GAME ON !

DYSLEXIA CAN MAKE KIDS DEAF ?

Dyslexia can affect youngsters' hearing as well as reading ability, scientists have claimed. Kids with the condition have difficulty listening to teachers above background classroom noise.

The findings could see new ways of diagnosing sufferers based on hearing tests. It may also see them put at the front of class or provided with wireless devices to pick up information better. Research leader Prof Nina Kraus, of Northwestern University, Illinois, US, said: "It brings us closer to understanding sensory processing in children who experience difficulty excluding irrelevant noise.

"It provides an index that can help in assessing children with reading problems." UK experts said the study could help schools improve how they taught dyslexics.

One in 10 of the British population is thought to suffer to some degree. Dr Kate Saunders of the British Dyslexia Association said: "A range of research demonstrates the way dyslexic individuals process auditory material is different to non-dyslexic learners.

"Teachers should be made aware of these differences to plan how best to help these children."

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What is Dyslexia ?

Censoring the Censor

"The actual position of the censor (called censura) was a person responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances in ancient Rome. The censors' regulation of public morality is the origin of the modern meaning of the words "censor" and "censorship." So that's the technical definition.

I occasionally get comments from Mr Anonymous (don't we all !), who claims the 'voice' of the common people everywhere, a very active person mostly, a champion of free speech, but quite determined to remain faceless, and as the moral and ethical majority view, and if that means calling you all the names he or she can think of and remorselessly attacking at every opportunity or undermining others, then should we annihilate such people from using us a platforms ?

Ya BOO ! they all cry, we are censoring ! No clean feeds, whatever... they never draw lines on whatis or isn't acceptable... perhaps they have no lines.... my colours are nailed to the mast, I stamp on bugs. Not so long ago we had poor, and harassed Ridor using this approach, but the world is full of people whose sole intent is not just as the silent and mysterious moral majority, view, but exposed as the disrupter's and anti-democratics and immoralists they are, posing as 'Internet freedom fighters'.. People have different moral stances, they have a right to be offended if others try to ridicule or override these. We have a right to not allow them air time on our blogs too, and to this end I am pro-active.


Can you censor someone who is nameless and faceless ? They are non-extant in real terms...

Of course we got the same and old and tired response 'CENSOR!' I say shut it, there IS a case for censorship in that respect because it isn't stifling a view, it it is stifling an abuse. You would not allow people into your home to start punching you or to start poking fun at you, so why put up with it elsewhere ?

I had an 'anon' posting yesterday (two in fact), one was asking why I do not respond to bloggers that launch determined attacks on me and at every level they can find to make it effective ? surely doing nothing is allowing abuse ? No it isn't, they are free to carry on their bile wherever they want, there is nothing you can do about elsewhere... just not here, there are obviously a few who will think free speech means open day on everyone...I can stop them here, that is all I can do. I recall 2 years ago getting sent homosexual pornography and all kinds as 'retaliation' for a view point, people writing in they were going to find me, and then rape me...

It was as bad as it could get, and I was stalked from site to site by 2 people, so 'censoring' them was an active decision I do not regret, 2 less idiots I no longer have to read about or respond to.... Of course you can still get them as 'anons' so have to make a decision on that aspect, and adjudge "Is this really someone who doesn't want to be id'd for whatever reason ? or is it these serial attackers trying it on ?" Sometimes I can get this wrong and erase, it is the nature of the beast. Sometimes too these serial attackers can form their own clique's and act as a pack, amazing... NOT ! Then they will try to disrupt sites or attack particular bloggers together, the more strident your view is, the more of a target you become for them.

It is why I believe some form of censorship IS perfectly legitimate, because of these antics online. That does not mean to infer I am a rabid censor who blocks anyone that disagrees, that too, is an old chestnut, I know when I am baited, I know when the comments are heading for meltdowns, I know too most of the excuses they use as well. Yes I do operate against my better judgment, the 'hide' option at times deaf.read offers. Like many others, I found some blogs and some people get right up my nose, so it is better to ignore than get embroiled in never-ending rows with them. I don't want to be tempted to respond, by people rather too adept at winding others up. If they eventually do offer something of use as a point, then no-one is going to listen to them, whose fault is that ?

The second e-mail I got, it may be the same anon who knows ? commented to one blogger who attacks, and was promptly erased, so who is the censor ? what is the blog ? I couldn't care less, don't play the games they play. This commentator claimed to have 'acted' for me by complaining a blogger had launched nearly 17 blogs at MM with the intention of direct abuse and attack over years, and had that comment erased too, why was he/she surprised ? I am not interested in continuing debates with this type of blogger, there are 4 I no longer read, which is testament most bloggers are fine. I'm no Mary Whitehouse, I know what I will accept, and won't. It's ludicrous you can be attacked for that.

3 for the road

Fahrenheit 451 revisted

Americans burnt the Beatles music in the bible belt, because John Lennon claimed they were more popular than Jesus. I would like to offer a symbolic challenge to those at deaf.read (Pros and Cons),of deaf hood to vote for the burning of 'Understanding Deafhood' by Paddy Ladd, primarily on the grounds it will ease the huge divisions in the community its publication has created.. To this end I will put up a vote and leave it there a while say 1 month ? and if the decision is to get rid of this book, I will burn a copy and put the act on video.



Why stop there ? I will symbolically destroy audism and D/d annoyances and all that goes with that too !

Dead or Deaf ? ...erm... tough call !

Yahoo has the answers....Asking hearing the question, we get unsurprising answers to the unaware... deaf awareness is just NOT working at all is it ? A bit better than being blind or dead...but not much !

Resonse (1) I'll go with deaf. I can still ride my Harley being deaf.
Response (2) None of the above three.I like living.
Response (3) probably deaf. at least there's sign language a person could learn. if i was blind i'd never be able to see my nephews, any love i had, nature..nothing.
Response (4) sad question
Response (5) Dead. I wouldn't want to live a life knowing that I could always have had a different, more normal life like the others.
Response (6) Obviously dead, i cant imagine being deaf or blind......
Response (7) Blind. NEVER deaf. Ever.
Response (8) Deaf.
Response (9) i would rather be dead than being deaf or blind.
Response (10) Deaf, Such a horrible question btw. Ugh it made me sad. But i answered so shame on me, i know.
Response (11) Deaf.
Response (12) Deaf or dead. just not blind, because I would like to see this become the best answer.

Seeing is Believing...

Ah so ! the Japanese have glasses that provide translation services, will this make terps redundant, or will they need ASL too !? With CI's we will all be assimilated lol.... Spectacles that can provide subtitles have been created by hi-tech firm NEC. Resembling glasses but lacking lenses, the headset uses a tiny projector to display images on a user's retina.

COMMENT: Let us hope the subtiling is better than that which British have to put up with, as their speech to text translator software used at the BBC needs the deaf to be conversant with serbo-croat first !

NEC said it planned a version that used real-time translation to provide subtitles for a conversation between people lacking a common language. The firm said the gadget, dubbed Tele Scouter, was intended for sales people or employees dealing with inquiries from customers. NEC said the Tele Scouter was intended to be a business tool that could aid sales staff who would have information about a client's buying history beamed into their eye during a conversation.

But, it said, it could also be put to a more exotic use as a translation aid. In this scenario the microphone on the headset picks up the voices of both people in a conversation, pipes it through translation software and voice-to-text systems and then sends the translation back to the headset. At the same time as a user hears a translation, they would also get text subtitles beamed onto the retina.

"You can keep the conversation flowing," NEC spokesman Takayuki Omino told AFP at a Tokyo trade show where the device was unveiled.

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Japan

More again !