[NFB-NM] Que Pasa, June 2017

Sun May 28 21:49:21 UTC 2017

QUE PASA

June 2017

Quarterly newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico

(Published in March, June, September, and December)

Adelmo Vigil, President

E-mail: Avigil74 at gmail.com

(575) 921-5422

James Babb, Editor

E-mail: jim.babb at mysero.net

(505) 291-3112

Tonia Trapp, Assistant Editor

E-mail: tltrapp.7.467 at gmail.com 

(505) 856-5346

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

To submit an article or recipe for possible inclusion in this newsletter,
please email it to jim.babb at mysero.net. By submitting your article or other
material, you are agreeing to the following:

*You assert that your article does not violate any confidentiality,
copyright, or other laws, and that it is not intended to slander, defame, or
mislead. 

*The NFB of New Mexico (NFBNM) has the discretion to publish and distribute
the article either in whole or in part.

*NFBNM is authorized to edit the article for formatting, length and content.

*NFBNM reserves the right to not publish submissions for any reason.

Contents

PREAMBLE <> . 3

EDITOR <> ’S NOTE. 3

PRESIDENT <> ’S MESSAGE. 4

BLIND NEW MEXICANS ONE STEP CLOSER TO HAVING AN ACCESSIBLE ABSENTEE BALLOT
<> . 5

2017 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER <> . 7

CREATING OPTIONS <> . 8

SAGE DIVISION ON THE MOVE IN 2017 <> . 9

TEACHING BLIND KIDS <> . 11

QUESTIONS AND TRICKY ANSWERS <> . 12

WINDOWS 10 IS NOT TO BE FEARED <> .. 13

THE FUTURE OF TALKING BOOKS FOR THE BLIND <> .. 15

A FORWARD MOVE FOR BLIND HAM RADIO OPERATORS <> . 16

GOOD EATING <> .. 17

Corn on the Cob (Microwave Version) <> . 17

Green Chili Cheese Rice <> . 17

USEFUL WEBSITES, APPS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS <> . 18

MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS <> . 19

PREAMBLE

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.) 

EDITOR’S NOTE

by Jim Babb, Editor

Hello Federationists and Friends, 

Thank you all for sending to me your articles, recipes and announcements.
Without these we would not have a newsletter; in fact, we had no March issue
because we received only one article. That missing quarterly Que Pasa
newsletter is the first in the 14 years that I have been your editor.

I also want to thank Tonia Trapp, Assistant Editor, for her help in
organizing the articles, topics, etc, also for the last 14 years. 

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Larry Hayes, a long time friend of
mine. When I was a student at the Alamogordo Orientation Center, he
supervised students in the woodshop. He coached me in making two items that
I still have and use: a lazy susan and a rolling pin made on a wood lathe.
These items were made while I was wearing sleep shades! 

I also would like to welcome to New Mexico Mary Rose Willows, who comes to
us from California. Mary held many important positions in the National
Federation of the Blind of California and at the national level, including
Affiliate President in California for 8 years. She was also a teacher for 27
years. 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

by Adelmo Vigil, President, NFB of New Mexico

Greetings Federation Family:

Together with love, hope and determination, we transform dreams into
reality. We have been busy with the business of growing the Federation in
New Mexico and throughout the country.

In January several members of the National Federation of the Blind of New
Mexico traveled to Washington, D.C. to be part of the Washington Seminar.
Our own Kaity Ellis took on the challenge of setting the appointments with
all of our congressmen and senators. She did a great job. Thank you Kaity
for your help with this task. Tara Chavez, President of the Albuquerque
Chapter, and Lindsay Sloan, Albuquerque Chapter Secretary, were also part of
the delegation, and they presented the issues in a professional manner to
our representatives and senators.

I want to thank the board of directors and everyone who worked hard in
planning our state convention on March 30 through April 2, 2017. I
especially thank all who attended the convention. We appreciate and enjoyed
having Mrs. Carla McQuillan with us to share her knowledge and experience
with our members and friends. All of her presentations were awesome, and I
want to thank her for doing a great job. It was great to see everyone who
attended the convention.

Now we are getting ready for our National Convention in Orlando on July 10
through July 15. If you have not attended an NFB National Convention, you
are missing out on a great experience. The National Convention is the
largest gathering of the blind in this country. It is a demonstration of how
we can live the life we want. I look forward to seeing many of you in
Orlando.

As for our New Mexico affiliate, we will be planning several activities
throughout the state in the fall. We will once again plan a leadership
seminar at the end of October. During the month of October, I want to
encourage local chapters to recruit new members, while planning activities
for White Cane Day and Meet the Blind Month.

I am sure that most of you have heard that in the last few months, we have
lost two long-time Federationists. Mr. Andy Baca worked building the
Federation since the early 70s. He was active in the local chapters and in
the state affiliate to the end. Mr. Larry Hayes joined the National
Federation of the Blind of New Mexico in the 90s. He was president of the
San Juan Chapter in Farmington until he moved to Alamogordo where he was the
president of the White Sands Chapter. He also served as First Vice President
and Treasurer for the state affiliate. In addition to his work with the
Federation, he touched many lives as an employee of the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind. We will miss Andy and Larry: They both left a
legacy for us to follow as the Federation family. Our thoughts and prayers
are with their families.

We call on members of each local chapter and division to help build the
National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. Together we can change what
it means to be blind for children, youth and adults of all ages in New
Mexico.

The National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico knows that blindness is
not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

BLIND NEW MEXICANS ONE STEP CLOSER
TO HAVING AN ACCESSIBLE ABSENTEE BALLOT

by Don Burns and Curtis Chong

As any blind person who has ever voted absentee knows, there is no way right
now for a blind voter to mark the printed paper absentee ballot without
having to rely on the help of a person who can see the print. This
effectively makes it impossible for the blind voter to cast a truly secret
ballot. As long as there was nothing available to solve this problem, blind
voters simply accepted the situation and concentrated on other issues.

This changed in 2014, when the National Federation of the Blind, working
with election officials in the state of Maryland, pushed for and got a
fully-accessible online ballot-marking tool in that state. For the first
time in history, blind voters were able to cast a truly secret printed
absentee ballot. They did this by logging on to a secure website using the
access technology of their choice, marking the ballot using an accessible
web form, downloading the appropriately-marked ballot to their computers,
printing the ballot, and mailing it in.

At our 2015 convention, the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico
unanimously adopted Resolution 2015-01, which declared that it was high time
for blind voters in New Mexico to have an accessible online ballot-marking
tool of its own. Federationists worked with Kari Fresquez, Director of
Elections in the Office of the Secretary of State, and through her efforts,
New Mexico was able to obtain at no charge the software developed by the
state of Maryland for its accessible online ballot-marking tool. Pieces of
this software were incorporated into the fully-accessible online voter
registration page that was released by the New Mexico Secretary of State in
January of 2016.

In the summer of 2016, Federationists from around the state sent letters to
their representatives and senators calling on them to support the concept of
an accessible online ballot-marking tool that blind voters could use to mark
the printed absentee ballot. One of our letters caught the attention of
Representative Tomás Salazar, who took a keen interest in our desire to have
an accessible paper absentee ballot and set about getting a bill drafted.

On January 12, 2017, Representative Salazar introduced HB98 which, among
other things, directed the Secretary of State to establish procedures by
which blind or visually impaired voters might independently mark their
ballots. Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto joined Representative Salazar as a
co-sponsor, and a good friend of the Federation, Representative Jane
Powdrell-Culbert, spoke eloquently in support of HB98 on the House floor.
During the 2017 legislative session, Federationists made numerous trips to
the Round House in Santa Fe, circulated letters to legislators urging their
support for HB98, and testified at committee hearings. Don and Nancy Burns
spent a lot of full days at the Round House circulating letters, attending
legislative hearings, and urging individual legislators to support HB98.

The upshot of our efforts was that on Friday, March 24, HB98 passed both the
State House and Senate without opposition. Now this bill, which wasn't going
to cost the state any money, needed to be signed by Governor Susana
Martinez.

During the following week, Don and Nancy Burns learned that the governor was
having a legislative wrap-up luncheon in downtown Albuquerque. They decided
to go to this event, hoping to gain an opportunity to encourage the governor
to sign a piece of legislation which would help blind New Mexicans to gain
independent access to the paper ballot. Don was able to raise the question
of HB98 at the luncheon, and he was naturally surprised to hear the governor
say that HB98 was not on her desk. We wondered what was happening to our
bill. We also wondered if the letters and phone calls we were directing to
the governor's office were having any effect. As it turned out, some
administrative procedure had resulted in HB98 being delayed, but in the end,
it did reach Governor Martinez's desk, and on April 6, she signed the bill
into law.

Federationists may remember that in 2014, we expressed strong disappointment
with then-Secretary of State, Dianna Duran, for the failure of her office to
involve and consult with the blind community during the evaluation and
certification of the less-than-desirable voting machines we now use today.
That was then, and this is now. Today, we enjoy a positive working
relationship with New Mexico's current Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse
Oliver. Not only did Secretary Toulouse Oliver testify in favor of HB98
before various legislative committees, she personally spoke to our
membership at our convention this year along with Kari Fresquez, New
Mexico's Director of Elections, and Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto, the Senate
co-sponsor of HB98. In the current climate of good will and support from our
Secretary of State, blind New Mexicans stand a very good chance of having an
accessible online ballot-marking tool in the foreseeable future.

2017 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

by Peggy Chong

This year's NFB of New Mexico scholarship winner is Kaity Ellis, a student
at the Western New Mexico University, pursuing a Master's degree in social
work. The presentation of the award was held at the annual banquet of the
National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico on Saturday, April 2, 2017 at
the Sheraton Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque.

Along with the $1,000 scholastic award, many of Kaity's expenses will be
paid for her to attend the NFB National Convention to be held this year in
Orlando, Florida. There she will also attend the national Student Division
meeting during the convention, meeting many other blind students from around
the country. Kaity was elected president of the NFB of New Mexico Student
Division during our state convention.

Earlier this year, Kaity attended her first Washington Seminar in January.
Although it was her first seminar, Kaity showed a great deal of initiative
by making the appointments with our elected officials for the group.

We congratulate Kaity on being our scholarship winner, and we look forward
to working right alongside her as we pursue security, equality and
opportunity for blind New Mexicans. 

CREATING OPTIONS

by Nancy Burns

My lifelong purpose has been working with people who are blind or have
another disability. The California Department of Rehabilitation is where I
have accomplished much of this work. As a professional who happens to be
blind, it was my desire to be the positive role model whom many of my
clients could benefit from observing. Also because of my blindness, it was
much easier for me to say that blindness is not a handicap but simply a
challenge for which there are many options to pursue. 

It seems to me that support groups are generally a good addition to any
training in which a blind person may be involved. One necessary component
for such a group is, of course, confidentiality. A relaxed atmosphere with a
competent facilitator is generally a draw for individuals who could benefit
from such support. Sharing concerns, fears, and successes with others is a
stepping stone to gaining independence. I have personally facilitated many
such support groups both in California and now in New Mexico. 

My husband Don has become an important adjunct leader for the new group
known as Creating Options. He presents the point of view of a male who has
overcome vision loss. His background is in industrial construction
management. After completing training in the New Mexico Commission for the
Blind facility in Alamogordo, he was hired on as a mobility instructor. Our
combined skills, backgrounds, and interests have come together to create a
new support group here in Albuquerque. 

This group has been named Creating Options, because it is my belief that
there are many options for a person experiencing vision loss. The New Mexico
Commission for the Blind has been totally supportive of our group and has
provided not only a location, but staff who are involved in distributing
information about the Creating Options meetings. 

Creating Options meets at the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, 2200 Yale
Blvd. SE, on the third Wednesday of each month from 10:00 AM to noon with
the exception of July. We cordially invite anyone in Albuquerque who is
experiencing vision loss to attend this group. Family and friends are always
welcome. We provide a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere over a cup of coffee.
We would be pleased to have you participate in Creating Options. 

SAGE DIVISION ON THE MOVE IN 2017

by Pat Munson

The focus of this year's SAGE (Senior Action Group Energy) Division meeting
for blind seniors, held at the National Federation of the Blind of New
Mexico State Convention, was discussing and providing tips for self-advocacy
when interacting with family and friends, the medical community, and the
general public. Some of us have been blind for decades and have found
support and camaraderie in the NFB for a long time, but those who are new to
blindness need much assistance.

Family and Friends: As we age, some of us are dependent on our family or
friends to help, but misunderstandings or lack of knowledge about blindness
can sometimes interfere with good communication in those situations. Often,
people trying to assist us simply do not know about blindness skills. Let's
take the white cane as an example: Most people realize that the white cane
can be used to show others that the senior either cannot see, or cannot see
well; but the cane can also provide the blind person a lot of useful
information. For instance, a blind person can use their cane to find a
chair. However, sighted persons don't know how to explain where the chair is
and which way it is facing. So we can facilitate more effective
communication with our family and friends by explaining what kind of
information we need.

Medical providers: In terms of interacting with the medical community,
recommendations included the following:

*Keep all medications in a single box or container so they are all in one
place. 

*Label medication bottles tactilely so that each bottle can be easily
identified. For instance, use puff-paint to apply a raised print number to
the medication bottle.

*All the important data about a medication can be recorded so the blind
person can order refills. Also some drugstores have talking prescription
bottle information.

*When visiting a doctor or lawyer, or attending meetings, record the
conversation for future reference.

General Public: Many sighted folk think it is fine to push, pull or grab the
blind senior. Some of us who are trained in blindness skills simply stand
still and quietly tell the "helper" that we are not to be touched without
our permission.

On the lighter side of things, we had two fundraisers at the SAGE meeting
where we raffled off baskets of good things to eat and drink. We thanked
those who donated items. The Federation always needs more funds to further
the progress of the blind.

Elections were held with the following results: Nancy Burns, President;
ShaRon Dandy, Vice President; Pat Munson, Secretary; Urja Lansing,
Treasurer; and Caroline Benavidez, Board Member.

Before adjournment, SAGE Division president Nancy Burns reminded attendees
that she hosts a monthly meeting at the Commission for the Blind in
Albuquerque. Call Nancy at 505-922-1939 for dates, location and time. Blind
and low vision seniors can benefit by being a member of a group or groups,
for as older folks know, we all have much to learn!

TEACHING BLIND KIDS

by Gail Wagner

Editorial Note: After teaching blind children for thirty-three years, Gail
Wagner is retiring at the end of June. We wish her all the best! 

T - Teaching typing and technology

E – Educating the public

A – Awesome students

C – Cane travel

H – Hope for the future

I – Independence

N – Never saying “I can’t”

G – Getting prepared for the future

B – Braille

L – Laughter and love

I – IEPs

N – Navigating the environment

D – Demonstrating abilities

K – Keeping positive

I – Instruction in alternative techniques

D – Dedication

S – Support from the NFB and POBC

QUESTIONS AND TRICKY ANSWERS

by Nancy Burns

Training in the use of the long white cane is an essential tool for most
successful blind or visually impaired people. The white cane is actually an
extension of the sense of touch. This incredible tool keeps us from falling
down stairs, helps to locate doorways, etc., and allows us to travel safely.
An additional skill necessary for safe travel is, of course, the ability to
listen carefully to pedestrian traffic, vehicle flow and other environmental
sounds. Along with these skills, a blind person must be comfortable in his
own skin. What does this mean? Even with good training in the use of the
white cane, or guide dog, there must be the confidence to ask questions of
another pedestrian or perhaps even step inside a business if there is no
foot traffic. When there is any doubt about the route a blind or visually
impaired person is taking, it is much safer to ask and confirm the proper
route to take. 

Asking questions of the sighted public can be tricky. Most people are
accustomed to driving and find it difficult to answer inquiries from a blind
person in a meaningful manner. The business or location in question may seem
like just a few blocks down the street to a sighted driver; however, it may
in actuality be many blocks. In this instance, it is good to stop
occasionally to confirm that the desired location is still within reach.
Although generalizations are not always appropriate, in my experience it
appears that sighted people have difficulty distinguishing right from left.
When a person answers my question with one of these directions, I find it
more accurate to point and ask, "This direction?" These interactions with
society become more comfortable with experience. 

These sometimes frustrating circumstances came to mind after a recent trip
to Santa Fe. My husband Don has been appointed to serve as Legislative
Director for the NFBNM, which has resulted in his taking numerous trips to
the Capitol. I frequently accompany him, and we are both long-time cane
users, but our first trip to Santa Fe proved to be extremely challenging.
Our first mistake was that when the Rail Runner announced "South Capitol,"
we assumed that meant the Capitol: not so. We asked the conductor before
exiting the train which way it was to the Capitol, but he had no idea. Once
off the train, we began asking people for directions, and no one seemed to
know. We walked and asked to no avail. The freezing temperature and blowing
wind did nothing to ease our anxiety and discomfort. 

Someone finally told us that "around the corner" was a coffee shop where we
could get transportation. This was another example of inaccurate information
given by a sighted person. We walked until we smelled coffee and felt we had
finally hit pay dirt; but again, not so. We were told that the Quick Ride
was for state employees only. The South Capitol stop serves only state
buildings. We ventured into one of these state buildings and were able to
enjoy the warmth while continuing to ask directions. This area is
approximately four miles from the Round House and not walkable, at least on
such a cold and windy day. 

At this point, the benefits of reading the Braille Monitor came through loud
and clear. We had just learned about a program called Go Go Grandparent, a
service for those of us who choose not to use smart phones, thereby limiting
our use of Uber or Lyft services. Don had signed us up just the day before
the Santa Fe trip. In a matter of minutes we had an Uber cab which took us,
finally, to the Capitol building. Perseverance and our own ability to
problem-solve got us to the Round House where we completed our mission. 

WINDOWS 10 IS NOT TO BE FEARED

by Curtis Chong

Those of us who are blind and who use Windows computers have believed for
many years that the best operating system for the blind was Windows 7. We
have been told that of all the operating systems out there, Windows 7 is the
most accessible, the most stable, and the most friendly to nonvisual users.
Up until August of last year, I myself held this belief.

When the Windows 10 operating system was first released back in the summer
of 2015, I waited a few months and then, in November, I took the insane step
of installing this operating system onto my home computer. The experiment
was not successful. One update, which hit my system on a Saturday night,
caused all of my audio to stop working, which made the computer completely
inaccessible to me. I decided to roll back to Windows 7, and I stayed there
until last August. This is when Microsoft released what it called the
Anniversary Update edition of Windows 10.

I am pleased to tell you that this time, the experiment was quite
successful. I noticed right away that Narrator, the free screen reading
program from Microsoft, actually worked well enough for me to use it as a
way to get the system up and running before installing JAWS for Windows, my
screen reader of choice. While attending the National Federation of the
Blind convention held last summer in Orlando, I talked extensively with
Microsoft representatives and obtained the details I needed to work with
Narrator, and before I did anything on my computer, I contacted the
Microsoft Disability Answer Desk at 1-800-936-5900 to be sure that I
obtained the correct link to the software that would upgrade my system.

Since that time, I have installed Windows 10 on both my work and home
systems, and I have even updated to the latest Creators Update.

Today, when you buy a new computer, you will find it very difficult to get
one with Windows 7 as the operating system. Businesses which sell computers
will tell you that Windows 7 updates take a very long time to install (they
have to leave the system running overnight). They prefer it if you buy
Windows 10 outright.

I want to say right off that Windows 10 is nothing for us as blind people to
fear. As long as you are using current screen access technology and
configure your system as I will outline here, Windows 10 will feel very much
like Windows 7. In Windows 10, you still have the Windows Desktop, and the
Start Menu can still be reached by pressing the Windows key. The Windows
Explorer program (now called File Explorer) works the same as it did in
Windows 7 as long as you make some minor tweaks to the configuration.

So, if you are contemplating getting a Windows 10 system, here are some
things that need to be done before it can function the way a Windows 7
machine works.

1.         Change the default web browser to Internet Explorer or Mozilla
Firefox (the latter needs to be installed since it does not come with the
operating system). Microsoft Edge, the newest web browser from Microsoft,
still does not work well with screen reading software.

2.         If you want to read PDF documents, you need to install Adobe's
Acrobat Reader DC software. It will not work to use another PDF reading
program.

3.         For email and word processing, while there are some free and
accessible programs out there, I recommend that you bite the bullet and pay
for a Microsoft Office 365 subscription. A personal license (which allows
Office to be run on only one machine) costs only $70 per year. If you want
the free accessible email and word processing programs, feel free to contact
me directly at curtischong at earthlink.net.

4.         The File Explorer program (the new name for what we used to call
Windows Explorer) does require a few minor tweaks to feel the way Windows
Explorer feels in Windows 7. Again, if you want or need help with this, feel
free to contact me directly.

The bottom line here is that Windows 10 is not an operating system to be
feared or avoided. The only real requirement is for you to ensure that you
have the most current screen reading or enlargement technology.

THE FUTURE OF TALKING BOOKS FOR THE BLIND 

by Jim Babb

I recently spoke with John Mugford, the Director of the New Mexico Library
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. He said their staff has been
reduced due to budget issues. I have noticed that they are less responsive
and seldom pick up the phone when I call. A message greets you saying that
they are probably on another line or away from their desk. They do
eventually return your call. 

He said some states such as Iowa are using an innovative system where they
put a patron's book list (several books) on a single National Library
Service (NLS) cartridge. So they basically have a shelfless system, since
books are not on single cartridges. He said the next generation of Talking
Book Players (maybe 5 years away) will have wireless capability, and
requested books will be pushed from the cloud. He said that there will still
be a regional component of the NLS.

A FORWARD MOVE FOR BLIND HAM RADIO OPERATORS

by Mike Langner

Many years ago, back in my UNM days, I hooked up a circuit that allowed a
blind ham radio operator to tune his shortwave transmitter by listening to a
tone that varied in pitch with the tuning. The method was crude, but
effective. Now here’s an example of how far we’ve come since then. On top of
that, it was developed by a couple of blind ham radio operators!

Amateur radio now offers a specialized communications ham radio program that
works with JAWS to allow digital (that is, teletype-like) modes on amateur
radio for blind operators. The most popular of these modes is called PSK31.
This is good news for every amateur radio operator with low vision or who
may be blind. Here’s the story from the National Amateur Radio Association,
the American Radio Relay League:

Free App Allows Blind Hams to Work PSK31

(April 5, 2017)

A new, free app--Accessible Digipan (http://accessibledigipan.org)--has been
released that allows blind hams to operate PSK31. The download includes the
app, audio tutorials, detailed written guides, and additional helpful
resources, plus DigiPan PSK31 and PSK63 software. 

ARRL member Richard McDonald, KK6MRH, and Jim Snowbarger, WA0PSS--both
blind--developed the program. "Until now, blind hams worldwide have not had
any accessible program to work PSK31," McDonald said. "Now they do." 

Accessible Digipan brings together the most popular screen reader, JAWS, and
DigiPan, McDonald said, and the app will work with many different kinds of
rigs, interfaces, and Windows versions.

GOOD EATING

Corn on the Cob (Microwave Version)

by Coby Livingstone

Place one corn cob, still in the husk, in the microwave and cook it for 4
minutes. I recommend microwaving one cob at a time. Use a thick towel or
potholder when you remove the cob from the microwave, as it will be HOT! Cut
the bottom off and peel. The silk comes off pretty easily with the husks,
but there still might be a couple of stray strands. Butter it up, and add
salt & pepper--even a touch of New Mexico green chili. Happy eating!

Green Chili Cheese Rice 

from Gail Wagner

This is a recipe I got from the mom of one of my students about 30 years
ago: yummy then and yummy now. A wonderful side dish. 

2 cups instant minute rice

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of salt

1 cup sour cream

8 oz cubed Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped green chili (hot or mild)

Directions:

Boil 2 cups of water. Remove from stove and stir in 2 cups minute rice,
garlic and salt. Let sit covered 5 minutes.

Stir in sour cream, cheese and green chili. 

Put into greased oven-safe dish and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

To make it into a main dish meal, add cooked diced chicken, sausage or
hamburger. 

USEFUL WEBSITES, APPS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS

 <http://www.woot.com> www.woot.com 

This is Amazon’s deep discount site. You will see different items every time
you visit it.

 <http://www.creditscorecard.com> www.creditscorecard.com 

Go here to get your real (FICO) score for free. This very same score from
the three national credit bureaus will cost you about $15.

 <http://www.froogle.com> www.froogle.com 

Find deep discounts on numerous items including computers, etc.

 <http://www.peekyou.com> www.peekyou.com 

Do a free background check on yourself or others. 

 <http://www.blindbargains.com> www.blindbargains.com
They search the web and find bargains on Amazon, Wal-Mart, and similar
online stores for a variety of items such as laptops, dirt devil vacuums,
wallets, chocolates and many blind-accessible items. 

MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

July 10-15: NFB National Convention held in Orlando, Florida 

July 23-29: NFB Youth Slam held at Towson University in Maryland 

September 9 (Saturday): New Mexico State Fair Parade, Albuquerque 

September 12-17: BLAST, Nashville, Tennessee (This is for blind vendors)

November 6-8: Dare to be Remarkable Training Conference, Baltimore, Maryland

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