The Week in Vocab
Review the Biggest Buzzwords of the Week!
When you follow national and worldwide affairs, you get access to fascinating men and women, wild science, lands previously unknown, and sometimes surprising events from your own backyard. And each week, it seems like a few words get repeated again and again. Each week, we’ll highlight the top buzzwords or terms that your students might not have known or even heard until now. All these words are featured in the most recent edition of The Week in Rap. And once they beef up their vocab, the news will make a lot more sense.
THIS WEEK
abduct (verb) — to seize and take away by force
Why it matters: Two months ago 13 Iranian fishermen were abducted by Somali pirates. These men were just rescued by the US Navy.
espionage (noun) — the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially of a foreign government or a competing company
Why it matters: Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, has been accused of espionage by Iran. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, therefore Hekmati is being treated as an Iranian criminal and may be hanged for his crimes.
caucus vs a primary — a caucus is a meeting at the local level in which registered members of a political party gather to express support for a candidate. Caucuses have fallen from popularity in favor of primaries. A primary is a state-level election in which voters choose a candidate to run against a candidate who is affiliated with another political party in a later general election.
Why it matters: It’s been 4 years since Obama was elected as the President of the United States. January has kicked off another election year. Each state either holds a primary or a caucus to decide their choice for the Republican Presidential candidate. Mitt Romney just won the Iowacaucus and the New Hampshire primary.
Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) — The BPC is an organization that addresses the key challenges that face the nation and actively promotes bipartisanship.
Why it matters: The BPC has participated in the important discussions about the debt of the United States.
Alabama–Louisiana State University (LSU) rivalry – an American college football rivalry dating back to 1895. The rivalry between the Crimson Tide (Alabama) and the Bengal Tigers (LSU) is famous, not just in the South.
Why it matters: Alabama (ranked no. 2) and LSU (ranked no. 1) just played each other in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship game. Alabama won 21-0. This was the first shutout in BSC title game history.
Did you hear any other big terms this week? Share them in the comments!
Learn all about these stories and more in The Week in Rap.