On a hot summer day in the plains of Africa, all the antelope got together to discuss a way to rid themselves of their mortal enemy, the Cheetah. The Cheetah was constantly trying to run them down. They were always afraid that one day he would catch up to them.

They talked for two hours but no one had a suitable idea. They had just about given up all hope when a young antelope stood up. "I have an idea," he said, "that I think will work. Everyone stopped talking to listen to the antelope. This is what he said. "If we tie a thin string between two trees, and dig a hole deep enough that the Cheetah could not escape, someone can attract his attention, then run away, acting as bait. The Cheetah will chase the 'bait' who would be running straight towards our well-hidden trap. The bait, being a good jumper, will jump, at the last minute over the trap to the other side safely, while the Cheetah, caught off guard, will trip and land in the hole. Thus freeing us of our enemy."

The animal had been silent while the antelope had told his plan. Now they erupted with cheers and hurrahs, each wishing that he had thought of such a novel idea himself. All of a sudden, in the midst of their revelries, and old antelope stood up and motioned for silence. "I think, "he said, "that the young one's plan would work in certain circumstances. I have but one question: who will be the bait??

Moral: It is a different thing matter to suggest an idea, than to carry it out yourself.

The End.

The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions!!

World Famous Lippizzaners!!

Today we went to see the famous Lipizzan horses. They were amazing! We saw them at the Sprint Center. During the show, we learned about their history, their training and saw amazing tricks, or movements. The Lipizzaner stallions performed their maneuvers with grace and perfection. They were beautiful as they presented their various movements. First, the Levade, where the horse remains at a 45 degree angle to the ground; also, the Courbette - the stallion rears, then jumps! And finally, my favorite, the Capriole. The Lipizzaner is required to leap into the air, then kick out his legs in the middle of his jump. Research their website, www.lipizzaner.com, to learn more about these majestic creatures.

Cinnamon Spills the Sugar : Part II

"WE DOMINATE THE EARTH!!!!!" At this, my sugar clumped up, and my china chipped. Who were these men? They continued. "But first", said Larry, "we'll advertise in all newspapers that the world is going to end, and make a lot of money." Now, I said, it is time for action!! I had a plan, but I had to sacrifice my beautiful sugar. So without hesitating, I dumped my precious cargo ofsugar over the table, down , down, down, to the ground. This immediately brought the manager running. It also roused the other customers and before long, we had a crowd gathered around my table, trapping the schemers. When the manager saw me pointing to the suspicious characters, he grabbed them and said, "Young man, we don't not waste sugar in this restaurant!" The crowd gasped. One little child said, "How could he?!!" Someone called the police. They came, dragged the whole story out of them and took them away. I never heard from Larry or Joe again. And as for me, I was the hero of the day!! I was given more sugar to hold and was promoted to the first class tables.

Morse Code

You can imagine how much trouble armies had when trying to communicate. They were often miles away from each other and it was extremely difficult to contact each other to warn them about the enemy, or news and changed plans. Around 1832, a code was created that enabled people to communicate over long distances. Now armies could contact each other much easier than before.

Morse coke was invented and developed by Samuel Morse. He patented the first functioning receiver in 1837. A partner of Morse, Alfred Vail, having greater technical abilities, later improved the machine. In 1830, Joseph Henry had made the first long distance telegraph machine. It sent and electric signal over a mile on wire. When the telegraph reached the end of the wire, there was a magnet that caused a bell to ring.

Morse code is a series of "dots and dashes, or "dits and dahs" representing letters and numbers. It is a method of transmitting info by on-off tones, lights, or clicks. A telegraph sends electrical signals over long distances. Because of it can be read without a decoding device and is easily sent, it is one of the simplest methods of telegraphy.

Presently, it is still used, thought it is not as popular. The U.S. Coast Guard stopped using it for their distress signals because of their automatic satellite relays. It is often used on ships and in radio telegraphy; and pilots are still required to know it.

Morse did a great deal to help America as it grew. Eventually , it was modified to the point that it is wireless and is known as the telephone. Perhaps Morse didn't know how much it would impact America. Morse code was once the newest device in electronics. Since then, America has developed tremendously.Do you ever wonder, in fifty years, what will have changed? Will cars be considered as old fashioned as horse-drawn carriages?

Ellie the Cucumber

Mayday!! Mayday!! My friend Ellie had just been turned into a giant cucumber!!!! Well, she couldn't stop eating cucumbers and all of a sudden she just turned green and sprouted leaves!! She won't respond to anyone; Ellie just keeps singing, "O, where is my hairbrush, O, where is my hairbrush......." We don't know what to do with her; the police want to lock her up, the zoo wants to put her in a cage, and the local museum wants to put her on display. Yikes, here comes the news reporters!!! Hide!! Never mind, Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales just quit and they want Ellie on the show. I think she'd be a natural.........!

Cinnamon spills the Sugar!! Part I

My name is Cinnamon. Except the ironic thing is that I am a sugar bowl. Oh well, I like my name. Anyway, I work, or sit, at Millie's Cafe. One day I was sitting on my table and thinking to myself, "What a beautiful day!!", when two rude, sinister looking men came and sat at - whose table?? Mine!! Out of the 378 table at Millie's Cafe, they picked mine. They sat down and began talking. Suddenly, I was interested again. They were talking about the zoo. Not about going there, no, but of something else. This is what I heard: "So Larry, we need the tiger, lion, cheetah, elephant, cougar, and some kangaroos." "Right Joe" said Larry, "first we break into the zoo at night, distract the guards, then take their keys and make chaos by unlocking all the animal. Next, we'll get out with the above animals, and then the fun part-WE DOMINATE THE EARTH!!!!!"

To be continued.

The Sea of Snow

The Sea of Snow

Sparkling crystals,

A sea of snow,

Icicles dripping,

This sea of snow.

Trees are weighed down,

Covering the ground,

A sea of crystals,

And sparkling white snow.

Last night I watched,

As it all came down,

Flurries and snowflakes,

Covering the ground.

The wind did blow,

Did it stop? No.

A mini blizzard raged,

In our backyard,

Icy blasts,

And snow so cold,

Through the night,

A storm of white.

Now it is still,

A sea of snow,

A silent wonderland,

With a crystal glow.

The trees are covered,

With shimmering ice,

A bright-eyed junco,

On it's snowy perch.

The waves are still,

The sky is blue,

The snow so bright,

The sun shines true,

I an afraid,

I must confess,

I could go blind,

In this sparkling,

Shimmering, icy,

Sea of snow.

So, from the window

I will go,

Leaving behind, a sparkling,

Shimmering, icy,

Sea of snow.

Finish I must,

So leave I will ,

Tearing my eyes,

From the scene so still.