BY KAHA G. – 15 YEARS OLD

“The Fibonacci Sequence turns out to be the key to understanding how nature designs… and is a part of the same ubiquitous music of the spheres that builds harmony into atoms, molecules, crystals, shells, suns and galaxies and makes the universe sing.” Guy Murchie

This quote was utilized to pique your curiosity about today’s article topic, The Fibonacci Sequence.

The Fibonacci Sequence is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers. With the set of numbers being:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610.

One of the most remarkable properties of the sequence is its connection to the golden ratio. The golden ratio is an irrational number that is approximately equal to 1.61803398875. It’s found by dividing any number in the Fibonacci Sequence by the number behind it. The more someone goes down the sequence, the closer the result gets to the golden ratio. Here’s a small example, 34 divided by 21, which is 1.61904761905. Look how close that is!

Furthermore, it appears in many natural occurrences, from the arrangement of leaves on a stem to the shape of a seashell. Some examples are the spiral patterns of sunflower heads, pinecones, pineapples, as well as the pattern of the nautilus shell being the most famous one. Although this might seem like a coincidence, it helps nature as well by maximizing surface area, efficiency, and strength.

The Fibonacci Sequence also appears in mathematics, computer science, and art and design. In mathematics, the sequence plays a role in number theory and algebraic structures. In computer science, the sequence is displayed in algorithms, data structures, and computational geometry. In art and design, the Fibonacci sequence is displayed to create aesthetically appealing designs, like the famous “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh.

The Fibonacci Sequence is a remarkable pattern that appears in nature, art, and mathematics. Its connection to the golden ratio and its presence in nature make it a fascinating subject of study and research. This just makes me appreciate nature’s beauty and makes me regret how little we reflect on the world around us. What are your thoughts on this beautiful sequence?

BY KAHA G – 15 YEARS OLD

In history class, we were asked to do a group presentation based on various disputes between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government as a whole, whether that be the crown, or even our current government. We were also asked to do an OPCVL (Origin, Purpose, Content, Value, and Limitations) on the websites we use to get a good idea of who is reporting the article and what kind of biases they present on the specific topic. My group chose the Toronto Purchase as our topic, and I will explain the Indigenous and Crowns’ perspective and give an overall introduction to what the Toronto Purchase is (some of this information is from my group members as well).

The Toronto Purchase of 1805, known as Treaty 13, is a big moment in Canadian history. Partially negotiated between the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the British Crown, this land treaty aimed to address the uncertainties left by the Johnson-Butler Purchase of 1787-88. The earlier deal lacked clarity, resulting in rage over land boundaries and usage. In response, the Toronto Purchase sought to provide a clearer understanding of land rights between the Crown and the Mississaugas, resulting in ongoing colonial expansion and the displacement of Indigenous communities.

Now, here is the Toronto Purchase Treaty from each perspective:

The Crown’s Perspective:

Britain’s defeat at the hands of the Americans in 1783 because of the American Revolution placed a lot of pressure on the crown to acquire more land to resettle loyalist refugees. As well as the crown needed to secure communication and supply lines to western outposts and unite settlements along Lake Ontario from Kingston to Niagara. Since the crown knew that the Mississaugas of the Credit had large amounts of land that could benefit them, they created a treaty. The Mississaugas agreed, however, the British had no intention of sharing this land, and there were doubts about the treaty’s legitimacy of the deed and unclear land boundaries.

A deed is a legal document that outlines details of a land transaction, in this case, it would have the sale of the lands from the Mississaugas to the British Crown.

These concerns were bad for the crown because honouring agreements was important for maintaining the British government’s reputation and credibility. Violating treaties can damage relationships with Indigenous nations and other colonial powers, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to various aspects like security, defense, alliances, and trade.

The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations Perspective:

Chief Wabakinine (wabakeyneen) was the Head Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation in the 18th century. On their behalf, he signed many surrender treaties with the colonial British setters, including Treaty 13, or the Toronto Purchase.

Since the British needed more land for the settlers, Chief Wabakinine agreed to share the land with the newcomers in a beneficial way, where the Mississaugas could still hunt, fish, and gather, while the settlers would go about their way establishing villages and farms. However, the British didn’t keep up their end of the Treaty and the settlers saw the Mississaugas as trespassers, drove them from their camping places, ravaged the resources of the land and brought new diseases with them.

Sooner than later, the traditional economy was collapsing, and disease started to spread, making the population of Mississaugas drop 20%, within 10 years. The crown was now deemed untrustworthy since they didn’t respect Indigenous rights, took more land than originally agreed upon, underpaid them for the land, did not honour the terms and agreements of the Treaty and delayed the Mississaugas compensation for around 223 years (1787 to 2010).

Furthermore, the sources I got this information from were biased towards Indigenous peoples, as well as Indigenous websites that have a clear and precise analysis of what the goals of the Crown were, and why they did what they did. So, I would say the websites I used have a balance in respect to bias.

To summarize this whole article, the British Crown wanted more land for settlers and to secure their territory, but they didn’t stick to their promises in the Toronto Purchase treaty. The Indigenous Mississaugas agreed to share the land but got mistreated, lost resources, and faced disease instead. This shows how colonialism harmed Indigenous people and why we should honour their rights and finally bring justice for all of the torment they faced because of the Canadian government.

BY KAHA G. – 15 YEARS OLD

Ramadan is fast approaching! It’s said to be on either Sunday, March 10^th, 2024, or Monday, March 11^th, 2024, based on the sighting of the crescent moon. However, what is Ramadan? In Islam, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar (we use the lunar calendar) and is the holy month of fasting.

Like I said earlier, it starts and ends with the sighting of the crescent moon. This calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar because “Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle,” according to Brittanica. This is why, in some cases, Eid (the celebration after Ramadan), can fall on the same day as Christmas.

Additionally, Ramadan is a period where Muslims practice self-restraint, from dawn to dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour. This includes bad deeds as a whole, like swearing, disrespecting your parents, music, etc. Keep in mind that these should be stopped no matter if it is Ramadan, or not. In addition to that, we are encouraged to do many good deeds during this month because the reward for it is multiplied immensely. So, we would partake in good acts like charity, reading the Qur’an (the holy book for Muslims), prayer, and so on.

Before the dawn prayer known as Fajr, we wake up for suhoor which translates to the meal eaten before dawn. We wake up one hour before dawn prayer, eat our suhoor, and read the Qur’an. On the other hand, after the sunset prayer, we have something called iftar, which is the meal we break our fast with.

Now, here is the amazing part of Ramadan. During Ramadan, in the last ten nights, there is a day called Laylat al-Qadr (Arabic word for the night of power). Allah (God) revealed the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. This day is so special to the point where all of our supplications are answered, and the angels descend giving the day a sense of tranquility.

According to zakat.org, there is a hadith (a statement, or action from the prophet Muhammed peace be upon him) from An-Nasa’i (a scholar who collects the hadith and puts it into a book) that states the following. “There has come to you the blessed month of Ramadan, in which God, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it, the gates of heaven are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed, and every single devil is chained. In it, God has made a night whose value is greater than a thousand months (Laylat al-Qadr), and whoever is deprived of its goodness will indeed have lost.”

I would like to end with a quote from Mufti Menk, an Islamic scholar. “What is Ramadan? People say, we’re fasting; that’s only a part of it. It is the month of peace, the month of tranquility, the month of cure, the month of goodness, the month of forgiveness, the month of mercy, the month of attaining paradise, the month of the Qur’an, the month of revelation, the month of celebration of being a Muslim. “We don’t just do what we want, we do what the Almighty has ordained.”