HI, ladies!
As these day’s climate has been mild and healthy, I feel comfortable than never before. But unfortunately, the new flu is rapidly breaking out at junior high and elementary schools in Nagoya city, and there have been a series of temporary closing of classes. My daughters, too, were forced to stay at home quietly one after the other, in spite of their healthiness. Strangely, fewer teachers caught the flu than students did. It seems to be less infectious to adults.
So, take care. See you next.
12 comments:
Hi, ladies!!!
How are you, my precious friends?
Hope you are having a delightful evening.
I have found a very intriguing letter written by (perhaps, translated by somebody other than himself) Seiji Maehara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This letter was written and sent to Barack Obama after Maehara heard his inaugural address made early this year.
Maehara tries to express what he wants to express in an extremely Japanese fashion. (I just laughed to myself as I read it, sorry to say…) He is a hardworking, perhaps, sincere and earnest person.
I can get it from his writing, but he does not understand his English composition is not so successful in terms of cross-cultural communications. He has to learn the proper way of writing letters in English.
I will post part of his writing in the following message box and a reply from Obama in the third box. It is very interesting to compare the naiveness (Japanese honesty???) in his writing and the sophistication (American aggressiveness???) in the reply from the USA.
Have sweet dreams, my lovely friends. Night, night…
His Excellency, Mr. Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
Dear President Obama;
Congratulations on your inauguration as the honorable 44th President of the United States of America.
I believe that your inaugural address given in Washington DC in the depths of winter has captured the minds, and given courage and hope, not only to the citizens of the United States, but also to the citizens of countries suffering from war and conflict; and to the children and young people, workers, homemakers and seniors around the world who desire peace and happiness. I am also one of those people. I, for one, tasked with national policy in Japan, felt a sense of empathy with your perspective of this era and your strong commitment. Being a politician of the same generation across the Pacific, I wish to be able to stand together with you as a genuine partner in your journey for change.
...
On a personal point, I was able to continue my studies thanks to the scholarship I was granted throughout my eight years of high school and university. Unlike your country, not everybody was able to enjoy that fortune in the educational environment offered in Japan in those days. In my case, even after graduating from university, I was given the opportunity to continue with my studies as a scholarship fellow at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, a foundation presided by the late Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Panasonic. I have become what I am today owing to the discipline of many of my teachers and support from society over a total of twelve years. I am grateful for having been the son of my respected parents and at the same time, a son of society. I would not doubt for a moment the importance of delivering the same opportunity to future generations.
...
Dear Mr. Maehara:
Thank you for your congratulations on my election as President of the United States. Your thoughtful message is much appreciated.
The United States and Japan face a range or challenges that I believe we can best confront together. But we also have tremendous opportunities that, if addressed effectively, can advance our alliance’s goals. As we begin to work together, I am mindful of the fundamental importance of our relationship.
I am confident we can work together in a spirit of peace and friendship to build a more secure world during the next four years. I look forward to working with you in that effort and in promoting good relations between our countries.
Sincerely，
/s/
Barack Obama
President
United States of America
The Honorable,
Seiji Maehara,
Vice President,
Democratic Party or Japan,
Tokyo.
Hi, ladies!!!
It’s Wednesday, October 21, 2009. It has been a beautiful and pleasant autumn day, hasn’t it? It’s still warm and I am very happy about it.
Here is a new quiz for you and me. It’s not difficult, so I believe you can enjoy it. Try this, please, if you have time.
UN: Improve literacy in Africa
Summary
25 September 2009
More needs to be done to improve literacy rates across Africa, according to the United Nations. Only six out of ten people living in Africa can read and write - something the UN is highlighting.
Reporter: Caroline Duffield
Report
20% of adults around the world are unable to read or write. But in Africa, (1) figure is thought to be close to double that, and (2) number is growing.
There are strong regional differences in (3) continent. West Africa suffers far more than Southern Africa, for example. While literacy skills have (4) power to transform individual lives and whole communities, the number of people here who are unable to read and write at present poses (5) major barrier to (6) economic development in Africa.
The UN says those people lacking (7) access to (8) education are often the most disadvantaged and marginalised populations. (9) high percentage of them are women and girls, indigenous populations and (10) people with disabilities.
Caroline Duffield, BBC News, Lagos
Answers:
1. the
2. the
3. the
4. the
5. a
6. ---
7. ---
8. ---
9. A
10. ---
Hi, ladies!!!
How are you, my precious friends? Hope you are enjoying this warm autumnal weather.
Here is a new quiz for you and me. It’s a report about sleep, and it’s informative and interesting. Try this, please, if you have time.
Why do we sleep?
Summary
9 October 2009
A recent study may have an answer to one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in science - what is the purpose of sleep? The work suggests it's actually about making animals function more efficiently in their environments.
Reporter: Jon Stewart
Report
Pythons, bats and giant armadillos are among the longest sleepers at over 18 hours a day. Human babies need 16 hours, and most of us probably feel we need around eight hours sleep to function well.
Professor Jerry Seigel from the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted (1) study of (2) sleep times of (3) broad range of animals and found that they vary widely. Some, like migrating birds, can survive long periods without sleeping at all. He believes that shows sleep evolved to conserve (4) energy:
Jerry Seigel: 'It's animals that are needlessly active that will not survive, but animals that are most efficient and use their waking time to do (5) vital functions, and are otherwise asleep that will survive.'
(6) sleep helps make (7) best use of (8) limited resources. In humans, when we're awake, our brain accounts for 20% of (9) energy we use when just sitting around. Sleeping also makes us less likely to get injured and less likely to be detected by (10) predators.
Jon Stewart, BBC News
Answers:
1. a
2. the
3. a
4. ---
5. ---
6. ---
7. ---
8. ---
9. the
10. ---
detected by predators
noticed by those who are likely to hunt and kill you
Hi, ladies!
How are you doing? It was a beautiful day, isn't it? Today I'd like to write about the difference between American English and Britishone. Lenley, a British AET whom I have known recently told me " Sure " is a word used by American people when accepting the request. British people say "No problem." When asking they prefer to say "Could you please tell me the way to the station?" to "Could you tell me the way..." What he wants to say is that it is important to say "Please." I have thought that "could you” is polite enough, which he says, "No." I remember Plum's voice saying "please", which Plum frequently uses. Thank you for reading. Have a good dream.
Hi, ladies!!!
It has been another warm and very pleasant autumnal day, hasn’t it?
At the moment a cleaning lady is vacuuming our lounge, kitchen and others, so I am in the office, sitting in front of my PC.
I hire her twice a month, since I am not so good at cleaning the house. Yeah, she is a professional cleaning lady who knows what she has to do. A very reliable lady. I cannot live without her, perhaps.
It’s delightful to hear from you again, Peach. You sound fine and terrific, don’t you? But you must be extremely busy…
Here is a new quiz for you and me, my precious friends. Hope you enjoy this quiz that I’ve made from a story about Edgar Allan Poe. Please, please, try this quiz, please.
Edgar Poe's second send-off
Summary
12 October 2009
One of the best known American writers of the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe, has finally been given the kind of funeral befitting a literary giant - 160 years after his death in the city of Baltimore.
Reporter: Sarah Morris
Report
Edgar Allan Poe, (1) author, poet, literary editor and critic, was hardly undiscovered when he died in 1849. His funeral though was attended by only (2) handful of people and lasted just three minutes. It seems his next of kin, (3) cousin named Neilson Poe, had neglected to announce his death to the world, or even to his family and friends.
Now though, 160 years later and in the 200th anniversary of (4) year of his birth, many present-day fans, aided by the city of Baltimore, have staged (5) sort of funeral deserved by (6) literary great. (7) replica of his dead body was transported in a coffin on a horse-drawn carriage to (8) burial ground where two packed out ceremonies took place featuring musical performances and several speakers who gave (9) eulogies missing at his first funeral.
After more than a century and a half, Edgar Allan Poe, author of the poem The Raven, leader of the American Romantic movement and inventor of (10) detective fiction genre, finally got the send-off he deserved.
Sarah Morris, BBC News, Washington
Answers:
1. the
2. a
3. a
4. the
5. the
6. a
7. A
8. a
9. the
10. the
packed out
crowded, full of people
Hi,ladies!
How are you doing? Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
Today I took a two-hour off to pick up my husband in Kagamigahara.
It is an hour-drive from Higashibetsuin Entrance. He was given an anti-cancer intravenous drip injection.
I left my working place near Ikeshita about 12:30 and arrived around 13:30, and returened to Fukiage Exit at 14:30, went back to my place at 14:40,and he went home by subway because I had a meeting to attend.
The good news is that the figure of tumor marker is lowered. Before it was 120 and now it is 30. (nomally it is below 12). He went to a hot-spring resort in Wakayama for three days this week. he likes the hot spring and has a plan to go there next month, too. Hot spring is a miracle, isn't it?
I feel very happy that I have friends who read my writing and answer. The only problem is how I can develop my writing skill...
Maehara-san's letter to Obama is really intriguing. I hope every minister has a good command of English. It is not only a matter of language, though. I have to put aside my pen. Good night, my dearest friends.
Hello, Cherry and my precious friends,
It is Monday, October 26 and has been raining on and off all day long today. How have you been?
Peach, I’m very happy to hear from you. You seem to be doing very well, but you must have been very busy. Please take a good care of yourself, too.
I have been facing to new problems for last about two months and I have sometimes felt so depressed, because I couldn’t do anything about some of them by myself. But I’m trying to say the phrase to myself that Anne (“Anne of the Green Gables”) said, “・・・my future seemed to be a straight road. Now there is a bend in it. I don’t know what lies around the bend. But I believe that the best does.”
Today, it was only Sunflower and I that got together to speak English on the sixth floor of NHK building because Micheal-sensei’s class was cancelled. We had a very useful and efficient time discussing several topics we prepared, such as the issue of lowering the legal age of adulthood and the necessity of wearing a helmet when we ride a bicycle and so on. We expressed our own opinions and shared the ideas. I think it is very important to bring some topics that we want to discuss and prepare something about it beforehand to use the time fruitfully and effectively.
I hope everyone have a nice evening, my precious friends.
Hi, ladies!!!
Thank you again, Peach, for letting us know how you are looking after your husband, fulfilling your teaching work duties. I admire you for your mental strength as well as your continuous everyday support and assistance for your husband. If I were you, I wonder whether I could work as hard as you for my husband.
I’m very delighted to hear that Rose and Sunflower are enjoying talking sessions in English. Hope you continue to hold discussion meetings as regularly as you could and keep enjoying talking about various topics of your choice in English.
As you are aware, I teach three classes at two different places, and I’m going to show a movie, though only once, in one class and ask my students to write a movie review of three pages in English. I am very excited about this class project. I have no idea how it will turn out, although I hope my students will enjoy this special program.
It will be a sunny day tomorrow, according to the NHK weather forecast, so I am very happy about it. How about you, my precious friends?
Bye for now. Have a lovely evening. Night, night.
Hi, ladies!!!
How are you this evening, my precious friends?
On Sunday I met Ms. Que, who introduced me to Mr. Luke Blower. We talked about his newborn baby and decided to give Luke a present to celebrate the birth of his little baby. I haven’t seen him for a long time, but Ms. Que could see him at Aichi Uni. , Kurumamichi campus, where she is taking English conversation lessons, perhaps not from him any more though. (Anyway he is teaching English there.)
Here is a new quiz for you and me. Hope you enjoy trying this one.
Illegal downloads
Summary
29 May 2009
Around seven million people in the UK are involved in illegal downloads at huge cost to the economy - but changing attitudes is going to be tough. A report warns that criminalising people who download illegally may not be the right course.
Reporter: Rory Cellan-Jones
Report
(1) report for (2) body advising the government on copyright looks at consumer attitudes to illegal downloading. (3) researchers found 1.3 million people online on just one file-sharing network on (4) weekday and worked out that over a year, they were getting (5) free access to (6) material worth 120 billion pounds.
The report says seven million people who download illegally in the UK can't all be (7) students, older people must also be involved. But it says there's (8) uncertainty about what is or is not illegal, and (9) fact that so much on the internet is free only adds to (10) confusion.
The report warns the government that criminalising downloaders could have huge economic costs and might not even work.
Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC
1. The
2. a
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4. a
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8. ---
9. the
10. the
2009.10.28
Hi Cherry and friends;
We could have enjoyed golden sunshine in autumn since Tuesday, haven't we?
I am very interested in the book, Tengai no fune, which Magnoria? recommended to us. I think she has a good nose to track game, or appealing material for research.
By the way, I re-started to teach English at a women’s class yesterday (27th) that had been taken over by two of my friends since 2005. Although I did not think I would become its lecturer again, I should fill the role since previous teachers in charge moved out of Okazaki in 2008 and 2009 respectively; one to Boston and the other to Okayama.
To my surprise, the atmosphere of the class has changed. A woman who was a new comer in 2005 became a bigwig; I’m afraid she chatters too much in Japanese that may consume other members’ incentive and opportunities to speak out in English. Actually, members said that they had rarely talked English at the class. Just listened, watched, and read. It happens maybe, though, I think I should air the class.
Thirty minutes has passed. Thank you for reading my complaint.
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