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Seasonal Topic

Electoral College Explained
By: Musa Hans
11/15/2024

The United States presidential election is based on a complicated system dating back over 200 years. This system is called the Electoral College, and in this article, we will explain its history and how it works. Then, we will apply the new information to the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

 

The Electoral College system is the way the outcome of the presidential election is determined. Each state is assigned a number of electoral votes based on the sum of senators and state representatives it has (all states have 2 senators). For example, Michigan has two senators and 13 representatives, therefore it has 15 electoral votes. Washington D.C. is counted as a separate state and has three electoral votes. There are 100 senators and 435 representatives (the maximum according to federal law), plus two senators and one representative for Washington D.C. So, there are 538 total electoral votes, and whoever wins 270 of the votes is declared president of the United States of America.

 

In order for a candidate to win all of the electoral votes of a state, they must have the most votes in that state. However, in 48 out of 50 states, if a candidate wins more votes than anyone else, but not the majority of the votes, then the two candidates that got the most votes have a runoff election, and the winner wins the electoral votes in that state. This is called the rule of Plurality and is applicable in this unlikely circumstance in all states except for Nebraska and Maine, where the person with the most votes wins the state's electoral votes. Electoral votes are never divided (with a few exceptions that we aren’t going to get into in this article), and the winner usually takes all the votes from that state.

 

The electoral college system is 237 years old. It was created by the Founding Fathers in 1787 as part of the Constitution. Throughout all these years and all the U.S. elections, the Electoral College system has been used in all of them, since the very beginning. It was created as a compromise between the ideas of Congress deciding the president and the people voting on it. However, it also means that a candidate could win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote and therefore lose the election, which was, in fact, the case in the 2016 presidential election, when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by the electoral vote, even though he lost the popular vote.

 

However, that is not the case in the 2024 U.S. election. Former President Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes and the popular vote (as of November 10th), while Vice President Kamala Harris won 226 (as of November 10th). No other candidate won any electoral votes.

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The History of Halloween
By: Musa Hans
10/18/2024

Many people in the US celebrate Halloween, but most don’t know the history behind it. Halloween has been celebrated for over two thousand years and has developed quite a story. 

 

Did you know, that Halloween originated as a pre-Christian Celtic festival called Samhain, which means summer’s end? The Halloween we know and celebrate today has changed in more ways than one.

 

Halloween has a very long and diverse history dating back to around 0 CE. It was originally celebrated by Celtic people to mark the end of the year's harvest. This festival was called Samhain, meaning summer’s end. It also celebrated the crossing of souls into another world. In Ireland, the UK, and France, people used to ward off ghosts by lighting bonfires and wearing costumes. Trick-or-treating also has an interesting history. In Scotland, the precursor to trick-or-treating was known as “guising.” People would dress up as ghosts to scare people into giving them food or money. Hundreds of years later, this evolved into trick-or-treating.

 

They also had lots of unique traditions back then. For example, women would dress fancily and try to find husbands. They also followed lots of rituals. For example, the women threw apple peels over their shoulders. These traditions evolved to shape and form the Halloween we know today. Jack-o'-lanterns have a very interesting story behind them as well. The legend has it that long ago, a man named Stingy Jack outsmarted the devil into never letting him enter hell. But because of this, he wasn’t allowed to enter heaven either. So, he was forever cursed to roaming the Earth with nothing but a piece of coal in a carved out onion.

 

The reason we have all these myths and traditions is because in 1840, many Irish people fled their country because of the potato famine and immigrated to the United States. They told all their stories and traditions and created the Halloween we know and celebrate today.

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The Science Behind Fall
By: Musa Hans
10/04/2024

Apple picking, beautiful colors,  cider mills, and trick-or-treating make fall an amazing time of year. So many things happen this season, like the Autumnal Equinox, the leaves change colors, and so much more. However, many people do not know the science behind fall, why we can do these activities, and why these events occur only in the fall and not at any other time of the year.

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The Autumnal Equinox is when the axis of the Earth switches sides. This is why we have seasons. This is the time when the northern hemisphere turns away from the sun. When we are away from the sun, it gets colder. That is why fall and winter are more frigid than spring and summer. It gets hotter on the other side of the world when it gets colder here. But we aren’t the only ones affected by the weather change. Let's explore why leaves change color. This happens because in the fall, the days get shorter and the temperature gets cooler. This slows down chlorophyll production (the pigment plants use to make food) in the leaves, and eventually, production stops completely. As this happens, other pigments in the leaves, such as carotenoids and anthocyanins become more visible, making the leaves appear yellow and orange. 

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While the carotenoid (yellow) pigments are always there, anthocyanins (red) are only produced in the fall. Now, as the chlorophyll washes away, these pigments finally get a chance to show off their beautiful reds and yellows. The brilliant colors give you the illusion of flames dancing among the treetops. Interestingly, the color red is unique to North America and East Asia. Scientists think this is because 35 million years ago, trees in North America and East Asia survived the Ice Age. After all, the mountain ranges spanning from the North to the South protected the trees. As the trees survived, so did the insects and pests that fed on them. The trees evolved to produce red leaves to deter the bugs, which were attracted to the color yellow. 

That is why we in Michigan get to enjoy beautiful displays of color in the fall as we sip our apple cider. Another fall fun fact is that many people think that apple juice and apple cider are the same, but they aren’t. Apple juice has lots of preservatives and can be stored for long periods, which is why you can find it on the shelves of grocery stores, even in the off-season. Apple cider, however, is purely the juice of apples, with no chemicals or preservatives at all. This is why apple cider is such a seasonal beverage. So, to make apple cider, all you have to do is cut an apple in half and squeeze it.

 

There are so many more events that take place in the fall, and although we couldn’t cover them all in this article, there is a scientific explanation for all of them. I hope by understanding more about the science behind fall, you can enjoy bragging to your friends about how you know why leaves change colors.

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