Hi, ladies!
It has been another warmer day today, hasn’t it? These days’ cold weather has made me shiver, and now I feel very happy. I also hope you are enjoying the sunshine.
I found the special report on women on the TIME last week, reporting that “as women have gained more freedom, more education and more economic power, they have become less happy.” Is it true?
I think it may be true in some extent. Recently the number of mothers who work outside their home has increased, but it doesn’t always mean they can feel happy.
First, in such great recession, women have to earn money to live whether they like or not. Some cannot afford luxuries any longer than before, even though they are working longer hours both at home and an office.
Second, these days’ women have become more honest about what ails them than their mothers. In the past, it was more important for women to be a polite, humble and docile person in society. They should not complain about anything around them, or people often say badly about them.
Last, the more women can gain education, the more they get depressed by the real condition in society. What you don’t know won’t hurt you. Women must have more emotional power in order to tackle their new challenges.
I believe that women can feel happiness more quickly than men can, but it is important for women to develop their capacity to bring satisfaction on their own.
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Hi, ladies!!!
I got an email from Cherry, stating that she could not make it in the recent STEP test. She just needed three more points to pass the test. Isn’t it great? She almost passed the test. If she pushes herself a little more, she will be definitely successful in the next test, don’t you think so, my precious friends?
Try harder, Cherry. Keep moving, Cherry. Aim higher, Cherry. You can make it, Cherry. Don’t be discouraged, Cherry. Keep trying… You can get it, Cherry.
Hi, ladies!!!
It has been cloudy all day and it may rain at any time.
I had a hectic morning, going to the clinic to get my finger treated, running into the post office and doing the grocery shopping on the way home.
In the afternoon, I prepared a synopsis of a movie we were going to watch together in class at TCLC later this month and sent it to my class members by email. I asked them to write a movie review after their watching a film. They have never written a movie review. I am a bit excited about what response they would give me. Would they shout and say that it is too difficult to write, I wonder? More challenging their work is, more intriguing and inspiring it is to them, isn’t it, my precious friends?
Now it’s time to try a new quiz for you and me. Hope you enjoy this interesting international political piece of news, filling the blanks with a/an, the, or nothing.
Flooding apology
Summary 14 October
North Korea has expressed regret for causing a large flood that claimed the lives of six South Koreans last month. The two sides have been meeting to discuss the incident.
Reporter: John Sudworth Report
More than five weeks after North Korea released millions of tonnes of water from (1) dam and sent it surging south across the border, South Korea says it has received (2) apology it was seeking.
(3) meeting to discuss (4) incident had been requested by the South Korean government, and according to a spokesman, (5) officials who travelled to the North Korean city of Kaesong for the talks received (6) expression of regret from their northern counterparts as well as (7) offer of condolences to the families of six South Koreans killed in the flooding.
North Korea said soon after the incident that it had no choice but to release a large volume of water from its dam on the Imjin river in order to avoid (8) bigger catastrophe.
The flood control talks are being held at the same time as reports suggest North Korea may be preparing to launch more short range missiles. It test fired five missiles off its east coast on Monday. Although short range, South Korea has argued that the tests are provocative as they are in (9) breach of UN resolutions banning the testing of all types of ballistic weaponry.
If nothing else, the timing of this latest flexing of military muscle is puzzling. In recent talks with Beijing, Pyongyang is reported to have signalled that it might be willing to return to (10) stalled nuclear disarmament talks.
John Sudworth, BBC News, Seoul
Answers:
1. a
2. the
3. The
4. the
5. the
6. an
7. the
8. a
9. ---
10. the
latest flexing of military muscle a recent attempt by the army to show how powerful they are
Dear friends,
It was another beautiful autumn day. Plum, I'm sorry to hear you had your finger cut. Does it still hurt?
Today I'd like to write about what I have learned about Halloween. Lenley, an English AET talked about it. Now I have at least two misunderstandings about Halloween.
First he says Jack O' Lantern has nothing to do with Halloween. It is another story in Ireland. Jack who always spoke bad words hit his shoulder one night in the darkness. He shouted with bad words as usual. The opponent was a devil, got angry and turned Jack into lantern. This story is told to children by parents or at school; be polite and use good words to someone who you first meet.
The pumpkin display in the Halloween is called pumpkin head, not Jack'O lantern. He complained about the American way of celebrating Halloween which neglects its history and tradition.
The second misunderstanding; Holloween reminds us variety of pretty costumes. Children pretend to be some differnt characters, don't we ? Lenley told us that it is only in the U.S. In Britain, children must wear one of the four costumes;
a witch, a warlock, gaul and ghost. Vampire or mummy・・・costumes are not allowed because of their tradition.
He says that its history is as long as 6000. Can you believe it?
He told me about another important festival in London on November 5 called Guy Fawkes' Day. Guy planned to blow the Parliament in 19C. The word, guy was after him. I have never heard about this festival. Have you?
Lenley used to work at HIS in London, so he is interested in Japan and has worked as AET for three years. If you would like to know about London, he will kindly give you an advice. He is really a nice guy. Though it was hard to continue to study, I was happy to tell him that I have studied about the U.K. Without the experience in Aichi Seminar, I will never have chance to know about it so seriouly. He said "thank you for having interest in the U.K."
I was very happy to hear that.
Plum, thank you for your heartful words about my son. So far, so good. About the translation・・・
knowing how much excitement Magnolea has after reading the book, I got interested in it. It must be very difficult, though.
I should know how long it is.
Thank you for reading.
Have a nice dream!!
Hi, ladies!!!
It has been warm and pleasant all day, hasn’t it?
How blessed we are to have such a lovely day! I hope you are also enjoying this delightful weather, my precious friends.
Peach, thank you for telling us about Halloween in the UK and what you talked about with Lenley, an AET.
(In fact, the name Lenley reminded me of the British drama series the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, since I am a fan of the mystery series. Lenley and Lynley sound very similar. They are names for boys, without doubt. Probably, Lenley knows Lynley. By the way, I was told that the English Lynley spoke was so proper, authentic and beautiful that the drama series would help English learners like me improve their English, and that’s the reason I started to watch the series.)
I just wonder when Lenley goes back to London.
Tomorrow morning, I am going to the clinic and get my doctor to remove the stitches. Then, I will be free of stitches. How wonderful it is to go back to normal!
Here is a new quiz for you and me.
Jackson's birthday burial
Summary
19 August 2009
Michael Jackson is to be buried on August 29th, his 51st birthday, in a cemetery in Los Angeles where other celebrities are laid. Well wishers have planned parties on the same date.
Reporter: Rajesh Mirchandani
Report
Michael Jackson will be laid to rest at the Forest Lawn Glendale Cemetery, north of downtown Los Angeles. It's a place that guards closely (1) identities of other celebrity residents but it's reported Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn and Clark Gable are buried there, some in private locked gardens. (2) event will take place on August 29th, the day Jackson would have turned 51.
Some fans are planning parties on the same day to celebrate his life and music, among them film director Spike Lee who worked on (3) video for (4) Jackson hit They Don't Care About Us.
By the time he is buried it will be more than two months since Michael Jackson died. (5) whereabouts of his body have been kept secret.
Meanwhile police are still investigating his death and have focussed on (6) doctors who treated him to find out what drugs were in his system.
By contrast to (7) spectacle of his life and death, Michael Jackson's funeral is planned as (8) private ceremony for (9) family and close friends but it's bound to attract (10) huge amount of interest.
Rajesh Mirchandani, BBC News, Los Angeles
Answers:
1. the
2. The
3. the
4. the
5. The
6. ---
7. the
8. a
9. ---
10. a
Hi, ladies!!!
Last night, half asleep, I was thinking about the names, Lenley and Lynley, and gradually I realized that Lynley could not be a name for boys. It’s a sir name. Inspector Lynley is Thomos Lynley. Oh, dear… Presumably I was a bit carried away when I saw the name, which was Lenley, that reminded me of the drama series, which I miss so much. (It is not on cable TV any more.)
The Japanese population has been ageing and the birthrate has been declining, so many people worry that the population of this country will decrease rapidly by the middle of the century. An extreme opinion says that the nation Japan will disappear since no on will live in this country someday in the future.
According to a web article, as of March 31 this year, the number of newborn babies, probably in the previous year, was 1, 088, 488 while the number of deaths was 1,134,402. (http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0811/TKY200908110381.html) Hum…
On the other hand, the BBC reports that by the middle of the century the global population may reach 9 billion. Therefore we have to increase food production, etc. etc.
Take a look at the quiz posted below and learn more about crop research, my precious friends.
UK crop research
Summary
28 October 2009
Britain's academy of sciences, The Royal Society, is warning that the world will have to increase food production by 50% by 2050. It has recently published a report calling on the UK government to spend more than $3bn on crop research.
Reporter: Keith Adams
Report
The Royal Society says that by the middle of the century (1) global population may reach 9 billion. And feeding those extra mouths is a major challenge for (2) planet, compounded by (3) spectre of global warming.
Professor David Baulcombe of Cambridge University, who led (4) research, says a billion people are already malnourished. Professor Baulcombe says (5) money the government should plough into crop science is needed immediately. If we wait ten years, he says, it may be too late. (6) genetic manipulation he refers to could produce crop strains resistant to disease, drought and salinity.
But (7) issue of genetically modified crops is still something of a hot potato, despite (8) technology being already used by millions of farmers. Environmental groups say (9) usefulness of GM crops has not been proven, and (10) threat they pose by letting altered genes spread into other plants is significant.
Keith Adams, BBC News, London
Answers:
1. the
2. the
3. the
4. the
5. the
6. The
7. the
8. the
9. the
10. the
compounded by the spectre
combined with and made worse by the threat
something of a hot potato
a sensitive or controversial issue that is not easy to deal with (a hot potato is a set colloquial expression)
Hello, my friends.
Peach, thank you for the story of Jack and the pumpkin head. The British AET, Lenley doesn’t appear to like the American way of celebrating Halloween because of their neglecting its history and tradition. He seems to insist that the British way of celebrating is original.
I sometimes hear some of the British criticize Americans’ behaviors and manners, insisting that theirs are right and more sophisticated.
Plum, thank you for letting me know Detective Inspector Thomas Tommy Lynley. If I have any chance, I'd really like to watch those series of programs some day. Actually, the two names of Lenley and Lynley looked very similar and confusing.
By the way, while reading English books or Time magazine, I found myself stuck for a poor vocabulary.
Plum once recommended writing new words on Post-It whenever you come across unfamiliar words and then posting them on PC, walls or anywhere you like. I followed her advice. The realization of my very limited vocabulary jolted me into action.
Good night, my precious friends.
Hi,Cherry and ladies,
I dosed after the meal and woke up in the midnight.
It is clear that Lenley does not like the Americans' way and too much its influence on Japanese life. He says that the New Horizon, an English textbook is too emphasising on American way. He also says some expressions in this book are never heard or used in his country, so I sometimes feel comfused. I think that the English expressions never used should not be in the textbook. It is a waste of time in learning, isn't it?
Plum, Lenley is going to leave Japan next March because of expiring. He would like to come back to Japan again if he thinks his learning of Japanese is not enough. He lives in Motoyama. How he speaks English is I think very gentle and well-mannered.
It is really good news that you can have your steches removed, Plum. I wish it doesn't hurt you.
Sunflower, your comment reminds me of the importance of learning new words. I am amazed that how hard you are building your vocaburlary.
Cherry, I am interested in your writing on working mothers. I hope every working person can find some interest and pleasure in his or her work even if it is a must because of the financial reason. How we feel must be based on a talent. It may need some effort. The academic achievemnt has nothing to do with the talent and this kind of effort. This effort has something to do with mental training.
The day before yesterday I watched an interesting program on the treatment of mental disorder. The doctor introduced two interestig way of thinking. One is naming the feeling. For example, one can name his or her feeling like Mongan-san ga itteru. This monban, or a guard can make us see the variety of ways of thinking so that we can see things and feelings more objectively. The other one is called Tanaage, or shelving. In doing so, we can live more easily in our daily life. When his or her agony is so big, it sometimes bothers acting properly. These two way of thinking come from cognitive psychology.
Hi Cherry and my friends,
It is November 9 and another mild cozy autumn day.
Plum, I hope your finger is all right after removing the stitches and you are feeling great now.
As for the population and the rapid aging society in Japan, it is really a serious problem. According to government statistics in advance of “Respect for the Aged Day” this year, the number of the elderly aged 65 or over is about 29 million, which is nearly 23 percent of the total Japanese population of 128 million and the number of the people aged 14 and younger is 17 million. More astonishingly, one in four women in Japan is aged 65 or over. This reality and an extreme opinion which Plum introduced in this blog scare us, aren’t they? But, anyway I want to be young in spirit.
I hope you will have a nice afternoon, my precious friends.
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