The million dollar whine....

People need to stop whining about Marlee Matlin's $1 million dollar charity contribution via The Celebrity Apprentice show to the Starkey Hearing Foundation in their own utter befuddlement over on why she didn't contribute to NAD or some other organizations. Best to put your money where your mouth is if you are so darned worried about NAD not getting enough money. As for Starkey HF, I simply see evidence of them being a successful organization than anything else.  I've no need for these hokey, wild-eyed conspiracy theories about Marlee Matlin, and Starkey Hearing Foundation. Better to focus than to whine.

All this boils down to simple math if ya'll want to see $1 million dollars put into, for example, NAD's coffer each year.

Let's use 5,000 people who can contribute to NAD as an example. That's $200 per person per year. Or just under $17 per month if you prefer to contribute monthly. Are you telling me that a mere 5000 Deaf people are unable to contribute basically a few dollars a month to NAD? That's 100 Deaf people from each state in the United States that can contribute if they are so concerned about NAD or where the money "should be" going.

Which is it, folks? Complain and worry about NAD or other organizations not getting enough money for more and better advocacy while complaining incessantly on how Marlee Matlin should've forked over the $1 million, or actually have the balls to do something about it? BTW, you don't have to be a member to donate. 

As for me, I am more in line with HLAA's philosophy.  And more good news on "Walk4Hearing" fund raising goal. They are at 30% of their goal on raising $1.2 million dollars. At least they're doing something positive that reach across all folks with a wide range of hearing loss.  

Matt Hamill - prefight interview

Don't miss it. This Saturday, May 28 at 6PM West Coast time or 9 PM East Coast time. How will Matt Hamill do? The only way to find out is to watch the UFC fight.

Another new milestone......and upcoming Matt Hamill fight!

Whoo hooo! Over 900,000 visits on my Kokonut Pundit blog. Only another 100,000 more hits to go til I hit 1 million visits. You can see the Sitemeter number on the leftside of my blog and scroll down til you see it. After 7 years and 1799 blogs later I hit the 900,000 mark. How many deaf bloggers are in that same league? My 8th year will begin this October 22, 2011. Hopefully, sometime in 2012 I'll hit my 1 millionth mark.

One thing I noticed over the last few days is that I've gotten a lot of hits from Wikipedia on Matt Hamill it mentioned about my interview (see #13 in Wikipedia's references) with Matt Hamill back in June 26, 2006. This happens every time Matt Hamill gets ready for a fight but this time the fight against Rampage this Saturday, May 28, has produced an unusual number of traffic flow from Wikipedia compared to other fights.  I'm one of the very few bloggers who have done interviews with Hamill and I was given several photos of him practicing sparring and joshing around with Tito Ortez from Matt Hamill to use in my blogs.

Anyway, do not miss this epic fight!! I plan to go to a sports bar with my wife and enjoy the fight there. It's better to pay $50 bucks on drinks and snacks and watch the fight there than to pay $50 bucks for pay per view.

I just wanted to toot my horn and thank you all for visiting Kokonut Pundit, a nationally known professional patriotic purveyor of highly entertaining and informative blogging!

John Rich or Marlee Matlin?

Finally watched the last Celebrity Apprentice show and saw that Mr. Donald Trump picked John Rich as the Celebrity Apprentice over Marlee Matlin. It's interesting to watch the culturally deaf people grumble about the selection saying that Mr. Trump made a mistake. I, on the other hand, do not think Mr. Trump made a mistake but the correct one. John Rich was consistent in everything he did including being a leader. Had Marlee Matlin been more aggressive as a leader rather than be lead around like a lost puppy with Meatloaf making the decisions. That not only happened once but a few times throughout the whole Celebrity Apprentice show. Marlee Matlin may have raised the most money in the beginning with $1 million dollars, the most ever on the show but it was John Rich's consistency on being a leader as project team leader that everyone can look up to. Marlee Matlin was great but she fell a notch below Trump's expectation of her and she lost an opportunity to showcase herself to be a thorough leader. I wasn't surprised that Mr. Trump selected John Rich as the C.A. Trump made the right decision.

I'm not sure why during the show that Marlee Matlin grumbled about John Rich receiving $250,000 from two people who came up to him during the show and donated the money to his charity of choice. It would be nuts for him to turn it down and Marlee Matlin knows it. And with John winning C.A. and received an additional $250,000 makes him the highest fund raiser ever on C.A. for his charity of choice. He fulfilled his goal at the very beginning of the show to raise the most cash for his charity of choice. He certainly did just that. Shows great leadership and compassion. Marlee Matlin did a great job on raising $1 million dollars for her charity of choice, Starkey Hearing Foundation. Plus, the 7-up can her team helped designed supports deaf kids where the 7-up company is donating money to the Starkey Hearing Foundation as well. And that's another story on how some culturally deaf people are grumbling and whining over her charity of choice, too.

Taking Rein over Paddy

Once I took control of Paddy it was an exhilarating experience. It was a moment I've been waiting for when I finally confronted the beast. Over the years I gradually came to the realization that I had to confront this desire of mine and find a way to learn how to control such an animal when at one time I didn't really care for. It's a long history and I'll explain it later.  Confronted I did. And that was recently a few days ago on Saturday during a lovely warm day on a 20 acre ranch out in the green, rolling country hills of Missouri. 

With my worn cowboy boots I had for many years snuggly fit inside the stirrups I sat high up and comfortable on a saddle with Paddy, a young horse that was a few years old. I knew there was a risk when it came to controlling Paddy on my command since he wasn't used to having a stranger on his back but the owner of the horse was sure his horse was broken enough not to show any temperament while I had my fun for the day. Paddy has been in training for the past 10 months for a show competition called Reining.

Reining is a judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch type horse within the confines of a show arena. In NRHA competition, contestants are required to run one of ten approved patterns, included in the NRHA Handbook.


Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, 360 degree spins done in place, and exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse.


The NRHA Judging System is recognized as the leading format for judging an equine event that combines technical and stylistic elements coupled with consideration of "degree of difficulty". Many segments of the equine judging discipline have openly embraced the NRHA Judging System.

Here's a video of how Reining is done.

While trotting around I wondered if other deaf people used sign language to communicate with their horses just as those who have done that with dogs but I digress. There are after all deaf and hoh people who love horses and ride them, too.



After trotting awhile I was satisfied knowing that I was able to control Paddy with ease. So I tried spinning a few times in both directions. Backed him up. Trotted some more. A slight gallop. And then a trot. And finally got into position for a classic photo shoot of me with Paddy.

After that experience I got off and verbally thanked the horse for allowing me that opportunity and patted him. My good friend, Jason, was next. He got up and had his fun, too.

The horse riding was a part of my vacation out in the midwest. I had a great time and the next time I go I look forward to an all day horse riding experience with my new friends I made on that trip along with a good friend friend of mine who made this day possible. Thank you, Jason!

Now, I can't wait for my next horse riding experience. I think my inner cowboy is beginning to surface now. Just feels so natural riding a horse. Such a simple thing can be so pleasurable and fun.

Global Microbrand

There is a new concept in the business world called "global microbrand" that was coined several years back. For those not familiar with the phrase it basically means in a niche market you have a brand that sells all over the world but not yet at the tipping point on being able to produce in massive quantity the product being sold. There are some deaf-owned businesses that does this on their own designing, making and selling their own technology products. sComm is one of those very few businesses that does that. And by saying "very few" it's a true statement around here. sComm has a global microbrand called the "UbiDuo" which has been sold worldwide and it continues to grow. No matter how small or big this niche market is as long as there is big enough interest in a product there's money to be made and profited. In this case the UbiDuo has been proven to be a money maker ever since the first year it debuted.

sComm began as a company in 2002 and debut the UbiDuo communication device on April 22, 2006 at DeafNation. Jason Curry, who is deaf and the CEO of sComm, never looked back once his product took off that year and saw sales rise each year. It has been 5 years since the opening day when the UbiDuo was made available to the public. Most new businesses do not survive past 5 years and go out of business. But sComm is nothing but normal as a business in an economy that has been suffering for the last few years. In fact, in a depressed economy sComm is actually thriving because people are quickly finding out the value of 100% accessible communication of the English language. 

Looking back 5 years ago the year when UbiDuo first exploded into the conscious minds of many deaf people you had your naysayers and detractors on this new technology, a soon to be global microbrand. You had your deaf techno geeks and so called "experts" who derided and made fun of the Ubiduo and the CEO of sComm for making that communication device seeing it as "worthless" and not "doable."  This was a product I recognized several years back seeing it as potentially a valuable communication device for deaf people. A niche market I knew that Jason Curry, the CEO, could easily help fill not just in the United States but worldwide for deaf users who know English. And that's a lot of people my friends. Not really so "niche-y" if you think about it.

I first heard about the upcoming communication device back in 2004 from Jason Curry, CEO of sComm. Even the people at NIH was impressed with Jason's vision that his company was awarded a $1.3 million dollar grant in February of 2005 to help fund the Phase II of sComm's product that would enable face-to-face communication betweeen deaf and hearing people, and between people in other communication-challenged situations.

Again, you had those deaf self-appointed techno-geeks and so called "experts" on technology and communication laugh at Jason's vision and product only to be proven wrong year after year after year.  Jason easily made fools of those so called "experts" in the world of micro branding. The superb quality that goes behind every Ubiduo stands on its own. I've seen it with my own eyes which validated my strong belief that Jason's vision was right on the mark that this communication device can help deaf people communicate effortlessly with hearing people. And that alone could potentially help a deaf person's own career as well with the ability to effortlessly interact with hearing people.

But in a world of deaf people who rely on sign language to communicate where some have been resistant and one-minded that they must have interpreters  24/7 available to them in order to communicate with their hearing peers, friends, co-workers, supervisors or bosses, that idea simply will not work in all cases. Not everybody can have the luxury on having a personal interpreter shadow you all day long like Marlee Matlin's own personal interpreter.  Don't get me wrong, having an interpreter is quite important in many cases but having or demanding an interpreter in nearly every single situation doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the world of business where English is king. Most of your co-workers, supervisors, clients and customers are hearing people who use English to communicate on a daily basis whether on paper or by voice. It makes good business sense to interact with hearing people using English on a daily basis.

Let me ask you this question.

What would you say about a deaf worker who worked as a greeter at Sam's Club for 12 years without having any other responsibilities or promotion? What would you say upon learning about a deaf worker who obtained a piece of communication technology called the "UbiDuo" that allowed him access to hearing customers and because of that technology he was promoted three times and now supervises 20 hearing people in a space of a few years? How much would you pay for that piece of technology that would allow you to interact and communicate with hearing people where signing isn't involved nor required?

Before you answer that there's a sobering reality what many culturally deaf people do not realize in the world of business.  In the United States in one federal agency with 37 deaf employees it had to spend $2.7 million dollars a year on interpreting fees alone.  On average that turns out to be $73,000 per year for each deaf person. In a time of budget cuts, downsizing and rising unemployment rates the bottom line has become quite apparent for all federal agencies, state government agencies and companies in lean times all over the world, and not just in the United States. There are efforts underway by companies and such to find ways to help control their cost , especially among those who are not so "English-impaired" and can communicate using English instead of acting like helpless people who don't know a lick of English and demand sign language interpreters in every possible or impossible scenarios.

Deaf people have a choice. Either they take the reign and show what they're capable of by showing their independence on their capability to interact with hearing people. Or become overly dependent on interpreters when their English is sufficient to communicate in the first place in face to face scenarios. If you can chat online, use the email, use the TTY, go on discussion forums over the internet and type everything in English, then certainly you have the capability to use the UbiDuo instead of using interpreters as a crutch.  Either you can stand up and speak for yourself in your own words or have a third person do the speaking for you all the time. The choice is really yours to make.

How much would you pay for a proven piece of communication technology?

What would you say about a deaf worker who worked as a greeter at Sam's Club for 12 years without having any other responsibilities or promotion?

What would you say upon learning about this deaf worker who obtained a piece of communication technology that allowed him access to his hearing customers, co-workers, supervisors and boss? Not a big deal?

What would you say to the fact that he was promoted three times and now supervises 20 hearing people all because of that communication technology he used?

I'd say you would probably be dumbstruck seeing the drastic change in this deaf person's own career advancement by using a crucial piece of communication technology. He's now much more happier and confident in his new founded career path.

How much would you pay for that piece of communication technology that can easily provide you the opportunity to interact and communicate with hearing people where signing isn't involved?

How much would you pay for that piece of communication technology that will allow you the opportunity to succeed? And the opportunity to show your co-workers and boss your entrepreneurial and team-work spirit? And impress your customers and business clients as well?

How much would you be willing to pay for a proven piece of communication technology to advance your own career at your place of work? Would you use it if your company paid for it? Do you have the drive and determination to succeed in your place of work? Would you take advantage of this piece of communication technology knowing that it could help you with your career in a positive way?

Would you?

Post Office Worker and Communication Access

Here's a story about a deaf man who communicates in various ways with his customers. Sometimes with his hands. Sometimes with a binder that explains to his customers on what they need to do. Or the use of a technology that makes communication easier. Check out the article and video!

When hearing loss doesn't stop a deaf musician

Here's a captioned video of a deaf musician who can play the piano, flute, clarinet, most woodwind, strings and and most percussion instruments. He talks about his hearing loss and hopes to meet with Evelyn Glennie someday soon.

Cure for nerve deafness gets even closer

One step closer on the goal to help restore hearing loss.

A cure for deafness could be on the horizon after scientists created specialised ear cells in the lab.

Grown in their thousands, the delicate hairs could one day be transplanted into the inner ear, restoring hearing to millions.

The breakthrough comes after ten years of painstaking research.

It may also allow some balance disorders to be eased and aid the search for drugs to prevent people from becoming hard of hearing.

Age-related hearing loss affects half of Britons aged 60 and over and there is currently no way of holding it at bay.

Hearing aids amplify sounds but nothing can give sufferers back the hearing they once had.

In the latest research at Stanford University, California, scientists perfected turning stem cells - blank cells which can turn into other cell types - into the delicate hairs found in the inner ear. ones.

The linch-pin of hearing and balance, thousands of these hairs help convert sound vibrations into nerve impulses which are decoded by the brain.

Ageing, noise and general wear and tear make them wither away and, until now, there was no way of replacing them.

The hairs made in the lab from mice looked and acted like the real thing, the journal Cell reports.

Researcher Stefan Heller said: 'We knew it was really working when we saw them in the electron microscope.

'They looked more or less like they were taken out of the ear.'

If the same technique can be applied to human cells, within ten years it may be possible to transplant-the delicate hairs to restore hearing.

Using slivers of the patient's skin as a source of the stem cells means that any hairs generated would be a perfect match for their body.

It also raises the tantalising possibility of creating drugs to coax the ear into growing more hair cells of its own accord.

We may be only 10 years away on witnessing the impossible.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1278160/Deafness-cure-breakthrough-scientists-create-tiny-ear-hairs-stem-cells.html#ixzz1MIzLjDfu

Had enough oranges?

Incestuous Relationships in the YouTube Deaf community?

And so I sat and observed what some people have said about the recent brouhaha in DVTV land where vloggers went so far as to issue threats and/or violated the rules in DVTV earning them a quick ban. Issuing threats are not cool. Throwing a temper tantrum while on the floor isn't cool, either.  This is like witnessing another round of "Deaf Identity Gone Wild" but only this time people are aiming their badly focused sight on Tayler instead, the owner of DVTV. 

The role of bloodlines and pedigree in defining Deafness, along with the relatively small number of deaf people in the United States to begin with, helps explain the unusually active and even incestuous part that Gallaudet alumni, deaf parents, and even supposedly neutral organizations such as the National Association of the Deaf played in the battle against Fernandes.

Except this battle isn't about Fernandes but about Tayler who is at the helm of his own DVTV ship but he's no Captain Bligh. He's fair and makes sure that DVTV is "more safe" than YouTube because blocking against individual vloggers has never been easier.  It's not a right to vlog on DVTV but a privilege and must follow DVTV's R-List of rules. Maybe Tayler isn't quite "Deaf enough" to some of the culturally deaf people's taste because he isn't "radical" enough? Hence, the continuing protestations?

Deaf people have increasingly used YouTube to the point where their actions have morphed into this mutant, politically incestuous, illegitimate entity, ad hoc type of group that has increasingly become more "clannish" and even "cultish" in some ways. In other words, they've increasingly become the epitome of what online bullying looks like in order to get what they want as a group that matches their agenda.  It has even gotten to the point where people have condoned (e.g. keeping silent about it) making online threats to other people as long as they think if it benefits their agenda.

Not cool, and pretty sick, too. But you won't hear that condemnation from some leaders when it comes to online threats.  It can be done directly by making email/online threats or indirectly as in the case of the "neo-nazi" tattoo lie hoping it will stick and cause the person to lose his job which pretty much defines a "hate speech" in its own right. And the leaders were once again, silent.

So we ask these questions.

How bad is this particular incestuous lot in the YouTube Deaf community? Is it real or imagined? What is the connection? How many are we talking about? How deep does it go? Or is this a case of a massive misunderstanding taking place? Has "Deaf power" run amok amongst the leaders and people of that community? Is the wearing of hoods a manifestation of what hatred looks like?  The people who sent threatening emails to Tayler, do they represent the Deaf community at large?

The Suckees and the Suckers....

I'm thinking about all the whiners out there who are unable to debate or argue intelligently and knowing when to disagree tactfully so. But instead they throw temper tantrums like a 6 year old kid because their "feelings" were hurt or felt "insulted" and how they demand that the offending person be removed for having an opinion that targeted no specific person. In life, how are they going to learn to suck it up once in a while? Of course, what I'm referring to is the whole DVTV debacle (not Tayler's but the whiners' own). For those who learn to "suck it up" when it comes to vloggers they find "offending" they know what to do by either ignoring the vlogger, put a block on him/her, or able to learn to control their emotions by not getting unnecessarily upset over it. They're called "Suckees." For those who refuse to put a block on the offending person in DVTV or refuse to ignore vlogs they don't like, they're called "Suckers." Why? Well, they are suckers for drama and would rather be on the sucker end of the joke. Weak-minded and unable to resist the need to have drama in their lives, and so they are the suckers.

People can disagree tactfully by voicing their displeasure or disagreement in a reasonable manner. I have no problems when it comes to disagreeing, even strongly, and be respectful about it. But to put on a drama show, stage protests, walk-outs, act intimidating in front of the camera, crying and demanding that the offending person be somehow banned, create vlogs specifically to harass, mock, show extreme hate, name calling, and so on against a person or vlogger they do not like for whatever reasons make them....Suckers. Because once they go down that path then you know they are unable to reasonable debate or argue effectively on why they disagree with that offending person's point of view or opinons. They are unable to agree to disagree and move on. They MUST have drama.

Suckees know what to do, say and act. They refuse to be suckers, and would rather be on the "suckees" end and not on not be "suckers." They learn how to suck it up and not let emotions cloud their judgements. They try and see from other people's point of views and perspectives. They try and see it objectively rather than emotionally. Suckers are unable to debate or argue their case cohesively and clearly, and are perhaps temporarily "crippled" mentally-wise. They are emotionally "crippled" in their own pool of thoughts on hate, contempt, derision, and anger. They are unable to be reasoned with, perhaps on a temporary basis, and how they are unable to objectively argue. In short, they throw themselves on the floor and do these temper tantrums like a 6 year old kid who can't get what he wants and demand that Mommy or Daddy do something about it to make him happy. You need to stop running to Tayler Mayer for every little vlogs that you don't like. Making a personal attack does not replace an effective, well thought out argument.Throwing a temper tantrum doesn't help, either.

And so, in the case of Barry (The Holism) in DVTV, you have the weak-minded group of people who cannot even use the basic common sense to use DVTV's block feature to block out any vloggers they do not like. If not DVTV but in YouTube, they are unable to avoid watching vloggers they don't like. But I suspect that many refuse to block certain people or through act of will power learn not to watch certain vloggers they do not like because many are simply addicted to drama. They want something to complain and whine about. Tayler Mayer is not your Mommy or Daddy for you to cry and run to. If you don't like certain vloggers in DVTV you can easily block that vlogger. Easy! Tayler Mayer already explained recently on how to do that by spoon feeding you that information. But for your own sake and sanity, it's better to avoid watching any vlogger that you don't like in the first place. Use your willpower to make sure of that and get that peace of mind.

I'm telling you. Suckers are addicted to dramas. They want that. They *THRIVE* on that. Suckees know better than to let emotion get the best of them. DVTV is an open book for the world to see and what do you think they see once they take a look at vloggers in DVTV ? A bunch of Suckers? Or a bunch of Suckees? 

Are you a sucker? Probably so. Prove me wrong.

Rockin Ranch

I love it out there! Here's a subtitled video compilation of pictures and videos of my aunt's ranch in eastern Oregon when I was out there two years (and again last year). So much peace for me whenever I go and visit her ranch, and the chance to see her horses again. My aunt's husband has lost a good amount of hearing and now wear a hearing aid. He's not always happy about wearing it all the time but it gets easier with time. I think he can finally relate to me when it comes to trying hear and not always get everything as a hard of hearing person. He isn't in good health but he is in my thoughts and prayers!

It's not often I come across deaf or hard of hearing individuals who love the great outdoors and the ranch life as well. I probably wouldn't raise horses myself but I sure wouldn't mind raising alpacas on a ranch.

Someday....

A Deaf Trash Collector and Surfing in Japan

Here's an interesting movie that comes with subtitles.

Shigeru is the main character of the film. He is a young garbage collector who is deaf and mute. One day he finds a broken surf board in the garbage. After watching the surfers he starts to feel an uncontrolable desire for the sea. He takes the board home and fixes it as much as he can. After that point, surfing becomes the main thing in his life. He is ignored and laughed by the young & ignorant local surfers. But he gets all the support he needs by his symphatetic girlfriend who is also deaf and mute.

In this film, Kitano tells us about the surf scene in Japan. It is a western import in Japanese society which is favored by the youth in sea shore parts of the country. Kitano portrays the surf in a pure and realistic way but not without the the poetic and emotional camera work. Maybe waves are the best way to describe the Shigeru's inner feelings which Shigeru is unable to express to the out side world fully. He seems calm and relaxed on the outside but inside, a big fire burns for surfing and freedom.

What Marlee said about Starkey

I agree. And I support what she's doing. Check out the screen capture on what she said in Twitter just recently.

How true!

Having a fit over "Deaf Trash"

After seeing Barry's video "Deaf Trash" I can't help but think the people who are upset are just probably are so laser-focused on the words "deaf trash" rather than on what Barry discussed in his video. Much the same way on how some tended to focus on the words "ASL failed" rather than the discussion behind it and instead got all upset over those two words.

Now, I'm just thinking here. Bear with me.

Are some people upset because they think they are indeed "deaf trash" in their own minds and felt they were somehow "targeted"?  If they're confident about themselves then there would be no reason to get upset over those words since it would have no bearing on them or of no importance. Perhaps this is a case of people who are simply "context-impaired"?  Barry targeted no one single individual in that video and yet what did some some people do? The run over to Tayler Mayer, the owner of DVTV, and cry about Barry's latest video and demand that he be banned despite the fact that Barry broke no rules in DVTV.  Tayler Mayer knows this. In fact, Tayler had to resort to a video explaining again that members of DVTV have the power to block anyone they want and that DVTV is actually better in terms of being "safer" than YouTube. All this goes to show that Barry has not violated any of DVTV's R-list. Feeling hurt or upset when you weren't personally targeted doesn't count. People have the option to block Barry or anybody else in DVTV. It's easy.

Here's the conundrum.

If people claim to have no interest in Barry's videos then why do they continue to watch his videos on DVTV and continue to complain to Tayler Mayer? Makes no sense. I've a mind that they simply like to whine and complain all the time for whatever reason is simply beyond me.

Barry is a deaf person, he knows that and certainly I understood completely the context on what Barry said, for example, about "deafless" which was simply to mock all the new invented words out there such as the a-wordism.  Words like that are simply not in the dictionary. It was also to point out that the word "deaf" is not all that overly important, either. Much the same way he explained in context and concept in a video on the word "ageless" of an 80 year old man still actively hiking, biking, running or swimming. The 80 year old man knows he's old but that doesn't stop him. Same way with "deafless." Though he does admit he's deaf, too.  Get it? Many don't.

Yet Barry's videos gets the number one spot on the average number of views to each of his videos (60 videos) with OhBuckaroo (24 videos), Barry's son, coming in a 2nd place. All that makes me wonder about the people who don't like Barry and his videos do not make the effort to simply block him on DVTV.  Sure, there will be disagreements. That is to be expected. People can disagree and state their arguments in a good way. Nothing wrong with that. That's what makes debating great.  But run over to Tayler Mayer to complain about Barry's videos doesn't make it all very "adult like." Staging an effort to "walk out" of DVTV over Barry's videos isn't a good thing either but they're free to do what they want in voicing their displeasure. But I think it's rather a dumb thing to do when one can always use DVTV's block feature. The first walk out was a dismal failure. That didn't stop DVTV from its goal on making it as "safe" as possible for all members.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I do understand. The problem here is that members continue to watch in DVTV knowing they have the full power to block out vloggers for whatever reasons instead of demanding the owner of DVTV to ban certain vloggers they don't like. They are an adult. They need to act like one and use the block feature in DVTV.

Oh, btw, happy 4th birthday DVTV. It all began four years ago on May 7th. It is still running strong despite to continual whining.

Barry continues to make a big impact on the deaf community. His message continues to reach out even to the hearing community and the people who don't know sign or know very little with the help of his subtitling efforts in YouTube. He continues to evolve as a person who is a part of the deaf and hard of hearing community, and yes, even the culturally deaf community as well. Love him or hate him, he belong to no one.  His journey is his own personal journey and that no one can tell him what he can or cannot do.

Happy Mother's Day

Thank you, Mom for all the things you've done for us while we were growing up. With your love and dedication to help me as a child with a hearing loss you made sure I get the best help in education. I'll always remember how you helped me with my speech and listening skills, and all the fun books you helped me get so I could read everyday. I remember the times when you spent many hours standing in the rain to watch me play soccer at those soccer games. And the reward of seeing my hard work pay off with my team winning the soccer state championship. And the wrestling matches where I ended up in 2nd place in the final match, and the little league baseball games with my team winning the championship in Tacoma. All with your love, encouragement, and dedication not just to me but for my brother and sister, as well. We all turned out great!

I am sure you still relishing to this day your prediction when I was a little boy that the doctors and educators would eat their words about me thinking that just because I have a hearing loss I wouldn't amount much past the 4th grade level. You were right. The moment I graduated from high school with a 'B' average and at age 18 went to Valdosta State University striking out on my own for the first time was the day when they ate their words by the buckets. It was long road I took where I finally ended up with a M.S. degree in geology from University of Idaho with enough credits to get a 2nd degree. You still gave me lots of encouragement and hope even while I was working nights, raising a family and getting my graduate degree during my time at University of Idaho all by myself. Going to that university was one of the more memorable times I've had because it was a time when I was raising my own family showing my love and encouragements to my own daughters in return. Even the newspaper photographer captured that loving moment I had with my first child and I swinging together on one swing where our picture ended up in the Moscow, Idaho newspaper. Your 18 years worth of love, dedication and help paid off in spades and got me going in the right direction. I will make sure parents of deaf and hard of hearing kids that nothing is impossible when it comes to raising a child with a hearing loss.

Happy Mother's Day......and yes, they will continue to eat their words. And don't stop acting in those wonderful plays, too!

Sign No Evil

Bordering on hate speech with derision and contempt against a deaf man and his kids and wife. Mental objectivity is no longer there when that happens. Carl needs to learn to let it go.

Imperium of Man - spacey out of this world stuff

UPDATE: That tattoo belong to "trinitysite72" and is confirmed, which looks great by the way! Carl owes him an apology plus that video need to be yanked off of Carl's YouTube channel. He knows exactly who that guy is.  

UPDATE II: My next question, where did Carl get that photo? On what web page did he get it from?

UPDATE III: Just realized something. Since this info is out and I'm pretty sure he and others knew who this guy was in the first place. If not and he's just finding out who this guy is but decides to leave those videos in, then I have no choice but to call that action as an example of a deaf person committing a "hate crime/speech" in action. Wot irony! Especially after going on a failed mini-lecture "tour" about "deaf hate crime."   
 
UPDATE IV:
YouTube removed two of his offending videos. I'd say it was because of his bullying attempt (and slandering and hate speech, if you ask me).

This video has been removed because its content violated YouTube's Terms of Service.

Good riddance. For a professor who tried the "deaf hate crime/speech" lecture circuit which ultimately failed his reprehensible act of obvious hate shows the irony and hypocrisy. Real class and professionalism there, folks.



Carl needs to revisit history (or perhaps do a bit of online investigation first) before going on a wild goose chase (videos have since been remove for violation of YT's Terms of Service) about how there is NeoNazism within the culturally deaf community, a "secretive racist movement," that is. All because over a picture of a guy wearing a hearing aid with a double headed eagle tattoo on his back justified this assumption? Did anybody even bother to read what the words said below the eagle tattoo?

First of all, if you managed to read the words below the eagle tattoo it says, "Imperium of Man." It is a group that participated in an online Space RPG (role playing game) which officially disbanded last year. They carried that exact same double headed eagle on its page. You can look it up on Google and find a whole bunch of information on "Imperium of Man" including that same graphic double headed eagle.

The Imperium of Man is the galactic empire under which the majority of humanity is united. The founder and ruler of the Imperium is the god-like Emperor, the most powerful human psychic to date. Founding the Imperium ten thousand years ago, he continues, at least nominally, to lead it.

The Imperium is the largest and most powerful political entity in the galaxy, consisting of at least a million worlds, which are dispersed across most of the Milky Way galaxy. Consequently, an Imperial planet might be separated from its closest neighbor by hundreds or thousands of light years. As a stellar empire, the size of the Imperium can not be measured in terms of continuous territory, but only in the number of planetary systems in its control.

Several aliens and forces (the forces of Chaos, Tyranids, Eldar, Dark Eldar, Orks, Tau, Necrons) challenge the supremacy of the Imperium. From within, the Imperium is threatened more insidiously by rebellion, mutation, dangerous psykers, and subversive cults.

Without the protection of the Imperium, mankind would fall prey to the countless perils that threaten it.

Nothing remotely like NeoNazism.

And if you want more double headed eagles go here. But don't let your imagination run wild about this whole "Deaf NeoNazism" stuff. Except maybe for a good laugh or two. I'm sure that guy with his hearing aid isn't a part of that group. How about making a wild run with this CC tattoo instead?

Brain to brain? More like fried.

Meh.

Maybe this video would be to Carl's liking?

When signing could be hazardous to your health

Mostly it's the lack of education but people who use sign language in public places to communicate could potentially be perceived as to be something else and get attacked thinking they are a part of a gang by other gang members. So, it's not a real good idea to go along with this whole "hoodie" mentality when people can easily mistake you for a gang member.  It's bad enough when you have hearing gang members think deaf people belong to a gang just because of their signing. It'd be a bad idea wear a hoodie jacket with the hood up while signing might cause some real gang members to think they're seeing a bunch of new gang members flashing their own signs. It actually happened to a deaf guy who recently who got stabbed in the back for signing in a bar thinking he was flashing signs. Crazy world, yes. But that's just an unfortunate byproduct caused by a lack of education on the general public.