This Week in Words: November 19- November 25

Adam C.
No time to scour the headlines or watch the news? No problem! We’ve rounded up the top words heard, read, debated, and discussed this week. This Week was shortened by the Thanksgiving holiday, but there was still plenty of news to be thankful for. A utopian warehouse where books are free for all was rebuilt in Maryland after a fire. A bipartisan bill to strengthen background checks for gun purchases was introduced, and bipartisanship is always laudable. The ignominious and sinister also got there comeuppance this week as Charles Manson died and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe resigned. Take a look back at the week that was, vocabulary style.
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Full list of words from this list:

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  1. sinister
    wicked, evil, or dishonorable
    Charles Manson, the sinister hippie cult leader who declared himself "the Devil" and dispatched his followers to commit a series of Hollywood murders in 1969 that shocked the country, died Sunday night in a California hospital, state officials told NBC News. - nbcnews.com (Nov. 20, 2017)
    Charles Manson died this week at the age of 83. It is difficult to conceive of now, but the murders committed by Manson and his cult of followers captivated and disturbed this country like little else before or since. Manson called himself the Devil, and for awhile in America he truly personified evil and madness.
  2. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Proponents of reversing them, including current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, say hard-and-fast rules can stifle investment and innovation in a fast-moving industry. -The Wall Street Journal ( Nov. 20, 2017)
    The Trump administration took steps this week towards ending what is known as “net neutrality.” Essentially, net neutrality refers to the fact that when you purchase internet access, the entire internet is available to you for that one fee. The Federal Communications Commission wants to end this arrangement and make internet availability more like cable television packages- where certain payment levels would allow access to certain websites that would be otherwise inaccessible.
  3. acquisition
    the act of contracting or assuming possession of something
    The Justice Department is expected to file a lawsuit Monday challenging AT&T Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.- The Wall Street Journal ( Nov. 20, 2017)
    The Federal Government is suing to prevent the merger of AT&T and Time Warner. The government’s position is that the merger will give AT&T too much control over cable television. The company could then charge very high rates for cable because of the lack of competition. The merger has been in the news because of speculation that the government’s opposition is fueled by President Trump’s feud with CNN, a Time Warner Company.
  4. utopian
    pertaining to or resembling an ideally perfect state
    The three commissioners who voted to approve the permit, all Republicans, said in a written opinion that they were very cognizant of the “impacts to the natural resources of the state,” but that there was “no utopian option” and that building the pipeline would bring needed tax revenue to rural governments. - The New York Times (Nov. 20, 2017)
    After the Keystone Pipeline oil spill last week in South Dakota, lawmakers are looking for a safer way to continue and expand the project. One option being explored is an alternative route for the pipeline. Officials in Nebraska, the state the expansion would effect the most, have been reluctant to approve the plan in its current form, so the specifics will probably change before the plan is approved.
  5. bibliophile
    someone who loves and usually collects books
    In a tragic fire last year, the building and all of its contents burned down, so the community he had been serving in Maryland stepped up to thank the bibliophile and paid some overdue fees.
    -- goodnewsnetwork.org ( Nov. 19, 2017)
    There was a warehouse in Maryland where customers could simply take the books they wanted, free of charge. Last year, the warehouse burned down in a tragic fire. Recognizing the service it provided, the community rallied around the warehouse and its owner and this week the site reopened with free books for all.
  6. ignominious
    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
    The move returns North Korea to the ignominious list for the first time since 2008, when the North was removed in a bid to salvage a deal to halt its nuclear development. - The Guardian (Nov. 20, 2017)
    North Korea is back on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The official announcement was made this week, but with the recent tensions with North Korea over its nuclear program drawing attention to its role in international relations, the designation is not a very big surprise. Placing North Korea on this list enables tougher sanctions to be enforced against Kim Jong Un’s country.
  7. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
    He cited comments by the president and Attorney General Jeff Sessions as evidence that the order was intended to target a wide array of federal funding. And he said the president himself had called it a "weapon" to use against recalcitrant cities. -abcnews.go.com (Nov. 20, 2017)
    The Trump administration issued an order to cut funding from cities that do not strictly enforce immigration policy- so-called “sanctuary cities.” A federal judge ruled this week that this order cannot go into effect because the funding of the cities was already approved by Congress, and the President is not allowed to then step in and alter the allocation of money after the fact. The administration has appealed the judge’s ruling.
  8. expatriate
    a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country
    Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, is still struggling to rebuild from the earthquake and relies heavily on money its expatriates send to relatives back home.- Boston Globe ( Nov. 21, 2017)
    The President is ending the permits of Haitians who were allowed to live and work in the United States following natural disasters in their country in 2010. The move effects about 59,000 people. The revoking of these permits is an extension of President Trump’s immigration policy, which also includes the recently enacted travel ban and the sanctuary city defunding, which was blocked by a federal judge just this week.
  9. laud
    praise, glorify, or honor
    The “Fix NICS Act of 2017” is being lauded as an important compromise between anti- and pro-gun control legislators. -goodnewsnetwork.org (Nov. 21, 2017)
    In the wake of the shooting in a Texas church, Congresspeople are collaborating on a bill that would strengthen the background check system tied to purchasing a gun. A bipartisan bill has been introduced that would punish those who fail to report background check violations more harshly and reward those agencies that do report violations.
  10. capitulation
    the act of surrendering, usually under agreed conditions
    Lawmakers erupted into cheers, and jubilant residents poured into the streets of Harare, the capital. It seemed to be an abrupt capitulation for Mr. Mugabe, 93, the world’s oldest head of state and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.- The New York Times (Nov. 21, 2017)
    Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has resigned. During the week, it looked as if Mugabe would have to be forcibly removed from office, but he finally gave in or capitulated , to the demands of the military and the people of the country he has led since 1980. Mugabe is viewed by many as a ruthless dictator who abused his power for years, and that may be why so many were celebrating in the streets when they heard he had resigned.
Created on 十一月 20, 2017 (updated 十一月 22, 2017)

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