NFL

     We are now through 13 weeks of the NFL season. The best team in football, by record, is the Texans and Falcons. Both teams have 11 wins and 1 loss, followed by the Patriots at 9 wins and 3 losses. The top 10 in the NFL Power Rankings are:

1. Houston Texans
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. New England Patriots
4. Denver Broncos
5. San Francisco 49ers
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Chicago Bears
9. Cincinnati Bengals
10. Seattle Seahawks

     On sad news, the NFL suffered a loss to one of their players on Saturday morning. Jovan Belcher committed suicide at the Chiefs' facility after murdering his girlfriend in their home. The Chiefs played the game against Carolina anyway. They won the game 27-21. There has been some debate on whether that was the right thing to do, but it is too late now.

Holiday Traditions

            What is your favorite thing about the holidays? It could be getting a break from school, giving and receiving gifts, eating more than you should, or playing in the snow. All of these things are great, but many would agree that the best part of the holidays is being with your family? Millions of families all across the world come together to celebrate the holidays, participating in special, yearly traditions.

            Traditions can be something as simple as sitting down to a vast dinner with the family, or something crazy that no other family in the world would think of. Possibly the most popular tradition seen around the holidays is waking up early on Christmas morning to the excitement of children tearing into gifts beneath the tree, left by Santa Claus. No matter what the tradition may be, or which families celebrate which things, there’s no doubt that no matter where you are, there’s always one thing in common with the holidays: family. It’s no surprise that Christmas serves as various importance in different countries, but you may not know that Christmas can be celebrated much differently by people throughout the United States.

Here are various traditions celebrated by families across the U.S., and throughout the world.

• Arizona celebrates a Mexican tradition called Las Posadas, where families play out the parts of Mary and Joseph searching for somewhere to stay, and then visit friends' and neighbors' homes, admiring Nativity cribs.

evolutivity.info

• Polish Americans celebrate Christmas by scattering hay throughout their kitchen, to remind them of a stable and manger. Then, they set two extra places on the table, in hopes that Mary and the Christ Child take their offering of shelter.

inglesiesalarnes.blogspot.com

• In Greenland, children go from hut to hut singing songs, while women enjoy the only night that they are waited on by men.

worldstampnews.com

• In Egypt, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th, where people fast, eating no meat or dairy products for 40 days. 

flickr.com

• Although only one percent of Japan's population believe in Christ, many people respect the beliefs of Christian followers, and decorate stores and homes in bright Christmas lights. A Buddhist monk plays the role of Santa Claus, bringing presents to each Christian household for the children.

destination360.com

For more interesting holiday traditions celebrated throughout the world, visit http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

Mockingjay

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss’s family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has a hand in the carefully laid plans- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss’s willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem.

To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels’ Mockingjay- no matter what the personal cost.    

                                                                                    Mockingjay

                                                                                    By: Suzanne Collins

"Fans will be happy to hear that 'Mockingjay' is every bit as complex and imaginative as 'Hunger Games' and 'Catching Fire.' Collins has kicked the brutal violence up a notch in an edge-of-your-seat plot."

                                                                                                -Entertainment Weekly

"The realism is supplied by Collins' teen characters -- everyday kids thrown into a nightmare not of their making. The grown-ups tend to be plot devices, but they move the action along. 'Mockingjay' won't make much sense if you haven't read 'The Hunger Games' and 'Catching Fire,' but Collins' fans, grown-ups included, will race to the end."

                                                                                                -USA Today