Blind People Might Soon “See” Graphs, Diagrams and Other Visual Formats

3 Kislev 5768

This development makes Braille keyboards low-tech!

Researchers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Johns Hopkins, The City College of New York's Grove School of Engineering, Baruch College, CCNY, Northwestern University and the University of Maryland, College Park are making a marvelous invention called "A Dynamic Tactile Interface for Visually Impaired and Blind People."

The DTI tool will likely have three layers:

1. A bottom layer touch screen connected to a computer for audio feedback to communicate the position touched on the screen.

2. The middle layer will have embedded isolated electrodes to address segments of the polymer top layer.

3. The top layer will consist of an electro-active polymer film covered with a thin gold film. Segments of the top layer will be able to extend out from the surface as voltage is applied from the corresponding electrode in the middle layer.

The tactile interface team is utilizing its collective skills to move electrical charges through manmade materials. In brief, the device is being designed to rise slightly and possibly to wiggle in response to electronic signals, allowing the user's fingertips to sense a pattern. If all goes according to plan, sound feedback will steer a user’s fingers along the lines of a graph or a diagram.

As their collective expertise improves, the team plans to enable vision-impaired people to see pictures, too. They’re already bringing people with little or no physical vision to the digital age. It’s all good news for blind individuals and people whose sight has been reduced by accidents, brain tumors, cataracts, congenital deformity, and more.

Related links:
James West http://www.ece.jhu.edu/faculty/west.shtml

Johns Hopkins Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering http://www.ece.jhu.edu/

Ilona Kretzschmar http://www-che.engr.ccny.cuny.edu/ilona/public/

The City College of New York http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/

UPDATE: Here's another empowering device for people with little to zero optical vision. And it's already on the market! http://www.infolive.tv/en/infolive.tv-6142-israelnews-exclusive-virtual-fingertips

Spread more cheer during holiday season. Buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To. Click on http://www.booklocker.com/books/3067.html

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save money on large quantities of It’s MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Name YOUR Medical Crisis!

2 Kislev 5768

Readers of my book and blog have been contacting me about how my writings and Self-Help Coaching are helping them to cope with all kinds of medical and emotional crises. I might just post a list of all the crises (and people) helped by It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To.

Send a brief description of your "Yocheved, here’s how you/your book/your blog helped me to cope with my crisis" story to giveretgolani@gmail.com. Let me know your before and after experience about reading my book and blog or your before and after experience about hearing me speak in your community, on television or radio. I will NOT use your name if you prefer to keep it secret. Your desire to protect your privacy is fair and square.

Here's some paper to help you to think about what you want to share, with me and with visitors to my blog, about your coping and healing efforts.

Need to feel more cheerful during the holiday season? Buy It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To. Click on http://www.blogger.com/

Order it in book stores if it's not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save money on large quantities of It's MY Crisis! Click https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani

Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Good News About Hodgkin's Disease and COPD!

28 Cheshvan 5768

The New England Journal of Medicine has an upbeat report about improvements in Hodgkin's Disease care in the November 8 2007 edition. It's writen in medicalese, but it is good news about survival rates and a possible cure. See: Chemotherapy plus Involved-Field Radiation in Early-Stage Hodgkin’s Disease http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/357/19/1916

Yesterday was a big day for medical breakthrough news. According to a November 8 2007 update from the National Institutes of Health, 12 million people presently have a diagnosis for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), a serious lung disease. Another 12 million people don’t know they have it!

Quick facts about COPD:
Anyone over age 40 who smokes or who has smoked is at risk for developing COPD.

People with long-term exposure to lung irritants such as chemicals, dust, or fumes in the workplace; secondhand smoke or other pollutants; and people with certain genetic conditions are also at risk.

A simple breathing test called Spirometry diagnoses COPD in a doctor's office.
Many people at risk for COPD aren’t aware of the symptoms.

Health care professionals don’t always look for the early symptoms and warning signs

COPD happens when blockages of lung passages makes it hard for oxygen to move in and out of the lungs. People are left struggling to breathe properly.

Newer treatments for COPD help people to live longer, more active lives.

Educate yourself about the risks and how to improve your health if you have COPD at http://www.learnaboutcopd.org/

Learn about the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases, and sleep disorders at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

And for my readers who are concerned about whether or not it’s safe (due to alleged threats of terrorism) to shop in malls, I suggest that you do your shopping online. Need a gift for someone facing a medical crisis? Click once and my book can be yours.

Buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To at http://www.blogger.com/
.
Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! and I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save money on quantities of It's MY Crisis!
https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Hablan Espanol? NIDDK and Johns Hopkins Do.

27 Cheshvan 5768

NIDDK WEBSITE FEATURES HEALTH INFORMATION IN SPANISH

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is a part of the National Institutes of Health. Both institutions realize that the diverse American population speaks languages other than English. They’ve made health information available in Spanish for some time and just announced another accomplishment.

You can now get the the latest information about Diabetes, Digestive Diseases, or Kidney and Urologic Diseases news from NIDDK in Spanish no matter where you live! Topics will be listed alphabetically. Just click on these links:

http://www.diabetes-espanol.niddk.nih.gov/ for Diabetes information.

http://www.digestive-espanol.niddk.nih.gov/ for Digestive Diseases information.

http://www.kidney-espanol.niddk.nih.gov/ for Kidney and Urologic diseases information.

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.

Mas Informacion Aqui/More Information Here
The October 27 issue of British Medical Journal just released findings about the improving health of Mexico's residents with high blood pressure. The development is due to Mexico's new health insurance program, Seguro Popular. It's supposed to extend health insurance to the nation's 50 million uninsured by 2010.

According to BMJ, adults insured through Seguro Popular are far more likely to receive treatment for hypertension and to have their blood pressure controlled than those without health insurance.

Gosh, understanding the latest medical news the first time you read it can be a great help.

Compliment your grasp of the medical world with a copy of my book. Learn how to make yourself stronger emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Find out about cutting-edge medical experts and how to contact them. Read about how easy it can be to get free or price-reduced drugs and medical equipment, or even how to hire medical clowns to cheer up someone special. See the suggested reading list (books, CDs, and more) for putting a smile back on your face during your medical crisis.

Make the holiday season brighter for yourself or a loved one.

Buy It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To. Click http://www.booklocker.com/books/3067.html

Order it in book stores if it’s not on the shelves. It's MY Crisis! and I’ll Cry if I Need To can be shipped worldwide. Specialty editions are available for large organizations.

Booksellers, save money on large quantities of It's MY Crisis! https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

One item featured in my book's Resource section is the website http://or-live.com/. Here's a Spanish-language announcement about an upcoming broadcast there:

EL MERCY HOSPITAL PRESENTARÁ TRANSMISIÓN EN VIVO
Tratamiento para arritmias cardíacas: Estudio electrofisiológico y ablación por catéter con cartografía tridimensional (mapeo cardíaco)
November 15, 2007 5:00 PM EST (23:00 UTC)

From Mercy Hospital, Miami, FL
El Dr. Alberto Interian, director médico del Centro de Arritmia y Síncope del Mercy Hospital, presentará un estudio electrofisiológico y ablación por catéter con cartografía tridimensional durante una transmisión en vivo el 15 de noviembre a las 5:00 p.m. El Dr. Peter V. Garcia, director asociado del Centro de Síncope y Arritmia, estará encargado de moderar el webcast. Esta será la primera vez que un procedimiento de este tipo se lleve a cabo durante una transmisión en vivo por el Internet en tanto inglés como español. Más...

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

How Safe is the Hospital You Need?

26 Cheshvan 5768

Some hospitals apparently need to clean up their acts. The good news is that conscientious medical professionals looked into the matter. They're giving the American medical world a booster shot of motivation to improve medical care and cleanliness issues.


The Institute of Medicine published an innovative To Err is Human report in 1999. It explained some risks to patient safety in US hospitals. Various medical oversight institutions followed up that report by requiring American hospitals to submit annual patient safety reports. They're still collecting information for the public benefit and revising the reports accordingly.

Now you can learn what the experts know about the safety and efficiency of specific hospitals. See http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/


To your good health,

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Save a Life with ICE

25 Cheshvan 5768

Several newspapers around the globe have been publicizing the life-saving technique called ICE. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you haven't read about it, here's a quick recap about ICE:

The idea is to use the thousands upon thousands of cell phones that people around the world tend to carry throughout the day. In the event that medical personnel or anyone else finds someone (including you) in serious need of medical help but unable to help themselves, it would be a good idea for them to know how to contact people important to the ill person. The medical staff/first responders would know whom to contact and how to call them.

Cellphone/mobile phone users tend to store names and phone numbers in the memory banks of their device(s). But it's meaningless information to most observers. The ICE campaign asks us to designate the names and contact information that should be used for emergencies.

Simply store the number of a contact person or persons who should be informed about your situation during emergency under the name "ICE" ( In Case Of Emergency). List more than one contact name by entering each individual as ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3, etc.

In an emergency situation, First Responders/Emergency Services and other medical personnel would be able to quickly contact the right person/people by dialing the number(s) you designated in your cell/mobile phone as "ICE."

Save a Life (maybe your own) with ICE. It can speak for you when you are incapacitated.

There are other life-saving ideas and tools in my book. Read It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To. See what Life Coach and syndicated columnist Ben Goldfarb wrote about me, my blog and my book in the previous post to this blog. Just click on the comments icon ;^ )

Ben Goldfarb
Syndicated Columnist, UPI
Founder and Director, Paradigm Shift Communications

We connected with each other because I'm a big fan of Ben's columns and his You-Can-Do-It take on life.

UPDATE: Remember to tune in to Internet radio www.ouradio.org/ when I speak at 7:30 Eastern Standard Time tonight.

UPDATE TO MY UPDATE: I apologize to you. I misunderstood about tonight's recording session. It will be broadcast in several days, not tonight. The fun news is that we did the show in one take. Rick Magder asked such terrific questions in such a pleasant manner. Let us know what you think of the show after you hear it a few days from now at www.ouradio.org/

To your good health,

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Tune in to Hear Me on OU Radio Next Week

20 Cheshvan 5768

Former filmmaker Rick Magder will be interviewing me on OU radio next week. Tune in to http://www.ouradio.org/.

Much of what I will discuss concerns spirituality. The Power of Prayer and focusing on the One Above is not only a spiritual activity it’s also a stress-buster! Think of it this way: you’re making your best efforts to deal with a medical situation. You follow the best ideas and take the best actions a human being can possibly pursue. The results of your efforts, however, are not up to you. That’s GOD’s job.

By giving GOD control of your situation, you relieve yourself of much stress, blame and mental effort. You deal with earthly matters, GOD handles the rest. The deal lets you behave in as dignified a manner as possible. Despite your illness, you can spend your time behaving with civility, cultured manners and a tad more patience than you would without GOD in your picture.

That’s going to have a wonderful effect on people around you. Trust me, doctors and nurses weep plenty. Their job is to heal and to help people. Sometimes they can’t. Even when they help, they cause pain. Then they’re subjected to so much verbal abuse. Even friends and relatives catch the tongue-lashings and temper tantrums. Imagine how relieved everyone will be when you feel more serene!

Yes, I understand the negative response sounding alarms in your mind and throat. Sometimes, GOD says “No.” That hurts. Unimaginably, in a way you can’t talk about with other people. You want to scream, weep, and maybe even throw things. You’re normal! But think of it this way: no matter what happens with the medical crisis you’re facing, you’re not completely responsible for the results. You only have to make your most intelligent, dedicated efforts to cope, to heal to the extents possible, and to acknowledge that you are not alone on this emotional-medical journey.

Listen to my interview on OU Radio and learn even more about how to help yourself without going to the doctor. I'll literally tell you how to change the way you think and behave. THAT can have a profound affect on your physical and mental health!

I’ll share one more thought with you before signing off today. The Secret books and DVDs are selling phenomenally well. But they focus on prosperity. Life is about more than money, property and power. I’m disappointed in the gist of that best-selling series. I prefer the Jewish Secret to Success. It helps many people to persevere despite great odds. And like Levy’s Bread, you don’t have to be Jewish to Love this. You can use it no matter how you pray:

The Jewish Secret to Success

1. Be grateful to GOD for everything
2. Visualize what I/you want
3. Say aloud and focus on the fact that GOD wants to heal us and to give us all kinds of blessings
4. Visualize what I/you want as if I/you already have it frosted with gratitude that GOD actually gave it to me/you even though I/you haven’t received it yet!

You just might be able to talk/visualize yourself into a better state of mind and physical health with those four ideas. Start using them today!

Need an example of how it all works? Listen to this interview with an MD who became a Holistic Healer:

The Energy Healer

Yehuda Ben-Asher M.D., left his position as a successful surgeon to become a healer. He talks with Rick about his life changing journey.
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~**~**~**~

BOOK TOUR ALERT!
My book tour is shaping up with an approximate and likely March 2008 launch in Washington, DC. Once I have a confirmed itinerary I’ll post it in the margin along with existing book-ordering information. This is a good time to invite me to speak for your organization or community. Contact me at giveretgolani@gmail.com.

To your good health,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.