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<p align="center">The Blind Perspective</P><br />
<p align="center">January 2015</p><br />
<p align="center">Vol 1 Issue 1</P><br />
<h1>Special Giveaway</h1>
<p>To celebrate both the birthdate of Louis Braille and the launching of The Blind Perspective, we are collaborating with three popular blind chat sites to giveaway special treats. Come to the sites during the weeks below for your chance to win custom chocolate braille pops!! All you need to do is sign up at the sites if you are not a member already, then while participating in a game you will have the chance to be randomly chosen to win a couple yummy treats!</p>
<a href="http://www.blindcafe.net">Click Here to go Directly to The blind Cafe's Website http://www.blindcafe.net</a><br />
<p>Monday January 12 through Saturday January 17</p>
<a href="http://www.nfblive.org">Click Here to go Directly to The NFB Live Website http://www.nfblive.org</a>
<p>Monday January 19 through Saturday January 25</p>
<a href="http://www.for-the-people.com">Click Here to go Directly to For The People's Website http://www.for-the-people.com</a>
<p>Monday January 26 through Saturday January 31</p>
<p align="center">Contents:</p><br />
Greetings from the Editor<br />
Invest in Yourself<br />
Movers & Shakers<br />
Healthy Living<br />
Have I Got A Story For You<br />
The Braille Highway<br />
Talking Taxes<br />
Busy Hands<br />
Computer Tech 101<br />
Cooking Concoctions<br />
Riddle<br />
Brain Buster<br /><br />
<p>The Blind Perspective Newsletter has been produced in such a manner that makes it easier to stroll through the articles. If you are using JAWS, System Access, NVDA, or Window Eyes, press the letter H to move through the headings. If you are wanting to skip back simply press the shift key + the letter H. For MAC users, press Control Option Command plus the letter H and to go backwards through the articles press Control Option Command shift plus the letter H.</p>
<p>If you have any trouble reading this copy you can go to <a href="http://www.theblindperspective.com">Click Here it will take You to The Blind Perspective</a> and go to read the current newsletter link and read it there.</p>
<h1>Greetings from the Editor</h1>
<p>Happy New Year! What better way to begin 2015 than with our first edition of The Blind Perspective newsletter. This newsletter has been created with you in mind. Our creative and knowledgeable staff of writers will inform you on such blind related topics as technology, people, organizations, websites, resources, braille, and much more. They will also entertain you with such articles on book reviews, recipes, craft ideas, riddles, and more. Please send any comments and suggestions you may have to <a href="mailto:info@theblindperspective.com">info@theblindperspective.com</a></p>
<h1>Invest in Yourself</h1>
By Karen Santiago<br />
<p>This quarterly segment will focus on some aspect of independent living for people with low vision or who are blind.</p>
<p> With the new year come resolutions, usually to eat better, exercise more, and so forth. How about expanding your knowledge or learning something new. A great place to accomplish this is through The Hadley School for the Blind. Hadley offers a wide variety of courses, ranging from history, math, technology, braille, gardening, entrepreneurship, and many many more.</p>
<p>The Hadley School was founded in 1920 by William Hadley and Dr. E.V.L. Brown. Courses are offered free of charge to its blind and visually impaired students and their families throughout the world. Blindness professionals can also take courses at an affordable tuition.</p>
<p>To get started, check out their website at <a href="http://www.hadley.edu.">http://www.hadley.edu</a></p>
<p>Enrolling in a course is quite easy. You can choose to complete and submit the form online or print out a hard copy. The Hadley staff is very friendly and available to assist you should you need it. As a Hadley student myself, I highly recommend The Hadley School because of its course selections, and its wonderful staff.</p>
The Hadley School for the Blind:<br />
<a href="http://www.hadley.edu">http://www.hadley.edu</a>
847-446-8111<br />
Toll Free: 800-323-4238<br />
TTY: 847-441-81<br />
Email: <a href="mailto:info@hadley.edu">info@hadley.edu</a>
<h1>Movers & Shakers</h1>
By Karen Santiago<br />
<p>This segment of The Blind Perspective will focus on a particular person, organization or both.</p>
<p>In keeping with the subject of the above article, I decided to interview Charles (Chuck) Young, the president of The Hadley School for the Blind (Hadley). Chuck received a master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation from University of Wisconsin-STOUT. Upon graduation, he worked as a job development counselor for six years at the Oregon Commission for the Blind. Then, for the next 21 years, he worked as its vocational rehab director.</p>
<p>After retiring, Chuck was notified that the Hadley president’s position was vacant. He was familiar with Hadley School, since he had referred many clients to the school over a 30-year period. Chuck applied and is proud to be its president since 2005.</p>
<p>The Hadley School is the largest provider of distance education for people who are blind or visually impaired and their support network. In addition, Hadley is the largest educator of braille worldwide since 1920. The school serves nearly 10,000 students annually; 7,000 of whom are from the United States; a large number study from Canada; and the rest reside in more than 110 other countries.</p>
<p>Any blind or visually impaired person, age 14+ and family member(s), can enroll in Hadley’s free courses but keep in mind that all courses are taught in English. Hadley is able to offer these courses at no charge, due to the support and generosity of donors, corporations and foundations, primarily within the greater Chicago area. The Hadley School also receives credit from the American Printing House for the Blind, in the form of accessible learning materials for U.S. citizens who are blind. This includes audio recordings, braille and textbook printing.</p>
<p>Hadley offers a wide variety of courses and, within the last year, three new programs have been added. The Forsythe Center for Employment and Entrepreneurship (FCE) is designed to cover a wide range of business and employment related curriculum. There are 23 courses, which include fundamentals, business communication, law, technology and much more.</p>
<p>The National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM) collaborated with the Hadley School to offer courses from the FCE. In December, the first two NABM blind vendors completed the seven-course program and received their Vendor of Excellence Certificates. NABM is expecting an additional 50 blind merchants to complete the program and receive their certificates by the end of 2015.</p>
<p>Hadley’s Braille Music Curriculum has received an overwhelming amount of interest and support from staff, students and funders. The program is expanding to include such courses as braille music reading, vocal music and keyboard music.</p>
<p>Another popular and new program is the iFocus quarterly series, which is available through YouTube video. These tutorial videos provide a variety of useful trainings, tips and resources for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users who are visually impaired or blind.</p>
<p>Webinars titled Seminars@Hadley (S@H) began at Hadley shortly after Chuck came on board. In fact, Chuck conducted one of the first webinars with Richard Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute? In S@H, one will find many recreation and leisure topics presented and discussed. Just go to the Seminar page on the Hadley Web site, click on Past Seminars and arrow through the many topics. They include presentations on technology, braille, business, cooking, sports and many, many more.</p>
<p>Coming this month for existing braille users and teachers will be the course, Transitioning to Unified English Braille (UEB). The course will provide what you need to know to understand the new braille code, which will be adapted and fully utilized by 2016. In collaboration with the American Printing House for the Blind, Hadley will be able to offer this course to professionals free of charge, if enrolled during 2015.</p>
<p>Chuck summed up Hadley with this statement: Hadley is a very powerful resource to learn the skills and acquire the knowledge a person needs to be a contributing, participating member of family, community and employment.</p>
<h1>Healthy Living</h1>
by Hugh Can<br />
<p>Hello everyone. I am pleased to contribute to this News Letter and I hope that my articles will be of benefit to some of you. Because this is the start of a new year and a lot of people make new year’s resolutions, I thought I would write about losing weight. Losing weight is probably the most common resolution that people make and I hope this article will help you out with your plan.</p>
<p>I am sure that most of you have experienced people setting limitations on you, our family, friends, teachers, and our work place and on and on it goes. Although that is not the most pleasant thing, what I think is even more damaging is when we set limitations on ourselves.</p>
<p>When we believe the limitations that people put on us and especially the ones that we set on ourselves, we set up a belief system that becomes true for us. Like they say, “as man think it, so does he become”. One of the most common mistakes that people make is to set their expectations too high and when the thing that you want does not happen then negative beliefs creep in like, I cannot do this, it is too hard, my whole family is overweight, it runs in the family, I must have a hormonal problem, I do not have any will-power and on and on and on it goes.</p>
<p>What this does, it sets up a belief system that tells you that it cannot be done and when you believe it then it becomes true for you and so why try to lose weight, it cannot be done.</p>
<p>Our belief is so powerful and we have to look at what do we believe about losing weight. I think to be successful in anything that we do; we have to work starting out with something that we can believe. For example, let us say you would like to lose 40 pounds. Well do you believe that you can do it? What negative beliefs are creeping in? Is it wishful thinking? Would you be surprised if you were successful?</p>
<p>It is important to work with something that you really can believe. So start with 1 pound, you can have no trouble believing that you can lose 1 pound. When you lose that 1 pound then believe that you can lose 1 pound again. One pound is not hard to believe. Keep working on 1 pound at a time and before you know it, you have lost the weight that you had set out to lose.</p>
<p>If you take a look at anything that you were not successful with, did you have high expectations? Were you wishing and hoping and not really believing that it would happen? Work with a belief that is comfortable and let it grow. Have patience and let time work for you.</p>
<p>Here are a few tips that may help you with losing weight.</p>
1- Cut back on what you would hate to give up, cut back at least 50 percent.<br />
2- Eat until you are satisfied, not until you are full. If you are full then you have eaten too much.<br />
3- Do not snack in the evening, stop eating after your last meal and if you have to have something in the evening then only have veggies.<br />
4- Are you hungry or are you craving? If your stomach is not growling then you are most likely craving. When you are hungry, your stomach growls. Most of the time when we are craving, we are craving carbs, simple sugars.<br />
5-Drink lots of water, a lot of times when we think that we need something to eat, it is really that we need water. A good rule is to drink half your body weight in ounces each day.<br />
6- Eat food that is real, that comes from nature. Foods that are alive, and foods that are real. Nuts, seeds, berries, fruits and veggies.<br />
7- Remember most of us eat too much, we eat more then our body needs. Take a look at your meal and know that there is enough nutrition, enough vitamins and calories to supply us for the day, in fact more then we need.<br />
8- Keep it simple, it does not have to be complicated. Give it time and work with your belief system. Make it easy and give yourself a pat on the back for every pound that you lose.<br />
<p>Until next time, enjoy those veggies..</p>
<h1>Have I got a story for you</h1>
By Carla Jo Bratton<br />
<p>Carla Jo Bratton is an avid audio book reader of all genres: classics, not-so classics, series, new titles and authors, etc. She is an excellent multi-tasker, and when she is not in the kitchen, she is spending time with her grandchildren and other family members. She makes her home in North Texas with her husband, Scott and their two cats. She has been devouring audio books for almost 45 years since losing vision at the age of 9.</p>
Revival<br />
Written by Stephen king<br />
Read by David Morse<br />
Reading time; 13 hours and 24 minutes<br />
<p>In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs - including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.</p>
<p>Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of 13, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-30s - addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate - Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.</p>
<p>This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It is a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.</p>
My Comments;<br />
<p>I have never been much of a King fan, I did not care for his early works but, his later books have been wonderful. King makes us stop and think, is there really something after death? And if so, what is it? Will we see each other? Know each other? Find the answers to all our questions? This book is full of complex characters as well as simple ones. Heartbreaking, uplifting and mesmerizing all in 1 story. Like a fine wine, King gets better with age. This book is available from audible and I would not be surprised if it gets to BARD in a very short time.</p>
Wayfaring Stranger<br />
Written by James Lee Burke<br />
Read by Will Patton<br />
Reading time; 13 hours and 10 minutes<br />
<p>It is 1934 and the Depression is bearing down when 16-year-old Weldon Avery Holland happens upon infamous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow after one of their notorious armed robberies. A confrontation with the outlaws ends as Weldon puts a bullet through the rear window of Clyde’s stolen automobile. Ten years later, Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland and his sergeant, Hershel Pine, escape certain death in the Battle of the Bulge and encounter a beautiful young woman named Rosita Lowenstein hiding in a deserted extermination camp. Eventually, Weldon and Rosita fall in love and marry and, with Hershel, return to Texas to seek their fortunes. There, they enter the domain of jackals known as the oil business. They meet Roy Wiseheart - a former Marine aviator haunted with guilt for deserting his squadron leader over the South Pacific and Roy’s wife, Clara, a vicious anti-Semite who is determined to make Weldon and Rosita’s life a nightmare. It will be the frontier justice upheld by Weldon’s grandfather, Texas lawman Hackberry Holland, and the legendary antics of Bonnie and Clyde that shape Weldon’s plans for saving his family from the evil forces that lurk in peacetime America and threaten to destroy them all.</p>
My comments;<br />
<p> James Lee Burke weaves powerful people, settings and history into each of his books and this one is no exception. His ability to pull emotions out of the reader is one reason I love his books. Burke can paint such a vibrant picture with words; you can’t help but be drawn to the story. Here are just a few examples that made me catch my breath. “ The sun, a lemon colored piece of shaved ice.” Advice from the Grandfather, “Rich or Poor everybody gets to the barn and it can be a hard ride sometimes.” And one that truly moved me, “Sunsets that were like a metaphysical representation of the passion of Christ.” Will Patton’s narration is second to none. I cannot imagine reading a Burke novel without Will as my reader I have enjoyed all of the Dave Robicheaux books and will continue to be an avid Burke fan. This book is available from audible and on BARD as DB 75692. .</p>
<h1>The Braille Highway</h1>
By Nat Armeni<br />
<p>Happy New Year! May the year 2015 be filled with health, happiness and prosperity! I would like to give you a bit of background information about myself and my passion for braille. Also, I would like to include a brief guideline of what I hope this article will represent in upcoming newsletters. I hope you enjoy what you read and that I have intrigued you enough to have you wanting to read more!</p>
<p>I learned braille as a youngster over 30 years ago on a good old Perkins braille writer. I then learned to use the slate and stylus. As the technology became available I used all sorts of refreshable braille displays and writers. I enjoyed using braille so much that I now produce it professionally. I use braille in all parts of my life; work, personal, entertainment and in making life less complicated.</p>
<p>When it comes to braille, we have a lot to thank Mr. Louis Braille for in his creation of this tactile language for the blind to use. I am thankful for my early educators to have had the foresight to teach me this great medium to read. Early in my life braille came in handy during studying for spelling b contests and nemeth for mathematics. It also made learning other languages such as French and Spanish easier by being able to read it. Feeling diagrams in my biology textbooks and Feeling and figuring out graphs and other graphics such as world maps and shapes made learning easier.</p>
<p>Throughout my life I have used braille to simplify things, things that our sighted counterparts take for granted. For example, something as simple as picking out a DVD or cd from a pile of them can be frustrating. One can make this task very simple and quick to pick out. Take a little time and label your media with a clear plastic labelling tape. So it still can be read very easily by the sighted people in our lives as well as us being able to quickly pick out the one we want, without becoming frustrated. Jotting down a phone number and being able to read it can easily be done by learning the slate and stylus method. Having one that is located in a mini binder with braille paper is handy for this and other daily task. Just flip the lid, add the paper, and start brailling the number or any other notes you may need to make.</p>
<p>You may argue that you can do this by using your mp3 device or your smart phone. That definitely is your own personal preference. All I am trying to say is either by itself or in combination with other technology braille is a great asset to have.</p>
<p>Rest assured I am not going to be using this article to nag you into using braille. I will simply be describing different daily things I use braille for and will be inviting you the readers, to send in your points of view and yes, I will be writing all pro and con emails. I honestly feel that braille is an awesome resource for people who either already know it or someone who is thinking of learning braille. Even as an adult you can still learn braille by enrolling yourself in the Hadley Online school where they teach both contracted and uncontracted braille. I am a firm believer that any education is a bonus.</p>
<p>I will be describing how one can make simple braille diagrams using your braille writer and or slate and stylus. Also how to create re-usable labels for food boxes or cans. And, for something that is entertaining, how to make your own playing cards or other card games. I will also give my opinion on different devices I have used and or heard about that may be of interest to you the readers.</p>
<p>My final message to you is remember to stay on the dotted line in life! Talk with you again in February.</p>
<h1>Talking Taxes</h1>
By Leisa Rosen, CPA<br />
<p>This segment will occur in the first quarter of the newsletter to give you some information about filing your taxes in the United States as a legally blind person.</p>
<p>Anyone whose field of vision falls at or below 20 degrees, who wears corrective glasses but whose vision is 20/200 or less in his best eye, or who has no eyesight at all, meets the legal definition of being blind and is eligible for certain tax deductions.
Several aspects of federal tax law apply specifically to blind or visually impaired citizens.</p>
<p>A bigger standard deduction for blind taxpayers:</p>
<p>Box 39A on the 1040 tax-return form and Box 23A on the 1040A form are both places where blind filers can claim unique deductions. This translates into a larger tax break, allowing you to subtract a bigger standard deduction from your adjusted gross income.</p>
<p>If you're blind and over age 65, your savings increases.</p>
<p>Married filers also benefit from this deduction when their spouse is visually impaired.</p>
Credit for the elderly and the disabled<br />
The IRS offers two ways to qualify for the Credit for the Elderly and the Disabled:<br />
be at least 65 years old or have a disability that forced you to retire before your employer's mandatory retirement age, usually age 65.<br />
<p>To qualify as disabled, you also need to have taxable disability income such as Social Security disability benefits. This credit reduces the amount of tax owed to the IRS. Unlike the earned income tax credit, it is nonrefundable, meaning it does not offer a refund if it lowers your tax liability to zero.</p>
Be sure to consult your tax advisor for specifics related to your own Individual circumstances.<br />
Next month’s Talking Taxes will have infromation regarding medical deductions.<br />
<h1>Busy Hands</h1>
By Tiffany Black<br />
<p>People are going to be making resolutions to change habits. I have heard that one way to get rid of an old habit is to make a new habit. I have also heard that while breaking certain habits, keeping your hands busy is a good thing. So, I thought I would take some time to explain a bit about crocheting.</p>
<p>First off, I will tell you what you need if you are a beginner crocheter. You will want to pick up a crochet hook. I suggest H-I or J-5. Crochet hooks do range from very small ones, 14, to the largest being an S hook. The smallest ones are used for thread crocheting, and the S hook is mainly used for making rag rugs. You will also want to get some yarn, 4 ply is good to start with.</p>
Basic stitches:<br />
<p>The first thing you need to learn is how to make a foundation chain. This is something you need to do for every project. There are some modified versions of this but when you get into more advanced patterns, there will usually be good instructions on how to create them.</p>
<p>The first thing to do is to make a slip knot. Take about a half inch of yarn, and Loop it over your index finger on your left hand. Pinch both pieces of yarn between your thumb and middle finger. Then make a loop around the base, just like you do when tying your shoes. Pull that tight around your index finger. Then slip another loop over the tip of your index finger and pull it through the first loop. There is your slip knot.</p>
<p>Now, put that loop that you just made onto the crochet hook. Hold the hook in your right hand, with the hook facing up toward the ceiling. Now, to make the first chain stitch, wrap the yarn around the loop moving toward you over the top. Next, rotate the hook so it’s pointing toward the floor. Pull back through the loop unhook, and there is the first chain stitch. Do that a few times to get used to the chain stitch.</p>
Single Crochet:<br />
<p>Now I will explain single crochet, which you can use to do a lot of things. It is kind of like that song from The Sound of Music, Doe Rey Mi. There are about six basic stitches you need to know. Once you learn them you can do pretty much anything. There are a lot of things you can do just doing single crochet and chain stitches.</p>
<p>To make the first single crochet count one crochet link away from your hook. That chain that you are leaving alone is your turning chain. Now put your hook through the top loop of the next chain stitch. Then wrap the yarn the same way you did to make a chain stitch. Pull it through that loop and then wrap the yarn around the hook again. Rotate the hook down toward the floor and pull it through two loops on the hook. Then you should have one loop on the hook and a square looking stitch on your work. You continue working like this as much as you need single crochet.</p>
<p>There are some things you can do with single crochets. On rows after the chain stitch you usually work through both of the loops on top of the stitch. But there are some patterns where you will only work through the front loop or the back loop. I will explain how I remember which is the front of my work and which is the back of my work. I think of it like I have a person sitting across the table from me. Their front is toward me, and their back is away from me. So, when you want to work on the front loop of your work, you want to work on the side that is closest to you. When you want to work in the back loops, you work on the loops that are furthest away from you.</p>
<p>Next time I will explain about half doubles, doubles, and trebles.</p>
<h1>Computer Tech 101</h1>
By Jim Morgan<br />
<p>We all know the old saying about how in Springtime, young men's fancies turn to well, certainly not cleaning. Others, however, DO think about cleaning up and clearing out and the same is true of one’s computer. I know that it is Winter and Springtime is either a fond memory or something to wait for impatiently, but the “Cleaning Up” dictum still applies. AND, there are a number of myths, misconceptions, and downright inaccurate knowledge out there. What I’d like to do is help dispel some of these and, possibly, demystify some of what your computer does when you tell it to do something as well as “translate” some of the computerese, a sometimes incomprehensible language, out there.</p>
<p>Just to give you a little background on me so that YOU have some confidence that I actually know what I am talking about. I currently hold a BS, yes, I know what you are thinking, Degree in Computer Science from The University of Maryland. I have spent close to 20 years in Computer Tech Support for a number of industries as well as 3 years as a Database Programmer/Administrator. I still currently create Database Applications using MS Access and do Tech Support for family and friends. Unfortunately, I can no longer work inside the computer due to my vision loss. I was born with Cone/Rod Dystrophy, a genetic Retinal disorder in the Macular Degeneration family. I started losing my sight in 2000 and am now legally blind and cannot, literally, see my hand in front of my face. I have, however, gone through Rehabilitation Training and also read and write in Braille. So, while I still know what to do inside a computer and can “coach” someone on what to do, I cannot see well enough anymore to do it myself.</p>
Disk Defragment:<br />
<p>One of the biggest topics with misinformation is Disk fragmentation and what to do about it, as well as when. First of all, for any that do not already know, the easiest way to think of your hard drive is a BUNCH of little buckets sitting side by side on a bunch of shelves stacked on top of each other. These buckets are called segments and, depending upon your hard drive capacity and a couple of other factors, they Hold a certain amount of data. Information, be it programs, data, pictures, MP3 files, etc., are placed in a bucket until it is full and then whatever is remaining is placed in the next bucket with some empty space in it. Now, when it comes to data, the size is usually such that it will either fit all in one bucket, or only take 2 or 3 to hold it; programs and very large files usually take several segments. If the program, data, etc. overflows a bucket, there is a pointer assigned so that the computer knows where the next bucket is to look for the rest of the data or program.</p>
<p>What the computer really likes, especially with programs, is that the buckets, or segments, are contiguous, meaning the buckets for a program or other piece of data are sequential; one after the other.</p>
<p>Fragmentation occurs when those segments are not contiguous and, quite possibly, are all over the Hard Drive. Remember, I said that it puts the “rest” of the data in the first bucket it finds with some empty space and they do not necessarily need to be anywhere near each other on the Hard Drive. Do not worry, this kind of thing is quite common and really is not that big of a deal. This certainly is not like your computer getting a virus, for example, but can slow down your computer’s performance if it has to go all over the place when you run a program or access a file. In addition, it can happen when you delete things so that there is an empty place between two “full” segments. This would be like taking a bucket or two from the middle of the shelf, emptying them, and then putting them back to have something new put in them.</p>
<p>Now that we know what fragmentation is, the next question usually is what we do about it. Well, most Operating Systems, be they PC or Macintosh (I know everybody calls them Mac’s, but I thought I’d use their full name for a change), come with a Disk Defrag program. As a matter of fact, that is precisely what Microsoft calls their program. For those that want to find it, it is usually under System Tools on the Accessories menu that is under All programs on your Start Menu. I would tell you where the Mac version is, but it has been a while since I have used one and I do not remember where it is nor what it is called. In addition, there are some other companies, such as Auslogics, that make their own separate Defrag program that you can usually download for free. Anyway, just run whichever Disc Defrag program you have and it will take care of making everything nice and contiguous for you and will also put all the free space or empty buckets at the end of the Hard Drive so that everything looks all tidy.</p>
<p>One myth/misconception is how often to do this. While it is true that you can do it as much as you want, it really is not recommended to do it too often. What is too often, you ask? The current rule of thumb says that it really should not need to be done any more than every 3 months. I myself, tend to run it, again, at most, twice a year and check the fragmentation percentage by having the Defrag program analyze the amount of fragmentation before actually starting the Defrag process. Most Defrag programs will tell you the percentage of fragmentation and, possibly, even give you a suggestion on whether or not to run the Defrag. The current Rule of Thumb for this is that if the fragmentation percentage is under 10%, you might not want to run it because it is probably not worth it to do it right then.</p>
<p>Now, I know there are some of you out there that are saying that I run a Defrag every day or once a week and it does not hurt anything. To some extent, I agree with you but there are some consequences to running the Defrag a lot. What are these consequences you ask? A standard hard drive, meaning NOT a Flash or Thumb Drive, is made up of platters and read/write heads not much unlike the tone arm, needle, and albumn of a standard vinyl albumn turntable. And, just like those old vinyl albumns, for those of us old enough to remember them, they can and do wear out if played too much. The same is true of Hard Drives. There is a figure that is part of the specifications of all “regular” Hard Drives denoted by the acronym MTBF. This stands for Mean Time Before Failure. In other words, how long on average will your Hard Drive last before it starts to begin failing.</p>
<p>As I’m sure you have all figured out, the more your Hard Drive gets used, meaning adding and removing things to it, the quicker you approach that MTBF number. Flash Drives are not governed by this specification since they work a bit differently and do not have the same issues as a standard Hard Drive. Think of it to extend the music metaphor, as the difference between vinyl records, or Audio Tapes, and Cd’s. Strictly speaking, the MTBF issue is the biggest real consequence of too often Defragging your Hard Drive. The other is time. Most Hard Drives today are of a capacity such that it takes a while, as in a number of hours, to go through and clean it all up. While this can be done overnight, you get the idea. In the end, it’s up to you as to how often to defrag your hard drive(s). I just wanted you to have all the information so that you can make an informed decision as to what works best for you</p>.
Disk Cleanup:<br />
<p>One other area of “cleaning” involves the stuff you want to get rid of. I am speaking of Temporary files, Cookies, which are little “sub-programs” that are loaded when you go to a number of Web Sites, Deleted files, etc. Back in the days of DOS, which is before most of the current crop of technicians time, it was a little difficult to do this since it had to be done manually and one had to know where to look for the files in question. Today, it is much simpler. I am not sure about the Mac, but, on a PC, in the same place as the Disk Defrag, you will find Disk Cleanup. What this does is go through your Hard Drive, and get rid of all those unnecessary files that are taking up space once and for all. As with the Disk Defrag, there are separate programs available that you can download to do this. Similar Rules of Thumb apply to how often one should do this and the consequences involved. However, it is usually a LOT quicker than a Defrag.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons for getting rid of these files is to, obviously, gain Hard Drive Space. Another is to, once and for all, remove “bad” files from the Hard Drive that might have come down when you accessed a certain Web Site or opened a certain program. In a lot of cases, these “infected” programs are stored as Temporary Files and, as such, are easier to just remove than go through the trouble of Quarantining and then removing the files with your Anti-Virus software. For a lot of us out there, this gain is not very significant to our percentage of capacity used. For others who might have older pC’s, with a smaller Hard Drive capacity, this can become important. Believe it or not, the amount of free or unused Hard Drive space you have affects the performance of your computer. Another one of those Rules of Thumb states that you should always keep at least 50% of the capacity of the Hard Drive on which your Operating System resides free, or unused, at all times. For most if not all of us, that would be your C Drive. Again, due to too many years I do not remember the Mac’s standard designator for the primary Hard Drive; sorry. You can get the Free Space amount in a number of ways. It can be accessed through MY Computer or the Drive Properties function within Windows Explorer. Unfortunately one is not really given a percentage; the computer lets you do the math. Although, it DOES give you nice round numbers in either MB, GB, or, if you have a large drive, TB so that some quick arithmetic will give you the answer. Anyway, when that free space percentage goes below 50%, you might start to notice that your computer is taking a little longer to do certain things. The reason for this is that the computer uses the Hard Drive as extra “memory” when it needs more than is currently available for use. This is called Virtual Memory and is one of the reasons why computers are getting faster and faster; there are other reasons, of course.</p>
<p>So, as you can see, by keeping an eye on both Disk Fragmentation and doing a Cleanup every so often, not only will you help keep your computer running smoothly, you will help with the maintenance and performance of one of the most important components your computer has. I hope this helped a little with your learning and understanding of the importance of disk defragment and disk cleanup.</p>
<h1>Cooking Concoctions</h1>
by Maxine<br />
<p>A new year has begun and it may be a bit nippy where you live, but even if it is not, soup is always a great comforting healthy option for a meal.</p>
<p>As often as possible I will include both traditional and microwavable directions.</p>
Pennsylvania Chicken Noodle Soup<br />
Ingredients:<br />
2 tablespoons butter or margarine<br />
1 stalk celery, finely chopped<br />
1 carrot, finely chopped<br />
1/2 cup finely chopped onion<br />
1 large chicken breast, skinned, about 1/2 pound<br />
1 quart chicken broth, canned or homemade<br /<>
4 ounces noodles, narrow, wide or Dutch<br />
1 cup corn, frozen or canned<br />
1/4 teaspoon black pepper<br />
Directions:<br />
Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan.<br />
Stir in the celery, carrot and onion.<br />
Add the chicken. Cook over medium-low heat, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.<br />
Turn several times.<br />
Remove chicken. Cut into small cubes. Set aside.<br />
Add the chicken broth to the saucepan.<br />
Bring to a rapid boil.<br />
Add the noodles and corn.<br />
Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until noodles are just done.<br />
Add the chicken. Heat for a minute or two.<br />
Season with pepper. Add salt, if needed.<br />
Serve steaming hot in large, wide bowls.<br />
Microwave Directions:<br />
In a micro safe 3 quart casserole, combine the butter, celery, carrot and onion.<br />
Microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.<br />
Place the chicken breast on top of the vegetables. Cover.<br />
Microwave on high for 6 to 7 minutes until chicken is done.<br />
Cube chicken. Set aside. <br />
Stir in 2 cups broth, noodles, corn and pepper.<br />
Cover. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Stir after 5 minutes.<br />
Add remaining broth and chicken. Cover. Microwave on high for 5 minutes until steaming hot.<br />
Serve.<br />
Makes 4 servings.<br />
<h1>Riddle:</h1>
By Alex Smart<br />
<p>How can a pants pocketbe be empty and still have something in it?
*Answer revealed in February’s edition</p>
<h1>Brain Buster:</h1>
By Alex Smart<br />
Body Language<br />
<p>Each answer in this puzzle is a word that sounds like a letter of the alphabet, and names a body part.
Example: Spirit in a bottle
answer genie; g plus knee</p>
*President’s no<br />
*Chicago’s airport<br />
*Kind of coffee that won’t keep you awake<br />
*What a pizza place can usually do upon request<br />
*Card game played with a 48 card deck<br />
Answers revealed in February’s edition<br />
<h1>The End</h1>
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