Why yes, it is December already.

Happening in the World: The French dictionary, Le Petit Robert, chose to add the gender-neutral pronoun “iel” into its latest online edition. “iel” is the merged form of the feminine pronoun, “elle” and the masculine pronoun, “il”—and could take on the singular and plural form to evoke a person of any gender. In response to backlash from the French Education Minister and the first lady, Brigitte Macron—who saw this as a manipulation of the French language—the director-general of Le Petit Robert said that it was their job to “observe the evolution of a French language that is in motion and diverse, and take account of that” (NYT).

Happening in the US: Yesterday afternoon, a 15-year old sophomore at a high school in suburban Detroit shot 11 people—with a semiautomatic gun that was bought by his father four days prior. The shooting killed three of his fellow students, leaving at least three others with critical injuries. Notably, this was the deadliest out of the 28 school shootings that took place this year. Authorities are still investigating whether this was a random or targeted shooting (NYT).

Happening in NYC: New York City is opening its first overdose prevention centers, also known as supervised injection sites. In doing so, the City follows the example of similar initiatives in Canada and Australia that have proven successful in reducing rates of overdose. Within the center, people will be allowed to use drugs such as heroin, under the care of medical professionals—while providing the option to access addiction treatment. There will be two centers in New York, located in East Harlem and Washington Heights (Gothamist).

Happening in our community: Today at 8 pm, the Russian Film Club at the Harriman Institute will be screening the film, Angels of Revolution (2014). The film follows the story of four young revolutionaries who are sent to spread the ideals of Communism to the indigenous populations of Siberia. The event is in Room 501 of Schermerhorn Hall, and you can register for it here.

snowy trees via Pixabay.