中国の主張

アメリカのアメリカ以外の国に対する民主主義

原発と日本文化

第18回Global English Musashinoのご報告

先週第18回Global English Musashinoを開催しました。

回を重ねるごとにメンバーが増えて、本当にうれしい限りです。

現在会員登録数が13名、レギュラー会員の人が10名前後です。

構成メンバーも海外勤務をしてリタイアされた方、外資系企業で

働かれているサラリーマン、東北のボランティア活動で尽力されたり

したNGOで活躍されている方、FENでひたすらボキャビルを重ねてきた

強者等、年齢層も26歳から70歳前後とバリエーション豊かでいつも楽しませて

頂いております。時にはもっと面白いねた出せとか進行の仕方がわるい

とか、サークルなんで許してください。。。と言いたくなる場面も

ございますが、心を鬼にして10名前後の手厳しい参加者の方々を

リードしております。

先週話したテーマについて何回かに分けて触れさせて頂きます。

読みながら勉強になる内容にしたいと思いますので頑張ります。

取り扱ったテーマですが、Japan Timesからの原発事故報告会の要約と

それに関して用意されて質問に対してどう思うかをディスカッションしました。

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120906f1.html

原発事故の反省を踏まえて、何に問題があったのかをまとめたレポートだ

そうです。会員の方にご用意を頂きました。この記事が奥深いところは、

結局、組織構造・文化の問題と指摘されながらも、新たに組織化された

組織の人事は不透明だったとあり、結局は何も変わらないのではという

余韻を残す内容でした。

Blog 再び再開！！

5月24日以来投稿を再開いたします。
英語でエレガントな内容を伝える事にフォーカスを今まで当てていましたが、そうすると
なかなかいい内容のことが浮かばなかった時にブログを開きにくくなり、
ブログ不精になる事がなんとなく分かりました。

あんまり、肩に力を入れなくてもかける内容のことをとりあえず書いていこう。
そう決心してふたたびブログを再開。今まで見たいにいい内容のことを思いついたら
英語で書き込んでしまいます。

このブログに書いていく中心のテーマです。色々と壁にぶつかりながらとんがった頭を
丸くしていく(体形のことをいっているのではありません)。

私事ですが、最近力を入れていること。新しく変わった仕事もそうですが、趣味の延長で
始めた英語学習サークル「Global　English Musashino(GEM)」を立ち上げました。

これからブログを中心に活動の内容、もしくは一日で感じたグローバルなトピックについて、
書き込んで行きたいと思います。

実を言いますと設立が昨年の9月25日で、一年を越えました。活動自体は隔週で
やっているのですが今まで18回の活動を行っています。会員規模は13名に拡大しました。
あんまり増えてもさばけないので、部屋の規模、サークルのベストな雰囲気を考えて20名まで
募集をしてみようかなあと考えています。オンラインのサークルも出来たらいいなぁと構想を
練っています。

何故このサークルを立ち上げようと思ったかといいますと、究極的には２つありました。
1．まずは自分の生活圏内で英語が出来る人を集めていずれは英語のディベート大会に参加したいと思ったこと。
2．英語でディスカッションできる場を作り、自分の狭い視野を広げてGlobalな考えを育てたい。

こう思ったのが立ち上げた理由です。
Facebookサイト｢Global English Musashino｣も立ち上げましたのでぜひいいね宜しくお願いします。

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Global-English-Musashino/238909249495378

Cebu島への旅

セブ島への旅

行く前の自分の気持ちを例えていうなら、こみ上げる衝動を抑えられず、旅立ってしまった、Bashoさんの様な感じでした。

月日は百代の過客にして 
　行き交う年もまた旅人なり 
　船の上に生涯を浮かべ 
　馬の口とらへて老いを迎うる者は 日々旅にして旅を栖とす 
　古人も多く旅に死せるあり。
予もいづれの年よりか、片雲の風に誘はれて、漂泊の思ひやまず、海浜にさすらへ、去年の秋、江上の 破屋にくもの古巣を払ひて、やや年も暮れ、春立てる霞の空に、 
　白河の関越えんと、そぞろ神の物につけて心を狂はせ、道祖神の 
　招きにあひて取るもの手につかず、ももひきの破れをつづり、笠の緒付け替へて、三里に灸すうる 
　より、松島の月まづ心にかかりて、住める方は人に譲り、杉風が別墅に移るに、 
　
草の戸も住み替はる代ぞ雛の家、

表八句を庵の柱に掛けおく。

社会人になってから、ひたすら仕事に走り続けて15年。新たな転機を見つけて次の会社に移るまでの数日間、ふと日常の忙しさのあまり、忘れてしまっていた探究心が蘇り、そぞろ神にさそわれてしまい、国境を越えてCebu島を目指そうと、今じゃなきゃ出来ない事をしようと決心してしまいました。家こそ売り払いませんでしたが、周りの了解(うちの奥様、近所に住む義理のご両親、うちの子)とそれはそれは白河の関と同じくらいか知りませんが、大変な通過点でした。

行きたい思いをきちんと伝えて、皆さんにご納得頂き、思い立ったら吉日とばかりにさっさと行ってしました。

Let's think globally again!!

しばらくお休みしておりましたが、再び再会します。 英語でひたすら書く事にこだわっていましたが、物凄く時間と労力がかかるので、 英語と日本語版をこだわりなく、無理せずUPする事にしました。 これによって、記事も増えると思います。 頑張ってGlobalなTopic頑張って書き込みます！！

最近はまっている事それは、今年1月から立ち上げた英語学習サークルの運営です。
名前は、

団体名は「Global English Musashino」と言います。

JR中央線沿線のＪＲ武蔵境駅(新宿から電車で約20分)の場所に徒歩3分の場所にある武蔵野プレイスという場所で活動を行っております。

立ち上げた時は3名ではじめましたが、現在固定メンバーで7名くらいで時事英語のDiscussionを主に行っております。

会員の方のレベルは大体ＴＯＥＩＣ730点くらいですかね。

通訳養成学校のサイマルアカデミーで3年間学習をしてきたノウハウを応用してMaterialの作成から準備まで行っています。

皆前向きな方が多いので会も毎回盛り上がって楽しいです。

盆栽を育てる感覚でこのサークルをどんどん拡大したいと思います。

New journey for growth

Rebirth from the disaster

Supporsedly most of Japanese gave affected
people and victims at 14:46 today.

Will this crystal give us bright future?

Will the search ship 'Chikyu'Chikyu, an about 56,700-ton deep-sea drilling vessel, bring hope from deep under the sea? We are waiting for the result of the prospective trial, drillng the hopeful crystal 'Methane hydrate'. The trial project has started at about 70km off the south east region around Atsumi Peninsula, Aichi prefecture.

People in Japan strongly hope that the icelike methane will become the "next generation" energy for Japan.

Methane hydrate was discovered only a few decades ago, and little research has been done on it until recently. By some estimates, the energy locked up in methane hydrate deposits is more than twice the global reserves of all conventional gas, oil, and coal deposits combined. But no one has yet figured out how to pull out the gas inexpensively, and no one knows how much is actually recoverable.

We hope that government and project team establish lauicelike methane as conventional energy.

Tribute to Whitney Houston

In a silent and dark banquet room, excited guests waited for their hosts to get inside. When the spotlight started to focus on the main entrance door, the song "I will Always love you" welcomed the bride and groom in a formal attire and holding a torch to ignite the candle. They held the torch together while entering the room.The couple rounded the hall to lit the candles on each guest's table. The moment Whitney reached the highest note of "And I will always love you," the couple was inflaming the main candle. Not only this couple but also all their guests felt the blissful happiness in the wedding ceremony. This was a typical scene in wedding parties in Japan.

Whitney Housten was one of the foreign singers who reigned Japan twenty years ago. Her golden age flourished during Japan's bubble economy.

 The most impressive movie that made her popular was "The Bodyguard." Many people went to the movie theater and bought her CD. She was one of the popular American singers in Japan. Her song reminds me of my studenthood. Twenty years have passed since I was a university student. I really feel that time flies like an arrow.

Tonight I'll try to reminisce my youth a little bit.

Kinjiro Ninomiya: Will Today's Children follow what Kinjiro paved? Part 2

Kinjiro Ninomiya: Will Today's Children follow what Kinjiro paved? Part 1

Do we really know what Kinjiro Ninomiya did in his life time? And do we understand how much he contributed to our mental education?  Although we have already known that he is the national icon of diligence in Japan, but most of us do not know who he is exactly. 

In Japanese history, He is known as a agricultural economist and philosopher in during Edo era.

His philosophy was succeeded to the education policy in Meiji era , then it was brought into the mental culture amomg Western countries . His symbolic essence was translated into 'The Book of virtue' written by American author William J. Benett.  

While he was struggling with many issues, he established his original methodology how to reconstruct public finance, what is called, 'Hotoku'. He concluded that social contribution wil reward the contributor in the long run. Additionally, he left many maxims. Here is one of his sayings,

'The Economy without virtue is crime, a virtue without economy is perfect nonsense.'

In 1787, he was born from a poor peasant family in Ashigara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kayama Ashigarakami gun Sagami province then. He lost his parent and became orphan at the age of 16. He started to live with his uncle. While he was recultivating the small land he rent, he read many books to improve his condition. Even though he went home, he kept on reading with wooden piles on his back. His continuous effort finally expanded his income by renting his small land to grow crops. He became a propety owner when he was 20 years old.

After he reconstructed his family, He was asked to rebuilt Odawara domain by one of samurai family Hattsutori. satisfied with such small success, so he moved to Odawara City to make his business more successful. He served a one of Samurai family. He tackled with many issue in his duty and he gradually got his trust from his Samurai family. One day he was requested by his Samurai boss to save from financial crisis. He tried to reconstruct and he made it. 

After he reconstructed Samurai family's finance, his fame had widspread across the coutries. He was asked to revitalize other Samurai family's finance.

He was a great reconstructor in Japanese history.

Francesco Schettino, the most irresponsible man in the world.

Absolutely people in the world will never forget this man forever. Francesco Schettino, the captain of Costa Concordia, has become by far the most infamous and irresponsible man in the world. He took  on 13 January 2012. Unlike brave Edward Smith, who was the captain in Titanic, he unguiltfully escaped from the leaning ship before anyone elses. He threw away his imperative duty to save passangers lives. While he is crusing Costa Cruises, he on capsized the luxurious and large scale ferry which accomodated more than 5,000 passangers. 10 lives are still missing now.

He intentionally re-routed the destination and approached Tuscan island of Giglio, where one of his crew member grew up. We just closed to the island so that his partner could wave his hand to the people in the island. He approached so close that his ferry was on the lock.

In his opinions, he accidentally fell to a rescue boat floating on the sea, after that he found that he was not able to go back to the leaned ship, so he managed to row the boat, finally he successfully reached shore sides alone with his disparate passengers on the leaning vessel. There is another rumor that just after his ship was on the rocks and leaned, he ordered his dinner in that ferry and ate it.
After the captain of Coast guard found him alone, he told Schettino that he should go back to the ship. Surprisingly he ignored his warning and picked up a taxi, then he was gone.
On his way home, he called his mother and said that he faced a terrible disaster.
After he came home, the police detained him on the accusation of negligence of his duty and manslaughter.

I worry that this terrible accident could put negative impact on luxury cruise businessEd in Meditreanian.    

Evolving entertainment: Kidzania

When it comes to the icon of the Innovative produc or services, people hit on itunes or rumba. They are made in U.S.

Tax raise

Sharp up!! Our Police!!

The current trilogy of thrilling crime news, which police shamefully produced in a sense, caused a sensetion to not only TV viewers at home but also residents in the neighboring city. Each ending of the incidents in this series had good or bitter ones.

First story:
Hirata makoto, who belonged to the religous terrorist group Aum, was allegedly involved in the abduction and murder. Kariya Kiyoshi, who worked at Meguro notary public office, was killed by them. Hirata had been chased by police for more than 17 years. According to media report, he decided to give himself up to police because he sympathized with the affected people in Tohoku. At first he voluntarily went to the Metropolitan Police Office located in Kasumigaseki, but the police officer did not arrest him on the spot and ordered him to go to Marunouchi police station by himself, then he went to the police station and finally he fullfilled his mission without any trouble.
They should have arrested him immediately because they have developed extensive manhunt for a long period.

Second:Wang Huan
He is a Taiwanese criminal who killed two Taiwanese female language school students in Ueno, Taito district, Tokyo, 10 days ago. He fled from police chase, but he failed to escape. He was detained in Nagoya. Just before he was taken to a police station, he cut his throat with his hidden knife. He took his life away and police did not fullfill their mission.

Third: Li Guo lin
He is a Chinese prisoner's who executed jailbreak, which drove residents in Hiroshima city to the abyss of fear. Last Wendesday Li, who was sentenced to jail, escaped from the jail located in the center of Hiroshima city. He climbed up the guard wall by a ladder. Successfuly he was able to bleathe outside air like Tim Robins in 'Shawshank redumption' or Steve Maqueen in 'Great Escape'. Supposedly he did not have any energy to thrust his fist. It was so cold that he could not go far away from the prison. After he stole the clothes at one house and called his friends or relatives to help him, he absconded in prison's neighbor for three days. Finally police took him into custody on the street.

If their lacking the sense of tension developed this triology, they need to regain a tense atomosphere. We hope they will not encounter the ridiculous incidents.

Strong detterent: Servailance camera in Japan

Throny issue: oil battle

While we were relaxing new year vacation, the tension between  Western countries and Iran at Hormz strait has increased.

Hormz strait is the most essential artery that more than 50% of tankers in the world transport oil. If Iran try to close the strait, sudden oil shortage will freeze global economy. U.S., China, South Korea and Japan severly suffer from the trouble.

So far U.S. and British government is preparing the closure of Hormz strait. They deploy several militarly ships to Gulf coast so that they can protect their oils.

Throny issue

Resolution for 2012

As I am the househosband who are juggling between household and jobs, I can deeply understand how much tough household parents needed to do many tasks simultaneotsly on the very year end day, they were very busy cleaning whole of their house with listening to BBC news or NHK World English, preparing new year greeting cards, and making special dishes for new year days while their children are running in their house. They might need more attention to their kids rather than doing year end tasks. After I finihsed their duty, I was not free because I went to parents in law's house and celebrate the year end day. Although I wanted to see debate TVprogram battle between Anti nuclear VS possitive nuclear group, the majority of my large family wanted to see male VS female music festival(Ko-haku music festival) ,so I have no choice but to see music program. Basically I enjoyed watching slim leg dance created by Girls generation, but the song which I was moved most was 'Scenic Winter beauty  in Tsugaru Strait(Tsugarukaikyo Fuyugeshiki)' by Ishikawa Sayuri.

Beyond that, I spent most of my year end vacation taking care of my children and supporting parents in laws.

This year, I promise that I will pass Eiken 1st grade and over TOEIC 900 score. I will spend most of my private time in learning English beside taking care of my children and my wife. These are my resolution for 2012!!