Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind the source for blindness news and information since 1907

A friend offered to take a digital picture of me.  I don’t have pictures of my fatter, gray-haired self.  And, occasionally, editors want pictures and they’ve figured out that I can’t be as young as my 12-year-old “current photo.” 

Taking pictures always brings up how I look in them–or how I look in general.  Head shots are a problem, I suppose, because my eyes look odd.  Pictures where I’m standing and reading Braille are about the best.  I have slender fingers and I got all the family hair.

Many photographers complain that my eyes are closed (I’m bored or afraid of the flash I used to but can no longer see) or that I’m not smiling (because I’m concentrating on looking where they say).   One professional photographer desperately mentioned my good cheekbones.  (I don’t think she used the picture.)

I don’t remember details about the shape of my face and I’m always sure I’ll forget what color my eyes are.  But my favorite, and unfortunately most memorable, description of my face came from my brother.  I had read about a blind woman who bought sclerotic shells for her eyes because her eyes looked worse as she aged.  If I looked even weirder, I reasoned, I should find out and Mark would tell me.

“No,” he said, “You look about as weird as ever.  Your eyes are sort of sunken in; your forehead kind of sticks out.  You look, ah, Cro-Magnon.”

Other people have assured me that this isn’t true, but it’s what I always suspect especially during picture- taking.

Do you have picture-taking stories? Does your view of yourself match what others see?

Once I became a visually impaired traveler, my needs and challenges changed. One day I could read the labels on those tiny hotel bottles, unconcerned with the fact that they all looked alike. Then, on a solo trip to California, I realized that even if I asked a hotel employee to help me separate them, unless I found a simple and effective way to label the bottles, I’d be running downstairs before my shower every morning to ask someone to tell me which was which. I shivered at the thought of those folks seeing me before my shower and devised a simple solution: rubber bands. I placed one around the shampoo, left the conditioner alone, and put another on the cap of the lotion bottle. It worked great.

Here are some other traveling tips that I found helpful.

Before your trip, familiarize yourself with your luggage to avoid last-minute fumbling when unpacking. If the zipper pulls all feel the same, try using a twist tie to mark the one you use the most. New luggage is especially awkward, so take the time to get to know it.

For identification purposes, put an extra name and address tag inside your checked luggage. Also, mark it so you can identify it quickly and confidently. I wrap a twist tie to the side of a handle.  

Pack an extra cane in your carry on luggage. It’s as important as your medications and underwear.

Bring along some rubber bands, handy not just for marking those darned shampoo/conditioner/lotion bottles, but also other items in your hotel room, like door handles. I’ve been a guest at hotels that do not mark doors in Braille. A rubber band on your door handle eliminates guess work.

A small piece of cellophane tape placed on the corner of your key card and Do Not Disturb/Housekeeping, Please signs are other tips for easy identification.

After checking in, ask the hotel personnel to take a moment to show you the emergency exit closest to your room and make sure you are registered as a guest with a disability in case of an emergency. Being able to find the stairs on your own gives your worried bones a break.

Ask the staff to explain the phone and how to dial the desk. Some hotels even supply blind travelers with tactile maps and Braille menus. Always call ahead and ask for accommodations.

For conference goers, contact the speaker/agency at least two weeks in advance and ask for the printed materials of the seminars you are attending in an alternative format. I do this whenever I’m attending a conference and it’s great to be able to reference the information as needed. I load mine onto a note taker but digital book players, like the Victor Stream Reader will download text files, too. A Braille version may take more time to obtain, so the earlier you ask for it, the better.

For guide dog handlers, if you are going on a trip longer than a week, pack a few days of food and send the rest via parcel post to the hotel. It will lighten up your luggage and help you avoid paying for overweight baggage. Measure out each portion of dry food in a Ziploc bag so you can store it easily in your luggage. The length of the trip will decide on what doggie paraphernalia to bring, but packing an extra leash, food bowl, brush and waste bags are the minimum necessities I also bring a chew toy and soft toy to help my dog settle in.

Being prepared is the key to stress-free traveling, so do your best to plan in advance and take some of these tips along for a worry-free trip.

Since I got my BookSense, I have regained my reputation for being a bookworm. Even though I am an avid reader, I often find it hard to find new books to read either because I don’t know enough authors, or I just don’t know what is available. Thankfully this is no longer a problem thanks to the National Library Services (NLS) BARD website. Each Friday BARD gets updated and they list all of the new books that have been added to the collection. I then download the ones I’m interested in and load them onto my BookSense.

Not only do the new digital books from NLS allow me instant access, they also allow me to listen to the books whenever I want without worrying about when I need to return them to the library. In the last few months I’ve read everything from my favorite Patricia Cornwell series, to George Carlin’s Autobiography, to a book on the Biosphere 2 project. The “Recently Added” section of the BARD website is like the new releases section of a library, accept unlike a library, it’s accessible to the blind.

If you want more information on how to get access to the digital book library from NLS please visit this link. https://nlsbard.loc.gov/ApplicationInstructions.html

If you still haven’t received your digital book player from NLS, than I encourage you to contact your regional library and request one. This link will take you to a list of the regional libraries and their contact information. http://www.loc.gov/nls/find.html

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend.  It was another hot one, but that seems to be the trend lately. 

I just wanted to give a quick update on some things I’ve been working on recently.  A few of you have inquired about NLS, and if it would be possible for the magazine to be offered through their services as well.  I have been in contact with the powers that be at NLS and they are figuring out just how we might be able to make that work.  There are multiple items that need to be addressed, and various approval processes that we’ll have to go through, but it is my hope that I will be able to add the NLS to our repertoire of available formats.  More updates will come as I hear from them.

That should cover everything for now.  Have a great week, stay cool, and enjoy yourselves.

Take care, and thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Ross Hammond, Editor

Submitted by Dave Hutchins

Clam Chowder Casserole

The taste of New England clam chowder is in every last bite of this comforting main-dish casserole. Creamy, hearty and filled with the tastes of the seashore, it’s a quick and easy weeknight meal they’ll really enjoy!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package elbow macaroni

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese

2 (10-3/4-ounce) cans condensed New England clam chowder

1 (6-1/2-ounce) can minced clams, drained

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Half teaspoon black pepper

1 cup oyster crackers

1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions; drain then return macaroni to cooking pot.

3. Add the cheese, clam chowder, clams, scallions, and pepper to the macaroni; mix well. Pour into the baking dish, sprinkle evenly with the crackers, and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly and the topping is golden.

Preparation Tip:

For added color and flavor, mix in half of a diced red bell pepper along with the chowder and other ingredients.

Right now, as you’re reading this, a massive floating collection of plastic is floating in the Pacific Ocean.  Its size is unbelievably large, as scientists have estimated that it is roughly as big as the state of Texas.  As a point of reference, Texas, the nation’s second largest state, is nearly 269,000 square miles.

As saddening as this fact might be, scientists are working on a way to convert the useless floating plastics into a sustainable community.  The intrepid idea relies initially on recycling all of that plastic into a viable building material.  Many little bits of plastic may not be up to the task, but a plastic slick as large as Texas should be able to provide for plenty of recycled materials to build an island.  All in all, there is roughly four millions tons of it.  The initial recycling will be done on-site, with machines working on ships or suspended work platforms similar to those used in deep sea drilling.  The second piece of the puzzle is to create new land for sustainable habitation, sources of energy, and even food growth.

The fertile ground to grow the food in would come from the use of compost toilets.  Energy would be available in many forms, including wind, solar, and wave power generators.  There would also be seaweed farms that could be used as habitat and food for fish and would also act as nutrient sinks that would suck up ammonia, nitrates, and phosphate from the water.  The seaweed could also be used for biofuel as well as CO2 capture and certain medicines.

Right now, the plastics that are floating in the mass are being collected for testing to see what kind of recycling process would be necessary to turn them into a building material.  Other things like funding will most likely be a large hurdle for the project.  If successful, though, an island similar in size to Hawaii’s main island will be created, all from the trash that’s floating in the Pacific.

So, what do you think?  Would you live there?

To read the original article, please go to http://green.blorge.com/2010/07/recycled-island-will-be-created-from-plastic-waste-in-the-pacific-ocean/

An unlikely find has recently occurred near the World Trade Center site.  Workers excavating near the area began to notice odd, curved pieces of wood located 30 feet beneath street level as they dug in a certain area.  When they finally realized what they had found, they couldn’t believe it.  The 32 foot boat, dating back to the 18 century, was clearly not what anyone expected to dig up.  Archaeologists who were called in to investigate the find believe that the boat was probably used as filler when another hole was been filled in many years ago.

“I kept thinking of how closely it came to being destroyed,” Mr. Pappalardo, one of the archaeologists, said.  Now, they are in a race against time to preserve the find.  Since the wood hasn’t been exposed to air in centuries, it is actually beginning to decompose, forcing the team to work as fast as they can to extract the pieces and get them to a lab for analysis. 

Other items like a seven pound anchor and a leather shoe sole were also found near the ship.  Though, there is no verification that either item was associated with the ship before it was placed there.

It’s always interesting when finds like this happen because you never realize what might be beneath your feet as you walk in very developed areas.  To find an old boat buried in New York City is certainly surprising, and the fact that it wasn’t simply destroyed by the excavators is even more impressive.  It makes you wonder what else might be lurking underneath the city, or other cities for that matter.  How much history must be buried in the most unlikely places?

To read the original article, please go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1294911/Historic-18th-century-wooden-ship-unearthed-new-World-Trade-Centre-site.html?printingPage=true

Many agricultural industrialists have adopted the practice of altering the genetic makeup of their fruits and vegetables so that they can fight against diseases and create produce that can be grown longer and resist otherwise deadly temperature levels.  However, fruits and vegetables may not be the only foods that we eat that are the result of genetic manipulation.

AquaBounty, the company behind the genetically altered salmon, will be owners of the first genetically modified animal, if they are approved by the FDA.  They claim that their AquaAdvantage salmon reach market size twice as fast as their wild counterparts.  Their special super salmon has genes that are made up of Atlantic salmon, a growth hormone from the Chinook salmon, and one special gene that works almost as an on switch for their stomach.  The latter of those is derived from the ocean pout, and will adjust the fish’s behavior so they eat year-round.  The company does not plan on selling the actual fish, either.  They only plan on selling the fish eggs to salmon farmers.

For farmers, these new fish represent many advantages.  For one, they grow twice as fast, so the farmers can start making their money much sooner.  These new fish can also be raised inland, which eliminates the need for ocean pens. 

Not everyone is impressed, though.  Even though the company claims that the fish are sterile and could not threaten the wild salmon population, there are skeptics that are uneasy about the possible oversights that may occur.  According to a Purdue University study, if AquaBounty’s fish are not actually sterile, as little as 60 of the genetically modified fish released into a population of 60,000 wild salmon could cause the extinction of the wild fish within as little as 40 generations.  With the new fish growing twice as fast, those generations would occur much quicker.

The reality of the situation is that over fishing occurs for nearly every popular species of fish.  With salmon being one of the most popular, this may be a way for everyone to have the fish they want to eat while keeping supply up and prices affordable.  For food purists, the idea of genetically modified fish seems like an unnecessary and unnatural reaction to the need for greater supply, and if mistakes are made, it could prove disastrous for wild populations.  Either way, the FDA seems to be moving forward with their approval.  If approved, AquaBounty already plans on creating similar tilapia and trout varieties as well.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1669398/print

Armed with only a metal detector, David Crisp, a hospital chef, uncovered nearly 52,000 Roman coins worth around 1 million dollars.  The pot of coins, found in southwestern England, is filled with Roman currency dating back to between 253 and 293 AD.  Most are made of silver or bronze and nearly 800 of them are marked with the image of Roman general Marcus Aurelius Carausius.

After realizing that he had found something of great historical value, Crisp held off on salvaging the pot himself, and instead asked to receive help from Somerset County archaeologists.  It would have been difficult for him to do much with it on his own anyway, as the pot weighed 350 pounds.  When they arrived to remove the pot, David was actually surprised at how large it turned out to be.

Archaeologists who have studied the pot believe that whoever left it there had no intention on returning to claim it.  They believe that it was buried either for savings, in fear of an invasion, or merely an offering to the gods.

David’s treasure is the largest found in a single pot and the second largest ever found in the United Kingdom.  Not too shabby for a guy wandering around listening for his detector to beep at him.

To read the original article, please go to http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Amateur+unearths+52%2C000+Roman+coins+worth+%241m+-+CNN.com&expire=&urlID=431477187&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2010%2FWORLD%2Feurope%2F07%2F09%2Fuk.roman.coin.treasure%2Findex.html%3Fhpt%3DC2%26fbid%3DwPfba5wZ_iR&partnerID=212106

After a massive heart attack on Tuesday, July 13, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner passed away in a hospital in Tampa, Florida.

The controversial Yankees owner, who was infamous for his fights with various players and coaches in his staff, was an owner who demanded those working for him nothing short of absolute success.  While his attitudes about winning may have been cumbersome, his own accomplishments were realized as a direct result of that winner’s spirit. 

When George acquired the Yankees, the franchise was worth only 10 million dollars.  Now, a model of the modern franchise, the Yankees are worth over 1.5 billion.  Under Steinbrenner’s iron fist, the Yankees went on to win seven World Series Championships, eleven American League pennants, and 16 AL East titles.  George was a man who expected the best, and he clearly had a chance to revel in his successes many times.

George was never shy about spending money to achieve those successes, either.  At one point, Larry Lucchino, president of the Boston Red Sox, dubbed Steinbrenner’s Yankees, the “Evil Empire.”  Many of the player acquisitions that Steinbrenner was a part of were the most expensive ever seen.  Later, they became the first team to reach a 200 million dollar payroll.  When this milestone was reached, Baltimore Orioles owner Bennett Williams was once quoted saying that Steinbrenner stockpiled outfielders “like nuclear weapons.”

Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner was a huge part of baseball.  His win no matter what attitude made him exceptionally popular among his fans while simultaneously making him one of the most disliked owners in professional sports for stacking his team with talent at great expense.  Even Yogi Berra, who fought with Steinbrenner for 14 years expresses a great deal of adoration for George.  Yogi said, “He built the Yankees into champions, and that’s something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.”

George was a winner, no doubt, and that meant the world to him.  He often said, “Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing.  Breathing first, winning next.”

To read the original article, please go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/george-steinbrenner-dead_n_644215.html?view=print