Hilary Brueck

California endured another record-breaking fire season this year. Dry, hot winds stoked deadly flames that have killed more than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-map-evacuations-roads-closed-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="aa0b61a0-dbe2-319d-a1c2-40731ed491a2"> 85 people </a> to date.

The Santa Ana winds, which blow into Southern California during the fall and winter months, proved especially brutal this year. They brushed the Woolsey Fire across nearly 100,000 acres of Los Angeles and Ventura counties; those flames killed two motorists who were stranded in a car and another person whose remains were found in a burned home.

The Woolsey Fire and the devastating Camp Fire in Northern California have both been extinguished, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wildfire-evacuees-in-california-return-home-360-video-camp-fire-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="12a22322-4de2-334a-a44b-3bf4f6c1a25b"> all affected residents are now allowed to return home </a> (though for many there's little left).

Part of the reason the flames spread so quickly and were so hard to contain this year has to do with the winds that fueled them. In the north, they're called Diablo winds, while in the south they are referred to as the Santa Anas.

Angelinos sometimes like to wax poetic about how the dusty, hot winds can change people. Legend has it the warm gusts make people moody, violent, and prone to migraines, fights, or even suicides.

"I have neither heard nor read that a Santa Ana is due, but I know it, and almost everyone I have seen today knows it too," Joan Didion wrote in her <a href="https://zscalarts.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/los-angeles-notebook-joan-didion-pp-162-jpg.pdf" id="3d3347e0-aed8-38cf-a435-42a6ad13335b"> Los Angeles Notebook </a> . "We know it because we feel it. The baby frets. The maid sulks. I rekindle a waning argument with the telephone company, then cut my losses and lie down, given over to whatever it is in the air. To live with the Santa Ana is to accept, consciously or unconsciously, a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior."

Scientists who have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598548/%20" id="d5ee2f0e-f294-3471-a03e-599651e266d3"> studied these winds </a> have determined that there's <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/06/science/ions-created-by-winds-may-prompt-changes-in-emotional-states.html" id="459eda05-ddba-3f87-a348-ee6107326bf7"> probably no special relationship between positive ions </a> born from hot winds and our mood (though some <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00484-004-0236-0" id="d2dc5a9b-f9e2-30dd-aeef-ae1cdef787cb"> limited data </a> from Spain suggests that hot, windy days may spark more panic attacks than others.)

<h1> Where the strong winds come from </h1>

High above the California coast in the Great Basin that extends across Nevada, Utah, and other Rocky Mountain states, the winds that will eventually become Santa Anas and Diablos start out as colder breezes.

In the fall, as the desert lands cool down, the high-altitude basin develops chilly, high-pressure winds. All that airin the basin looks for a breezy, convenient escape route.

Santa Anas then heat up on their way downhill. It's a similar process to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/foehn" id="884c3c1d-d50c-3d4c-a38f-3eb8f7c38d2c"> Fohen winds of the Alps </a> , the Chinook of the Pacific Northwest, and the Zonda winds in Argentina. These are all called katabatic winds because they move high-density air downslope.

As the winds funnel through narrow mountain passes, they gather speed and heat, becoming stronger and warmer as they descend towards the coast. The phenomenon is similar to what happens when air is compressed inside a bike tire: it quickly heats up.

<a href="http://people.atmos.ucla.edu/fovell/ASother/mm5/SantaAna/santa_ana_faq.html" id="b51c212b-322e-357d-adb1-988370206530"> UCLA meteorology professor Robert Fovell </a> wrote in an online FAQ about the Santa Anas that winds warm at rate of near 30 degrees Fahrenheit per mile.

santa ana winds travel to coast stoke fires

The Santa Ana winds are most strong and able to stoke wildfires in the fall. California has distinct wet and dry seasons, so if the winds arrive before the first rain, that can lead to a high risk of fire.

California's dry periods have been getting longer and more severe in recent years, Federal Meteorologist Tom Di Liberto pointed outin a <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/hot-dry-summer-and-slow-start-wet-season-primed-california-november-2018" id="918ef5e0-ff6d-3599-a890-45e4a70eb357"> blog posted on the Climate.gov website </a> . That makes the Santa Anas even more dangerous than usual.

"A dry start to the current water year in October came on the heels of an even drier-than-average summer," Di Liberto wrote. "The resulting dried grasses and vegetation provided plenty of fuel for wildfires to grow exponentially should a fire be lit. And in November 2018, those wildfire powder kegs exploded in both northern and southern California."

Atmospheric scientist John Abatzoglou told Business Insider that he agreed with that assessment.

"Realistically, a lot of the large Santa Ana fire years on record end up being years where we have a delay in the onset of fall rain," he said.

Though less scientific, perhaps the most memorable definition of a Santa Ana wind is the one that's personified in the television show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

"I'm ahot, hot breeze that originates from high-pressure air masses" the male chorus version of Santa Ana wind sang in an episode in the show's second season. "Technically, I'm known as a katabatic wind, that's science for: a pain in your asses."

NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-helicopter-fights-california-wildfires-2017-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="73318fe1-d8ed-3076-a1b0-f18d18c0439d"> Watch a US Navy helicopter squadron fight the California wildfires by dropping huge barrels of water </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-map-evacuations-roads-closed-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">California's Camp Fire killed 85 people, but the death toll is still changing as DNA from remains gets identified</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wildfires-forest-animals-survive-what-happens-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">For some animals, there are more benefits after a wildfire than you may expect</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wildfire-evacuees-in-california-return-home-360-video-camp-fire-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Wildfire evacuees are returning to the destroyed California town that's ‘like moving back into a funeral home.’ See the wreckage in a 360-degree video.</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: Wildfire evacuees are returning to the destroyed California town that's ‘like moving back into a funeral home.’ See the wreckage in a 360-degree video.

The record-breaking year of deadly fires in California was stoked by distinctly devilish winds — here's how they work

Good news, salad lovers. If you can confirm that your romaine lettuce didn't come from a California farm, then munch on.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its earlier advice that all romaine — including the <a id="2a4343e0-e8b9-30fb-a12c-4392ebc6f3b9" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/romaine-lettuce-outbreak-reveals-common-food-poisoning-danger-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> pre-chopped variety </a> , whole heads, and hearts — should be avoided. CDC investigators believe they've found the source of contamination in a multistate outbreak of E. coli. The culprit lies somewhere in California's central coast growing region.

But figuring out where your greens come from is no easy task.

Salad labeling is voluntary, though the <a id="1a64906e-1977-35cc-a206-9a051f72ba49" href="https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/UCM626716.htm?utm_campaign=11262018_Statement_Current%20romaine%20lettuce%20E.%20coli%20O157%3AH7%20outbreak%20investigation&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Eloqua"> US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said </a> more labels may eventually list growing region and harvest date.

"Some romaine lettuce products are now labeled with a harvest location by region," the <a id="c1ae0ae8-b80c-3e70-abfd-fa67559f5eac" href="https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-11-18/index.html"> CDC said on its website </a> , adding, "if you do not know where the romaine is from, do not eat it."

At least 79 people across 15 US states and Canada developed E. coli infections in October and November, and at least 19 individuals in the US went to the hospital. The strain in question can cause bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and kidney failure. So far, two patients in the US developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, but no deaths have been reported.

Because it typically takes a few weeks for new illnesses to be reported to the CDC, the agency originally told everyone not to eat romaine on Thanksgiving, just to be safe The CDC and FDA also urged all shoppers and businesses to throw out any romaine lettuce in the fridge and sanitize the areas where it was stored.

"It was critically important to have a 'clean break' in the romaine supply available to consumers in the U.S. in order to purge the market of potentially contaminated romaine lettuce related to the current outbreak," the FDA said.

<h1> When will it be safe to buy romaine lettuce? </h1>

Since ill people reported eating several different kinds of romaine lettuce, both at home and in restaurants, the CDC still suggests tossing it all in the trash unless you can confirm it's not from California.

In some cases, it may not be clear whether a mix of "spring greens" contains romaine, so be careful about that, too.

Because the CDC is still investigating the E. coli outbreak, the warning about California-grown romaine does not have an end-date yet.

Meanwhile, prices for other types of lettuce have soared. Iceberg and green leaf varieties were now more than double the usual price last week, as people opted for alternative salad greens, <a id="9505abbf-830e-342b-a90d-2e107a9f1faa" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-03/panic-at-the-salad-bar-iceberg-prices-jump-amid-romaine-scare"> Bloomberg reported </a> .

Leafy greens like romaine or spinach are <a id="3e1686e2-b517-3d75-abcb-0ab06f1e7105" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/foods-most-likely-make-you-sick-food-poisoning-2017-8?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> the most common sources of foodborne illness </a> infections, according to an analysis by the CDC. That's because there are many opportunities for bacteria to spread to these products and they're usually eaten raw, so bacteria aren't killed by cooking. Washing produce can reduce some contamination, but not all.

Investigators have performed genome sequencing on the E. coli strain in question and found that this particular strain, E. coli O157:H7, is most similar to one that <a id="9e462bfc-f892-3bd1-a835-8099275c5909" href="https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2017/o157h7-12-17/index.html"> sickened 25 people </a> who ate leafy greens (including romaine lettuce) last November and December. One Californian died during that outbreak.

In May of last year, O157:H7 also turned up in soy-nut butter. Thirty-two people got sick, and nine <a id="a3680f83-2ff3-3e7f-a745-84b9b9c5c14d" href="https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2017/o157h7-03-17/index.html"> developed kidney failure </a> . Earlier this spring, another deadly O157:H7 strain <a id="6b40477b-cc0c-3cee-a31e-398566725991" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/romaine-e-coli-outbreak-ending-2018-5?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> sickened near 200 people and killed 5 </a> , but it was less genetically similar to this strain.

O157:H7 usually originates in the guts of cattle, but it can also be found in goats, sheep, deer, and elk. The strain is especially dangerous for people because it produces a nasty Shiga toxin. This kind of Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC, as it's sometimes called, spreads to humans when little bits of feces get inside the mouth. That's why a bit of undercooked meat, raw milk, or contaminated lettuce can make you ill.

Most often, E. coli gets on lettuce leaves after traveling from cattle farms to nearby fields. It can also get on lettuce when food handlers don't wash their hands properly after coming into contact with E. coli-harboring feces.

So until the CDC issues an all-clear update, continue to avoid California romaine.

Kevin Loria contributed to an earlier version of this story.

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An E. coli outbreak from romaine lettuce has sickened at least 79 people in 15 states — here's how to avoid getting sick

The flames from the Camp Fire are gone, but they've left an eerie scene of ashen devastation in Paradise, California, where hundreds of residents are now heading home for the first time in nearly a month. Many people are returning to homes that have been reduced to piles of ash and concrete lawn ornaments, in a town that was all but swallowed whole by flames just hours after the fire broke out on November 8.

"Everything I worked so hard for is gone," resident Jennifer Christensen told <a id="ceeaddb5-8d5e-3d9c-ae04-8ea76f7829b5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-residents-head-back-into-california-town-leveled-by-wildfire-2018-12?utm_source=slackbi&amp;utm_medium=slackbi?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> the Associated Press </a> as she took stock of what little was left of her home on Wednesday.

Residents were given kits with gloves and hazmat suits, the AP reported,as ash and hazardous waste are still being cleared out of town.

Photojournalist Steve Cooper, who drove up from his home in Santa Cruz to survey the damage in November, said when he arrived in Paradise the town was abandoned, and the smoke was still thick, gray, and stinky. Visibility was about a half mile, at best.

"You could taste it," Cooper told Business Insider. "You're smelling a mix of wood... burnt plastic, burnt pesticide smells, metals. It was such an intense smell."

He captured the scene in an immersive 360-degree video taken from the roof of his SUV. Though smoke kept Cooper from seeing too far off into the distance, all the typical suburban sight line barriers were gone: no homes obstructed his view as he surveyed the devastating scene.

"A quarter of a mile across, you could see nothing but chimneys standing up, or... concrete garden sculptures, like a garden gnome or a concrete deer," Cooper said. "The spiritual shot through the heart that this town took because of this fire was just indescribable."

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He says it's tough to imagine how people might now move back into the town that was home to 27,000 people just last month — an abandoned place where people <a id="66dea90b-178b-37a6-ad22-3caa0d9ee471" href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/california-camp-fire-survivor-describes-escape-2018-11"> burned to death in their cars </a> trying to escape the flames.

"It'd be like moving into the funeral home," Cooper said. "Where somebody that was close to you had their wake."

You can click around in the video below to see a 360-degree view of what Cooper saw on his trip to Paradise. Check out the scene around 5 minutes in to the film, when rescue crews working with a cadaver-sniffing dog scan a transect of land for human remains.

The cause of the Camp Fire is still being investigated, but sparking power lines may have played a role in the blaze.

At least two separate class-action lawsuits have been filed against California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&amp;E). One suit was <a id="8f46522b-b2f6-3746-a332-a0155b82e094" href="https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-fires-woolsey-hill-camp-victims-of-the-camp-fire-file-class-1542663441-htmlstory.html"> filed in Butte County </a> in November, and another was <a id="57c4f30d-a9d1-387c-aaa1-1bec5def1cdc" href="https://www.lieffcabraser.com/pdf/Camp_Wildfire_Complaint.pdf"> brought on Wednesday </a> in a San Francisco Superior Court.

Lawyer Erin Brockovich, who recently visited Paradise, said she cried while attending some community meetings there.

"I can't help it," she told Business Insider. "I just feel really bad, and I'm super frustrated because it looks like this was PG&amp;E again."

The power company maintains that the cause of the fire is still being investigated. PG&amp;E <a id="10269bfc-3ad8-3e11-aad2-c9b4f614d786" href="https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20181204_pge_announces_plan_to_restore_services_to_butte_county_customers_after_camp_fire"> says the company </a> will restore power to "nearly all customers who can receive electric service by the end of December 2018."

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SEE ALSO: California's Camp Fire killed 85 people, but the death toll is still changing as DNA from remains gets identified

paradise moving back into funeral home camp fire

Wildfire evacuees are returning to the destroyed California town that's ‘like moving backing back into a funeral home.’ See the wreckage in a 360-degree video.

The death toll from California's deadliest wildfire on record dropped back to 85 people on Monday, after authorities discovered that separate bags of remains recovered from the Camp Fire were "proven by DNA" to be the same case.

That shred of good news came as workers continue to clear debris and sift for remains in the area of Northern California hit by theCamp Fire. Eleven people are still missing, according to the <a href="https://twitter.com/ButteSheriff/status/1069811574892711936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3AButteSheriff%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&amp;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buttecounty.net%2Fsheriffcoroner%2F" id="586e2123-8563-3129-af95-294c41f6c018"> Butte County Sheriff's Office </a> , so it's possible the number of victims could still rise.

Authorities announced on November 25 that the fire, which had raged for over two weeks in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, was <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277" id="93baa658-42d4-3e30-ab0d-64eaa7f01f2b"> 100% contained </a> . The blaze scorched 153,336 acres — an area larger than the city of Chicago.

Widespread rains over the last couple of weeks brought relief to firefighters, but the wet, muddy conditions complicate efforts to locate human remains. Only 43 of the 85 remains have been positively identified to date.

The other deadly wildfire in California, the <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2282" id="2c2a7491-03e6-31cb-ac6a-2c15523ab16c"> Woolsey Fire </a> on the outskirts of LA, is also 100% contained, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The Woolsey flames burned 96,949 acres and killed three people, bringing the combined death toll from both the Woolsey and Camp fires to 88.

This year to date, <a href="https://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/predictive/intelligence/NationalYTDbyStateandAgency.pdf" id="f1195d6e-cd07-3517-afa2-12b187736f16"> 7,989 fires have burned across California </a> , fueled by hot, dry conditions and aggressive winds. The causes of the Woolsey and Camp Fires are still under investigation, but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-pge-sued-over-massive-northern-california-wildfire-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="93205446-98db-3e47-a682-5e0a31bbab3c"> sparking power lines </a> may have played a role in the Camp Fire.

<h1> The Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive in California's history </h1>

The <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277" id="29f6f37b-fc09-32ff-ac20-848d5213040a"> Camp Fire </a> moved <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/california-fire-burned-town-of-paradise-california-to-the-ground-2018-11" id="fe990828-3efc-3b2e-a2c8-c4b351cfff4f"> at a deadly pace </a> — about 80 football fields per minute — after breaking out on the morning of November 8. The 27,000-resident town of Paradise was in flames within hours.

When President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-toured-scorched-paradise-california-saw-total-devastation-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="c1332be4-d38c-3e04-a31b-0070db225591"> visited </a> the wreckage in Paradise, California on November 17, he described the area as "total devastation."

The fire's quick spread made successful evacuations nearly impossible.

"I was sitting in my car just screaming, waiting to die," Paradise resident Jackie Rabbit <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/california-camp-fire-survivor-describes-escape-2018-11" id="a285d440-34b0-3801-a3c6-9f5e5815f91a"> told INSIDER </a> . She ditched her car and started running. She didn't even notice her bloody knee or injured ankle as she raced to safety.

At least six people burned to death in their cars as they tried to escape, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said.

"The fire was so close I could feel it in my car through rolled-up windows," Rita Miller, who fled Paradise with her mother, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-deadly-fire-leveled-a-california-town-in-less-than-a-day-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="e1c6851f-caa7-3897-a296-0cb56ab5461a"> told The Associated Press </a> .

Before this, California's deadliest blaze was a 1933 fire that broke out in LA's Griffith Park. It killed 29 laborers who were caught unprepared to battle the flames. The Camp Fire's death toll is almost triple that.

More than <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277" id="e61a9ee4-c033-3895-a351-0d15c8647ada"> 13,900 homes and 500 businesses </a> were destroyed, along with over 4,200 other buildings, making the Camp Fire the <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/At-least-five-dead-as-Camp-Fire-lays-waste-to-13378522.php" id="dcd9ab99-3700-32bc-afc4-683eccc0c900"> most destructive wildfire in California's history </a> in terms of structures lost.

You can learn more about damage from the Camp Fire on <a href="http://calfire-forestry.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5306cc8cf38c4252830a38d467d33728&amp;extent=-13547810.5486%2C4824920.1673%2C-13518764.4778%2C4841526.1117%2C102100" id="fdaeaa35-13e7-3606-ae68-f5d7a2af6be3"> Cal Fire's Structure Status Map </a> and see evacuations on the <a href="http://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=41fe4499192a4e008a1d0c69a96d6284" id="2a2f7989-9a84-35f3-ab22-df6a6e1a0d2f"> Camp Fire Evacuation Map </a> .

<h1> Searching for human remains among the ash and rain is tricky </h1>

Coroner search teams are still looking for victims in Paradise. After the fire receded from the Paradise area, more than 450 people were dispatched to look for human remains in the debris, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-the-latest-cool-weather-aids-fight-of-north-california-fire-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="1154ab51-d272-3333-ad77-38d20e40c847"> according to the Associated Press </a> . Abandoned cars in driveways were taken as a potential sign that residents might not have escaped.

More than 800 volunteers spent their Thanksgiving holiday helping to look for victims, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-rain-hinders-search-but-helps-nearly-put-out-california-fire-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="a58025ec-d1d0-3c9b-a37c-e9887cdbb79c"> AP reported </a> .

Sifting through the ashes, the teams sometimes recover only the partial remains of a victim to place in a body bag.

"The long bag looks almost empty as it's carefully carried out of the ruins and placed in a black hearse," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-grim-calculus-coroners-search-for-those-killed-in-wildfire-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="ea4cbb48-4484-353d-a547-b49de549f746"> the AP's Gillian Flaccus reported from Paradise </a> .

The Butte County Sheriff's office is working with anthropologists from California State University at Chico to help identify bone fragments among ash in the area. Some residents have given cheek swabs to help officials identify their relatives' remains.

You can register yourself as safe or search for loved ones who are missing using the <a href="https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php" id="ef395f35-b845-324a-a27c-45323e654e08"> Red Cross' "Safe and Well" list online </a> .

<h1> Federal money is arriving, but Trump incorrectly blamed a lack of raking for the fires </h1>

Governor-elect Gavin Newsom <a href="https://www.kion546.com/news/state-of-emergency-declared-in-california-fire/852511870" id="fcce955e-348a-3b1c-a3d0-c256d7582355"> declared a state of emergency </a> in Butte County the day the fire broke out and <a href="http://ltg.ca.gov/news.2018.11.08_FireAssistance.html" id="b1c62cff-8719-3d71-a900-0e6e9928e22a"> sent a letter </a> to President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency asking for federal assistance.

Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-california-emergency-declaration-3/" id="c8573361-53d3-3859-a315-02fb6633b08b"> approved some federal assistance for the California fires </a> on November 9 and <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1062153051459469312" id="c4d2fabc-2d2a-364e-ab63-5a04a1d8c961"> said on November 12 </a> that he approved an "expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration," which allows people whose homes or workplaces were hit by the Woolsey or Camp Fires to apply for federal assistance.

But on Twitter, Trump blamed the fires on poor forest management and threatened that there may be "no more Fed payments." (The federal government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-blames-california-wildfires-on-gross-mismanagement-of-forests-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="8f4baf63-e600-3be0-a778-ecebfdecf564"> oversees more than 40% of California's land </a> .) When visiting, Trumpalso <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/finland-president-niinistoe-confused-over-trump-raking-comment-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="60905eb3-8ebd-3b04-af4b-1ac0fc6e14b4"> criticized Californians for not doing more raking </a> .

"I was watching the firemen the other day, and they were raking areas — they were raking areas where the fire was,"Trump said on Fox News Sunday. "That should have been all raked out and cleaned out," he added. "You wouldn't have the fire."

Trump suggested that's how Finland prevents forest fires, but the president of Finland said it's not true.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency <a href="https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2018/11/13/president-donald-j-trump-approves-major-disaster-declaration-california" id="dd2e3f88-95ff-3dde-a98b-13a5e16fd7ed"> said in a release </a> that federal disaster assistance for the fire victims "can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster."

Over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-feds-have-given-over-20-million-in-aid-to-wildfire-victims-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="d2dad8a6-9760-34e6-a669-21cf80042bea"> $20 million in federal aid </a> has been distributed so far, according to the agency, mostly in the form of hotel vouchers and other housing assistance.

The aid is much needed among fire victims who lost everything. Troy Miller, a Butte County resident, was camping in a truck next to the remains of his housein Concow.

"I'm alive and I'm still up here," Miller told the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-in-smoldering-wildfire-ruins-life-goes-on-for-a-hardy-few-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="88a9e8d6-c638-3a4f-a4de-bbd60ca9c6f7"> Associated Press </a> on November 19. "There are plenty of other people worse off than I. I've got a lot of faith in God. I think things will be OK."

<h1> Smoke from the fires traveled hundreds of miles and made San Francisco air unhealthy to breathe for weeks </h1>

Smoke from the Camp Fire made it difficult for people in many parts of Northern California to breathe for nearly two weeks. <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/air/smoke_from_fire.htm" id="3603fbac-f9e5-3805-a68a-601eb32f52d8"> Soot and chemicals released </a> from the flames blanketed wide swaths of the state in a gray haze.

In the days after the fires broke out, the <a href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/airnow/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&amp;cityid=317" id="8e97d578-a78e-3c85-aed9-e4d59279f636"> Environmental Protection Agency described the air </a> throughout much of the Bay Area as "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" to breathe.

Federal <a href="https://airnow.gov/" id="0f2ba5a5-1536-37fa-ae7e-fe3805191341"> air monitors </a> suggested that residents limit time outside and avoid outdoor exercise. <a href="http://www.sfusd.edu/" id="16340516-f55b-3325-a55f-9456065c3b9e"> San Francisco public schools shuttered their doors </a> on November 16, and <a href="https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845085/escape-the-smoke-these-san-francisco-museums-are-free-this-weekend" id="4f9e2701-3af6-389c-a76e-706f4b56da57"> many museums opened their doors admission-free </a> to help people find indoor activities.

The San Francisco Air Quality Index, which measures the number of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/does-the-us-have-the-cleanest-air-in-the-world-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="fb3c83dd-eb81-350f-a279-8eb0ec5e811d"> dangerously small pollutants </a> in the air, is now back to normally healthy numbers. The US Department of the Interior <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/new-analysis-shows-2018-california-wildfires-emitted-much-carbon-dioxide-entire-years" id="888db219-bc1a-3529-a86d-536def1ef69b"> estimates </a> that the Camp and Woolsey Fires together "produced emissions equivalent to roughly 5.5 million tons of carbon dioxide."

<h1> The Woolsey fire burned nearly 97,000 acres near LA and killed three people </h1>

The <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2282" id="2c2a7491-03e6-31cb-ac6a-2c15523ab16c"> Woolsey Fire </a> , fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds, destroyed 1,500 structures, mostly homes. The fire was marked as <a href="https://twitter.com/LACoFDPIO/status/1065433681857114112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065433681857114112&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fabc7.com%2Fwoolsey-fire-containment-reaches-100-percent%2F4736532%2F" id="24693ebe-7d68-3fb1-a5a7-c139770077af"> 100% contained </a> on November 21.

Three people died in the Woolsey Fire. Two burned bodies were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-engulf-malibu-in-flames-woolsey-fire-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="c74cb486-70c7-3d06-a333-b16ee129b719"> found in a car in Malibu </a> near Mulholland Highway, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said, while a <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-woolsey-fire-response-20181114-story.html" id="8acac7a4-84f1-397a-abd3-5296f2ea1576"> third victim </a> was discovered in the wreckage of a home in Agoura Hills.

At its peak, the fire forced over 275,000 people from their homes. Carol Napoli, who lives at the Vallecito mobile-home park for seniors in Newbury Park, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-wind-respite-may-help-southern-california-wildfire-fight-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="51b0ffe4-0d55-3df3-aefa-a76a45180ad0"> told the AP </a> that the flames approached the park so fast that her mother didn't have time to grab her oxygen tank before they bolted in a car.

"We drove through flames to get out," Napoli said, adding: "My girlfriend was driving. She said, 'I don't know if I can do this.' ... Her son said, 'Mom you have to — you have to drive through the flames.'"

The fire threatened mobile homes and mansions alike. Celebrities including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gerard-butler-california-wildfires-destroy-home-2018-11?_ga=2.135402553.925065653.1542029079-597271069.1539109690?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="eff2c7ac-cee3-347e-af6b-ecba8bb29753"> Gerard Butler </a> , Miley Cyrus, and Neil Young lost their houses.

More than 80% of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the country's largest urban national park, burned, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-fires-woolsey-hill-camp-in-stunning-loss-83-of-santa-monica-1542135847-htmlstory.html" id="8472909c-669d-3fcb-a872-4046ab92353f"> according to the Los Angeles Times </a> . Flames and smoke sent <a href="https://twitter.com/SantaMonicaMtns/status/1062133987412447240" id="041d9a35-7197-359c-a0fc-62d226cd2386"> bobcats and mountain lions in the area scampering </a> .

The blaze also <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSEveningNews/status/1061002186799362049" id="62f5afcb-525c-3d47-a2c5-66426efdd84e"> destroyed the storied filming location of Paramount Ranch </a> , where the shows "Westworld" and "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" were shot.

You can view find more information and resources on the <a href="https://www.vcemergency.com/" id="14d6e350-d624-3e86-a7ce-fb93faff73ae"> Ventura County Emergency Information </a> site, the <a href="http://venturacountyrecovers.org/" id="50a0dc62-96ab-313a-a820-d2f2bf08a280"> Ventura County Recovers </a> site, and <a href="http://www.lacounty.gov/woolseyfire/" id="bb640e11-75f1-3ed2-a10f-0a042f11e66d"> LA County's Woolsey Fire </a> site.

Both the Woolsey Fire and another small fire, the Hill Fire, threatened the town of Thousand Oaks, where residents were already reeling from a mass shooting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/thousand-oaks-shooting-california-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="c5803dc2-8009-3a7b-aa30-5c2c6ddaf522"> that left 12 people dead </a> .

A resident named Cynthia Ball <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/10/2-killed-in-southern-california-fire-thats-doubled-in-size/" id="220bb266-8c6c-33ef-abd8-f07d3dd84906"> told the AP </a> it was "like 'welcome to hell.'"

The <a href="http://www.lacounty.gov/woolseyfire/" id="c87f21b0-1d33-33e5-a95a-c201e2d8b8e8"> LA County website </a> says: "If you are affected by the Woolsey or Hill fires, the Thousand Oaks mass shooting, or both, you can call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text 'TalkWithUs' to 66746 for emotional support and resources."

<h1> Wildfires are no longer limited to one season </h1>

The flames in Southern California have been fueled by hot, dry conditions and spread by <a href="http://people.atmos.ucla.edu/fovell/LATimes_SantaAna.html" id="93bea114-5746-34c9-a255-bfa8889f09cb"> Santa Ana winds </a> , which tend to blow in from the desert in the fall months.

Read more : <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfire-season-why-is-it-longer-stronger-more-destructive-warm-weather-climate-change-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="5d51bfa2-146b-38f5-aa52-a5985c862cc4"> Why wildfire season is getting longer and stronger </a>

As the <a href="https://twitter.com/VCFD_PIO/status/1061001989494984704" id="66a94428-9ef2-38e0-af10-38f7536927a1"> LA Fire Department's Erik Scott pointed out on Twitter </a> , some houses are better protected from fires than others, since green vegetation can help keep back flames.

Wildfire season in California technically runs from late summer through the fall. But as the planet heats up, higher-than-average temperatures and drought conditions are becoming more common. Meanwhile, developers continue to build homes in places that are naturally prone to wildfires.

"Whether it is to allow a rock star to build on a ridgeline in Malibu or a manufactured-home community that nestles into the foothills, the decision is the same and the consequences are the same," Char Miller, the director of environmental analysis at Pomona College, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-fire-policy-trump-brown-20181114-story.html" id="d5007cfe-5b02-3f3f-a18c-0da00f46374d"> told the Times </a> .

Fire officials in the state are now <a href="http://www.lacounty.gov/woolseyfire/" id="e98f0abd-256d-3e40-acbe-e26c37e9e1f0"> acknowledging </a> that wildfires <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfire-season-why-is-it-longer-stronger-more-destructive-warm-weather-climate-change-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="bb502640-3926-3352-adff-50c23c6f1fd1"> may not be limited to any specific season </a> .

Michelle Mark, Bryan Logan, and David Choi contributed reporting.

NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-firenado-fire-tornado-forms-wildfire-2017-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="d80f5073-be82-3930-aef7-8d2623212ab0"> A 'firenado' is a real thing — here’s how the dangerous phenomenon forms </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-paradise-magalia-before-after-satellite-photos-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Satellite images show how the Camp Fire destroyed entire towns and killed dozens of people</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-how-to-make-go-bag-emergency-kit-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">13 items you should have ready in an emergency kit in case of a wildfire</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-are-getting-worse-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Stunning facts reveal how much more devastating wildfire season has become in California and throughout the US</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: A California wildfire just demolished an entire town and forced the Kardashians to evacuate. Here’s why wildfire season is getting longer and stronger.

DON'T MISS: Here's what the wildfires look like on the ground

California's Camp Fire killed 85 people, but the death toll is still changing as DNA from remains gets identified

Age ain't nothing but a number, but it's not a number we can change as we see fit.

Emile Ratelband, a 69-year-old Dutch motivational speaker and author, doesn't see it that way.

Ratelband recently sought to legally change his age to be 20 years younger than what his birth certificate says. He believes that if he feels like he's in his 40s, he should be able to alter his official age to reflect that.

The Netherlands government doesn't allow such a move. So Ratelband sued, asking a court in the Dutch town of Arnhem to consider his case.

"My aging has stopped," Ratelband told Business Insider by phone from Germany, as he was preparing for another in a string of TV and radio appearances related to his case. (He seemed to be enjoying the media spotlight as much as the legal battle.)

The Dutchman said he feels "condemned" by his elderly status and wants society to recognize the age he feels is most appropriate.

"I'm 69, but I like to work my ass off," he said. "I look at my biological age, and my biological age is 40, 42."

Ratelband argues that his age brings with it some unfair constraints, since being classified as a sexagenarian makes it harder for him to live an active, youthful life. It's harder for older folks to get a mortgage, Ratelband said, and near impossible to get work. He could avoid age-related discrimination, he claims, if his numbered years better aligned with the way he feels.

A Dutch district court refused his request on Monday, saying it did not find any reason in his arguments for a change in policy. The key reason why the court said no to Ratelband's request is because aging comes with special rights and privileges, like a requirement to attend school, and a right to vote.

"If Mr. Ratelband’s request was allowed, those age requirements would become meaningless," the court said in a <a id="42d20f3e-e220-3d6c-a15e-17afae1d9217" href="https://www.rechtspraak.nl/Organisatie-en-contact/Organisatie/Rechtbanken/Rechtbank-Gelderland/Nieuws/Paginas/District-court-refuses-to-amend-Emil-Ratelbands-date-of-birth.aspx"> written statement </a> on its website.

The court argued those differences in rights and privileges are what makes an age change categorically different from a name change or a sex change, and the number one reason that it shouldn't be allowed.

<h1> How Ratelband keeps himself feeling young </h1>

It's not uncommon for people whose livelihoods have age restrictions to claim they're older or younger than they really are. <a id="9fbf60ea-ddec-3650-adcf-af79f6fef289" href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/hollywood-actors-lie-age/story?id=14778404"> Actors </a> , <a id="73a8d712-05d1-3021-a15c-da887fe01008" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100821203418/http://www.americanwaymag.com/mila-kunis-halloween-max-payne-united-states-food"> actresses </a> , <a id="011e6e1b-8602-3d72-ac12-f874c7122b1f" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/4978216/One-in-five-of-Chinas-athletes-lie-about-their-age.html"> gymnasts </a> and <a id="00b33af7-5d9b-375d-a521-b806fd854b0c" href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/feb/21/nigerian-football-age-old-problem"> footballers </a> have all tried to obscure their ages to qualify for competition or to save face in a culture that cares (perhaps too much) about age.

But Ratelband is not hiding his real age right now. He just claims that his strict diet, exercise routine, and mindset have given him a "different point of view."

Read More : <a id="530e0e84-3187-3e2a-a4a6-58e82d0c54d9" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-slow-down-aging-with-a-reduced-calorie-diet-2018-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Cutting down on calories could slow the aging process, according to new research </a>

"I don't drink coffee or tea, no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs, no dairy products, no meat," he said, adding that he takes a cold bath to wake up in the morning (a practice <a id="a9643788-0d15-337f-a751-e6fc703613ac" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-elites-ice-baths-cold-showers-fasting-2018-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Silicon Valley biohackers are also embracing </a> ).

Ratelband says that ever since he worked with fitness guru and motivational speaker <a id="07688dc1-2a6a-37f9-a210-c3f4879343cb" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-tony-robbins-really-like-behind-the-scenes-fiji-2017-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Tony Robbins </a> in the late 80s, time seems to have stood still for his body and mind. (Robbins didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's requests to verify this.)

He also argues that the world has changed as he's aged — we now live in an era of joint replacements, Botox injections, and smartphones. Ratelband thinks this progress helps us feel younger and sharper, something that should be reflected in our ages.

"In Europe, they're very old fashioned, and they're not used to change," he said.

Ratelband was even ready to give up his €1,500 Euro monthly pension in return for 20 years off his official age.

But there is some merit to the idea that aging doesn't always march forward in a linear fashion.

<h1> Humans age, but not all life forms do </h1>

Earthlings haven't always aged. The earliest life forms on the planet were <a id="d11136a9-b765-3839-a7d7-f038fe816d5d" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bathroom-hand-dryers-or-paper-towels-which-carries-more-bacteria-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> single-celled microbes </a> that didn't breathe or grow old. They only got killed off by illness or injury.

The same is true of some <a id="bbe5987e-c273-351d-a9ee-98d8c3279254" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/henrietta-lacks-cancer-cells-get-new-protection-2013-8?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> endlessly replicating cancer cells </a> , such as those of cancer patient <a id="df3f830a-4e3f-3dc6-a3f7-577f8c18cf7c" href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/importance-of-hela-cells.html"> Henrietta Lacks </a> . Scientists have studied those cells for decades, and still use them in research today.

Although humans can't live forever, they have demonstrably <a id="22a04087-f10e-3f46-a0f6-b4b47b592d39" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-slow-down-aging-with-a-reduced-calorie-diet-2018-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> slowed down their biological aging processes </a> by eating better, <a id="4725ecb6-f202-3b22-a82b-efc54039d7a5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exercise-can-prevent-aging-boost-brain-health-2018-5?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> exercising </a> , <a id="57888945-46bd-3c93-a761-7f6355d6299d" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ways-to-slow-aging-stay-young-2017-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> meditating, and maintaining </a> community ties with family, friends, and spouses. Scientists think part of the way this works is by <a id="c00288c6-a89b-383d-a2ff-8f4bdd5ea8eb" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-slow-down-aging-according-to-science-2017-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> helping maintain the health of our chromosomes </a> .

At the same time, as healthcare and sanitation conditions improve around the world, people are living longer, healthier lives than before through science and technology. Data shows that as people gain access to better toilets and vaccines, their life expectancy <a id="c57f65ab-6ad4-347f-a7cb-2d2b9707a1f6" href="https://www.who.int/gho/mortality_burden_disease/life_tables/situation_trends_text/en/"> soars </a> .

Some studies have also shown that getting old is about more than the passing of time. <a id="5920e959-4626-32b5-a16c-d8da92e492be" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ellen-langers-reversing-aging-experiment-2015-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer </a> discovered that by putting men in their 70s into an environment that felt like it was frozen 20 years in the past, she could improve their "physical strength, manual dexterity, gait, posture, perception, memory, cognition, taste sensitivity, hearing, and vision," in just one week.

Those studies on aging suggest that the power of perception isn't something to be brushed aside when talking about longevity.

<h1> The logical holes in Ratelbands quest to change his age </h1>

At its simplest, Ratelband's argument can logically be reduced to: I feel young, therefore, I am young.

Troublingly, he has likened this fight to change his age to the transgender movement. That comparison is problematic and caused offense — trans writerShon Faye called it pure "nonsense" in <a id="1c6ffff5-844a-3811-a663-e8c8ee77d2b9" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/13/troll-media-trans-emile-ratelband-lgbt"> The Guardian </a> .

But there are other flaws in Ratelband's logic. According to his concept of age, shouldn't an especially astute, learned, and mature child be able to assert that they are older than their birth years?

"No, no, no," he said, quickly brushing aside the counterargument. "Because that's forbidden by law."

One judge hearing his case <a id="b0bda6a0-2a0c-3431-acd0-6c250d1cfefe" href="https://www.ad.nl/show/emile-ratelband-tegen-rechter-ik-lijd-onder-mijn-leeftijd~afb720d5/"> pointed out another big hole in his argument, asking </a> : "For whom did your parents care?Who was that little boy then?"

Ratelband simply replied that his parents are dead, as if no one should care that he might erase some history if those who've seen it are already gone.

The Dutch court, issuing its ruling, agreed that people today may "feel fit and healthy" well into old age, but didn't buy that as an argument for getting rid of some years.

"Mr. Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly," the Dutch court said Monday, as it refused his request. "But amending his date of birth would cause 20 years of records to vanish from the register of births, deaths, marriages and registered partnerships. This would have a variety of undesirable legal and societal implications. The priority must be to ensure that the public registers contain accurate factual information."

<h1> Chronological versus subjective age </h1>

Ratelband thinks of his case as something of a "pre-cursor" to a future aging crisis and considers himself an age crusader.

"In 25 years, all kinds of people who are then at the age of 70 will feel like if they are 40," he said. "Everything has changed... only the government doesn't change at all."

But changes in how we define age are nothing new. One wouldn't expect people today to die of old age in their 30s, as <a id="aa49ca71-2483-3cab-a9e6-85e92d764b40" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/241864.stm"> many did in the middle ages </a> . And while the US birth rate fell overall last year, it <a id="02014f6c-91af-3fb6-a3ee-dc9a73da3d21" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-birth-rate-hit-all-time-low-demographic-time-bomb-2018-5?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> rose 2% among women between the ages of 40 and 44 </a> , and 3% for those from 45 to 49 — a change that would have been inconceivable in decades past.

Some experts <a id="c196a322-f55d-3ee6-a449-ce26debb6608" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4349738/"> refer to the disconnect </a> between how we expect people to behave and feel at certain ages and the reality of how they actually feel as a conflict between "chronological age" and "subjective age."

Even Thomas Jefferson grappled with this idea.

"I have observed,that at whatever age, or in whatever form, we have known a personof oldso we believehimto continue indefinitely, unchanged by time or decay," he wrote <a id="17e29e53-3715-38b4-a26e-fe1779efe11c" href="http://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/1593"> from Monticello </a> in 1826.

Of course, that's not always the way the world works. Age discrimination has been shown to have a detrimental effect on <a id="4ca1a008-012d-3e6c-ac3d-33d1bd4caa0e" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392872/#CR15"> health care </a> , <a id="25dd66e0-5e85-3075-abae-40f66c43bf44" href="https://www.aarp.org/work/job-hunting/info-07-2013/older-workers-more-valuable.html?intcmp=AE-WOR-RELBOX"> employment </a> , and, yes, even dating prospects. Ratelband, who <a id="8ec9c652-93a4-3725-a050-ca010786ed81" href="https://www.ad.nl/show/emile-ratelband-draagmoeder-heeft-mijn-tweeling-verloren~a6f88df3/"> tried to have his eighth child using a surrogate earlier this year </a> , jokes that's been a problem for him.

"I made a joke with the Tinder," he said of the online dating app. "If you go on Tinder, you are 69, you have no connections at all, but if you are 49, that's good."

The Dutch court didn't buy that argument either, ruling Ratelband "failed to sufficiently substantiate his claim that he suffers from age discrimination."

"In any case, there are other alternatives available for challenging age discrimination, rather than amending a person’s date of birth," the court said.

Ratelband said he is planning to file an appeal within the next two months in this fight for the ages.

NOW WATCH: <a id="54fc5b4e-a3b9-34e1-aa9f-8cc779897e97" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/science-study-exercise-most-age-slower-2017-5?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Scientists discovered that people who work out the most have a huge advantage when it comes to aging </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-cheaper-flights-other-airline-secrets-2017-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro this holiday season</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/candid-photos-of-prince-william-kate-middleton-prince-harry-in-2017-2017-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">The 85 most candid photos of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate Middleton from 2017 and 2018</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-2018-income-tax-brackets-2018-1?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Here's a look at what the new income tax brackets mean for every type of US taxpayer this year</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: Cutting down on calories could slow the aging process, according to new research

Hilary Brueck

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