Snapshot of Bern, Switzerland.

Upon an icy ridge, overlooking Bern, Switzerland, the sun sets. Snow is covering the roof-tops of all the houses. The rustic city's snow is glinting, as the last glimpse of sun leaves 'til the morrow. The horse-drawn carriages are diligently trudging through the nine inches of snow that Bern just received. Fires are blazing in the publics' fireplaces.

Smoke is melting the snow near the chimneys, and ice crystals are starting to form on the windows of those who are left without power, with only the fire giving them light.  Merry carrollers are singing; giving joy to all those who can hear them. Worried people hurry to the local market, trying to stock up on the necessities, and even a Christmas present or two for their little ones at home. The children are having fun and enjoying the snow, while if not at the store or attending to the fire, the adults work on clearing the drive-way in preparation for work the following week. With night falling, the children hurry to bed hopeful for a present or two from the jolly-old St. Nicholas. After putting out the cookies and milk, the children fall alseep, allowing the parents to sneak into the living-room and carefully make a couple of powdered sugar foot-prints, eating some, but not all the cookies, and wrapping the presents oh so carefully so that there is no distinction between the presents from mom and dad and the presents from the childrens' beloved Santa Claus. Upon awaking early in the morning, the children run down the long flight of stairs, to see the amazing sight of the floor under the Christmas tree covered in numerous presents, all in different colors and shades of bright wrapping paper. The children, so elated, soon run back up the long flight of stairs to wake their parents. The family soon gathered all around the tree, start one by one tearing apart the carefully wrapped paper to reveal the suprises inside. Countless presents lay unwrapped, the parents with the glad "we did good" look on their faces, as they watch their bright balls of joy have fun with their newly acquired toys and trinkets. The father then decides that he will cook a nice treat, so that the mom can have a break and have fun on the joyful Chistmas Day.

Merry Christmas -- Spencer W. Tindall

The Outside View from a Texan.

Crooks was treated like trash or gum on the bottom of someones shoe, unwanted and mistreated. He was black so he "smelled" different so he was force to sleep outside in the horse barn. He was treated so bad he felt like he had to keep a shotgun on his floor for protection. He was so racisized against that he was forced to turn the racisism around and cause others to dislike him even more. Therefore the rasisism caused crook to be rasisized more harshly and be treated like dirt even more than before. I remember when I was a part of a 4-H group in Texas and I didn't go to school at the same school as everyone else did and it was hard to make friends and have a good time. I understand how crooks feels totally. I also have been left out of things because I was to slow or the fat or to tall or not tall enough. It is not fun to have your friends run off without you and be all alone so I understand how hurt crooks feels, and people treated me completely different and they knew I couldn't do thing so try just left me out. This experience really made me a stronger person and a better friend cause I know now how to treat my friends.

A Perfect World from the Eyes of a Texan

           A perfect world, in the eyes of a Texan, is a world of moral agency, being able to choose what you want to do but having to deal with the consequences. With ;however, a government in power to create laws and rules to comply with those rules. If a person is doing something illegal then someone reports it.... its not telling on someone or snitching, its just keeping the laws intact. A perfect world would have disease but also cures for disease. It would have complete peace, no waring no need for murder but just for law and order. It would also be rid of poverty.

A perfect world would also have balance. It would be a perfect world of peace and global understanding. If one nation attacked another the rest of the world would help the attacked nation. It would put the attackers at bay and then leave the two nations to make peace. Everyone would have the choice to choose what religion they were and how they traveled. They could choose where they lived and where they went. Who they worked for what they did as a profession and how they worked.

A world with no conflict. A world
without havoc. A world without pollution. A world with Peace and happiness. A world with green grass from sea to shining sea and fresh water everywhere. Thats a perfect world in the eyes of a Texan.