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Right-hand wrote 21 December 2009
Hi, i am doing some research about how common it is for left handed to use or prefer to use the left leg and the left foot like as i prefer to use my right leg and right foot as being right handed? For example as a man when i want to kick a football, soccer ball i prefer to use my right leg, foot. Or just need to do something with my foot i usually automatically use my right foot. I would be very gratefull if you could help me with these questions…Love to your all and merry christmas and happy new year…from Petri in Sweden.
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Ella wrote 19 December 2009
by Ella Greer
As a child, I was always different. I was deathly afraid of a fatal contraption, otherwise known as the bicycle. I wrote backwards, I preferred crayons over markers, scissors were considered the root of all evil, and three-ring binders were the enemy. I frequently exasperated my parents with these idiosyncrasies, my dad especially; learning how to ride a bike is an experience that I will never be allowed to forget. My father will never let the scene of my careening down the street, hands in the air, feet off the pedals, and screaming that I was going to die, fade from the album of family memories.
Because of the attention and the belief that the world is attempting to asphyxiate me, I have found the desire to find out who I was as a lefty. The quest of self-realization began, and I soon found myself amongst friends with the relief of knowing that I was not alone in this tragic game between the world and left handers.
I am often the subject of ridicule and stares inside the classroom. Many a time, peers will proclaim that I am a “freak” and that my entire life is “screwed up” or “backwards.” My colleagues are not trying to be spiteful (even though I have reason to believe that one was), nor do they wish to become the cause of my insecurities. They are just simply mesmerized by the phenomenon of genetics and independent assortment.
First things first: I learned that the bicycle incident was not my fault. Left-handed people find it harder to keep their balance than right-handed people do. Therefore, it took me longer to conquer the death contraption than it took my brothers, who happen to be right-handed.
During my quest, I soon realized that I was not as weird as I first perceived myself to be. It is normal for a young left hander to write backwards in attempt to move away from the spine of notebook or the rings of a binder. The favoritism of crayons over markers was easily explained; when left handers write, the ink of the writing utensil smears on the paper and on their wrists.
Although left handers today have it hard, the hardships they face are nothing compared to the trials that fellow left-handers went through in ancient history. Egyptians saw left-handers as bad omens and threw them off the side of a cliff or used them as sacrifices to the gods, to show that they have repented and cleansed themselves of evil. In Latin, the term left means “sinister.” It is also said that witches greeted each other with the left hand, signifying that they were a part of the evil community. The phrase “someone got up on the wrong side of the bed” originates from the belief that stepping out of the bed on the left foot is a sign that the person was destined to have a bad day.
One day during class, a peer of mine looked at me and thought it appropriate to inform the entire class that my life was screwed up because I wrote upside down. Because of this, I began my odyssey to find other lefties like myself. I longed for the knowledge and assurance that I am not a “freak of nature” and that my life is not “screwed up.” To all the lefties reading these words of assurance, and to those who are struggling to find their place in this world, you are not alone.
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USA Team Handball wrote 10 December 2009
Hi,
Team Handball is one of about 30 Summer Olympic sports, and the one sport that puts the highest premium on having left-handed throwing players. Team Handball is played 7-v-7 on a basketball-size court, with teams throwing a volleyball-sized ball into a 6′ x 10′ goal. It’s like water polo on land…
Anyways, you can find the USA federation at www.usateamhandball.org. We are actively recruiting exceptional athletes, primarily between the ages of 14-22, men and women, interested in learning the sport and/or competing on a local, regional, national or international level. If you’d like to learn more, please send an email to info@usateamhandball.org with the following:
Name, City/State, Height, Weight, Sports Experience, Handball Experience and, of course, which hand you throw with.
Generally, we’re looking for women taller than 5′8″ and men taller than 6′ – but we’re interested in all exceptional athletes. Top cities where you can start playing today include LA, NY, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Atlanta, Boston, Washington DC, Denver, Houston and many more.
Please forward to your left-handed friends!
GO USA!
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OH Lefty wrote 10 December 2009
My son is working on a science fair project comparing reaction times with a computer mouse and comparing right and left handed people.. we need more left handed people to take this short test. The web address is:
http://tinyurl.com/davidnester
most subjects have been students from 10 – 14 – but anyone can do it! Thanks, David’s Left handed mom
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wkayli wrote 26 November 2009
I’m a 13 year old lefty. Recently, i developed an interest for acoustic guitar. Problem was, i was left handed. I’ve been told both ways, that restringing a guitar worked & didnt work. Living in an Islamic country (Malaysia, to be exact), it’s hard to find a real left acoustic. There were models for lefty electric, but so far i havent found anything on lefty acoustic. I dont think my mum would let me go on Ebay, and just so you know, I picked up the guitar naturally left handed. Dont even consider me switching, firstly i love being left handed and want to show people i can play left handed, and secondly doing the right way just feels completely unnatural to me and i tried it quite a few times. Lefty way suits me best. Problem is, i dont know how to acquire a good lefty acoustic, and i need to find a good teacher who doesnt mind i’m left handed.
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CheapInventor wrote 12 November 2009
Good evening Left-handed people of cyber space.
I promise, I’m not trying to plug anything. Just a random post, on an random day. With random numbers in play.
I’ve never before spoken about left handedness in a long drawn out post before, and I was searching for this particular book for a left-handed friend of mine. A Left-Handed History of the World(which I would love to see added to the list of left books.), It has made being left-handed more clear to me, and I feel even better knowing a very good history of left-handed people and all we can accomplish in this right-handed world.
Long story short, I stumbled upon this website, and went through some of the recent posts.
I’m delighted and amazed by some of the stories and I’d like to share mine.
I write backwards, I never thought this was odd, but it is the absolute most comfortable I have ever written, I like to read backwards as well as upside down. It some how feels more natural. For the first few years of school I was told I was dyslexic. I couldn’t read very well because the letters looked funny to me. I was an very slow learner because I am a lefty.
Adaptation. That’s the word I think of when I think of Left handed people. We adapt and can adapt to situations better than right-handed people, because we have to deal with so much of day to day life that was not made for us. I believe we are more clear headed, and calm when emergency arises. I think we’re more sensitive, and extremely observant because we’ve had to subconsciously live, work, play and survive, around those righties.
I also would like to point out there’s a few good people missing from the left handed list here. Mark Twain, Gandhi, as well it is thought that Beethoven was also left handed, though that has never been proven, though I would be shocked if he was right handed.
Being a left handed person does not mean life has to be difficult. Though a lot of times it can be. With the left-handed crook while writing. I never did get that, because my grandmother is left handed and it hurt my wrist to write like that. I’m proud to say that I love the ink smudges on my little finger when it runs over wet ink. Because it means I’ve been writing again.
I have no problem using my right hand, I do so for cutting with scissors, playing sports, using the mouse; and when I feel like a challenge, I write.
Everything else is left handed for me.
I do find that driving on the left side of a car might pose a problem for me. I feel more safe and secure on the right side of a car and would probably do well in England. heh.
So, in conclusion to these thoughts of mine;
Being left handed is a gift. We’re a small — although growing; percentage of the world. We’re artistic, and witty. We are unique and smart. I love the challenges of being a southpaw. Those right-handers don’t know what they’re missing.
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Jill wrote 7 November 2009
Reading about lefties, I saw that most of them are uncomfortable doing things that deal with their right hand. Even though i am left-handed, I find that dealing with tasks such as using a computer mouse, or throwing a ball feel more comfortable with my right hand. I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed this with themselves?
My mother has put me in piano lessons since I was in kindergarten. Maybe this has something to do with it since you use your right hand to play most of the keys.
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Eleannorigby wrote 29 October 2009
So, I’m 22 and was forced to write with my right hand for about half a year in the third grade. There were six left handed children out of 16, and my teacher took the high number of lefties as a sign something needed to be done. He saw left-handedness as a sign of a weak will. My parents were hesitant about agreeing to switching me, but were told that all the other parents of lefties had already agreed (so basically pressured into it). One day I came home and told my mother I wished I could cut my right hand off so I wouldn’t have to use it anymore. I’ve been using my left hand for everything ever since.
However, I always considered myself really awkward and clumsy and I could never figure out why I couldn’t do simple things like draw a straight line with a ruler – or why the arrow keys on keyboards were in such an inconvenient place. The biggest thing, was I always hated taking pictures because they came out so blurry and it the process was so awkward. I never realized that this was due to having to press the button down with my weaker hand, which I’m unable to hold as steady. It’s such a relief to know that it’s not cos I’m dumb or bad at things – just that I’m a lefty! So I’ve started switching everything I can (computer mouse, hold cameras upside down) around to be more comfortable for me. My friends think my obsession with pointing out things that are designed to put lefties at a disadvantage is annoying and whiny. When I point out places where there is no left-handed equipment (I used to work in a deli – all the slicers are for right-handers) they tell me that it’s not a big deal – however, I’ve seen right handers get really, really worked up when they come into a class and find a left-handed desk where they usually sit (and things like that).
Has anyone else had this kind of experience with their friends/peers?
Also, I have a really hard time telling right from left. I usually say left when I mean right and vice versa. People hate having me give them driving directions. I’ve heard that this is a lefty thing? Has anyone else found that to be true?
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Lefty Lady wrote 13 October 2009
Last week I attended a class in the Cal State Northridge Library. I moved the mouse to the left-hand side and then attempted to reverse the mouse buttons. Normally I simply use control Panel to change the mouse settings. But Control Panel was not visible on the library’s computer. There was an “Accessibility” menu, but none of the things listed there had anything to do with making the computer accessible to lefties. I asked the librarian in charge of the class how to switch the mouse buttons. She didn’t know how and went to get someone else. She came back with a guy who told me that there was no way to switch the buttons because Control Panel had been disabled for security reasons. He claimed that I was the first person who had ever asked for this. I told him I wouldn’t be the last. He said it would probably be another twelve years before that happened. Wow! My right handed friends agreed with me that his response was inappropriate. And, seriously, if we were talking about accessibility for people who speak Japanese (which was available on that computer) would it matter how many or how often? Would the library refuse to meet the needs of all the various ethnic and religious groups, deaf people, or people with disabilities who are on campus, simply because they haven’t often made these requests? I don’t think so.
Reversing the mouse button is a simple thing that has been easy to do on PCs for many, many years. Not every lefty reverses the mouse buttons, but many do. In fact, even some righties do this, so they can use the mouse in the left hand while taking notes with the right. The point is, those of us who need to use the mouse in this perfectly normal way should not be placed at a disadvantage.
So here’s my request. Whether or not you are left-handed, and whether or not you prefer to switch the mouse buttons, if you are a CSUN student (or anyone who has business on campus) please go to the library and ask for help reversing the mouse buttons for left-handed use. Be polite but firm. In your conversation with the librarian, make sure you use the word “accessible”. For example, “It’s hard to use the library when the computers aren’t accessible.” Or, “How do you plan to address this accessibility problem?” You might also want to use the word “discrimination”, as in, “I’m very surprised to find this kind of discrimination going on here.”
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curiousrighthander wrote 12 October 2009
My father is a lefty and he was typing in IM to me last night and instead of responding with “k” when I told him I’d be right back, he typed “d”. I noticed right off that he had used the correct finger, just on the wrong hand. He commented that it had been a big problem when he was learning to type because it was a common occurrence for him. I’m curious if any other left handers out there have noticed the same type of situation in any capacity. Does the brain of the left handed person sometimes get confused as to which side of the body should make the desired motion? I know that left handed brains work a bit differently and I’m wondering if this is one of those things. Thanks in advance.
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