"Deaf and Dumb" Hoy - A Baseball Legend

Be sure to watch a movie about a "deaf and dumb" baseball hero named William Ellsworth Hoy who earned the nickname "Dummy Hoy". Just like "Dummy Taylor" who is also another well known deaf baseball player. The "Dummy Hoy" story happens to be a true story about a boy who becomes a baseball legend that not many people know about. It was during a time and era when facing challenges as a "dummy" or a "deaf-mute" in a hearing world was even more challenging.

Be sure to watch the movie, 'Dummy Hoy: A Deaf Hero'





Also, before you make any comments, please review the links I provided first.

The Deadly Martial Arts of ASL

In one martial arts discussion forum I came across an odd forum discussion that turned out to be a bit funny as well disturbing seeing how one Deaf man basically tried to be the expert in self defense and combat art. Although the one funny instance was when one hearing commenter misunderstood what one Deaf commenter wrote,

"Deaf men have been perfecting their self defense through ASL for many , many years."

The way it was written certainly could have sounded like ASL is the feared but deadly form of martial arts where you'd sign the deadly "V" letter and do the famous Larry-Curly-Moe-Eye-Poke. Of course, this Deaf guy meant that martial arts can and have been taught to Deaf people through the use of sign language to communicate the techniques in self-defense martial arts. Now, the hearing guy in turn didn't quite understand what was the other guy was saying but the response was funny:

"Please, cite some independently verifiable reports of someone besting an attacker through the deadly use of sign language..."

That was the funny part.

Now, the disturbing part was seeing that this Deaf guy managed to go about "informing" other Deaf people about martial arts, street fight, army combat and such even though, as best as I can tell, he has no real martial arts or self defense training to offer advice on what one should or should not do in certain dangerous situations. That's the sad and dangerous part.

Why dangerous?

The person lacked credibility to offer advices to others on how to do self defense. He offered no references, no names, no credentials to speak of, no names of dojos, no websites, no videos and plainly no proof of his skill to warrant the "teaching" of Deaf people on martial arts. Credibility is everything.

It is a sad fact that there are people out there who think that reading a few books on martial arts or combat art make them experts would be justified to "teach" others about self-defense. Making claims that "I sent many people to the hospital" isn't credible to believe. Saying that ought to be a red flag to others to be wary of that person putting up a bunch BS.

Now, there are several Deaf martial artists who do martial arts instruction. Just because there is a Deaf martial art instructor, it's best to ask for references and history from this instructor you are seeking to train under. Any instructor should be happy to provide you the details and references. If not, then that should be a warning sign. And if he or she continues to refuse to provide references, then it would be better to find another place to do your martial arts training even if it means a hearing instructor. I cannot stress this enough that the responsibility lies with potential students on making sure they have the right and best people in the business of martial arts who know sign language.

There is a difference from those who do the walk and talk versus those who only do the talk and not from people whose "expertise" came from reading books or took self-defense classes a few times as a kid. A street fighter doesn't mean the person is good at self-defense whether it's with a knife or a baseball bat. It could mean that the person is willing to break the law just so he/she could fight you in a nasty way. Either way, it doesn't mean one is better than the other. It's a matter of discipline and executing the right techniques that wins out in most cases. It could be a simple move or a complex one that would match the situation.

The video below shows how one pimp became that "street fighter" while his "lady" tried to hold him back because the white guy told the black guy to stop hitting the woman. This guy is Jay Lee who is a self-defense instructor for the Houston Texas Police Force. The incident happened while he was teaching a group of police officers and decided to go outside to break up the fight between the pimp and his woman.




If the video above doesn't work go here.

Once you choose your martial arts to train, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to "cross train" by visiting other dojos to learn from their martial arts. This was routinely done on occasions with my Aikido instructor in Alamogordo where we, as students, would visit other dojos with their permission to learn about their martial arts such as Karate and Tae Kwon Do. Aikido is one of the best known Japanese martial arts there is. Steven Segal who is currently a 7th degree black belt in Aikido where he became the first Westerner to open a martial arts school in Japan.



You choose a martial art that you believe is best for YOU. If you want to be a street fighter, then choose that path. If you want to be an excellent knife user then go that route. Kicking? Try Tae Kwon Do. Mixed martial arts? Practice your wrestling, grappling, boxing, Muy Thai and JuJitsu.

Now, a "street fighter" doesn't necessarily mean the best. It means that a person is willing to break the law in order to purposely fight and cause injuries or death. Just like the pimp in the video below who thought that by being the aggressive "street fighter" would mean he'd win fight. It didn't quite work out that way, did it? Although in any street fight incidents one may never know if a person is holding a gun or knife. Still, to have common sense and the smarts a person trained in martial arts should know these into consideration anyway. The best way to avoid these things is not to get yourself into these predicaments or place yourself in a location that would put yourself at risk. Self-defense is to be used as a last resort, even if it means injuring or killing someone.


The names below are Deaf/deaf/hh martial arts practitioners who are either instructors or advanced students familiar with their own martial arts and self-defense that you can contact for more information.


Joe Brouhard on Taekwondo (instructor). He is Deaf and signs.

Mike McConnell on Aikido since 1997 (2nd Kyu) and wrestling. Also, go here for an article on Mike on Aikido that was done a few years ago under "Aikido and Deafness". He is hard of hearing and knows sign language.

Matt Hayat on Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-Te, Tae Kwon Do and Isshin Ryu Karate Do. He is deaf and knows sign language. He developed a signing system for martial art called "Martial Signing".

Matt Hamill - UFC fighter (205 lbs), mixed martial artist - boxing and wrestling. Deaf and fluent in ASL.

Jeremy Jackson - UFC fighter (169 lbs), mixed martial artist - submission, karate and boxing. He is deaf. See story about Jackson.

If you know somebody that could be added here, let me know.

A Deaf Caste System?

I am sure there are many deaf or hard of hearing people who have wondered about whether there is such a system among Deaf people that follows a “caste system” of sorts. A “caste system” is defined as “a social structure in which classes are determined by heredity.” For some people this could be seen as similar to “Deaf elitism” which could be how some Deaf people may view other Deaf, deaf and/or hard of hearing people in terms of how one is born into a family whether it’s a Deaf family, a mixed one, or a hearing family. Perhaps it's all about whether one carries the deafness gene ensuring that hereditary deafness can indeed be passed on down with each generation? Wouldn't this be a trait seen as favorable by many Deaf people? Wouldn't this be descriptive of a "Deaf caste system"? If you have read Dennis from 'The Talkie' who posted a short conversation he had with his friend over IM when his friend discussed DoD and DoH over the subject of a “caste system” you may or may not agree on what his friend had to say.

But I'm sure the question get asked by many from time to time who are not familiar with the subject on whether if any of the Deaf organizations or Deaf groups do practice a "Deaf caste system” of sorts. It'd be interesting to see whether or not if this is the case and whether people consciously or subconsciously reject those who not are not “quite like them.” And how extensive this is, if any. Would these people rather prefer to have Deaf people who are born into Deaf parents over those who are “late deafened,” “hard of hearing,” or born deaf into hearing parents? Or would this be a simple matter of those who can sign over those who do not sign? And if it a matter of those who do sign then would this boil down to over those who are native signers versus those who are barely fluent in it? Or should this be seen as a “superiority complex” issue rather than as a “Deaf caste system” of sorts? Maybe none of the above?

Let’s take the case of a hearing blind guy's own opinion in his blog when Deaf people complained about the possible merger of Ohio School for the Deaf with the state’s school for the blind:

When yesterday I read the article referenced below in the Columbus Dispatch about the anger from some deaf "alumni" of the Ohio School for the Deaf at the proposed merger of the deaf school with the state's school for the blind I was flat out "gob smacked" into temporary silence. I simply passed the article on with the assertion that I was trying to "count to ten" because it's good to take thought for one's anger and we all know this from kindergarten.
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Contempt for the blind emerges in this instance with the force of a geyser. The reasoning works like this: deaf people are not disabled; to put them into a facility where they would have to share space with people who really are disabled would be demeaning to deaf students.

My response to this is that specialized schools for people with disabilities should quite likely no longer be necessary if we are serious in America about making public education accessible to every student.

But let's leave that issue for the moment.

My real feeling is that if deaf people are not disabled and are essentially a cultural group, then why should they have a school that's funded by the public? I think this is a fair question. The public doesn't fund specialized schools for kids who want to learn French or Latvian, as noble as those pursuits might be. Why should deaf people have any public funding at all if they don't have a disability and if they don't even want to be seen in the same place as those who do have disabilities?

The answer to this question is that of course deafness is a disability. You can decide later in life that you are unwilling to be a member of any group that would have you, as Groucho Marx once famously said, but that's an adult position. Learning sign language and alternate technologies is an important, even crucial thing for deaf children, just as learning Braille or computer skills or orientation and mobility skills is central for blind children.

There are some good points he is making if you actually read all of his blog post. Of course, you’d have to understand that this is coming from a blind hearing man’s perspective rather than as a Deaf person who also face everyday obstacles just as many deaf and hard of hearing people do.

Now, for the OSD controversy wouldn’t this form of rejection by Deaf people over the OSD merger possibility with the state’s school for the blind be seen as a sort of a “Deaf caste system” in the works? Or would this rather be seen as “Deaf elitism” at work? Or maybe not at all? A little bit of both? None at all? Why or why not? Is this the "dark and dirty" secret that many do not want to come out into the open for discussion? A denial in the works or imagination gone wild?

Uber Cool Technology in Future for Deaf People?

Imagine a video technology whose screen thickness is the same thickness as a sheet of paper. Imagine the screen is so flexible to the point of actually bending it. A screen so thin you could wear it on your t-shirt. Pure fantasy? No. That technology is already here today but it would take a little more time refining this piece of technology to the point of being able to sell it commercially.

Now, imagine having a whole wall as your "tv screen" at Gallaudet University where you'd be able to communicate with another deaf person in real time and of the correct size dimension as if the person is standing in front of you. Let's say you get to talk to a person in Britain. Or have a whole wall down the hallway in one of Gallaudet University's building that act as one continuous screen so students walking down the hallway can peer into another hallway at another university or college like NTID, CSUN or god forbid the campus of MIT. You would get to see students in real time walking up and down their school's hallway while acknowledging your presence at the same time. Maybe even stop by and chat with another student who is thousands of miles away never needing the volume. Amazing potential.

Now, with this piece of screen technology, what would you like to see happen that could benefit you as a deaf person?



Flexible, razor thin video screen.

NUTS or Nuts for Jericho?

Now, I've watched the show "Jericho" a few times and it was a good show to watch complete with pathos and caveats of what may happen to surrounding towns and people when major cities get nuked.

However, I happen to prefer to watch the show called "24" which details a 24-hour period in the life of Jack Bauer, who works with the U.S. Government as it fights threats on its soil. Especially the recent season's show on how Jack Bauer tried to stop nuclear detonation by terrorists, namely the Islamic kind. It's more interesting to watch a show how characters try to prevent a nuclear detonation on American soil rather than a show on the aftermath where neighboring towns are at war with each other for survival sake. This is a bit of clue on which shows I'd prefer to watch in terms of context rather than watch a show just because one of the characters happens to be deaf and is deaf in real life.

Which leads me to ask this question.

Are Deaf people upset that the show "Jericho" is cancelled only because it happened to have a deaf character in it? Somehow I think the complaints over the show's cancellation is really about the deaf character rather than show itself for some/many/most Deaf people. And so a few Deaf people get on board the NUTS campaign in the hope to get the show re-instated.

Banjo brings up the word "NUTS" about a "NUTS" campaign that has been underway to try and convince CBS to bring back "Jericho". However, nothing was explained fully as to the real historical use of the word "Nuts" (some say that "NUTS" is the made up acronymn for "Not Understanding Terms of Surrender" which is not the same thing as the word "Nuts!" uttered back during WWII). Let's get some historical facts correct here.

The word "Nuts" wasn't even a phrase, as the nut company said, but rather a response to a question back during World War II to German officers on U.S. surrendering. This is well known and famous response in all of World War II. Now, what's really amazing is that this nut company never even watched the show!!

From a few orders, to a few more orders, to a few emails, to a lot more emails, we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a campaign to support a show we had never even watched before. At first I thought you were nuts, but after interacting with a bunch of you I realized how real you were and how I could easily see myself in your place. Maybe I get excited too easily, but I was impressed with your devotion and passion and decided to fully embrace your campaign.

But I gotta admit. The "NUTS" campaign is turning out to be a cheap advertising gimic for a generational, family-owned nuts company to generate lots free exposures and additional revenues coming from "Jericho" fans to buy and send nuts out to CBS executives as part of their protest campaign to get the show re-instated.

Now. Which one is correct on the use of the word "nuts"? Would it be "N.U.T.S." or "Nuts" ?

The word "Nuts" was uttered by General McAuliffe during World War II at the Battle of the Bulge in response to a surrender call by the German officers.

The General's first reaction was that the Germans wanted to surrender to us. Col. Moore quickly disabused him of that notion and explained that the German's demanded our surrender. When McAuliffe heard that he laughed and said: "Us surrender? Aw, nuts!" the date was December 22nd, 1944.
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But then McAuliffe realized that some sort of reply was in order. He pondered for a few minutes and then told the staff, "Well I don't know what to tell them." He then asked the staff what they thought, and I spoke up, saying, "That first remark of yours would be hard to beat." McAuliffe said, "What do you mean?" I answered, "Sir, you said 'Nuts'." All members of the staff enthusiastically agreed, and McAuliffe decided to send that one word, "Nuts!" back to the Germans. McAuliffe then wrote down: "To the German Commander, "Nuts!" The American Commander."

McAuliffe then asked Col. Harper to deliver the message to the Germans. Harper took the typed message back to the company command post where the two German officers were detained. Harper then told the Germans that he had the American commanders reply. The German captain then asked, "Is it written or verbal?" Harper responded that it was written and added, "I will place it in your hand."

The German major then asked, "Is the reply negative or affirmative? If it is the latter I will negotiate further."

At this time the Germans were acting in an arrogant and patronizing manner and Harper, who was starting to lose his temper, responded, "The reply is decidedly not affirmative." He then added that, "If you continue your foolish attack your losses will be tremendous."

Harper then put the German officers in a jeep and took them back to where the German enlisted men were detained. He then said to the German captain, "If you don't know what 'Nuts' means, in plain English it is the same as 'Go to Hell'. And I'll tell you something else, if you continue to attack we will kill every g**dam German that tries to break into this city."

So, it's not about "NUTS" ("Not Understanding Terms of Surrender" - a recent made up acronymn) in terms of actual historical use of the word but "Nuts!" in response to a surrender ultimatum by the Germans.

Now, would I get upset if a show gets cancelled? In a, er, nutshell, no. Considering the vast number of shows on cable/satellite television nowadays, there are lots of shows to choose from. In fact, too many television programmings whether its sports, soaps, series or movies. If a show gets cancelled, it gets cancelled. I am not the one to run around to wring my hands just because a show gets cancelled.

Awww, nuts!

Are Deaf folks angry because they cannot watch the show that has a Deaf character in it or because it was simply a good show to watch and had nothing to do with that Deaf character in the first place? People need to be honest on answering this question.

Life moves on.

Hearing Firefighter to Learn ASL

I wonder what Neil over at Deaf Firefighter's Blog will say about this story about a hearing firefighter who decide to learn ASL? I'm sure it's a thumbs up from Neil.

He embarked on an intensive sign-language program after he went on a medical call last summer and the 6-year-old daughter of a deaf woman ended up being a translator between emergency personnel and her mother.

"I had no idea what she was signing and what her mother was telling her," he said.

In the past, Labrecque has responded to a handful of calls that involve deaf or hearing-impaired people.

"It's frustrating," he said. "The deaf community has no other way of communicating besides sign language, so if I want to get medical information about my victim, I should know their language," he said.

In the Search and Rescue, or other similar emergency events, there seems to be a shortages of these people who have sign language skills. It's good to know that I have something to offer in a forest fire emergency setting and this awareness will need to be raised since the wildfire season will peak in July/August. One never know should a community with a lot of deaf members be forced to evacuate because of a fire and whatnot. What are the resources in those areas? It's something that I can look into.

Be Back Next Sunday

Folks. I'm going on a week long business and training trip to Rapid City, SD. I turned off all Haloscan comments until I get back which will be March 19th.

Ya'll be good!

Getting Deaf People Interested in Earth Science

NASA has always been a big proponent on helping deaf and hard of hearing students get interested in Earth Science. They go out of their way to help teachers and students from elementary schools to colleges such as Gallaudet University by getting them interested in Earth Science. NASA provides materials such as Earth science captioned videos for classrooms. Or NASA may sponsor science field trips so students can see how the earth system works in such fields as geology, vulcanology (yes, that word does exist), or atmospheric science (“climate”). NASA continuously challenge students to try and excel in school, especially in Earth science. Who knows when one day NASA will have the first ever Deaf/deaf/hh astronaut?

From NASA’s “Signs of Science”:

"Deaf students often do not have good English language skills, so reading is not an automatic alternative to oral explanations," said Ellsworth, a science teacher at Gallaudet University's Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. "We use sign language and plenty of visuals to teach concepts." Difficulties can arise because their first language -- American Sign Language -- is not a direct translation of English. Sign language has its own structure, grammar and other rules. So, reading English can be a bit like reading a foreign language.

For Earth science, whether students prefer ASL, PSE, SimCom, oral or voice, it doesn’t matter. What matters is to get these students interested in Earth science early on in an environment that they are most comfortable in. Nowadays there are more deaf and hard of hearing professionals that deal with Earth science but the number of them still remains small. I am one of them of the professionals that deal with Earth science. Earth science is an exciting field to be and it is full of discovery. I learn new things almost daily while researching and reading scientific journals in my line of work.

But if you had done your research you'd notice question that there are so few deaf/hh professionals in the field of Earth science. And why is that? And what can you do to help students get interested in Earth science so that they, too, may want to have a career in one of the many fields of Earth science?

QubeTV - a Conservative Choice

You know YouTube. It's all over the internet. And apparently they have a nasty habit of banning certain uploaded video content that questions certain Islamofascists behaviors, or certain videos like Michelle Malkins banned video "First, They Came." Now, there's an answer to all this and the name is QubeTV. Also known as the "Conservative YouTube." I'm sure YouTube's CEOs , which was bought out by Google, will object to that phrase. From the QubeTV blog on first announcing QubeTV back in March:

Two veteran conservative activists, Charlie Gerow and Jeffrey Lord, both former aides to the late President Ronald Reagan, have announced the founding of QubeTV.tv – a new and unique video and picture social network for conservatives.

QubeTV.tv invites and features user-generated content from conservatives. They are invited to upload videos and pictures about politics, their social life, music, sports, religion, academia, business, entertainment and the media. QubeTV will have a special focus on the 2008 presidential election.

Gerow will serve as Chairman of QubeTV while Lord will serve as president and CEO. Longtime friends from Pennsylvania and national politics, the two now work together at Quantum Communications, a public relations firm. Gerow worked as a Reagan campaign aide while Lord served as a White House political director.

“For decades members of the modern conservative movement have complained about a liberal bias in the media,” said Gerow. “The conservative response to this bias has, in the past, been limited by the technology of the day. That has changed.”

Lord called QubeTV the “next step in the revolution once led by the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan.” He cited the 1947 founding of Regnery book publishing, and conservative magazines by William F. Buckley, Jr. (The National Review in 1955) and R. Emmett Tyrrell (The American Spectator in 1967) as the first communication signposts for the movement Reagan came to lead. Recent signposts include Rush Limbaugh and the advent of conservative talk radio in 1988, television’s Fox News (1996) and the birth of a conservative blogging community in 2004.

Is it time to stop this nonsense and stop supporting YouTube whose habit banning such informative videos but also tend to bend over forward while grabbing their ankles for terrorists who use YouTube as a tool and weapon?

Stop by QubeTV and see what you're missing and see what YouTube won't show you.

HatTip: "M"

Will Deaf Teens Get the Message?

I was over at Technorati checking out on a few things on my day off here when I noticed an advertisement on the right side of the screen on "Cyberbullying" from the National Crime Prevention Council with that famous dog "McGruff." That piqued my interest so I clicked on that ad. And inside it contains a short discussion on cyberbullying with a link to a video that makes a very salient point. I took the liberty on listening to the words spoken and wrote them down as a transcript for those who are interested on seeing what was spoken in that video as well as the overall message:

woman: Ok, Lindsey, you're up.

*audience clapping*

Lindsey: Today I'm going to talk about Patty.

(Note: Patty is the girl in the audience with glasses)

Patty best characteristics?

She's stupid.
Stupid and ugly.
Everything she does is ugly.
Watch her eat.
Watch her stuff her face.
Look at her.
Greasy hair and dirty fingernails.
It makes me want to vomit.
Her Dad doesn't work and they have no money.
That's why she wears that nasty pink sweater.
Everyone hates her.
Even her teachers.
And they are supposed to like everyone.
Get a life, Patty.

Thank you. (Lindsey smiles).

Message scrolls....

If you wouldn't say it in person, why say it online?
Delete Cyberbullying
Don't write it.
Don't forward it.

Figured this be a good message for Deaf/deaf/hh teens and, even for some adults, to learn by. It's so easy to say these things online. But you'd never say it in person. Would you? And it is good to see that many Deaf people are actually trying to clean themselves up or ensure that these things do not happen. Which is why I forbid attacking commenters using ad hominem in my Haloscan comment. Examples must be set for those before us, especially among the Deaf/deaf/hh teens who could be looking up to us everyday on the blogosphere.

Now, I wonder how many people would want to become friends with Lindsey after she said those things publicly on stage.

Would you want to be friends with her?

By the way, I am sending an email to the NCPC about the lack of captioning in that video, too.

Finding Joy in a Mother's Death

The radio business is probably not much difference from the blogger business except that the radio probably have more listeners than do blogs, with exception of the few blogs that radio stations could only wished to have. But below is a story I find dispicable.

A former alderman and controversial radio talk show host said he's happy the mother of his radio rival is dead.

Michael McGee Sr. made the comments during his radio show on WNOV-AM Thursday morning. Charlie Sykes is a radio talk show host on WTMJ-AM. Sykes' mother, Katherine B. Sykes, died in a house fire Tuesday. The Ozaukee County Coroner said Thursday that Sykes died of smoke inhalation...

..."Mother Sykes, she dead. To me it's the vengeance of God. I ain't got no tears. Matter of fact a woman that would have a fool like that deserve whatever is coming her. She raised a sure enough idiot," McGee said on his radio show. "My instincts say Charlie Sykes killed his momma, cuz she live out in this big palace in Mequon all isolated. He got tired of waiting for her money."

I wonder how many people are rooting for this guy? What if the scenario was reversed? Why , there'd be an outcry and people will take to the streets in protest over discrimination, insensitivity, bigotry, racism, and whatever other "ism's" you can think of here with people saying "How DARE YOU attack this guy!" It's like you attack this guy means you attack the whole community behind him. Unreal.

You see, if you touch a particular person belonging to a particular albeit sensitive but "special" group, you'd get more of an outcry from them than the other way around. It's called the "Imus Effect." This effect doesn't apply to all groups but only to a particular group and in the case of Imus it was because he was white and he was not allowed to say "Ho" except during the Christmas holidays.

There is such a thing as too much hypocrisy. I see that everyday here.

A Discourse on Who Said “What?”

I am not going to belabor this so much to the point of beating a dead horse but I will explain once more the goals and reasons on what I write and why.

As of late, there seems to be a number of Deaf people who may now be assuming that I write the way I write just because I want to show off my skillful flair in writing. In short, the use of, ahem, “fancy words” in my blogposts. Whatever.

Time for some of the readers and bloggers get back to reality here and get rid of the assumptions that are making rounds in the blogosphere.

What many may not realize is that each blogger has his or her own way of writing whether it’s the more dull form to the more verbose type or people who write you’d swear they’re the 21st century version of the Valley Girl talk. Some bloggers choose style over substance. Some choose simplicity over the more mundane to the more overly complex ones. Each to his/her own way. If a blogger chooses to use simple words, then that’s fine, if it fits their writing style and format. If not and instead use unfamiliar words then who it is to say one shouldn’t do that? That’s not really the readers’ decision, is it?

Now, I said “blogger” and not “Deaf blogger.” Note the difference before some of you start hyperventilating. Or jump the “audism” bandwagon on what I just wrote. A nasty habit for some people to do just that which is a trait I noticed as of late.

Apparently not all Deaf/deaf readers read only just deaf materials in the blogosphere and more often than not they’d like to read other non-Deaf blog sites for a change. Some may like the idea of reading deaf-related news and deaf-related blogs all the time. For others, it’d just be simply too much on reading just only deaf materials all the time. Readers and bloggers oftentimes want a change of pace and pace by using a different material. This would be a choice for both bloggers and readers. My goals are different here.

My blog is aimed at both hearing and deaf people. In time, I’ll blog more of the stuff that are not deaf-related like politics, oil, clean energy, technology or even geology. The same kind of thing I have been doing ever since I started blogging. I blog whenever and whatever suits my fancy whether to inform, have fun, educate or inspire but never to hurl insults and wish the death of Deaf/deaf/hh people just because I don’t like the person. That’s my real “tone” on this.

I peg Kokonut Pundits readers as smart enough readers rather the kind to complain over the use of “inaccessible” words, which is, in my opinion, a bit absurd. And that was basically the topic in my recent blogpost concerning a few individuals and not the whole Deaf community. In my opinion, it’d be a waste of time should readers choose the route to complain loudly at other bloggers for not being “accessible” enough to them when it comes to the use of certain written words not familiar to them. These kinds of complaints are the exception rather than the rule here. But nonetheless others see it as a kind of a bizarre response when that happens.

No hyperventilating now. These are my opinions and observation. Let's ground ourselves back to earth.

Now, this is not to say I won’t help those who do not understand certain words if they ask. But I won’t be party to this nonsensical approach in the hope that I would acquiescence to the demands that I’d be more “flexible” on how I write.

Have some of the people forgotten?

This is my style of writing. This is a style writing that reflects me, my personality, my identity and how it fits into my flow of thought whenever I write.
It’s really all about my flow of thought whenever I sit down and type away. The words I choose comes to me automatically whenever I write. It’s no big mystery here and it is in no way about “bragging” about how I write just because of the words I choose to use in my blogposts. I have written this way when many readers here were still in diapers while I was in high school and college. This is my style of writing. I have my supporters out there and the number is still growing. Then again I have my detractors as well and it’s probably growing, too. But, again, what is rather disingenuous is for readers to complain saying I do this just to look down on them. Not so. It's no more complex to tell them that instead of complain, use the darn dictionary if the guy is going to be like that. That was the message.

So, let’s get that one thing straight here.

Either one can accept what I write here ot not. And don’t think for a moment that everyone can be pleased all the time. If you actually think that can be done then you are either naïve or a simpleton. This is the reality here. Live it. Cherish it. And don’t be afraid to learn new words and don’t be afraid to ask, either.

Deaf Republicans Support Fred Thompson?

The poll voting continues on Kokonut Pundits and we'll have to wait to see the results. Pass the link around so more can vote for their favorite person for 2008.

But here's the biggest surprise. Well, maybe not that surprising. On another website there was a poll vote with over 2000 ballots cast and the majority of people voted for Fred! Thompson. The results basically blew the rest of the competition out of the water. This is not a landslide but an avalanche shaking the landscape. Over 65% choose Fred Thompson to be the candidate of choosing for the next Republican president for 2008.

Now, until my polling is done, what do Deaf/deaf/hh Republicans (or anybody else) think about Fred! Thompson?

For those who don't know about him. Here's the unofficial Fred! Thompson website if you want to learn more about him. Fred! Thompson is an actor on the popular Law and Order show as well which helps boost his recognizance up several notches compared to the rest of the candidates.

Are you going to vote for Fred!......? What do you think?

Behave now.

Who would you vote for president in 2008?

If you are deaf or hard of hearing and you plan on voting for president in 2008, take your time here and pick a person, whether a candidate or not, you would vote for president.


REPUBLICANS - click here for names and bio.

Which Republicans Would You Vote for President in 2008?
	Fred Thompson
	Newt Gingrinch
	Mitt Romney
	Sam Brownback
	Rudy Guiliani
	John McCain
	Mike Huckabee
	Duncan Hunter
	Ron Paul
	Tom Tancredo
	Tommy Thompson
	Chuck Hagel
	George Pataki
pollcode.com free polls

DEMOCRATS - click here for names and bio.

Which Democrats Would You Vote for President in 2008?
	Joe Biden
	Hillary Rodham Clinton
	Christopher Dodd
	John Edwards
	Mike Gravel
	Dennis Kucinich
	Barack Hussein Obama
	Bill Richardson
	Wesley Clark
	Al Gore
pollcode.com free polls

This polling is brought to you by Deaf Republicans, the first ever deaf grassroots political organization that began in 2004. It is an all-deaf organization designed by, written by, constructed and developed by people who are either deaf or hard of hearing. No hearing person was used to help write all articles in the Deaf Republicans website.

Face to Face Communications

Next week, DHHIG will hold a 3-day National Training Conference in Washington D.C. from May 8 through May 10. Greg Hlibok, Kelby Brick, Julie Bourne and many more familiar people will be presenting their own workshops at this 3-day conference.

For those who are deaf or hard of hearing and work for the Federal government, you may be familiar with DHHIG organization which stands for Deaf Hard of Hearing in Government. But for others who are not familiar, what is DHHIG?

DHHIG is a national non-profit organization whose purpose is two-fold. It serves as an employee support group for Federal employees who are either Deaf or Hard of Hearing and as a resource organization for the nationwide Federal government.

DHHIG coordinates and collaborates with external forces such as OPM, EEOC, U.S. Congress, the White House, President’s Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH), National Association of the Deaf, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, and other entities.

From the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

This three day training qualifies as training in compliance with 5 US.c. Chapter 41. The training is open to all employees and will provide training and workshops covering leadership, information and communication technology, and career development.

As a reminder, this workshop is open to all employees as well and not just for employees who work for the Federal Government.

Also, on Tuesday May 8 and Thursday May 10, Jason Curry will hold two workshops called “Face to Face Communications” where he will demonstrate the value of using the UbiDuo to communicate with hearing people. Jason Curry is the president of sComm, Inc, maker of the UbiDuo communication device. The workshop on Tuesday, May 8 is from 11:05 to 12:20 PM. And Thursday, May 10, from 2:55 to 4:05 PM.

This would be a good time to catch up on technology and communications as well as deaf and hard of hearing people's legal rights when it comes to equal communication access.

A Deaf NASCAR Driver Question....Impossible?

Here's something that made me think. Read the quote that come from that discuss a different professional but deaf driver on communicating between the driver and pit crew.

Kimberly from Centereach, N.Y.: I just read an article about a man name Daryn Miller who races in the Charger division in Riverhead, NY. Miller is profoundly deaf and gets thru his races by the aid of 4 lights inside his car at the top of the windshield. Two red lights surround a yellow and a green bulb. The red bulbs tell him to go either left or right, the green to just keep going, and the yellow indicates there is a caution -- an accident or other incident that causes officials to slow the race down -- on the track. His father/coach Bob Miller observes the conditions and lights the respective bulb with the remote control. In such places like Bristol and Dover, where radio communication has proven difficult to hear yourself think, how come NASCAR hasn't thought of this brillant idea?

Tom Jensen: Kimberly: Thanks for the story, which is an interesting one. I think it's a great solution for a deaf driver. But in general, drivers and teams would be reluctant to change to a system for just a few races a year and team owners wouldn't want to pay to change the cars over. Also, I think the system would work better in one car for a 50- or 100-lap race than in all 43 cars over 400 or 500 laps.

Do you think that using that lighting system discussed by Kimberly and Tom Jensen would work for Greg Gunderson who is trying to become the first ever Deaf NASCAR driver (click here and here for more stories on Greg Gunderson's goal)? Would having that lighting communication system work well in all kinds of races? In certain races? And for how many laps would it work the most effectively and efficiently? Impossible?

I already know the answer. So does Greg in last year's interview. Can you find it?

So, what's your answer?


UPDATE: Check out this first historical event ever to take place in the ARCA/NASCAR industry to bring the first deaf racing driver to the racing scene. See photos of this historic news.

Bar of Expectation - Lower It Now?

This is nothing new but a few days ago I blogposted "A fancy, schmancy blogpost" where I discussed the audacity of the few who actually took the time to complain about a blogger's use of "fancy words." One blogger tried to dissect my blogpost but her biggest complaint was this:

"But what offended me about McConnell’s post was that he *deliberately* put in words that very few people knew, then told them to look it up! That doesn’t strike me as being very respectful of your readers."

Now, there seem to be a bit of a misunderstanding on this blogger's part on why I put certain "fancy words" into my blogpost deliberately so that day. And that was to drive home a point. This is the era of the internet where words can be easily looked up.

I have used the word "discombobulate" a couple of times in my blogposts. Words like "confounded" is, to me, a commonly used word. And for "vulgarized," it was specifically chosen solely for the look and sound of the word where readers (those who do not bother to look it up) will assume it has to do with "vulgar" words, which it is not. Just like when many readers assumed on what "incestuous" meant despite how it was placed context-wise in a sentence.

I have in the past, on rare occasssions, added dictionary links to certain "unfamiliar words." But I pretty much stopped doing that since I figured readers are smart enough to do that on their own and look them up. Should I expect otherwise? This has always been my expectatation, as should be for everybody else, that it's the reader's responsibility to look up a word. Should I instead expect readers not be able to do this and they're a bunch of helpless creatures? Of course not! This is, after all, the era of the internet. I err on the side that my readers here are smart enough to know how to use the internet.

There is this seeming habit by certain people who have the uncanny ability to twist everything out of context in some of my blogposts thinking the subject is aimed at the whole Deaf community. It is not if one actually take the time to see where I'm driving at in my blogposts. It's clear in my blogposts that the subject is about certain individuals who do these certain things such as, for example, taking the time to actually complain to me about the use of "fancy words." Instead, a time would've been better spent looking up unfamiliar words in the first place, and not complain like a 2 year old. My blogsite is aimed at both hearing and deaf people. See?

Now, I don't turn down requests for explainations of certain words or clarifications when asked. That's a different approach and completely acceptable. But if one chooses to complain instead, well, then that person must be the laziest person on the planet who cannot even look it up or have the decency to ask for an explanation. Why complain? Is the person insecure or what? Or perhaps, instead, have serious issues with me and start throwing unfounded charges of "audism" because of the person's personality conflict with me? What gives? Seriously.

This is all intuitive here and I shouldn't even have to explain it all here in the first place. The subject is about a certain group of people who act in a certain way and not about the whole community.

Do you see the thrust of my argument here? It's the same one in my recent blogpost "A fancy, schmancy blogspot." Many Deaf people understood my blogpost right away and agreed and knew that I was talking about certain individuals who act a certain way rather than at the whole Deaf community. It's rather incredible to see these types of knee jerk responses. All this is what I could be described as "distressingly funny."

I make it abundantly clear to those who do complain about the use of "fancy words" and that is they need to grow up. I have no qualms in saying that. There are people who do not like what I say and get offended for basically telling them that they are smart enough to do these things on their own. My bar of expectation is higher for the readers who come here to read my blogposts. No reason to expect otherwise. We're not doing the limbo here.

What is your bar of expectation for your readers?

Do Deaf Stalkers Exist?

Apparently, they do exist. This isn't the first time I talked about stalkers. I blogposted this subject earlier about hearing stalkers going after hearing people like crazed fans stalking movie stars. All this made me realize that there are very little discussions about Deaf stalkers. I believe now is a good time to address this reality about Deaf stalkers who go after Deaf people, and perhaps in rare cases go after hearing people though I've not heard of such a thing though the possibility does exist.

There are two kinds of stalkers.

1) Stalkers who actual stalk people in the flesh like following a person closely outside. A common occurrence precluding a physical attack or rape.

2) Stalkers who follow and/or harrass certain individuals via electronically such as the phone or internet.

Why do some Deaf people stalk another Deaf person? The reasons are many, of course. Some do it because of their utter hatred of the person for whatever reason. Some do it because they are obsessed and in love. Some do it to make money many like in a money making scam. The level and type of stalking varies as well as the reason for doing so.

Now, some people might protest or complain that hearing people do same thing and what I'm posting is unfair to Deaf people or may make a ridiculous accustion of "audism." It's true that hearing people do stalk as well but the differences lies in the size of a community. In this case, we have a Deaf community where the effects of a Deaf person stalking another Deaf person becomes much more magnified due to the more closed-knit community. A community where everybody basically knows everybody else. Especially in the Deaf blogosphere and Deaf forums on the internet.

In this day and age, the use of the internet gives special advantages for Deaf stalkers. A stalker would be able to harrass his/her victim anonymously or not. Or, perhaps more commonly, the stalker may "ask" his/her friends to sic on a particular person. Attacks could come in the form of name callings, damaging lies or outright lies, threats of bodily harm, libel, defamation, and so on. By making the complaints known to his/her friends or over the internet in a public format, the friends of a stalker will do the bidding instead. A stalker typically respond in a knee jerk fashion. It is usually a defense mechanism whenever one feels threatened and go about calling names and make wild accusations and claims. And in the process makes a fool of him/herself in public over the internet. This kind of action simply makes a stalker that much more transparent to the public. Just remember, a stalker's typical response over the internet usually come in the form of being overly defensive along with name calling and making wild claims.

Here are some Deaf stalkers stories I've found using Google to do my research on deaf stalking stories. It was no suprise to find very little Deaf stalkers stories or articles on the subject. The limited information on these things points to a serious problem.

=====================
Example #1.

I have to use paper for persons who can't read lips. MY ASL sucks, but its all one-sided. You see I'm almost completely blind so when comicuating with the deafits very frustrating. I had a deaf stalker in fact and to be honest I didn't know what to think if I could even think. I couldn't seem to get it across to him to leave me alone. and talk about serious stalker issues. He kept trying to make out with me no matter how many times and ways I said no.

=====================
Example #2.

grunter
07-19-02, 04:43 PM

Trust me Giles - sometimes the talkers are better than the deaf-mutes who won't and can't take "NO" for an answer. Why do I say this? Because I have a deaf stalker at one of the baths I frequent. All he ever wants to do is take you back to his room and *yeeuck* "cuddle."How do you sign "eff NO - I ain't here to play smoochie-smoochie?"

=====================
Example #3.

When Anita left her abusive husband Ed, she found that escaping his violence would not be easy. She moved her two children into an apartment and sought expert advice on how to start a new life. She obtained an order of protection, a divorce, and full custody of her children. As she struggled to free herself from Ed, he began stalking her. Anita finally moved to a new city and even changed her name. Yet one afternoon when she picked up her children, Ed was waiting outside the school. Alarmed and frustrated, she prepared to flee again.

Anita's plight is hardly unique. Abusers often become stalkers. And stalkers tenaciously pursue their victims. Yet Anita's story is somewhat unusual. In her case, the stalker had little trouble finding his ex-wife because she has a disability: she is deaf. To locate Anita, Ed (who is also deaf) simply contacted the Social Security Administration to "inquire" whether the Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) checks his children receive as his dependents were reaching them. In answering Ed's question, the agency gave him Anita's new address.

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


As you can see there are few stories or discussions about Deaf stalkers who stalk other Deaf/deaf/hh people. Or even articles on the subject. People may talk about a "Deaf stalker" as a tongue-in-cheek response in order to get the point across in a figurative and not literal manner. In other cases, it's very real and it does happen. The actual stalking in of itself is serious thing. Especially considering, for example, in the light of the rapes that have occurred on the campus of Gallaudet University for many years. I did a 3-part series covering this rape issue on the campus of Gallaudet University last year. In many cases, the stalking usually occurs prior to a rape event whether it's done physically or through electronic means such as the internet.

I'm sure many people may have noticed the times when people made anonymous comments in blogsites or even in forums as way to attack and harass continuously the people they don't like. Repeatedly coming over to post anonymous comments is merely a design to harass. This could, in fact, be a potential sign of a stalking taking place. It could also be a sign of insecurity and/or low self-esteem.

So, what can the victims do when it comes to electronic stalking?

First and foremost, keep a record of every incident whether it's emails, videos, a screen capture of the harrasser's websites that shows the offending materials, use of the Google or Yahoo cache to capture dead and live links, and so on. Note the time and date. Nothing is ever too small because all those information help draw a picture of the stalker should you have to take the case to a judge. Documentiation is very important.

In fact, there was a story about how a next door neighbor in the United Kingdom was harrassed and threated by an old 82 year old lady. . The neighbor was forced to document every incident, no matter how small, to the point where it gave enough proof for a judge to jail the woman. It may sound funny but it is not once you read the story. It's not funny for people who become victims of a stalker.

If you are a Deaf person who is stalked by another Deaf person, it's time that you share your stories here (or elsewhere if you have a blogsite or in a discussion forum). Have you ever experienced a stalker who have harassed you, made up lies about you, physically attacked you, or used websites or forums to defame you?'

Share your stories here. Also, don't be surprised on what you might find in my Haloscan comments by people who have nothing better than to go after me.

For more information on stalking, go to the Anti-stalker website.

A Fancy, Schmancy Blogpost

Now, this isn’t the first time when a deaf person actually took the time to basically complain to me about a blogpost accusing me of using “fancy” words whenever I write. In fact, I’ve had several of these “complaints” over the past two years plus when people actually took the time to complain. Most of these “complaints” came from the Haloscan comments. Only one or two from the top of my head came to me via email.

Now, do I get discombobulated over these things? No. Am I confounded over this? No. Should I use vulgarized words so everybody can understand? No. Must I change my writing style for the sake of accommodation? Why should I? And before you assume on what I wrote better look up the words first. Wouldn’t want another “incestuous” misunderstanding again.

Now, I don’t see any “fancy” words that I’ve been using in my blogposts. Not from my own perspective because I don’t consider them “fancy words” in the first place. Oh, sure the above paragraph was a tongue-in-cheek response and shouldn’t be taken seriously of the words I used. Just making a point here that’ll be explained further below.

You know. My mother told me a very important story when I was a young boy attending school that had an oral program. She was very vocal on telling teachers that deaf kids needed to be taught alternative words that have the same meaning or that they take the time to explain the meaning of "bigger" words to these deaf kids. Many teachers ignored my mother’s suggestion and continued to teach deaf kids using very simple words rather than to try and explain what many of the "bigger" words meant. Luckily, my mother was proactive in her approach with me and taught me alternative words and took the time to actually explain what these “fancy” words meant. It was never the “No, it’s too complicated to explain.” There was always a dictionary book close by in our house and it was one of those huge 7 or 8 inch thick dictionary books.

Now, this is the era of the internet. You have Google. You have online dictionary websites. You have online thesaurus websites. And whenever I come across a word I’m not familiar with, I look it up. This is an amazingly but extremely easy process. I can guarantee you that. Never have I ever complained to anyone's blogpost about his or her use of "fancy" words. If that is how a person writes, then that is how a person writes. Who are these people to complain about a person’s writing based on “fancy” words? Common sense dictates that if you don’t know what it means, you can actually use your own 10 little fingers and look up these words with a few keystrokes over the internet.

By now you may be saying, “Well, there are deaf people out there who have trouble understanding certain words or sentences when such words are used.” I certainly do sympathize with that. However, my goal has never been to “dumb down” what I write. And why should I? This is my writing style and my flow of thought reflects that. I have always written in that fashion. So, why change? Over because a few people who are unable to understand the meanings of certain words used or understand the construct of what I have written that reflects my blogposts? I write because who I am. I choose certain words in order to add the needed flavor that will express exactly what I want to write.

So, what is the bottom line? If you don’t know what the words mean, look it up. It’s better to do so than to complain about it. The English language is your friend.

Here’s a new word for you to look up.

chutzpanik

Yeah. That's right for those who have the gall to actually complain.

An Inconvenient Truth – Gallaudet University

Yesterday a team of students, faculty and staff held a global warming presentation at Gallaudet University as part of the Earth Day celebration event. One of Al Gore’s team members made a special visit to the campus to make a presentation as well as Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Again, this is another example of the global warming screamer crowd pandering to a political agenda whose objective is to prey on human's irrational fear. Now, since people have seen the presentation at Gallaudet, we will now have to deal with some of the students, staff and faculty who may likely have very little understanding on the knowledge of earth science and will now take face value of what was presented yesterday. The question is, will these students, staff or faculty members have the necessary critical thinking skill to discern truth from fiction, and not rely on emotional knee jerk reaction? Or will they run amok to everybody else that we must change or Earth will turn into a cooking oven? Will they question the validity of what was presented at Gallaudet University?

Let's hope so but then again I had to actually educate one Gallaudet University alumnus about his misconception of where oil came from. This fellow being an extremely bright and intelligent one actually believed oil came from dinosaurs. Now, my professional background is in the earth sciences covering hydrology, geophysics, geology, hydrogeology and some atmospheric work that I do on my job. But this guy has none of the earth science background. Yet believed oil came from decomposing dinosaurs.

Here is the fact. The source of oil does not come from dinosaurs. The source of oil comes from long past decayed biological materials but not from dinosaurs but from marine algae!

A primary source of organic material is marine ALGAE. These minute, one-celled organisms form the bulk of plant life in the world's oceans. They are ideally situated for preservation in deep oceans because of their planktonic (ie, free-floating) existence. When they die, algae sink to the seafloor where they are buried within silts and clays. Since burrowing organisms are not present, the algal material builds up to form an appreciable part (1-2%) of the total sediment. Bacterial action releases oxygen from this material, further concentrating the hydrogen and carbon molecules required to produce petroleum.

Now, if an intelligent person believed oil came from dinosaurs, and with no environmental science background, what do you think these students and staff will think about Al Gore’s movie and the Earth Day presentation at Gallaudet University who will now think that human population is responsible for global warming? You see, the global-warming-caused-by-human-population is in fact….a myth!

This is really all about politics and power here. Nothing more. People are being duped left and right on this.

Still, it is stupefying to watch people scream and hyperventilate about "Global Warming" claiming that it is caused by the human population and call this whole thing a "crisis." A crisis? Oh, please! Crisis is when you're facing a rogue country who want to lob nuclear missiles our way.

It is also equally dismaying to watch a few deaf/hh people like the ones in Gallynet-L or other forums run the gamut in a near state of panic to try and get people to help solve this "Global Warming" by sending a message to Congress on Al Gore's website. A last minute knee jerk panic button for the environmentally guilty. Once they send their message out they'll automatically feel better about themselves thinking they did something great.

Hardly.

Again, pure politics at play here that's entirely misplaced and abused by those who insist earth will collapse into a heaping pile of doo.

What is equally ridiculous is when people try and set up an acceptable “average global temperature” in order to have a baseline data to draw from. You cannot. Temperature changes over the hundreds and thousands of years from extremely warm periods to extremely cold periods such as the ice age. All you have are temperature trends. In fact, 900 years ago (“medieval period” - click to see timeline) temperature was much warmer back then than today’s. But the warming didn't start then. It began about 10,000 years ago which was when the last ice age ended. That was when glaciers and ice sheets that covered the mid-portion of the United States (geographically speaking) began retreating when world wide climate began to warm up! This would be the start of the warming period over the next 10,000 years to the present.

The premise behind Al Gore's alarm is to get people to feel guilty about using coal, oil, and gas. Or the amount of carbon we use. And by getting them to feel guilty he does the Chicken Little act and repeatedly says that the sky is falling because we drive too many SUVs like John Kerry. Or fly too many planes like Al Gore. Or build too big of a house of 28,000 square feet like John Edwards. After all, many forget that Earth is a carbon based system in the first place which has expelled/released carbon dioxide (CO2) for eons. And much of the carbon excess is recycled back into to the land, plants and ocean that act as “carbon sinks.” Trees require CO2 to survive, and in return it expels oxygen, the stuff that we need to breath and live!

But… but… you say that over the years CO2 has risen, so has the temperature! So what? In the field of science you have to be extremely careful when using trends in the attempt to correlate it with something else. Correlation does not always equate 100% causation. Especially as complex as the earth system and how it works.

This scare tactic is a design by the Al Gore's team along with the rest of the so-called scientists who say that Carbon Dioxide or CO2 that is being spewed out is caused mostly by the human population and sole reason for the global warming. This isn’t true. In fact, it is an outright lie.

The amount of CO2 expelled by man whether it’s from factories, cars, burning of petroleum or our own exhaled breath is extremely small compared to the actual amount of the earth's CO2 it puts out into the atmosphere annually.

In terms of total C02, volume-wise, in the atmosphere compared to the rest of the gas makes up only .03% (or .0003) of the atmosphere. Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere while Oxygen at 21%, Argon at 0.9% and water vapor at 0.5% (Troposphere only). See the interactive flash player on atmospheric content of these gases.

What people don’t know is that water vapor such as the amount of humidity we feel around us and in the clouds we see above us have the ability to hold and release heat. Carbon Dioxide or CO2 does not act as heat exchangers. Carbon Dioxide is not known to be a climate driver. It has never been a climate driver. Water vapor helps create clouds. Clouds form and help produce precipitation such as rain. Rain helps keep the earth cool. The cycle continues. Without precipitation earth would simply become too hot for human habitation.

The total human CO2 emissions, primarily from the use of coal, oil, and natural gas and the production of cement, are currently about 5.5 GT C (Gigaton carbon) per year. But lets put these figures in perspective.

It is estimated that the atmosphere contains 750 Gt C; the surface ocean contains 1,000 Gt C; vegetation, soils, and detritus contain 2,200 Gt C; and the intermediate and deep oceans contain 38,000 Gt C. Each year, the surface ocean and atmosphere exchange an estimated 90 Gt C; vegetation and the atmosphere, 60 Gt C; marine biota and the surface ocean, 50 Gt C; and the surface ocean and the intermediate and deep oceans, 100 Gt C ( Schimel, D. S. (1995) Global Change Biology 1, 77-91).

So, what does the total CO2 emission by man means? It means that the human population produces only 6% of the carbon emission than what the ocean puts into the atmosphere annually. It means that the human population produces only 9% of the carbon emission plants put out into the atmosphere annually. But the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere constitutes only 0.03% (or 0.0003) of the total gases in the atmosphere. Very small indeed. Again, CO2 has never been known to be the major climate driver. Water vapor, yes. CO2? No.

Now, what many people do not know is that the earth climate system is an extremely complex one with many feedback loops. Scientists have tried to use computer modeling to try and predict what the climate would be like in the future. The problem is when validating such a computer model it must be able to mimic the past and they weren't able to.

Ask yourself this. How many of you trust the weather man’s prediction of your weather a week later? Two weeks? How about a month later? Would you put your life on the line to say that the weatherman’s prediction will be true? Even though the weather person uses powerful computer modeling to figure out what next's week weather may be like. This is what many people are saying about our own long term climate prediction and that it will eventually, in our life time, wreak untold havoc.

How do you know for sure?

You don’t. It’s a prediction computer model. Not a fact. Though we do and continue to have climate disasters. We may by next year have several volcanos pop its cork and release the ash and gases into the atmosphere and cause a worldwide cooling that could last a decade.

Next we hear claims that the snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro are disappearing because of global warming. Hardly. What Global Warming alarmists WON’T tell you is that trees around the mountain have been disappearing through aggressive deforestation practices and the lack of trees is the culprit and reason for ice and snow disappearing on Mt. Kilimanjaro.

“Although it’s tempting to blame the (Kilimanjaro) ice loss on global warming, researchers think that deforestation of the mountain’s foothills is the more likely culprit.”

Forests at the base of Kilimanjaro have been steadily disappearing for decades. “Without the forests’ humidity,” Mason reports, “previously moisture-laden winds blew dry. No longer replenished with water, the ice is evaporating in the strong equatorial sunshine.”

Ah, there it is again. Water vapor helps keep the surrounding local climate of Kilimanjaro cool! Trees expel moisture everyday and helps keep the surrounding air cooler! Of course! Without water vapor that helps make clouds and produce precipitation, the earth surface would simple get warm…too warm for habitable life such as us mere human beings.

The Tanzanian president has now banned deforestation practices in order to try and save Kilimanjaro which is aimed at halting rapid environmental degradation, including the melting of ice on Mount Kilimanjaro. There is no mention that global warming is sole culprit. This is another scare tactic by global warming screamers.

But then you hear screams of panic about glaciers retreating all over the world like the ones in the Alps as proof that it’s global warming (as caused by man, again) to be the culprit. But never mind the fact that glaciers take thousand of years to grow. The recent warming essentially began after the Little Ice Age from 1400s to 1800s when, of course, human population was much lower than today. In short, over the last several hundred years’ earth at the mid-latitude has warmed up with occasional brief periods of cold climate conditions did glaciers and ice respond to the temperature change. Humans were never the culprit. How could they? About 900 years ago the Aletsch and Grindelwald glaciers in Switzerland were much smaller than today! How can that be!! Well, just observe the timeline here where you will notice references of glaciers retreating starting as early as the 1600s!

A study published in Progress in Physical Geography (Braithwaite, R.J., 26: 76-95 (2002)), analyzed mass balance measurements of 246 glaciers from around the world between 1946 and 1995. According to the study’s author, “there are several regions with highly negative mass balances in agreement with a public perception of ‘the glaciers are melting,’ but there are also regions with positive balances.”

Within Europe, for example, “Alpine glaciers are generally shrinking, Scandinavian glaciers are growing, and glaciers in the Caucasus are close to equilibrium for 1980-95,” according to Braithwaite. Significantly, regarding this most recent 15-year period of time, Braithwaite noted “there is no obvious common or global trend of increasing glacier melt in recent years.”

Again, the earth system is in a constant state of flux. Earth’s complex climatic system is always changing within the normal parameters of human and animal’s range of habitability. Let's knock off scaring little kiddies about polar bears saying they get stranded on ice floes because of global warming. Another myth to be busted. Polar bears won’t drown for the lack of ice. Nature designed polar bear for swimming in the icy cold waters in the first place. They can swim up to 100 miles at a stretch. Please, none of this stranded polar bear on an ice floe baloney.

All in all, we will still have snow, rain, heat, cold, hurricanes, tornados, winds and water. Instead of becoming a lemming for the global warming screamer crowd will you jump off the cliff with them, it’s better send a message on good environmental stewardship than to scream like a banshee that earth is going to boil over blaming humans for it.

Nonsense.

Use your common sense. Let's hope some of the guys at Gallaudet University will do the same.