:: October 30, 2001
To people who use periods in phone numbers: you need to take a moment and ask yourself why you do this. Does it make you feel more worldly, more metric? Do you find it more aesthetically pleasing than wrapping an area code with parentheses, or following it with a slash? Does separating the seven numbers with a dot instead of a dash make you feel "alternative"? If you answered yes to any of the above, please consider expressing your unique personality in another way. Look, I don't love AP style, but they MAKE me use it. So when I have to highlight your little dots and change them to conform to what the Associated Press has deemed the standard for American media, it takes seconds out of my day. I hate to think what these seconds add up to over a career, over a lifetime. I don't buy the it's-easier-to-type-periods excuse either. See, I just typed four dashes without even thinking about it. ::
:: October 23, 2001
Learn to cross-stich a dung beetle! Then go up a couple levels for more fun, some of it involving jumpsuits. ::
:: October 19, 2001
Buzkashi, which literally translated means "goat grabbing," is the national sport of Afghanistan. A headless carcass is placed in the center of a circle and surrounded by the players of two opposing teams. The object of the game is to get control of the carcass and bring it to the scoring area. Although it seems like a simple task, it is not. Only the most masterful players, (called chapandaz) ever even get close to the carcass. The competition is fierce, and the winner of a match receives prizes ranging from money, to fine turbans and clothes. The winner:
We're heading right into the peak buzkashi season. In Kabul, in late October, some of the finest teams from the northern provinces compete before thousands of spectators in Ghazni Stadium. National Cup Championship games are played in most of the centers of the northern provinces.
Amazon has a book about buzkashi. I found its review "very helpful." ::
|
