DeafDigest Blue - December 24, 2017 Blue Edition Barry Strassler, Editor http://deafdigest.com - updated every Monday America's Unique Deaf Stories; subscription at no cost to you Serving the Deaf Community since 1996; 21st year -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- subscription changes, go to deafdigest.com and click on subscribe and follow the screen weekly DeafDigest Blue & Gold editions also posted at: http://deafdigest.com/ (updated every Monday) Employment ads web site is at: http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Last week's ASL Videos in youtube http://deafdigest.com/videos/ugly-deaf-incident-at-mcdonalds/ http://deafdigest.com/videos/deaf-general-manager-of-pizza-chain/ This week's ASL videos in youtube http://deafdigest.com/videos/famous-deaf-people/ http://deafdigest.com/videos/psychology-of-deafness/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- DeafDigest welcomes unique deafnews tips; mailto:barry@deafdigest.com sources of unique deafnews are never revealed; always confidential -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Barry's collections of past articles (with today's update) -- questions CDI's hate http://deafdigest.com/collections/barrys-collections/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Saturday's Deaf Picture for your surprise http://deafdigest.com/hearing-aid-of-future/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- ASL signers needed to help with a project about fingerspelling We are researchers in the sign language linguistics lab at the University of Chicago (Prof. Diane Brentari, Director), seeking ASL signers to help us with research about fingerspelling in ASL. Signers will be paid to help us annotate examples of fingerspelling from videos, using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service. These annotations will contribute to a project working towards developing software that can interpret fingerspelling automatically from videos. Description of work -- As a worker on the project, you would watch videos in ASL and mark the fingerspelling you see in each video. -- All work is done on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service and workers on the project are paid for each video they complete. -- This is a great way to earn some extra money, and can be done anytime and from anywhere. How do you start? 1.     Create an account as a worker on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk at: https://www.mturk.com/worker 2.     Search for: ASL Fingerspelling Project 3.     Complete a short training 4.     Begin annotating videos Have questions or want to learn more? Email us at mailto:asl.fingerspelling.project@gmail.com -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Top stories about the deaf: AOL's AIM is no more. Many deaf people will remember that AIM gave them access to text relay service until it was stopped three years ago. A way around in setting up high school ASL class was described in a newspaper story. Students at Brookline High School (MA) wanted to take ASL classes. Because of logistics issues, it was not possible. A way around was found - to have the Brookline Adult Education program set up the class! It means classes at night instead of at daytime, but no one was complaining. The Governor Baxter School for the Deaf/Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which sits on an island off Portland, is worried. Declining enrollment has led to deterioration of its empty buildings. As a result the school is now seeking tenants that can fill up the empty buildings. The island is not that really isolated because a public bridge, off a highway, leads cars across. Always a story about deafness and genes from time to time. The latest concerns a team of British researchers working on the TMC1 mutation on mice - goal is to delay progressive deafness for as long as possible in humans. The New African Magazine ran a list of 100 Most Influential Africans of 2017. One of them is Haben Girma, a deaf-blind Harvard Law School graduate. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- READ WHAT THEY SAY Unlock the phone with CapTel® Captioned Telephone! CapTel shows word-for-word captions of everything a caller says over the phone, letting you read everything that they say. Like captions on TV – for the phone! Captions are provided by a free service, no monthly fees or contracts required. For more information or to order call 1-800-233-9130 V/TTY or visit http://www.weitbrecht.com/captel.html .  For more info about CapTel or any of the many assistive listening devices we offer, email: mailto:sales@weitbrecht.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! CapTel® Captioned Telephone – See What Everyone is Talking About! -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- For postings, announcements and employment ad rates, please email mailto:barry@deafdigest.com -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- weekly DeafDigest Blue & Gold editions also posted at: http://deafdigest.com (updated every Monday) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE FAMOUS DEAF Who is Dummy Hoy? A famous baseball player. Who is Beethoven? A famous musical composer. Who is Thomas Edison? A famous inventor. We have many other famous deaf people. Is this an old story to us? No, because many hearing people and also many deaf people never heard of these famous deaf people ! This is a shame. - for ASL News version with captions, please visit: http://deafdigest.com/videos/famous-deaf-people/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Dr. Steven L. Rattner, P.A. & Associates Deaf Dentist; College Park. MD & Gaithersburg, MD (near Washington, DC & Frederick, MD & also Metro Washington) Complete Dental Services; assistants either know ASL or are deaf more information: http://www.drrattner.com/our-team/meet-our-team/ to contact Dr. Steven L. Rattner, P.A. & Associates: http://www.drrattner.com/contact/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- This week's ASL video in youtube TWO GROUPS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS OF THE DEAF Psychologists always disagree on many things. It is the same with psychologists that work with the deaf. One group of psychologists working with the deaf would look on the deaf from a cultural point of view. Another group of psychologists that work with the deaf look on the deaf from a medical and audiological point of view! - for ASL News version with captions, please visit: http://deafdigest.com/videos/psychology-of-deafness/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Lip reading tale A hearing fisherman was chatting with a deaf fisherman. The deaf fisherman thought the hearing person said: We can fish for mike on these waters The hearing fisherman actually said: We can fish for pike on these waters -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- COMMENTS FROM A CART OPERATOR - continuing series As we celebrate this holiday season, it is fun to occasionally reflect on our lives and the people whose lives we have touched, like George Bailey did in the movie "It’s a Wonderful Life." Realtime captioners and court reporters use their talents and skills to touch the lives of many people on a daily basis. Without them, things would be very different for people who rely upon their services. If court reporters were not in the courtroom, there would be no record of the important proceedings that take place. They preserve the record for appeals and provide a vital service for judges, attorneys, and people involved in litigation. If CART captioners were not in the classrooms, meetings, offices, and other places where they provide services, many people with a hearing loss would not be able to participate in the activities that are very important to their lives. If broadcast captioners were not available to cover news, sports, and other live broadcasts, people around the world would miss information that is necessary to function in this ever-changing world in which we live. These people touch the lives of millions of people every day. It truly is a wonderful life. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- For postings, announcements and employment ad rates, please email mailto:barry@deafdigest.com -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- News of the Week - Looking Back 10 Years Ago: The recent weeks have been good to Gallaudet University. Few weeks ago Gallaudet has been taken off the MCHE probationary status, and is on track towards eventual reaccreditation. And now this, for the umpteenth time in recent years, Gallaudet has been the million dollar beneficiary of an estate of a deceased. Virginia May Binns, not deaf, who passed away last year, has bequeathed six million dollars towards Gallaudet. How and to what extent she named Gallaudet as one of the beneficiaries in her will? Some said it was her acquaintance with a deaf neighbor, both of whom shared their loves for dogs. At any rate the money will be earmarked for Gallaudet's language and communications needs. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- News of the Week - Looking Back 5 Years Ago: The Legal Aid in the United Kingdom, because of tightening finances, has had its budget cut. As a consequence, there is no more legal money for the legal aid division of the Royal Association for Deaf people. This has seriously impacted on the British deaf in need of legal assistance. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- subscription changes, go to deafdigest.com and click on subscribe and follow the screen weekly DeafDigest Blue & Gold editions also posted at: http://deafdigest.com/ (updated every Monday) Employment ads web site is at: http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- DeafDigest Copyright 2017 by Barry Strassler, DeafDigest. DeafDigest conditions and terms http://deafdigest.com/deaf-digest-conditions-and-terms/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Attention: the employment ads section is at: http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/ All new jobs will be immediately posted in that section