[Sw-l] photos of famous places, etc.

[James Shepard-Kegl]

Fellow SignWriters, 
 
Nicaraguan Sign Language Projects is producing a revised Nicaraguan Sign 
Language grammar manual which includes a 1000+ entry glossary.  That glossary is 
broken down into sections, including a Geography section. 
 
The geography section provides signs in video frames and SignWriting, along with 
Spanish and English, for the names of most (sadly, not all) of the countries of 
the world.  This includes all the South and North American countries, many of 
the Carribean island nations, most of the European countries, most of the Middle 
Eastern countries, many of the African countries, and the larger Asian countries 
(India, China, Japan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, North and South Korea --  not 
Malaysia, yet.)  With each entry we try to include about four photographs that 
students can associate with that country.  Often, this means an animal (kangaroo 
for Australia, for example), something natural (the Grand Canyon for the USA, 
for example), something man-made (pyramids for Egypt), and a photo of someone in 
native or folk costume.  Sometimes, we have additional photos -- perhaps a 
musical instrument associated with the country, or a photo of a famous building. 
 
In the first edition, we rather brazenly scooped up these photos from the 
Internet, trying to avoid copyright infringements -- not always successfully.  
This time, we are trying to avoid the whole copyright mess by using original 
photos.  Well, you know, I cannot go to Egypt to take a photo of a camel or a 
pyramid.  But, it occurs to me that SignWriters are spread all over the planet.  
So, if you have a nice photo of something representative of your country or 
places you have visited, I am hoping you would be willing to share that with us.  
With today's technology, sometimes you can use your cell phone to take a photo 
of an old photo.  I probably can even sharpen up the image a bit. 
 
If you will email us such photos and let me how you would like to see the credit 
appear, we can publish this glossary not only in hard copy but on the web, 
without fear that some company down the line demand payment (potentially 
substantial payment) for our charitable use of the photo. 
 
By the way, these manuals are distributed to students and their families in 
Nicaragua at no charge, although the printing expenses for us really do add up. 
 
Thank you, everyone -- James

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