(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
turning point; tipping point; commutation point
base; basis; base (e.g. military); depot; base; base bag
energy problems; energy issues
kernel; core; nucleus; center; centre
foundation stone; cornerstone
period of transition (e.g. from old to new system)
this world; this life; current epoch (i.e. the Holocene epoch)
exhaustion; fatigue; impoverishment; (financial) exhaustion; ruin
federation; federal state; United States of America
question and answer session
ground-breaking; revolutionary; unprecedented; epoch-making
fault; weakness; flaw; crux (of a matter); difficult point; point of contention
to lash out at; to flare up at; to fly at; to turn on
expertise; special knowledge; technical knowledge; expert knowledge
eccentric; oddball; character; weirdo
ordinary person; average person; mediocre person
pie in the sky; castles in the air; (lit.) drawing of a rice cake
waste matter; waste; garbage; trash
a step; short distance; short time
retirement; retiring (from a race, match, etc.); dropping out
leader; central personage
locked up feeling; cooped up feeling; feeling of entrapment; feeling of hopelessness; being in a bind
leaving (a facility, clinic, office, research institute, etc.); retiring
cardboard box; carton; corrugated box
to make coffee; to brew coffee
to turn (one's face) away; to avert (one's eyes)
breeding; multiplication; increase; propagation; reproduction
human rights; civil liberties
one's true feelings and one's official stance (which may be at odds); one's real motive and one's stated reason
the end; the extremity; the limit; the limits; the result
shackles; fetters; irons; bonds (e.g. family); ties; binding relationship
high efficiency; high performance