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Over 18,000 in Mexico register to run for Supreme Court seats and federal judges in new system
The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world — or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is "polarization"? "Polarization means division, but it's a very specific kind of division," said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday's announcement. "Polarization means that we are tending toward the extremes rather than toward the center." The election was so divisive, many American voters went to the polls with a feeling that the opposing candidate was an existential threat to the nation. According to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, about 8 in 10 Kamala Harris voters were very or somewhat concerned that Donald Trump's views — but not Harris' — were too extreme, while about 7 in 10 Trump voters felt the same way about Harris — but not Trump. The Merriam-Webster entry for "polarization" reflects scientific and metaphorical definitions. It's most commonly used to mean "causing strong disagreement between opposing factions or groupings." Merriam-Webster, which logs 100 million pageviews a month on its site, chooses its word of the year based on data, tracking a rise in search and usage. Last year's pick was "authentic." This year's comes as large swaths of the U.S. struggle to reach consensus on what is real. "It's always been important to me that the dictionary serve as a kind of neutral and objective arbiter of meaning for everybody," Sokolowski said. "It's a kind of backstop for meaning in an era of fake news, alternative facts, whatever you want to say about the value of a word's meaning in the culture." It's notable that "polarization" originated in the early 1800s — and not during the Renaissance, as did most words with Latin roots about science, Sokolowski said. He called it a "pretty young word," in the scheme of the English language. "Polarized is a term that brings intensity to another word," he continued, most frequently used in the U.S. to describe race relations, politics and ideology. "The basic job of the dictionary is to tell the truth about words," the Merriam-Webster editor continued. "We've had dictionaries of English for 420 years and it's only been in the last 20 years or so that we've actually known which words people look up." "Polarization" extends beyond political connotations. It's used to highlight fresh cracks and deep rifts alike in pop culture, tech trends and other industries. All the scrutiny over Taylor Swift's private jet usage? Polarizing. Beef between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake? Polarizing. The International Olympic Committee's decision to strip American gymnast Jordan Chiles of her bronze medal after the Paris Games? You guessed it: polarizing. Even lighthearted memes — like those making fun of Australian breakdancer Rachael "Raygun" Gunn's performance — or the proliferation of look-alike contests, or who counts as a nepo baby proved polarizing. Paradoxically though, people tend to see eye to eye on the word itself. Sokolowski cited its frequent use among people across the political spectrum, including commentators on Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. "It's used by both sides," he said, "and in a little bit ironic twist to the word, it's something that actually everyone agrees on." Rounding out Merriam-Webster's top 10 words of 2024: Demure TikToker Jools Lebron's 38-second video describing her workday makeup routine as "very demure, very mindful" lit up the summer with memes. The video has been viewed more than 50 million times, yielding "huge spikes" in lookups, Sokolowski said, and prompting many to learn it means reserved or modest. Fortnight Taylor Swift's song "Fortnight," featuring rapper Post Malone, undoubtedly spurred many searches for this word, which means two weeks. "Music can still send people to the dictionary," Sokolowski said. Totality The solar eclipse in April inspired awe and much travel. There are tens of millions of people who live along a narrow stretch from Mexico's Pacific coast to eastern Canada, otherwise known as the path of totality, where locals and travelers gazed skyward to see the moon fully blot out the sun. Generally, the word refers to a sum or aggregate amount — or wholeness. Resonate "Texts developed by AI have a disproportionate percentage of use of the word 'resonate,'" Sokolowski said. This may be because the word, which means to affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way, can add gravitas to writing. But, paradoxically, artificial intelligence "also betrays itself to be a robot because it's using that word too much." Allision The word was looked up 60 times more often than usual when, in March, a ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. "When you have one moving object into a fixed object, that's an allision, not a collision. You're showing that one of the two objects struck was not, in fact, in motion," Sokolowski said. Weird This summer on the TV news show "Morning Joe," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Republican leaders "weird." It may have been what launched his national career, landing him as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Though it's a word that people typically misspell — is it "ei" or "ie"? — and search for that reason, its rise in use was notable, Sokolowski said. Cognitive Whether the word was used to raise questions about President Joe Biden's debate performance or Trump's own age, it cropped up often. It refers to conscious intellectual activity — such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering. Pander Pander was used widely in political commentary, Sokolowski said. "Conservative news outlets accused Kamala Harris of pandering to different groups, especially young voters, Black voters, gun rights supporters." Whereas Walz said Trump's visit to a McDonald's kitchen pandered to hourly wage workers. It means to say, do, or provide what someone — such as an audience — wants or demands even though it is not "good, proper, reasonable, etc." Democracy In 2003, Merriam-Webster decided to make "democracy" its first word of the year. Since then, the word — which, of course, means a form of government in which the people elect representatives to make decisions, policies and laws — is consistently one of the dictionary's most looked up. "There's a poignancy to that, that people are checking up on it," Sokolowski said. "Maybe the most hopeful thing that the curiosity of the public shows, is that they're paying attention." Which words defined the last 10 years, according to Merriam-Webster? 1. 2023: authentic 2. 2022: gaslighting 3. 2021: vaccine 4. 2020: pandemic 5. 2019: they 6. 2018: justice 7. 2017:feminism 8. 2016: surreal 9. 2015: ism 10. 2014: culture
Chinese film about Covid-19 wins Taiwan's top Golden Horse prizes
Hellenic Heritage Foundation’s annual Christmas dinner in Toronto
NICEVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Aaliyah Nye scored 15 points and No. 23 Alabama coasted to an 83-33 win over Alabama State on Monday at the Emerald Coast Classic. Sarah Ashlee Barker and Karly Weathers both added 12 points for the Crimson Tide (7-0). Zaay Green had 11. Barker, Weathers and Green combined to go 12 of 16 from the field as Alabama shot 51% and made 23 of 34 free throws. Cordasia Harris had eight points for the Hornets (2-3), who shot 27.5% and had 28 turnovers while being outrebounded by 17. Alabama entered ranked 17th in scoring offense through the first two weeks of the season, averaging 87.3 points per game. Barker opened the scoring and contributed another layup before her 3-pointer made it 14-0. The Tide led 26-8 after one quarter. Alabama also had a 13-2 run in the second quarter and Weathers had a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lead 46-20 at halftime. Alabama plays the winner of UAB-Clemson on Tuesday and the Hornets face the loser. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballA Chinese film set during the Covid-19 pandemic won the top prizes in Taiwan's prestigious Golden Horse Awards, which saw the highest number of entries from China in recent years despite political tensions. Beijing banned its entertainers from joining Golden Horse -- dubbed the Chinese-language "Oscars" -- in 2019 after a Taiwanese director voiced support for the island's independence in an acceptance speech in 2018. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, which the Taipei government rejects, and Chinese A-listers and big commercial productions have largely avoided the event ever since. Despite the sensitivity of the awards, more than 200 Chinese films entered this year's competition, which Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said was the highest number in "recent years". Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye was awarded best director late Saturday night for his docu-drama "An Unfinished Film", which was also named best picture. Lou was absent from the ceremony but his wife Ma Yingli read his acceptance speech, describing the film set during China's lockdown of Wuhan in the earliest stages of the pandemic as "the most special directing job I have ever done". Chinese actor Zhang Zhiyong, who also did not attend the awards, won best actor for his performance in Chinese director Geng Jun's same-sex drama "Bel Ami". Hong Kong's Chung Suet-ying was named best actress for her role in "The Way We Talk", which is about the deaf community. Neither "Bel Ami" nor "An Unfinished Film" has been released in China. Ahead of the awards, MAC spokesman Liang Wen-chieh told reporters that these films "may not be able to be screened in mainland China, but they still hope to have a free platform to participate and express themselves". "We welcome (them) very much," he said. After several years absence, Chinese stars began trickling back to the awards in Taipei last year, with actress Hu Ling the first to grace the red carpet since the ban. On Saturday, Geng Jun and some of his cast were among the few Chinese entertainers to join stars and filmmakers from around the region, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, on the red carpet. While Geng missed out on best director and best picture, his film "Bel Ami" won the awards for best cinematography and best film editing. Despite political tensions, Golden Horse remained a stage for independent Chinese films that have no distribution space on the mainland, Taiwanese film critic Wonder Weng told AFP. "This spirit remains unchanged. I think the Golden Horse Awards have always insisted on being the benchmark" that is open to all subjects, said Weng, who is a board member of Taiwan Film Critics Society. Weng said "An Unfinished Film" by Lou, who has previously taken on forbidden subjects such as gay sex and the 1989 Tiananmen protests, was "a work of conscience". Lou's latest offering is about a film crew trying to resume shooting a movie during the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, as the city was placed in an unprecedented lockdown. "Lou put images that are banned or blocked into his work and reminds us that there is a director who is willing to preserve historical images for us to see... and let us know there is a different voice," Weng said. aw/amj/dhc
NoneSpain honors Cornell engineering professor with knighthood
On Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. ET, the Kansas City Chiefs will meet the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Our computer model predicts that the Chiefs will win — keep scrolling for more info, regarding the point spread, total and final score. Looking for NFL tickets? Head to StubHub today and see your team live. On defense, the Chiefs have been a top-five unit, ranking fifth-best by giving up only 297.5 yards per game. They rank 16th on offense (337.9 yards per game). The Panthers have been outplayed on both offense and defense this season, ranking third-worst in points (16.7 per game) and worst in points surrendered (31 per game). BetMGM is one of the most trusted Sportsbooks in the nation. Start with as little as $1 and place your bets today . Ready to make your pick? Head to BetMGM using our link and start betting today. Watch this game on Paramount+ (Regional restrictions may apply) Rep your favorite NFL players with officially licensed gear. Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more. Catch every NFL touchdown with NFL RedZone on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .
Lilly's 21 lead Brown over Canisius 83-76
'One last time': Holocaust survivor and Helena woman reunites with sisterSpecial counsel moves to dismiss election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump
Kaleb Johnson rushes 35 times for 164 yards in Iowa's 29-13 victory over MarylandPanthers vs. Chiefs Predictions & Picks: Odds, Moneyline, Spread – Week 12The 2024 NCAA cross country championships took place this Saturday morning on ESPNU and ESPN+. Unfortunately, the network's coverage of the event went sideways in a hurry. This year's cross country championships were held in Wisconsin at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course. During the women's 6K race, ESPN's feed for the event kept lagging. To make matters worse, the commercials worked perfectly fine. From an optics standpoint, that's not ideal. Since the production quality was such a mess, countless media members and fans hopped on social media to express their displeasure with ESPN. "ESPN+ losing the feed on the NCAA Women's Cross Country National Championships is not good," Andrew Marchand said . "Absolutely unacceptable. @ESPNU should be embarrassed by this @NCAA Cross Country feed," one person tweeted. "What a joke of a broadcast for the NCAA cross country national championships @ESPNU @espn The lagging and glitching is quite literally unwatchable. Nobody got to see 1st place cross the finish line. They basically had to cut to commercial, so who knows who won the team race," another person wrote on X. "Goodness the @ESPNU stream for cross country national championships is TERRIBLE Seriously? And at the finish line too This would never happen for college football, basketball, or baseball. These sports should all be treated the same. Commercials work great though," a fourth person said. Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images ESPN has a lot of explaining to do, make no mistake about it. Netflix learned last week just how angry people will get if the streaming quality for a live sporting event is subpar. Will this outrage lead to changes for ESPN's coverage of track and field? Only time will tell. Related: Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against Netflix For Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Fight
Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss the case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, citing longstanding Justice Department policy shielding presidents from prosecution while in office. The move announced in court papers marks the end of the Justice Department’s landmark effort to hold Trump accountable for what prosecutors called a criminal conspiracy to cling to power in the run-up to his supporters’ attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In court papers. prosecutors said the Justice Department’s position “is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated.” Read More: The decision was expected after Smith’s team began assessing how to wind down both the 2020 election interference case and the separate classified documents case in the wake of Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. The Justice Department believes Trump can no longer be tried in accordance with longstanding policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. Trump has cast both cases as politically motivated, and had vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. The 2020 election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing the Republican as he vied to reclaim the White House. But it quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. Read More: The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of using “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will over voters after he lost to President Joe Biden. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world.Number of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record high