revelatory

I'm so thrilled to bits at the news, unexpectedly.
My stance had been anti-Oasis for long. To be honest, I'd looked down on Oasis fans. I thought the brothers were too rough and their music was too simple.
However, surprisingly, the news of reunion made me nostalgic. I realise that I like the legendary brothers and their Britpop music.

Oasis reunion confirmed for UK and Ireland tour in 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/27/oasis-reunion-confirmed-for-uk-and-ireland-tour-in-2025-liam-noel-gallagher

<words>
will-they-won’t-they
leg - domestic leg of the tour
feud
revelatory
ignite
televise
acrimoniously < acrimonious
to bury the hatchet
snipe
wane
lucrative - forget this? remember!!
[quote]Some have speculated that one motivation for a lucrative reunion might be Noel’s recent divorce from his second wife, Sara MacDonald, in a settlement reported to cost around £20m.[unquote]

Who is Sara MacDonald, the Scottish ex-wife of Oasis star Noel Gallagher credited with the band's reunion?
https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/who-is-sara-macdonald-the-scottish-ex-wife-of-oasis-star-noel-gallagher-4757652

‘Oi, tofu boy’: The best putdowns, quips and insults from Noel and Liam Gallagher’s 15-year-long feud
https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/noel-liam-gallagher-feud-fight-timeline-insults-tofu-b1034188.html

This writer use American English and some typos in the article.
<words>
rile
lyricist
solid [Collins]If you do something for a solid period of time, you do it without any pause or interruption throughout that time.
[quote]which descended into roughly 10 solid minutes of insulting each other [unquote]
G&T [Collins]gin and tonic
sombrely < sombre
blitzed
noughties
in a world of
emanate
partial [Collins]If you are partial to something, you like it.[quote]the musician is very partial to using his Twitter account to air his feelings towards his brother when he so chooses
bonehead

They are totally the characters of The Brothers Grimsby. Completely comedy. It's pleasing to see them in the news.

turminus

New open news in London always pump me up!

Wetherspoon invests £2.8m to open new Waterloo station pub
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/wetherspoon-waterloo-station-lion-unicorn-new-pub-b1178500.html

<words>
terminus [Collins]On a bus or train route, the terminus is the last stop, where the bus or train turns round or starts a journey in the opposite direction.
termini - plural - I think Rome Termini has a same meaning, but different pronunciation
[quote]The Lion & The Unicorn will open in The Sidings, within the former Eurostar terminus, on Tuesday September 3, the pub group said.[unquote]

surrender [quote]Wetherspoons has trimmed the size of its pub estate in recent years, selling or surrendering the lease on 26 of its outlets since November.

[quote]It added that the new pub’s interior design was inspired by the historic architecture that made The Lion And Unicorn Pavilion a fan favourite at the Festival of Britain in 1951.[unquote]

The Sidings
https://thesidingswaterloo.co.uk

The Lion and Unicorn Pavilion
https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-lion-and-unicorn-pavilion-legacies-of-the-1951-festival-of-britain/

grapple

It's a good news but inflation seems likely to continue...

UK shop prices fall year on year for first time since cost of living crisis began
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/aug/27/uk-shop-prices-drop-inflation-retail-clothes-food-cost-of-living-crisis

<words>
wares [plural noun] - again! just remember!
brave [quote]consumers were less willing to brave cold and rainy weather to get to the high street
grapple [Collins] If you grapple with a problem or difficulty, you try hard to solve it
crunch [Collins]A situation in which a business or economy has very little money can be referred to as a crunch.[quote]the continued cost of living crunch impacting many families
lessen [quote]seeing the biggest monthly decrease since December 2020 as supplier input costs lessened
consecutive [quote]for the eighth consecutive month in August

[quote]The future remains uncertain, however. The BRC warned retail prices could still rise in the months ahead as the effects of climate breakdown on harvests, and conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, push up the costs of goods and fuel. [unquote]

I spend most of my income for eating, drinking and travelling. The cost of them has shot up. I think that it will never return to the price before pandemic... I've been reducing the amount of drinking and eating, but travelling.

Monkey

If you say Monkey in the UK, some certain age group remind this.

Monkey (TV series)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SUoHmpRdM

<dictation>
In the worlds before monkey, primal chaos reigned.
Heaven sought order, but the phenix can fly only when its feathers are grown.
The four worlds formed again yet and again as endless eons wield and passed.
Time and [a] pure essences of heaven, the moistures of the earth, the power of the sun and the moon
All worked upon a [such] rock [old us] creation and it became magically fertile.
That first egg was named Thought. Suddhodana Buddha the father Buddha said "with our thoughts we make the world".
Elemental forces caused the egg to hatch. From it then came a stone monkey. The nature of monkey was irrepressible.

Born from an egg on a mountain top
The punkiest monkey that ever popped
He knew every magic trick under the sun
To tease the Gods and everyone have some fun

I'd thought "funkiest monkey" for long... I couldn't hear "to" before tease...

This TV programme was for children, of course. I couldn't catch some basic words which children can easily understand. I'm too monkey...
I cannot stop reading the pile of the comments of the YouTube.

stampede

I met several GenZs this summer. They are mix of Japanese and westerners.
I don't know recent indie bands, but Taylor Swift helped me to talk with them. I should have memorised some names before meeting them.

Why do Gen Z have such bad festival etiquette?
https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gen-z-festivals-sitting-down-barrier-throwing-things-at-gigs-etiquette-b1178092.html
All Points East - APE

<words>
[quote] All Points East returns this weekend, after a stonking first installment from the 16-18 August [unquote]
stonking [Collins][British slang]of exceptional size or quality
installment [Collins]An installment of a story or plan is one of its parts that are published or carried out separately one after the other.

[quote] APE has never been better. The headliners received rave reviews, the production runs like a well-oiled machine [unquote]
never better
rave review [Collins]When journalists write rave reviews, they praise something such as a play or book in a very enthusiastic way.
well-oiled

infiltrate [quote] Now finally at the age to legally infiltrate festivals, they are gradually becoming our gig and partying peers. [unquote]
stampede
confines
militant
projectile

[quote] they really, truly, absolutely suck.[unquote] Indeed.
I didn't know Mitski is half Japanese.

brat green
What is Brat summer and did Kamala Harris just become its poster girl? How Charli XCX created 2024's new trend
https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/big-brat-summer-charli-xcx-lorde-kamala-harris-b1167007.html

Generation Z: born 1997-2012 - the oldest is 27 year old this year
Generation alpha: born 2013 - the oldest is 11 year old this year
Generation Y: born 1981-1996 - the oldest is 43 year old this year... daddy of GenZ teens and alpha

game over - time is up

I abandoned to take Cambridge English Test. I may take test sometime in the future, but not within the next year.
I keenly aware of my incompetence of studying English.

I will close the blog by the end of the next year, but I cannot keep the same title.
The new title is from this post.

English is the language of humans on the planet. AI speaks English better than monkeys nowadays.

If I study 3 hours every day, I may become a human in 3 years.
If I study 1 hours a day, I may become a human in 9 years.
If I study 3 hours a week, I may become a human in 21 years.
If I study 1 hour a week, I may become a human in 63 years.

I, monkey have to count the time.

disseminate

I should to learn about the platform to understand the world.

Telegram app founder Pavel Durov to appear in court after arrest in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/25/telegram-app-founder-pavel-durov-to-appear-in-court-after-arrest-in-paris

<words>
miscalculate (accent)
messaging (accent)
due to [quote] Durov is due to appear in a French court later on Sunday
Franco-Russian
Le Bourget airport
warrant
Baku - Azerbaijan
[quote]Enough of Telegram’s impunity
enough (quantifier)
impunity [Collins]exemption or immunity from punishment or recrimination
[quote]Telegram has since diverged to become more of a social network in its own right [unquote]
more of [Collins]to a greater extent or degree
in one's own right [Collins]If someone is a successful or respected person in their own right, they are successful or respected because of their own efforts and talents rather than those of the people they are closely connected with.
moderate (UAE) << crack down (western government)
disseminate [Collins]To disseminate information or knowledge means to distribute it so that it reaches many people or organizations. [quote]allows users to create channels to disseminate information to followers
VSquare
go-to [Collins] You use go-to to say that someone or something is the best person, place or thing for a particular purpose or situation. [quote]it had become the ‘go-to’ tool for Russian propagandists
ecosystem [quote]it was an ecosystem for the radicalisation of opinion
cesspit [quote]Telegram had become a cesspit of antisemitic content
behest - at sb's behest/ at the behest of sb [Collins]If something is done at someone's behest, it is done because they have ordered or requested it.
intel [Collins]Intel is military information collected about an enemy’s secret plans.

Who is Russian billionaire Pavel Durov, the Telegram messaging app founder detained in France?
https://news.sky.com/story/who-is-russian-billionaire-pavel-durov-the-telegram-messaging-app-founder-detained-in-france-13203067

[unquote]Durov said he would rather be free than to take orders from anyone.[quote]

I agree with Durov in terms of freedom, but Telegram made people more hostile and offensive and made the world more dangerous and vulnerable.
With freedom comes responsibility. He is not safe. So am I.

To visualise 3300 hours

I have to confess that I broke my rule. I read some Japanese articles... again. I need to reset the bad habit.

Reading Japanese articles is complete wast of time.
I cannot believe that many Japanese who live in the UK and Europe access to Yahoo! via VPN. - I shouldn't criticise someone else. I have to feel regret reading forbidden Yahoo! News.

I've already confessed that I have exceptions reading or listening in Japanese - 'Investor Z' twice a week and 'Morinaga Takuro's part of Golden Radio' once a week.
They are only exceptions.

I've been strongly recommended to start NativeCamp by one of my friends recently.

I'd researched the curriculum and teachers of NativeCamp, but I couldn't be confident to enrol in the free one week course.
I searched other English courses on the web and I carelessly accessed to an article of Horiemon in Yahoo! News site...

It was an advertisement of his book titled 'いつまで英語から逃げてるの？ 英語の多動力New Version'.

...New Version. I changed the view on Horiemon after I read Investor Z. He is not cultured but he is smart. I agree with what he says about English.
I found that the excerpts of the book are in Diamond Online and President Online.

ホリエモンが教える「英語に挫折しやすい人」のたった1つの特徴
https://diamond.jp/articles/-/347946
[quote]英語はある程度の時間をかけて真剣に取り組まなければ、そうそうに身につくものではない。つまり根気が必要なのだ。そのため、続けるためのコツとして、日々の時間管理を「見える化」することだ。[..]英語に触れた時間を毎日、「Now Then Time Tracking」など使いやすいアプリに記録していく。1日1時間が精一杯なら、1週間で7時間だ。1カ月で30時間。3カ月で90時間。100時間まであと少し……と感じることになる。[unqote]

英語ができない人はチンパンジー扱い…｢日本人の米グーグル副社長｣が31歳から英語を猛勉強し始めたワケ
https://president.jp/articles/-/83786
[quote]そこで、私は1日3時間、ほとんど1日も休まず3年間、英語を勉強しました。[..]1日3時間というと、結構なハード・スケジュールだと思う方もたくさんいるでしょう。でも、実際時間なんか気を付ければいくらでもつくれます。[..]私の勉強法は極めてシンプルでした。やったことは3つです。とりあえず英単語をたくさん見ること、英語を1日1時間聞くこと、1時間英語の本を読むこと。これを3年間やりました。合計すると、3300時間程度です。[unquote]

I don't have time to read such Japanese articles. No time to lose.

flock

This weekend is a three day holiday in the UK. The opening day of the new celebrity pub was a great success.

'Jeremy Clarkson's pub is the highlight of our holiday'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvylp09pddo

<words>
flock
bumper-to-bumper
hail [quote] filled with tourists hailing from Newcastle,,, and beyond.[unquote]
in store [Collins] If something is in store for you, it is going to happen at some time in the future.[quote] eager to discover what the former Top Gear presenter had in store for them in Asthall.[unquote]
-goer - pub-goer
forge [quote] he’s forged them a metal sculpture
bloke
inaugural < inaugurate > inauguration
spell out [Collins] If you spell something out, you explain it in detail or in a very clear way.
petrolhead
inadvertently < inadvertent
endeavour (accent)
document (accent)
razor thin
credit [Oxford][usually passive] to believe or say that somebody is responsible for doing something, especially something good
[quote]Mr Clarkson has even found himself credited as the reason for a huge rise in membership of Norfolk Federation of Young Farmers, such is the appeal of the programme.[unquote]
publicans (accent)
up and down somewhere [Cambridge]everywhere in a particular area, especially an area that stretches from north to south
[quote]as many publicans up and down the UK will testify, the pub trade has become a notoriously difficult one in recent years[unquote]

The Gradian article explains more details of the pub.
He’s hilarious’: Jeremy Clarkson fans flock to opening of Oxfordshire pub
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/23/jeremy-clarkson-fans-oxfordshire-pub-the-farmers-dog

<words>
reel from / fallout
[quote]Still reeling from the Covid fallout and high energy costs, barely a week passes without another pub announcing with regret its closure.[unquote]
punter [Collins] [mainly British, informal] People sometimes refer to their customers or clients as punters.
proprietor < proprietary
laud [Collins]If people laud someone, they praise and admire them.
fortuitous (accent)
on the dot [quote]at midday on the dot
overwhelm [Collins]If an organization or service is overwhelmed, it is unable to cope with the demand for it. [quote]The crowds were large but the site did not appear overwhelmed.
allude [Collins]If you allude to something, you mention it in an indirect way.
overflow car park
adjacent
run-in [Collins]A run-in is an argument or quarrel with someone
venture [Collins]A venture is a project or activity which is new, exciting, and difficult because it involves the risk of failure.
piss off [Collins][informal, rude]If someone or something pisses you off, they annoy you.
roaring trade / do a roaring trade[Collins]If someone does a roaring trade in a type of goods, they sell a lot of them.
throng [Collins]When people throng somewhere, they go there in great numbers.

gammon steak with bubble and squeak
lancashire hotpot
steak pie with mash and gravy

my old man = my father / my old lady = my wife

I agree with the 25-year old girl said "He’s hilarious" and 11-year old girl said "I think Jeremy is just quite funny", even though I've never watched Clarkson Farm.

I've never had an Amazon prime account. Amazon deprives of time and money. The programme may help improving my English, but I'm too busy for real life. I'd rather not watch the video of the farm than visit to the actual farm.

untoward

This is for note to self. It's suspicious and untoward, even the police denies. Is is just coincident??

Death of tycoon's ex-partner not 'untoward' - police
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v5l81ge4zo

[quote]Mr Lynch and Mr Chamberlain were business partners and had been defendants in a fraud trial in the United States earlier this year.[unquote]

[quote]He studied at Cambridge University and in 1991, helped establish Cambridge Neurodynamics - a firm which specialised in using computer-based detection and recognition of fingerprints. Autonomy was created five years later, using a statistical method known as "Bayesian inference" at the core of its software.[unquote]
Bayesian inference - the name of the yacht is came from his business

‘She was easy to love’: friends and family pay tribute to Hannah Lynch
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/23/tribute-hannah-lynch-mike-bayesian-sicily

easy to love - slang

This article contains various words of praise. It's a shame to lose her. Poor she.

coercive

I've been waited the follow-up of this case.

Epsom killer's 'behaviour was coercive', say police
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn02xwzvd90o

I'm confused because of my poor reading ability and/or the complicated nature of domestic violence.

Eh? He contacted police? He had been assaulted by his wife??
[quote]In 2016, Mr Pattison contacted police to say he had been assaulted by his wife.[unquote]
[quote]The allegation of assault made by Mr Pattison against Mrs Pattison in 2016 was investigated thoroughly at the time and coercive controlling behaviour was not identified.

She hadn't made allegations against her husband.
[quote]Although Mrs Pattison never made any allegations of domestic abuse or coercive controlling behaviour against her husband[unquote]

[quote]Looked at through the lens of what ultimately happened, the incident in 2016 was clearly part of Mr Pattison’s controlling behaviour.[unquote]
Look at through the lens of...

[quote]the deaths of Mrs Pattison and Lettie highlighted the need to dispel the myths and stereotypes of who may or may not be victims of domestic abuse, and those capable of doing it.[unquote]

Abuser lied to get gun licence before killing family
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvympljv3wo

I didn't know that.
[quote]People can get medication from online doctors without notifying their GP[unquote]
propranolol

He was a mad man who murdered his wife and child, like as Jack Nicholson of Shining. She couldn't tell the domestic problem due to her social status, I presume.

gust

It's not only Taylor who has cancelled a gig.

New Order cancel gig amid weather warning
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8l2lyerego

<words>
ground [quote]cancelled on "health and safety grounds" [Collins]If something is grounds for a feeling or action, it is a reason for it. If you do something on the grounds of a particular thing, that thing is the reason for your action.
in due course [quote]There will be an official statement in due course regarding tickets [Collins]If you say that something will happen or take place in due course, you mean that you cannot make it happen any quicker and it will happen when the time is right for it.
gutted [British, informal] [quote]the band was gutted about the cancellation
set back [quote]Setting back all the work that had to start in the early hours
gust [Collins]A gust is a short, strong, sudden rush of wind

New Order has five members now. I recognise three of them. I don't want to see New Order without Peter Hook.

[quote]I'm very disappointed, but life's too short to be angry about these things.[unquote]
Poor he.

I was cancelled by Greta last year. I was disappointed, even I'm not a big fun of Greta. I had been excited to get a competitive ticket.
I found the reason of the cancellation by the article later.

Greta Thunberg pulls out of Edinburgh Book Festival over 'greenwashing'
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66407059

She is too strict.

sporadic

Isle of Man! The Sea View hotel looks open for business as usual in the Google Maps, but no price shows at the moment.

China scam run from Isle of Man
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6x1ql1yelo

<words>
murky [quote]he had no idea of the murky world he was entering when he arrived on the Isle of Man
scam artist
sporadic [quote]he would hear sporadic cheering from his new colleagues
illicit
hype
syphon
persuasiveness < persuasive
beneficiary - sole beneficiary
glitzy
mock-up
whack-a-mole [quote]Trying to stop the scams is like a "game of whack-a-mole"
jurisdiction shopping = forum shopping

<Chinese words>
QQ - Tencent QQ - a penguin wearing scurf
renminbi - it's been a while to see this word.. I don't read world news...
Pig butchering scam

The trick of the scam is same as which has been happened in Japan. Amount is also similar or a bit smaller - 4.17m GBP for 12 victims.
Philippine is the backyard. Bill Morgan/Liang Langfei is Chinese "Lufy" - Imamura or Watanabe. They are fat as pigs.

curb

This article contains useful expressions for writing reports.

Edinburgh backs introduction of new 'tourist tax'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v5l29q2dvo

<words>
transient - transient visitor levy (TVL)
motion [Collins]A motion is a formal proposal or statement in a meeting, debate, or trial, which is discussed and then voted on or decided on. [quote]but their motion was defeated.
curb [Collins]If you curb something, you control it and keep it within limits. [quote]in an attempt to curb the expansion of short-term letting accommodation.
surcharge [Collins]A surcharge is an extra payment of money in addition to the usual payment for something. It is added for a specific reason, for example by a company because costs have risen or by a government as a tax.
diminution [quote]Those cities have not seen diminution of visitors due to the size of the levy
heed [quote]but they have failed to heed his stark warnings.

<to memorise>
face a fine of up to £2,500
couple with [quote]The city council declared a housing emergency in November 2023 due to skyrocketing house prices and rental rates, coupled with a record number of people identifying as homeless.[unquote]
put forward [quote]Proposals for a tourist tax in Edinburgh were initially put forward in 2019.[unquote]
bitter blow [quote]At a time when tourism businesses are already facing a huge tax burden, this is another bitter blow for them.[unquote]

I agree with the surcharge because Edinburgh is overcrowding.

head girl / head boy

Death in San Antonio. She was just 19 years old.
There are no words in the article but I wanted to memorise head girl.

Scottish student dies in fall from hotel balcony in Ibiza
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/22/scottish-student-dies-in-fall-from-hotel-balcony-in-ibiza

University of Strathclyde - I didn't know it but it looks a good university. Franz Ferdinand and CHVRCHES! Glaswegians!
head girl - [Collins]The head girl of a school is a senior female student who often represents the school on public occasions.
in contact with (B1)