When the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Colin Amoth

It’s finally happened, kind of. The first snow of the season has finally fallen and it looks like the almost start of a white winter. Soon we will find some of the same old problems that all of us in New England are used to coming back to life. Shoveling the side walks, scraping ice off of the car, freezing on the way to school. But as we know, not all is terrible. Along with the nippily car rides and endless shoveling, there comes a great wonderful concept that’s known to all as the snow day. Delightfully random days in which you sleep in all your worries away and cook the most delicious warm breakfast. But the imposing question still remains, what are you going to do with the rest of your day?

No one would really call this dilemma a “problem” but there is defiantly some question as to what can you do surrounded in this winter wonderland. In the opinions of many, the best way to start it off is to sleep the problem off for a little while then get some brain power gathered over a grand hotel style breakfast. After all that you should be properly prepared to take on your day.

Here are some suggestions:

Mornings:
1- Wrap up in a warm blanket, grab a cup of cocoa, and watch the snow fall outside from inside your house
2- Paint the scenery that you see outside
3- Come up with some creative Christmas ornaments
4- If you play a portable instrument, go sit by a large window and let our creativity flow

Afternoons:
1- Hit up the local mountain, or take a venture to another mountain for a crazy ski/snowboard trip
2- Sledding, snow men, anything of that nature
3- Build a bomb snow fort

Evenings:
1- Snowmobiling
2- Movie

Afghan Needs Money for 15-20 Years

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan told US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Afghanistan will not be able to fund its own military services for the next fifteen to twenty years. Karzai has asked for the aid of the US in hopes that they will give him money so he can pay for the troop’s services and materials that his military may need such as guns, food, first aid or vehicles. Karzai came to the United States with this appeal just a couple days before the United States shipped out nearly thirty thousand troops to Afghanistan. Although Afghanistan cannot completely fund its own military, Karzai stated that they would still give as much money as they could towards the military instead of making the US be the lone financial provider. Within the next decade Afghanistan authorities should have control of all of the critical areas in Iraq and most of the country itself. President Obama wants to pull the US troops out in 2011 but by doing so it leaves the training of Iraqi soldiers unfinished and just another problem President Karzai has to deal with.

By:Brandon Mansfield

Garlic Prices In China Soar

By: Will Hastings

The Chinese have used garlic in their cooking and remedies for centuries. Known for its ability to boost the immune system, increase the appetite, and help clear up acne. But its not because of its exfoliating abilities that a high school in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou bought over 400 pounds of garlic to feed its student for lunch, reported the China Daily. No its to battle the swine flu epidemic which has nations biting nails world wide. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, with China being the worlds largest producer of garlic, about three fourths of the total; but with the global rescission farmers planted nearly half the amount than normal. This situation has some investors jumping for joy; one young man with no high school education had the foresight to buy enough garlic to fill a warehouse, now he has resold it for 15 times the wholesale price making him a millionaire. Gangs who had procured cash by other ill gotten means are now sinking their money into these bulbous goldmines. Economists worldwide expect this bubble to eventually burst, and someone is going to be left with more garlic then you could ever want. But for now whether you are looking for the H1N1 cure, a tasty additive to your meals, or just warding off unwanted sparkling vampires, garlic is the plant for you.

Hit the Slopes

Another ski season is upon us and mountains around the area will be opening soon. With some mountains already open, people have been heading up north to get in some pre-season turns. The two mountains in New Hampshire that are open are Bretton Woods and Waterville Valley. But most mountains throughout the state are projected to open in the coming week or longer. Some mountains that are hopefully opening this week are; Cannon Mountain, Mount Sunapee, Ragged Mountain, Gunstock Mountain, Loon Mountain and Pats Peak. Pats Peak is probably the favorite of many in our school, for its closeness and the great turbulence park. So all of you ski bums and park rats will only have to wait a couple of weeks until you can start your favorite winter hobbies.

Christmas Treats

by Caitlyn Madore

The most dazzling and spectacular holiday of the season is nearing, Christmas. We all know the story behind Santa Clause, but what about those special Christmas treats that we can indulge on for only a few weeks a year like gingerbread houses, sugarplums, and candy canes? Today, all are part of the American Christmas tradition, but none were actually invented in the U.S.

Gingerbread its self originated during the 11th century in Europe, being sold on the streets and at fairs. It wasn't until 19th century Germany though that gingerbread houses really started being produced. It all began with the publishing of the book "Hansel and Gretel" by the Grimm Brothers about children who were abandoned in the forest and were fortunate enough to come across a house made of only bread, cake, and candy. As a result, German's started making these delectable gingerbread houses, lebkuchenhaeusle, which became most popular during the Christmas season. When German’s started settling in North America, they brought the tradition of the gingerbread houses with them.

As seen in the book, “A Night before Christmas”, sugarplums were started as a delicacy in 16th century England during the Christmas season. They are what some call a comfit or a seed or nut that has been encrusted in sugar syrup up to twelve times. Most of the time a seed called Caraway was used because of the sweetness it left in your mouth and breath. Even though it’s debatable whether plums were ever actually apart of this treat, it is known that the name was fashioned because the sugary candy was about the same size as a plum.

As for the candy cane, there is a lot of controversy over the origin of this sweet treat. One theory is that in 1670 a choir master in Germany bent the sugary stick to represent a Shepards cane in order to keep the children occupied during a religious ceremony. The other theory is that the cane was bent to represent the letter "J" as a symbol for Jesus. No historical evidence however has been uncovered to prove either one of these hypotheses. It is a fact nonetheless that the famous stripes of red did not begin until sometime in the 19th century, although it is not known by whom. Once again, this tasteful tradition was brought over to America by Germen settlers.