33. Venerate

Fareed Zakaria (Program GPS on CNN, 10/9/11) in his comment re Steve Jobs' remarkable comeback from failure said,

"We live in a culture that so venerates success."

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines venerate as:  to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference.

This is an unusual word to use in ordinary conversation; nonetheless, that is your challenge this week.

32. Suppression

From The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 - Press Release, Nobelprize.org. 8 Oct 2011:

"It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent."

Congratulations to these three courageous women. 
 

Suppression: putting an end to; prohibit

Let's take a close look at "suppression of women that still occurs in many countries"

Write (or ponder) a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

31. Effusive

On his 80th birthday, Desmond Tutu's daughter Mpho described him as, "warm and effusive." [from tv interview]

Effusive: extravagantly demonstrative of emotion

How do you describe yourself?

30. Winnow

A friend recently sent an e-mail to everyone on her address list with the following apology:

"I'm sending this to everyone in my e-address book, without taking time to winnow. My apologies if you have no idea who I am or have no need for the following information."

Can you use 'winnow' in a sentence that relates to the picture below.
 

Winnow: to separate or distinguish

29. Dogma

Extract from Steve Jobs Commencement Address to Stanford University graduating class in June 2005:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Dogma: religious doctrine; belief

28. Prurient

Margaret Cho in 'Queer' (Huffington Post, 10/2/11) wrote,

“Sex is very fascinating to me outside purely prurient interest.”

What does she mean?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition is: ‘marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire, especially sexual desire’

27. Transfixed

From BBC News (online) 10/2/11, Amanda Knox: What does the future hold?

Tom Geoghegan reports:

 “All the mainstream American media was transfixed by the final verdict, reflecting the huge interest there has been in the US ever since the terrible events at Knox's former home, Via della Pergola 7, in the Umbrian city of Perugia.”

Transfixed: captivated; fascinated

How would you describe your level of attention to this case and the final verdict

26. Corpulence

With respect to Chris Christie's readiness for the presidential race, Frank Bruni, NY Times, in his 10/1/11 op-ed piece, The Round and the Oval, writes: 

"First off, a reality check: the New Jersey governor is not yet in the hunt for the Republican nomination, and may never be. But last week, as Christie speculation reached a fever pitch, attention to his corpulence hit critical mass, with the question changing from whether he was too overweight to win to whether he was so overweight that he didn’t deserve to."

Corpulence: physically bulky

Is this more appropriate than 'obesity?'

25. Enthralling

Enthralling:  captivating; spellbinding

How would you describe this image?
Can you think of any cultural references?

24. Caprice

In the article, "Taking Cain Seriously" (9/29/11 The Wall Street Journal), Daniel Henninger wrote,

Does a résumé like Herman Cain's add up to an American presidency? I used to think not. But after watching the American Idol system we've fallen into for discovering a president—with opinion polls, tongue slips and media caprice deciding front-runners and even presidents—I'm rewriting my presidential-selection software.

Merriam Webster defines caprice as, "a disposition to do things impulsively."