Monday, October 7

Today is the grim anniversary of the Israel-Hamas War, which began exactly one year ago on October 7, 2023 when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing almost 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Since then, over 42,000 Palestinians and 2,000 Lebanese citizens have been killed in Israeli attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah. Over 1.9 million others have been displaced in Gaza, and another 1.2 million have been forced from their homes in Lebanon.

Hurricane Milton is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico, and it is heading straight for Florida-- a US state that was just battered by Hurricane Helene.

Milton recently formed on Saturday as a tropical depression, and it spun around in the western Gulf, near the eastern coast of Mexico, before slowly moving east across the area. It quickly strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane within one day, and it is now charging through the Gulf, setting its sights on Florida.

Milton is now a Category 2 hurricane, heading east with winds of over 110 mph. It will soon strengthen to a Category 3, a major hurricane, before brushing Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, possibly hitting the city of Merida and maybe even the well-known beach town of Cancún, which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. From there, it is expected to maintain major hurricane status and slam into western Florida, heading directly for Tampa.

Tampa was hit extremely hard by Hurricane Helene just last week, suffering from winds of over 130 mph, heavy rain, and storm surge of 6-8 feet, which inundated almost the entire city. This hurricane could soon impact the same area with similar conditions, which could devastate the area even more.

Thankfully, the hurricane won't stay for long-- it is moving quickly, and should only impact the area for about a day. However, it is expected to so some serious damage in that time period, and is blasting across the Gulf-- Florida residents should start preparing now.

Upcoming Events:

• World Habitat Week (Monday, October 7)

• World Cotton Day (Monday, October 7)

• World Post Day (Wednesday, October 9)

• World Mental Health Day (Thursday, October 10)

• International Day of the Girl Child (Friday, October 11)

• Yom Kippur (Friday, October 11 to Saturday, October 12)

• World Migratory Bird Day (Saturday, October 12)

• America's Cup (Sailing) Begins (Saturday, October 12)

• International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (Sunday, October 13)

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A lion's age can be told by its nose. The nose begins as a bright pink as a child, and as the lion grows older, it develops freckles over that pink. Soon, when the lion has become an older, more mature adult, the nose turns completely gray or black.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If one out of 15 ideas succeed, that’s better than 99% of your friends who never start a single idea. (Gary Vaynerchuk)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Berate (verb)- To berate someone is to angrily scold or criticize them, often loudly and at length.

In a Sentence: “Don’t berate yourself over canceling plans,” his friend told him. “Sometimes you just need to take care of yourself.”