CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter March,
March , 201
20 1 6February 28th witnessed one of the most The awards themselves were a largely
talked-about and photographed events ofthe year, the annual extravaganza widely
known as the Oscars. The 88th Academy
Awards were held, as usual, in theDorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown
Los Angeles and attended by some of themost famous celebrities on the planet.
This year’s event was held after probably
the most controversial run-up in history
to the yearly awards ceremony. The uproar
centered on the Academy’s propensity to
distribute awards to white Americans andlargely ignore other ethnic groups. AfricanAmericans were particularly vocal in theircriticism, with many famous black actors
and actresses deciding to boycott theceremony. Interestingly, not much wasreported about the Academy’s snubbing
Asian filmmakers, actors and actresses –Ellaa trend that has been ongoing for almost
the entire history of the event. Despite
allJanisthe hoopla in the lead-up to theceremony, the occasion was considereda success. It was hosted by renowned
African-American comedian Chris Rock,
who made light of the race issues
surrounding the ceremony by taking aim
at all the ethnicities involved. Of course,
this served to raise the ire of somecommentators who felt slighted.

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
At this site you can scroll back to see all the Oscar
results starting with the first awards in 1929:
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016

predictable affair. Most film reviewers
acknowledged that 2015 was a particularly
weak year for movies. Though it could besaid that there’s been a steady slide in thecaliber of movies up for awards over thepast twenty or thirty years, recent trends in
Hollywood have almost assured that Oscarworthy movies are few and far between. Big
film studios direct most of their budgets toblockbusters, especially movie franchisesthat spawn sequel upon sequel. Moreover,what’s left of the studio money is usuallyinvested, these days, in low-risk, low-budget
affairs. Hence, those movies of yesteryear
which featured top-class directors andscreenwriters, as well as talented actors
and actresses, have mostly been squeezed
out of the picture.
The upshot of these recent trends was alist of very average movies contending forthe coveted award of Best Picture of 2015.
The pre-show favorite was the visually
impressive but clichéd The Revenant,starring Leonardo di Caprio in an Oscarwinning performance as a man out for justicein the Wild (snowy) West. Thankfully, in theeyes of many movie fans, this pedestrianeffort didn’t win Best Picture. Unfortunately,
the winner – Spotlight – was itself not up toscratch. This tale of heroic white journalists
exposing white priests’ systematic abuse ofwhite kids is the type of self-congratulatory
fodder that Hollywood likes to bestow awards
upon. The problem is that it’s just not a goodmovie. Nevertheless, it might have been thebest of a bad bunch. Long gone are the daysof masters such as Kurosawa, who
predictably enough was only nominated once.

Article by ColmJoshua Says: Can you imagine being able to speak all of the world’s languages? Well,
according to one theory you once could! The theory, by Professor Charles Yang, says that at birthwe are already “hardwired” to do so. A universal “language template” onto which any language
can be grafted is passed down to all of us through our DNA, but in the process of “learning” ourmother tongue, the under-used parts of this template are discarded and neglected. Just imagine
what we could do if we could reawaken the unused parts of this template......
Junko Says: I’m sure some of you have seen the TV commercial about
Nescafe’s coffee machines. This commercial stayed in my mind because we
supply coffee and tea to everyone here at Crossroads. I finally had the chance
to taste the coffee made with these machines the other day. We have now
decided to set these machines up at Crossroads along with Nescafe’s special
tea-maker. I hope our new coffee is an improvement and that you will enjoy it.
Mark Says: One of my favourite pastimes is watching TV. While I enjoy films, I
prefer the character and story development that a long run TV drama allows. One ofmy favourite shows is The Walking Dead, a drama about survival in a post zombie
apocalypse world. I regularly discuss the latest story-lines with current and former
students as well as former colleagues who are fans themselves. Please check it out.
Colm Says: As the weather picks up, the hiki-nige shuffle is in full effect inMatsuyama. Whether you’re a driver, a cyclist or a walker, watch out for cars
and bicycles merrily navigating routes in whichever ways take their fancy. If
you’re not on your toes, you’ll soon be on your nose after being ploughed into.
As you pick yourself up, the perpetrator will be off in the distance.
Danielle dit: Alors que je passe devant quelques fois par semaine depuis
plusieurs mois, j'ai découvert récemment un magasin de crêpes japonaises prèsde l'université d'Ehime. Etant très gourmand, j'aime beaucoup les crêpes et enparticulier les crêpes japonaises dans lesquelles sont souvent mixées plusieurs
choses. Cependant, si vous en avez l'occasion, essayez donc les crêpes à lafrançaise dont ils existent beaucoup de variantes, sucrées ou salées.
ACROSS
4 loud noise and confusion
6 overly sensational promotion of an event
8 tendency, inclination
9 anger in response to a grievance
10 someone who returns after a long absence
13 disrespected
14 refuse to deal with or be part of something
15 give or share out
16 spectacular stage entertainment
DOWN
1 level of excellence
2 coarse food (especially for livestock)
3 fail or refuse to notice
5 give as a right, title, reward or gift
7 in great disagreement
11 reject, refuse to acknowledge
12 result caused by a previous event

12
3

4

5

6
7
8
9
10
11
12

13

14

15

16(print version here)

The TravelerÊs Log with S(a)3Ês MakiIn this article I will introduce you to the Aran
Islands and Kylemore Abbey in Ireland:That’s me!
First, let’s go to the Aran Islands. It takes about 40
minutes by ferry from Galway to get there. The Aran Islands
consist of three islands which are called Inis Mor, Inis Meain
and Inis Oirr. Aran means long mountains and Inis meansisland. Mor means big, Meain means middle and Oirrmeans East. Most visitors go to Inis Mor to see Dun
Aonghass, which is the most spectacular fiord there. It issituated between 100 meter high cliffs. The people wholive there still speak Irish. You can also see signs which
are written in Irish. The Aran Islands are also famous forhandmade Aran sweaters.
When I visited the Aran Islands, I rented a bicycle toget around. I saw donkeys and I was able to get back intouch with nature. When I arrived at Dun Aoghasa theAtlantic Ocean spread out in front of me. It was aspectacular view. However, I felt a little bit frightened
because of the height. I laid down, looked below and Scenes at Dun Aoghasa
trembled with fear!
Secondly, let’s go to Kylemore Abby. It takes about
one hour by car from Galway. Kylemore Abby is locatedin Connemara County, Galway. This is the site ofKylemore Castle which was built by Michell Henry for
his wife Margret in 1868. When they visited this area
she loved it so much that he decided to build the castle
for her. It took more than 7 years to complete. However,she died after they had lived there for only a few years.
He left Kylemore Castle afterwards. The Benedictine
Nuns bought it in 1920. This castle has also been used
as a girl’s high school. Now there are a gift shop and a
restaurant to help maintain the Abby.
Kylemore Abby
When I visited the castle, furniture was on display
and I could feel the life that Henry and Margret lived. It was elegant. The view
from outside was also beautiful.
There are many great places to visit in Ireland. Please visit someday!
H I P S T E RCTOA V O I D
G R I PVNCQE
FRUT
S W A T H E
EEESETL A U DTPTA
D I S I N F E C TINNC H U R NC L A S P I N GGWHKA R O S EYWDThe Pawscars!
Every year the American Humane Association hosts
an “Oscars” awards ceremony to honor the film
industry’s hard working animal actors.
In 2015 the “Lifetime Diva Achievement Award”
Oscar was won by Crystal, a Capuchin monkey. She
has performed in more than 25 movies over two
decadesThank you,you,
thank you!

Although the Humane Association hosts this event
for animal actors, their main purpose is to ensure thatno harm comes to the animals used during the makingof films.
In the same year that Crystal won her Oscar,Dale, a horse in the movie, Planet of the Apes, won
the “Best Supporting Equine” Oscar. In the scene
where the horses appeared to be jumping over fire,they were actually jumping over a foot high bar withflicking lights.
The award for the “Best Young AnimalPerformer” that year went to a trio of bull puppies
for their work in the film, Drop. The character they
played was named Rocco but as puppies grow so fast,
three had to be used to complete the story. To makethem all look like the same dog, non-toxic makeup
was used to match them up.
The “Best Aquatic Performance” honor went toSavannah a dolphin. Savannah had to play the part ofa dolphin who dies in the movie “Dolphin Tale 2”.
However, Savannah did not have to learn the deathscene as animatronics took over for her. As for theother marine life in the movie, the American Humane
Association made sure that no animal worked morethan an hour without a break.

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
DOWN
ACROSS
2 rules governing social behavior
1 a follower of the latest trends
3 greatly desired
4 stay clear of, stay away from
5 living on or in a host in large
6 hold firmly
numbers
8 an area or strip of something
7 moving slowly but surely
9 praise or honor
10 kill microorganisms and germs 9 taken hold of, gripped
11 a very bad feeling, soft and12 (out) produce at a fast rate
sticky13 holding firmly and tightly
14 to impress greatly
15 came into existence, form or
shape
16 force back or reject by force

Don’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.