A Little Deaf History.

But first, here is the acknowledgment that this week marked the passing of three entertainment icons: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. May their families have peace in their losses.


Now for a peace of Deaf History:

Juan Pablo Bonet worked for the High Constable fo Castille. The High Constable's brother was deaf, leading Bonet to develop a system of visible signs, including a manual alphabet.

Read more at the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Idioms Thursday

When my schedule goes through constant changes I find having a little structure helps me out. So, in this summer of adjustments, I have decided I will try:

Links Tuesday
Idioms Thursday and
History Friday.

I hope you enjoy.

Now, onto today's idiom (or idioms. Sometimes there are several that are relate you know).

The Whole Shebang (informal)
the whole of something, including everything that is connected with it.
The party's next week but my parents are organizing the whole shebang.

Whole Shebang (spoken)
all of something, including everything connected with it.
The Whole Nine Yards
We've got offices all over the world, and we're tying the whole shebang together with a high-speed computer network.

I would sign these "Include" with emphasis showing the enormity of "all".

Links Monday on Tuesday

It was one of those days yesterday - and looks like mondays may be like that for a few weeks - so Links Monday is going to move to Tuesday. It makes my life easier and I am sure you lot won't mind. Wednesdays will look a lot like Mondays, so expect this blog on ly about 3 days a week for the rest of the summer.

Anyway, today's link that I think everyone should wander by is OIC Movies. If you are not a member, you should be. There are public service announcements, news from around the world, How-to videos, money tips, health tips, money and technology and of course my favorites - entertainment videos.

It is a great site for deaf and interpreters alike and I hope you consider supporting them.

Have a great week!

Summer workshops

Take the time to go by ohsoez.com and click on the interpreters link. They have an entire list of workshops going on this summer. Surely one fits your schedule?


I look forward to the Annual Spring Sign Language and Interpreting celebration. Is it terribly wrong of me to say the biggest draw is being across the street from Disneyland?


And its the weekend closest to my birthday - how can I go wrong?

Hope to see you there!

Obama Name Signs

Since yesterday I opened this can of worms, I thought I would continue it.

Here is another option - based on the sign for President.

And yet another, picked up from a school and I believe based on the sign for "future"

This vlogger brings up three, the one from yesterday, one based on president above and this one, based on "change".

I find it interesting - some deaf are responding to comments that Name Signs are the way people are identified in the deaf world. Others are admitting they are still spelling his name - it's only five letters long after all.

I fear my teacher was of that latter opinion - I believe she would have added "get over it."

So what do you think - or better yet, what are you seeing? We're mostly seeing the one based on the logo (yesterday's vlog citation) or spelled around my neck of the woods...

Sign Names

I was talking to a friend recently about sign names, and the use for them as well as the need for them. I am still struck by the difference in regions: where I grew up we all got one movement and one initial. Here wher I live now, since so many of the children are mainstremaed, they tend to get first run name signs from teachers. The teachers, who want to teach respect to the students, have two letter names, and so many of the children do as well. Then, when they grow to adulthood, their names change as the other adults rename them first by some characteristic and then it morphs into something more neutral.

This vlog is congratulating President Obama on his election- and introducing him to his own name sign. I don't know the name sign is standard through out the United States, but iti seems to me the deaf of Chicago or in this case Washington DC have the first claim on naming him.

What do you think?

Links Monday?

I start to think I should dedicate Monday to links.

So here is the link for this week: Deaf Nation

I chose it mostly because they are hosting an expo here in Oklahoma City (ok, not here-her, but this state here) October 3. Since that is my mom's birthday, and it is still weird not to visit her, I was thinking about going.

Here's what they say about themselves:

"DeafNation Expo is the foremost touring trade show for, by, and about deaf people. DeafNation provides exhibitions and entertainment around the United States at no charge to the public. Our philosophy is that free admission brings a diversity of attendees who can share our culture, needs, language, and information."

Hope to see you there!