Lizzy's Leap Year and Daylight Savings Time Explanation

Daylight Savings Time is carried out in the states that are colored.

Killing two birds with one stone, or as I'd like to say, diving into two topics in one article. Here are two of the most frequently asked questions by me: Why do we have a leap year? How is daylight saving time important? So I'm going to discuss those two topics.

Leap year happens every four years. This when February gets that extra day, making it twenty nine days instead of twenty eight. So why do we have Leap Year? Easy...well, not really. Let's start off with the main point: if we didn't have leap year...well, we would lose six hours off our calender each year. That means by one hundred years, we'd be off by twenty four days! Our calender has to be aligned with the Earth's revolutions around the sun, which has it's complete rotation, every 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. It's because our calender is set up with the Gregorian calender (has only 365 days), that we have to add an extra day to keep the balance of day and time in check. Well, leap year won't back until 2016 because last leap year was in 2012, but it's hard not to be a little anxious for it to arrive.

Daylight savings time is that wonderful time of the year, where we all set our clocks forward or backwards an hour. Daylight savings “tittle” is literally the purpose for changing our clocks. It's to save or use our daylight better by moving one hour of the morning to the evening. Funny how that came to pass. It just added another hour at night when we are more awake. Well that's all for today folks, tune in next time for more interesting facts on the world we know today.

Written by: Lizzy the Lizard

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond and Mr. Smiley

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Next Issue: Sarah-Neezer Scrooge: A New Twist on a Classic Tale

Grizzly's Turkey-Carving Contest

(Picture will be uploaded as soon as possible)

Disclaimer: I know it's past Thanksgiving, but I found this article that I had forgotten to publish BEFORE that date. Please enjoy!

Turkeys are a staple part of November, specifically around Thanksgiving time. They are a major part of Thanksgiving dinner for Americans all over the country. This is kind of ironic, because turkey was likely not part of the meal served during the first Thanksgiving.

To celebrate Thanksgiving this year, resident of Animal Adventures Inc. (AAI.), Grizzly the brown bear. Grizzly has started planning for a Thanksgiving-themed event called the “Annual AAI. Turkey Carving Contest”. Upon hearing this, my trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater and I, went to the location of the event – right in front of the AAI.'s main building – to get an interview with Grizzly.

“It's a pretty straight forward event,” Grizzly explains, “we're going to be carving turkeys. There's not too much to explain.” I then asked the large ursine (bear) exactly what they were carving the turkeys into. Grizzly's quoted for saying, “Now that I think about, there is a lot to explain about this event. When most people think of carving a turkey, they think of fixing up a turkey for dinner. That's not what we're doing. Contestants are going to carve the turkey into a specific shape or image!”

This definitely caught my attention. To better emphasize his point, Grizzly showed us a turkey he'd carved earlier into the shape of a bear. It looked really cool. Using his claws, Grizzly had carved a little face – complete with ears, a nose and mouth and green caper eyes – two front arms and the turkey legs were the bear's back legs (feet made of apples were attached to the ends of the turkey's legs). “Contestants will receive a turkey from us a week before the contest,” Grizzly explained, “afterward, they'll take it home and begin carving. Since they lack claws like mine – which are as thick as crayons – they have to use turkey carving knives.”

Many residents of AAI. have already signed up to join the contest and have received a turkey, including Mr. Gregor, Dr. Samuel Adamson, Methuselah the African elephant, Mr. Fred Fish, Buck the Velociraptor, Carrie the cat, Fido the Guinea pig, Sarah Bus Stop Girl, Mr. Smiley . . . oh wait, that's me. Heh, heh. Anyway, lots of people and animals have already signed up and it's likely that many more will sign up as well before it's seven days before it's time to present the carved turkeys.

“The winner will be decided based upon several things,” Grizzly explains. “Attention to detail, creativity and its relation to Autumn will all be considered to help choose a winner.” The contest begins on the 14^th of November, when contests receive their turkey to carve and admissions close; however, you can sign up now and join the contest to see who can carve the better turkey!

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan

Weekly Cartoons

Next Issue: Lizzy's Leap Year and Daylight Savings Time Explanation

Rerun Article: Pie in a Glass and Turkeys?!? Oh MY?!?

Thanksgiving centers around food . . . and so does today's article! Read on to learn from Lizzy the Lizard how to bake some yummy Thanksgiving-themed treats!

Hey there everyone! Lizzy here! Thanksgiving is just around the corner and here's a recipe that will definitely make your mouth water . . . if you like pumpkin pie. It's practically like a smoothie!

1. Gather 15-ounce can pumpkin, if you can't get a fresher form of it (not pumpkin pie mix!)
2. 12-ounce can evaporated milk
3. 1 cup of vanilla yogurt
4. ¼ cup of sugar
5. ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
6. whipped cream
7. cinnamon

Here's what needs to be done to create this treat:

1. First pour the canned pumpkin and evaporated milk into a bowl
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight
3. Second, combine pumpkin, milk, yogurt, sugar, and spice into a blender
4. Blend until smooth
5. Then pour into a cup
6. Lastly, top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.

Wait, don't go yet! This lizard's got another recipe and this is a fun one for kids. TURKEYS!

1. Gather 4 tablespoons (½ stick) of butter
2. 10-ounce bag of marshmallows
3. 6 cups of Rice Krispies
4. Chocolate sandwich cookies (you can use Oreo cookies if you like)
5. Chocolate frosting
6. And candy corn.

First . . .:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan
2. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted
3. Remove the pan from heat and stir in cereal
4. Let cool for 10 minutes
5. While the mixture is cooling, twist apart the cookies and removing the filling (this is easier if the cookies are warm)
6. Now you butter you're hands and shape the gooey cereal into 1 ½ -inch balls
7. Next, make the tail by frosting the inside of the cookie half and pressing three candies into the frosting to make a fan shape
8. Create the body by frosting the other cookie half and sticking it to the bottom of the Rice Krispie ball
9. Add a little frosting below the candy corn and stick the tail onto the body
10. Then stick another corn on the front of the Rice Krispie ball to make a head

You can use them to decorate the table and after dinner you can gobble them up! Happy Thanksgiving from Lizzy the Lizard!

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan, 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!

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Next Issue: Grizzly's Turkey-Carving Contest

Agent X - Operation Eden pt. 2

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“I'll tell you what happened,” Adam cried. “Eve, here, was strolling through the garden when she decided to take the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which God specifically told us not to eat from!, and she ate it!” Adam cried, in disbelief. “Then she came to me and gave me the fruit and I ate it out of sheer trickery!”

“No! NO!” Eve shrieked. “You've got it all wrong! The serpent! The serpent tempted me and said that I would be like God...That I wouldn't die...that God was keeping things from me...from us!”

“Please, she did it by her own will,” the Serpent replied. “Besides, would you ever give up the chance to eat a fruit that will open your eyes and make you like God?”

Before I could conduct a better interview, I started to hear footprints in the garden. Adam and Eve froze with fear.

“He's here,” Adam whispered.

“Who?” I asked.

Adam and Even quickly hid in some bushes before answering my question.

“Where are you?” asked a Voice, deep and pure.

It almost sounded like it came just behind me. Adam finally reappeared from behind the bush.

“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked: so I hid.”

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” asked the stern, yet gentle Voice.

Adam glanced at his wife, Eve.

“The woman you put here with me-she gave me the fruit from the tree and I ate it.”

“What is it that you have done?” the Voice asked, calmly.

Eve got out from the bushes and trembled.

“The serpent deceived me and I ate,” she replied.

Suddenly a heavy silence fell over the garden.

“Because you have done this,” the Voice talked to the talking serpent. “Cursed are you above all livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life...To you, woman. I will increase your pains in childbearing...and you're husband will rule over you.”

Adam trembled with fear.

“To you, Adam. Because you have listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'you must not eat of it.' Cursed is the ground because of you...It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the file. By the sweat of you brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

I find myself outside the entrance of the garden, staring as Adam and Eve were clothed in skin garments and then banished from the garden.

“The man has now become like us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever,” replied the Voice, with a saddened heart.

This is when I saw what looked like a glowing animal or person standing on the east side of the garden. It's flaming sword drawn and guarding the way to the tree of life. Before I could do anything, I heard a distinct beeping coming from my Timer3000:

It's time to go home. You've learned all that you can here. Now will you be able to put it together and believe.- Anonymous

I mutter and then punch in the coordinates for home. It's been at least a week since that strange trip. My mind is still processing the events. I've solved at least ten cases since then. None of them were quite similar to the "Eden" one. That's when I hear the sound. I lunge for my desk drawer. I have an incoming message:

So you thought I was done, so quickly? Not even close. Agent X, I've got another assignment for you. Are you ready to proceed? -Anonymous.

 With a smile, I see coordinates already plugged into the Timer3000.

“Well there's no time like...the Past!” I announce, to no one in particular and then I press the button.

*Note from Agent X. Besides my little side story, the events unfolded are real. If you'd like to separate the truth from this story, look in Genesis 2 &3 in God's Word for the answers you seek.

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

Weekly Cartoon

Next Issue: Rerun Article: Pie in a Glass and Turkeys? Oh MY?!?

Rerun Article: A Gobbler's Protest

 

Dr. Turkey making his speech to his fellow game birds.

Disclaimer: The views presented in the following article do not represent the views of Smiley’s News. Please note that they are merely the views of the interviewee.

Thanksgiving is rounding the corner. Wait, I’m wrong, it’s here! Oh the joy! A lot of people will be doing special things for Thanksgiving this year. Some will be watching football, some will be doing something special with other family members, some will go over to a friend’s house. But no matter where you are, there’s one thing we probably all will be doing this Thanksgiving - eating turkey! Turkey is prepared in dozens of different ways, most will probably just lay it out on the table, others will be putting their turkey in sandwiches, others will have turkey slices, others will eat theirs right off the bone, and some will even be eating it inside Apple Pie like my grandma does. Boy, she makes her pie weird too. Take her crust for instance. In order to get it just perfect, she takes her false teeth out and . . . wait a minute, I’m getting off topic here! Anyways, this Thanksgiving, some citizens will be going to turn Thanksgiving upside-down! At Animal Adventures Inc. (AAI.), in Riverville, New York, a fowl by the name of Dr. Turkey Curkeywishes to (naturally) change the Thanksgiving tradition of, you guessed it: turkey hunting! He’s quoted for saying, “I don’t like turkey season. Never have. I mean, I’m safe here at AAI., but I have to be careful where I go when fall comes because it’s not often that you see a turkey just walking on the sidewalk. I have to be careful in the spring too.” Dr. Turkey has PhD. in psychology and human behavioral studies and views turkey season as just a chance for humans to go crazy. Recently, he had a speech in which hundreds of regularly hunted and eaten fowl (along with myself and my trusty, junior photographer Daniel P. Smithwater) gathered to hear him. On the issue of turkey season (and fowl season in general), he said, “I believe that the hunting of fowl has gone out of hand. I mean seriously, turkeys and other fowl are living things just like humans. We may not be made in God’s image, so it would make since that we are not treated the same, but still, I firmly believed we are undertreated.” He also went on to say that even living conditions for turkeys and chickens on farms are not satisfactory. He believes they should be cleaned out much more often and they should not be fed that GMO stuff. “Turkey’s hate the taste of GMO and growth hormones,” Dr. Turkey says, “but the only reason why we eat it is because that’s all we’re given.” Dr. Turkey isn’t really for the eating turkey on Thanksgiving, but he understands that humans just have a habit of doing that. Not only that, but he also recalls God’s words to humans in Genesis 9:3, “” On Thanksgiving Day though, he recommends another thing to do instead of killing “poor and innocent” turkeys. “Instead of killing turkeys,” he says, “humans should be generous and adopt a baby turkey for a Thanksgiving tradition. I mean, compared to animals such as dogs and cats, turkeys require much less care. Humans don’t have to brush them, pay for weekly visits to the vet, pet them often, play with them often, buy toys for them and etc. Turkeys, chickens and other fowl make much better pets than food. We turkeys are generally looked down on, but it wasn’t always this way. As a matter of fact, Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey instead of a bald eagle. Here, check out this quote from a letter he wrote to his daughter named Sarah Bache on January 26, 1784. He wrote:

            ‘Others object to the Bald Eagle, as looking too much like a Dindon . . . For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labour of the fishing hawk[Osprey]; and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him. . . . he is  generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank coward: the little king bird not bigger than a sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the king birds from our country . . .

I am on this account . . . displeased that the figure is  . . . known as a bald eagle . . . For in truth the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original Native of America. . . He is besides . . .  a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.’

So as you can see, I firmly believe the turkey, and all other hunting/eating birds, need more respect than they are getting.”

Wow! What a powerful speech for such an . . . amazing bird. So why not get a pet turkey. Here’s a good place to start: https://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/Turkey-Poults. There, you can buy turkey’s and other game birds. Before the interview, I had no idea how game birds felt. I guess Dr. Turkey really is a motivational speaker . . . or is that gobbler?


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

Weekly Cartoon

Next Issue: Agent X - Operation Eden pt. 2

A Very Sticky Situation

The maple syrup incident that occurred here in Riverville was a great sticky mess, but it was nowhere nearly as bad as the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, as seen in the photo above.

Last Friday, it was a normal day in Riverville, the town in which Animal Adventures Inc. is located. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, people were walking to their lunch breaks and children were learning new things in school. I was sitting at my desk finalizing last week's article. But the peacefulness changed at 11:48 a.m. when people near the Dandy Candy Factory heard a loud rumbling noise. People looked at the factory and realized that the sound was coming from a 50-foot tall, storage tank that was 90 feet in diameter filled with 2,300,000 gallons of maple syrup. Suddenly the tank exploded and 2,300,000 gallons of maple syrup spewed out as if from a raging volcano!

Around this time of year, people – kids especially – love candy and sweets, but this was too much! The maple syrup began rapidly flowing through the surrounding area. People began running in terror from the sweet-tasting flood. Mr. Fish came to my office to inform me of what was happening elsewhere in town, so my trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater, and I headed to the scene of the mayhem. Upon arrival, we found ourselves instantly surrounded by city officials – firefighters and police officers – who tried to keep the crowds back and loads of civilians who all wanted to see the action. I couldn't believe my eyes! Loads of maple syrup was flowing freely down the street at 35 mph. Upon its initial release, the wave of syrup was 25 or so feet high and as it continued along its path of stickiness, it leveled out to 3 feet in depth!

I spoke with police officer David Tooters to learn more about the situation at hand. He is quoted for saying, “No one knows as of yet why this happened, but we do know that we've got to rescue as many people as we can before anyone gets hurt. Maple syrup is only good in small doses.” Due to the dangers of the situation, I wasn't able to get very close, but from what I could see, the syrup was a powerful force. Some people were being quickly swept away by the torrent. At times, the firefighters blasted the maple syrup with high-pressure water hoses to make a pathway to the helpless people stuck in syrup. At one point during the day, the syrup even trapped someone's horse! Fortunately police were able to rescue the creature without injury to themselves or the animal.

After what seemed like hours of saving people and animals from the mess, some large snowplows were brought in to move the syrup. This went on until about 6:00 p.m. and finally the majority of the syrup had been swept away to someplace where it would be of no more danger. (I was unable to verify where). One question that was still on my mind was why the syrup exploded in the first place. To answer this question, I checked with CEO of the Dandy Candy Factory, Danny Scrumptious. He is quoted for saying, “Well at the time we were heating the maple syrup because we were preparing to start packaging it up to ship to grocery stores, and one of my workers, named Phil Tumor, was in charge of the operation. Phil decided to take a lunch break, accidentally left the heater on and the heat pressure built up so much that . . . well, I think we all know what happened.”

Then, I asked Danny if they had ideas on how to prevent this from happening again. “Of course we do,” Danny says, “for starters, we're not going to allow people working with the maple syrup to take lunch breaks or any type of breaks until after the heating process is over. We're also going to make some adjustments to how the whole system is run. We definitely don't want this to happen again, because not only was that lots of money wasted, but civilians' lives were put in danger.”

Thanks to the quick work of city officials, the syrup was cleaned up and no one was injured in the event. Now that its over, what happened today brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “There is such a thing as too much sweets.” Keep that in mind this October 31st!

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

Weekly Cartoon

Next Issue: A Gobbler's Protest

Rerun Article: The Great Pumpkin: Myth or Reality?

The Great Pumpkin spotted walking back to the pumpkin patch.

One character surrounds Harvest Day more than any others, and that character is no doubt the Great Pumpkin. Who’s the Great Pumpkin? Well for those of you who don’t know who the Great Pumpkin is, I’ll tell you. The Great Pumpkin supposedly a large pumpkin that spends most of his time sitting in the pumpkin patch until Harvest Day night when he rises out of the pumpkin patch and gives toys to all the good little children. There are a group of people known as the Great Pumpkin Foundation (GPF) who are determined to prove that the Great Pumpkin exists. The president of this group is none other than Linus van Pelt. You know him well, remember that kid on Charlie Brown who’s always carrying a blanket? Yep, that’s him. He has always been a strong believer in the Great Pumpkin. Every Harvest Day night, he still waits by the pumpkin patch hoping for his arrival. When asked how long he’d believe in something that supposedly wasn’t true, his response was, “When you stop believing in a fat man with a white beard in a red coat that says, ‘Ho, ho, ho!’” He also is famous for saying, “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” The Great Pumpkin tale has been around for a long time, but there has been no firm proof of the Great Pumpkin’s existence . . . until now! Another advocate of the Great Pumpkin, Jack Stevenson has got firm proof of the Great Pumpkin, so he says. Jack Stevenson is the son of Dr. Steve Stevenson who appeared in our paper a few weeks ago. “I was merely taking a walk by myself one day,” he recalls, “When suddenly I saw something big and orange walking by. I almost didn’t believe my eyes, it must have been the Great Pumpkin!” That is when he took the picture you see above. There are basically two views of the Great Pumpkin, one of course is that of Linus and Jack, they firmly believe in him (they even suggest singing pumpkin carols). But others, such as Lucy van Pelt believes that the Great Pumpkin does not exist but instead, people such as Linus and Jack are confusing the Great Pumpkin and Santa Claus. Anyway, to continue the story of Jack and the Great Pumpkin, Jack says, “So I took the picture and the Great Pumpkin dashed back over to the pumpkin patch. I followed him but by the time he reached the patch, he was already camouflaged with the other pumpkins.” This is the first actual recorded appearance of what could be the Great Pumpkin. We also had a brief interview with Sarah Bus Stop Guy, a 13-year old that lives here in Riverville, near the Great Pumpkin sighting and has the same point of view as Lucy. Sarah doesn’t believe in the Great Pumpkin at all (even though a supposed picture of the Great Pumpkin was found), when asked what her opinion on the Great Pumpkin was, she was quoted to saying, “I think Jack and Linus . . . [have] got the Great Pumpkin mixed up with Santa Claus, cause he’s a myth. Ok, that’s it. You said this was the last question, goodbye!” (She then erupted from her chair and ran to her room) Unfortunately for the GPF, many other people believe that the picture is counterfeit. However, because of Jack’s picture, many scientists, called cryptozoologists, are starting to have greater studies of the Great Pumpkin to see if this vegetable really exists or if instead of a Great Pumpkin, it is really just a Great Fairytale.

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographed by: Jack Stevenson

Edited by: Christian Ryan

Weekly Cartoons

Next Issue: A Very Sticky Situation

Rerun Article: What Big Teeth You Have!

Dr. Arizona (left) and Mr. Gregor (right) next to the gigantic skull found in Mr. Gregor's yard.

A weird animal skull was recently discovered in Mr. Gregor’s backyard. Don’t recall Mr. Gregor? Well, I’ll tell you about him. Mr. Gregor is a multi-billionaire living in Riverville, New York. Now while most rich people simply use their money for themselves, this man uses a good bit of money for charities and about 10% of it for tithes and offerings (if he’s doing a really good job making money, he’ll put in 20%). Mr. Gregor and I are very close friends so my junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater and I were gladly welcomed in to his house get a good story on this amazing find. “I was just taking a walk in my backyard one day,” Mr. Gregor recalls, “when suddenly . . . I realized a little rock with holes on it at the corner of my eye. I went over to it and realized it was a skull, a giant skull. I had no idea what it was.” And frankly, neither did I. As you can see in the picture above, the skull is probably from a carnivorous animal, considering the needle-sharp teeth in the jaw. I wasn’t sure if I should publish this paper at first because I wasn’t entirely sure this story was worth publishing . . . that is, until I learned what Dr. Arizona Stevenson PhD. was coming over to Mr. Gregor’s house (it’s actually a mansion) to indentify the skull. Arizona Stevenson is a local zoologist so Mr. Gregor figured that she’d be the perfect person to identify this find. “When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Arizona said. “The skull was larger than I had expected. I couldn’t tell if it was a feline or a mustelid.” After I asked what a mustelid was, she responded, “A mustelid is an animal related to a weasel. Ferrets, badgers, otters and skunks are in this group.” And yes, they all can squirt a foul-smelling liquid. Fortunately for us, skunks are the only ones that do this often! After examining the skull, Arizona concluded that it had to be from an extinct mammal, since no animal alive today in this region has a skull quite like this one. Since it isn’t fossilized, it probably died recently, per se, in the last decade or so. Mr. Gregor said that it might have been in his yard under the ground for years. The recent heavy downpours probably exposed it enough so he could see it. The skull was sent to Animal Adventures Institute for further study by Dr. Arizona, her husband, Dr. Steve Stevenson PhD and a bunch of other scientists. The presence of this skull so close to town is mindboggling. And one thought stuck in my head after leaving Mr. Gregor’s house: considering this skull is from an animal that died recently, does it have other friends lurking somewhere in the state of New York . . .?

The strange skull found in Mr. Gregor's yard.

PS: If you think you can identify this skull, please send an email to animaladventures@aol.com.                

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographed by: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan

Weekly Cartoon

Next Issue: Rerun Article: The Great Pumpkin: Myth or Reality?

Rerun Article: Cretaceous Park Breakdown

Elizabeth after the power was switched back on standing in front of the sauropod enclosure.

One fine day at Cretaceous Park, a type of dinosaur zoo located on an island just 200 miles or so off the coast of Costa Rica. It didn't look like anything could go wrong at all. But I, Mr. Smiley and my trusty junior photographer Daniel P. Smithwater, was right on the scene to capture all the action on paper. Now let’s cut to the chase: A young woman named Elizabeth P. Bat Mitten decided to turn the park's peacefulness upside-down. Her plan - She and her robotic hat helper Max were to sneak into the power room of Cretaceous Park to shut the power down. No one is still sure why. With the power out, dinosaurs at the park could escape from their enclosures. One such called Tyrannosaurus rex (nicknamed Big Red) broke out and literally terrorized the people at the park! So did the Velociraptors and Dilophosaurus. Since they both were pack hunters, they were twice as dangerous. Not to mention that Velociraptors are very intelligent; they have the intelligence of a dog or a lion, and we wouldn't call a lion dumb would we? Fortunately, no one was killed by these beasts. The most destruction actually came from the plant eaters. When they broke out, they roamed around the park eating the flower beds, stripping the trees of their leaves and devouring 9,895,923 bags of cheese curls. Who knew dinosaurs like so much cheese! Even though the carnivores did the least amount of damage, they still caused some trouble. After the incident was over, they had successfully eaten all the ham and turkey burgers, hot dogs and other meats the park had. My photographer and I spent most of the time hiding from the carnivores in a very small flower pot. After a while, manager of the park, David Milligan (who is also famous for his movie, "Cretaceous Park: The Game: Triceratops Trouble") managed to jump into one of the ranger helicopters they had at the park. He mustered each and every one of those dinosaurs back into the cages. Elizabeth and Max were arrested. Instead of going to jail for doing such a terrible crime, the police decided it would be better if they did community service. “Everything in the park is back in order,” says David, “The power is back on and we know have posted guards by the power room so no one can sneak back in there again. So Cretaceous Park is still one of the greatest animal parks in the world!"

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

Weekly Cartoon

Next Week's Issue: What Big Teeth You Have!

Agent X - Operation Eden pt. 1

(Image will be uploaded as soon as possible)

“Name's Agent X, that's all I'm gonna say. I solve very strange cases from back in the past. Before you even ask, yes I can time travel. I have a device called the Timer3000 that allows me to travel through time. It's funny. I never planned on solving cases that were in the past. As an agent, you're lucky enough to even get an interesting case. It all started in my office when I received a letter.”

So, you want to learn the truth, right? About the origin of all this evil, you have to go to the very beginning. Allow me to introduce you to the case of the forbidden fruit. -Anonymous

“I flipped the card over and found numbers on the back, coordinates actually.”

X=3298

y=3095

“I opened my desk drawer and grabbed the Timer 3000. I plugged in the coordinates and pressed the start button. This would be my first journey into the past.”

“I found myself in the most beautiful garden I had ever seen. Naturally, I got scared and hid when I saw a giant T-Rex coming toward me. I was sure I was a goner. That was until I saw the dinosaur go over to one of the fruit trees and started to eat from it. I wondered where I was. What kind of place was this that everyone, even carnivores, ate fruit and vegetables. Where are all the people? I walked around until my timer3000 started beeping...incoming message.”

Welcome to the Garden of Eden.

“I scrolled down and it revealed a whole paragraph!”

Two people in this garden have eaten a forbidden fruit, but they are blaming a snake. I brought you here to figure out who dunnit and learn about how evil entered the world. -Anonymous.

“I trudged around the garden, looking for the two humans. I spotted them weating fug leaves. I was curious, why didn't they wear clothes like normal people.

'Excuse me,' I asked the man. 'Are you the one who ate the forbidden fruit?'

'Yes but it was Eve who gave it to me!' He yelled.

'Adam! I'm telling you, it was the serpent.' The woman standing with him, insisted.

'How can a serpent tempt you to do something?' I asked. 'They can't even talk!'

'I beg to differ' hissed a voice behind me.

I turned around and jumped. Standing before me was a serpent, a talking serpent that had legs!

'Okay,' I said, 'now I've seen everything.'

'You haven't seen a talking serpent before?' asked Adam.

'Who are you?' Eve asked, 'God only made two of us...that is unless....”

'What? Oh my name's X' I introduced. 'I'm just passing by...uh can anyone tell me what happened here?”

Written by: Lizzy the Lizard
Photographed by: Daniel P. Smithwater
Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond & Mr. Smiley

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