Youth and youth-friendly people have a reason to come to the 47th Annual Jubilee on October 10th & 11th, 2003. Why is this year different? Time's up! The answer is this year there's a huge push to get youth to come for the entire weekend. The Jubilee Chairpersons, Barry and Sandy Binge, have added a new branch to the Jubilee Committee. The Youth Committee, consisting of a Youth Coordinator, Sarah Riegelhaupt-Herzig, and a Youth Advisor, Mary Gingell, is expanding the Youth Program.
How will the new Youth Program work? The answer is simple. First, the old 2-hour "Youth Program" has been extended to three hours from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. This period is focused specifically on youth where we get to dance o the calling of SCVSDA's Top 10 Callers as well as the Featured Callers, Joe Saltel and Phil Farmer. During this time, kid-friendly people are welcome to dance with us on our turf.
In addition, the Jubilee has planned 3 dangle dances, where youth will be awarded dangles for participation. Also, youth will have our very own After-party Friday night. Join us for frog-themed games and dancing. We will even have a special visitor.
Saturday join us for lunch. Bring a bag lunch (or purchase lunch from our order form) and the Jubilee Committee will supply the drinks. In the evening, enjoy the Santa Maria BBQ offered this year for the first time half-priced for all youth up t 18 years old.
Of course the youth are also invited to participate in all dance programs throughout Jubilee. Jubilee will feature Phil Farmer, Joe Saltel, and the SCVSDA Top Ten Callers calling full Plus and Advanced Programs as well as Bob Malthouse on Rounds. Youth are welcome to meet one another in the special youth corner of each hall. Dancing starts Friday night at 7 p.m. and goes through 11 p.m. Saturday night.
Youth, youth, youth, support our new Youth Program on October 10th and 11th, 2003 at Jubilee!
[ This was the first major writing I did after becoming home-schooled. I did not have much experience with writing articles, though I was rather good at persuasive writing already, so this was an excellent learning experience. This was also part of a bigger learning experience in leadership, since I was running the youth program. Though that does not directly relate to the evolution of my writing, I think anything where you need to compose your thoughts, such as running this event, helps with writing capability in the deeper sense because being able to sort out what you are thinking about extends to all parts of life and writing is on the top ten things effected, in my opinion.]
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mancala & Awale
Mancala is a family of games. The many different variations of Mancala are spread across most of Africa and the Middle East. Forms and variations of Mancala are present in Nigeria. One of these is Awale.
Awale has many other names. These names include Ayo, Awari, Wari, Owar and Woaley. As well as tittles, Awale also has multiple variations, differing rules and assorted boards. The way boards can differ has a minute impact on the game and boards are easily improvised.
The Awale board has twelve equal holes. All the holes. All the holes are in two congruent, horizontally parallel rows. These holes are called cups. A board may or may not have two additional holes on either end. If the board does have such holes, they are called banks and are used for holding captured seeds. If there are no such holes, it is a possibility use the edge of the board or ground near the board as a storage place for captured seeds.
Seeds can be substituted with beans, stones or just about anything that is a similar size. Of course, many of whatever type of item is selected will be needed to play. Forty-eight playing pieces are needed for Awale. Each of the twelve holes, not including the banks, must contain four pieces to begin play. Now it’s time to play.
Awale is a two person game. In Awale, the first step is to pick the person who will go first. That person will take the seeds out of any one of the holes of his/her side. Moving counter-clockwise, the player will drop one seed in each hole, not including the banks, until no more seeds are left in the hand. If the last hole that the first person lands in was on their opponents’ sides, then he/she takes all the seeds in that hole and puts them in their bank. If the last seed is emptied on the player’s own side, nothing further is done. Then it’s the other player’s turn to do the same.
The game goes on until the person who’s turn it is cannot go. Then, the player who still has seeds remaining takes all the seeds left and puts them in the bank. The player with the most seeds wins. Awale also has many variations.
Here are a couple variations. Some people play that a player can only capture seeds in a whole that has two or three seeds in it. Others play that the player picks up the seeds in the last hole in which they land as long as there were seeds there before placing the player placed the seed from the hand in the hole. If the place where the last seed was placed is on the player’s own side, the player takes the seeds in the adjacent hole on the opponent’s side. If it was on the opponent’s side, the player would do nothing. This game uses a lot of math.
First, there is the obvious math, counting. The player must count the pieces in a hole and plan which hole to choose that will count out to the hole that will get the most seeds. That is also where strategy comes into play. The strategy is in the math and math is a major contributor to the game of Awale. Winning takes strategy in many ways.
Strategy is needed to know which holes are best to land in and how to land in these holes. Another strategy is how to prevent the opponent from getting a large number of seeds.
Awale is an interesting form of Mancala. As all forms of Mancala are different, a person may think this is not how Mancala is supposed to be played. It is not the way to play Mancala; it is one of many ways to play. It is also the most popular way in Nigeria. There is no right way to play Mancala.
[This is only a very small part of a gigantic project called the World's Fair Project. The full project extended over a full quarter with tons of research and creativity as well as many late nights up finishing this or touching up that. The World's FAir Project was my first real research project and mine was on Nigeria. This certain part of the project was very helpful in learning how to write instructions. That should come in handy some day, even if it has not yet.]
Awale has many other names. These names include Ayo, Awari, Wari, Owar and Woaley. As well as tittles, Awale also has multiple variations, differing rules and assorted boards. The way boards can differ has a minute impact on the game and boards are easily improvised.
The Awale board has twelve equal holes. All the holes. All the holes are in two congruent, horizontally parallel rows. These holes are called cups. A board may or may not have two additional holes on either end. If the board does have such holes, they are called banks and are used for holding captured seeds. If there are no such holes, it is a possibility use the edge of the board or ground near the board as a storage place for captured seeds.
Seeds can be substituted with beans, stones or just about anything that is a similar size. Of course, many of whatever type of item is selected will be needed to play. Forty-eight playing pieces are needed for Awale. Each of the twelve holes, not including the banks, must contain four pieces to begin play. Now it’s time to play.
Awale is a two person game. In Awale, the first step is to pick the person who will go first. That person will take the seeds out of any one of the holes of his/her side. Moving counter-clockwise, the player will drop one seed in each hole, not including the banks, until no more seeds are left in the hand. If the last hole that the first person lands in was on their opponents’ sides, then he/she takes all the seeds in that hole and puts them in their bank. If the last seed is emptied on the player’s own side, nothing further is done. Then it’s the other player’s turn to do the same.
The game goes on until the person who’s turn it is cannot go. Then, the player who still has seeds remaining takes all the seeds left and puts them in the bank. The player with the most seeds wins. Awale also has many variations.
Here are a couple variations. Some people play that a player can only capture seeds in a whole that has two or three seeds in it. Others play that the player picks up the seeds in the last hole in which they land as long as there were seeds there before placing the player placed the seed from the hand in the hole. If the place where the last seed was placed is on the player’s own side, the player takes the seeds in the adjacent hole on the opponent’s side. If it was on the opponent’s side, the player would do nothing. This game uses a lot of math.
First, there is the obvious math, counting. The player must count the pieces in a hole and plan which hole to choose that will count out to the hole that will get the most seeds. That is also where strategy comes into play. The strategy is in the math and math is a major contributor to the game of Awale. Winning takes strategy in many ways.
Strategy is needed to know which holes are best to land in and how to land in these holes. Another strategy is how to prevent the opponent from getting a large number of seeds.
Awale is an interesting form of Mancala. As all forms of Mancala are different, a person may think this is not how Mancala is supposed to be played. It is not the way to play Mancala; it is one of many ways to play. It is also the most popular way in Nigeria. There is no right way to play Mancala.
[This is only a very small part of a gigantic project called the World's Fair Project. The full project extended over a full quarter with tons of research and creativity as well as many late nights up finishing this or touching up that. The World's FAir Project was my first real research project and mine was on Nigeria. This certain part of the project was very helpful in learning how to write instructions. That should come in handy some day, even if it has not yet.]
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Save the Whales
Humans aren’t the only species on the Earth that deserves to live until this planet is devoured by the Sun. Whales and dolphins alike are endangered, though they do mankind no harm and are too interesting to become extinct; humans are not treating them the way they should be treated.
Whales and dolphins do humans no harm. Many people think that whales take all the fish, one of our means of food. Only about half the species of whales eat fish and humans consume many more fish. Others think whales pose a danger to humans. The Orca, the largest dolphin and obviously the dominant of the whales and dolphins, has never attacked a human. Whales are too interesting to be falsely accused.
These animals are very interesting and unique. One feature that makes whales and dolphins different from other animals is that they have a complex method for communication though they don’t have any vocal cords. They also performed different varieties of flips depending upon their mood. The shape of their fluke can also identify them. Even in the wild, no two flukes are the same. Humans view themselves as masters of the world yet they make poor rulers because they often do not consider how their actions affect other species.
Man should apply the Golden Rule to the way it treats other species. Humans have been putting many animals close to extinction before even thinking about the consequences of what they are doing. Along with whales, spotted wildcats are also close to being wiped off this planet. People don’t eat them or use anything on them other than their fur. They wouldn’t like it if another animal were driving them to extinction. Why are humans killing whales and dolphins? Humans no longer use oil lamps but they are also killed by oil spills caused by humans being careless. They don’t steal humans’ fish; humans steal theirs. Whales and dolphins deserve to live.
Dolphins and whales should be saved. Humans should treat them the way they want to be treated because they are too interesting to become extinct. People aren’t even harmed by whales Do the right thing. Save the whales before it’s too late!
Turned in 3/20/03
[As someone commented, yes, there is a trend and I am just a tad obsessed with marine mammals, especially cetaceans. This is one of those pursuasive essays I have so much experience with. I think it is very pursuasive, I know it made me want to go save whales and dolphins! This is another example of me being able to twist almost any assignment into something that is actually important to me.]
Whales and dolphins do humans no harm. Many people think that whales take all the fish, one of our means of food. Only about half the species of whales eat fish and humans consume many more fish. Others think whales pose a danger to humans. The Orca, the largest dolphin and obviously the dominant of the whales and dolphins, has never attacked a human. Whales are too interesting to be falsely accused.
These animals are very interesting and unique. One feature that makes whales and dolphins different from other animals is that they have a complex method for communication though they don’t have any vocal cords. They also performed different varieties of flips depending upon their mood. The shape of their fluke can also identify them. Even in the wild, no two flukes are the same. Humans view themselves as masters of the world yet they make poor rulers because they often do not consider how their actions affect other species.
Man should apply the Golden Rule to the way it treats other species. Humans have been putting many animals close to extinction before even thinking about the consequences of what they are doing. Along with whales, spotted wildcats are also close to being wiped off this planet. People don’t eat them or use anything on them other than their fur. They wouldn’t like it if another animal were driving them to extinction. Why are humans killing whales and dolphins? Humans no longer use oil lamps but they are also killed by oil spills caused by humans being careless. They don’t steal humans’ fish; humans steal theirs. Whales and dolphins deserve to live.
Dolphins and whales should be saved. Humans should treat them the way they want to be treated because they are too interesting to become extinct. People aren’t even harmed by whales Do the right thing. Save the whales before it’s too late!
Turned in 3/20/03
[As someone commented, yes, there is a trend and I am just a tad obsessed with marine mammals, especially cetaceans. This is one of those pursuasive essays I have so much experience with. I think it is very pursuasive, I know it made me want to go save whales and dolphins! This is another example of me being able to twist almost any assignment into something that is actually important to me.]
First Day of School [Sixth Grade]
It was the first day of school and I was slightly late. Why did my mom have to stay after my sister’s bell rang to take a picture through the window? I was scared. When I saw everyone in my class was sitting quietly at a desk, I got even more panicky. My teacher, Miss Wong, just told me to find a seat. I slowly shuffled toward a vacant seat.
Miss Wong explained our schedules and her expectations. She told us that usually we would have her for first and second periods. If we were in pre-algrebra, we would also have her for fifth period. For the first two days, we would have her first through fifth periods. She wanted us to get to know our core teachers better. Then she told us some of her pet peeves. Next, we played some get to know each other games. At this point we began to get to know our teacher and our classmates better.
Next, we had brunch. Everyone was excited and chatting with friends that they hadn’t seen all summer. By now, the butterflies in my stomach had disappeared. To my surprise, I had already made a kind friend, Carol. I was getting comfortable with my new school.
After recess, our class joined the rest of the sixth grade. We shyly sang "Happy Birthday" to one of the teachers. I got the feeling I was not the only person feeling nervous on the first day of school. Next, Miss Walker’s, Mr. Phillips’ and our classes played some teamwork games on the itchy grass. After playing with the other classes, we set out for lunch.
Actually, I have a confession to make. I did have a concern at lunch and brunch. Before lunch, I thought that I was the only one in the whole school wearing a dress. When I saw others wearing skirts and dresses, I calmed down. I guess I’m not so strange.
I finished the day with P.E. and wood. Both classes were filled with explanations. Mr. Middleton explained the P.E. rules and told us what sports teams Cupertino Middle School has. Mr. Green started to explain the many safety rules of the wood shop. Little did I know then that this was just the beginning. We would spend over a week learning and being tested on the rules of the wood shop. After P.E. and wood, my brain was full of rules and I was ready to go home.
As I went home, I decided middle school is going to be okay. Some of the eighth graders were a bit weird in the way they approached the sixth graders, but at least they made me feel welcome. After just one day, I already felt like part of Cupertino Middle School.
[I love this paper because here I balence the need to be descriptive and the control to not go way over the top. The harmany is almost perfect, and thus it is nearly identical to the balence I use now. There are very few things I would change writing it now. Of corse, if I were turning it in to a professor, I would add a lot of big words that are absent in this document, but from here on out, improvement has mainly been fine tuning.]
Miss Wong explained our schedules and her expectations. She told us that usually we would have her for first and second periods. If we were in pre-algrebra, we would also have her for fifth period. For the first two days, we would have her first through fifth periods. She wanted us to get to know our core teachers better. Then she told us some of her pet peeves. Next, we played some get to know each other games. At this point we began to get to know our teacher and our classmates better.
Next, we had brunch. Everyone was excited and chatting with friends that they hadn’t seen all summer. By now, the butterflies in my stomach had disappeared. To my surprise, I had already made a kind friend, Carol. I was getting comfortable with my new school.
After recess, our class joined the rest of the sixth grade. We shyly sang "Happy Birthday" to one of the teachers. I got the feeling I was not the only person feeling nervous on the first day of school. Next, Miss Walker’s, Mr. Phillips’ and our classes played some teamwork games on the itchy grass. After playing with the other classes, we set out for lunch.
Actually, I have a confession to make. I did have a concern at lunch and brunch. Before lunch, I thought that I was the only one in the whole school wearing a dress. When I saw others wearing skirts and dresses, I calmed down. I guess I’m not so strange.
I finished the day with P.E. and wood. Both classes were filled with explanations. Mr. Middleton explained the P.E. rules and told us what sports teams Cupertino Middle School has. Mr. Green started to explain the many safety rules of the wood shop. Little did I know then that this was just the beginning. We would spend over a week learning and being tested on the rules of the wood shop. After P.E. and wood, my brain was full of rules and I was ready to go home.
As I went home, I decided middle school is going to be okay. Some of the eighth graders were a bit weird in the way they approached the sixth graders, but at least they made me feel welcome. After just one day, I already felt like part of Cupertino Middle School.
[I love this paper because here I balence the need to be descriptive and the control to not go way over the top. The harmany is almost perfect, and thus it is nearly identical to the balence I use now. There are very few things I would change writing it now. Of corse, if I were turning it in to a professor, I would add a lot of big words that are absent in this document, but from here on out, improvement has mainly been fine tuning.]
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