Insgesamt gibt es einige simple und effektive Methoden um einen E-Mail Newsletter TEN-konform zu formatieren, des Weiteren sind diese Optimierung auch für den Rest der Empfänger eher Vorteil als Nachteil. Somit spricht überhaupt nichts dagegen TEN komplett auf E-Mail Newsletter im Text-Format anzuwenden.

Da es sich bei den geplanten Newsletter und eine relativ überschaubare Klientel handelt, habe ich mich nach Recherchen mit phplist angefreundet und werde dieses für den Newsletter-Versand als Backend nutzen. Denn es macht keinen Sinn für einige hundert Empfänger, mit den großen Newsletter-Lösungen anzufangen.

And it was a prime time news hour and I was hosting the show with my co-anchor. She entered the studio with confident smile on her over painted face. After couple of stories it was her turn to speak up. Oh! What a confidence?? Can't believe!! Is she really just a 20 year old Nepali girl?

She told us that she met him just couple of months ago and ALAS! It was first sight love!! Humbleness was what attracted her to him as she told. She blamed media of being so impartial. According to her, Shobhraj isn't a criminal because nobody has yet found any evidence against him that would prove he is a criminal, a serial killer!! I couldn't sense what the humbleness she was talking about. But still it was a good defence!! She has guts!! Yes, she does have!!

To be continued....

see the link too..

The message in "In the End", is, in addition to "don't take life for granted"- No matter what the outcome is, the journey itself is more important. What we've learned in life proves to be invaluable, and thus of far more worth than material gain, "perfection", or anything else. This also means that mistakes are what makes life worth living. The Ends doesn't justify the Means, and the Means doesn't justify the Ends, because both are irrelevant. The Journey itself is all that really matters in the long run. That's the message, in fewer words, they [Linkin Park] were trying to convey.

That's also a lifestyle which has defined my whole life, although I didn't *know* it till recently. I think in many ways, I was living life the *right* way long before I knew what was right, as if I was being guided by God, spirits- use your imagination...(!) I've learned (to word things a bit differently) that what's really important is not *what* we decide, the decisions we make, or the outcome of these decisions- be it good or bad. These things are trivial in comparison to the importance of knowing why we ourselves made those decisions. That is, motivation is what is most important.

As I said in Pride, "we exist to find meaning", and that meaning is in our motivation- because without motivation, which is in turn ultimately driven by pride, "we are nothing". That is, we cannot learn from our mistakes unless we know why we made them, and we cannot help others with their problems unless both of us know why the problems exist. I have written a few posts that were inspired by the troubles of a certain co-worker, but I did not until recently consider that I could not help them until I knew the source of their problems. Well, I was looking for the source, but in all the wrong areas. I was thinking circumstantial, when I should have been looking life. Once I considered that they had perhaps not learned from their mistakes because they did not know what the mistakes were- it became clear: they were immature. I will detail this in a future post, probably named "Immature", but don't expect it too much :P

I have spent so much time these past couple years trying to get to know myself- an unrelenting obsession. Although I was doing it for myself, I had no idea how much that the problems in the world, and lack of success of people can be directly attributed to people not knowing themselves. most people assume they do, and/or allow other people to take that responsibility, when those very people don't know themselves either. In other words, it's the Blind leading the Blind- a one-way ticket to hell-on-earth, to hyperbolize.

I've always considered myself the "unconventional" type, but really, what is convention? If convention is merely a signature characteristic, then I just have more unique conventions than most. One of these conventions is doing or saying things that I know are radical, unusual, controversial or just-plain-stupid. The reason why is not because I want to look like an asshole, dunce, or know-it-all, but so that I can find out why things are the way they are- what the motivation behind traditions, "common-sense", "do-not's", etc. is. I want to know, even if it means getting hurt (actually, I'm jaded to pain by now). Just the other day, I pedaled my bike to full-speed, then slammed on both breaks simultaneously, in from of a parked vehicle. I knew it was dangerous, but I wanted to find out exactly why. I knew I would fall, but that wasn't important. It was a very exhilarating experience- the bike did a full 180* flip- and luckily I didn't get a scratch. The bike was fine too, although the light was completely busted.

Every once in a while I come across an opportunity which a voice inside tells me is fate. When that happens- it's quite magical, because it's almost like I have power over the future. The first instinct was to go along with fate, but after thinking about it a while, I realized that fate does not exist to decide life for us, over even to give us the decision. Fate exists so that we do not take life for granted. Fate exists, so that we can recognize why we made the choice- that's the gift God has given us. The only thing we can't control is destiny- for all of us it's the same- pretty simple: we die.

So not every time I see fate reveal itself, I thank God (though I don't know who or what "God", or even if he "is") for the opportunity given me, to not just make the choice, but understand why I made it.

"I do not need a lantern," he said. "Darkness or light is all the same to me."

"I know you do not need a lantern to find your way," his friend replied, "but if you don't have one, someone else may run into you. So you must take it."

The blind man started off with the lantern and before he had walked very far someone ran squarely into him. "Look out where you are going!" he exclaimed to the stranger. "Can't you see this lantern?"

"Your candle has burned out, brother," replied the stranger.

"There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."

These words, by George Bernard Shaw (in "Man and Superman", 1903), came to my mind as we watched Iranian director Majid Majidi's 2005 film The Willow Tree (96 mins, in Farsi with English subtitles) as TVE Asia Pacific's monthly feature film screening this week.

The Willow Tree chronicles the revelations and shocks experienced by Youssef (Parvis Parastui), a blind professor of literature whose eyesight is miraculously restored 38 years after he lost it in a childhood firecracker accident. For nearly four decades, he lived in the care of his comfort zone, first in biological and then married family. But when he regained the ability to see, it opens up a whole new world -- one which he is not fully prepared to face.

Some critics see The Willow Tree as closely linked to Majidi's 1999 film, The Color of Paradise, the story of the lonely but strangely happy Mohammad, a blind 8-year-old boy whose widowed father reluctantly abandons him to the care of a rural carpenter. (Not having seen the latter film yet, I can't comment.)

As Stephen Holden wrote in a New York Times review: "If the two films are viewed as a matched pair, as I think they should be, Youssef could be Mohammad’s urban grown-up counterpart. Both films are explicitly religious, intensely poetic meditations, filled with recurrent symbols and suffused with a spirit of divine apprehension. Both are sad beyond measure, and both risk seeming mawkishly sentimental."

The Willow Tree is a soulful, emotionally moving film where Majidi once again proves his dexterity with multi-layered symbolicism and clever use of soundtrack, especially music, to convey much that is unsaid in dialogue.

At one level, the film reinforces the cautionary tale to be careful of what you wish for. At another, it makes us question the whole notion of what it means to be able to see the world with our eyes -- something many of us take for granted, but is the defining attribute in Professor Youssef's life.

It's easy for us who work in moving images to forget that there is a wholly different world for those who cannot see, or whose vision is impaired as in, say, astigmatism or colour blindness. We sometimes tend to picture perfect our creations - with extra touches of visual effects, some of which are so subtle that they could easily be lost in the fleeting playback. We argue over the shades of gray, the seamlessness of a fade-in and fade-out, or the precise colour corrections, as if those choices were matters of life and death. We who play with light like to get things exactly right.

Well, it's fine to strive for excellence, but it's sobering to note that there are some who will never see and appreciate our hard-laboured visual subtleties. A few among them may listen to the soundtrack of our audio-visual creations. But on the whole, cinema, television and video are media catering to those who can both see and hear. Watching films like The Willow Tree, therefore, gives a sense of perspective to us that is not typically part of our daily work milieu.

In the end, we are what our sensory perceptions make us. Yes, it's a blessing to have all or most of our five senses (and some among us seem to have an as yet undefined sixth sense). But before we rejoice, it's good to reflect that there may be other beings in the vast universe (or in other dimensions) with far greater powers of sensory perception in realms we have no way of knowing.

This is what American poet Harry Kemp (1883—1960) hinted at in his most famous poem, 'Blind':

THE SPRING blew trumpets of color;
Her Green sang in my brain—
I heard a blind man groping
“Tap—tap” with his cane;

A spirit who hears me tapping
The five-sensed cane of mind
Amid such unguessed glories—
That I am worse than blind.

Every so often, when things are slow on this blog, I like to sit back and take stock of what is going on, what's going well, what's not, etc. And this time around I noticed something very strange. Treadmarkz.wordpress.com has a fairly even distribution of readership throughout the United States, is read just as heavily throughout Europe, and sporadically everywhere else that English is widely spoken or read. Australia, South Africa, Asia, Hawaii, and a thousand other exotic locales where English is not widely spoken, read or written.

Except for Canada.

Are there disabled people in Canada? Obviously...And I want you to know I've spent quite a lot of time in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and I know that they have a very good public transit situation for people in wheelchairs. It's free, whereas in my hometown in the U.S. it can get pretty expensive.

But there must be quite a few disabled people in Winnipeg at least. I can't say I have ever really met too many other people in wheelchairs, but I know they are there. And so, I am assuming such is the case in the other major Canadian cities; Toronto, Montreal (If they are still part of Canada this week), Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary, etc.

So, disabled Canadians, where are you? I can't tell you much more about accessibility in Canada other than what I just did. But I want to hear from you. The issues you are dealing with must be very much the same as the ones we deal with hear (except for your nice cushy public transit situation, you Winnipeggers!) But I would love to hear more about what it is to be a disabled person in Canada. I want to know that I am getting through to you.

See you soon.

Sincerely,

Treadmarkz

PS: God Save the Prime Minister

You think a little obstacle like an SUV crashing into iO West can thwart our noble Big News writers from their sworn duty of writing jokes about the week's news?

Think again, bub!

Maybe we didn't have a show this past week. And maybe we won't be back on the iO West stage until Sunday, July 20 at 9pm (make your plans now). But just as the brave men and women of Trophy Wife rose to the occasion by finding humor in near-tragedy, so too do our courageous Big News writers forge ahead, continuing to bring down the high and haughty through the strongest weapon of all: comedy. (Disclaimer: Comedy in actuality not more powerful than bullets, bombs, knives, fists, or out-of-control SUVs.)

So here's some of the jokes we would have told had a drunk driver not mistaken our theater's bar for the parking garage of the Cosmo Lofts last Thursday. Look for more jokes from this past week a little later. And each week during our hiatus, check back as we post the Big News Report that we would have given from the iO West stage. If the hallway to that stage wasn't covered with tiny shards of glass.

In fact, why not start with some jokes about a certain June 26 accident on Hollywood Boulevard....

On Thursday, an SUV crashed into the bar of the iO West theater on Hollywood Boulevard. The driver justified his action by pointing out it was the only place he could find parking.

On Thursday, an SUV crashed into the bar of the iO West theater on Hollywood Boulevard. On the plus side, the iO bar has a new drink special: the $4 Twisted-Metal-and-Broken-Glass-er-tini!

On Thursday, an SUV crashed into the bar of the iO West theater on Hollywood Boulevard. The driver explained that he was running low on gas and it was cheaper to total the car than fill up the tank.

On Thursday, an SUV crashed into the bar of the iO West theater on Hollywood Boulevard. The driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to figure out how to get his new hands-free headset to work.

On Thursday, an SUV crashed into the bar of the iO West theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Luckily, no one was hurt, since all of the improv fans in the area were still in line on the sidewalk outside UCB, waiting for the Wednesday night shows to start.

On Thursday, an out of control SUV crashed into the bar of the iO West theater on Hollywood Boulevard. The driver, a Mr. Andy Dick, claimed he was looking for a drink and a little attention.

John McCain has called for a $300 million prize to whoever can invent a battery that will surpass the gas-saving abilities of current hybrid and electric cars. In contrast, Barack Obama has offered $5 to any American voter who can tell the difference between strong presidential leadership and hosting a science fair contest.

According to a new poll, more voters feel John McCain is better suited than Barack Obama to handle Iraq because of McCain's experience. The others feel Obama is better suited to handle Iraq because they think that's where he's from.

According to a new poll, more voters feel John McCain is better suited than Barack Obama to handle Iraq because of McCain's experience. His experience in The Crusades.

After months of brutal violence and threats on his life, opposition party leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from Zimbabwe's election and fled to Holland when he was told that government soldiers were going to storm his house. When asked to comment, Hillary Clinton said: “Quitter.”

Queen Elizabeth II has stripped Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe of his knighthood. Mugabe has responded by changing the name of the Zimbabwean city of Fort Elizabeth to “Bitch Town.”

After fifty-four years, the last of the US nuclear "gravity bombs" have been withdrawn from the UK. The completion of this operation frees up the resources needed to remove the next greatest US blight on British soil: Madonna.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was quickly airlifted out of Tel Aviv after an Israeli police officer shot himself. French official are at a loss after the incident as they have been unable to determine who to surrender to.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was quickly airlifted out of Tel Aviv after an Israeli police officer shot himself. The Israeli cop killed himself after seeing "You Don't Mess with the Zohan."

The Supreme Court ruled that Exxon must only pay $500 million in punitive damages for the 1989 oil spill, cutting the amount from $2.5 billion. To come up with the $500 million dollars, Exxon will sell a barrel of oil.

After the Supreme Court voted to overturn Washington D.C.'s ban on handguns, Justice Antonin Scalia noted, "The handgun seems to be America's weapon of choice because it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police." Scalia went on to point out that a gun can also be pointed at a convenience store cashier with one hand while the other hand takes money from the cash register.

The House of Representatives has passed the Captive Primate Safety Act by a vote of 302-96, taking one step further towards a complete outlawing of pet monkeys. This act is predicted to affect anywhere from four to five people.

One of Monet’s water lily paintings was sold by Christie’s auction house on Tuesday for $80.4 million dollars. The painting fetched the record price because it is an important piece from his late period, and because it came with a free gas fill-up.

Advocates for the blind want the U.S. government to set minimum sound standards for new cars and trucks, pointing to potential safety hazards for blind pedestrians who can't hear silent gas-electric hybrid vehicles. Auto makers say that the adjustments are unnecessary since most blind people have a highly developed capacity to sense smugness.

Advocates for the blind want the U.S. government to set minimum sound standards for new cars and trucks, pointing to potential safety hazards for blind pedestrians who can't hear silent gas-electric hybrid vehicles. The State of California reassured its sightless citizens that as of July 1st, all vehicles will be equipped with the distinct sound of motorists yelling into crappy headsets.

According to a new study, up to two-thirds of California's plants could lose their current habitat if temperatures increase over the next century. Two-thirds of Hollywood actresses would also lose their faces as their Botox melts.

According to a new study, up to two-thirds of California's plants could lose their current habitat if temperatures increase over the next century. The study also showed that no plants ever seem to make it more than a week in my house.

In April, home prices in the U.S. tumbled at a record rate. The prices fell while doing their impression of Amy Winehouse.

A woman in New York gave birth to a baby girl on a subway platform in Chinatown. Unfortunately, the girl was stolen when the woman was mugged.

A woman in New York gave birth to a baby girl on a subway platform in Chinatown. The baby was promptly put to work making knock-off Coach handbags.

A woman in New York gave birth to a baby girl on a subway platform. Meanwhile in Gloucester, Massachusetts, seventeen teenage girls simultaneously gave birth in a Subway restaurant.

A woman in New York gave birth to a baby girl on a subway platform in Chinatown. The birth went well and all is okay with the mother and her sister... her daughter... her sister... her daughter... her sister... forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown.

The president of the Mormon Church is asking California members to join the fight against gay marriage. Exceptions can be made, however, so that nobody has to fight the gay guys that work out a lot.

A judge in Louisiana has signed into law a bill that allows for the chemical castration of sex offenders using a drug that diminishes sexual impulses. If the drug doesn’t entirely kill the sex drive, the men will be forced to watch the Verne Troyer sex tape.

A judge in Louisiana has signed into law a bill that allows for the chemical castration of sex offenders using a drug that diminishes sexual impulses. The drug is called “Wedding Cake.”

And finally, legendary comedian George Carlin died June 22 of heart failure at age seventy-one. Carlin died right after completing his final routine, "Seven Words You Can't Say While Having a Heart Attack."

And finally, legendary comedian George Carlin died June 22 of heart failure at age seventy-one. Carlin's passing marked the biggest tragedy in the comedy world since the previous Friday, which saw the death of Mike Myers' career.

And finally, legendary comedian George Carlin died June 22 of heart failure at age seventy-one. There will be no eulogy at the service as it is full of words you can't say.

It has come to my attention that this blog has gotten far too serious for its own good lately. I like to bring a little stark reality, a little commentary on what is going on in the world regarding my disabled brothers and sisters, but if you've been reading my work for a while you'll know that I like to have a little fun too. So for now, all bets are off on the stark reality crap, let's have a little fun:

A guy walks into a country club where he sees one of his fellow club members. He walks up to the guy and he says "Hey buddy, what's your handicap?"
The second guy, full of indignation, replies "I can't believe you just said that to me! Its 'disability' not 'handicap' " and he punches the first guy in the face.

The first guy, stunned, picks himself up off the ground and says "Jesus, man, I was talking about golf, I don't know what your problem is" and he kicks the second guy out of his wheelchair.

--------

And I say "Good". People are far too sensitive in this country. Probably always will be. This guy in the chair should consider himself lucky he was allowed on the golf course to begin with. They are always very concerned that we will put a rut in the fairway. I have been asked not to take my wheelchair on a miniature golf course, so I know what I am talking about.

    Okay so there was a little bit of "stark reality" chucked in there.

Es una muy buena intención y ojalá que se exploten este tipo de ideas, aunque para ser sinceros, cualquiera que no pueda apreciar la apariencia del videojuego en cuestión no se pierde de nada...

MITNEWS

En otras noticias, Gamestop ha anunciado que la venta de videojuegos ya ha superado considerablemente a la del DVD, anteriormente los videojuegos habian superado los ingresos del Cine, pero esto se debe en parte al alto costo que tienen en comparación al boleto de entrada o el adquirir una pelicula en su versión casera...

(and no, i haven't gone blind yet... )

Absolutely KILLING IT back in 1991.

How come no one can rifle out a back 360 on flat anymore? (i've tried, doesn't work)

Ever wonder why a big spin has that name?

I participated in most things that the conference had to offer and am still a little bleary-eyed from those late night/early morning Gospel Talk sessions :-) . However, having a little time to think through my experience at the WCG Gospel conference, and in contrast to another "gospel" conference that many others (including the media and many blogs) have been bringing to my attention lately, I can't help but be struck by a contrast in presentation.

The "gospel" conference that the media and and many blog posts have been addressing a lot is the somewhat controversial "revival" services happening in Lakeland, Florida under conference speaker Todd Bentley. If you are wanting my basic take on the "revival", here it is:

1.) Todd (and all of those listening to and following him), is included in the Life the Father shares with the Son, in the Spirit, and in Whom we are all included in Jesus Christ.

2.) To be qualified as a Gospel event I personally think that a Gospel proclamation should actually proclaim the Good News of Humanity's Inclusion and Adoption into the Relationship of the Father, Son and Spirit in Jesus, in some clear, focused and intentional way to the audience. They should be bombarded with this Proclamation at every turn!!

3.) I sure pray that if people are actually being kicked, punched, and abused in ways that seem strange to me, that the Lord Jesus is indeed healing them, because they need his healing mercy more than ever after such abuse!! :-)  I also believe that Jesus heals out of his mercy, compassion and love for us and NOT because of what we do or do not do. Jesus heals as he and the Father decide to, NOT simply because we believe in him or not! What human being shares in perfect faith or belief besides Jesus anyway??? NO ONE! Mark 9:24, Gal 2:20 KJV!

That being said, what I appreciated about the WCG conference in contrast to the Lakeland Revival is that it properly emphasized that we don't have to go around believing that the Father has to be doing dramatic and "miraculous" happenings like healings or resurrections of the dead before we can have assurance in Him and know that we are all already included in His Relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

In contrast, much of the enthusiasm around the Todd Bentley happenings is centering around the false idea that you can ONLY know FOR SURE that things are TRULY of God because of supernatural and miraculous experiences people are having. Of course, that in turn has a way of making people think that God must not be with them because such miraculous things aren't happening to them or to their churches. That kind of thinking then leads people to thinking that they don't have the faith that God "requires" and they begin a herculean effort to muster up more faith through various spiritual disciplines OR, at worst, decide to give up on God entirely because they know they can never have the perfect faith that pleases Him! Yikes! (For more clear thinking on biblical faith in the Light of Who Jesus Christ is, see this post - QUICKLY!!!!!)

Quite frankly, and ironically, too much emphasis on the "miraculous" causes us to miss the miraculous!! Ha-Ha!! :-) I suggest that in going to see God in the miraculous, much of the crowd in Lakeland is completely overlooking the miracle of their Inclusion in the Life of the Triune God in Jesus that has been given to them and all of humanity, by grace, before they were born! That is something no one short of Jesus could have ever pulled off - and everyone falls short of Jesus Christ! Rom 3:23!

I am sure that many families are attending the revival, but I bet most parents there are overlooking the miraculous fact they are sharing in the Life of the Triune God in their fatherhood and motherhood. They are wanting to see huge miracles in the healing of a body and forgetting the greater miracle of their children who once were not bodies at all!  Children with bodies who are now relating with mom and dad in the miracle of day-to-day and "ordinary" life! From nothing to something!!! Can ANYONE outside the Triune God create and sustain this "ordinary" LIFE???? No! John 1:3-5, Colossians 1:15-17.

Many Lakeland revival attendees say they can see God in the miracle of a deaf person suddenly being able to hear (and Triune God is the ONLY ONE WHO does heal!), but they miss the miracle of the deaf person being able to walk up to the stage on their own two "ordinary" feet (when was the last time you designed a pair of human feet that were TRULY ALIVE and not prosthetic or drawn on paper??!!!). They may witness a "miracle" punch to the face that appears to heal cancer but miss the miracle of Jesus serving up "ordinary" fruit punch for his thirsty children in and through each other in our everyday, ordinary lives, homes, fairs and amusement parks!! When was the last time you designed and created food and drink with no prior physical or spiritual material to work with???!!!! Ha-Ha! What a laugh, hunh?! :-)

I am sure you see the point by now! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TRULY ORDINARY THING!! EVERYTHING IS MIRACULOUS AND EXTRAORDINARY!! Can you create something out of nothing as the Triune God has done?! If not, then you can REALLY only stand with me in the awe that comes along with the utter helplessness of being able to even attempt such a thing, and in the awe that comes with embracing that the Father, Son and Spirit CAN do such a thing!! Wow!!!!!

If human life has become ordinary, it is ONLY because our perspective is distorted and we have lost sight of Who Jesus is and Who we are in Him! And, of course, we have lost our perspective! But thank God that in Jesus Christ humanity has had a proper perspective of God and self restored, and the Holy Spirit is working mraculously in our "ordinary" lives to help us see with Jesus' exact sight!

I thank God for any truly good and merciful thing he is doing through his people at Lakeland, but I am especially thankful for the Good work he is doing through the people of the Worldwide Church of God in helping me and others to see Jesus everywhere, and in everything, as the Light of the World! John 8:12! There is a deeper and more assuring Truth to be known in the healing that Jesus Christ performed on all of humanity that, in my opinion, beats a kick in the face with a biker boot for healing, anyday!! :-)

You can check out Todd Bentley here. You can check out a more full picture of the Gospel truth here.

Where I volunteer, we serve Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Pretty fun territory for a gal from Vermont to think about. Wonder what listeners think of my accent?

* In Texas alone, we have over 16,000 borrowers that have benefit from our services.  Nationally, Recording For The Blind & Dyslexic provides over 185,000 people with print disabilities the books they need to learn and succeed. 

* Currently over 700 Texas schools and districts are members of our service.

* Borrowers range from kindergarten-graduate students and continuing education. We have even helped a blind woman graduate successfully from acupuncture school!

*  We have a studio that has 7 recording booths. Everyone gets to direct!

* Johns Hopkins University evaluated the effectiveness of RFB & D's (reading for blind and dyslexic) recorded textbooks, and found a 38% increase in content acquisition reading scores.

* Their goal (and mine too, which is why I volunteer here) is for all people to have access to the printed world. 

www.rfbd.org

And if you're in Texas, they're just right up the street off of Lamar and 45th!

By KEVIN MAURER, Associated Press Writer 

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - When Capt. Ivan Castro joined the Army, he set goals: to jump out of planes, kick in doors and lead soldiers into combat. He achieved them all. Then the mortar round landed five feet away, blasting away his sight.

He set them higher.

Not content with just staying in the Army, he is the only blind officer serving in the Special Forces — the small, elite units famed for dropping behind enemy lines on combat missions.

As executive officer of the 7th Special Forces Group's headquarters company in Fort Bragg, Castro's duties don't directly involve combat, though they do have him taking part in just about everything that leads up to it.

"I am going to push the limits," the 40-year-old said. "I don't want to go to Fort Bragg and show up and sit in an office. I want to work every day and have a mission."

Since the war began in Iraq, more than 100 troops have been blinded and 247 others have lost sight in one eye. Only two other blind officers serve in the active-duty Army: one a captain studying to be an instructor at West Point, the other an instructor at the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Castro's unit commander said his is no charity assignment. Rather it draws on his experience as a Special Forces team member and platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne Division.

"The only reason that anyone serves with 7th Special Forces Group is if they have real talents," said Col. Sean Mulholland. "We don't treat (Castro) as a public affairs or a recruiting tool."

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080630/ap_on_re_us/
blind_soldier;_ylt=AlJrZ8DJfy0RzfEcf0d2HMCs0NUE

I'm usually not a great fan - well, not a fan at all - of TV contests where a fistfull of young bimbos struggling to cathodic death in order to win fifteen minutes of rubbish celebrity.

But I actually changed my mind when I watched at the teaser of BBC 3's Britain's Missing Top Model. The season is a six-part series that may change your vision of fashion and modeling for a long time. This is the most intelligent, sensible and classy TV show I have ever seen !

Why ? Because this model competition introduce eight gorgeous girls, facing members of a jury every week. You all know how it works : one girl will be eliminated every week until the last one wins. The winner gets a photo shoot with famous photographer Rankin. The pictures will be published in top-selling magazine Marie-Claire. These height young women have the beauty, look and personality to become a model - all, and they are all disabled in one way or another (deaf, partially blind, amputated..)

In a world where the myth of the "perfect body" reigns on medias and even on social and professional relationships, these ladies are beautiful.

Not because they are in a wheeling chair or one-armed, but because they are as attractive as Jackie Kennedy or Grace Kelly. And, most of all, because the only thing you think of when you see them is : "Wow ! I would kill to wear the same dress the way she wears it !" or "I wish I could have dinner with her, she looks SO great !"

Beauty over all. Over Time. Over stupidity. Over handicap.

This, in my opinion, is the visible side of elegance.

]]> http://rico7.wordpress.com/?p=72 Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:12:01 +0000 rico7 http://rico7.wordpress.com/?p=72 Today God revealed who He is in an awesome way in Dudley town centre. A notable miracle happened today when a man totally blind ( legally blind in his left eye only able to make out a shadow of something very close up and totally blind in his right eye since 1988 ) received something of his eyesight back. He felt God's fire touch him and testified to his left eye receiving improved vision. As I stood further away from him he was able to make out colours and shapes much better. His right eye still couldn't see anything after the first time I prayed but after I prayed for him again, he could make out a shape close up through it for the first time since 1988! At what level he is healed now I cannot say, I didn't get his contact details either, but what I can say is that God at the very least significantly improved his vision today as I tested his eyesight before and after I prayed, and he shared what God was doing in his own words! There was opposition as this miracle was unfolding from people who didn't understand what was going on. The man was only too happy for me to pray for him after we had chatted briefly, but it is inevitable that anything like this will arouse scepticism. One man threatened physical violence. Persecution has often followed this kind of thing, but my God is bigger than any opposition, and I trust Him to protect me. See this footage as this man shares what Jesus has done:

Earlier I led two women to Christ, one after she felt God's presence touch her through laying on of hands prayer for stress, and the other after testifying of receiving improvement in her ankles. She felt warmth as God touched her. Also a Christian believer, Ian received prayer from a long term condition where he struggles to hear low frequencies without pain and poor hearing. Jesus took the pain away as he listened to low frequencies, and he was able to distinguish them much better. He shares his testimony here:

Another lady received immediate healing from pain following an operation. See this footage:

Please pray that this lady will accept Christ. I also prayed for a lady in a motorized cart with spondilitis. She testified of improvement in pain levels, walked somewhat (she had been able to do this before a little bit though), and I also had a word of knowledge to encourage her that she confirmed. All the glory to God for an awesome day in town! Have you been to Revival Fires Church to get an impartation to move in signs, wonders, and miracles yet? Do you need a miracle healing? There are still daily evening meetings at 7.30pm until further notice, and they are free of charge. Come and get some in Dudley, England! Go to Revival Fires for more details including video testimonies of miracles within the meetings!

Am I bowed down? Then let me urge this word of grace before the Lord. It is His way, His custom, His promise, His delight, to raise up them that are bowed down. Is it a sense of sin and a consequent depression of spirit which distresses me? Then the work of Jesus is, in this case, made and provided to raise me up into rest. O Lord, raise me, for Thy mercy's sake!

Is it a sad bereavement or a great fall in circumstances? Here again the Comforter has undertaken to console. What a mercy for us that one Person of the sacred Trinity should become the Comforter! This work will be well done since such a glorious One has made it His peculiar care.

Some are so bowed down that only Jesus can loose them from their infirmity, but He can, and He will, do it. He can raise us up to health, to hope, to happiness. He has often done so under former trials, and He is the same Savior and will repeat His deeds of lovingkindness. We who are today bowed down and sorrowful shalt yet be set on high, and those who now mock at us shall be greatly ashamed. What an honor to be raised up by the Lord! It is worthwhile to be bowed down that we may experience His upraising power.

Desde FayerWayer, ví un artículo que hablaba sobre WebAnywhere, un servicio gratuito para ayudar a las personas ciegas (Mi papá dice que hay que llamarle a todo como és... nada de discapacitados visuales) a navegar por internet.

Esta página lo que hace, es leerte en Inglés y con una voz robótica, el contenido de la página que quieras visitar.

Intenté cerrar los ojos y utilizar la página... escribí google.com en el mini-navegador integrado de la página e iba oyendo como deletreaba, en inglés, una por una de las letras que escribia, perfecto, le dí enter, y se escuchó "Page Loaded" todo iba bien, me imaginé la barra de búsqueda de google, y le di a TAB varias veces hasta que me dijo "Google Search", escribí "DeosamoX" y le dí enter... Aquí, no entendí casi nada... así que con los ojitos medioabiertos dí enter en el link que redirige a este blog...

Para las personas ciegas supongo que ha de ser de gran ayuda, aunque esté todo "Espikeado in Inglish" y sea apenas un servicio alpha...

Mis saludos a todos los que hacen posible cosas tan geniales como estas :D

WebAnywhere

The Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, located at 1839 Frankfort Avenue, will host a free one-of-a-kind craft workshop entitled “Make a Picture for Your Fingertips” for children ages 6 to 10 on Saturday, July 19, from 10:30 a.m. until noon. Children will learn the basics about why and how pictures are made to be read by touch, use special paper and materials to create an instant touch picture that they can take home, and explore the museum's collection of maps, globes, books, and other educational aids developed for blind and visually impaired persons. This event is free to the public, but space is limited so registration by July 17 is required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Call (502) 899-2364, or e-mail arich@aph.org, to register. Visit www.aph.org/musuem for more information.

I’m sporting a black patch!   I believe this is the longest I have gone without some form of exercise in a long time, and I am beginning to get the hang of it.    For one thing you have a lot more time on your hands if you choose to live a more sedentary lifestyle, not that I have done anything productive with the time, I am just making an observation here. 

I’ve been reading a lot, and am enthralled with the House of Leaves.   I have never read anything like this before, so its kind of cool, but I’m only 60 or so pages in right now, so not too much room for error.  

Here is how the book describes itself:

With a little luck, you'll dismiss this labor, react as Zampano had hoped, call it needlessly complicated, pointlessly obtuse, prolix - your word -, ridiculously conceived, and you'll believe all you've said, and then you'll put it aside - though even here, just that one word, "aside", makes me shudder, for what is ever really just put aside? - and you'll carry on, eat, drink, be merry and most of all you'll sleep well.

Then again there's a good chance you won't.

This much I'm certain of: it doesn't happen immediately. You'll finish and that will be that, until a moment will come, maybe in a month, maybe a year, maybe even several years. You'll be sick of feeling troubled or deeply in love or quietly uncertain or even content for the first time in your life. It won't matter. Out of the blue, beyond any cause you can trace, you'll suddenly realize things are not how you perceived them to be at all. For some reason, you will no longer be the person you believed you once were. You'll detect slow and subtle shifts going on all around you, more importantly shifts in you. Worse, you'll realize it's always been shifting, like a shimmer of sorts, a vast shimmer, only dark like a room. But you won't understand why or how. You'll have forgotten what granted you this awareness in the first place.

Old shelters - television, magazines, movies - won't protect you anymore. You might try scribbling in a journal, on a napkin, maybe even in the margins of this book. That's when you'll discover you no longer trust the very walls you always took for granted. Even the hallways you've walked a hundred times will feel longer, much longer, and the shadows, any shadow at all, will suddenly seem deeper, much, much, deeper.

You might try then, as I did, to find a sky so full of stars it will blind you again. Only no sky can blind you now. Even with all that iridescent magic up there, your eye will no longer linger on the light, it will no longer trace constellations. You'll care only about the darkness and you;ll watch it for hours, for days, maybe even for years, trying in vain to believe you're some kind of indispensable, universe-appointed sentinel, as if just by looking you could actually keep it all at bay. It will get so bad you'll be afraid to look away, you'll be afraid to sleep.

Then no matter where you are, in a crowded restaurant or on some desolate street or even in the comforts of your own home, you'll watch yourself dismantle every assurance you've ever lived by. You'll stand aside as a great complexity intrudes, tearing apart, piece by piece, all of your carefully conceived denials, whether deliberate or unconscious. And then for better or worse you'll turn, unable to resist, though try to resist you still will, fighting with everything you've got not to face the thing you most dread, what is now, what will be, what has always come before, the creature you truly are, the creature we all are, buried in the nameless black of a name.

And then the nightmares will begin.

 

Yeah, you think... I'll let you know when I start having my nightmares.

My eye is still dilated and causing me some concern that I looked like I smoked a joint about an hour ago.  I called the Dr, and she or one of her fledglings is to call me back and let me know if it is normal or not.  Granted I have eaten several Vegan cookies recently, but I have not resorted to sitting around a drum circle… yet! 

One thing that has been reiterated to me during this experience, like it is with most tragic events in my life, is that I am loved. Wish I could provide a profound thought provoking statement here, but it is really nothing beyond that, I feel loved.  I feel lucky, I live a very charmed life and then some.  I am positive this has to do with the people who surround me, but even outside that there are those who reach in occasionally and give boosts, like small gifts from the blue.  The other day after my check-up on my eye, Corinne, Chelsea & myself went to see a horrible movie, get smart, ( to give you and idea, I have not fallen asleep in a move theater since I think I was 5, but this was like watching golf and eating xanax) and after walking out of the theater a little girl  about 4 or 5 passed holding her mom’s hand, and began tugging on her mom’s arm, pointing,  screaming “Mom!  Pirates!” The mother kept walking, snatching her daughter by the arm and leaning down to tell her something, at what I can only guess.  This was the hardest I‘ve laughed  in a while , well at least since I had my surgery.