Search The Website!

Amid rising tensions between the European Union and Russia, the EU has urged citizens to stockpile enough supplies to keep them sustained for at least 72 hours in case of a crisis, spiking fears of war even more. In recent times, Europe is facing a growing danger of war from its neighbor Russia, who have already launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine. After the United States, led by President Donald Trump, decided to scale back its "unwavering" support for NATO and the EU, European countries have begun a race to militarize themselves. Germany just passed a bill extending their defense spending substantially, and Sweden has announced that they will sharply raise their spending on their military to 3.5% of the country's GDP. The announcement, which came from the European Union Commission, was an 18-page document, known as the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, outlining the action needed to prepare Europe for the future. The document maintained that Europe faces a host of major risks in the near future, including events like sabotage of resources, cyberattacks, geopolitical crises, and possibly even an attack from a neighboring country like Russia. It states that citizens should have at least 72 hours' worth of supplies to sustain them in case of an emergency, and they should be prepared and ready for any situation. Several government officials gave examples on what should be in an emergency preparedness bag, including identification documents in a sealed waterproof compartment, food, water, matches, cash, a Swiss-army knife, and more. It also instructs schools to begin teaching children certain lessons to prepare them for a possible war, including how to fight against the spread of misinformation. However, the document doesn't just address political emergencies. Natural disasters will also play a big role in shaping our world in the near future, and equally deadly emergencies could be caused by climate-change driven factors. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The longest mountain range in the world is actually underwater. The Mid-Ocean Ridge, as it is called, stretches over 40,000 miles-- it runs down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean before moving east into the Indian Ocean and back up north through the Pacific. By comparison, the world's longest continental mountain range, the Andes, is only 4,350 miles long. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. (Dalai Lama) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Flippant (adj, FLIP-unt) - Something described as flippant, such as behavior or a comment, is lacking in proper respect or seriousness. In a Sentence: The celebrity made a flippant remark when questioned about the scandal.

At least 24 people are dead as wildfires rage across South Korea, destroying homes, businesses, and historic buildings as arid, dry weather and windy conditions help the blazes spread. The fires are located across the eastern and southeastern portions of the country, including the cities of Andong and Ulsan, and they have been raging across the area for over five days now. At least 24 people are dead, and 20 others have been injured as the fires continue to spread quickly in the heavily-forested region. Over a dozen fires broke out over the weekend, but many were contained quickly. Firefighters initially believed that they had contained all of the fires, but a resurgence arrived this week after weather conditions changed, and five fires remain burning across South Korea. One fire near Andong forced evacuations and destroyed numerous structures, one of which was Gounsa, a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple. Another fire in Uisong County is 68% contained, as of right now, but the open part of the fire is still spreading quickly, forcing evacuations in the coastal town of Yeongdeok. In total, the fires have burned over 43,000 acres. The blazes are being fueled by extremely dry conditions with no precipitation, and strong winds are blowing the embers into other forests, allowing them to spread rapidly. Around 9,000 firefighters and 130 helicopters have been dispatched to help with the fires, but they will need help from the weather in order to be able to stop these fires. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Contrary to popular belief, shaving does not thicken hair. Regrown hair is not thicker, coarser, or darker, it just looks like that because the hair grows back with a blunt tip. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Commit to a niche; try to stop being everything to everyone. (Andrew Davis) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Hobbit (noun, HAH-bit) - A hobbit is a member of a fictitious peaceful and friendly race of small humanlike creatures that dwell underground. In a Sentence: The story was filled with all sorts of imaginary people, including hobbits .

Israel has officially restarted their bombardment of Gaza after a monthslong ceasefire, hitting a major hospital in southern Gaza as the war's death toll surpasses 50,000 people. Over the past few months, Hamas and Israel had been under a ceasefire agreement, which had negotiated for the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a six-week ceasefire. The ceasefire was extended by six weeks to allow for extra time to negotiate, but Israel stated that they needed all hostages back before pausing the war again, while Hamas told Israel that they needed a guarantee that the war would end before giving back any hostages. Since both sides were unwilling to cede on several major points, negotiations quickly failed and tension began rising once again. Israel resumed major attacks on Gaza earlier this week, launching barrages of airstrikes into the major cities of Deir-al-Balah, Gaza City, and Khan Younis. The strikes killed hundreds of people, but Israel claimed that the areas hit were centers for Hamas operations. Now, Israel's latest attack has hit Gaza's largest hospital: the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. According to local reports, several airstrikes hit the second floor surgical unit, which held dozens of men who were preparing for, in the middle of, or healing from procedures. Several people were killed in the strikes, including a Hamas official-- Ismail Barhoum, the head of financial affairs at Hamas, was being treated at the hospital during the strikes. Israel stated afterwards that they had attempted to do the least amount of damage as possible while achieving their goal of taking out the Hamas operative, but the attacks still did a great deal of damage to the hospital. Dozens of people were injured, and the entire section of the hospital that was hit by the strikes has been decimated. Israel has worked to establish the fact that Hamas intentionally houses operations within major civilian centers like hospitals in order to avoid Israeli detection and deter direct airstrikes, but Israel has promised to completely annihilate Hamas, no matter the cost. This comes just as the death toll in Gaza passes 50,000, and there does not seem to be any sign that the war could come to an end soon. Israel continues to place the blame on Hamas for not accepting a proposal made by the US during the negotiation period, but Hamas maintains that Israel is at fault for not continuing with negotiations related to the original ceasefire. Upcoming Events: World Tuberculosis Day (Monday, March 24) International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims (Monday, March 24) International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (Tuesday, March 25) International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members (Tuesday, March 25) World Figure Skating Championships Begin (Tuesday, March 25) Eid al-Fitr (Sunday, March 30) Ramadan Ends (Sunday, March 30) International Day of Zero Waste (Sunday, March 30) Winter World Military Games End (Sunday, March 30) World Figure Skating Championships End (Sunday, March 30) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Bananas don't grow on trees. They actually grow on massive herbs that look like trees-- the difference is that herbs have no wood. Due to this, banana "trees" have trunks that are actually made of tightly packed leaf stalks. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating. (Denis Waitley) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): De rigueur (noun, duh-REE-gur) - De rigueur is a formal adjective that describes things that are necessary if you want to be fashionable, popular, socially acceptable, etc.—in other words, things required by fashion, etiquette, or custom. In a Sentence: Dark sunglasses are de rigueur these days among fashionistas.

Israel has launched several airstrikes on Lebanon yesterday, marking the first time they have launched missiles at the Middle Eastern nation since a ceasefire went into effect several months ago. Just days after resuming attacks on Hamas in Gaza, Israel has launched airstrikes into Lebanon, where Hezbollah maintains their operations centers. Hezbollah, similar to Hamas, is backed by Iran and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United Nations, and Israel has taken major action against the group since the beginning of their war with Hamas. Israel stated that the latest round of attacks were in retaliation after several strikes from Lebanon were launched towards Israel recently. They confirmed that three missiles had been intercepted by their defense systems near the town of Metula, but there were no injuries or fatalities. However, neither Hezbollah nor have any other Palestinian forces taken responsibility for the strikes, leaving the culprit unknown. Nevertheless, as a response, Israel sent rockets towards numerous rocket launchers across Lebanon, which Hezbollah had been using to launch rockets into Israel prior to the ceasefire. They also targeted several Hezbollah command centers, which are the centers of operation for the group. Then, later in the night, they sent another round of missiles towards more operations centers, in addition to hitting a major warehouse meant for storing weapons. Lebanon confirmed that seven people were killed in the attacks, while 40 others were injured. While Hezbollah has strongly denied any participation in the initial strikes, Israel has continued to strike back, as they have been doing over the past few months. After months of effort from both sides and external powers, Israel and Hezbollah finally agreed to a ceasefire in November, and that agreement, though fragile, has managed to hold until now. However, according to Lebanon, Israel has been and still is in violation of the ceasefire, as they maintain a significant presence in the southern portion of the country and continue to bombard Hezbollah sites with occasional airstrikes and bombs. They claim that they have been attempting to stop Hezbollah from regaining their composure and launching straight back into attacks, but the conflict has slowly been rising as the strikes continue. Nevertheless, Hezbollah has established that they are still set on preserving the current ceasefire instead of fighting back-- but that could change if Israel takes more drastic measures against Lebanon. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Alcohol doesn't actually kill brain cells-- it just damages them. However, this does not mean that alcohol does not have an effect on the brain. Instead, it damages brain cells so badly that overconsumption of alcohol can lead to irreparable brain damage, among other issues. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Insight without action is worthless. (Marie Forleo) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Neologism (noun, nee-AH-luh-jiz-um) - Neologism can refer either to a new word or expression or to a new meaning of an existing word. In a Sentence: I love seeing all the slangy neologisms that pop up on social media every year.

Soon-to-be-chancellor Friedrich Merz has managed to get a $1 trillion spending bill through the German Parliament, serving as a big win for his party as they begin talks over a coalition with the Social Democrats. The center-right Christian Democrats, won Germany's elections on February 23, making their leader, Friedrich Merz, the next chancellor of Germany after Olaf Scholz was ousted in a no confidence vote last November. However, it is almost impossible for one party to win over the entire Parliament, meaning that Merz would need to form a coalition with another party to have a majority. In addition to that, in the new Parliament, Merz would not be able to get a two-thirds majority to support his new spending bill, forcing him to call for emergency sessions with the old Parliament, who approved it in the nick of time. This is a significant achievement for Merz, who brought together several parties to approve a massive bill just as he comes into office. He knew that the parties who were likely to go against his bill would be more powerful in the new Parliament, but he was successfully able to pass the bill in a race against the clock as time wound down-- he only had a handful of days to get the bill through Parliament before the transition. The bill allocates a staggering $547 billion to improve infrastructure across the country, but it also includes a major section to allow for unlimited defense spending. Earlier this year, Merz had opposed this idea, but he claims that after seeing US President Donald Trump's relationship with NATO and the EU crumble in recent months, he has been motivated to ramp up defense spending within the country. He has done this by including a section in the bill that removes defense spending from the list of government spending items that are capped by a bill introduced in 2009-- that bill prevents defense spending from going over 0.35% of the country's GDP. However, while the new idea has been met with praise from many people, including the Social Democrats who Merz is attempting to form a coalition with, he will now need to appease the conservatives within his own party. Germany has always been very cautious about taking on large amounts of debt, and Merz will need to take action on the other side of the scale to make sure that the increase in debt does not have dramatic effects on other parts of the economy. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): While most people believe that we only have five senses, some scientists think that we have 8, 21, or even 33 senses, including proprioception and interoception. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart. (Helen Keller) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Permeate (verb, PER-mee-ayt) - To permeate is to pass or spread through something. In a Sentence: The scent of lilacs permeated the room.

United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Department of Education, a major move that will affect the entire country. Trump had been hinting at shutting down the Department of Education for months, but action was not successfully taken until now. Usually, dismantling a federal department requires a majority vote from Congress, and efforts to do so have failed in recent years. However, Trump seems to have found a loophole around that vote, as he instead signed an executive order yesterday instructing Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education, to begin dismantling the department. While Congress will likely need to approve a bill to officially confirm the shutdown of the department, Trump seems to have initiated the process with the order. Despite the fact that state and local governments provide most of the funding for public education, the Department of Education still maintains a budget of $268 billion. Most of this is used towards grants and loans for students, but the Trump administration has confirmed that the government's grant and loan programs will not be affected by the shutdown of the department. Republicans claim that the money given to the Department of Education is going to waste, and cutting the department from the picture will help save those funds. Some people believe that the money is being pocketed, while others think that it is being spent on useless causes that do not provide benefits to anyone. Trump also confirmed that while the department's budget has doubled over the past few years, test scores across the country have not improved, backing his idea that the funds are going to waste. Meanwhile, Democrats believe that the shutdown of the Department of Education could have a massive negative effect on the population. They have established that federal funding is crucial in schools across the United States, and the loss of the department could be a detriment to the education of children in lower-income families and children with disabilities. Furthermore, Democrats have stated that it would also heavily affect the lives of teachers, who would be fired due to a lack of funding. Now, Trump seems to be slowly bringing down the Department of Education, and it does not seem like his agenda for the system can be stopped. The only lingering question is, what will the impact be on the United States, and will that impact end up as a benefit or a detriment to the country? Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Einstein failed an entrance exam to get into university-- though he still excelled in math and physics. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success . (Lionel Messi) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Vernal (adj, VER-nul) - Vernal is a formal adjective that describes something that relates to or occurs in the spring. In a Sentence: It is such a relief after a long, cold winter to see the trees and flowers in their glorious vernal bloom.

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/

Israel has broken their ceasefire with Gaza, which ended on March 1, launching barrages of airstrikes across the strip after weeks of failed negotiations. Israel's initial ceasefire with Hamas lasted from mid-January to March 1, and it was decided that they would continue talks for the following phase of their ceasefire agreement during the first phase. However, those talks were delayed, and they only got off the ground around the time which the ceasefire ended. Israel continuously instructed Hamas to return more hostages, but Hamas did not want to do so unless they were given a guarantee that they could maintain control over Gaza even after the war comes to an end. Israel, meanwhile, has been calling for Hamas to leave the strip, and they have maintained their stance that any deal that allows Hamas to stay in power will not be accepted by their side. Then, yesterday, Israel bombarded some of Gaza's largest cities -- Gaza City, Deir-al-Balah, and Khan Younis -- with airstrikes. The strikes have killed at least 413 people and destroyed even more structures, though Israel claims that they targeted Hamas operations facilities. The fact that there were serious airstrikes but no ground invasion confirms that it is part of an Israeli attempt to force Hamas to agree to a deal, as a ground invasion would mean a return to full-scale war. Israel has tried this multiple times in the last few weeks-- they launched smaller strikes last week which killed around 150 people, and they have also cut off the supply of aid to Gaza. Hamas has not retaliated, though, but it is unclear whether they have avoided retaliation out of fear of additional attacks or whether they simply do not have the supplies to do so. They have strongly condemned Israel's decision to disrupt the peace, though, and they claim Israel is solely responsible for violating their agreement. The United Nations and other countries, such as Egypt and Australia, have also condemned the airstrikes and have called for peace to be maintained in the region. Israel has now issued evacuation orders for several areas near the border, which hints at the possibility of a ground invasion in the near future, but they have not confirmed anything. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Horses can't vomit. Horses have much stronger esophagus muscles than most species, their esophagus connects with their stomachs at a much lower angle than in other animals, and their stomachs aren’t surrounded by abdominal muscles (which contract to make vomiting possible). However, we don't know why their stomachs need to be vomit-proof, and why no other animal has the same anatomy. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s): I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate. (Elbert Hubbard) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Limerick (noun, LIM-uh-rik) - A limerick is a humorous rhyming poem of five lines. In a Sentence: My limerick received a prize for the funniest poem at the open mic night.

At least 40 people are dead and numerous others are injured after a massive tornado outbreak ripped through the United States, spawning dozens of tornadoes across the Midwest and Deep South. The storm swept through the Midwest on Friday before ravaging the southeastern portion of the country on Saturday, heavily affecting states like Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The multistate system was a combination of supercells, which usually spawn tornadoes, and squall lines, which are strong cells arranged in a long line that stretches for hundreds of miles that can also spawn tornadoes. Missouri was one of the hardest-hit, with 12 people dead in that state alone. The initial damage there has also taken longer to fix, as Missouri remains the only state hit by the storm to still have upwards of 10,000 power outages. Nevertheless, many towns were hit hard by several strong tornadoes, and it may take years to recover. Houses were reduced to pieces by the fierce winds, and flying debris destroyed other homes, cars, and additional structures. However, this system did not just drop rain and spawn tornadoes. Texas and Kansas were hit by massive dust storms that resulted in major accidents on roadways-- one pileup in Kansas involved over 71 vehicles and killed 8 people alone. The winds, which traveled for long distances beyond the storm, expanded around 150 wildfires across Oklahoma, doing more damage. Those wildfires have collectively burned around 170,000 acres and destroyed around 300 buildings, wiping out entire neighborhoods. Unfortunately, strong systems like this are common during the spring in the United States, as the period from the beginning of March to the end of May is considered tornado season. During this season, warm, moist air from the Gulf sweeps into the country, mixing with cold air from the Arctic to form tornadoes. In fact, the central United States has the most tornadoes per year of any location on Earth, giving it the nickname, "Tornado Alley." Upcoming Events: St. Patrick's Day (Monday, March 17) NCAA March Madness Begins (Tuesday, March 18) International Day of Happiness (Thursday, March 20) French Language Day (Thursday, March 20) Naw-Rúz (Thursday, March 20) International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Friday, March 21) World Indoor Athletics Championship Begins (Friday, March 21) World Poetry Day (Friday, March 21) Nowruz (Friday, March 21) World Down Syndrome Day (Friday, March 21) World Day for Glaciers (Friday, March 21) International Day of Forests (Friday, March 21) World Water Day (Saturday, March 22) World Meteorological Day (Sunday, March 23) World Indoor Athletics Championship Ends (Sunday, March 23) Winter Military World Games Begin (Sunday, March 23) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The Texas horned lizard wards off predators by squirting a jet of blood straight from its eyeballs. The blood is mixed with a chemical that has a repellent taste, especially to common predators like wolves and coyotes. They can also aim the blood with surprising accuracy, and it can travel as far as five feet. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s): Maybe some people think that it’s all about the hype, about the fame, but it’s not. It’s all about being the best. It’s all about challenging myself everyday. (Joanna Jędrzejczyk ) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Rife (adj, RYFE) - Rife usually describes things that are very common and often—though not always—bad or unpleasant. Rife is also commonly used in the phrase “rife with” to mean “copiously supplied” or “having a large amount of; full of.” Unlike most adjectives, rife is not used before a noun. In a Sentence: Speculation about who would be sent to the new office had been rife for weeks.

Cuba is experiencing yet another nationwide power outage after the central electrical grid failed for the fourth time in the last six months. The power outage was due to a short circuit on a transmission line at the Diezmero substation in the country's capital of Havana, which led to a chain reaction of events that completely halted power generation across the island. The incident occurred on Friday night at around 8 pm local time, leaving many citizens without electricity for all of Saturday. Electricity is necessary for a multitude of important household devices like stovetops, ovens, fridges, and air conditioning, leaving Cubans hot and uncomfortable in their homes with food spoiling away. Now, authorities are working to restore power as fast as possible, but it could take days for power to return to some areas. They are working primarily on restoring power to crucial buildings like hospitals, and some small power plants are already back up and running. However, some of the country's largest power plants are still shut down, so many residents have been forced to resort to a personal device that creates electricity-- and most Cubans lack access to a generator. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this sort of problem has happened. Major nationwide blackouts also occurred in October, November, and December, with some leaving residents out of power for upwards of two days. Occasional outages are common across the country, with people losing electricity for four or five hours at a time, but those blackouts can last up to 20 hours in some cases. These blackouts primarily occur due to fuel shortages and aging electrical infrastructure across Cuba. The country has faced major financial problems with oil and gas in recent years, forcing them to depend on supplies of Venezuelan oil, which can be inconsistent. In addition, much of their electrical infrastructure is over 30 years old, and constant battering of the system by hurricanes every year has exacerbated the effect of age on the reliability of the country's power grid. Nevertheless, Cuba is working on moving towards renewable energy to shift away from their dependency on oil from other countries-- the planned construction of at least 55 solar farms across the island by the end of 2025 is expected to generate enough electricity to supply around 12% of the country's total energy consumption. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The FDA actually allows up to one rat hair in every 100 grams of peanut butter before it’s considered “defective.” For reference, 100 grams is equal to a little under a quarter of a pound. Since it’s so hard to spot and remove the hairs during the difficult, unglamorous process of peanut harvesting, they allow small amounts of it. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s): Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind, and has given up worrying once and for all. (Ovid) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Stratagem (verb, STRAT-uh-jum) - A stratagem is a trick or plan for deceiving an enemy or for achieving a goal. In a Sentence: They devised various stratagems to get the cat into the carrier, but the feisty feline was wise to them all.