Thursday, June 27, 2013

Old Mac Dee Dee Had a Farm . . .

The Dee Dee's at their farm. They have a wide range of animals and plants here and best of all, everything is organic!
We all know the rest of the famous song, “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”: “. . . e-i-e-i-o. And on that farm he had some chickens, e-i-e-i-o. With a cluck here and a cluck there . . .” When you think of your typical farm , you think of a rooster crowing at the crack of dawn to wake up the farmer and his family. So they can do their chores. The happy cows are in the barn ready for milking, eggs need to be collected from happy chickens, happy pigs and happy turkeys need to be fed, happy sheep need to be sheathed and etc. This is what many people think farms look like. But the way we've made farms has changed drastically over the years! This is how farms were decades ago. Unlike the fairytale big red farms of people's imagination, most real farms are huge (gray, brown or some other color) buildings that house the animals and crops once they've finished growing.  These large buildings are no more than storehouses. The poor animals on most modern farms are cooped together, often in dark and crammed conditions. Most of these animals don't see sunlight and are kept in tiny cages filled with manure and germs. Farmers spray special chemicals so most of the animals don't get sick, and when some do get sick, they're kept with the healthy animals! This is not the farms of yesteryear! And I won't even get into how many farms kill their animals! It's just plain cruel! Instead of just killing them without misery, chickens for instance are boiled in boiling hot water to take their feathers off . . . while still alive! Oops! I guess I did start explaining how they're killed, didn't I? But I'd say that I made my point – modern farms aren't the once we grow up with. Now don't get me wrong, not all modern farms are as cruel as the ones I described, but that's probably the majority of modern farms and they're increasing by the hundreds. And this isn't healthy for us, the consumers either. The growth hormones they use to make the animals as big as they get are actually carried on even in death, and guess who receives the effect of the growth hormones: us! No wonder many of us are giants today!

Well, some farmers don't want to make farms like the ones described. Take the new one that's opening up just outside of Riverville, New York. The farm, entitled Mac Dee Dee Farm, is run by Mac Dee Dee and he intends on making a type of new generation farm. My trusty junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater and I decided to check him out for an interview. “Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be a farmer,” says Dee Dee. “But when I read about all the awful stuff going on with many modern farms and how the food they put in grocery stores is affecting people's bodies, I felt my calling was to do something about it and make a change.” Dee Dee's farm is a large 50,000 acre property and has all the things a typical farm has: cows, chickens, turkeys, geese, pigs, horses, sheep, goats and he even has a few alpacas. He runs his farm with the rest of his family: his wife Mrs. Jules Dee Dee, their kids, James and Timothy Dee Dee and some volunteered helpers.

So why is Dee Dee's farm different from most others? Mr. Dee Dee is quoted for saying, “Well, first of all, we don't use growth hormones and pesticides and all that other garbage. All the stuff we put into our food – plant or animal – such as growth hormones and pesticides is still present and active in the organism after death and we humans buy this food and consume not only the food, but the hormones and pesticides as well. Most, but not all, modern farmers want the more money, and they get more money by making these animals and plants bigger than they should be. Some of the animals that receive growth hormones get so big they can't even stand, let alone walk around because their body can't support their weight. We don't give any of our products, plant or animal, growth hormones or pesticides. Second of all, we don't keep the animals cooped up in these large barns with no room to move around. This isn't healthy for the animals, or the people who will eat the animals.” Mac Dee Dee instead keeps his animals free-roaming, so his farm is called a “Free-Roam Farm”. Now unlike even most free-roam farms today, the animals have a large enclosure and are allowed to eat grass and behave like their wild counterparts. When it comes time to killing the animals, he kills quickly so they don't suffer and before taking the skin and feathers off. As I already said, some farms do this while they're still alive. “And we rarely have a problem with wild carnivores,” says Dee Dee. “But on the occasions we have coyotes or bears attacking the livestock, I don't kill them. They have a right to live too. Besides, most of them make a kill and move on. We haven't really had a problem with them sticking around to eat much livestock, but if we ever do, I'm just going to have the wildlife specialists move them to a different location. Too many farmers just shoot their problems away when the wild ecosystems need their top predator.” When asked what her opinion on helping her husband run the farm, Mrs. Jules says, “I enjoy it, I really do. I mean, it's one of the few true free-roam farms and it's just nice to run a farm like they did when my grandparents were growing up.” Running a farm like the Dee Dee's may not bring all that much money in the short run, but in the long run, these kinds of farms do the best. It's my hope that other farms around the country will do the same.


Written by: Mr. Smiley
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan and Joy Hammond

*Advertisement*

We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!


Weekly Cartoons




Next Issue: What Cake Pops? It's . . . Cake Pops!




Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Not-So-Bird-Brained Crow

The Crow is a very intelligent bird!
Hey there, this is Lizzy the lizard reporting from around the neighborhood. I've been scouting these common black birds...the crows or are they ravens? I decided to do some research and now have a bit of respect for these feathered creatures. Ravens are taller then crows. An average size of a raven is 25 inches while an average crow's size is 18! Another way to distinguish the difference between the two birds is their beaks. A crow's beak is thicker compared to the ravens long, curved beak. A raven's call is deep and croaking while the crow's sets a type of musical tone. Did you know that these birds have clever ways of getting their food? Most clever ideas deal with opening nuts. Birds dot have a strong beak to break open nuts, like a nutcracker, instead they have to find was to break open the shell. These crows and ravens have many clever ways of getting the nuts. They pick up and nut and fly extremely high ten they drop the nut on a hard surface, breaking the shell. There are reports of crows putting nuts near parked car tires, as the car drove, it would roll over the nut and it would break. I'd have to give that idea a score of 100! Here's a scary fact: crows and ravens are smarter then humans! It's a scientific fact! They have a higher HQ ten you! Anyway, these birds have a very clear and accurate memory. Although you can't remember which crow or raven you've seen, these birds remember your face! If you mistreat one of these birds, they remember your face and tell their offspring and other of their kids. Word gets around that you are dangerous and must be got rid of! So they hang up and attack you! So you better watch out and make sure you treat these feathered friends nicely.

The Raven is a very alert bird
An American Crow near the water's edge



Written by: Lizzy Lizard
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond and Mr. Smiley

*Advertisement*

We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!


Weekly Cartoons



Next Issue: Old Mac Dee Dee Had a Farm . . .

Thursday, June 13, 2013

A Hairy Experiment

The Hair Grazer - the greatest thing since sliced bread - is an amazing gadget that is able to cut hair without pulling and tugging like a normal pair of hair clippers!
As many of you might have noticed, I'm not that big on haircuts. Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not bald, the little bit of hair I do have is the same color as my scalp. But as you might have noticed, I don't exactly have much hair to cut! For most people, a haircut is a nice thing to have every once and a while. I mean, without haircuts, we'd all look a little bit like woolly cave-people! Hair comes in lots of varieties, but some varieties can be a real pain in the head to cut. Take African-American hair for instance. In men, it's often curly as it grows longer and for many people it's harder to get cut. Well, our hairy prayers might be answered with a new revolutionary gadget from Dr. James Crowferd (the same guy whoinvented the car that runs on air in an article we wrote last year) and Dr. Harry Luis of Vassar College, USA. It's called, (drum roll please) . . . the Hair Grazer! My trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater and I went to see Dr. James and Harry at Vassar College to learn more about this fantastic invention. “We knew many people have struggled with getting their haircuts for ages,” said Dr. James. “We completely understand their troubles. I mean, some hair clippers just aren't made for some types of hair. They technically pull and tug on the hair until it comes out, which leads the receiver of the haircut to run screaming out the door in pain. That's why we invented the Hair Grazer.” While the Hair Grazer may look more like a fake ladybug, it does have its uses, or so I'm told. When asked how the Hair Grazer works, Dr. Harry is quoted for saying, “Ah, yes. The Hair Grazer. Nifty little invention I must say. It works just as its name suggests; instead of yanking the hair out of your head, it gracefully 'grazes' over your head. You place it on your head and it latches onto your scalp. After turning it on, you just relax as the Hair Grazer slowly moves across your head, 'grazing' on the hair as it goes, kind of like a cow . . . minus the smelly mess cows leave behind of course! Then after it's finished, it will make a little 'dinging' sound and you remove the device from your head, empty the hair in the garbage (or compost heap, hair is actually a great compost item!) and bingo! You're done! The whole process takes thirty minutes to an hour depending on the coarseness of the hair.” He also explained how the Hair Grazer is run off of nothing but rice or pasta (!) and is environmentally-friendly (but be prepared for raised prices on rice and pasta!). I then asked Dr. James why it's shaped like a ladybug, and his response was, “Well, it's because we think ladybugs are real cute.” The Hair Grazer will be mass-produced and found in stores all over the nation. So if you're one of those people who hate getting haircuts, your days of hoping for better ways are over! Thanks to ingenious scientists like Dr. James Crowferd and Dr. Harry Luis, the Hair Grazer has come to rescue you! I wonder what those two will invent next . . .

Written by: Mr. Smiley
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan

*Advertisement*

We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!


Weekly Cartoons


  
Next Issue: TBD (To Be Determined), Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

The History of Pizza!

An all-time American favorite - Pizza!
 I looked around for something new to see when I realized I was hungry for lunch. Suddenly, I smelled a sweet aroma and hurried over to where it was. It was a pizza parlor! Yum! I love pizza! I ordered my pizza with pepperoni and some flies then I sat down. I noticed a black bird near the street...it's a crow!....or maybe it's a raven, I really can't tell them apart. I was too starving to follow the bird. I looked at the pizza pie in front of me and my mouth watered! I gobbled up each slice one by one, delicious! Pizza has a very fun and interesting history! Did you know that Americans eat 350 slices of pizza every second? Which means that everyone eats about 23 pounds of pizza each  year (not including lizards, like me, who mostly eats flies and sorts)! People have put so many different toppings on the pizza including, peanut buyer and jelly, bacon and eggs, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, eel, squid, coconut, curry, pickled finger, minced lamb, cottage cheese, and green peas! Wow! That's some strange toppings (wonder when they'll have fly pie! I mean fly topping on pizza)! Would you choose one of those toppings? Did you know that around the early years of A.D, foods similar to our pizza existed before Jesus even walked the earth? Pizza became a word in Naples, Italy. Pizza was to describe the spicy flat bread in their language, 1000A.D. 1500's, tomatoes were tried in Europe to South America. Because of its redness, people thought that the tomatoes were poisonous! 1700's, pizza was served as a strange dish in the cities of Europe. In the 1830's, the first pizzeria opened in Naples, called the Port'Alba. Fascinating fact, the oven lining for the bakery's wood-fired oven was made from lava rocks from Mount Vesuvius. In 1889, pizza was born! Because the queen of Italy, Queen Margherita wanted to try this pizza so Raffaele wanted to bake something patriotic. He used the colors of their flag; green, white and red for his pizza. The tomatoes were red, basil and oregano for green but then he was in a predicament. You see his pizza crust wasn't white enough, he came up with plan. He added white cheese (no one thought of that as a topping) and the pizza became a success. In 1943, Ike Sewell and Ric Ricardo invented Chicago- style pizza. In 1945, the veterans of World War II brought home a taste of pizza and it became a hit. Frozen pizza was commercialized in 1957. California introduced, "designer" pizza, letting people choose different varieties for their pizza. The most amazing and delicious thing happened in December of 1990. Norwood Hypermarket in South Africa baked a pizza that filled half a football field and weighed nearly 27,000 pounds! It used up 10,000 pounds of flour and lots of pounds of cheese and onions ( yuk onions! Not my favorite choice). Of course naturally, you'd never think that a lizard, like me, would know such stuff and get years right and all but I'm a talented lizard. A lizard with a blue notebook, a notebook recorded with almost everything I know in it. Yup, okay I admit I'm not that smart...I saw a cardboard sign on the table, where I'm eating, and read off it. Anyway, I should get going. Oh dear...I think I forgot my wallet! Ahhhhhh this check is for seven dollars. It's the flies, I knew it! Hmmm well, gotta go, I have to find my wallet and pay for the pizza. This is Lizzy the Basilisk Lizard reporting live at.....I really don't know where I am.....oh well, goodbye! 

Written by: Lizzy Lizard
Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond and Mr. Smiley

*Advertisement*

We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!


Weekly Cartoons


Next Issue: A Hairy Experiment