Ripped from the Headlines: December 2023: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for December 16–December 22, 2023

According to social scientists, the anthropomorphic cartoon dog Snoopy is wildly popular with Gen Z. Fifty years after Snoopy first appeared in a Peanuts comic, the dog with distinctly human moods is all over social media. Snoopy merchandise, from toys to t-shirts, sells out immediately. One researcher said Snoopy perfectly embodies "anxiety, worry, thought, amusement," and other emotions young people identify with. The root of anthropomorphic means "of human form."

A hiker was rescued from California's Inyo Mountains after being trapped under a boulder for over ten hours. Kevin DePaolo's leg became lodged beneath the 10,000-pound stone after it rolled down a hillside toward the spot where he'd stopped to dig for gems in the sand. Using ropes, pulleys, and a jack, rescuers eventually freed DePaolo from the giant chunk of rock. Boulder is from a root related to bullersten, which means "noisy stone," in a Swedish dialect.

English soccer player Tom Lockyer is recovering after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match. Lockyer, who is captain of Luton Town Football Club, had a previous heart-related medical emergency in May, when he experienced an irregular heartbeat. He was released from the hospital on December 20 after having a device implanted to protect him from future heart attacks. The Greek root of cardiac is kardia, "heart."

An Oregon charitable organization got a surprising donation: a pair of Air Jordans worth over $10,000. The Portland Rescue Mission normally receives used clothing that they give to people struggling with homelessness and addiction. The metallic gold basketball sneakers caught the attention of charity employees, who set them aside. They turned out to be rare Nike Air Jordan Retro 3s designed for director Spike Lee. Money from their sale will be used to feed and house people in need.

A new study found that contrails cause more global warming than jet fuel does. The wispy clouds that trail behind airplanes are formed when hot air and soot are thrust from the engine into cool, moist air. Contrails reflect vast amounts of heat back into the atmosphere. Airlines plan to address the climate-damaging effects by directing some jets to fly at lower and higher altitudes, where the air is slightly warmer and contrails, or condensation trails, don't form.

On December 18, as workers began to dismantle a Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction to stop the razing and removal of the statue. The following day, the ruling was reversed. The monument will be taken apart and removed in response to a 2021 law requiring the dismantling of symbols that honor enslavers and Confederate leaders. Critics say the 1914 Arlington monument romanticizes and sanitizes the realities of slavery.

Quaker Oats recalled some granola products because of possible salmonella contamination this week. The items removed from store shelves included Quaker Chewy granola bars and several cereals. In 1886, Granola became a trademarked cereal name used by the Kellogg company, but by 1967 granola was a generic term for a toasted mix of oats, nuts, seeds, and sweeteners.

Scientists studying a soil crust that naturally forms on parts of the Great Wall of China have found that it protects the monument from erosion. The mix of lichen, moss, and bacteria acts as a barrier for the loose soil beneath it, guarding against the effects of wind and water on the 3,000-year-old wall. Lichen is particularly important, it contains algae and fungus which forms a crusty layer that helps keep the packed soil of the Great Wall from washing away.

DNA from the pelt of a fluffy 19th-century dog is revealing new details about ancient canines raised for their fur. The small pup, named Mutton, was a woolly dog, a breed traditionally cared for by women from the Pacific Northwest Coast Salish tribal nations. They were shorn like sheep, and their wool was woven into blankets. Woolly dogs, extinct since the 1880s, were culturally important to the Coast Salish people. Pelt likely derives from a Latin word meaning "skin."

The U.S. economy is ending the year in a better position than economists predicted, avoiding what seemed like an inevitable recession. The Federal Reserve gave a cautiously optimistic report, acknowledging that while inflation had dropped six points from its high of 9.1 percent, the cost of rent and groceries is still higher than before the pandemic. The economic decline that seemed unavoidable, however, hasn't happened. The Latin root of recession means "a going back."

France is installing AI video surveillance around Paris as it prepares to host the 2024 Olympics. This scrutiny is modeled on Nice, which suffered a terrorist attack in 2016. The city has since been described as "the most monitored in France," with 4,200 cameras in public spaces and systems that flag irregular motion of pedestrians and vehicles, as well as stray objects or people on the ground. Surveillance is from the French sur, "over," and veiller, "watch."

Climate experts say real Christmas trees are a more sustainable choice than artificial ones. For many who celebrate the holiday, the scent and look of a real tree are an important part of the tradition — and they can rest assured that these trees, constantly replanted, are considered to be a renewable resource. As these evergreens grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and add oxygen, as well as preventing soil erosion and providing habitats for birds and other animals.