Swimming in Shark Infested Waters

The NFB National Convention of 2012 was a blast. During the day I attended meetings of interest, including the computer science division and Meet the Blind Month 2012, and attended general session. At night I got to spend time with friends, both old and new, and had a great time. Sleep was a fleeting commodity, but at convention I adopt the attitude that I'll sleep when I'm dead. The exhibit hall and Independence Market were wonderful, as ever, and the banquet was the highlight as it always is. The food was surprisingly good this year, as I normally look forward to the company at banquet rather then the food, and the keynote address by Dr. Maurer was the best I've heard live.

I broke down in the exhibit hall and upgraded my JAWS Service Maintenance Agreement (SMA) and bought the Focus 14 Blue Braille display. Although I have and will continue to support the outstanding work Serotek is doing, I believe JAWS will be able to meet my screen reading needs more efficiently then System Access. The Focus 14 Blue was a no brainer, as it is a sleek and beautiful machine. Will be great to have both for my iPhone and portable Braille reading needs.

It's hard to believe we're already at July 7th. Where did the summer go again? Last time I checked my colleagues and I were prepping for the goombas to arrive. Now we're half way through the program. Amazing how time flies.

Speaking of we have a great class this year. Between my colleagues and the high quality students we have it's no wonder that the summer program has been such a success up to this point. One of the best feelings in my life is watching students grow into independence, particularly with their blindness skill set. Seeing the fantastic improvements in my students thus far has been a treat, and I look forward to seeing them grow even more over the remaining time they have here.

Post summer I start work for the Colorado Center for the Blind as an adaptive technology instructor. I am eagerly anticipating the work of assisting my students with their independence in adaptive technology. The job will be a complete 180 from my soul killing work with the IRS. Here I will provide a needed service, and one that presumably the student wants, as opposed to dealing with me only because they have absolutely no other choice. Additionally, as mentioned above I enjoy this type of work, so I think it will be a great match.

Memorial Day

In honor of Memorial Day I wanted to share the article below.

Former Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC, wrote of Memorial Day "As a crowd of high-school students offloaded from the tour bus for a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial aka 'The Wall,' he yelled, 'There are no good wars!' ... He held a sheet of cardboard, hand-inscribed with the words 'I'm the 99 percent' on one side and 'Help me, I'm Homeless' on the other. ... "'The Wall' is like that. The V-shaped black granite panels with 58,282 names inscribed upon them attract visitors like no other place in our nation's capital. ... "[T]his year, our countrymen who pause from travel, shopping, sporting events and auto races on the last Monday in May will see a very different observance: the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War. "For the 2.7 million Americans who fought for our nation in Southeast Asia, the Gold Star families who lost loved ones there and those who still yearn to know what happened to the 1,350 who still are unaccounted for, Monday's ceremony is a long-awaited requital for unacknowledged sacrifice. It's an overdue but welcome event. "What is less certain is whether this commemoration finally can bring closure to the most polarizing armed conflict for Americans since the Civil War. Will it end the false mythology of the Vietnam vet as a pothead marauder, a homeless, unemployed dropout who couldn't fit in after coming home? "The Occupy protester I confronted on my way to 'The Wall' this week probably won't be convinced by this single ceremony. It's unlikely he ever will grasp the innate decency, unstinting perseverance, quiet courage and true humility of those whose names are engraved on those black granite panels. There are no good wars. But there are good warriors. ... "Like most Vietnam War veterans, they still are giving more than they ever asked in return. They aren't dropouts. They are American heroes -- and I'm blessed to call them friends."

Sage on the Stage?

The below is from the Patriot Post. I found the PC insanity amusing enough that I had to share. Talk about tollerent.

A North Carolina teacher has been suspended with pay after she flew off the handle when, during a discussion about Mitt Romney's alleged high-school bullying, a student pointed out that Barack Obama had admitted to bullying someone in high school, too. Telling the student that he "will not disrespect the president of the United States in this classroom," the teacher launched into an angry diatribe, going so far as to claim that people were arrested for criticizing President George W. Bush. (If that were the case, undoubtedly the vast majority of the media would have mug shots on file.) In response, the student accurately noted that criticism alone isn't grounds for arrest. We're not sure what's worse: that a social studies teacher understands constitutional liberties less than her student; that the teacher spun high tales of arrested Bush-era discontents; or that the taxpayers of North Carolina are still paying her salary.

The Power of Braille

This outstanding article sums up well my thoughts on Braille and its importance.

Being the Tech God I am (Drop Box and Hey Tell not withstanding) I still believe that Braille is vital to be literate and involved in today's society. Spelling and formatting errors do not add to a positive image of blind people.

I only hope that with falling prices for Braille displays (Perkins is doing a bang up job on this with their displays) this tool for literacy will become more widely available.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the below requests from VOM.

"Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness." - Andrew Murray"praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:18 VOM-USA Prayer Update for May 11, 2012 On Thu. May 10 2012 at 08:10 AM Moderator wrote: Mauritania --Muslims Demand Investigation of ChristiansSource: VOM Contacts Psalm 36:10-12 Muslim protesters in Mauritania have called on the government to investigate all Christians in the country, claiming that Christians were involved in the burning of a Quran after Islamic prayers on Friday, April 27. The protesters said other Islamic books were burned on the same day and that many copies of the gospel were distributed, insinuating that Christians had some part in what they consider one of the worst offenses possible. The protesters called on the government to investigate Christians to determine their part in the event and, if found guilty, to punish them. Desecrating a Quran is punishable by life in prison or even death in some Islamic countries. Our VOM contact in Mauritania asks that we pray for Christians there. Pakistan --Families Turn to Christ Through Evangelist’s WitnessSource: VOM Contacts Acts 16:30-31 A VOM-supported evangelist in Pakistan has requested prayer for several people who have recently shown interest in the gospel. The evangelist, “Sam,” had been praying for his good friend Hadi for many months, but they had never spoken about Christ. A few days ago, Hadi asked for a copy of the New Testament. He has been reading it, and Sam asks that we pray for Hadi’s salvation. Recently, Sam was invited to pray for a girl who has chronic kidney pain. After Sam prayed for her in her home, the pain suddenly left. Her whole family was amazed and asked how this was possible. Sam told them, “Everything is possible in the Lord Jesus Christ.” The whole family decided to become followers of Jesus. Several Sundays ago, Sam preached in a church service. Afterward a man confessed to him that he was feeling suicidal. His family was pressuring him to divorce his wife because they had no children. After talking with Sam and praying with his family, the whole family gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Pray for the two families that have turned to Christ, and pray that Hadi will also come to know him. Nigeria --Worshipers Killed in Three AttacksSources: VOM Contacts, AFP, Release International 2 Corinthians 5:18 About 30 Christians were killed last week when suspected Islamic extremists attacked three church services in two states. Attackers armed with guns and bombs opened fire on two church services at a Nigerian university on Sunday, April 29. Worshipers reportedly were gunned down as they fled, and at least 26 people were killed. Meanwhile, in Forno state, gunmen attacked and killed Rev. Albert Naga and three church elders during a Communion service at the Church in Christ in Nigeria, in Simari. Although no group has claimed responsibility, the attacks are similar to previous attacks by the Islamist group Boko Haram. Pray for Christians in northern Nigeria. In the last few months, attacks on churches, Christian neighborhoods and villages have been relentless. Pray for a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. Philippines VOM ProjectPray for those involved in the production, printing and distribution of Hearts of Fire in the Cebuano language. Pray also that the pastors, leaders and Christians who receive the book will be encouraged to be bold in their faith.*************•

From the Mouths of Babes

How true. LITTLEGIRL ON A PLANE An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with yourfellow passenger." The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?" "Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly. "OK," she said. "Those could beinteresting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?" The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea." To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death, when you don't know shit?" And then she went back to reading her book.

The Life of Julia

From the Patriot Post. The general outline of the life of Julia is depressing in general, and all too true for the blind in particular. Oh to be taken off the government tit and be a useful member of society.

Obama's 'The Life of Julia' "Barack Obama has a new composite girlfriend, and her name is Julia. Her story is told in an interactive feature titled 'The Life of Julia' on the Obama campaign website. ... As a toddler, she's in a head-start program. Skip ahead to 17, and she's enrolled at a Race to the Top high school. Her 20s are very active: She gets surgery and free birth control through ObamaCare regulations, files a lawsuit under the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and pays off her student loans at a low interest rate. We get updates at age 31, 37 and 42 -- and then the narrative skips ahead 23 years when she enrolls in Medicare. Two years later, she's on Social Security, at which point she can die at any time. ... [N]othing happens to Julia between 42 and 65. That period includes the typical peak earning years -- the time at which, assuming Julia is gainfully employed, she will be paying the biggest price for 'Obama's' generosity. ... The most shocking bit of the Obama story is that Julia apparently never marries. She simply 'decides' to have a baby, and Obama uses other people's money to help her take care of it. ... In 1999 Lionel Tiger coined the word 'bureaugamy' to refer to the relationship between officially impoverished mothers of illegitimate children and the government. 'The Life of Julia' is an insidious attack on the institution of the family, an endorsement of bureaugamy even for middle-class women." --Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto "Alas, Team Obama has omitted a few milestones from the life of Julia." --National Review's Kevin D. Williamson, who has them covered here . What do you think the "life of Julia" should really look like? For the Record "I don't know what's creepier. The idea that Julia owes her entire life to government beneficence -- or that Barack Obama is an integral part Julia's life from the time she's a small child until at least age 42. ... And then there are the inconvenient facts. Like the fact that Head Start has demonstrated no useful improvement in a child's educational future. The fact that our public schools have become an international embarrassment. The fact that Obamacare may be declared un-Constitutional, or the fact that this administration has a miserable record of job creation -- or the fact that funds underwriting Julia's retirement and medical expenses won't be there because the trajectory of the Obama administration's current spending habits leads inexorably to national bankruptcy. ...