Sunday, June 7, 2009

Writing Contest Announcement: Rules Updated

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that the rules have been updated. These should be final but if there are any more changes I will be sure to let you know. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please let me know. If they are related to the rule changes or the rules you can leave them here and if they are generic please let me know on the questions and comments page.

Thanks,

-Resounding Glass

10 Unusual Knives, Swords and Blades

A very interesting article by C Jordan. It fascinated me to learn about all these unusual swords and other weapons. In addition to reading it and learning about the history and uses of each of these weapons, I also enjoyed looking at the pictures of these cool and wacky blades. Enjoy!


From the article:

The Kukri


Some readers may be surprised to find that the image shown is actually modern British army issue. It is issued to one of the most feared units in the British army: the Gurkhas.

It is their weapon of choice in close combat, rather than the bayonet.

The story of the Gurkhas is a long and historically complicated one.

Succinctly: Gurkhas hail from Nepal which was part of India. In its Empire building days, Britain made India one of its colonies. The Gurkhas were seen as brave and heroic fighters who were recruited into the colonial Indian army as a “Martial Race”, a term which meant that they were not classed as mercenaries.

With the independence of India in 1947 four regiments became part of the British army. Prior to this they have fought in both World Wars and latterly were part of the forces that in the 1980’s defeated the Argentine army in the Falklands and also served in the Middle East.

The Kukri shown above is the standard army issue with karda and chakmak.

Traditionally the blade is 12-15 inches (30-38cm) long. The karda is a small  accessory blade used for many tasks. The chakmak is unsharpened and is used to burnish the blade. It can also be used to start a fire with flint.

read the rest of the article

Saturday, June 6, 2009

When My Dog Ate My Homework Simply Won't Work Anymore

When My Dog Ate My Homework Simply Won't Work Anymore is a list of 10 amusing excuses why you couldn't do your homework. Along with the prank call articles number 1 and  number 2, I thought this was a very funny article written by littlekid137.

From the Article:

  1. I would've done it but I didn't want to show you how smart i am, it makes me feel bad.
  2. I was walking home and some bullies grabbed me and my backpack and took me to the woods. They tied me to a tree and ripped all my homework.
  3. These aliens.... wait you wouldn't believe it.
  4. My dog urinated on my homework.
  5. See my sister was doing a project where she had to cut a paper to look like a snowflake. Since my family can't afford paper, and I always think about my family first I gave my homework for my sister to cut up.
  6. I was cooking dinner, when my buddy called and asked if I had done it. When I told him no he asked whether he could borrow it to copy after I did it. I didn't want to be a cheater or a liar so I couldn't do it.
  7. My mom told me I didn't have to do it because she couldn't even get it.
  8. Those poor tree's.
  9. I needed something to clean up #4!
  10. I was too busy.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Writing Contest Update

Hello All,

I wanted to start off by saying thank you for dropping by and reading about the Writing Contest that will be held here. I am glad to say we seem to be getting a steady number of people visiting every day. 

I wanted to point out to you the change in the rules though don't be worried as it is just in the limits. I have changed the article maximum to 800 words or 1 page for articles (whichever is longer) and 1500 words or 2 pages for short stories (also whichever is longer). 

Sometime soon, hopefully this weekend, I plan on going back and working on the rules to make them a little more formal so be sure to check back in for that, especially since I may be revising them a little. 

This contest seems to be getting off to a pretty good start and I cannot wait for the first submission. Please note the links on the right hand side near the top. These are to the questions, rules, and submission pages, all for your convenience.

Thanks and happy writing,

-Resounding Glass