Thursday, February 9, 2012

Swoosh...


Basketball has experienced many changes over time since it has been invented. Those changes occuring in rules, accessories, shoes, and even the attire worn while playing the game. The original game started off with thirteen rules, way different than those of today. There was no dunking, dribbling, 3 pointers, or shot clock that was legal. As time passed more rules were added to the game, calls such as traveling, double dribbilng, and shot clock violation. Players who played the game did not have any type of uniform as the game became more challenging jerseys and shorts were added to the sport. They started off with really short shorts that did not pass the knee and later came to an agreement where long shorts were allowed to be worn during games. Long ago there were not shoes that can help prevent injuries or add grip or another piece to your game. But as time progressed and the world became more modern, the advancement in technology gave players the opportunity to wear more protective and longer lasting shoes. These shoes added grip and more ankle support while players played the game of basketball. To sum it up, the game of basketball has changed dramatically over time and may even change more in the future.


Questions:
1. Over time do you think adding more rules and style to the game of basketball makes it  more challenging?
2.Would you agree that the style or type of shoes are better than those worn long ago?
3.Why do you think the game , rules, and style of basketball has changed over time?

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Plugs Not Drugs


By: Abby ♥
Plugs: Body modification; a short cylindrical piece of jewelry commonly worn in stretched piercings. Not called gauges. Gauges are what the sizes are called. 
 















Plugs have historically been worn in ears.
  • -         - During the ancient Egyptian “New Kingdom” both females and males wore earplugs and large-gauge hoop-style earrings.
     - Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya and the Aztecs used ears pool.   Ears pool is an ornament worn inserted into the earlobe. The way the Maya and the Aztecs used it, usually stretched their earlobes. 

     Today, we have taken this concept of stretching the earlobes, and have made it our jewelry. Plugs come in all shapes, designs, sizes, and colors. Since their size is often thicker than a standard wire earring plugs, they can be made out of almost any material. Plug materials include acrylic glass, metal, wood, bone, stone, horn, glass, silicone or porcelain.  

 
There’s also a bad side to plugs: If you leave your plugs out for long periods of time they probably won't close back up. That's only because your ears are used to that size and are "fully stretched" to that size. But if the plug is too small, you should definitely be able to go back down, but it might take a while, and it probably won't go back to a normal earring size it might be a little bigger than that.

Questions:
  1. Do you think that stretching your ears is a way of expressing yourself?
  2. People usually don’t like plugs because once your earlobes are stretched out; they won’t go back to normal size. Knowing this, would you ever consider stretching your ears out?
  3. Referring to the history of stretching your earlobes, why do you think plugs have become part of our culture again? 
 Resources:
- Weheartit.com
- http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=plugs
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug