| 1993 The year of the rooster by Vance E. Johnson
People born in the year of
the rooster are said to be ambitious and love to be the
center of attention.
Cock is the male of the
chicken. Cocky means to be jauntily conceited or
self-confident in an aggressive or swaggering way. A
cocky fellow is over-bearing and absolutely sure which is
called cocksure. The cock of the walk is someone who
likes showing his authority.
Rooster is now used as a
male chicken instead of cock. As fowl(birds) language
becomes foul(dirty) language, rooster is a slang term
referring to the male instrument of procreation(making
baby). A little red rooster crows about for the day.
Crows about means to brag about(boast, be proud of).
Bragging sometimes ends up with empty bragging.
Chicken way of talking,
chicken race. The most common term for coward. He
chickens out or gives up turning aside. A pretty girl is
called a chicken, a chick. If you count your chickens
before they're hatched(bring forth from eggs), you may
lose your face in public. Do not count on your girl
friends in advance.
Hen is the female bird. An
old hen is a nagging old woman who pecks her chicken
hearted husband. Hens hold a hen-party, a small
get-together of housewives, however, they have nest eggs
working outside the home these days. They have to work
for chicken feed(a small amount of money).
come home to
roost; to come back in an unfavorable way to the doer
Roost is a perch on which
the birds can rest or sleep or to sit or sleep on a
perch. There is a good egg and a bad egg(person). A
chicken coming home to roost is a bad egg. He has to walk
on eggs to avoid getting eggs all over his face.
Akebono becomes first
foreign yokozuna ever
The 23-year-old Akebono,
whose real name is Chad Rowan, formally became the 64th
yokozuna when the Japan Sumo Association board of
directors unanimously approved his promotion.
His promotion from ozeki
followed back-to-back championships in the kyushu and New
Year's tournaments. The Hawaii native set the record for
the fastest ascent to the pinnacle of sumo by becoming
yokozuna after only 30 tournaments. He is the tallest(204
cm) and heaviest(212 kg) yokozuna since 1926(the
beginning of the Showa era).
Akebono played down(does not
emphasize) the significance of his nationality. "I
hope that people will look at me as just a sumo wrestler,
not as a foreigner or Japanese."
Crown Prince to marry Masako
Owada, diplomat
The Crown Prince will marry
Masako Owada, a 29-year-old foreign ministry official,
source said Jan.. 6.
Owada spent parts of her
childhood in Moscow and New York. She is a graduate of a
Boston high school and Harvard University. She studied at
the University of Tokyo, and passed the Foreign
Ministry's diplomatic service examination in 1987.
She is the second commoner
to marry a crown prince.
Man on the cover - Boutros Boutros Ghali
He's fighting unsupportedly
and desperately to change the gigantic system of the
United Nations from defense to offense. Egypt where he
came from has skillfully made diplomatic balance in the
middle east, the most unstable region in the world, and
has kept its political power of expression. Ghali who
once was the vice president of the country was believed
to have outstanding sense of balance.
Unfortunately Egypt and
Ghali might have had that of the cold wars. So long as
there was balance between the United states and the
Soviet Union in the world of the cold war era, things
went all right(off course, both of them concerned about
their mutual balance). But America, after the collapse of
the Soviet Union, is at a loss how to use the power it
has. It is the United Nations led by Ghali that is taking
over the role of World Policeman instead of America
losing the sense of balance.
Activists' argument that if
it is humanitarian intervention, they will not hesitate
to violate national sovereignty was first realized by
despatching PKO troops to Somalia. Secretary General
Ghali seems to be an active inter-ventionist and is over
indulged in power requiring Japan for certain degree of
military contribution.
This visit to Japan is
contributed with the completion of headquarters building
of the United Nations' University, however, an excessive
expect-ation toward Japan should be suspended. Demanding
the despatch of armed personnels to PKF is equal to
compelling revision of the Japanese consti-tution, and it
clearly interferes domestic affairs.
Court upholds Red Army
conviction
The Supreme Court Feb. 19
turned down an appeal by two members of the United Red
Army convicted of killing 17 people between them.
Nagata, 48, and Sakaguchi,
46, were found guilty of murdering 14 fellow members of
the URA at hideouts in Gunma Prefecture between Dec. 1971
and Feb. 1972, whom they accused of betraying the
revolutionary cause. Sakaguchi also was convicted of
gunning down two policemen and a photographer in a 1972
shoot-out at a mountain lodge.
Boutros-Ghali urges wider UN
role
Ghali, who was in Tokyo for
a five-day visit, asked Prime Minister Miyazawa Feb. 16
to increase Japan's participation in UN led peace
efforts.
He called on Japan to make
more contributions, saying any type -such as sending
doctors and transporting relief goods and refugees -
would be welcome.
City Life Asiaweek - Tyrant or Hero
Genghis Khan equals
Yoshitsune is a Japanese way of imagination, and they
have their own biography of Genghis Khan in Mongolia.(However,
as it was written after 13 years of his death, it was
considerably adapted and the Chinese version has only
been kept.) According to Asiaweek(Feb. 3), Genghis Khan
was born in 1162. He had to take care of his family,
losing his father at 9 years old, and he shot and killed
his brother by a different mother at 12 years old. Since
then, Genghis Khan successively conquered different folks
saying that God brought me because you were evil.
An old Mongolian historian
says the excessive hero worship should be avoided.
"We should be proud of Genghis, but we don't have to
make him a god."
Searching the tomb of great
people's hero is now being energetically carried out.
However, the key persons are Japanese funded by Japanese
enterprises.
Afghan president Najibullah
overthrown
Najibullah surrendered power
April 16 as rebel guerrillas closed in on the capital,
government official said. He was reportedly detained
while trying to flee the country.
A radical fundamentalist
group vowed to continue fighting until a strict Islamic
regime is installed. Guerrilla groups have fought not
only against the government, but also among themselves.
Visa-free agreement with
Iran ends
As the suspension of the
visa-free agreement between Iran and Japan went into
effect April 15, Iranians who had stayed beyond the legal
three month limit flocked to Tokyo Immigration Bureau
asking to be repatriated.
Over 1,000 Iranians have
appeared at the office and reported visa violations since
April 1. Apparently these Iranians feared that
immigration authorities would tighten their crackdown on
illegal workers.
Kanemaru probe widens; further charges expected
Kanemaru was arrested for
allegedly evading taxes on income of about 800 million
yen. He reportedly admitted the evasion of 400 million
yen at the Tokyo Detention House.
Prosecutors were trying to
determine the source of this income, and whether Kanemaru
had misappropriated political funds for private use.
Further raids March 9
uncovered approximately 1 billion yen in gold bullion and
cash hidden in Kanemaru's office. And a raid on Okasan
Securi-ties Co. March 10 revealed that Kanemaru had
purchased an additional 1 billion yen in debentures
through the brokerage house. They are discount debentures
bought anonymously(with no name known).
alleged; so
declared, but without proof. so called
I got it
from the horse mouth. A little bird told me. I heard it
through grape vine.
misappropriate;
to appropriate to a bad, incorrect, or dishonest use
bullion;
bars of gold or silver
raid; any
sudden invasion of some place by police to discover
violation of the law
debenture;
an interest-bearing bond issued by corporation
Singapore sticks by chewing
gum ban
The ban on chewing gum,
introduced in January 1992, has paid off. There has been
a dramatic drop in the incidence of littering with
respect chewing gum.
Singapore banned the
manufacture, sale and import of chewing gum with a fine
of up to Singapore $10,000 for chewing gum in commuter
trains or train station.
In the three months to
February, customs officials seized 5,932 packets of
chewing gum and 1,097 pieces of bubble gum from 217
people at Singapore's airport and causeway to Malaysia.
litter; to
scatter about carelessly
County tries to curb
teen sex
The Teen Pregnancy Coalition
of York County declared March 22 its first Great Sex-Out
Day to impress on unmarried teenagers the joy of
abstinence. It gave out brochures suggesting such
alternatives to sex as baking cookies, taking moonlight
walks and "holding one another close."
abstain; to
do without voluntarily; refrain from
abstinence;
abstaining from some or all food, drink or other pleasure
CITY LIFE Asiaweek - On the March
Philippine is also caught up
with turmoil of war which comes from the confrontation
between the Islam and the Christianity. In the Catholic
country Philippines, the south west Mindanao is a region
where Moslems occupy the majority. Although it is
designated as the Islamic autonomous region, the fight
demanding the complete separation and independence does
not stop.
According to Asiaweek(Apr.
14), Islamic
separation sect which had been inactive under the
ex-Aquino administration strengthen its terrorism again.
Number of armed power is estimated to 21,000. Since
February they have
been repeating bombing terrorism.
President Ramos is calling
for reconciliation, but there is no Moslem minister now
in the cabinet who occupied two or three posts. It makes
sense that Moslem group deepens the sense of isolation.
Moslem senator Santania Rarus says, "Government
tends to think of security immediately military problem
Security for Moslem is a collective feeling that their
way of life will not be trampled.
NEWS TIME - Japan after hard times: How powerful?
It is not only big
enterprises that are going to be destroyed. According to
TIME(Ap. 19), the great economic country,Japan is now on
the decline, belonging spring has not yet come into view.
It is not only decline of
economy(this country is now in the midst of the biggest
political turmoil after the war). Added to that, there
are social changes such as expanding generation gap and
aging of population(and increasing of women turning their
back on their traditional roles).
It has become clear that
Japan is not indestructive. So Japanese men say it can't
be helped(shoganai), even though they are asked to quit
their jobs(kata tataki), and women say they don't want to
be together with their husbands after death who are
company men, refusing to enter the grave together(shigo-rikon).
It is quite natural that the average year of women's
marriage is 26 and is highest after Sweden, says TIME.
Diane Keaton on
Plastic Surgery(Mirabella,
April)
Can you put on masks on your
face all life long?, asks Actress Diane Keaton on the
women's magazine, Mirabella.(It discloses who you are and
a mask is made to hide your face.) It may sometimes look
brilliant(but the mask does not change. It is a
deception. It is not reality but the world of love affair
drama).
The mask she refers means a
plastic surgery. She didn't like the shape of her nose in
her childhood and improvised her hair style, but she
didn't try to resort to the plastic surgery. Because she
thought that a face made by the plastic surgery might be
pretty but not beautiful.(pretty is different from
beautiful. It is same as a door to door cosmetic sales
person who brings prettily wrapped superficial
satisfaction and prettiness never gives any-thing
substantially.
Now is the day when ordinary
person goes to the plastic surgery with an ordinary
sense. There is thinking that the plastic surgery is a
choice of women. But she says you can't take it off once
you put the mask, plastic surgery. As you have lived
accordingly various experiences, why do you want the same
thing that you wanted when you were young?
Bosnian Serbs
reject peace plan
The Bosnian Serb Parliament
rejected May 6 an international peace plan for Bosnia.
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic accepted the plan, otherwise they would suffer
fierce attacks by NATO forces.
US called for military
measures if the Serbs rejected the pact. Yugos-lavia
responded to the rejection by cutting off all aids to
Serbia except food and medicine. Bosnian Croats and
Muslims have already signed the plan.
Yeltsin again
postpones Japan visit
Russia officially informed
Japan May 6 of President Boris Yeltsin's decision to
postpone his visit to Japan.
Last September, he abruptly
canceled a visit, citing that Japan's insist-ence on
linking large-scale financial aid to a resolution of the
territorial dispute. The gap again became clear late last
month.
Despite killing, no pullout from
Cambodia planned
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yohei Kono, head of a special task force set up after the
death of Haruyuki Takata, reaffirmed government support
of UNTAC May 5. The same day, government formally
appointed 41 peacekeepers to monitor elections in
Cambodia set to start May 23, while Japan is to withdraw
its personnel if the peace accord breaks down under the
condition of the peacekeeping law.
Takata, 33, was killed and
other four officers were injured in an ambush near Ampil
as part of a six-vehicle convoy escorted by the Dutch
marine. The Khmer Rouge is suspected in the attack,
aiming to obstruct the UNTAC-sponsored election.
After Sihanouk flip flop,
uncertainty reigns
Cambodian Prince Norodom
Sihanouk announced June 4 that he was abandoning his day
old to lead an interim government.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh,
Sihanouk's son and the leader of FUNCIN-PEC, reportedly
objected to Sihanouk's initiative. FUNCINPEC had won an
esti-mated 57 seats in the 120 member constituent
assembly.
The ruling CPP led by Hun
Sen, the current Prime Minister, had won an estimated 52.
CPP had threatened to reject the results with over
100,000 armed men, which had promoted the fears that
civil war might resume.
Sihanouk is going to put the
responsibility on the shoulders of the two competing
parties to avoid a bloody conflict.
flip flop;
to change suddenly
interim; the
period of time between, meantime, temporary, provisional
resume; to
begin again or go on with again after interruption
Miyazawa Cabinet toppled; Lower House dissolved
Thirty-nine members of the
LDP, including 34 from the Hata faction, voted in favor
of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister
Miyazawa and his Cabinet June 18. 255 was for the motion
and 220 against. This tipped the balance against
Miyazawa, bringing down the government.
The passage of the
no-confidence motion capped several days of frantic
political maneuverings. The faction has been sharply
critical of Miyazawa who did not keep his promise of
achieving political reform during the current Diet
session.
topple; to
fall over from top-heaviness, to overthrow
tip the
balance; to overturn the balance, to cause to tilt the
balance, What she told him the night tipped the balance,
and he never came back. The appearance of new witness
tipped the balance for him, and he won the trial.
cap; to end,
to put a cap on
frantic;
wild with anger, pain, worry, etc., losing your composure
frenzy; wild
outburst of feeling or action, driving mad
maneuver; to
manage skillfully, to move, get, make by some stratagem
There's no
maneuvering space. There's no chance to get ahead. I have
no leverage with these people.
Interim gov't set
up in Cambodia
Leaders of Cambodia's two
main political parties agreed June 16 to share power in
an interim government.
Hun sen and Norodom
Ranariddh were appointed joint leaders of the provisional
National Government of Cambodia. FUNCINPEC won 58 seats
and the CCP 51 in the new National Assembly. The National
Asembly has three months to write a constitution and will
then form a government.
There has been threats by
CCP not to endorse the election results and a thwarted
attempt by Ranariddh's half brother to have six of
Cambodia's 21 provinces secede.
thwart; to
keep from doing, to block or hinder(a person, plans,
etc.)
secede; to
withdraw formally from a larger body, as from a political
union
After crushing rebellion, Yeltsin tightens control
After a bloody 10-hour
battle in Moscow Oct. 4 that left the Parliament building
in ruins, opposition leaders and their supporters
surrendered.
This capped a two week
standoff that began when Yeltsin issued a decree
dissolving Parliament. His opponents, heavily armed,
defied the decree and holed up in the Parliament
building, declaring themselves as the legitimate
government.
Yeltsin banned communist
organizations, fired opponents in the gov-ernment, and
shut down several newspapers. He confirmed Oct. 6 that
new elections for Parliament would go ahead as planned on
Dec 12.
standoff;
deadlock, a tie or draw in a contest, keeping at a
distance,
standstill,
stalemate
defy; to
resist openly, to oppose completely in a
baffled(confusing) way, to disobey, to ignore, to take a
defiant attitude
hole up in;
to shut oneself in
press for;
put pressure on, tighten screw
tight
fisted, Your throat becomes tight.
Damages awarded in
textbook case
The Tokyo High Court Oct. 20
ordered the government to pay 300,000 yen to Prof. Ienaga
for making him rewrite sections in his high school
history texts.
The court ruled that
ministry officials in 1980 and 1983 unlawfully ordered
him to rewrite three sections; his account of the Nanjing
Massacre of 1937, his depiction of the Somotai-the 19th
century volunteer army that tried to overthrow the
shogunate- and his account of the rape of Chinese women
by Japanese soldiers.
The court ruled that five
other disputed sections were legally changed.
rule; to
issue a formal decision
Kajima probe
deepens in Sendai
Prosecutors Oct. 22 raided
the head office of Kajima Corp. and also searched the
company's Tohoku branch office.
Kazumi Suzuki, 64, the
second-in-command of the builder's Tohoku branch, and
Ichiro Takagi, 57, chief of the Sendai operations branch,
were arrested Oct. 21 on suspicion of giving 10 million
yen to then Sendai Mayor Tohru Ishii in April last year
in return for the award of a public works contract.
Since late June, over 20
people, including two prefectural governors, have been
arrested in bribery cases centering on leading
contractors.
After protests, Russia halts
dumping of radioactive waste
Russia announced Oct. 21
that it would suspend plans to dump a second load of
radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan.
On Oct. 17 Russian naval
vessels dumped 900 tons of low-level liquid radioactive
waste into the sea, at a site 550 km west of Hakodate,
Hokkaido. The act, reported by the environmental group
GREENPEACE, brought strong protests from both the
Japanese and South Korean government. In March, Russia
admitted for the first time that it dumped them into
ocean waters from 1959 to 1992.
Japan has already pledged
$100 million to help dispose of Russia's surplus nuclear
weapons. Japan will vote for a total ban on the ocean
dumping of low-level radioactive waste at a meeting of
the London Convention charter countries Nov. 8, however,
it has been opposed to a ban on dumping low-level waste
until now.
Saito, owner of Daishowa, held for bribing
Miyagi gov.
Ryoei Saito, owner of
Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., was arrested Nov. 11 on
suspicion of bribing the governor of Miyagi Prefecture.
Also arrested was Taira Kiyosawa, deputy chairman of the
firm.
Saito has admitted giving
the money to Honma in Dec. 1991. In exchange for the
money, sources say, Honma used his influence to help two
Daishowa subsidiaries obtain permission to build a golf
course permission and houses in Natori, Miyagi
Prefecture. The two subsidiaries, Daishowa Greenport
Development Co. and Daishowa Ashitaka Co., received
permission even though the projects violated prefectural
regulations.
NAFTA clears critical
House hurdle
The US. House of
Representatives approved Nov. 17 the trade pact to fuse
the United States, Mexico and Canada into the world's
largest trading bloc. The accord would create a
continental free-trade zone by gradually eliminating
tariffs over 15 years.
The 234-200 vote sent to the
measure to the Senates where approval was considered
certain.
Eric Clapton
That he can be on the front
line of the artistic world, even though approaching 50
years old, is because America is now moving with baby
boom generation in their 40s. However, in 48 year old
Eric Clapton's case, he is not only supported by the
gigantic baby boom market that is not of advanced age.
This year, at the 35th
Glammy Awards, he got awards in 6 fields. It was the
third greatest feat in history as receiving number of
awards at the same time. "Tears in Heaven" that
got the best record award, is a song dedicated to his son
who accidentally died before he became 4 years old in
1991. Clapton, asked about his joy of receiving the
awards, replied, "I just feel incredibly
guilty." Bewilderment of monopolizing awards,
pushing aside young artists and complicated feeling of
highly favorable criticism for the song created by his
son's death. You can not understand this kind of feeling
unless you have lived accordingly. "I want to thank
a lot of people, but the one person I want to thank is my
son."
Was it two years ago when he
came to Japan and stood on the stage with ex Beto George
Harrison, not surprisingly, middle age fans stood up. At
this concert in Japan that starts on October 12th, he
will let us hear unplugged (which does not use electric
sounds) and clear acoustic sound. There will absolutely
be an increase in new fans.
"You got me." In this case, get means to
puzzle or baffle like "this problem gets me."
"Baffle" means to confuse to keep from
understanding or solving. "You stumped me." is
alike. Stump is the lower end of a tree or plant left in
the ground after most stem or trunk has been cut off. So
it prevents a farmer from cultivating the land.
December 25 is the pay day.
I receive the amount in cash in spite of bank remittance.
I am a bread winner and a bread carrier, and my wife is a
bread taker and holds a purse string. My wife wears
pants. I bow to fate.
Are you ahead or are you in
the same place or have you gone backward?
She is quite good at
spending money and seldom breaks budget, but she falls
for it at the bargain that she loves to buy the biggest
discount. Some-times it's yo-yo. They set a fixed price
on the discount rate and a discount rate is approximately
the real price. It's a gimmick.
1994
The year of the dog
1994 is the year of the dog.
In the story of Oriental Zodiac of ST usual new spring
special, we introduce numerous expressions relating to
the dog. Because dogs are faithful and compassionate, it
is called man's best friend. On the other hands, there
are many proverbs and expressions concerning dogs and not
a few of them have negative meaning. Really what kinds of
expressions there are.
Every dog has its day. No
matter what unfortunate he is, he has a good day in his
life.
Give him the push means to
light a fire under him or to get somebody moving. Dogs
are said to be faithful and loving, but need guidance and
protection. A dog is the only thing on earth that loves
you more than you love yourself. To his dog, every man is
Napoleon. If your dog turns back on you, you have no
hope.
You can't teach an old dog
new tricks. I'll show you even an old dog can learn a new
trick. You are a go-getter and a doer.(do it to the end,
accomplisher)
Let sleeping dogs lie means
to not disturb or stir up a potential trouble maker. Stir
up means to get somebody excited.
Barking dogs won't bite. His
bark is bigger than his bite.
A dog in the manger. A
manger is a kind of basket where horses eat hay. The dog
does not eat it and won't allow horses eat it.
Love me, love my dog. Even
if you do not like my dog, if you love me, love my dog.
Like it or not, that's how I am. Nobody accepts your
opinion.
The problem is dogging me.
He is being dogged by bad health. I'm dog tired means I'm
completely tired. Never say I'm tired dog. Working like a
dog (at some tiresome and unrewarding jobs), he lives a
dog-eat-dog life. Once he had a dog-eat-dog competition
under his top dog(boss) having a dog's chance(little or
no chance). dog-eat-dog competition; do or die. This
comes from the expression a dog-eat-dog life, one in
which you try to live for yourself, for your own survival
and for your own gain.
He is some doer. He is some
go-getter. He never lives a dog's life. If you are said
to go to the dogs, you will be leading a degenerate life
and will go down hill and go to ruin when applied to
economics. You have to cut down expenses(to economize).
In the face of recession, you must tighten your belt.
It was raining like cats and
dogs outside, and they were fighting like cats and dogs.
He was in a dog house last night.(He was locked out of
his house at night by his wife and having nowhere to
sleep but with the dog in the doghouse. He and his wife
are not getting along well temporarily.)
She is a bitch means that
she is a woman complaining all the time. She is bitchy
and is bitching. A bitch is a female dog. She is a street
angel, house demon. In spite of her outdoor smiling,
inside there always go on inexpressi-bly bad cooking,
unimaginably bad bitching, continuous and relentless
demands for no good reasons and so forth. I say "
Beat it," and she says "Pack your bag."
Rebellion for no good reason. Are you bending your head
for no particular reason? Is there any ulterior
motive(motive beyond what is open-ly said or made known)?
Are you doggedly sitting pat(not moving along)? Do not
stand pat(stick to an opinion, course of action). You
were over indulged in drinking last night and become as
sick as a dog.
Who wears pants in your
family? I often incur the wrath of my wife. I was
relentlessly nagged by my wife. Nagging person will
absolutely incur dislike of people around one. Shrill
voice of the bus guide gets on my nerves. I had it up to
here. I fed up with it. Don't get your nerves needlessly
but steady your nerves. You may see the light even though
being dogged by relentless bad fortunes. Take heart and
don't lose heart. Otherwise your life will be going to
the dogs. Take a quick shot of whisky. Better luck next
time. Take that to heart.
Dog days of summer got to me
and I lost my effort to work. The piano late at night got
to him, and he ended up killing him. My boss's bitchiness
got to me.(I can't stand his bitchiness that is
irreconcilable. It made me angry.) The suffering got to
me. I didn't show it on my face and kept it inside. In
the face of constant bitching, I didn't show my emotion
on my face. Even in the face of my wife's opinion, I did
what I would have to do.
Konishiki
will be able to be a stable if he gets a Japanese
nationality. He had a losing tournament. If he had a
winning tournament this time, he could stay at Ozeki.
If it is not
broken, do not fix it. Do not touch it. Leave it as it
is. Remain intact. If you try to fix it and stir it up,
it will be a mess. It's too late to be sorry after that.
It's better
to be prepared than sorry.
She fell for
his sweet words. Many people fell for the promises Toyota
Shoji made. They didn't honor their promises. I've
learned my lesson. You'd better play it safe and hold the
purse string. Tighten it and never loosen it. Close your
neck tightly.
Win some,
loose some. Fortune is a fickle lady.
Bowing to Socialists, Hosokawa retreats on taxes
Prime Minister Hosokawa
withdrew his tax plan in face of opposition from SDPJ
which threatened to pull out of the coalition Feb. 4. It
was 7 % national welfare tax replacing the abolishment of
3% consumption tax and making up for the loss of a 6
trillion yen income tax cut.
The SDPJ charged that the
new tax was the old tax raised and renamed, and expressed
dismay at the abruptness of the proposal made at a post
mid-night press conference the day before. Leaders of the
coalition parties agreed Feb. 4 to revoke the tax plan.
The about-face of Hosokawa
to keep the coalition intact damaged his credibility and
delayed the economic stimulus package.
Bowing;
giving in
about face;
turn around to the opposite direction, reversal
turn your
back on somebody
in the face
of; in the presence of, facing
pull out of;
to separate from. I pulled out of the drive way.
Organizers pull out of the conference. I pull out of a
splinter from under my fingernail.
In its
place; instead of, replacing, as a substitute
take effect;
put into effect
make up for;
to compensate. You should make up for something wrong you
did. I had a double lunch making up for skipping the
breakfast.
Let's make
up; get reconcile
centerpiece;
an ornament, bowl of flowers for the center of a table
charge; to
accuse of wrong doing, to attack vigorously, to criticize
dismay; a
loss of courage at the prospect of trouble
intact; with
nothing missing or injured; kept or left whole
second major
crisis in as many weeks; two weeks
revoke; to
withdraw, repeal, cancel(a law, permit, etc.)
package; a
number of items, plans, etc. offered as an inseparable
unit
heed the
ultimatum; to pay close attention to, take careful notice
of a final offer or demand presented to another in a
dispute, esp. with a threat to break off relations, use
force, etc. If they don't heed the withdrawal, they will
get serious plane bombings for their military camps.
give
momentum to peace hope. A small success gives a momentum
to your program.
His desk is
so messy that he can't find out the right paper he needs.
Students cash in
on good grades -
Belleville, Ill.(Ap)
Students who learn more will
have to spend less under a program that rewards good
grades with discount cards. Belleville Township High
School students who earn all A's or B's or raise their
grades by half a point are eligible for cards that
entitle them to discount at participating businesses.
Principal Silsby called this
the Renaissance Program to reward student achievement and
the response has been overwhelmingly positive. "It's
nice when you get rewarded for all the hard work you put
in." said a student. The principal began in July to
recruit businesses to participate in the program.
With policy dispute settled,
Hata finally gets the nod
Leaders of the coalition
parties nominated Hata April 22 as their choice to
succeed Hosokawa as prime minister.
At one point April 21, the
coalition once again seemed on the verge of collapse. The
SDPJ was at odds with its fellow coalition members
refusing a rise in the consumption tax and harsh measures
against North Korea. However, the SDPJ in the end gave
the nod to get rid of sinking the coalition.
get the nod;
to be agreed upon; to be given the nod. Cheese cakes got
the nods. They settled on cheese cakes.
policy
discord, Children are victim of marital discord of their
parents. She played a discord note. There are discord
sounds and pleasure sounds.
At one point; sometime on
April 1, he told it as a mere white lie which turned out
to be a black lie for her. Some point in time, I got sick
of the work.
stance;
position of legs, an attitude adopted for dealing with a
situation
posture;
position of body forward looking posture(stance)
settle for
the phrase; agree to the phrase
pressing
tasks; urgent(immediate) tasks, pressed to finish
North Korea
is a potential trouble spot in the world today. She has
potentials or she has an inborn potential for something
or she is potentially good at doing something means that
her talent has not yet appeared. It is undeveloped.
aptitude(fitness,
natural tendency, inclination) test, apt(quick to learn
or understand) response
I was at
odds with my wife over the destination of the travel. I'm
at the odds with my son over the different baseball team.
I support Tigers and he supports Swallows. We have locked
horns over the different baseball teams. to reach a
stalemate. Negotiation is stalemated. Show down ;any
action that brings matters to a climax or settle them.
It's a final act(curtain). Show is coming down to an end.
Curtain is down. Stand off is preliminary to show down.
Something is up in the air(undecided). face off; look at
each other and try to win Two boxers having a face off or
facing off each other.
Autopilot abnormality cited
in CAL crash
The China Airline Airbus
300-622R that crashed at Nagoya Airport April 26 leveled
off for a certain period during its landing approach.
The Aircraft Accident
Investigation Committee of the Transport Ministry
reported May 4 that it was not clear whether the
abnormality was due to a malfunction or to pilot error.
Flight 140 started the
approach with the autopilot switched on, however, the
plane leveled off at an altitude of about 300 meters. The
autopilot was then switched off and the plane descended
to an altitude of about 120 meters, after which it
climbed in a steep nose-high attitude. After the steep
ascent, the plane stalled and dropped tail first to the
ground. Of the 271 people aboard, 264 died.
I'm stalled.
The car stalled. Engine stalled. The relation is
stalled.Economy is stalled. Productivity is stalled.. A
friend is stalling(putting off) for an answer. Stop
stalling, answer clearly.
Your demands
are too steep. steep, sharp-gentle ascent; climb
nose-high;
very proud, arrogant
He goes head
first into something(relationship, business).
I sleep on
my back(on my stomach, on my side).
make face at
somebody trying to make someone intimidate or feel
uncertain. make frowning(showing displeasure) face, make
an unpleasant face, make a disagreeable face, make a
sour(having the sharp, acid taste of lemon juice) face.
make face(intentionally, on purpose)
nodding off;
drifting off to sleep
always
picking on small things, scratching, nit-picking, hungry
for stories and looking into all over dark corners.
abnormal climate;unhealthy atmosphere
itch; to
have a restless desire I itch to travel abroad.. Skin
becomes itchy.
Hata imposes freeze on public service
charge
Prime Minister Hata ordered
government agencies My 18 to put off proposed increase in
public service charges until at least the end of the
year. The government will also ask local governments to
take similar steps.
Sources suggested that while
Hata has one eye on aiding the nascent economic recovery,
he has another on rallying public support for his
beleaguered minority government. Hata himself hinted that
one reason for the decision was to gain support for his
tax reform plan(a hike in the consumption tax).
nascent;
being born; beginning to form, grow, or develop
rally; to
gather together; to bring together for a common purpose
beleaguer;
to besiege by encircling as with an army
hike; a
long, vigorous walk; a moving upward, rise
One eye is
on getting political support, and another eye is on
helping the economic recovery.
charge rate
fare toll rent fee bill cost premium
Transportation
Y
road,
bridge, tunnel Y
service Y Y
phone Y Y Y
electric Y Y
water Y Y Y
gasoline Y
newspaper Y
TV Y Y
house Y
insurance Y
Y Y
inspection Y
Y
stamp Y Y
haircut Y
As N. Korea
remains defiant, UN. mulls further measures
UN. Security council began
talks June 1 to consider how it should respond to North
Korea's continued refusal to allow inspections of its
nuclear reactor.
The long-simmering crisis
reached a new stage last month when North Korea began
removing spent fuel rods at it Yongbyon nuclear plant
without the supervision of inspectors.
If the IAEA reports that it
cannot guarantee that Pyongyang has compiled with the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the push for sanctions
is expected to begin in earnest. North Korea has said it
will consider any sanctions to be an act of war.
defiant;
defy; to resist or oppose boldly or openly; to resist
completely in a baffling way
to turn your
back on, to defy world opinion. They are defying the
authority of parents.
mull; to
think about what tot do
simmer; to
remain at or just below the boiling point, to be about to
break out
smolder; to
burn and smoke without flame, to have or show suppressed
anger or hate
in earnest;
serious, in a determined manner
It's not
your cup of tea.
sun block
cream; completely block sun light, block sunlight all day
long
sun screen
cream; let in some light
It's almost
bone dry; completely dry
I was
diverted by the cover of the Playboy magazine. She is
good at diverting man's attention. I was diverted by the
music from the work. The policeman diverted the traffic.
You have many diversions. This is diversion. Let's get to
the point.
backbiting;
bite someone's back
Assaults against
Korean students rising
The General Association of
Korean Residents in Japan said June 15 that in the midst
of concern over the North Korea nuclear crisis, about 120
cases of verbal and physical assault against Korean
school students have been reported nation-wide since
April.
25 of the cases took place
in April, 45 in May, and 50 in the first half of June.
Big firms freezing starting
salaries
It is the first time that
the nation's three leading auto makers are freezing
starting salaries for newly hired workers at last year's
levels. The nation's 11 largest banks are expected to
announce similar moves.
The movement marks a 180
degree turnaround from the bubble period, when a labor
shortage prompted companies to rapidly increase salaries
in order to lure university graduates.
lure; charm,
attractiveness, fascination to cast a spell on The woman
has luring eyes.
spell;
magical power or irresistible influence
bait; food,
etc. put on a hook or trap to lure fish or animal, any
lure, enticement
What prompt
you to go outside? What prompt you to study English? What
prompt you to travel around the world? What prompt you to
break routines?
Drugmaker probed
over insider trading
Investigators from the
Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission searched
the head office of Nippon Shoji Kaisha Ltd. and a dozen
other locations June 22 in connection with suspected
insider trading.
They suspect Nippon Shoji
shares were sold shortly before incriminating medical
evidence devalued the stock. The company began marketing
the antiviral drug sorivudine last Sept.3. The first
death attributed to sorivudine was confirmed on Sept. 20.
The Health and Welfare
Ministry announced the death and its cause on the
afternoon of Oct. 12, leading to a collapse in the price
of the company's shares. 175 executives and employees
sold about 386,000 shares of their firm just before the
first side-effect death was announced.
He's probing
his stomach with GI(Gastro Intestinal) camera looking for
some possible problem. That's probing. Don't probe.
GI(General
Inductee) He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of fame.
He
attributed his success to luck. The death is attributed
to nerve gas. What attribute the success of Japanese
economy?
We
split chopsticks before we use it. Let's split a bill. He
is as straight as split bamboo. You split a log. Your lip
splits when it is cold.
Opposition groups
form Diet body
Nine non-communist
opposition forces in the Lower House created a single
parliamentary group Sept. 28 in the first concrete step
toward merging into one political party.
The new group, Kaikaku,
incorporates 187 legislators from Shinseito, Komeito, the
Democratic Socialist party, the Japan New Party, four
small groups that broke away from the LDP(200) and a
group of independents.
They approved the
appointment of Shinseito Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa
as the head of the council's executive committee.
The designer
incorporated the back scenery into the design of the
Garden.
What forms
the backbone of Japanese economy is workers.
The player
forms the backbone of pitching staff(hitting power,
defense).
Two rivers
merge into each other in one river. Two lanes merge into
one lane. Sky and mountains merge into the darkness.
Season merge into each other. Ukraine broke away from
USSR.
Over 900 dead as
ferry sinks in Baltic
At least 900 passengers and
crew drowned in dark Baltic seas Sept. 28 when an
Estonian ferry capsized in a fierce storm. There appeared
to be little hope of finding alive any of the people
still missing in one of Europe's worst peacetime maritime
disasters.
Speculation about the cause
of the accident focused on a seal which made the loading
ramp water-tight. Experts said the swiftness of the
capsize meant few escaped and many who did would have
perished from the cold.
so funny
that you will be capsized(over turn) my plan capsized
It is
perishable so you'd better eat it earlier.
It's
air-tight alibi. It's a water-tight argument. The capsule
is air-tight. The wall is sound-proof. The watch is
water-proof.
Do you have
swift mind? No I have slow mind. The river current is
very swift at the time of typhoon because of heavy rain.
The growth was gradual.
There is
tiny hope that I can get a hole in one. I can get a
glimpse of Concord.
Plague strike
Indian city, spread
On Sept. 20, for the first
time in 32 years, Indians began dying of the plague in
the western city of Surat.
As of Sept. 28, the official
death toll in the port city on the Arabian Sea had risen
to 54, and unofficial estimates to 300.
In 10 days, plague cases had
already spread hundreds of miles from Surat to New Delhi
and the states of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra.
To fight the epidemic, India
is handing out antibiotics, spreading insecticides and
poison to kill the fleas and rats that carry the disease,
clearing up its many garbage-strewn streets, and
searching for plague victims, especially from Surat.
epidemic of
bureaucracy(food poisons, accidents, collapse)
fleeing man
Time is fleeing swiftly. I flee to high ground at the
time of earthquake.
flee from
frustration into drinking(karaoke, pachinko)
The street
is strewn with fallen leaves, signboards, etc.
At U.N., Kono makes bid
for Council seat
Foreign Minister Yohei Kono
declared before the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 27
Japan's readiness to join the Security Council as a
permanent member. But he made clear that Japan will not
engage in military activities.
"Japan is prepared ,
with the endorsement of many countries, to discharge its
responsibilities as a permanent member of the Security
Council," Kono said.
Many countries support
permanent UNSC membership for Germany and Japan, but
there is disagreement over which developing countries
should become permanent members. Because of this, it
appears unlikely that the council will be expanded by
1995, as originally proposed.
readiness-willingness
reaffirm-repeat, repromise I reconfirmed if the organizer
would reaffirm the holding of the meeting next year. I
reassure you that I'll be with you.
make
explicit, clarify discharge-carry out, perform, fulfill
Japan has a
backing(support, sponsor, endorsement).
The merit of
arranged marriage is that they have backing of the go
between and of both families.
The idea of
radical political reform has the backing of the major
political parties.
Bomb kills 20 in Tel Aviv; Hamas claims responsibility
In an apparent suicide
attack by Islamic militants, a bomb exploded aboard a bus
in Tel Aviv Oct. 19, killing at least 20 and wounding 42.
Hamas, the fundamentalist
Muslim group that opposes Israel's peace-making with the
PLO and Arab countries, claimed responsibility for the
attack.
Israeli TV said the attacker
had boarded the bus carrying a bag, laden with
explosives. The attack came just two days after Israel
and Jordan signed a draft peace treaty and just one day
after the resumption of autonomy talks between Israel and
the PLO.
Hamas, the main Palestinian
rival to the PLO, has vowed to derail the peace process.
After the bombing, the army closed the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, baring thousands of Palestinians from entering
Israel. And Prime Minister Rabin vowed to crack down on
Hamas. But he also process would continue.
He is apparently Japanese(It
seems that he is Japanese). Apparently she does not
smoke. Steal sign is apparently made by Nagashima. You
are an apparent hard worker.
After the midnight drink I
feel like a wreck. My life is a wreck. The man wrecked
his business because of his heavy drinking. A man who
seduces a housewife is a home wrecker.
pure
question ;innocent question
Computer cab
be deadly boring. Deadly look, it is a look that says
drop dead. Deadly snakes in Japan are mamushi and habu.
It can be
fatal. Fatal amount, fatal dose
Our
conversation often derailed and got off the main track
into a side track.
Don't
sidetrack me.
Disrupt;interfere
with A baby disrupted her mother sleeping in midnight.
N. Korea, US reach nuclear deal
Geneva(Reuters)- The United
States and North Korea were set to sign an accord Oct. 21
that would end the prolonged standoff between the two
nations.
Under the deal, North Korea
will close down its graphite nuclear reactor and freeze
construction on another. In return it will receive much
more costly light-water reactors. The United States and
its allies, Japan and South Korea, were expected to pay
for the replacement.
North Korea will allow full
inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency,
which it has hitherto refused.
The deal also calls for an
exchange of diplomats between Washington and Pyongyang.
substantial;
solid, concrete, substantial outcome, substantial result
costly,
expensive, dear; Is that tie dear? The price is dear. Is
that tie dear to you? Your responses were dear to me.
Hitherto we
have not had such a long lasting congress.
exile; to
force(a person) to leave his country, community, etc.
defect: to
forsake a party, cause, etc., to desert, to leave one's
post, military duty, etc. without permission.
Two held in murder of Fuji film exec
Police have arrested two
mobsters in connection with the slaying of a managing
director of Fuji Film Co. in late February. Shinichi
Okino, 28, a senior member of the Osaka based Sakane-gumi
underworld syndicate, was arrested in Osaka Oct. 17 on
suspicion of killing Juntaro Suzuki. The next day,
Daisuke Okamoto, 25, a member of the
Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated Kawasaki Sogyo, was also
arrested in Osaka
Okino is believed to have
done the actual killing and Okamoto to have acted as
driver and lookout.
Police say Okamoto, who
turned himself in to police, admitted his involvement. He
said he received 50,000 yen after the killing. Police
suspect nearly 10 people were involved in the slaying,
with sokaiya corporate extortionists working behind the
scenes.
slaying,
murder, killing
fatally
attacked him; resulted in his dead
turn himself
in to police; come to police by himself
Establishing
the Murayama administration, Takeshita is believed to be
working behind the scenes. He was pulling strings,
strings puller. I have no pull.
Pension reform
bill passed; 2
other major bills advance
A pension reform bill was
passed by the Diet Nov. 2. On the same day, two other
major bills moved closer toward becoming law.
The pension reform law will
gradually raise the age at which people become eligible
for a full national pension. Starting in the year of
2001, this will begin rising, and by 2013, the starting
age will be 65.
On the same day, the Lower
House passed a bill that will demarcate 300 single-seat
constituencies for the Lower House. There would also be
200 proportional representation seats.
The third piece of
legislation was a draft for a bill that would offer
redress to atomic-bomb victims. Under the current law,
money has been paid as funeral fees to families of bomb
victims who have died since 1969. The proposed bill would
authorize payment of 100,000 yen to a-bomb victims who
were relatives of victims who died before 1969. Around
230,000 to 280,000 people are believed eligible.
demarcate;
to make the limit of, to distinguish, to separate
redress;
compensation, as for a wrong
In referendum, Swedes vote to
join EU
Swedes voted in a referendum
Nov. 13 to join the European Union.
More than 52 percent said
yes in the nonbiding resolution, which is virtually
assured of approval by Sweden's Parliament.
The outcome in Sweden, which
has historically tried to maintain neutrality, is bound
to influence voters in Norway, which holds it referendum
later this month. Finland and Austria have already said
yes this year.
nonbiding
treaty, agreement find a will of people but have no legal
binding
Marriage
ring is a symbol of binding the couple together(becoming
one).
They bind
their hair by hair band(ribbon, rubber band). They put
bundle of rice like a fence after they cut them for
drying.
Rise of
consumption tax is bound to spend less. Shortage of
students is bound to increase competition among
universities. PKO to Rwanda and so forth is bound to
sprit public opinion. Late autumn is bound to increase
the consumption of alcohol. Less bonus is bound to manage
money carefully. Single women after late 20 years' old in
Japan are bound to make them put pressure on them for
marriage. A heavy smoking is bound to cause lung cancer.
Under consumption of alcohol is bound to increase
frustration.
She is
virtually in sight of retirement. She virtually listened
to nobody with her mind drifting away. She was not in
touch with reality. They were elbow to elbow(so close).
He is right
handed(left handed). Mr. Baker is his right hand man.
He was put
out. Light traditionally has good meaning and left has
bad meaning.
Jobs for graduates
still scarce: survey
Only 73 percent of
university students seeking jobs after graduation next
spring had received an informal promise of employment as
of Oct. 1, a nation wide survey released Nov. 14 by the
Education Ministry showed.
As for two-year-college
students, only 42.6 percent had received offers.
The survey was conducted on
about 5,000 students at 62 universities, 18 two-year
colleges and five technical colleges.
Only 61.5 percent of women
students have gained job promises, 17 percent lower than
their male counterparts.
I am so busy
that I scarcely have time to breathe. There is scarcity
of food. I was scarcely out of the door when I was hit by
a car. I was scarcely in the room when the telephone
rang. We were scarcely talking about you when you came
into the room. SDF has scarcely arrived when they came
under attack. She scarcely put persimmon in her mouth
when she started choking. She choked to death. I choked
her. The baby was scarcely born when he started getting
fever. I scarcely got my bonus when bills came pouring in(rolling
in).
As
far as English goes, it is good example.
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