daveynin's thing: news Archives

DPHH Pittsburgh 2007

Posted on April 3, 2007 3:03 PM | No Comments

Let me tell you short history in Pittsburgh about Deaf Professional Happy Hour (DPHH): the founder of DPHH Pittsburgh borrowed the concept idea of DPHH, in Washington, DC to Pittsburgh as social deaf bar events established sometime in early 2000s and died in short year. Then in 2004, the second generation of Deaf Pittsburghers including me, bought DPHH back, and died in summer of 2006 again, and yet third generation of new committees bought DPHH back alive again on March 2007.

I was the last second generations with seven DPHH Pittsburgh committees, I was the only person have talented web site to get our dphhpgh.com running. On November 2005, I left DPHH Pittsburgh as committee, no one want to take over my position as DPHH web work. The website became idle, the second generations of committees had to send out distribution email to Pittsburghers for DPHH event announcement. DPHH is suffering slowly in last few months, deafies are declining to attend DPHH, and died.

Now, DPHH Pittsburgh got whole new attitude in 2007. New committees. New website and photo sharing site. Actually, it's not dphhpgh.com. The new web address is: MySpace Pittsburgh DPHH and Google Picasa to view the photos. It's interesting to see how the new committees who have little or no experience with web skills, they figured out the easy way to have free web application tools like MySpace and Picasa to get DPHH website running.

Couple, 33 and 104 To Marry

Posted on May 2, 2006 11:11 PM | No Comments

A 33-year-old from northern Malaysia, Muhamad Noor Che Musa sits next to his newly married 104-year-old wife Wook Kundor at their house in Kuala Terengganu, Monday, May. 1, 2006.

capt.kl80105021231.malaysia_unusual_couple_kl801.jpg 33-year-old and 104-year-old?!? That's offbeat 71 years difference. I wouldn't be surprise myself if they can handle the soft sex to make them happy and satisfied.

Maybe the 33-year-old just want to curious and watch her dying very, very soon.

Via Yahoo Odd News.

RIP Tara McAvoy

Posted on March 14, 2006 6:59 PM | No Comments

It's very sadden to hear the news - Tara McAvoy, 18 was killed by train snowplow while she was using pager and did not hear train honking the horn. This incident happened in Austin, Texas where she frequently walked on the train tracks.

She was 2005-2007 Miss Deaf Texas pageant and was Gallaudet student. My heart goes to her family and friends and wish her rest in peace.

~~Read the local news web site and Texas Association of the Deaf more about her.~~

UPDATE (3/15/2006): Grant Laird Jr. from Texas has an excellent article about Tara's death and Ke5ter's details how she got killed.

UPDATE II(3/16/2006): official web site of Tara Mcavoy Memorial.

UPDATE III (4/2/2006): Tale a look at her MySpace account and another unofficial MyDeathSpace entry.

Autistic kid shines

Posted on March 2, 2006 8:42 AM | No Comments

I couldn't help myself but want to print inspiring story here in my blog.

The story really hit me, amazed and touched my hearts - Jason McElwain, 5-foot-6 a 17-year-old senior at Greece Athena High School in Rochester, New York drew a national attention - the story began two weeks ago on February 16.

Jason McElwain said he doesn't care what people think about him - he is his own person. That is because he is autistic. He was team manager of varsity basketball team for three years. He usually sits on his basketball team's bench all the time, keep the stats, run the clock and as a waterboy. Until his coach gave a heart to Jason to play in final four minutes remaining in the final game of the season - it was his first and only appearance.

He hit six 3-point shots and a 2-pointer, finished with 20 points in final four minutes! It might sound like impossible for autistic kid have even done before, a gift from God that way he did it.

I have watched this video for dozen times... Unbelievable. "His triumph was captured on a student video that made the rounds of the television networks. The school was besieged with calls and emails, and the parents recieved inquiries from 25 productions companies including Disney and Warner Bros."

Again as I say four minutes of fame, wow. He's now Hollywood kid.

Forbidden Smoking Grows

Posted on January 19, 2006 10:32 PM | No Comments

Via Yahoo:

Six Flags announced today a new company policy under which its theme parks across the country will become smoke-free environments. This measure is the newest element in the company's commitment to improving the family entertainment experience throughout the Six Flags system.

Will this be very effectively monitored and enforced no smoking in ride lines policy in Six Flags? Will it improve their marketing? If they become successful, I am hoping Cedar Fair and my local amusement park - Kennywood follow the same thing.

If you remember New York state, state of California and city of Boston already have the law in past few years - no smoking in whole public buildings including the pubs. I am hoping the state of Pennsylvania do the same thing.

My old high school, WPSD forbids the smoking on the campus (land), including outside and inside.

Also, yeah if you wonder about me - I am anti-smoking. I totally hate secondhand smoking.

Robotic Sign Language

Posted on January 19, 2006 1:21 PM | No Comments

Robotic Sign Language -- RSL? Researchers in Japan have developed a prototype robotic hand that can recognize spoken phrases and translate them into sign language.

It might cost as much in handy, and the learning students might learn this kind of stuff and turn into RSL instead ASL (American Sign Language). Can you imagine this?

Via Slashdot > Engadget

Prohibited Cellphones in theaters?

Posted on December 19, 2005 11:54 AM | No Comments

"FCC opposted to use any blocking technology during movie playing in theater, because it interferes with people's ability to use a wireless device in an emergency situation." - CTIA spokesman Joseph Farren

Speaking of cellphones, it can distrub the neighbor seats for noise. FCC can jam the cellphone user to block the signals inside theaters, Is it threat for us? What about our deaf gadgets: email and instant messenger? This is silent-mute gadget, but I doubt it could distrub by visiblity from using the back-lit screen on.

For me, I am not worrying about this because InSight Cinema sent out very few open-captioned movies in my local area and there weren't many attendance coming.

TIME Person(s) of the Year

Posted on December 18, 2005 11:57 AM | No Comments

It's going to be interesting to see the most profile periodical magazine, TIME chose the Person of the Year, it came no surprise: Bill & Melinda Gates and Bozo chose the Persons of the Year. Why are they chosen? They awarded the suffering people across the globalization, vaccine / AIDS, education in United States and change the poorest people to new life in Africa.

They gave away lot of money than anybody else - over $40 billion dollars. I would do that the same way if I were them - to support all deaf schools in our globalization.

Also I checked out the TIME past covers for person of the year, I tapped few that make me think of interesting:
1999 - CEO of Amazon.com: Jeff Bezos
1988 - Planet of the Year: Endangered Earth
1982 - Machine of the Year: The Computer
1963 - Martin Luther King Jr.
1938 - Adolf Hitler (!)

No Helen Keller? Hmm, I doubt if TIME might choose Deaf Person of the Year with mighty Deaf leader...

Deaf Santa and Deaf Girl

Posted on December 12, 2005 8:39 AM | No Comments

Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette

SHARING HER CHRISTMAS WISHES Amber Jones, 7, uses sign language to tell Santa Claus what she would like for Christmas during the Pittsburgh Association for the Deaf's Christmas party yesterday in the Hill District.

This valuable picture appeared today (as of Monday, December 12th) in newspaper of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette front section of newspaper and online. I know Amber is the student at Western Penn. School f/t Deaf, and I am trying to figure who is Santa, it's obviously that he or she is deaf and using sign language at Pittsburgh deaf club.

If you missed to find the picture in front page; you can view the picture of permanent url address.

High School Player Dies Playing Soccer Game

Posted on September 14, 2005 9:09 PM | No Comments

It's hard to imagine that Portersville Christian 18-year-old player collapsed in Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) soccer field during the game and died in hospital short time later.

WPSD, the ~~2005~~ 2004 National Deaf Soccer Champion and Portersville stopped the game in eight minutes left of double overtime during the time the player collapsed. The score tied, 3-3.

Via Post-Gazette, Yahoo Groups and WPXI.com.

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