Johnny Depp Says Sign Language Mishap Isn’t His Fault

Johnny Depp says sign language mishap not his fault

Actor apparently sign the word “murder” instead of “love” in Paul McCartney’s ‘My Valentine’ video with Natalie Portman.

Johnny Depp had responded to critics of his sign language abilities in Paul Mccartney’s latest video.

The ‘Dark Shadows’ actor appears alongside ‘Black Swan’ actress Natalie Portman on the short called ‘My Valentine’.

However experts slammed the 48-year-old star for misinterpreting key words in the promotional film he did for The Beatles member.

Now Johnny has defended himself saying he was only doing it the way he had been taught, according to The Sun.

He said: “I had to learn sign language and I was only copying what the guy showed me, so track him down.”

Johnny’s cameo may have seriously offended some hard of hearing viewers as he allegedly got a peaceful word mixed up with a violent one.

He continued: “Apparently, instead of ‘love’ I might have said, ‘murder’.”

But Johnny is not too worried about the mishap as he understands the language is subjectively taken.

He added: “But it was a gas – sign language is apparently very interpretive. It’s all kind of different.”

The clip film, in which Natalie and Johnny appear via split screen and sign the lyrics in black-and-white, was first shown at a star-studded gala in Los Angeles.

Did Britney Spears Really Get Upset With Tone-Deaf Contestant And Storm Off X-Factor Set?

Here is new ‘The X Factor USA’ judge Britney Spears arriving for the first round of auditions in Austin, Texas, alongside fellow panelists Simon Cowell and LA Reid. The new panel of four swept into the Erwin Center for the first of two show tapings as crowds of fans cheered in excitement.

The sage advice of ex-judge, Nicole Scherzinger to Britney Spears for her new role as X Factor arbiter was to, “Speak from your heart. Just be you.” Our Brit-Brit seems to be doing just that quite admirably. Y’all know that the first round of auditions happened yesterday in Austin, right? The singer looked pretty prepared as she was photographed heading to the set in a hot coral mini that we orgininally though to be Herve Leger, but actually was a Brian Lichtenberg number. But a severe case of dramatitis seems to have struck on this debut effort already. Apparently, one contestant rocked up and decided to impress Britney by singing her song “Hold It Against Me.” But the story is that they were so bad and so desperately tone-deaf, that Ms. Spears actually got upset and walked off the set! How is that for a first day fracas?

There’s another side to the matter, though. There are certain sources who are saying that this whole thing is being blown out of proportion because Britney wasn’t upset at all and that she only “just took a short break.” Right, so it was just a case of her timing being impeccable? Britney herself got on twitter to address that issue and corroborated the sources, tweeting, “#Britneywalksoff??? LOL was just taking a little break people. I am having the BEST time!!!” Either way, contestants performed to just L.A. Reid, Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato for a couple of songs ’till La Spears returned. This show’s going to be fun — we can feel it!

Source VH1: Read More>

Belfast City Airport is so loud we can’t hear our teachers!

Cillian Burns (13) from Ballynafeigh in south Belfast went to a primary school affected by aircraft noise.

Children in schools under the flightpath at George Best Belfast City Airport face disruption from excessive aircraft noise, a teaching union says.

But the airport accused residents objecting to plans to set new noise thresholds over east Belfast and Holywood of attempting to use children to convey a point. It said it had a close working relationship with schools and many of its staff have children enrolled in local schools.

The airport has asked the DoE to remove the seats for sale limit of two million a year and set a new noise control cap, along with other noise control measures.

Residents group Belfast City Airport Watch (BCAW) warns that this means 21 schools and up to 46,000 residents across Belfast and Holywood will potentially be subjected to aircraft noise at a level above that recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Dr Liz Fawcett, chair of Belfast City Airport Watch , said: “Under these proposals, the City Airport could become one of the noisiest in the UK, in terms of its effect on schools and the local population.

“There is a robust body of research which shows that high levels of aircraft noise impact negatively on children’s education and on people’s health.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends aircraft noise levels should not exceed 50 decibels averaged over 16 hours.

The airport’s application proposes setting a cap on the area falling within the 57 decibels level in an area between 8.1 and 9.3 square kms.

Mark Langhammer, Northern Ireland director of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) teaching union, said: “Many of the schools identified by the airport are in areas which suffer from social deprivation. Their pupils are already at an educational disadvantage due to their backgrounds, they don’t need the further handicap of excessive aircraft noise.”

Katy Best, director of business development at the airport, accused campaigners of using “children to try and convey a point. The airport has never received a complaint of any nature from any schools concerning noise”.

“By volunteering a noise control cap which is legally enforceable we are protecting the community still further from noise.”

Case study

Cillian Burns (13), from Ballynafeigh in south Belfast, previously attended a primary school which is on the airport’s list of potentially affected schools. He says teaching at the school was already disrupted by aircraft noise.

“At my previous school, when a loud plane went over, the teacher had to stop talking because they couldn’t be heard, and that got really distracting at times,” he said.

“The noise can also be annoying when I’m trying to do my homework. I certainly wouldn’t want the level of noise to get any worse.”

If you you have any questions about noise related hearing loss or any other questions about hearing contact Hidden Hearing.

Source: Belfast Telegraph: Read More >

Hidden Hearing Promotes Tinnitus Awareness Week

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound that has no external source.

Hidden Hearing  is helping to promote Tinnitus Awareness Week – a single week that is set aside to focus specifically on increasing public awareness about tinnitus and most importantly the need for increased funding for tinnitus research. There currently is no known cure for tinnitus. Although it is important to note that a study published in a Hearing Review found that many tinnitus sufferers report that their hearing aids significantly help them with their tinnitus.

Dolores Madden Marketing Manager with Hidden Hearing said “Many people – almost twice as many as previously believed – suffer from persistent, chronic tinnitus. That’s about ten percent of the population. And for people ages 65 to 84, that number jumps to almost 27 percent”. Madden believes that helping “create the awareness”  is the first step.

A recent study found that over 40 percent of survey respondents with tinnitus were helped at least mildly with hearing aids. And 3 out of 10 were helped moderately-to-substantially. For those whose where hearing health professionals used best practices in fitting hearing aids, that figure jumped to 50 percent.

Madden believes It is important for the hearing health community to help promote Tinnitus Awareness, especially because relatively few people seek help for their tinnitus – despite the fact that there are effective therapies available, including the use of hearing aids, to help tinnitus sufferers. If you have any questions about tinnitus or any aspect of hearing health contact Hidden Hearing.

Drug treatments to prevent the onset of tinnitus could soon be developed

The first drug treatments to prevent the onset of tinnitus could soon be developed after doctors discovered how to tone down overactive neurons in the brain.

Researchers from the University Of Leicester have identified a key cellular mechanism that could underlie the development of ringing in the ears following exposure to loud noises.

The discovery could lead to novel tinnitus treatments, and investigations into potential drugs to prevent tinnitus are underway. Although the word tinnitus comes from the Latin for ‘ringing’, the noise can be a buzz, hum or even a whistle – heard in one ear, both ears or in the middle of the head.

For most people the problem is mild, or disappears with time. But for others it can become chronic and almost intolerable. There are currently no drugs available to treat or prevent tinnitus. Scientists have previously speculated that it results from damage to nerve cells connected to the ears.

Lead researcher Dr Martine Hamann said: ‘We need to know the implications of acoustic over-exposure, not only in terms of hearing loss but also what’s happening in the brain and central nervous system.

‘It’s believed that tinnitus results from changes in excitability in cells in the brain – cells become more reactive, in this case more reactive to an unknown sound.’

Dr Hamann and her team looked at cells in an area of the brain called the dorsal cochlear nucleus – the relay carrying signals from nerve cells in the ear to the parts of the brain that decode and make sense of sounds.

Following exposure to loud noises, some of the nerve cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus start to fire erratically, and this uncontrolled activity eventually leads to tinnitus.

Dr Hamann said: ‘We showed that exposure to loud sound triggers hearing loss a few days after the exposure to the sound. It also triggers this uncontrolled activity in the neurons of the dorsal cochlear nucleus. ’This is all happening very quickly, in a matter of days.’

In a key breakthrough, the team also discovered the specific cellular mechanism that leads to the neurons’ over-activity. Malfunctions in specific potassium channels that help regulate the nerve cell’s electrical activity mean the neurons cannot return to an equilibrium resting state.

Ordinarily, these cells only fire regularly and therefore regularly return to a rest state. However, if the potassium channels are not working properly, the cells cannot return to a rest state and instead fire continuously in random bursts, creating the sensation of constant noise when none exists.

Dr Hamann said: ‘In normal conditions the channel helps to drag down the cellular electrical activity to its resting state and this allows the cell to function with a regular pattern.

‘After exposure to loud sound, the channel is functioning less and therefore the cell is constantly active, being unable to reach its resting state and displaying those irregular bursts.’

Although many researchers have investigated the mechanisms underlying tinnitus, this is the first time that cellular bursting activity has been characterised and linked to specific potassium channels.

Identifying the potassium channels involved in the early stages of tinnitus opens up new possibilities for preventing tinnitus with early drug treatments. Dr Hamann’s team is currently investigating potential drugs that could regulate the damaged cells, preventing their erratic firing and returning them to a resting state.

If suitable drug compounds are discovered, they could be given to patients who have been exposed to loud noises to protect them against the onset of tinnitus.

These investigations are still in the preliminary stages, and any drug treatment would still be years away. The research was published in the journal Hearing Research.

If you have any questions about tinnitus or any other aspect of hearing loss contact Hidden Hearing.

Source: Daily Mail. Read More>

What is Otosclerosis?

Otosclerosis is an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that causes hearing loss.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The cause of otosclerosis is unknown. However, there is some evidence that it may be passed down through families.

People who have otosclerosis have an abnormal sponge-like bone growing in the middle ear. This growth prevents the ear from vibrating in response to sound waves. Such vibrations are needed in order for you to hear.

Otosclerosis is the most frequent cause of middle ear hearing loss in young adults. It typically begins in early to mid-adulthood. It is more common in women than in men. The condition usually affects both ears.

Risks for this condition include pregnancy and a family history of hearing loss. Caucasians are more likely to develop this condition than others.

Symptoms

Hearing loss may occur slowly at first but continue to get worse.
You may hear better in noisy environments that quiet ones.
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) may also occur.
Signs and tests

A hearing test (audiometry /audiology) may help determine the severity of hearing loss.

A special imaging test of the head called a temporal-bone CT may be used to rule out other causes of hearing loss.

Treatment

Otosclerosis may slowly get worse. The condition may not require treatment until you having severe hearing problems.

Medications such as fluoride, calcium, or vitamin D may help to slow the hearing loss, but the benefits have not yet been proved.

A hearing aid may be used to treat the hearing loss. This will not cure or prevent hearing loss from getting worse, but may help relieve some of the symptoms.

Surgery to remove part of the ear (stapes) and replace it with a prosthesis can cure conductive hearing loss. A total replacement is called a stapedectomy. Sometimes a laser is used to make a hole in the stapes to allow placement of the prosthetic device. This is called a stapedotomy.

Expectations (prognosis)

Otosclerosis gets worse without treatment, but surgery may restore at least some hearing. Pain and dizziness related to surgery usually goes away within a few weeks.

To reduce the risk of complications after surgery:

Do not blow your nose for 1 week after surgery.
Avoid people with respiratory or other infections.
Avoid bending, lifting, or straining, which may cause dizziness.
Avoid loud noises or sudden pressure changes such as scuba diving, flying, or driving in the mountains until healed.
If surgery is unsuccessful, total hearing loss may occur. Treatment then involves developing skills to cope with deafness, including use of hearing aids and visual cues.

Complications

Complete deafness
Nerve damage
Infection, dizziness, pain, or blood clot in the ear after surgery
Calling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if hearing loss occurs.

Call your health care provider if fever, ear pain, dizziness, or other symptoms develop after surgery.

If you have any questions about this or any other hearing issue contact Hidden Hearing.

Dad … Dad? DAD! It’s Time to Get a Hearing Test — Part 2

Dad is also concerned a hearing aid would spoil the hearing he still had left, because it would feed back or amplify really loud sounds. I admit, I had wondered about that too.

Modern hearing aids have made great strides. Digital technology allows the hearing aid to monitor and control sound levels. Devices are programmed to cut off at unsafe levels and control feedback as well as isolate specific sounds, making it easier to hear in a crowded room for example.

Wait Not, Want Not

If my father continues to avoid dealing with his hearing loss, the neurological components of his hearing that function properly may atrophy at an accelerated rate. It’s called auditory deprivation.

Reams of studies have been conducted on sound deprived children, adults, and unfortunate baby rats. Google it.

“When you have a hearing loss, you’re depriving the auditory system of the stimulation it needs to run efficiently,” Saunders says.

“The longer you leave a hearing loss untreated, the less efficient the system becomes. It [your brain] forgets how to process certain sounds.”

“Your 90- or 80-year-old self is really going to suffer for your decision at 70 to wait.”

Dad is worried a hearing aid will give him an ear infection. Today’s popular models, called open-fit hearing aids, don’t plug your ear completely. Air and sound enter the ear freely. There is little wax buildup, and you won’t feel like your voice is booming when you speak.

At nearly 74, my father is also concerned a hearing aid will make him look old. (It’s a perfectly legitimate concern for such a handsome guy.)

These days, the only visible part of an open fit hearing aid is a tiny, clear tube going into your ear. The largest part is hidden behind your ear.

“Those tiny hearing aids which tuck behind your ear have advanced technology with directional capabilities,” Saunders says.

There are also implantable hearing aids that stay in your ear for three months at a time. Others fit deep in your ear canal and are removed nightly.

“If somebody wants an inconspicuous hearing aid, we have a ton of options to show them.”

It seems there are several completely invisible options, and an added benefit, according to Saunders, is that “you will appear younger, [because] you’ll be part of the conversation again.”

Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists are health professionals

Here’s another common concern: If you go to get tested at a place that sells hearing aids, are you more likely to end up leaving with one?She objected to the idea that places that both test hearing and fit for hearing aids are doing more than offering a needed service.

“If you’re seeing an audiologist you’re seeing a health professional. Everybody has to have a master’s degree or equivalent,” Kealey says.

Fitting hearing aids is only a small part of what an audiologist does. You may also be tested and fitted by a hearing instrument specialist who is college-trained specifically in hearing aid technology.

The hearing clinics I spoke with use differing combinations of both. Professional conduct doesn’t appear to be the real issue.

“The biggest problem we have is getting people with serious hearing problems in the door for a test,”  “Even if the problem is easy to solve, you’ll never know if you don’t get tested.”

‘Did Kleenex always make a sound?’

The key to a successful experience is working with professionals you feel comfortable with.

Improper device tuning during the fitting process can create unsatisfied customers. A skilled professional will be able to provide you with good results. “What makes the difference between a good hearing aid and a bad one is how it’s programmed.”

In the event that you need to go back a few times to get the programming or the fit just right, you need to feel confident you will get excellent service and all the time you need.

It is also important that people get assistance and counseling when acclimatizing to the change in their hearing.

Saunders says some clients have forgotten what the world really sounds like. Accustomed to living with hearing loss, they are not used to hearing natural sounds at normal levels. “They ask, ‘Did Kleenex always make a sound?’”

If you have any questions about the latest hearing aids and digital technology contact Hidden Hearing.

Source The Epoch Times: Read More>

Dad … Dad? DAD! It’s Time to Get a Hearing Test

Untreated hearing loss has a lot of social and emotional consequences, and loss in communication is typical.

You’d better take a deep breath and call from the top of your lungs if you want him to hear you from the living room.

Forget about talking to him on the phone—he won’t even answer it. He calls you a “mumbler.” The television volume is on max, always.

He just won’t admit he can’t hear and he won’t get tested. Sound familiar? Well, he’s my dad. Is he yours too?

He’s driving my mom crazy. “Instead of saying, ‘I didn’t hear you,’ he says, ‘you never told me,’” explains my mother. Miscommunication causes conflict, which is never good for a marriage.

Social activities have become more difficult for my parents. “It’s very annoying in the middle of plays, movies, or speeches, to have someone say, ‘What did he say?’ Now you have to stop listening to the rest of it to answer,” complains my mother.

When mom attempts to answer, dad will often respond “No, no. Not that. The other thing they said!” Other people in the audience fail to find this banter amusing.

My father’s hearing loss is becoming a source of resentment, especially because he’s refusing to acknowledge it. Now mom feels she’s stuck with his problem.

Loss in Communication

The loss in communication is typical, Hearing loss deteriorates slowly over time. Often the person with the hearing loss isn’t aware of the depth of the problem.

“People with hearing loss live in a world in which others expect them to hear normally. They may find themselves ridiculed, ignored or the target of anger and frustration,”

“If left untreated, hearing loss is proven to negatively impact interpersonal and family relationships.”

And so, in support of my mother (and maybe your mother too), I sought to find out all about hearing aids and hearing tests, or die trying.  According to the Canadian Association of Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) 10 percent of the general population, 20 percent of those over 65, and 40 percent of those over 75 have a significant hearing problem.

It seems my parents are certainly not alone.

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3

I decided to get my hearing tested. I called for an appointment. Most places that dispense hearing aids offer free testing. The tests are similar no matter where you go.

The first test involved plugging my ears and changing the air pressure in the canal followed by some rather loud tones played at a couple of frequencies.

Changing the air pressure tests the health of the eardrum. The loud sounds test the acoustic reflex, in short, the strength of the stapedius muscle that controls the movement of the stapes in response to loud noise.

The stapes and the stapedius are the smallest bone and muscle in the human body. They indirectly connect to the eardrum to transmit sound.

If the test findings are outside normal range, you will be referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist before being fitted with a hearing device. “We would always want to get medical clearance first,”

What happens if there’s a blockage? It may be good news. Taking the wax out of your ear is much cheaper than a hearing aid. It saved my grandmother several thousand dollars! Lucky for her, wax was her only problem.

Next, I was placed in a booth with glass windows. Each ear is individually tested at a variety of volumes and frequencies. When you hear a sound, you press a button. Simple.

Next comes the word recognition test. It tests how clearly you hear. Though generally in English, you can call around to different hearing clinics for an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist who speaks your language.

My test was completed in under an hour. Apparently my hearing was “excellent.”

Effective Communication Saves Time

It’s time to address father’s many concerns about hearing aids, which my mother wrongly calls excuses.

My dad has always been a chronic over-achiever, which is why he’s fun to be around. Instead of retiring, he’s busy running an art college. He says he simply has no time for a hearing test.

Unfortunately, people with hearing loss may end up creating extra work for themselves because of ineffective communication, resulting in lost time.

“If you invest time in your hearing, you save time because you become a more effective communicator,” says Bennett, “Plus it’s exhausting straining to hear all day.”

If you have any questions about hearing loss contact Hidden Hearing.

Source: The EpochTimes/ read more>

EU moving too slowly on noise pollution

Changes include: Preventing vehicles from distorting noise tests by using ‘ultra-quiet tyres’; Requiring vehicle manufacturers to provide consumers with noise information; Enforcing stricter limits for peak noise levels at 90 decibels.

Ambitious vehicle noise reduction proposals would enable eight million people to sleep soundly, cut noise annoyance by 39% and save €326 billion over 20 years, a Dutch research group says in a new report.

The cumulative effect, says the organisation that commissioned the report, is that “the benefits of cutting noise outweigh the costs by more than 30 times.”

The European Parliament’s environment, transport and internal market committees are currently considering a draft EU regulation tightening automobile noise emission limits that was produced last December.

But the study by the TNO consultancy effectively argues that this does not go far enough, or fast enough. The study was commissioned by the Netherlands’ environment ministry and the pressure group Transport and Environment (T&E),

“To speed up the benefits of noise reduction, you need bring forward the timetable for implementation,”  Nina Penshaw, a T&E spokeswoman, told EurActiv.

“You could ask industry to reach an overall noise reduction equivalent to taking half of today’s traffic off the road,” she said.

Health problem

Road traffic noise is Europe’s most ubiquitous environmental health problem, withmore than 44% of the population – 210 million people – estimated to regularly suffer volumes above 55 decibels.

At this level, voices must be raised to become audible and medical risks increase correspondingly, according to the World Health Organization.

Traffic noise can raise blood pressure, increase stress hormone levels and trigger cardiovascular problems, hypertension and mental illness. It can also cause insomnia, poor work performance and annoyance.

One recent study by CE Delft found that 50,000 people died prematurely and 200,000 suffered from cardiovascular disease each year in the EU because of traffic noise.

Reducing noise levels would save €89 billion in health costs by 2030, shave €8 billion off insulation expenses and add €229 billion to the property values, the TNO report says.

In 2012, Brussels proposed legislation with milestones in 2014 and 2017 to reduce noise levels for new cars and vans by 4 decibels and for new lorries and buses by 3 decibels.

The aim is to reduce the amount of people ‘highly annoyed’ by noise pollution by a quarter. But the new standards would not affect older auto models and because the sale of non-compliant noisy vehicles would not be restricted until 2019, the legislation’s benefits may only be fully felt after 2030.

Although we can’t help with noise pollution if you need advise on hearing protection or any aspect of hearing contact Hidden Hearing.

“Hard-Of-Hearing” is the proper term for hearing loss… and other revelations

Digital Hearing Solutions from Hidden Hearing

“Hard-of-hearing” is the proper term for hearing loss now – heard from experts who spoke about everythng from new technology to musicians and hearing loss at the Victoria Conference Centre at the recent Healthy Hearing Show.

We also learned that the average onset of hearing loss occurs at age 62 – six years before most people seek help for it.

Participants received basic hearing tests and saw demonstrations of state-of-the-art hearing aids, including a stethoscope-like instrument coupled with a tiny device that connects users to television via Bluetooth.

Hearing loss program assistant Dale Rolston showed off hot pink noise cancelling devices that were a big hit at the opening Royals game they cosponsored.

“Why are hearing aids so expensive?” was the question Oticon audiologist Andrew Towers was asked most often.

“It’s important to realize the sophistication of the technology and how much money goes into research and development,” he said.

“People will say ‘An iPad can do all this but costs so much less.’ I tell them: ‘A lot more people buy iPads.’ ”

Unitron’s Colleen Manuel reminded us hearing aids are “tiny computers” with ever-changing technology that doesn’t come cheap.

“Understanding is knowledge,” she said, adding many people have a difficult time accepting hearing loss.

“It takes seven to 10 years usually before they do something about actually getting a hearing aid.”

If you have any questions about Hearing Loss or Hearing Aids contact Hidden Hearing.

Source Times Colonist > Read more: