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Cuba, like North Korea, is one of a few nations with a centrally planned economy, rationing out to their people items of basic sustenance. After the Cuban Revolution that ended in 1959, the ration book became a cornerstone of Fidel Castro’s government. It gave Cubans access to government-subsidized bread, milk, meat, fish, and cleaning supplies. In recent years, however, items have been removed from the ration book and prices have risen—creating a real crisis in a nation where the average citizen makes only $15 per month.

Today, people are not the only creatures traveling northward and crossing borders—dangerous mosquitos are also coming! Mosquitos carrying diseases formerly seen only in tropical regions are now moving into Europe and the United States (The Telegraph, September 24, 2024). The mild form of dengue fever causes high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash.

While forest fires rage on multiple continents, eastern Europe is being devastated by flooding. As one sixteen-year-old said after observing the devastation in the Polish town of Ladek Zdroj, “It’s a city like in an apocalypse.... It’s a ghost town” (Reuters, September 16, 2024).

Forest fires are burning around the globe. In the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada, thousands of acres are on fire. In Portugal, more than 100 fires are blazing (Associated Press, September 18, 2024).

In November this year, the United States presidential election will once again dominate much of the news. Many other important elections will also occur, including 33 Senate seats, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and 11 governors. The United States isn’t alone, as 2024 will see a record number of important elections worldwide—potentially leading to major geopolitical changes.