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 Deep Dark Abyssal Animals
by Brody Doeren, age 10
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Illustration by Caitlin Narmour
In the deepest darkest part of the sea, disgusting animals are the only inhabitants. Down at the bottom of the ocean, which has no light or plants, weird creatures lurk. Amazingly, the sea floor is approximately four miles deep. It's dark in the abyss. The sea bed is a place of extremes.
Below the place where humans can travel, these few freaky fish are nearly blind. These fish have bioluminescent lures to attract other fish. Usually, these lures stick out of the fish’s face! Most of the fish have mouths that are so big they cover more than half their face. These fish are all top feeders, which means that their mouths are slanted upward, to better catch dead fish falling from the surface. All the animals that live in the abyss have special adaptations that only God can give.
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 Gifts
by Braxton Houlden, age 12
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Photo by Megan House
Giving and receiving gifts are ancient customs that have been preserved throughout time. Gift giving can be traced back to early Christianity. The origin of gift giving can be attributed to the three Wise Men who came bearing gifts for the baby Jesus. In the age of modern technology, gift giving has reached its climax. Now instead of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, a gift would be gold-plated frankincense and myrrh! Needless to say, gift giving has become an industry in itself. Millions of dollars are made annually based on a natural desire humans have for giving and receiving. It was estimated that in 2013 the average person spent around $800.00 on Christmas presents. That’s a lot of money when you figure in the number of people in the world giving gifts. Despite all the merchandise opportunities that gifts present, in essence a gift remains a symbol of care. Gifting has endured many changes but remains a constant even today.
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 Dogs Are More Active in Cooler Regions
by Tad Lyon, age 16
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Illustration by Caitlin Narmour
Apparently not all dogs are equally fit, according to the studies conducted by companies Whistle and Tagg. Whistle makes a useful device that monitors the activities of dogs. The device counts the minutes of an activity, such as running, playing, and walking. Tagg uses a device that has an accelerometer and a GPS tracking device. Whistle’s studies have shown that the strongest dogs are found in Portland, Oregon, followed by New York, Boston, Sacramento, and San Francisco. The least active dogs were found in Houston, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. Surprisingly, according to Whistle, the fattest cats and dogs are in D.C. However, since their device cannot measure weight, this presumption might not be true. These cities with less active dogs are also where it is warmer, so perhaps it might be different in cooler seasons. Interestingly, a city with many active people has the least fit animals. (That is, Washington, D.C. is a city with some of the healthiest humans, but it is one of the cities with the least active dogs.) During Tagg’s studies, they examined 17,500 dogs, which consisted of 150 dogs per breed, to see which breed was the fattest and fittest. Tagg found that the Brittany breed was the fittest, while the Shih Tzu was the laziest. According to Whistle and Tagg, not all dogs are as fit as others.
Works Cited
Wells, Georgia. “Doggie Data: Pooches Are Most Active in Portland and Laziest in Houston.” WSJ.D. The Wall Street Journal. 27 Aug. 2014. Web.
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