Ripped from the Headlines: November 2020: Current Events Vocab for November 7–13, 2020

World Kindness Day falls on November 13, making it an excellent occasion to show some affection and generosity of spirit to your fellow humans. It's also a great excuse to learn the many words we have for kindness and goodwill, like benevolent — which literally means "wishing well" in Latin.

The President, along with some members of his cabinet and Congressional Republicans, refuses to concede the election. They allege widespread voting fraud, and are pursuing lawsuits to overturn election results. Democrats, some Republican, and election officials say that there's no evidence of any fraud and that the President must commit to an orderly transfer of power. Concede comes from the Latin verb "concedere," which also gives us "cede," meaning "to yield" or "to give way."

The drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech have created a coronavirus vaccine that appears to be highly effective, showing prevention rates around 90 percent. The companies plan on asking the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency authorization to begin production of millions of doses. The data is not from a peer-reviewed scientific study, just the company's own research, but experts say it's good news. Efficacy is closely related to "effective" and "efficacious," meaning "it works."

National Pickle Day, observed on November 13, is a good occasion to enjoy your favorite pickled food, whether kimchi, sauerkraut, or a classic Kosher dill. All forms of pickles are made using various kinds of fermentation, either directly by letting bacteria acidify the food or indirectly by using vinegar — which is fermented from alcohol by bacteria. "Fermentum" is Latin for "yeast," and comes from "fervere," meaning "to boil" or "to bubble."

The second week in November is Geography Awareness Week, celebrating the science, exploration, and documentation of our planet's surface. From national boundaries to the ocean floor, mapmaking is a rich and fascinating subject. Geography means "earth drawing" in Greek.

A judge in Los Angeles refused to remove Britney Spears's father from his role as her legal guardian and conservator of her estate. James Spears took control of the pop star's finances after her breakdown in 2007, but in recent years she has fought to be independent again.

Alex Trebek, the host of "Jeopardy!," died this week at the age of 80. Born in Ontario, Canada, he got an early start hosting a quiz show while still in college. From 1984 to 2020, he hosted 6,829 episodes of "Jeopardy!," setting a world record. He was one of the most popular figures on American television. The word comes from the Old French "ieu parti," meaning "divided game," as in a situation in which the outcome could go either way.

The Masters Tournament starts in Augusta, Georgia this week, Tiger Woods is on a mission to secure his spot as the greatest golfer of all time. At 44, most observers thing he has limited time left to win another PGA Tour championship; he's currently tied for first place at 82 wins with Sam Snead.

The Curiosity Mars rover took a new selfie — actually 59 separate pictures combined by experts on Earth — at a site named Mary Anning, after a 19th-century British paleontologist. The rover is on its way up mount Sharp, examining different exposed layers of rock for traces of organic molecules that could be signs that Mars once had microscopic life. Organic is anther way of saying "carbon-based," a characteristic of all living things on Earth.

Not long after Alex Trebek's passing was announced, fans created an online petition asking that LeVar Burton — the actor famous for hosting "Reading Rainbow" and starring in "Roots" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" — be given the job of hosting "Jeopardy!" The petition received over 83,000 signatures in just a few days. "Petitio" means "request" or "claim" in Latin.

The Centers for Disease Control issued new guidelines about mask-wearing to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The report stated that wearing a mask protects the wearer and those around them, and that the consistent and correct wearing of proper masks — made of approved materials, fully covering the nose and mouth — is the best way to slow the rapid spread we're seeing now. Prevention describes any step you can take to avoid or reduce the likelihood of something undesirable happening.

A new critically endangered species of monkey has been discovered in Myanmar. The Popa langur is fluffy and grey, with a mask-like face, and only 200-250 of them are estimated to remain. They're named after Mount Popa, a sacred site that's part of their habitat. Scientists are excited at the discovery, but saddened that continued logging and hunting might mean that this rare primate disappears altogether.

Researchers have showed strong interactions between electrons and light waves for the first time. By using prisms to slow down light in a tiny area, they were able to create a phenomenon known as "phase-matching," where the light wave and electron wave vibrate at a similar frequency. This experiment proves an important part of quantum theory, the branch of physics devoted to studying the tiniest particles, and it may lead to breakthroughs in computer processors and elsewhere.

The International Energy Agency published a report showing that solar power plants are now cheaper to build than any other form of energy. When all the costs of different technologies like coal, nuclear, and gas are factored in, solar is the most economical in terms of dollars invested and megawatts generated. This is good news, since renewable energy — generated from sources like the sun and wind, which don't run out — is widely seen as being the main tool to fight climate change.

A dog named Bunny has 5 million TikTok followers who watch eagerly as she steps on a mat with buttons, each of which plays a recording of a different word. She appears to combine words like "play" "outside" and "now" to create simple sentences that tell her humans what she wants. Researchers hope that this and other more formal experiments will teach us much about how animals think and understand language. Sentient describes a state of conscious self-awareness.

Joe Biden's transition team announced a list of about 500 names of people who will be involved in preparing for him to become President on January 21. These people will work with many different federal agencies to ensure a smooth transfer of power with no disruptions to the essential work and services performed by government officials. Biden also took calls from a number of foreign leaders.

President Trump fired three top officials at the Defense Department, including Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, replacing them with people who observers say are more loyal. He did not give a reason for the change, and Democrats and some military and defense specialists said that this kind of turnover — changing staff or employees — in the last weeks of an administration is a troubling sign.

The video for Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" passed one billion views on YouTube this week, a little over 18 months after the song was released. Eilish's tune "Lovely," a collaboration with Khalid, has nearly 900 million. Eilish is only the second artist to win all four of the "big four" Grammys: best new artist, album, record, and song of the year. Ubiquitous comes from the Latin "ubique," meaning "anywhere," "everywhere," and "wherever," making it an excellent choice to describe a massive hit song.

U.S. Covid-19 infections rose to a new record high, with over 10 million confirmed cases and nearly 250,000 deaths so far. Over 60,000 people are currently hospitalized with the disease, stretching many hospitals to their limit. Experts warn that the coming months will be much worse than the spring was, and President-Elect Biden urged every American to wear a mask to help stop the spread. A "trammel" is a net or a binding used to control an animal, so untrammeled means "without restraint."

Activists spoke out on Veterans Day, advocating that Fort Hood be named for Staff Sergeant Roy Benavidez, who received the Medal of Honor for his valor in the Vietnam War. Despite receiving serious wounds — 30 in total — and armed only with a knife, he saved at least eight heavily outnumbered American soldiers from certain death. Valor is Latin, from the verb "valere", meaning "strong."