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A large wildfire is burning dangerously close to several populated areas near Los Angeles, endangering structures as it rages across the region. The Mountain Fire is currently raging north of the town of Camarillo in Ventura County, northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and it poses a serious threat to countless homes and businesses. The wildfire began just a few days ago but exploded in size on Wednesday, and it now covers over 20,000 acres. An entire mountain, giving the fire its name, is ablaze in between multiple towns, leading to over 14,000 evacuations. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but it is devastating Ventura County at a lightning-fast pace. The fire was just over 300 acres large on Wednesday morning, but in just five hours, it had expanded to over 10,000 acres. Unfortunately, the Mountain Fire is burning an area previously devastated by other wildfires in previous years. The Woolsey Fire killed three people and destroyed over 1,600 homes in the same area in 2018, and the Thomas Fire burned over 1,000 structures in Ventura County and the neighboring Santa Barbara County in 2017. At least 3,500 structures have been affected, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom, and the fire is rapidly spreading. It is only 5% contained, but Cal Fire is redirecting everyone to battle the blaze. Over 800 firefighters and 58 fire trucks have been sent to Ventura County, but helicopters cannot operate in the area, presumably due to the smoke. Schools across the county are also closed until the end of the week. While the Santa Clara River flows right next to the fire, providing some sort of barrier on the ground, the area's strong winds are blowing embers across the river and into nearby farms. Due to the abundance of dry, hot weather in recent weeks, non-crop vegetation around these farms easily catches fire, allowing the wildfire to spread even farther. Power has been shut off for over 70,000 people across five counties in southern California to mitigate wildfire risk, and an additional 250,000 people are at risk of experiencing the outage, known as a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Also, red flag warnings have been issued for over 25 million people-- around 65% of the state's total population. The warnings include people across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other heavily populated areas across California's western coast. A red flag warning is the most severe fire danger warning in the United States, used to describe “extreme and life-threatening fire behavior.” Thankfully, winds are expected to die down as the weekend goes on, slowing down the spread of the fire and allowing firefighters to make some progress on containing the blaze. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A cockroach has 13 heart chambers. Cockroach hearts are not like humans-- it is a large blood vessel-like structure that pumps hemolymph (a cockroach's version of blood) directly into body cavities. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision. (Winston Churchill) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Dedication (noun)- Dedication refers to devotion, loyalty, or commitment to a person or cause. It can also refer to a message at the beginning of a book, song, etc., that expresses affection or gratitude for someone, or to a ceremony to mark the official completion or opening of something, such as a building. In a Sentence: It took a lot of hard work and dedication , but we managed to finish the project on time.

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba yesterday afternoon as a major Category 3 storm, delivering heavy rain and strong winds to the island country. Rafael began as a tropical depression on Sunday in the southern Caribbean Sea near the northern coast of Colombia, and slowly strengthened as it moved northward. By Monday, it was a tropical storm heading towards Jamaica, but the winds in the area moved Rafael onto a northwest track, missing Jamaica entirely. The storm passed the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, battering the islands with hurricane-force winds, and it proceeded to rapidly intensify over the next 24 hours. By Wednesday afternoon, Rafael was approaching Cuba's southern coast as a Category 3 hurricane, packing winds of over 115 mph and heavy rain on the north and east sides of the eye. Rafael made landfall yesterday afternoon on Cuba's southwestern coast, a few miles west of the small town of Guanimar. The storm continued its northward track through western Cuba throughout the night, heavily impacting the capital of Havana and its suburbs. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the hardest-hit areas, and residents of surrounding towns are being urged to stay inside. Power lines have gone down across the region, knocking out electricity to the whole country, as Cuba's power grid is extremely vulnerable to storms like this. Power for the country has been in and out for months, including when Hurricane Oscar slammed into the island a few weeks ago. Rafael is the fifth major hurricane of 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean and the first major hurricane to hit Cuba since Hurricane Ian in 2022, which devastated the island country. It is currently tracking through the Gulf of Mexico, making it the strongest hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean in November since 2009 and only the fifth hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since 1966. However, as it moves west, whether it will shift north or south is still unknown. The storm could turn northward and hit the American states of Louisiana or Mississippi or it could turn in the opposite direction and head towards the Mexican state of Veracruz. Either way, unfavorable hurricane conditions in the Gulf should hamper Rafael's strengthening, limiting it to a weak hurricane or a tropical storm when it makes landfall. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): At 8 pm on March 31, 1880, Wabash, Indiana became the first city in the world to be lit by electricity-- via four “Brush lights,” invented by Cleveland's Charles F. Brush. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Imperfection is beauty. Madness is genius. It is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. (Marilyn Monroe) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): A cappella (adverb/adjective)- When a song is performed a cappella, it is sung unaccompanied by instrumental music. In a Sentence: A hush fell over the audience as a voice from offstage began singing a cappella .

The United States election ballots were counted last night, with former President Donald Trump projected to take the win in this year's tight race for the presidency. Trump currently has 276 electoral votes, 6 votes past the winning mark of 270, taking crucial victories in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. North Carolina's counting has come to an end, making Trump the definite winner, but Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are still red states that have a chance of flipping to blue in the coming days. Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada, the three remaining swing states, are currently undecided, but all three are leaning towards Republicans. Assuming Trump takes the presidency, it seems like he will have the power to change the nation, as the Senate has been won by Republicans and the House is leaning towards them. At this point, it seems that the only way Democrats can avoid a massive turn of events in the next four years is if they win the House, preventing Trump from executing his full agenda. Look out for a detailed US Elections article coming soon on the election. Union workers have finally agreed to a deal with aerospace giant Boeing, ending the group's monthslong strike that sparked chaos in the aviation industry. The strike was conducted by the International Association of Machinist (IAM) union. Boeing has over 150,000 employees, 33,000 of which are part of the IAM. The union had been demanding for higher pay for several months before the strike, and IAM and Boeing had finally agreed to a huge deal that would provide employees with a 25% raise over four years. Union officials said that it was by far, the best deal they had ever managed to negotiate with Boeing. However, 95% of union members voted against the deal, and 96% voted to strike on September 13. Chaos ensued in America's aircraft industry-- Boeing supports over 1.6 million employees, including its 10,000+ parts suppliers. Over half of the world's airplanes are made by the company, making them the United States' single largest exporter. Many of Boeing's suppliers were forced to lay off staff, as Boeing's production line came to a complete halt during the strike. It also exacerbated Boeing's deep financial problems -- the company has a current debt of around $58 billion -- by stopping the sale of their planes, leaving them with working operations but no revenue. However, this strike has not just cost Boeing. In total, it has costed the United States economy over $11.5 billion-- a staggering number for a two-month strike. Since then, Boeing has attempted to come to an agreement with the IAM several times, but they did not succeed until this past Monday. Workers were primarily angry over the loss of pension, a regular payment made from the company to retired workers, after a new contract was approved in 2014. Over the past few decades, the popularity of pension in the private sector has decreased significantl y as profit margins for companies decrease, leading them to cut costs after they are put under financial strain. On October 23, Boeing proposed an initial deal to the union, but it was not taken well. Workers were looking for a plan that would compensate them similarly to a pension plan, allowing them to place the extra money in a 401(k) for retirement. However, Boeing's original plan did not meet these demands, leading 64% of IAM workers to reject the deal. Then, Boeing proposed another deal recently, which was accepted by the IAM. The new deal includes a raise of 13%, effective immediately, and a gradual raise of 9% per year over the next two years, before a final raise of 7% in 2028. In addition, workers will receive a $12,000 ratification bonus for accepting the deal, increasing the appeal to IAM workers. However, the deal still marginally passed. 59% of the union's workers voted for the deal, while 41% continued to oppose Boeing's ideas. Many of these workers will continue to be unhappy until the pension plan is restored, but the return of pension seems more and more unlikely as Boeing sinks deeper into debt. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Donald Trump would be only the second US president to serve two nonconsecutive terms when he takes office, after Grover Cleveland in 1885 and 1893. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Any fool can know. The point is to understand. (Albert Einstein) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Psephology (noun)- Psephology is the scientific study of elections. In a Sentence: Brianna was excited to learn that a course on psephology on the schedule for next semester will coincide with local and state elections.

We apologize that there was an issue with this daily update due to a blog error. The article is now complete and up-to-date. Today is the United States Election! If you live in the US, make sure to get out and vote if you haven't already! We will cover the results of the election in tomorrow's daily update, and make sure look out for a Deep Dive by Mihir Gupta coming soon as well. At least 10 people are dead after a massive volcano eruption in eastern Indonesia, blanketing the surrounding area in ash and smoke. The volcano, known as Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, is located on the remote island of Flores in the East Nusa Tenggara province and has been quite active over the past few years. An eruption earlier this year in January, led to over 6,500 evacuations and the closure of the local airport, which has remained closed. Since late October, the volcano has erupted 43 times, and the area has recorded hundreds of earthquakes as well. However, this week's eruptions were significantly larger. They began on Sunday evening, with the volcano spewing ash and smoke for almost half an hour. During the night, it continued to erupt, with the ash cloud reaching around 1,000 feet by Monday morning. More eruptions continued through Monday, with the smoke cloud reaching a staggering 6,500 feet tall by Monday night. Towns within a 3.7-mile radius of the volcano were blanketed in ash, sparking over 16,000 evacuations across the two districts around it. However, only around 2,500 people have been evacuated so far. In addition, flaming balls of fiery debris and lava also fell from the sky, setting houses on fire amidst the chaos to evacuate. Officials have instructed locals to stay at least 4.3 miles away from the volcano as a precaution, as it could erupt again at any time. In total, 10 people were killed and another 63 were injured during the eruptions, primarily due to smoke inhalation or being buried under ash. A state of emergency has been declared for the region, allowing the federal government to send extra aid to villages in need. Around 2,400 houses were affected by the eruptions, along with over 25 schools. Several schools outside the damage zone are being prepared for an influx of refugees, as the evacuees from villages near the volcano will be staying in schools and other large buildings as temporary shelters. Indonesia is one of the many countries in the world that sit on the boundary of the Pacific plate, a tectonic plate that covers most of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific plate comes together with numerous other plates around its boundary, creating a ring of volcanoes known as the 'Ring of Fire.' Indonesia is located directly on this Ring of Fire, contributing to its major volcanic activity. The archipelago has over 120 active volcanoes, making landslides, earthquakes, and eruptions common. In fact, just last week, the dangerous volcano of Mount Marapi erupted on the island of West Sumatra, sending up a massive cloud of smoke and covering nearby villages in ash. The same volcano also killed 20 people in a major eruption last year. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A female donkey is called a jenny. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. (Leo F. Buscaglia) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Amalgamate (verb)- Amalgamate is a formal verb meaning "to unite (two or more things) into one thing." In a Sentence: The band became famous for amalgamating different musical styles into a unique, signature sound.

As we are based out of the United States, we would like to inform all of our readers outside the country that our daily updates will begin publishing one hour later. Last night, Daylight Saving Time ended in the United States last night, setting clocks backward one hour. This means that our American readers will continue to get our updates at 7:00 am EDT, but readers outside the country will instead receive it at 8:00 am EST. The United Nations' latest biodiversity talks at COP16 have come to an end, with the entire conference ending in Conferences of the Parties, or COPs, are designated annual United Nations conferences to talk about climate change. However, most the Earth's wide range of human-caused problems fall into two categories: climate and biodiversity. Due to this, there are two sets of COPs, one for climate and one for biodiversity, and a meeting for both is taking place in 2024. For the past two weeks, countries have been debating over solutions to the world's loss of biodiversity over the past few decades in Cali, Colombia. Back in 2022, countries came to an agreement at COP15 in Montreal on 23 goals known as the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework was a major step forward in restoring biodiversity, as it also included a goal to bring back 30 percent of the world’s deteriorated ecosystems by 2030. They did not detail exactly how to fund this project at that summit, though, making the issue the core topic of COP16. However, the world's wealthy countries argued against the proposal to begin a fund to provide poorer countries with the money to restore biodiversity. The Earth's most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical rainforests, are the most at risk. Together, developing countries contain around 80% of the world's tropical rainforests, including the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, the Congo Basin Rainforest in southern Africa, and the lush rainforests of Indonesia. Unfortunately, only around a third of the world's original tropical rainforest remains intact, accounting for a large portion of biodiversity loss. Currently, there are around 166,000 species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List, 46,300 of which are threatened with extinction. That includes 44% of reef building corals, 41% of amphibians, 38% of trees, 37% of sharks and rays, 34% of conifers, 26% of mammals, 26% of freshwater fish, and 12% of birds. On the other hand, scientists at the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) e stimate that the number of endangered species around the world is a staggering 1 million. For example, the Amazon rainforest, the world's most biodiverse biome, can contain around 50,000 different species, ranging from trees to frogs to snakes to insects-- and around 15 square miles of the rainforest is deforested each day. Despite these dangers, the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland all struck down the fund idea, claiming that it would make funding more complex instead of finding a way to raise money, while South American, African, and Pacific island nations strongly supported the idea. The EU also claimed that existing organizations can be improved to provide funding directly to areas in need rather than distributing it through a global fund. Brazil and Panama, two of the strongest advocates for the new fund, refused to participate in any other talks if their demands for financing were not met, and the disagreement forced the COP16 chair to temporarily suspend the meeting. While developed countries have donated some money in the past, it is nowhere close to the amount needed. Countries established at COP15 that at least $700 billion was needed per year to reverse the ecosystem damage done by humans, while wealthy nations have pledged to donate a total of around $20 billion by 2025. By comparison, the world's military spending in 2023 was approximately $2.4 trillion. Climate change and habitat loss are the two primary contributors to biodiversity loss, and neither problem is being solved. Around half of the world's GDP -- or $55 trillion -- depends on nature in some way, whether it be oil, agriculture, or logging. While goal after goal is being established, no action is being taken, and the root of the problem is the money required. Restoring and saving the environment requires large amounts of money, making financing an issue. Furthermore, many countries lack the motivation to donate to these causes, as few financial gains are made in the short-term. The aforementioned sources of income will not run out any time soon, but climate change and biodiversity loss will have other, smaller impacts that add up to create a larger problem in the future. Spending on the environment is a very long-term investment-- one that could not provide true benefits for decades, even generations to come. But destruction happens fast. Our world is at a stage where the climate's health is tipping over the edge. Day by day, more carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere and our world loses more biodiversity. When species go extinct, there is no coming back. Once the climate goes over the edge, there is no coming back. Now is the time to act. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): There is a pressure point located between your thumb and index finger known as L1-4. Applying pressure to this point can help relieve headaches, sinus pressure, jaw pain, stress, anxiety, and more. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I’m just enjoying the ride. I’m just contributing what I can. (Randy Moss) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cursory (adj)- Something described as cursory has been done or made quickly. In a Sentence: We were disappointed that the mayor gave only a cursory glance at our report.

The death toll in this week's devastating floods in eastern Spain has risen again, and the true effects of the disaster are just beginning to surface. In case you missed it, the rain arrived on Tuesday, wreaking havoc upon eastern Spain. The storm killed at least 202 people in the region of Valencia alone, which is located on the country's heavily-populated eastern coast that was the hardest-hit area in Spain. Two people were also killed in the region of Castilla-la Mancha and another in the southern region of Andalusia. The extremely heavy rains washed away cars, roads, trees, bridges, and buildings in a matter of minutes, surprising locals. Streets and buildings were flooded just minutes after the downpours began, turning small ditches into muddy lakes and small rivers into raging cascades of water. In total, over a foot of rain fell across eastern Spain, and over a year's worth of rain fell over some parts; the town of Chiva, west of the city of Valencia, received a staggering 19 inches. However, the town of Paiporta, located south of Valencia, has been designated as the "epicenter" and "ground zero" of the floods, primarily due to the fact that there is a ravine running straight through the center of the city. At least 62 people died in Paiporta alone after a massive, 6-foot tall wave of mud roared into the streets, wiping out everyone and everything on the roads. Locals described the surges of mud as "tsunamis" due to their dangerous, destructive nature. Much of the coastline in the Valencia region is low-lying, leading to increased flooding, and there are several rivers that run through the area. Meanwhile, on Thursday and Friday, the storm shifted south. Several towns in Andalusia, located on the southern tip of Spain, received serious rainfall. One town in particular, the port city of Huelva, is located on the low-lying delta of two rivers, making it exceptionally susceptible to flooding, and they will continue to receive rain through the weekend. While Valencia will get some time to recover, Andalusia will face more rain for the next few days before they can begin their search-and-rescue efforts, leading experts to believe that death tolls will continue to rise. Along with low-lying cities, several mountainous towns have been isolated by the rains, as roads coming in have been heavily flooded and citizens within them are without power or cellular signal. Around 150,000 people are out of power across Spain, unable to reach emergency services or contact family members, and roads have been closed, trains have been canceled, and schools have been shut down. Sadly, by the time alerts came out to stay out of the way of the floods, many people were already submerged under the water in their cars or homes, and others became trapped in low-lying areas. Dozens of people have also been caught looting homes and stores whose owners had evacuated or were stuck elsewhere during the storm, leading to numerous arrests by the country's National Guard. Alarming before-and-after satellite images showed farms submerged in mud, streets covered in water, greenery washed away, and broken bridges, and one zoomed-out image truly showed the amount of destruction done by the rains. The latter showed a before image of a large area of farmland beside a large marshy lake known as L'Albufera, with the after image displaying the same area but covered in water. Many locals are criticizing Spain's relatively slow response to the situation-- the country's civil protection agency did not even acknowledge the issue until over two hours after Chiva had flooded. In addition, Valencia's regional government did not send out alerts to locals until hours after Spain's national weather agency announced the arrival of serious flooding, leading to more criticism from citizens of eastern Spain. However, search-and-rescue teams and utility companies are working as hard as possible to save as many people as they can. Hundreds of volunteers are rushing to help the cause, and emergency services are heading around Valencia to find any struggling survivors. So far, officials have stated that the armed forces have rescued at least 4,600 people, and power has returned in almost 90% of the region. This is one of the worst rainfall events to ever hit Spain, and many older residents describe it as even worse than . Unfortunately, some officials estimate that the storm's death toll could continue rising, as hundreds, possibly even thousands, of people are still missing. Extreme rainfall events like this will only increase as climate change worsens, as a warming world leads to stronger, more frequent, more powerful storms that carry more precipitation. However, climate change can only be stopped by emitting less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which means burning less fossil fuels. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): All 1.2 million letters of the Old Testament of the Bible have been nano-printed onto the surface of the Nano Bible, a five-by-five millimeter aluminum disk. But since each impossibly tiny letter measures 600 nanometers, you would need an electron microscope to read it. You can also purchase a Nano Bible with the New Testament inscribed in it. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not. (Epicurus) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Hatching (noun)- Hatching refers to the drawing or engraving of lines close together as a method of shading, or to a pattern so created. In a Sentence: The artist uses hatching to breathe life into her comics.

Happy Halloween! At least 95 people are dead and dozens of others are missing after heavy rain and flash flooding across Spain, and the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days. The rain arrived on Tuesday and immediately began pouring rain upon the area, devastating everything from small towns to large cities. At least 92 people were killed in the region of Valencia alone, which is located on the country's heavily-populated eastern coast. One area west of Valencia, by the name of Chiva, received one year's worth of rain in just eight hours-- almost 20 inches. The nearby regions of Castile La Mancha and Andalusia were also hard-hit. Then, a second round of rain arrived on Wednesday, primarily impacting Barcelona and the coastal Catalonia region along with the town of Seville in Andalusia. Several towns have also been isolated by the rains, as roads coming in have been heavily flooded and citizens within them are without power or cellular signal. Around 150,000 people are out of power across Spain, and roads have been closed, trains have been canceled, and schools have been shut down. The extremely heavy rains washed away cars, roads, trees, bridges, and buildings in a matter of minutes, surprising locals. People told media that they had so little time to escape the flooding that many ended up stuck on bridges, roofs, and trees, while other unfortunate citizens were quickly swept away by the raging waters. In fact, some locals reported seeing cars flow down streets fast enough to smash through walls of buildings, doing even more damage. Numerous crops were also destroyed in the storm as rain piled up on flat farmland in eastern Spain, which could end up being a supply chain issue. Valencia and Andalusia, two of the hardest-hit regions, combine for over 90% of Spain's citrus fruit production, and the country is the world's largest exporter of citrus. Sadly, many farm animals were also swept away, as well as scores of household pets. Many locals are criticizing Spain's relatively slow response to the situation-- the country's civil protection agency did not even acknowledge the issue until over two hours after Chiva had flooded, leaving citizens stranded high in trees or on the roofs of buildings. However, search-and-rescue operations have already kicked into high gear, and over 1,000 personnel are now combing the streets for any possible survivors. This is one of the worst rainfall events to ever hit Spain, and it is the worst to hit Europe since 185 people died in Germany after a storm system in 2021. Unfortunately, some officials estimate that this storm's death toll is likely to pass 100, as dozens of people are still missing and search-and-rescue efforts have just begun. Extreme rainfall events like this will only increase as climate change worsens, as a warming world leads to stronger, more frequent, more powerful storms that carry more precipitation. However, climate change can only be stopped by emitting less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which means burning less fossil fuels. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The first-ever jack-o'-lantern was carved out of a turnip. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win. (Stephen King) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Syncretism (noun)- Syncretism refers to the combining of different forms of belief or practice. In a Sentence: As a scholar of religion, Laila is especially interested i n the syncretism of Manichaeism, which was influenced by Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.

Introduction Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is a popular Indian tradition celebrated by most Indian families. Its celebration date varies based on the lunar cycle, but it normally takes place between October and November. It is celebrated by many religions which creation was in India, such as Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. Celebration There are many popular Diwali traditions, but one of the things that you absolutely have to do on Diwali is set up diyas around your house. Diyas are small clay pots in which you put a wax candle and light it on fire. Another popular Diwali tradition is decorating your home and buying new clothes (which would obviously be Indian clothes). People also decorate the outside of their homes with rangoli, which is finely ground up flowers poured into a template to create a beautiful sand design. The Five Days of Diwali Diwali actually has five days of celebration, so let's find out what they are. Dhanteras: This day is when you clean the house and usually purchase gold or metals Choti Diwali: This day is spent decorating the house and making rangolis. Diwali: This is the main day of Diwali where we pray to the Goddess Lakshmi, the god of wealth, good fortune, youth, and beauty. Padwa: This day is devoted to the love between a husband and wife (divorce is very uncommon in Indian culture) Bhai Dooj: This day is the final day of Diwali and celebrates the love between brothers and sisters. By Armaan Dhawan Image credit: https://blog.eastwest.org/blog/what-is-diwali

What is Dia de los Muertos? Why is it celebrated? Let’s find out. Introduction Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico to honor the lives of the dead. It is generally celebrated on November 1-2. History Dia de los Muertos originated when an ancient Aztec ritual of honoring the dead combined with All Souls’ Day (a relative of the ancestor of Halloween). It eventually spread from its homeland to Latin America and the U.S. Celebration This Hispanic holiday honors the dead by holding large parties honoring them in ancestors’ gravesites, creating altars called ofrendas , and cleaning and decorating gravesites. The celebrations vary quite differently from region to region all around the Americas. Colorful skeletons and skulls, called calacas and calaveras respectively, can be found during the celebrations, and are often portrayed as doing an action, such as playing music or making tortillas. People also wear calavera face paint. Fun Facts Dia de los Muertos is a school holiday in Mexico. José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) was a Mexican cartoonist who drew many calaveras . Marigolds are believed to serve as a pathway for the dead to their families because of their bright colors. We at YNH hope you have a great Halloween/Dia de los Muertos! By Mihir Gupta Image credit: https://www.beronphoto.com/people-portfolio/em54pa6gishnk1a6qio56xyqbwsm1o

Typhoon Kong-rey battered Taiwan over the past few days, killing at least one person as it pummeled the island with strong winds and heavy rain. Kong-rey began as a tropical depression near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands last Thursday, quickly moving west into warmer waters, where it became a tropical storm. It passed by the northern end of the Philippines as well, but it dropped minimal rain over the archipelago. As it moved past the Philippines, though, it began intensifying, and by Monday, the storm was already a typhoon packing winds of 90 mph. It even reached a maximum of 150 mph winds, making it a super typhoon, but it later entered into cooler waters. By the time it arrived in eastern Taiwan, Kong-rey had sustained winds of 115 mph-- equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic. Prior to the storm’s arrival, thousands of people were evacuated across Taiwan, and over 35,000 soldiers were put on standby with almost 3,400 vehicles and pieces of equipment to prepare for after the storm hit. Schools and offices across the country were closed to prepare as well, along with the island’s stock market. Highways and all rail services were shut down as well, and hundreds of flights have been canceled. The storm made landfall near the town of Chenggong with dangerous winds of over 150 mph, pummeling Taiwan’s eastern coast with devastating storm surge and heavy rain. One person was killed, a 56-year-old woman, when a tree fell on the truck she was sitting in, and at least 200 others were injured during the storm. The city of Taitung, located on the island’s southeastern coast, received winds of over 100 mph and waves of over 32 feet, surging over the region’s protective seawalls. Off the coast of Taitung, a small isle by the name of Lanyu Island recorded wind gusts of over 162 mph before the area’s anemometers stopped working.  However, Kong-rey didn’t just affect the towns in its path. The typhoon stretched over 200 miles wide, allowing it to easily engulf the entire island of Taiwan in thick clouds with heavy rain. While the storm moved quickly through the western Pacific, it slowed down as it approached, allowing it to drop more rain as well. Totals of 6-12 inches were expected throughout Taiwan, and localized totals reached over two feet. Despite that, meteorologists expect totals over four days to reach almost 4 feet for some sections of eastern Taiwan, which were the hardest hit.  Due to the excessive rainfall, rivers burst their banks and severe flash flooding occurred in many villages. The heavy rain also sparked multiple landslides, leading to serious damage in more mountainous areas. In total, over 600,000 people lost power, and water supply was also cut off to around 5,000 homes. Search-and-rescue efforts are already taking place, and officials are already working hard to fix the situation. Utilities have already been restored to over two-thirds of all customers who lost power and more than half of homes who lost access to clean water. Kong-rey is the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in decades, and these storms will only increase in frequency and strength as climate change worsens. While Taiwan is frequently hit by typhoons due to its location, the season for tropical systems is getting longer– Taiwan’s typhoon season usually falls between July and September, but Kong-rey is the third typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in just the month of October, one of which was the devastating Typhoon Krathon that killed four people earlier in the month. Over the next few days, Kong-rey will brush eastern China, primarily impacting the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang before it heads into the East China Sea. Due to the storm’s massive size, it is dumping rain across numerous cities along China’s eastern coast, including Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Wenzhou, Huangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai. From there, it is expected to restrengthen in the East China Sea before hitting southern Japan, where it will make a brief landfall and eventually fizzle out in the Pacific. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): 12 or more cows are called a flink. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I never lose. Either I win or learn. (Nelson Mandela) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Hallowed (adj)- Hallowed describes something, such as a memorial, considered holy or blessed, or something that is highly respected and revered. In a Sentence: The church stands on hallowed ground.