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Miami Mike’s By Derek Peck and Matthew Haynie
Have you ever wanted to watch a football game without your dad spilling popcorn on you whenever the Giants score a touchdown? Have you ever wished for more than your mom’s traditional game day snacks? If so, you should go to Miami Mike’s! With 52 TVs covering every game you could ever want to see, seating for over one thousand (including special events), and a fantastic menu that appeals to the whole family, Miami Mike’s is the place to go! I wanted to tell you about Miami Mikes myself, but Mike, the owner, said it best: “It is an exciting environment for all fans, yet family-­‐friendly.” What the fans come to see is always on the big screen but even if you're not a hometown fan, don’t worry because you can always find your game. The menu covers everything from burgers to soup and salad. So if you're a sports fan and game day comes around, get over to Miami Mike's! My Teachers and Why I Like Them Bianca Singleton Four general things I like about all of my teachers are that they are organized, enthusiastic, passionate, and dedicated. They are organized because they always have the agenda and homework written neatly on the board. Their enthusiasm always finds a way to get students to do their work and solve problems. My teachers' passion makes them excited to teach their students. Lastly, they are dedicated because they are always ready for their next class after the bell and they use their personal time trying to get assignments and lessons ready for their students. My teachers are very focused on what their students need to learn. They use their personal time to help students who don't understand their lessons so that students learn the material instead of letting them fall behind. They explain the work they assign to ensure that students get their work done correctly and understand their work. They also challenge their students and know what they are capable of. My teachers are Mrs. Daly, Mrs. Henke, Ms. Vanegas, Ms. Hodge, Ms. Berntson, Ms. Weber, Ms. DiBenedetto, Mr. Antoniello, Mr. Bernstein, and Mr. Narciso. They are phenomenal teachers because they do everything they can for their students! They always teach lessons that will get their students' attention. They also reward students who do well in their classes to encourage them to keep up the good work. Thanks, FMS teachers! THE LOREM IPSUMS
Skiing By Matthew Haynie SUMMER 2012
The ice-­‐cold wind hits your face as you start to pick up speed. You weave through the others as you race toward the bottom, spraying snow as you pass. This is the intense world of skiing. Thinking thoughts like these, as you drive to the mountain, your whole body shivers with excitement. You park the car and walk up to the base area. With your boots on just tight enough, you step into the bindings of your "weapon of choice". Then you hop onto the chair lift to begin your slow and eager ascent to the summit. When you’re at the top you check out the trail map, to pick out your first adventure. Then it's time for the climax, the decisive moment when you take the leap of faith and you cross the ledge. That is when the fun really begins. But soon enough, too quickly if you ask any skier, it's all over. But don’t worry, you only took your first run, and back on the lift you go! Skiing and snowboarding are very fun and exciting winter sports. You can find opportunities all around you, such as FMS's Ski Club or skiing with your family. You might ski local at Camelback or Shawnee, or in Vermont or Colorado. Any way you slice it, the skiing craze is here. Everyone, from newbies to veterans, is hitting the slopes, so how about you join them? Grab your skis and boards, buckle up those boots, and I'll see you on the mountain! Riddles James Endahl and Nick Decheser 1: What's the difference between broccoli and boogers? 2: What has no beginning, end, or middle? 3: Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughter's name? 4: In a one-­‐story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower– everything was pink! What color were the stairs? 5: A dad and his son were riding their bikes and crashed. Two ambulances came and took them to different hospitals. The man’s son was in the operating room and the doctor said, “I can’t operate on you. You’re my son.” How is that possible? 6: What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold it for more than a minute? 7: What goes up but never comes down? Answers on page 3 Want more riddles? Check out these links! http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/BuildWordSearch.asp http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/PuzzleSolution.asp?submit2=Solution 2
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Bet You Didn't Know This By Elena Di Mare and Mary Grilli SUMMER 2012
Want to learn some crazy, but true, facts? Continue reading! German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog. The first motorcycle used a tomato can as a carburetor (a carburetor is a part of a car that blends fuel and air as it flows into the engine cylinders). If you look at something pleasing, your pupil can expand up to 45%. The average person who quits smoking requires an hour less sleep at night. The reason honey is so easy to digest is because it was already digested by bees. Hippos' sweat turns red when they are upset. Building the Titanic cost about seven million dollars. Making the movie The Titanic cost about two hundred million dollars. Chewing gum while cutting onions helps you not to cry. After you die, your hair and nails will appear to grow. Parrots and rabbits are the only two mammals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads. The human heart creates so much pressure while pumping that it could squirt blood up to thirty feet. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. The lion that roars in the MGM logo (the lion in the gold circle that comes on before some movies) is named Volney. The average person laughs thirteen times a day. When you blush, your stomach lining turns red, too. September third is International Bacon Day. NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building is so big it needs ten thousand pounds of AC equipment just to keep rain clouds from forming inside. A buttload is an actual measurement of volume. One buttload is equal to 126 gallons. If a person actually read all of the Terms and Conditions they agreed to in a year, it would take around 76 8-­‐hour workdays. Ringo Starr once did a Japanese apple sauce commercial. It's interesting because "ringo starr" is how you say apple sauce in Japanese. If you lined up all the slinkies ever made, they could wrap around the earth 126 times. Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning. If you are standing on a mountaintop and the conditions are just right, you can see a lit match from 50 miles away. Riddle Answers: 1: Kids won't eat broccoli. 2: A doughnut. 3: If you answered Nunu, you are wrong. It’s Mary! 4: There weren’t any stairs, it was a one story house! 5: The doctor is his mom! 6: His breath! 7: Your age 3
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STOMP Review Jackson Campbell SUMMER 2012
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! If you ever hear this at a show, you're probably watching STOMP, as they bang the back of a broom on the ground. STOMP is a group of eight people who love music. They come up with many different pieces of music. The music is made by breaking the rules of how everyday and sometimes not-­‐so-­‐everyday objects are used. They have many different types of pieces that use different objects and rhythms. The most common type of piece they use is a layered piece, which is when each person has a different "instrument" and they layer on top of each other to make music.
STOMP is extremely entertaining. They are able to combine humor, interesting instruments, and music to creation perfection. They also used slapstick humor very well. Slapstick humor is physical comedy, such as when one of the characters in the group is tappity-­‐tap-­‐tap tapping on a miniature trash can. Quietly, a man wearing a fedora walks onto the stage and tries to take it from him. When the trash-­‐can-­‐player gently pushes his hand away and continues to play, the musician wearing the fedora throws a fit, grabs the trash can, and runs off-­‐stage. STOMP also has smaller funny items scattered around on the set, such as a posted sign that reads, “Quiet zone. Loud noise prohibited”. This was funny since the entire show is characterized by loud music.
STOMP is also very interesting with the use of all of their unique instruments, such as banging trash cans on their sides or smashing the lids against each other and brooms by sweeping the bristles against the floor or banging the stick on the ground. In addition, the musicians use water jugs, shopping carts, water, body parts, sticks (of all sizes), and pipes in different ways. It is very amusing!
Overall, STOMP is humorous, interesting, and fun. If you like to be inspired, or you enjoy abstract music or out-­‐of-­‐the-­‐box entertainment, STOMP is the show for you!
SUBWAY SURFERS
Roma Razdan
The Apple apps come in many genres, from travel to games to entertainment. There is a wonderful world of apps and two of my favorite are Subway Surfers and Instagram.
Subways Surfers is a fun, fast-­‐paced Apple app that you can purchase from the App Store. This game has many different features from various characters to mystery boxes. In this game your character needs to get coins, but also move very quickly to avoid being hit by the subway train. To add to the mix, there is also a policeman and his dog chasing your character! My favorite part is that the game is themed for the holidays. For example, on Christmas, there were reindeer chasing the main character, and the policeman was dressed up as a Christmas tree. When you play this game, there are many power-­‐ups. Some of these power-­‐ups are mega power-­‐ups, mega speed, and 30-­‐second savers and aide in acquiring more coins. This game has delay challenges that you can also participate in. With the coins, your character can buy prizes from a store. I love this game with all of its various features. It is very similar to Temple Run. Also it is FREE! Instagram is another app I love using and is the BEST! It's a social network for kids where pictures are posted. You can chat with your BFF by using the comment feature. This app is just like Facebook, but more kid-­‐
friendly. It is very easy to use and is as simple as uploading a picture and captioning it. The best part about Instagram is being able to look at other people's pictures and double clicking them to like them. Another wonderful feature of Instagram is that you can follow your friends and look at their pictures.
Subway Surfers and Instragram are two amazing apps for your iPhone or iPad. The next time you go on your Apple product, start playing and enjoy!
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The Necklace By Sydney Mihalik and Avina Sharma SUMMER 2012
“Here Jenny, this necklace is for you,” my grandma said as she looked into my eyes. She handed me an old rusty necklace with a pendant in the shape of a unicorn. “What is this for, Grandma?” I asked, examining the necklace in my hand. “Good luck,” she told me with a small smile on her lips. ”You must protect this necklace. It is very special to our family, and has been passed on for generations." “Okay Grandma, I promise this will be safe with me. I have to go home now. Bye!” I called, while walking to the door, waving to my grandma. “Bye sweetie! Have a nice night and visit soon!” my grandma waved back, as her voice echoed through the air while I walked out the door. I was almost home when this man coming out of museum walked up to me. I noticed that he was staring at my necklace. I looked up at him and glared. I wondered what he wanted. “Why are you staring at me? Stop!” I scolded the man. “Sorry ma’am. I just thought your necklace looked interesting enough for my museum. I’m the owner of that museum over there,” he said in his deep French accent, pointing to a museum that seemed bigger than the Eiffel Tower. “Well I’m sorry, but you can’t have it,” I told him, starting to walk away. He grabbed my arm and I quickly pulled it away. “I’ll give you a hundred dollars for it!” But as he pleaded, I could tell he would keep bribing me for the necklace, but I wouldn't ever give it to him. I promised my grandmother. If I gave the necklace away I wouldn’t be trusted again. I ran all the way back home. The next day I was heading over to my grandma’s house. I wanted to tell her about the guy from the museum. But suddenly I saw him outside of the museum again. I tried to speed walk past him so I wouldn’t have to deal with him again. But right when I passed him he saw me and ran to me as fast as a jaguar. When I saw him I knew I was doomed. I saw him with money in his hand. “You again! I told you to leave me alone!" I shouted. “Please give me the necklace! I’ll pay you a thousand dollars for it!” he whispered, with a sneaky look in his eyes. I stopped and thought about his offer. A thousand dollars? That's a crazy amount of money! I would be able to buy a new phone! “Deal,” I said, slowly handing the necklace over. He gave me a evil smirk and ran off with the necklace, without giving me the money he promised. “Hey come back here, thief!” I shouted while I ran after him. He ran into the museum and I followed close behind. I got into the museum and ran after the man, who had disappeared into a room. I got to the door and turned the knob. I banged my fists against the door. “OPEN UP!” I yelled. I heard a muffled laugh from the other side of the door, followed quickly with a groan of pain. The door clicked and swung open. The man looked at me with wide eyes. He quickly threw the necklace in my hands and ran off. I ran out of the building and rushed to my grandma’s house. I wondered what was wrong. “Why did you take so long to get here, Jenny?” Grandma asked. I just looked up at her and gave her a hug. “Sorry, I just was running late." She looked at me and gave me a smile. “It’s okay now. Do you want some dinner?” “Yes please!” I said with glee. While my pasta was being heated in the microwave, I thought about that man. I felt so proud of myself for getting my necklace back, and at that moment I realized that family was more important than money. Always. 5
Meteor Spares Properties in Russia SUMMER 2012
By Christian Lofaro The ground started shaking and all of a sudden there was a flash of light in the sky along with the sound of an explosion. It was the meteor that hit Chelyabinsk, Russia on February 15, 2013. The meteor exploded over Siberia and created such a blast that windows all around the area burst and left shattered glass all over the place. The buildings of a nearby urban neighborhood suffered with terrible destruction from pieces of the meteor. In other areas glass windows didn’t shatter but glass bottles burst into shards. Balconies shook as the meteor exploded and for a little bit after. Ms. Popova, a Siberian resident, said that there was damage to property in random areas, not just in one concentrated area. The blast injured nearly 1,500 people and damaged buildings, homes, and other structures. 46 people as of Monday February 18, 2013 remained hospitalized from the explosion. The governor of that part of Russia estimated that the damage would cost 33 million dollars in repairs. He promised to have all broken windows in the frigid region replaced within a week. Meteors are meteoroids—small pieces of space debris, usually from a comet or asteroid—that enter the Earth’s atmosphere. They can appear as streaks of light in the sky, and are sometimes called shooting stars. Most meteors burn up in the atmosphere, but those that hit the surface of the Earth are called meteorites. So far scientists have found fifty tiny fragments of the meteor that hit Russia that are about a half of an inch each. On the same day as the Russian meteor, a 150-­‐foot asteroid flew past Earth and came within 17,000 miles of the surface. That’s closer to Earth than some satellites! According to astronomers, the two events are not connected to each other. In conclusion, the meteor spared a lot of properties in the town and the area, even though it damaged many, many buildings. The explosion sent the shards all over the place smashing many windows, street light covers, car windows, and car light covers. It also injured nearly 1,500 people and caused damage to buildings, homes, and other structures in the area. Here's to wishing positive thoughts for Chelyabinsk as it rebuilds. THE LOREM IPSUMS
The Gross, the Good, and the Ugly: Do You Really Want To Know? Mina Dawod and Eric Ma Do you really want to know? Ask yourself this question before you proceed. I said, ask yourself, and read at your own risk! Well then, get ready to be grossed out of your mind because this article is about what you don't want to know about the food you eat! Did you know that the crunchy shells on those jelly beans are made from bug excretions? It’s called shellac and is made from the Thailand insect called the Kerria lacca. I'm not telling you not to eat jelly beans because they are delicious, but just be warned! Did you know that a popular food coloring is carmine, which is a bunch of frozen beetles that have been squashed? It gives many artificial juices its red coloring, and is used very commonly. Also, stop before you continue pouring that salad dressing, because it may not have the most appetizing ingredients. If you look at rotting veggies, there will be a sort of slime forming on top of them. That is called Xanthan Gum, which is removed and placed into most salad dressings. But it does not stop there, because Xanthan Gum is also in most microwavable foods and many sauces. Okay, this one is a good one. Did you know that those amazing marshmallows that you can't stop eating actually have a common ingredient with other sweets? Gelatin is a very sweet and colorful treat is in marshmallows. But that's not all, gelatin is also in Pop Tarts, Mini Wheats, and even Skittles. It's made of animal by-­‐products -­‐ including bones, hooves, and even intestines! Am I telling you not to eat any of this stuff again? No. Am I telling you to be disgusted when you eat any of this stuff? No. But be aware that everyday food is not what it seems! Morristown High School Marching Band By Betsy Rutan and Sydney Quinn Attention 8th Graders! If you are not planning on participating in a fall sport, we know exactly what you should do: Marching Band! Don’t know what marching band is? Marching band is similar to concert band, in terms of the instruments used. However, some are not used, such as bass clarinets, bassoons, oboe, and bari sax. But don’t fear! If you play some of these instruments you can always play a close second like tenor sax or clarinet. As marching band members play their instruments, they also march to form routines. But don't worry -­‐ if you don’t feel like switching instruments, or you don’t play one, you can join the Color Guard or Pit! The Color Guard is a part of the marching band where the members spinning props and dance. Props usually include fake rifles, flags, and others! The Color Guard is a beautiful since it adds a huge colorful visual addition to the band and it's fun! The pit is made of percussion instruments, other than snares, bass drums, and tenor drums. These instrument players usually sit down and play their music, like in concert band. There are many incentives to joining marching band. First, it looks wonderful on your college application resume! The commitment and participation are attractive to colleges. Some students even earn scholarships to be in college marching band without majoring in music, just for the fun of it. The commitment and participation are attractive to colleges. Some students earn scholarships to be in college marching band without majoring in music, just for the fun of it. There are some very cool college marching bands that will want you, too! You could even earn a varsity letter! Marching band also improves academic performance. Students in marching band are generally more organized and better at budgeting their time. It has been proven that participation in the arts affect the average SAT/ACT scores positively. Learning music helps with math and science abilities as well. For example, many musicians are especially good at designing computer programs -­‐ visualization, logic, patterns, and so on. So, 8th graders, we hope you will join next year -­‐ it will be a blast! Marching band has so many parts. Most people think of musicians marching in routines and playing memorized music. Whether you are part of the marching band, pit, or Color Guard, it will be sure to make life fun! Please email the band director Mr. Douglas Rutan at [email protected] for questions or other dates. Want to be featured in
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The Thing Kent Hefele Name something that you want in your life. Most of the time it’s to have a billion dollars, or to be the King/Queen of the world, or to have superpowers. All I want is my sanity. For a month I’ve been stalked by it. That thing has been in my nightmares. This may sound crazy, but it has wings. I know it sounds stupid but it’s like a bat and last night, because I couldn’t sleep, I stayed up until 1:00 am. Then I eventually passed out from exhaustion. As I write this, I’m scared it’s watching. In fact, everywhere I go. I feel like I’m being watched -­‐ in the shower, while I’m watching T.V., and especially while I sleep. I don’t feel safe inside or outside. Heck, I could be in the Pentagon and I would feel scared. All I can do is wait... until IT gets me. I guess I should tell you how all of this started and my encounter with...IT. I was driving back home at 8:00 p.m. I work with Sony, the company that created the PlayStation. It doesn’t sound like a great job, but hey, it pays for my apartment, so it's good enough. Anyway, I stopped at a red light. Then, something caught the corner of my eye. It was the silhouette of something that looked like Batman, in the woods. It was tall, but I couldn’t see its face, probably because it was dark and it was about 300 feet away. I wasn’t frightened really. Probably since I hadn’t yet read the stories about it. The exact moment I made eye contact with it, I felt nauseous. I popped two Tic-­‐Tacs in my mouth to try to settle the queasiness. When I looked back, it was gone. I was sure I saw a creature, but I quickly shut down that idea by deciding it was some trick my brain was playing on me. I decided not to tell my wife about the incident. I didn’t want her to think I was crazy. She would just roll her eyes and tell me I must have been seeing things. I probably would have believed her, but I just had this deep feeling that this was...different. That night I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I laid in bed, awake for hours. It had to be an illusion. It had to be, I thought. I looked over at the clock next to my bed. It read 1:03. I decided to finally go to sleep and I closed my eyes. But, later on that night I woke up with a jolt. I looked at the clock, and it was 4:00am. At least it was almost morning, but I wondered why I had woken up. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I looked at my wife, still sleeping like an angel. How did she do it? I decided to get up. As I went to the living room and turned on the T.V., I decided to wait for morning but I had this weird feeling. I looked around the house and was drawn towards the front door. I eventually caved into my curiosity and looked into the peephole, but I wish I hadn’t. I looked into the peephole and saw something in the woods across the street. The same thing I saw in the woods last time, but this time, it stared at me with two red glowing eyes. “YOU!” I yelled as I opened and closed the door behind me. The thing ran back into the woods. I ran back inside, grabbed my hunting rifle and a flashlight, and ran into the woods. My wife tried to stop me when I ran outside but I was determined to stop whatever this THING was. I was running in darkness, I couldn’t see anything, and I hit something hard. I fell and immediately picked my flashlight, turned it on, and immediately shined on what looked like black rabbit feet. I slowly moved the light upwards. It was what looked like a bat with demon wings. I shined it on the thing’s face. I looked at a head with yellow sharp teeth, no nose and two cat-­‐like ears, but the eyes were red and bloodshot. I picked up my rifle and pointed it at the thing. I fired first and watched as it fell. Then it said this in a horrible raspy voice: “No matter where you are, you will never be safe.” And I watched it dissolve into nothing. The Society of American Magicians: The Epic Finale Part 1(Part III of IV) Kevin Connor
Previously on The Society of the American Magicians...
The Society had captured a suspect in the buggy who helped put Houdini in jail and kidnapped the President.
“What do you know?” Harry barked at the man. “What?” the suspect stammered. “It’s your fault! I was arrested and the President was kidnapped and IT'S YOUR FAULT!” Harry shouted back with anger. “What?” the suspect spit out. By this time, sweat had accumulated and dripped down from his hair. “Why was I arrested?! Where’s the President?! I’m innocent!!” Harry asked. Now he was more calm.
“I don’t know why! I was just following orders!!” the suspect replied. “Listen, outside this carriage is my brother Hardeen. Did you know if you don’t tell us, he may just take out some anger on you?” Harry threatened. “But I don’t know! All they gave me was an address, 74th Street in Brooklyn! You may find someone and some answers there...” “Fine, I’ll let you go. Get out,” Harry roughly pushed him out the carriage door onto the cobblestone street. Dust rose all around him as he hit the surface. ***
Harry thought back to their conversation as the Society sat in the carriage outside of 74th Street. This would be the epic finale to it all, when the mystery of the conspiracy would be solved.
The Society strolled into an open door of the house. Harry began to think, “Why was the door op-­‐”
Suddenly, a massive explosion sent them all in different directions! Harry rolled onto the front yard. “Harry . . ." Hardeen said. “Yeah?” “Check this out!”
Houdini ran into the house and quickly noticed a massive hole in the floor. Under the hole was a staircase. They tried to walk down the staircase and were greeted again with a surprise. Someone else knew how to paint a good illusion. The staircase was painted onto the floor! Ten men began to appear all around. They had swords.
“A trap . . ." Houdini concluded. Hardeen punched one and knocked him out. He grabbed his sword and began fighting the rest off.
“See if there’s another floor!” Hardeen yelled between the banging and clanging of swords. Abra and Kadabra ran off.
Hardeen passed a sword to Houdini, who helped fight off the last few swordsmen. They fought for a few minutes until all the swordsmen were unconscious. Meanwhile, Abra and Kadabra had found a door. They pushed it open, stepped in, and fell eight feet onto concrete. Abra stepped forward. A swordsman suddenly appeared! He kicked him and pushed him away. A piece of floor exploded ten feet away and the smoke added to the confusion. “Ahhh!” Hardeen had fallen through the closet onto the concrete floor. Houdini and Bess followed. They all had swords and passed two to Abra and Kadabra. They continued through until they reached a brick wall. Houdini stepped forward. He kicked the wall and all the bricks were revealed to be cardboard that fell into a pool. They stepped to the edge. It had no bottom! “Geez, I wouldn’t want to fall into THAT...” Abra exclaimed.
“Noooooo!” Houdini yelled as he lost his balance and fell in. He tried to swim back up, but an invisible force sucked him in and he became hopeless, like an ant that was about to be stepped on. Minutes passed. The rest of the Society couldn’t see Houdini anymore. He had vanished into nothingness.
Harry Houdini was dead.
STAY TUNED FOR THE LAST PART OF THE SOCIETY IN THE NEXT EDITION....
US Airways and American Airlines Merger Andres Munevar Airlines from the United States of America started merging in the 1960’s. The first American airline ever to merge was Piedmont, which merged with American West. In 1963, American West merged with US Airways. In 1977 Eastern Airways went bankrupt, and in 2004, Pan American Airways also went bankrupt. In more recent years, starting in 2005, Continental Airlines merged with People’s Xpress and kept the name Continental. In 2007 the world’s largest airline, Delta Airlines, merged with NorthWest Airlines. In 2009, Airtran Airways created a partnership, which later turned into a merger with SouthWest Airlines. And for us northerners, the most memorable airline merger was the 2010 United Airlines merger with Continental Airlines, but the airline later decided to keep the name United Airlines. Since the height of the aviation industry in the 1950’s, a total of 67 airlines existed in the U.S.A. As of today, only 9 major airlines exist: American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Spirit Airways, SouthWest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Air, and JetBlue. 10 was the old number, but in the last month, US Airways and American Airlines merged, in what's been called by some media outlets as the 'merger of the century." By doing this, the new airline, American Airlines, will have more than 1,100+ aircrafts, 147,000+ employees and more than 190 destinations worldwide in over 70 countries. Although experts say the new airline will grow tremendously in size in the next couple of years, the general population is concerned. Airfares for domestic flights inside the United States of America and minor outlying islands are expected to increase by a whopping 47%, said the senior editor of Time Magazine. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) are trying to solve the question: Why? Why would airfares go up by 47%? The answer is simple: supply and demand. Since there is less competition for the American aviation market, airlines can charge more because they know there are fewer options for air travel. This doesn't mean airfares will stay up forever. In fact, after awhile, American Airlines says that domestic flights will drop by 17%. Besides leaving a big hole in our wallets, the New York Stock Exchange has already seen a daily average of +$0.09 change in the American Airlines stock. This increase is supposedly going to American Airlines hubs like Miami, Dallas and Philadelphia, which would hopefully raise the amounts of passengers travelling to places that aren’t New York or Los Angeles. Furthermore, airlines like Delta Airlines have also been looking at partnerships with other airlines. For example in January 2013, Delta Airlines CEO Richard H. Anderson nearly cut a deal with Jet Blue CEO David Barger. If the deal had been completed, the airline would have had 2,400 planes that would have flown to all continents except Antarctica. In conclusion, American Airlines has promised many things. Some of them seem like good ideas but most of them are just thoughts. The increased airfare prices will break our wallets but at the same time hopefully stimulate local government economy and produce better environment. Stocks will go up, and most likely quality will go down since employees still have to adjust to the change. One less airline operating across the U.S.A. won’t affect anybody. But a thought still remains. How many airlines will exist in 10 years? The Price of Beauty Sydney Quinn Previously in The Price of Beauty: Mirabelle got into a conflict with Carter because he didn’t understand her desire to be pretty, so she runs off and accidently crashes into a mysterious old woman... “Well,” said the old woman, her dry lips pursed. “It seems I’ve run into a little trouble, haven’t I?” I gulped, gritty soil trailing down my throat as I did so. Fighting back the urge to gag, I sat upright. The old woman narrowed her eyes at me. “E-­‐excuse me?” I choked out. The woman took a step towards me. “You,” she jabbed a finger in my direction, “made me drop my apples, foolish girl!” “I didn’t mean it,” I object, standing up now. “I was running and you were just standing there or whatever!!” Her green eyes glowered. “Are you blaming me, girl?” Under her ferocious gaze, I cowered. “N-­‐no,” I stammered. After a few moments, the woman’s lips twitched and curved into a scowl. “Rotten luck,” she muttered. “Now I’ve spilled my apples! Rotten, I say, rotten!” She kept muttering as she picked up the fallen fruit. I stood still and watched, afraid that if I moved, the old bat would harm me. I didn’t really understand why, but something about her scared me. “Blast it,” the woman stubbed her toe on a gnarled tree root, spilling her apples once again. “Enough of this nonsense!” She pointed a finger at the apples, muttered a warped curse, and I watched in wide-­‐eyed horror as the apples flew from the ground and landed neatly in the basket. A strangled gasp escaped my lips. “You-­‐you’re a witch!” I shrieked. The old woman scoffed, crossing over her arms over her chest, and said, “So?” “S-­‐so,” I said. “You’re a witch, you’ve got magical powers and...and you grant wishes!” A snort left the witch’s lips. “I grant wishes? Do I look like a fairy godmother?” “Well no,” I admitted. “B-­‐b-­‐but you...ahah! You! You can make me pretty!” She sniffed in disinterest. “Please, I’m not your fairy godmother, girl. I’ve got an important errand to run. Be gone now!” The witch turned away from me. Desperate, I called after her. “Wait! Please, I’ll do anything to be pretty! I’ll do anything for you make to me pretty!” The witch paused, glancing over her shoulder to look back at me. A desirous gleam illuminated her eyes. “Anything, you say?” I nodded. “Yes, anything.” “Hmm,” she mused. “Well, I am now running late delivering these apples-­‐thanks to you-­‐and I suppose...are you fast?” “Oh, yes. One of the fastest girls in my village.” “Well,” said the witch. “If you are truly sorry for running into me-­‐and I assume you are-­‐you can make this delivery for me.” I clasped my hands together in excitement. “And then you’ll make me pretty?” Her pupils dilated suddenly, like a cat. “When you say pretty, you do not mean pretty as in the fairest in the land, correct?” I shook my head. “Oh, no! I just want to be pretty. Like, my hair glossier and my eyes brighter and my lips pinker. Prettier than I am now. I’m dull now.” The witch regarded this. “Alright,” she said. “If you deliver my apples correctly, I’ll make you pretty. Now, just go over the hill here and you’ll spot the cottage. A girl with skin white as snow and hair black as night will answer. She calls herself ‘Snow’. Stupid name. Give her one of the apples; any apple is fine. But make sure she eats it. And as soon as she takes a bite-­‐run.” “Soooo...then I’ll be pretty?” “Yes, you impatient girl, you’ll be pretty,” the witch snapped, and she thrusted the basket into my arms. “Now-­‐hurry! You’re already late!” I bobbed my head and with the basket in my arms I sprinted off. *** I almost missed the cottage. It was half hidden by giant, towering oak trees and surrounding bushes. A weathered step stone path led up the wooden door. I walked up the path and, hesitantly, I knocked on the door. The door swung open, a girl a few years older than me appeared behind it. I gasped, almost dropping the apples. Her skin was fair, almost as white as porcelain. Her dark hair was in ringlets, cascading over her shoulder. Long lashes framed her large blue eyes that resembled an innocent fawn. Red lips that opened to reveal straight, perfect teeth as she spoke. She was beautiful, everything I wanted to be. “Hello,” a voice so melodic and soothing, like a songbird when it sang. I stammered and gripped the basket. “H-­‐hi. I-­‐I mean, h-­‐h-­‐hello-­‐ah-­‐” Her voice made mine sound like a tone-­‐deaf frog, croaking and stammering. She smiled. Her smile made mine look crooked and uneven in comparison. “Are you lost? You’re all dirty,” she wrinkled her button nose at my grimy clothes. I blushed and brushed my skirt off. “No, I-­‐I’m not lost,” I said. “Oh,” the girl smiled again. “What is your name?” “Mirabelle,” my voice was small, very breathy. “Wha-­‐what is yours?” “My name is Snow,” she extended a delicate hand. I shook it, her petal like fingers barely brushing mine. “What are you doing with that basket there?” Snow asked, tucking one of her dark locks behind her ear and away from her face. “This?” I held up the basket. Snow nodded. “Oh, oh,” I said. “It’s for you?” Her forehead crinkled. Confusion and delight lacing her voice, she said, “For me?” “Yes,” I nodded. “It’s a, um, a gift.” “How thoughtful,” Snow murmured. “At least I’ll have a treat for the boys tonight, what a delight! I’ll take the basket inside then-­‐” “No!” I said this maybe a little too forceful. Snow raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. The witch’s instructions were running through my head. “You have to take a bite of an apple first,” I insisted. “Uh, you wouldn’t want the boys or whoever eating bad apples. Just-­‐” I reached from the basket and choose the darkest, reddest apple and handed it to her. Snow examined it closely. “Why would the apples in the basket be bad?” Snow wondered. “You told me these apples were a gift? Who would send me rotten apples?” “Because-­‐” I racked my brain for an explanation. Think, Mira, think! “Oh!” I exclaimed, my brilliance accidently escaping my lips. Snow eyed me suspiciously. “Uh,” I continued. “Do these, er, boys mean a lot to you?” Snow nodded eagerly. “Why, yes, they do. They’ve taken such good care of me, have been so nice to me-­‐” “Yeah, yeah, okay,” I said. “So, since they mean so much to you, you wouldn’t want to spoil their fondness of you with a few bad apples, correct?” “Well, I guess that’s true,” Snow said. “Alright, so instead of taking the chance and feeding them rotten fruit, just taste this one,” I said. “And I assure you that the rest will taste wonderful if this one apple does. If not, I’ll, uh, go back to my client and bring you better apples.” Surprise lit up her face. “You would really do that?” “Of course.” Anything to be pretty. “Then if I eat one,” Snow said. “I must insist that you have an apple too. It’s only fair.” Reluctantly, I picked out an apple as well from the basket. “Um,” I said. “You take the first bite, this is your gift, after all.” “Okay,” Snow smiled another dazzling smile. Then she brought the fruit to her brilliantly red lips, and then-­‐almost hesitantly-­‐she took a bite. “Hmm,” Snow chewed and swallowed. “It’s rather bitter. Maybe yours will be better-­‐” She began to gag, her body twisting and shuddering. Her dark locks were dulling and her red lips beginning to crack. I watched in horror as her blue eyes rolled back into her head and she shuddered once more. The beautiful girl called Snow fell to the ground, her fragile fingers grasping a bitten red apple. Terrified, with the witch’s warning blaring in my ears, I dropped the basket and still clutching my uneaten apple, I ran away as fast as my feet would carry me. STAY TUNED FOR THE FINAL SEGMENT OF THE PRICE OF BEAUTY IN THE NEXT EDITION... Want to read
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