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What is Nowruz? Why is it celebrated? Let’s find out. Intro Nowruz is the Iranian/Persian New Year, celebrated around the spring equinox. It is celebrated by Zoroastrianists, Baha’i, and some Muslims in places like Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. History/Origin The mythological origin of this holiday is that when the mythical King Jamshid was trying to destroy an eternal winter that would kill everybody, he made a throne. Demons rose his throne and him to the heavens and he shone like the sun. The people declared his victory to be the New Day (Now Ruz). Historians suspect that the actual origin of this holiday was to celebrate the sowing of seeds (planting season) by ancient people known as the Proto-Indo-Iranians, around the 8th century BCE. Celebration Before Nowruz, people perform a vigorous spring cleaning and buy some flowers. A traditional meal called the Haft-sin is eaten, where sabzeh  (wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish), wheat germ sweet pudding, oleaster, vinegar, apples, garlic, and sumac are consumed. On Nowruz, people visit their relatives’ houses or throw big parties. Fun Facts Countries in Asia celebrate Nowruz, but did you know that some European countries like Albania also celebrate it? Nowruz is the first day of the Persian month of Farvadin, the 1st month. Farvadin usually runs from March 21 to April 20. Nowruz sometimes lasts for 13  days! Children receive monetary gifts, sometimes called “Eidi.” Nowruz is a national holiday in Iran and many Central Asian countries. We at YNH hope that everyone who celebrates has a great New Year! Nowruz Mubarak! Image credit: https://yektamarket.com/product/haft-sin-items/

What is Indian Independence Day? Why is it celebrated? Let's find out. History of Indian Independence Day: The 1st Indian Independence Day was celebrated on August 15th, 1947. It was celebrated because during the night of August 14, all the first officials of the Dominion of India were sworn in, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Governor-General Albert Mountbatten. Then on the morning of the 15th, the Indian flag rose over the city of Delhi. A new nation was born. And since then, the Indian Independence Day has been celebrated as a federal holiday. Celebration: During Indian Independence Day, there are many forms of celebration throughout the country. In both governmental and non-governmental institutions, flag hoisting takes place each year. A big parade takes place on the Kartavya Path, a road in New Delhi going to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Special events take place in schools, and national songs are played. There are also many Indian Independence Day celebrations outside of India too! This is because many Indians are immigrants, meaning they moved out of India and settled in other areas of the world. Fun Facts: The Dominion of India was ruled by Indians, but their head of state was from the U.K.! Eventually India adopted a new constitution which created an India with an Indian head of state. This Day is known as Republic Day, and it is celebrated on January 26. The flag of India is a rectangular flag with saffron, white, and green horizontal stripes from top to bottom. In the middle of the white strip is a chakra , or wheel. We at YNH hope everybody celebrating has a great Indian Independence Day! By Mihir Gupta For more information on some locations mentioned in New Delhi/Delhi, check out this travel article co-written by Mihir Gupta and Armaan Dhawan. Image credit: https://timelinedaily.com/india/no-changes-made-to-oci-rules-says-ministry-of-external-affairs

What is Republic Day? Why is it celebrated? Let’s find out. Intro Republic Day (Gantantra Divas) is a federal holiday celebrated in India to celebrate the enactment of the current constitution of the Republic of India. It is celebrated on January 26 of every year. History When India gained independence, it had two heads: a head of government and a head of state. The head of government was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a native Indian, but the head of state was still the monarch of the U.K., King George VI. Wanting the British to not be in the new government, the government created a new constitution, and it took effect on January 26, 1950. The queen was no longer the head of state, and was replaced by the position of president. This day is remembered as the first Republic Day. Celebration The day before Republic Day, an awards ceremony is held to distribute three awards: the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri. These are the second, third, and fourth highest honors that a civilian can get, respectively. Then, on Republic Day, a big parade is held on the Kartavya Path, a famous road located in the capital of New Delhi.  Fun Facts January 26, 2024 marks India’s 75th Republic Day. Every year, a head official from another country will be invited as a guest to the parade. Preparations for the parade start in July of the previous  year! Republic Day is a federal holiday, meaning most of the populace gets a holiday from school/work. We hope everyone celebrating has a great Indian Republic Day! Image credit: https://timelinedaily.com/india/no-changes-made-to-oci-rules-says-ministry-of-external-affairs

There was a massive breakthrough in the work to advance against using fossil fuels recently. In this blog post, we'll dive into how scientists were finally able to create a net energy gain from nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is when you take an atom and you heat it up to almost its maximum capacity. Then, you put in another atom and they fuse together, creating one heavier atom. But, the new heavier atom actually has less mass than the original two atoms, so the remaining matter is converted into excess energy. Also, scientists normally use two hydrogen atoms [one with one neutron (called the deuterium) and one with two neutrons (called the tritium)] because they are very light, and those two atoms combine to make one helium atom, and energy is released, plus one extra energetic neutron which is ejected out because it makes the new atom unstable. (Picture of process shown below) In fact, the Sun also uses nuclear fusion to create energy! However, it also takes a lot of energy to heat the atoms up, so scientists were struggling to make a net energy gain. A net energy gain is when more energy is released from the process than the amount of energy needed. ​ So what are the benefits of nuclear fusion? It may be a primary electricity source in the future because of its potential to be an environmentally-friendly, easy-to-work-with energy source. Some scientists are even calling it the 'holy grail' of clean energy! It also leaves no carbon footprint, no radioactive waste, and it could bring cheap electricity to parts of the world that are in deep poverty. By Armaan Dhawan Image credit: https://www.shalom-education.com/courses/gcse-physics/lessons/atomic-structure/topic/nuclear-fusion/

What is this thing? Why is it even special enough to get special news coverage in YNH? Let’s find out. What is the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir? The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir is a new Hindu temple located in Ayodhya, Madhya Pradesh, India. The spot where the temple is on is where it is believed that Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity, was born. The temple is, according to Firstpost, 76 meters (250 ft) wide, 120 meters (380 ft) long and 49 meters (161 ft) high . Inside the temple, there is an idol of Rama as a child, carved out of a 3-billion-year-old rock. The building project was started in 2019, and the inauguration ceremony took place on Monday, January 22, 2024. It was attended by many famous celebrities such as cricket players and movie stars in addition to the thousands of people who attended. History of the Temple As stated before, the temple is built on the site where Lord Rama is said to have been born. A temple was built on this site, and it stayed there until a general of the Mughal Empire destroyed it and built the Babri Masjid, a mosque, in 1528-29. The mosque generally remained the same till the 20th century, when some big changes were made. In 1978, the mosque became open to Hindus and became a half-mosque, half-temple. Then, in 1992, the mosque was destroyed by a huge mob of 150,000 people. Many allegations were put forth, but in 2019 the Supreme Court of India ruled that on the Ram Janmabhoomi (the place where the old temple and mosque stood), a new temple could be built. A spot in the nearby town of Sohawal was chosen to be the site of a new mosque called the “Mohammed Bin Abdullah Masjid.” Controversy Some people have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using the temple’s inauguration for political gain, while others still remember the destruction of the Babri Masjid and hold it against the temple. So, that’s it! The mystery of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir is solved. We know what it is, and we know why it is such a big deal.  Image credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Ayodhya_Ram_Mandir_Inauguration_Day_Picture.jpg

Warning: This article contains information that may be sensitive to young viewers. On Tuesday, October 1, at 9:00 pm EDT, the vice presidential debate of 2024 took place in New York City, NY. The candidates facing off in the CBS-hosted event were Governor Tim Walz of the Democratic Party and Senator JD Vance of the Republican Party, and the moderators were CBS news anchors Margaret Brennan and Norah O'Donnell. The two candidates fought over issues such as the Middle East and the economy throughout the debate. Today, we will explore how it went down. Contents: Middle East Hurricane Helene Immigration and Border Security Economy Personal Qualifications for VPOTUS Abortion and Reproductive Rights "America's Gun Violence Epidemic" High Housing Costs Healthcare Childcare "State of Democracy" The first topic was the Middle East. Vance stated that he would support a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran. Walz claimed that Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than before because of "Donald Trump's fickle leadership." (This does have some basis because Trump exited a deal with Iran to stop their respective nuclear programs. See my CIC:Y? article, U.S.A. vs. Iran , for more details. Spoiler alert: there was some reasoning behind the decision.) The second topic was Hurricane Helene. Walz claimed that Trump said climate change was a hoax. (This is true. Donald Trump made this statement on a Fox Business show called Varney & Company . However, Vance maintained that the statement was taken out of context.) The third topic of the evening was immigration and border security. Vance said he supports putting back Trump-era border policies. Walz stated there was a bipartisan effort for better border control, but Trump put it down for a need to have a campaign issue. (Harris also maintained this argument in the presidential debate. This claim is valid.) Vance claimed that the border control officers were "just [wanting] to be empowered to do their job." He expressed that it was heartbreaking. The next topic was the economy. Walz opposes tax cuts for wealthier people and advocates for them to pay "their fair share." Vance criticized Harris for not implementing her policies during her term so far. Walz blamed Trump for the economic crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. (This claim is most likely false due to presidents having very little control over the economy's well-being.) He opposes outsourcing jobs from the US. He also stated that the Biden-Harris administration oversaw the creation of about 250,000 manufacturing jobs. (This is true, according to the US Department of Commerce.) The next topic was personal qualifications for the role of vice president. Vance said he was wrong about Trump when he criticized him in 2020. He stated that he had believed "dishonest fabrications of his record." The next topic of the debate was abortion and reproductive rights. Walz highlighted his reasons for protecting abortion rights, citing an example in Texas where a mother almost died and another in Kentucky where r*pe was involved. Vance gave an example of his experience with abortion, saying he knew someone who had an abortion. He said that if "she hadn't had that abortion, [it] would have destroyed her life because she was in an abusive relationship." After that, he said he was a firm pro-life supporter. Vance said he supports the states deciding whether abortion should be legal or not instead of a nationwide ban. Walz does not support the states deciding abortion's legality. (To prove his point, he gave the example of a woman in Georgia experiencing complications. Georgia restricts abortion, but North Carolina restricts it to a lesser amount. So this woman traveled from Georgia to North Carolina, but on the way, she died.) Vance expressed his sympathy towards this woman, saying she should not have died. He also said he wants to improve access to childcare and fertility treatments. The next topic was " America's gun violence epidemic." Vance said he would support increased security measures, including stronger locks and more security personnel. Walz stated that Minnesota has enhanced red flag laws and background checks. (This is true.) Vance claimed that the leading causes of school shootings are bad mental health and substance abuse. (This is true according to a survey done by Alfred University.) Walz said he advocates for good healthcare and mental health support. The next topic was the high housing cost/rent, a significant contributor to inflation. Walz said he had lessened the bureaucracy in Minnesota and provided down payment assistance. Vance said that the presence of 25 million illegal immigrants is driving up demand, increasing the cost of housing. (This is true. However, illegal immigrants can help with housing because they are likely to join the construction field.) Walz claimed illegal immigration has decreased since Trump's presidency. (This is false according to the Pew Research Center.) The next topic was healthcare. Vance claimed prescription medicine prices fell during Trump's presidency. (This is partially true. According to a study by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, while medicine prices were lower during his presidency, they were consistently above the inflation rate. During Biden's presidency, prices were at or below the inflation rate.) Walz claimed that Trump tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. (This is true. However, Trump said in a post in March that he now wants to make it "better.") The next topic was childcare. Both Walz and Vance support a paid family medical leave program. (The US currently does not have a law enforcing paid leave. Instead, companies get to decide how much time is allowed.) Vance said Trump's planned tariffs would create tax cuts for the people, essentially freeing parents to spend on childcare. The final topic of the night was the "State of Democracy." Vance claimed Harris was censoring the media on "misinformation." (He meant she claimed it was on accounts of misinformation. This is true. According to Mark Zuckerburg, Meta's CEO, the Biden administration pressured the social media company Meta to remove some of its content. The White House declined to comment.) Walz said he was concerned about the safety of America because Trump did not recognize that the 2020 election was lost. He argued that it undermined the "peaceful transfer of power." Vance countered that claim by saying Trump peacefully transferred power to Biden on January 20, 2021. For the entire debate (1 hr, 39 mins, 30 secs) and the entire debate transcript, go to https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-vp-debate-transcript-walz-vance-2024/?scrlybrkr=aad20f5d .

Today is the grim anniversary of the Israel-Hamas War, which began exactly one year ago on October 7, 2023 when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing almost 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Since then, over 42,000 Palestinians and 2,000 Lebanese citizens have been killed in Israeli attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah. Over 1.9 million others have been displaced in Gaza, and another 1.2 million have been forced from their homes in Lebanon. Hurricane Milton is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico, and it is heading straight for Florida-- a US state that was just battered by Hurricane Helene. Milton recently formed on Saturday as a tropical depression, and it spun around in the western Gulf, near the eastern coast of Mexico, before slowly moving east across the area. It quickly strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane within one day, and it is now charging through the Gulf, setting its sights on Florida. Milton is now a Category 2 hurricane, heading east with winds of over 110 mph. It will soon strengthen to a Category 3, a major hurricane, before brushing Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, possibly hitting the city of Merida and maybe even the well-known beach town of Cancún, which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. From there, it is expected to maintain major hurricane status and slam into western Florida, heading directly for Tampa. Tampa was hit extremely hard by Hurricane Helene just last week, suffering from winds of over 130 mph, heavy rain, and storm surge of 6-8 feet, which inundated almost the entire city. This hurricane could soon impact the same area with similar conditions, which could devastate the area even more. Thankfully, the hurricane won't stay for long-- it is moving quickly, and should only impact the area for about a day. However, it is expected to so some serious damage in that time period, and is blasting across the Gulf-- Florida residents should start preparing now. Upcoming Events: World Habitat Week (Monday, October 7) World Cotton Day (Monday, October 7) World Post Day (Wednesday, October 9) World Mental Health Day (Thursday, October 10) International Day of the Girl Child (Friday, October 11) Yom Kippur (Friday, October 11 to Saturday, October 12) World Migratory Bird Day (Saturday, October 12) America's Cup (Sailing) Begins (Saturday, October 12) International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (Sunday, October 13) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A lion's age can be told by its nose. The nose begins as a bright pink as a child, and as the lion grows older, it develops freckles over that pink. Soon, when the lion has become an older, more mature adult, the nose turns completely gray or black. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If one out of 15 ideas succeed, that’s better than 99% of your friends who never start a single idea. (Gary Vaynerchuk) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Berate (verb)- To berate someone is to angrily scold or criticize them, often loudly and at length. In a Sentence: “Don’t berate yourself over canceling plans,” his friend told him. “Sometimes you just need to take care of yourself.”

At least 21 people are dead after Israeli strikes on a mosque in Gaza, and numerous strikes from Israel also slammed into southern Lebanon yesterday. The strike hit a mosque across the street from the al-Aqsa martyrs hospital, with Israel claiming for it to be a Hamas "command and control center." The original death toll was thought to be 18, but it was later found to be 21 after people dug through the rubble of the building for hours to find lost relatives or friends. This strike comes as the death toll of the war in Gaza is approaching 42,000, and tomorrow is the grim one-year anniversary of when the conflict began on October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, Lebanon is still suffering from intense strikes as Israel attempts to take down the Iran-backed Hezbollah. At least 1,400 people are dead and millions of people have been forced out of their homes, and more is on the way. After Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah recently and executed a round of pager explosions throughout the country, the conflict escalated into an all-out war. Israel has bombarded Lebanon's populated southern region with airstrikes and missiles, launched a ground invasion into the country, and attacked Iran as well. In the latest strikes, Israel fired dozens of missiles into Lebanon, but a few were intercepted by the country's defense system. The attack was described as the worst to hit Lebanon so far, with projectiles constantly smashing into the suburbs of Beirut every few minutes. The projectiles hit Hezbollah bases, warehouses, and weapons facilities, but also did serious damage to the surrounding area. As the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war approaches, protests have also been ramping up around the world. Dozens of people have been arrested, and one man in Washington D.C. even set himself on fire-- he miraculously survived. Police have been forced to use tear gas and water cannons in some areas, as protests in Rome and other cities turned into violent clashes with law enforcement officers. Some people even threw objects like bottles and stones at police, sparking the conflicts. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A group of cats is called a clowder. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. (Beverly Sills) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Adversary (noun)- An adversary is an enemy or opponent. In a Sentence: Upon learning that its adversaries were ahead in sales, the company quickly formed a new advertising campaign.

The thousands of members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) have officially ended their massive strike after they completed negotiations of a deal with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). Starting at 12:00 am ET on Tuesday, over 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) went on strike across the US's eastern and Gulf ports, stretching across an area from Maine to Texas. They demanded higher wages because of inflation-- while their wages have increased 11% to $39 an hour, inflation has increased 24% in that time period, leading to financial problems for the port workers. Soon after the strike began, serious worries arose, as multiple industries were going to be heavily affected. The trucking and warehouse industry would have taken a massive hit, as they depend on cargo and shipping to supply them with the materials that they need to distribute amongst the people. If the strike persisted for multiple weeks, supply chain problems could have led to shortages of clothing, car parts, furniture, alcoholic beverages, wood, coffee, sugar, and perishable items. Thankfully, the USMX is coming close to sorting out the entire issue, and consumers can stop worrying about impending doom for their home food supply. USMX is an alliance that represents container carriers, employers, and port associations across the East and Gulf coasts of the United States, and they were the primary negotiator in this ordeal. While the organization made an initial offer to gradually raise wages by $3 per hour per year (50% increase from current wages) over the next 6 years, the ILA declined, and they were sent back to the drawing board. The ILA demanded an annual increase of $5 per hour, which would have been a staggering 77% increase from the current wages of $39 per hour. However, after facing pressure to solve the problem quickly, the USMX came back with another offer, stating that they would increase wages for all union members by $4 per year for the next 6 years, which spans the duration of the contract. This would increase their wages from $39 per hour currently to $63 per hour by 2030, which is a 62% increase in pay. The ILA later accepted the offer, and it is now a tentative deal. However, the official documents are still being finalized by lawyers and other negotiators. Due to the fact that the ILA's current contract expires on Monday, they agreed to extend it to January 15, 2025, to give them time to close out the final deal. In addition, because a deadline so late would cause major disruptions to shipping, trucking, and other industries, the union has agreed to send all members back to work, which began on Friday. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Jimmy Carter, the 39th US President, was the first-ever president born in a hospital. The 38 presidents before Carter were all born outside hospitals, and seven of those 38 were born in log cabins. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story. (Orson Welles) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gossamer (adj)- Something described as gossamer—such as a butterfly wing or a thin fabric—is very light or delicate. In a Sentence: Except for a few gossamer clouds, the sky was clear and blue.

In case you missed it, the United States Vice Presidential Debate took place on Tuesday night, with Democratic nominee Tim Walz facing off against Republican nominee JD Vance in an intense debate. Look out for a deep dive article by Mihir Gupta coming later this week on the political event. The death toll from Hurricane Helene continues to rise after the storm devastated the southeastern US, and hundreds of thousands of people are still out of power. Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region last week as a major Category 4 hurricane, and hit the area hard with severe winds and massive storm surge of over 20 feet. However, the worst-hit areas were actually farther north into the Appalachian Mountains. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia experienced heavy rains for days before the storm arrived, sparking landslides and causing rivers to burst their banks by several feet. Homes were completely washed away by the raging waters, and millions of people were out of power for days. Now, over a week later, over 750,000 people are still out of power, and the true effects of the damage are just starting to surface in some areas. At least 72 people have died in Buncombe County -- where the city of Asheville is located -- alone, while over 200 others are still missing. North Carolina was the state with the largest loss of life -- 106 people were killed in North Carolina alone -- but Florida was hit extremely hard by the winds and storm surge. However, evacuations saved many residents of towns in the path of Helene, but no evacuations were issued for any area beyond the Florida coast. A total of 213 people have been killed by the storm, making it the deadliest storm to make landfall in the mainland United States since the notorious Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As for the electricity problem, Helene did so much damage in some mountainous regions that the infrastructure to supply power to those areas was completely "wiped out," according to local electricity supplier Duke Energy, and will need to be totally rebuilt. However, due to the fact that many major roads in the region have been damaged or washed away, aid is being transported in by helicopter or plane, and companies are struggling to get the necessary equipment into areas that need it. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's Starlink is offering a month of free satellite service in place of internet, as most of the cellular towers in North Carolina's affected regions are down. Military personnel and thousands of people from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been deployed to bring in crucial supplies, help search for survivors, clean up the debris, and rebuild from this terrible disaster, but it will take time. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The first-ever US city to host the Olympics was St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904, which came just eight years after the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You cannot change how someone thinks, but you can give them a tool to use which will lead them to think differently. (Buckminster Fuller) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Posterity (noun)- Posterity is a formal word that refers to all future generations of people. It is often, though not always, used with for or to . In a Sentence: A record of the events was preserved for posterity .