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Bubbleology

by Stacey "The Balloon Kid" Schmude

Balloons Across America

On Wednesday, October 4th, 2000, balloon twisters from all across the globe will be twisting balloons for charity. These balloon twisters donate one hour of their time to twisting at one of their local non-profit organizations, for example - schools, hospitals, libraries, day cares, or simply out on the street. Giving is an incredible thing. It encourages others to give to other people, and makes everyone a kinder and gentler soul, even if it is for the nanosecond of handing an inflated piece of latex to one lonely child.

The goal of Balloons Across America, the organization putting together all of the balloon twisters for this event, is to have 200 balloon twisters twisting for charity, and at least one from every state.

If you would like to take part in Balloons Across America, BAA, send an e-mail to Jeff Brown at jbrown@alaska.net. He will place your name on the BAA homepage and provide a link to your own page, if you would like. If you have contacts elsewhere in the state that do not have Internet, it would be greatly appreciated if you would send this information to them.

For my part in Balloons Across America, I will be teaching a beginning class in twisting at the Oshkosh Public Library (OPL), and I would like to encourage all the other twisters out there to donate one hour of their time to twisting balloon animals for this great cause. I noticed that Larry Moss and Jack Porcello will also be twisting at a library for BAA. I have talked with the marketing coordinator at Winnefox Library System and she is willing to write a press release for the library trade journals regarding this cooperative effort. This type of publicity is good for ALL twisters. If you haven't signed up yet, or if you haven't selected your non-profit organization, please consider a public library. Program funding most of the time is so low at these places but the word of mouth advertising libraries have done for me can't be beat. If you choose to participate in Balloons Across America at a library, please forward your name to me at schmude@vbe.com. Thanks for your help in making this event a success.

Don't Baby the Children

Ever wonder why kids don't like the average street twister? No offense to all of you out there. Do you ever talk to a child like they are a two-year-old? I speak from personal experience, I don't like it. A child does not like being treated like a bab y. Once in a while they get a kick out of it, but they don't like it when you say in a talking-to-a-baby voice "Whould ya like a bawwoon?" Not only do children dislike it when you talk to them as a stranger would to a baby, but they dislike it when you are snippish, snapping, and downright rude. For example, I once heard a twister that was asked if he could make a Pokemon balloon creature. The twister replied "Pokemon are dumb, why would you want one of those stupid things?" Saying such things to children is insulting and can greatly lower their self-esteem. They will not find it easy to ask for a balloon that they really want if they are treated in this fashion or if they see others treated that way. It would have been much more acceptable to say, "No, I can't make a Pokemon, but I can make a ___________" and give them another option. Don't make children the butt of your jokes either. Treat kids as immature babies and they will dislike you, treat them as mature youngsters and you will make friends and fans forever.