it's the end of the month

but on the other side of the world, it's the beginning of the month.

I never get around to XXXXXX...

... is an expression meaning:

I never get the time to do XXXXXX.

or ... I never finish the things before XXXXX on my list.

can't see the forest for the trees. ...

... is an expression that means:

"paying too much attention to the details, and forgetting about the overall goal".

twin city

... 'twin city' is when 2 cities form a friendly relationship. This is usually 2 cities in 2 friendly countries.

For example, our twin city is in Japan. They built this park and donated this statue.

flood

'flood' or 'flooding' means: the water level rises so that the ground is covered with water.

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Huge floods hit Manila as strong typhoon lashes Philippines; at least 12 killed
Sep 27, 2011 06:52:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Manila residents waded through waist-deep floodwaters and dodged flying debris Tuesday as a powerful typhoon struck the country, killing at least 12 people and sending waves as tall as palm trees crashing over seawalls.
Most deaths occurred in metropolitan Manila, which already was soaked by heavy monsoon rains ahead of Typhoon Nesat's arrival with more downpours and wind gusts of up to 93 mph (150 kph). Downtown areas along Manila Bay suffered their worst flooding in decades.
Pounding rains obscured the view of anyone on the streets as soldiers and police scrambled to safely evacuate thousands of people in low-lying areas, where rivers and the sea spilled into shanties, hospitals, swanky hotels and even the seaside U.S. Embassy compound.
"It's flooded everywhere. We don't have a place to go for shelter. Even my motorcycle got filled with water," said motorist Ray Gonzales, one of thousands stranded by fast-rising floodwaters.
The massive flooding came exactly a day after this sprawling, coastal city of 12 million held two-year commemorations for the nearly 500 people killed during a 2009 cyclone, which dumped a month's rainfall in just 12 hours. The geography of the archipelago makes it a welcome mat for about 20 storms and typhoons forming in the Pacific each year.
Some residents acted more quickly this time to evacuate homes as waters rose, including in the Manila suburb of Marikina where 2,000 people escaped the swelling river by flocking to an elementary school, carrying pets, TV sets, bags of clothes and bottled water.
"We can replace things, but not people's lives," said janitor Banny Domanais, arriving at the school with his wife and three young daughters.
Typhoon Nesat hit ashore before dawn Tuesday in eastern provinces and headed inland just north of Manila with up to an inch of rain per hour, half that of the storm two years ago, said government forecaster Samuel Duran.
Emergency workers evacuated river areas in Manila that are notorious for flooding. In all, authorities ordered more than 100,000 people across the country to shelter from the storm's sustained winds of up to 75 mph (120 kph) and its rains — dropping from an immense 400-mile (650-kilometre) cloud band.
Along downtown Manila's historic baywalk, cars and buses were stuck and residents struggled through floodwaters as waves washed over the seawall, turning a six-lane highway into a huge brown river. Sidewalks and buildings entrances were swamped.
In the financial district of Makati, a billboard fell on two cars and a bus, causing injuries.
Neck-deep waters on the ground floor of the Manila Hospital forced staff to move patients to higher floors and flooded generators left the facility without power, spokeswoman Evangeline Morales said.
Soldiers and police in trucks moved thousands of residents, mostly women and children, from the Baseco shanty facing Manila port after many houses were washed away. Male family members were reluctant to leave, saying they wanted to guard their property.
The Philippine Stock Exchange and U.S. Embassy were closed.
Waters at the gates of the embassy compound reached chest-deep, and staff on their way into the offices were told to turn around and go home, spokeswoman Tina Malone said.
"There was some flooding in the embassy. I don't know the extent. I'm not there right now," Malone said.
Benito Ramos, a retired army general who heads the Office of Civil Defence, said authorities were still assessing the damage as the typhoon continued to pummel some areas of the country. He said it was heartwarming to see Filipinos remaining calm amid the unfolding crisis.
"We see people on the roofs of their houses drinking gin and smiling and waving," Ramos said. "Such resiliency helps them get by in stressful times."
Seasonal monsoon rains ahead of the typhoon plus winds pushing seawater inland had worsened the situation, forecaster Duran told the AP. "Land is saturated with rain so the next rain became run-off and was already floodwater," he said.
The wind sent storm surges over an embankment that then trapped water on the city side so that it "couldn't flow back to the bay," said Francis Tolentino, chairman of Metro Manila Development Authority.
President Benigno Aquino III, on a state visit to Japan, told Associated Press Television News he was confident that authorities were adequately responding to flooding. He said he believed power would be restored to most of the Philippine capital by Tuesday afternoon.
He said in an earlier statement that the government had carried out preventive evacuations, and that nearly half of the Luzon areas served by the main power distributor were without electricity due to short circuits caused by high winds.
The first reported death was a 1-year-old boy who drowned in the central island province of Catanduanes after falling into a creek, the government disaster agency reported. As the typhoon's winds lashed metropolitan Manila, a mother and child were killed when their house was hit by a falling tree, and four were reported killed by a collapsing wall.
Two others drowned, while a man was buried in a landslide in Olongapo west of Manila and another died in traffic collision. A 9-year-old girl was pinned to death when a tree fell on a house in Pampanga province, north of Manila, said regional disaster-response official Josefina Timeteo said.
Four fishermen were missing while more than 50 others were rescued along eastern shores after their boats overturned in choppy seas. Forecasters warned of 12-foot-high (4-meter-high) waves.
The storm was expected to depart from the Philippines late Tuesday and head out into the South China Sea toward southern China.

The leaves are starting to turn color.

In Great Britain and Canada, the word is spelled 'colour', but in the States the word is spelled like it sounds: 'color'.

Whatever goes around, comes around.

This is an expression that means:

If you do something bad, then something bad will happen to you.

The train goes up a steep slope.

The train goes up a gentle slope.

Fall

It's the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn.
'Autumn' is usally called 'Fall' for casual speaking, because the leaves fall in Autumn.

Also today, a U.S. satellite is predicted to fall from orbit.

like a rocket

'like a rocket' is an expression that means: going very fast

tomato

There are two ways to pronounce 'tomato'.

Most people say: to-MAY-to -- sounds like "MAY".
Some people say: to-MAH-to -- sounds like "ah".

N-E-W-S

N = North
E = East
W = West
S = South

NE = North-East
NW = North-West
SE = South-East
SW = South-West

"East" is on the right.
The 4 directions spell the word "NEWS".

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Tuesday, Sep. 20, 2011

Typhoon Roke threatens more mudslides in west

The national weather agency warned Monday that heavy rain accompanying an approaching typhoon is expected to deluge wide parts of south and northeast Japan, raising fears of fresh landslides and floods in the ravaged Kii Peninsula.

Typhoon Roke, the region's 15th storm of the season, was moving slowly north off Amami-Oshima Island and was expected to bring torrential rain Monday evening to Nara and Wakayama prefectures, where landslides triggered by Typhoon Talas claimed nearly 70 lives earlier this month. It also created mud dams that are approaching collapse and could end up flooding areas downstream.

Yutaka Kanda, chief forecaster at the Meteorological Agency, said in a news conference that prolonged rain may start falling early even in areas far from the typhoon as an inflow of humid air from the storm activates a rain front stretching from central Japan toward Tohoku.

Up to 150 mm of rain is expected to hit the Kinki region in the 24-hour period starting Monday evening, its local observatory said, adding that Nara and Wakayama may see thunderstorms that could dump up to 30 mm of rain per hour.

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said it is continuously monitoring the water levels of four mud dams in the prefectures as additional water continues to accumulate.

The ministry said the level of one of the dams in the city of Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture had risen to 60 cm below full capacity as of Monday morning. If it reaches full capacity, it could breach and lead to serious flooding downstream, it said.

Other areas may also see heavy rain, with southern parts of Kyushu expected to see 50 mm of rain per hour or up to 250 mm of rain in 24 hours until noon Tuesday. Shikoku may get up to 250 mm of rain, while northern Kyushu and the Chugoku region may experience about 150 mm of rain in that period.

About 12 mm per hour of rain is expected in the Okinawa-Amami-Oshima region and in the Tokai and Tohoku areas, the agency added.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, Roke had an atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals and was around 140 km southwest of Amami-Oshima, moving slowly northward and packing winds of up to 162 kph, the agency said.

sight gag

'gag' is slang for 'joke'.

A 'sight gag' is a joke with no words; it is funny because of the picture.

natural dam

'natural dam' means:

a dam made by nature (water, wind, flood, earthquake), not a dam made by man.

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Dams made by Talas to be drained

Kyodo
Temporary roads will be built in Wakayama and Nara prefectures so construction vehicles can dig drainage ditches and prevent two natural dams created by Typhoon Talas from collapsing, the land ministry decided Friday.


The typhoon killed dozens of residents in the two prefectures and triggered mudslides that blocked rivers, forming five natural dams.

Drainage ditches will be dug to drain water from two of the dams in Gojo, Nara Prefecture, and Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture.

The ministry has warned the dams could break and unleash new floods just as a new typhoon is approaching the region.

Meanwhile, at Nono Elementary School in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Ground Self-Defense Force troops were piling up sandbags Friday to prepare for potential flooding from the oncoming typhoon. The school building has been designated as a disaster shelter for local residents.

'emotional baggage'

'baggage' means luggage, or a heavy load.

'emotional baggage' is an expression that means 'serious problems'.



for example:

He has a lot of emotional baggage.

- means: he has a lot of serious problems. = He is depressed.

Respect-for-the-Aged Day (敬老の日 Keirō no hi

Monday is a holiday in Japan (Respect-for-the-Aged Day (敬老の日 Keirō no hi).

Poop 'n' Scoop law

a "Poop and Scoop" law is a law that if a dog poops, the owner must clean up the mess, usually by picking up the poop with a plastic bag. Most cities in North America have Poop 'n Scoop laws.

'n is an abbreviation for "and".
for example, "rock n' roll"

going to

...
'going to' has many meanings.

The main meaning is: 'planning to'

I'm going to play tennis.
means
I plan to play tennis. -or- I'm planning to play tennis.

modal verb: should - deontic use

deontic use: meaning - related to what we expect to happen.

for example:

If the temperature is below zero, it should snow.

modal verb: should - epistemic use

epistemic use - should - is related to making a decision about something.

for example:

I should study.
You should study.
He should study.

cursive writing

FYI

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FYI is an abbreviation often used in Business English, meaning "For Your Information".

For example: FYI I am quitting.

911

"911" or '9/11' or '9-11' [usually pronounced "nine-eleven"] means the September 11 of ten years ago when there was a terrorist attack.

or

'911' [usually pronounced "nine-one-one"] is (in North America) the phone number that you call when you have an emergency, such as a fire or a crime.

Ring of Fire

The "Ring of Fire" is the loop around the Pacific Ocean where most earthquakes occur.

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Quake off Vancouver, no damage reported
Fri Sep 9, 2011 5:04pm EDT

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.4 quake struck off Vancouver Island on Friday, some 175 miles northwest of Vancouver on Canada's Pacific coast, but no damage was reported in the city, eyewitnesses said.

In the U.S. city of Seattle just south of the border, police reported slight rattling but no signs of damage.

Canada says the Pacific Coast is the country's most earthquake prone region, with some 1,000 tremors a year. There have been about 100 quakes of magnitude 5 or higher off the coast of Vancouver Island.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.8, was very shallow at 14.3 miles under the seabed, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake did not trigger a tsunami warning.

An eyewitnesses in one downtown Vancouver building said it swayed. Other people in the area said they felt nothing.

Vancouver Island hugs the coast of British Columbia and is almost 300 miles long and some 50 miles wide at its widest point. Much of it is thinly populated, with rocky beaches, thick forests and cliffs falling into the Pacific Ocean.

The quake struck close to the town of Gold River on the island.

"There were three of them (tremors). Two were back to back and then five minutes later there was a third smaller one," said Laurinda Rich, manager of the Gold River Golf Club.

How many times does I have to tell you ...

... is an expression that means:

"I have told you this many times, so do what I said."

smooth-talking

'smooth-talking' is an adjective for someone who is good at tricking people by telling them lies. It means that their speech sounds 'smooth' or easy, but it is probably not true.

hi-maintenance / high maintenance

'hi-maintenance' is an adjective that means: something that doesn't work unless you spend a lot of time and money on it.

For example, a high-maintenance car or aircraft won't work unless you spend a lot of time and money to keep it in working condition.

A high-maintenance boyfriend / girlfriend is one that demands a lot of attention from you every day.

PROHIBITED

'PROHIBITED' means that you are not allowed to do this.
For example: "Picking Flowers is Prohibited"

back and forth

'back and forth' means that something goes in one direction, then back in the opposite direction. For example, in tennis, the ball goes back and forth.

'back and forth' also means that people are talking and disagreeing, without accomplishing anything. For example, after several weeks of back-and-forth, the U.S. Congress has not agreed on a solution to the debt problem.

...
Today, the first Monday in September, is Labour Day (Labor Day in the U.S.), a statutory holiday. Tomorrow is the first day of school.

expression - to go off on a tangent

... In geometry, a tangent is a line drawn from the edge of a circle.
... In physics, if you spin an object around on a string, and then you let go of the string, the path of the object will be a tangent.

... In English, if you say that someone is going off on a tangent, it means that they are ignoring the subject and talking about something that is not related.
For example: If I ask you about the weather and you answer by talking about your car, you are going off on a tangent.

to / for

...
He throws the ball to Charlie.

The ball is for Charlie.

to rock

... 'to rock' is slang for 'to be good' ... from "rock n' roll".

for example: If you like Obama, you can say: "Obama rocks".

windshield

The 'windshield' is the front window of a car or truck.

In England, it is called the 'windscreen'.