March 2023 - Volume 06, Issue 03

Spark The

at ASU

March 2023 Volume 06 Issue 03

A Journalistic Collaboration of the Arizona State University Online Community

17 Things I Learned In My Twenties

The Love-Hate Relationship

Written by Paloma Baron

with Daylight Saving Time

In This Issue

I recently turned 30, and have some mixed

17 Things I Learned

feelings about getting older. Although

In My Twenties

sometimes I feel sad about it, I've been

What is

assured by older friends that my 30s will be

St. Patrick's Day?

the best decade of my life.

Continued on Page 11

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Chapter 1: Not Your Usual Love Story

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SPRING SESSION B STARTS

01 - Zero Discrimination Day 02 - American Citizenship Day 03 - World Wildlife Day 04 - Employee Appreciation Day 05 - Clean Up Australia Day 06 - National Dentist's Day 07 - National Cereal Day 08 - International Women's Day 09 - National Barbie Day 10 - Harriet Tubman Day 11 - National Dream Day 12 - National Girl Scout Day 13 - Spring Session B Starts 14 - Pi Day 15 - World Consumer Rights Day

Calendar

16 - National Vaccination Day 17 - St. Patrick's Day 18 - Global Recycling Day 19 - Certified Nurses Day 20 - International Day of Happiness 21 - World Poetry Day 22 - World Water Day 23 - World Meteorological Day 24 - World Tuberculosis Day 25 - International Waffle Day 26 - Solitude Day 27 - International Scribble Day 28 - Virtual Advocacy Day 29 - Manatee Appreciation Day 30 - Land Day (Occupied Palestine) 31 - Crayola Crayon Day

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Volume 06 Issue 03

March 2023

The Love-Hate Relationship with Daylight Saving Time Written by Natasha Geiger

Daylight saving time, the twice-a-year event that you either have a lovehate relationship with or completely disregard because it doesn’t affect you – you know who you are. On Sunday, March 12 at 2:00 a.m., we have the pleasure of springing our clocks forward and losing an hour.

However, this little tradition has had its fair share of drama that dates back centuries.

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The History of Daylight Saving Time According to The Farmer’s Almanac, daylight saving time, or DST can be traced back to 1907 when a London builder noticed that houses were still closed up when the sun was out. In a personal manifesto called “The Waste of Daylight,” he states that the loss of light and people being closed up is “a defect in our civilization.” To remedy this, he talked with businessmen, members of the U.S. Congress, and Parliament to put clocks 20 minutes ahead on the four Sundays of April, and turn them back during the Sundays in September. Alas, his approach was opposed with many stating it was a practice of sin by lying about true time.

Sentiments toward saving time changed during World War I when there was a need to save coal for heating homes. In 1915, the Germans adopted a light-extending system to save fuel and Britain created a British Summer Time in 1916 that moved time forward from May 21 to Oct. 1.

In 1917, the changing of time took on a whole new meaning when the U.S. entered World War I. Groups in favor of the time change sent postcards to residents that they would then send to their congressmen, stating things like “If I have more daylight, I can work longer for my country.” In 1918, with the public in such high favor of time change, Congress officially declared that all clocks would be moved an hour ahead in March.

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In 1918, Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which created the time zones that we know now. However, what seems like a locked-in change ended up only an experiment. In 1920, the daylight saving time law was repealed after some heavy opposition from dairy farmers and other lawmakers.

But wait, that’s not all!

Daylight saving time was reintroduced during World War II to once again save fuel. After the war, states started to take matters into their own hands and create rules of their own for daylight saving time. Even down to certain days, the time would be changed. That’s not confusing at all, right?

Cue the entry of the US Congress - In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act which set in place how we adhere to daylight saving time today.

However, even an act didn’t stop states from finding their way around time change. Hawaii and Arizona did not change their clocks, some counties followed it, and others did not.

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In 1986, Congress approved yet another bill to modify the dates of when the United States changed its clocks from the first Sunday in April instead of the last Sunday in April. The reason for this change was to conserve oil, which at that point the U.S. was using around 300,000 barrels annually.

The goal, like other instances in the past when daylight saving time was modified, was to conserve oil used to create energy.

Then finally, in 2007, the practice of springing forward and falling back, was modified into how we practice the tradition today. Most Americans spring forward and lose an hour on the second Sunday in March and fall backward and gain an hour on the first Sunday in November.

Hawaii and Arizona, however, still do not take part in changing clocks.

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Opposition to Daylight Saving Time Whether in 1907 or 2023, daylight saving time has always had opposition.

Farmer organizations continue to oppose daylight saving time saying they’d rather have early daylight to do their jobs. Some even point out how deceptive the name “daylight saving time” is, and they aren’t wrong.

You may be shocked to know that as of January 2023, nineteen states have passed bills that would end daylight saving time in their respective states. While it’s a valiant effort, switching clocks can only be changed on a federal level. But in 2022, a bill that would enact permanent Daylight Saving Time was introduced and passed in the Senate. However, it was never taken up by the House and would now have to be reintroduced.

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So what would permanent daylight saving time look like? No matter where you live in the U.S., the sun would rise and set an hour later than normal from November to March. According to health experts, permanent daylights saving time would be harmful to our health because it wouldn’t align with our circadian rhythms, which is essential to our sleep. The circadian rhythms are internal clocks that regulate when we sleep and wake up. Essentially, our bodies are meant to sync up to the earth’s natural course of night and day and if there’s a major time change of when it’s light and dark, our bodies will not be in sync.

No matter your relationship with daylight saving time, take it in stride and find the positives because either way, you get to see the sun.

The Love-Hate Relationship with Daylight Saving Time

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March 2023

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Volume 06 Issue 03

Written by Paloma Baron

In My Twenties

17 Things I Learned In My Twenties

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about the most important lessons I've learned."

TU RNI 17 Things I NG Learned

March 2023

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Continued From Cover Page ...

With that in mind, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the most important lessons I've learned in my twenties that will carry me through the next ten years.

Take care of my body When I consistently weightlift, do cardio, and stretch regularly, I feel more confident and powerful, especially since I can carry so many more grocery bags up the stairs.

Exercising and eating a balanced diet absolutely sucks and won’t solve all my problems, but trying to be healthier in general is always a good idea.

Wear sunscreen every day I have seen many of my peers receive skin cancer diagnoses at a young age. I want to avoid this, so taking the time to wear broad-spectrum sunscreen every day is an investment in my long-term health. It’s also a good habit that helps prevent wrinkles and sun damage, so it’s an investment in my appearance as well.

Take care of my mental health Good mental health care can be difficult to obtain in this day and age, but doing so made a difference for me. Even without formal therapy sessions, if I consciously take the time to do what makes me happy–like going for a walk alone or treating myself to a cup of tea–then I feel a million times better.

Educate myself Coming from a rural, conservative town, I was ignorant about basically everything.

Outside of formal education, learning from people outside of my bubble and being more open-minded has turned me into a more empathetic and rational person.

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Go to school I’ll be the first person in my family to graduate from a university when I finally complete my degree in May. I’ve opened up a million more avenues for myself, learned so much about the world, and gained so many invaluable skills by pushing myself to get a bachelor’s degree. Now, I know how to manage multiple tasks, think critically and how to use Chicago style for a formal essay (although I hope to never use it again).

Shop local Instead of driving an hour away to the big box store in another city, the little shops and farmers markets down the road have the knowledge and expertise of decades. I’ve formed real friendships with the people who live and work around me, and it creates a stronger feeling of community.

Don’t feel bad for calling it quits I’ve been through a divorce while also having dropped out of Arizona State University and other schools before. At the time, I felt like I should have been able to push through and just “deal with it” instead of walking away from a bad situation. However, prioritizing myself was what I needed at those points in my life in order to move forward.

Putting myself out there I’m horrifically introverted, so it’s easy for me to avoid interaction with people. When I started involving myself in my local art scene and forced myself to share and speak publicly about my work, I gained a network of people that know and support me.

Be chill My rule of thumb is, “Will this matter in five to ten minutes?” If the answer is “no,” then it’s not worth being combative about and negatively impacting someone’s day over something minor.

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Always have Tylenol and/or Ibuprofen on hand Trust me on this one.

My back and feet hurt all the time.

Admit when I'm wrong and change I spent a lot of time entrenched in harmful behaviors and toxic beliefs. It was until I learned about more effective methods of communication and took time to think about behaviors that I needed to change. In doing so, I learned humility and integrity.

Don’t do work for free Far too many times I have devoted hours of my free time for a project that I did based on a naive faith that I would eventually be paid. Nine times out of ten, that payment wasn't“exposure”.

Don’t cheap out on important things For several years I almost always wore rags because I bought low-priced, poorquality clothing. But the first pair of Nikes I got several years ago still look and feel new. Sometimes it’s worth it to spend a little more and get something durable.

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Laugh At one time in my life I realized that I hadn’t smiled or laughed in months.

But now I take time to laugh, joke with others and watch funny videos to remind myself that there is goodness and humor to be found when I need it.

Take a risk I almost didn’t talk to the cute guy with long hair who gave me butterflies. I almost didn’t move to the city over three hours away. I almost didn’t send that application for a juried show. I was scared. Yet I pushed past those fears and my life completely changed for the better.

Cry I admit it, I’m a sensitive person. I used to try to hide my emotional and vulnerable side, but I’m a human not a robot, and I’ll cry over the cute puppy videos if I want to.

Love yourself It’s cheesy and cliche … but it’s true. At this point, I’m comfortable with the person I’ve become and my current path in life. I truly love the person I have become and what I have achieved.

After taking time to think about everything I’ve experienced as a 20-something-year-old, I realize that it’s okay to feel conflicted about advancing in age. Even if I’m not old, a lot has happened in 10 years, and it's normal for me to wonder what 10 more will bring. I’m determined to make my 30s full of growth and success, as it will be the best decade of my life after all.

17 Things I Learned In My Twenties

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Volume 06 Issue 03

What is St. Patrick's Day? Written by Madison H

St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated around the ninth century in Ireland on March 17th in observance of the Roman Catholic feast day.

According to an article by History.com, its name comes from “... the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle.” Nowadays, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide. This holiday is largely celebrated in North America and Australia; and even in places like Japan and Russia.

Nevertheless, this holiday isn’t what many of us imagine it to be, packed with the color green and beer drinking. Up until the 1970s Ireland mandated that pubs be closed on March 17th, since the holiday was considered religious. It wasn’t until 1995 that Ireland sought to use St. Patrick’s Day as a way to drive up tourism and bring in people from different places of the world to celebrate Irish culture.

What is St. Patrick's Day?

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This Irish holiday also has a couple of myths surrounding it. One such myth that became popular and has become widely associated with the holiday is Leprechauns. Now the question is, what do Leprechauns have to do with St. Patrick's Day? Well according to History.com, “Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies.” According to an article by Victor Kiprop, “Leprechauns are associated with Saint Patrick’s Day because both trace their history to Ireland.” With this, we can see that there is no relation between the two, just something that we have made in connection to the country over time and will probably not end soon.

What is St. Patrick's Day?

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Another myth that surrounds the holiday is the idea that the color green must be worn because it brings luck. According to Joey Gill, blue was originally associated with the holiday, and wearing green was unlucky. This change mainly stems from the association with how they would wear shamrocks, which are normally blessed by the church and called the “ Blessing of the Shamrock ''. Green also became popular when Americans created the tradition to wear green clothing or be pinched; According to Joey Gill, “ Legend has it that this was also an American tradition. The story goes that if you wore green you would be invisible to leprechauns, which would pinch anyone not wearing green. Reportedly, people started pinching those without green on them as a reminder about the leprechauns.”

With that being said, we now have a better understanding of what St. Patrick’s Day is from getting a brief history and seeing how it has changed over time. We were also able to learn how much of the original holiday has been changed by mythology, which seems to primarily come from America. However, no matter where these traditions or myths came from, St. Patrick’s Day is still a widely celebrated holiday around the world.

What is St. Patrick's Day?

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UPCOMING 20

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March 2023

Not Your Usual

Love Story Written by: Sayalee Chivate

A little backstory first. My name is Sara Malhotra and I am a 27year-old residing in London. I was 19 years old when I moved from India to London to further my studies, and then I settled here. This is a story of me falling in love with my childhood crush, and famous actor Oliver Wright. So, without further ado, let’s get into the story by starting with the day that changed my life.

Chapter 1: The First Meeting I am working at the conference table, trying to calm my nerves. I am the CEO of my start-up, SayIt. We build electronics that support artificial intelligence to assist people in their usual chores and to provide them an easier lifestyle. Today, Mr. Oliver Wright, my favorite actor, is coming to our company for an endorsement deal. I asked him to come 10 minutes early and alone so that I could talk to him. I am going over the agenda on my laptop when the door of the conference room opens. Mr. Wright pokes his head inside and says in his flawless British accent, “Hey, you must be Ms. Sara Malhotra.”

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I smile at him and get up. “Yes Mr. Oliver Wright, please come in. It’s nice to meet you.”

I shake his hand with a little awestruck smile on my face and internally swoon over his accent.

“Please have a seat. I called you earlier to tell you something.”

His face shows curiosity and I continue. He sits in the chair next to mine and stares at me, waiting for me to take the lead.

I take a deep breath and I say, “I am a big fan of you and to be honest, I am a bit starstruck right now.” He chuckles. “You were my celebrity crush when I was a teenager and I am so glad to have finally met you. I wanted to tell you how much you mean to me and I wanted to do that before our meeting before you see the CEO side of me.”

“So this is your Sara Malhotra side?” I nod.

“Well, then I am grateful that you enjoy my work and I look forward to working with you Ms. Sara Malhotra.”

“Outside of the office, please call me Sara,” I say with a facesplitting grin on my face.

I hope to god I am not blushing because then this would be embarrassing. I also hope that he will return the gesture of the first name. When I call someone by their last name, it seems too formal and I don’t want formalities between him and me.

This is my teenage self coming out.

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He slides his chair so that he can be closer to me and in a soft voice says, “Oliver please, outside of the office of course.” He gives me a wink which sends a shiver down my spine.

I feel like I just melted right there. I think the janitor will have to use a mop to clean the puddle, which is me. We are smiling at each other when the door opens again. This time it’s our lawyers, his manager, and my secretary. That’s the signal.

We get up, greet everyone and begin the meeting.

(After an hour) “And that’s how we plan to introduce the new product and we want Mr. Wright to endorse it,” I conclude.

I swore I could feel Oliver’s eyes on me the whole time I was speaking. But I just ignored that because why would an amazing actor like him even give me a second glance? Anyway, everyone gives me reassuring smiles which means that they accept the deal. I ask Linda, my secretary, to hand the documents to them. They sign where indicated and I give a polite smile to everyone as I shake their hands. Everyone starts filing out of the room. I thank everyone for their time and as they are leaving, Mr. Wright stops and says that he will catch up. He turns to me and asks “Would you show me the way to the restroom please?”

“This way please,” I replied.

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It’s the way he speaks and the intensity in his gaze that makes it feel like a challenge. He looks at me, daring me to lead him to the restroom instead of just pointing the way. His posture is assertive and dominating, and even though there's distance between us, it feels like he’s invading my personal space, tempting me to take him to the restroom.

“Here we are.”

“Do you have cameras in this area?” he asks.

The question baffles me but I answer him anyway. “No. It would be inappropriate to have cameras here.”

Oliver smiles and then puts his arm around my waist. He swiftly pulls me close and before I know it, his lips are on mine. The feeling is surreal. My eyes are closed and the kiss is sweet. It’s the kiss you read about but never get to experience.

When he pulls away, my eyes are still closed and I feel at peace, like everything is right in the world. I feel like I can stay like this forever.

It’s a weird feeling. A good weird feeling. We just met and we kissed. But it felt right. Even though I have imagined this scenario a hundred times in my head, it is nothing compared to the real one. I can feel his eyes searching my face for any expression. I decided to break our moment by saying,

“Wow,”

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He chuckles again and I realize that it’s the most melodious sound I have ever heard.

When my expression changes, he asks me, “What are you thinking so intently?”

“Nothing. Just that I just had my first kiss.”

That gets his attention and his eyes widen.

“I was your first kiss? You haven’t kissed anyone until now?” I shake my head no and he draws me closer. I feel a rush of happiness as our bodies meet and I can feel the heat radiating from him. The closeness ignites a flicker of desire within me.

“How? I mean you must have been in at least one relationship, right?”

“Two actually, but both were bad decisions on my part. So no. I have never kissed anyone.”

He grins like a Cheshire cat which tells me that he had no problem with that information.

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“But what made you decide to kiss me, Oliver Wright?”

“Well, for one thing, I wanted to kiss you the moment I entered that conference room and saw you. When you admitted that I was your celebrity crush, you had me hooked. So I just took my chance.”

“Then I am really happy you did,” I say smiling.

“So miss Sara, would you go on a date with me?”

I was shocked and ecstatic at the same time. But I controlled my emotions and replied with poise. “I would love to, Oliver,” I say with a smile.

“Great. Seven pm, Saturday. I’ll pick you up at your place.”

“Okay. Here’s my number.”

We exchange our numbers and then I text him my address.

He gives me a small peck on the cheek and leaves, leaving me stunned. I couldn’t believe that just happened. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough.

To be Continued Chapter 1: Not Your Usual Love Story

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Meet the Team Writers

Workshop Team

Paloma Baron Madison H Natasha Geiger Sayalee Chivate

Sayalee Chivate Zoe Cain

Advisory Team

Editors

Brianne Frazier Roxanne Wilcox

Brittany Thomas Imani Mitchell Leslie Madrid Lili Krause Paloma Baron Yaretzi Chavez

Designers April Fan Paloma Baron Ruby Max Zimmerman

Board of Directors Leslie Madrid Editor in Chief Director of Editing

Zoe Cain Director of Writing

Lila Flores Director of Communications

Aya M Director of Graphic Design

Delaney Crocker Director of Operations

The Spark Team

The End