Jerry Falwell's Interpreter

politcal cartoon by D. McClintock

TERRY THE TELEVANGELIST INTERPRETER

Jerry Falwell, the famous Bible-thumpin' televangelist of the Religious Right, passed away on May 15, 2007. I watched with bemusement Ridor's brief video blog on Falwell. His reaction to the breaking news was predictable. When I saw the breaking news I was flooded with memories of my involvement in fundamentalist Christianity during the heydays of the Religious Right in the '80s. (Yep...I was a born-again, evangelical Christian!) Anyone remember Riverdale Baptist Church in Landover, MD.? That church had many deaf members in its congregation and it provided interpreted services as well as separate Sunday school classes for children and adults. When I was at MSSD I'd attend this church almost every Sunday for two years. The church would later have a fall-out with the deaf community during the late '80s (I think) over the issue of interpreters. I believe Rev. Jerry Falwell was a guest speaker at the church a few times, although I've never personally met or listened to him. The stories I heard of him from deaf patrons and interpreters who met him present quite a different picture of the personality apart from the image he was portrayed as in the media.

Whatever you think of him, whether you agree with his politics or not, it is indeed true that he was very deaf-friendly and he provided interpreters at his church for many years. It is true that his university provide support services for deaf and hard of hearing students. I happen to know of a few deaf Christians who went to Liberty University, and they reported to me how great and kind as a person Rev. Falwell was. That is one big positive thing that can be said about him. The interpreter whom I met at Riverdale Baptist Church described him as very "warm and affable" and that he was easy to approach if you wanted to discuss a problem and he'd listen to you with wide-open attentive eyes or ears. Well, it's a shame this aspect of his personality wasn't shown much on television. Plus it did not help that he made several outrageous statements over the years, especially those over 9/11 and Telebubbies (which I thought were stupid). Even more puzzling was his friendliness with Rev. Sun Myung Moon, world-famous cult leader who claimed to be the Messiah and who had himself coroned as a king in a Senate office in Washington, D.C. (click on the link and you'll see a picture of them chummy with each other, buddy-buddy!). Falwell became something of an embarrassment to the Religious Right movement, anyway, shortly before I dropped out of Christianity in '83. This may surprise you, but as someone that was close to being a Young Republican back then, I used to admire him. Oh, well...

I think I read somewhere from a personal account that Jerry Falwell mellowed a bit as he aged and he concentrated his efforts on theological issues and running an university after the Moral Majority disbanded. I wonder what his reaction was like when he arrived to find heaven filled with Jews, Muslims, atheists, Buddhists...(I don't believe in hell). :-D

My sincere condolences to Falwell's family and friends and the deaf Christian community in Va. who know him.

Deaf C-Blogs Links

After browsing through the roll of blogs in DeafRead, I see that a number of deaf c-blogs (short for cartoon blogs) is growing. For those of you folks who are interested in deaf-related cartoon artwork, I would like to introduce you to those links:

http://deafjoke.tv - posts cartoons by various deaf and non-deaf artists on a regular basis

http://pany.wordpress.com/tag/comic/ - although I haven't contacted the bloggers themselves (Ward Nyholm and Ginny Paja-Nyholm) yet, it seems to me that their cartoons were created using the software, Comic Life Deluxe. (see http://www.amazon.com/Comic-Life-Deluxe-Strip-Creator/dp/B000BGZHD8 ) I don't know if they can be appropriately considered as professional cartoonists (those that do artwork by hand and who make a living by selling cartoons or comic strips), but the creativity and humor used in their work would make them digital cartoonists.

www.moeart.com/ - My old RIT colleague and friend, Maureen Kluska's website. Hey, Moe, come back, will you? We miss your cutesy cartoons!

http://www.mdaigletoons.com/ - also my old RIT colleague and friend! Matt Daigle's website. He's the fella who created DeafRead's logo.

If you see a link to a deaf c-blog you'd like me to post, let me know!

Deaf Cartoonists Society

G'evening, folks! Today is my day off from work on the book project, which is very near to completion. Whew! Working in the field of children's book illustration was an interesting experience for me and I'm enjoying it. I am not at liberty to give you details yet on this book that I am doing illustrations for, but when it is ready, I will certainly post a press release on the company's behalf. Parents and children, whether deaf, hoh or hearing, will like this new treat coming soon in the future!

It has been a while since my last entry in the deaf blogosphere. To new bloggers and visitors of DeafRead, I'd like to introduce myself. I am an illustrator and a cartoonist. It is now 30 years since my first career opportunity came up when I was 11 and did illustrations for my stepfather's 1977 New Hampshire Farmer's Market Almanac. That must be a rare publication by now - probably hard to find - but if any of you fans of my artwork ever happen to find it, let me know! :>

Last night my friend and I went to a SCCS (Southern California Cartoonists Society) meeting, which is held on a monthly basis. I was the only deaf cartoonist attending, with my friend who volunteered to interpret for me. Dean LeCrone showed us his homemade movie, Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic Con , which we thought was amusing. While we watched the movie, Joe Schmidt, another fellow cartoonist (who happens to know how to sign) , drew a portrait of me sitting at the table. I was so impressed by his accurate rendering of my profile and thought I'd show it to you. Thanks, Joe!

Now, my thoughts after I watched LeCrone's video of Comic Con. Folks, as you may know, Comic Con is coming up soon this summer (July 26-29 2007) at San Diego Convention! For more information on the annual event, see their website, http://www.comic-con.org/. Interpreting services will be provided at the event for deaf/hoh patrons. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a booth for deaf cartoonists this year. I was informed by a Comic Con staff member that booths sell out very fast and that the best time is to get a table in a year advance. Besides, one must have a publication in order to reserve a booth. Publication with my artwork will not be yet released until at a later date. Nonetheless, I am not giving up on my dream of a deaf cartoonists booth at Comic Con. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage other fellow deaf artists to get together and form a Deaf Cartoonists Society. The Deaf Cartoonists Society would be modeled after the National Cartoonist Society, with which SCCS is affiliated. DCS' mission would be to exhibit artwork by deaf cartoonists in a museum or a gallery. We have a year ahead of us to get a booth in '08, so I will be concentrating my effort on finding sponsors for supporting a DCS booth now that I have connections to Comic Con. If any of you artists are interested in getting involved, let me know! There's still an opportunity for those who would like to meet me in person or get an autograph from me...SCCS and NCS are hosting a Comic-Con Kick Off Party at Buster's Beach House and Longboard Restaurant at 807 Harbor Dr. (next to Convention Center). I'll be there! Hope to see you come!

In Memory

Hello, folks, everybody....I'm taking a pause from my work to write a few thoughts on this tragedy of the shooting at VA Tech. I am shocked and saddened by the carnage that went on there. The connections I have to Virginia are these times when I lived in the Metro area as a child, as a MSSD student and as an . The first time in my childhood, I attended a school in VA for a very brief time before my family and I moved to New England. Thus I feel very sorry for the families of the victims of the shooting in VA and offer my condolences to them.

When this carnage occured, I checked Deafread to see if there were any reaction from bloggers to such a senseless incident. There were none yesterday as I recalled. But just today I rechecked Deafread and came across this blog:

http://www.deafdc.com/blog/erin-casler/2007-04-17/spiral-of-silence-indeed/

I was wondering myself, too, Erin. That's why I decided to come forth and offer my comments. I think there are deaf students at VA Tech, aren't there? It appears that yes, there are but how many, I don't know. My Google search pulled up a link to the interpreting services at VA Tech: http://www.ssd.vt.edu/islshome.htm

There is no comment on the SSD home on the tragedy. I wonder if any of the 33 students who were killed was deaf or hard of hearing. Do you know of any deaf student at VA Tech? Let us know. Let's give them and the families of the victims our support!

Asides from this, I have some new artwork that I will post in due time when I am free from my commitment and work. I'll also respond to comments that posters left on my last post. Be back to you later, folks...

Lisa Lampanelli

Politicial Cartoon of the Week

Lisa Lampanelli and the Deaf

Now, who'll taste the wrath of my pen this time? :-D

One woman I picked this time is Lisa Lampanelli, a comedian who made disparaging remarks towards deaf people during a local radio interview. She made those remarks when she was informed that RIT, where she was scheduled for a March 23rd appearance, had a populace of 1,100 deaf and hard of hearing students. To see what she said of deaf people, see this link:

http://blog.deafread.com/mishkazena/2007/03/23/protest-at-rit-over-lampanelli-show/

Also see this link, http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=2159

More to come!

I'm Back!

Finally, after a 1-month hiatus, I'm finally baaack! How are y'all? Miss me, eh? :-D
Since my last update, I've been so busy working on a few projects. Whew...now that I'm back in Blogger, I tried to figure how to make some changes around in my blogsite...couldn't find a way to post this image (best cartoon award) in my description box at the top. Any tip anyone out there can give me on this? It seems to me from reading this guide book I got, I'd have to switch to FTP to do this. Well, I'll take care of this later. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what my award looks like. For now... I'll just share with you some news, comments and a new cartoon that I just did last week! :)

VRI for the Deaf & Blind

Politicial Cartoon of the Week(end)

"OH, DON'T WORRY, THAT'S VRI FOR THE DEAF AND BLIND!"

Greetings, folks! I know it's been a while since I was away from the blog desk! I've been meaning to post my updates here but I was so busy with work and recently I came down with a cold. I'm feeling OK, now. (Ah...ah...ah-choo!) Excuse me while I fetch a Kleenex...

I ran into some technical problems when I tried to update this blogsite and lost the links. Please be patient as I restore the links and make some changes in the site. It'll look better!

While I work to update this blogsite,here's the cartoon of the weekend for your amusement - this time related to the controversy over VRI at Beth Israel Hospital. If any of you folks missed the news, here's the link to Joseph Rainmound's article, http://surdus.blogspot.com/2007/01/394-vri-at-beth-israel-plot-thickens.html and another link to Ridor's story of his experience with VRI, http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=1867.

Having just been in the hospital twice last November 2006, I can relate to the questionability of use of VRI in emergency cases. When I had a minor heart attack, I went under a brain fog. According to my friends who brought me to the hospital, I was not entirely coherent. It was quite a traumatic experience and I doubt VRI would help an individual in a case with an experience like mine. A live interpreter, in my opinion, would be the best for this type of situation to help the patient deal with the crisis of the moment. Now what if the patient is deaf and blind? How would VRI help this patient? Hence why I created this cartoon...:-)

Asides from this, I have more new comic strips in work! Coming up soon:

1. DeafRead Best 2006 Cartoon Blog Award (Thank You / Acknowledgement)

2. American ASL II

3. MSSD/Gallaudet story

Plus more! It'll be worth your wait! :-D

Exotic Bird

Politicial Cartoon of the Week

The Los Angeles Times' Perception of the Deaf

Dr. Davila on A Road Trip with the Deaf Smiths

Politicial Cartoon of the Week

Greetings, folks! I did this before Dr. Davila's vlog came out. First, I must say...bravo, Dr. Davila! The weekly vlog is a great idea. This, folks, is the "Communications" President (to use Reagan's words). It reminds me of FDR's "Fireside Chat" radio addresses. This is what I regard as effective communications. What a great tool vlog is for this purpose! I look forward to more of Dr. Davila's vlogs to come. I am confident this medium will help students and faculty discover answers to the pressing issues that concern Gallaudet.

And...handwaves to Mr. Zhou Fang, the designer of Team Gallaudet badge! This does help public relations a great further for the Gallaudet community. As an artist and designer myself, I think the design is clever. That was good thinking, Zhou. I say...how you say in Chinese...xie xie ni, thank you!

Second, this cartoon is not aimed at any particular group or individual but at the moods or attitudes that formed after IKJ's op-ed came out. As I mentioned before, I think Jordan was trying to create a distraction with his op-ed. It is my opinion the Gallaudet community should move forward and seek resolutions to its issues at hand. In his vlog Dr. Davila posted an email address where you can send ideas for helping Gallaudet on its path towards reconciliation: greatideas@gallaudet.edu

I'd like to make one quick comment before I move along. I didn't see Ryan Commerson's vlog when I wrote my essay for Reunify Gallaudet. Thanks to Carl's vlog, I went back and watched Ryan's vlog. "Act of violence"? I understood what the guys meant. I wish the MSA team would take into account the IKJ Administration's role in closing the university and use of bulldozers to coerce and intimidate protestors. I would see the latter as an "act of violence." But enough. On to the future. Gallaudet's reputation is at stake.

Third, I am pleased to see that Deaf Cartoon Blogs is nominated as Best Cartoon Blog. I expected to see this. But I must be honest: I am surprised to see only Maureen and I are nominated, that's all. I thought there'd be a few other cartoonists nominated? I am also surprised to see my blog nominated as Most Funny Blog. This one, I didn't expect. But thank y'all for nominating my blog for two categories! Yes, TWO categories...wow, I'm truly honored! Thank you....gracias...8-D

To see the list of 2006 Blog Awards again and vote:

http://www.deafread.com/blogawards/vote/

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For the Deaf Smiths' first appearance, see http://dmcclintock.blogspot.com

I received a few anonymous comments I couldn't post on my original blogsite (due to technical problems) so here they are. Note: any link posted by a commenter does not mean my endorsement of the business advertised at the link. Links are reviewed first prior to approval. Broken links may or may not be allowed, and links to adult websites will be immediately deleted.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
19 Jan 2007, 12:49:03 PM

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(link deleted)

ASL Book Hour

I thought this would be a good time to do a blurb for ASL Book Hour. Once every month, in San Diego, we give readings for deaf children at Borders Bookstore in Mission Valley. ASL Book Hour is hosted by Alliance for Language and Literacy for Deaf Children, a nonprofit organization. For more information on this ongoing event, see http://www.deafvision.net/allfordeafchildren/EventCalendar.htm.

This Saturday, January 20, I will be giving a reading for deaf children. I am a children's book illustrator, currently working on a long-term book project, and I have given readings from time to time. If any of you living in San Diego want to take a peek at what I look like in person or meet me or get my autograph, this is your chance! :)

If you are interested in volunteering to give a reading, come to the event this Saturday and I will introduce you to the hosts.

The address for ASL Book Hour is Borders Books, 1072 Camino del Rio North, San Diego. It starts at 10am. Anyone, not only deaf families, is welcome. Bring your child. See you there!

Kudos to Ridor

Greetings, folks. Before I post my announcement, I'd like to say something. When I made a jest about Ridor "humbly putting asides" his ego, it rubbed off him the wrong way. In response he left a nasty comment, calling me "narcissistic" (which I thought was kind of ironical) and saying I did "nothing else." He found my remark as "offensive", which I though was incredulous, coming from him. Dismayed, I thought of firing back a response but decided to hold it and email him first. He responded, and we exchanged a few emails then. Turned out he was tired of being picked on, that's all. See what you can accomplish if you email first the person before you publish your comment online?

After we cleared up misunderstandings, I offered to retract my remark but he said I don't have to. So I thought I'd just give credit where it is due. I was preoccupied with work during the year when he set up the first 2005 Blog Awards. Whether you like him or not, whether you agree or disagree with whatever he says on his controversial blogsite, he certainly did set a precedent. Without him, there wouldn't be 2006 Blog Awards, now in different categories, including Cartoon Blog. He deserves recognition for what he did. He did something that no one before him ever did. So....let's give him big handwaves!

Is this better, Ricky?

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Now, I'd like to take a minute to respond to Ridor's charge that I did "nothing else." I don't want this to seem like I'm defending myself, but I just want to point out that I did Gallaudet University a few favors. We all each have a part in this big drama, the Gallaudet Protests. Part of my role as cartoonist and blogger is to provide morale support.

1. Bus Incident. When I did that blog ("MSSD PR A Failure As Well", October '06) to question the statement by Ms. Elizabeth Maynerdie (in charge of Community Building at MSSD) regarding the protestors supposedly blocking the MSSD/KDES gates, the IKJ Administration's PR efforts were hurt.

2. MSSD Blog. When IKJ ordered a bulldozer to crash the MSSD gate, MSSD students were enraged. As a MSSD alumnus, I quickly stepped in and set up a MSSD blog to keep up the students' morale. Today my MSSD blog is still up and students, faculty or alumni are welcome to post announcements or comments or blogs there whenever they like. (http://eagle-soars.blogspot.com)

3. Pardon. I was probably the first blogger to propose a pardon of all Gallaudet protestors. But as Gallaudet alumnus Tina Jo Breindel suggested, amnesty seems more a viable alternative.

See how valuable an ally can be, even if he or she's not a Gallaudet alumnus? When I occassionally criticized or questioned the protestors, it was meant as constructive, to help them see their errors and improve their ways. If I oppose the Gallaudet protests completely, I'd have said nothing. Why did I care? Because Kendall Green was a home to me when I was a MSSD student, that's why. It is YOUR home, too!

Congratulations, Matt!

Other news & bits: I know you may all already know this and it may be a little belated, but nevertheless, I'd like to extend big, hearty congratulations to my old friend and RIT colleague, Matt Daigle, for winning the logo contest! Here's the link:

http://www.deafprofessional.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=282

His work can be viewed at his homepage, www.mattdaigle.com. Let's give him handwaves!

What else...oh yeah, a few tried to post comments on my original blogsite, dmcclintock.blogspot.com. Let you know I am unable to update this blogsite because the server lost my account information and I've been trying to recover it since. My apologies, but thank you nonetheless for your kind comments! You may either post your comments here or email me. And...here's a warning to some readers: NO JUNK ADS, PLEASE!! I will delete immediately any comment that is not related to my blogs here or deaf-related!

Nominations for 2006 Best Cartoon Blog

Allright, folks, it's time for nominations for 2006 Best Cartoon Blog! Two days left till the deadline this Friday! For more information on nominations, see http://www.deafread.com/blog/?p=82. Kudos to Ridor for humbly putting asides his ego and giving the Blog Awards to DeafRead!

I've looked back at the cartoons I did since May '05 and selected 5 cartoons that I thought were the best. If you don't think any of those cartoons on my list are the best, you may look through my blogsite and see what other cartoon I did that you think is best. You are welcome to post a suggestion here if you like. If you choose to nominate another deaf cartoonist for 2006 Cartoon Blog, that is fine, I'll understand and I would applaud the winner. May the best cartoon blogger win!

1. The Grinch Stole Christmas
2. JKF's Makeover (www.dmcclintock.blogspot.com)
3. Thomas & Alice Signing Unity (www.dmcclintock.blogspot.com)
4. Thomas & Alice to IKJ & JKF: Time to Go!
5. Thomas & Alice Arrested! ("Black Friday" at beginning of this blogsite)

Update: oh, I almost forgot about one Rick the Radical cartoon I did where Dr. Martin Luther King appeared and chided him for spraypainting ("Spraypainting? Hate is corrosive! Reject aggression!"). See http://dmccartoon.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html
I didn't mean to nominate this one because it was a bit critical of extreme tactics by some protestors (for a good reason!), and I had posted a few following entries that clarified the confusion over whether the protestors actually blocked the MSSD/KDES gates or not. But to honor Dr. MLK, if you want to nominate this one, fine by me! Title for this cartoon:"Rick the Radical Gets a Visit by the Patron Saints of Protests."

The Three MCs

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American ASL Idol

Greeeetings, folks! I'm back! Did anyone of you watch "American Idol" last night? I don't know if many of you are music fans, but I am one, too, and I like to watch (but not always) musical performances. It was amusing to see those poor hearing folks trying to prove their singing skills in front of the judges (which include San Diego's beloved singer, Jewel). One of the judges (I think it was Paula or Simon) lambasted a contestant for being "tone-deaf." Hmm...which brings up this pertinent question I've already asked a few years ago: what if the judges are deaf?

So hence, folks, with pleasure I present this classic old comic strip of mine, American ASL Idol...in colors! I created this original comic strip in black/white for SIGNews in '04. This is where N.Y. Elvis made his first appearance and Mr. Seeman his second appearance. (For the original Mr. Seeman comic strip, see www.dmcclintock.blogspot.com)

I'll be creating another comic strip, American ASL Idol II, so look forward to this one coming soon this month!

Cartoon Bloggers and Conferences

Folks, I don't have much time to comment on conferences that I see are now mushrooming all over our country. But I would like to see a special segment at any future b/vlogging conference for cartoon bloggers to discuss about the impact that cartoon blogging has on the Gallaudet protests and the emergence of an Internet-savvy Deaf society in the 21st Century. Maybe when one is set up in the Bay Area? Maureen Klusza (who is a friend and a former RIT classmate of mine) lives in the Bay Area, and I have a sister who lives in San Francisco. I wouldn't mind taking a trip up there if I was invited. I also wouldn't mind going to the first Deaf B/Vlogging Conference at Gallaudet but February 2 (is that right?) is too close up and doesn't give me much time for preparation for a trip. The Deaf People of Colors conference in upcoming March seems interesting to me and as a Deaf artist of South American heritage, I'd love to go. I would be happy to give a presentation there if the committee is interested. I am an experienced keynote speaker and I've given presentations on deaf arts for different organizations such as Cal-Ed/IMPACT, Deaf Arts Jubilee and Minnesota Registry for Interpreters of the Deaf (MRID). For more information on my presentations, contact me. I am pleased that a few of us deaf cartoonists were mentioned in comments following the announcements of the b/vlogging conference. I'll talk more about deaf cartoon bloggers soon when I'm back. I have to get back to work soon so...al rato, amigos y amigas!

Deafblogwood Square

Greetings, folks! Eh...what'd you expect, a boxing match between Ridor and Jamie Berke? Just kiddin'! An idea brainstormed in my mind when I followed the current controversy that was sparked by the tiff between Ridor and JB. I'd like to share this with y'all, including the other fellow blogger, and JB and R. themselves.

Fellow bloggers, hope you don't get mad at me for the way I portrayed you in this cartoon or if your faces aren't drawn perfectly. This is meant as good-natured ribbing. If you lack a sense of humor, go see Doctor Man and he'll give you a couple of humor aspirins to take in the morning. Otherwise, if you have an issue, vent here or email me privately. Just understand that when you see yourself in a DMC cartoon, this means you've made it. Consider it a compliment.

Readers, let me comment further on the cartoon. I've given the honorary spot at the top to...who else?...Elisa! I really enjoyed reading her posts ever since the Gally protests started and miss her writing already. Wonder when she'll be back?

Elizabeth, sorry if I didn't portray your face accurately...I looked for your photo but can't seem to find it...I saw it when it was put up briefly, only fleetingly. I drew you based upon an impression in my mind. If you have a photo and want me to update it, I can do it.

I chose Joey Baer to represent the deaf vloggers. I see that vlogging is very "in" today and I'd like to try it sometimes in the near future.

Re the Great Blogger War: one of the commentors Mercf (in Chris Leon's current post, "Rider Threatens To Sue") said that Ridor was something of a cartoon character. So are we, even I. This is what we've become, cartoon characters. Heh...nothing wrong. It's what makes us an interesting read, what makes DeafRead unique and fun to visit. We've become much like Hollywood Square...we're stars in our own ways. So are many of the other bloggers. I'm sorry I don't have enough space in my cartoon to draw more faces. Don't feel slighted if I didn't draw you...remember, like Hollywood Square, Deafblogwood Square has different stars every week. It's organic, ever-developing, ever-changing.

Like Carl Schroeder, I'm something of an armchair philosopher myself. Let me share some philosophical stuff with you. Remember Chris Leon's "big-headed" remark? I could again take his suggestion and turn this into a drawing of how to sign "ego." As I see it - this is just an observation - we male bloggers (Ridor, Mike McConnell, Carl Schroeder and I) are all big egos. Yes, admit it, fellas. We are egos! (chuckle) There's nothing wrong with having a healthy ego. It's what keep the fire in our bellies going. Deafread wouldn't be interesting if it wasn't for our egos.

In one of her books, The Virtue of Selfishness, Philosopher Ayn Rand made a distinction between egoist and egotist. An egoist is one who acts and pursue things in self-interest. The egoist sees others as an extension of Self and thus acts in accordance with respect and care towards others as he would to himself. The egoist does not put down others but acts as if they are his equals, and each is responsible for his own path to success or desired goal. "Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.", Ayn Rand wrote.

An egotist, on the other hand, talks nothing but about himself. The key is simple...look for "t" in the word egotist, it stands for "talk, talk, talk." Ayn Rand also talked about the altruist, the opposite of the egoist. The altruist is one who whines, who lets others walk over him, who urges people to make "sacrifices" in the name of nobility, and who tries to make himself look "noble" through public shows of charity (whether genuine or contrived) towards people in need. I will explain more about Ayn Rand's ideas later.

Now, I don't mean to seem sexist, but I notice it seems that we male bloggers are like hunters: we tend to jump and pounce on a thing that comes across our way, then we hold it and expound points on this thing. Female bloggers like Jamie, Elizabeth and Elisa, on the other hand, are more organized and metilicous in how they blog news or information. Maybe it's in our brains? (heh heh) Just an observation!

I picked Steve Baier (Woparsb) because I find his posts a little amusing and enjoyable to read, even if I don't agree with him on everything. He's like an average American Joe with no intellectual pretensions, and his posts are honest, to the point. I see from reading his posts that he's independent, with opinions that are different from the protestors and the Fernandes supporters. Independent critical thinking is a quality I think we all bloggers need to possess. Finally, I got the last laugh (evil chuckle).

We all need laughter to break tension every once and then!

Jamie and Ricky, you're part of our family. You can see from Deafread that there are many people who admire you, whichever side they take. Why doncha...should I say this...kiss and make up?

Editor's Note

Just edited my New Year's Eve message a bit. I noticed the characters of the foreign languages wouldn't appear when I access deafread.com on my cellphone so I added transliteration of the greeting in those foreign languages, Greek, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.
- D.

¡Bienvenidos, Dr. Davila!

New Dr. Davila cartoon

Welcome to Gallaudet University!

Word by None Else But Mr. Man

Let's not forget the international students who risked their health and lives in fighting for the cause by going on hunger strikes. Let's give 'em our hearty handshakes! We all wish you Happy New Year, too!

Καλή χρονιά! - Kali Chronia! (Greek)

Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar! (Dutch)

Glückliches Neues Jahr! (German)
Bonne Année! (French)
Buon Capodanno! (Italian)
明けましておめでとう! - Akemashite Omedeto! (Japanese)
新年好! - Chu Shen Tan! (Chinese)

С Новым годом! - S Novym Godom! (Russian)

with love,

the cartoonist