The Fact of the Matter - PSD Non-fiction Magazine

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The Fact of the Matter


The Fact of the Matter . . . LA 1 and LA 3: Non-fiction magazine – Your Source for Fascination First Edition, Published at Poughkeepsie Day School, Poughkeepsie, NY.

With many thanks to Ruthie Shaw, Gretchen Lytle and Kaitlin Torp

For Harriet, who has so much wonderful learning in front of her and so many wonderful people with whom to share it.

May 21, 2012 Contributors – In order of appearance

Aaron S. – The First Crusade

Lia S. – Beagles vs. Coonhounds

Cameron S. - What is a Bomber?

Lily S. – History of Dogs

Camilla F. – The Early Life of a Koala

Maddie S. – Modern Dance

Charlotte C. – Meerkats

Mia V. – How to Train a Cat

Cole T. – Norwegian Eating

Michael Y. – Baseball

Daniel V. – Squirrels

Morgan M. – Black Cats

Eden G. – Mountain Gorillas

Natalie M. – Monkeys and Apes

Gus B. – Two Great Soccer Players

Paavo H. - All about Galaxies

Jade B. – How Dogs Communicate

Petra P. – Arabian Horses

James S. – The Battle of Gettysburg

Sam H. - Electricity

Jan C. – Making Chocolate in a Factory

Stella P. – Dogs

Joanna H. – Toy Dogs

Sobia H. – Grooming Your Cat

Kiki S. – What Orangutans Eat

Zack W. – From Squire to Knight

Lexi K. – Primates vs. Humans


The First Crusade By Aaron S.

While they were walking through a pass they were AMBUSHED by a group of Turks and they were nearly wiped out! Peter the Hermit and a few others

“Attack!” cried the knight commander and the

survived to tell the tale of how they were defeated

crusaders charged the oncoming Turks. If you’ve

by the mighty Seljuk Turks.

never read about the first crusade than you probably have no idea what this article is talking about. Allow me to explain. It all started in 1096 when Pope Urban the 2nd learned that the Seljuk Turks had taken over the Holy Land a.k.a. Jerusalem. He decided to send out a crusade of knights to reclaim it. It used to be that Christians could visit Jerusalem but the Seljuk Turks refused them that right. And so the crusade began.

A year after the Pope announced the start of the crusade the knights set out, taking almost the exact

There were in fact two crusades. The crusade

same route as the peasants. In Constantinople the

made up of knights and a crusade of peasants who

emperor had the Generals swear their loyalty to

had taken it upon themselves to free the Holy Land

him and ferried them across the Straits. They too

from the Turks. The knights took almost a year to

were ambushed but fought off the Turks and

prepare all their stuff. The peasants were ready

continued on their way. After that they found and

almost immediately. Led by Peter the Hermit, the

captured the ancient city of Antioch. But the crazy

Peasants crusade set off towards the Holy Land.

thing is the army of Turks laid a siege of Antioch

Those peasants weren’t the good guys you’d think

while the knights were still there! The knights were

they were. For that matter neither were the knights.

terrified and thought they would die. That was when

The peasants attacked Jewish people along the

a humble member of the crusade stepped forward.

way and near the end of the crusade the knights

The night before, he had a dream that the Holy

had a massacre, but more about that later. In the

Lance was in Antioch. Half the crusaders searched

summer of 1096 the peasants got to the city of

and they did find a lance. They believed that this

Constantinople. The emperor of Constantinople

was in fact the Holy Lance. Empowered by their

was worried, unsurprisingly, when a bunch of loud

discovery they decided to attack the Turks the very

peasants came into his hall and demanded

next day.

passage. So he quickly had them ferried across the Straits of Bosphorus into what is now Turkey (the

The next day the crusaders won a huge victory.

country, not the food.)

They not only beat the Turks, they demolished them. The Turkish army scattered and the

Now we get to something exciting. After traveling

crusaders were not bothered by them again. They

across the Straits they went through the mountains.

finally made it to Jerusalem in 1099. I know it took


them a very long time, but they got there in the end.

Christian hands.

Well I guess I wasn’t telling the truth. The Turks poisoned all the water around Jerusalem. The

I’m sure you know what happens after that. You

crusaders were not deterred by this act. They

don’t! Well this is what happened. The crusaders

continued anyway. The crusaders spent three days

took over and Jerusalem was divided into four

marching around Jerusalem purifying themselves

principalities and each was ruled by a knight or

before attacking. Then after another three days

lord. After that two groups of knights formed. They

they made it into the city. They then went on that

were called the Knights Templar and the

massacre I told you about earlier. They killed

Hospitalles. The Templar made sure everyone was

almost everyone! It was really gruesome. The Pope

safe and the Hospitalles cared for everyone who

who had sent them died before the news reached

was sick or homeless. In other words they thrived

him that they had captured Jerusalem. His

there.

successor made sure that Jerusalem stayed in

What is a Bomber?

bombs when the bomb bay doors open.

By Cameron S. THE HISTORY OF BOMBERS. A bomber is a military plane. It flies high and at a speed of 600-1,600 mph. A bomber can fly for over

The first bomb was dropped in 1911.The pilots

12 hours in the air. .A bomber also carries troops.

used to drop the bombs from a open cockpit. They used to be detectable by enemy radar. Now they

HOW DOES A BOMBER WORK? are mostly detectable by radar. A bomber uses 4 jet engines to fly. A bomber uses satellites and This is a plane that is computers to undetectable by radar. This help them fly. is a stealth fighter. They also can refuel in mid-air. It drops its


The Early Life of a Koala

but they are not bears, they are marsupials. Most people think that koalas are cute and cuddly but

by Camilla F.

they are actually fierce. They have sharp claws to

The baby koala is born! He is only two centimeters long, about the size of a jellybean. She is a

climb smooth trees and sharp teeth. *marsupial:mar-soo-pe-ul

marsupial*. Marsupials are mammals with pouches they carry their joeys around in. Joeys are baby marsupials. The joey only has two senses - smell and touch. The joey stays in her mother’s pouch

Meerkats By Charlotte C.

keeping warm and drinking her mother’s milk for about 6-8 months. He also eats something called

Foxes, eagles, hawks, jackals and hyenas all hunt

pap. Pap is a specialized form of his mother’s

meerkats. Meerkats blend into the ground, but

droppings

somehow their predators spot them. When a

which is soft

predator doesn’t leave, the meerkats work together

and runny.

to drive it away. The meerkats tightly clump

Joeys eat

together and that’s called a mob. Each member of

pap because

the mob turns toward the predator. Next they stand

it develops

up tall and hold their tails up straight and stiff. They

their

puff up their hair and try to look big as possible.

digestive system so

The meerkats are clumped together so they look

the poison

like one big animal. After that the mob charges at

from eucalyptus leaves won’t affect them. The joey

the predator and at the same time the meerkats

will start eating pap when it is about 4 months old.

leap into the air. All of them then hiss and growl. If the predator is still there they bite and scratch. One

Once the months have passed and the joey has

meerkat can’t fight the predator. But working

outgrown his pouch he rides on his mother’s back

together they can fight the predator off.

(piggyback style) until he’s about a year old. When her digestive system has developed she can start to eat leaves. Koalas mainly eat eucalyptus leaves which are poisonous to anybody other than koalas. They also eat other leaves. Koalas will eat and sleep in trees.

The koala will end up living to about 10-17 years old. Normally female koalas live longer than male koalas because of injuries from fights, dogs and car accidents. Most people call them “Koala Bears”


SQUIRRELS By Daniel V.

Norwegian Eating By Cole Turner Have you ever wondered how food in Norway is

There are over 300 kinds of squirrels. Three of

gathered? Food in Norway is gathered in many

them are ground squirrels, tree squirrels and flying

different ways. Farmers in Norway grow rye, wheat

squirrels. The ground squirrels dig burrows in the

and barley. These grains are used to make many

ground and can

types of bread. Farmers raise sheep, goats, pigs and

survive most types

dairy cattle

of weather. Some

which

tree squirrels build

provide

nests like birds.

mutton, lamb

Some get homes

and pork as

in trees. Even in the winter they still come down for

well as the

food. These two squirrels are most active during

cheeses that

the day.

Norwegians enjoy. One Norwegian cheese is geitost which is made

Flying

from goat’s milk. Another kind of cheese is gammelost,

squirrels

a tangy brown cheese that is made from soured skim

don’t

milk.

really fly. They

Fruits and vegetables are also grown in Norway. This

have flaps of skin so they can glide across the sky.

is weird since one third of Norway is above the arctic

The southern flying squirrels live usually live in

circle. But the warm gulf stream currents and mild

hollow trees. This squirrel is more active at night

southwesterly winds keep the temperature in Norway

time.

high. Norway is cool and damp during the growing

All squirrels

season. Vegetables that grow well in this climate are

have strong

potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, peas and rutabagas.

legs and

Very often potatoes are part of the Norwegian dinner,

can leap

especially when they are boiled. At least twelve

from tree

different kinds of potatoes grow in Norway. Many kinds

limb to tree

of berries thrive in Norway like strawberries,

limb. They

blueberries, lingonberries and cloudberries.

also have teeth called incisors that are strong and can crack a nut. Their whiskers can tell whether or not the squirrel can fit. A squirrel has a memory

What starts with "t" ends with "t" and is filled with "t"? A teapot.

span for 20 minutes. That’s a lot of cool facts about squirrels. Thank you for reading.


The Ways of Mountain Gorillas

because sometimes they can remind us about ourselves and the more we learn about them the

By Eden G.

more we learn about ourselves.

While there are three different kinds of gorillas: the western lowland gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla, I find the mountain gorilla

Two Great Soccer Players By Gus B.

most fascinating. The mountain gorilla has thicker and longer fur than all the other kinds of gorillas.

Have you ever

They have longer and thicker fur because they live

wondered who

in cooler temperatures than other gorillas.

the two best soccer players in

Males weigh twice as much as females just like a

the world are?

western lowland gorilla. Most adult male mountain gorillas are called silverbacks because when they get older their fur on their backs begins to have a silver stripe down the center. Gorillas live in groups however male gorillas leave the group at age eleven . In each group there is always at least one

Well, I’m not going to just tell you who they are and why, but I’ll also tell you about the leagues they play in. So get ready to read some serious information. The two best soccer players in the world right now are Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi.

dominant silverback. The silverback decides what the group eats and where.

Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. Although he is only five-

When the mountain gorilla is most active is between the hours of 6am and 6pm. They live in altitudes ranging from 7,200-14,100 feet. The mountain gorilla eats leaves, shoots and stems from plants, bark, roots and flowers. The mountain gorilla is very social and they keep long term bonds. Gorillas are such fascinating creatures

foot-seven, he is the best dribbler by far and his shot is so good that not even Ronaldo’s (see below) shot is better. Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the second best soccer player in the world and was born in Santo Antonio, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo is the second best player in the world because of his amazing head balling ability, his great passing skills, and his lightning speed. Eastern Mountain Gorilla in rainforest of Uganda Picture from Royalty Free Stock Photos

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messie play in


Spain's best league, La Liga, meaning The

When a dog wants something he stares at you,

League.

paws at you,holds his ears up, and wags his tail

Ronaldo used to play in the English Premier

high. When a dog shows love he will lick you,

League (the EPL). The EPL is the most popular

cuddle with you and lay on you. These are all

League in the world.

importantthis to know about how your dog communicates.

How Dogs Communicate

The Battle of Gettysburg:

By Jade B. Dogs communicate in three different ways, by sound, scent and body and facial expression. These are some ways to know how your dog is feeling. When a dog is nervous he has his tail between his legs, he holds his head low, his body will be shaking, and he will in a defensive posture. When a dog is excited/happy he will hold his head high, have perky ears, wag his tail high and bark. When a dog is bored/sleepy he will lay around, have eyes half opened, sigh and yawn. When a dog wants to play, he will play bow, which is when the front is down and the back is raised. He will bark, and his tail will wag. Depending on the size of the breed some dogs will bark very deeply, like a St Bernard, while smaller dogs like a Fox Terrier will bark with a much higher tone. When

By James S. Gettysburg was one of the main battles of the civil war. One of the Confederate generals, Robert E. Lee, marched with 75,000 troops to Gettysburg. At first there was a small Union army until thousands of Union army reinforcements arrived. One of the Union generals, General Meade, came with 88,000 troops. The Confederate were out-numbered in Gettysburg. Lee ordered his men to attack the middle of the Union battle line. Some of the Confederates were killed and captured. The rest of the Confederates retreated to the south. The battle was 4 full days long. The Confederates messed with the wrong Union army.

That retreat was on the Fourth of July, 1863. a dog is aggressive his back raises, his ears are pinned down, his tail wags low and he has an offensive posture. He will have his lip curled and teeth showing, and he will be snarling or growling.


Making Chocolate in a Factory

vanilla to chocolate liquor to make dark chocolate. They add dried milk powder and more sugar and

By Jan C.

vanilla if they are making milk chocolate. At this point, the ingredients are all mixed together

It took about four days for the Van Leer Chocolate

according to recipes worked out in a laboratory,

factory to make chocolate from a bag of cacao

and the first day is drawing to a close.

beans. The cacao beans arrived from all over the world - - all over the tropical region of the world

On the second day, the chocolate liquor, sugar and

that is. Beans from Ghana may be mixed with

other ingredients must be “refined”, mixed and

beans from Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii, Malaysia and

ground for about a half a day until the size of the

the Philippines to make a smooth, flavorful

particles is so tiny that the chocolate will be creamy

chocolate. When the cacao beans arrived in their

and smooth. Then it’s time for a long blending

burlap sacks weighing 200 pounds, they were

process called conching. Cheaper chocolates are

either forklifted right to the storage pallets in the

only conched for a few hours, but fine chocolate

large cool warehouse or they were opened and

spends at least 24 hours being conched.

dumped into a rotating roasting oven for several hours.

During the afternoon of

When the beans are roasted, they are deposited

the fourth

onto a moving conveyor belt situated on top of a

day, the

powerful fan so their papery shells can be blown

chocolate is

off and caught in empty burlap sacks. Next, the

sent

beans, now called nibs, traveled to a large grinding

through

machine which turns the cocoa beans into a thick

pipes to a large tempering kettle. The chocolate

paste that looks a lot like peanut butter. This paste,

must be handled at just the right temperatures so

called cocoa mass or chocolate liquor, is quite oily

that when it is poured into ten pound molds, it will

because the beans are rich with cocoa butter.

be as brown and shiny as we expect delicious

Some of the chocolate liquor heads to a huge

chocolate to be. Finally, the 89 degree chocolate is

press. The press squeezes the paste so hard that

deposited into molds and sent into a very cold

all the cocoa butter drips out and all that’s left

refrigerated room for about an hour. Conveyor

between the large round presses is a cake of

belts bring the bars to workers at the final station of

cocoa powder. The company sells some of the

the assembly line. Workers at this station lift each

cocoa powder to bakers and hot chocolate makers

bar, place it in a clean plastic bag and place the

and some of the cocoa butter to skin care

bar into a box. Five bars in a box means it’s time

companies, but the rest gets used to make their

for another worker to tape the box shut: green tape

delicious chocolate.

for dark chocolate and yellow tape for milk chocolate. These boxes travel by forklift truck to

Workers add sugar and some flavorings such as

cool storage warehouses until someone orders


them.

What Orangutans Eat

I grew up learning and playing around Van Leer

By Kiki S.

Chocolate Corporation. It is closed now, and all the employees have gone to work for other

As the seasons change orangutans can remember

businesses. I have fond memories of the smells,

where the trees are that might have ripe fruit so

the sounds and the signs posted to remind people

they go to those trees more often than others.

how to be safe. I loved climbing the greasy ladders

Orangutans have

to peer into the giant tanks where the chocolate

a very big

was blended. I loved helping pack the ten pound

appetite and

bars. But what made me feel special was that I

sometimes they

could say to people whose parents worked in

will spend the

offices doing who knew what, “My daddy works in

whole day

a chocolate factory!”

looking for food, and eating. They

Where are toy dogs from? By Joanna H.

eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, bark, flowers, eggs, and insects. They have very sharp teeth in the front of their mouths for tearing and cutting food. In

All of the toy dogs are from around the world.

the back of their mouths they have molars for

Italian greyhounds are from Italy. Mexican hairless

chewing food.

are from China. Papillons are from France. English toy spaniels are from England. They are also called King Charles spaniels. Chihuahuas are from Mexico. Maltese are from Malta in the Mediterranean sea. Pekingese are from China.

Primates vs. Humans By: Lexi K.

Pugs are from Europe. Affenpinschers are from

Have you ever wondered if primates are like us?

Germany. Bichon Frises are from the

It's hard to think about, isn’t it? I mean an animal

Mediterranean Sea area. Bolognese are from Italy.

and a human...alike? Well the truth is some way

Chinese crested

they are, but in some ways they aren’t. Human

dogs are from

behavior starts in the brain and in our nervous

China. English toy

systems. The more complicated an animal’s brain

terriers are from

is the more

England. Japanese

complicated

chin dogs are from

their

Japan. Lowchens

behavior will

are from Europe. Pomeranians are from Germany

be. Primates

and last but not least the Yorkshire terrier is from

are right

Yorkshire.

below us on the food


chain and their life is complicated. So that means

Beagles vs. Coonhounds

primates (monkeys and apes) are a lot like humans

By Lia S.

actually. All their senses are the same as ours. In

Do beagles and coonhounds have anything in

fact chimpanzees, monkeys, and apes are the only

common? If you know what beagles or

animals that even approach our human abilities.

coonhounds are, then good for you, but If you

Chimpanzees actually make their own tools and are very, very smart. Only primates come

don’t, then they’re dog breeds. Beagles are small. They have floppy ears and a

up to our level and probably will be alive after us

loud bark. They are

when we get extinct. Yet if you think about it most

solid, sturdy and very

animals are very, very different. They hunt and we

gentle. There are two

buy, they fight others off as we invite most others

types of beagles. One

in, and they don't use toilets...!

of them is under 13 inches and the other is

Animals’ brains and bodies work much differently

higher with a maximum of 15 inches. They are

than the way ours work. We are different in many

usually black, tan, and white. They were used for

ways and also we’re highest on the food chain.

scent hunting in the time of ancient Greeks. They

With chimpanzees being right below us they are

love being around people and other dogs. Beagles

like brothers or sisters, except a little different. In

are clever, quick, and curious.

fact all primates

Coonhounds are medium sized dogs. They are a

are like our

little like the bloodhound. Coonhounds love people

brothers or

and being around them. They are working hounds,

sisters! But

and are capable of fighting through harsh winters

compared to

and hot summers. They are

animals like

very friendly, but very alert.

jellyfish we are

They have floppy ears and

much more

long legs. Male coonhounds

advanced. Considering that they have no brains!

can grow up to 27 inches and

So Humans are very much different than animals,

females can grow to 25

most of the time.

inches. Coonhounds are very loving, but they are serious when it comes to hunting. If they chase a raccoon up to a tree and

How does a hedgehog play leapfrog?

they bark at it, it’s called

Very carefully!

barking up.

What happened to the cat that swallowed a ball of wool?

Beagles do have a lot in

She had mittens!

common with coonhounds,

What do you call a gorilla wearing ear-muffs?

like their floppy ears and

Anything you like! He can’t hear you!

loving their family.

The author’s coonhound


Modern Dance By Maddie S.

freedom through her movements. She was admired by a lot of younger dancers.

Other dancers and choreographers started doing modern dance and opening up companies to teach people how to do modern dance like Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, Merce Cunningham.....etc. Modern dance is now very popular!

HOW TO TRAIN A CAT

Some choreographers wanted to make a dance that expressed a lot of feeling and that’s how

By Mia V.

modern dance came to be. A couple of choreographers wanted to expand on ballet. Ballet

Training cats is fun and a great way to spend some

is limited and often doesn’t use the dancer’s back

quality time with your companion. Here’s how to

to create movement. Ballet usually tells a story

train your cat to sit, lie down, wave, give a high five

through the dance and they walk on their toes,

and sit up. But unlike dogs who do tricks to try to

unlike modern dance. Modern dance started a

please you, cats only do a trick if they get

hundred years ago. It is not as recently made as

something out of it, so make sure you have lots of

hip-hop is but it’s always developing and people

his favorite treats. With dogs, you need to do the

keep on adding new things to it.

trick many times before the dog gets it. With cats, you only need to do it a few times. This is because

In the olden days ballet was very popular but after

cats have a part of their brain that when they do

a while a choreographer named Nijinsky created

something and they get a reward, they almost

something totally different off of the traditional

instantly know that if they do it they will get a

ballet. The dance was called The Rite Of Spring.

reward.

This dance was not appreciated among most

SIT

people when it was first performed in 1913 at

If you want to train your cat it’s important that he

Paris. The Rite Of Spring was a fierce dance. It

masters sit before you try to teach him any other

was about a little girl who was being sacrificed to

tricks. First, put him on a table. Have his favorite

the god of spring. There was an uproar! Some

treats in your hand. Make sure he’s focused on you

people found it awful and some found it beautiful.

and the treats. Gently push down on his lower back

Loie Fuller was also a great dancer who also tried

with one hand, and hold a treat an inch or two

something new. Ruth St. Denis and Isadora

above his head, say “Sit.” Then when he sits, say

Duncan both watched Loie Fuller perform in 1901.

“Good sit,” and immediately give him a treat. Do

They both became well known modern dancers.

this a few more times, then try without pressing his

Isadora Duncan did barefoot dancing and showed

lower back. Remember to reward him. Soon you


should be able to get your kitty to do sit any time, even without a treat, but it’s still better to give him a treat most of the time.

Baseball By Michael Y. The old days The first official game of baseball was played in

LIE DOWN Lie down is a very fun trick, but it’s a little tricky to teach. Have your cat sit, take his favorite treat and put it in front of him. Remember, not so close that he can’t get to it but not so far that he needs to get up to get it, about 4-6 inches away should be good. Then say, “Lie down.” When he lies down give him the treat and say, “Good lie down.” Practice a few more times and your cat should get it. WAVE

1845. Baseball has grown to be more high-tech. In the old days, the bases were just paths in the park. Alexander Cartwright created the 90 foot base paths. In the 1900’s, baseball uniforms had collars. Also, their pants were more like shorts. For the catcher, the mitt to catch the ball was like a pillow covered in leather. The catcher’s masks were covered in iron cast so they wouldn’t get hit by a ball in the face. The old masks also didn’t cover their throats. They didn’t wear helmets at that time, they wore caps. Their baseball cleats only covered the front and back of the bottom of their shoes. The cleats were made of metal.

The wave trick is very fun and pretty easy. Have

The modern days Now, baseball uniforms don’t have collars. The

your cat sit, then hold a treat at eye level to your

cleats now cover the whole bottom of the shoes and

cat. Say, “Wave,” and when he puts his paw up

the pants are longer. A usual baseball field is 300+

give him the treat and say “Good wave.” He’ll get it

feet long. A mound is 18 inches above the regular

in about three tries. Then you can do it without a

baseball field.

treat, but you should still use treats or he won’t want to do the trick anymore.

Baseball teams In baseball, there are two teams of nine people

HIGH FIVE

competing to win the game. There are also pinch

First, have your cat sit. Hold a treat a little higher

runners or hitters. That means some person is filling

than eye level to your cat, say “High five.” When he

in for the person who is getting substituted. This rule

paws your hand say “Good high five,” and give him

has not changed ever in baseball.

the treat.

End of season extras At the end of a baseball season, there are awards

SIT UP Have your cat sit. Then hold the treat above his head about 3 or 4 inches. Say “Up.” When he puts his two paws up, say “Good up,” and give him the treat.

given out. The Cy Young award goes to the best pitcher in the National League and American League. Cy Young was the greatest pitcher in baseball history. The gold glove award goes to very good defensive players. Lots of the gold glove awards are given out. That is the history of baseball.


Black Cats

Monkeys and Apes

By Morgan M.

By Natalie M. When you went to the zoo did you see the monkey

Have you ever thought about why black cats are

enclosure? Apes are the closest relatives to

thought to be bad luck? Well if you have keep

humans because they don’t have tails, and

reading. Black cats are thought to be bad luck for

monkey do. Some monkeys live in the trees, others

many superstitious reasons. One is that witches

live on the

could supposedly turn into black cats at night.

ground. The

Another is that they were thought to be witches

monkeys that

pets. At some point Jews and Babylonians thought

live on the

that black cats could be related to serpents

ground need

because of their love of sitting near a fire. Once,

extra protection

the French accused witches of worshiping the devil

by people

in the form of a black cat.

because they are very weak against pray. Ground monkeys travel in large groups.

The more realistic reason is that black cats have reflective yellow eyes and at night their eyes have

There are almost 150 different kinds of monkeys.

the illusion of glowing. This is mainly a superstition

They live in Africa, Asia and South America. South

as said above but a few are based on history. Like

America has the biggest number of threatened

this one in 1969, there was a big baseball game

monkeys. Some monkeys are endangered

Mets vs. Cubs. Somehow a black cat came into

because we are not protecting them from eagles,

Shea stadium and circled the Cubs and then

big snakes, such as pythons and boa constrictors,

disappeared. This event was followed by the Cubs’

crocodiles, caimans sometimes even apes eat

defeat. Was this because of the black cat or were

small monkeys. Don’t just sit here reading this

the Cubs just really bad players?? We may never

article, do something!

know.

THAT WAS YOUR DAILY REPORT ON MONKEYS.

The Japanese Macaque Monkey Macaques live in all parts of Japan, from the warm south to the arctic north. Infant macaques cling to their mother’s abdomen until they’re about a month old. Then they learn to balance on her back. Young macaques roll snowballs – just for fun! Macaques learn by imitation. Sound familiar?


All about Galaxies By Paavo Hegley Galaxies are big clusters of stars, planets and solar systems. If you want to find galaxies with your own eyes, it has to be dark! You want to have a sweater, a red light, a telescope and you don’t want to be near any lights (house and city). Then

Arabian Horses By Petra P.

you want to look up at the stars and enjoy yourself! You want to look at whatever you want in the night sky. If you see a bright light in the sky you have found a galaxy! There are many other ways to find galaxies. Scientist use telescopes sometimes. Sometimes the galaxies give off radio signals so scientists X-RAY the galaxies. Even though our galaxy is spiral doesn’t mean that all galaxies are spiral, some are ball shaped. Our galaxy is one of the smallest we know. Andromeda is our neighboring galaxy. Andromeda is the biggest galaxy known to man.

Arabian horses are one of the oldest kinds of horses. They have a very narrow nose and their faces have a good bone structure. They’re very strong. They are often a pretty big horse, usually around 61 inches tall. They’re very friendly horses and known to be gentle and kind. They are very good with kids. They have black skin, but black is not a very common color for their hair. It’s more common to see bay and chestnut colored Arabians. Their legs are very strong and muscular. They are loyal and they follow people well. Many people have liked to work with Arabians for

One day (in about a million years) the Milky Way

thousands of years.

and Andromeda will collide and make “Milkamida.” There are also clusters of galaxies. The Milky Way and Andromeda are a part of one big cluster. Who knows what’s going to happen when Andromeda going to smash into us, will we die or not die? That’s a question that no one could answer.

ELECTRICITY By Sam H.

Here is a picture of colliding galaxies: What do you call excited electrons? That’s right, electricity. There are different kinds of electricity. Static electricity, when electrons are being pulled from one surface to another one. This happens when you take off a sweater or sometimes when you rub your sock on a carpet. There is also a type of electricity called an electrical current, which is when there is a flow of electrons in a conductor. A another type of electricity is an electrical


circuit. That’s when there is an energy source,

started to think what a good pet wolves could be.

energy pathway and energy receiver. The source

So, people tamed the wolves and gave them some

will send energy which will travel through the

of their own food. Eventually the wolves started to

pathway to the receiver, like a battery giving

change because of being in a different habitat. They

energy to a lamp through a wire. Like how there is

were fed differently and they were tamed. Also the

electricity in a wall socket the socket carries

people who tamed wolves started to breed them so

electricity. There are many more examples of

they could make them stronger, better hunters or

electricity, but those are the main types of

good with kids. So that’s how they started to evolve.

electricity.

NOTE: When electricity flows in an object a magnetic field is created around the object. GLOSSARY Conductor.................A solid with a path inside it. Like a tube. Energy Source..............An object that holds energy inside it. Energy Pathway............Takes energy and sends it to something else. Energy Receiver.................Receives energy from an energy source. Circuit........................A bunch of conductors together making a closed path which can hold electricity inside of it. Electron..............A stable kind of particle that has a charge of negative power, found in all atoms, which is the main particle for carrying electricity in solids.

Hey! Don’t just think, “Dogs just became dogs. The end.” Nope! Dogs still use the same emotions as wolves, but maybe more, proper. So if you have a dog try to see how he or she acts like a wolf. Then see how your dog acts independently. Some examples of wolf-like behavior: someone that neither your dog nor you knows crosses your path, your dog will start to bark. If a dog is scared or sorry it will put its tail between its legs or it will turn on its back and show its stomach. If a dog sees an

Dogs By Stella P.

animal like a squirrel it will try to chase after it. But when a dog acts independently, most of them won’t howl at the moon, most domesticated dogs

Have you ever wondered how a wolf evolved to a

don’t like to stay on high places (wolves always like

dog? Well it’s simple! But let’s start from 4,000

to be on high places like a plateau or an

years ago. Before we start, remember this: wolves

outcropping) and last, dogs don’t fight to be a

look just like dogs, except wolves are not tamed.

leader of a human pack. Most dogs these days are

They were not pets. They were always in the woods

not in packs or colonies.

hunting for animals to eat until one day people started to take in wolves to make them help them with hunting and pulling things. After a while people

It’s a Dog’s Life! During the Middle Ages, Great Danes and Mastiffs were sometimes suited with armor and spiked collars to enter a battle or to defend supply caravans


Grooming Cats

From Squire to Knight

By Sobia H.

By Zack W.

Meow! Meow! I’m feeling dirty! Cats should

Squires trained for years before they became

always be groomed but, do you know how to

knights. When rich boys reached the age of seven

groom them? Well, if you don’t, then here is how.

they could be a page and go to a school where

You will need a brush, a comb, a pair cat clippers

they would study maps and learn to read and write.

and a toothbrush. First, to make sure your kitten is

After school, when they were about 12 or 13 years

calm and used to being groomed, stroke it gently.

old, the page was apprenticed to a knight and was

Next, take your comb and comb your cat. By doing

called a squire. He would learn how to dress the

this you’re getting the knots and the tangles out in

knight. Then the squire would learn how to use a

their hair. Once you’ve done that, brush your cat so

sword and a lance. He used a wooden sword with

that you can get all the dead hair out of the

a heavy rock attached to the hilt so he could get

way.After that, take your pair of cat clippers and

used to the weight. He and his knight dueled

stroke your cat with the clippers making sure it

together when they weren’t in battle.

doesn’t hurt. Then, gently squeeze your cat’s paw and cut the nails. Later, take the toothbrush and wash out all the messy stuff. When that’s done open your cat’s mouth and make sure This is a knight charging into battle on his horse.

that its mouth is clean and there are no broken teeth. Lastly, put some cat toothpaste on your toothbrush and rub it on your cat’s mouth. Soon it will open it’s mouth and you can brush its teeth. Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

The squire also got training from actual battles. When a squire was thought to have learned the right skills he would kneel before his king to be

Did you know?

knighted. The king would touch each shoulder with his sword. Or, in rare cases, he was dubbed by the

• • •

A litter of kittens is called a kindle, and a group of cats is called a clowder. A cat's IQ is only surpassed by that of monkeys and chimps in the world of animals. Cats are the only animals that purr. They can purr at around 26 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.

knight he served after a brave feat on the battlefield.



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