Search The Website!

Contents: Hurricane Lidia Makes Landfall in Western Mexico With Strong Winds and Heavy Rain Death Toll From Israel-Hamas War Rises, Attacks From Both Sides Continue Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Hurricane Lidia has made landfall on the west coast of Mexico near the city of Puerto Vallarta as a Category 4, and it is wreaking havoc with winds of over 140 mph and heavy rain. Flash flooding and mudslides are expected as about 4-8 inches of rain will fall over the area, but up to 12 inches are possible. Storm surge is pounding the coastline as strong waves batter the entire Mexican west coast, but Lidia won't last long. Thankfully, the storm is moving at a very fast pace and will fizzle out as soon as later today as it rapidly weakens as it moves inland. On another note, the death toll from the deadly Israel-Hamas war has risen, with about 1,000 Israelis dead in the attacks and about 800 Palestinians dead in the retaliation strikes on Gaza. Hamas launched an attack by land, sea, and air a few days ago and Israel scrambled to counter the unexpected invasion which has now become an all-out war. Multiple countries have pledged support for Israel and frozen aid for Palestine as Israelis all over the world return home to fight for their country. However, Hamas also took hostages before they retreated from Israel, which could pose a big issue for Palestine if the group refuses to release them back to Israel. Fact of the Day: McDonald's sells 75 burgers per second, which is impressive considering that they have about 37,000 locations across 120 countries. Quote of the Day: To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. (Oscar Wilde) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Berserk (adj)- Berserk generally means “markedly out of control due to intense anger or excitement.” It is often used in the phrase go berserk, which can mean either “to become very excited” or “to become very angry and often violent.” In a Sentence: The crowd went wild with berserk fans screaming as the main act finally hit the stage.

Contents: War Breaks Out Between Israel and Palestine After Deadly Hamas Attacks Massive Earthquake Strikes Western Afghanistan, Hundreds Feared Dead Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day A huge war has broken out in the Middle East, with tensions now erupting into battles between Israel and Gaza. The Hamas group infiltrated 22 Israeli towns and army bases and killed over 250 Israelis in their attack from land, air, and sea. Over 1,500 other Israelis were injured and dozens were kidnapped by Hamas in the full-scale attack that included gunfire and airstrikes. Air raid sirens rang across the towns attacked before the rockets smashed into buildings, with some multi-story apartments collapsing completely. Over 230 Palestinians have been killed in retaliation attacks from Israel on Gaza, which also include airstrikes and exchanging of gunfire. Major airlines have canceled most flights to the area, and any flights passing through have been rerouted to avoid flying over Israel and Palestine. Many Israelis all over the world are now returning home to fight for their country as attacks continue, and it could become a full-scale war in the near future. On another note, at least 120 people are dead and thousands of others are injured after a series of strong earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday. Confirmed reports say that 120 are dead, but some others predict the numbers to rise to over 300. The largest of the quakes was measured at 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale and delivered widespread damage across the area. Almost 2 million people live in the province, the majority of them living in the city of Herat, which is located only 25 miles (40 km) away from the epicenter of the earthquake. Buildings collapsed and infrastructure was damaged across the city, and recovery efforts and rescue crews are now taking action to save any survivors and help patch up the damage. Fact of the Day: There is actually an ant species unique to Manhattan, called the ManhattAnts, which were discovered between 63rd and 76th Street in Broadway. They are different from others because they have more carbon in their bodies than normal due to a high corn-syrup diet. Quote of the Day: If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. (Oprah Winfrey) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Portentous (adj)- Portentous is a formal and literary term that describes something that gives a sign or warning that something (and usually something bad or unpleasant) is going to happen. It can also describe the pompous attitude or behavior of someone who is trying to seem important, serious, or impressive. In a Sentence: Edgar Allen Poe’s stories are filled with portentous foreshadowing.

To start off this daily update, we apologize for the mistake in yesterday's update. The annular solar eclipse will take place today, on Saturday, not Friday. To read the update (which has been corrected), click here. Contents: Israel Tells 1.1 Million Citizens of Gaza City to Evacuate, UN Calls For Cease-Fire Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Israel made a huge announcement yesterday calling all northern Gaza citizens (about 1.1 million people) to leave their homes and flee the city, possibly ahead of a ground invasion in retaliation to Hamas' attacks earlier this month. The attacks killed about 1,300 people, but Israel's numerous retaliation strikes have killed about 1,900 Palestinians and injured over 7,600 others. Israeli airstrikes were reported on Gaza after the announcement, killing about 70 Palestinians and injuring over 200 others as they tried to escape the city. The strip is extremely narrow, so there are only two main roads to get out of Gaza City and into southern Gaza, where you can either stay or cross into Egypt. Israel is most likely preparing for a full-scale invasion, judging by the number of soldiers who are lining up at the border, but Hamas will fight back for sure, so they have asked Gaza City citizens to stay. Countries all over the world are scrambling to get their citizens out of the area before the climax of the war to avoid any more deaths- 27 Americans and 15 Frenchmen were killed in the initial invasion by Hamas, and multiple others are still missing. To add to that, the UN may have to deal with another humanitarian crisis (in addition to the Russia-Ukraine War), as many Gaza citizens who are in danger may not have the means to leave. Also, multiple UN diplomats have pointed out that there definitely isn't enough shelter or resources for 1.1 million people to suddenly move to southern Gaza, which could escalate the catastrophe and cause many more deaths. The United Nations is now calling for a cease-fire and a halt to Israel's call for Gaza evacuation, to end the war before it escalates into something devastating, as there are limits to wars. If this doesn't happen, they are urging Israel to at least provide safe passage out of Gaza for Palestinian civilians and citizens of other countries, as well as recognizing the difference between the brutal Hamas troops and innocent citizens of Gaza City. Fact of the Day: In the past, movie trailers were originally shown after the movie (hence the name, "trailer"). However, very few people actually stayed to watch them, and producers found out that releasing the trailer before the movie was actually a better marketing strategy. Quote of the Day: The healthiest response to life is joy. (Deepak Chopra) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Circumvent (verb)- To circumvent something is to get around it in a clever and sometimes dishonest way, or, if it's a rule or law, to avoid being stopped by it. In a Sentence: We circumvented the technical issues by using a different computer program.

Today is the infamous Friday the 13th! Contents: Annular Solar Eclipse Taking Place Tomorrow, Next One In US Will Be In 2039 Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Make sure to look out for the spectacular annular solar eclipse tomorrow, which can be seen across the United States, Central America, and South America. Find out more about what an annular eclipse is here. To find out the path of the eclipse through major cities, keep reading. The "ring of fire" can only be seen along the exact path of the eclipse, which will peak at around 9:18 am PDT in Oregon near the city of Eugene. It will later pass through Albuquerque, New Mexico, peaking at around 10:37 am MDT before moving onto San Antonio, Texas, where it will peak at around 11:54 am CDT. After leaving the US following peaking in Corpus Christi, Texas at 11:58 am CDT, it will peak in the city of Campeche, Mexico at 11:24 am CST. The eclipse can be seen in Belmopan, the capital of Belize, next at 11:34 am CST, but it will not pass through many other major cities as citizens in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and then Brazil before ending as the sun sets on the Atlantic. All of the United States and Central America, most of South America, and some of the Caribbean will be able to see some sort of eclipse, but you can look up your specific town here and see how much of it you will be able to see and at what time. Ensure that you are viewing them with special, ISO-certified solar glasses, which will block infrared and UV rays to stop the sun's light from damaging your eyes. Looking through anything else like a phone camera or telescope will still be harmful, and regular sunglasses should definitely not be worn- special solar viewing glasses are up to 100,000 times darker! Also, make sure not to miss this eclipse if you live in the US, because the next annular eclipse will be in 2039! However, there will be a total eclipse that passes through the region on April 8, 2024, which is sure to be an even more spectacular sight! Fact of the Day: The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia, which is based off of the word triskaidekaphobia that means fear of the number 13. Quote of the Day: Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. (Maya Angelou) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gullible (adj)- Someone described as gullible is easily fooled or cheated. In other words, they are quick to believe something that is not true. In a Sentence: The store sells overpriced souvenirs to gullible tourists, and no self-respecting local would shop there.

Contents: 1,200 Israelis Dead After Deadly Hamas Attacks, Israeli Retaliation Airstrikes Continue Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day At least 1,200 Israelis are dead after the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, and the death toll continues to rise as the true impact of the brutal invasion continues to show more and more. Hamas also kidnapped about 150 hostages when retreating from Israel after rampaging through villages and killing thousands of people, and Israel is now launching hundreds of airstrikes in retaliation for the invasion. They are trying to convince Hamas to hand the hostages back over, but the group refuses to do so. Due to this, Israel may be planning a land attack in retaliation to save the hostages, but this is just speculation by some officials. In this time of war, Israel's two parties are joined together into a unity government to put up a strong, unified front against the attacks. However, they have put a siege into place, cutting off Gaza from electricity, food, and water. Many officials around the world are urging parents to tell their kids to delete social media from their devices because Hamas has said that if Israel does not stop the retaliation attacks on Gaza, they will post brutal videos of them killing Israeli citizens online. This could show videos or images that are extremely violent and inappropriate for children and could be targeted towards kids who follow Jewish or Israeli influencers. The retaliation attacks, however, are still continuing, which could prove deadly for the hostages being held by Hamas. Fact of the Day: You can't hum while holding your nose. Go ahead, try it! Quote of the Day: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. (Confucius) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Voracity (noun)- Voracity refers to an immoderate eagerness or enthusiasm for something, or to an intense desire to eat or consume something. In a Sentence: Elena reads books with a voracity that requires multiple weekly visits to the library.

Contents: 1,600 Now Dead In Deadly Israel-Palestine War After Hamas Attack Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Over 1,600 people are now dead in the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has now become a war, according to Israel. The Middle Eastern country continues to ramp up efforts against the Hamas group, which started the war a few days ago when they launched a full scale attack by land, sea, and air. These attacks have killed about 900 people in Israel, and about 100 others were taken hostage when the group retreated back into Gaza. Retaliation from Israel has killed about 700 people in Gaza. Israel is now urging any Gaza residents to leave while they can, before they launch an invasion into the strip and launch their own airstrikes into the city. They have also put a complete siege into place around Gaza, cutting off food, water, and electricity. Europe has frozen all Palestinian aid and pledged support for Israel amid this invasion by Hamas, and multiple other countries have done the same. This conflict is all due to tension that has been building up for decades, right back to the mid 1900s when Palestine was a British territory. After World War II, a lot of the Jewish people who had been treated badly in Europe came to Palestine and tried to establish their own country, and to make the long story short, there has been conflict over the land ever since. Fact of the Day: More monopoly money is printed each year than actual US dollars. About $974 million worth of actual money is printed by the US government every year, while Monopoly prints about $30 billion worth of fake money every year. Quote of the Day: Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it. (James Baldwin) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Juncture (noun)- Juncture refers to an important point in a process or activity, or to a junction, that is, a place where things join. In a Sentence: "At this juncture in the editing process," said Philip, "it is important that all facts have been double-checked and sources verified."

Contents: Death Toll From Catastrophic Afghanistan Earthquakes Hits 2,000 Amazon Prime Day Coming Up In US Upcoming Events Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day The death toll from the deadly Afghanistan earthquakes has risen by a huge amount, going from about 500 on Saturday to approximately 2,000. Almost 10,000 others have been injured and thousands of structures have been damaged in the series of quakes, the strongest of which measured at 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale. They struck in western Afghanistan in the Herat province, which has a population of over 2 million, just 25 miles (40 km) away from the capital of Herat. Rescue crews are still trying their best to help save any survivors as they continue to discover more bodies under the rubble. On another note, Prime Day in the United States is coming up, with the huge yearly Amazon sales event taking place on October 10-11. Huge deals come every year on almost everything possible, from coffee makers to toys. Make sure not to miss it if you are an Amazon Prime member, because you could score some big deals on some big things! Upcoming Events: World Mental Health Day (Tuesday, October 10) Amazon Prime Day in United States Begins (Tuesday, October 10) International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (Friday, October 13) World Migratory Bird Day (Saturday, October 14) Fact of the Day: Bananas get their curved shape by growing towards the sun. Instead of growing towards the ground, it defies gravity and turns around grow upwards toward the sun's rays, which is why you almost never see a straight banana. Quote of the Day: Life is like looking for your phone. Most of the time, it's in your hand. (Unknown Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Obtain (verb)- To obtain something is to gain or get it usually by planned action or effort, as opposed to chance, purchase, or another method. In a Sentence: The experiment was designed to obtain more accurate data about weather patterns.

Contents: Typhoon Koinu Lashes China, Takes Aim At Vietnam, Laos Death Toll Rises Once Again in Catastrophic Sikkim Flooding Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Typhoon Koinu has moved on from Taiwan and is now lashing southeast China, packing severe winds of 115 mph and heavy rain. It made landfall on Thursday on the southeastern coast of Taiwan with winds of 125 mph and large storm surge as well, but thankfully, all of Taiwan's large cities are on its west coast. The large port city of Kaohsiung was affected, but not as severely as the small towns along the coast. Koinu has now moved on towards the southeast coast of China near the Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and it is currently mainly affecting the Hong Kong-Macau area. However, it is not over land, and is expected to weaken before making landfall on the Chinese island of Hainan and moving on towards Vietnam and Laos. On another note, the death toll from the deadly Sikkim flooding has increased once again, and it has now risen to 42. Over 150 people remain missing as officials continue to discover more about the catastrophe and uncover bodies and survivors. At first, the report was that a severe cloudburst caused the Teesta River and Lhonak Lake to burst their banks, flooding multiple cities. Now, they have discovered that a dam collapse was also involved, and an avalanche caused by the rains may have also caused damage. Due to bad weather, rescue efforts have been hampered- helicopters cannot come to aid stranded tourists and other air support cannot deliver supplies to residents of the area. The main highway has been damaged and collapsed bridges have cut off Sikkim from the rest of the country, so the only form of rescue is from the air. Numerous pieces of military equipment also washed into the river, where it poses a threat to the surrounding community and wildlife. A mortar round was discovered in a West Bengal river downstream from the Sikkim disaster, where it later exploded and killed one person while injuring six others. Fact of the Day: Bottled water has an expiration date. However, it is not for the water, but the bottle itself. The plastic eventually starts leaking into the water, which is when you need to throw it away. Also, make sure not to drink bottled water that has been sitting in the sun for a while- the heat speeds up the process and the plastic dissolves into the water faster. Quote of the Day: Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. (Jalaluddin Rumi) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Demarcate (verb)- To demarcate something is to fix or define its limits or edges. In a Sentence: Treaty negotiations are underway, and both parties have agreed to accept whatever boundaries are demarcated in that document.

Contents: 14 Dead, 100 Missing After Catastrophic Sikkim Flooding Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Today, our only news is an update on the Sikkim flooding- officials have realized that the impact was much worse than previously expected. A massive cloudburst struck Sikkim, India, on Wednesday, causing the Lhonak Lake and a nearby river to burst their banks and flood multiple towns. The severe flash flooding has killed 18 people and at least 100 others are missing, and the damages are also quite bad. Fourteen bridges have been destroyed, thousands of buildings have been inundated, and numerous vehicles have been swept away. The floods were also made worse by a nearby dam, where four of its gates that had not been opened in time had been washed away, allowing the water to rush into the town. Bad weather is still plaguing the region, so air support cannot arrive and communication services are limited- which is drastically affecting search and rescue. The main highway between Sikkim and its only neighboring state, West Bengal, has also collapsed, stopping ground support from other states. Fact of the Day: Pineapples are named after pinecones. When Captain John Smith arrived in the Americas and saw a pineapple for the first time in 1624, he described it as a large pinecone due to its spiky exterior, and the name for the fruit soon became "pineapple." Quote of the Day: Work so hard that one day your signature will be called an autograph. (Tim Notke) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Aficionado (noun)- Aficionado is a synonym of devotee and refers to someone who both likes and knows a lot about a given interest or subject. In a Sentence: Mickey’s brother, an aficionado of jazz, was a regular at the downtown clubs and often bought new records on the day they were released.

We have a ton of weather-related news today, so let's dive in. Contents: Tropical Storm Philippe Turns North, Takes Aim At Northeastern US, Southeastern Canada Typhoon Koinu Slams Taiwan, Charges Forward Towards China Massive Cloudburst Causes Severe Flash Flooding in Sikkim, India Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Tropical Storm Philippe has taken a sharp turn north after brushing Puerto Rico, and it is now taking aim at its next targets: Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. It is currently carrying winds of about 40 mph, but it could be packing 60 mph and a boatload of rain upon arrival. Tropical weather statements have already been issued along the Nova Scotia coast as Philippe rapidly approaches- it is expected to make landfall on Saturday and fizzle out in Quebec by Sunday or Monday. Thankfully, it shouldn't bee too much of a problem, as it is only a tropical storm. On another weather-related note, Typhoon Koinu is currently pummeling southern Taiwan with winds of over 140 mph and heavy rain, and it is causing some big disruptions across the island country. Hundreds of flights have been canceled and schools/work places have been suspended as well. Flooding is a huge issue with this storm along with the winds, quickly inundating parking decks and offices, and the huge waves have washed away entire docks. After passing Taiwan, it will go on to hit the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of southeastern China before approaching the Hong Kong-Macau area as a tropical storm. Lastly, we have some more news about weather, and this time it is in India. Five people are dead after severe flash floods in the mountains of the northeastern state of Sikkim because extreme rain caused chaos. A cloudburst, which is a sudden downpour, instantly started dumping rain over the Lachen Valley, causing the nearby Teesta River to burst its banks and bring water levels to 15-20 feet (4.5 to 6 meters) above regular levels, flooding almost every building in the town and submerging over 40 army vehicles. The flooding caused the collapse of three bridges and multiple buildings were washed away, and 23 Indian Army personnel are still missing after the incident. Fact of the Day: In 2016, the IKEA catalog was the most widely printed book in the world - surpassing the Christian Bible and Islamic Quran - with 200 million copies circulated worldwide. Quote of the Day: Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything. (Imam Ali) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Splenetic (adj)- Splenetic is a formal word that typically describes expressions of sharp annoyance and anger. In a Sentence: The newspaper publisher's splenetic editorials often struck fear into local politicians.