Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind

While video games aren’t brought up here very often, this article was just too good to not write on. 

Recently, Jordan Verner, a blind teenager who is a fan of the Legend of Zelda video game, posted some videos of him completing parts of the game on youtube.  At first it was just for fun, but it did gain the attention of a decent amount of people in the gaming community.  So he decided to start asking for tips on how to beat the game.  Initially, he wasn’t expecting much from the people who had found his videos, nor did he expect that their help would be able to assist him through the game.

However, another gamer that he had met online made it his mission to help Jordan through the complex levels of the game.  By using Skype, an internet-based communication tool that enables people to talk and see each other online, Roy Williams and three other gamers were able to help Jordan out.  The four gamers would play different sections of the complex three-dimensional game, recording every necessary move to navigate through every piece of every level.  Then, they would send it to Jordan in a word document and his computer would read him the detailed instructions, acting as a perfect guide for him to move through the game.

While the average gamer is said to be able to complete the game in about two weeks, it took Jordan and his online gamer companions nearly two years to get him to the end of the game.  All of the instructions given to him totaled roughly one hundred thousand keystrokes.

When he finally reached the end, Jordan was elated.  “It felt great,” he said.  “I felt strong, I felt like the sky’s the limit.  Our school’s motto–and I live by it–is the impossible is only the untried.”

There’s no word on what Jordan’s next gaming conquest will be, but he now has people that are willing to help him and a great attitude to achieve his goal.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.geekologie.com/2010/03/brings_a_tear_to_my_eye_three.php

Reprinted with permission from the May/June 2009 issue of Lifeglow magazine.

The Starting Point: One Woman’s Journey to Independence

Nichole Kraft

“It all started with my dreams,” she says. When 30-year-old Adrijana Prokopenko dreams, she dreams with a depth and breadth that might intimidate others. But Adrijana isn’t one to be intimidated-not when her dreams are a reflection of her passion for personal independence. On February 2, 1979, Adrijana greeted the world three months earlier than her parents had expected. Her early arrival meant that Adrijana would be required to spend two and a half months in the hospital in. The state-sponsored hospital in Skopje, the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia and Adrijana’s hometown, wasn’t the most ideal setting for an infant born three months premature. Adrijana lived in an incubator, which she says was “pretty old and made some time after the Second World War.” Also, there was only one nurse for every 15 babies. In her out-of-date incubator and with less care than she required, Adrijana was exposed to high levels of oxygen. The result was oxygen toxicity. Two and a half months later Adrijana emerged from the hospital healthy, but with no vision. Adrijana’s parents, although saddened for their daughter, were proactive. “I am sure they went through the grieving period,” she says, “but at the same time, they did all they could to learn more about blindness and get some professional help.” Professional help came in the form of Dimitar Vlahov, a school for blind and visually impaired children. Adrijana remembers that her mother and father got to know one of the school’s teachers. The teacher showed them how to care for, teach, and interact with Adrijana. Though they were grateful for the help, they knew their daughter would need more. “Unfortunately,” recounts Adrijana, “they didn’t get much support. The state didn’t have any other programs to help parents of blind children. Therefore, I never had the chance to go to a regular kindergarten or attend any kind of preschool program.” The world Adrijana and her parents had found themselves thrust into was a challenging one. “If one is blind and lives in this country, he or she mainly relies on family and friends for almost everything-from getting around, to getting help with schoolwork, to shopping. We don’t have any blind professionals who are knowledgeable in the fields of orientation and mobility and there are not any guide dog training schools,” Adrijana says. Adrijana’s chances of an independent life didn’t look good. But, she was a bright and inquisitive student, and she didn’t care. Throughout most of her elementary and secondary education, there were no materials in Braille. This meant extra effort on Adrijana’s part. “I had to transcribe my own textbooks into Braille with the help of my parents,” Adrijana remembers. Adrijana had begun to carve out personal independence, despite the obstacles. It was during this time of hard work that Adrijana’s dreaming became more focused. By age 15, she had fallen in love with the English language and aspired to become an English teacher. A year after graduating from high school, Adrijana was awarded a scholarship from Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. Always eager to experience life fully, Adrijana was attracted to Overbrook’s International Program. “I could imagine myself in all kinds of situations,” she says, “doing all kinds of things I desired to do.” But besides being thrilled about traveling overseas and learning a new culture, Adrijana realized the practical side of studying at Overbrook. “I also knew it was very necessary for me to acquire all the skills they taught, because I knew [learning them] would help me throughout university and in the future.” Adrijana attended Overbrook for nine months. She studied leadership, English, computer skills, and orientation and mobility. But that wasn’t all. Adrijana was also exposed to American culture. She and her fellow Overbrook students participated in choirs, went skiing, and toured historical American sights such as the Liberty Bell and Capitol Hill. “There was never a dull moment in my life while at Overbrook,” Adrijana says. Adrijana was granted another scholarship-this time to the Eastern Mediterranean University of North Cyprus. Starting in 1999 as an English language teaching major, Adrijana recounts that she was a new experience for the university. “I was the first blind student they had there, and although they lacked most of the resources [I needed], such as materials in alternative formats, readers, and orientation and mobility professionals, they accepted me as no different from the rest of the students.” Adrijana was back to brailing most of her academic materials, but this was the least of her challenges. While most people were friendly and welcoming, life in the dormitory “was not the best.” Most of Adrijana’s fellow dorm residents only spoke Turkish “and their attitudes towards blind people were not [as accepting as] the ones most university students would have….I constantly faced problems and often had to keep some amount of food, water and other basic necessities in well hidden places, in case all else that was in the fridge or kitchen was mysteriously gone.” Adrijana’s determination and desire for independence had gotten her this far, and she was focused on making her time at the university worth it. “Despite all odds,” she says, “I tried to enjoy my life there, with a few of my good friends.” Adrijana graduated with her degree in 2003, and found herself drawn homeward to Macedonia. “I was sure that many blind people could achieve much more, if they were given the proper training and support. I just had a strong desire to help people and make their life a bit easier.” And so Adrijana returned to where her dreams for independence began-the city of Skopje. “Very difficult” are the words Adrijana uses when describing her job search in Macedonia. Despite being a competent woman holding an English teaching degree, Adrijana’s blindness kept her on the fringes of the job market, even though in Macedonia the demand for English teachers is high. “I was able to find hundreds of jobs,” she remembers, “but as soon as I had to make that call or submit that application and tell them I was blind, that was the end of it.” Most traditional schools in Macedonia “could never imagine a blind person working as a teacher and were not eager to listen and learn how that can be possible.” About three years passed. Adrijana’s dream of teaching and helping students like herself seemed far off, at best. In 2006, however, Adrijana stumbled upon an ad placed in a newspaper by her old school, Dimitar Vlahov. The ad described the ideal job applicant to be an English teacher skilled in Braille. The position fit Adrijana perfectly. Her dream had finally materialized. Another three years have passed, and Adrijana now teaches children aged five to 17 in 19 different grade levels. Adrijana is now realizing her dream by doing what she loves-teaching children who are blind and visually impaired. “I am glad that some of my dreams became reality,” she says. “[I'm] doing what I have always wanted.” But Adrijana is quick to admit that her dream of independence wasn’t easy to attain and isn’t easy to maintain. But having a clear picture of the goal helped. “I knew what I wanted to be and do,” she says. Adrijana insists that being interdependent is actually helpful for one’s independence. “When I feel I need help, I usually turn to family, friends, colleagues, and even blindness magazines and online groups. I am a people person and when things become difficult, I try to talk to, write to, read and listen to people I admire a lot,” Adrijana says. Her personal independence is strengthened through others’ advice, support, and outlook, which is something she can give back to people around her who may be facing similar challenges. When someone seeks her counsel, Adrijana says, “I try to spend long periods of time talking to them and helping them learn things. I also do not forget to tell them to follow their dreams and desires and stay brave.” It’s a way for her to give back, a manifestation of her gratefulness to “all the people who have helped me get where I am today.” When 30-year-old Adrijana Prokopenko dreams, she dreams with a depth and breadth that might intimidate others. Or inspire them. “I face all kinds of obstacles, challenges, and drawbacks at times,” she admits. However, that doesn’t mean one should stop dreaming or stop aspiring to personal independence. After all, she says, “It all started with my dreams.”

Age-related macular degeneration, known as AMD, is a disease that affects the central area of the retina, causing sight loss.  The Centre for Eye Research Australia has just done a study showing that by incorporating olive oil into your diet, the risk of developing AMD is reduced drastically.

The study found that people who consumed roughly seven tablespoons of olive oil per week were fifty percent less likely to develop AMD as they begin to age.  The doctors say that the reason olive oil slows the onset of AMD is because it is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin E and also contains an anti-inflammatory which helps protect blood vessels in the eye.  Other foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are also beneficial.  These include fish, like salmon and tuna, as well as most nuts.

While this study proposes a potential preemptive strike against the disease, it also gives future researchers insight into what causes the disease in the first place.  By knowing what can help prevent it, they may be able to develop something that could target the underlying causes and eliminate it entirely.

To read the original article, please go to http://cera.unimelb.edu.au/news/Media%20Release%20-%20Good%20fats%20prevent%20blindness%20in%20old%20age.pdf

Seventeen year old Chelsea King has been in the news ever since her disappearance in a California park roughly one week ago.  Now, police have discovered a body buried in a shallow grave that they believe is hers.  They have held a man named John Gardner as a suspect in the case since only a few days after she went missing.  Prosecutors are now planning on filing official charges against him.

What makes this case so frustrating is that John Gardner is a convicted sex offender.  In 2000, he was charged with beating and molesting a 13 year old girl.  For that crime, he served 5 years of his 6 year sentence and was put on parole until 2008.  A psychiatrist who analyzed Gardner warned prosecutors that he was and would continue to be a danger to underage girls.  Gardner was also positively identified by a girl as the man who ambushed and almost raped her back in December in the same park where Chelsea King disappeared.  She elbowed him in the face and was able to get away.  Police are also investigating whether or not he is connected to the disappearance of another California teenager who went missing roughly a year ago.

Normally, this type of article is something I would choose to leave out of the magazine because it is being covered by nearly every news outlet in the country and is, unfortunately, a very sad tale for one California family who lost their child.  However, I feel that it’s necessary to ask this question: Why was this allowed to happen?  The man, convicted of a crime against an underage girl in 2000, was given the minimum sentence.  Despite all of the testimony from a psychiatrist specializing in criminal profiling who claimed that he would still be a danger to society, he was allowed to be released on parole one year early.  Afterwards, unbeknownst to his parole officer, he spent most of his time at his mother’s house, located within terribly close proximity to an elementary school.  Since his release, he is now connected to at least two crimes against underage girls and possibly a third, two of which are murders.  I ask again, why was this allowed to happen?  Every possible warning sign was given by experts put in place to advise on these matters.  Yet, he was allowed back into the public domain.  Failing that, how is there not a system put in place to monitor people who have been deemed “high risk?”  It feels like multiple agencies really dropped the ball on this one, and it’s a tragedy that a girl had to pay for it with her life. 

I’m not expecting that the systems put in place regarding sex offenders will be perfect, but serious flaws like this need to be fixed.  Right now, it seems like all there is protecting us from them is a screen that’s spread large enough for the bugs to still get through.

Aside from the millions of American Toyota owners who have had to deal with the massive recall from the Japanese automaker, there are also some interesting things happening on the side as a result.  One man is hoping that it will get him out of prison.

Koua Fong Lee was driving home from church in 2006 with his pregnant wife, daughter, father, brother, and niece when he claims that his car, a 1996 Toyota Camry, suddenly accelerated without his control, causing him to strike two vehicles and kill three people. 

He claimed that he was pumping the breaks as he approached the intersection at between 70 and 90 miles per hour.  The prosecutors disagreed, saying that his foot was on the gas as he came up to the red light.  The mechanics who investigated the car testified that the brakes and the engine were fine at the time of the attack.  Though, they did note that the throttle was set at 15 percent open, which was odd.  They dismissed the throttle position as something that resulted from the crash.  Lee was charged with vehicular homicide and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Lee’s 1996 Camry is not part of any existing recall, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t other similar problems reported with that model.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration complaint database, there have been 526 incidents reported for the 1996 Toyota Camry.  Roughly two dozen of them were related to vehicle speed control.  In one incident, a woman claimed that when she was driving at 65 miles per hour on the highway, she pressed the brake to slow down but the car accelerated on its own instead.  Only by aggressively pumping the brakes was she able to pull the car over to a stop.  Another incident involved a woman stopped at an intersection.  Her car suddenly lurched forward into traffic, causing an accident with a motorcycle that resulted in the death of the rider later on.

What’s more interesting about this case is that the families of the victims of Lee’s crash are on his side.  They say that they want the truth to be revealed and that they don’t feel that Lee was responsible for the accident, citing that his whole family was in the car with him at the time and it wouldn’t make any sense.

 To read the original article, please go to   http://http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/02/toyota.recall.appeal/?hpt=C2

While the deadly earthquake that rocked Chile on February 27 absolutely moved the Earth around quite a bit, the powerful shaker also knocked our planet off of its axis and shortened our day.

According to a NASA scientist, the Earth’s axis was altered by roughly 3 inches. A short search on the internet revealed that the Earth weighs an estimated 13 septillion pounds. That’s a 13 with 24 zeros after it. So, while in the grand scheme of things 3 inches may seem very small, that’s one big boulder to be tilting over.

However, while the Earth is a huge rock to be moving, this quake was nothing to scoff at. With a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale, it produced roughly 67 exajoules of energy. As a basis of comparison, if the United States could have harnessed that energy, it would power the entire country for over four and a half years. The violent event was also equivalent to the explosion of 15.8 gigatons of TNT, a blast roughly 316 times more powerful than the largest nuclear explosion in history. In short, it was rather large and shook Chile quite a bit.

As was mentioned before, this quake also shortened our day. While it is probably impossible to perceive, our day is now 1.26 microseconds shorter. It’s a measurement of time that not even the Olympic judges would pay attention to. But again, keep in mind that the Earth is a pretty large object to be jostling this much. This effect, called the “ice skater effect,” is due to the massive amount of rock being moved, which changes the overall mass distribution of Earth, and thus the way it spins. They call it the ice skater effect because if you watch a figure skater spin, they rotate faster as they bring their arms closer to their body and change the distribution of their mass.

Other effects of the earthquake may be more perceivable. Santa Maria Island of the coast of the Chilean city of Concepcion may have lifted as much as 6 feet, and the resulting tsunami that swept across the Pacific has hit the Hawaiian Islands some 6,500 miles away and forced Japan to issue its own warnings another 4,100 miles away.

The current death toll sits at about 720 people, but as many as two million are displaced from their homes in the country that’s been rattled to its core.

To read the original article, please go to

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-01/chilean-quake-likely-shifted-earth-s-axis-nasa-scientist-says.html

Various numbers were acquired using calculations from www.wolframalpha.com

Last week, I announced that Peggy Trail of Paragould, AR is the 2009 James H. Veale Humanitarian Award winner.  Since I was running short on time, I had to make the announcement a quick one and couldn’t really detail why she had bee chosen as the winner.  However, I would like to highlight a few reasons why she was given this award.

One person wrote that they sincerely appreciated all of her work at the state convention of the Arkansas Council of the Blind, as well as the national convention of the American Council of the Blind.  In both instances, she was said to go above and beyond the call of duty to encourage and assist everyone around her.  She was especially helpful regarding transportation, and would pick up everybody and bring them from building to building instead of leaving them to walk.  She also brought people on a shopping trip during some downtime at the convention.  She is very active at her local senior center as well.

We had another person write in expressing how appreciative they were of her work at the Arkansas School for the Blind Alumni Conventions and the amount of support she gave to everyone around her.

Many other submissions reflected similar experiences, all of which mentioned her kindness, patience, and unwavering willingness to help those who needed it. 

It is because of the resounding opinion of her character by those who have met her that we chose her to win the award.  Thank you for your service, Peggy, and please continue your very successful work within the blindness community.

Cornea Transplant

Last week, I wrote a short introduction for you.  I wanted to follow that up with a story about a cornea transplant that I had in 2007.  Before the transplant, my vision had slowly become cloudy and blurry.  This happened over a ten year period.  In the beginning, I was not aware that anything was happening.  I figured it was just what would happen to me as I aged, but I finally decided that I needed to know what was going on.  I discussed the situation with three of my eye doctors and made the decision to have the transplant.

Things had gotten to a point where I could no longer write checks, I could no longer enjoy watching television, I could no longer identify specific items in stores, I could no longer identify my parents and I couldn’t navigate my parent’s house, which was where I grew up.  At times, I would either trip over or step on Whitlee, my guide dog.  I taught her to come to my hand when I called her to avoid the possibility of getting seriously hurt.

On Wednesday, March 28, 2007, I had a cornea transplant.  I stayed at my parent’s house the night before and strangely enough, was able to sleep without many nervous thoughts.  We all got up at 6 o’clock Wednesday morning to prepare and drive to Yale New Haven Hospital.  I was advised to wear comfortable clothes so I wore sweat pants and a blue t shirt with sneakers and white socks.

During the drive to the hospital I was remembering how difficult things had become over the past several years, how blurry everything appeared to me and how many things I had stopped doing and how unhappy I had become.  This transplant was going to potentially make everything better.  Since the time of my decision to have the transplant, I had been thinking that only good things were going to come of the surgery.  These positive thoughts made the ride to the hospital seem better.  But while the ride was long, it was not long enough.  My nerves had begun to get to me and I wanted the ride to be longer.  Soon, we arrived at the hospital and while my father looked for parking, my mother and I walked inside.  We rode the elevator up to the third floor as we were instructed and when we got out, we went to the admissions desk and I gave them my name.  A nurse came over and gave me a wheel chair.  She came back a few moments later with a wrist band with my name on it for identification purposes.

The nurse began to explain to me what would be happening over the next few hours.  She then took my blood pressure and temperature.  Once that was complete, she began to put drops into my left eye in preparation for the surgery.  Soon after, the doctor arrived and said that they were going to do their very best job during the surgery.  Once he had left, the anesthesiologist came and said they were going to put me to sleep for the operation, that they were going to give me a breathing tube, they would give me a diuretic to drain the fluid away from my eyes and that they were going to give me a catheter.  Since I had not had surgery since I was a baby, it all sounded overwhelming to me.  But I figured since it would all happen when I was asleep, it did not matter.

Finally, the nurse said it was time to go into the operating room.  So, I kissed my parents goodbye and they wheeled me down the hall to the operating room.  As we went, I felt very much like crying because I felt like for those moments and the next few hours, my decision had caused me to have no control over anything.  It was a strange feeling, like, “Ok, now this is it and there is no turning back, I can’t say no now, it’s a go!”

When we arrived in the operating room, I noticed the lights were bright and the floor was so clean it looked as though it was a clear glass, maybe what people see when they go to fancy places like the White House or on a ball room floor.  They asked me to lay on the operating table which was actually a bed.  They took off my sweat pants and gave me some warm massaging pads for my legs.  There were about four or five people in the room at this point and it began to become overwhelming because everyone was telling me what they were going to do and all of a sudden I could not concentrate on any of them or what they were doing.  There was no pain involved in anything up to that point.

Suddenly, I felt peaceful, calm, quiet, relaxed, painless, and unemotional.  But I realized I was awake and there was a dark patch over my eye, the operation was over and the doctors voice saying, “This is the doctor, everything went very well.”  The next thing I remember, I tried to call to my mother, but not much sound came out of my mouth.  When I breathed, the monitor began to beep faster.  A nurse asked me if I was awake and I believe I shook my head or something.  The next thing I knew, my mother was calling out to me.  “Hello Steve, your all done and the doctor said you did very well!”  It was all a strange sensation.  I was awake but could not see anything.

My mother asked me if I wanted to go home and I shook my head no, I felt like resting a while longer.  The nurse brought me a bottle of water and it was helpful because I was quite thirsty.  Finally, I felt ready to get up, get dressed and to go home.  The nurse then took out the IV and I was able to slowly stand up and get dressed.  We then walked for a short distance and the nurse gave me a wheel chair and they wheeled me to the valet parking pick up area.  It took several moments, but our car finally arrived.  On the way home, we stopped to get some prescriptions that the doctor gave me for infection control and pain relief.

When we arrived at home, Whitlee was very happy to see us.  We had been gone from 6:00 AM until 2:00 PM.  I decided to take Whitlee out to go to the bathroom.  For the first time, I could not see anything and I realized that I must truly trust her to guide me out the back door, to the edge of the back porch, to the top of the stairs, to the bottom of the stairs, to the grass and then reverse the route to get back to the back door.  Whitlee did everything perfectly.  She relieved herself, brought me back to the bottom of the stairs, stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited for my command, brought me to the top of the stairs and waited to bring me to the back door.  We made it!  I did not trip or stumble at all!  What an awesome dog.  Each time I had to take Whitlee outside, she did everything perfectly. 

The next day, I visited the doctor for my first post-surgery check up.  The nurse came in and went through the file and asked some questions.  She then instructed me to remove the patch that had been placed on my eye since the surgery the previous day.  I slowly removed the patch and sat in the chair.  “You can open your eye,” she laughed.  So, I slowly opened my eye. 

The nurse instructed me to come into the next room, but I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t move.  I just kept looking at everything.  First, I saw my hand, I saw the lines in my hand, I saw the floor through the spaces through my fingers.  I saw the floor, the contrast between the floor, the walls and the door, I saw Whitlee, all of the contrasts of colors in her fur coat, the color of her clear, brown eyes.  I saw my parents and it was all so wonderful, so clear, so nice, so bright, so completely awesome.  I just started to cry because I couldn’t believe that after all those months and years of seeing cloudy, seeing blurry, feeling lost, feeling hopeless, that it was over and all back to normal for me.

Several days later, my family had a party to celebrate the occasion.  We had a huge spread of food and my grandmother made her famous homemade apple squares.  Some of my friends visited me and took me out for ice cream.  Needless to say, I felt like I would explode by the time I got back home that evening from all of the wonderful food.  It truly was a time worthy of a celebration and the entire experience reminded me of waking up on Christmas morning when you are a child.  You believe in Santa Claus and you have this joyful feeling when you look under the tree and see huge piles of presents.  I hope to carry this feeling and remember it whenever life gets difficult.

A few months later, I took the family to Disney World in Orlando, Florida to celebrate.  The flight down to Florida was smooth and I could see the ground getting smaller and smaller during our take off and the clear skies as we flew to Florida.  All through the flight, I kept thinking how wonderful it was to see everything around me clearly again.

We spent several days exploring the theme parks and Whitlee did a great job guiding me around, moving through the crowds and taking me around obstacles.  She actually always does a better job traveling than I do.  During our trip we met many happy, curious people who enjoyed talking with my family and I about Whitlee.  At times, Whitlee got lucky enough to have some people pet her when we were not moving.  She experienced riding the monorail and a few of the slower, calmer rides.  She also enjoyed long afternoon naps on my bed in the hotel room.  After all it was vacation, so it was ok for her to lounge on the bed. 

The trip to Florida was the happiest one of my life because I had Whitlee, my family and my clear vision.  I just felt so grateful and so happy to be alive.  

Hello everybody,

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Not much has changed around here since last week, so this letter will be relatively short.

We’re still working on finalizing everything with Newsline.  It has proved to be a longer process than I had hoped, but I know that it will be worth every bit of effort to get this completed.  As always, updates are forthcoming. 

Those of you who frequent the website may have also noticed that there is now a new Events page up near the existing Special Notices link.  We have tried to compile as many regional events and event resources as possible, as well as some international resources.  As I stated at the top of the events page, I highly encourage anyone to offer additions to the list if you feel that a worthy event or resource has been left out.  Please email me any suggestions at blind@verizon.net.  For now, the events section is only available on the website because it contains a very large amount of information.  For next week’s magazine, I will develop a version that can be easily fit into the email edition.

Aside from that, we are still in the process of offering an audio version of the magazine that will be made available for download both from the site and by email.  I have a few options at my disposal and I’ll be in touch soon to discuss them.

In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this week’s magazine.  I’ll talk to you again soon.

Take care, and thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Ross Hammond, Editor

An Ohio man, frustrated about the bank foreclosing on his home, decided that the best course of action would be to never let them have the satisfaction of accomplishing that.  Terry Hoskins reportedly owed $160,000 on his $350,000 home and when he was alerted that he would be losing it to the bank, he bulldozed the house to the ground.

The problems started when the IRS placed liens on his carpet business after his brother, a partner in the business at one time, sued him.  The bank then considered his house as collateral and eventually went after both of his properties. 

Hoskins said that he was even offered $170,000 from someone willing to buy the house, but the bank refused, claiming that they could get more than that if they foreclosed and sold it themselves.  It was after that when Hoskins gave the bank his official warning, “I’ll tear it down before I let you take it.”  He said that he planned on giving the bank exactly what they deserved, the hill the house laid on.  As far as the house itself, he says, “I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground.”

Hoskins business is going up for auction this week and he says that he plans on possibly leveling that as well.

His fight against the bank is certainly unconventional, but it has garnered support from people all across the country who can sympathize with his situation.  He hopes that his actions will make other banks think twice before doing the same thing to someone else.  While he knows that legal troubles are most certainly coming his way, he has no regrets, knowing in his heart that what he did was the right thing for him.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.wlwt.com/news/22600154/detail.html