CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊsStud ioÊs Newsletter February,February , 201
20 1 8No,

this is not an article about anexperimental rock band from the 1960’s.
Instead, this will be a tribute to some of thepeople who, through their intelligence andinventiveness, have made a very realdifference in the way we live our lives today.
And for this article, we will look exclusively atsome of the women who have achieved this.
Do you drive acar, and have you
ever had to drive
through rain orsnow? Imagine doing
so without windshield wipers - nearly impossible!
But thanks to Mary Anderson, you don’t haveto. Back in 1903, during a visit to New York
City, Anderson noticed that streetcar drivers
had to open their windows when it rained inorder to see the road ahead. Anderson invented
a swinging arm device with a rubber blade thatwas operated by the driver from within thevehicle. Her invention was greetedElla withskepticism at first, but by 1916 windshieldwipers were a standard fixture on just about
every kind of vehicle running on wheels.
JanisSo,
you’re in a supermarket and you noticean enticing bag of potato chips; just the thing
to settle down with while watching footy on
TV. Now imagine you are living in the 1920’s.
If you wanted some potato chips, you’d have toask the shopkeeper to scoop some up from an
open barrel for you. And if you got your chips
from the bottom of the barrel,
they probably would have beenbroken and somewhat stale. No
longer so enticing? Laura Scudder
thought so, too. She got the idea ofironing a wax bag along threesides, filling it with chips, andthen ironing the fourth side shut
to make the bag airtight. The
perfect chip! She started mass-producing her
fresh potato chips in 1926, and was the first toput production dates on her bags.

Speaking of paper bags meet
Margaret
Knight,America’s“paper bag queen.” “Mattie” started
inventing various factory machines
when she was only 12 years old. Sheis credited with about 90 inventions
and 22 patents for everythingfrom shoe-making to sleeve-valve
engines for cars. But her most
famous invention was a machine
to mass produce flat-bottom paper bags, a mainstayof supermarkets and school lunches for
decades after she was awarded a patentin 1871. Not bad for a humble factory girl.
Known to most as a famous Hollywood
actress, Hedy Lamarr was also an inventor.
During the WW2 era, she and George Anthiel,another
inventor,developedasecretcommunications language to fool the Nazis. Her
inventions from that period are among the first in
thefieldofwirelesscommunications. Although thecell-phone had not been
invented at that time, without
her discoveries, we would not have Wi-Fi today!
Grace Murray Hopper was acomputer pioneer and mathematician.
She was best-known for her 1952
invention of Flow-Matic, the firstcompiler software that translated
instructions written in English intomachine language that computers could
understand and use. She had a PhD and served
for 43 years in the US Navy, where she rose to
the rank of Rear Admiral. She retired from thenavy at the age of 80.
These are just a few of the many outstanding
women who have changed my life and yours. I
wonder who else might be added to this list in
the future?

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
Go here for more on famous women inventers:
http://www.women-inventors.com/

Joshua Says: We have a few senior high-school students coming to Crossroads. Theyare studying to sit for IELTS and other similar “tests.” And I can’t help but feel
sympathy for them. They’re planning to go to colleges overseas, but even there they’ll beconfronted with tests and examinations. Do “educators” really think tests are a measureof a person’s intelligence, their worth or their ability to contribute positively to society?
It’s a wonder that “examination hell” doesn’t have the opposite effect.
Junko Says: Next month will be the middle of our first semester for thisyear and again, we’d like you to answer our regular short questionnaire
about your lessons. Your feedback, opinions, comments, and requests
are very important to us and they help us to maintain our highstandard of teaching services for everyone. So when you receive thisquestionnaire, please spare a few minutes to fill it out. Thanks!
Perry Says: February 14 t h is Valentine’s Day. In Japan, Valentine’s
Day is a time of year when women buy presents for the men in
their life and then next month, men return the favor for WhiteDay. But in America, Valentine’s Day is for couples and they givepresents to each other. It’s almost like American Valentine’s Daycombines Japanese Valentine’s Day and White Day together.
Darrin Says: Did you happen to see the Super-Blue-Blood-Moon last month? Therare event was a combination of three lunar events all happening at the same time.
As it was the second full moon in a month, it was what is known as a ‘blue moon.’Hence the expression of a rare event as (being) ‘once in a blue moon.’ It was also a‘super’ moon, which happens when the full moon occurs when it’s closest to the earth.
Finally, it was a ‘blood moon’ because there was a lunar eclipse at the same time.
Mandcy dit: Ovide disait que « Pour chasser l'Amour, tous les moyens sontbons. » En effet, ce mois de février et remplis d’amour et de.... chocolats auJapon. Je vous souhaite donc une bonne Saint-Valentin et aussi bon couragedans votre chasse de l’amour. Soyez généreux et attention à la crise de foie.
1ACROSS
1 not divided or shared with others
4 the game of football
8 doubt
7
11 useful equipment, mechanism or gadget
13 highly attractive
15 most cars have this16 creative thought or action
DOWN
2 acknowledged and praised for achieving something
13
3 a distinctive period of time
5 distinguished from others
6 not arrogant
7 someone who opens a new line of research
9 documents granting sole rights
10 something given or shown as a mark of respect
12 preventing air to enter
14 a machine for transporting people and goods (print version here) 1642356891011121415

The TravelerÊs Log withS(a)3’s Takashi Inoue

My mother and I visited Portugal this New Year. Many

That’s me!

Portuguese explorers sailed around the world by caravel during
the Age of Discovery. As a result, Portugal has integrated many
cultures from around the world. This is interesting to me.
On the other hand, there is no direct airline route from Japan
to Portugal and there will be little chance for me to go there on
business. So we decided to go just for a visit.
I will talk about three of my experiences:First, we stayed in a castle! It was a fantastic place with a wonderful view and delicious food. In Japan, wecan only see exhibits (such as armor and swords) in castles. We could never stay in one. So, it was anamazing experience.
Secondly, the cities
of Portugal are socolorful. Not only
buildings, but also
the trains, buses,and ships are sobeautiful. We took
a lot of photos.

＆Finally, I will talk about Libraria LelloIrmão. We call it Lello.
Do you know about Lello? This is the most beautiful bookstore in the world. It was used in one of the scenes for theHarry Potter movies. Many fans from all over the world visit it.
The spiral staircase was very impressive to me.
My mother and I talked with each other for a long time. We
had a fruitful journey.
B A S I C A L L Y
ND O M E S T I C A T E D
D O C I L E
HP
S H R A N KEOCNPAB O N D I N GO
DREF L O P P E DECNAOETA D V E N TFGFESFIFRS C A V E N G ESUEMECTNCISTA S S O C I A T I N GIQIIOUVNNEEG

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSSDOWN
1 in essence, fundamentally
2 scientists who study the origins
3 overcome wildnessof human societies
4 willing to be taught, led or
3 relying upon or needing support
supervised
6 dead bodies of animals
5 decrease in size
8 deciding
7 forming a close relationship
10 a positive feeling of liking
9 fell loosely (usually down)
11 able to achieve a purpose
12 an important arrival or beginning 14 highly unusual or rare
13 feed on dead animals
15 keeping company with

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See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.