Yahoo! Answers

Choosing a Featured User of the month is getting harder and harder. Again, we had some great nominations so thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate someone.

Our winner this month was nominated more than once. Congrats Miraca Ereshi!

Miraca has only been around since April 2012, but already her presence has been felt. Let’s meet Miraca who is a Top Contributor in Special Education.

Savannah, Georgia

“My name is Miraca Ereshi and I am from Savannah, Georgia. Back when I lived in Savannah, I used to visit a park called “Forsythe Park Fountain” where I would make wishes about my grandmother becoming healthier during her significant battle with cancer. I would throw pennies in the wishing well.”

Wishing well at Forsythe Park Fountain: Courtesy of Miraca

Dyscalculia

“I have dyscalculia (a math learning disability). I had a significant academic delay in mathematics. I was accused of being lazy and not dependent enough to accept the help I was getting, which wasn’t true. I was getting straight U’s in mathematics all my life until my parents finally decided to seek help for my math differences.”

“I got evaluated and was diagnosed with Dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is very similar to “math dyslexia” except they visualize numbers a little different and more significant than dyslexia. So then a special education teacher accommodated me for two straight years in Algebra and Geometry. I couldn’t even tell time until the end of 10th grade.”

“My parents made me count everything. I had to count how much cereal (which sounds silly but helped a lot), count buttons on my cable remote, and I had to calculate prices when going to the store. At the end of 10th grade, I improved. My counting skills have gotten better, but I still have Dyscalculia and continue to battle with it.”

Miraca's inspiration...Albert Einstein

Autism

“I am now in college majoring in special education and psychology. I have a high functioning autistic cousin, which is how I gained interest in the special education field. I also volunteered in a deaf and hard of hearing classroom at the ages of 15-16, where they also taught me plenty of sign language. I have worked with autistic children at Wisconsin Easter Seals for a summer.”

“Autism is such a broad spectrum, where it covers people from the non-verbal level to high functioning. A person could be severely disabled or very high functioning. They have such unique abilities. Many people with Autism might find it hard to make small talk, but that’s a blessing and a curse. The blessing is the way they give detailed information about their obsessive topics is so unique. They could focus on something for more than two hours without being distracted. Us neurotypicals can’t even do that. That’s why sometimes I wish that I had the obsessive qualities of people with autism.”

“People with autism have neurological differences, were there’s differences in social development. That’s a curse, but can be a gift. I teach individuals on Yahoo Answers! about their disabilities and how to cope with it. I tell them to make the best out of it. It’s not easy, but everyone has their differences in life. You just have to accept the help your receiving and try to gain the appropriate coping skills. I just love topics about autism. I could go on and on about autism.”

Yahoo! Answers and Miraca

“Yahoo! Answers has taught me to take criticism wherever I go. There are times were users would thumb my answers down and I would get upset. I have learned that there will always be disagreements. That’s one advantage of being on Yahoo! Answers. There would be some users who would email me rude messages because they hated the answer I gave. I have learned not to comment on other users questions if they can’t take constructive criticism.”

“I love everyone on Yahoo Answers. And it has been a great experience so far. I want to thank everyone for the support in reaching out to the community.”

“I hope to become a teacher or a psychiatrist for special needs individuals. I am a huge advocate for special education.”

Thanks for reading my story!

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Let’s give a big round of applause to our December Featured User. Congratulations Kay Lancaster! She’s been an Answers Community Member since August 2007. She’s also a Top Contributor in Fashion & Accessories and Hobbies & Crafts. So we just had to highlight Kay.

Let’s meet Kay!

“I’m Kay Lancaster, and I’m the only person I know of who got an internet domain as an “engagement ring” – just what I asked for! My computer engineer husband and I live in rural western Oregon, in the first set of foothills of the Cascade mountains, just south of Portland. When we met, there was no World Wide Web, and the internet consisted primarily of scientists, engineers, researchers, bulletin boards and USENET,  no photos, sounds, movies, or ways to shop online.  And that was only about 20 years ago!”

“The internet has grown enormously during that time, and changed in some very astounding ways.  It’s allowed us to form friendships all over the world, and meet extraordinary people, as well as build online communities where you can teach, learn and and find out about all sorts of things.  That has certainly been one of the biggest social changes during my life.”

Love For Sewing

“If you’ve met me on Yahoo! Answers, there’s a pretty good chance that you sew or want to learn to sew: most of the questions I answer tend to deal with sewing, textiles or fibers.  Although my professional training is in the life sciences, sewing has been a major thread (pardon the pun!) in my life.”

“I started machine sewing when I was about 5,  and have used sewing and other textile crafts as a creative and technical recreation for more than 50 years now.  Over the years, I’ve made lots of clothes, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, special purpose bags and gear.  Sometimes a project goes well, while other times it doesn’t, but I always learn something new with each project. Sharing what I’ve learned of sewing, pattern making and draping is something I really enjoy.”

Blacktail Mule deer grazing just at twilight in Oregon

Oregon Living

“Because I spent my early life in Iowa, Oregon has had some sharp contrasts for me.  As I write this, the winter rains have started.  We get most of our precipitation from October through June, then go dry for summer.  Summers are especially nice with cool and dry conditions.  Winter temperatures in the Willamette Valley, where most Oregonians live, tend to be fairly warm.  We usually get a couple of days below freezing a year, but if you want snow, you probably have to go visit it in the mountains. (This is a welcome change from snow shoveling in Iowa!).  The photo above was taken during one of the rare snowstorms in the valley; these are blacktail mule deer grazing just at twilight.”

“With our relatively mild growing conditions, we’ve got a lot of different crops here, ranging from wine grapes to hops for beer making to soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and apricots.  One of our favorite pastimes is sampling all the good food grown and prepared here.  You can still find farm stands next to the road selling produce on the honor system: take a basket of blueberries or a bag of hazelnuts, leave the asking price in the box.”

Beyond Sewing and Answers

“What do I do in my spare time besides sewing and working on Y!A? I enjoy embroidering by hand — the photo is of a friendship quilt block I did for an internet friend in Australia — fusing glass, DIY home repair projects, hiking, and helping run book sales to benefit the local library.  Keeps me busy! Occasionally, I even find the time to write some mini-tutorials for questioners on Answers!”

Thanks for reading,

**Nominate a User for December now! Just email us at y_answrs_favorites@yahoo.com. Tell us why and make sure you provide the link to their profile. Thanks!

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Let’s introduce one of our September featured users…

Meet The Singer. She’s been a member since May 2006.

In the “Singer’s own words”

“This was like receiving an “academy award” in my opinion”

“I was a Christmas baby - born on Wednesday, December 24, 1952, in Bessemer, Alabama. My father was a minister and my mother a teacher and nurse. When I was six months, I was told my dad, searching for better employment, left Alabama and we relocated to Gary, Indiana.”

“I grew up in several neighborhoods and finally settled on Polk Street, not yards from where the Jackson family lived.  I attended Garnett Elementary School along with Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine Jackson.  They went on to Roosevelt, while I went to Carver.  I was nine-years-old and I remember the times when the whole neighborhood would be filled with their music as they practiced.  They were not allowed to play with other kids that much.  They always kept their heads down and rushed home from school.  Eventually, my father and mother separated and my mother took my sister and I back to Alabama, where our grandfather had a ‘family home’.”

Meet The Singer!

“I was shy, but loved music and would come home from church after hearing the spiritual and gospel songs and would repeat what I had heard on our family’s piano.  One day, my mother’s piano teacher, Mrs. Willie Emma Smith, heard me, and encouraged my mom to allow me to take music lessons. That was the beginning of my musical career”

“My Uncle was the deacon and janitor of the church.  I can still see the deacon standing in the doorway of the church, and asking me “Do you know how to play that thing?”  I responded, “No, but I can play some songs”.  He said, “Do you want to take some lessons and learn”. My response of course was ‘yes!”  He gave me a year’s free lessons with one of the most significant musicians of our town”

“By the age of 12, I was playing organ and leading our Youth Choir and Sunday school.  One evening, my aunt brought home some visitors.  They were Art Tatum and Lee Morgan.  It was a girl’s first love!  Lee Morgan was not only handsome, but was a talented horn player with plenty of records to his name.  I had no idea of the company I kept.  He would sit with me and teach me jazz chords and encourage me to play and sing for myself.  He signed his autograph for me and later when I was in college, our family had an opportunity to see him and Art in concert.”

“I continued to play and sing, but during this time, the civil rights movement was at fast pace. One Sunday, we were in church service and on a small transistor radio that one of the members had on IN THE MIDST OF SERVICE, my aunt decided we would leave and make the trek to Selma. Just before approaching the marchers, my aunt, in her Electra 225, slowly pulled up as close as drivers could get and in the midst of soldiers perched in trees with rifles, heavy loaded trucks and other vehicles, opened the doors and told us to get out and walk. Dr. King was surrounded by so many people, but saw my sister and I, and pulled us forward.  We walked with him for at least five street blocks.  It was like nothing I had ever experienced before”

“While in college, I joined a singing group (SOFTOUCH) and was managed by Billy Henderson, of the Spinners.  He prepared us for performing, singing, and taught us all that Motown had been.  We were taught to dance by Cholly Atkins, and had musical arrangements and voice lessons by the best.  Eventually, we recorded a single entitled “After You Give Your All”…I was the lead vocal.  Can you imagine what it was like for four young women to hear their voices on the radio for the firs time?  It was like nothing I can even explain now.”

“Eventually, we went on to record an album, “SOFTOUCH’ (you can find our material on YOUTUBE) and I was the lead singer.  When the group eventually moved to California, we continued recording and working.  We were like the “80′s version of the Supremes.  My time in California was wonderful!  Because I could play and sing, I was offered positions in the film industry to act, play and perform in several movies.”

Softouch

“After an array of earthquakes, a marriage, a child, I decided that I wanted to turn my attention back to teaching and left California so that I could devote my time to rearing my daughter.  I began teaching Middle school Reading and Language Arts and have been happy ever since.”

“In my spare time, I enjoy reading, and playing piano and singing as well as administering advice to the Answers column. My future plans include brushing up my songs list and heading for the shores of Durbin, South Africa to entertain and teach.”

Thanks for reading,

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Let’s introduce one of our September featured users…

Meet batraylover. She’s been a member since 2006 and is a Top Contributor in Toys.

Let’s get to know you

“Originally born in Perrysburg, Ohio, a town most people have never heard of, I found myself in Southern California at a very young age. I have always had a passion for children, and spent many years teaching Sunday school, working in preschools, and working in daycare centers. I also provided in home childcare over the years. My favorite age group to work with is preschoolers, I love the 3-5 year old age set. I think it’s my favorite because they haven’t had time to make conclusions about the world yet, they are so innocent, sweet, and trusting.”

“When I stopped teaching, I spent some time writing curriculum, which I distributed on the web site 4 Shared. Eventually, I stopped writing curriculum, that’s when my love of toys came out on Yahoo Answers. I began researching toys “just for fun” and it quickly turned into an obsession. Now I enjoy checking databases for toy prices and helping people locate toys from their childhood. This love of toys has made me Top Contributor in the Toys section.”

“I love the ocean, so much in fact that I don’t eat seafood. I just think of all the cute dolphins and fish swimming around out there, and I think how can I eat them? Many people ask me about the nickname “batraylover”. A lot of people think it says betraylover and they think that I was betrayed by a lover in the past and I’m bitter about it. A bat ray is a type of ocean creature in the skates and ray family. They are related to stingrays, devil rays, eagle rays, and manta rays. The bat ray is my absolute favorite ocean creature, so I use it as my nickname on websites that I frequent.”

Batraylover's favorite ocean creature

“When I’m not on Yahoo Answers, I spend most of my time watching DVD’s both from my home collection and from Netflix. When I’m not watching DVD’s with my boyfriend, we enjoy doing things together. Our favorite place to go together is down by the bay to watch the ships pull in and out of the harbor. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful city.”

“Speaking of my boyfriend, we met on Craigslist of all places. I fell in love with him through e-mails and phone calls long before we ever met in person. The day we met, we knew that it was meant to be. We’ve been together since January 2008, and we have so much fun together.”

“He’s a big kid, and so am I, so we are perfect for each other. We are both Disney fanatics, I ordered a princess birthday cake for my big 30 which I celebrated earlier this year. I have also become a Star Trek fan, okay perhaps fan is not a strong enough word since I own a talking Tribble and am a member of Starfleet International.”

Princess birthday cake for batraylover's 30th

Oh Answers, Where did you come from?

“I stumbled upon Yahoo Answers on December 5, 2006…wow that seems like forever ago! At the time, I had used Google to search for an answer to a Math question for my college computers course. The question back then was “How do I represent the decimal number 10 in base 3?” I received a very helpful answer, and that was when I was hooked on Yahoo Answers.”

My Favorites

“My favorite question that I ever asked on Yahoo Answers was about Star Trek. I had just met my boyfriend, and I was getting ready to watch a Star Trek Movie for the very first time. I wanted to impress my boyfriend by knowing all of the characters names (because who doesn’t know the Star Trek characters?). So, I turned to Yahoo Answers and got a fabulous answer from Gregory: Star Trek Characters – Need Answers Quick? As comical as this answer seems now, boy did it help me back then. I was able to identify the characters when we watched the movie and impress my boyfriend (we are still together, yeah!).”

“To date, I have answered 12,835 questions and 4,843 of those have been named best answers. I’ve given a lot of answers over the years that I have loved for many different reasons. Some, like “Little Plastic Dogs That Pee” are just plain hilarious.”

“And then there are those questions like “Is It Possible To Fall In Love With Someone You Have Never Met?” which I really enjoyed answering because my own life experiences prove that it’s possible. My advice to anyone who is thinking about giving up on the dating scene is that there is someone out there for everyone, and sometimes when you least expect it, love will find you!”

“I hope that Yahoo Answers is around for a very long time to come, and I would love to see them add more levels, as I reached the maximum level 7 ages ago!”

Thanks for reading,

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