Monthly Archives: February 2016

The race is on (soon), mountain bikers!

Posted on by
Reply

BikeRaceAd

The Missouri State Championship “Down and Dirty Mountain Bike Race” is the works!

Organizers  and sponsors include Osage Lakes Greenway Corp., the United Federation of Dirt (UFD) and several local businesses.

Registration open now

Register now online here, or …

Register on site June 12, starting at 8:00 a.m. and until 20 minutes before race times.

Sanctioned by USA Cycling

Event organizer Mac Vorce pointed out that Warsaw’s June 12 mountain bike race is sanctioned by USA Cycling under its Permit No. 2016-562. Participants earn points that are reported along with all race results to the National Ranking System.

logoUSACyclingThe 501(c)3 membership-based organization is the

…official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States…

Vorce is president of the Warsaw Cycling Club, one of the clubs nationwide licensed under USA Cycling. He is also chairman of the Board of Directors of the Osage Lakes Greenway Corp, and the owner of Truman Lake Bikes that hosts the event website.

Contact Vorce by email at mac@trumanlakebikes.com.

Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park

Participants will race over the 22-mile long trail at Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park. Enter at 28565 Benton House Avenue for events starting at 10:00 a.m.

Race-Day Schedule

bike-rider-1-13809-medium

Check out the bike race start times here for kids, juniors, men, women and pros according to age groups and special categories.

Participants and spectators get opportunity to engage in fitness and fun, and enjoy lively entertainment during intermission.

Fees and Prizes

Unlicensed participants pay a $10.00 one-day license fee, plus applicable entry fees. Kids race for free; juniors pay $20.00; men and women in the eight-mile single speed race pay $30.00, and men and women in the long-course categories pay $40.00.

Cash prizes are three-deep for races with at least nine participants.

Trails open on non-race days

Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park trail is open to the public for biking, hiking and walking on days when no special events are scheduled.

Osage Lakes Greenway Corp. cooperates with the City of Warsaw and the Army Corps of Engineers to develop and maintain the trail, as well as the several others situated throughout the area.

Local residents and community leaders take pride in the fact that in 2014 the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation identified Warsaw’s walking and biking trails as among the best in the nation.

Mark your calendars

Come ready to ride, or at least to watch!

Color away boredom, depression and stress!

Posted on by
Reply

Welsh brain scientist, Dr. Joel Pearson, says coloring helps adults replace negative thoughts and images with positive ones.

Coloring produces measurable effects

Dr. Stan Rodski, a neurophysicist who also creates adult coloring books says “colorists” enjoy results similar to those from meditation, including changes in heart rate and changes in brainwaves.

Dana Dovey, besides quoting Pearson and Rodski in her article, The Therapeutic Science Of Adult Coloring Books: How This Childhood Pastime Helps Adults Relieve Stress,  clarified that

…adult coloring books are not a cure for disease but an effective coping mechanism for people suffering from cancer, depression, dementia, anxiety, and PTSD.

Adult coloring books a booming business

Writing for Flavorwire.com, Sarah Seltzer asked in August 2015: “Are Grown-Up Coloring Books the Future of Publishing?”

Not long afterward, on December 13, the online New York Post confirmed that adult coloring books are publishing’s hottest trend.

Adult coloring as a social activity

Seltzer said, as part of the trend that bookstores are planning coloring parties, and that groups of adults are arranging coloring lunches. The coloring craze, she says

…isn’t just a way back to childhood, but a path back into a state of creation where process trumps result.

Working on art is a right-brain activity that contributes to mindfulness and adds a bit of whimsy to every day life. Just like children have always done, adults lose track of time while coloring.

No publisher left behind

Publishers Weekly gives most credit to Scottish illustrator, Johanna Basford, for the 2015 publishing craze. Coloring books, traditionally a children’s market item, are sold now by the millions to adults, and nearly if not all major publishing companies in the United States publish them.

Coloring by Warner PressFor example, Warner Press publishes a Christian-based series – Peaceful Reflections and Beloved Scriptures – that include pages for journaling and material for devotions.

Telebrands Press publishes a Colorama package with its own coloring pencils for more than 100 designs.  Most packages sell for $12.99 plus $6.99 for shipping and handling.

Colorama by Telebrands

Anecdotes in Life and Advertising

Posted on by
Reply

Anything happen to you lately, or even some time ago, that you’ve turned into a good story?

When telling about your experience, you’re sharing an anecdote – what Merriam-Webster defines as a “short story about an interesting or funny event.”

Sometimes there are stories heard from family members or friends that deserve to be passed on as well. A person doesn’t usually open the conversation by saying, “Here’s a little anecdote for you,” but that’s what it is.

TV ads use customers’ personal success stories about products or services. Who doesn’t know by now that Marie Osmond lost 50 pounds with Nutrisystem!

We can be pretty sure, however, that such “anecdotal evidence” (i.e., one person’s experience as proof for everyone) is not always trustworthy.

Study.com points out that other customers very often fail to get the same positive results claimed by one person who is often a celebrity. For that reason, advertisers insert disclaimers in the small print that is easily overlooked.

In the case of weight loss pills, for example, the whole story about people who lose significant weight while using a particular product may not be told. They may also change their diets and/or follow an exercise program but neglect to mention such facts.

Anecdotes are a part of everyday life and communication. They take many forms and serve many purposes.

Find more interesting stuff about anecdotes here.