2nd place in Gally video contest

By JFLMad

Here is other video that we made when we were in Gally. It was taken place in same dorm and same floor. See the first video here. We made it in very last minute to enter the Gally video contest. We won 2nd in Gally video contest! Enjoy

Deaf Boy Regains Hearing as Cotton Pops Out

Boy, 11, who was deaf for NINE years regains hearing… after cotton bud pops out of his ear

For nine years, Jerome Bartens had to cope with the handicap of being half deaf.
Ever since he was a toddler, the 11-year-old had been unable to hear anything on his right side and doctors said they were unable to help.

Then suddenly the reason for his problems became clear – when the end of a cotton bud popped out of his ear.

Jerome with the cotton bud that was stuck in his ear for nine years. It popped out while he was playing pool with friends

His family believe that he must have poked the bud in the ear at the age of two and the tip must have broken off the plastic stem.

The result was that he has always struggled at school, was constantly forced to turn up the volume of the television and music, and became used to everyone shouting at him.

But now he is waking up to a whole world of noise – while his father Carsten is demanding to know why medical experts failed to identify the problem for so long.

Cured: Jerome Barten can now hear perfectly
Yesterday Mr Bartens, 45, told how Jerome was playing with his friends in a church hall when he heard a popping sound in his right ear.

He put his finger in and found the tip of a cotton wool bud.

“It was just incredible – his hearing returned to normal in an instant.

“He was cured as suddenly as he became deaf. I had always suspected Jerome had stuck something in his ear when he was little and that was causing the problem.

“But the doctors and hearing specialists said it was wax and he would probably grow out of it.

“I am amazed they didn’t spot something as obvious as a cotton wool bud.”

Mr Bartens, an HGV driver from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, has now complained to his GP and hearing specialists who examined Jerome over the years.

He said: “It has held Jerome back in school and caused him problems in communicating with his friends.”

The cause: Experts could not figure out why Jerome was deaf but a simple a cotton bud was to blame

Mr Bartens – who also has two daughters Takita, 16, and Tiffany, 14 – says he is “thrilled” that Jerome’s hearing has come back.

He said: “If he was playing in the garden I would have to shout for him eight or nine times before he would respond.

“But now he has 100 per cent hearing and he’s just a normal boy again.”

Jerome is due to be examined by hearing experts this week – and his father is taking along the cotton wool bud as proof of his “miracle cure”.

“I can hear much better now and I think I’ll be much happier at school now my ear does not ache all the time,” said Jerome.

“I was just playing pool in the church hall when my ear made a popping noise. It was very strange at first to be able to hear everything.

“But now I’m getting used to it – it’s great that people don’t have to shout to me and that I don’t have to turn my head all the time.”

An article can be found at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=326_1201656363

Mario Kart Wii: My First Day

Yesterday, after school, my boys ran to me and told me that the Mario Kart Wii was released on April 27, 2008. Of course, they heard it through their classmates, friends and neighbors. My boys said they had one so ‘Why didn’t we have one too?’ I told them that I thought that the game was gone when we went to the store. But I took my boys to Wal-mart anyway to check if it was still on the shelf. My boys ran and took the last copy of Mario Kart game with exciting faces.

Visit Mario Kart Wii website

Mario Kart Wii, is a kart racing video game developed and the second to use Nintendo’s free online service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Every copy of the game is packaged with the Wii Wheel accessory, which is designed to house the Wii Remote to allow more intuitive and conventional steering. The Mario Kart Wii channel will be added to the Wii Menu, which will allow players to compete in tournaments, check worldwide rankings, download ghost data, and most importantly, see when their friends are playing.

After playing it with my boys for about four hours yesterday, I can say with full certainty that Mario Kart Wii is one of the best games I have played in quite some time.

Today, I take a picture of my boys and their neighbor kids playing it for four hours. Three of their neighbor kids come in about 30 mins ago. I feel like it is Mario Kart Wii party. I have said before, the game is very addicting.

If you own a Wii, pick up a copy of Mario Kart Wii. If you don’t own a Wii, get one and buy this game.

Trust me, it’s awesome.

-Fookem

Marlee Matlin in US Magazine

US Magazine – Marlee Matlin reflects on DWTS: “I Dropped the F-Bomb”. [Read more story about her...]

The two recently hit Us’ Hot Hollywood bash.

DANCE PARTY
The Dancing with the Stars clique got down. How is dancing with partner Marlee Matlin? “She’s awesome!” Fabian Sanchez tells Us.

BUDDIES
John Stamos mingled with Marlee Matlin. “So far so good,” she told Us of her DWTS gig.

DWTS Diary Week 7 Marissa Jaret Winokur – ‘Week 7: Marlee Matlin Brought More Class to the Show Than DWTS Has Ever Had’ [Read more about her...]

Marlee Matlin in OK Magazine ( May 5, 2008 )

OK magazine – Marlee Matlin is at her gym in Pasadena to learn the secrets of her 18-pound weight loss and how she keeps it off.

For more with Marlee, check out this week’s issue of OK!

In Loving Memory of Melissa Bouffard – Support Me in Race for The Cure

In Loving Memory of Melissa Bouffard

Melissa’s senior picture – Spring 90

Hello Everyone,

I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure® on May 11, 2008 in the fight against breast cancer. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and the more we raise, the more the Komen Pittsburgh Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure can give back to fund vital breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.

My personal site -

http://race.pittsburghraceforthecure.org/goto/lindalanger

Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to the Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure®. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically underserved communities in Komen Pittsburgh and national breast cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause – you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below. Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

The reason I am partipicating in this race is because I am doing this for my cousin and other family members and friends who have died from it or survived. Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!

Sincerely,

Linda Niglio Langer
lindalanger@verizon.net

———————————

Melissa, Pete and their daughter Maylin – Spring

Melissa and Linda – Summer of 85

Linda and Melissa – December 88

Once Upon A Time In Gally….

By JFLMad

Fookem, Trevor Patten, Rob Drake (our roommates) and I were making a funny video out of our boredom when we were in gally in the year of 1996. It was taken place in the lobby of Carlin Hall dorm on the 7th floor (room 703). I transferred the video from the old vhs tape and you can see that the picture quality is not that good. Please be bear with it and enjoy the funny video that we created!

We have few more of old videos to share….will post it in few weeks later.

DWTS Week 6 (Marlee Matlin)

Marlee danced fairly last night and got the lowest scores from the judges, 7 points each for the total of 21 points. There is a good chance that she could be eliminate tonight but hope she will be safe from all of your votes! Let’s pray that she will survive the cut tonight.

Below is other video that all dancers danced in the group and it is first time that DWTS had the group dance together same time.

FLASH NEWS – Marlee is out!

Deaf Lady Steals $5, Dog Hides In Driver’s Car….Phony Story?

Written by Bug

I was reading the real pizza delivery stories at http://tipthepizzaguy.com/stories/ . A pizza deliver wrote a story about his experience with Deaf lady as he was delivering the pizza. The way he wrote as it sounds like he was making fun of the Deaf ladys speech like he wrote ”“Oowa boowaghna offnaf woulda obbbABABABABA OOOH!” Does it offend to you as Deaf person? His topic caught my attention and thought you might be interested in this story. It might sound phony, isn’t it? Read on:

Delivery Story 249

Beep writes:

I delivered pizza to a deaf couple tonight. Not hard-of-hearing. Completely deaf. I laughed at a comedian with cerebral palsy once; I think I atoned for that sin tonight.

When I arrived at the door, she was standing out there waiting for me, waving both hands and barely managing to not fall off the steps of her trailer house. I’ve delivered to deaf people before. I waved a greeting, and handed her the boxed pizza. Big mistake.

I turned to walk away, and the lady let out a shrill whoop that scared the crap out of me. She was looking at the pizza and she wasn’t happy about what she saw. “Oowa boowaghna offnaf woulda obbbABABABABA OOOH!” she explained. She pointed at the pizza. “Oofnaf WHY oofnaf boooom!”

It didn’t make any more sense to me than it probably made to you just now, so I tried to ask her to slow down and work with me a little, in gestures, complimented with clear lip-speak. She was not to be consoled.

She made a gesture with an open palm, facing me. “WHYYYYF.” Five. “Oooobbaba.”

Then she snatched a five dollar bill out of my hand and pushed me backward off her porch steps.

What the heck? I wasn’t about to go after the crazy deaf woman and get my money back, so I went back to my car and resigned myself to explaining an unauthorized five dollar discount and dirt all over my butt. I drove off through the woods.

Now, when I’m delivering pizza, I tend to zone out and go into a half-tranced state when I’m driving, especially when I’m going a long way on dark roads through the woods. It’s a very relaxing job, really.

Something in my backseat went berserk.

My car has no inside lights of any kind, so while I was finding a place to pull over, I was forming awful images in my mind of what kind of woodland wildlife must have crawled into my car to be raising so much hell. Smashing around against the seats and the sides of the car, howling and making all sorts of awful noises. I was hoping for only a coon, but bracing myself for a bobcat.

I finally came to a stop, jumped out of my car, and shone a flashlight into my seat. All the noise stopped.

A sheepish-looking half-chihuahua mutt was sitting on my back seat looking at me like, “So, shall we continue?” Well gee, I thought, the loopy freak has a loopy freak dog that wants to go home with me. Forget that.

I got back into my car and turned around, back toward the deaf woman’s house. The dog went really nuts. By the time I pulled into her driveway, I was steering with one hand and holding the yapping rat in my other, football style.

The deaf lady didn’t say a word.

Notice: His story can be found at http://tipthepizzaguy.com/stories/story249.htm

Marlee Matlin in People Magazine (April 28, 2008)

People.com – Marlee Matlin talks about juggling life with four kids and competing on Dancing with the Stars.

Go and buy the magazine to read more about Marlee Matlin’s story.