Research

How will global warming affect 2023? Scientific evidence shows that fossil fuel

emissions are increasing the global temperature. Predictions suggest that 2023 will be 1.32°C

degrees warmer since the industrial revolution began (between 1750 - 1840) and the 10th year in

a row where global temperatures are greater than 1°C above normal. The effects of global

warming have been devastating. With an average temperature of 55.2°F, 2022 brought wildfires,

droughts, storms, floods, and many other disasters that wreaked havoc on the planet. The number

of people in humanitarian need during 2022 was a staggering 339.2 million compared to 81

million in 2014. The global temperature is a mere .18° from the worst effects of climate change,

at 1.5°C, where irreversible damage will occur. If global emissions do not decrease more than

50% by 2030, devastating superstorms, super-droughts, and extreme weather changes will occur,

completely changing everyday lives across the globe. However, there are things being done to

prevent this. The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, is a legally binding international treaty on

climate change to which 194 countries have agreed too. Its goal is to limit global warming before

the effects are too great to reverse. In 2023 these countries plan to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions for future generations, but the amount of emissions released in recent years has

already determined the outcome of the climate this year will bring.

Sources for Research:

https://grist.org/fix/policy/23-predictions-for-2023-climate-justice-forecast-trends/

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64032458

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/us-cut-emissions-in-half-by-2030/

https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
 Informative

On January third of each year, a very bizarre tradition takes place; National Fruitcake

Toss Day. Every year a few hundred people gather in downtown Manitou Springs, Colorado, to

hurl hundreds of fruit cakes into the air by hand, cannon, and slingshots. A fruit cake is a cake

made with candied or dried fruits and often soaked in rum. They are known for their long life

span and never seem to lose their edibility. Since they last for ages, most fruitcakes used in the

celebration are from weeks before and would have gone to waste.

Fruitcake Toss Day started in 1995 when a group of locals decided to do something fun

with the fruitcakes they would never eat. They went to a park and had a competition to see who

could throw the leftover cakes the farthest in the air. The event stuck and almost every year since

hundreds of spectators and participants join to throw fruitcakes in the air in various categories of

competition. From strength to accuracy, and even balance, every competition is revolved around

throwing fruitcakes. The leftover cake from the competition does not get wasted, a local pig by

the name of “Jezebel” eats almost all the leftovers and saves the rest for later.

Since the tradition began, people have taken on creative ways of tossing fruitcakes into

the air. Engineers and creative minds alike put together robotic or mechanical devices and

pneumatic weapon launchers to chunk the cakes into the air. This tradition is so popular in fact,

that in January 2007, 8 Boeing engineers set the world record for the highest Great Fruitcake

Toss when their mock artillery piece, the “Omega 8”, flung a piece of fruitcake a staggering

1,430 feet into the air. This event has inspired many to come up with creative ways to get rid of

their fruitcake in a playful and meaningful way. Fruitcake Toss Day is an unusual holiday, but its

purpose is to say goodbye to the fruitcake that never goes bad in style.
Sources for Informative:

https://nationaltoday.com/fruitcake-toss-day/#:~:text=Fruitcake%20Toss%20Day%20is

%20on,power%20of%20your%20throwing%20arm.

Narrative

The moon had been in the sky for almost five hours, “When will this year finally end?”

Jack thought to himself. It was New Year's Eve 2030 and the longing for a new year was in the

air. Jack was at a New Year's party on a ship in the middle of the ocean quietly sitting to himself

in the corner of the room. A clock on the wall showed a quarter past eleven and chimed quietly

every minute on the minute. “Want to dance?”, a young girl asked Jack, “No one should be alone

when New Year's is almost here.” Jack looked at a young girl and shook his head softly. The girl

walked away in confusion and continued to party the night away. Deep down Jack did not want

to sit by himself, but he wanted to spare the rest of the partygoers the knowledge he had just

learned shortly beforehand.

 The clock showed eleven exactly and chimed loudly eleven more times than normal to

mark the new hour. Jack was getting ready in his room. A paper ball flew across the room and hit

him straight in the face. “Maybe I’ll go into the new year with a new roommate”, he said

jokingly to his friend Steven who threw the ball. “You know you can’t find anyone better than

me.”, said Steven. They both chuckled as they adjusted their suits and ties. “Do you think this

year will be better than the last?”, asked Steven. “I have no clue, but if you pull any more stupid

pranks I’ll make sure yours isn’t,” Jack replied with a sarcastic tone. They both finished getting

ready and made their way to where the party was. A basket was in front of the door with a sign

over it saying, “PUT ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES HERE”, Steven threw his phone in and

opened the door to the party room, “I don’t know about you but that thing gives me a headache

anyway,” he said, then entered and let the door close behind him. Jack stood there for a moment

but before he entered realized he had two different pairs of socks on. “Seriously,” he mumbled to

himself, “On tonight of all nights.”

The ship was completely empty since everyone was at the party so he hurriedly made his

way back to his room. He swiped his keycard and made his way inside to change socks. His

phone vibrated in his pocket but he ignored it. It vibrated again but this time unusually loud; so

he pulled it out to look at it. His eyes widened with horror. An alert flashed across his phone.

“THIS IS NOT A TEST”, “ALL CIVILIANS TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.” Confused,

he quickly made his way to social media to see if what he was seeing was real. News stories all

over the world were reporting a meteor heading straight toward earth. “What?”, he said to

himself in disbelief. A link appeared on a post, “Click me to know when the effects of the “New

Year’s” meteor will reach you.” He clicked on the link in utter confusion. Big white numbers

flashed 12:00 pm EST on the top of the screen. He sat the phone down next to him. “Exactly
midnight? This has to be a joke.” Hands trembling, he finished getting ready and made his way

back up to the party.

The clock showed 11:50 pm and sounded with a quiet chime to mark the minute. Jack

still sat quietly not knowing if to tell everyone what was coming or let them live the last

moments of their lives happily. The clock chimed quietly eight more times. With no idea what to

do next, he stepped outside to get some fresh air. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The

hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Above him a bright ball of rock ignited in flames made its

way across the night sky. The New Year's meteor was real, and it was about to hit Earth.

He stepped inside and pulled Steven aside. “Come outside,” Jack said. Steven in a

delusional state from the party agreed without a thought. The clock chimed quietly. “Why did

you bring me out here Jack?”, Steven asked. Jack paused for a moment, “I have something to tell

yo-” he was cut short by a sharp blinding light that appeared on the horizon. They both stared in

awe. “What was that?” Steven yelled. Jack couldn’t take his eyes off the explosion. The sky

turned dark red. The clock read ten seconds to midnight, so the partygoers inside started counting

down for New Year's arrival. Ten! Nine! The still ocean water started receding towards the blast.

Eight! Seven! The boat rocked and swayed. Six! Five! The blinding light in the distance started

disappearing as a massive wave coming swiftly at them blocked its luminescence. Five! Four!

Steven ran inside trying to escape the impending doom. Three! Two! Jack closed his eyes and

stood on the balcony. One! Happy New Year! The clock remained silent.
 Persuasive

Many traditions around the world are different than those of the United States, and how

people celebrate New Year's Eve is similar to this fact. In the U.S., the main celebration is

watching the ball in time square drop, watching some fireworks, or maybe popping open a few

bottles of champagne to bring in the new year. Starting in 1907, the ball drop captured the

attention of many U.S. citizens as they either watch from home or travel to New York in

sometimes freezing cold temperatures to experience the drop firsthand. Seeing the ball drop is a

once-in-a-lifetime experience since so many people gather to watch it. So if you ever travel to

the U.S. for New Year's, make sure to make the ball drop part of your trip.

Brazil's celebration does not differ from the U.S. too much, they hold fireworks shows

and have massive parties. Most of these parties however are located on the beach. Most

Brazilians are superstitious, saying the motto “Ano Novo, Vida nova” which means “New year,

New life,” only eating food they believe will bring good energy into the new year. If you visit the

beach you must be respectful to the Iemanjá, the Brazillian deity of the ocean, by sending white

flowers and gifts out with the tide. The ocean is an amazing place to visit and most people

associate it with peace and purity, New Year in Brazil honors this, and if you visit you should

too!

In India, they take the coming of the New Year to a whole new level. To prepare for the

New Year they build a wooden structure of an old man to symbolize the old year, then burn it

down while singing “Auld Lang Syne” meaning “Time Long Passed” and party around it. There

are 8 Indian new year celebrations, “Gudi Padwa. Marathi New Year” being the most famous.

During this celebration, people visit their relatives, wear new clothes, and hoist up green and

yellow flags referring to the victory of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj over its enemies.
 Some countries celebrate New Year's differently than others, but they all have one thing

in common; the bringing of a new year and saying goodbye to the past. So get out of your

comfort zone and travel around the world to see lifestyles you would never get to experience

otherwise. You only live once, don’t waste it staying in the same place all the time.

Sources:

https://www.glamour.com/story/new-years-eve-day-traditions

https://www.iheartbrazil.com/new-year-in-brazil/

https://www.adotrip.com/blog/different-types-of-new-year-celebrated-in-india

Vocabulary

Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year is peculiar, “Goblin Mode”, meaning, “a type of

behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way

that rejects social norms or expectations”, was chosen by a staggering 318, 956 people, making

up a total of 93% of the overall vote. The president of Oxford Languages, Casper Grathwohl,

said this regarding the new word, “Given the year we’ve just experienced, ‘goblin mode’

resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point.” Coming in second

place, Metaverse, meaning “a vision of what many in the computer industry believe is the next

iteration of the internet” was also part of this historic public vote of more than 340,000 English

speakers.
Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/05/goblin-mode-new-oxford-word-of-the-

year#:~:text=%E2%80%9CGoblin%20mode%E2%80%9D%20has%20been%20chosen,Oxford

%20word%20of%20the%20year.