Hancock House Rules Candy Land

Candy Land doesn't
have  to be boring

My son made up new rules for Candy Land today and I like them better than the traditional rules so I am sharing them here. The new game play is faster, more competitive and actually quite fun as it does involve some strategy. So, if you kind of sort of like Candy Land, but would like it to be more challenging with an opportunity for some trash talking along the way, consider playing it our way.

First - deal 10 cards to each player. Players can play their cards in any order and in any combination on a single turn, providing that they stick to a single color. So, if you have 3 orange cards, 1 double and two singles, you can go forward either 1, 2, 3 or 4 oranges depending on how which cards you play. You do not have to play all the cards of a single color at the same time if playing a smaller set would allow you to take a rainbow bridge for instance. You can not mix colors on a turn.

As for the character cards - you can play those to either move yourself forward or to send someone else back. Playing a character card counts as your turn even if you used it to send someone back.

When the first person is out of cards, deal another round of cards and continue playing until someone wins.

Why I like Indian cinema

I was watching a movie called Break Ke Baad the other day and I realized why I like Bollywood movies. They are infused with a Humanistic sensibility. This is a love story with a traditional guy and a modern girl. The girl doesn't want to follow the traditional marriage route. She wants to live by her own rules.

They attend a wedding and have a discussion about family obligations. She doesn't like the obligations. He talks about how they aren't obligations. They are ways for you to show that you love the other person by taking their feelings into account in your decision making.

Like the girl in this movie - I think obligations for the sake of obligations aren't a good thing. However, I also understand the fact that being responsible to my relationships and the people I love is what not only gives my life meaning, it is what makes life enjoyable.

Keep in mind that no one in this woman's life is asking her to do anything she doesn't want to do.They want her to fulfill her dreams. They are only asking her to take their feelings into consideration. She is at first unable to understand the difference. It is only when she looses the guy she loves because she isn't treating him well that she finally understands.

As a Humanist, I feel very strongly that we must be compassionate with other people in our interpersonal relationships. It is how we strike the balance between our need for autonomy and our need for companionship that dictates how successful we will be in life.

In other words,you fulfill your social obligations are because of love – you don’t do them because you have to. You do them because you care about the impact you have on other people.

Here is a preview of the movie which I definitely enjoyed even though it wasn't a traditional musical. The musical numbers were all montages.

People Will Talk about Humanistic Medicine

 

I saw this movie last night. My mother had recommended it. It was excellent. Classic Cary Grant. But more important to me was the story it told. People Will Talk is a  1951 remake of a German film that came out the year before and the plot is basically Humanism vs. traditionalism. As a Humanist, I loved it.

The basic story is that you have a doctor practicing what we now call Humanistic Medicine who is a) being challenged for unethical conduct by a colleague and b) who falls in love with a pregnant woman, which is obviously scandalous for the time. But what gets people talking is actually his mysterious friend who is like a man servant to him, but who is actually just a very good friend. This friend has his own story that again, highlights the applied humanist ethics of our lead character. And yes, it is very powerful.

Dr. Praetorius, our lead, runs a clinic where patients are considered humans and not inmates. They are real people to be treated with compassion and not just as lumps of flesh to be cured. As much attention is paid to their mental health as it is to their physical health. And if you were wondering why more doctors don't practice medicine this way, you will be glad to know that there is a modern movement to encourage doctors to approach their work with exactly this attitude. It is promoted by the Gold Foundation (for Humanistic Medicine).

Dr. Praetorius' relationship with the woman pregnant out of wedlock and her family is compassionate, ethical, and responsible and ultimately very loving. As is his relationship with his friend Shunderson. Shunderson is a beautifully written character and well acted by Finlay Currie.

This movie covers a variety of difficult topics but ultimately encourages all of us to lead ethical and compassionate lives and to do what is right by others. It doesn't matter that people will talk, as Dr. Praetorius shows, there is joy to be found living life ethically, fully, intentionally and compassionately.

Louise - Adventures of a Chicken

We have chickens. Four to be exact. Their names are Sheila, QT, Ms. Jones and Missy A. They are awesomely fun to watch. We have become a bit chicken obsessed in our family. In addition to watching Hen Cam, we are also starting to borrow books from the library that deal with chickens.

The latest is Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken. This is an AWESOME book. Louise goes on three separate adventures. The first is a pirate adventure complete with shipwreck. In the second, she runs away to the circus. In the third, she visits a foreign land. At last she has found true adventure.

The books are well drawn, cute and if you own chickens, so spot on to their personalities. If you want a fun read and like chickens, see if you can get this book from the library.