It’s Friday, which means you have at least two days between now and your next midterm. Sit back, relax, and let Bwoglines tell you what you missed while you were studying.

Happening in the World: Ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, India’s health minister has unveiled a line of “green” firecrackers. The environmentally-friendly explosives are designed to allow revelers to celebrate without contributing to India’s deadly air pollution. (NYT)

Happening in the US: A ban on cockfighting in Puerto Rico is scheduled to take effect on December 20. The new law is a success for animal rights activists, but the death of the multimillion-dollar industry is expected to hurt the territory’s economy and jeopardize cockfighters’ livelihoods. Some are calling the ban an attack on Puerto Rican culture. (NPR)

Happening in NYC: A new study has named NYC as the best place to go for Halloween. The report graded 100 American cities on three categories: friendliness to trick-or-treaters, Halloween fun, and Halloween weather. Second place went to Los Angeles. (Gothamist)

Happening on Campus: Learn about the experiences of Himalayan immigrants in New York City at the panel discussion Himalayan New York: Stories of Migration, Language, Belonging, and Social Change. Check it out today from 12 to 1:30 pm in IAB Room 918.

Essay Recommendation: Matt Power’s Mississippi Drift is another reading rec from my nonfiction class. What makes it great is its incisive thick description and how Power writes his own participation in the story. In it, he joins a group of bohemian anarchists who attempt to raft from Minnesota to New Orleans on the Mississippi River.

fireworks via Pixabay