[Nfb-editors] Alaska's May Newsletter

Wed May 4 19:12:44 UTC 2011

NFB of Alaska

Newsletter

May 2011

>From My Desk:

          Well, well, here we are in the month of May, and in full spring
time mode. Being May also, it brings me back to the quick one-line joke of
November: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims. Alright, it probably will work better in November again, but you
have to admit it worked a little bit here in the May Newsletter as well.
Just a little bit.

          The NFB National Convention is coming up in two months, and for
those of you looking to follow the Convention or our Alaska Delegation to
the Convention, you can follow us through the NFB website: www.nfb.org
<http://www.nfb.org/> , or through the State of Alaska NFB Face Book:
www.facebook.com/alaskanfb, or Twitter: www.twitter.com/alaskanfb. The
General Sessions are covered via live streaming through the NFB Homepage, so
if you wish to follow the progression of the General Sessions live, you can
do that as well. I have been asked this year to sit on a panel for the
Newsletter Publication Committee on July 5th, as well, I have been asked to
be a greeter at the Presidential Suite on July 5th as well from 7pm to 9pm.
I am also working on the logistics of the Alaska Affiliate Exhibit Table at
the Convention as well. So you can see, this month will be a busy one, and I
will be calling and emailing people for help with this, so be ready to step
up for the Affiliate! Anyone still interested in attending? You need to call
and reserve your hotel room now. The main hotel, The Rosen Shingle Creek
Resort is SOLD OUT, and they are now using an “over flow” hotel, the Rosen
Centre Hotel, about 5 minutes away from the Resort, but they only have rooms
available from the 2nd of July through the 9th as of early last week, so
this information may be outdated at this time, but call and see what is
still available. Airlines are starting to fill up as well, and flights at
reasonable prices and times from Alaska are starting to become a premium. If
you would like to register online or get your Banquet tickets online, do so
BEFORE May 31st, and you can save $5 on the registration, and $10 on the
Banquet tickets. 

          Congratulations to Tracy Packee from the Midnight Sun Chapter on
being named Paralegal Student of the Year from the University of Alaska
Fairbanks. Tracy has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and is on
the Chancellor’s List for academic excellence. Despite Tracy being
deaf/blind, she has proven that those with “different abilities” can not
only survive in the academic world, but also thrive and excel in the
“sighted” world of the University. Well done, Tracy!

          May is also going to be the time for the Midnight Sun Chapter Yard
Sale and Craft Sale, on May 20th and 21st at Jim and Hanne’s, near
University and College Roads. During the two day event, besides the yard
sale items, they will be selling homemade craft items, and other homemade
items. There will also be a Chapter Meeting, and BBQ happening over that
weekend also. So, if you are in the area, stop in and see what’s happening
with the Midnight Sun Chapter!

          Congratulations go out to Beverly Joseph for being accepted to the
August Class at Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights New York.
Beverly will be receiving her first guide dog during her stay there. If
Guiding Eyes for the Blind sounds familiar, it is the same place I received
Rio from 6 ½ years ago. Enjoy your time in the Big Apple!

Article of the Month:

        National Federation of the Blind 
Announces Agreement with Ticketmaster 

Ticketmaster Makes Website Fully Accessible and Fan-Friendly to Blind Users 

Baltimore, Maryland (April 26, 2011): The National Federation of the Blind
(NFB), the nation’s leading advocate for Internet access by blind Americans,
today announced a cooperative agreement with Ticketmaster, the global event
ticketing leader and one of the world’s top five eCommerce sites, to make
its website fully accessible to the blind. Under the agreement, Ticketmaster
will make its website (www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> )
fully accessible to blind users utilizing screen access technology by
December 31, 2011. Screen access technology converts what is on the computer
screen into synthesized speech or Braille.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“An increasing number of goods and services are now offered primarily over
the Internet and Ticketmaster’s extremely popular ticket sales website is a
prime example of this trend. Ticketmaster customers gain many of the
company’s valuable benefits and services, including access to special
pre-sales and promotions, through its website. The National Federation of
the Blind is pleased that Ticketmaster has recognized the importance of
providing equal access to its website for its blind customers, and we look
forward to working with the company to achieve that goal. The National
Federation of the Blind will continue to work tirelessly until the blind
have equal access to the full range of products and services available to
the public through the Internet and other information technologies.”

“For Ticketmaster, the future is all about the fans. We want to participate
wherever and however so that fans can have the best possible fan-friendly
experience,” said Nathan Hubbard, CEO of Ticketmaster. “Partnering with the
National Federation of the Blind is enabling us to address the needs of our
blind fans, so that they can have the same positive experience when
purchasing tickets for their favorite artists’ performance or any live
event. We are committed to working with NFB to enhance the Ticketmaster
website so that it’s accessible and usable by all of our fans out there.”

Pursuant to the agreement, Ticketmaster will develop a comprehensive
accessibility program that will include the development of an accessibility
guidelines manual, as well as the appointment of both an accessibility
coordinator and an accessibility committee.

Additionally, Ticketmaster will continue to work with officials of the
National Federation of the Blind to ensure that the Ticketmaster services
remain accessible to the blind. Ticketmaster will submit its website to the
NFB Nonvisual Accessibility (NFB-NVA) Web Certification program, a rigorous
procedure by which websites and applications that have made efforts to be
accessible to the blind can be identified and recognized. The NFB-NVA Web
Certification program continuously monitors participating sites to ensure
that they remain compliant with certification criteria. If a site remains
accessible, its certification is renewed on an annual or a version basis. If
accessibility issues arise, the National Federation of the Blind will work
with the site developers to remedy them.

Recipe of the Month:

          Thank you Dana from the Wasilla Chapter!

Mocha Icebox Cake (Tiramisu)

2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

16 ounces Italian Mascarpone Cheese

½ cup sugar or Splenda

1/3 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua 

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-13 oz. Chips Ahoy Chunky cookies (in the brown package) or sugar-free
chocolate chip cookies

Shaved semisweet chocolate for garnish

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine
heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, coffee liqueur, espresso powder and
vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine then slowly raise the speed, until
mixture forms firm peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange a layer of cookies on the bottom of an 8”
springform pan. Break cookies to fill in the spaces. Spread some of the
cream mixture on top of the cookies (about ½ inch or so) and spread evenly.
Repeat until all the cream mixture is used ending with the cream mixture. I
used three layers of cookies and had a few left for the cook. Smooth top,
cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove
sides of the pan. Sprinkle top with the shaved chocolate, cut in wedges, and
serve cold.

*You know summer is around the corner when you see recipes like this! Thanks
again Dana!

Upcoming Events:

May 8:      Happy Mother’s Day!

May 16:    Wasilla Chapter Meeting

                             Senior Center 12 noon to 130pm

May 17:    Anchorage Chapter Meeting

                             CH2MHILL Building 6pm to 8pm

May 20 & 21:    Midnight Sun Chapter Yard/Craft Sale

                                      Jim & Hanne’s 8am to 4pm

May 21:    Midnight Sun Chapter Meeting/BBQ

                             Jim & Hanne’s Time to be announced

May 25:    Deadline for June Newsletter submissions

May 30:    Memorial Day

July 3 to 8: NFB National Convention

                             Location: Orlando, Florida

July 11 to 16:  Camp Abilities

                                      University of Alaska Anchorage Campus

July 17 to 23:  Youth Slam 2011

                                      Towson University, Maryland

Final Thought:

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the
birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. “~James Dent

Bill Packee

National Federation of the Blind

Alaska State President

State NFB Youth Coordinator

(907) 888-8322

Email: alaskanfb at yahoo.com

State Website: www.alaskanfb.org <http://www.alaskanfb.org/> 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alaskanfb

Twitter: www.twitter.com/alaskanfb

Robert Leslie Newman

President, Omaha Chapter NFB

President, NFB Writers' Division

Division Website

 <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org

Chair, Newsletter Publication committee

Personal Website-

 <http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info