Problem: I have a friend who is a princess of the piggies. No, really! She lives in a piggy castle and has piggy gowns and piggy balls and a piggy carriage, though no piggy crown. She loves being a princess, but sometimes it gets boring. There's only so much fun to be had walking around a castle. She likes to cook too. So sometimes, she goes to the kitchen. She has a lot of fun in the kitchen making new foods. She likes to pretend she's a cook! Someday she wants to be a piggy princess cook! One of her favorite things to cook is pea soup. She loves soup, and pea soup most of all, even if tomato is pretty good too. She doesn't like vegetable or chicken soup at all. She grows her own peas, mushes them up in the soup, and then stirs it all up with a spoon. She also cooks it on the stove. She loves to cook, and I love to eat. We're best friends!
1. What is my friend?
2. Of whom?
3. And where does she live?
4. And what does she have?
5. And what else?
6. Anything else?
7. And what doesn't she have?
8. What does she enjoy?
9. Is it always fun though?
10. Where does she walk?
11. What else does she enjoy doing?
12. Where does she occasionally go?
13. What does she do there?
14. What does she pretend?
15. And what does she aspire to be?
16. What's her favorite dish to prepare?
17. What other type does she enjoy?
18. And what ones doesn't she?
19. What does she grow?
20. What does she use to stir?
Answer: 1. a princess
2. the piggies
3. in a piggy castle
4. piggy gowns
5. piggy balls
6. a piggy carriage
7. a piggy crown
8. being a princess
9. No
10. around a castle
11. Cooking
12. the kitchen
13. make new foods
14. she's a cook
15. a piggy princess cook
16. pea soup
17. tomato
18. vegetable or chicken soup
19. her own peas
20. a spoon

Problem: Kievan Rus' begins with the rule (882912) of Prince Oleg, who extended his control from Novgorod south along the Dnieper river valley in order to protect trade from Khazar incursions from the east and moved his capital to the more strategic Kiev. Sviatoslav I (died 972) achieved the first major expansion of Kievan Rus' territorial control, fighting a war of conquest against the Khazar Empire. Vladimir the Great (9801015) introduced Christianity with his own baptism and, by decree, that of all the inhabitants of Kiev and beyond. Kievan Rus' reached its greatest extent under Yaroslav I (10191054); his sons assembled and issued its first written legal code, the Rus' Justice, shortly after his death.

The term "Kievan Rus'" ( Kievskaya Rus') was coined in the 19th century in Russian historiography to refer to the period when the centre was in Kiev. In English, the term was introduced in the early 20th century, when it was found in the 1913 English translation of Vasily Klyuchevsky's A History of Russia, to distinguish the early polity from successor states, which were also named Rus. Later, the Russian term was rendered into Belarusian and Ukrainian as Kijeuskaja Rus' and Kyivs'ka Rus', respectively.
1. When did Kievan Rus' began?
2. by whom?
3. When did they change their religion?
4. who was the leader?
5. how did he do it?
6. What was Prince Oleg trying to protect?
7. When did the name start being used?
8. why?
9. Why was it moved there
10. how did they have their first major expansion
11. What was issued?
12. by whom?
13. what else was he known for?
14. who did they fight against?
Answer: 1. 882
2. unknown
3. Sometime between 9801015
4. Vladimir the Great
5. with his own baptism
6. trade
7. 19th century
8. to refer to the period when the centre was in Kiev
9. unknown
10. war
11. legal code
12. Yaroslav I's sons
13. Kievan Rus' reaching its greatest extent
14. unknown

Problem: First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.

Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other areas she will leave her mark.

Five years after moving into the White House, and without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal on political issues in the three years left in office.

So far, critics have complained about Michelle's silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists who wanted her to defend their causes instead of falling back on her self-described role as the nation's "mom-in-chief." Nor did she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected.

"The most important thing to remember is, whether you are black, white or Hispanic, you're the first lady and the president of all the people in the United States. That's a huge melting pot, so to reinforce that she's African American over anything else would not be wise," said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national conferences on the legacies of America's first ladies and their historical influence at American University.

Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to " _ "

"She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas," Jarrett told the Associated Press. "That, she said, "is better than trying to take on every single possible cause."

But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said he expects Obama to "go a little harder at issues" over the next several years. "Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart," he said.

Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White House, given their success. Michelle launched the "Let's Move" campaign in 2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise , which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables.

"There's no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she's been politically careful because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband to use his political capital to clean up," she said. "But she's not exactly just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either."
1. Who is Myra Gutin?
2. Which campaign did Michelle Obama launch in 2010?
3. When did she turn 50?
4. What have critics complained about her silence on?
5. What massacre did she fail to push harder for gun control in response to?
6. Who is Valerie Jarrett?
7. Where is Robert Watson a professor?
8. What does he expect over the next few years?
9. What does he say about 2nd term first ladies?
10. What has gained support from the NFL to Sesame Street?
11. Did Sesame Street charge money to use it's characters on fruits and veggies?
Answer:
1. a communications professor
2. Let's Move
3. Jan. 17, 2014
4. issues where they expected to hear her voice
5. Sandy Hook Elementary School
6. a top White House adviser
7. Lynn University
8. Obama to "go a little harder at issues"
9. Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart
10. the "Let's Move" campaign
11. No