Ripped from the Headlines: February 2021: This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 30–February 5, 2021

A huge blizzard moved up the East Coast, dumping nearly two feet of snow in some areas and causing extensive delays and school closures. Flights were also cancelled as plows worked overtime to clear roads and runways. The word blizzard originated in North America in the early 19th century, and its use became widespread during the harsh winter of 1881.

SpaceX announced an "all civilian" space flight intended to raise $300 million for charity. Billionaire Jared Isaacman donated $100 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and members of the public need to donate at least $10 in order to have a chance at getting picked to join him on the flight. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry Isaacman and three winners inside a Crew Dragon capsule, and the group will spend four or more days in orbit before returning to Earth.

The military in Myanmar staged a coup, arresting the recently reelected civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and seizing control of the government. Myanmar was under military rule from 1962 to 2011 and Suu Kyi spent many of those years under house arrest. After regaining her freedom, she lead her party to victory in the 2012 and 2015 elections. Coup comes from coup d'état, meaning "blow to the state" in French; it refers to the forceful overthrow of a government.

Over 5,100 protestors were detained in Russia after a second week of demonstrations in support of the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny is an anti-corruption activist and President Vladimir Putin's best-known critic in Russia. He was arrested shortly after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from a near-fatal poisoning at the hands of Russian intelligence.

The Miami Heat announced that the team will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans who come to games this season. Detection dogs are already in use at several airports around the world, and their numbers are increasing since a study showed that dogs can identify someone with the virus — even someone showing no symptoms at all — with 94 percent accuracy.

Members of Congress from both parties have written a bill that will free the U.S. Post Office from a 2006 law requiring it to prepay retirement benefits for its workers. The USPS Fairness Act seeks to remove a financial burden that Postal Workers Union president Mark Dimondstein called "draconian." Draconian comes from Draco, an infamous lawgiver in ancient Athens who imposed harsh punishments for a number of offenses.

General Motors announced that it will sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The company has already planned to make 30 different electric models by 2025 and is building a battery-making factory to supply them. While the announcement surprised many, including GM's competitors, observers say it's part of a larger movement away from fossil fuels and towards long-term sustainability in the industry.

Apomys sacobianus, a type of mouse native only to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, was feared to be extinct after a huge eruption in 1991 destroyed most of its habitat. But a recently published study revealed that the species is alive and well, thriving in the remaining original forest and the new growth that's taken hold where lava and ash covered much of the mountain.

This week, astronomers announced the discovery of a halo of dark matter around the stars in the Tucana II galaxy. These stars are some of the oldest in the universe, and their age was determined by the amount of metal they contain — the lower the metallic content, the older the star. Scientists posit that other extremely old galaxies are also surrounded by dark matter.

Some 2,000-year-old mummies with tongues made of gold foil were recently unearthed in Alexandria, Egypt. Archaeologists think that the dead were fitted with the gold tongues before burial so that they would be able to speak in the afterlife — especially to argue their case before the court of Osiris, who Ancient Egyptians believed was the lord of the underworld and judge of the dead.

YInMn Blue, a color discovered by chemists in 2009, is now available for sale to the public. The bright blue pigment, made from yttrium, indium, and manganese is extremely stable and resistant to fading. It's now available as artist's paint and even a Crayola crayon — though the crayon is not made with the real pigment.

2020 was a census year — they occur every ten years — and data from the census is used to reapportion congressional districts based on changes in population. This redistricting process adds or subtracts Congressional seats from states that see big increases or decreases in the number of residents. Because House seats are set at 435, each seat represents a little over 700,000 people.

Democrats moved forward with plans to pass President Biden's economic relief plan using a Senate rule known as reconciliation. This rule allows for passing certain types of financial legislation by a simple majority vote. Because Democrats hold 50 Senate seats and Vice President Harris would cast a tie-breaking vote, they don't need any Republican votes to pass the bill.

President Biden threatened to impose sanctions on Myanmar after the military seized power in a coup. Labeling the coup "a direct assault on the country's transition to democracy," Biden called for an international response and demanded that Myanmar's military return power to the elected government.

Syringe manufacturers in China say that they may not be able to fill some orders until June, possibly delaying vaccination programs around the world. Manufacturing companies are adding capacity and working 24 hours a day to meet demand, but orders placed now are not expected to be shipped until late spring. The word syringe comes from the Late Latin syringa, meaning "narrow tube."