10 Things I Believe In

[One] The love of my children.

[Two] Coffee and its ability to make me feel cozy.

[Three] Psychotropic medications.

[Four] The bogeyman.

[Five] Trees. They're strong and beautiful, and there's nothing like being cradled by a tree.

[Six] Cameras. They help me share the way I see things.

[Seven] Humans. It's hard sometimes, especially lately. Overall, though, I think most of us have an enormous capacity to do good things.

[Eight] Warm fuzzy blankets. How often has a blanket let you down?

[Nine] Hard work.

[Ten] Going barefoot.

Beer-Crazed Elephants Face Execution!

Wednesday - Five elephants that went on a rampage at a local brewery last fall will face a judge today.
On September 5, 2009, five elephants escaped their enclosure at the zoo and headed straight for Lush Brewery. They walked right in through a delivery door, headed straight for the vats of beer and quenched an apparent thirst. Witnesses to the event stated the elephants moved deliberately and seemed to know exactly what they were doing.
After getting their fill of beer, the elephants began chasing brewery employees, spraying beer on them from their trunks. They were reportedly very unsteady on their feet and it wasn't long before they allegedly turned more aggressive and began to pick people up and throw them into tanks of beer. One person, Sally Longderth, drown in one of those tanks. Another victim, Paul Pfaffmann, was trampled to death.
"We just want justice," says Mr. Pfaffmann's widow, Phyllis. "I want to know why this happened. How did they know what to do? Where to go? Why my Paul?"

This is the second animal case to be heard here in Ditherburg in two years. Last year, a flock of seagulls were found guilty of harassment, aggravated assault and theft on Blue Beach and sentenced to 18 months in an animal correctional facility.

**Check out Creative Writing Prompts**

Voodoo

"What do you dream about? Explain a dream you've had recently without using the words 'I' or 'me'."

Bodies are moving separately in unison, wrapped in an infectious rhythm interpreted by feet that follow an instinctual pattern over warm, dusty earth. Songs never before heard, words in a language never spoken, come forth while arms are lifted up to the night sky. It smells of fire and power, confidence and fear. The cotton dress that once fluttered in a breeze is clinging to shiny, cinnamon skin. The drums speak to the deepest part of the soul where nothing modern has ever been and sensibility has never touched. Eyes closed in prayer to ancient Loa and relatives long passed are suddenly open, fevered and unfocused, filled with expectant hope, reflecting the dancing firelight. A quiet whimper becomes a primal howl loosed from a secret place...