I can see through you, Aurora. Editor’s Warning: Mentions of death.

Happening in the World: In South Africa, on October 8, 2024, the founder of the Rhema Bible Church of South Africa, Ray McCauley died at age 75. McCauley played a role in the late years of apartheid and denounced the racist apartheid regime. During the time of his peak influence he was described as “the high priest of South Africa.” McCauley was “widely admired but controversial” as he was criticized for some of his choices including his decision to divorce his wife in 2000. (BBC)

Happening in the US: In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Amari and Javar Ruffin, twin brothers that were conjoined at birth, celebrated their first birthdays after their separation surgery. The twins shared part of their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall and liver and the separation surgery took eight hours. The brothers went home to be with their parents on Wednesday, October 8. Conjoined twins occur once in every 35,000 to 80,000 live births. (AP) 

Happening in NYC: In New York City, a geomagnetic storm could lead to sightings of the northern lights, also called the aurora borealis around the New York City area. A level G4 geomagnetic storm watch was issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. A G4 storm is the second-highest classification and the storm could impact some of the area’s infrastructure as soon as Thursday, October 10. Even though the light pollution in New York City can make it difficult to see the northern lights, experts recommend finding an open field to see them as the weather looks clear on Thursday October 10 and Friday October 11. (CBS)

Happening in Our Community: On Thursday, October 10th, Columbia University’s The Italian Academy will host an event entitled, “Sean Lee, Violin: Paganini and the Art of Improvisation.” Sean Lee, an award-winning violinist, will perform Niccolò Paganni’s works and will discuss his unique contributions to music. Lee will also explore the relationship between improvisation in the context of Paganini’s work. Registration is available here.

Header image via Bwarchives