Retro Review: The Two Fisted Birdwatcher

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Two-Fisted Birdwatcher

WEB ADDRESS: http://twofistedbirdwatcher.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The web's only online birding magazine with grit, humor and attitude. Articles and photos about birds, wildlife, and life in general. Short fiction, essays, bird detective tales, book recommendations and more. An international hit. One reader writes: Not your mamas bird blog!

MY REVIEW: I have often regretted that I never spent any time as a kid learning the names of birds, and the sounds of their calls. Oh - I know the easy ones, of course, the robin, the cardinal, blue jay (their names, not their calls!) but no more than that. Now that I ride my bike everywhere, I - very occasionally - see a new bird, which I can never identify.

So I found the two-fisted birdwatcher quite enjoyable. Fun stories, well-written, with a sense of humor. Written by a guy trying to break the stereotype of birdwatchers as nerdy men and myopic ladies. (And it is a stereotype, by the way!)

There are a few photos. Not as many as I would have expected, but a few. They are of good quality, so even though they are in greyscale andyou can't appreciate the colors, you still get much of the impact of the pictures.

Sample post

The Chicago Sun Times reported yesterday that cougars are moving into the Chicago area. This could make bird watching a bit more exciting. It could make the places that we’ve been calling wilderness into something better: Real wilderness.

Modern day mountain man and author Doug Peacock is said to have said, “It ain’t wilderness unless there’s something in it that can eat you.”

Well, if we get cougars, our wilderness gets more interesting. And I know the feeling. I hiked mountain trails in Colorado and saw warning signs about mountain lions. The signs were confusing. They said contradictory things like, “don’t threaten,” and at the same time, “wave your arms and look big.”

No matter. I was glad the signs were there. I was glad the mountain lions were there. It made the hike exciting. There was a little buzz at the back of my neck. I felt I was being watched. I felt I was in the wild.

And I saw a Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray Jays, Black-billed Magpies, a Golden Eagle far above it all; a Western Tanager that posed for a pretty good picture, Mountain Bluebirds. And others. The birding was good. And there was that buzz throughout. Two-fisted bird watching.

So if cougars are spreading into our area, I say, okay. And I’m not surprised. A year or so ago, there was a big male cougar sighted by awe-struck citizens as he worked his way toward us from Wisconsin, then through Chicago’s north suburbs, and finally to the north side near Cubs Park in a busy neighborhood where cops gunned him down. You can see this on You Tube.

My theory is that the lion was heading to Lincoln Park Zoo, which isn’t far from where he was shot. This in-city zoo has open-air lion cages, and maybe the scent carried. Only a lion would know for sure.

So if cougars are coming in significant numbers to our area, well, let ‘em come. We’ve got enough deer to go around. And it’ll make bird watching in the forests and fields around here have a bit more of a buzz to it.

Just remember, wave your arms. No, that wasn’t it, look small. No that wasn’t it, look big. Ah, forget it. You’ll probably never see a cougar. But don’t let that stop you from looking for a Pileated Woodpecker, Bald Eagle or Summer Tanager. You really could see one of those.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--A big, breathing calendar.
--Name that bird. (photoshopped birds/animal heads essay)
--Lions are coming to birdland
--An alternate universe for U.S. bird watchers.
--Drinking and birding and writing

Retro Review: Flash Free (women's health)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Flashfree

WEB ADDRESS: http://flashfree.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: An organic, fresh, informative, hip and humorous overview of evidence-based alternative approaches to menopause and the transition to midlife.

MY REVIEW: A blog that covers complimentary/interpretive medicine dealing with menopause. She has recently added a doctor as a guest contributor. Her posts cover new studies related to women's health, nutrition, interviews, and other topics - all geared toward that mid-life transition we all face. Her posts are thorough with many links to past posts and outside sources and a helpful review of all the posts at the end of each month. She posts often, several times a week.

It is well written, however, I didn't see the "hip or humorous" part but that may be up to each reader. It's an informative blog on an important subject. For those interested in this topic, this is a good blog.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Wednesday’s Bubble: easy does it with Chamomile

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Osteoporosis: what’s the 411?

Wednesday’s Bubble: another nail in the coffin of HRT

West meets East, Guest Post Jonathan Black MD/MPH Student

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Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normalwww.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

Retro Review: Bionic Ear Blog (Deaf culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://meryl.net/ci/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: She writes about living life as a deaf person. Her numero uno priority-a is de familia. You can find the southpaw not wearing 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots in the Lone Star State.

MY REVIEW: This blog is not available for subscription via the Kindle, but I think it's a worthwhile one so I'll review it here.

I was watching Law and Order: CI, which took place in the deaf community. Of course one knew immediately that the scriptwriter was a Leftist, there was a thinly veiled dig at Rush Limbaugh in the script (such references have become more overt since then!) as someone who'd need a cochlear implant after abusing oxycodone.

I think several of the actors and actresses in the episode actually were deaf. From there I thought back on other TV shows with a deaf-community role...there was one in the original CSI, for example.

About ten years ago, I used to work with a deaf woman. Prior to that, I actually took sign-language class for a few weeks, but like so many of my attempts to learn a different language it fell by the wayside. And several months ago I wrote a blog entry (at my youflygirl blog, about Nellie Zabel Willhite, and I continue to get hits from that from people who read about it on another deaf community blog, http://fookembug.wordpress.com who had also done an entry on her.

Anyway, this is an excellent blog - and gives one to think. I was particularly struck by her entry about reading a story to her daughter who was in second grade, and having the other kids tease her because of her mother's deaf accent - I hadn't thought that kind of cruelty happened until kids got into their teens.

Anyway, check it out.

Sample post:

Everyone with hearing losses uses sign language and reads lips. I know a drop of sign language, which I’ve picked up here and there like I’ve picked up words in other languages. My dad and grandmother lost their hearing as they got older. Neither knew sign language nor how to read lips.

Talking louder will help a person with hearing loss to understand. No, it puts us in an awkward situation. It is possible to talk too loud to me, but I can’t be sure if it’s someone’s normal volume or trying to do me a favor. Either way, I don’t want to risk hurting anyone’s feelings. It’s all about annunciation.

Hearing aids and cochlear implants restore hearing to normal. I wish! I’ve used both and I still cannot hear a conversation on the phone, from behind me or on TV.

People with hearing loss are stupid, mute and unsuccessful. I run a successful full-time freelance business. Before doing this, I had a great career in both the government and in telecommunications. A recent article discusses two employees at a large local company, one is an engineer. Unfortunately, if we dare ask “What did you say?” or don’t look like we understand, we’re perceived as stupid.

People with hearing loss tend to be older adults. I was born deaf. ‘nuff said. I’ve met many deaf kids my age over the years.

People with hearing loss are defined by their hearing loss. Hardly. I’m a wife and mother first. Then a writer and volunteer. Being deaf does motivate me to work harder. I’m as much as a lefty as I am a deafie.

Having hearing loss is shameful. Some folks who lose their hearing as they get older do struggle with the loss just like we all struggle with different things that come with aging. But as a person who was born deaf and never experiencing hearing like the average person, it’s not shameful. However, it’s true that some folks are in denial about their hearing loss.

When people with hearing loss miss something, it’s OK to tell them, “It’s not important,” or “I’ll tell you later.” Yeah, my brother did this to me all the time as closed-captions weren’t around until I was a teen. But I know he did it because it’s easier. It’s no different than when kids ask their parents what they were talking about to each other. They just don’t need to know everything.

People with hearing loss are rude and pushy. From my view, I don’t like lose track of the conversation or force myself not to care what people are talking about. So in my anxiousness to stay on track, I might come across as pushy when I don’t mean it.

People with hearing loss mostly hang out with other people with hearing loss. I’ve had very few deaf friends over the years. The only ones I know are from social networking. However, it’s true that some folks do all they can to be active in the community with other deaf people. It’s no different than Jewish people interacting with each other, Blacks and so on. You’ll find this in every race, culture and creed.

Everyone who needs an assistive listening system can use ear buds or headphones. I can’t use ear buds at all. They’re not loud enough and they don’t reach my hearing aid. I use headphones and switch my cochlear implant to T-Coil to shut out regular sounds and only hear what comes through the headphones. The T-Coil has been around since I was a kid. Great invention.

The wheelchair symbol represents universal access. It represents people who need to know if there’s access for someone with mobility challenges.

Hearing access isn’t needed because it’s so rarely requested. “Many people with hearing loss are so accustomed to there being no accessibility accommodations that they don’t inquire about it unless it is publicized.” Very true. I’ve gotten to the pint that if someone tells me about a video, I don’t bother to check it out unless they say it’s captioned or has no words.

People with hearing loss read braille. My husband ran into this when he was moving to Washington, DC, and I hadn’t yet joined him. Riding in an elevator, a coworker, who knew I was deaf, asked if I could read braille. Sure, I can rub my ear all over it and know what it says. Not really.

Providing access for people with hearing loss is very expensive. I can caption my own videos for zero cost. (OK, we won’t go into the fact you need a computer and Internet connection.) We can also access relay services online.

Deaf, hearing impaired, handicapped or disabled one is as good as the other. Even I get lazy and say “deaf person” referring to me. But it’s true that the correct way is “people who are deaf or hard of hearing.” Using “deaf person” or “blind person” implies there’s nothing else to the person. Some deaf people (see?) prefer to be known as “deaf person.” I also get lazy and say “hearing impaired” instead of “hard of hearing.” I’ve used all three terms. The only thing I don’t like is “handicapped.”

Companies or accessibility experts with no background with hearing loss can know what best meets the needs of people with hearing loss. Not all companies have the ability to hire someone to be an expert. That’s why you do research, ask questions and contact experts.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--You Tube Captioning
--Links: Captioning, Olympics and 508
--FCC Announces New Closed Captioned Complaint Rules
--Olympics Continue to Falter with Web Site
--Two Difference Experiences in Talking to Children
--Hearing Aid Tax Credit
--Employees with Disabilities Think outside of the box daily
--Cowboys Stadium Kicks off New Assistive Service
--17 Misconceptions about People with Hearing Loss

Here's her biogaphy:

Meryl K. Evans, Content Maven, is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook and the co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites. She has written and edited for AbsoluteWrite, ECT News Network, The Dallas Morning News, Gamezebo, Lockergnome, MarketingProfs, PC Today, O’Reilly, Pearson, Sams, Web Worker Daily, Wiley, and WROX. Meryl has written copy for businesses ads and games including Fib-or-Not? and Meet, Mix, and Mingle.

Meryl writes and edits content for businesses and publications. She helps business build and maintain relationships with clients and prospects through content. She’s also a long-time blogger who started blogging on June 1, 2000.

She is the original Editor-in-Chief of Shavlik’s The Remediator Security Digest, a popular newsletter on computer security that started with a few thousand subscribers and climbed to over 100,000 subscribers during her tenure. She’s also the editor of Professional Service Journal, an email newsletter for business-to-business (B2B) service providers and Intel Solution Services’ Connected Digest.

Want some CSS inspiration? Check out the CSS Collection, which she handed off to talented folks who promised to keep the site strong.

Meryl has worked as an educator with New York University’s online graduate program where she continues to help students with their theses. She has worked for two Fortune 500 telecom companies, federal government in Washington, D.C. and IT consulting. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos.

My Ten Bucks Blog Now Available For Kindle Subscription

I reviewed, and gave a thumbs up, to the "My Ten Bucks" blog a couple of days ago.

The author just emailed me and told me she's put the blog on Kindle, so if you're interested, check out that post again and subscribe.

I think you'll enjoy the blog, so give it a whirl.

My Ten Bucks (philanthropy)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: My Ten Bucks, by Esther Curtis

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.mytenbucks.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: "Why giving to local charities makes all the difference in your communities."

MY REVIEW: Whenever there's an economic downturn, there's going to be people, or animals, or indeed - locations - in need. In this blog, author Esther Hofknecht Curtis highlights the various local charities that exist in her community (and indeed, similar charities probably exist in your community) and what they do to help those who need help.

Some of the stories are quite inspiring. The blog is updated once a week.

Check it out on the web!


Sample post:

Philanthropy: Not a "rich word"
We often hear the word "philanthropy" thrown around when it comes to Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates. These people dedicate millions of dollars to national organizations. We don't often hear the word associated with everyday joes. And yet, broke as I am, I am a philanthropist, in every sense of the word.

Phi·lan·thro·py [fi-lan-thruh-pee] –noun, plural -pies.

- altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.
the activity of donating to such persons or purposes in this way: to devote one's later years to philanthropy.
- a particular act, form, or instance of this activity: The art museum was their favorite philanthropy.
- a philanthropic organization.

This definition provided by http://www.dictionary.com/, tells us that philanthropy is not just defined by giving large donations of money, but any donation of money, property, or work to needy persons.

Donation of your time is as valuable as money. You can be a philanthropist without donating your life savings; you can donate your time. As I continue to investigate these nonprofits, I am struck how many of them say they need volunteers. Yes, cash is good. Cash is great. But dedicated, skilled volunteers are difficult to find.

At Bootless Artworks, Rosanne needs volunteers for the production of shows. At Kinfolk, Melinda needs people to help package and distribute computers to needy children. At Faithful Friends, Jane needs volunteers to clean cages, do laundry, and cuddle up to their residents. This is work that they cannot accomplish on their own, because they are too busy trying to keep their nonprofits above water financially.

Volunteering is great. People who volunteer live fuller, more meaningful lives. I know, because I grew up volunteering in many odd capacities. My parents encouraged me to give back from the moment I could.

I was the youngest volunteer on Rick Santorum's campaign when I was 15. (No, I am not a republican.) I volunteered at the Academy of Natural Sciences, cleaning cages, playing with skunks, and dodging snakes in the Live Animal Unit. I spent whole summers volunteering at kids' day camps, and I helped staff Roxborough Area Christian Camp (at Tel Hai) for something like six years. (There, I held the biggest canonball record for quite a few years, until I was unseated by the holy terror of canonball competitions, Kevin Gourley.) These experiences were invaluable for me, because I learned how to deal with people at a very early age, respected the field of public service, and gained insight into my own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I will never, ever, ever be able to hold a tarantula. I'll leave that one up to my little brother.

Volunteer hours are valued by the IRS at $20.85 per hour. That means that time donated is valued at more than what I make an hour as a paid nonprofit Executive Director. (I'm not complaining, just trying to make a point.)

Challenging as it may be to find the time, I encourage you to exercise your spirit of philanthropy by donating an hour or two per week to a local charity. I guarantee you will not regret it. You will be challenged, no doubt, but your life will be enriched by your experience.

Philanthropy is not a "rich word". It is a word that describes the best that people can offer to those in need, whether that is money, time, or property. Choose to become a member of this elite group of individuals. Choose to be a philanthropist.

RECENT POSTS:
--Read Aloud Delaware: Making Reading a Priority for Delaware's Children
--Philanthropy: Not a "rich word"
--Spirits are Renewed at Faithful Friends
--Grassroots: Where all change begins
--Producing More than Just Plays at Bootless Artworks
--Small Nonprofits May Mean More Value for Your Ten Bucks

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report