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Contents: Norma Makes Landfall, Tammy Strikes Barbuda Upcoming Events Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Norma has made landfall on mainland Mexico as a tropical storm with strong winds and heavy rain after smashing into the tip of the Baja California peninsula on Saturday. The storm hit Cabo San Lucas with winds of over 80 mph and heavy rain, which caused bridge collapses, flash flooding, and other infrastructure damage. Meanwhile, Hurricane Tammy made landfall in Barbuda on Saturday night with strong winds over 85 mph and heavy rain as well, and it is still pounding the Leeward Islands. Thankfully, both storms are no longer a threat. Norma is now fizzling out over western Mexico, and Tammy has only open ocean ahead as it weakens over the Atlantic. Upcoming Events: United Nations Day (Tuesday, October 24) World Development Information Day (Tuesday, October 24) World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (Tuesday, October 24) Major League Baseball World Series Begins (Friday, October 27) Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix (Sunday, October 29) International Day of Care and Support (Sunday, October 29) Fact of the Day: The human brain uses over 20% of the oxygen in the body. Quote of the Day: Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. (George S. Patton) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Beholden (adj)- Beholden is a formal adjective that describes someone as having obligations to someone or something else, often (but not always) to return a favor or gift. Beholden is usually followed by to. In a Sentence: She works for herself, and so is beholden to no one.

Contents: Humanitarian Aid Finally Reaches Gaza As Israel Strikes Expected to Ramp Up Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day The first trucks of humanitarian aid have reached Gaza after pleads from countries all over the world and the UN for Egypt to allow them across the border, and the much-needed aid is now being delivered to Gaza citizens. Over 2.3 million Palestinians have been starving and drinking dirty water to survive after Israel put a complete siege over the strip, halting all electricity, food, water, and medicine. Over 200 trucks carrying aid have piled up on the Egypt-Gaza border, but only 20 were allowed in. Hospitals have been running out of fuel for their generators that are keeping the entire place running, and their medicine is running out. Hopefully, this trickle of aid that has been allowed through will solve some of their problems, but Israel plans to ramp up strikes and attacks in the next week, which could create even more problems. They claim that they are trying to crush Hamas, and are targeting their members, not civilians. However, thousands of innocent lives have been lost in the process on both sides, while Hamas is still holding over 210 people hostage. Fact of the Day: There are over 12,000 different species of grass. Quote of the Day: Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The Sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus. (Alexander Graham Bell) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Inculcate (noun)- Inculcate is a formal word that has to do with teaching and persuading especially by frequent repetition. If you inculcate someone, you gradually cause the person to fully understand something. If you inculcate an ideal, practice, or behavior in someone, you impress it upon them. In a Sentence: The teacher inculcated in her students the importance of good study habits.

Contents: Hurricane Norma Approaches Baja California As Category 3, Heavy Rain Expected Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Hurricane Norma is approaching western Mexico as a strong Category 3 hurricane with winds of over 115 mph, and it could pose a big threat for the area. It is currently on track to make landfall this evening on the tip of Baja California in the town of Cabo San Lucas before crossing the Gulf of California and making landfall near the city of Culiacán as a tropical storm on Monday morning. After passing through the state of Sinaloa, which Culiacán is the capital of, it will slowly move through the state of Durango as a tropical depression before fizzling out. However, along the way, it will dump heavy rain over the area and some strong storm surge to Baja California's Los Cabos resorts with its strong winds. Fact of the Day: On February 1, 2005, an emergency evacuation alert was accidentally issued for parts of Connecticut, but only 1% of the population actually attempted to evacuate. Most people just silenced the alarm or looked for another source to confirm the evacuation order. Quote of the Day: Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. (T.S. Eliot) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Dubious (noun)- A dubious person lacks a definite opinion or is doubtful about something; this sense of the word is usually used with about. Dubious can also describe something that causes doubt, uncertainty, or suspicion. In phrases like “dubious honor” and “dubious distinction” it functions ironically to describe something bad or undesirable as if it were an honor or achievement. In a Sentence: I was dubious about the chances that our gamble would pay off.

Contents: Aid Trucks Finally Arrive in Gaza Amid Global Tension Over War Netflix Hikes Prices for Premium Subscribers Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Relief has finally arrived in Gaza amid the deadly Israel-Hamas War, which killed over 1,400 Israelis in the initial Hamas attacks and over 3,500 Palestinians in the retaliation from Israel. Egypt has finally allowed the first aid trucks from the UN and other countries around the world to enter the Gaza Strip, which can finally save the millions of lives that are hungry, thirsty, and in need of medicine across the area. Israeli strikes have been constantly bombarding Gaza for days, killing hundreds of people with each one. However, aid has been piling up on the border with Egypt, sparking anger all over the world over unnecessary Palestinian deaths. Thankfully, the aid has finally arrived, and they are trying their best to evacuate everyone they can before the looming invasion by Israel. On another note, Netflix has hiked the price of their ad-free subscription plan by $3 after their report from Q3, which saw a boost of over 8.8 million subscribers. They launched their plan with ads in November of last year that saw Netflix's number of plans come up to three. They have a standard plan with ads ($6.99), a standard plan ($15.49), and a premium plan which has now risen to $22.99. Netflix says that this will help them bring more shows and movies to the streaming service, which will boost its subscriber count even more. Fact of the Day: On April 18, 1930, the BBC news for the day was nothing. The radio host came on for 5 seconds and blatantly said, "There is no news." The day was so boring that absolutely no news was found, so that is what they put on the script. Quote of the Day: The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. (Walt Disney) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Quintessence (noun)- Quintessence is a formal word that can refer to the most typical or perfect example of something, or the most important part of something. In a Sentence: Roasting marshmallows over an open fire and making s’mores is the quintessence of camping in the great outdoors.

Contents: New Chili Pepper Dethrones Carolina Reaper as Spiciest Pepper on Earth Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day A chili pepper known as Pepper X has officially dethroned the Carolina Reaper as the hottest pepper ever created, beating it by almost 1 million SHU. Scoville heat units (SHU) are a scale used to measure how spicy a pepper is, created by Wilbur Scoville in 1912 to measure the spiciness of chillies and peppers. The ratings on the scale are mild (100-2,500), medium (2,500-30,000), hot (30,000-100,000), very hot (100,000-1,000,000), and exceptionally hot (more than 1,000,000). Some popular peppers come in at these numbers on the scale: Bell Pepper (0), Jalapeño Pepper (2,500-10,000), Tabasco Pepper (25,000-50,000), Cayenne Pepper (25,000-50,000), Habanero Chili (100,000-350,000), Ghost Pepper (750,000-1,500,000), and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (750,000-1,500,000). In 2013, Ed Currie created what was to become the world's hottest pepper at 1.64 million SHU, the Carolina Reaper- and he has done it again. After combining the Carolina Reaper with an extremely hot pepper he received from a friend in Michigan, Ed Currie created Pepper X, which has now taken the Guinness World Record from the Carolina Reaper for hottest pepper- measuring at 2.69 million SHU. Ed Currie is now working to beat his new record at his company (Puckerbutt Pepper Co.) headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Fact of the Day: Spaghetto is the singular term for spaghetti. In Italian, if a word ends in o or a, it is singular, while i signifies that it is plural. Due to this, spaghetti is plural, which means spaghetto is used to describe the one singular noodle that you slurp into your mouth. This also applies to the words ravioli (singular is raviolo) and fettucini (singular is fettucino), while it applies in reverse to gelato (plural is gelati). Quote of the Day: The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Omnipotent (adj)- Omnipotent is a formal word describing someone or something as having complete or unlimited power. In a Sentence: History is replete with examples that reveal the dangers of having an omnipotent ruler.

Contents: Massive Blast Strikes Gaza Hospital, Tensions Rise on Gaza-Israel Border Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day A massive blast struck a crowded Gaza hospital on Tuesday, killing hundreds of Palestinian patients that were either injured in the war or had pre-existing conditions that required 24-hour hospital care. Hamas blamed an Israeli rocket that struck the area, while Israel was quick to deny that and come back with a statement that said the rocket was misfired by Palestinian militants. Israel's troops are still lining up on the Gaza border, and their invasion could take place any day now. Countries all over the world and the UN are calling to evacuate innocent Palestinian citizens from Gaza before Israel "destroys" Hamas like they have stated, but Israel hasn't allowed that. UN aid for Palestinians is also waiting across the border in Egypt, but neither Egypt nor Israel has permitted for that aid to be transported into Gaza. Fact of the Day: The scientific term for brain freeze is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. It's probably better to stick with the brain freeze, though. Quote of the Day: In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. (Abraham Lincoln) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Mollycoddle (verb)- When you mollycoddle someone, you are treating that person with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence or attention. In a Sentence: The newborn cub at the wildlife park enjoys being mollycoddled by its mother.

Contents: Another 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Western Afghanistan Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Today's only news is that another powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck Afghanistan after the devastating quake earlier this week that killed over 2,000 people. This is their fourth 6.3 magnitude quake in two weeks, the first of which struck on October 7 and devastated communities in the western province of Herat. This earthquake struck very close to the city of Herat, which has suffered numerous earthquakes in the past two weeks. The entire town has almost been destroyed completely after quake after quake, and thousands are dead as rescue efforts continue to uncover bodies in their search for survivors. Villages have been reduced to rubble, and all that is left is sand and rocks. Amid the ongoing crisis in Israel, the UN and Afghanistan are calling for aid and for other countries not to forget about them, because they are going through a humanitarian crisis as well. Fact of the Day: It is illegal to die on the Norwegian island of Svalbard because bodies do not decompose in the intense cold of the permafrost. If someone is about to die, they are brought to the Norwegian mainland to pass away there. Quote of the Day: Life is the art of drawing without an eraser. (John W. Gardner) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Acronym (noun)- An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of each one of the words in a phrase. In a Sentence: They came up with the perfect acronym, WORDS, as a name for their spelling team by using the first letters of each of their names: William, Owen, Rosie, Diana, and Sam.

Contents: Gaza Hospitals Overflowing With Patients, Supplies Running Out Tensions Rise on Israel-Lebanon Border, Strike Hits UN Peacekeeping Headquarters Upcoming Events Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Hospitals in Gaza are overflowing with injured patients as Israel's ground invasion looms in the near future, and humanitarian efforts are losing steam. Shelters set up by the United Nations and other organizations are running out of food and water as they provide for thousands of citizens who have been displaced because Israel has besieged the strip, cutting off food, water, electricity, and all other forms of aid. Doctors across Gaza fear that their patients will die because they don't have any more medicine, and electronics will also shut off when their generators run out of fuel or battery. Multiple organizations have available supplies in Egypt, but they have no permission to deliver it across the corridor to save the Palestinian citizens. About half a million Gaza citizens are now taking shelter in these refuges across the thin strip of Palestinian land, but their resources are now running out and Israel is preparing for a full-scale invasion. The humanitarian crisis just continues to deepen, and thousands more people could be dead by the end of Israel's retaliation attack. Meanwhile, tensions are also escalating on the Israel-Lebanon border, where a strike yesterday hit the UN Peacekeeping Force headquarters in southern Lebanon. Attacks on innocent civilians or UN personnel are considered war crimes, so whoever launched the missile could be held guilty for that. Lebanese and Israeli forces have also exchanged fire multiple times in the past week, which could make this another major Middle East conflict if the situation doesn't calm down soon. Upcoming Events: World Food Day (Monday, October 16) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (Tuesday, October 17) World Combat Games Begin (Saturday, October 21) Formula 1 United States Grand Prix (Sunday, October 22) Fact of the Day: IKEA is actually an acronym. It stands for Ingvar Kamprad (the founder), Elmtaryd (the farm which he grew up on), and Agunnaryd (a nearby village). Quote of the Day: Always keep your head toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you. (Walt Whitman) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Hirsute (adj)- Hirsute is a formal word that means “hairy.” It is also often used in humorous contexts to describe someone with a lot of hair on their face or body. Botanists use hirsute to describe plant parts, such as leaves, that are covered in coarse, stiff hairs. In a Sentence: Turner wore a hirsute mask as part of his werewolf costume for the school play.

Contents: Gaza City Citizens Now Scrambling to Escape Southern Gaza as Israeli Troops Line Up at Border Fact of the Day Quote of the Day Word of the Day Palestinians are now fleeing southern Gaza in panic as Israeli forces continue to build up on the border, and people who just fled from Gaza City are now scrambling to evacuate the place that they just fled to. Explosions rocked the two evacuation routes along the thin, densely populated strip of land on Friday as well, killing multiple people, and the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen every day. Israel has put a complete siege into place around Gaza, cutting off food, water, and electricity, which is making it even more impossible for the 1.1 million citizens of Gaza City to flee their homes before Israel's ground invasion. Israeli troops are lining up at the border in preparation for the invasion, but the toll will be deadly. Thousands of people are not able to flee Gaza, and many of them could be killed in the retaliation attack. Meanwhile, Israel is also facing tension to the north, as a Reuters journalist was killed in an alleged Israeli strike in Lebanon and some conflict to the northeast has worsened relations with Syria. The war between Hamas and Israel, however, is still the top story, and the ground invasion is looming in the near future. The UN and other nations all over the world are urging Israel to at least allow Gaza citizens safe passage out of the country, but they haven't taken any steps toward that so far. If they don't, the effect of this humanitarian crisis could be much higher than previously expected after the original attacks by Hamas. Fact of the Day: Squirrels cause 10-20% of all power outages in the US. This is because they tend to chew on power lines and sometimes rest on them, which can cause them to break. Quote of the Day: Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. (Will Rogers) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Foliage (noun)- Foliage refers to the leaves of a plant or of many plants. In a Sentence: The winding river cut its course beneath the thick green foliage of the jungle canopy.

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.