YouthAwareIssue5

Youth Aware
Inspiring youth, engaging minds.
Into the future
Meet our team of columnists!
An interview on financial responsibility

Editor’s Note
“The future belongs to those who believe
in the beauty of their dreams.”
Taking Eleanor Roosevelt’s inspiring
words to heart, the theme for the August/September
issue of Youth
Aware is our vision for the future.
From financial responsibility to a scifi
book review to choosing a career,
this issue covers the idea of the future
from every angle—our futures
individually and the future of our
world. This issue we are also introducing
our team of columnists who
will write on different topics every issue.
I hope you enjoy reading this
magazine as much as we enjoyed
putting it together. Thank you so
much to our dedicated young writers;
Youth Aware is now being read in
over 20 states and in over 5 countries
worldwide! Happy reading!
Mehr Grewal,
Co-Founder

Table of Contents
4……………………………………..Let’s talk money!
7……………………………………..Around the World
10……………………………………Book Review: The Hell Code
12……………………………………Ugly and Unwanted
13……………………………………What do you want to become?
14……………………………………Our vision for the future
15……………………………………A step into the future
16…………………………………...Story connections continued
17…………………………………...Our team of columnists
19…………………………………...STEM Sparks the Future
20…………………………………...A truth about truth
22…………………………………...World
23…………………………………...Opinion: Striking a balance
24…………………………………...Submissions

LET’S TALK MONEY! FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
FUTURE.
Today, we have a very special guest—Ms. Saloni Gupta.
She is a financial analyst and she is very passionate
about finance, so much so that she actually changed
her career from dentistry.
She is also going to be the first woman of Indian origin
to be a certified financial planner in Washington State!
Her goal is to empower women of all ages with enough
financial knowledge to be financially independent.
Financial responsibility is a very important topic, especially for kids like me, because often
our parents tell us not to waste our money. Sometimes, we wonder what that actually
means, what does it look like and why is it important?
Ms. Gupta: Thank you Mehr, I’m honored to be here and I’m happy to talk to you about my
experience!
Your work is very inspiring and very informative for kids like me to know about this—
especially about financial responsibility. What does your day look like and how much of
your time is spent in doing real-time data checks and research for your clients?
Ms. Gupta: I start off my day by checking emails from clients—if they want to ask a question.
For example, someone might ask: We want to buy a car, can you please tell us how
our finances look and if we can afford to buy it, and how is that going to change our other
goals? Then we pull all their money into a spreadsheet and we analyze the data using
mathematical formulas to answer their questions.
It’s really interesting to hear about all the work that you do! I know that you switched careers.
What attracted you most to this field and what do you find most gratifying?
Ms. Gupta: At first I became a dentist because my whole family was in medicine—my father
is a doctor and my brother is an orthodontist. I always had an affinity towards finance
and investment. When I came to the U. S in 2006, I started taking courses in accounting
and economics.

What would you advise teenagers like me today, how can we understand financial responsibility
and what are the questions that we should be asking our parents?
Ms. Gupta: What I would say is to be mindful. When you buy something or when you are
looking for something, just be mindful of how much it costs. Ask yourself these questions:
How long do I plan to use it? What difference will it make in my life? Do I really need it? It’s
also a good idea to sit down and have a conversation with your parents to understand financial
responsibility.
I think these are important skills that we need to know but we are not often taught in
school.
If I get an allowance of $10 a week, how can I manage it wisely?
Ms. Gupta: That’s a great question! You can divide your allowance into 3 buckets. Keep 2
dollars for saving, 5 dollars for things you need, and keep 3 dollars for things that you
want. Now, let me break it down for you even further. For example, you might want to buy
an electric scooter which costs $300. That is a big goal compared to your allowance of
$10 per week. You can put 3 dollars per week into that electric scooter bucket. You can
keep $5 for your needs. Right now, your parents are taking care of all your needs. Still, you
can say, “I want to help my parents by buying a course, for example, a course in computers,”
or something that you want to do. You can save 2 dollars. For example, if your sister’s
birthday came up and you forgot to buy her a present, you can just go to your savings
bucket and take out that money. This rule is called the 50/30/20 rule.
Thank you so much! It’s really inspiring to hear about the work that you do and it is also
very important to learn about financial responsibility.

You can watch
online at:
https://
www.youtube.com/
watch?
v=6FH4DAifmH4

Around the World in 2
Minutes!
Interesting
holidays in
September
Although the month of September (at least in the United
States) is usually associated with “back to school,” here
are some holidays you might not have heard of before!
Do you love cheese pizza? If so, you can look forward
to this coming month because September 5th
is National Cheese Pizza Day!
September 9th is a Teddy Bear Day! This day celebrates
our cuddly friends—named for the 26th U. S
President, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.
Are you looking for something interesting to do in quarantine? You can look
forward to the strangest holiday of the month: International Talk Like a Pirate
Day. The holiday was introduced by 2 residents of Albany, Oregon. September
19th is the perfect day to read a pirate story with your friends, from J. M Barrie’s
Peter Pan to the classic novel Treasure Island.
According to scientists, a majority of the population
has to be protected against the virus for this pandemic
to slow or end. This is known as “herd immunity.”
Initially, this number was estimated to be around
70% of the population. More recently, with new research
emerging, many scientists are saying that
around 45%-50% of the population would need to be
immune to the virus as a result of more detailed data
models. This may mean that larger cities such as New York
Latest on the
pandemic
and London already have a majority of the population protected against the virus.

Celebrating 100
years of the 19th
Amendment!
The 19th Amendment to the U. S Constitution was ratified
on August 18th, 1920. This amendment guaranteed a
right that American women had been fighting for since
the Constitution was ratified into law—the right to vote.
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of this amendment,
giving us all the opportunity to reflect on the struggles
that historically underrepresented groups in the United
States faced to gain equal rights. Another landmark step
on this journey occurred 51 years later, when the 26th
Amendment was ratified. The 26th Amendment guarantees that no
U. S citizen 18 or older can be denied the right to vote. The formal adoption of
the 19th Amendment was a historic moment in United States history and another
step towards greater equality and representation for all.
In a technologically advancing world with new photo and
video editing technologies, it can become difficult to
tell fake, edited images from real ones. For example,
this image of Mount Rushmore underwater may seem
real, but it actually is not. With so many edited images
online, how can we recognize fake photos present on
the media? Toby Bouchan, an expert from a company
that verifies images, suggests that we use a strategy to
look at the Source, Date, and Location. Bouchan says that the
Being an informed
digital
citizen: Learning
how to recognize
fake images
online
first question she asks herself when analyzing an image is “Where is this coming
from?” Learning more about the person who posted the image can be a
helpful technique. The next step is to think about when the image was created.
Sometimes, the same edited
images are posted online and given
different titles. Lastly, analyze
the location of the image—where
was the picture taken? You can
ask yourself what you already
know about that location and
compare it to what you see in the
picture.
Credit: Time 4 Kids

One “Typhoid Mary” in history
is enough
Mary Mallon, a cook in New York, earned the nickname
“Typhoid Mary” when she unknowingly infected 53 healthy
people who were members of the families she worked for. The
word is now commonly used to mean “A person from whom a
disease or something undesirable spreads.”
We can all do our part to help keep everyone
safe—Wear a mask when outside!

The Hell Code: A BOOK REVIEW
By Mehr Grewal
About the author
Surtaz Khan is a college student in Washington, experiencing
the joys and demands of living in the Pacific Northwest.
The Hell Code is his first published book, and it is a result of
spontaneity and chance, as well as persistence and concentration.
His writing is inspired by his unique community, his
favorite authors and novels, and his own experiences at
school, at home, or while walking to the bus stop on a rainy
day. He hopes that this initial book, this initial exploration into a vast world of words
and ideas, will propel him to improve and grow his writing. Alongside writing, Surtaz
enjoys playing tennis, watching comedy shows, reading new books, and exploring
new advances in science and technology, particularly in computer science. He
hopes to keep writing as a key tangent throughout his life, no matter where that
route may take him.

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure
ever will,” says Surtaz Khan, amazing young
writer and author of The Hell Code. This
book is a powerful and inspiring story set in
the future. It features a series of moving stories
that all communicate a deeper message
about technology in an ever-evolving world.
The story is very fast-paced with new, intriguing
events at every turn that kept me engaged
throughout the book. This book is set
in an world with technology of unimaginable
capabilities—from sports in a virtual reality
setting to computers that can sense
thoughts and emotions. However, as portrayed
in the story, the advanced technology
brings with it catastrophic consequences. A
main theme present throughout the course
of the book is the idea that, no matter the
capabilities of tomorrow’s technology, we
will never be able to match the perfection of
nature. I found this to be a very unique idea
that I had not seen in other science-fiction
novels, which made this story especially
stand out to me. The last story in the series
was a particularly moving one—it had rich,
vivid descriptions that brought the story to
life and made me feel as the main character
was feeling. I truly felt as if the words were
brought to life through the compelling imagery.
One main takeaway from this book is to always
be mindful in a rapidly advancing
world. We should be mindful on technology
and its impact on us, as well as the ways in
which it will affect our future.
I would recommend this incredible book to
anyone who is interested in a career that involves
decision making, such as science or
engineering, or to anyone interested in technology
in general, or for anyone just looking
for a good science fiction story. The Hell
Code addresses a pressing topic that will
only continue to become more relevant in
the future. It is also a unique novel—in the
way that the story is told and in the setting
itself—that set this book apart from other
science-fiction stories. This book has a very
important message to teach us and I enjoyed
every second of it.
—Mehr Grewal

UGLY AND UNWANTED
By Sunehri Nog, 12, Washington
There is a pandemic overtaking our
country and it isn’t Covid-19. This sickness
has been spreading for years right under our
noses, and yet most have done little to contain
it. It’s the Ugly Food Epidemic.
While the
name may
make it seem
like a joke,
this plague is
nothing to be
taken lightly.
Approximately
20% of produce
is
thrown out
every single
year because
of its
“imperfect”
shape. That’s
about 43 billion
pounds of
food every year. When 1 in 7 American families
go hungry, others waste plenty of good
food because it doesn’t look right. Annually,
an average American family discards $640
of perfectly edible food. $640 is equivalent
to 484 carrots or apples every year. Can you
believe it? Around 10% of produce that is
wasted every year is thrown out by grocery
stores that don’t want to sell unattractive
food to customers. How come we so often
hear there isn’t enough food to feed everyone
when it is clear that we waste tons of
food each year? With all the food we are
wasting globally every year we could be
feeding about 52,121,212 hungry families.
That is almost the entire population of Norway!
So, what can we do to help out in such a
seemingly big problem? You can start by
keeping an eye on how much food your family
throws out. Those of us that are fortunate
enough to never go hungry should only buy
as much as needed, trying to avoid buying
excess produce that leads to wastage. Additionally,
you can raise awareness not only in
your family, but in
your community
too. Put up posters
and post about it
on social media.
The last thing you
can do is subscribe
to ugly food businesses.
Companies
like Misfit Market
and Imperfect
Foods distribute
otherwise thrown
out ugly food to
those in need.
Its time to put an
end to this madness
and start the
Ugly Food Revolution. It will take work and
educating others, but we can truly make a
dent in the amount of food we waste every
year. Do your part so we can stop saying,
“There’s no solution to world hunger,” and
we can start saying, “We’re creating the solution
to world hunger.”

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BECOME IN LIFE?
By Shravya Kotha, 13, Washington
What do you want to become in life?
The same question has gone through my
mind a lot lately. My parents had always
thought an engineer and a doctor were two
of the best careers you could choose from.
Since I am a daughter
of two engineers,
I’ve always had a
knack for coding, and
I’ve wanted to know
more about engineering.
So today, I decided
to learn more
about this career and
share that with you.
Engineering is the
practical application
of scientific
knowledge. There are
many different areas
of engineering, including
electrical,
computer, mechanical,
and civil engineering.
From the smallest scope, there are
nano engineers and biomolecular engineers
who design at the level of atoms and molecules,
while at the largest scope, there are
civil engineers who design buildings and
bridges. The most common type of engineering
is computer engineering, where you
focus on developing computer applications
and building new apps. Overall, there is a
vast pick of career choices to choose from
in engineering.
Engineering also has the power to make
many things a reality, including advancements
in transportation, and computeraided
design. Being an engineer is both
continually challenging and intellectually
stimulating. Engineers are constantly learning
new technologies, and are conquering
challenges every single day through hours of
work.
In our life ahead, finding out our unique desires
is crucial for us to understand what we
want to become in life. Today, I have more
clear ideas of
where I want to be
when I grow up,
and I hope you
can also tell me
what you guys
want to be when
you grow up.

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
By Bhavana Nimma, 13, Washington
I'm sure a lot of people had made
plans they were looking forward to. They
could have been short time goals they had
set for themselves, like joining a new sport
this summer or traveling somewhere you
planned to go. But some of us also might
have had long term
goals that were affected
because of
the pandemic. I
know, I know, you've
probably heard the
words global pandemic
or Covid19 so
many times in the
past few months
that you're sick of
them! I mean, there
is some good stuff
that came out of the
pandemic, for example
I think having to
stay inside more
gave us a chance to
spend more time
with our families and
loved ones. Plus, the amount of pollution on
earth decreased, so that's a good thing. But
there are some things I'm sure we could go
without. Some of us have lost loved ones or
are scared for them. For those of us who are
more active and love to go outside, feel kinda
trapped having to sit at home all day. But
there are a lot of things that are different
now, for one thing, what we thought of the
future has changed quite a bit. Like, who
would have thought this year a lot of people
would actually be looking forward to school
opening? A year ago, I remember reading a
short story of what school might be like in
the far future where everybody sat in front of
a hologram of their teacher giving a lecture
and taking notes at home. This seems to be
coming true a lot earlier than planned! Because
now we have to sit in front of a computer
for 6 hours for school! And I don't
know about you, but that doesn't seem like a
lot of fun. I would rather go to school and
get to talk to and joke around with
my friends in the hallway or at my
locker. Despite not being thrilled
about online school I still think it's
really cool how hard our district
staff and teachers are working
every day to make online learning
more effective. This could also
help us make a big leap in our
knowledge of tech and how we
can apply that to other parts of
our lives. Another thing I don't
think anyone planned to go this
quick are the developments that
are happening in the medical area.
The scientist and doctors are
working together to help people in
this time of panic. They're running
tests and getting more answers to
questions every day that may
have taken longer otherwise. This could
save a lot of lives. Our communities and our
leaders are also learning how to deal with
pandemics, so that if (or when) this happens
again in the future we can be better prepared.
All in all, I think this pandemic affected
our future in many ways. It changed our
vision for the future drastically, but maybe
that change isn't completely a bad thing.

A STEP INTO THE FUTURE
By Eesha Jain, 13, Washington
“Hello! Eesha here with another story! And a challenge! Actually, two challenges. Are you
excited? I'm excited! Try writing the next part of this story. Try to add your own futuristic
touches and send in your stories to Youth Aware so that I can read it. I really want to see
how you twisted the story!!! Do not be ashamed of you and your writing skills. Your story
is going to be awesome! Feel free to write with your friends as well!!!! :).”
The sun gleams bright in the summer
day and sprinkles down upon the newest
phone model, the Iphone HoloX. I take a
fresh breath of Bricka Air. How I want go
back 30 years, to 2020, where carbon wasn't
filtered out of the air using the Bricka
Model. I take a deep sigh and press the button
on my tennis shoes. My shoes glow up
and start to slowly hover above the ground.
The air rushes upward. My arms start to
move forward and I take a sit on the holographic
chair as my shoes bring me upward,
where the traffic isn't as busy. As I rush
through the streets, my chair slowly starts
glitching out and I fall suddenly to the
ground. I blank out, the world turning black.
My mind starts turning into focus as I get up
from the ground and rub my head. When my
eyes come into focus, I look around at my
surroundings. I was in the middle of the
woods. Before I click the button on my
shoes again, I notice something on the
ground. I pick it up and recognize it. Paper.
Only ancient and old people use p a p e r. I
open the piece of paper and look at what is
written on it.
"Oh Annie, if only everyone could know how
guilty you are."
My stomach turns. If what I did leaks out,
the whole world will change.
What do you think Annie's secret is? What
did she do? What is she guilty of? Send your
ideas in!!!! If you don't want to write, that's
ok! Just send in your idea!! I really want to
read what you thought Annie did! If you
can't think about what happens next, try
thinking about the future and think about
what types of things might be in the future! If
you have any ideas of what robots and other
STEM ideas there are, send those in too! Till
next time, stay safe! :)

CONNECTIONS THROUGH WRITING… CONTINUED
By Harsh Chopra, 14, India
Author’s Note: This is a continuation of a story from the last issue by Eesha Jain. I really
enjoyed this idea—I highly encourage all of you to try it with your friends, too!
I gazed
at the
blue roll
of Scotch
tape that
lay in my
hands,
puzzled
as to why
someone
might
leave this
at my
door. I
cautiously
unraveled
the
roll, wondering
what secrets
lay
inside. Nothing. I wanted no trace of this eerie
scene to be left inside my house, so I picked up
the box, the tape, and proceeded to throw them
into the trash can. Nothing ever happened, I told
myself. You just got up to get a snack. I was
about to throw the box away when I noticed
something. A white slip of paper, no bigger than
a notecard, inside the box. Curiosity overtook
me. My fingers shaking, I slowly unfolded the paper.
It was a note. It read:
Dear Maria,
I guess you’re probably wondering who I
am. This may seem a little odd, and
you’re probably not going to believe me
at first, but I am your future self. Scientists
just developed this new technology
that allows you to write to yourself in
the past, and I decided to make use of it.
I am the principal of Lakeshore Middle
School—yes, the same school you go to
now—but I’m on summer break in
France. There’s no point in asking you to
tell me about yourself: I already know
everything. For example, your full name
is Emma Maria Jacobs, but you just go
by Maria, because that’s your favorite
singer’s name. Your favorite teacher is
Mr. King, who teaches science. All right,
I have to go. I’ll explain more later.
Bye!
Now, how would you react if you supposedly received
a letter from your “future self?” Would you
immediately throw the letter away, convinced it is
fake? Would you stare at the letter for hours,
pondering over the many possibilities—unable to
make up your mind?
I don’t know what caused me to trust the sender
of the letter, but I immediately picked up my pen
to write back a response. Somehow I knew inside
that my future self was writing to me. There
were so many blank spots, so many mysteries,
but I decided to write back. If such a technology
really did exist, if it was really possible to write a
letter to yourself in the past, I wanted to make
the most of it.
Dear Maria, I began…

OUR TEAM OF COLUMNISTS
Beginning this issue, we are proud to
introduce our columnists who will write on
different topics from environment to animals!
Eesha Jain:
STEM Sparks
the Future
Hi! My name is Eesha
Jain and I am
a 8th grader in
Bellevue, Washington.
I am motivated
to spread
creativity and inspiration
among
my community to
help people grow!
I attempt to look at
every situation as an opportunity to learn
and encourage others to do the same. I also
have a huge passion for STEM. I love every
aspect of STEM and I love to learn about the
new ways that STEM is being implemented
into our day to day lives. I hope you continue
to learn, grow, motivate, and inspire! Happy
learning!
Mark Perez: Wellness
More than anything, I believe that when you
and I can create a better life for others, united
we create a better world. If there is anything
that can be counted on. It’s that we all
want to
make
things
better,
and
how we
make
things
better
matters
more
than anything else. As an author and speaker,
I write and speak to spread the message
of “better happens daily.” And all you need
to know about me, is that much like yourself,
I’m just trying to make things better.
Ivanka Varshney: Animals
Hi! I’m Ivanka . I’m 8 years old and I live in
Michigan, USA. I’m an avid animal lover and
my favorite wild animal is a wolf. My favorite
pet is a dog. When I was born, my parents
already
had 3 rescue
dogs
at home. I
grew up
with my fur
-siblings
and I think
that’s
where my
love for
animals
come
from. I love
to spend
time with my dogs Molly and Jumbo. I like to
visit animal shelters and volunteer. I also like
horse back riding. I like to attend vet classes
and visit zoos and petting zoos. I also like to
see animals in their natural setting. I’ve been
on whale watching trips , seen wild dolphins
in ocean, swam with sting rays, seen wild
bears in Alaska, been to crocodile farm in
Mexico. I want to be a veterinarian when I
grow up. I love animals and want to help
them in any way that I can. I would love to
share my experiences of animal encounters
with everyone. Can’t wait to share my stories
with everyone in coming editions!
Thanks!

Bhavana
Nimma:
World
Hi! My name
is Bhavana.
I'm an 8th
grader in
Washington.
I love to
write, and I
think it's important
to be
knowledgeable
about the
things going
around you.
Shravya Kotha:
Environment
Hello, I’m
Shravya Kotha
and I am an
8th grader. I
love writing,
especially writing
about myself
and my experiences.
I
am very passionate about the environment
and I believe that we need to preserve and
protect our Earth to keep our planet beautiful.
In my free time, I enjoy art and calligraphy.
Sunehri Nog: Travel
Hi, I’m Sunehri and I am going into 7th
grade this year. I have always loved writing
about travel and exciting places to visit in
the world, and I want to share that passion
with everyone
at Youth
Aware! I enjoy
writing in
all genres
from science
fiction
to narrative
writing. Especially
during
this
COVID-19
pandemic, I
see writing
as a way to
express myself and to share my experiences
and thoughts with the world.
See on our website:
https://sites.google.com/view/
youthaware/about

STEM SPARKS THE FUTURE
By Eesha Jain
STEM is everywhere! It's in your
phones, computers, schools, watches, traffic
lights, cars, stores, airports, and even in
your household items like microwaves,
stoves, etc. The field of STEM is continuing
to grow and soon, it will be in practically
everything! The future of STEM is growing,
and you can be a part of that!
Hold up, I don't think
that plants in my garden
is growing everywhere?
Wait, is it? OMG, that
would be creepy.
AAHHA, I'm freaked
out. I don't want plants
everywhere. Like, image
you just normally walking
into your room and
having a bunch of
plants just….there. This
is freaky.
I get how you might think that, but that isn't
the type of stem that I am talking about.
Ok then, if you aren't talking about the
plants, then what are you talking about?
What even is STEM?
This is a very good question. Before we dive
into the different aspects of STEM, let's take
today to discuss, what even is STEM and
why is it so important and commonly talked
about? STEM is actually an acronym that
stands for
STEM is just a way to condense these 4
fields into one very broad and vast field! Science
is the same thing as the science classes
that you are taking at school. Technology
is computers, robots, phones, and other
machines. Engineering is designing and innovating
to solve a problem, kind of like the
Engineering Design Process. Math is also
another core class that you take during
school.
The field of STEM
will allow us to innovate
and make simple
tasks easier for
human beings. Imagine
removing
your phone, computer,
microwave,
car, and traffic
lights from your
world. That is going
to be painful! Imagine communication,
transportation, cooking, etc.! And those are
only 5 objects. Now, imagine removing everything
related to STEM. STEM is becoming
even more popular because of how much
good it can do to the world! The field of
STEM is expanding and you can become a
part of it! You can help bring STEM to more
communities! You can introduce STEM to
dance, reading, writing, drawing, gaming,
and all your other hobbies! You can change
the world for the better, just using STEM.
S - Science
T - Technology
E - Engineering
M - Math

HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HAPPINESS: A TRUTH ABOUT
TRUTH
By Mark Perez
Truth is defined as “the quality or state
of being true”. However do you ever wonder
if truth extends beyond only being honest?
Have you ever heard the phrase “speak your
truth”? And wonder what exactly does that
mean? Well to me that means expressing
yourself through what you believe in to be
the most true. Confused? Let's put it this
way. You and I believe in many things. You
and I believe that the world is a sphere, that
gravity keeps us on the ground, or that everything
is made of atoms. All these scientific
findings are what we call in philosophy “a
truth.” It is absolutely TRUE that these
things are true.
However, there's truth in many subjects. In
math 2+2 is 4, and 18-9 is 9. In history it's
true that Germany started WW2 with the invasion
of Poland, and that Martin Luther
King Jr was a civil rights leader. Which begs
a question, what does it mean to speak
YOUR truth? First you must understand that
speaking your truth starts with your philosophy…
A way of thinking. There are a lot of
things you and I believe in philosophically!
Things such as “Kindness is important”,
“serve others where you can”, “tip your
waiter/ waitresses”, “keep it real”, etc. However
the truth that you believe in to be the
most true is the one that should be your
guiding principle. A north star to say. I call
this a capital T truth. It's a truth that you believe
in SO MUCH that it stands a little bit
higher than all the others.
My capital T truth is “Better Happens Daily”.
For my friend Jared it's “Grow minds, have
fun, love people”. For you it may be different,
it may be the same. If you tell us other truths
or beliefs we will agree with you. Why? If you
believe in another truth why would you
agree with someone else's truth if it's not
YOUR capital T truth? That’s because
there's no such a thing as only ONE truth.
There's many truths in life. Remember when
we talked about the many truths in math,
and science? The same thing applies here.
There is always going to be different truth’s.
There's always going to be people who
agree with your truth, and people who disagree.
There's always going to be harmonious
truths and conflicting truths. However,
there's a quote you must remember.
“A truth is not THE truth.”
Just because someone else says something
that's true, doesn't mean it's the only truth
out there. There's always multiple sides to a
story! However if you want to live life simply,
easier and more peaceful than most people.
You need to learn the truths about truths. In
this day and age. We live in a society where
people think disagreeing and conflict must
be the same thing. They are not. My friend
Jared and I have 2 different capital T truths.
Yet we never are in conflict even though we
disagree. Why is that? Because what we see
in each other are 2 different people simply
trying to make things better. HOW he and I
make things better looks different even
though we are accomplishing the same
goal. Weird how that works right?
You and I are on a universal mission to make
things better. You wake up to make things
better, you breathe making things better.
You show up to make things better, you act,
think, and feel in the direction of betterment
for your life. ALL of us do that. You and I do
that. However HOW we go about making
that happen is what makes you and I
unique. You and I have different truths, visions,
desires, mindsets, and choices to
make. Your mission can be selfish or selfless
in how you make things better.

However if you want a life where things can
be easy, simple, and peaceful. There are 2
rules to follow.
Rule 1: Disagree in harmony
mean that they are against you. What it
means is that what guides them, is different
than what guides you. It doesn't make either
of you wrong, or right. It simply makes you…
you.
As noted we don't always agree on capital T
truth. If your truth is, Make kindness normal,
and mine is, better happens daily. You and I
are BOTH right. It's in our truth that we see
the importance in accepting that we have a
unique truth and to live in harmony not only
can we
disagree.
We can
inspire
each
other to
make
things
better
everyday
by making
kindness
normal!
Even if
we disagree,
our truths combined can create
unique opportunities to make life better!
Rule 2: Have confidence in what you believe
One of the things about truth is that you
have to feel as though you believe in it. You
have to say it as if you are convinced and
believe it yourself. In the way you and I are
confident that 2+2 is 4. You must practice
the skills of confidence in order to state your
truth in a way that inspires others to say
theirs. If you want to make life better, create
your truth and believe in it with total absolute
confidence!
Today we live in a world where people fight,
argue and debate many ideas and beliefs.
Yet it's important to understand that just because
someone disagrees with you doesn't
Just because A truth exists… Doesn't make
it THE only truth.
My advice for you is to let your truth be the
way, and let others find their own way. That
to me is a truth about truth.
Mark Perez
“Better Happens Daily”

WORLD
By Bhavana Nimma
Highest temperatures recorded since
1931!
On August 16, 2020, the temperature in
Furnace Creek, Death Valley desert, California
reached a blistering 130 degrees Fahrenheit
(54.4C). The highest recorded temperature
since 1931, Tunisia and the recorded
131 degrees Fahrenheit (55C). Furnace
Creek is also home to the highest temperature
ever on Earth on July 10, 1913, at
134.1 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7C)! Now you
may be wondering, why does Death Valley
have such high temperatures? Well according
to the Death Valley National Park Service,
this happens due to the valley getting
an average of less than 2 inches of rainfall
annually, the valley going 282 feet below sea
level and being surrounded by a mountain
range. Because of these geographic
features when the hot air in the valley rises
it is trapped by the surrounding mountain
range. The hot air then cools down and falls
back into the valley, where, due to the low
elevation of the land, it's compressed and
heated by the air pressure. The lack of water
leaves the plants and animals in the area
dehydrated and does nothing to dampen the
blistering heat. In a nutshell, the low levels of
rainfall and the geography of the desert are
what cause such high temperatures at
Death Valley!

Opinion: Striking a
balance—
preserving our
natural ecosystems
while keeping up
with today’s world.
It is no
mystery
how
Washington
State
earned its
nickname:
“Evergreen
State.” Our state is
famous nationwide for its natural beauty.
We have lush,
green valleys,
sparkling snow
-capped
mountains,
meandering
rivers, and
majestic waterfalls.
Living
in such a
beautiful state
has instilled in
me a love and
respect for nature,
which I hope to never forget.
However, all across the United States and
worldwide, countless environmental concerns
have emerged due to rapid industrialization
and development. Every time I hear
about the millions of trees our country is
losing annually, I wonder what will happen
to the beautiful natural environment in our
state. Will our scenic national parks be replaced
by towering skyscrapers? Will large
cities emerge where magnificent forests
once stood?
How can we preserve Washington’s thriving
natural ecosystems while keeping up with
the industrial developments in a rapidly
modernizing world?
In order to alleviate environmental concerns
from pollution, planting trees is requisite.
For example, trees can be planted on
sidewalks, on top of tall buildings, and in
playgrounds and parks. This will help residents
to not only feel connected with nature,
but will
decrease the
pollution levels
in the air, making
cities more
enjoyable and
more comfortable
to live in.
To protect
trees in rural
areas of Washington,
the recycling
of paper
and other products made from trees
should be encouraged. Promoting the reusing
of such materials will increase public
awareness on the environmental impact of
cutting down trees.
Additionally, natural areas such as state
parks and forests should be protected further.
This would allow residents to enjoy
and appreciate—and be more willing to
preserve—the beautiful natural scenery our
state has to offer. Furthermore, this will help
preserve the habitats of endangered plant
and animal species.

Another effective initiative to preserve our
natural environment would entail encouraging
businesses to adopt the latest technology,
allowing people to work from home. This
would decrease the need to build factories
and other buildings that have a harmful impact
on our natural environment.
—Mehr Grewal