Solitary Confinement is Used as Torture – From AlterNet

As pertains to the Deaf, even incarceration within a general population environment can be likened to solitary confinement. In many cases, the inmate may be the sole Deaf occupant of the facility. In such cases, he will have no one to communicate with, and will in essence be in solitary confinement. However, this article refers

Leni Riefenstahl Would Be Proud

Leni Riefenstahl has long been one of my favorite directors. I know, you’re warming up the tar and plucking the feathers. Hold up a minute though. Let me explain myself. I enjoy propaganda – as an art form. I think if you look at it, knowing what it is, and just try to appreciate its

The Man Behind the Curtain Explains the Dials and Buzzers

I’m working on the transcript for #5 in the Felix Garcia series, and at the same time, working on the video for #6. For today’s post however, I thought I’d give you some insight into the tech work behind these videos. Bringing you this interview is really a pretty big job. The files came to

Tomorrow’s the Day

This guy isn’t Deaf, but he is wrongly imprisoned. Here’s the link to his fiancee’s petition page – a petition she hopes to deliver tomorrow. http://www.change.org/petitions/release-daniel-larsen-ruled-innocent?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9605&alert_id=yilDLHVfTF_eLIDyiEsPb

Just Visiting

The grounds are beautiful at the facilities I visit at the State Prison, Department Of Correction. I walk past careful beds of flowers, not a weed in sight. There are no trees or shrubs, though, nothing to interfere with the line of sight. We, the visiting group, go through the main door and into a

An Amp Guru – Music Synthesist’s Perspective on Deafness

Let me give you what I know about the science of sound. The term sound refers to the compression and rarefaction of an elastic medium in a contained space. This compression and rarefaction takes place within the range of 20Hz to 20KHz and moves at a rate of 340.29 meters per second. An individual sound

The Auburn System

In the 19th century, a craze swept across the American Penal System. It was called the Auburn System, also known as the New York System. The idea was an outgrowth of the Quaker idea that solitary confinement gave prisoners much needed time for introspection and atonement. Under the Auburn System, prisoners had to work at

Deafinitely Theatre

Deafinitely Theatre is a British theater group that utilizes Deaf actors and crews to put on plays in Sign. Here’s what they say about themselves on their own Web site. Deafinitely Theatre was set up in 2002 by Artistic Director Paula Garfield with Kate Furby and Steven Webb. We are an independent, professional Deaf-led company.

After a Break; Felix Part Five

Here’s part 5 – the beginning of disc 2 – in the interview of Felix Garcia in prison, as conducted by Jim Ridgeway and Pat Bliss. Felix is much calmer in this section, and he talks frankly about communication issues, language barriers and lip-reading. He is – by the way – an excellent lip-reader, and