kokonut Pundits: So, not really roommates but everybody sharing the training camp?

Matt Hamill: Right.

Kokonut Pundits: Dean Lister. Wow. Are you training with him, too?

Matt Hamill: Yes. And Rampage, too.

Kokonut Pundits: Have you learned some things from Lister?

Matt Hamill: Yes, I learned a lot from Lister and I am getting better. I spar with a lot of good fighters at Tito's camp and it really has improved my skills as a fighter.

Kokonut Pundits: Who is Rampage?

Matt Hamill: He fights in Pride. He is scheduled to fight July 22nd against Matt Lindland.

Kokonut Pundits: So, how are you paying for your training? You have to make your trips from NY to CA to train at Big Bear.

Matt Hamill: I get help from friends but to be honest it has been a struggle trying to come up with travel expenses since I dont have a contract. It's not easy.

Kokonut Pundits: Is there an address where people can donate to help you with your expenses? Where can the fans of Matt Hamill send their money to and help you with your expenses?

Matt Hamill: Yes.

Send in your donations to help Matt Hamill

with his training expenses to:

Matt Hamill
PO Box 61
New York Mills, NY 13417

Matt Hamill: By the way, I dont have any sponsors at all, too. I am trying to cut back on living expenses so I have money to travel.

Kokonut Pundits: How is your family and your relationship to them after all of this?

Matt Hamill: I'm at my ex mother in law house. She is supportive of me. My relationship with my ex wife and her family is great. They consider me a part of the family.

Kokonut Pundits: That's great! It's important to maintain a good, healthy relationship.

Matt Hamill: Yeah.

Kokonut Pundits: I was looking for you on the Pay per view fight between Tito Ortiz and Shamrock. Were you at Las Vegas to watch Tito Ortiz fight Shamrock? I didn't see you. Kendall was the only familiar face over there.

Matt Hamill: No, I was on vacation in Ohio in my hometown. I watched it though at my grandmas house.

Kokonut Pundits: Me too, on pay per view. Great fight! What did you think of the fight?

Matt Hamill: I wasn't surprised.

Kokonut Pundits: Yeah, me too.

Matt Hamill: I knew it was going to be short.

Kokonut Pundits: Very short! 1:07. Wham! An easy win!

Matt Hamill: Yup.

Kokonut Pundits: Would you fight anybody now at this stage?

Matt Hamill: I will fight anyone. I have no fear. I'm not one to trash talk but what you see is what you get from me.

Kokonut Pundits: Yeah. Have you heard anything from Tito about Shamrock?

Matt Hamill: No, but they did have a celebration afterwards. They invited me to go but I had too much going on with family since I had been away for so long so I didnt go. They had a big Team Punishment party

Kokonut Pundits: I can imagine that big party. Everybody whooping it up. Ha ha!

Matt Hamill: Yes. All 3 fighters from Team Punishment went. So, it was a big celebration.

Kokonut Pundits: Which fighters?

Matt Hamill: Joe Stephenson, Josh and Tito.

Kokonut Pundits: One big question keeps coming up on some of those MMA forums. Will you fight Mike Bisping??

Matt Hamill: Yes, I will. It's just a matter of time.

Kokonut Pundits: What is Tito saying about the Hamill-Bisping fight?

Matt Hamill: It will be a good fight.

Kokonut Pundits: Ah. I think it will be a good fight. I'm sure you will beat Bisping. Just watch out for his flying knee kick. Awesome.

Matt Hamill: Yes, I know. I've been training in Syracuse. I'll be ready for those kicks.

Kokonut Pundits: Bisping looks like he has springs in his legs. Who are you training with in Syracuse, NY?

Matt Hamill: Ray Newkirk, and Ken Kronenberg and Dennis Sugrue at Tai-Kai Jiu jitsu in Syracuse.

Kokonut Pundits: Ken and Dennis? Do you have their last names?

Matt Hamill: No. I am terrible with last names. I need to get on top of those. Get ready for future interviews and give them proper credit.

Kokonut Pundits: Yeah. Good idea.

Matt Hamill: Ken trains similar to Dean Lister. Ray is a very good all around fighter.

Kokonut Pundits: Dean Lister is known for his grappling skills, correct?

Matt Hamill: Yup. Look at Streetwise Fight Wear. There's a pics of me and Ray.

Kokonut Pundits: Ok..let me check. On that website it says - *****COMING SOON AGAIN AUTOGRAPHED T SHIRTS BY MATT HAMILL***** When will that be?

Matt Hamill: I dont know. They are processing it now. The t-shirts haven't come in yet.

Kokonut Pundits: So, you haven't signed the shirts yet? I see. Ok. When is your next fight?

Matt Hamill: I don't know. I am waiting for Tito to hook me up.

Kokonut Pundits: Any names? Potential fighters?

Matt Hamill: He will contact me when something comes up. No names yet.

Kokonut Pundits: Do you know where it will take place?

Matt Hamill: Las Vegas most likely or California.

Kokonut Pundits: How many minutes left do you have for this interview?

Matt Hamill: I can do a few more questions.

Kokonut Pundits: Ok. What were you like when you were younger....wrestling...how you interacted with other people....did you drink at Rock Festival at Gallaudet University...things like that...are you different now than when you were younger?

Matt Hamill: I was very focused on wrestling. I ate, breathed and lived wrestling. It was all I knew. If I went to parties I'd have a gallon of milk in my hand. And I didnt have my first alcoholic drink until 2 years ago.

Kokonut Pundits: So, you are still the same guy that carries around a gallon of milk?

Matt Hamill: Ha ha. Not now since I'm working as a bouncer. I enjoy a beer here and there.

Kokonut Pundits: Have you ever gotten drunk?

Matt Hamill: I will never be a heavy drinker though. Thats not me.

Kokonut Pundits: Ah....very good.

Matt Hamill: Never drunk.

Kokonut Pundits: I get a lot of readers looking for Matt Hamill info on my Kokonut Pundits blogsite. Especially for interviews. They really look up to you.

Matt Hamill: I really appreciate that. That's great. I appreciate all the support from fans.

Kokonut Pundits: You are an inspiration to the deaf/hh community.

Matt Hamill: The more help I get from donated money, the more time I can spend training and get a better chance to win a contract.

Send in your donations to help Matt Hamill

with his training expenses to:

.Matt Hamill
PO Box 61
New York Mills, NY 13417

Kokonut Pundits: Right. I'd love to see you and Mike Bisping fight.

Matt Hamill: Soon. That is what I want.

Kokonut Pundits: That is what everybody has been saying.

Matt Hamill: Yeah, see who the real winner is.

Kokonut Pundits: Yeah. YOU!!

Matt Hamill: Him and I are still both undefeated.

Kokonut Pundits: But Bisping had more fights than you.

Matt Hamill: I know Bisping has more experience than I do but I am a fast learner. I have good mechanics and control. I'm getting better at striking to take him down, and ground and pound. So that would be an advantage. I didn't do bad for ten months of training.. WHOOOOOOOOO!

Kokonut Pundits: Yes...ground and pound...meatloaf style. Did you have a question for me?

Matt Hamill: Nope. It was good talking to you again and I appreciate all that you do for me.

Kokonut Pundits: Yeah, no problem. Nice talking to you Matt. Stay healthy!

Matt Hamill: You too.

Kokonut Pundits: Thanks.

Check out all past and current Kokonut Pundits blogs on Matt Hamill.

UPDATE: Check out Sherdog's MMA forum that is currently discussing the 3rd interview of Matt Hamill on the Kokonut Pundits blogsite. Be sure to check out some of their inanities, too. Just for laughs. But it was not without some good positive responses. Oh, by the way, for some of the Sherdog fans, read below.

1) Yes, this was a real interview with Matt Hamill that took place a few days ago. It was a continuation from the 1st and 2nd post-fight interviews. Not the made up fairy stuff, mind you. Else if it was, then you'd be the most gullible people on earth arguing over a fake interview and I'm just simply screwing you guys over just for laughs. Again, this was a REAL interview that took place. Maybe I should speak more slowly next time so you'll understand?

2) Yes, the PO Box address does belong to Matt. It is not mine and, no, this isn't some little scamming attempt at getting money for myself, either. Don't believe? Use your little noodnik to do a little investigative work.

3) The comments about the 3 members from Team Punishment that went to Tito Ortiz's post fight party? It means exactly that and not about the size of the party with a total of 4 people attending. Get real. After what happened to Shamrock? And you expect 4 people having a private and only party in town whooping it up? Yeah, right. And you would actually go for that based on what Matt said? Want Matt to explain it to you a bit more clearly next time so there'll be no misunderstanding?

4) About Rampage. Does it really matter if I know who Rampage is or not? I've known about UFC and Pride for several years and the many fighters who fought. It's not like that my life totally revolves around UFC or Pride. Some of you guys perhaps live, drink, eat, and crap UFC/MMA all the time. Bravo. However, it was Matt's participation in the TUF3 show that renewed my interest in the sport despite my background in Martial Arts (since 1997) and wrestling. And my blog enabled many deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people learn more about the MMA sport. And here I have to explain to many of the presumptious wankers (borrowing from Bisping's own admittance as being one) about all this.

5) Never under-estimate anybody. Or their will. Not even Matt's. The doctors wanted to send him home the first time after he was puking his guts out. He stayed. He fought with basically one good arm and being a bit unsteady on his feet against Nickels. Unlike Kalib who screamed "I got a f#%&ing broken rib!!" And verbally quits. Or how about the two fighters who were given a chance to fight when the fortitious opportunity came to them but they nixed it only because it was too much for them after being defeated. Much to Dana's complete surprise. Matt was (and still is) a fighter and wanted to continue after he got back from the hospital. Ever wonder why Tito picked him in the first place?

6) As for the donation part, it may be the first you've ever heard of it but it certainly doesn't hurt anybody to ask for some help. And it doesn't hurt to advertise for help over the internet, either. What is it to you? You don't know until you try.

7) This assumption thing that's going around about Matt's deafness saying he is using his deafness as a crutch and excuse is pure baloney. He has never portrayed himself as victim. 100% pure schlock. Didn't anybody read my earlier and recent interviews? He knew many of them were joking around at the house. The missing steak. The PAM oil spray on the floor. The thrown beer bottles. He even apologized FIRST to Kendall and others thinking that there were some misunderstandings about his own perceived actions only because he was trying to fit in. I was supremely surprised that many didn't have the ability to take 2 and 2 together in figuring this one out. Yet, Matt laughed about those incidents but certainly those guys DID take advantage of his deafness. Pure and simple. Who wouldn't? It's not like you have tiptoe around him to get by or whisper quietly so he won't hear you conversations. Know the differences here the next time. He hasn't let his deafness slow him down or use it as an excuse. Rather, he has used it to his own advantage.

8) Lastly, Sherdoggie is a moron. Fair enough?

 

Check out all of my up to date Matt Hamill bloggings.

Video of Greg Gunderson at NAD Palm Springs

Check out this video of Greg Gunderson, a Deaf professional sprint race car driver, while he was at the NAD convention in Palm Springs, California. Watch him sign to other people about his racing experience in the hope that they will continue to vote for him as many times as possible for him to get on the TV network reality show called "Racin for a Livin." Let this video be a reminder to those that Greg still need your help to take him to the finish line with only two weeks left until voting ends July 31. He is currently at #8. Let's see if we can get him to the #1 spot! Wouldn't that be something? The top 15 drivers with the most votes get to go on the TV reality show. Just because he's #8 doesn't mean you can relax. That would be a deadly mistake for the deaf/hh community. Keep up with the pressure and vote everyday.

Cheers!

Vote-a-thon Number Two

Check out sComm's blogsite detailing the 2nd Greg Gunderson vote-a-thon party recently this Saturday with 30 people in attendance using 5 laptops on the dining room table. You can see pictures of checkered flags and checkered table cloth. Lots of inspiration, fun and support were shown for Greg Gunderson. Because of their efforts they were able to push Greg's placing of #20 yesterday to #8 today. The biggest push came from Joe Posnanski's interview with Greg Gunderson for a full page article in the Sunday sports section of the Kansas City Star newspaper that has a Sunday circulation of 1.1 million! This front page sports coveraged earned enough points to move Greg's voting rank substantially to a much better position. Huge voting points were awarded to Greg since the Kansas City Star newspaper provided lots of free publicity for Racin for a Livin.

Good going gang! Let's keep voting and push Greg to the #1 spot. Wouldn't that be a good ending to a new beginning in Greg's chapter?

Check for past and current updates on Greg Gunderson.

Greg Gunderson Blasts His Way to #8!

Yes, folks! It's true. After your help on voting and Greg Gunderson's interview with Joe Posnanski did his current ranking went from #20 yesterday to #8!! A jump of over 12 positions! Now, this is not the time to quit. We must keep up the pressure and vote everyday. We saw what happened two days ago when Greg went from #18 back down to #20 in a single day. Greg is competing against 43 other race car drivers for the top 15 spot to get on the TV network reality show "Racin for a Livin." We still have exactly two weeks left until July 31 which is the last day to vote for Greg Gunderson.

So, keep on voting!

Another Matt Hamill Interview

Check out Interview #3 with Matt Hamill. Enjoy!

"Racing Reunites Deaf Men" - Front Page Sports Section

Greg Gunderson gets on the front page of the Sunday sports section along with a full page article of him with pictures inside the Kansas City Star newspaper. The Sunday newspaper has a circulation of 382,000 with a readership of nearly 890,000! And the newspaper is owned by the McClatchy company along with 31 other newspapers, including the Miami Herald. And it's total circulation is 2nd only to the Gannett Company which owns 90 newspapers including USAToday. Read on below to learn how all of this happened.

Now, this is a story that has utterly become so surreal with twist and turns just like the Formula 1 race track, and, if you believe in it, has become one long string of fortitious turns bringing together three men on a quest to help deaf and hard of hearing people realize their own potentials in themselves. This includes Greg Gunderson who is a professional sprint race car driver; Jason Curry a savvy business entreprenuer; and Mike McConnell who is an upcoming and nationally known deaf/hh blogger on his Kokonut Pundits blogsite.

Call it destiny.

And then we have the 4th link and his name is Joe Posnanski or "Poz" who was voted in 2002 and 2005 as the "Best Sports Columnist in America" by the Associated Press Sports Editors. A very prestigous award for the "over 275,000 circulation division" for the Kansas City Star newspaper sports columnist, Joe Posnanski. And amazingly so, the Kansas City Star Sunday newspaper has a circulation of 382,000!

Now, you might be asking yourself. What does Joe Posnanski has to do with Greg Gunderson? Well, Joe Posnanski wrote an article along with pictures (note: pictures in paper version only) called "Racing Reunites Deaf Men." It's a story about Jason Curry who is the president of sComm, Inc with his UbiDuo communication device; Jason's friend Greg Gunderson, a Gallaudet University alumnus, who is vying for a spot on the Racin for a Livin reality TV show; and Mike McConnell who was the key person in bringing them together to make, hopefully, racing history among the annals of deaf history.

The article is on the front page of the Kansas City Star sports section in the side bar area with a picture of Greg Gunderson in his racing fire suit while holding his helment and Jason Curry in his business suit and tie while holding his Ubiduo. The picture below is a similar one seen in the Kansas City Star sports section on the front page.



Jason Curry, president of sComm, Inc with his UbiDuo communication device and Greg Gunderson, professional sprint race car driver, who is currently one of the 50 professional drivers trying to get on the newest tv network reality show "Racin for a Livin."
© 2006 sComm, Inc.


The sidebar article on the front page of the sports section directs the readers to a full page story inside the sports section of the Kansas City Star newspaper describing the story about Greg Gunderson, Jason Curry and Mike McConnell with several pictures of Greg and Jason in it. Joe Posnanski explains how it all got started.

Jason and engineers spent three years testing the device, working and reworking the design, and interviewing deaf people for ideas. When the prototype was done, Jason needed some people to test it. He contacted Mike McConnell, perhaps the nation’s best known deaf blogger. Mike said he knew the perfect guy.
He wrote: “Do you know about Greg Gunderson, who is trying to become the first deaf NASCAR driver?”

The Kansas City Star newspaper isn't any newspaper. It is one of the best newspaper owned by the McClatchy group who owns 31 other newspapers. It is the 2nd largest newspaper conglomerate with 3.2 million in circulation. It's circulation is rivaled only by the Gannett Company that owns USAToday and 90 other newspapers with a circulation of 7.3 million. One of Jason's goal was to get Greg Gunderson on the USAToday but getting on the front page of the Kansas City Star Sunday newspaper sports section with a Sunday's readership of 890,000 is the next best thing. It's an attention grabber for other news media to pick up.


Greg Gunderson in his truck. Vote for Greg!! See a larger,
upclose picture here. © 2006 sComm, Inc.


Indeed, that was fate in the making. A destiny still yet to be unfolded when I introduced Jason to Greg Gunderson earlier this year. A name that Jason had forgotten after 25 years. And who knew the connection between the two went back to the days of Boys Town Camp for gifted deaf children spanning two summers as best pals who loved to play practical jokes on each other? But this just isn't any article that Joe Posnanski wrote. It's an article reaped with fate. The good kind. Let's take another step back and see how Jason Curry met Joe Posnanski in the most unusual fashion.

Jason Curry and his wife, Missy, had completed their UbiDuo demonstration at the NAD convention Exhibits Hall in Palm Springs, California and took a few days of downtime after July 3 when the convention ended. That downtime proved fortitious. When they finally got to the Phoenix Airport they boarded their plane bound for Kansas City, Missouri. Jason walked down the airplane aisle, found his seat, and packed his UbiDuos in the overhead compartment above. But immediately behind his seat he noticed somebody very familiar and couldn't believe his eyes or luck! He asked the gentleman, "Are you Joe Posnanski?" Joe nodded his head and said "Yes." And that's when Jason knew at that moment that this was not an opportunity to be wasted. Since he already packed his UbiDuos, he grabbed his wife to help interpret.

To make a long story short Jason introduced himself to Joe, "My name is Jason Curry." Joe then got so excited and said "I have heard all about you and the UbiDuo, I told Chris I have been wanting to see it." The wife of Chris is best friends with Joe's wife. And, incidentally so, Chris is Jason Curry's lawyer and a good friend as well. You can imagine the goose bumps after all this.

With only several minutes to spare prior to the plane taking off, Jason quickly made use of this valuable time with Joe Posnanski about the UbiDuo and the Greg Gunderson story with the upcoming TV network reality show "Racin for a Livin." If there is anywhere to meet an extremely busy and well known person, and get his attention, it'd probably be on an airplane. Especially if you have seats right next to each other. The gods must be smiling. And so, a connection was made, and the rest is history on how all this got started. Well, almost. The story of how our fate got intertwined goes much further than this.

On December 17, 2005, I wrote a blog piece honoring Rob McGovern by thanking him for his tireless work on prosecuting Sgt. Akbar who murdered my cousin, Major Gregory Stone in a well publicized story of the grenade tent attack in Kuwait, a few days before the Iraq war started. I referred to a story written by, who else? Joe Posnanski who wrote in his December 4, 2005 piece honoring Rob McGovern since he was also a former Kansas City Chiefs pro-football player.

Wonder of wonders!

And so, more goose bumps. But this isn't the end of the story of all how all of this got started. It goes back two years earlier. Perhaps I'll tell this story at another time.



See more Kokonut Pundits blogs about UbiDuo.
See more Kokonut Pundits blogs about Greg Gunderson.

Vote for Greg Gunderson

It's very competitve out there folks. Yesterday, Greg was ranked at #18 yesterday after the votes were tallied from July 8 to 14. And now, today, dropped to #20 in one day! This shows clearly on how just competitive this voting efforts are and that voting isn't a weekend thing. It's everyday. Make it habit to vote in the morning before going to work and vote again at night when you come home from work. Put in your final two weeks of supreme efforts to vote as many times as you can.

Concentration on voting for 15 minutes is much easier when one can rotate every 30 minutes while sharing one of the 10 computers. This way, you can have your bathroom breaks, eat snacks, and chat with your friends until it's your turn to vote for 15 minutes. A great system to work on.

So, join the party and vote! The more, the merrier.

Check for past and current updates on Greg Gunderson.

UPDATE: Greg is now ranked at #8 in voting position! Click on "past and current updates" link to get the latest news!

Greg Gunderson Improves Ranking Position!

Last week's effort paid off with the 10,000 votes in last week's Saturday night voting party along with your continuous voting efforts and a newspaper article on Greg Gunderson have helped move his voting rank from #21 to #18! It was estimated that between 50,000 and 60,000 votes occurred between July 8 and July 14. Enough to move the ranking 3 places!

Good job everybody! But don't give up! We need you to keep on voting and see that Greg get into the top 10 position! Even better would be the top 5 position.

Jason Curry, president of sComm, Inc, visited one of the Deaf Chat Coffee house earlier this week and met several new Greg Gunderson fans who will come to his house tomorrow for the next voting party. Only this time it'll be about 40 people who will take turns on 10 computers for, hopefully, 8 hours worth of partying and voting for Greg Gunderson. Jason Curry's goal and prediction? 75,000 votes! That may be enough to move an additional 2 or 3 places for Greg Gunderson along with your voting efforts until the next update on the vote ranking page.

For the next two weeks until July 31 when the voting ends, invite your friends to your nearest Deaf Chat Coffee house and plan your own voting party. So far, there were at least 4 known voting parties that have already occurred and will continue with the voting efforts. We need more of these parties. Even if you can't go, you can still vote at home, the library or anywhere else if you have a laptop computer in a Wi-Fi area. Put your efforts to try and vote 200 to 500 times a day. Greg Gunderson has well over 600 email subscribers to his racing notification and news. He has asked subscribers to try and vote 500 times a day. With over 600 subscribers multiplied with 500 votes from each subscriber will garner over 300,000 votes per day!! That's almost a guaranteed placement in the top 5 voting rank! but even if you do 100 votes a day that's still 60,000+votes a day. Even Greg voted so many times on his computer, he has calouses on his fingers!!! He showed me his finger when he was at the NAD convention. Very inspiring!

The deaf/Deaf community is in the unique position to come together and gather support for Greg Gunderson by voting everyday until July 31. With over 900,000 Deaf people in the United States, that would give Greg Gunderson's his own biggest fan base!! It is up to you to help him out. Let's put our final two weeks ahead of us and vote...vote...vote...vote...and keep on voting for him until July 31 when it all ends and the winners announced.

You can help him win the spot on the next TV network reality show "Racin for a Livin."

So, keep on voting!

For all you Kokonut Pundits fans out there, stop by and leave your words of encouragments here in the comment link below. Show Greg and everybody else on how much you are supporting him.

Good luck and watch out for the twist and turns for the next two weeks that will surely keep you on the edge of your seats, and take your breath away.

Go and vote!

Response! - Matthew Scott Moore

It’s a sad, sad day to see that many in the Deaf people community would succumb to the demagoguery or rabble-rousing from a few Deaf people without giving thought that such actions could damage the image of the Deaf community. Or at least shed a very bad light on them. There are consequences to ones own action involving other people without regard to solid facts or proof but rely on much hearsay and gossiping instead. Especially in light of today’s litigious or sue-happy society when defamation is a 10-lettered word. It’s ironic when gossiping plays a bigger role than to try and bring cohesiveness and understanding between deaf, Deaf, hh and hearing people together. But to write a blog piece about Matthew S. Moore in a way that looks very defamatory could only invite more troubles than it does solving it. If you go to Deafread you’ll know where to find what I’m talking about. It doesn't take much brains to figure it out. That's all I'm going to say. Good day.

MSM


(That would be my initials…..Kokonut Pundits, not Matthew's)

Official Blog of sComm

Greg Gunderson fans! Go and visit sComm's newest blogsite where you can see the latest picture action of Greg Gunderson fans voting efforts to help him get on the newest tv network reality show called "Racin for a Livin." On that blogsite sComm, Inc has officially announced that they are the official sponsor of Greg Gunderson.

For it's first voting party it was a small one consisting of seven people but enough to rake in 10,000 votes for Greg that night. Later this week, another but bigger voting party to be hosted at the house of Jason Curry, president of sComm, with 30 of his friends and families. He will have 10 computers where each person will vote for 15 minutes at a time giving each voters a 30 minute rest in between voting. The voting party is expected to last 8 hours. Be sure to check sComm blogsite for pictures of the event.

You, too, can help Greg Gunderson by forming your own "voting parties" with your friends or families. Or if you are a Kappa Sigma member of Gallaudet University, or elsewhere, what better time than now to form the biggest Kappa Sigma voting party ever to help out your fellow Kappa Sigma member Greg Gunderson.

Keep voting folks. There are 18 days left til July 31 before the voting ends. Vote as many times as you can everyday. Vote now!


See previous blogs on Greg Gunderson.

Greg Gunderson on Minnesota Public Radio

Go and check out Greg Gunderson's interview on the Minnesota Public Radio website. Several interesting pictures of Greg Gunderson. Especially of a few pictures that show trophies, pictures and racing memorabilia in his family room. Read the article. It's great!

Way to go Greg! You're getting closer to that famous checkered flag!

Don't forget to vote for Greg Gunderson! Vote as many times as you can everyday! Try and vote 100 a day. 200! or 500 a day. If you want to see him in the tv network reality show "Racin for a Livin" then vote!

See more stories of Greg Gunderson in Kokonut Pundits.

Satellite Imagery of North Korean Nodong Missile Test Facility

First ever satellite photo obtained for this website for public inspection. Photo came from a reliable named source showing an upclose satellite imagery of the North Korean Nodong missile test facility. Today we've received reports of increased activity around launch pads.


Source

With advanced satellite imagery technology I was able to obtain a more upclose and extreme resolution of a satellite imagery with surprising details of Kim Jong Il inspecting one of his rockets!!!

Poll - Accept Dr. Jane K. Fernandes?

Do you still support Gallaudet University's Board of Trustees on selecting Dr. Jane K Fernandes to be the 9th president? Yes No Don't Know Yet Not interested Free polls from Pollhost.com

Hodge Podge Day, Again.

It flies!! The incredible flying Manta Ray! Hey, if you're the adrenalin junkie type or purely a stupid one, try and have fun with this boat.

And watch the accident rate soar should this next craze catch on after water jet skis.

*******

Do you remember Benson Tong at Gallaudet University and the plagiarism issue where he was forced(?) to leave his position as a teacher? Recently, I received an anonymous tip saying that he is teaching again....English Literature at the Galen Nursing School in St. Petersburg, Florida. If this is true then my question would be did they know about his past plagiarism charges? Will they be in the same boat as Gallaudet University when they found out, embarassingly so, after the fact when they hired him and had to let him go? Too bad the Buff n Blue college newspaper at Gallaudet University's didn't want to cover this flap.

*******

Remember "Haditha"? And how the driveby media and many bloggers who simply rush-to-judgment along with the guilty-until-proven-innocent concept (you know who you are) is becoming a bad habit? All in the context just to get a certain internationally known person they don't like regardless if it means endangering their own national security and the lives of our American citizens. Does all that hyperventilating remind you of a certain protest on the campus of Gallaudet University?

*******

More Iraqi documents found among the thousands captured yet translated documents regarding WMDs in Iraq by the then dictator Saddam Hussein. Three recently translated documents seem to shed some light over Iraq’s effort to develop chemical weapons as late as 2003.

*******

Read more loose but crumbling "living bridge" person's rah rah speech about the original DPN Gallaudet protest to try and apply the same fervor and passion to the RDPN protest. You can also read the congratulatory comments about him on Elisa Abenchuchan's blogsite.

"One such hearing person is Brian Riley from California, who is proving to be an invaluable asset to this protest."

Interesting but even more so is that he's banned from GallyNet-L forum for his antics and bashing, and email harvesting. But I tell you this. Ask yourself about the original DPN protest, who originally started the protest? And who should've gotten the due credit and recognition for it throughout the whole DPN process from beginning to end? Time for you to dig internally on the ugly politics of it. And it's not about the administration, either. And, no. I ain't gonna tell you!! And don't even ask me to do it, either!

*******

The Sandman is cleaning out his kitty litter box more often these days. Go read his personal reflections on NAD version I, II and III. But I still say get rid of the "Deafhood" terminology. Also, the concept behind it isn't anything new, IMEO (in my experienced opinion). It is just a repackaged idea in the name of "unity". And the hope to increase more membership at NAD, too. Might want to tell David Eberwein or Genie Gertz that they should attend the upcoming and very large Cued Speech convention later on this month. A challenge I'm daring them on that. All in the name of "Deafhood." They have until tomorrow to answer that challenge. No. It's not a threat. Registration ends on Monday to sign up for the convention. Bring Riley along as an interpreter, too.

******

Cued Speech Conference Draws International Attention

This must be the "deficit thinking" crowd here. A bunch of deaf/hh Cued Speech users oppressed by the hearing society for not getting within their "Deaf souls". This ought to be front page stuff among the deaf community. Note, I said "d"eaf community.

For the first time in a decade, top international researchers as well as participants from around the United States, will attend Cued Speech: Celebrating Language, Literacy, and Excellence – a major national conference that celebrates the enormous progress in the education of deaf/hard of hearing students since Cued Speech was invented 40 years ago. The conference celebrates unprecedented literacy rates among deaf children. Hurry! Registration ends July 10. Go to www.cuedspeech.org for more information and to register.

Perhaps this would be a good time for David Eberwein or Genie Gertz to provide a workshop or two on "Deafhood" at the Cued Speech conference? There is still time? Even NAD can help them on this. No?

The conference is of unprecedented content for the Cued Speech community and will provide a forum at which experts, educators, and families can come together and share their experiences and expertise for the first time in a decade. Groundbreaking, new applications of Cued Speech are proving to be beneficial not only to the deaf and hard-of hearing, but also in helping children with Down Syndrome, autism, and other communication disorders to communicate effectively with their families and within society.

As the only conference of its kind in the country, Celebrating Language, Literacy, and Excellence provides a once-in-a-decade opportunity for leaders in Cued Speech to explore the potential applications of Cued Speech for the future. Representatives attending the conference come from almost every state as well as Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Finland, and Poland.

The conference is expected to bring together families and professions from the cueing community at Towson University from July 20th to July 23rd. The program includes thought provoking seminars on subjects such as cochlear implants, early intervention, cued language transliteration and discussions of various applications for cueing. A Gala Awards Dinner remembering the inventor of Cued Speech, Dr. R. Orin Cornett, as well as special activities will be held. Children’s and teen programs will be held in coordination with the conference.

But do you know what the real irony is about Cued Speech? Read below.

Cued Speech was invented in 1966 by Dr. R. Orin Cornett, a physicist with no prior experience in deaf education. Appalled at the low literacy rates for deaf people, he became Vice President for Long Range Planning at Gallaudet, where he focused his attention to resolving the literacy issue. His solution was Cued Speech, a system of eight handshapes (representing groups of consonant sounds) in four positions around the face (representing groups of vowel sounds) in combination with natural mouth movements.

Yep. That Dr. Cornett. And guess who invented the idea of using drums at the Bison football games at Gallaudet University starting in 1970? Yep. That Dr. Cornett. Who says he wasn't instrumental in helping deaf and hard of hearing people? Even Washington Post covered Dr. Cornett after he died in 2002. But I couldn't find any obituary reference of Cornett's death over at Gallaudet University's website. Hmmmmm....

Here's a double irony about literacy rates of Cuers.

And deaf cuers could not fit in at schools for the deaf because their literacy levels were too high.

If that's true, then those deaf schools need to do a lot of explaining about their educational curriculae.

Since its invention 40 years ago, researchers have documented that Cued Speech holds the keys to language growth, phonemic awareness, increased communication and inclusion in the family, literacy, higher level thinking skills and a college education. Deaf cuers this year can be found at Yale, MIT, Stanford, Wellesley, Syracuse and Baylor College of Dentistry, to name a few.

Ok. Do we have Deaf people who graduated from one of those colleges or universities, too? Just asking.

The conference was made possible by a grant from the US Department of Education and the generosity of Advanced Bionics, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Butte Publications, Cochlear Americas, Giant Foods, Harris Communications, House Ear Institute, Maryland Cued Speech Association and National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Harris Communications? NTID? Cochlear Americas? Didn't I see them at their booths at the NAD convention?? Even NTID sponsored at NAD, too. Double crossin no good NTID!

Speaking of double crossin' no do gooders.

Cued Speech is already heavily entrenched in schools systems from California to Maine. With states demanding higher levels of educational achievement and President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, the idea that deaf children can achieve the same literacy levels as hearing children is attractive. In states like New York, where a diploma requires students to pass Regents exams in history, math, science, English and a foreign language, educators are taking a second look at Cued Speech. Research coming out of Gallaudet University shows that deaf cueing children are capable of basic pre-reading skills, such as rhyming, which are excellent predictors for future reading abilities. (LaSasso, Crain, & Leybeart, 2003; Leblanc, 2005).

Interesting.

Ok. David Eberwein and the rest of the gang. You got your work cut out for you. Present your "Deafhood" inspiration to the Cued Speech users crowd. I challenge you to go to this rare and very big conference and do this for the sake of "Deafhood" and "Unity." You still have time. Last day to register is July 10. That's Monday which is tomorrow. This is their first big conference in over a decade. Don't miss it!

But perhaps you will want to wait until next year or afterwards to do this?

Any takers?

Anyone?

Please?

For "Deafhood"?

Did Deaf Professional Network Say "Not Deaf Enough" about Fernandes?

Here's an article that I've rediscovered called "Chronicles of Deaf Higher Education: Search for the Next Gallaudet President" via the Deaf Professional Network link. The story was done on April 30 prior to the protest beginning May 1. It discusses the President Select Committee (PSC) where it basically says that students didn't like Fernandes because she wasn't fluent enough in ASL for them.

“Students on the campus sensed the initial fissure. Niesha Washington, a vocal student and president of the Black DeafStudents Union (BDSU), along with David King, a BDSU member and Diversity Now Coalition liaison, met with other student leaders on the campus to explore their concerns about the presidential search process with hopes that they would be able to collaborate as a larger group. Asian and International student organization leaders immediately lent them their support. They were later joined by the Latino Student Union.

However, many other students were ambivalent about taking the action to “stop the process.” These students did not feel galvanized by issues brought up in relation to possible racism, but instead objected strenuously to the fact that one of three finalists, Dr. Jane Fernandes, does not have a fluent grasp of American Sign Language. Those students felt that disrupting the process would be a futile battle and wanted to focus on endorsing a candidate who exhibits commitment to and fluency in ASL. In addition, many of them were generally pleased with the fact that all finalists were deaf.”

Interesting write up by Alison Aubrecht and Julie Bourne saying that many, if not most, students felt, literally so, that JKF was not “Deaf” enough because of her lack of ASL fluency. Alison Aubrecht is a former Gallaudet University Buff n Blue staff reporter with an eye for details. But were the reporters' keen and sharp observations prior to the protest whose writeup constitutes as damning evidence saying that the protest was really about or even partially so on the issue that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes was in fact not "Deaf" enough for them?

Even Bourne-Firl elaborated on the "not Deaf enough" meme in that same article.

Bourne-Firl described how when she presented at different locations, many people asked her why the selection of a late-deafened deaf adult was made instead of a culturally deaf person, and she used this story as an analogy. She concluded, "Now is the time for Gallaudet to select someone with a strong deaf center."

Surprisingly, those sections of the article have been kept mum or not discussed by the majority of the protesters and other people interested on the issues about the protest.

That is until now.