[Nfb-editors] New Mexico's -- Que Pasa June 2011

[Robert Leslie Newman]

Here is Jim Babb’s latest issue – 14 pages at 6,463 words:

 

Que Pasa June  2011

James Babb, Editor

jim.babb at samobile.net

505-792-9777

(Published four times a year: March, June, September, December)

 

In this issue: 

Preamble

President’s Message

NFB of New Mexico Convention Report

Another Reason Why the NFB

>From Cane to Guide Dog

Volunteer Fair

A Cruise on the Danube River

Poetry

Good Eating

Useful Websites and Phone Numbers

Other News and Editorial Comments

Meetings and Announcements

 

 

The National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico (NFBNM) is a 501 (c) 3
consumer organization comprised of blind and sighted people committed to
changing what it means to be blind.  Though blindness is still all too often
a tragedy to those who face it, we know from our own personal experience
that with training and opportunity it can be reduced to the level of a
physical nuisance.  We work to see that blind people receive services and
training to which they are entitled and that parents of blind children
receive the advice and support they need to help their youngsters grow up to
be happy, productive adults.  We believe that first-class citizenship means
that people have both rights and responsibilities, and we are determined to
see that blind people become first-class citizens of these United States,
enjoying their rights and fulfilling their responsibilities.  The most
serious problems we face have less to do with our lack of vision than with
discrimination based on the public’s ignorance and misinformation about
blindness.  Join us in educating New Mexicans about the abilities and
aspirations of New Mexico’s blind citizens.

(Adapted from NFB of Ohio newsletter.) 

 

President’s Message

 

The 55th National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico annual convention
held the week-end of April 8, 9 and 10 was a success with 143 people
registered.  There was representation from many parts of the state including
Acoma where we signed up two new members at large.  Welcome Elden Pedro and
sister, Phyllis Armijo, to the NFBNM.  We need to take a look at our list of
members at large and begin an NFBNM at large chapter.

 

Thanks to Pat Munson, a long-time Federationist and new member of the NFBNM,
there is a complete report on our convention in this issue of “Que Pasa.”
The only other item I wish to report on is the great success of our auction
chaired by Veronica Smith where we raised $2,079 to send a blind child and
their parent to our National Convention in Orlando, Florida.

 

Thanks to some of our members, we have been actively involved in health
fairs and ADA events in the Albuquerque area.  On April 20, Pat and Jack
Munson were at the ADA Community Outreach event at Albuquerque High School,
and on the same day, Veronica Smith was at the PNM non-profit Volunteer Fair
passing out NFB literature and educating the public about the NFB and the
independence of blind people.  On April 30 Kathy Byrd, Veronica Smith and I
participated in a health fair at the Vista Grande Retirement Center in Rio
Rancho and on May 18, Pat Munson, Art Schreiber and Jim Babb will be part of
the health fair at La Vida Llena.

 

Once again the New Mexico Federation is in the Braille Monitor.  The
February Monitor features an article and photo of members participating in
the Enchilada Fiesta Parade and Fair in Las Cruces, New Mexico and the May
issue has an article by Nancy Burns entitled “That Well-Known Road”.

 

We have three participants in the Youth Slam which takes place in July in
Virginia this year.  Mollie Baland is a student participant, Tara Chavez is
going to be a mentor and Cheryl Fogel will be teaching a Forensic Track
along with Dr. Dana Kollman, an Anthropology Professor at Towson University
in Maryland.

 

Art Schreiber, Veronica Smith and I are working on putting together a Meet
Your Legislator event to be held on July 23rd at the New Mexico School for
the Blind and Visually Impaired, Pre School.  The Members of the West Mesa
and Albuquerque Chapters will be inviting their local Senators and
Representatives from Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties to the event.  We
strongly encourage all members to contact their Senators and Representatives
and invite them to this gathering as it will be an opportunity for us to
tell them about the NFBNM and how we can work together in improving lives of
the blind in our state.

 

Hope to see many of you at the National Convention in Orlando, Florida the
first week of July, 2011.

 

May all of you be well!

Christine

 

 

NFB of New Mexico Convention Report

Submitted by Pat Munson

 

The National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico (NFBNM) state convention
for 2011 was held at the Albuquerque Hilton Hotel. This year’s theme is “Can
do! Success Comes in Cans!”

 

President Christine Hall discussed many items at the Board of Directors
Meeting which opened the 2011 NFB of New Mexico state convention. She said
that NFB has given the affiliate a grant for a seminar to be held in the
fall; this money is from the Imagination Fund. She further stated that
membership building is an important topic; we must increase our numbers. A
person is needed to chair a member at large chapter. She said the 2012 NFBNM
convention will be held at the Uptown Sheraton, April 13-15. The room rates
are eighty-one dollars per night. 

 

President Hall continued by saying that the Carters have graciously
volunteered yet again to transport nuts and jewelry to Florida to the NFB
convention and to manage the table in the exhibit hall. 

 

Again members will be able to apply for financial assistance to attend this
year’s NFB convention. Since first timers find NFB conventions very large
with many choices to make about attending hundreds of meetings, Tara Chavez
has offered to help attendees who wish mentoring. Contact her for help.

 

Finally, President Hall discussed amending the state constitution so in case
of a vacancy, as exists now with the first vice president having to resign,
the president could appoint someone to fill the position until the next
state convention.

 

The remainder of the day was spent deliberating resolutions, attending the
Welcome lunch, and attending seminars for seniors, students and parents of
blind children. 

 

That evening hospitality gave all a chance to meet old friends and make new
ones. We

thank  Roger Velarde for chairing this event. After eating we moved
downstairs to the 

fantastic dance; three cheers to the great band and to all those fancy
dancers!

 

Saturday the convention officially opened with welcoming remarks from the
Mayor of 

Albuquerque, pledges to the flags of the US and the federation, singing of
the National 

Anthem, and welcoming remarks and announcements.

 

Jim Gashel, the national representative to the NFBNM convention started the
convention by saying that the federation blood is in our bones. That is why
we all show up and work at these conventions. Although Fred Schroeder was
the only person at our state convention who attended the Blind Driver
Challenge last January, we were excited to hear how a blind person actually
drove a car around a race track with his wife and two children in the car.
These computer driven cars are not on the market yet, but the day will come
when the blind can drive too. 

 

While on the subject of cars, he reviewed the work NFB has done to ensure
that in the near future all cars etc. will make noise so the blind and
others are not hit by them. 

 

Like it or not, technology is taking over. NFB is working to make all the
flat-screens talk. At present the blind cannot use them. 

 

One of the big projects for many years has been Newsline. It is now much
expanded with more magazines and can be used with a computer. Newspapers and
so on can be down loaded, so the phone is no longer the only way to use the
service.

 

ShaRon Dandy told us why she is a federationist. She went blind in her teens
but did not find NFB until she was in her thirties. Her life changed
dramatically after she met NFB. She is now a successful teacher of blind
children in the NM public schools. Her story is yet another reason why we
have the NFB. 

 

Next President Hall gave her report. We are all encouraged to attend the NFB
convention in Florida this July. Grants are available. We will send a parent
and blind child to convention; they will then return home and assist other
parents and children with blindness. 

 

All were thanked for their work at the possibility fair the NFBNM held in
Farmington. NFBNM hosted a number of activities during Meet the Blind Month.
A number of us took part in the adult Braille Readers are Leaders; we had
teams and pushed one another to read even more Braille and improve our
speed. 

 

This year four of us attended the Washington Seminar. We traveled to
Washington and met with our Senators and aides to House members; we made
them understand our three issues. 

 

Mrs. tenBroek said the publications are very important in spreading the word
about blindness; New Mexico is being praised by many in NFB for having a
quarterly newsletter. Only eighteen states have such publications. We thank
Jim Babb for writing and editing ours.

 

Since many of us use the long white cane,  we listened to how to store the
cane in a restaurant, how  to use it in crowds and how to ensure the handle
is not sticking above our shoulder when seated if there is no place for the
cane on the floor. Thanks to all those who gave this presentation.

 

As we all know, New Mexico is one of the few states with a Commission for
the Blind. This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary. The blind in
this state get the best services possible; although states are making cuts,
to date the commission is holding its own.

 

Our national representative, Jim Gashel told the students at their luncheon,
what it was like when he was a student a couple of centuries ago, just
kidding. The student division in his state had four members; they did the
best they could, but they had a lot to learn about blindness and interesting
more blind students to join.

 

The afternoon session commenced with Alyssa Turner a seventh grade student
and her mother Susan who told us about their trip to Washington DC to attend
the Junior Science Academy Camp run by NFB. Both learned about science,
about the NFB, and what it means to be a blind teenager.

 

Much time was devoted to the blind and technology. We heard about simple and
more advanced talking phones, book readers, and other devices used by those
who need them for work or entertainment.

 

The School for the Blind seems to be on the cutting edge of providing
necessary services to students living at the school and those around the
state. When blind students attend public schools services are many times
lacking, but in this state, we are doing our best to improve the situation.

 

Nancy Burns talked about having fun in the sun. We must remember the sun is
not our friend; we must cover our body and always wear sun screen.

 

Arthur Schreiber, President Emeritus, NFB of NM and Fred Schroeder, First
V.P. of NFB and the first Executive Director of the Commission gave the
history of the work which led to the creation of the New Mexico Commission
for the Blind. He said that years passed as we worked to get the support and
funding for its beginning. We are one of the few states to have separate
services for the blind ensuring success in the mainstream of society for all
the blind in this state.

 

Dominic Trujillo told of spending time as a student at the orientation
center for the blind where students learn the skills of blindness but where
much time is also spent understanding the philosophy of the National
Federation of the Blind. This is crucial to a blind person’s future success.

 

Money is required to operate all the wonderful programs we have in the NFB.
We encourage all our members and friends to join the pre-authorized check
plan, (PAC). Each month the money is withdrawn from the person’s checking
account and goes directly to pay for NFB projects and programs.

 

Tenth grade student Lupita Lopez from Albuquerque High School told us what
Braille means to her. She knows that to have a prosperous future, Braille
skills are essential to success.

 

John Mugford, regional librarian, New Mexico Library for the Blind concluded
the afternoon’s agenda by stating that the digital talking book program is
back on track. Books are very important to us so we are glad to hear this
news.

 

At the banquet that evening the following awards were presented: The Albert
Gonzales Public Servant, to Governor David Cargo for his endless support of
the NFBNM; President’s Award, Al and Mary Carter for their years of tireless
work for the affiliate; Valuable Service, Roger Velarde and Tara Chavez.
Scholarships: Veronica Smith, presenter, winners were: 

Pauline Gomez, Toby Chacon;

Schroeder, Monica Martinez and Amanda Youngblood

Albuquerque and West Mesa chapters, Adrianna Maldonado. 

The Parents of Blind Children Award to attend the NFB convention, Parent and
Child Crystal Baca and Willie.

 

The banquet ended with an auction to benefit the POBC scholarship. The
auctioneer was Marina Cordoba. A very big thanks to all who donated items,
and to those who purchased them.

 

Sunday morning many of us enjoyed the breakfast hosted by the alumni from
the New Mexico School for the Blind. Former students are planning a reunion.
The dates will be announced.

 

Larry Hayes was the first speaker on the Sunday morning schedule. He gave us
all the details concerning the NFB convention in Orlando, Florida. He
further reminded us that the NFB of New Mexico will assist with expenses.

 

The Imagination Fund was the next topic. Since NFBNM has received grants
from this fund, we understand its importance. We ask family, friends and
those with whom we do business to donate money to further the work of the
NFB. 

 

Next Robert Vick gave the status report on the Randolph-Sheppard Program.
This employment program is growing in this state. When considering work
opportunities this program should not be overlooked.

 

Resolutions summary: 01 celebrates the 80 years of library service to blind
users; 02 thanks Governor Cargo for his many years of assistance to the
NFBNM; 03 celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind; 04 monitoring of the Commission by RSA; 05 demands
that the Heritage for the Blind, a fundraiser using the word blind cease
advertising to benefit the blind; (tabled); 06 demands that the Sun Portal
be accessible to the blind before going online; 07 thanks Bruce Washburn for
his many years of service to blinded vets.

 

The business meeting commenced with the reading of the minutes of the 2010
NFBNM state convention, read by Secretary, Tonia Trapp; Kathy Byrd gave the
Treasurer’s Report; our investments are doing well, but we must all work to
raise funds to forward our movement. An amendment to the NFBNM constitution
was passed; Article 5 section 2 now allows the state president to appoint a
vice president until the next election. This is needed because a vice
president had to resign leaving the president short-handed. 

 

The convention concluded with elections. Elected were: Board Members Marina
Cordova, Tara Chavez, and Karen Carter; First Vice President Larry Hayes and
Second Vice President Adelmo Vigil; Delegate and Alternate to the NFB
convention: Christine Hall and Larry Hayes.

 

President Hall thanked everyone including the doorprize committee and those
who donated prizes, those who worked to make convention arrangements and
everyone else who helped to make this convention the great success it was.
She then stated that she will not run for president in 2012 so members need
to be thinking of another person who has the energy and time to do this
demanding job.

 

We’ll see you all April 13-15, 2012 at the Uptown Sheraton for our next
state convention where we will continue to change what it means to be blind.


 

Another Reason Why the NFB

by Christine Hall

 

About 1968, I had applied for a job as social worker with the Los Angeles
County. Blind applicants were taken off to a room where there was a
typewriter for each person, and one reader for everyone.  

The idea was that the person wanting the job had to get a certain number of
correct answers on the multiple-choice-question test. A sighted applicant
would go through all the questions and answer the ones which the person was
sure to be correct. There might have been about 60 questions and half had to
be answered correctly, but every answer which was incorrect was deducted
from the correct ones.

The trick was: first, only answer questions that would help the person pass;
if the applicant had only answered a few, the person then would go back and
pick more questions he thought he could answer. 

The problem with blind persons was that the questions were read only once;
there was no second or third chance. 

 

There were a goodly number of blind persons taking this test but because of
the disadvantage of only having one chance to answer, none passed. 

The blind involved knew that this was simply unfair. There was only one
reader for the whole group and as I said, there was only one reading of each
question. The blind sat there and started with 1. answering either a b c or
d.

 

I talked to the president of the California affiliate of NFB. He told me to
write a letter to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. I did, and explained
why the test was unfair and explained exactly what the blind needed to pass
the test on an equal footing with the sighted. 

I stated that each blind person needed a reader. The point was that a
certain number of questions had to be answered correctly to pass, but if a
person answered all the questions as the blind had been told to do, they
were bound to fail. 

 

The county did change the rules for blind applicants because the NFB was
standing behind us--all the blind trying to seek employment.

 

I believe this problem was solved within a year. But, if I had not been
involved in the NFB, I would not have understood I was being discriminated
against. I took the action to end the problem, but I was advised by a
trained-up NFB person. 

 

Of course, now I am retired, but serve as president of the NFB in New
Mexico. I do this because I understand that I was assisted those many years
ago, so now I do my best to assist other blind persons. So, above is yet
another reason why we all work so hard to improve the lives of our fellow
blind!

 

 

>From Cane to Guide Dog

by Tara Chavez

 

As many of you know, I went to Boring Oregon, which is outside of 

 Portland, almost a year ago to get a guide Dog. My guide's name is 

 Rica. Rica is a female, black Labrador Retriever. She weighs somewhere 

 around 43 pounds and is 19.5 inches tall at her shoulders. She will be 

 three years old this coming September. I went to the Guide Dogs 

 program for two weeks. They now have a two week program in Oregon and 

 a three week program in California. I chose the two week program 

 because of the duration, I felt that two weeks would be long enough 

 for me to bond with Rica and get comfortable. It’s not for everyone, 

 some people take longer to bond with their dog or may want that extra 

 week to make sure they know what to do when they get home. I 

 appreciated the two weeks I spent in Oregon because I was able to set 

 goals and my instructor, Becky Love, helped me meet those goals by 

 customizing my routes for me and Rica. For instance, Rica was 

 struggling with stairs so for the last three or so days of training, 

 we spent a good deal of time on the stairs around the campus and we 

 changed our route to include many stairs so Rica and I could become 

 familiar with the techniques used when navigating stairs and so Rica 

 could be confident in herself and me as her new handler.

 

I went to get Rica for one reason in particular. I wanted to feel more 

 comfortable going out at night and I wanted a companion to be with me.

I am confident and independent with my cane, but I didn't feel 

 comfortable being out at night by myself. I still use my cane. While 

 many people assume that once you have a dog that you never use your 

 cane, that's not true. Stuff happens with you or your dog and you need 

 to have a way of still being independent by using your cane to find 

 out where you are or to heel your dog if either of you are confused.

 

Does it matter which mobility aid a person chooses? No, we are 

 individuals and therefore, we make individual choices. I used a cane 

 for many, many years of my life and have only used a guide dog for 

 almost a year. There are advantages and disadvantages to both mobility 

 tools. One advantage of a cane is you don't need to take extra stuff 

 with you, just pick it up and go. I realized this when I was packing 

 up for state convention this year because I had to pack a bunch of 

 stuff for Rica instead of just grabbing my cane and heading for the 

 hotel. An advantage of having a guide dog is that you now have a 

 companion with you wherever you go. Some advantages of the cane are 

 the obvious ones such as, not having to feed it, water it, relieve it 

 (you have to be on constant pickup duty with a dog), groom it, etc. 

 Your only expenses are cane tips and a new cane every once in awhile, 

 while a guide dog will need food, vet visits, and other supplies. 

 Plus, you don't have to worry about people constantly wanting to pet 

 your cane or dogs barking at it, nor will you be a magnet for other 

 people's dog stories. However a major disadvantage to a cane is that 

 there isn’t any intelligence in a cane. You can’t say  cane find the 

 door  or  cane find the bench.  You can say those things to a guide 

 dog and if you have taken the time to teach the dog those words, they 

 can use their brains to find those objects. 

 

Also, dogs use what is known as  intelligent disobedience .

This is when I tell Rica to continue on our path, say crossing a 

 street, and there is a car in our path, she disobeys my  forward  

 command and waits till it is safe. A cane can’t do that and a person 

 can get hurt if they aren’t paying attention to traffic and step out 

 in front of a car. Also, a cane can’t help you detect a quiet car, but 

 a dog can and that is very helpful and useful. I think that was one of 

 my favorite experiences in training, the day we did  traffic checks.  

 This is when we go out and the class supervisor is driving a quiet car 

 and they put you and your dog in different possible scenarios to see 

 how you handle your dog in those situations. It’s up to the dog to 

 decide how to handle the decision and Rica did amazingly!! Also, 

 canes can’t reverse routes the way a dog can, since a dog can usually 

 remember how to leave a place the same way that it came. Finally, 

 there's the amazing bond that you have with a dog that isn't possible with
a cane.

You and your dog are a team that look out for each other 100% on both 

 sides. For me, I believe that the advantages of having a guide dog 

 outweigh the disadvantages. For others, this might not be the case.

 

As a team, I am the brain, giving Rica commands and letting her know 

 where to go, which is no different than knowing where you need to go 

 with a cane. Rica is the eyes of the outfit. She leads me around 

 obstacles and up to doors, trash cans, and other such things I may 

 need her to show me on our route. In training, they said that a cane 

 is an obstacle finder, while a dog is an obstacle avoider. Dogs aren t 

 for everyone and I’m not saying that everyone should jump up and get a 

 guide dog because it is an individual choice. I know that my pace has 

 increased dramatically with Rica, especially if Rica and I are 

 confident in where we are going. I was a fast paced person before 

 Rica, now I can go flying down the side walk to get where I need to go 

 and I don’t have to worry about running into Yucca plants, poles, or 

 anything else like that unless Rica is just having an off day. Rica 

 does get distracted, and I have to deal with that when it happens, but 

 overall my experience over the last year has been very positive. I 

 encourage anyone out there who has questions and wants to learn more 

 about guide dogs and how they help both blind and visually impaired 

 individuals please contact me via email at: tmatzick06 at hotmail.com 

 <mailto:tmatzick06 at hotmail.com>.

 

 

Volunteer Fair

Submitted by Veronica Smith

West Mesa Chapter

 

Last year I attended a wonderful volunteer fair at the PNM building.

However I was with another group called the RP Foundation.  When I was there
I spoke to the woman in charge, Kristin Rortvedt, and asked how I could get
my own table.

 

So this year I had my own table for the National Federation of the blind.  I
brought lots of material to hand out and hand out I did.  I spoke to many of
the employees at PNM and several more individuals who worked in the area.

 

It was called the community and volunteer Fair.  There were many
participants there, probably about 50 to 60 tables in all.

 

I met several individuals who had never met a blind person and several who
had blind persons in their families.  I gave them lots of info about both
the Albuquerque chapters; meeting times and telephone numbers. I also told
them that we have chapters all around the state as well as around the world.


Some people asked me, "what can a blind person do?"  and I asked them, "what
can't a blind person do?"

 

 

A Cruise on the Danube River

Submitted by Jim Babb

 

When Mary and I got married in 1968 we took a cruise in the Caribbean to
celebrate. Mary got sea sick almost daily and she said she would never
cruise again. We didn't for 30 years. When we retired from our employment in
Ohio and moved to Albuquerque, we decided to try cruising again and this
time

(Seattle to Alaska and return), no sea sickness; the ships were much bigger
and devices called stabilizer bars that smoothed out the wave motion. Since
that wonderful cruise we have cruised more than a dozen times all over the
world and love this form of travel.

 

On one of our early cruises we learned of Alan Schiller (travelwithalan.com)
who has the most fabulous cruise offers. A recent email in January featured
a riverboat cruise on the Danube River from Germany to Vienna Austria. It
was a small 144 passenger boat and offered luxury accommodations and a great
crew to passenger ratio. We didn't need to worry about sea sickness since
this was on a relatively calm and ancient river. We decided to go since we
had never seen this part of Europe.

 

The bad part was the flight time getting to the embarkation point and
equally long time returning after the end of the cruise. We did three planes
and four airports each way. Was it worth the effort? You bet; the scenery
and history was fabulous.

 

We left home very early on a Friday and traveled the 18 plus hours to the
Nuremberg, Germany airport where we gathered our luggage and took a courtesy
van directly to our riverboat called the River Princess.

The ship was our hotel and transportation for the next eight days. The
Princess had about 75 luxurious cabins on three floors and everybody had a
window view. There were no elevators.  The food on board was fabulous and
was included in the price along with great daily tours on shore each day.

Our segment of this cruise went from Nuremberg to Vienna, Austria . This was
about 500, miles about 30 locks, and many ancient cities which are off the
beaten path. The origin of these cities such as Regansberg, Degandorf and
Melk, and of course Vienna Austria date back to the Roman empire. Some of
the folks, with more time and money than us, began the cruise in Budapest,
Hungary and will go to its termination in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

The highlights of the cruise for us were a city tour of Nuremberg, Degandorf
and Vienna, Austria. Nuremberg, unfortunately is associated with the rise
and fall of Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler. We took a tour of the Nazi rally
field, the uncompleted 400,000 seat amphitheater that Hitler was building;
and of course the courthouse where the Nuremberg trials (of Nazi war
criminals) was held. You could just feel the historic events. We also toured
several castles and ancient roman and Lutheran churches, again very
historic.

 

I took a telescoping white cane (and a spare) since I knew from previous
experience that a straight cane was a hindrance and a hassle. Note I prefer
the long straight cane but not for this type of travel. I also took my handy
braille watch and talking alarm clock; they were helpful to handle the eight
time zone differences.

 

I was accepted as a regular, normal person on the river boat and in Germany
and Austria. Where things fell down was in the airports especially with
United and Continental Airlines. The questions were frequent: does he need a
wheelchair? or does he need an elevator or electric cart.  We were too
rushed to try to correct the questioner. In the Amsterdam, Netherlands
airport I requested a cart which we sure needed because of the great
distance between planes.

 

It was great fun; it was like taking part in the History Channel segment of
this part of Europe. Also it was helpful to know a few words in German and
to become familiar with the Euro Dollar. 

 

As mentioned above, we ended our cruise in Vienna, Austria. This is a
wonderful city of two and a half million people; very modern and very
ancient.  Many famous people came from Vienna; such as, Johanne Strauss ;
Amadeus Mozart; and Arnold Schwarzenagger. 

 

 

POETRY

 

The Schools                  AUG2010

 

The news relates budget cutbacks and a lack,

Of improvement in statewide AYP, a fact.

Reports of drop-out rates,

Reaching to 40, 50, 60 percent, a major disgrace!

 

Teachers feel the paperwork is stifling.

Computer Systems, hit or miss,

Enrollments happening after the final bell.

All are acclaimed to be parental emergencies.

 

Teachers have enough to do,

Keeping order and getting education through.

Do not sap their purpose with,

Layers of “systems” quickly ignored.

 

Back to Basics, I would guess,

Could get us out of the current mess.

Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmetic,

A Proven formula, could do the trick.

 

Parent conferences en-mass,

Required before their child can pass,

To enter their schedule and, enter class.

Encourage their student to “get down to it.”

 

Sounds simplistic, you say it be,

All’s I know it worked for me

Success and fortune don’t just happen,

School’s the pathway, YOU make it happen.

Find-out what’s expected of a student who “wants in.”

 

Richard Derganc (with Mike in mind)

 

 

The Rabbit

 

I was driving in the Jemez one fine Saturday.

Enjoying the sun and scenery along the way.

I heard the sound: “Thump, Thump” as I rolled by.

I backed up only to find,

A rabbit quaking on the road.

Summoning my medical skills as quickly as I could.

Mouth to mouth and heart massage, did not what they should.

Along comes a traveler and takes in the scene,

And retrieves from his car a can of light green.

He shouts:Move back”, so that’s what I did.

He sprayed and he dowsed that little kid.

The rabbit jumped up; and dashed for the  hill.

He paused there and then turned around.

He waved at the two of us, and then he did bound.

I asked the man just who he was and what’s in that can??

He told me beautician and he had in the can:

Hair restorer with a permanent wave!

I’ll swear to that story till I’m in my grave! 

 

By Richard Derganc

 

 

GOOD EATING

 

Lemon Pudding

Submitted by Christine Hall

 

2/3 Cups sugar

2 Tbs. Flour

3 eggs

1 cup milk

5 Tbsp. Lemon juice and grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place all ingredients in food processor.  Process until smooth. Place
mixture in 9 inch pie plate. Bake 25 minutes until set or until jiggles. Let
stand 10 minutes before serving

 

Here is a marvelous hot cereal for a cold morning.  

Submitted by: Veronica Smith

Skiers' Swiss Cereal 

(from Tough Cookie by Dian Mott Davidson)

 

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon very finely chopped orange zest

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons dried tart cherries

2 cups skim milk

Brown or granulated sugar

Cream, butter, or milk

 

The night before you plan to serve the dish, in a glass bowl, combine the
oats, zest, cinnamon, and cherries. Stir well, then stir in the milk. Cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

 

The next morning, place the mixture in a medium-sized saucepan and bring it
to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6
minutes, or until the oats are tender and the mixture is thick. Serve
immediately, either as it is or with brown or granulated sugar, and cream,
butter, or milk.

Makes 4 one-half cup servings 

 

Submitted by: Veronica Smith

Potato Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Red Onion

By The Gluten Free Goddess

WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com 

 

This is a colorful and lower-carbohydrate potato salad recipe, a welcome
change from the ordinary white spud with mayo and boiled egg offerings so
ubiquitous at backyard get-togethers. Why? Beyond the no-mayonnaise-and-eggs
part, it features sweet potatoes. It's blissfully dairy, mayo, and egg-free.

 

Ingredients

 

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, diced

2-3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, diced Sea salt cracked pepper, to
taste Extra virgin olive oil, as needed Apple cider vinegar, to taste (use a
clean, light vinegar, not too strong)

2-3 teaspoons dill

Sliced or chopped red or purple onion, to taste

 

Instructions

 

Place the cut potatoes into a pot of fresh salted water and bring to a boil.

Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well.

 

Season with sea salt and cracked pepper. Sprinkle with apple cider vinegar.

Drizzle with olive oil. Add the dill and onion. Toss gently to combine.

 

Add vinegar, sea salt and olive oil a sprinkle at a time and toss until the
salad achieves the flavor you prefer.

 

Note: I add a lot of vinegar because I love the combination of vinegar, sea
salt, and potatoes. So I add more than I expect to usually, based on
tasting. That's why it's so important to taste test while you're seasoning.

 

A recipe is only a blueprint. You have to engage your own senses.

 

One flavor tip I've learned from experience: It's better to season
assertively when it comes to potato salad, especially if you're going to
chill it before serving. Chilling dulls the flavors. You'll often need more
than you think.

 

Serve this two potato salad warm -- I love it still warm. Or cover and chill
it for serving later. It's also good cold.

 

Total Servings: 5

 

Nutritional Information Per Serving

 

Calories: 155

Carbohydrates: 30.5g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Fat: 2.9g

Saturated Fat: 0g

Fiber: 4.6g

Sodium: 11mg

Protein: 2.4g

 

 

USEFUL WEBSITES AND PHONE NUMBERS 

 

www.nfb.org. Go here to order a free white cane. This is a very nice
straight cane; order your length from 53 inches to 63 inches.

 

www.eldergadgets.com. Reviews gadgets designed for older folks.

 

www.trueprice.net. Get the real price of your airplane trip. It seems like
daily the airlines are adding on fees for this and that; a seat near the
front, isle seat, first to board, extra checked bag etc.

 

www.sunshineportalnm.com. Go here to view expenditures, salaries etc. of New
Mexico agencies.

 

www.optoutprescreen.com. Go here to stop junk mail.

 

www.answers.usa.gov or phone: 1 800 333 636 To get answers about Federal
programs and services.

 

www.flyingblind.com.  Reviews of latest technology for the blind.

 

www.blindsoftware.com. Offers a free version of its calendar/planner.

 

 

OTHER NEWS and EDITORIAL COMMENTS

 

Accessible Ticketmaster.  On April 26 The National Federation of the Blind
announced an agreement with Ticketmaster to make their website accessible to
the blind. Under the agreement Ticketmaster will make its website,
www.ticketmaster.com, accessible to the blind using screen readers by
December 31, 2011.

 

Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic changes its name. The new name is
Learning Ally. They say this better reflects its current services. 

 

AT&T and T Mobile plan to merge. This may be good for shareholders but not
for consumers. AT&T has not had a history of being consumer friendly while T
Mobile has. Also T Mobile has some inexpensive prepaid plans that could go
away with this merger. You may wish to contact the FCC and/or the U.S.
Justice dept. and express your opinion on this merger.

 

Choice Listening Magazine, a favorite of mine, has reduced its offerings to
four times a year; Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

 

MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

July 3-8, 2011 NFB National Convention Orlando Florida

 

July 17-23, 2011 NFB Youth Slam Tolsin Univ. Maryland

 

July 23, 2011, 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.  A chance for our members in the
Albuquerque and West Mesa Chapters to meet with their legislators will be
held at the New Mexico School for the Blind Visually Impaired in
Albuquerque.

 

August 28, 2011 Albuquerque and West Mesa Chapters pool party

 

September 10, 2011 State Fair Parade.  The NFB of NM will march proudly in
this parade as it has done in years past.

 

More details to follow by e-mail on the above meetings.

 

 

 

 

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