D​e​c​e​m​b​e​r​ 2​0​1​7​ I​s​s​u​e

Current Events
By : Shrihan
● Cary Ballet Company presents “The Nutcracker” -
● Join Clara on her journey as she receives a Nutcracker toy that transforms to a live Prince and defeats the
Mouse Queen in a menacing battle. For Clara’s bravery, she travels with her hero through Snow to the Land
of Sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy presents Clara with dancing treats! For more, visit ​Cary Ballet​ or call
(919) 481-6509. The ballet will take place at 101 Dry Avenue, Cary, NC, 27519 on 12/16/17 from 2-4 PM.
● Menorah Lighting
○ Join the Jewish community and the Town of Cary to experience the lighting of the menorah for the last
time this Hanukkah. Come and enjoy this beautiful lighting event on December 19, 2017 from 5.30 PM
to 7.30 PM at the Cary Arts Center!!!!
● 23rd Annual Cary Kwanzaa Celebration
○ Kwanzaa is a communal, cultural celebration that honors African-American people and their heritage.
People are invited to experience the seven powerful principles derived from the African Heritage.
Don’t miss this celebration on December 29, 2017 from 11.00 AM to 5.00 PM at the Cary Arts
Center!!!

Academics
By : Harvik
Recently a new company has opened in RTP known as ZY Therapeutics. They are developing nanoparticle drug
delivery systems in The RTP Lab. CEO and Co-Founder, Jian Bao, works with special chemicals to treat problems
like birth defect and cancer. When she arrived to the USA from China, she said, “That was when I first saw that
commercialized delivery for cancer treatments and other drugs could be a viable entity, in many cases, the drugs are
out there, they’re just not being delivered to the right to deliver them efficiently and cost effective.” She put her mind
to produce polysaccharide nanoparticles to deliver drugs directly to the location of the problem. Bao estimates that
their drug will be half the cost of what is now on the market.

Sigma Xi, the world’s largest honor society for scientists and engineers, is located here in RTP. It is located right
across The Frontier. Sigma Xi is hosting their Symposium on Atmospheric Chemistry, Climate, and Health and
Student Research Conference in Raleigh on November 10 through 11th. On the 10th, there will be presentations
Horizon Newsletter Team - Shrihan, Amuktha, Sumant, Pavitra, Pranay, and Harvik
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact us as ​www.horizonnewsletter.weebly.com/contact.html
about climate change, environmental health and human health. On day 2, the scientists present to high school,
undergraduate, and graduate students as well as workshops and a networking event that will help students prepare
for science careers.

Entertainment
By : Pranay and Sumant
Pitch Perfect 3 by Pranay​ - The third installment in the Pitch Perfect franchise finds our main characters, the Bellas,
come together one last time for an overseas USO tour after they find that there aren’t many career opportunities for
singing acapellas. Starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson, Pitch Perfect 3 hits theaters on December 22.
Bright by Pranay ​- In an alternate reality where humans live side by side with magical creatures such as orcs, elves,
and fairies, two police officers, a human and an orc, must protect a female elf and a long lost relic which if lost could
end the world as they know it. Starring Will Smith and directed by David Ayer, Bright releases on Netflix in
December.
Wonder Wheel by Pranay ​- Taking place on Coney Island in the 1950’s, Wonder Wheel tells the story of four
people who suddenly find their lives intertwined. First there’s Ginny, a former actress who works as a waitress in a
clam house. Next there’s Humpty, Ginny’s carousel operating husband. Third there’s Mickey a young lifeguard who
has dreams of becoming a playwright. Lastly, there’s Caroline, Humpty’s estranged daughter who is now hiding from
gangsters at her father's home. Directed by the legendary Woody Allen, Wonder Wheel hits theaters on December 1.
The Shape of Water by Pranay ​- The Shape of Water tells the story of Elisa a mute woman who works in a secret
government facility in 1960’s Baltimore. Elisa’s life changes when she discovers what the lab is hiding, a human-like
scaled sea creature from South America. Elisa develops a friendship with the creature and soon learns that its
survival depends on a government agent and a marine biologist. The Shape of Water is directed by renowned film
director Guillermo del Toro and it releases on December 1 only in New York City.

College Sports. Here is the link for all teams for universities who have won the games.
https://www.google.com/search?q=college+football&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS731US733&oq=college+&aqs=chrome.3.6
9i57j69i60l2j0l3.4394j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#sie=lg;/g/11c5wkt8fs;6;/m/012hfxch;mt;fp;1

Health
By : Pavitra
Say someone is choking and cannot breathe, and you don’t have enough time to take them to the hospital.
You need to take a quick action, but what should you do? The Heimlich Maneuver is the life-saving skill to perform
during these circumstances.
The Heimlich Maneuver can dislodge the part of the body responsible for the victim choking. This technique is
an easy to perform one that can save a life within a short amount of time.
The Heimlich Institute recommends this technique: from behind, wrap your arms around the back of the
victim and form a fist below the victim’s rib cage but above his/her belly button. Grasp your fist with the other hand
and press into the victim’s upper abdomen with a quick upper thrust and continue until the foreign object is expelled.
Using the Heimlich Maneuver on infants or children have a less intuitive response than adults and can do
more harm than good if not performed correctly.
For more information, visit ​http://www.deaconess-healthcare.com/heimlich_institute/​.

Horizon Newsletter Team - Shrihan, Amuktha, Sumant, Pavitra, Pranay, and Harvik
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact us as ​www.horizonnewsletter.weebly.com/contact.html
Charity of the Month
By : Amuktha Dasari
With the holidays right around the corner, it is time to start thinking about giving gifts. Not only to your family and
friends, but to those less fortunate than you. It is our responsibility as citizens to help others, and giving to a charity
during the holiday season is the perfect opportunity to do so. Of course, it can be difficult to know which charities you
can trust to use your money for a good cause. That is why, in honor of the holiday season, we here at the Horizon
Newsletter have compiled a list of trustworthy and well-intentioned charities to help you out.
● National Special Education Day is on December 2nd. Support the cause by donating to the UCP (United
Cerebral Palsy). You can visit their website at ​http://ucp.org/
● National Roof Over Your Head Day is on December 3rd. It is a day to be thankful for what we have, and pass
it on to others. You can help this cause by donating to or volunteering with the Raleigh chapter of Habitat for
Humanity. For more information, visit their website at ​https://www.habitatwake.org/
● National Children’s Day will be celebrated on December 10th. You can help donate to children by going to
http://eastnc.wish.org/​, the website for the Eastern NC division of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Defending Yourself.
By : Amuktha Dasari
In the past few months, the media has been blowing up with accusations of sexual harassment.
People tweeting under the hashtag #metoo have shared their stories and feelings on the subject. And while it is
important to speak out against this problem, and the despicable people who have contributed to it, it is also important
to protect yourself, and make sure that you are not a victim of this crime. Sexual harassment is not a new thing. It
has been going on for centuries, and while it has become less frequent, it has not stopped. Everyday, more people
are harassed, are abused, are violated. The only way to stop this from happening to you is to defend yourself. Take
self-defense classes; they are offered nearly everywhere. Stay alert; know your surroundings, and when possible,
stay with others. Be confident in yourself; you have the right to say no. You are not obligated to do anything with
anyone, and doing so is not the only way to achieve success in your industry. Speak out; do not be afraid to tell
others. Your story deserves to be told, and no one should be able to get away with hurting you. There are people
who can help you, and so many others if you just speak out. And lastly, but by no means least important, try to help
those around you. If you see someone who you think is being abused, approach them. Be kind to them. Let them
know that you want to help them, and that they deserve to be helped. We can only put a stop to this if we work
together.

Submissions
An Article on Global Warming
By : Abhiram Dasari
In the past few years, the poles have been shrinking, causing the animal population to drop drastically.
You might be familiar with the idea of global warming and the ice caps shrinking. Sure, that means that ocean levels
will rise, but what else? Have you ever thought about the plants and animals ​living ​in these ice caps? Well, if you
haven’t then do. When you think about it, one thing comes to mind; “How are the flora and fauna of the ice caps
dealing with the sudden change in climate in their habitat?” As global CO​2 ​ levels rise at an astonishing 38%, and
methane at an even more astonishing 148% as of 2009, people can’t help wondering if they will survive the biggest
environmental challenge that the earth has ever seen: yours truly, humanity.

Horizon Newsletter Team - Shrihan, Amuktha, Sumant, Pavitra, Pranay, and Harvik
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact us as ​www.horizonnewsletter.weebly.com/contact.html
 Humans have been burning fossil fuels and cutting down carbon-absorbing forests and woods ever since the
Industrial Age started.This has drastically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. This, in turn,
keeps heat inside the earth’s atmosphere, raising the average temperature, melting our ice caps. Though the
number of animals living in the ice caps might be very low, due to the extreme cold, it doesn’t mean that we should
let their habitats be destroyed. “Wait, but if the ice caps melt, they can just move to the center. Why should we care?
They obviously have plenty of space.” you might say. Well, not necessarily. The south pole alone is losing 125 cubic
kilometers of ice a year. That’s the equivalent of 51490.8875 Great Pyramids of Giza peeling off the southern ice cap
every year. They don’t actually have much space at all.

So that brings us to the next topic: what happens next? Well, obviously we have to reduce our carbon dioxide
emissions. But how? Here is a list of ways you can limit your carbon emissions while traveling.
❖ Reduce your carbon footprint while driving
➢ Alternatives to driving
■ When you can, walk/ride your bike in order to avoid carbon emissions completely.
■ Carpooling and public transportation reduce CO​2​ emissions by spreading them out over many
riders.
➢ Drive a low-carbon vehicle
■ High mileage doesn’t always mean low CO​2​ emissions. All vehicles have an estimated
miles-per-gallon rating. Electric cars emit no CO​2​ if they’re charged with clean electricity.
➢ Driving style
■ Speeding and unnecessary acceleration reduce mileage by up to 33%, waste gas and money,
and increase your carbon footprint.
➢ Tire inflation and other tuning
■ Properly inflated tires improve your gas mileage by up to 3%. It also helps to use the correct
grade of motor oil, and to keep your engine tuned, because some maintenance fixes, like fixing
faulty oxygen sensors, can increase fuel efficiency by up to 40%.
➢ Avoid traffic
■ Being stuck in traffic wastes gas and unnecessarily creates CO​2​. Use traffic websites and apps
and go a different way or wait.
❖ Reduce Your Carbon Footprint From Air Travel
➢ General
■ Until petroleum-based aviation fuel is replaced, you should avoid flying when possible, fly less
frequently, fly shorter distances, and fly economy class.
➢ Leisure Air Travel
■ Take fewer and longer vacations that are far away, and more frequent and driveable
“staycations” closer to home.
➢ Work Air Travel
■ Increase your use of video-conferencing tools like Skype and Facetime.
➢ What class?
■ Economy class is best, for the same reasons as carpooling and public transportation. Each
flyer’s share of a flight’s carbon emissions is relatively less because it’s spread out over more
people.
➢ Don’t fly on private jet.
■ Fly first or business class if you must, because at least those seats always fill up anyway, and
avoid private jets, including services like NetJets and XOJET.
➢ Don’t buy a Honda

Horizon Newsletter Team - Shrihan, Amuktha, Sumant, Pavitra, Pranay, and Harvik
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact us as ​www.horizonnewsletter.weebly.com/contact.html
 ■ HondaJet, that is. Their cars are fine, though. :)

Google Home Mini Review

By : Vibhu Subramani
As November passed, most of our Cyber Monday items have already arrived at our doorstep. One of the hottest
items now is the Google Home Mini and has been a topic of controversy for some time now. The Google Home Mini
prices now for around $29 and come with the Google assistant built in. The Google Home can be partnered with the
many electronics scattered throughout your house. With this feature, it can dim the lights, turn on the fan, start a TV
show and many more. The part where it lacks is that being so small, it can’t be the sole speaker in the house. The
Google Home Mini has a 3.9-inch diameter and a 1.7-inch height and is the convenient size for travel. It comes in 3
different colors: chalk, dark gray, and coral red.
On its own, the Google Home Mini lacks many of the qualities other smart speakers have such as lower sound
quality, harder to use voice controls, and other minor setbacks. It can be used to set alarms, tell jokes, play music
(3.5mm audio jack), search the web, and more. In conclusion, the Google Home mini is a good beginning for people
who want to join the ecosystem for a good price. The mini isn’t a replacement for the Echo Dot, The Google Home,
or other smart speakers, but an introduction to the world of smart speakers.

Horizon Newsletter Team - Shrihan, Amuktha, Sumant, Pavitra, Pranay, and Harvik
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact us as ​www.horizonnewsletter.weebly.com/contact.html