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Archive for February, 2009

Deaf rats trained to hear sounds

Posted by fookembug on February 24, 2009

Scientists have managed to train rats with hearing defects to pick out sounds from background noise, giving a possible solution to hearing-impaired children with difficulties in learning language.

Distinguishing speech from background noise, or temporal processing, is important in learning a language. When there are defects in this function, young children may encounter problems learning a language and reading.

In an article published in Nature Neuroscience, scientists in China and the US described how they trained rats with hearing defects to pick out relevant sounds from background noise using food rewards.

“The training-induced cortical changes endured for at least two months after training ceased,” wrote scientists Xiaoming Zhou at the East China Normal University in Shanghai and Michael Merzenich at the W.M. Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California.

“Our results illustrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the neurological restoration of cortical temporal processing capacities by intensive behavioral training in developmentally degraded juvenile and adult animals.”

Looking ahead, the researchers said their findings could be used in training people with temporal processing problems.

“All these findings contribute to the growing body of studies that reveal the extent to which, and the specific strategies by which, developmentally impaired brains can be corrected in older children and adults,” they wrote.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-12/16/content_7310372.htm

Posted in Article from newspaper | Leave a Comment »

The Life of Abraham Lincoln (Bicentennial 1809-2009)

Posted by fookembug on February 12, 2009

Abraham Lincoln

By JFLMad

Let’s celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln!! Click here for the photos of Lincoln in Chicago. And also I am going to list some facts about him below.

-Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States

-Abraham Lincoln had no middle name

-Lincoln was the tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches

-He is the only president with a patent -NO. 6469- for a device used to lift boats over sandbars

-Lincoln became the first American president to be assassinated

-Lincoln was assassinated on Good Friday

-Lincoln has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents

-He was the first Republican president

-Mary Todd, Lincoln’s widow, was declared insane in May 1875. Her bizarre behavior included being found with $50,000 sewn inside her coat

-The Gettysburg Address was a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history beginning with the now-iconic phrase “Four score and seven years ago…”

- Abraham Lincoln issued The Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War that freed the slaves

-Lincoln had been a lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and twice an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Senate.

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Lincoln’s timeline throughout his lifetime. (excerpted from Sun Times newspaper)

1809 – Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, near Hodgenville, Kentucky

1818 – October 5, Lincoln’s mother (Nancy Hanks) died of “Milk Sickness”

1819 – Lincoln’s father, Thomas, marries again: Sarah Bush Johnson of Kentucky

1830 – The Lincoln family move into Illinois, partially due to Thomas Lincoln’s opposition to slavery

1831 – Lincoln moves to New Salem, IL to live on his own. Joined volunteers in the 31st Regiment, IL Militia in the Black Hawk War

1832 – Lost his bid to win a legislative seat

1833 – Invested in a store with his friend William Berry, and later that year was appointed postmaster of New Salem

1834 – Lincoln began studying law. He was elected to the Illinois State Legislature

1837 – Lincoln moved to Springfield, IL

1842- Married Mary Ann Todd, of Lexington ,Kentucky. They have 4 children during their marriage together

1846 – Elected as a representative to the 30th U.S. Congress and moved to Washington, D.C.

1858 – Lincoln accepted the Republican nomination to run against Stephen Douglas and delivered his famous “House Divided Speech” in the Illinois state house. Lincoln lost the election to Douglas

1860 – May 18, chosen as the Republican nominee for the presidency. Nov. 4, Lincoln became the first Republican elected President

1861 – March 3, inaugurated 16th President thus beginning what would prove to be the most difficult presidency in history

1863 – January 1, emancipation proclaimed. Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address, although only 2 minutes long, it became one of the most famous speeches in history.

1864 – Nominated as Republican presidential candidate for re-election. Overwhelmingly reelected November 8

1865 - March 4, inaugurated for the second term. April 14, Lincoln was shot in Ford’s Theater, Washington, D.C. by John Wilkes Booth. He died nine hours later on April 15. He was first president to be assassinated. A shocked nation was thrown into mourning. On April 21, after funeral services, the Lincoln funeral train with Lincoln’s remains departed Washington, D.C. and returned to Springfield where he was buried.

Posted in Announcement | 3 Comments »

Deaf Event in Fort Collins, Colorado on Feb 7th

Posted by fookembug on February 3, 2009

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Feburary 7  6:30pm to 1:30am

Boring at home? Not enough Deaf friends? Hungry? Need dance exercise? Want to improve your ASL? Deaf Event in Fort Collins is BACK!!!

In the past we had more than 50 Deafies/Signers. Let’s get together social and enjoy the Deaf Night at the Washington’s Sports Bar and Grill at 132 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524. It’s located in Old Town.

If you have the appetite they have the burgers that are right for you! Let’s eat there at 6:30pm.

Washington’s provides for people of all ages. Come experience the fun of one of their many games ranging from air hockey, pool, shuffle board and arcade games that are just the ticket for any family. At 9pm they will ask all of the minors to leave, sorry kids!

Come early or pay $3 cover after 9pm. 25 cent Ladies Drinks from 9pm to 12am. DJ and Dancing.

Don’t forget to bring your photo ID.

Hosted by Bug
Question? Contact FookemBug@yahoo.com

Saturday, 07 February, 2009
06:30 PM01:30 AM

Posted in Announcement, Deaf Events | Leave a Comment »

“Don’t Jump”, cop signs

Posted by fookembug on February 3, 2009

(from Newswaves, November 1999) 

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A police officer using sign language convinced a deaf man not to jump off a two-story building.

The homeless man was taken to a mental health center after he was talked down. Police didn’t release his name but said he was depressed after losing his job and apartment.

Two police officers first noticed the man perched on the roottop ledge of the old McCory store in downtown Orlando. When they realized he could only communicate in sign language, they called Officer Rhonda Huckelbery to serve as an interpreter.

“He laughed and said he was coming down because my sign language was so bad that I needed more help than he did,” she said.

Posted in Article from newspaper | 3 Comments »

Deaf Football Player Invented the American Football Huddle

Posted by fookembug on February 1, 2009

By Bug

About 100 million Americans will watch Super Bowl XLIII today. How many of them know the history of American football huddle? Who invented the huddle? About 85 percent of people don’t know that Deaf player at Gallaudet University invented the American football huddle in 1894.

Who invented it? How did the football huddle start? Paul Hubbard the quarterback player at Gallaudet University realized that his sign language (hand signal) could be read by opposing players so he had to pull his players into a circle so that his sign language could be shown without anyone on the sidelines or on the opposing team seeing.

Many years before the first huddle, many Deaf football players used sign language to signal to each other as they played until Paul Huddbard got fed up of the other team watching and guessing their plays so he invented the huddle. Then they exchanged the secrets through sign language inside the huddle.

Today every footbal team uses this type of huddle as it is still in common use today, typically between plays in American football as the quarterback assigns the next play to the offense.

Here’s an interesting story about the football at Gallaudet Unviersity:

http://www.fredbowen.com/c100600.htm

Also, see old Gallaudet photos of Deaf football team:

http://archives.gallaudet.edu/Football.htm

Posted in Deaf History, Sports | 2 Comments »