[accesscomp] FW: Friday Finds, June 12 2015, Dan's tip
- From: "Robert Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tek-talk-discussion@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2015 07:38:58 -0700
Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
(818) 998-0044
www.helpinghands4theblind.org
From: dan Thompson [mailto:dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, June 12, 2015 7:17 AM
To: dan Thompson
Subject: Friday Finds, June 12 2015, Dan's tip
Contents:
1. Things to Ponder
2. Fact of the Day
3. Student Develops An App That's Like Uber For Disabled People
4. In Batches Fast
5. Microsoft accessibility phone support service
6. Bluetooth earpiece for iPhone
7. How to map your Mac’s CapsLock key to a NVDA or JAWS key in a Windows
virtual machine
8. $40.00 computers with adaptive software for SSI recipients
9. Double Rainbow Song from EloQuence synthesizer
10. The Joy of Braille
11. Two Short Stories
Start of articles:
*1) Things to Ponder
If you put a chameleon in a mirrored box what color would it change to?
*2) Factg of the Day
Some species of oak tree do not produce acorns in abundance until they are
fifty years of age or older.
Submitted by Laura Negaard - Amelia, VA
The "black box" on an airplane is actually bright orange so that it can be
easily found among the wreckage if the plane were to crash.
Phi Beta Kappa, one of America’s most respectable college honor societies,
actually began as an underground order dead-set on sticking it to The Man.
Founded in 1776, the group provided an outlet for freedom of speech when
governments and universities weren’t keen on respecting that right.
Romance novelist Barbara Cartland was Princess Diana's step-grandmother.
Submitted by Julie Terstriep - Industry, IL
Robert Lincoln, son of President Lincoln, was saved from a nasty railroad
accident by Edwin Booth. Edwin was the brother of Abraham Lincoln's
assassin, John Wilkes Booth.
*3) Student Develops An App That's Like Uber For Disabled People
Despite federal laws mandating accessibility, city life can be difficult for
people with disabilities.
The rules aren't always enforced, and come with their own problems. For
example, in New York
City, the Access-A-Ride paratransit service for disabled citizens requires
people to go through a
lengthy application process, reservations up to two days in advance, and can
only promise to
arrive within 30 minutes of the scheduled time.This scenario presents myriad
probems,
especially when it comes to scheduling.
For SVA grad Meghan Lazier's MFA thesis project in the Design for Social
Innovation department, she created an app, Alert-A-Ride, that acts as a kind
of Uber for
accessible rides. The app prototype allows riders to track their vehicle on
a map and to set
proximity-based alerts, giving them a clear idea of how far away their rides
are. It will even log
trip histories, making it easier to accessing frequent address.
The app itself has a yellow and black color scheme that are not only the
colors of a New York
taxi, but the high-contrast colors are helpful for visually impaired people.
(contributed by Fred Olver)
2) Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do
By Mary Hunt on 06/08/15
Financial discouragement plagues all of us from time to time. If you’re
discouraged about your situation today, there are some things you can do to
counter those feeling and attitudes. The most important is to know this will
not last forever.
Let’s say your neighbor just came home with a brand new sport utility
vehicle. You are overwhelmed by feelings of desire and envy. There was a
time that you would begin immediately to find a way to get a new car, too.
But things are different now. You have a new set of values. You no longer
make financial decisions impulsively.
The car you have already is paid for and meets your family’s current needs.
But still those feelings are bubbling up. Just as soon as you recognize
them, start erasing! Replace those destructive attitudes with thoughts of
your Freedom
Account and the way you are committed to the cash-purchase of your next
vehicle; think about not making huge monthly payments, not paying triple
insurance premiums, not paying $400 for the annual registration fee, not
forking over $600 for that 50,000 mile tune-up.
You can choose to counter negative attitudes by replacing them quickly with
positive ones. Here are some examples:
I never have enough money. I am so thankful for a regular paycheck.It’s not
my fault. Even though I wasn’t 100 percent to blame, I take full
responsibility-I will find a way through!
This is too difficult. This is challenging!
I work hard so I’m entitled to have what I want. I work too hard to let
money leak out of my life.
I want it now! Waiting builds my character.
Maybe I’ll win the lottery. I’d rather save $5 a week than throwing it
away on the lottery.
It won’t matter just this once. Even the little things add up. If only I
had more money, then everything would be okay. More money is not the
answer, managing well what I have is!
If I didn’t have to worry about money I’d be happy. I choose to be happy
regardless my present circumstances.
What’s the use, I’ll never get out of this mess anyway. I am stronger that
anyone knows.
They wouldn’t give me the credit if they didn’t know I can handle it. I
have the confidence I need to make my own financial decisions.
If you need an understanding and compassionate ear, write to me. You’ll
find a contact form at EverydayCheapskate.com.
This column Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do is today's post at Mary
Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate blog, where you can add your comment!
*4) In Batches Fast by Chen
Shun
https://appsto.re/ie/YgHcM.i
Description
This app makes group messaging so easy!
Group Manager:
- Send Group SMS / iMessage.
- Send Group Email.
- Save your own Groups.
Find By Common Field:
- Find contacts with the same Birthday Date / Month.
- Find contacts with the same Creation Date.
- Find contacts with the same Company Name.
- Find contacts with the same Job Title.
- Find contacts with the same Email Domain
Note:
- Group SMS to non iOS devices requires to disable: iMessage, MMS & Group
Messaging in ‘Settings’ application.
<https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/group-text-free-send-sms-imessage/id6381940
98?mt=8> ...More
<http://blog.csdn.net/chenshun87/> Group Text Free −Send
SMS,iMessage,Email Message In Batches Fast Support
What's New in Version 1.8
In app purchase bug fixes
There are several IPhone Screen shots for this app at the link above.
(contributed by Sandra Tomkins from VI Phone List)
*5) Microsoft accessibility phone support service
(800) 936-5900
*6) Bluetooth earpiece for iPhone
Note from Dan: I agree with this posting from the viphone List.
"I highly recommend the voyager edge from Plantronics. I think it will meet
most of your needs. You'll really appreciate that it does not use a
proprietary magnetic connecting type of charger, it uses micro USB. Also, it
allows the audio from the phone including the caller ID information spoken
by voiceover to come directly through the earpiece. Another nice benefit, is
that you can configure and change a lot of the settings via an iOS app
called PLT hub. Good luck and enjoy."
Contributed by Julian from the VIPhone List)
*7) How to map your Mac’s CapsLock key to a NVDA or JAWS key in a Windows
virtual machine
Written by <https://www.marcozehe.de/author/blindfisch/> Marco on
<https://www.marcozehe.de/2015/06/07/how-to-map-your-macs-capslock-key-to-a-
nvda-or-jaws-key-in-a-windows-virtual-machine/> June 7th, 2015
OK folks, this is hopefully it, the ultimate way to map the CapsLock key of
your MacBook to be used as a NVDA or JAWS modifier key in a virtual machine
running Windows.
The problem
The MacBook’s keyboard has no insert key. The insert key, however, is the
main modifier key used by screen readers on Windows. This stems from the era
where computers all still had big keyboards with number pads, and even
laptops were still big enough that most of them had these.
In newer, tinier models, these have gone for good. Yes, there are
possibilities to use external Bluetooth number pads, but hey, this is not
really mobile, is it? ??These keyboards do, however, still have CapsLock
keys. So why not use them? If you then switch your Windows screen reader to
laptop layout, you get full functionality within a Windows VM.
I realize there are other solutions out there to re-map another key to the
insert key within Windows by using tools such as SharpKeys. But I found
these always conflicted with other keys, caused whacky behavior if VoiceOver
was running on the Mac side still, etc. etc. So I was always on the look-out
for a better solution.
*8) Computers for the Blind has another grant, in addition to the one
mentioned last week, in the " Flying Blind" weekly newsletter.
This new grant makes it possible for SSI recipients to obtain refurbished
desktop computers with adaptive software for $40:
http://www.computersfortheblind.net
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Nknz6sVH3bBMQturHm3SxXRe6QdMuFGfmGo2WowV_XJV
qh8JZSuRRDGKzrfayPfA-RB8pWtBhK97askg0gZ0EK90j5T1di8JMOwHIbIVkIu19bd7YGF284C1
JeR-tL3XqHhhGBtcDnAfWx7AMEZr_VtrWItDsTeaNk7Vyd0S_lf2EovcRBcBJA==&c=ZOl5-qYF-
QCcCKQGQG7aW0kzY_mJR1R7TSNzC91RxZTuKekO9SNYbA==&ch=JKC4Tp9TNnMDVcLY-2EZLZepd
pnHNUFt-XHFIaVLUT6pMnK8sQM7iQ==>
*9) Double Rainbow Song from EloQuence synthesizer
listen to the EloQuence synthesizer singing the Double Rainbow song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByexaQRThK0
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Nknz6sVH3bBMQturHm3SxXRe6QdMuFGfmGo2WowV_XJV
qh8JZSuRRGAocz0TFAi_ILa5LQ9InPabcxVvDdC3L6-0cVI2lxtBrrPuUjQYpDabnnv6DzKx7Gob
b4J-zlCikvO6yBNKnwsHgSlnhSzhRtkbDDTtUS-wj1R2u0HkeY20U7jWK8Ze_0Wmt7rXB5M8-uA7
SqQhMP4=&c=ZOl5-qYF-QCcCKQGQG7aW0kzY_mJR1R7TSNzC91RxZTuKekO9SNYbA==&ch=JKC4T
p9TNnMDVcLY-2EZLZepdpnHNUFt-XHFIaVLUT6pMnK8sQM7iQ==>
*10) The Joys of Braille:
Here's a little ditty extolling the joys of Braille:
https://m.soundcloud.com/osbjazz/all-about-that-braille
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Nknz6sVH3bBMQturHm3SxXRe6QdMuFGfmGo2WowV_XJV
qh8JZSuRRGAocz0TFAi_jET8OCBZHbNg54-KJGicBo5KNQyaibPg7ZTBn63m9BkBhtRlFsFCHjW8
bEuz15EX0DZiuFlRi3SyDHaYLuvVawx4GB0MDAgmGkeoONGS4ILok19z-mj3vN_ZTzDaAZwwpL0V
Zn9kveQp8ddF2DePHw==&c=ZOl5-qYF-QCcCKQGQG7aW0kzY_mJR1R7TSNzC91RxZTuKekO9SNYb
A==&ch=JKC4Tp9TNnMDVcLY-2EZLZepdpnHNUFt-XHFIaVLUT6pMnK8sQM7iQ==>
*11) Two Short Stories
STORY NUMBER ONE
Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous
for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in
everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a
good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal
maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money
big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his
family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the
conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire
Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration
to the atrocity that went on around him.
Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly.
Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education.
Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with
organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie
wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
Yet, with all his wealth and influence there were two things he couldn't
give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to
rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and
tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and
offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to
testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he
testified.
Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely
Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he
had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from
his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped
from a magazine. The poem read:
"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just
when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.. Now is the only time you
own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may
soon be still."
STORY NUMBER TWO
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander
Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier
Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a
mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized
that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his
ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he
dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning
to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron
of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.
The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but
defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to
save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.
There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the
fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of
Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in,
attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out
of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until
all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault.
He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as
many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the
exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding hi s
return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale.
It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He
had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20,
1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and
the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home
town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today,
O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great
man.
So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some
thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of
Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son..
(Pretty cool, eh!)
Contents:
1. Things to Ponder
2. Fact of the Day
3. Student Develops An App That's Like Uber For Disabled People
4. In Batches Fast
5. Microsoft accessibility phone support service
6. Bluetooth earpiece for iPhone
7. How to map your Mac’s CapsLock key to a NVDA or JAWS key in a Windows
virtual machine
8. $40.00 computers with adaptive software for SSI recipients
9. Double Rainbow Song from EloQuence synthesizer
10. The Joy of Braille
11. Two Short Stories
Start of articles:
*1) Things to Ponder
If you put a chameleon in a mirrored box what color would it change to?
*2) Factg of the Day
Some species of oak tree do not produce acorns in abundance until they are
fifty years of age or older.
Submitted by Laura Negaard - Amelia, VA
The "black box" on an airplane is actually bright orange so that it can be
easily found among the wreckage if the plane were to crash.
Phi Beta Kappa, one of America’s most respectable college honor societies,
actually began as an underground order dead-set on sticking it to The Man.
Founded in 1776, the group provided an outlet for freedom of speech when
governments and universities weren’t keen on respecting that right.
Romance novelist Barbara Cartland was Princess Diana's step-grandmother.
Submitted by Julie Terstriep - Industry, IL
Robert Lincoln, son of President Lincoln, was saved from a nasty railroad
accident by Edwin Booth. Edwin was the brother of Abraham Lincoln's
assassin, John Wilkes Booth.
*3) Student Develops An App That's Like Uber For Disabled People
Despite federal laws mandating accessibility, city life can be difficult for
people with disabilities.
The rules aren't always enforced, and come with their own problems. For
example, in New York
City, the Access-A-Ride paratransit service for disabled citizens requires
people to go through a
lengthy application process, reservations up to two days in advance, and can
only promise to
arrive within 30 minutes of the scheduled time.This scenario presents myriad
probems,
especially when it comes to scheduling.
For SVA grad Meghan Lazier's MFA thesis project in the Design for Social
Innovation department, she created an app, Alert-A-Ride, that acts as a kind
of Uber for
accessible rides. The app prototype allows riders to track their vehicle on
a map and to set
proximity-based alerts, giving them a clear idea of how far away their rides
are. It will even log
trip histories, making it easier to accessing frequent address.
The app itself has a yellow and black color scheme that are not only the
colors of a New York
taxi, but the high-contrast colors are helpful for visually impaired people.
(contributed by Fred Olver)
2) Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do
By Mary Hunt on 06/08/15
Financial discouragement plagues all of us from time to time. If you’re
discouraged about your situation today, there are some things you can do to
counter those feeling and attitudes. The most important is to know this will
not last forever.
Let’s say your neighbor just came home with a brand new sport utility
vehicle. You are overwhelmed by feelings of desire and envy. There was a
time that you would begin immediately to find a way to get a new car, too.
But things are different now. You have a new set of values. You no longer
make financial decisions impulsively.
The car you have already is paid for and meets your family’s current needs.
But still those feelings are bubbling up. Just as soon as you recognize
them, start erasing! Replace those destructive attitudes with thoughts of
your Freedom
Account and the way you are committed to the cash-purchase of your next
vehicle; think about not making huge monthly payments, not paying triple
insurance premiums, not paying $400 for the annual registration fee, not
forking over $600 for that 50,000 mile tune-up.
You can choose to counter negative attitudes by replacing them quickly with
positive ones. Here are some examples:
I never have enough money. I am so thankful for a regular paycheck.It’s not
my fault. Even though I wasn’t 100 percent to blame, I take full
responsibility-I will find a way through!
This is too difficult. This is challenging!
I work hard so I’m entitled to have what I want. I work too hard to let
money leak out of my life.
I want it now! Waiting builds my character.
Maybe I’ll win the lottery. I’d rather save $5 a week than throwing it
away on the lottery.
It won’t matter just this once. Even the little things add up. If only I
had more money, then everything would be okay. More money is not the
answer, managing well what I have is!
If I didn’t have to worry about money I’d be happy. I choose to be happy
regardless my present circumstances.
What’s the use, I’ll never get out of this mess anyway. I am stronger that
anyone knows.
They wouldn’t give me the credit if they didn’t know I can handle it. I
have the confidence I need to make my own financial decisions.
If you need an understanding and compassionate ear, write to me. You’ll
find a contact form at EverydayCheapskate.com.
This column Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do is today's post at Mary
Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate blog, where you can add your comment!
*4) In Batches Fast by Chen
Shun
https://appsto.re/ie/YgHcM.i
Description
This app makes group messaging so easy!
Group Manager:
- Send Group SMS / iMessage.
- Send Group Email.
- Save your own Groups.
Find By Common Field:
- Find contacts with the same Birthday Date / Month.
- Find contacts with the same Creation Date.
- Find contacts with the same Company Name.
- Find contacts with the same Job Title.
- Find contacts with the same Email Domain
Note:
- Group SMS to non iOS devices requires to disable: iMessage, MMS & Group
Messaging in ‘Settings’ application.
<https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/group-text-free-send-sms-imessage/id6381940
98?mt=8> ...More
<http://blog.csdn.net/chenshun87/> Group Text Free −Send
SMS,iMessage,Email Message In Batches Fast Support
What's New in Version 1.8
In app purchase bug fixes
There are several IPhone Screen shots for this app at the link above.
(contributed by Sandra Tomkins from VI Phone List)
*5) Microsoft accessibility phone support service
(800) 936-5900
*6) Bluetooth earpiece for iPhone
Note from Dan: I agree with this posting from the viphone List.
"I highly recommend the voyager edge from Plantronics. I think it will meet
most of your needs. You'll really appreciate that it does not use a
proprietary magnetic connecting type of charger, it uses micro USB. Also, it
allows the audio from the phone including the caller ID information spoken
by voiceover to come directly through the earpiece. Another nice benefit, is
that you can configure and change a lot of the settings via an iOS app
called PLT hub. Good luck and enjoy."
Contributed by Julian from the VIPhone List)
*7) How to map your Mac’s CapsLock key to a NVDA or JAWS key in a Windows
virtual machine
Written by <https://www.marcozehe.de/author/blindfisch/> Marco on
<https://www.marcozehe.de/2015/06/07/how-to-map-your-macs-capslock-key-to-a-
nvda-or-jaws-key-in-a-windows-virtual-machine/> June 7th, 2015
OK folks, this is hopefully it, the ultimate way to map the CapsLock key of
your MacBook to be used as a NVDA or JAWS modifier key in a virtual machine
running Windows.
The problem
The MacBook’s keyboard has no insert key. The insert key, however, is the
main modifier key used by screen readers on Windows. This stems from the era
where computers all still had big keyboards with number pads, and even
laptops were still big enough that most of them had these.
In newer, tinier models, these have gone for good. Yes, there are
possibilities to use external Bluetooth number pads, but hey, this is not
really mobile, is it? ??These keyboards do, however, still have CapsLock
keys. So why not use them? If you then switch your Windows screen reader to
laptop layout, you get full functionality within a Windows VM.
I realize there are other solutions out there to re-map another key to the
insert key within Windows by using tools such as SharpKeys. But I found
these always conflicted with other keys, caused whacky behavior if VoiceOver
was running on the Mac side still, etc. etc. So I was always on the look-out
for a better solution.
*8) Computers for the Blind has another grant, in addition to the one
mentioned last week, in the " Flying Blind" weekly newsletter.
This new grant makes it possible for SSI recipients to obtain refurbished
desktop computers with adaptive software for $40:
http://www.computersfortheblind.net
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Nknz6sVH3bBMQturHm3SxXRe6QdMuFGfmGo2WowV_XJV
qh8JZSuRRDGKzrfayPfA-RB8pWtBhK97askg0gZ0EK90j5T1di8JMOwHIbIVkIu19bd7YGF284C1
JeR-tL3XqHhhGBtcDnAfWx7AMEZr_VtrWItDsTeaNk7Vyd0S_lf2EovcRBcBJA==&c=ZOl5-qYF-
QCcCKQGQG7aW0kzY_mJR1R7TSNzC91RxZTuKekO9SNYbA==&ch=JKC4Tp9TNnMDVcLY-2EZLZepd
pnHNUFt-XHFIaVLUT6pMnK8sQM7iQ==>
*9) Double Rainbow Song from EloQuence synthesizer
listen to the EloQuence synthesizer singing the Double Rainbow song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByexaQRThK0
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Nknz6sVH3bBMQturHm3SxXRe6QdMuFGfmGo2WowV_XJV
qh8JZSuRRGAocz0TFAi_ILa5LQ9InPabcxVvDdC3L6-0cVI2lxtBrrPuUjQYpDabnnv6DzKx7Gob
b4J-zlCikvO6yBNKnwsHgSlnhSzhRtkbDDTtUS-wj1R2u0HkeY20U7jWK8Ze_0Wmt7rXB5M8-uA7
SqQhMP4=&c=ZOl5-qYF-QCcCKQGQG7aW0kzY_mJR1R7TSNzC91RxZTuKekO9SNYbA==&ch=JKC4T
p9TNnMDVcLY-2EZLZepdpnHNUFt-XHFIaVLUT6pMnK8sQM7iQ==>
*10) The Joys of Braille:
Here's a little ditty extolling the joys of Braille:
https://m.soundcloud.com/osbjazz/all-about-that-braille
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Nknz6sVH3bBMQturHm3SxXRe6QdMuFGfmGo2WowV_XJV
qh8JZSuRRGAocz0TFAi_jET8OCBZHbNg54-KJGicBo5KNQyaibPg7ZTBn63m9BkBhtRlFsFCHjW8
bEuz15EX0DZiuFlRi3SyDHaYLuvVawx4GB0MDAgmGkeoONGS4ILok19z-mj3vN_ZTzDaAZwwpL0V
Zn9kveQp8ddF2DePHw==&c=ZOl5-qYF-QCcCKQGQG7aW0kzY_mJR1R7TSNzC91RxZTuKekO9SNYb
A==&ch=JKC4Tp9TNnMDVcLY-2EZLZepdpnHNUFt-XHFIaVLUT6pMnK8sQM7iQ==>
*11) Two Short Stories
STORY NUMBER ONE
Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous
for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in
everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a
good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal
maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money
big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his
family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the
conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire
Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration
to the atrocity that went on around him.
Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly.
Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education.
Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with
organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie
wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
Yet, with all his wealth and influence there were two things he couldn't
give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to
rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and
tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and
offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to
testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he
testified.
Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely
Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he
had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from
his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped
from a magazine. The poem read:
"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just
when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.. Now is the only time you
own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may
soon be still."
STORY NUMBER TWO
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander
Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier
Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a
mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized
that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his
ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he
dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning
to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron
of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.
The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but
defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to
save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.
There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the
fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of
Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in,
attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out
of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until
all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault.
He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as
many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the
exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding hi s
return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale.
It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He
had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20,
1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and
the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home
town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today,
O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great
man.
So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some
thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of
Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son..
(Pretty cool, eh!)
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"I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in grate
riches.
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word."
Psalm 119:16:
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