Video for June 30, 2009

The following is a transcript of the above with my notes. This is used for education purposes.

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POLITAN: Say what you will about Michael Jackson, but one thing is certain. He was larger than life. His music changed the entire industry and his moonwalk revolutionized dance.

No matter how much controversy surrounded his life and now his death, we`ll always have the indisputable numbers: four decades, 13 number one hits, 13 Grammies, the highest-selling album of all time. Michael Jackson was a legend.

Let`s take a minute to remember his legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(VIDEO TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON`S LEGACY)



MICHAEL JACKSON, POP STAR: I love you. I really do. You have to know that. I love you so much. Really. From the bottom of my heart.



(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLITAN: I want to thank all my guests for joining me tonight. I`m Vinnie Politan, filling in for Jane Velez-Mitchell. She will be back Monday. Thanks for watching ISSUES on HLN.

END

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Vocabulary:

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1. say what you will: expression, you can say many things but you must admit the following.

Ex: Say what you will about me, but don't talk bad about Maggie!

2. one thing is certain: expression, at least the following is true and you must accept it as fact

(This expression is used to stress a fact or even an opinion.)

Ex: I don't know where I'm going for vacation, but one thing is certain. I'm not staying here!

3. larger than life: this expression is used to describe anyone who is very impressive, imposing or intimidating in some way. It can also be used with someone who has a very big personality or glamorous lifestyle. You'll often see this expression used with people who are famous. You can also use it about people who have big personalities or are eccentric in some way.

Ex: My grandfather was a kind of Godfather character in his town. Everyone in town knew him and respected him. He was larger than life.

4. to revolutionize st: verb, to change something completely, to bring about radical change.

Ex: The internet completely revolutionized the way we communicate with one another.

5. controversy: noun, anything that people have very strong and often opposing opinions about. Example of controversial (形容詞) subjects in the USA are: abortion, the death penalty, and gun control.

6. indisputable: adjective, used to describe something that cannot be disagreed or contested or argued with...

Ex: Elvis is the indisputable King of Rock 'n Roll!

Similar words:

unarguable
inarguably
undoubtedly

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Talking about Michael Jackson....

Michael’s nickname was Wacko Jacko.

a wacko=a crazy person (negative, could be dangerous)

wacky=harmless adjective for crazy, nuance is “funny”
That guys is so wacky! I love him! He has a pretty wacky sense of humor.

wacked=adjective, weird/crazy, off the wall, not normal
He has a wacked sense of humor.

to wack sb:
a) this is MAFIA LINGO for “to kill”
Ex: He was wacked by the mob.

b) to hit/slap
Ex: I wacked him upside the head with the rolled up magazine.

NEW LINGO/SLANG:
wack: adjective/crazy/good
Ex: That new song is wack!

to take a dose of st = to take a certain amount of medicine
to overdose=to take too much of st, usually medicine

Ex: He overdosed on pills. / He o.d.’d on drugs.

prescription medicine, prescription painkillers

ニコニコ動画 June 29, 2009

Yes, I am back from vacation!
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First what are some good
questions to ask me?
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First how about this question?
→ How about Indonesia?
→ How about your trip?
→ How about your vacation?

NO! All of those questions are weird. The “How about”question always comes after a first question or to offer someone something.

For example:
A: How are you?
B: Fine. How about you?
A: Good! How about work? How is work?
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Do you know these questions?
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How was your vacation?

Did you have a good time?

Where did you go?

How long were you there?

How was the weather?

How was the food?

How were the people?

Where did you stay?

How was the hotel/room?
What was the highlight of your trip?

<----> What was the low point of your trip?
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Today we are going to learn the many used of the word“ready” and other related words.
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ready:
用意できている
用意できて
用意できた
覚悟ができた
準備ができている
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Translate the following.
Use the word “ready”.
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1. 準備できてるの？

2. お茶が入りましたよ。

3. 朝食が出来た？

4. 風呂は沸いてますか？

5. 用意万端整った。

6. 話す気になったら、いつでも来いよ。

7. 試験 の準備はできていますか？

8. お母さんになる準備はできてますか？

9. そろそろ帰ろうか？

10. お客様、ご注文(の用意)はできてますか。

11. そちらがよければこっちはいつでもOK!
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Answers to the above:
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1. Are you ready?

2. Tea is ready.

3. Is breakfast ready?

4, Is the bath ready?

5. Everything is ready.

6. Come see me when you’re ready to talk.

7. Are you ready for the test.
("Test" is more common and casual than "exam".)


8. Are you ready to be a mother.
(In this case, "be" is more natural than "become".)
9. Ready to go (home)?

10. Are you ready to order, Sir/Mam?
or
Are we ready to order?

(Waiters and waitresses like to say WE to be friendly.)

11. Ready when you are! or
Ready whenever you are!

---------------------------
Related words:
to prepare for st
to get ready for st
〜のために準備する
〜のために用意する

ニコニコ動画 June 18, 2009

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IDIOMS!
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1) cold-blooded killing: the killing of st with no regret or remorse.
冷酷｛れいこく｝な殺人

2) a no-fly zone: an area where planes are NOT allowed to fly
上空｛じょうくう｝の飛行禁止区域｛ひこう きんし くいき｝

3) to pile on st: to add a lot of things on something
積み重ねる

4) a zinger: a witty often sarcastic or mean comment
〈話〉当意即妙｛とうい そくみょう｝の受け答え、気の利いた発言

5) to bug sb: to put a secret listening device in a room to spy on somebody
～に盗聴用｛とうちょう よう｝マイクを付ける、盗聴｛とうちょう｝する

6) I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that.=I wish I could be there when that happens.
Example:
I wish I had been a fly on the wall last night when Joe and Sally broke up.
昨夜JoeとSallyが別れるところを、こっそり見たかった。

ニコニコ動画 June 17, 2009

CNN VIDEO

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Script to video:
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Four-year- old Daniel Blair loves his newborn puppy.

So when the little dog got dirty - there was only one thing to do.

"I noticed one of puppies was missing from the cage and, uh, I heard the toilet flush, Daniel told me he'd put the puppy in the toilet to clean him"

From the toilet, he was washed through the drains - ending up under the house next door.

Allison could hear him, the firemen she called could just about see him but no one could get to him.

Cue plumber Will.

"My boss rung me up telling me there was a dog stuck down a drain - flushed down the toilet by a toddler. I didn't believe him at first. I thought he was winding me up"

With his special drain camera Will had no trouble finding the puppy as he leaned right into the manhole. The RSPCA watched the whole thing on a monitor and guided him - while fire crews waited at the other end.

"He was a bit distressed. No one likes to be prodded with a camera"

Just one week old and already four and half hours of his short life had been spent in a sewage pipe. It was astonishing that he made it out alive. Even more incredible was that apart from mild hyperthermia he was perfectly well without even a scratch.

Little Dyno, named after Dyno-Rod the company that saved his life, is one lucky puppy.

And Daniel knows that although his intentions were definitely good, putting Dyno in the toilet wasn't a very good idea.

"And he was scared," Daniel said.

Well he's too tiny to know just how lucky he is but Dyno really is proving that it's not just cats that have nine lives. Salma Siraj, ITV News in Norfolt.

(Typed out by Victor for teaching purposes.)
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Headline News:
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1. Tokyo bolsters sanctions on Pyongyang
a) to bolster: to support, prop up
1. 〔補助枕｛ほじょ まくら｝などで〜を｝支える、持ち上げる
2. 〔支えることでを元気｛げんき｝づける、鼓舞｛こぶ｝する、増強｛ぞうきょう｝する
b) sanctions: Punitive diplomatic, economic, and social actions taken by the international community against a state that has violated international law.
制裁措置 ｛せいさい そち｝、制裁｛せいさい｝
2. 7,300 schools highly vulnerable to quakes
a) highly: very
b) vulnerable【形】: weak, able to be damaged or hurt by
1. 〔自分より強い相手や集団に対して〕弱い、脆弱｛ぜいじゃく｝な
2. 攻撃｛こうげき｝［被害｛ひがい｝・損傷｛そんしょう｝］を受けやすい、攻撃｛こうげき｝されやすい
c) a quake: an earthquake, 地震
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Next section:

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1. I'm sorry.

2. I apologize.

3. I sincerely apologize.

4. I can't tell you how sorry I am.

5. Excuse me.

6. Excuse my behavior.

7. Forgive me.

8. I deeply regret my actions.

9. Mea culpa!
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1. You want me to apologize!? You should be the one apologizing!

2. There is nothing to apologize for.

3. There is no reason to apologize.

4. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who should be apologizing.

5. I demand an apology!
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ニコニコJune 17, 2009

Translate the following into English.
1. おかげさまで元気です。
2. 元気です。
3. とても順調です。
4.すべて順調です。
5. すべてうまくいっています。
6. 皆、元気です。
7. 悪くはありません。
8. まあまあです。
9. 今のところまあまあです。
10. 相変わらずです。
11. 変わりばえしません。
12. あまりよくありません。
13. 最悪です。
14. 酷いものです。
15. 厳しいです。
16. 体調がよくありません。
17. 疲れています。
18. もう、へとへとです。
19. 忙しいです。
20. ずっと忙しかったのです。
201. 子供に手がかかっています。
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Answers:
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1. I'm fine, thank you.
2. I'm doing fine/good/great..
3. I'm pretty good.
4. Everything is fine/good.
5. Everything's going well.
6. Everyone/everybody is fine.
7. Not bad.
8. So-so.
9. So far, so good.
10. Same as usual./Same 'ol, same 'ol
11. Nothing new.
12. Not so good.
13. Pretty bad, actually.
14. Terrible. /Horrible.
15. Tough. (X Strict.)
16. I'm not feeling very well./I'm a little under the weather.
17. I'm tired/beat/knackered.
18. I'm exhausted/beat/dead.
19. I'm busy.
20. I've been busy.
21. The children keep me busy./The children are a handful.

ニコニコ動画 June 10, 2009

Beginner's Class:
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Let's practice the following easy Japanese sentences.
Can you translate them into English?
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1. こんにちは。お元気ですか？

2. どう、お元気？

3. 調子はどう？

4. お久しぶり。

5. ずいぶんお会いしませんでしたね。

6. 最後にお会いしたのはいつでした?

7. どうしてましたか。

8. 変わったことあった？

9. とても元気そうですね。

10. 偶然／偶然だね。

11. びっくりね。

12. あなただとはわかりませんでした。

13. ご家族はお元気ですか？

14. 皆さんお元気ですか？

15. その服素敵ですね。
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Answers!
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1. How are you?

2. How are you doing? / How ya doing?

3. How is everything? / How's everything?

4. Long time no see. / It's been a long time.

5. It's been a long time since we last met.

6. When was the last time we met?

7. How have you been? / How've you been?

8. What's new? / What's up?

9. You look good/great/terrific!

10. What a coincidence! / This is a coincidence!

11. What a surprise! / I am really surprised!

12. I didn't recognize you! / I didn't even recognize you! / I almost didn't recognize you!

13. How is your family? / How is your family doing?

14. How is everybody?

15. I like your outfit. / I like your clothes. / I like what you're wearing.


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B: Let's practice 2 patterns today:
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1. It's been a long time since we last met.

The pattern: It's been a long time since ~. (past tense sentence)

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2. When was the last time we met?

The pattern: When was the last time ~. (past tense sentence)

ニコニコ動画 Mixed Lesson, June 3, 2009

June 3, 2009 Mixed Levels!

I'll be back to update this later today!

Nice guns!
to gun for sb=
to aim at sb
to jump the gun=
to move too quickly
to be a straight shooter
to shoot from the hip
I like him. He shoots from the hip.
Shoot!
to shoot on sb
to take a shot
to shoot yourself in the foot
shoot the breeze
to be as busy as a bee/beaver.
to be as pretty as a picture

He's as slippery as a .....
He's as fit as a fiddle.mess

ニコニコ動画Intermediate Lesson, June 2, 2009

Today we are going to talk about the difference between
a) at first
b) first
c) first of all
d) in the beginning
e) from the beginning
f) in the first place


a) "at first" always means
something changed later.
Examples:
At first I didn't like you.
Now I love you.
At first I couldn't stand natto,
now I can eat it easily.

b) "first "is used for giving
people directions or instructions
Examples:
First turn on the computer, then
turn on the monitor.

c) "first of all" is used for giving
a list of reasons. SOMETIMES
there is only one reason but we
still use "first of all".
Examples:
Q: Why don't you buy a new car?
A: First of all, I don't need a new car.
Second of all, I couldn't afford a new
bicycle, much less a new car.

d) "in the beginning" is used to
establish a time line in a story.
Often a change happens, but
not always.
Examples:
In the beginning God created
the moon and the stars.
What happened in the
beginning of the movie?

e) "from the beginning" = "from
start". Often nothing has changed.
A feeling or action just continues.
Example:
I hated him from the beginning/start.

4) "in the first place" is used when
saying something was done wrong.
Sentences often used negatives or
"should" type of words
Examples:
Why didn't you tell me in the first place
that you didn't want to go to the party?
You should've told me in the first place!

BONUS!
When typing comments under videos,
being the first person to leave
a comment is sometimes thought
to be lucky. If you are the first
person to leave a comment just write,
"FIRST!"

"Love at first sight." is the idea that
you can fall in love by just looking
at a person.

"at first light" = in the morning

"at first glance" is the image or
impression you get from looking
at something quickly.
Example:
At first glance that fish looks
like a shark, but it's not.

ニコニコ June 1, 2009

Members Only Class:
A-Conversation Section:

Listen & Answer these questions:
1) How've you been?

2) How long has it been since we last met?

3) What have you been up to?

4) How's work?

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B-Basic Grammar Questions!

1) ( ) John busy all this week?

(A) Does (B) Will (C) Is (D) Has

2) Joe ( ) to finish his project tomorrow morning because the deadline
is tomorrow noon.

(A) have (B) must (C) need (D) is going

3) Our plane ( ) very late last night, and we found out our room was
canceled.

(A) had arrived (B) has arrived (C) was arrived (D) arrived

4) Susan is a wonderful dancer. Her brother tells me that she ( )
professionally since she was five.

(A) has been danced (B) is dancing (C) was dancing (D) has been dancing

5) We want to see the manager now, but he ( ) on the phone.

(A) talks (B) is talking (C) talking (D) talked

6) I ( ) to go to Canada, but my girlfriend got sick two days before
our departure date.

(A) have been planning (B) have planned (C) had been planning (D) was
planned

7) Did you say that you ( ) to see him only three days ago?

(A) went (B) had being (C) have been (D) had went

8) I ( ) for Toyota Motors for ten years in September.

(A) will have worked (B) was working (C) will work (D) has worked

9) Ken and I ( ) over coffee when they heard a truck hit the house.

(A) talked (B) are talking (C) were talked (D) were talking

10) Claudia and Oscar lived in NYC, but they ( ) to LA.

(A) will just move (B) have just moved (C) are just moved (D) had just moved

In the news!

Tsuyopon is back!
Welcome back!
自分を見つめ直した。