text:
Hello Everyone,
This post is not being done in ASL tonight. I may sign it in a video at a later date, but not now.
First things first. I am happy to be back. I meandered off of my path for a while. Call it cynicism, call it disinvestment of a sort, I'm not 100% sure myself, but I do know it was a mix of a number of things. I believe the catch-all, one word description is 'rut'. I have been in a long rut. I owe the timing of this return to two recent things. First, the website, si5s.org, is finally moving forward. Click the link to see what I mean. Second, in response to my enthusiasm about the first event, someone told me today that they miss my writing and want to read more. Do I really need further motivation? Not likely. So thanks are in order to Robert Augustus, for the drive to make si5s an integral part of Deaf culture, and to Dianne, you may only be one of a handful who regularly read these posts, but what you said earlier was taken to heart.
So this post is a response to Erik Witteborg, who suggested a 'writing prompt'. He's good like that. This one made me think, and even now I don't fully know what I'm about to say. His prompt was this - If you can go back in time to meet your 10 year old CODA self, what advice would you give? This response should just be what it is. No conscious effort to be funny or serious. Thinking back to when I was 10, my parents reluctantly had to move to a town almost a two hour drive away from home. My father had landed a new job in the "Big City" of Bangor, Maine, so they sold the house and we moved. We eventually moved into an apartment complex, but first spent 6 long and grueling months with my mother's parents. The tension in the house was never lost on me. Worse than that, the town was considerably larger, and I had no friends there. This is the me that I would advise, so here goes.
Hey kid,
It's ok. Things look like shit right now, but it's ok. The first thing I want you to know is that it's ok to not want to be your parents interpreter. They don't like putting you in that position either, even if it seems like they just expect you to do it. Nevermind their friends who always tell you that you should grow up to be an interpreter. That's crap. Do what makes you happy. Mom and Dad will always be proud of that, and that's ok.
Second, don't stress out too much about the other kids at school. You know most of them won't even try to understand what having Deaf parents is like, and you DO know they will all ask you ridiculous questions about it. You can't hide it, and you may as well be straight with them. Don't forget to show your pride in them and in yourself. You don't know it now, but later you will begin to meet so many people with parents like yours, far many more than the ones you know now. You will call yourselves CODAs. I'm pretty sure many of them are calling themselves that now. Wear it like a badge, for it is you. It's ok to show them.
Third, don't back down when something needs to be said. You're gonna be great at this anyway, but don't hold back either way. Please do your best to remember to think about all sides of the situation. Family IS wrong for how they put Dad down, but someday they'll kind of get it, and that will be because you DIDN'T back down. It's ok, no matter how angry you get. Respect will come in the end. It's still ok.
Last, stop feeling guilty. You will take advantage of situations because you haven't found yourself yet. When you do, remember that was part of the process. Know that Mom and Dad understand this and won't hold a grudge. It's what kids do. Don't let that guilt remain there, even after Dad leaves this world. You don't need to tell him you're sorry. He gets it. He's proud of you no matter what because he believes in you. It's his legacy to you and when you're a man you keep that close to your heart instead of the guilt. Honor the legacy. Teach the world who Deaf people are, through you. The best thing you can do is leave this world better than you find it, and let's be honest, we've seen more than our fair share of shit. Way more. Honor the legacy and help clean it up. Teach the world, and they will begin to clean it up, too. Make it better for future generations. Believe you will see him again, and you will. You will see how proud he really is. Trust me, it's ok. It will always be ok.
Well, there it is... and it's ok.
Until next time,
The Fraser File
About Me
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Pride - an ASL Version
Hello everyone,
This is an ASL version of the English poem "Pride" from my eBook "Shadow Boxer & Other Poems". It's a look at a real relationship between a CODA and his deceased father. Please do not look at this ASL version as poetry. It really didn't come out that way at all. It's more like the ASL/Deaf version of spoken word or prose, and quite honestly, I'm not 100% sure how to define it myself. With that said, let's just say "it is what it is". If after viewing this you would like to read the English version, please refer to the 'My eBooks' tab at the top of the page. You can find the link to the book from there, and it is a free download. I hope you enjoy the video, and forgive my near 2 month absence from this blog (assuming any of you still check in, haha).
This is an ASL version of the English poem "Pride" from my eBook "Shadow Boxer & Other Poems". It's a look at a real relationship between a CODA and his deceased father. Please do not look at this ASL version as poetry. It really didn't come out that way at all. It's more like the ASL/Deaf version of spoken word or prose, and quite honestly, I'm not 100% sure how to define it myself. With that said, let's just say "it is what it is". If after viewing this you would like to read the English version, please refer to the 'My eBooks' tab at the top of the page. You can find the link to the book from there, and it is a free download. I hope you enjoy the video, and forgive my near 2 month absence from this blog (assuming any of you still check in, haha).
Until next time,
American Sign Language,
Deaf community,
Deaf Culture,
Deaf Family,
Shadow Boxer
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Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Thank You Keith and Wink, New AFF Member
Hello Everyone and welcome,
Today I want to announce something. You know my roster? Really there's only one name on the AFF roster. Today I get to announce there's a new name to add to it. Her name is Norma Boots. She provided the subject for my previous post. She had been reading a book when she came upon a comment the author wrote that was negative toward deafness. She looked up the author's contact information and sent her a direct email. The author responded, becoming a discussion. Norma stayed strong and positive and did a lot to help the author understand Deaf culture. That's the point of the AFF - to help eradicate Audism - that.
So the two of then discussed what name she wanted. My name is the CODA Kidd, with 2 d's, because it looks more like a wrestler's name. So we both thought on it and came up with ideas, but when we shared them we didn't like them. So we did it again and man, what a waste. Finally, she had come up with one. She is the "Paladin of Justice", but I prefer to sign "Justice" like this (the sign for equality as opposed to the one that relates to "court"). That's cool! Her name is The Paladin of Justice! Yeah! So now it can be added to the roster, meaning there are now two people. I'm waiting for more, so who's out there? Come on, I'm ready!
Recently my wife and I went to Brewer, Maine, for the Keith Wann and Wink show. I bought tickets for myself, my wife, niece, sister, (my mother), and my aunt. She is very special to me. Both of my parents are Deaf. No one on my mother's side of the family ever really signed, and it was the same for my father's side of the family, with one exception - his sister (my aunt). My father was the oldest of his siblings while my aunt was the youngest. There's about 15 years separating them. So when she was a kid, somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, my father taught her ASL. He would show her the alphabet and some signs. She started to pick it up, and then just took off with it. That's what makes her unique in their family - she is the only one who signed. Very nice. So we brought everyone to the show.
The first performance was the comedy show, which was Wink followed by Keith. It's such a good experience, but I had seen the same show twice before in Boston and New Hampshire. Despite that, the show was still awesome. Anyways, during the break we looked around at the school the show was held in. It's an elementary/middle school. The same aunt I just mentioned works there, and has her classroom upstairs on the second floor. She's the special ed teacher, so it was cool to have her show us her room and the upstairs.
When we came back down, I noticed my mother hanging around and chatting with the other Deaf people there. It was a very good time. It was so nice to see everybody, so many old faces I remember, but I couldn't recall most of their names. It's the CODA curse, maybe (what do you think?) because when you're a little kid at the Deaf Club meetings with your family and you see all of the adults, and play with all the other CODA children, you get to know their faces, all of them - strong remember. But names? My god, I was just a little kid. I didn't remember any names because no one ever spoke them. You can't pick it up if it's not mentioned - but their faces? Oh yes they're etched in my brain. It was really nice to see so many people.
Keith's comedy performance was the same routine until the very end, where he added a sort of "thank you" to everyone who came. He wanted to show everyone, it's hard to explain, really. It was beautiful of course, and it bent my heart. To be honest, it did draw a tear from my eye, but it's ok, I am still a man here, alright? He performed a song and I don't know its name, but it sounded a lot like country. The words on their own were very powerful, about each person having a candle representing their spirit, and how we should be responsible for finding those whose candles are out, go to them and help them by showing our own light, in hopes theirs will ignite. It was really how he signed it and told the story, though. It was so powerful to see this on stage and realize it was just like watching a music video, like the ones you see on MTV or other stations. When you watch a video, it has its story in English words, but the video itself tells a story, too, just like a movie does. Keith's performance was just like that - a music video.
I just sat there, jaw on the floor in awe of what I was seeing. So Keith, I just want to say "thank you". That performance really touched my heart, and that was a wonderful experience, so thank you.
Afterwards was the second performance by Wink, entitled "My Father's Gift". It wasn't really a comedy, but a more serious look at his parents, who are Deaf. It was really interesting to see at the beginning of his performance how he explained his parents' backgrounds growing up (the family dynamic, what kinds of schools they went to, etc). I noticed it was very similar to my family. His father and mine both went to schools for the Deaf when they were 5 years old, so they got to be around other deaf children the entire time, signed, and interacted. The contrast was interesting to see that his mother and my own, when they were of age for school, were both sent to public schools by their own parents, with nothing more than some hearing aids and a push out the door with the hopes they would learn to speak. I'm pretty sure Wink's mom was in the public school system through graduation. My mother was in public school until about 12 or 13 years old. Her parents noted that her improvement was insignificant, so they felt it was perhaps best to send her to a school or the deaf, and she finally got to go. To see how their stories were similar was really cool, and helped me to relate even more.
He told the story of how his parents had met, how his father had fallen in love with her, and that was a beautiful story. Later on they had a baby girl (Wink's older sister). Wink was the second child. In his performance he became both of his parents. The story truly broke my heart, but knowing how he survived, well, I have to say that his story, compared to Keith's ASL song, it's like this. Keith's brought a tear to my eye. However, Wink's story had me removing my glasses to wipe the many tears from my face and looking around to make sure no one saw me. That.
The story was so powerful, seeing those Deaf have so much inner strength, love and everything else you could mention. It was during that time (part of the story) that his father's strength was the solitary reason for Wink being born. Now as an adult this is how Wink thanks him. It really is his father's gift.
I want to sum up here. Keith's performance really touched my heart. Wink's was so powerful, not only did it touch my heart, but at the same time, it ripped it open, and then healed it to be even stronger because of what happened in that story. His father's strength, the love for his family, for his wife, that whole thing - wow - that - really made me feel inspired. It's really a wonderful story about "Deaf Can", "Deaf Strong", and "Do Deaf Need Hearing People? No!" That was impressive. We CODAs carry around a "Deaf heart" inside of us, and that story touched mine, making such an impact that it will be in my mind and heart forever. That's what I want to say, to Wink, "Thank you. I want to let you know that seeing your performance, your comedy show, and other experiences I've had with you whether it was the interview or just hanging out, you've left a mark on my life, and that's a true inspiration for me. Thank you. To Keith, thank you as well. Both of you guys are awesome!
So all this rambling about the show and how it affected me by breaking my heart, mending it, yada yada, does have a purpose. I want all of you - those of you who haven't yet seen Wink and Keith perform - to go online, right now. Well that's just dumb of me, you guys are already watching this vlog (or reading this blog). So let's do this. When this video (or blog) is finished, I want you to go to keithwann.com or winkasl.com. It doesn't matter which one you go to, just search their page for a tour schedule. If you find that they are coming to your area, by all means, please, don't be patient, and certainly don't wait. Grab those tickets. Bring your friends and your family, everybody. Bring them all and watch the show. I know your hearts will be impacted the same way mine has been.
Until next time,
Saturday, July 20, 2013
From Ignorance to Audism -- and a New AFF Member!
Hello everyone,
Today's post started with a Facebook message from a fellow CODA by the name of Norma, who has agreed to let me share this experience with you. Here is her initial message:
Hi Fraser!!! How are you??? Sorry to bother you, I know you're a busy guy, but I think I need your input on something. I was reading a book and twice the term "deaf and dumb" was used. Not as a reference to a Deaf person, but referring to an emotional state (rendered deaf and dumb). Even though I knew what the author meant, it still bothered me. (The book was published last year, and the setting is modern day-cell phones, tablet computers, etc). Then I find out the author has a child that wears hearing aids, so now I'm even more stunned she would use that term---even in an emotional context…Am I over reacting???
My response was a follows:
nope, not at all. I'm offended by that. Its likely that the author meant it in the same vein as someone using the word "retarded" to describe an idiot. However, the fact this author has a hard of hearing child may suggest they are straight up oralist. Its a likely dynamic with a HoH child, even more so than with a deaf child. I think it stuns most of us who have a clue about Deaf, because we have a clue about Deaf. I think our problem is that sometimes we don't remember that most people out there don't have any experience with Deaf, and when we see that they might have had some and still say things like that, it seems to us to be unfathomable. Either way, it's Audism, and how offended you are should be influenced by whether it was inherently hateful or just said out of a lack of awareness and sensitivity. Do you mind if I use this in a blog post?
Norma later filled me in a bit more about the details of this incident that I would like to share with you, so here you go:
Here's part of the sentence I read in the book "…was on the verge of being rendered deaf and dumb by the paralyzing…" It definitely triggered something in me, even in that context. I contacted the author thru her website. I wanted to take the opportunity to share Deaf awareness and educate her on audism. We exchanged several emails (that's how I found out about one of her kids has 30% hearing, and I too picked up on the vibe that she's probably raising the child orally). She was extremely sweet and kind, she apologized profusely from the bottom of her heart, she agreed with all of my viewpoints, she does NOT believe deaf=dumb.... she talks about being in the head of this particular character. In one of her emails she said "I agree, I think there are certain words or sayings that trigger certain responses in everyone. And you are right, the term "deaf and dumb" does not bother me – in the context in which I meant it. I can absolutely see it coming across as something else, which I promise you, I didn't mean. Yes, I would completely take offense if the words were used together to describe a deaf person as being dumb. I took a step back when you emailed and completely understood how that would sound if you weren't right there in my head witnessing how I felt Tag was feeling. He was completely overwhelmed which affected his cognitive abilities because of his reaction. Like I said, I completely understand…
smh, WHAT!!!! I was blown away by this, but at the same time this was the email from her that finally put the puzzle pieces together for me. You said "Its likely that the author meant it in the same vein as someone using the word "retarded" to describe an idiot" …that makes sense to me. The conclusion I came up with was she's comparing the traits of an overwhelmed hearing person to the traits of a deaf and dumb person. In my last email to her I stated this to her and attached the following two pics…she has not replied back to me. HA!! If you are ok with this and think it's appropriate, I would love to send her your blog when you finish it. I told her (twice), that I was anxious to discuss this topic with other Codas.
Looking foward to your thoughts on this!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!
Again, my response:
oh wow, it's mainly out of ignorance, but also carries little regard to how offensive it can truly be. It's a typical reaction to first finding out you offended someone, or a group of people, I think.... Thank you for this Norma, this is awesome stuff, and kudos to you on confronting her in a non offensive way. That takes a lot of guts, and it hopefully plants a seed in her mind the next time she intends to use that phrase...
Norma's next email to me was this:
"kudos to you on confronting her in a non offensive way. That takes a lot of guts"…hahaha, actually it's the exact opposite for me, I fear confrontations!!! and I was totally shocked when she replied to me, I honestly thought my email would just sit somewhere or get deleted. My goal was to try to get her in a calm and respectful discussion and fortunately she responded the same way. She has absolutely no control over how I react to words in her book, that's on me. Does that make sense???? I was trying to figure out why this was a trigger for me, and she helped me figure it out, even though I don't think she liked my results. *smile* I want to share some more of her words with you.
"… I want to clarify something. These words in my term do not go together as in deaf = dumb, but rather their senses were completely overwhelmed…I completely understand your response to the terminology and I want to apologize if in any way it was expressed that the two words related to one another. I definitely agree with your entire email and I apologize from the bottom of my heart if you believe I was referring to the hearing impaired in a negative way. I assure you that I was not. Thank you so much for taking the time to send me the email…
Thank you Fraser for validating my feelings. It makes me feel better. Not sure if offended is the right word for me personally, but I'm sad that she doesn't "get it", or maybe she does now, and that's why she hasn't replied back to me. I hope the pics I sent her didn't offend her; I chose them very carefully for a reason. I wanted to show her the Deaf part in me. The word "peace" for her- regardless of our difference of opinion, and the robot for her child. Surely, even oralists can't be offended by the ILY handshape, right??!!
My response to this:
true, but she may only be an unwitting oralist (she is and she doesn't know it). Either way, it does boil the whole thing down to ignorance a lack of awareness, and thats enough for me to blog about. I put her in the category of people who would likely benefit from Deaf awareness education, and not just a hateful person who will never get it....
To sum this up, ignorance leads to not so good things. In this case, it led to Audism, and Norma spoke out against it. I am proud of her for doing so. I know many CODAs who spend their entire lives frustrated with all the hearing people that ask the same questions and make the same comments over and over about being Deaf, sign language, etc. It's tedious for most of us, I think. I know it certainly has been for me, and thankfully ELF tends to take up the rebuttal (if you will) when I am asked those things now. That's her contribution to helping end Audism. It's too frustrating for me to go that route at times, but I find it much easier to talk about in these blog posts.
I believe we all (Deaf, CODAs, Interpreters) have a responsibility to educate and spread awareness about Audism, and what it means to be Deaf. There are plenty of ways to do so that all vary in the amount of involvement. Norma, for example, chose to confront the author of the book she'd read. I write blogs. Many interpreters do answer questions from hearing people regarding Deaf culture. Many Deaf people are politically active, or perform for hearing audiences about their lives and their observances. Some of us just perform what we think is entertaining, and through that the world gets to see how normal and equal Deaf people truly are.
My point is this -- I don't mean that all of us as CODAs need to do these great big things in order to achieve this, but I want all of you reading this to understand that if you do feel a responsibility to do something, please find an avenue to do so which works for you, no matter how little or how great the amount of your life you give to it. It's how we can give back to our parents, and help squash out most of the ignorance that leads to Audism.
Norma, here's to you and your effort! Cheers!
Until next time,
P. S., I need to add one more thing. Norma, you saw an incidence of Audism and you went right and challenged that person. Wow that was brave! You know what you did means? Yea, you've become an Audism fighter! So now you can join the roster. Just so you know, you can come up with your own name, you know, like a good nickname, kind of like a wrestling name. You think about it and let me know, and I'll add it to the blog roster. Congratulations, and thank you!
ASL (American Sign Language),
Audism Fighting Federation,
Culturally Deaf,
Deaf community,
Deaf Culture,
Deaf Family,
heightened social awareness
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Sunday, July 7, 2013
R. M. Interviews Wink (Windell Smith, Jr.)
For the ASL version of this post, click here
Hello all and welcome!
This post is my interview with Wink (Windell Smith, Jr.). I just want to say to you all that being able to interview Wink was quite an honor for me. He's a very kind man with a ton of great ideas. He's done so much work with ASL, interpreting (for the Deaf), and sharing his stories about growing up CODA. It's amazing and he's such a powerful performer.
Well that's all I had to say, so enjoy the interview. Here we go!
RM: Hello. My name is R. M. Fraser, and this is Wink. Maybe you know him from his website winkasl.com. Hello, Wink.
Wink: Hello everyone.
RM: So my first question. So I'm a CODA and I've always been fascinated by other CODAs family dynamics related to language. For example, in my family, my father was very strong and pure ASL, while my mother follows more old-fashioned signed English. It was an odd linguistic mix for me growing up. I'm curious about your experience. What are your parents like?
Wink: It's really interesting that you took in both ASL and English. Growing up in my family, ASL was my father's thing. It was taught at the school for the deaf where he grew up. My mother grew up with an oral background in a mainstream program. Sometime after they (my parents) were married, she was involved in an accident. She lost everything upstairs and had to relearn. She mixed ASL and English. I was very close to my father. I left school in 2nd grade and was home schooled from there. When I grew up, I was with my father at his handyman business. I would be there, and just pay attention to his language. He would always explain how to fix things. He used a lot of classifiers and I took all that in. I never really got the hang of fixing things and that stuff, but I saw and was constantly exposed to that language. From my exposure, I incorporated his way of using classifiers and handshapes, etc, and that's what comes out of me.
RM: You do "Winkshops", you perform, and other things. How long have you been doing this?
Wink: Aaaahh. I've been teaching workshops for about four or five years, and I've been performing for about three or four years, too. The workshops did happen first before the performing.
RM: Since you've been performing, with all the humor in your stories, and I'm sure these are real life experiences, or at least in part.
Wink: Well, yes, but in my comedy show I tend to take what happened and tweak the whole thing. For example, the stories I perform in my comedy show about my father, the story about 'red', my father DID say that to me about the SEE sign 'red'. He DID bang pots and pans and made a lot of noise to to annoy me. But him knocking the door off its hinges and pushing me out of the way DIDN'T which I think the average person can assume which parts are my imagination and fiction. I like to look at these situations and be more creative with the ASL. As for the dramatic performances I do, they are 100% true, but the time frame spans a few decades, I mean, from 1980 something -- well, really it begins when my parents were born right up until more present day. I have to condense all that into a two hour show. So I'll take things from different times and combine them into one. So everything is real, but the delivery isn't exactly chronological it's condense to present the feeling, but it's still honest.
RM: So some experiences may be mixed up. When you think back on growing up, what was the funniest thing that happened that you haven't shared with the audience?
Wink: Umm (long pause), I think of one of the interesting things with my father. He was always very honest with me. My parents were open socially, and always discussed things in front of me, even at age 8! I mean, why? As far as remembering specific stories, well, not really, but I always remember their honesty. They were so open, and if I had a question, they would always answer. They were never vague about anything, Sometimes they were too blunt, and at 8 years old that would kind of confuse me, but it's interesting, anyway.
RM: So you've made DVDs that relate to your "Winkshops", right? And it's really for developing ASL and a bunch of other things. I'm curious because I work in deaf education, and I have been through bilingual education training and I've learned that some really good theories involved with education for deaf children involve a media room, with a camera that can record their expressive (language) and make it 'static', so they can watch it repetitively. So I'm curious, how do you feel about its importance to deaf education?
Wink: Do you mean its importance for... what do you mean?
RM: Media use and its importance for deaf education.
Wink: Oh yes. Media, wow. Well, deaf education aside, in general education, media has failed because of old practices from the 1900s that continue today. It really hasn't grabbed a hold of media yet. And this ASL group hasn't either. Honestly, they're still teaching ASL through books, which is stupid. There needs to be an increase of media when teaching deaf children so it can be seen in 3D instead of on paper. When they (student) don't understand, it can be modeled. No doubt in how media could really improve this. My company, Winkshop, we focus on that, how to deliver it to Deaf, and hearing people learning ASL. Those two things are very important.
RM: So "Winkshops", do you have a sign for that?
Wink: No, I just tend to spell Wink -- (RM: That's ok, its fine) But really the company is named Wink, and its funny because my name is WInk, I guess it's one entity to me, or that is how I see it.
RM: So do "Winkshops" really only focus on interpreting, or do you get into more than that?
Wink: Well, as I just mentioned, the Winkshop company and I are one in the same. I have many goals and that's why I set this company up. The reason is that I can't be the one to address all those goals alone. It's impossible. There's not enough time, and someday I will die. So I brought people into the company so it can continue in the event of my passing. I've communicated this to them, what to do, etc. So it's not only geared for hearing people, but in general, too, for Deaf, deaf education, deaf children, Deaf adults in all sorts of genres as well, entertainment, educational, etc. I really go in-depth on all of these goals. In a few months, there will be a broader approach of a new industry that hasn't really been tapped yet that focuses on Deaf in general. I can't discuss it yet, but that's why I set up this company, so that we can do all these things, and if we can, I want to do it all in one place.
RM: That would be nice to see, for sure.
I saw you perform before in Boston. I really enjoyed it, and felt like I laughed through it nonstop. My belly couldn't catch a break, but the amount of humor you put into your experiences for the audience, how important is that? (Wink: involve what?) To involve humor in your performances.
Wink: Umm... I feel humor is quite powerful. You can say something that's powerful, but if you add humor to it, it goes to the back of your head while you're laughing and lingers there for a while and becomes something more that you analyze and try to derive other meanings from it, which is interesting. So, if I can convey something to others that is important and they can grasp, and add that humor in it that makes them laugh, it'll stick and they'll really get the message later on. So they're willing to accept it at first, and later on really get its full meaning.
RM: I'm curious. How did you meet Keith (Wann)? How did that happen?
Wink: I forget the name of the strip club, no... We didn't meet as "performers" He was well established as a performer before we met. I was just starting out as a dramatic/comedy performer with my one man show, I have also been a workshop presenter prior to that. Keith saw me from some of the stuff I put up on YouTube and of course we all know his stuff on YouTube. But how we first "met" was back when I was a director of outreach for a sign language interpreting agency. We reached out to Keith's company at the time "CallVRS" in regards to a few business propositions between companies and a non-profit, we didn't discuss performing at the time. Keith and I were involved with lots of organizations and projects and always found excuses to incorporate one another in the projects which he was gracious enough to always agree to. Eventually Keith asked "Hey you have been doing this drama stuff for awhile, you ever think about doing comedy?" I didn't really know how to answer, but then in his very nonchalant way, "Come out next month with some material for a show." By that time I have learned to just accept and take the offer regardless, just take it! So I went and did a short set of 10 minutes and was off the stage before I knew it. However, one unkind thing Keith did to me was he assembled a powerhouse performance group of Himself, Crom Saunders, and The Peter Cook, he put me after Peter which made me wet my pants because he is just amazing! Wasn't fun going after somebody who brought the house down, so I half expected everyone to go to the bathroom during my anemic set. However, one thing I must say is that Keith Wann is incredibly supportive! He's always on the look out for new young performers (I mean as in up and coming) and those that are willing to be apart of the group he will be their first and biggest fan and will show you where you need to go and even work on your bits with you. There are a scat few performers out there with the generosity to do that.
RM: For yourself, when you look into the future, do you see yourself continuing this work or do you want a change? You said that you want to add more to Winkshop to focus on other goals, but do you think you'll continue to perform?
Wink: I feel I'll always go on with performing because I enjoy it so much, I know when I get up on stage there will be someone in the audience who will be impacted, and that's important to me. I also enjoy creating jokes and seeing how, why, and why not it may work and plow through that and break it down mentally, I love that process. So I think that'll continue, and the business will expand, so it'll be those two things.
RM: So where can people find you on the web? Where can they find your website> This is your time for shameless self promotion, so go ahead.
Wink: My website is WinkASL.com. You can find me on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, email. It's all there on WinkASL.com. And if you search WinkASL on YouTube, Facebook, etc, you will find me. So I think that's the easiest way to find more information. My website has a newsletter and you can be notified if I come to your area to perform, or do a workshop or whatever. So thanks for watching. Oh, and thank you R. M. Fraser!. It was an honor to be interviewed and have this exchange. I really enjoyed it.
RM: Thank you. I feel honored, too.
Wink: Great Work :)
Until next time,
Deaf community,
Deaf Culture,
Keith Wann,
Windell Smith,
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Saturday, June 15, 2013
"I am CODA, and I Know" Part One
Hello Everyone,
This is the first post in the "I am CODA, and I Know" series. Recently I learned that some people informed Alan Abarbanell, or, Abababa (did I sign that right), that I used his poetry work in my blog. To be honest, I love his poem. He calls it a CODA anthem, and I agree. While my work is titled "I am CODA, and I Know", and his poem is titled "We are Coda, and We Know", I did borrow it because it's perfect. I just wanted to share that with you all. I didn't mean for there to be any commotion about it. To me, it's a sign of respect. So we (Alan and I) discussed it, and he let me know that he is ok with me using his title. I am going to go ahead with this, so Alan "Abababa" Abarbanell, thank you!
Now this blog is focused directly on Noelle's (Campbell) blog post "War With CODAs". I looked it over, thought at length about it, and analyzed it. So now I'm going ahead, and setting this up in point-counterpoint style. Here goes...
(Noelle) "War With CODAs"
I am not deaf. I am not a child of deaf adults (CODA), but most of my experience with CODA's is as a friend of a parent who is deaf. I am generalizing a lot in this article, and it might be more of a rant than actual commentary, so be warned.
Noelle, in this article you say that you make a lot of generalizations, and well, you really do, but it's not necessary. Your warning disclaimer is done in poor taste. When you make an announcement in public like that and then add a disclaimer to it so you can be excused is inexcusable.
From the perspective of a parent, CODAs overwhelmingly come out of childhood as teenagers who want continual sympathy from both the hearing and deaf community.
BS! I myself have never tried to get any pity from either the Deaf or Hearing communities. Now some teenage CODAs will seek that out from the Deaf and hearing, but remember, it's because they are TEENAGERS. It doesn't matter if they are Deaf or hearing, both look to avoid any consequences from their parents or something like that. That generally is not a CODA specific thing.
I have seen teenaged CODAs refuse to sign to their parents in public, which makes communication a pure bitch for someone who can't turn their hearing on and off. I know how hard it is to raise a teenager, I have two that are grown and two well on the way to teenagehood, but CODA's add the additional complication of language barriers.
Huh? What language barriers? Are you referring to refusal to sign in public? Come on! Most teenagers regardless of being Deaf or hearing (or CODA) won't talk to their parents when they are mad at them. That is a tendency of many teenagers. That really isn't a "CODA" thing.
Teenage CODA's to their deaf parents, are EMO without the clothes and make up. Imagine ALL your children walking around in skinny black jeans, black dyed hair, listening to mopey music and putting safety pins in their ears, or eyebrows, etc. That is what a CODA looks like from the perspective of a deaf parent, even if they look and act completely normal to you and me - the hearing people.
In all my experiences being around Deaf parents, none of them have ever complained that their kids were EMO. NEVER. Some of them may even dress up a bit goth in all black, but they don't continually gripe about it. They don't complain about it any more than hearing parents of hearing children who act EMO/goth.
As adults CODA's can be even more annoying. They either make a complete break from Deaf Culture, or become a zealot intent that everyone be as 'immersed' in ASL when learning as they were.
Statement untrue! Did some of us break from Deaf Culture? Sure. Did all of us? No way. And you say that CODAs wish to force everyone to learn ASL through immersion and constant exposure? We as a whole do not say that. I have been teaching ASL to hearing people for 9 years, and yes, I really believe that the best approach to learning ASL, for most people, is through consistent immersion in ASL. But think about that. They are in class once a week for 2 hours at a whack. There needs to be constant signing during those times because hearing people don't necessarily have friends or partners to practice with, so they have little to no opportunity, and therefore it's important that in class this is the focus. But at times some (my students) have needed to use voice because despite all my best efforts to explain things in ASL, some of it still goes over their heads. So I usually hold the last ten minutes or so of class as a "voice on" time to discuss what was confusing them so that they can understand what it means. It helps them moving forward to gain a better understanding and be able to improve their voice off sign. All of us just don't think that way, some (hearing) people need it spoken, too.
When I was learning ASL, it wasn't the CODAs (who could hear and understand me) that taught me, it was the deaf and some very tolerant hearing interpreters. The children of deaf adults often do go into interpreting, though many shun it because they were forced into the position as interpreter for their parents. I understand the later perspective as a hearing wife of a deaf husband. When we go out, I am interpreter.
You need to understand something. Many of us CODAs did feel forced to interpret for our parents, but not just for them. We had to interpret for all the hearing people out there, too. The every day constant of fielding ignorant questions from the hearing can become very frustrating after a while. And with the influence of our Deaf parents' frustrations with hearing people upon us, wow, it is true that some of us CODAs make generalizations and complain about it. I mean, what do you expect? You're upset with CODAs because they refused to teach you sign? You really need to think about your own ignorance and limitations in your lack of understanding CODAs and their backgrounds. Instead of making generalizations of CODAs, why not respect our differences? You don't understand us, so just respect that and leave it be.
In my experience both in and out of the deaf community, CODAs that become interpreters are remarkably intolerant of people who are trying to learn ASL. Because they are so immersed in Deaf Culture they are automatically deferred to on all issues deaf that interpreters don't want to address with the deaf. Here's an example: Kieth Wann is famous in the deaf community as a Comedian. He is a CODA. Recently he engaged in a crusade to stop hearing people (mostly teenagers learning ASL on their own or at school) from posting ASL music videos. Music videos translated into ASL are ADORED by the deaf. Even the bad attempts they will tolerate as a 'good try' because there are so many good ones. He didn't bother to ask his parents if they liked ASL videos - and he doesn't respond to people who disagree with them, he just puts up a straw man argument about how he is trying to preserve the language.
That's funny, because most of the Deaf people I know view amateur posts in ASL (Hey look! I know how to sign!) as a disappointment. Their awkward signing has many mistakes, and other hearing people tune in thinking 'Oh cool! They're signing! I can do that too!', and that it's somehow fluent sign they are seeing. Then they go ahead and copy that, making all the mistakes they just saw and didn't realize. It's not fluent sign. It's spreading incorrect language to more hearing people, and that's not right. Leaving that aside, did you approach Keith Wann yourself and ask him if he ever discussed ASL music videos with his parents? How do you know there wasn't ever a conversation about it? Do you honestly, HONESTLY think the three of them never talked about it? Keith also said that he is trying to keep the language safe, and preserved, and he's right in that. If amateurs keep posting these videos online, more hearing people who are thinking about learning ASL will be looking there, too, thinking these videos are (examples of) fluent sign. They're really watching awkward signing rife with mistakes and grammatical errors, and that's what will spread out amongst the hearing. If that happens, Deaf people will still be alright within their community, but all these hearing people will think they are doing correct ASL when it's really not. I have a suggestion. All the amateur ASL students and beginning signers should have a disclaimer in the video's description and title stating that "I am not a fluent ASL signer. I am a beginner." Let us all know that. That's fair because anything posted on the internet is 'public', meaning all of us should sense an inner responsibility to inform the viewers. Posting these without any disclaimer is irresponsible. So there you go.
All languages evolve - ASL faster than most because it is so young and so heavily influenced by modern culture. You have just as much luck trying to stop it from changing as you do stopping kids from using textspeak in Facebook posts. Instead of encouraging people - as they had in the past when they weren't whiny little man-childs - they belittle their efforts to learn the language.
Again, huh? You think ASL is evolving faster than other languages? How do you know? Do you have any research proving this? That is a biased opinion, and really ignorant to make such a statement in public. And you think that all of us CODAs refuse to encourage hearing people to learn ASL and sign? You really know nothing about us. Most CODAs want hearing to learn ASL because it's more beneficial, far more respectful to our parents, and better communication all around. Plus, we (CODAs) won't feel so (as you put it earlier) 'forced' (to be interpreters).
It isn't as if 'poor language' use is unique to ASL. My Abuelo would get very terse with me for my poor Spanish skills, but he never made fun of my accent or my efforts when I actually used Spanish with him because he wanted me to speak to him in the language he was most comfortable with. This is the problem with CODA's. They aren't 'most' comfortable with ASL, they grew up FORCED to speak it. And I understand, almost universally, at one point or another in their young life, they resented having to use it when it made them stand out. But really, how is this different from being a Muslim who wears a hijab, or a Sikh who wears a turban? How is it different from being black in a white community or white in a black community? Everyone has their burdens, but while a black person might be able to get sympathy from one or the other race he is 'forced' to live in/with, he can rarely get sympathy from both cultures. That isn't true for a CODA.
Honestly, I am 'most' comfortable with ASL over English because it is my first language. I didn't feel forced to learn sign any more than any hearing child feels forced to use the language their hearing parents use. Its a pretty equal scenario. I wasn't FORCED. You can think about it in two different ways. One being 'forced', and one being 'it is what it is'. There is a big difference there. Any time I had to use sign in a situation that put all eyes on me was never an experience I hated, because in every one of those situations my parents were always proud of me. I never resented their pride in me.
I go to a deaf branch of the LDS church because it is easier for my husband to socialize with the deaf and use ASL. I am his interpreter there, but I am also a Sunday School teacher supervising the CODA's in Primary (ages 3-11). When we discussed doing songs in ASL for a program so the deaf parents could understand, the interpreter brought up a concern that the CODA's don't like being put in a position where they HAVE TO sign. I countered with "so what?" The hearing kids don't like to be put in a position where they have to sing for parents. I made the case that the program wasn't being put on for the kids, it was for the parents to see how much the kids had learned, and the deaf parents wouldn't know how much they had learned if they refused to sign it.
Whoa, first off, if the interpreter that said that to you is a CODA, then fine. If that interpreter isn't a CODA then they have no experience or background with it, making them just as clueless as you are. Are you really taking their word for it? That's a bit messed up. It's true that most people, regardless of being hearing, Deaf, or CODA, don't like being 'forced' to do anything. It's natural. It goes back to my previous point, so let me elaborate some more. When I was in 4th grade, my school was putting together a show for all the parents to come and see. I was to stand on stage and sign two of the songs. Whew! At that time, my family had just moved to town, so the school was only few months old to me, and I hadn't made many friends yet, just one or two. There was a part of me that was uncomfortable having to do this and hated the idea. (That part of me) didn't want to do it. But did I have any resentment or regret for doing it? No. I saw my parents watching me sign away on stage and I could see the pride in their faces. That was a really positive experience because it really built my character.
The interpreter wasn't a CODA, but being a terp, she knew all the sad sob stories of CODA's. Every kid has a sob story. I bet even Donald Trumps pampered princess could tell us some sob stories that would evoke the utmost sympathy from us.
Come on! These repeated generalizations are so ridiculous and unnecessary!
If our goal in life is to get sympathy, no one has it down better than CODA's. But if the point of life is to learn, grow and move on from your experiences, then many CODA's have some serious growing up to do. In the end, my experiences have shown that CODA's (even my own who act decidedly CODA when I'm not around or when they think I'm not around) are just as troublesome, beautiful, heart-wrenching and redeemable as any child. It's just trying to get through those struggles with them (or watching them happen to friends) that's the hard part.
Again, I'll go back to my previous point. I didn't hate doing these things, and I never sought sympathy from anyone while growing up. I'm very proud to be a CODA. If there's one thing I've learned form my experience growing up it was this: the thoughts and opinions of all you bigots out there don't really matter. It's nothing I really need to see again and again.
You said that if the goal of life is to learn, grow and move on from our experiences, well then, that is just good advice. It really is. Perhaps you should follow it yourself. Your making these generalized comments (about CODAs) in a public forum. Think about what's happening. You have a responsibility, too. Your statements ARE your responsibility. Do you remember a man from decades ago called Jimmy the Greek? Well, instead of me taking time to explain who he was, you can Google it yourself, then you'll understand what I mean.
Until next time,
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Response to "War with CODAs", at Least the Beginning, Anyway...
Hello everyone,
Recently my attention has been on an ongoing issue. I want to respond to it, but I need to take time and think about how I should respond. A little while ago, on Facebook, someone in my circle of friends posted a link to a blog post. The woman who wrote it is hearing and is married to a deaf-blind man. The post is titled "War with CODAs". When I saw that, I thought to myself, "War with CODAs? Who am I at war with?"
I admit it's true that I have an agenda because one of my goals is to help hearing people with no Deaf experience understand what Deaf people are like, how they live, and what struggles they go through. What I hope is that they will develop a measure of respect that will change their perspective, and maybe that will help reduce Audism. So maybe I do have some adversaries worthy of going to war with, but I really don't feel that way.
"War with CODAs" was written last year. However, it's only been recently that people have really taken notice of it. I saw many responses posted by CODAs who were irate at being insulted in this way. I don't feel any different about it myself. I am a CODA, and I was insulted, too. I don't want to yell at this person, and I want to be fair, so I thought about what I should do. After reading the post again I wondered if she had other posts related to Deaf and/or CODAs. So I checked through the blog and I found quite a few. I read them all. And I noticed something common popping up in every post.
I feel like her attitude, after reading her commentary, shows that she doesn't really understand Deaf culture. She's really ignorant of this. Some of the other comments made me feel as though she is a deep-rooted Audist. You know, sometimes it's not so easy to separate Audism from ignorance, but I will give it a try.
So my plan is to start at the beginning of this with the "War with CODAs" post and evaluate it. I will discuss those comments that exemplify her ignorance and Audist attitude. From there I will move on to the next post, and the next one, in chronological order, and do the same type of evaluating. I'm going to call this series "I am CODA, and I Know". I don't say this to mean "Hey! Look at me, a CODA who knows everything!" My point is to use my experience growing up in two worlds, hearing and Deaf. The cultures are different, but I am involved in both of them. I am going to use this unique experience as my viewpoint, but do so in an objective manner.
One thing I do want to say to the woman who wrote the post is this; "Just so you know, I read your blog posts, and noted how many times you said things like 'I'm just ranting', or 'I'm just expressing my opinions', or even 'My blog only has like 40 followers, so really not very many people read this, it's no big deal.' That's ok, I guess. You DO have a right to free speech, but at the same time, you DO have a responsibility. Yes, you do. When you make generalized comments that stereotype different groups of people on a blog, you've also made it open to the public. Imagine if you will a time long ago when there wan't any real technology. There was no internet, but there big printing press machines. So you decide to print up an article declaring that all Deaf people act the same and insult you, and therefore should just go away, and that all CODAs are a bunch of little whiners and 'Damn! What's wrong with all of you?' So then you take that printed article and bring down to town square, where you proceed to find a post (maybe a light post, perhaps, or something suitable) and tack it up by its corners. Well everyone who sees it is going to come walking by and see it. Some will be curious and read it, only to be seething with anger by the end of the article, and will end up coming to your house, knocking on your door just top say 'Hey! What's up!? What's your problem?, etc etc. Now you're going to act surprised and be angry with them? That's straight up not fair. You know that hearing people have a saying... 'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'." I think that sums it up well.
The next post will be up soon and will address "War with CODAs".
Until next time,
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text:
- Neighborhood: South Jersey
- 404 Route 70, Cherry Hill, NJ
- Website | Twitter
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Price: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Han Dynasty Old City is celebrating its one-year anniversary at 123 Chestnut, and it's doing so by giving away free Dan Dan noodles this week through Tuesday, October 21st (Lunch is included). All you have to do to get the delicious dan dan is this:
Step 1: Go to said Han Dynasty.
Step 2: Post "Happy Hanniversary" to any social media (Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Myspace, whatever you're into) in front of a manager or server.
Step 3: Order an entree to go with the noodles.
Step 4: Receive and eat dan dan noodles at Han Dynasty.
But don't bring your friends, or too many of them. The deal is only one order of noodles per party.
Han Dynasty [f8b8z]
The Drexel University men's basketball team is travelling to China to play four games against Chinese University and professional teams. To get the team ready for Chinese culture, the school invited the occasionally foul-mouthed and bombastic Han Chiang, owner of seven Han Dynasty restaurants, to come in and give them food to try and also offer some tidbits to avoid culture shock.
Among Chiang's tips:
Han Dynasty Owner Gives Drexel Men's Basketball Team a Taste of China [Drexel University]
Han Dynasty – University City [Foobooz]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I hate to be that person who's first post is a problem that needs solving, but I guess often times that's the way it works. I apologize ahead of time, that being said GardenWebbers, I need some help. Never had issues growing tomatoes before other than our short growing season until a couple weeks ago. I have searched the web and asked our local experts and have gotten mixed opinions, everything from it's just a funk to "you have to pull them all out and throw them in the dumpster." Symptoms started with the Better Boys about 3 weeks ago. 3 of them have severely curled or twisted leaves and the plants themselves want to grow out, not up. I am sure the best thing to do for all the better boys at this point is to pull them, I have replacements ready. My Early Girls were doing very well until about a week ago, when they also started to have the leaves curl and somewhat twist on a few, but not to the extent of the BBs (see pictures). The old growth on the plants are very healthy, the new growth on top seems to be all that's effected. All are still blooming, some of the fruit is even starting to turn. No bugs that I can see, no spots, no patterns, no excessive fertilizer... Environmentally in the last week, we have have much warmer temps, close to 100 in the day, 65 at night. To offset the hot temps, we have increased watering. Drip system 4 gallons an hour for about an hour each night. I completely realize this may be the culprit, but also understand that we have a lot of decomposed granite that does not hold water that well. We have a short growing season to begin with, and we are square in the middle of it. If I have to replant now, we run the risk of not getting any tomato production this year. Of course if this is disease, I do not want it spreading to the rest of the garden. For now I am going to cut the water to them and see what happens. Any other suggestions?? Herbicide?Disease?Mosaic?Water? |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 23:46
- Posted by garystpaul z4 MN (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 0:12
Could well be herbicide drift. |
When did you take the last picture ? (time of day) ? What was the temperature then ? How log before taking the picture had you watered it ? I think that your current temps (65F to 100F) is to blame. I would keep the plants and see what happens when the temps come down to normals. |
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 1:13
I know we can't rule that out, but I live in a very rural area. I have one neighbor about 1/2 a mile from me and they haven't sprayed. Other than that, the county sometimes sprays the highway, but they haven't done it for about 8 weeks, so I'm not sure where it could have come from. Also, nothing else in the garden is showing signs of herbicides. |
- Posted by GardenValley (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 1:24
Picture was taken at about noon, plant was heavily watered the night before. Temp was probably high 90's. If it matters, plants look this way first thing in the morning when it's cool as well. |
This post was edited by GardenValley on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 1:27
If not herbicide drift, perhaps herbicide carryover in organic matter such as manure. See http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/aminopyralid/ If you suspect so, do the easy bioassay they describe. |
Here is a link that might be useful: carryover herbicide in organic matter
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 2:08
I must say, that looks pretty similar to what I have going on. If it is herbicide in one way or another, is there anything that can be done about it? |
If you have used purchased manure, then it is a suspect. Have you done that ? In your last picture I can see some wilting. That can be attributed to temperature (90F) at mid day, no matter how well the plant was watered. If you see the wilting leaves perk up after sundown, that is a good indication. Remember that 90F reported temperature is in the shade with air movement. In direct sun temps can be much higher than that. Just yesterdat some of my plants were showing slight wilting and the temp was around 80F. Overall, your plant shown in the last picture is doing fine. It is grown to a good size, flowering, maybe has some fruits too. Consider another possibility : Root problem. (rodents or disease) |
- Posted by sleevendog 5-6 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 6:21
That is very tight fisted on the top growth. Not the usual leaf roll/curl. I'm also leaning more towards the sudden hot temps causing the stress. If your drip system is a drip per plant close to the stem, they may not be getting a good surrounding soil soak. Especially if you are not getting a good storm once a week. Some feeder side roots could have been cut off. I would expect to see discoloration in leaves for a virus. Something like aminopyralid causes tight curling on tender plant growth. Herbicides can get carried for miles with a wind sheer. Not all plants would show harm, especially the heartier ones. Tomatoes will fight it out and usually survive... putting out new growth, side shoots, but the tops may not make it. I would find out what your county sprays. And check with some surrounding neighbors with gardens and see if they are having trouble...even a flyer in mailboxes like when pets go missing... So if this happens to me? (very possible with sudden high heat and possible drought)... -i do use a straw mulch and water my entire plating area evenly but one year a newt got caught in my water line while out of town. |
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 11:37
Good info... I did not buy manure, it was already on the property and way tilled into the soil early this spring. A month before anything was planted. So, they have grown to this size with no new compost. My drip system is a single drip at the stem, so that may have something to do with it. Come to think of it, the timing is about right for that. |
- Posted by ncrealestateguy 7b (firstname.lastname@example.com) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 13:25
So, you DID put manure on the soil in the spring, correct. Sometimes herbicide damage takes a long time to show up, especially when it is residual herbicide, as that found in manure. |
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 15:11
Yes, I did put manure on it this spring, about a month before planting.. |
When you read the link I provided earlier, you'll learn that some herbicides used in pastures and on grassy crops (wheat, etc) will persist for a year even if actively composted. The tight twisting and brittle growth *is* due to herbicide damage. Do the bioassay at the link I provided earlier to rule the manure in or out. Then proceed from there. |
- Posted by ncrealestateguy 7b (email@example.com) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 18:14
I once sprayed 2-4D on my lawn in the early Spring to kill off the Winter and Spring weeds. This was way before plant - out time. Maybe by a month or more. Then, after the plants had been in the ground for about a month, I now remember that on one occasion, when I was mowing the lawn, I sprayed the clippings right at the bases of the first row of tomato plants. About 4 weeks later, they were looking real bad... they got 2-4D damage. It does not take much at all. |
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 18:35
I think you guys are right. I do believe this is due to herbicide damage, most likely residual. I will conduct the test as described in the link above. The biggest question now is, what to do about it. I read above that should dilute the feed, but feed more often. I also plan on getting a some shade on them this evening to help with the heat stress. Any other suggestions besides time to get these out of the funk?? |
If it is herbicides - and it sure appears to be to me - then waiting is about all you can do. It can be diluted somewhat with lots of water but then you risk drowning the plants. But the odds for recovery are in your favor. One study out of UC Davis School of AG that I read showed that some herbicides can remain active in compost for over 18-24 months. Good luck. Dave |
- Posted by ncrealestateguy 7b (firstname.lastname@example.com) on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 22:49
Your plants do not look affected real bad. What I have done in the past with some luck is to prune the affected shoots to maybe half length. Usually, the new shoots come back looking normal or at least a lot better. You will be surprised how fast the new shoots will grow back. You may want to leave the better looking shoots alone and only prune those that look the worst. Good luck and report back to what happens. |
- Posted by GardenValley none (My Page) on Wed, Jul 9, 14 at 0:17
In addition to the herbicide theory….I was just looking at our recorded temps before this happened, and through the period that I noticed it. Mid and late June was mid 70's and low 80's. Last day of June was 83, first of July went straight high 90's and has stayed there for a week. I left for a camping trip (house sitter watered) for a week on the 28th and came back the 5th of July. Upon my return is when I noticed the bulk of these problems. I can't imagine that this hasn't contributed at least somewhat to this. |
The herbicide theory is not convincing, the way you have outlined it. UNLESS the county/neighbors used herbicide that its drift touched your plants. One of the such herbicide contamination tests is to plant tomato seedlings in it . It will show better because the younger plants are more sensitive to it. Now your plants have been there for months and the herbicide residue was hiding somewhere !! |
- Posted by ncrealestateguy 7b (email@example.com) on Wed, Jul 9, 14 at 8:39
OP, those kind of temps happen all over the Country all the time summer after summer. Nothing unusual about them. A few days in the upper 90s is not going to cause the symptoms your plants are showing. |
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Home / Shop by Product / Trousers & Shorts / David Emanuel Jacquard Trousers
Introduce a touch of glamour to your wardrobe with these beautifully tailored jacquard trousers. Tailored to the ankle and with a subtle tapered leg, these jacquard trousers are flattering for all shapes and sizes whilst the elastication in the waistband, which sits on the natural waist ensures a comfortable fit. Perfect for a spring/summer special occassion, dress up with a floaty blouse and jewellery.
Length: 28in inside leg
Product Care: Machine Washable
Detail: | All over textured jacquard print |
Length: | 28in inside leg |
Material: | 57% Cotton, 40% Polyester, 3% Elastane |
Product Care: | Machine Washable |
Standard UK delivery Ł2.99 per order (3 working days if ordered before 1pm)
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What's this World Music?
Marimba Sol de Chiapas
Performing on an enchantingly authentic instrument from Chiapas, Mexico, these talented musicians execute a choreographed dance of mallets across marimba bars, playing an eclectic mix of folkloric and popular musical styles from Mexico, Central American, and the Caribbean as you listen to "the wood that sings."
Juha's World Beat
Finnish accordionist Juha Silfverberg and his group play an exciting mix of international music. For sure, you will hear the sophisticated folk music of Finland, but keep your ears pealed for other sounds as well: perhaps Irish, Bulgarian, African…
Guitarras Ibericas with guest Karim Memi
This group features Fado, the soul music of Portugal. The sound is sad, mournful and powerful. But given these multi-talented musicians, we might expect a hint of Argentine tango or Spanish Flamenco as well.
Gamelan Genta Kasturi
The impressive array of colorful instruments lets you know this will be different. This Balinese ensemble plays traditional music as well as original works in the Balinese style using authentic Balinese instruments.


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Lexham English Bible (LEB) | New International Version (NIV) |
64 and [after] blindfolding him they repeatedly asked [him], saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?" | 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" |
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software. (Lexham English Bible) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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Gaspari Nutrition SizeOn Maximum Performance Reviews
Hybrid Intra-Workout Whey Hydrolysate Creatine Formula!
View Product Info- fpsfps
- View Progress
fpsfps did not leave a written review for this product.
Oct 14, 2014
- stinkytom
- Weight: 201 lbs
- Bodyfat: 13.0%
- View Progress
Definitely like that intra-workout creatine. The orange tastes very good and mixes well. Will definitely continue to take this creatine while I try to gain some mass.
Sep 28, 2014
Awesome taste. Since i began working out again my muscles have been much fuller and I've had much more strength during my workouts. Its a great addition if you're trying to gain muscle mass.
Sep 24, 2014
- mpeke
- View Progress
Great product. Maybe the best supplement i have ever used. I take 1 serving immediately after my gym, with great results on size and on recovery. The taste is good and mixes easily. Highly Recommended !!!!
Sep 2, 2014
- Firefightereddy
- View Progress
This stuff works great, used it for two week and I have increased my lifting weight and reps . Flavor is great , mixes real good
Aug 21, 2014
Oh SIZE-ON. This has helped me put on some size subtely during programs. I only use it when I go HARD for over an hour at the gym. It demands your shaker bottle to be absolutely filled with water, and the flavour is VERY strong, but I personally find DELICIOUS! Shake it before every sip, and you'll notice a great recovery the next day of your workout while you're doing the same thing.
Jun 27, 2014
With out a doubt the best supplement I have ever bought. It does exactly what it says and taste amazing! I recommend this to anyone putting on size!
Jun 21, 2014
This is the best creatine I've ever taken. My friend (who's been bodybuilding for 10+ years) suggested this to me and I'm very pleased with this product. I've started seeing results within my first two weeks of taking this. The Grape Cooler flavor tastes almost like grape vitamins. I hated the taste at first but it grew on me but reason I gave a 7 is because of it taking a while to get used to flavor. The Wild Berry Punch on the other hand is AMAZING. It tastes like I'm drinking Fruit Punch Gatorade. If you're looking for some creatine, I will always suggest this. Hope this helps everyone. & don't forget drink it while working out and bring an extra thing of water to drink also. I drink this stuff between each set of every workout.
May 15, 2014
The best intra workout product I have ever taken and it tastes great. It does exactly what it says in my experience as long as you are putting in the work. Combine that with an on point nutritional plan and you will put on size in a short period of time. I will continue to use this product, thanks Gaspari!
May 5, 2014
I enjoyed the gains I got when using this supp. I drank a serving before my workout as directed, and after 5 days I was increasing pr's and putting on muscle. The size factor is almost immediate within first set, and only builds on itself through the workout. This is a great product to help increase gains, put on size, and build confidence.
Feb 24, 2014
When I started lifting, I lifted four months and couldn't get the energy or the look I wanted. Then a co-worker gave me a tub of SizeOn and WOW! in one month, I was right where I wanted to be. I bulked up and quick! People actually thought I was on the "juice". Seriously speaking, this stuff works great! I stopped working out when I fractured my wrist in the 2013 Tough Mudder. 5 months and I back in full swing! I bought the Berry flavor, haven't tried it yet but, will post more when I do. The Orange flavor was really good. I gained weight during the holidays (thanks mom!) but, I'll lose the fat and put back those muscles. Happy lifting everyone!
Feb 17, 2014
Best taste and ingredients to grow and fuel during workouts. Literally crave the flavour when i work out without it.
Jan 29, 2014
I love the flavor of this. Mixes easily, not gritty or clumpy. Been using this now for about two weeks, and I like the results. I'm able to lift longer and lift heavier. It keeps feeling satiated during workouts, so I feel like I'm bonking out halfway through. Overall great product. Will continue to use it.
Jan 12, 2014
Tastes pretty good (like candy). Provides the amount of creatine needed for the whole day, no need for pre and post workout creatine. Really helps with recovery.
Nov 8, 2013
Great intraworkout product, I've been taken for about a month ans see great results. The flavor is something I don't like to much, but c'mon, the flaver is the less important part if the thing works!!!
Oct 17, 2013
I love size on and I don't want to use a different kind of creatine... AT ALL. When I was using this during my senior summer of high school for football, I swear I instantly became bigger and my bench went from 225 to 275 by the end of the summer. The taste is pretty swell also. My honest advice is to take half a serving, not a full serving. If you drink a full serving during your workout, you won't be able to lift like your normal self. Your muscles will feel so pumped and it will feel like you hit failure early. So I say if it's chest day, do one exercise at a time then drink the creatine. YOU will get TRUE results! THis is a must buy for me
Oct 16, 2013
Great product for real hardcore training. Been taking this for a few days with great results. A little expensive but worth it when you study up on the ingredients. Also expect to have an enormous shaker bottle or just a water jug unless you're ok with having to keep adding more every time you get water.
Sep 8, 2013


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PORTLAND produced a patchy but at times brilliant performance to open its account for 2014 in the Hampden Netball League at HanlonPark on Saturday in a performance that has Tigers A grade coach Kerri Jennings excited about the season ahead.
The Tigers proved too strong for a dogged and competitive Terang-Mortlake side on the day, who to their credit kept the margin much closer than it initially looked like it would be.
Portland hit the court running in the opening court of the season and within the space of two minutes had already opened up a 6-0 lead, a deficit from which the Bloods would never really recover.
Everything clicked in the opening stages, with new shooting combination Kayla Pickert and Lauren Hockley working well together in the goal arc and much hyped Tigers recruit Donna Fearon-Ciugureanu causing some havoc through the centre with her height and ability to anticipate the play.
The match up between Fearon-Ciugureanu and Bloods coach Aimee Arundell at centre was a feature of the game early, with both playing quite wide of each other and backing themselves to win the battle for turnovers, with both getting their hands to plenty of passes in transition.
Read the full story in Wednesday's Portland Observer, or subscribe to our epaper at the top of the page.


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Round Mirrors
Bellesol Mirror
Customer Rating:
Our Bellesol Mirror has so much visual impact, you can display it like a piece of art over a console or between windows to amplify the light. Antiqued and plain mirror sections alternate in a concave sunburst pattern to create an arresting, light-filled focal point. Bellesol Mirror features:* Antique gold trim* Alternating Antique mirror sections
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Cassidy Mirror
Customer Rating:
This mirror reminds us of a window from a weathered boathouse. The deep, coved resin frame is triple-fluted and finished in a distressed blue with eggshell undertones and antique gold accents. It looks like you've had it for years.Cassidy Mirror features: * Mirror is hand crafted* Adds instant nautical charm* Heavily distressed finish
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Grand Palais Mirror Round
Customer Rating:
Create the illusion of a Palladian style window with our dramatic Grand Palais Round Mirror. The mullioned frame has 12 sections, all hand crafted of iron and finished in antique bronze for an authentic vintage look. Grand Palais Mirror features: * Creates a light-filled focal point* Perfect over a large mantel or console
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Alastair Convex Mirror
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Convex mirrors have been popular for centuries for their unique amplifying effect. Our Alastair Mirrors are hand finished for a rich antique look. The Extra Large and Oval sizes are hard to find anywhere else. Oval style hangs vertically only. Alastair Convex Mirror features:* Crafted of metal * Antique Bronze finish * Antique gold trim
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Entwined Fleur De Lis Mirror
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When we found the original, it was "wow" at first sight. Our recreation captures everything we loved about the antique, from the lacy acanthus scrolls to the entwined fleur-de-lis accents. The openwork details allow your wall color to become part of the design.Entwined Fleur de Lis Mirror features: * Crafted of urethane * Weathered gray finish
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Suzanne Kasler Sunburst Mirror #4
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A vintage sunburst mirror creates an instant focal point over a mantel, sofa or above a console. Award-winning designer Suzanne Kasler created her #4 Sunburst Mirror with faceted rays and rope detailing to recreate the look of an antique. Hang it individually or mixed with her other sunburst mirrors as a collection. Vintage Sunburst Mirror features:* Hand crafted of metal* Antique gold finish
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Jill Mirror
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The gently bowed shape of our romantic Jill Mirror was inspired by a multi-paned window we've long admired in one of our favorite Atlanta homes. Each of its 12 panels is beveled to add extra depth and visual dimension.Jill Mirror features: * Striking over a fireplace or console* Frame is crafted of iron* Natural black iron finish
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Crown Sunburst Mirror
Customer Rating:
The regal fleur-de-lis rays add dramatic, 3-dimensional texture. The sunburst design is punctuated by 27 round mirrors with convex centers, creating a frame of reflected light. Grand center mirror is generously beveled for added shimmer. Crown Sunburst Mirror features: * Hand crafted metal * Antique gold finish
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Customer Rating:
When they walk into the room, it's the first piece your friends will notice. Our Corse Sunburst Mirror is a dramatic blending of textures and patterns. A frame of pierced acanthus leaf rays surrounds a double rope edge and generously beveled glass.Corse Sunburst Mirror features:* Antique Bronze finish* Cast composites* Beveled Mirror
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Audrey Mirror
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Crest Mirror
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The simple quatrefoil crest frame is finished entirely by hand in a subtle copper finish with all the little imperfections and warm patina of an antique. Especially striking in multiples, hang it as a crest or on an angle for a quatrefoil. Crest Mirror features: * Crafted of metal * 1" beveled mirror
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Frameless Beveled Mirror
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A simple yet classic look that never goes out of style, our Frameless Mirror is made of beveled glass. The beauty of this versatile mirror is you can put it anywhere and pair it with any fixture in any finish. Frameless Beveled Mirror features: * Hangs vertically* Beveled glass* Coordinates with existing fixtures
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Grand Chateau Window Mirror
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The classic silhouettes were inspired by our best-selling Grand Palais Mirror, but the weather wood construction give them a totally different look. Hang the shapes individually or together to create the look of a grand Palladian window. Arch is wired to hang up or down, so you can combine two to form a circle. Rectangles hang either way. Grand Chateau Window Mirror features: * Crafted of mango woo...
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Bella Mirror
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The Bella's beveled mirrors echo the design of its notched arch frame to create light-catching dimension. The grand scale makes it an elegant choice for adding a sense of space in the dining room, living room or in the boudoir. Bella Mirror features:* Metal frame* Hand applied antique silver finish
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Suzanne Kasler Sunburst Mirror #3
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If you're looking for dramatic focal point, the Large #3 Vintage Sunburst Mirror by designer Suzanne Kasler creates instant drama. Layer this grand vintage mirror with framed art to give your wall architectural dimension or hang it with Suzanne's other sunburst mirrors as a collection. Vintage Sunburst Mirror features:* Hand crafted of wood composites* Antique gold finish
Price: $149.00
Sacha Mirror
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One hundred individual mirrors are combined in our spectacular Sacha Mirror to reflect the light and colors of your room from every angle. The hand forged metal frame has 2" extenders hidden in the back, so it hangs away from the wall for dramatic 3-dimensional depth like a piece of sculpture.Sacha Mirror features: * Sold as one 39 1/2" squared piece; As shown is four pieces* Antique silver finish*...
Price: Was $369.00
Now $249.00
Aubrey Mirror
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We wanted to create a mirror that would work in any space, from traditional to modern. The classic ivory is framed in warm antique silver molding for a timeless look. Hand crafted of ribbed wood with bead detailing. Aubrey Mirror features:* Generously beveled* Hang either way
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Olivia 30" Round Mirrored Side Table
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Berkley Wood Mirror
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The new law, passed Wednesday, would empower rape victims by shifting the burden of proof.
Putting an end to a skirmish but not to the longer battle, Pakistan's lower house of parliament voted on Wednesday to amend the Hudood Ordinances, the country's religious-based laws that govern rape and vice.
Before, women who reported rape were compelled to produce four male witnesses to the crime or face charges that they had committed adultery. If the law passes the upper house, it will replace that burden of proof, deemed both virtually impossible and misogynistic, with standard evidentiary procedures.
Wednesday's vote was a chance for lawmakers to show that secular law trumps religious edict in Pakistan. But this small victory for secularism comes only a day after provincial legislators in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), a stronghold of conservatism, passed a bill establishing an Islamic accountability bureau – a kind of vice and virtue squad with analogies to the Taliban.
The bills passed this week promise to reheat the existential debate about what Pakistan stands for and how it projects itself to the world: whether it is driven by "enlightened moderation" or the tenets of religious conservatism.
Even the national assembly's progressive sex crimes bill, officially known as the Women's Protection Bill, came with caveats. Pakistan's minority religious parties managed to squeeze in an amendment making sex between unmarried persons a criminal offense.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's treatment of the amendments to the Hudood Ordinances exposes his waning commitment to secular reform at a time when religious parties are becoming one of his pillars of support, analysts say.


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Hiromi in Ecstasy
- Added: 28 December, 2011
- Idol: Hiromi
- Duration: 107 minutes 51 sec ( 4 scenes )
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Police accused of violating rights of TV station
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) - A TV station has filed a lawsuit against police in the U.S. territory, alleging that its constitutional rights were violated when officers confiscated a document used in a news report.
KUAM's lawsuit seeks the return of the seized document and a temporary restraining order against the Guam police department.
Police executed a search warrant Wednesday, a day after KUAM reported that a police officer allegedly failed a polygraph test required for trainees.
The news story cited an official police department document that allegedly showed Police Chief Paul Suba's initials next to instructions to move forward with the officer's training.
James Mitchell, the department's legal counsel, said police went to recover the "confidential" document after it disappeared from the department's personnel office, but only found a copy, which they took.
"This whole investigation is not intended to impair anyone's First Amendment rights," Mitchell said. "What it was intended to do is recover our document that was stolen from us."
KUAM General Manager Joey Calvo said in a statement Thursday that the search warrant is a "slap in the face" that tramples on the Constitution.
"It is alarming the Guam police department would go to the extent that it went in seeking a search warrant and subsequently sending a group of (officers) to search for a single piece of paper - something they certainly could have easily placed a phone call and asked for," Calvo said.
A legal memo filed with the complaint said the search was "in violation of the most basic protections that guarantee a free and impartial press."
"The search warrant was improperly issued and unlawfully executed in violation of the First and Fourth Amendments ... the federal Privacy Protection Act of 1980 ... and various other provisions of federal and Guam law," it said.
The court memo also alleged that the search warrant was meant to "intimidate" KUAM because many officers were sent to do what only a few could have done; the search was conducted just before its evening news broadcast; and because 40 employees were ordered outside for "no legitimate reason."
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After a much-celebrated turnaround in increasing oil production, Colombia reversed course last year. In this week's Oilgram News column, Regulation & Environment, Chris Kraul talks with a key Colombian official on reversing that slide.
New Frontiers: Colombia looks to reverse the drop in its oil production
By Chris Kraul | January 26, 2015 09:05 AM Comments (0)
Can Africa's oil producers weather the oil price storm?
By Jacinta Moran | January 23, 2015 08:30 AM Comments (1)
West Africa has suffered one of its most difficult years in 2014. and 2015 is shaping up to be an even more difficult year for that region. While the deadly Ebola virus will eventually wind down, the disruptions caused by the outbreak will continue to cripple the economies of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The political landscape across west and east Africa remains delicate as nations across the region continue to grapple with insecurity and terrorist threats. Africa in 2014 faced intensified terrorism in Nigeria, increased attacks by al-Shabab in Kenya and civil war in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
Opportunities are strong in the European oil storage business
By John Kingston | January 23, 2015 12:01 AM Comments (0)
The room was pretty full for the first day of the Platts European Storage conference in Amsterdam this week, and it's not surprising: the opportunities in this segment appear to be as strong as they've been for years.
Most important are three big factors: the market is in contango, which encourages storing crude and products; trade flows are changing, on the back of European refinery closures and the US shale revolution, requiring new storage facilities in some areas; and those refinery closures are providing opportunities for storage companies to buy the tanks and other facilities at the shuttered plants, and turn them into terminals.
EIA analysis: Crude oil production, refinery slowdown drive stocks higher
By News Desk | January 22, 2015 04:20 PM Comments (0)
US commercial crude stocks jumped 10.1 million barrels during the week ended January 16, according to the latest data from the US Energy Information Administration. The inventory, at 397.9 million barrels, was 16% above the EIA five-year average for the same reporting week. Read a thorough analysis of the EIA data here.
California's cap-and-trade no more than road bump in gasoline's steep price decline
By Matt Kohlman | January 22, 2015 12:01 AM Comments (0)
Drivers in car-crazed California paid more than 10% more for their gasoline at the start of the year. They just didn't realize it.
As expected, California's introduction of the emissions cap-and-trade program for transportation fuel suppliers boosted Los Angeles regular gasoline rack prices nearly 17 cents in the first two days of 2015 to $1.5885/gal. The rack is the wholesale level where gasoline and diesel is moved onto those often-shiny tanker trucks that hold roughly 9,000 gallons.
What barely changed right away was the price up and down the supply chain.
UK energy reform is not just about price cuts
By Alex Froley | January 21, 2015 06:21 PM Comments (0)
The UK's "big six" energy retailers have started to lower their gas prices, undercutting the opposition Labour party's promise to freeze household energy bills if the party comes to power in the May 2015 general election. But the party's plans go further than just its headline tariff freeze.
Egypt's Sisi outlines national energy policy at World Future Energy Summit
By Tamsin Carlisle | January 21, 2015 06:03 PM Comments (1)
Egypt has set development and reform of its energy sector as a key priority as it seeks to rebuild its economy following the country's second revolution in the past few years, the country's president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, said January 19 during his first official visit to the UAE in that role.
During his keynote address to the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, Sisi also said he considered the security of the Persian Gulf region to be "part and parcel of Egyptian security." The annual Abu Dhabi WFES gathering, while primarily a UAE forum for promoting and discussing regional and international renewable energy development, has also developed a significant political agenda.
Regulation and Environment: A whole lot of factors in the Keystone XL decision
By Gary Gentile | January 19, 2015 07:38 AM Comments (2)
Beyond the politics, there are a lot of legal reasons that President Obama can–or can not–deny the application to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Gary Gentile discusses some of them in today's Oilgram News column, Regulation & Environment.
Pop quiz: What factors can President Obama consider when deciding whether to issue a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline?
a) Environmental issues, including the impact of oil sands development on the climate.
b) The relative safety of transporting heavy crude by rail versus pipeline.
c) Maintaining good relations with Canada, one of our most important trading partners.
d) The odds of the New York Mets making the baseball playoffs this year.
The surprising answer is "all of the above." Surprise again: the correct answer could also be "none of the above."
Then and now: How prices of key petrochemicals in the US behaved the last time crude was $50/b
By Bernardo Fallas | January 18, 2015 04:35 PM Comments (0)
With oil prices at lows not seen in more than 5 1/2 years, the global petrochemical industry finds itself playing memory games as it craves some much-needed guidance regarding price behavior.
Whether you believe past performance is the best indicator of current and future behavior – or the worst – it's always fun to look back, right?
With that in mind, let's take a peek at how prices of key petrochemicals in the US behaved in 2009 versus today.
Is politicking pushing oil prices lower?
By Colin Richardson | January 17, 2015 12:01 AM Comments (0)
The immediate reason for the oil price plunge seems fairly clear – producers going gung-ho at a time of weak demand, which is not helped by the buoyant greenback.
What is murkier, perhaps, is how geopolitical agendas and motivations are feeding the bear market.


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Cute Animals Help Passengers Relax on British Airways
This month, nervous flyers and homesick cat and dog owners can tune into British Airways' new, adorable, Paws & Relax channel.
The stream of cat and dog footage (think camera-collar documentaries and animated shorts) is perfect for entertaining young travelers, and for soothing anxious passengers during their fight.
Of course, who hasn't spent hours at their computer streaming cute cats and cuddly pups on YouTube?