Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

History of Cornhole

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

The game of Cornhole is a very popular game, particularly in the Midwest. No one is exactly sure when it began but here is the best information we have concerning the history of cornhole.

There are many games which have their roots in ancient history. For example the game of horseshoes has similar aspects to cornhole. There is evidence that this game was played in Roman times and became a popular pastime. That is not the case for the game of cornhole bags however. The game of cornhole seems to have most likely begun in Cincinnati. It is widely believed that the game originated with a farmer named Jebediah Magilicutty who lived in the 1800ӳ. He is believed to have created this game and played it in his barn along with members of his family. According to rumors, he noticed boys throwing rocks into groundhog dens as a form of entertainment. In order to approximate this activity in a safe manner, he took a door affixed to the ground at an angle and drilled a hole towards one end. He then stuffed small burlap sacks with dried corn which approximated the size and shape of the rocks he saw thrown. There are other people who maintain that the game of cornhole originated in Europe and was introduced to America by immigrants. Whatever the true origins lie, this game evolved over the 19th century into a standard format. Cornhole boards are designed to measure two feet wide by four feet long and then contain a six inch hole bored near the rear end of the board. The rear portion of the board is generally elevated 12 inches high. There are two boards used in a game and they are required to be spaced twenty seven feet from front edge to front edge. This standard is followed today and used in sanctioned tournaments and most recreational games. It grew in popularity throughout backyards particularly in the Midwest and gained prominence as a tailgating pastime at Cincinnati Bengals games beginning around 1999. The game is played throughout America. It is still popular as a tailgating game although it is more commonly played for backyard family entertainment. The game is relatively easy to understand and play. Despite its simplicity, the game has developed a strong and loyal following and found an important place as an American pastime. It may not have its roots in ancient culture but it nevertheless is very well regarded and supported by many people in this country and throughout the world.

King of Cornhole Tournament

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Cornhole has been a popular backyard and recreational pastime for many years. However in recent years, it has really increased in popularity and taken on a much more competitive side. Many tournaments are played regularly culminating with the King of Cornhole Bags tournament. WeӬl discuss some of the details of this tournament further.

The tournament is arranged in elimination format over a three day period. It has five rounds. In order to play in the tournament, contestants must either win or purchase a Golden Ticket through the American Cornhole Organization which sanctions and manages this tournament. The top forty World players are automatically awarded bracket seed and they advance to the second round. All others are eligible to play in the first round and join up to 310 total players. Each player competes in four games and earns points scored against the competition. A perfect score in four games is 84. The top 24 points earning players will advance to the next round and join the top forty World players who were previously awarded bracket seed. The winning players from the first round will be advanced to the second round and seeded 41 to 64 in the King of Cornhole bracket based on their scores from the earlier round. Any players who do not advance to Round Two can play in the KOS Bracket Challenge unless they are recognized as American Cornhole Organization pros with a minimum of 145 world ranking points. This reduces the likelihood of overqualified contestants dominating over less skilled contestants and improves the fun and fairness of the competition. In Round 2, players compete in a field of 64 contestants and will play best 2 out of 3 games single elimination format. During this round the field is reduced to 16 winners which advance to Round 3. And in Round 3 the beginning field of 16 players competes and 4 winners emerge to advance to Round 4. During Round 4, these four players compete to end up with two finalists which play in the championship round. Fans and spectators are encouraged to attend this Championship as they have proven to be very exciting for all concerned. The crowning of the King of Cornhole culminates this terrific three day event which brings together hundreds of enthusiastic and loyal fans and players. It is a wonderful event which truly helps to bring a great deal of credibility and popularity to this ever growing sport.

The American Cornhole Organization

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Many people think of the game cornhole as a simple and enjoyable backyard sport. Many folks have played it on family picnics and with friends. However it has also become a very serious sport by a number of people who like to play in competitive sanctioned tournaments. The American Cornhole Organization developed to serve the need for a governing body to bring structure and organization to the game of cornhole.

The American cornhole Organization serves as the governing body for the sport of cornhole. It has been committed to provide programs and services which established and maintains cornhole standards, assuring its integrity and future, and helping to make the game of cornhole a very enjoyable experience for all those involved. This organization encourages people interested in the game of cornhole to join in order to take advantage of the many benefits available to them. The organization publishes very clear and detailed information on the rules of the game. It also makes available a great deal of information concerning how the court is to be established and laid out. It also provides information concerning the cornhole board and cornhole bags. There are also rules concerning proper conduct and how to handle disagreements and discrepancies. The organization sponsors a number of sanctioned tournaments around the country. They provide a very convenient way for people who are interested in sponsoring tournaments to get them sanctioned so that fair play is assured irregardless of location. The ACO wants to expand the popularity of the sport and they do all they can to encourage additional tournaments as a way to do so. They also help to promote the sport by making official merchandise available for purchase as well as interesting accessories like T-shirts and mugs to help raise awareness. There is an excellent website maintained by the organization which provides a great deal of information and detail on all aspects of this sport. You can find detailed rules and regulations posted here as well as current information on equipment and tournament schedules. They have also produced helpful videos which address rules of play as well as some tips to help you to score better on this game. The organization has helped to promote the game through posted videos on YouTube and public appearances on various newscasts. This organization has done an outstanding job improving the awareness and popularity of this game. Their goal is to continue to build on an ever popular sport which has been around for many years.

How to Play Cornhole

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Cornhole is an all American and fun game. It has been very popular for years due to its simplicity along with enjoyable challenges. If youӤ like to learn how to play cornhole, here are some helpful details.

In the game of cornhole, each player takes a turn throwing cornhole bags. This bag is typically a cotton bag filled with corn and it is thrown on to a raised platform with a hole on one end. These cornhole platforms are normally produced from plywood or plastic. They can also be decorated with fun colors or designs. The goal of the game is to throw the cornholecornhole bag on to the platform and get it to slide along the platform and into the hole. If the player does so, he/she earns 3 points. A player earns one point if he throws the cornhole bag on to the platform and it doesnӴ slide off. The game ends when one of the players reaches a score of 21. Cornhole games are broken down into innings. Within an inning, each player throws four cornhole bags to try to score points. A cornhole game can be arranged in either singles or doubles play. At the end of each inning if there are any cornhole bags remaining on the platform, that player earns one point. But the most points are earned when the cornhole bag goes into the hole at the end of the platform. This can occur if another thrown cornhole bag pushes it in or if you can slide it in during your toss. Some players can even throw the cornhole bag so that it drops in directly like a basketball. The scoring for cornhole normally occurs through cancellation. This means that if the first team pitches their bags and ends up with five points and then the second team scores three points, then the first team would end up with two points net. This type of play continues until one team or the other reaches 21 or more net points at the end of an inning. Sometimes the game is played such that a score must equal exactly 21 or the inning is played again at the last point. In either case, the winning team has to score at least two points higher than their opponents to win. So for example if the current score is 21 to 20, play must continue on further to get at least a two point spread. So thatӳ basically how you can play the game of cornhole.

Cornhole Rules

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

The game of Cornhole is a relatively easy game to play and follow. However there are some important cornhole rules to follow. WeӬl discuss some of these rules in greater detail.

These rules were developed and ratified by the American Cornhole Organization which is one of the largest and well regarded governing bodies related to the sport of cornhole. Cornhole is typically played with two slanted cornhole boards. Each board measures 2Ҡwide by 4Ҡlong by 12 inches high at the rear end. There is a six inch diameter hole drilled at the rear end of the board. The boards are normally constructed from high quality 5/8ԍ thick Baltic birchwood plywood which is coated with several coats of UV finish. This provides for a more consistent surface for tournament play. The boards for recreational play typically vary more in construction and finish but are generally sized the same. Cotton cornhole bags which measure 6Ԡx 6Ԡand which weigh approximately 16 ounces are thrown towards the board with the goal of getting the bag to slide or drop into the hole. Points are also scored if the bag is able to remain on the board at the end of a round. In sanctioned tournament play, the boards should be placed 27 feet apart as measured from the front of one board to another. Amateur or casual games allow for the distance to be 24 feet and Junior play is set at 20 feet. Games are organized into singles of doubles play. For singles format, each player competes against another player. They both pitch from the same board. And in doubles play, two players compete against another two man team. In this format, one member from each team pitches from the same board. For doubles play, each playerӳ partner is positioned directly across from him/her. This means that each player in the team pitches the bag from a different pitcherӳ box. This box is designated ahead of time and the players must not step out of the box when pitching. Each match is broken down into frames. During each frame, each player must pitch four bags. In the case of doubles play, the two players from each team pitch a total of eight bags. However each player still tosses four bags and then allows his opponent to pitch four bags. That original player then tosses his remaining four bags as does his opponent to finish up the frame. The opposite pairing of two opponents calls out the score before removing the bags from the board. It is important to remember that cornhole players must toss the bag within 15 seconds of stepping into the pitcherӳ box. The game is won when a player or team achieves 21 or more net points. A score of three points is made for tossing or sliding the bag into the hole and one point is awarded for keeping the bag on the board by the end of the inning. If you want to review these rules in full detail, you should check out the ACO website.

Cornhole The Movie

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Cornhole has become such a popular and often competitive sport that it is only natural that someone came up with the idea of producing a movie which entails a story involving cornhole players and tournaments. This production is now available on DVD and is entitled Cornhole the Movie. WeӬl provide some further details and interesting information.

cornhole the Movie tells the story of four teams on their way to the National Cornhole Championship. Itӳ an annual event which draws many people intent on winning the bronze sack. The movie follows the adventures of a wacky bunch of characters including a ԫnocked upԠJAP (Jewish American Princess), a mafia misfit, bounty hunters, and passionate Cuban exiles. All of these people are achieving their personal victory and their story really helps to bring in the attention and passions of the audience. The idea for this movie came about from the filmӳ producers noting how popular the game really is and how passionate its competitive players are. They felt it could be a great story which many people could get into and appreciate the trials and tribulations which many of us feel during our lives. The company behind the movie had the passion and inspiration to produce it. However they lacked much in the way of funds. So they improvised and became very creative when it came to ways to produce this movie as cheaply as possible. They did things like use students who worked for free in return for excellent experience. The producers of the movie also found ways to receive backing by providing a number of promotional opportunities within the movie. In this way they were able to provide food for cast and crew, obtain valuable promotional opportunities and many other aspects of producing the film which would otherwise be next to impossible without sufficient backing. There was such buzz generated for this film that there became little problem attracting a very experienced and outstanding cast for very little money. It became a labor of love for both cast and crew. The actual filming of the movie was finished very quickly in order to keep production costs to a minimum. The post production activities were done with the help of some of their very supportive partners. And volunteer technicians assisted with this phase as much as possible. All this generosity and hard work from such a talented and passionate group of people made a huge difference and allowed Cornhole the Movie to be produced and offer its audience a rare glimpse into the interesting and competitive world of the game called cornhole.

Tips for saving money that anyone can use!

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

These days everyone is trying to save money, whether you are old or young is no exception. I am a 23 year old homeowner who has been worrying about my retirement since I was about…12. Let me tell you about my best money saving tips.

First off, COUPONS! Yes clipping coupons from the Sunday paper can make you feel like an old maid. But take this into consideration; a lot of grocery stores will DOUBLE coupons up to 99 cents. You will also find that your favorite brands will have coupons. You can clip these and read store ads to see when they are on sale.Don’t forget to stock up on items that are on sale for the future either. Coupons are like free money, think about that next time you throw them in the trash.
Let’s not also forget about utility bills. I replaced every light bulb in my home with energy efficient bulbs, and my bill decreased about 9 dollars a month! It doesn’t seem like a lot but that is over 100 dollars a year. Also, check out your local electric company, many are willing to give rebates when you upgrade your appliances to energy efficient ones. So if you need to buy a new refrigerator anyway, it would be worthwhile to look it up.
If you have the internet, RESEARCH! Do not buy any major item until you have researched other prices! Try www.pricegrabber.com to see what everyone else is paying for the same item. Another idea is to look at www.Groupon.com. This may or may not be available in your city – but if it is you can save up to half off at restaurants and such!
My last tip is to budget, budget, budget. Sit down and calculate your monthly earnings and bills. If you don’t need it to survive (i.e. more clothes, shoes, and 60 inch flat screen TV)don’t buy it! Instead of going to the bar with friends, invite them over to your place and make your own drinks! Cutting back on going out to eat at restaurants can save tons of money. If you can’t give that up, look for deals and coupons, or even monthly dinner dates. Have money directly deposited into your bank account. Out of sight, out of mind! If you can save 20 dollars a month on utility bills, and 30 dollars a month on groceries you could be pocketing an extra 500 (that is FIVE HUNDRED!) dollars a year. What could be smarter?

Why buy a cornhole set when you can make one yourself for a quarter of the price

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Cornhole is a game played outside by people of all ages. It involves tossing a bag (usually full of corn) into your opponents hole on their wooden base. A set of 2 boards and 6 cornhole bags (3 for each 2-person team) would cost you $50 at a store, but they can be easily made for under $20 with simple items you can find at any general hardware store! (Local or Home Depot)

The supplies you will need are simple: wood, corn, cloth, nails, and maybe paint if you would like a custom set. Feel free to use any colors of cloth you want,

as it is your set and you can make it any color you prefer.

Making a cornhole set is very easy, first, you should sew your bags. You can do this by taking 2 pieces of cloth, putting corn in the middle, and sewing them together either using a needle and thread, or a sewing machine. The cornhole bags shouldn’t be too large, but not too small either. Repeat this step until you’ve got 6 bags.

Then, you will want to assemble your bases. Start by nailing the wood together in the shape of a cornhole base. Here’s in image to assist you:

http://home.fuse.net/mikebrungs/graphics/cornhole.jpg

Repeat the process 2 times and paint your boards and there you have it! Your own customized cornhole set!”

TRY IT!

Monday, March 14th, 2011

I was very glad to write the review about my Oreck XL vacuum cleaner. At the time I was really mad on searching portable vacuum cleaner. I found this vacuum cleaner on the online market. I had purchased on the advice of my friend who is familiar with vacuum cleaners

My wife was really amazed on the size of this vacuum cleaner. At first I was little bit doubted on its performance. However later it cleans the floor or any surface very quickly and its performance is also good.
My wife thought that this vacuum cleaner is very user friendly and easy to clean the dust. It takes little current and less time to charge. Only disadvantage of this vacuum cleaner is that sometimes it produce some kind of noise but not every time.
The surface is very clean when we used this vacuum cleaner. You should be very careful while buying this in online. And also you should aware of duplicate products in market. When we come to cost comparison, it is little costlier than any other products. However it is worth for what we spend.
I would recommend you to buy this Oreck vacuum cleaner as it is better than any other. It also has a warranty for two years and guarantee for one years. It also comes up with different colors and models. You have wide variety of vacuum cleaners to choose. Thank you for reading. Choose wiser and live happier!

Super Suction

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Not knowing much about vacuums, I would always buy a cheap Hoover brand and that would be enough for me because it would simply get rid of the stuff on the floor that i can see.

Until my friend advised me of the Dyson DC07 All Floors Vacuum. When i went out to buy it, I thought the price was pretty hefty, around $400 packs a punch in your wallet. But since I bought it at Costco and if i didn’t like it, i can return it. The 5 year warranty helps as well.

I took it home and figured the vacuum out pretty quickly, very user friendly, hooked it up and started vacuuming my carpet. You should know that when i was vacuuming, my carpet wasn’t dirty or so i thought.

After 20 minutes i check the bin and was just amazed by the stuff i picked off the floor. From thin dog hair to tiny pieces of dirt that i could not see. Now that I’m done to keep the suction well all you need to do is wash the filter every now and than. I don’t have to waste money on mediocre vacuums and their bags anymore!

The only small flaw i see with this vacuum is that its maybe a bit heavy for small people since it weights about 20lbs.

A Very Loud But Working Dirt Devil

Monday, March 14th, 2011

I purchased the Dirt Devil Featherlite Bag less’ Upright from Target about 2 years ago. I have used regularly about once every 1.5 weeks since I bought the vacuum. Upon opening the box to the vacuum there were some minor pieces that had to be put together. For the most part this was easy and the instructions were straight forward. However the screws were extremely small. This could prove to be a challenge for some buyers.

The vacuum comes with a variety of attachments including: an hose, a pointed nozzle, and a fixed brush head. The process of switching the vacuum from normal upright mode to attachment mode is as simple as disconnecting a small hose on the front of the vacuum and attaching the included longer hose.

Vacuuming with this unit is effortless. The vacuum is indeed light and does collect particles off my rugs efficiently. The cord is plenty long enough for my studio apartment but it would be harder with a large space. The only complaint about the operation of the vacuum is that it is extremely loud. If you were in a situation where any loud noise is an issue, this would not be the vacuum for you.

Cleaning the bag less’ container is a cinch. Included in the bag less’ container is also a filter that can be replaced as needed.

Overall the vacuum performs exceptionally well for the low price I paid for it. I would highly recommend for someone on a budget without any issues with the noise.

A new home, a new vacuum

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Well, I had just purchased a condo that was almost completely carpeted. So it was time to purchase a vacuum. I went in searching for vacuums that were good but yet would not break the bank since I was quite a bit in debt. A friend had recommended the Hoover Self propelled Windtunnel. However, looking at prices I did not think that I could manage it as much as I really wanted to get it. I did my research and then went into the store. Lo and behold when I went into Sears they had one of the Hoover Self Propelled Windtunnels at really discounted price because someone had returned it without a box.

I verified is the same warranty applied to this unit as it would to one that came in the box and they said yes. So I did not think twice and of course I got it. I got it for half the regular retail price on it.

I have had this vacuum know for nine years and love it as much as I did on that first day that I saw it in the store. It vacuums great and it has wonderful features. I love that it is self-propelled. I also like that you can switch it from carpet to floor. The attachments are also quite easy to use and do not require a lot of manipulation to use them. Most importantly it has a great suction and picks up any small particle on the carpet or on the floor.

As in any item, the vacuum does have a few negatives and this come with purchase the bags and belts. They are quite hard to find in the store and if you do find them, they are more expensive then your average vacuum. Overall though, I would highly recommend the Hoover Self propelled wind tunnel.

TITLE#Why buy a cornhole set when you can

Monday, March 14th, 2011

TITLE#Why buy a cornhole set when you can make one yourself for a quarter of the price#/TITLE#

Cornhole is a game played outside by people of all ages. It involves tossing a bag (usually full of corn) into your opponents hole on their wooden base. A set of 2 boards and 6 cornhole bags (3 for each 2-person team) would cost you $50 at a store, but they can be easily made for under $20 with simple items you can find at any general hardware store! (Local or Home Depot)

The supplies you will need are simple: wood, corn, cloth, nails, and maybe paint if you would like a custom set. Feel free to use any colors of cloth you want,

as it is your set and you can make it any color you prefer.

Making a cornhole set is very easy, first, you should sew your bags. You can do this by taking 2 pieces of cloth, putting corn in the middle, and sewing them together either using a needle and thread, or a sewing machine. The cornhole bags shouldn’t be too large, but not too small either. Repeat this step until you’ve got 6 bags.

Then, you will want to assemble your bases. Start by nailing the wood together in the shape of a cornhole base. Here’s in image to assist you:

http://home.fuse.net/mikebrungs/graphics/cornhole.jpg

Repeat the process 2 times and paint your boards and there you have it! Your own customized cornhole set!”

No title?

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Speaking of good movies.  One of my all time favorites is Mr. Holland’s Opus.  Yeah, it’s a relatively old one, but gosh, it makes me feel good, especially at the end when Mr. Holland’s Opus is played.

This movie, too, like The Blind Side, shows what can happen when you take an interest in other people and do things to try to help them.  It shows how a little kindness, a little personal investment, can pay off with great rewards for the other person – and for you, even if you don’t see it at the time.

It also shows how we can make our grandiose plans for our lives – or even just normal plans – and while we may never achieve what we thought we wanted for our lives, instead we’ve actually reaped something far greater.

If you’ve never seen Mr. Holland’s Opus, I recommend it for an evening’s viewing.  It might be considered a ‘chick flick’ but even for you guys who feel like you’re not achieving what you wanted out of life, it’s good to watch.  It’s a good reminder that, as a line in the movie states, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

The Blind Side

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Have you seen the movie The Blind Side yet?  It’s been out a while and just made it to the cheap seats, which is what I’ve been waiting for.

The clips and trailers made it look like a superb movie and I couldn’t wait for it to get to the $3 theater.  It turned out to be a good movie, but as with every movie that I’ve expected a lot from, it underdelivered against my expectations.

However, it is still a very good story.  A small act of kindness by a child leads to an act of kindness by his mom.  This leads to a more extensive outreach into a person’s life and before you know it, he’s part of the family, his life forever changed.  A true story, too.

Stories like this just show how we don’t know how our reaching out to help another person in need will change their lives – and ours.

If you buy a cart of groceries for a needy neighbor, it might not end up with such far reaching consequences as this family had in the movie, but I guarantee you’ll make your neighbor’s day. But you never know what moment will touch someone’s life so much that it changes the course of their destiny.

The Great Dental Rip-Off

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Speaking of the dentist.  How is it they can possibly get away with charging so much for services?  And why don’t we have better dental coverage that pays for more of the charges like a good health care plan does?

A root canal easily costs nearly $1000.  That’s $1000 for a TOOTH.  And then if you need a crown on that tooth afterwards, that’s easily another $600 or more.  And these are prices WITH dental coverage.

Why does work on one tooth cost so much money?  You can buy a decent running car for that much money.  You can make mortgage payments for that.  I don’t get it.  But what are the options?  Let the tooth rot and have it pulled?  Sure, you can.  Then what about the next tooth that goes bad?  Yikes.  Either you end up broke or toothless.

Of course, the best plan is to not get in this position of needing dental care of such depth, but if you’re past that point, you know what I’m talking about.  It’s sickening and depressing.

TV – DVD Combos Rock

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

We saw the coolest television at the dentist a while back.  Okay, admittedly we’re not up on the latest technical advances out there, so this is probably old news for many people.  But, they had a flat screen television (yes, we’ve seen those before, hah!) with a DVD player built in (that’s the really cool part!)

I love that we can have one less thing (a standard DVD player) cluttering up the room.  Of course, the down side is that if the DVD player breaks, you have to take in the entire unit for repair.  But we hardly watch TV anyhow, so that wouldn’t be a great loss while it’s in the shop.

But, I think it would be worth it to have the TV on the wall and the DVD player integrated into it.  Nice and neat.  No muss, no fuss.  Surprisingly, there were only 2 models of TV with DVD integrated when we went looking at them.

No, we didn’t get one.  As nice as it is, we can’t see spending much money, if any, for a television.  Usually we get

Is a TV Room Worth It?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

I had never considered having a TV room in my house, but after last night, I like it!   We were at our church, which has just moved into a new building.  And in this new building is a new ‘nursing mothers’ room.  The old nursing mothers room was a room with a 1-way window looking out into the sanctuary and regular padded seats.  Regardless of the privacy the one-way window provided, it’s still a little weird to get into a nursing state with several hundred people sitting on the other side of the glass and walking by, looking at themselves in the ‘mirror’ of the window.

But the new room is a fairly small room with 2 rocking recliner-gliders and a good sized wall-mounted flat screen TV with the service piped in there.  It’s a very comfortable room.

It’s so comfortable that I no longer dread nursing during the service.  And it made me consider how comfortable and cozy a TV room would be in a house where television isn’t the main gathering place.  It would eliminate people walking in front of the screen or being bothered by other noise in the house. And likewise, it would eliminate the television bothering other people in the house.

24… No More?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

I am a “24” fan.  Have been from the first season.  It’s one of the shows that I think gets better every season (with the exception of perhaps season 3 or 4, which I didn’t care much for.)  I read something the other day saying this may be their last season.

What?!  No!

Apparently there aren’t enough viewers anymore and it’s too costly to produce.  This is sad.  They may turn it into a movie format instead, but that’s just not the same. That’s no longer “24” unless they make 12 movie sequels (12 movies x 2 hours = 24 hours) but that won’t work, so I’m guessing the movie will just be a movie.

24 isn’t without it’s flaws, but I still enjoy it. They still manage to keep me on the edge of my seat every week wondering what the next twist will be.

I just finished watching last night’s episode online.  So… will Manhattan be taken out?  Will Dana surrender?  Will Cole be taken down with her?

And does Cole resemble Keanu Reaves or what?  Not so much physically but facial expressions and voice.

Sigh… now to wait another week until next Tuesday morning.

People are People

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

When people are different from us, its easy to judge them or have some kind of preconceived idea that affects the way we treat them.  Not always, not everyone, but if we’re honest, we know it’s true more often than not and more than it should.  Good looking, bad looking, obese, rail thin, jock, geek…

A friend sent me a link yesterday with an interview of some lady who went undercover into an evangelical Christian church.  Undercover?  In a church?  What, are they some kind of illegal group or mafia-type now that you have to go in undercover?

She wrote a book – naturally – about her experience.  I don’t know what all her findings were, but she did mention in her interview that after she got past her preconceived ideas about them, she realized… Christians are people, too.

Do we do that?  Judge people or groups to the point that we don’t even see them as human any more?  Do we forget that they have feelings, ideas, children, parents, jobs?  The people you come across in your daily activities — if they don’t look like you, even if they don’t act like you, even if they believe things you would never believe in, remember… they’re still just people, too.

Maori Ta Moko

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

As I lept from video to video about sock poi or poi in general, I happened across a video about Maori doing a poi performance. The link is in yesterday’s post. I remember the first time I heard about the Maori, it was in reference to body tattoos and how they will tattoo their face as part of their cultural traditions. It seemed a bit over the top on one hand, but cultural traditions are what they are, so I completely understand from that point of view.

But the more tattooed faces I saw, the more I liked them. They’re not just tattoos to stand out or be different or be like everyone else. They’re symmetrical, they tell a story, they’re part of their heritage. They’re Ta Moko. The men usually have spiral tattoos over their entire face; the women on the lips and chin only.

I wondered what it would be like to see a businessman with a Maori tattoo in the US. They look so good (to me, anyhow, and I’m not a tattoo fan either) that I think it wouldn’t be long at all before I would stop noticing the tattoo altogether and it would become part of the person.

Sock Poi Rocks

Monday, March 8th, 2010

We happened across a new and, in my opinion, very intriguing activity the other day – poi spinning.  Poi has its roots with the Maori of New Zealand and if you’ve been to Hawaii, you’ve probably seen it there, too, at a luau or other traditional festival.

Poi spinning is better seen than described.  This is Maori poi.  Looks easy enough, right?  This is a more modified version of poi spinning.  This lady is good!

You can purchase poi spinners, or you can make a really cheap pair of sock poi (Google ‘sock poi’) by putting a juggling ball or tennis ball or small bag of rice into a long sock.  You can also put a cord through a tennis ball for an inexpensive poi.

We’re excited to get started – not only the two of us, but the kids as well.  We spent an hour or two watching poi videos online this weekend and the kids (okay, and us, too) kept exclaiming how cool it looks and how they want to try it.

Hey… it’s cheap, it’s something everyone can try, it improves flexibility and coordination, and it’s a workout at the same time.  All that from tennis balls and socks – go figure.

Invasion of the Body Scanners

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Airport security is changing.  And you probably won’t like it, especially if you’re on the more modest side of things when it comes to baring body parts.

Are you wondering what body parts and airport security have in common?  Well, right after the so-called underwear bomber of Christmas 2009 failed to take down a plane, the scramble was on to install full-body scanners in many airports around the country.  They basically take a full body xray to be sure you’re not carrying anything you shouldn’t.  The scary thing is, these images show… well… everything.  It’s the x-ray vision of the comic books of old where people could see through clothing with the proper technology.  That technology is here.

The good news is it will be much harder for someone to carry something on board a plane that they shouldn’t.  For example, the so-called underwear bomb would have been detected by such a scan.  Thankfully, despite not having the body scan in place yet, he was not able, for whatever reason, to bring the plane down.

Are you willing to let your body be x-rayed, showing all your private body parts, in order to fly safer?