This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for June 10–June 16, 2023

Thousands of Reddit communities held a boycott to protest the message board's unpopular new fees for third-party developers. About 9,000 subreddits went private for two days, making them unusable, in an attempt to pressure executives to return to free customization. Boycott comes from Charles Boycott, a 19th-century landlord's agent, against whom the form of protest was successfully used by tenants.

Carpenters are using ancient methods to rebuild the fire-damaged roof of Notre Dame Cathedral. A devastating 2019 fire destroyed timbers supporting the arched ceiling of the landmark church, which is the seat of the Catholic archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich. Workers are hewing local oak trees into long beams using hand tools and traditional techniques to restore the framework of the nave and the choir, where clergy are seated.

After a historically warm winter and a deadly freeze late in the season, the state of Georgia is anticipating a near-total loss of its peach crop this summer. Georgia, the third-largest producer of peaches in the U.S., normally harvests 130 million pounds of the sweet, juicy fruit each year. At least 90 percent of the peach yield has so far been lost. Crop is from a root meaning "the head or top of a plant."

People with disabilities have better access to more beaches, thanks to the increasing availability of wheelchairs with balloon-like tires. These devices are especially made to help people with limited mobility travel easily across sand, gravel, and rocky surfaces. New laws and regulations mean that a growing number of public and private beaches are providing the wheelchairs to visitors whose disabilities make it difficult or impossible to walk on uneven terrain.

On June 12, the NATO nations and Japan together began what are being described as the largest military drills since the Cold War. About 10,000 troops and over 250 military aircraft will participate in the two-week-long exercise. Officials said that while the drills are meant to remind world leaders of NATO's solidarity and military strength, they won't include offensive maneuvers, but will only demonstrate defensive readiness.

On the day she graduated from high school, climate advocate Greta Thunberg held her final school strike. The 20-year-old activist began what has grown into a powerful movement of young protesters when she was in 9th grade, striking daily for three weeks. Since then, the weekly demonstrations have included millions of students around the world. Now that she has completed high school, she will go on to protest — as a graduate. The Latin root of graduate means "a step."

Four days after he was indicted over possible mishandling of classified documents, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts. It's the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been charged with a federal crime. Trump is accused of removing sensitive materials from the White House, then deliberately hiding them in his Mar-a-Lago home despite a subpoena ordering him to return them. The Latin root of indict means "declare."

Four children were rescued after spending 40 days in the Colombian jungle. The siblings, who range in age from one to 13, were lost in the dense rainforest vegetation after a plane crash that killed their mother and two other adults. All four were in weak but stable condition after rescuers found them. It's still unclear how they survived for so long in an environment known for its poisonous snakes and drenching rain. Jungle's Hindi root means both "forest" and "desert."

In a landmark climate change case, a group of young people sued the Montana state government for failing to protect the environment. The trial, which opened on June 12, will feature testimony from sixteen plaintiffs ranging in age from five to 22. They contend that Montana failed its explicit constitutional obligation to "maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations." Experts say the case could have legal and historical significance.

For the first time, researchers have gotten a direct look at Earth’s mantle. By boring a 4,100-foot-deep hole into the seabed of the North Atlantic Ocean, scientists were able to extract samples of rock from the layer of earth below the crust and above the core. Geologists are excited to learn more about the mantle, which comprises most of our planet and is also the location of the churning movement that ultimately causes earthquakes and volcanoes.

New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the city's first-ever minimum wage for food delivery workers. Under the new regulations, people who deliver to-go restaurant orders will make about $18 per hour plus tips, and no less than $19.96 per hour by 2025. It's a major change for these workers, who currently earn significantly less than the city's general minimum wage of $15 per hour; in fact, the new salary will be nearly three times higher than delivery workers' current average income.

Trainers at the Houston Zoo are guiding elephants in daily yoga routines to help keep them limber, calm, and healthy. The zoo has provided its elephants with this gentle exercise for nearly 100 years. Each of the resident Asian elephants is trained in stretches and poses starting from the time they're four months old. In Sanskrit, yoga means "union with the Supreme Being," from a root word meaning "to join."