Japanese set to study wet
i UK YU (AP) — Tens of thou
sands of Japanese have scooped up
copies of a waterproof English
vocabulary book that turns lime
spent in the bathtub into study hall.
The book, entitled “Remember
ing English Vocabulary in the Bath,”
looks like just another of the hun
dreds of English primers available
here.
But its waterproof paper, made
of the synthetic polypropylene, sets
it apart — as do the booming sales
it’s racking up in bookstores.
Daiichi Nakagawa, a spokes
man for the book’s publisher,
Kyogakusha, said 100,000 copies
*— at $7.50 each — have been sold
since last year.
Nakagawa said the key to suc
cess was market research. A com
pany survey showed around 15
percent of English-language stu
dents said the bathtub was their
favorite place to study.
Since millions of Japanese need
to learn English for college exams
or to get ahead at work, that 15
percent represents a sizable poten
tial market.
Japanese traditionally settle into
a hot bath at the end of the day,
although the custom is usually
explained as providing rest from
the day’s toils, not an opportunity
to bone up on English vocabulary.,
“Atease in the bathtub—that’s
the kind of feeling we’d like you to
have as you memorize,” the book’s
preface says.
Besides the synthetic paper, the
book uses special rustproof staples
to substitute for adhesive bindings
that can’t stand up to water.
“It doesn’t look so hot,” Nak
agawa said of the staples, “but you
can’t have everything.”
A lest dunking of the book re
vealed that it is indeed waterproof,
although the pages lend to stick
together when wet.
According to Nakagawa, the
special paper costs six times as
much as normal paper. He said the
company kept the price of the book
low “with a view toward the fu
ture.”
That future — for Kyogakusha
— includes just-published water
proof volumes on Japanese history
and English composition. The
company may expand the line to
general-interest books.
Bosnian presidential palace hit
on eve of international meeting
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Hcrzegovina
(AP) — Serb rebels ringing Sarajevo
blasted Bosnia’s presidential palace
and military headquarters with rock
ets and mortar shells Tuesday, while
loyalist troops claimed gains in their
drive to break the siege.
Meanwhile, NATO leaders post
poned a decision on sending 6,000
soldiers to guard relief shipments to
Bosnia-Hcrzegovina. The U.N. Gen
eral Assembly passed a Muslim na
tions-supported resolution that urges
using force to end the fighting, but the
Security Council is not expected to
approve the measure.
The European Community’s chief
peace negotiator, Lord Carrington,
resigned Tuesday on the eve of an
international conference on Yugosla
via sponsored by the EC and United
Nations. All the truces reached dur
ing Carrington’s year of peace efforts
collapsed.
The presidential palace and the
adjacent military headquarters took
two direct hits each in fighting that
erupted after a relatively quiet night
in Sarajevo. Officials said an unde
tcrmincd number of people were
wounded in the fighting.
U.N. spokesman Yusuf Khalef said
five U.N. peacekeepers near the
western suburb of Lukavica suffered
shrapnel wounds that were “not seri
ous.” The British Broadcasting Corp.
reported that one of its correspon
dents, Marlin Bell, also was wounded
but said his life was not in danger.
Bosnia’s Muslim-led government
ordered civilians off Sarajevo’s streets
in an attempt to reduce casualties.
But power blackouts in much of the
city prevented officials from broad
casting an announcement of the 48
hour curfew, which took effect at 1
p.m. Tuesday.
“This is horrible,” said Zaim
Hakovic, deputy commander of loy
alist forces, as he looked at scores of
people silting in front of^heir apart
ment building. “We want tef save them,
but we can’t get the message across.”
Sefer Halilovic, commander of
government forces, told The Associ
ated Press that his soldiers were push
ing forward northwest of the city and
had captured part of the strategic suburb
of Ilid/.a.
“It is very slow going, ii is house to
house, but we are taking territory,”
Halilovic said.
His claims could not be independ
ently verified.
Bosnia’s Muslims and Croats, who
together form a majority, voted for
independence Feb. 29. Ethnic Serb
militias then seized control of a large
chunk of territory that they want to
remain united with the smaller Yugo
slavia, which is dominated by Serbia.
At least 8,000 people have died in
the fighting and more than 1 million
have fled their homes.
Radio Sarajevo said Yugoslav air
force planes dropped napalm and
cluster bombs in three air raids Mon
day on the besieged eastern town of
Gorazde.
‘‘First reports speak of enormous
suffering,” but Serb troops failed to
break through Gorazdc’s defenses,
the report said.
There was no way to independ
ently confirm the report on Gorazde,
which is the last city held by Bosnian
government forces.
Clinton tax record misrepresented, officials say
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The latest
Republican lines of attack on Democrat Bill
Clinton fault the Arkansas governor for raising
taxes 128 times. In fact, the real figure is much
smaller.
ThcClinton campaign itself admits to49 tax
increases, including more than $260 million in
tax increases for a $2 billion state budget in
1991.
The Bush-Quayle cam
paign’sJist of alleged Clin
ton tax increases counts four
lax boosts twice. Clinton
supporters say it also in
cludes items the average
voter would not consider a
tax or an unreasonable fee.
Two of the 128 entries on the Bush-Quayle
list arc increases in the percentage of bets the
state gets from dog- and horse-racing tracks.
Another lengthened the dog-racing season, which
is a lax hike only in the sense that a longer
season increases the state’s take from wagers.
Most of the fees on the list raise little money
or target a specific audience.
President Bush said Clinton had boosted
taxes 128 limes and “enjoyed it every time.”
Vice President Dan Quayle tossed out the same
figure on Tuesday as he campaigned in North
Carolina, depicting Arkansas as a stale of high
taxes and low incomes.
Arkansas ranked 13th among the slates in a
study of state tax bills, and it ranked 45th in
local tax burden, according to the 1990 report
of the Advisory Commission on Intergovern
mental Relations.
“The list is totally misleading,” Betsey Wright,
a top aide in Clinton’s campaign said of the
Bush-Quay le list. The campaign acknowledges
49 “actual taxes” increased under Clinton, the
biggest earmarked for education, health care
and roads.
Wright, Clinton’s former chief of staff, said
Republicans also fail to mention that Clinton
supported 48 tax-reduction measures.
Records kept by the Legislature’s staff show
that fewer than 30 tax increases supported by
Clinton generated more than $100,000 a year.
Clinton did support more than $260 million
in lax increases in 1991, the year of his most
recent legislative session.
A $150 million sales tax increase is paying
for a host of education programs. About $80
million in new gasoline taxes are being levied
to improve roads. Health-care professionals
agreed to pay $30 million in taxes to keep the
Medicaid program afloat and get higher reim
bursement rates.
A 1991 increase in the corporate tax rate
went to vocational education schools.
Brownie Ledbetter, a political activist who
has criticized Clinton’s tax policies, said the
governor didn’t push hard enough to lift long
standing tax exemptions for big business and
agriculture before raising sales taxes.
“Some of it could be hung on Bill, but most
of the blame can be hung on the . . . big
agricultural corporations that have exploited
the state since it was a territory,” she said. “My
criticism of Bill has been to not reverse that
pattern more.”
“He had to raise taxes to move this stale
forward,” Ms. Ledbetter said. “I just didn’t
always like the way he did it.”
Arkansans shoulder the 33rd-highest tax
burden in the country, according to a recent
Money magazine study that included property
taxes. Clinton aides disputed the study, saying
it is based on a “typical family” earning of
$73,000, a figure too high for Arkansas.
REMINDER:
NEW CBA
"BUILD YOUR OWN ICE CREAM
SUNDAE PARTY"
Check out the
LITE SOURCE
quality!
LITE SOURCE has a larger knob.
A lot easier to work with.
'THEY' have older, cheaper knobs.
LITE SOURCE has better
molding of the lamp housing.
•THEY* have molding
imperfections.
LITE SOURCE has screws
holding the arm to the lamp ■■■
housing, allowing you to
tighten lamp after long time
usage.
•THEY* have rivets that can
not be tightened if they come
loose.
y LITE SOURCE has tension
“ springs that help balance the
lamp to a desired position.
h'THEY* have shorts springs
that have little or no tension.
Front Lawn
of CBA
Thursday, August 27
4:00 p.m.
Advisor meeting at 3:30 p.m.
This event is for new
freshmen and transfer
students in the College
of Businesss Administration
ONLY!
■