As of September 4, 2022, Typhoon Henry has left the Filipino area of responsibility, as well as 2,400 Filipinos affected in its wake.

As Typhoon Henry, formerly a super-typhoon, moves north, the Philippines has begun recovering in its wake. Over 2,400 within Luzon have been affected by the Typhoonn’s effects, which can include displacement, property damage, and in certain cases, injury. Within the Cordillera Administrative Region, (CAR) over 12 structuresinfrastructures have been damaged, with an estimated cost of over ₱61,300,000. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has tallied 2,442 individuals that have been affected by the disaster over the span of the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and the CAR.

Other countries have also experienced effects and damages from Typhoon Henry has since been moving northeast. It has now made landfall within Busan, where over 15,000 citizens have been ordered to evacuate. Other east Asian countries, such as Japan and Taiwan have both reported increased rainfall. Effects from Henry are still slated to affect the Philippines and cause rain showers in areas such as Metro Manila, Bataan, and Batanes. 

The Philippines, which is one of the countries situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is incredibly prone to typhoons and earthquakes. Historic typhoons have included the 1881 typhoon Haiphong, with an estimated 20,000 total deaths, as well as Typhoon Haiyan (otherwise known as Typhoon Yolanda) in 2013, which caused devastating losses within Visayas. Yolanda, which is one of the most prolific natural disasters of the last century, affected an estimated 11 million people, with upwards of 6,000 confirmed dead and around a thousand missing. Yolanda cost around 2.98 billion in damages (2013 USD) and remains the most expensive Filipino natural disaster, as well as one of the most devastating recent natural disasters to happen worldwide. 

Filipinos are getting ready to celebrate the Christmas ‘Ber months of the year starting this month, September.

The ‘Ber months are known as the months leading up to Christmas that end in ‘Ber such as September and December. The Christmas season is very special to the Philippines which means a lot to the 80% of Filipinos who are Roman Catholic.

Filipinos celebrate the start of the ‘Ber months by playing Christmas music in stores, caroling and displaying colorful lights. Stores and malls have already been decorated and are selling Christmas decorations. Public areas like parks, buildings, and streets have also put up festivities for the “holly jolly” season.

Family is also a huge part of the Christmas season in the Philippines. Many families abroad come back home during these months.

As the ‘Ber months and Christmas are very special to the Philippines, we asked some ISM students what the ‘Ber months meant to them.

“During the ber months I'm able to focus on my faith, friends, family and more," replied Mariana (Maica) Gloria, 8th grade.

Bexie Morrison said, “It makes the Christmas month, December, more exciting.”

Emma Domingo, an 8th grade student answered that she thought it was a “time where families can get together for Christmas and Halloween.”

The Philippines is also known to have the longest and earliest Christmas celebration in the world. The 4-month season is packed with lots of festivals and celebrations. During the later months many families travel  to places like Boracay, Tagaytay and Bohol, visit popular light festivals, and participate in holiday parties.

However, the pandemic has caused many of these activities to pause such as traveling and big groups events.

Regardless, the pandemic will not seem to stop the festive cheer in the Philippines and the following months may hold many more celebrations to come.

Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. stated he will increase the Filipino nurses sent overseas as the government fixes issues faced by the job in the country. He is also adding that the government will improve opportunities for nurses across the Philippines.

 "As we work hard to improve the state of our health care system at home, let us join hands to maintain our country's position as the gold standard when it comes to providing health care workers to hospitals and health facilities  globally," Marcos announced.

 Currently, the administration set a 7,500 limit for  the healthcare workers overseas being deployed. However, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said the number has yet to be reached. Only about 2,000 healthcare workers sent abroad from January to May in 2022.

 The POEA also said that Saudi Arabia, Japan, Britain, and Germany have been the top destinations for overseas nurses for quite a while. Although, strong demand for places such as Singapore and Hong Kong have come forward during the pandemic.

 To improve the situation of undeployed nurses, Marcos vowed to work with the Congress for passage of the Philippine Nursing Practice Act, which reforms through better career opportunities and education for Filipino nurses. The measure has already been approved on the final reading at the House of Representatives. 

 The government had already given around 26B pesos worth of assistance to the nurses as of August. This includes life insurance, transportation, death compensation, meals, accommodation, COVID-19 sickness, and some other risk allowances.

 "As part of our goal to raise the profile and improve the working condition of nurses, we seek to address the disparity in salaries between nurses in government hospitals with those in the private sector," Marcos said. He has also spoken that even though he thinks it’s not enough for the nurses, they’re a little short on funds.

The mass stabbing suspect, Myles Sanderson, was arrested on September 7th, and taken into custody during the afternoon at 3:30 PM. He was pronounced dead shortly after. He injured and took the lives of many people on and near James Smith Cree Nation, located in Canada.

Damien Sanderson, Myles’s Sanderson’s brother, is also suspected for the death of 10 victims and the injuries of 18 other victims of the stabbing spree, but was pronounced dead a day after the attacks. His injuries and wounds were said to not be self-inflicted by the police.

"Let me be honest in saying this, we don't really know what happened. We just know that our family members were killed in their own home, in their yard," said Arcand.

Mark Arcand, the Saskatoon Tribal Chief, had a sister, Bonnie Burns, who is a victim of the mass stabbings in Canada. She died from her injuries. Her son, Gregory Burns, was stabbed but survived. 

All but one of the stabbing victims that died were on James Smith Cree Nation, and all were adults, ranging from early 20s to late 70s. 

Eighteen were also injured, and it has been said by the agencies that almost all were adults. "We can confirm one young teen was injured and the remaining injured are all adults. We will not be confirming other specific ages," said the agencies. 

Sanderson had many warrants for different crimes, and had a lengthy crime history.

In the aftermath, relatives who knew the victims of the mass stabbing are greatly saddened by what happened. 

"We don't know the whole story, but I want to apologize to everybody that was hurt and affected by this terrible situation," Sanderson’s mother said in an interview with CBC news.

HIP 65426 b is the first recorded exoplanet to be captured using the James Webb telescope. The planet is estimated to be around 15-20 billion years old and is 385 light-years away from Earth. According to Sasha Hinkley, a professor at the University of Exeter, "This is a transformative moment, not only for Webb but also for astronomy generally.” These observations were led from an international collaboration.

During 2017, the exoplanet was first discovered by Aarynn Carter and his colleagues using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. While this telescope was able to capture images, the Webb telescope was able to capture more details with its ability to see longer infrared wavelengths, which also developed contrast between the exoplanet and its star, due to HIP 65426 b’s immense brightness compared to its host star. "At first all I could see was light from the star, but with careful image processing I was able to remove that light and uncover the planet,” said Carter, “You’re in the regime where planets are brightest and stars are dimmest.”

The astronomers took Webb’s infrared wavelengths to understand the radiation of energy by the planet’s atmosphere, which allowed them to use models of stellar evolution to pin down its radius to 1.45 times, like the planet Jupiter. Since the exoplanet is 14 million years old, it is dubbed “baby Jupiter” by Biller. “like Jupiter, but right after it formed.” Other astronomers are planning to use the Webb Telescope for many exoplanets, as they know over 5,000 have been discovered, but only have photos of around 20. A great example could be VHS 1256 b, which will also be analyzed by Carters’ team. 

"I think what's most exciting is that we've only just begun," Carter said. "There are many more images of exoplanets to come that will shape our overall understanding of their physics, chemistry, and formation. We may even discover previously unknown planets, too."

Many teams, such as the New York Knicks believed that their offer for Donovan Mitchell was in fact "better", as stated by the Cavaliers Nation, and many die-hard Knicks fans. "The Knicks, according to sources, feel like their proposals with RJ Barrett as the centerpiece with multiple first-round picks were better than the Cavs’ final offer, which is up to interpretation,” said Stefan Bondy from the NY Daily News. To back track, the New York Knicks offered Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, and again 3 unprotected first-round picks. It has also been said that the Knicks and the Jazz were discussing a likely trade after the 2022 season, however, they declined the offer.

With that information being stated, it's likely that the starting line-up is looking stronger for the Cavaliers, as it probably will consist of Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley.