“Ancient games resurrected (USA Today)” plus 3 more |
- Ancient games resurrected (USA Today)
- Kids Café (Odessa American)
- : EG launches dedicated kids site (Eurogamer)
- Lots of activities for South Florida kids on spring break (Miami Herald)
| Ancient games resurrected (USA Today) Posted: 28 Mar 2010 10:39 PM PDT
| The whistle blew and a game of pelota purépecha, a sort of field hockey for pyromaniacs, was underway. Players jumped and shouted as the flaming ball whooshed toward them, scorching the grass. Pelota purépecha is one of about 150 pre-Hispanic games that are on the verge of extinction, the Mexican government says, and it has launched a push to rescue these ancient pastimes. In Mexico City, a new sports center for pre-Hispanic games is being built. The Mexican Sports Confederation is printing rule books for several of the ancient games. The confederation is also trying to start teams for the games in schools nationwide. Meanwhile, government instructors are holding seminars to teach the games to grade school gym teachers such as the ones dodging the fiery ball on a recent afternoon. "We want our kids to rediscover our roots through these traditional games," said Enriqueta Rosas, one of the instructors, as she wound rags and twine to make another purépecha ball, known as a zapandukua. "Our kids are drawn to foreign things and don't know the richness of our country," Rosas said. Most of Mexico's traditional sports are ballgames that had deep social and religious importance to the Aztecs, Mayans and other peoples across Mexico and Central America. In the Mayan story of creation, the gods of the underworld challenge the first two humans to a ballgame. The humans lose and are killed, but then they are resurrected as the sun and moon. Every pre-Hispanic city had a ball court. Games could go on for days, and players were sometimes sacrificed to the gods. Ball court ruins have been found as far north as Flagstaff, Ariz. In the game's most common variation, players used their hips to knock a heavy rubber ball through a stone ring. Sometimes the ball had a human skull as its core. The modern version of this game, known as ulama, is played mainly in the western state of Sinaloa. Even there, it is dying out as players get older. "These sports are associated with Indian cultures, and that's where the problem starts, because we continue to be a society with some very severe racism," said Cornelio Pérez, director of the Mexican Association of Pre-hispanic Sports Players. It doesn't help that many of the traditional sports are dangerous or painful. Playing pelota purépecha carries the risk of burns. The heavy ball in ulama causes bruises. In pelota mixteca, players use leather gloves with metal knuckles to punch a 2-pound, hard rubber ball. The ball travels up to 40 mph and can knock a player unconscious, Pérez said. Because of the danger, some public parks no longer allow these traditional sports, he said. In Mexico City, players were outraged in June when the city government decided to build a police station on the city's only remaining pelota mixteca court. Mercado, who coaches a women's pelota purépecha team, said his players have to practice in a street in eastern Mexico City because they have no home field. Of all of the sports, pelota purépecha has the most players, about 800 nationwide. The five-player teams use oak or plum-tree clubs to whack the ball across a goal line. The flaming ball makes it possible to play at night without lights. Mercado said the sports need more promotion to draw young people who otherwise gravitate to soccer, baseball or American-style football. "People come up and ask questions, and we explain the game, but that's as far as it goes," Mercado said. "We need a strategy to get more people to the games." After months of negotiation with players' groups, the Mexico City government announced on March 12 that it will build a new $300,000 center for traditional sports. It will have two courts for pelota mixteca and pelota tarasca, a sport resembling handball. Some migrant groups are also building courts in the USA. Migrants from Mexico's western Oaxaca state have started clubs in Fresno, Monterey, San Diego, San Fernando and Santa Barbara in California, as well as in Fort Worth, said Michael Hernández, who runs an annual pelota mixteca tournament in Fresno. "Our goal is that our roots not be lost," Hernández said. "We want the youth to think fondly of this sport so it won't die and be forgotten." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Posted: 29 Mar 2010 06:51 AM PDT Enjoying a warm supper at home is not a given for Yasmine and Paola Rodriguez. But on the afternoons they take the bus to the Boys & Girls Club after school, they never go home hungry. "I think more kids are coming now for the food," Yasmine, 11, said on a recent afternoon as she leafed through a comic book. Dozens of Odessa children like the Rodriguez sisters are benefiting from the newly expanded services of the local Kids Café, a program of the West Texas Food Bank. Students who rely on the Boys & Girls Club as an after-school safe haven now receive a full meal with milk in addition to the games and homework assistance. Many of the children arrive hungry and go back for seconds. On a recent afternoon, Dezmond Carrillo, 6, tore into a turkey sandwich and even finished all of his corn. He insisted that the best part of the meal was the chocolate milk. "Some kids don't have food to eat when they get home," said Raymond Williams, head cook at Kids Café. "This way, we know they're getting something to eat. It's a good program. The kids really love the food." The Kids Café on Whitaker Avenue has changed significantly since the first of the year. About a dozen neighborhood children still eat, color and watch movies five days a week at the Kids Café. But now Williams and assistant cook Sally Rowell cook for up to 90 kids each weekday and deliver the meals to two Boys & Girls Clubs in Odessa. "It's something that we've always wanted to do, of course, but we just weren't able to," said Albert Zubiate, director of the Boys & Girls Club Wilkerson Unit on 13th Street. "The kids have loved it. It's a really exciting time for them — and their parents." Though many of the children look forward to pizza day, the menu varies to include a wide array of foods. Williams has earned praise for some of the dishes. One little boy recently told him his cooking was "off the chain," while another declared that his tacos rivaled those of Rosa's Café. "It's a very gratifying job when I hear things like that," Williams said, wearing his red apron in the kitchen as he and Rowell prepared turkey sandwiches. Though the program has enjoyed a smooth beginning, Williams said the Kids Café frequently runs low on fresh produce, fruit and other food items. Anyone interested in contributing to the meals can make donations to the local West Texas Food Bank or the Kids Café. Williams and Rowell are bracing for summer, when the numbers at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Odessa generally triple. Williams said the food bank intends to hire an assistant to help prepare lunch for up to 350 kids a day. "It's a good way to keep the kids fed when they're not in school," said Ruben Sanchez, a general manager of the West Texas Food Bank in El Paso. "We're just combating hunger in different ways, and we're keeping them out of trouble." HOW TO HELP >> Contact the West Texas Food Bank at 580-6333. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| : EG launches dedicated kids site (Eurogamer) Posted: 29 Mar 2010 03:44 AM PDT The Eurogamer mothership is delighted to announce the launch of our new dedicated kids gaming site, Megaton.co.uk, which emerges from beta today smothered in content appropriate for children aged 8-12. You may remember that a little while ago we hired excellent industry veteran Catherine Channon to head up a new project. This is that. Cat's been working closely with our lovely art and tech men and experts in children's interactive content to produce a site that's not only suitable for littluns, but great at engaging them. Like Eurogamer.net, it will be updated multiple times a day.  Megaton.co.uk. "While many sites appeal to children and some cover videogames, no one is dedicated to making videogame content appealing to children," Cat said when we forced her to explain herself for a press release we did earlier. "We've gone to great lengths to research this site and worked with the most experienced and knowledgeable people in the children's online space to ensure what we're producing works for our audience." The site already offers Flash games, competitions and other activities catering to children, allows them to build their own robot avatar, and includes frankly awesome pictures drawn by children who read the Megaton print magazine, which Megaton.co.uk partners with and expands upon. Why are we telling you all this? Well, apart from the fact we're very proud of Cat and her team, we also know that a lot of you have children. We're not asking you to make them read the new site - we'll be marketing it in our own way, and they probably won't appreciate it as much if mum or dad points them to it - but we are interested in your feedback as parents. If you have kids and fancy sharing your thoughts, lob them at us through our contact form or in the comment thread below. We really appreciate it. Of course, it wouldn't be Eurogamer.net if we didn't use this as an excuse to do some content for you lot on the same subject, so today we've got Dan Whitehead's lovely compilation of Games That Define The Way Children Play, taking a look back at the best examples from the last 30 years. Tomorrow Cat will be a special guest on the Eurogamer.net Podcast, where you'll get to hear what it's like to do focus groups with children and her new and amazing cheese and apple cake (I was also taken aback). Later in the week we'll be speaking to some of the best kids game developers and people in related fields to try to get to the bottom of what makes a child tick when it comes to gaming. In the meantime, thanks for checking out Megaton.co.uk and thanks in advance for any feedback you might have. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| Lots of activities for South Florida kids on spring break (Miami Herald) Posted: 28 Mar 2010 07:46 PM PDT Getting the kids up and out isn't always easy but there's plenty going on this week to keep them happy -- and you don't have to spend a bundle. Of course there's the beach, but they can also play in the snow, check out military aircraft, visit a planetarium, speed down a water slide or just have a picnic. A bonus this week: The Miami-Dade County Fair is here -- with lots of promotions. Before the kids shout they're bored, here are some inexpensive ways to keep them busy. WATER PARKS Grapeland Water Park: Black Beard's Beach offers four pools for all ages from Shipwreck Island for toddlers to Pirate's Plunge slides to thrill older siblings. Admission: $5 for ages 4 to 13; $10 for Miami-Dade residents 14 and older; $12 for nonresidents 14 and older. The water park is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday for Spring Break along with weekends. 1550 NW 37th Ave., Miami; 305-960-2950. Broward's regional water parks: Three of Broward County's four water parks will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during Spring Break along with weekends. Castaway Island is at Topeekeegee Yugneee Park, 3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood, 954-357-8811; $4.50 to $6.50. Tropical Splash is at Central Broward Regional Park, 3700 NW 11th Pl., Lauderhill, 954-321-1170; $4.50. Paradise Cove is at C.B. Smith Park, 900 N. Flamingo Rd., Pembroke Pines, 954-437-2650; $8.50 ($5.50 after 3 p.m.). Children under 12 enter free at all three water parks. Splash Adventure, at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, is closed for renovations. Visit www.broward.org/parks/waterfun.htm. CHILL OUT Ice skating rinks are offering extra sessions this week so call for a complete schedule. Glacier Ice and Snow Arena: Kids can ice skate and play with snow at Glacier. From 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Saturday and 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Sunday, part of the ice skating rink is filled with snow, so kids can even have a snow ball fight or ride on ice sleighs. The snow area is for children 2 and older. The rink also offers morning, afternoon and evening ice skating sessions. Admission: $8, plus $3 skate rentals. 4601 N. Federal Hwy., Lighthouse Point; 954-943-1437; www.glaciericeandsnow.com/ . Incredible Ice: Skating sessions are available Monday through Sunday afternoons during Spring Break. There's also Wednesday night skating, a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights and family skate nights Sunday. Admission: $6.50 Wednesday night; $9 other sessions with $3 skate rentals. 3299 Sportsplex Dr., Coral Springs; 954-341-9956; www.incredibleice.com . Kendall Ice Arena: Daily skating sessions available and there's a DJ Friday and Saturday nights. Admission: $6-$11. Skate rentals are $3; some sessions include rentals. 10355 Hammocks Blvd., Kendall; 305-386-8288; www.kendallicearena.com . Pines Ice Arena: Public sessions are available daily for $7 to $9. There are extra night sessions during Spring Break on Tuesday, Thursday and April 4, plus the usual Friday and Saturday night skating. Skate rentals: $4. 12425 Taft St., Pembroke Pines; 954-704-8700; www.pinesicearena.com . Scott Rakow Youth Center: Miami Beach residents of all ages pay $3 (includes skate rentals). For nonresidents: children pay $6, adults $9 plus $3 skate rental fee. There's also skating Friday night (teens only) and all ages Saturday. 2700 Sheridan Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7000, ext. 2530; www.miamibeachparks.com (Quick Link: Ice Skating). Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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