| FRIDAY EVENING - 4 Back to Headlines English
Class IV with Peter Schumacher. 1995 massive Quake devastates Kobe. Together
with the
collapse of the bubble economy, after 5:30 activities
like this English
class had to be cut down and there came a time when we
had to close it. |
| 1995 Quake devastates Kobe; Over 5,000 dead or missing A massive earthquake struck the Kobe area early Jan. 17, killing thousands and causing widespread destruction. Four days later, the death toll passed 4,500, with hundreds more still missing. More than 23,000 people were injured, and more than 30,000 houses, buildings and other structures were partially or completely destroyed by the quake aftershocks, and fires. The quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, came at 5:46 in the morning. It was centered on Awajishima, at an estimated depth of 20 km. The initial jolt knocked down houses, buildings, bridges, and elevated expressways and railroad tracks. A second wave of destruction was caused by fires. Blocked roads and broken water lines made fire fighting almost impossible. More than 300,000 people were left homeless and wide area were without electricity, water, or gas. Rescue teams dug through rubble in search of trapped survivors, but were hampered by a lack of power equipment. Relief efforts concentrated on bringing food, water and medical services to victims. The damage was on its way to becoming the most catastrophic hitting post-war Japan. death toll, the number of dead A bell is tolling. For whom the bell tolls. The war in Vietnam took a heavy toll. The midnight bells at the end of the year toll out 108 evils. The earth hiccuped, burped and shrugged. A massive rebuilding will be necessary. A massive debt was left behind. Collapsed dressers hampered escape. Delivery of relief supplies were hampered by collapsed elevated expressways. Being an old man hampers you from learning computer. Are you trapped in your job? I was trapped in heavy traffic. You are trapped by your sloppy management of time. all night revel, late night revel He is on the good track. get off the track, keep on the track Clean (wash) your mouth out with soap if you say dirty words. I was raised with ivory soap. off color words, close, borderline words you are hinting at two meanings. The quake jolted us out of bed. severe jolt.....severe shock If you are rejected, you feel jolted. When you were abandoned, you looked jolted. the victims of Chinese Air crash were in the devastating feeling. They came out of devastation like a phoenix. Large amounts of alcohol have devastating effect on liver. break out.. sickness, diarrhea, fighting, ..negative meaning A skin lash(pimple) broke out. Fire broke out here and there. The jail broke out. When the boss tapped me, my face broke out in sweat. I want to break out from daily grinds. Pimple is catastrophe for girls. Are you finished? A heavy drinking the night before made getting up early in the morning impossible. My broken watch made it impossible to be in time(late for work). He made his pant responsible for the problem. My parents interference made me annoyed. Japanese culture make Japanese pokerfaced I thought it was the end of the world There was a bang, then the furniture, the ceiling, the wall all seemed to fall at the same time. I look up and saw the sky, said Kiyoko Terada, 53. I lost my father-in law and mother-in law. The entire second floor of our house just fell on to the ground. There were a few happy endings, as some people were plucked from the rubble alive. A barking dog led rescuers to his master, Chiyoko Amakawa, 65, who had been buried for 54 hours. It was pitch dark and my leg hurt so much and I was thirsty, but I called to Pochi and told him I was in pain and needed help, Amakawa said. I just wondered over and over again when I was going to die. Hundreds of thousands left the area, on foot, by bicycle, in cars, looking like war refugees as they picked their way past collapsed buildings and rubble. At shelters people waited for food to be delivered. A few wandered the rubble, poking at still-smoking ruins of their former homes. People prayed and placed flowers where family members had died. I'm helpless. All I can do is sit around the fire like this and wait, said a middle-aged man at a shelter. All I have now are water and blankets. But at least I'm alive. bang: a hard blow or loud knock, I hear a shot. hissing, buzzing noise pluck: to pull off or out; pick, to drag or snatch, to pull feathers or hair from pluck the person out of the sea, pluck the mushroom from the pan, pluck the child out of fire. He has a lot of pluck(courage). pitch dark; very dark, coal dark, totally dark hastily erected( a little careless), quickly erected(speedy) hasty speaker(without thinking), quick speaker(speed) pick your way through the crowd, step by step Entrance examination is the ordeal for students. My dreams crumbled(break up small pieces). Image of my friend crumbled when I came to know her well. He didn't give me a crumb of money. He is cheap. He is tight with his money. There was not a crumb of chance(opportunity). Quake victims start getting housing assignments, cash Three weeks after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, some victims in Kobe began receiving cash donations and assignments for temporary housing. On Feb. 6, the Kobe Municipal Government began accepting applications for "risai shomei," a document certifying that the holder has suffered losses in a natural disaster. Holders of the document are eligible for payments of 100,000 yens from contributions made across the country. On Feb. 6, the Kobe government listed the winners of the first lottery for temporary housing. A total of 2,701 units were awarded. 2021 were fabricated homes being built in parks and vacant lots, and 680 were vacant public housing units. Almost 60,000 households have applied for and an estimated 240,000 people are still homeless. The numbers of housing units fall far short of the amount needed. As of Feb. 9, the death toll stood at 5,291. The number of people injured was 26,825. fixed time account, saving account Good thing comes in small package. As of 11 o'clock prediction, it will fine. As of now, do you have any weekend plan? It's solely for Japanese men. Reality of you fell far short of your expectation. She fell far short of your hope. The response of the government fell far short of what it should have been. Economic recovery of Japan fell far short of prediction. The year of the boar by Vance E. Johnson This year, 1995 in the Gregorian calendar, is the year of the boar according to the oriental zodiac, so those of you who have been living a dog's life in 1994 have a chance for a fresh start. dog's life; miserable life People born in the year of the boar are said to be courageous but headstrong. They are active and progressive in their thinking but have a tendency to do rash things that they may regret later. For this reason, they are advised to think before they act. headstrong: determined not to follow orders, advice, etc.; self-wild; showing such determination rash: too hasty and careless, a breaking out of red spots on the skin Although the wild boar is an animal that has been considered both noble and fierce by hunters up to the present day, most people are more familiar with its domesticated relatives the pigs and hogs, which are collectively called swine. The difference between a pig and a hog is that of age and weight, a pig weighing less than 120 pounds(54.5 Kg). More than that weight, it becomes a hog in the U.S. In England, only a castrated male is called a hog. In English, boar is the name for a male pig/hog and sow the name for a female. The young are called piglets. collectively: of or as a group, gathered into a whole castrate: to remove the testicles of, swine: a pig or hog: usually used collectively, a vicious, contemptible or disgusting person There are many English idiomatic and slang expression related to the hog and pig. A person who is hog is greedy and will not share, and from this meaning we get an expression like roadhog for a person who drives in the center of the road and generally hogs the road(keep it to himself). When you believe a politician, lawyer or other such person is not speaking the truth, you can call it hogwash, signifying that you consider it nonsense. If someone goes hog wild, it means he acts in a wild and unrestrained manner, such as soccer fans in England do when their favorite team wins or loses. If a person lives high on the hog, it means that he lives a life of extravagance and luxury, such as many Japanese did before the collapse of the bubble economy. restrain: to hold back from action; check, to keep under control A pig is impolite. She's hogging the bed. Don't hog it. Don't keep it to yourself, but share with your sister. If you go hogwash, people will not count on you. A politician's speech is hogwash. All those words are false. After a long starvation, they went hog wild eating everything served in front of them. When you get a huge amount of money, you will go hog wild buying everything you need. Many Japanese went hog wild investing stocks, lands, houses, etc. during the bubble economy. They went hog wild living high on the hog. If you can eat as much as you eat, drink as much as you drink, it's hog heaven. If one goes the whole hog it means that one goes the limit and spare no money or effort to do something. A man taking his wife out on their anniversary might go the whole hog and take her to the most expensive restaurant or dinner show. A person who is in a state of great comfort and personal happiness is said to be in hog heaven. An older term, root-hog-or-die means to work extremely hard or fail. In America, A Harley-Davidson motorcycle came to be called a hog because of its size. go the whole hog; go all the way If you start doing something, let's do it completely. As long as we go on repairing, let' go the whole hog. If you stop it in the middle, you go a half hog. If you really need her, you should spare no money and effort getting the project. root: to dig in the ground, as with snout, to search about 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. It fell far short of being in hog heaven. In English, a person is called a pig if he is thought of as either sloppy, fat or greedy. A woman who is a pig is thought to be an ugly person, often with bad morals as well. A policeman was called a pig in the early 1800s in England. The word became obsolete only to return as the preferred "hippie" and young person's term for a policeman in the late '60s in America. American feminists call conservative male chauvinist pigs because of their lack of enthusiasm in supporting women's right. sloppy: wet and splashy; muddy ; very untidy; showing lack of care; messy; careless obsolete: no longer in use, no longer in fashion chauvinism: militant, unreasoning, and boastful devotion to one's country; fanatical patriotism; unresoning devotion to one's race, sex. etc. The expression to make a pig of oneself means to eat much. From this we get the slang expression to pig out, meaning to eat as much as one can at a meal. If you buy a pig in a poke it means that you buy something without looking at it carefully first and probably will regret it later. A person who is pigheaded is stubborn and will not change his mind once it is made up. poke: a sack or bag; a wallet or purse; all of one's money pig: to bear pig; to live like a pig An interesting smile is the expression as happy as a pig in shit, referring to the fact that pigs seem to be very happy wallowing in their dirty pigpen. Most books on pigs say that they really are clean animals and given a choice, prefer cleanliness, but this idiom points out the popular conception of pigs as enjoying dirty places. That is why mothers, trying to shame their children to clean up their rooms, often say This room looks like a pigpen. wallow: roll about, as in mud, dust , etc. pigpen: a small yard or enclosure(pen) where pigs are confined The expression Pigs could fly if they had wings is used to suggest that someone is only indulging in wishful thinking and their wish has little chance of becoming reality. If your friend says that someday he will marry a certain beautiful girl you can answer with the above expression to teach him the impossibility of his dream. An expression meaning to live a life of luxury is to live like pigs in clover, sometimes shortened to be in clover. There are several other common words in English using pig. An American football player will call the football a pigskin. A little girl may wear pigtails, put her money in a piggybank and when playing with her daddy, she may be carried piggyback. pigskin: the skin of a pig; leather made from this; a football pigtail: braid of hair hanging at the back of the head piggybank: any small saving bank, often in the form of a pig, with a slot for coins piggyback: on the shoulder or back Knowing this background on such swinish expressions in English, let's look at this year's prognostications. Economically, it at first may seem like a good year to live high on the hog, but considering the high yen, it could just as well be a time to root-hog-or-die. If you feel you must go the whole hog, you should be careful not to buy a pig in a poke. People will tend to be pigheaded this year, and as it is their year, pigs in any form, male, female or uniformed, should be avoided at all costs. For those who can't stop themselves from making pigs of themselves be sure to pig out mainly on fresh vegetables and fruits or you might end up as fat as a pig by the end of the year. swinish: of, like, or fit for swine; beastly, piggish prognosticate: to foretell or predict; to indicate beforehand In politics, be prepared for even more hogwash than usual from political candidates. To their unlikely political promises the best response might be Pigs could fly if they had wings. In fashion and culture, pigtail are sure to be in, along with piggybanks and Harley hogs. If you take this advice and don't go hog wild this year you should spend the year of the boar in hog heaven. Heaven sent? by Jeff Kingston When senior bureaucrats in Japan retire, cushy, well-paid jobs are offered as a reward for years of unstinting service. This practice is often rendered as amakudari, "descending from heaven," a reference to the exalted status of the modern mandarins. It seems the expression is not a reference to a paradise for those relatively free of sin. Power is the name of the game, and in Japan it is the bureaucrats who call the shots. It is the personal connections to those with power that make them valuable employees in second careers. They can serve as rainmakers for private sector firms, getting things done. unstinting: not limiting in giving, self-sacrificing exalted: extremely high, very high You are exalting him high up on the pedestal above the cloud. mandarin: a high official of China under the Empire, a member of any elite group does not refer to, it's not the description of free of sin: having no relation with sin Making money is the name of the game. Happiness is the name of the game in life. Mutual trust is the name of the game in human relation. the person who calls the shots; the person who makes the final decision As for television goes, I call the shots. As far as the disciple of our child, I call the shots. When it comes to the bonus, my wife calls the shots. rainmaker: agent of influence outside the both houses In Washington, there is different practice called "the revolving door," a reference to the move between jobs in the private and public sector. Former regulators are highly sought-after employees by the very firms that they previously regulated. This is because they know who to buttonhole. These agents of influence are said to be worth their weight in gold. revolve; to rotate loophole: a means of evading an obligation, a law. buttonhole: to make (a person) listen to one, as if by grasping his coat by a button hole In recent years ordinary citizens have come to understand how their quality of life has suffered at the hands of parochial and incompetent bureaucrats. Back in 1952, Akira Kurosawa's brilliant "Ikiru" portrayed government officials as timeservers preoccupied with petty matters while ignoring taxpayers' requests. Concerned with power and promotion, blinkered bureaucrats are shown to be arrogant and distant. Later, in "The Bad Sleep Well," Kurosawa portrays public corporation officials as part of the systemic corruption still criticized today. parochial: of or in a parish or parishes, narrow, provincial, limited incompetent: without adequate ability, knowledge, fitness timeserver: putting in times petty: relatively unimportant, trivial; narrow minded; blinkered arrogant: overbearing, haughty distant: cool in manner The press has recently taken it to the mandarins, laying blame for the bubble economy and excessively high consumer goods prices at their feet. Bureaucratic regulations are blamed for stifling the Japanese economy and driving up the cost of doing business. Even NHK was sharply critical of the bureaucrats' fumbling response to the Kobe disaster. It must be unnerving for the architects of the "economic miracle" to see their reputation so sullied. take it to: assume /consider it to the responsibility of lay blame for .... at their feet stifle: to die from lack of air, to suffer from lack of fresh, cool air fumble: to handle (a thing) clumsily(lacking skill; awkwardly made) unnerve: to cause to lose one's courage, confidence; to make nervous sully: to soil, stain, etc., now esp. by disgracing; dishonor one's reputation Adding insult to injury, there are now moves to reduce the number of public corporations. They have become symbolic of a bloated bureaucracy. Politicians have been clever in tapping popular resentment of the mandarins and focusing attention on how these public corporations provided lucrative amakudari positions at our expense. There must be plenty of fat to trim from the 92 public corporations. However, it is unlikely that the gifted infighters of bureaucratic turf battles will lose much ground in the current campaign of administrative reform. Amakudari remains a sacred(and gilded) cow. bloat: to become larger as a result of from within; to expand; to extend above the normal level tap: to make use of fat: anything unnecessary that can be trimmed away trim: to put in proper order; to cut down to the required size infighting: intense competition or conflict, often personal, as between political opponents or within an organization turf: one's territory gild: to overlay with a thin layer of gold Foreign media look at Aum For a man who predicted that the world would be laid waste by a nuclear and chemical Armageddon, Shoko Asahara gave himself up quietly. When police officers came to arrest the leader of the Aum Shinri Kyo (Supreme Truth) sect, hiding in a tiny secret room only a meter high, the bearded, nearly blind guru told himself softly that he had been meditating for two days as he waited for them. (Reuters) Armageddon: the place where the last, decisive battle between the forces of good and evil is to be fought before the Day of judgment lay waste: to destroy, devastate, make desolate guru: in Hinduism, one's personal spiritual adviser or teacher; any leader highly regarded by a group of followers In Japan, an arrest is generally considered as conclusive as a guilty verdict would be in the United States. Police and prosecutors here are proud of their record of convicting 99 percent of all those charged with crimes; accordingly, they generally do not arrest anyone until a conviction is all but certain. The workings of Japan's justice system suggest that the 40-year-old Asahara almost certainly will never be a free man again. He will be jailed without bail until a trial, as is common practice here, and if convicted will likely be sentenced either to death by hanging or life imprisonment. bail: money or credit deposited with the court to get an arrested person temporarily released on the assurance that he will appear for trial, etc. at the proper time Asahara, a Buddha-shaped figure with stringy hair and beard, looks almost like a Central Casting version of a cult guru, with his wardrobe of bright pastel robes and his "throne" of satin pillows on which he sat in the lotus position while preaching. Central Casting: Hollywood term, casting as a typical type of the role( a cult guru in this case) pillow: anything like a pillow or cushion lotus position: in Yoga, an erect sitting posture with the legs crossed and with each foot, sole upturned, resting on the upper thigh of the opposite leg He began forming cults about 10 years ago after two failed business careers and one criminal conviction. Styling himself the "Venerated Master, " he has written numerous wildly illogical books and brochures that seem to draw their message from several different world religions. styling: calling venerate: to look upon with feelings of deep respect; regard as venerable Another Aum figure reportedly has given police information that strongly implicates Aum in the Matsumoto poisoning. Others reportedly have tied the cult to other kidnappings here in recent years. implicate: to show to have connection with a crime, fault, etc. It would be a huge relief to the people of this frightened country if the police did in fact prove that Aum was responsible for all those crimes. If the recent string of terrorism here were all the work of single renegade cult, the Japanese could perhaps squelch their fears that their non-violent, low-crime society is becoming as dangerous as other major nations.(The Washington Post) renegade: a person who abandons his religion for another, and goes over to the other side squelch: to crush or smash by or as by falling; suppress or silence completely Popular magazines gossip about his love life and gush about his looks. Fans gather and wait for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. It's hard to turn on a television without seeing his face. gush: to express oneself with exaggerated enthusiasm or feeling; talk or write effusively A rock star? A hot young actor? A sports idol? Not quite. He's Fumihiro Joyu, the telegenic spokesman for the cult that is the prime suspect in a subway nerve gas attack on March 20 that left a dozen dead, sickened more than 5,500 and shook Japan's sense of security. telegenic: that looks or is likely to look attractive on television photogenic "Joyu-san seems so neat and gentle," said Chiharu Koide, a young boutique owner who recently traveled 150 km from her home in Shizuoka to wait outside cult headquarters, hoping to glimpse Joyu. "Now I want to see him in person." The fan-club-like response to the 32-year-old Joyu has become a topic of controversy. To many, it is a disturbing indictment of Japan's values, pointing to a nation adrift. (AP) disturbing indictment: a charge; accusation with which people upsets mentally or emotionally adrift: without any particular aim or purpose Shoko Asahara preached to his followers that junk food and oily meat harm both the body and the mind. But in the raid in which they arrested Asahara Tuesday, police reported discovering the following items in the Asahara family refrigerator: - Deep fried prawns.(The cult's strict diet allows followers to eat only root vegetables cooked in soup, rice and bananas, prohibiting meat and fish.) - Junk food. (The cult condemns such things as potato chips as harmful to health and intelligence.) - Orange juice. (Ordinary followers are allowed to drink only special water treated with electric waves, or Asahara's bathwater, called "miracle pond.") -Melons. (Melons are widely known as Asahara's favorite food. His craving for melon may have helped police locate him, as followers' cars carrying melons have been spotted outside the cult building where he was hiding.)(AP) raid: a sudden hostile attack craving for: longing for eagerly Shoko Asahara has been flattering his interrogators, likening their investigations to a TV police drama. The cult leader has maintained his innocence but hinted his followers could have carried out the attack without his knowledge. Asahara's latest tactic, according to police, has been to appear admiring of them. "You investigators look really cool, like detectives in TV dramas," the 40-year-old guru told his police questioners. He then compared them to a pair of famous Japanese cop-show actors. (AP) interrogate: to ask questions of formally in examining investigate: to search into so as to learn facts; inquire into systematically Backfire It may never be proven any of the American paramilitary groups were involved in bombing the federal building in Oklahoma City. But what is known is that that atrocity, which took almost two hundred lives and literally shook thousands more, was an act of homegrown, All-American madness. backfire: a fire started to stop a prairie fire or forest fire by creating a burned area in its path; an explosive force toward the breech of firearm paramilitary: designating or of forces working along with, or in place in place of, a regular military organization atrocity: very cruel, evil, brutal act homegrown: grown at home or for local consumption; native One would like to dismiss the many paramilitary organizations that have sprung up all over the States as just a bunch of paranoid thugs. But any group of psychopaths armed with automatic rifles, assault weapons and all the ammunition a small army would need, must be taken seriously; they are armed and very dangerous. dismiss: to put out of one's mind thug: a rough, brutal hoodlum, gangster, robber assault: a violent attack ammunition: anything exploded as a weapon, as bullets, gunpowder, shot, shells, bombs, grenades, rockets, etc. The Second Amendment(written in 1971) of the United States Constitution gives Americans the right to bear arms, and states that it's for the purpose of maintaining "well-regulated" militia. Thus, although it is insane and an aberration of contemporary American society, in the United States, it's perfectly legal, and within any citizen's right, to have a private arsenal. militia: any army composed of citizens rather than professional soldiers, called out in time of emergency aberration: a departure from what is right, true, correct "Xenophobic white supremacist anti-Semitic racists" is how to describe the people who fill the ranks of these militia. Bilious and suspicious, they believe the U.S. government is trying to take any their constitutional rights; that the country itself is vulnerable to a takeover by the United Nations; that Chinese forces stand poised to attack the American mainland. Xenophobia: fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything foreign Semite: a member of any of the people speaking a Semitic language, including the Hebrews, Arabs, Assyrians, Phoenicians, etc. Bilious: of the bible; bad-tempered vulnerable: open to attack by armed forces poise: to be suspended This would be laughable if they didn't possess the weapon to attempt to prevent all this stuff from happening. Many of these men, and there are women among them, are also Christian (Jesus Christ should only know what goes on in his name!) Fundamentalists whose twisted interpretation of the Bible serves their nefarious ends. They believe they have "Divine Power" in their side. But of course, no less a personage than former President George Bush declared "God is on our side" when the U.S. military bombed Iraq. nefarious: very wicked; iniquitous Many people in the militia are ex-soldiers. The main suspect of Oklahoma bombing is a veteran of the U.S. military. The stoic, steely-eyed indifference he exhibited when shown photos of dead, bombed babies, he learned in the military. stoic: keeping cool, never shows enthusiasm steely; like a steel indifference: having or showing no interest "War Comes Home" was the title of an essay by Douglas Lummis that appeared on this page May 15, 1994. Now almost exactly one year later, his statement that "Violence is tearing U.S. society apart. It is a country at war with itself," rings tragically true. Professor Lummis suggested that in seeking the source of America's great problem of violence, the country should start by looking at its most violent institution: the military. An institution of monstrous proportions, the U.S. military consumes vast resources: its financial need and greed is a bottomless pit; it lays waste to larger territories and causes untold environmental damage. Even when it is not engaged in warfare, the best-equipped and best-funded military machine in the world grinds on. It has perfected the Art of Destruction. It excels in the skill of killing. Guns are its weapon of choice. Bombs are a specialty. You keep both feet on the ground. You are balanced. You are close to the ground. He is in the wrong job. I eat anything I can get my hands on. anything I could get my hands on Xeno: outside, phobic: fear Xenophobic, Agoraphobic, Acrophobia, Hydrophobic, Claustrophobic, Homophobic Agora: public, Acro: high place, Hydro: water, Claustro: close, Homo: human You need 5 rocks on the door in New York. They are paranoiac about break in. North Korea is Xenophobic and paranoiac about foreigner. America was paranoiac about a communist takeover in 1950s. Private companies are paranoiac about industrial spies. There was an aberration in the record truck. His aberrant behavior surprised me. aberrant<-> conform, cooperate Japanese is intolerant of aberrant behavior. Live and let live. I live my way and you live your way. What end does Chugen serve? Chugen serves the end of expressing gratitude. Chugen: gift giving Nobody knows what end it serves. KICH serves the end of bringing people together for discussion. poise: calmness, self-control, discipline, balanced Hepburn has a lot of poise. She has poise under pressure. She doesn't become emotional. She doesn't lose self-control. She showed a great poise when she played the piano. A pilot showed a poise over many many hours when the planes was hijacked. obsessed with ....... He was obsessed with Merry Christmas. We could not remain indifferent to the Hanshin earthquake, because it hit close to us. I had bottomless thirst for whisky. Korean have bottomless appetite for Kimuchi. We have many bottomless desires. purple toned mountains and pure water Raid ends ordeal of ANA Flight 857 A 15-hour ordeal ended early June 22 when a squad of riot police stormed a hijacked All Nippon Airways jumbo jet at the Hakodate airport and subdued the lone hijacker. None of the passengers, crew or police was seriously injured. ANA Flight 857, which took off from Tokyo's Haneda Airport with 350 passengers and 15 crew members abroad, was on its way to Hakodate when it was hijacked shortly before noon on June 21. After the plane landed, the hijacker demanded that the plane be refueled and flown back to Tokyo. The hijacker, who reportedly told the crew that he was a member of the Aum Shinrikyo, was armed with what turned out to be a sharpened screwdriver. He also claimed to have plastic explosive and accomplices abroad the plane. Because he did not communicate directly with police, authorities had difficulty grasping the details of the situation. But passengers made secret calls from cellular phones, describing the hijacker and the conditions inside the plane. Authorities decided upon the raid when the hijacker began threatening to kill passengers. Police stealthily approached the jet, scaled ladders, and rushed in through three doors. They quickly subdued the hijacker, who suffered a head wounded in the struggle. He was identified as Fumio Kutsumi, 53, a Tokyo bank employee on leave of absence, with no apparent link to Aum. The motive for the hijacking was not immediately clear. ordeal: an old method of trial exposing the accused to physical dangers from which he was supposedly protected if innocent; a painful and severe test storm: to attack and enter lone: single accomplices: a person who knowingly helps another in an unlawful act cellular: of, like or containing a cell or cells; cellular phone: portable phone stealth: secret, furtive, or artfully sly action or behavior scale: to climb up or over on leave: absent from duty with permission Getting up early in the morning is an ordeal for some people. I had a terrible accident en route(on or along the way) Get a grip of yourself. Don't lose your grips. I'm losing my grips. I was scarcely out of the door when it started raining cats and dogs. I had scarcely fallen a sleep when the telephone began to ring. The words were scarcely out of my mouth when she said yes. The plane had scarcely taken off when hijackers took it over. My mind drifted away during the class. My mind is in another way. I always get a ricochet(the rebound of something after striking a surface at an angle). Ricochet romance The future of US and Japan relations is at stake. Depending on Mr. Ueda's judgment, the future of the Conference center is at stake. His baseball life is at stake depending on his performance. The stakes are very high. A great deal depends on outcome. His career is all but stop. Mr. Mayumi is all but retired. The president is all but elected again. The story of the three Ron Legendres KISSIMMEE, Florida(AP) - Ronald Legendre promised to love and honor his bride forever. His best man, Ronald Legendre, handed over the ring and judge Ronald Legendre pronounced the happy couple husband and wife. Confused? The three Rons who participated in the wedding outside the county courthouse last month have the same name, but are not related. The relationship between the three Rons began in May 1991, when Ron Legendre, the groom, was at the airport in Augusta, Georgia, where he noticed a blackboard behind a ticket counter that announced Ron Legendre's father had died. He asked a ticket agent about it, and was told that Ron Legendre was district sales manager for Delta in Augusta. In November 1991, groom Legendre moved from Louisiana to Augusta, where he became vice president of a Ford dealership. A month later, the Delta employee - and his future best man - walked into the dealership. "It's just been a great friendship ever since," said the 48-year-old best man, who has since moved to Fort Lauderdale. "He's like the long lost brother I never had," quipped the 41-year-old groom. When Ronald Legendre decided to get married, he and his same-name buddy phoned the judge in Kissimmee, whose name the best man had seen in a newspaper story several years earlier. It took a couple of calls before the judge bought the story and agreed to officiate. The groom and his bride drove from their home in Augusta to Kissimmee for the nuptials last month. "We just thought it would be a hoot to do," said the new bride, Hope Legendre, 41. Judge Ronald Legendre even brought his mother, Dottie, and his wife, Bonnie, to witness the event. Too bad the judge's son couldn't make it. His name: Ron Legendre. are not related: are not blood related dealership: a franchise to market a product in an are, or a distributor holding this quip: something curious or odd, sarcastic remarks; to utter quips buddy: a companion; either of two persons paired off in an arrangement buy the story: believe in the story officiate: to perform the function of a priest, minister, rabbi, etc. nuptial: of marriage, of mating, a wedding hoot: the sound that an owl makes, a shout of scorn or disapproval, the least bit, whit hoot to do: fun to do, interesting to do couldn't make it: couldn't attend the wedding, was not be able to be at the wedding Train driver makes delay refreshing LONDON (AP) - This train was going nowhere fast - and the commuters loved it. A train driver delighted his passengers one evening last month when he stood them all to drinks from the local pub after his London-bound train was delayed for an hour. "It was a hot evening and I was wondering what to do with 20 passengers when I thought, ^There's a pub round the corner. That's where I'll take them.^"said the 31-year-old driver, Steve Toughey. He called to check with his bosses, and they liked the idea. He sent the guard round to a pub in the coastal town of Eastbourne, 80 Km south of London for the orders. "The travelers were thrilled. They said they knew it wasn't our fault," Toughey said. "We think he used his initiative," said a spokesman for the railroad, Network South Central, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Tempers could have got frayed." "Neither Steve nor the guard had any alcoholic refreshments themselves," the spokesman hastened to add. The train was delayed by trackside grass fires. These fires have been plaguing Britain's rail lines this summer, which has been unusually hot and dry. go nowhere fast: time passes fast, but you reach nowhere stand them to drink: treat them to drink; Let me treat you to drink. I am thrilled to drink a chilled beer on a hot day. The heat is as hot as hell(brutal). use his initiative: do it in his own idea Ichiro started his training on his own initiative. on condition of anonymity: on condition without telling his name You can open an anonymous account in Switzerland. Autumn is just around the corner. Middle school is just around the corner for my son. Tempers could have got frayed: lose your tempers fray: to make or become worn, ragged, etc. by rubbing; to make or become weakened His temper was frayed to the degree when he couldn't control himself. I was plagued by being in the red. KICH was plagued by power failure. I was plagued by bad teeth. Approach shot plagued me the most. Money shortfall plagued me the most. He is a pest. He's a bother. Don't pester me. Hasten to get on(continue, keep on). France carries out another nuclear test France detonated another nuclear test in the South Pacific Oct. 1. The blast, the second in a series of up to eight, was five times stronger than the first explosion. The underground test occurred at 1:30 p.m. on Fangataufa Atoll, a site traditionally used for stronger blasts. The test provoked swift condemnation. Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating accused France of ignoring "understandable outrage" around the world. This decision runs against common sense. France's good name in this region and around the world has been further damaged," he said. New Zealand Prime Minister James Bolger said he found it difficult to put into words his "intense sense of frustration at France's latest action." The 16-member South Pacific Forum, which represents tiny island nations, severed ties with Paris to protest the testing. Security was tight in Tahiti, which was hit by riots following last month's test, and protests were small and peaceful. Controversy over the tests heightened on Oct. 3. A Paris newspaper reported that according to a French army map, the underground test site at Mururoa Atoll, where the first test was held, is full of cracks. Some experts have warned that the atoll could crack and release radioactivity. The French government dismissed the report as "trivial and whimsical," and said it has the situation at Mururoa under "perfect scientific and ecological control." nosy person, busy-body, looking into other people's life When a woman is away, boys play. When a cat is away, mouse will play. Detonation, blast is man made. Explosion is natural. Mt. Aso exploded, but never say Mt.Aso detonated or blasted. I have a sense that.... My sense is that ....., I have a feeling that.... My feeling is that ... He has a good business sense. sever, cut He is tight means he is drunk. The dog is loose. She's cracked. She's nuts. She's crazy. I'm nuts about jazz. I'm crazy about jazz. Never say I'm cracked about jazz. He cracked jokes. He told jokes. He gets up at the crack of dawn. a crack of doom, He's doomed. He has a doomed look on his face. That woman is his doom. trivial We should not treat it trivially. You see a forest but you miss a tree. whimsical I did it on a whim. She bought it on a whim. His behavior runs against the common sense. British palates develop a taste for the exotic SOUTH BARROW, England(Reuters) - Watching your weight? Then why not try a plate of crunchy pan-fried locusts and a dish of fat-free kangaroo medallions? Or how about crocodile nuggets, or roast of peacock stuffed with wild boar, prunes and cognac? Thanks to farmer Nigel Dauncey, all these meats, and others, are now available in England, long famous for its bland cuisine. Dauncey's culinary adventure began when his 200-year-old farm switched from cows to raising wild boar. In the depth of the English countryside, Dauncey now has 50 French, German and Danish wild boars and he is about to double the stock as demand soars. And he has expanded into a rich market in exotic and specialty meats. palate: taste; the roof of the mouth consisting of a hard, bony forward part and a soft fleshy back part. Watch your weight? Are you careful about your weight? crunch: to chew with a noisy, cracking sound; to press, grind, tread, etc. with a noisy, crushing sound. locusts: any of various large grasshoppers; migratory grasshopper often traveling in great swarms destroying vegetation. medallion: any of various designs, carvings, etc. like a medal in shape nugget: a lump(small cube or oblong piece), esp. of native gold; a bite size bland: tasteless, insipid, dull, etc. culinary: of the kitchen or of cooking soar: to rise above the ordinary level; to rise or fly high into the air The chilled Room has wild boar carcasses hanging on hooks. The freezer room is stacked high with Zimbabwean crocodile tails, Louisiana alligator nuggets and French ostrich haunches. There is also venison and rattlesnake, and emu and kangaroo meat. The meats aren't cheap. Locusts, for example, cost about $1.3(=130yen )each. But customers are eager to buy the oddities. Clients include the department store Harroads and a doctors' conference that put locusts and bison steak on the menu. Dauncey says the meats are tasty and healthy - lean and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. "The locusts have a nice nutty flavor. There is no fat. They are high in protein. We freeze them when they are hibernating. We take off the wings and hairy parts of the hind legs. Bison steaks are very low in fat. They are so tender. Roast peacock, once served at royal banquets, has no fat on it. The Zimbabwean crocodile has a light delicate taste like shellfish or lobster. With the alligator, you should be very careful not to overcook it. The culled kangaroo we get from Australia is very gamy in taste. It's ideal just before you go out to play tennis or volleyball." carcass: the dead body of an animal, often specif. of a slaughtered(killed for food) animal dressed(to get into a straight line) as meat haunch: an animal's loin and leg together venison: the flesh of deer, used as food rattle: to make a rapid series of sharp, short sounds oddity: queerness; peculiarity; pl. ties- an odd person or thing emu: a large, non flying Australian bird, similar to the ostrich but somewhat smaller lean: containing little or no fat: said of meat,; with little flesh or fat saturate: to cause to be so completely filled or supplied that no more can be taken up hibernate: to spend the winter in a dormant state hind: back cull: to pick out; select and gather gamy: having a strong tangy flavor like that of cooked game; strong smell or taste game: wild birds, fish, or animals hunted for sport or for use as food Britons are mocked worldwide for their stolid cuisine. But Dauncey believes this is changing at last. "A lot of our stuff is bought as a joke and then they come back for repeat orders. The British are very timorous but they are getting more adventurous as they travel more." mock: to hold up to scorn or contempt; ridicule stolid: having or showing little or no emotion or sensitivity timorous: showing or caused by timidity Lost tortoise found - 35 years later LONDON (Reuters) - Chester the tortoise is back home after 35 years "on the run," but he was apparently only 150 meters away in all that time. Malcolm Edwards received Chester as an eighth birthdays present in 1960. His father put an identifying mark on his shell with white paint, but the pet escaped and vanished from his home in the western village of Lyde. Earlier this month, villager Flossie Masshder found the mud-covered tortoise in a grassy area near the local church. Polished and fed, Chester was duly returned home. "We are hoping Chester might decide to stay this time," Edwards said. on the run; escape duly: as required That's the middle age man's fighting spirit. Joyu 'ordered sarin production' Aum Shinrikyo's top chemist, Masami Tsuchiya, has told investigators that former cult spokesman Fumihiro Joyu ordered him to produce the lethal nerve gas sarin, police sources said Oct. 11. Tsuchiya, 30, has said that Joyu, 32, gave him the instructions saying they were cult leader Shoko Asahara's intentions. Both Tsuchiya and Asahara have been indicted on murder and attempted murder in connection with the nerve-gas attacks in Tokyo and in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. The sources also said that Joyu allegedly directed the setting up of chemical companies that bought the ingredients for sarin. Joyu was arrested Oct. 8 for alleged involvement in the falsification of testimony given by the cult's accountant in a 1992 court case over a land transaction. Police suspect that Joyu proposed to Asahara that the cult produce sarin and after obtaining Asahara's approval, he instructed Tsuchiya to make the lethal gas. lethal: causing or capable of causing death; fatal or deadly Woman is lethal to man. She gave me a lethal look. He dropped dead on the corner. (die on the spot.) indict: to charge with the commission of a crime; to make formal accusation against on the basis positive legal evidence ingredient: any of the things that a mixture is made of; a component part of anything Ingredient of success is that .... falsify: to make false; to tell falsehoods; lie I falsified my age. I falsified a passport. Scientists win Nobels for work on ozone STOCKHOLM, Sweden(AP) - Three scientists who sounded alarms about the depletion of Earth's ozone layer won the Nobel chemistry prize Oct. 11. The researchers "have contributed to our salvation from a global environmental problem that could have catastrophic consequences," said the Royal Swedish Academy of Science. Hailing the political effect of their work, the chemistry committee honored Paul Crutzen of the Netherlands, Mexican-born American Mario Molina, and Sherwood Rowland of the US. The chemistry laureates in the 1970s identified the chemicals that eat away at the ozone. The depletion has become a symbol of how mankind is destroying the environment. Thanks to their work, the academy said, "It has been possible to make far-reaching decisions on prohibiting the release of gases that destroy ozone." This was the first time in memory that a Nobel science prize for research has had such immediate, political consequences. High blood pressure sounds alarms about high cholesterol. Over weight sounds alarms about health. When you open the car door, an alarm sounds. Alarm sounded in my mind (inside me; in me), when I saw the strange man. deplete: to make less by gradually using up(funds, energy, etc.) salvation: a saving or being saved; a person or thing that saves or rescues A glass of beer after a long hard work is my salvation. hail: to welcome, greet, etc. as with cheers; to salute(acknowledge with praise) as laureate: one on whom honor is conferred; Nobel prize winner eat away at: to destroy or use up something gradually far-reaching; having a wide rage, extent, influence, or effect in memory; as far as I remember Ota rejects Murayama request on bases NAHA(kyodo)-Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota rejected on Nov. 24 Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's request that he signs documents needed to force local residents to continue leasing land to US military facilities. The request was the first in a series of legal steps necessary to complete the signing of the documents. Murayama next can file an administrative suit requiring Ota to carry out his duties. If Ota refuses to comply, Murayama can eventually sign the documents in Ota's place. Ota has refused to cooperate in the wake of the outcry over the rape of a local schoolgirl in September, for which three US servicemen are on trial. Tokyo has been trying to persuade 2,937 Okinawan landowners to agree to continue leasing before the current arrangements expire in March 1996 and May 1997. In most cases, municipalities signed the necessary documents despite the landowners' reluctance. But in the 35 cases in which the municipal authorities also refused to cooperate, Ota's signature is essential. file: to do the paperwork, to initiate(a legal action) comply: to act in accordance (with a request, order, rule, etc.) I have to comply with custom's requests. You have to comply with the rules and regulations of the Center. You have to comply with the director's judge. eventually: ultimately in the wake of: afterwards In the wake of broken bubble economy recession came. In the wake of Daiwa Bank's scandal, mistrust towards the bank has increased. In the wake of discovery of poisoned spiders, authorities are calling for people not to go near the certain places. In the wake of nothing I forgot. outcry: a strong protest or objection He expired....His life expired.....He died. Car license expired. inspire, expire Walesa loses election to ex-Communist Warsaw(AP)- Lech Walesa conceded defeat Nov. 20 in Poland's presidential election, but said he will not cooperate with the ex-Communist who defeated him. The victor, Aleksander Kwasniewski, 41, appealed to Walesa for reconciliation. His 51.72 percent of the vote gave him nearly 650,000 more votes than the incumbent. The election bared deep divisions in Poland six years after the Solidarity movement led by Walesa toppled a Communist dictatorship. Analysts said Walesa's support came from residents of large cities who benefited from free-market reforms and those fearing a return of former Communist officialdom. But at least as many Poles, in the countryside and villages, suffered under the economic revolution and believed Kwasniewski could soften the effects of change. Though Poland's economy is growing at 5.5 percent annually, unemployment stand at 15 percent annually, unemployment stands at 15 percent. One in eight Poles lives in poverty. incumbent: currently in office bare deep divisions: to make naked and split cracks topple: to fall (over) from top-heaviness, totter(shake as if about to fall) officialdom: officials collectively, the domain or position of officials......kingdom Death penalty demanded in Tsukuba case Yokohama(Kyodo)- Prosecutors demanded the death penalty Nov. 20 for a doctor who allegedly killed his wife and two children in October 1994 and dumped their bodies into Yokohama harbor two days later. At a hearing at the Yokohama District Court, the prosecution said Iwao Nomoto, 30, of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, strangled his wife, Eiko, 31, with a rope at around 6 a.m. and Oct. 29 in the living room of their house. He killed their 1-year-old son, Yusaku, and 2-year-old daughter, Manami, in the same manner at around 8 a.m. as they slept on the second floor. He dumped the three bodies from the Shuto Expressway in Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama harbor at around 2 a.m. on Oct. 31 after putting the bodies into plastic bags and attaching them to dumbbells. Nomoto, arrested on Nov. 25, pleaded guilty at the start of the trial in March. The defense will present its final argument on Dec. 19. The ruling is expected next spring. strangle: to cut off air plead: to present a case or a plea in a law court; to declare oneself to be (guilty or not guilty) of a charge Ex-minister's brother, sister arrested Prosecutors arrested former Labour Minister Toshio Yamaguchi's sister and brother along with six others Nov. 7 in connection with a suspected illegal loan scam involving two failed credit unions. Yoshie Yamaguchi, 59, sister of the Lower House member, and his brother, Katsuto Nemoto, 52, were arrested on suspicion of committing breach of trust and embezzlement. Prosecutors also arrested Yamaguchi's private secretary, Yoshitada Hiki, 61, and raided about 20 sites. They are also investigating whether Yamaguchi himself was involved in the shady loans and financial operations, according to investigative sources. The former heads of the two defunct credit unions, Harunori Takahashi of Tokyo Kyowa Credit Association and Shinsuke Suzuki of Anzen Credit Bank, were served new breach of trust warrants. Yamaguchi's sister and brother were arrested on suspicion that they received massive illegal loans from Anzen. scam: a fraudulent scheme, esp. for making a quack, illegal profit breach: a breaking or being broken, a break in friendly relations embezzlement: taking by fraud for one's own use raid: to make a raid(any sudden invasion of some place by police) defunct: no longer living or existing; dead or extinct warrant: a writ authorizing an arrest, seizure, search, etc. Okinawa trial opens with guilty plea NAHA - A US serviceman pleaded guilty Nov. 7 to charges of raping a 12-year-old girl Sept. 4 in Okinawa, while two others pleaded guilty to conspiring to abduct her. Accused of rape are Navy Seaman Marcus D. Gill, 22; Marine Pfc. Rodrico Harp, 21; and Pfc. Kendric M. Ledet, 20. The three were each charged with abduction and confinement, and rape resulting in injury. Gill pleaded guilty to all charges shortly after the case opened at the Naha District Court. The two other defendants, who pleaded not guilty to rape, admitted to assault and to being involved in a conspiracy to abduct the girl. The charge carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Statements from the girl and her father were read in the court. "I wish to kill those three American soldiers," the girl's father wrote." "I hope they will be kept in jail as long as they live," the girl wrote. She also stated that she is now afraid of all foreigners. conspire: to plan and act together secretly, esp in order to commit a crime abduct: to kidnap (a person) Pfc: Private First Class confine: to keep shut up, as in prison, in bed because of illness, inddor, etc. assault: to rape Powell will not run for president ALEXANDRIA, Virginia(Reuters) - Colin Powell took himself out of the 1996 presidential race Nov. 8, saying he lacked a passion for politics. With his wife Alma by his side, the retired four-star general and first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ended months of speculation and announced that while he will become active in the Republican Party, he will not run for president, vice-president or any other office next year. He promised to play a moderating role in the conservative-dominated Republican Party. His decision was made after weeks of private agonizing and long discussions with family and advisers. Powell, 58, made clear that he simply could not find in politics the fierce commitment that had driven him to become America's top military officer. "Because such a life requires a calling that I do not yet hear... I cannot go forward," he said. "I will not be a candidate for president or any other elected officer in 1996." take oneself out of: not to participate in , be out of five star: top (rate thing, to give a rating) commit: to bind as by a promise moderate: to make moderate(within reasonable limit) agonize: to be in agony(very great mental or physical pain) |