*you can blame the 'put out your eye' hysteria on my cousin Kenny, a terribly uncoordinated child, who put out his eye with a stick at the age of four. Because of him sticks, or anything else fun for that matter, are now verboten for children the world over. So if (like me) the only sanctioned "war" toy your mom would allow was a cotton-filled pantyhose sausage shaped like a howitzer--blame Kenny. That one-eyed bastard ruined it for all of us.