AWS Outage by Colin Corcoran

As of today, there has been an AWS outage. No big deal, right? Wrong. So many things run on AWS and website after website are going down. In this article, I will go over this mass spike in websites being down and its effects on us. 

What websites are affected?

As most know, AWS’s system is a backbone of the internet as others use its structure. But what websites are currently being affected? Here is a short list of them 

1. Venmo. Venmo is a mobile payment service that allows friends and family to give money to each other digitally. 

2. Reddit. Reddit is a social media platform where people share memes, stories, news, and ask questions. 

3. Life360. Life360 is a tracking site so parents and friends can see where you are. With this outage, some parents are disconnected from their trackers. 

4. Apple Music. Pretty self explanatory, an app by Apple inc. that allows people to listen to music on cell phone without Spotify. 

5. Wordle. This game by New York Times is a very popular word game, and has a streak system, so some may lose their streak due to these outages. 

6. Ring. Ring is a doorbell app that shows ringing and a camera at your doorbell on your phone, so you don’t have to worry at work about burglars.

7. Xbox, PlayStationFortnite, Roblox, and Rainbow Six: Siege. That’s right gamers, these gaming sites and games  are experiencing outages, too. Good luck loading into a game.

There are many more I could mention, but let’s move on.

How does this affect us in our lives?

Other websites, like Formative, are also down. Formative is a website that makes classroom assignments, (mainly for math), and my math class uses this. This disabled our math class from doing our bell ringer assignment. On other websites, like Wendy’s, are down, too, which means there may be an issue ordering Wendy’s online.Other websites that are down like YouTube, Apple Music, and Fortnite might put a dent in the fun plans you had to relax and wind down. This affects the companies themselves, too, like Amazon. They are taking losses, with Amazon losing 42 million dollars of that loss (source: https://www.tenscope.com/) . This shows a glaring problem with the system of our internet: if one big website like Amazon goes down, a ton of other companies will, too. Amazon is working on a solution right now, but for now, this is all for this report.

The Lore Behind Black Cats By Bash Mainzer

When you hear the word “black cat”, what do you think of? For some, it may be a cute, fluffy little pet. For others, it may be a wild animal that strolls around the neighborhood. But for most, they think of bad luck, witches, and Halloween. Where and when did this start? Why black cats and not tabby or calico?

Where & when did it start?

You may be wondering where and when this all started. Well, the short answer is that it started in Medieval Europe. More specifically, in the 1200s, and it only settled down in the middle of the 1900s. This superstition originated in a church document called Vox in Rama, Pope Gregory Ⅸ, on July 13, 1233, issued that Black cats were a sign of bad luck, or, more specifically, “‘an incarnation of Satan,’ says Layla Morgan Wilde”, according to “Why Black Cats Are Associated With Halloween and Bad Luck” from History.com.

Why is this?

What connects black cats to Halloween? There are a few ideas. One is that they were the companions of witches. Also, it is partially because of Greek mythology. The goddess Hecate was the goddess of the moon, magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. According to lore, Hecate had a pet black cat, creating another connection to witchcraft. Another reason is that around the same time as the Vox in Rama, the black cat population skyrocketed, and they were seen as pests rather than pets. Though early Christian churches lived alongside witches, they were eventually viewed as “competition” for “the hearts and minds of the people,” states History.com.

Exceptions

There were a few exceptions to this theory. For example, if you see a black cat on Halloween, it’s viewed as good luck. Or, in ancient Egypt, the black cat was one of the most sacred animals. In fact, there was a cat goddess named Bastet, who resembled a black cat, causing them to be honored. Also, in Welsh culture, if you find a black cat at your doorstep, it could indicate good luck or good weather to come, states carnegiemnh.org. 

In conclusion, it always depends on the culture, like European culture believes that these night colored felines are bringers of bad luck, while the Welsh see an omen of good luck and weather.

Citations:

• https://www.history.com/articles/black-cats-superstitions

• https://carnegiemnh.org/superstitions-and-black-cats/ 

The Happiest Country in the World by Colin Corcoran

Since 2017, the Nordic country Finland has been reported as the happiest country in the world. Naturally, this made me wonder, why is Finland, of all places, the happiest country? So in this article, I’m going to give reasons on why Finland is the happiest country.

The #1 answer people have come up with is the amount of trust and freedom. This leads to a more productive society with higher well-being. Finns tend to trust their neighbors, government, and others more than most countries. This also means that they will worry less about issues with the government and focus more on productivity and happiness. 

Another reason is one of the cornerstones of Finland is a mindset called “sisu”. Sisu is usually translated as grit or determination, but it’s more than just a word. To Finns, it’s a way of life, a state of mind. Sisu means determination, courage, and resilience, even in the hardest scenarios. This also leads to more productivity, success, and happiness. 

One other very important way Finland puts itself out as a happy country is that they have many ways to be relaxed. One way is exploring in nature, because they are surrounded by forests, and spend time outdoors very often. The other is they have very good saunas, and use them a ton. Not only does the sauna help Finns relax, it has cultural significance, physical benefits, and a space of community.  

So to conclude, Finland is the happiest country for many reasons, including trust, connection to nature, relaxation, and the mindset of Sisu, and we should all learn from Finland. Next time you feel stressed, get off your phone and go in nature to relax.

Sources:

Businessfinland.com: my main source for this article 

Benefits of saunas

Cover image source

The Myth Behind the Rose by Serena Tian

The Myth Behind the Rose

In modern times, roses are ways to convey affection for someone, and the ancient Greeks have a reason for this! They have a myth that explains how the rose was created.

In a version of this myth, Chloris, the goddess of flowers, happens to stumble upon a lifeless nymph while walking through the forest. Saddened by the nymph’s death, Chloris turned the nymph into a flower so that she could be remembered through a flower (similar to the death of Narcissus, who turned into a Daffodil). The Olympian gods were so impressed with Chloris’ work that some gods came down from Olympus to bless the flower. Aphrodite then named the flower “rose”, in honor of her subordinate, Eros.

Now this flower lacked something we all know what it has today: its thorns. There are multiple versions of how the rose got its thorns, but the most interesting - and the most petty- record of this myth is the one that involved Eros.

Eros got stung by a bee that just pollinated the flower, and in his anger, he complained to Aphrodite about it. Aphrodite simply gave her son some arrows. Eros then, in a fit of rage, shot the arrows at his beloved roses, which created its thorns.

Another account is much simpler: When the Olympians came to bless the flower, Ares, the god of war, gifted the rose its thorns in order to protect its beauty.

Now, in another myth, Aphrodite was running through the woods to warn her lover, Adonis, of imminent danger when she ran through a rose bush. Because of the rose’s thorns, Aphrodite’s blood stained the flowers red, which is why roses are commonly red.

12 Non-Olympian Greek Gods by Jack Stewart

Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis, Ares, and Dionysus. Most people who are versed in mythology will know these twelve names as the twelve Olympian gods. But what about the less common, non-Olympian gods that have nearly escaped the public eye? Today, these are the gods I’ll be covering.

1.Tyche, Tyche is the Greek goddess of good luck, or fortune. Tyche was depicted with a crown, and, an item you’ll be familiar with if you’ve read The Hunger Games, a cornucopia. For those of you who didn’t read The Hunger Games (or only read a little, like me,) a cornucopia is a goat/ram horn filled with fruit, meat, and other items of plenty. She is also sometimes depicted wearing a blindfold, symbolizing the randomness of fate. 

2. Nemesis, Nemesis, is the sister of Tyche, and the goddess of bad luck, and she is depicted the same as Tyche, but no cornucopia. She is also where we get the word nemesis, which means “the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall.” according to Oxford Languages. This fits nemesis perfectly because Nemesis is the literal representation of one's downfall, and once she's after you, you can’t escape her. Now on that happy note, let’s move onto the next one!

3. Heracles, most of you probably know about Heracles, and no, I didn't misspell Hercules. Most people don’t know this, but Hercules is the Roman name for Heracles, the actual Greek version. Most people also don’t know that after his labours, he killed a centaur. On this centaur's dying breath, he told Heracles’s wife to put some of the centaur’s blood in his toga for good luck (or, in other versions, convinced her that Heracles stopped loving her, and to put the blood in as a sort of love potion.) It turned out that the Centaur blood actually worked as acid, and killed Heracles. After this, Heracles then became the god to guard the Olympus gates.

4. Eros, Eros is the son of Aphrodite and Ares, and is the Greek god of love. He flies around the world, and will strike mortals with arrows, causing them to fall in love with the first person they see. If this sounds familiar, that’s because he is the base of Cupid, which is actually Eros’s Roman counterpart. However, rather than being depicted as a cute little baby, he is depicted as a young man, and as the male counterpart to Aphrodite’s beauty. He is also a lot less friendly than your stereotypical Cupid, and is also the husband of our next god.

5. Psyche, like our other mortal turned god, this paragraph will revolve a lot more on how she became a goddess. She began as an incredibly beautiful maiden, so beautiful that people started saying she was more beautiful than Aphrodite. Which, if you’re a Greek mythology fan, you know this is a one way ticket to her wrath. She ordered Eros to make her fall in love with a monster, but when Eros showed up, he was so in love that he brought her to his palace. A few days later, and Aphrodite finds her, captures her, and demands her to perform impossible tasks, she completes them all except one, which ends up killing her. Zeus takes pity on her, and turns her into the goddess of the soul.

6. Harpocrates, I don’t know much about Harpocrates myself to be honest, but I’ll do my best to represent him. Harpocrates is the Greek god of silence, and secrets, He is depicted as a small child shushing. He is also connected to the poppy flower. He was originally the Egyptian god of childhood, which is what the shush originally meant. However, once the Greeks found him, they interpreted the sign as shushing, thus bringing the Harpocrates we know today.

7.Hebe, Hebe was the Greek goddess of youth, and was previously the cupbearer of the gods before Ganymede, who I will not be covering due to his unimportance. Her signature animal was the chicken, and was the wife of Heracles.

8. Iris, like Tyche, was also the cupbearer of the gods until Ganymede, and was the goddess of rainbows. She was also the messenger of the gods before Hermes came, and stole her spot, thus leaving her with just rainbows. She had a herald stick, like Hermes, and still stayed as the personal messenger for Hera. And, for your daily TMI, Iris is also the name of my cat! 

9. Alastor, Alastor is the god of revenge, and family feuds. However, it is still a debate on whether he is an actual god or not. On one hand, he is the male personification of Nemesis, and son of Posiedon, but other historians say that Alastor was a nickname for Zeus, as he was also associated with justice. 

10. Thanatos, most people would associate Hades as the god of death, and the underworld. But in reality, he is only associated with the underworld. It was Thanatos’s job to fly around on his black wings, and collect souls for Hades. If he sounds familiar, that’s because he is also the inspiration of the Grim Reaper. Now, speaking of false Hades associations, we have our next god.

11. Erebus, Hades is also associated with shadows, but, as you’ve probably guessed due to my blatant foreshadowing, that role is under Erebus. Erebus is the child of Nyx, and is the Greek god of shadows, and darkness. 

12. Hecate, out of all the minor gods, Hecate is my favorite due to her sheer power, versatility, and my soft spot for fantasy. Hecate is the goddess of magic, shadows, crossroads (aka choices) and the spirits of the dead. Hecate has the powers of illusions, mild necromancy, future telling, and general magic. She is represented standing on a three way cross road, holding a torch in each hand. In some cases, she is depicted with three heads, a horse, a lion, and a dog. Other times, she is depicted with three human heads, one of a beautiful maiden, another of a middle-aged woman, and the final one is of a scowling old woman. These three are also known as the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.

Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis, Ares, and Dionysus. Most people who are versed in mythology will know these twelve names as the twelve Olympian gods. But hopefully after reading this article, Tyche, Nemesis, Heracles, Eros, Phyche, Harpocrates, Hebe, Iris, maybe Alastor, Thanatos, Erebus, and Hecate are names that you will remember as well.

What is my dog saying? by Emily Gilbert

Image Source: Unsplash

If you have ever owned a dog, you probably know that they can’t speak. Even though your furry friends can’t talk to you, they can still communicate with body language. Here are some common ways that your dog may use to communicate with you.

Tail-Wagging

Most people assume that if a dog is wagging their tail that they are happy. Right? This isn't always the case. A study on tail-wagging conducted by the AKC (American Kennel Club) shows that the faster a dog's tail wags, the more aroused the dog is. The height of the tail also plays a part in this. The higher the tail, the more assertive the dog is. Dogs with their tail between their legs can indicate that they are scared. If a dog is relaxed, they will hold their tail in a neutral position, but neutral depends on the breed of dog.

Raised Hackles

Raised hackles means that your dog's hairs on their back, legs, and tail stand on end. While most people might associate this with aggression, this isn't always negative. If your dog raises their hackles they could be scared or stressed. They could also be excited about something. But oftentimes it’s an involuntary reaction, like goosebumps that you get on your arms or legs when you get cold.

Posture

Your dog’s posture can reveal a lot about how they are feeling. For example, if your dog is crouched low to the ground, this could be a sign of fear or stress. In other words, your dog is trying to say, “I mean no harm.” the opposite of this is a dog whose weight is shifted to the front. This could indicate that the dog is interested in something and wants to get closer, however, this could also be a sign of aggression. Another common posture is when a dog’s ears perk up. This means the dog is alert and interested in something.

Facial expressions

Dogs have many similar facial features compared to humans but they don’t use them in the same way. According to Turid Rugaas, author of “On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals” dogs yawn when they are stressed. They yawn to calm themselves in stressful situations and it can even calm down their owners. Another common misconception that people make is lip-licking. If your dog licks their lips they could just have enjoyed a delicious meal, or your dog could be anxious or stressed. According to the AKC, the most confusing facial expression is smiling. Yes, some dogs actually smile. Usually, when dogs bare their teeth, it’s shown as a warning, imagine your dog  saying, “Look at my weapons. Smiling dogs also display their front teeth, but the meaning is the complete opposite. Your dog is trying to tell you that they come in peace. A good way to tell the difference between smiling and aggression is an aggressive dog will growl and maybe even try to bite.

Eyes

Dogs show many emotions through their eyes. First, a dog’s eyes can be soft or hard. Soft eyes have relaxed lids. They indicate a happy state of mind. The opposite of this is hard eyes, where the eyes seem to go cold. These indicate a negative state of mind. The whites of the eyes are another key indicator of how your dog is feeling. If your dogs shows you the whites of their eyes, it could mean that they are anxious or stressed. They could also be uncomfortable in a certain situation. A hard stare is where the dog looks intently at something for a long time. This usually signals a threat.

Conclusion

Not all dog body language acts alone. Oftentimes there are other pieces of body language sprinkled in. You should observe every part of your dog to truly tell how they are feeling.

Research site #1: Understanding Dog Body Language: Decipher Dogs' Signs & Signals

Research site #2 Dog Body Language: Signs of Comfort, Stress, and More

8th Grade Farewells by the Class of 2029

Click here to read the words of appreciation and thanks from this year’s 8th grade class.

A New Pope by Jordan Usibaravu

Reigning Pope Francis died from a stroke on the morning of April 21, 2025.

The Catholic church eventually selected another pope, the top contenders consisted of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Peter erdo and Cardinal luis Antonio Gokim Tagle were the most popular of the bunch.

How it works

There will be a vote held and someone must get ⅔ of the vote in order to be a pope. This will be signaled with white smoke coming out of the building if they however do not vote for a new pope black smoke will be released and another vote will be held at another time. The cycle will repeat until two thirds of the council of cardinals has voted on one person to be the pope. Then, white smoke will come out of the building meaning they have decided.

Update: On May 8th, 2025 a new pope was elected, the new pope's name is Leo XIV, the first ever American pope. This was a surprise to many. Born and raised in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV spent most of his time serving in South America. He was a friend of Pope Francis, and this gives people hope that he will carry on the legacy of Pope Francis who was a champion for the people of the world, including migrants, poor, and disenfranchised.

State Flowers by Olive Hollis

State flowers. Every state has one and a unique story behind it, and how it was chosen. Out of all 50 states in the U.S, let's take a look at how that state decided on the flower they chose and the flower itself. :) 

1. Tie of Hibiscus and Orange Blossoms (Hawai’i and Florida)

The hibiscus is light, delicate, and has colorful varieties with few petals that open up around a… part of the flower… yeah. The orange blossom is white, small, and has large green leaves that frame and add to the flowers' outward appearance.

2. Mt. Laurel and Bluebells (Pennsylvania and Texas)

I mean it would be a crime not to include the bright, small, puff ball flowers that are the state flower for here in PA. They form in little groups together, making a little puff ball that I think is really nice looking. Bluebells are also flowers that tend to grow in groups and have nice deep blue violet colored petals that form little cups. I always found bluebells kind of confusing, because they can be sad flowers, but they can also be happy flowers (if you know what I mean), and anywhere in between. Send help!

3. Columbine and Forget-Me-Nots (Colorado and Alaska)

Columbine and Forget-Me-Nots can have similar colors, and if I’m being totally honest, the Columbine kinda looks like it would be the cousin of a daffodil with a smaller flower surrounded by larger petals to frame it. And forget-me-nots are always going to be a pretty addition to any bouquet you put together for someone!

4. The Cherokee Rose (Georgia)

I think the Cherokee rose is a hidden gem, because I didn’t even know what a Cherokee rose was until I found a state map with its flower corresponding with the spot of the state on a map. The Cherokee rose (when fully open) has big, white petals that open around a yellow middle that kind of make the petals look spotted with the color of the pollen that it carries.

5. HONORABLE MENTIONS!! 

• The Primrose! I think the primrose is very nice to look at, and they come in so many bright and rich colors too. And yes, every time I think of a primrose, I can only hear Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games yelling, “Primrose Everdeen!”

• Baby’s-Breath! I’m not sure if you can count baby’s breath as a flower…but I do! Can you look at a lovely flower arrangement without a dash of baby’s breath? Sure. But I find baby’s breath adds to the arrangement and takes it to a whole other level!

• Crocuses! These small, early blooming, purple flowers form a cup with their petals that bees love to tuck into when they bloom around late winter or early spring. With them blooming early, they are one of the first flowers to poke up out of the snow, and dot your yard with little purple blooms. :) 

Animal Whisperer Made Possible by AI - by Tara Gopalan

If you have pets, you know that it's difficult to know what they want. Animals can’t speak human languages, making it hard for them to communicate. Zoologists can relate- All of our current knowledge on animal communication is based on behavior patterns, which can vary and are unreliable. However, a Chinese company has invented a way to translate cat meows into English using AI, and it may be one of our greatest breakthroughs in science yet.

The company attempting this ambitious project is called Baidu. It owns China’s largest search engine, and has developed a new level of advanced AI. Scientists have been trying to decode animal sounds for decades, yet it’s been nearly impossible until now. Animal languages vary, and they often don’t have set rules or words. Trying to understand, for example, cat meows using human conventions would be extremely inaccurate, since we have no way of knowing which pitch corresponds to which English word or idea. However, Baidu has a different approach. 

The company has collected a database of vocalizations, behavior patterns, and bodily movements from various animals to input into their AI program. The AI is supposed to identify the animal’s emotions at the time and then map them into the corresponding meanings. This way, humans can at least get an idea of the animal’s feelings and the reasons why they feel that way. Of course, facial signals in animals and humans don’t always correspond. For example, when chimpanzees are happy, their face shows a frown, and when they are smiling, they actually feel threatened. Because of this, the scientists grouped the data into the species group. If they tried to interpret a cat’s emotions, they would take the cat’s tail movement, meow pitch/length, and facial expressions and put it into the AI program. They would be able to use our current knowledge about cats to infer what the cat is trying to communicate, similar to google translate. 

This new technology is groundbreaking. When fully developed, we can not only understand animals more accurately, but there’s also a possibility to have full conversations with your pets. If the initial algorithm works, a database of cat “words” could be created and human languages could be translated. This discovery significantly widens the opportunities for scientists in behavioral science and veterinary medicine to consider animal needs in treatment and conservation efforts. Of course there’s always a margin of error for AI, but Baidu’s new program can at least give us a basic understanding of our animal friends. Maybe someday in the future, this technology can be used on endangered species, household pets, and maybe even ourselves. So- if you could talk to your pets, what would you say?

 https://www.azernews.az/region/241522.html