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At least 2 people are dead and hundreds of others were forced to be rescued after severe storms hit the town of Roswell, New Mexico, causing intense flash flooding. The storm arrived on Saturday and lasted through the weekend, bringing loads of rain to a rocky, relatively dry area. The rain totals on Saturday alone reached a staggering 5.78 inches, which is extremely high considering the town's annual rainfall is around 13 inches. According to the National Weather Service, that number also took home the local record for most rain in a 24-hour period, which was previously 5.65 inches on November 1, 1901. The rapid rainfall rates -- around 1.5 to 2 inches per hour for much of the weekend -- led to severe flash flooding, inundating Roswell and its surrounding area in just a few hours. Rivers burst their banks as well, taking down bridges and washing away entire roads. Airports, schools, and other places like libraries and cemeteries were also closed for the weekend. People were left stranded on top of cars and homes, but most were saved by search-and-rescue teams-- local agencies along with New Mexico's National Guard, reported that they had saved a total of 290 people, and dozens were in critical condition and were taken to hospitals in the area. Two bodies were also recovered. Roswell will now try to recover from this disaster, but more extreme rainfall events like this may be likely in the near future. As climate change worsens, rainfall patterns are shifting, changing the climate of not just deserts or forests, but the entire world, and everyone will be impacted in some form by the changing weather patterns and temperatures. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Baby blue whales can gain up to 250 pounds per day. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Not everybody is perfect, and I don’t think we should be looking for perfect people. (Simon Cowell) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Intransigent (adj)- Intransigent is a formal word that describes a person who refuses to compromise or abandon an often extreme position or attitude. It can also describe a thing, such as a system or point of view, that shows the same kind of stubbornness. In a Sentence: Despite the mediator's best efforts, the opposing sides in the dispute remained intransigent .

Tropical Storm Oscar made landfall in eastern Cuba yesterday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the area that has been crippled by power outages in recent days. Oscar began as a weak tropical storm east of Turks and Caicos on Saturday morning. By midday, the storm had already strengthened to Category 1 status, bringing winds of 85 mph to the island chain as it drifted west. However, due to cooler waters ahead, the storm maintained Category 1 status as it hit the Bahamas' Great Inagua island and approached Cuba. Oscar arrived in eastern Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane packing winds of 80 mph, making landfall around 10 miles east of the town of Baracoa, a settlement close to the eastern tip of Cuba. Since landfall, it has weakened to a tropical storm with winds of 60 mph, but rain is still a significant threat. While Oscar is a relatively small storm, it is moving very slowly-- a mere 6 mph -- allowing it to drop more rain. Heavy rainfall over the next few days will cause widespread flash flooding and mudslides in some more mountainous regions-- rainfall totals are expected to reach around 6 to 12 inches across eastern Cuba, with up to 18 inches of rain hitting certain areas. Several feet of storm surge can also be expected along the country's northern shoreline. Due to wind patterns, Oscar is currently making a U-turn over eastern Cuba, and it is currently heading north. While it is weakening over land, Oscar will soon emerge back into the ocean, allowing it to maintain tropical storm status. From there, it will continue along the path of the Gulf Stream, carrying it over the Bahamas and into the open ocean of the Atlantic. Rainfall totals of around 3 to 5 inches are expected in parts of the Bahamas with up to 8 inches in some areas, as well as 2 to 4 inches in the Turks and Caicos. This comes just a few days after the entire island of Cuba lost power after one of the country's biggest power plants stopped functioning. The power plant ran out of fuel due to a local shortage, causing a collapse of the power grid. While electricity has intermittently come back for short periods of time, many areas have not received any sort of electricity since Friday, including the densely populated capital city of Havana. Unfortunately, the arrival of Hurricane Oscar has only worsened that problem, and it may be a while before citizens in eastern Cuba regain power. Upcoming Events: Sukkot Ends (Wednesday, October 23) Shemini Atzeret (Wednesday, October 23 to Friday, October 25) United Nations Day (Thursday, October 24) World Development Information Day (Thursday, October 24) Simchat Torah (Thursday, October 24 to Friday, October 25) World Series Begins (Friday, October 25) World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (Sunday, October 27) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The letter R is sometimes referred to as the “littera canina,” or canine letter, because the way Latin speakers trilled the R made it sound like a growling dog. In fact, William Shakespeare even gave the letter a shout-out in his play Romeo and Juliet , when Juliet’s nurse calls the letter R “the dog’s name” in Act 2, Scene 4. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If your past calls, don't answer. It has nothing new to say. (Unknown) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Defenestration (noun)- Def enestration is most often used to refer to a usually swift dismissal or expulsion, as from a political party or office. It is also used to refer to a throwing of a person or thing out of a window. In a Sentence: Once fancying itself something of a big tent, the group now seeks the defenestration of any local leader who isn't aligned with the current mayor's administration.

Israel conducted an airstrike on a large housing block in Gaza yesterday, killing at least 73 people in a massive explosion. Israel struck a complex within the small town of Beit Lahia, which is located just two miles away from the border. Israel claimed that the area was connected to alleged terrorists from Hamas, sending in missiles that pulverized the entire block. At least 73 people were killed in the explosion, according to Gaza's civil defense agency. Dozens of people were injured, and many are still stuck under the ruins of the houses. Israel countered by stating on X that Gaza was exaggerating the situation, and their own assessment had confirmed that the damage and death toll was not as bad as officials in Gaza were portraying it to be. This comes just after the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was the mastermind behind the group's October 7 invasion of Israel. United States President Joe Biden stated that it could be the perfect time to strike a hostage deal to bring back the kidnapped Israelis while ending the war, benefitting both sides. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that they were working towards this idea, Israel's offensive has ramped up in recent days. Before the aforementioned strike, 33 people were also killed after airstrikes struck a refugee camp in the same region of northern Gaza, and the local medical center, the Indonesian Hospital, has also been struck by Israeli missiles and is constantly patrolled by a group of heavily armed soldiers-- no one can enter or exit the building. Biden later stated that while a ceasefire in Lebanon was being worked out, the situation in Gaza was more complicated, and would require further negotiations-- hinting that they are not exactly close to coming to an agreement on a ceasefire. All of this has been taking place in the Jabalia region of northern Gaza, which has been blockaded off by Israel. Israel has deemed the area as an active war zone, reserving the right to block it off. However, Jabalia is also the location of several refugee camps, and the Palestinians sheltering there have been trapped inside the blockade. No one is allowed in or out, including aid-- but Israel claims that they have allowed a small amount of people from the area to evacuate. Due to this, while occasional aid enters Gaza from time to time, it does not reach Jabalia, where people have been without sufficient food and water for weeks. In addition, the steady stream of aid that was coming into Gaza is now trickling away-- the World Food Program stated on October 12 that no aid had entered the strip since the beginning of the month, and Israel is not contributing much to the amount of aid coming in. In total, over 42,500 Palestinians have died as a result of the war, in addition to another 2,450 Lebanese citizens killed in Israel's ongoing conflict with Hezbollah. Unfortunately, while there was a flicker of hope of a permanent ceasefire a few days ago, there doesn't seem to be any end in sight, as of right now. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Crabs have taste buds on their mouth, pincers, and even feet, allowing them to taste almost anything they come into contact with. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. (Max Lucado) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Appreciable (adj)- Appreciable describes things that can be perceived or measured. In a Sentence: Researchers found that the temperature change made no appreciable difference in the chemical reaction.

Israel has announced that they have killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who was one of the masterminds behind the organization's initial attack on October 7 of last year. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that some of their troops had accidentally killed Yahya Sinwar in battle yesterday, and later realized that they had taken out Hamas' number one leader when sifting through the bodies. He was found wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying several grenades and over $10,000. IDF Commander-in-Chief, Herzi Halevi, stated after the killing that the world is “now a better place” without Sinwar Israel has been working on targeting the leaders of Iran-backed organizations in the Middle East, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. In August, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' top political chief, was killed in an airstrike on his house in Tehran, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah was killed in an airstrike earlier this month. Haniyeh was later replaced by Sinwar, who was killed yesterday's attack. They are aiming to take down the organizations from the top, but Hamas and Hezbollah push on. United States President Joe Biden pointed out that Sinwar's death would momentarily cripple Hamas, and he stated that now is the perfect time to strike a deal for a ceasefire to end the war. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel will continue to occupy Gaza before the killing of Sinwar, he later said that he was working with Biden to come to terms on a possible offer for a hostage deal that could put an end to the war. Around one-third of the hostages are already dead after being killed by Hamas or accidentally being struck by Israel. Some civilians in Israel fear that Sinwar's killing may motivate Hamas to kill more hostages, strengthening the fight against Israel. Through the eyes of many Israelis and other citizens around the world, it seems that Netanyahu has taken up a different agenda, putting the destruction of Hamas over the safety of the hostages. Others view the killing of Sinwar as the path to success in both missions, as they believe that destroying Hamas would allow Israel to take control of Gaza and forcefully take back the hostages. However, while Israel's fight against Hamas may be coming to an end, their fight against Iran is becoming even more intense. After Iran struck Israel with hundreds of missiles earlier this month, Iran has been awaiting a strong response from Israel. Biden has attempted to discourage Netanyahu from striking back, but Israel has confirmed that a serious response is on the way, and it could come any day now. Meanwhile, the country is also fighting Hezbollah to the north and the Houthis from Yemen-- Israel's offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon is still ongoing, and the US is helping Israel to strike Houthi bases in Yemen to prevent the group from hitting cargo ships in the Red Sea. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The English alphabet briefly included a typographical letter called a “long s.” Used from the late Renaissance to the early 1800s, it resembled the letter ‘f’ but was pronounced simply as ‘s.’ It can be seen in various manuscripts written by the Founding Fathers of the US, including the Bill of Rights. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Your word is your wand. The words you speak create your own destiny. (Florence Shinn) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Fugacious (adj)- Fugacious is a formal word that describes something that lasts only a short time. In a Sentence: The rock band’s early success proved fugacious ; within two years its members had moved on to other careers.

The NFL recently announced that the Super Bowl will be coming to Atlanta in 2028, marking the second time the city's Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted the league final. The Super Bowl is the final of the National Football League, which is the United States' major league for American football. It has been the final of the NFL since 1966, prior to which there were two separate football leagues in the US, the NFL and the AFL. In 1966, the two leagues agreed to host a final between the winners of each league while having separate seasons, known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. It was renamed the Super Bowl in 1968, and the two leagues merged in 1970, creating the NFL. Since 1966, the Super Bowl has since been hosted by 16 different cities, the first of which was Los Angeles during the 1966-1967 season. Miami has hosted the most Super Bowls, with 11, while New Orleans has hosted 10 and Los Angeles has hosted 8. The Super Bowl always takes place on the second Sunday in February. 2024's Super Bowl took place in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking home their third win in five years and second in a row after they beat the San Francisco 49ers in a close game that extended into overtime. The next Super Bowl will be hosted by New Orleans, Louisiana once again, taking place at the Caesars Superdome, followed by the 2026 Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, California and the 2027 Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Now, the NFL has just announced that the bidding has ended for the 2028 Super Bowl, and Atlanta, Georgia will be hosting the event for the fourth time in the city's history. Atlanta first hosted the Super Bowl in 1994 and again in 2000 at the Georgia Dome, a stadium that was demolished in 2017. It hosted for the third time at the brand-new, $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2019, and it will be hosted at the same stadium in downtown Atlanta three and a half years from now. At least 147 people are dead after an oil tanker exploded in Nigeria, sparking a massive blaze that turned the entire area into a cloud of smoke and fire. The tanker was full of oil when the driver lost control of the vehicle as it was entering the state of Yobe, located in the northeastern portion of the African nation. The tanker crashed in the town of Majiya on Tuesday night, and people began crowding around the tanker to try and steal some oil from the leak gushing out. The result was a massive disaster, as a small spark caused the puddle of oil to catch fire. This led to a massive explosion as the oil in the tanker combusted, killing the hordes of people gathering in the area. Some residents managed to escape, but many suffered from burns, breathing problems, and other severe injuries afterward. Unfortunately, these types of incidents are very common in more undeveloped nations, especially rural areas of Africa. Many villages are located far away from cities or sources of crucial supplies, meaning that resources like water and gas are low. When a mishap occurs like Tuesday's incident, many locals begin surrounding oil tankers to steal the oil from the leaking truck, as it is available for free-- at a high risk. Due to the large number of people surrounding the oil, one small spark can cause the entire area to go up in flames, killing scores of people. Local governments continue to urge people to stay away from tankers during accidents like this, and while people know that the risk of an explosion is high, they continue to sprint towards the tankers and risk their lives as they try to grab a jug of oil. Another example of this type of incident occurred just one month ago, when a tanker in Haiti was surrounded by people attempting to steal oil due to a shortage in the area. When the tanker caught fire, dozens of people were killed in the resulting inferno. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Sea otters store extra food in a small, baggy pocket located in their armpits. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity , and only to be discovered in the night of adversity . (Charles Spurgeon) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Exact (verb)- To exact something (such as payment or revenge) is to demand it and get it, especially by using force or threats. Exact is also used in phrases like "exact a terrible toll" and "exact a high/heavy price" to say that something has caused a lot of suffering, loss, etc. In a Sentence: The novel's protagonist is undeterred by either time or circumstance in her effort to exact revenge.

NASA's Europa Clipper is on its way to Jupiter after its groundbreaking launch on Monday, and it will aim to learn more about the depths of Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, Europa. Europa was first discovered by Galilei Galileo in 1610, and was a huge turning point in our understanding of space. Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons was the first true piece of evidence that showed that Earth was not the center of the universe, as the Sun was previously thought to orbit the Earth, along with all of the other planets in the solar system. The moon is slightly smaller than our own moon, but it is around 400 million miles away from Earth. Europa has long been suspected to possibly harbor life in its icy ocean deep beneath its surface-- the planet's iron-nickel core is covered in a massive layer of salt water. In fact, scientists estimate that Europa's ocean could contain up to double the amount of water that Earth's global ocean does; while the average depth of Earth's ocean is around 2.3 miles, the average depth of Europa's ocean is a staggering 62 miles. That ocean is topped with a thick, bright shell of ice, thought to be around 10 to 15 miles thick, which makes up the crust of the faraway moon. However, that icy layer is laced with reddish-brown cracks, providing a look into the depths underneath its surface. To discover more about this mysterious moon and whether it could actually be harboring any life, NASA have launched Europa Clipper, a spacecraft set to reach the moon of Jupiter in five-and-a-half years. Europa Clipper launched on Monday afternoon aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft will proceed to pass by Mars in early 2025, giving it a boost in speed, and then circle around the Sun and fly by Earth in 2026. It will use Earth's gravitational pull to slingshot the spacecraft to Jupiter, arriving sometime in 2030 after a long, 1.8 billion-mile voyage. Once it begins orbiting Jupiter, it will pass Europa a total of 49 ti mes, using nine different instruments, including an ice-penetrating radar, cameras, and a thermal sensor to scan Europa's surface and peer into its ocean. Europa may be harboring life in its massive ocean, but it is extremely uninhabitable for humans-- temperatures range from -210˚F to as cold as -370˚C, and while the atmosphere is primarily oxygen, it is far too thin for humans to breathe. In addition, large amounts of ionizing radiation bombard Europa's surface every day, forcing any possible life to live underwater. If a human were exposed to those amounts of dangerous radiation on Earth, they would die within a day. However, the possibility of alien life on Europa is very large compared to other planets or moons in our solar system, and while that alien life may not be as sophisticated as ours, it could have the potential to develop in the future-- even life on Earth began 3.5 billion years ago with single-celled, microscopic organisms. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Oysters can change their gender-- they are usually born as males, but can switch multiple times throughout their lives. Other animals that can change genders include various species of fish, snails, and frogs. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. (Eckhart Tölle) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Rendition (noun)- A rendition, simply put, is the act or result of rendering something. That thing may be a performance or interpretation, a depiction, or a translation. In US law, rendition refers to the surrender by a state of a fugitive to another state that is charging the fugitive with a crime. In a Sentence: Their signature meat loaf is a fine rendition of a classic recipe.

The United States Vice Presidential Debate took place last Tuesday, with Democratic nominee Tim Walz facing off against Republican nominee JD Vance in an intense debate. Check out our new deep dive article on the political event by Mihir Gupta here . Hurricane Milton is now a raging Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, and the storm is inching closer to a major landfall near Tampa, Florida. Milton formed on Saturday as a tropical depression, slowly moving east across the area. It quickly strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane within one day, and rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane within another day-- the storm's winds intensified almost 100 mph from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon. Milton is now charging through the Gulf as a strong Category 5 hurricane, packing winds of over 185 mph. It is only the ninth hurricane to ever reach winds of over 180 mph, with other recent ones including Wilma and Rita in 2005, Irma in 2017, and Dorian in 2019. It is currently passing by Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, hitting the city of Mérida with hurricane-force winds and heavy rain. From there, it is expected to maintain major hurricane status and slam into western Florida, heading directly for Tampa. However, due to higher wind shear and cooler waters ahead, Milton is expected to slightly weaken to a Category 3 storm before making landfall in western Florida. Nevertheless, Florida officials are telling residents not to count on the weakening of the storm, as the possibility that it stays a Category 4 or even 5 is not out of the picture. Tampa and most of western Florida was hit hard by Hurricane Helene recently, suffering from hurricane-force winds, heavy rain, and storm surge of 6-8 feet, which inundated almost the entire city. 12 people were killed in the Tampa area alone, and numerous others were killed in surrounding counties. This hurricane could soon impact the same area with similar conditions, which could be catastrophic. Additionally, many homes have been weakened by the fact that they are midway through repairs, and others still have piles of debris in their yards from the damage done by Hurricane Helene. This debris could pose a serious hazard to people and structures during the storm, which is sure to blast strong winds across the city. The entire Tampa area is already under a hurricane warning, and the areas to the south and Florida's eastern coast are also under hurricane watches. In addition, the rest of Florida's western coast and the Key West islands are all under tropical storm warnings, as they could still experience strong winds and heavy rain outside the cone of the hurricane's expected track. State of emergencies have been declared in over 50 counties, and evacuations have been ordered for the entire Tampa area. The Orlando International Airport, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, and Tampa International Airport are all closing ahead of the hurricane, and schools and universities across the region are also closing for the later part of the week. Storm surge is expected to reach 8-12 feet, possibly exceeding 15 feet in some areas, as the hurricane most likely makes landfall late Wednesday or in the early AM hours of Thursday. Meanwhile, rain totals could also exceed 15 inches in some areas, adding to the devastation. While Helene was the worst storm to hit Tampa in over 100 years, Milton could do even more damage, giving Tampa their second once-in-a-century hurricane in just two weeks. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, was the only president to ever remain unmarried throughout his entire life. When he was in office, his niece served as the First Lady. Meanwhile, the only other president to ever be elected as a bachelor was Grover Cleveland, but he married while in office. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I try never to compare myself to other people. I just think this is who I am. You are happier when you think that way. (Jesy Nelson) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Lèse majesté (noun)- Lèse-majesté (less commonly spelled lese majesty ) can refer to a true crime or offense, or to something likened to a crime or offense. Most often, it’s the latter, with lèse-majesté referring—seriously or playfully—to an act of disrespect that diminishes the dignity or importance of someone or something. In the former use, lèse-majesté refers to a crime (such as treason) that is committed against a sovereign power, or to an offense that violates the dignity of a ruler as the representative of a sovereign power. In a Sentence: Their less-than-formal attire at the wedding was regarded in jest as lèse-majesté .

Relations between Canada and India have collapsed in just a matter of days after Canada accused India of murdering and torturing Sikh separatists from India. Canada has ejected six of India's primary diplomats over accusations that India carried out murders of Sikh activists in their country, but India claims that they voluntarily chose to bring their diplomats back due to unsafe conditions in Canada. On the other hand, India has also kicked out six Canadian diplomats, and intense negotiations are underway between the two countries to come to an agreement over the issue. To understand the issue, the full story needs to be pictured. It all started in 1948, one year after the independence of India was achieved from the British, when Sikh rebels fought the Indian government for the creation of a Sikh state called Khalistan. The government quickly halted the rebellion, leaving a large number of the world's Sikh population in the Indian state of Punjab, located in the northwestern region of the country. However, many of the Sikhs later moved to Canada-- the world's largest population of Sikhs outside India is in Canada, with 800,000 people (2.1% of Canada's population). In Canada, the movement kept going, and it continues until today. One of the leaders of these present-day Sikh activists was named Hardeep Singh Najjar-- he obtained Canadian citizenship after migrating to Canada in the 1990s. He ran a plumbing business while organizing rallies for the independence of Khalistan, and the Indian government stated that Nijjar was a terrorist for promoting the idea of Khalistan. Then, in a massive turn of events, Nijjar was shot and killed on June 18, 2023 in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. The attack was conducted by three masked individuals, and Canadian police arrested three people of Indian descent after searching the area. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was outraged, and told public media in September 2023 that the Indian government was responsible for the killing. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi later called Canada a "safe haven for terrorists," and India responded by stopping the issuing of visas to all Canadian citizens. However, they reopened e-visa services around two months later when the tensions had eased. Then, at a recent summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau staged talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussing alleged crimes conducted within Canada. Canada claimed that India's government had been organizing the killings of Sikh activists in their country, as well as that the six Indian diplomats later ejected took part in the crimes. India immediately denied these allegations and refused to allow their diplomats to take part in the investigations, leading to their ejection. Canada claims to have found concrete evidence implicating numerous Indian officials in the crimes against Sikhs, but they have not specified any details about the evidence or how they found it. India has completely dismissed the alleged evidence and denied all of Canada's claims, but relations between the two countries will not improve until either side accepts the other country's argument. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The only male animals that give birth are seahorses, sea dragons, and pipefish, which all belong to the same family. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Weak minds sink under prosperity as well as adversity; but strong and deep ones have two high tides. (David Hare) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Taciturn (adj)- Taciturn is a formal word that describes someone who tends to be quiet or who tends to speak infrequently. In a Sentence: One of the twins was taciturn and shy, while the other one was more outgoing.

Elon Musk's SpaceX pulled off a spectacular feat yesterday, catching a returning rocket in the air with two mechanical arms. Starship, the rocket executing the mission, is almost 400 feet tall with a width of around 29.5 feet, and holds a payload of 100 to 150 tons. It is considered the most powerful launch system ever created, and the company expects the rocket to be able to hold up to 100 people on long flights to the Moon, Mars, and even other planets in the solar system. So far, Starship has always taken off from Starbase, a large facility in southern Texas designed specifically for rocket launches. Starship separates into two phases: the Super Heavy booster and the spacecraft. While the design of the spacecraft varies from time to time, the Super Heavy booster is the primary part of the rocket that propels it into space, and is usually extremely expensive. The Super Heavy booster burns natural gas and liquid oxygen to power the engines, which consume over 20 tons of fuel per second. However, boosters on most rockets normally go to waste, plummeting down to Earth after they have been used. SpaceX has derived a solution to that, though, and it was executed perfectly on Sunday. Early on Sunday morning, SpaceX launched the fifth test of their Starship rocket, with the craft taking off around 7:30 am. It proceeded to separate over the Gulf of Mexico after moving eastward, with the spacecraft blasting out into space and the rockets continuing within the atmosphere. However, no one was watching the spacecraft-- rather, everyone kept their eyes glued to the Super Heavy booster as it used its 33 Raptor engines to turn back towards Starbase. From there, it blasted down towards Earth at supersonic speeds, eventually slowing down as it approached the launch site. As it arrived, a large tower, named Mechazilla, utilized two large arms, dubbed "chopsticks" to catch the Super Heavy booster on its descent. Before the rocket hit the ground, it lowered into the arms of Mechazilla, which closed in on it, and then shut off the engines, leaving the rocket hanging between the "chopsticks" at around 200 feet off the ground. People around the world, including the United States' space organization of NASA, were stunned by the eye-catching landing, and it is a massive step forward in the space industry. Allowing rocket boosters of that size to be reused will save millions of dollars, as fuel is left as the only cost to send the booster back into space. SpaceX owner Elon Musk stated that the goal was for the company to be able to massively reduce the turnaround time of the boosters-- they plan to land a booster at Starbase, refuel it, and have it ready to go in a matter of hours, rather than weeks. Meanwhile, while the booster returned to Starbase in a mere seven minutes, the actual spacecraft stayed in orbit for around 40 minutes. It cruised across multiple continents before re-entering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, where it splashed down exactly where it was supposed to and later disintegrated, as expected. As mentioned above, Starship has been tested several times prior to Sunday's flight. The first two tests resulted in midair explosions, preventing a booster return, and while the third flight was successful, the Super Heavy booster and the ship disintegrated before splashdown. On the fourth flight, the spacecraft experienced flap issues but managed to splashdown around 4 miles from its target location. However, the Super Heavy booster successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico with staggering accuracy, landing just half of a centimeter away from the target. This motivated SpaceX to make the decision to test the next landing at the tower and use Mechazilla-- they had achieved the accuracy needed to land in between the "chopsticks." Next, SpaceX has several launches coming up in 2025, the closest of which will have a flight plan similar to that of the latest launch. Musk has also stated that he aims to start landing the actual spacecraft back at Starbase next year, allowing the entire rocket to be reused. They are currently building a new launchpad near the existing pad, and they hope to open up two other launchpads soon in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Meanwhile, a massive new factory in the Texas facility is under construction, named Starfactory, and it is expected to be able to produce boosters and spacecrafts on a weekly basis once complete. Upcoming Events: International Day of Rural Women (Tuesday, October 15) World Food Day (Wednesday, October 16) World Track Cycling Championships Begin (Wednesday, October 16) Sukkot Begins (Wednesday, October 16) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (Thursday, October 17) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A male duck is called a drake. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first . (Steve Irwin) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Ideate (verb)- To ideate is to form an idea or conception of something. In a Sentence: Jocelyn used the education seminar's lunch hour to talk with other teachers and ideate new activities to use in the classroom.

Huge amounts of water have puddled in the Sahara Desert after the region received a year's worth of rain in two days, flooding towns and turning dry lakes into lagoons of water. The system passed through southeastern Morocco over the past couple days, dousing a dry, arid region that receives under 10 inches of rain in an entire year. In Tagounite, south of the country's capital and major city of Rabat, they recorded over 3.9 inches of rain in one day, an extremely rare event for the desert town. Officials stated that it had been over 50 years since some areas had received that much rain in just a few days, and the storm is sure to help all of southeastern Morocco. Lake Iriqui, a large pond in the area, had bee dry for 50 years before it was filled up this weekend, and numerous other reservoirs were greatly filled up by the rains. This comes just after a relatively wet month for the Sahara-- September provided a big boost for the region's water supply. In fact, one report stated that dammed reservoirs in southeast Morocco had refilled at record-breaking rates during the month of September. Due to years of continuous drought, farmers had been forced to leave their lands farther into the Sahara because of the lack of water for irrigation, but several are starting to return now that local groundwater supplies and reservoirs have been replenished. Unfortunately, around 20 people also died from flooding after those rains, and over 56 homes were damaged along with crucial infrastructure like roads, power lines, and water pipes. Climate change is leading to significant changes in global weather patterns, heating up the Earth as a whole. This is increasing temperatures at the Equator, which is already one of the planet's hottest regions, which happens to be the exact line which the Sahara is situated on. These rising temperatures lead to hotter, drier conditions for long periods of time, but more evaporation and higher moisture content in the air also sparks stronger, more frequent storms. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Chameleon tongues usually stretch one to two times the length of their body. However, some species have tongues that stretch up to 2.5 times their body length! Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A clever mind is not a heart. Knowledge doesn’t really care, wisdom does. (Benjamin Hoff) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Verbatim (adv)- Verbatim is an adverb meaning "in the exact words," or in other words, "word for word." In a Sentence: The coach was quoted verbatim in the article announcing that she would retire at the end of the season.