Brian Steel’s Soapbox

After a lot of rough planning, I have decided to change the nature and content of this moribund Website. Deo volente.

As a first necessary chore I have just finished selecting and deleting over half of the articles published on this site since 2008. (That still leaves 110 and I have rough plans for a few groups of them.)

My next much bigger project is to sort and select for transfer or modification those articles from my (dormant) professional website (briansteel.net) which seem worth saving as well as some of the Spanish and Hindi language e-books which used to be offered for sale (plus free Samples) on that site.

(Please Note: Brian’s e-books are LONG PDF files which readers have to print for their use. Many of my existing — surviving — WordPress articles are also long, or very long, as some patient readers will have noticed.)

That’s all I can say at the moment but it’s a great relief and and added stimulus to have said it.

I hope some of my changes and additions will be of interest to my readers, old and new.

Hasta pronto. Phil milenge.

Brian (at ompukalani // hotmail)

Two years after the publication of Maribel Steel’s book Blindness for Beginners, the Audio Version has just been launched by audible.com. (8 April 2021)

It was recorded by Harry Williamson of Spring Studio and the skilled reader is Alice Hermans.

This 8-hour version  of Maribel’s self-help memoir will be particularly welcome for its more effective accessibility and potential for people like herself, with impaired vision.

To get a basic idea about the audio book, try this:

In the 2 minute, 55 seconds SAMPLE (offered below the cover page on THAT website), the reader presents Maribel’s original ‘Dear Reader’ Introduction (pp.2-3) to her life-changing experience of going blind with Retinitis Pigmentosa and the complex process of adjusting her life, from age 17 on, to allow her to lead a full life and bring up four children, before creating her own career as a writer and mentor.

The 3 balanced Parts of the work are clearly identified:

Part 1: her personal biography, from the diagnosis (of Retinitis Pigmentosa), to acceptance and the long struggle to independence

Part 2: the types of practical strategies and attitudes that a visually-impaired person can adopt

Part 3: how other people can learn appropriate ways to assist visually-impaired persons.

*

To give potential purchasers a little more evidence of how the Audio book Blindness for Beginners may be of interest and use to them, I offer some relevant previous material and notes from the original book launch.

After the 2019 book launch there were four media appearances in Melbourne and Sydney (Australia). Three of these are still available to download, all showing how visual impairment does not make cooking impossible or too dangerous, providing very strict procedures are observed.

First came the two audio recordings by Australian ABC Radio National (RN), in its series Life Matters: April 10 and April 16, 2019.

‘Blind Inside a Tactile Kitchen’ 

Cooking demo with Michael McKenzie (in 2 parts)

Audio versions at:

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/blind-inside-a-tactile-kitchen-pt1/10986042

and    https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/blind-inside-a-tactile-kitchen-part-2/11018618

The well-known presenter Michael McKenzie, wearing his blindfold, as instructed, was very brave, and completely empathetic. Guide dog, Dindi, was, as always, in attendance.

A week later in a follow-up TV interview with Studio 10 in Sydney, the studio audience and viewers  at home were treated to a 10 minute visual presentation of (briefly famous) Maribel’s blind cooking on the popular morning programme of Studio 10 TV. With assistance and a barrage of questions from her 2 amazed and nervous interviewers, she prepared the ingredients for Huevos a la flamenca (in memory of her mother).

This is now preserved on You Tube as: TV: Cooking ‘Blind’:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyCwxaXdRX4&feature=youtu.be

What I remember most vividly of this video is the apprehension on the faces and in the questions of those two glamorous interviewers as they stood beside visually-impaired Maribel briskly cutting up onions, with a large knife and a high degree of nonchalance.

That dramatic episode is just one example of Maribel’s very detailed repertoire of procedures built up during 40 years of learning to cope with practical life (including, of course, bringing up – and cooking for – a family of 4 kids).

Her hope and ambition is that her work will help other people facing different degrees of visual impairment to experience an easier but rewarding journey to success and personal fulfilment. And that family members, friends, institutions, and the general public will be able to relate more helpfully to visually-impaired persons.

*April 2021: Please note that the Audio version of “Blindness for Beginners” is now available. See https://briansteel.wordpress.com/2021/04/16/the-audio-version-of-blindness-for-beginners-now-available/

Since the 8 January blog announcing the publication of my daughter’s simpático handbook, interesting things have happened – especially in the past hyperactive week.

Book Launch

Writers Victoria, Melbourne, 26 April 2019

Media Appearances

April 10 & 16, 2019

ABC RN, Life Matters:

‘Blind Inside a Tactile Kitchen’  Cooking demo with Michael McKenzie (in 2 parts)

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/blind-inside-a-tactile-kitchen-pt1/10986042

and    https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/blind-inside-a-tactile-kitchen-part-2/11018618

30 April:  ABC Radio 774, Writs and Cures, Steve Ellen and Bill O’Shea: Interview

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/evenings/evenings/11041028

*Choose 30 April session in this group and slide timer to c 1:27:50. Till about 1:50 [14 mins.]

2 May: Studio 10 TV, Sydney, 2 May: Blind cooking demo. Huevos a la flamenca (10 mins)  This url seems OK for a month from 2 May 2019

https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/studio-10/extra/season-2019/in-the-kitchen-with-blind-cook-maribel-steel

*

More Details:

The Launch of Blindness for Beginners on 26 April took place at the Melbourne offices of Writers Victoria, under the guidance of resident Writeability specialist and editor, Lyndel Caffrey.

In addition to more detail about Maribel’s life, career and work, elicited by a probing interview by Lyndel, we were given an audio recital of a few pages by Alice Hermans, who is at present completing the audio version of Blindness for Beginners with sound engineer and recordist Harry Williamson (Maribel’s partner).

The TWO blind cooking programs speak for themselves:

ABC RN, Life Matters:

‘Blind Inside a Tactile Kitchen’  Cooking demo with Michael McKenzie (in 2 parts)

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/blind-inside-a-tactile-kitchen-pt1/10986042

and    https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/blind-inside-a-tactile-kitchen-part-2/11018618

Michael, with his blindfold on, was very brave, and completely empathetic!

2 days ago, we were treated to a 10 minute visual presentation of Maribel’s blind cooking on the popular morning program Studio 10 TV, Sydney. She prepared the ingredients for Huevos a la flamenca (in memory of her Mum):  https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/studio-10/extra/season-2019/in-the-kitchen-with-blind-cook-maribel-steel

Of special interest (for me at least) was the understandable look of fear and horror on the faces of the two glamorous Studio 10 presenters as they watched visually-impaired Maribel cutting up onions, with a large knife and a high degree of nonchalance. That image alone shows how Maribel’s depiction of her 40 years of learning to cope with practical life (including bringing up – and cooking for – 4 kids) may be of inspiration to many other people. That is her hope and ambition. But please spare a moment of sympathy for Maribel’s new guide dog, sleek and beautiful Dindi, who had to endure an uncomfortable flight to and from Sydney with her owner.

The interview on 30 April (ABC Radio 774 [Victoria]), Writs and Cures, with Steve Ellen and Bill O’Shea, touched very empathetically on various aspects of blindness and Maribel’s 40 years of coping and triumphing over the odds.

Maribel is now gearing up for more interviews and lectures, as is her indefatigable partner, Harry Williamson, sound engineer, recordist, photographer and polymath. Together, they have a great life. That makes me happy too!

Apology: Some of the URLs given will not work outside of Australia. And others may not last for long. But Harry will soon fix the latter! And maybe even the former.

For Maribel’ s other writings and activities, see https://maribelsteel.com