Another important attraction in these pages is information about a FREE e-mail-based discussion list, the Deaf Empowerment and Advancement Fellowship INTernational List (deafintl). This FREE mailing list was created to allow discussion related to empowering deaf people in developing countries in education, employment opportunities, civil rights, or other areas of their lives. More than 200 people from more than 30 countries around the world are using deafintl to network among each other, and to share ideas, information, news, advice, and resources related to helping deaf communities in developing countries help themselves. Participants include hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing people from both developed and developing nations. Some are already actively working in the field, others would like to become involved someday, and the rest are simply interested in learning more about the challenges experienced by deaf individuals and communities in developing countries and the various programs that are helping them. Deafintl is completely FREE. You do NOT need to pay anything to join deafintl.
DISCLAIMER: deafintl has no association, official or otherwise, with Gallaudet University. The list also has no association, official or otherwise, with I-DEAF beyond the coincidence of having been established by the same person.
Are you a social worker or a social work student? Are you working
with deaf or hard of hearing consumers, or planning to do so
in your career? If so, check out a new web page for deaf,
hard of hearing, and hearing social workers (DHHHSW) who work with
deaf and hard of hearing consumers:
http://www.gallaudet.edu/~dhhhsw
You can also send e-mail to:
dhhhsw@hotmail.com.
Did you know that the 500,000 residents of Washington, D.C., have NO VOTING REPRESENTATION in the U.S. Congress or the U.S. Senate? That means that they have NO VOICE and NO POWER to influence the many, many congressional bills, including the bills that could profoundly affect their daily lives. Furthermore, D.C. residents are not even granted the right to have power over issues that affect only themselves--the U.S. Congress is able to block local laws that D.C. residents have tried to vote into existence. D.C. residents have been disenfranchised for more than 200 years. It's time for them to have voting representation, and to have home rule. This will only happen when people from throughout the United States speak up for their fellow Americans in Washington, D.C. For more information on the issues, and on how YOU can help, see http://www.dcvote.org.
Do you want to contact the U.S. President or your congressional representative? The Citizens for Fair Representation website can help you identify the representative for your state or congressional district. This web site will even let you send an email, easily and quickly, to your representatives and to the U.S. president, vice president, and other key individuals. This web site is great for people who want to speak up about issues important to them but who have forgotten who they voted to represent them in Congress or who aren't sure where to direct their email. Try it!
Are you interested in adopting a guinea pig from Washington, D.C., or from nearby counties in Maryland and Virginia? A friend of mine recently set up a web page that can help you find a guinea pig who needs a home; check out www.geocities.com/dcguineapigs for more information about guinea pigs in the Washington, D.C., area.
Anyone from any region who is thinking of buying a guinea pig as a present for someone, or who is thinking of adopting their first guinea pig, should also read "A Few Things to Consider Before Adopting A Guinea Pig" at your new guinea pig! Enjoy!
If you live in the Washington, D.C., area, check out Pangea. Pangea's is a store in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, that sells stuff that's eco-friendly and vegan (made with no animal products and not tested on animals). It's a good place to go if you're looking for a present, especially if you're shopping for someone who loves animals, because they have various mugs, pillows, floor mats, puppets, and even Ty beanie babies, many with animal themes. They also carry eco-friendly and vegan products that can be difficult or even impossible to find at any other store in the Washington, D.C., area, like clothing made with organically raised cotton and recycled materials (including shoes), non-silk ties, non-leather belts, etc., and a few food products. Even the clocks they sell are made from recycled materials. It's a cool store. Yes, they do ship items to other states. I have no connection to Pangea's--I'm just a happy customer who enjoys being able to buy eco-friendly shoes and vegan chocolates. :-)
People may also want to check out the Vegetable Garden, an all-vegan Chinese restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, across the street from the White Flint metro stop on the red line. You'll probably like it even if you normally prefer to eat meat. I've known at least one pair of hard-core meat-lovers decide they like the place. The environmentally conscious will be happy to know that the Vegetable Garden has organic options on their menu.
Yes, I am vegan. A vegan, for those of you who don't know, is someone who does not eat meat, egg, or dairy products and generally also avoids honey, leather, wool, and other animal products. Please be careful when using the word "vegetarian" and the word "vegan." All vegans, by definition, are vegetarian. NOT all vegetarians are vegan. Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat. A vegetarian may or may not eat eggs (if sie does, sie may be called an "ovo-vegetarian"). A vegetarian may or may not eat dairy (if sie does, sie may be called a "lacto-vegetarian"; a vegetarian who eats both egg and dairy may be called an "ovo-lacto-vegetarian"). A vegan never eats either egg or dairy products. Yes, that does mean no cheese, cream, butter, or other dairy products.
People often ask why I decided to become vegan. Well, like many vegetarians, I started with one set of reasons and added other reasons later. I started eliminating animal products from my diet because I was concerned about the massive destruction that the livestock industry causes to the environment. Later, I also developed an interest in animal rights issues and the extreme suffering animals experience in factory farms, whether they are being kept for their flesh (meat), eggs, or lactation (milk). Many people become vegetarian for health reasons, though I'm not really one of them. For more information on why many people choose to become vegan, check out the Why Vegan? handbook posted by Vegan Outreach.
I read this poem in a comic strip entitled "Out of the Gene Pool"
by Matt Janz on the morning of September 11, 2002; I'm quoting
it here because it touched me, and because I believe that
the value of human life, of human suffering, and of human
dignity ought always to transcend national boundaries:
"'One World' by Travis:"
"Today a nation mouns...
We remember the disbelief, the horror, the anger
Of a day that changed our lives forever
We cried our sorrow and said prayers of hope,
We became one nation again.
As we show our support, our spirti, our unity,
Let us embrace a new vision, a new goal ...
A world without violence and war,
A flag that represents us all.
To be the United States is to be one country,
A united earth is one world living in peace.
Other facts about me: I am a "Trekkie" (yes, that's where the nick name "Red Trek" comes from). I love chocolate :-). (Yes, there is such a thing as vegan chocolate!). I have a masters degree in social work from Gallaudet University. I used to be a professional writer at Gallaudet University's Department of Publications and Production (not to be confused with the University Press). Right now, I'm actively looking for a permanent position in the field of international development. Naturally, my resume is at this site as well.
Just for fun, I sometimes like to drop by the "Where's George?" web site at http://www.wheresgeorge.com. If you're in the United States, this site lets you enter the denomination, serial number, and series number (year) of the bills in your wallet before you spend them. If someone else has done the same thing for any of the same bills, then you can see where the bill was before it got to you. If someone else enters the same data on one of these bills a few days, months, or years after it leaves your hands, then you can see where it went next. If more than one person registers the bill after that, then you can even track it as it bounces around different people in your area or perhaps even criss-crosses the country. Cool, huh? Go check out the site and plug in a few serial numbers from the bills in your own wallet!
Sometimes people reading this Web page e-mail me to see if I'm looking for a new penpal ("keypal"?). In general, I'm afraid the answer is no. I'm usually too busy to keep up a busy email correspondence. However, I'd be delighted to hear from you if you share my interest in facilitating the self-empowerment of deaf (or disabled) communities in developing countries. I also welcome e-mail from any vegan in the Washington, D.C., area who knows some sign language (deaf or hearing), or any signing vegan who is about to visit, or from anyone who is involved with deaf (or disability) issues in the field of international development. I also welcome e-mail about deafintl, I-DEAF, disability or deaf issues in international development, and veganism.
This page was last updated on 1 October 2002 by Andrea Shettle (red_trek@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu).