The Coalition of the Swilling

Heh, See my post above.......

Maybe the station transmits in Braille? ;-P

Well, Navy Federal has a braille plaque alongside the DRIVE UP ATM. 'Splain THAT one. I don't even want to be around when the driver that needs to use it pulls up.

Be afraid when the consoles in automobiles get Braille labels.

You've never driven by braille?

Well, presumably some of the deaf students have hearing relatives who help get them to school on time. But I'm with you guys on the Braille drive-ups. Apparently they're required for equal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Also - I think it's easier for the ATM manufacturers to make and stock one kind of part (with Braille) for repairs and replacements, rather than some with (for walk-ups and lobbies) and some without.

Now that I think about it....where's the Braille version of this website? ;-P

I think it's easier for the ATM manufacturers to make and stock one kind of part (with Braille) for repairs

Which is true for every ATM you've ever seen, BUT...this was a separate/completely-removed/had-NOTHING-to-do-with-the-ATM/all-on-it's-own, 14x20 brass plaque embedded in the brick, mounted to the LEFT of the whole ATM apparatus. So, if you were blind, drove up and OVERSHOT the braille plaque...you were f*cked.

My wife is deaf, and I've come to know many deaf people through her.

Not all deaf children have deaf parents. If their deaf child is in a school for the deaf, they would like to hear about it on the radio, just like any other school.

Really, think a bit before mocking such well intended and practical acts. It would help to keep you from appearing to be a dunderhead.

Deaf people are generally pretty good about having pride in being as self-sufficient as possible, but they are also very grateful to the help they get from hearing people. Most deaf people I've met are just the nicest you can imagine. Or maybe my wife only hangs out with the nice ones. :)

As for the braille on the atm, I can only imagine that if I were blind and I asked someone to drive me to the atm, it would be nice to be able to use it and not tell them my pin.

(Mike, pumpkin ~ READ what I wrote. Of course one would expect the ATM to have braille pads and rightly so. As I noted in the comments TWICE, this is a plaque ENTIRELY separate from the ATM, no part of it ~ S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E. It has NOTHING to do with a visually impaired person being an object of scorn and ridicule ~ one of which we proudly have in this family and who has as twisted a sense of humor about that which life has seen fit to smack him with as any human being ON EARTH, less mind one I've had the pleasure to love deeply and dearly, and admire him immensely for that same sense of the ridiculous sublime ~ and YOU are a perhaps a dunderhead to think so of us, as you have no personal knowledge of our circumstances, mental or physical. And yes, we obviously handle things differently. Perhaps you might step back a moment from the role of righteous, loving protector and give a moment's thought to the fact that there are things in this world that, by their very juxtaposition, are inherently funny. Will strike you as absolutely hilarious when said at that magic moment, regardless of how 'appropriate'. So quit sermonizing, calling people names and lighten up, Francis.)

Beege, deary,

I suffer, as you well remember, from a genetic lack of a sense of hunor.

I certainly didn't mean for the term "dunderhead" to apply to you, but to whomever this bingley guy is. And I meant it only in the friendliest terms. Lacking a sense of humor, I didn't portray the smile in my writing as well as I should have.

I ask you and bingley to please forgive my perceived lack of civility.

"Dunderhead"? That's the best you can come up with? After all my tax dollars that supported you in the USMC, all I get is 'dunderhead'? Geesh.

Yes, I'm well aware that it was meant for the parents, yadda yadda yadda; a good friend of ours at church is deaf and we communicate with her constantly on her blackberry to make the ride arrangements for our kids to the various youth activities, and she had a chuckle* at the radio announcement as well.

So, yes, radio announcements for the deaf, highway signs for the blind, jumbo shrimp, irish culture, military intelligence, religion of peace; all of these things are, dare I say, funny in one way or another.

Your mileage may vary.

*As a Public Service Announcement:

chuck·le (chŭk'əl) pronunciation
intr.v., -led, -ling, -les.

1. To laugh quietly or to oneself.
2. To cluck or chuck, as a hen.

n.

A quiet laugh of mild amusement or satisfaction.

whomever this bingley guy is

owner and sole administrator of this site, fwiw.

Owner and sole administrator?

Okay. I need a list of cast members. I know THS. Somehow she has some kind of progeny named for some odd reason "Ebola." I am pretty sure that Major Dad is her husband. Everyone else is just a mystery.

I'm brother number 2; Crusader is brother #3

You're much too old to be Ebola's brother. I'm really confused still.

Heh. I'm THS' brother.

Mike, here's the scorecard:

THS: sainted goddess who's an ex-Marine (scratch that, once a Marine, always a Marine) and can kill you with her pinky. Which is, obviously, why I refer to her as sainted goddess.

Bingley: effeminate brother to THS who seems to have good luck with the ladies (he's married to NJSue). This luck cannot be explained, but all who love her are deeply concerned about Sue.

Crusader: Strange, lagomorphic creature who wears armor. Also cannot be explained.

Ebola: Also a strange creature, young and somewhat foolish, but he makes a great t-shirt/beer model so THS keeps him around.

Major Dad: Bane of Bingley, righteous warrior in the cause of righteousness who can also kill you with a pinky so I recommend using words like "righteous warrior" when you talk about him.

Does that help?

Okay, now the only question is how the heck did they get these names?

Good question. I'd like to hear that too. Especially Bingley and Ebola.