WE HAVE A SITUATION
In this country ha-matzav, "the situation", refers to the security threats it has faced since the day of independence in 1948
Israel
In 2019, using the Event Horizon Telescope, the first of these cosmic objects was photographed
a black hole
In the early 1500s Botticelli & Leonardo da Vinci both lived in this Arno River city, a leading renaissance center
Florence
Change a letter in the color of money into the rapacious desire for said money
green & greed
I can read you like this 2-word term for an exam in which students are allowed to consult notes & texts
an open book
Zero-sum is an alternative to this happier type of double-talk situation
win-win
A study at Johns Hopkins suggests that being around dogs at an early age may lessen the risk of this "split mind" disorder
schizophrenia
One of the great Renaissance buildings is the Biblioteca Marciana, meaning St. Mark's this, in Venice
Library
A word meaning mild or not very flavorful spices things up by becoming a verb meaning to mix
bland & blend
Doctoral students write dissertations; a master's degree usually requires one of these, from the Greek for "proposition"
a thesis
In 1950 he spoke about the situation in Korea: "A small country, thousands of miles away, but...important to every American"
Truman
Observed in 2019, 2I/Borisov is the first identified one of these bodies of rock & ice to visit from outside our solar system
a comet
DD
Erasmus was the "Prince of" this -ism that uses classical learning to gain knowledge of man's nature
Humanism
With a change of just one letter, to burn slightly becomes a single-named superstar singer/actress
char & Cher
DD
We'll gamble you know that this word for an exam supervisor once meant a Roman governor
a proctor
Churchill's June 4, 1940 speech on the war situation narrates this evacuation of 335,000 troops from the shores of France
Dunkirk
RBBP6, one of these compounds that contain amino acids, has proven effective against Ebola
a protein
Seen here in a sculpture from around 1410 is the Renaissance master Donatello's version of this biblical king
David
A word meaning of short duration turns very sad as one denoting sharp sorrow over a death
brief & grief
An experienced teacher who helps guide a new teacher; also, the name of a guide in the "Odyssey"
a mentor
Demosthenes spent years convincing Athenians they were in a crisis situation due to the threat from this dad of Alexander
Philip (of Macedon)
Developers of this hyphenated type of battery that powers smartphones & electric cars won the 2019 Nobel Chemistry Prize
lithium-ion
Martin V, first pope of the Renaissance, was offered digs in this French city where the alternate papacy had been based, but said no
Avignon
Change a letter in the opposite of illuminated to get a word for unpleasantly damp & chilly
dark & dank
This synonym of proficiency describes a type of learning that allows students to progress at the rate at which they master skills
competency