[247] Hawaii’s top lawmakers are Japanese

Travel News

Hawaii’s top lawmakers are Japanese

The U.S. State of Hawaii has an ethnic Japanese governor as well as one U.S. Senator and one former congresswoman of Japanese descent. State Governor David Ige was born in Hawaii, though his family is originally from Okinawa.

Hawaii has one ethnic Japanese Senator serving in the U.S. Senate: Mazie Hirono, who was born in Fukushima, Japan. Each U.S. state elects two Senators to serve in the federal government in Washington.

Former Congresswoman for Hawaii Colleen Hanabusa  (2016-2019) was born in Hawaii, and one of her grandfathers was born in Hawaii before it became a U.S. State. That grandfather was held in an internment camp during World War II, and congresswoman Hanabusa campaigned to preserve the museums and education programs related to the internment of Japanese in Hawaii.

Health and Tech News

Xiaomi releases foldable screen phone   Chinese tech innovator Xiaomi has released a short video showing a square phone screen being folded into three parts and placed on top of a cup of noodles. Industry insiders caution that the phone is not yet ready for consumer release. Devices are expected to cost 2,000$US or more.

This Week’s Natural Phrase

time consuming

Molly: We have 100 guests coming for the birthday party. Can you help me make sandwiches for them?

Vanessa: Sandwiches for 100 people? If we make 2 sandwiches each, that’s 200 sandwiches. It’s going to be very time consuming to prepare. Why don’t we order a catering company to bring the sandwiches, along with appetizers and drinks?

The phrase “time consuming” or “time-consuming” is a phrase that means something takes a long time to finish.

This Week’s Medical Phrase

benign

Doctor Wang: We have some good news and some bad news about your tests. The bad news is that we found a tumor in your throat. The good news is that it’s benign, and can be removed with simple surgery.

Wilford: That’s a big relief, doctor. But what about the long-term consequences?

Doctor Wang: After the surgery is completed, we don’t expect any long-term consequences. You should be able to continue your daily life.

Explanation: The term “benign” is an adjective that means a disease will not spread through the body. It can be removed without spreading to other organs. The opposite of “benign” is “malignant.”

This Week’s Business/Email Phrase

high failure rate

Aly:  The new (products) have a high failure rate. Almost 15% of our customers have complained that the (products) did not work right. We need to improve our quality control so that our customers trust our products.

Explanation:  The term “high failure rate ” means that a product has some problems when it is made in the factory, or it breaks down often after the customer purchases the product. It can also mean that many students failed their school exams.