Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

11/23/2011

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Thanksgiving c. 1620
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

Hopefully you are having a wonderfully day with a delicious holiday feast, Macy’s Parade Balloons, Turkey and loads of football! But more than that, Thanksgiving is a time, as Natalie Cole sang in 1977, to “be thankful of what you got.” To kick of the thank-you-offering-ceremony, I want to thank every one of you for reading bf4life-hearing. :)

Everybody knows the Thanksgiving story: In 1620, a group of English Puritans (a.k.a. the Pilgrims) sailed on the Mayflower to the new world to flee religious persecution. There, they founded the colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts. But, life in the New World was not easy: there was famine, cold winters and Indian attacks. Yet, some Indians shows the Pilgrims how to survive in Massachusetts, introducing them to new crops like Maize. In return, the Pilgrims hosted a Thanksgiving feast to thank the Indians for their help. But, do you know the story of the Pilgrims who were deaf/hard of hearing? 
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Hearing Loss a Pity in Medieval Days According to Chaucer

10/10/2011

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A "Medieval" Woman Circa Now
Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales wrote of hearing loss, "A worthy woman from beside Bath city/ Was with us, somewhat deaf, which was a pity."
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In Honor of the 9/11 Anniversary!

09/11/2011

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On September 11, 2001, a pair of planes that were hijacked by members of the terrorist organization, Al-Quaeda, crashed into the Twin Towers. Within two hours, both towers had collapsed. 2,996 people died. It was truly a tragic day.

Meanwhile, on the other side of NYC, nearly twenty little girls were sitting in a circle. It was their third day of school and their teacher was reading them a book. As the teacher's voice changed to reflect a new character speaking, a woman walked into the room. She called my name and told me that my mother was there to pick me up. Why did my mom come to school? Why did she want me to leave early? I was enjoying the book. The woman walked me to an unused classroom where at least thirty adults were clamoring for their children. My mom saw me as I approached and grabbed my hand. She pulled me quickly to a taxi and said, "Get in." It wasn't until we returned home that she explained what happened in simple words. She didn't try to scare me because I was in 2nd grade, but I was frightened. I had never seen my mother look more nervous than at that moment. 
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Quick Look at Jim's Life

04/08/2011

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Hey!

Spring break has finally (sadly) ended, after two weeks of exams and college visiting. Yet, I now get to happily return to both my classmates and my exiting classes. In school, I take the basic core classes: History, Math, Science, French and English. 

I love how I learn a lot of really interesting things in school, such as how snafu is really an acronym for Situation Normal All Fouled Up [You can plug in the expletive]. Another cool piece of information was this quote (below) that I came across in English class. 

For English, I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a historical fictional novel about a young boy named Huckleberry Finn, who escapes his home along with a slave named Jim. The story follows their adventures together as they travel down the Mississippi River using a raft. Reading the story, I was fascinated when I came across this quote, where Jim is speaking to Huck about his family:
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Deaf History Month: March 13 to April 15

03/23/2011

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Deaf History Month: March 13-April 15
Hey!

I am so tired; I finally finished ALL of my exams!!! I had missed three of them last week due to being sick, so my school decided to have me finish my exams over Spring Break. Yep, I spent my first free sunny days memorizing Newton's Third Law, Lincoln's thoughts on Reconstruction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and so forth... 

Don't get me wrong: I LOVE English, Science and History. Seriously! After all, I am the girl whose mother thought she was insane when she started saying things like, "It is as soft as a buttercup" because that was how people in Colonial America spoke. Promise you won't tell ... :)

In case you were wondering, Abe Lincoln was in favor of the 10% Plan, which decreed that a state would only be reintegrated into the Union following the Civil War when 10 percent [Hence the name!!!] of its population took an oath of allegiance to the United States of America and pledged to abide the Emancipation Proclamation.

In my opinion, this ingenious plan only underscores the fact that Abe is "da man!" I mean, not only did he sign the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he also ratified the charter for Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. on April 8, 1864, creating the first university for people who are deaf/hoh in the WORLD!!! 
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