GADLING TAKE FIVE: Week of October 20-26

by Jamie Rhein on

The time of year when there is a convergence of holidays is upon us. Halloween is in less than a week away. My son couldn’t wait to carve our pumpkins so, now they are rotting on our porch. And here Matthew’s already brought up Christmas in his post on fuzzy breast-shaped toys, all the rage in Japan. In addition to the Halloween build-up, and the beginning hum of holidays yet to come, I’ve noticed a range of posts that offer up the kind of chit chat information you might toss out at a party. Did you know that. . . ?

  1. You can fight global warming by eating chicken.
  2. Pigs can be trained to jump through fire.
  3. Chewing betel nuts does a real number on your teeth.
  4. Sex is the word that is Googled the most in India, Egypt and Turkey.
  5. There is a way to pee in privacy on the side of the road.

And one more…

Philadelphia has the least attractive people. (Sorry again to Philadelphia, as this can’t possibly be true.)

In a Bag Cities: Toy Blocks for Travelers or the Kid Inside

by Jamie Rhein on

At my dad’s house is a bag of wooden blocks. They are vintage Playskol-a present given to my brother way back when but still fun to haul out just the same. I use my son as an excuse. The Japanese company MUJI makes blocks in a bag that are so adult friendly a kid isn’t needed for a reason to play.

Taking the term, “city blocks” to a new level, MUJI’s wooden blocks cross generations by representing the world’s most famous cities. You can own New York, Paris, Tokyo or London-or buy them all to mix it up. The Eiffel Tower joins Big Ben perhaps? The Empire State Building next to Senso Ji?

If you’re looking for a present for the world traveler in your life, these might be it. Or use them as a creative way to drop a “Let’s go there” hint. Or when you’re sitting at your desk wishing your were heading somewhere exciting you can build your destination and pretend. If you live in a city and wonder how suburbia might feel, you can build that too. Suburbia comes with trees.

You can buy In a Bag, New York at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in Manhattan. All of them can be ordered on-line from the MUJI website.

China Makes Voodoo Dolls a No-No

by Adrienne Wilson on

If a voodoo doll with a pin attached ready for the pricking was high on your list of souvenirs to pick up while perusing the vendor stalls on Beijing’s streets then you’ll have to do some searching. (Think Shenzhen and Guangzhou.) Apparently the Chinese government doesn’t like these dolls and for various reasons, but placing the ban has created a craze according to this Newsweek piece found on MSN. Concerned authorities at the Industrial and Commercial Management Department claim the dolls encourage superstition and “promote feudalism and feudal beliefs.” Other citizens equally upset about the dolls and (whispers) maybe even a little afraid of an enemy they may have crossed in the past, are calling on the Communist Party to enforce a nationwide ban on the voodoo dolls. However, vendors sing a different tune where one individual believes teens purchased the dolls because they were cool, not because they were trying to hurt each other.

For those still looking to flatter their enemies by wasting countless hours of their own precious time with pricking, poking, and prodding at the plush, yarn or hand-made dolls can check the web where internet sales for the dolls continue to flourish. See MSN for the full details.

Contest: Moses on the Move – Week One

by Adrienne Wilson on

After seeing the results from Karen’s Where’s
Walrond contest I feel it’s time to place one in effect myself, but before I jump into the meat and rules of
the challenge it is very important I make known how Moses came about. You see, it was never my intentions to bring a
stuffed, fuzzy, Holy Folks, companion to keep me company on the long journey
walking across America, but things just sort of happened that way. I’ll provide you with the condensed version.

It was a cold early morning in NYC and the team had just made it to the CBS Early Show, where we would shout and go crazy
when the older guy with the cue cards instructed us to do so. Our mission was quite simple: Spread the word about health and fitness by letting folks know we’re walking coast to coast
and tracking all our steps with a pedometer. Between the breaks I went down to the catering table to fuel my
practically frozen body with a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate. It was at that time Moses fell into not only my life,
but the entire group’s life. The catering fellow reached down into a box, pulled out a tiny, stuffed man with a large,
stuffed smiling face and asked me to name who the biblical man was. I was clueless and just before I could open my trap
to utter my final answer of um, Goliath one of my fellow
walking cohort, Jaime, blurted out the correct answer.

"That’s Moses."

"Yes, that’s Moses," I said.

Naturally I pretended to know the correct answer all
along, ashamed of my inability to recognize even the stuffed Ten Commandments placed on the doll’s hands, but I made
sure I offered the doll to Jaime (who refused) before becoming the official parent of our new unofficial mascot and
walker. So now that he is a part of the team you’ll see him here in photo safari across America, but don’t think Moses is limited to the great
outdoors. He loves the wild indoors as much as anyone else.

Now onto the contest… Over the next couple of
weeks I’ll need your help telling me where Moses is in the country, but you’ll have to be pretty specific. The city and
state will be provided for this first set of clues, but you’ll have to check out the Steps Across site to see where in America Moses and the rest of us are
over the next couple of weeks. The correct answers will score you some pretty cool and exciting gear for your own
future travels or walks across the country, compliments of myself. And I promise they’ll be exciting so long as you
stick around. Here’s the first set of clues and photos:

Moses was as much on the move as any New Yorker
during his stay in the Big Apple and to prove it he stopped at two pretty popular places.

Clue: While a few of the girls perused the cosmetics department in this famous department
store located between 34th and 35th on Broadway, Moses decided to hang back in the comfy chair at one
particular counter. When it comes to make-up you could say it’s just what the doctor ordered. While he
waited he noticed several tourists snapping pictures of the beautiful flower show inside the department store.

What is the name of the store and make-up counter Moses was at?

Clue: Earlier that same day Moses was seen sitting on the counter (not drinking) at this popular
Times Square dive restaurant and bar where the folks have real Noo Yawk attitude
according to City Search Editor’s. Located at 8th Ave and W 44th Ave, the place has gotten many a good review at City
Search as well and has an overall rating of 9.4. Moses thinks it’s pretty cool too.

What is the name
of the restaurant and bar?

Good luck and look out for Moses across the country.

Disclaimer: Moses is by no means an official mascot, member, walker, or representative of the Sportline Steps Across America program. He just likes to tag along.