Finding Nemo ruined


Four Square

FOURSQUARE - The Game



The Object

The object of the game of four square is to eliminate players in higher squares so that you can advance to the highest square yourself. Four square is played with a rubber playground ball on a square court with four players, each occupying a quarter of the court. The ball is bounced between players in squares until someone makes an error and is eliminated. Eliminated players leave the court, all players advance to fill the empty squares, and a new player joins at the lowest ranked square

The Ball

First, read about what kind of ball is allowed in the Gear section.

During play, players may only hit the ball with their hands. We describe the "hands" as any area between the player's wrists and her fingertips, including the backs of her hands. The ball may be hit with open or closed fists in the same manner as official volleyball. Players may not catch, carry or hold the ball at any time during play. Spinning the ball is allowed as long as the hit that produces the spin is not a carry or other illegal hit. We get a lot of questions about spins.

In all cases, players who strike the ball incorrectly are eliminated.

The Court



First, read about the dimensions and materials of the court in the Gear section.

Squares are ranked from highest to lowest. Our league uses numbers 1 through 4, other people use letters and even a few use the title of royalty. In all cases, the highest and lowest ranked squares should be diagonal from each other.

There are two sets of lines on the court. "Outside lines" are the outermost edges of the entire court, while "inside lines" refer to the line dividing individual squares of the court that cross in the center. All lines on the court are 1 inch wide.
Outside lines are in-bounds. If a player bounces the ball onto any outside line, it is still in play. However, if the ball bounces outside of the outside line, it is out of bounds and the player that last hit it is eliminated.
Inside lines are out-of-bounds. If a player hits a ball onto any inside line then that player is out. This applies to ALL inside lines, not just the lines that border her square. If a ball touches an inside line, the player that hit is last is eliminated.

Players are not required to stay in their portion of the court. They may stand, walk or run anywhere on the court, though it is best to stay in a position to protect your own square.

Serving the Ball

The ball is always served from the highest ranked square to the lowest square. Squares one and four are positioned diagonally across the court. The server must drop the ball and serve from the bounce. The ball must be allowed to bounce once in the receiving square, then the receiving player must hit the ball into another square of his or her choice. After the receiver touches the ball, the ball is in play.

Serves are meant to place the ball fairly into play. Because the server must serve the ball the same way each time, it is the receiving player who controls the first play of the game.

Faults

The receiver of the serve is allowed only one mistake on each round, we call this a fault. If the receiver of the serve hits the ball incorrectly, or fails to hit the ball inbounds, then the receiver is allowed to take a second serve. There is only one fault allowed per player per round.

We refer to a fault as "one bad", as in one bad return. However, if a player faults the second time then it we call it "two bad". In other words, that is too bad for you.

Normal Game Play and Possession

Each time the ball bounces in a square, the owner of that square must hit the ball into another square. No exceptions.

Once the ball touches down in a square, ONLY the owner of the square can touch the ball next. If she does not, then she is out. If she hits it poorly or out of bounds, she is out. If another player hits the ball before she does, at any time, the other player is out.

Once that player hits the ball once then any other player may hit it next. This means it is not necessary to let the ball bounce again before another player hits it. The next player to touch the ball is subject to all the normal rules.

Elimination

Each time a player is eliminated, that player leaves the court and all players advance to the higher numbered square squares. The lowest ranked square is then filled with a new player. All eliminated players leave the court and wait for their next turn to join in the lowest square.

These situations represent all the ways in which a player may be eliminated from the court. Players are eliminated for:

Failing to hit the ball into another square
Allowing the ball to bounce more than once in their own square
Hitting the ball out of bounds or onto an inside line
Hitting the ball incorrectly, such as holding, catching or carrying
Hitting the ball with a part of the body that are not hands
Hitting the ball out of turn (poaching)
Violating any number of local rules that are made up on the playground


Interference

If the ball is touched by another object which is not one of the four players or the floor, this is called interference. The round is started again. Players waiting in line may not touch the ball when in play.

The Showdown!


If there is a dispute that cannot be settled by the officials then the only proper way to come to work out the disagreement is through the Showdown. The Showdown is mini-game of two square with no custom rules and the loser is knocked out of the game. In the event of a Showdown, there are no points or errors logged for the players, the winner of the showdown is simply allowed to stay in the game.

Customized Rules


Advancing to into four square comes with the unique privilege of creating special rules which tailor the game play to your own style and help you to stay in four square longer. This is where most of the fun and complexity of game comes from, especially for children. When in four square, the player may invoke special rules which become part of the game for that one round. After each round, she must call the rules again or it is assumed that there are no special rules required.

RPS 15

Rock Paper Scissors with fifteen elements.





All 105 outcomes of RPS-15:

ROCK POUNDS OUT FIRE, CRUSHES SCISSORS, SNAKE, HUMAN, WOLF, SPONGE, BLOCKS (GROWTH OF) TREE.

FIRE MELTS SCISSORS, BURNS PAPER, SNAKE, HUMAN, TREE, WOLF & SPONGE.

SCISSORS SWISH THROUGH AIR, CARVE TREE, CUT PAPER, SNAKE, HUMAN, WOLF &SPONGE.

SNAKE BITES HUMAN & WOLF, SWALLOWS SPONGE, NESTS IN TREE & PAPER, BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER.

HUMAN PLANTS TREE, TAMES WOLF, CLEANS WITH SPONGE, WRITES PAPER, BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER, SLAYS DRAGON.

TREE SHELTERS WOLF & DRAGON, OUTLIVES SPONGE, BECOMES PAPER, PRODUCES AIR, DRINKS WATER, IMPRISONS DEVIL.

WOLF CHEWS UP SPONGE, & PAPER, BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER, OUTRUNS DRAGON &LIGHTNING, BITES DEVIL's HEINY.

SPONGE SOAKS PAPER, USES AIR POCKETS, ABSORBS WATER, CLEANSES DEVIL & DRAGON, CLEANS GUN, CONDUCTS LIGHTNING.

PAPER FANS AIR, COVERS ROCK, FLOATS ON WATER, REBUKES DEVIL & DRAGON, OUTLAWSGUN, DEFINES LIGHTNING.

AIR BLOWS OUT FIRE, ERODES ROCK, EVAPORATES WATER, CHOKES DEVIL, TARNISHES GUN, FREEZES DRAGON, CREATES LIGHTNING.

WATER DROWNS DEVIL & DRAGON, ERODES ROCK, PUTS OUT FIRE, RUSTS SCISSORS & GUN, CONDUCTS LIGHTNING.

DRAGON COMMANDS DEVIL, BREATHES LIGHTNING & FIRE, RESTS ON ROCK, IMMUNE TOSCISSORS & GUN, SPAWNS SNAKE.

DEVIL HURLS ROCK, BREATHS FIRE, IMMUNE TO SCISSORS & GUN, CASTS LIGHTNING, EATSSNAKES, POSSESSES HUMAN.

LIGHTNING MELTS GUN & SCISSORS, SPLITS ROCK & TREE, STARTS FIRE, STRIKES SNAKE& HUMAN.

GUN TARGETS ROCK & TREE, FIRES, OUTCLASSES SCISSORS, SHOOTS SNAKE, HUMAN &WOLF.

Two religions on Birthday celebrations

Three perspectives on the follower of YHWH celebrating their birthday.

"A good name is better than ointment, and the day of your death is better than the day of your birth." Ecclesiastes 7:1

"Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed." Jeremiah 20:14

I hate... I despise your celbrations. They do not smell right to me." Amos 5:21

And finally... Another perspective.

"The highest of all holidays in [our] religion is the date of one’s own birth. This is in direct contradiction to the holy of holy days of other religions, which deify a particular god who has been created in an anthropomorphic form of their own image, thereby showing that the ego is not really buried.

[We] feel: “Why not really be honest and if you are going to create a god in your image, why not create that god as yourself.” Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year. After all, aren’t you happier about the fact that you were born than you are about the birth of someone you have never even met? Or for that matter, aside from religious holidays, why pay higher tribute to the birthday of a president or to a date in history than we do to the day we were brought into this greatest of all worlds?

Despite the fact that some of us may not have been wanted, or at least were not particularly planned, we’re glad, even if no one else is, that we’re here! You should give yourself a pat on the back, buy yourself whatever you want, treat yourself like the king (or god) that you are, and generally celebrate your birthday with as much pomp and ceremony as possible.

After one’s own birthday, the two major [holidays] are Walpurgisnacht and Halloween."

Anton Lavey, The Satanic Bible, 1969

Outdoor Education Camp Tecumseh YMCA

Here I am at my job!




In the Outdoor Education Department at Camp Tecumseh YMCA in Indiana, Pauly (also known as Pollywog) and his coworkers teach several programs to visiting school children. Pioneer Heritage, Foundations for Success and Earthship Journey are three that Pauly specializes in. For two or three days the children learn, grow, play and have and incredible time at camp with their parents, teachers and the YMCA staff. After they leave, the staff who worked with them make a quick video telling them how much they enjoyed their visit and it is sent to the school along with their love. They are called "Video Postcards" and they are hilarious to make. Here are some of the ones that Pauly has been in. If you would like more information about sending your children to Camp Tecumseh then go over to http://www.camptecumseh.org/adventures/field-trips/ and give it a look!

Where's Wall E


Survival Water


When things go wrong, the first item your average Joe citizen is going to stock up on is water.

It’s easy for Joe American to buy a five-gallon jug of water and assume the proverbial storm will pass within a day or two.

We know all too well the very real danger of complacency and, more, we know how easy it is for the water supply to become contaminated. Whether by act of God, foreign bodies, domestic terror or otherwise, the water supply is an easy target for The Worst Case Scenario.

Worse still, there are those unfortunate individuals who buy into the insidious rumors circulating around about what it means to purify your own water.

If there’s one thing worse than complacency, it’s the propagation of dangerous misinformation.

While the average Joe knows the myths, ultimately it’s the survivors who know better.
Here are eight of those dangerous urban survival myths that you would be wise to unlearn.

Myth 1: Boiled Water Is Boiled Water

One of the first things most everyone knows to do when he needs water is to boil it. After all, he reasons, boiling water will fully eradicate most, if not all, dangerous germs and microbes lurking just below that crystal-clear surface.

Not only is this categorically wrong, it could cost you and your loved ones everything.

While it’s true that boiling water is a simple and effective way to cleanse your water, it’s important to understand that the hotter the water gets the cleaner it will be. It’s all too easy to get that pot steaming and assume that the water is ready to consume.

The most important thing to remember when boiling water is that it is less about the duration of boiling and more about temperature.

Water fully boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to instantly cleanse your water of just about any common microorganisms. If bringing your water to a full boil is out of the question for whatever reason and you have a thermometer handy, you can alternatively heat it to 160 degrees for 30 minutes or 185 for three minutes.

Myth 2: All Boiled Water Is Not Always Created Equal
Another dangerous myth about water purification is that boiling is a cure all. Something you need to consider is how dirty the water actually is. While boiling will effectively cleanse standing water or rain water, it won’t do you any good to boil chemically contaminated water.

Simply put, you aren’t going to boil that pesky depleted uranium residue out of your water.

The same principal applies to dirty water.

If the water you are attempting to purify is visibly dirty or murky, you should filter the water before attempting to cleanse it. It’s all the better if you are in a situation where there are commercial filters available but, if not, you have options.

One easy way to get the muck out of your water is to filter it through a clean shirt or a towel. If a filter isn’t available, you can additionally just let the water sit until the sediment sinks to the bottom of the container and pour the clean water off of the top.

Myth 3: Eating Clean, White Snow Is Always Safe
So, say the world went to hell while you were up in the mountains surrounded by pristine, fresh snow. There’s a common misconception that fresh snow is ready for you to consume.

As an informed survivor, you know that nothing is that easy.

While it’s true that snow makes for a great source of hydration in those dire, icy scenarios, it’s as important as ever to boil your water.

While it’s always a good idea to purify the water you consume, snow presents a different set of problems for the intrepid survivor other than simple contamination.

Paradoxically, eating snow can actually lead to further dehydration and, given the climate you’ve likely found yourself in, hypothermia.

Even though the snow itself might not necessarily be dirty, the energy your body spends melting the snow while simultaneously dealing with your plummeting internal temperature is simply not worth the risk.

Your best bet is to collect the snow and melt it down as it will warm the water as well as kill any germs it may have picked up off the ground.

Myth 4: You Need To Drink 8 Glasses Of Water Daily

A classic piece of mom-advice is that we all need to drink 8 glasses of water every day. While someone in a life-or-death, survival situation will likely be aware of conservations necessity, it’s important to know that your body can operate just fine on less water.

While it’s massively important for your well-being to stay hydrated, don’t blow your stockpile because you grew up thinking you needed 8 glasses every day. Cutting back on salt, soda, sweets and many other perishable goods while upping your intake of fruits and vegetables is a great way of keeping yourself hydrated.

The other side of this myth is that it implies drinking 8 glasses is purely about intake. On the contrary, one of the most important aspects of hydration is output.

Hydration is as much about flushing toxins out of your system as it is about satiating your body’s need for liquid. Since the objective is to rid your body of toxins, diet, exercise and vitamins are just as important as gulping down your valuable stash of clean water.

Myth 5: Only Standing Water Is Dangerous

Another popular myth is that as long as your water source isn’t stagnant, it’s safe to consume. The ill-informed survivor will look at a stream gurgling through the woods and over rocks and assume that it’s naturally clean.

As with all water consumption, the name of the game is purification.

As is the case with any water, even moving water has a source and you can’t know what’s stewing around in that source. Unless you want to risk a run-in with giardia or any number of other water-born sicknesses, you need to make sure your water is safe first.

Myth 6: Drinking Small Amounts Of Salt Water Is OK

Salt water, even in minute doses will actually speed up the dehydration process.

It’s the idea of reverse osmosis that comes into play.

The salinity of the water you would drink from the sea is much greater than the natural salinity of the water in your cells. So as you drink the salt laden water, the water in your cells will move through your cell wall membrane to try and dilute the recently ingested sea water. This means your cells and body will lose water by drinking a glass of ocean.

However, it can be used to cool you down as long as you don’t swallow any.

Myth 7: All Cacti Are A Source Of Water

While it’s true that there is water in many types of Cacti, its typically not as abundant as most are lead to believe. Plus, the water tends to be acidic and bitter, which can lead to unpleasant side effects such as diarrhea and vomiting (both of which accelerate the dehydrating processes).

Myth 8: You Can Always Count On Urine In A Pinch

Yes and No.

In a very extreme situation you can drink urine once, possibly twice but it’s really not a long term solution. Urine is waste for a reason, and even though it does have some amount of water in it, if you continue to recycle it more than once then it’s going to become more and more toxic.

You’ll quickly realize this is happening when the color of your urine continues to get darker and darker as you get more and more dehydrated.

In the end, drinking urine follows the laws of diminishing returns. The more you drink the harder your body has to work to process the toxins, making you even more dehydrated, which then negatively accelerates your already limited survival time.

Potential Life Savers: Your Water Survival Tools

Now that we have covered some of the most deadly survival water myths, it’s worth a quick mention about some helpful solutions.

There are two primary survival tools that I keep with me at all times. A portable water filter and a bunch of water purification tablets. While these two tools won’t make sea water drinkable or make urine pure, they will open up a much wider array of water options, when options are limited.

While a portable water filter can’t locate water for you, it will greatly increase your chances of survival. A portable survival water filter protects you from most dehydration enhancing sicknesses caused by drinking bacteria laden water.So don’t leave home, travel, backpack, bug out or stay home without one.