bombshell, accordion-heavy, heavyset, musculature, bruise, bruiser, flax, maggot, narrowing,owlish, vestigial

Photofest

Stella Stevens, Hollywood Bombshell Who Yearned for More, Dies at 84

She starred alongside the likes of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis. But she wanted to direct and write, and she felt held back by industry sexism.

5 MIN READ

A complex web of business ties could create serious conflicts of interest if Trump wins the White House. (via Vanity Fair's Hive)

The 5 Most Explosive Revelations From *Newsweek’*s Bombshell Trump Report

VANITYFAIR.COM|由 ABIGAIL TRACY 上傳

Ever wonder how the accordion-heavy folk music of northern Mexico came to sound so much like the polkas and waltzes of Eastern Europe? So did we!

How Mexico Learned To Polka

Renee Montagne speaks with Felix Contreras, co-host of NPR's Alt.Latino, about the link between Tex-Mex music and Eastern European waltzes and polkas.

WWW.NPR.ORG

Apple’s continued glory eats away at me like a maggot at my core. I long for it to pick up some bruises. 


Art of the Day: Van Gogh, Peasant Woman Bruising Flax, September 1889. Oil on canvas, 40.5 x 26.5 cm. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

In his new book, Richard Rhodes, the author of acclaimed histories of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, tells the story of a 1940s Hollywood bombshell and her fascination with military-weapon design. Yet even though "Hedy's Folly" ostensibly concerns, as the subtitle has it, "the life and breakthrough inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the most beautiful woman in the world," the book is equally about the role that chance and coincidence can play in the development of technology.

After Apple’s Rise, a Bruising Fall

By NATHANIEL POPPER and NICK WINGFIELD April 22, 2013

 

Taiwan’s presidential race

Narrowing

An old bruiser enters the race, threatening to split the pro-China vote

TAIWAN’S president, Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang (KMT), who is running for re-election on January 14th, was once thought to have a clear advantage. Elected in a landslide in 2008, Mr Ma brought tensions with China to their lowest state in six decades, forged business agreements across the Taiwan Strait, and help keep an export-dependent island from being swept up in the global financial crisis. In contrast to his wealth of experience (Mr Ma has also been mayor of Taipei, the capital), his chief opponent, Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is a rather owlish academic who has never before been elected to public office.

Now things are not looking nearly as certain. In recent weeks the president’s popularity has dropped. A prediction market run by National Chengchi University, accurate in the past, says the probability of his winning the election dived from over 59% on October 16th to under 42% on November 14th; Ms Tsai stands at 49%. Opinion polls in the island’s media, which usually leans towards the KMT, also show slumping popularity, though Mr Ma still leads by a few percentage points. A victory for Ms Tsai, a moderate in her party, might yet raise tensions with China, which has growled that Taiwanese moves towards independence will be met with force.



What has changed for Mr Ma is the arrival of a second China-friendly presidential candidate. James Soong was once a KMT stalwart, popular in the 1990s as governor of “Taiwan province” (a vestigial position from the days when the Taiwan government, losers in the Chinese civil war, pretended to represent all of China). Mr Soong fell out with his colleagues, and was expelled from the KMT more than a decade ago. Today his popularity ratings stand as high as 15%.


n a tight race he could easily shave off votes from Mr Ma, leading to a DPP victory. Just that happened in 2000, when Mr Soong contested the presidency and split the pro-China vote. It ensured victory for the DPP’s hardline pro-independence candidate, Chen Shui-bian, who is now serving a life sentence in jail for corruption. China favours a victory for Mr Ma. Mr Soong claims China tried to persuade him not to run, though he is probably saying that to earn kudos—even pro-China candidates must not be seen at home as too cuddly towards the Communists.
On November 15th Mr Soong cleared a hurdle when Taiwan’s Central Election Commission confirmed that he had collected enough signatures in support of his presidential bid. A Soong-KMT compact has occasionally been mooted, but now seems very unlikely. Mr Soong vows to fight to the end for Taiwan’s presidency.
But Mr Ma’s popularity was falling even before Mr Soong’s formal candidacy. He dropped a bombshell on October 17th by saying that he favours signing a peace treaty with China within the next decade, provided the public and parliament supported it. It was the first time that Mr Ma had given a timetable for negotiating such a hugely sensitive issue, and it has whipped up alarm in the media and among a China-wary public. The DPP accuses Mr Ma of steering the island towards unification. Mr Ma later backtracked, suggesting, among other things, that a treaty would need a referendum.
Ms Tsai’s popular focus, meanwhile, is on social welfare. Despite stellar economic growth of over 10% last year, Mr Ma’s China policies are still perceived to benefit big business at the expense of ordinary folk. In cities rising prices put property beyond the reach of many. At DPP rallies, supporters approve of Ms Tsai’s higher subsidies for elderly farmers. Now, darkening economic clouds in the world economy may help her case and hurt Mr Ma’s. Already exports to Europe have suffered, and reports are rising of people being laid off or asked to take unpaid leave. Mr Ma still has some cards to play: an economy that would be the envy of many elsewhere, as well as the support of those in favour of closer mainland ties who think it silly to split the pro-China vote.

heavy
(Of music, especially rock) having a strong basscomponent and a forceful rhythm.

flax

音節

flax

発音

flǽks

[名]
1 [U]アマ（亜麻）；[U]亜麻の繊維；亜麻布，リンネル.
2 [U]亜麻［淡黄］色.

bruise

Pronunciation: /bruːz/Definition of bruise

noun

• an injury appearing as an area of discoloured skin on the body, caused by a blow or impact rupturing underlying blood vessels: his body was a mass of bruises after he had been attacked
• a mark indicating damage on a fruit, vegetable, or plant.

verb

[with object]

• 1 (often as adjective bruised) inflict a bruise on (someone or something):a bruised knee
• [no object] be susceptible to bruising:potatoes bruise easily, so treat them with care
• hurt (someone’s feelings):she tried to bolster her bruised pride

• 2 crush or pound (food):the mix contains bruised oats

Origin:

Old English brȳsan 'crush or injure with a blow', reinforced in Middle English by Old French bruisier 'break'

bruise

[動](他)

1 〈人などに〉打撲傷を与える, 打ち傷をつける, あざをつける, （老齢で）変色させる, しみを作る；〈果物などに〉傷をつける, 傷める.

2 〈人・感情を〉傷つける, 害する

She was bruised by the remarks.
彼女はその言葉に傷ついた.

3 〈薬・食物を〉砕く, 押し［すり］つぶす, たたきつぶす.

4 《金工》…の表面をへこませる.

━━(自)

1 （打ったり転んだりして）あざができる, あざになる；〈果物などが〉傷がつく

Tomatoes bruise easily.
トマトは傷みやすい.

2 〈感情が〉傷つく.

━━[名]打撲傷, 打ち身, （果物の）傷, 傷み；（心の）痛手, 傷.

［古英語brsan（つぶす）. アングロフランス語bruser（こわす）の影響を受けた］

Line breaks: heavy|set

Pronunciation: /hɛvɪˈsɛt/

Definition of heavyset in English:

ADJECTIVE

(Of a person) broad and strongly built:a heavyset, bull-necked man wearing a T-shirt thatrevealed his powerful musculature

musculature

Line breaks: mus¦cu|la¦ture

Pronunciation: /ˈmʌskjʊlətʃə/

Definition of musculature in English:

NOUN

[MASS NOUN]

The system or arrangement of muscles in a body, part of the body, or an organ:the shape and musculature of a dolphinthe speech musculature

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Origin

late 19th century: from French, from Latin musculus(see muscle).

bruiser

(brū'zər)
n. Informal
A large, heavyset man.

owlish

(ou'lĭsh)
adj.
Resembling or characteristic of an owl.

owlishly owl'ish·ly adv.
owlishness owl'ish·ness n.

moderate[mod・er・ate]

• 発音記号[mɑ'dərət | mɔ'd-]

[形]

1 ((限定))〈人・行動などが〉極端に走らない, 度を過ごさない, はめをはずさない（⇔extreme）

a moderate request
穏やかな要求

have a moderate temper［view］
気質［考え方］が穏健である.

2 （量・程度・質などが）適度の（⇔excessive）；中くらいの, ころあいの, 並の, まあまあの（▼並以下のものを婉曲的にさすこともある）；〈価格が〉低い, 安い

moderate abilities
平凡な才能

at moderate speed
適度なスピードで.

3 〈天候などが〉穏やかな

a moderate climate
温和な気候.

4 穏健派［主義］の（⇔radical）

moderate groups
穏健派グループ.

━━[名]穏健な人, （特に政治や宗教上の）穏健主義者；((通例M-))穏健な改革を唱える政党の一員.

━━[動] 〔mdrèit | md-〕 (他)

1 ((形式))…を適度にする, 和らげる, 加減する

moderate prices
値段を引く

He moderated his demands.
彼は要求を控えめにした.

2 〈公開討論会・集会などを〉司会する.

━━(自)

1 ((形式))適度になる, 穏やかになる, 和らぐ

2 司会する.

［ラテン語moderātus （modus尺度＋-ātus過去分詞語尾＝尺度で調節された）. △MODULATE, MODIFY］

mod・er・ate・ness

[名]

vestigial[ves・tig・i・al]

• 発音記号[vestídʒiəl]

[形]((形式))痕跡(こんせき)的な, なごりの, 残存的な；《生物》痕跡の

vestigial organs
痕跡器官.

bombshell

Line breaks: bomb|shell

Pronunciation: /ˈbɒmʃɛl/

NOUN

1An unexpected and surprising event, especially an unpleasant one:the news came as a bombshell

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2INFORMAL A very attractive woman:)悩殺的な美女.公眾形象為花瓶的好萊塢豔星海蒂·拉瑪提供了不停更換無線電頻率、a twenty-year-old blonde bombshell

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3DATED An artillery shell.

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maggot

Line breaks: mag¦got

Pronunciation: /ˈmaɡət/

NOUN

1A soft-bodied legless larva of a fly or other insect, found in decaying matter:the maggots attack the roots of the developing cabbages

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2ARCHAIC A whimsical or strange idea.

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Origin

late Middle English: perhaps an alteration of dialectmaddock, from Old Norse mathkr, of Germanic origin.