Word: beltings
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...While it may seem odd that yakuza could be hit by budget cuts, they're not immune to government belt-tightening. The construction industry has always been the lifeblood of the yakuza-the gumi in Yamaguchi-gumi is also frequently used to denote construction companies. During Japan's bubble economy in the 1980s, crime lords feasted on the lucrative real estate sector. Yakuza made a mint by intimidating residents into selling their property at below-market prices. Many gangs plowed profits into real estate projects-especially golf courses, which became one of the most mobbed-up industries in Japan. When...
...stood in line at the security check point, dutifully stripping myself of belt and shoes and responsibly removing my laptop from its case, I resigned myself to my fate. A hidden metal button on the hip of my jeans caused the security guards to charge me down with batons in hand, while simultaneously the miniscule tube of chapstick from the very bottom of my rather large backpack got confiscated for being a potential bomb. I decided that the day had already gone so wrong that it couldn’t possibly get any worse. The flight would be fine...
...into anything I would ever consider doing in life, and how honestly, at a place like Harvard, that lack of direction made me anxious. We discussed crushes and boyfriends, (more about) first-loves and marriage. We talked so much that when the pilot turned on the seat belt sign for landing, I was actually surprised at how fast the trip had gone...
...agenda, which is likely to increase friction with the military. The choice also represents a broader shift in political power away from the secularist elite in Turkey's coastal cities and towards the conservative Islamic heartland. Gul himself hails from Central Anatolia, the Turkish equivalent of America's Bible Belt. His party's ascendance over the past five years poses a clear challenge not only to the military, but to Turkey's old secular establishment. It's a challenge based on a democratic mandate from the electorate. But in a country where the military retains an implicit veto over...
...bestselling British author Sophie Kinsella - more than eight million of her books are in print - on the first day of her nationwide U.S. book tour. Befitting her role as the writer of the Shopaholic series, Kinsella showed up decked out with snazzy new duds: a sparkly tweed dress; a belt from Reiss studded with faux jewels and rhinestones; black suede L. K. Bennett shoes; and a zebra Jimmy Choo bag. Kinsella, 37, who lives in London with her Latin teacher husband, is one of the leading lights in the chick-lit world. Her delightful new book, Shopaholic & Baby. soared...