Sunday, November 12

Happy Diwali to all of our Hindu readers! Enjoy the festival of lights! To learn more about the holiday of Diwali, read this article by Armaan Dhawan. We also have some Diwali news, a Diwali fact of the day, and a Diwali quote of the day!

Contents:

1. Ayodhya Lights 2.4 Million Diyas to Break World Record

2. Iceland Issues State of Emergency After Volcano Likely to Erupt

3. Fact of the Day

4. Quote of the Day

5. Word of the Day

To start off our Diwali daily update, we have some big news from the town of Ayodhya! Ayodhya is where Diwali originally started, and to kick off their festival of lights this year, they broke their own Guinness World Record by lighting over 2.4 million (22.23 lakh) diyas to illuminate the city!

On another note, after further investigation into the volcanic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland, authorities have issued a state of emergency for the area and have said that a volcanic eruption is likely. Since Thursday, the area around the Fagradalsfjall volcano has experienced over 2,500 earthquakes, 7 of which were greater than a magnitude of 3. Earthquakes are usually an early sign of an eruption, as it means that the magma from the Earth is coming up and bubbling underground. After over 6,000 years of dormancy, the volcano just southwest of the town of Grindavik has erupted three years in a row (including this year- it erupted in July), and the well-known Blue Lagoon has also closed. Grindavik is the most populous town on the Reykjanes Peninsula and is home to about 3,000 people, while the Blue Lagoon is Iceland's most famous geothermal spa and its waters are known to have skin-healing properties. Due to magma intrusion under the city, Grindavik has been evacuated, causing families to leave their homes behind as the fear of an eruption looms in the near future.

Fact of the Day: The word "Diwali" actually means "row of lights" and comes from Sanskrit.

Quote of the Day: Good will always triumph over evil because light will always overcome darkness.

(Anthony T. Hicks)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Valorous (adj)- Someone or something described as valorous is marked by courage or heroism.

In a Sentence: For carrying three wounded members of his squadron out of harm's way, the lieutenant was presented with an award that recognized his valorous actions in the heat of battle.