今日のメモ-東スポの存在意義-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・These "3R's" (reduce, reuse and recycle) have been incorporated into the "3R Initiative," agreed upon at the G8 Sea Island Summit in June 2004 as a new G8 initiative to promote global sustainability.
～に組み込まれる

・First, the leaders of the two largest G8 counties, the United States and Japan, are seen as lame ducks and therefore lacking the political muscle to push through any major new initiatives on environmental or other issues.
lame duck : 死に体
political muscle : 政治的影響力

・"Make a man of yourself."
一人前の男になる

・If you "get a kick out of" something, it means that you find it funny or entertaining.  It can also mean that you think it's fun.

・When someone says that "get their kicks from" something, it means that they find it thrilling or exciting.  To do something "for kicks" has a similar meaning.

・To have a "leg up" means to have an advantage because someone gives you help or money.

・It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we come to love.
screwball comedy : （変わり者が主人公の）軽快なテンポの喜劇映画
portrait of ～ : ～の描写

・But don't let my praise get in the way of sharing how much fun this movie is.
～の妨げになる

・It is so very rare to sit with an audience that leans forward with delight and is in step with every turn and surprise of an uncommonly intelligent screenplay.
in step with ～ : ～に同調して
turn : 展開
uncommonly intelligent screenplay : 非常に気の利いたシナリオ

・Of course, she gets pregnant, and after a trip to an abortion clinic that leaves her cold, she decides to have the child.
～を失望させる

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・He seated himself at his desk and, as usual, resorted to holding open a book ― this time it was Who's Who ― turning a page to and fro.
前後に、行きつ戻りつ、あちらこちらに

・'The facts of life, Stevens.  Birds, bees.'
cf. the birds and the bees : 性教育での初歩的知識

・'Let me put my cards on the tables, Stevens.'
手の内を見せる、持ち札をテーブルの上に出す

・'Sir David should know that, but he's asked me none the less.'
それにも関わらず

・'Would you mind coming to the point?'
本題に入る、要点に触れる、単刀直入に話す

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

On Monday there was a small event which I think allowed me to get confident in myself somehow, and front-page news of Tokyo Sports I have no idea how I should describe. (^^;
According to the article, it's probable that Southern All Stars, my most favorite band, will suspend their musical activities from next year, and the prospect of their resuming the musical career doesn't look good.
I saw, and I can see even now, a lot of fans' messages representing their anxiety or confusion written in on every kind of BBS, to my surprise, or maybe I should write "naturally," except for the official BBS of the band.
I'm sorry to say this, but I think I know well how to read Tokyo Sports, and I don't care at all which way they choose to go, if they've decided it after deliberation.
If the news should be true, however, I'd like to say "It's disappointing that Tokyo Sports ruined the peculiar existence value of their own, which no other newspaper seems to want, for a piece of big news. I thought it was not "accuracy" but "ideda" that Tokyo Sports had always sought."

月曜日の東スポの一面が『サザンオールスターズ、来年から活動休止』だったようです。
『活動休止』って、今までもしょっちゅう活動休んでましたけど・・・。~(=^‥^A
解散に限りなく近い活動休止ってことなのかしら？
どちらにしろ、東スポの読み方ぐらいは心得ているつもり。

東スポは楽しみむ物であって、情報を得るために読む物じゃありません！

・・・私の人生でただの一度も東スポを買ったことなどないので、単なる勝手な決めつけです。あしからず。
仮に事実だったとしても、メンバー同士がよく話し合った結果なら、個人的には全く問題なかったりなんかして。
でも万が一、これが東スポの正真正銘のスクープだったとしたら一言いいたい。
東スポは記事の『正確さ』よりも『アイディア』で勝負してきたんじゃないの？・・・と。
たった一つのスクープのために、長年かけて築いてきた他の追従を許さない、というか他も追従したくない、その独特の存在意義を台無しにするようなことされちゃったらガッカリよ。

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今日のメモ-BookCrossing-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Passions flared brighter than the Olympic torch when it passed through Nagano on April 26 on its long journey around the world in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in August.
～が近づく中

・The torch was guarded by a cordon of about 90 security officers and although around 85,000 turned up to watch, access to the relay was strictly controlled and the public could not get close.
～の警戒線

・A star-studded cast was among the bearers including Olympic baseball team manager Hoshino Senichi, table tennis prodigy Fukuhara Ai, comedian Hagimoto Kinichi, dual Olympic gold medalist Kitajima Kosuke and reigning Olympic marathon champion Noguchi Mizuki, who ran the anchor of the relay.
star-studded : 著名人がそろった
prodigy : 天才
reigning champion : 現チャンピオン

・This week will work best if you do something out of character for an Aries ― think before you speak.
柄に合わない

・Singles, remove those rose-colored glasses and do a reality check!
楽観的な

・"You must take after your father." "Yeah, I get that a lot."
「あなたは間違いなくお父さん似ですね（orあなたのやることはあなたのお父さんソックリ）」「うん、よくそう言われるよ」

・Ever glassed on a friend?
～を裏切る

・If you do something naughty, you feel guilty ― it plays on your conscience.
良心につけ込む

・It's the thrill of getting away with something.
～をまんまとやる

・Butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth.
虫も殺さぬ顔をして

・The committee is still in the dark about what actually is happening in that region.
無知、あるいは情報の全くない状態
・They have been keeping the nation in the dark too long about UFOs.
keep ～ in the dark : ～に情報を全く与えずにおく

・The problems you mention are inherent in the system.
～に備わっている、固有の

・「外国人」は "foreign national"、"surely" より "inevitably" の方が客観的

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

　　
・Well, to tell the truth, I hardly go to Salisbury myself, so I couldn't really say what it's like at close quarters.  But I tell you, sir, day in day out we have a view of the steeple from here.
at close quarters : 接近して
day in day out : 明けても暮れても、来る日も来る日も

・It is important to be reminded, moreover, that although Darlington Hall was to witness many more events of equal gravity over the fifteen or so years that followed, that conference of March 1923, was the first of them; one was, one suppose, relatively inexperienced, and inclined to leave little to chance.
何も運任せにしない　（leave ～ to chance : ～を成り行きに任せる）

・For one thing, I suppose I do regard it as the moment in my career when I truly came of age as a butler.
成熟する、十分に発達する、成年になる

・The conference of 1923 was the culmination of long planning on the part of Lord Darlington; indeed, in retrospect, one can see clearly how his lordship had been moving towards this point from three years or so before.
回想すると、振り返ってみると

・"Wretched thing is, this treaty is making a liar out of me."
私をうそつきにする　（make ～ out of ... : ～を...にする）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

That's all for today.
I wouldn't like to write anything disgusting in this blog.
It's quite absurd for me to waste my precious time and day expected to be good by doing such a completely worthless thing.

I heard about a system called "BookCrossing" on a TV program the other day.
I was going to write about it, but I gave up doing it at least today.
Well, I might do it at a later date, maybe around Tuesday, though, please check the site I added to the bottom of this article, if you can't wait.
It's not a system which eggs people on not to buy books or tries to reduce the benefits of libraries, but one which encourages people to enjoy their reading books more by recycling used books at large.

ブッククロッシング（BookCrossing） ： http://bookcrossing.jp/

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今日のメモ-携帯販売員からオペラ歌手へ-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・I am sorry to say this, but there would appear to have been a number of houses in recent times, some of the highest pedigree, which have tended to take a competitive attitude towards each other and have not been above 'showing off' to guests a butler's mastery of such trivial accomplishments.
be not above doing ～ : ～しかねない、～するのもまんざらでない

・And I would maintain that for all his limited command of English and his limited general knowledge, he not only knew all there was to know about how to run a house, he did in his prime come to acquire that 'dignity in keeping with his position', as the Hayes Society puts it.
for all ～ : ～にも関わらず、（～がほとんどないことを考慮して）
in one's prime : 全盛期に、最盛期に（で、の）

・For when I look back over his career, I can see with hindsight that he must have striven throughout his years somehow to become that butler of his story.
後から考えてみると

・For although I am sure he never had the chance to encounter a tiger beneath the dining table, when I think over all that I know or have heard concerning him, I can think of at least several instances of his displaying in abundance that very quality he so admired in the butler of his story.
豊富に、大量に

・The silence seemed to go on interminably, before either Mr Smith or Mr Jones found it in him to mutter: 'I suppose we were talking a little out of turn there.  It won't happen again.'
軽率に、無分別に、前後の見境もなく、（順序無しに）

・Mr Silvers, however, had remembered the significance the visit would have for my father, and had thus called him in to offer him the option of taking several days' leave for the duration of the General's stay.
～が続く間中

・My father thus replied to the effect that while he was most grateful that his feelings had been taken into account, Mr Silvers could be assured that service would be provided to the usual standards.
take ～ into account : ～を考慮に入れる

・If one considers the difference between my father at such moments and a figure such as Mr Jack Neighbours even with the best of his technical flourishes, I believe one may begin to distinguish what it is that separates a 'great' butler from a merely competent one.
with flourish : 華々しく、仰々しく

・The great butlers are great by virtue of their ability to inhabit their professional role and inhabit it to the utmost; they will not be shaken out by external events, however surprising, alarming or vexing.
～によって、～の力で

・Indeed, on the occasion one is fortunate enough to meet a great butler, far from experiencing any special urge to demand a 'test', one is at a loss to imagine any situation which could ever dislodge a professionalism borne with such authority.
困って、途方に暮れて

・'Beyond that there's nothing much you can say.'
= There's nothing much beyond that you can say.(?)
(cf. I know nothing beyond what I told you. あなたに話したこと意外は何も知らない（辞書より引用））

・Incidentally, I should before now have explained myself as regards my referring to 'Miss Kenton'.
～に関しては、～について言えば

・I will have to point out how different things are now ― that the days of working with a grand staff at one's beck and call will probably never return within our lifetime.
at one's [or someon's] beck and call : 人のいいなりになって、人の手足となって働いて

・Indeed, all in all, I cannot see why the option of her returning to Darlington Hall and seeing out her working years there should not offer a very genuine consolation to a life that has come to be so dominated by a sense of waste.
結局のところ、大体、概して

・Miss Kenton and my father had arrived at the house at more or less the same time ― that is to say, the spring of 1922 ― as a consequence of my losing at one stroke the previous housekeeper and under-butler.
一挙に、（一撃で）

・'If you are referring to him to a third party, then you may wish to call him "Mr Stevens senior" to distinguish him from myself.'
第三者

・'But a hundred things should have indicated to you that my father is a figure of unusual distinction from whom you may learn a wealth of things were you prepared to be more observant.'
a wealth of ～ : たくさんの～
"were you prepared to ～" = "if you were prepared to ～"

・'I am most indebted to you for your advice, Mr Stevens.'
be indebted to ～ for ... : ...は～のおかげです

・This seemed to take the wind out of Miss Kenton's sails somewhat.
先手を打って～を出し抜く、～の出鼻をくじく、～の自信をうち砕く

・A drawback to this plan was the weather ― that is to say, several large puddles and patched of mud were in evidence ― and the fact that one would need to return to the billiard room again at some point to bolt the french windows from the inside.
in evidence : 目立って、ハッキリ見えて、証拠として
at some point : ある時点で、いつか、ある時期に

・'These errors may be trivial in themselves, Mr Stevens, but you must yourself realize their significance.'
それ自体では、本質的に、本来　（= in itself)

・It was invariably embarrassment at what he was about to impart which made Lord Darlington adopt such an approach, and even once the study door was closed behind us, he would often stand by the window and make a show of consulting the encyclopedia throughout our conversation.
～のフリをする、（～を誇示する、～をさらし者にする）

・Whatever may be said about his lordship these days ― and the great majority of it is, as I say, utter nonsense ― I can declare that he was a truly good man at heart, a gentle man through and through, and one I am today proud to have given my best years of service to.
初めから終わりまで、徹頭徹尾、（徹底的に）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

Do you know the man who is a British tenor who in 2007 became the winner of the UK talent search show called Britain's Got Talent, the TV audition show, making a number of audiences so touched as to be in tears?
I saw Ogura was commenting about him in his Tv program, Tokudane!, the other day.
It's unbelievable all the more for his amazing voice that he had been a mobile phone salesman until he won the audition, and that he couldn't have had confidence in himself because of his past experience of having being bullied!
If you're interested in him, please check this out!  (^^)

どうして読書は全く進んでいないのに、メモばかり増えていくの？

それはさておき、Paul Potts ってご存じですか？
小倉さんがテレビでコメントしていたのを見ましたが、先日、ネット上で彼が話題になるキッカケになったオーディション番組の動画を見つけちゃいました♪
最初の動画がその番組。
スケートの荒川静香さんがオリンピックで金メダルを獲得した際に使われたことで有名な『トゥーランドット（Turandot）』を歌っています。
下の方は上の番組で有名になった後のもので、Sarah Brightman（サラ・ブライトマン）の『Time To Say Goodbye』を。
Sarah Brightman って、『オペラ座の怪人』の初代 Christine で、『オペラ座の怪人』や『キャッツ』の生みの親 Andrew Lloyd Webber の元・妻。
実は、『キャッツ』も『オペラ座の怪人』もDVD持ってます。σ(o^_^o)
Sarah Brightman のCDも・・・♪　(〃⌒ー⌒〃)ゞ
オペラの良さなんてこれっぽっちもわかりませんし、興味もないのですが、そういう知識とか理屈を越えたところで人を感動させることのできる人がいるんですね～。
Paul Potts さんも、実際にこれだけの人を感動させられるんだから、間違いなくその一人のようです。
Absolutely fantastic!!　=＾-＾=

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ポップアップ・カード♪

Any news about Southern All Stars' 30th anniversary event or new single CD haven't come out yet!
All I was able to confirm is that Keisuke Kuwata was recording a song or two, or three(?), according to what he said on his previous radio program.
There is a fact that makes me feel worried about the possibility of no special events to come.
It's that Hiroshi Matsuda and Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, the drummer and the bassist of the band, are still continuing their solo work, though I don't care at all about Takashi Omori, the former guitarist, having announced on his blog and a porno magazine his will to make a comeback as a member of the band.
An announcement of his ambition or dream, whatsoever, for the comeback on a porno magazine without showing sign of remorse...
So absurd that I'd like to tell him in person not to make me laugh, if possible.
Anyway, another fact that Keisuke Kuwata doesn't always put what he said, yes, he certainly said on TV last year they would show their appreciation for the fans, into action makes me more worried.

By the way, though Mother's day is coming soon, have you already decided what you're going to present?
If you'd like to make a pop-up card for your mother and have confidence in your hand dexterity, please check this site out.
When you'd like to learn from the basics, this site may help you.
Needless to say, no sooner did I browse the site than I gave up making such a complicated card. (^^;

前々回の日記にもちょっとだけ書きましたが、ポップアップカード作りにチャレンジしました♪

・・・え～、ネットで作り方を書いたサイトを見つけた時点で断念しましたが・・・。~(=^‥^A
『こんな複雑なもの、私に作れるわけがないだろ！』と、ほとんど逆ギレ状態でしたが、その後、ネットでポップアップカード作りの基本を書いてあるサイトを見てみると、案外簡単かもしれないという気になってきました。
母の日に間に合わせる自信はないので、暇を見つけて練習して、クリスマス頃までにまともなカードを作れるようになる！
なんて妄想に耽ってみる今日この頃。
もし興味があれば、母の日に手作りポップアップカードなんていかがですか？
まずこちらで基本を確認。　http://www15.ocn.ne.jp/~r-piece/try/top/try.html
そしてこちらでステップアップ♪　http://dyn.c-ij.com/japan/greetings/home.page?lang=jp
ちなみに、プレゼント本体はゲランの美容液と口紅にしました。
そしてチャッカリ自分用にも美容液をゲットする私。(^m^*)

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今日のメモ-再び-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Even now, I would not go so far as to say it is a bad staff plan; after all, it enables a staff of four to cover an unexpected amount of ground. But you will no doubt agree that the very best staff plans are those which give clear margins of error to allow for those days when an employee is ill or for one reason or another below par.
go so far as to say ～ : ～とまで言う
margins of error : 誤ってもよい余裕
below par : 体の調子が悪く、標準以下で

・For it had occurred to me that the proposed trip in the car could be put to good professional use; that is to say, I could drive to the West Country and call on Miss Kenton in passing, thus exploring at first hand the substance of her wish to return to employment hear at Darlington Hall.
put ～ to good use : ～を上手く役立てる
（put ～to ... : ～を...に用いる、適用する）
in passing : 通りがかりに、ついでに（言えば）
at first hand : 直接に、じかに

・Then there was the question of what sorts of costume were appropriate on such a journey, and whether or not it was worth my while to invest in a new set of clothes.
（仕事にかける）時間・労力

・As it was, I believe my judgement proved quite sound on the question of timing; the fact that things turned out as they did is entirely attributable to an error of judgement in another direction altogether.
as it was : しかし実情は、実際は（前出の過程に対応して実情を述べる際に用いる）
sound : 良識のある、賢明な

・Naturally, I felt the temptation to deny immediately and unambiguously such motivations as my employer was imputing to me, but saw in time that to do so would be to rise to Mr Farraday's bait, and the situation would only become increasingly embarrassing.
rise to the bait : （主語が）誘いや挑発にのる

・And of course, in Lord Darlington's days, when ladies and gentlemen would often visit for many days on end, it was possible to develop a good understanding with visiting colleagues.
続けて、断続的に　（直立して）

・Sometimes, naturally, there would be strong disagreements, but more often than not, the atmosphere was dominated by a feeling of mutual respect.
大抵、しばしば

・We were all essentially cut from the same cloth, so to speak.
似たもの同士である

・I looked forward to the visit not only because visitors from Lord Darlington's days are most rare now ― Mr Farraday's circle, naturally, being quite different from his lordship's ― but also because I presumed Mr Graham would accompany Sir James as of old, and I would thus be able to get his opinion on this question of bantering.
昔ながらの

・I would like to have discovered what had become of Mr Graham, for although we had not known each other well, I would say we had got on on those occasions we had met.
what become of ～ : ～はどうなる
get on (with ～） : （～と）うまくやる、仲良くやっていく

・This was due, no doubt, to the fact that though I motored further and further from the house, I continued to find myself in surroundings with which I had at least a passing acquaintance.
cf. have a nodding acquaintance with ～ : 合えば会釈する程度の知り合いである

・And I believe it was then, looking on that view, that I began for the first time to adopt a frame of mind appropriate for the journey before me.  For it was then  that I felt the first healthy flush of anticipation for the many interesting experiences I know these days ahead hold in store for me.
a frame of mind : （一時的な）心の状態、気分、心構え、気の持ちよう
in store : （運命などが）待ち構えて、降りかかろうとして、（蓄えて、用意して）

・The landlady, a woman of around forty or so, appears to regard me as a rather grand visitor on account of Mr Farraday's Ford and the high quality of my suit.
～のため、～により

・Of course, the servants' hall at Darlington Hall, like any servants' hall anywhere, was obliged to receive employees of varying degree of intellect and perception, and I recall many a time having to bite my lip while some employee ― and at times, I regret to say, members of my own staff ― excitedly eulogized the likes of, say, Mr Jack Neighbours.
many a time : （many の後に不定冠詞＋単数名詞を伴って）多くの～、あまたの～
at times : 時々、たまに
the likes of ～ : ～のような人達

・I could have told you this at the height of his reputation, just as I could have predicted his downfall after a few short years in the limelight.
at the height of ～ : ～の絶頂で、～真っ盛り
in the limelight : 世間の注目を浴びて、（スポットライトを浴びて）

・How often have you known it for the butler who is on everyone's lips one day as the greatest of his generation to be proved demonstrably within a few years to have been nothing of the sort?
be on everyone's lipes : 誰もが話題にして、関心を持って
nothing of the sort : 決してそうでない、決してそのようなものではない、少しもそれに似ない

・The object of this sort of servants' hall talk is invariably some butler who has come to the fore quite suddenly through having been appointed by a prominent house, and who has perhaps managed to pull off two or three large occasions with some success.  There will then be all sorts of rumours buzzing through servants' hall up and down the country to the effect that he has been approached by this or that personage or that several of the highest houses are competing for his services with wildly high wages.
to the fore : 前面に、目立つ位置に
pull off : 上手くやり遂げる
to the effect that ～ : ～という趣旨の

・But then, of course, I hasten to add, there are many valets who would never dream of indulging in this sort of folly ― who are, in fact, professionals of the highest discernment.
hasten to add : 念のために付け加える　（hasten to say : 念のために言っておく）

・This, and the fact that the Hayes Society tended to be a rather secretive body, lent it much mystique for a time, ensuring that the pronouncements it occasionally issued on professional matters were received as though hewn on tablets of stone.
for a time : 一時の間、当面、当分
hewn on tablets on stone : cf. not carved [or written] on tablets of stone : 絶対不変[確固たるもの]ではない
（hewn : hew （たたき切る、切って～を作る）の過去分詞）

　　　　　　　　　　from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

How are you enjoying your holidays?
I almost did nothing but chat over something delicious with some friends of mine and take a nap with Ruu the budgerigar, and maybe today, the last day of these holidays, will end up with no special memory.
I must say, however, I like such holidays!
If I have something to write, it may be that I went to department store with my friend and checked all sorts of skin essences to choose a present for this Mother's day.
However, needless to say, I never buy it at the department store, because I always use the Net in buying such things.
I also made a card for Mother's day by using the Net.
I was going to make a pop-up card according to my friend's advice that I could make it by myself if using one of sites which introduce how to make some kinds of pop-up cards.
So we went back to my home and found one of the kind of sites we looked for only to realize it's impossible for me to make something complicated like that.
It was one of the simple cards for Mother's day that I managed to make for my mother.

やたらとメモが長くなっておりますが、読書自体は全く進んでおりません。~(=^‥^A
これ以上メモせずに放置しておくと、とんでもないことになりそうなので、ここで一度メモっとく。
『「Never Let Me Go」よりも若干簡単』と紹介されていたはずなのに、主人公である執事さんの語りになっているからでしょうか、私にとっては恐ろしいほどの量の未知の単語とイディオムに早くもめげそうです。
でも話が主人公の淡々とした＆愛情深い語りによって紡がれていくのは『Never Let Me Go』と同じ♪

かつては栄華を極めただろうDarlington Hallに仕える執事さんが、初めてイギリス紳士ではなくアメリカ出身の主人に仕えることになり、同時にたった４人でDarlington Hallの雑事の全てをやりくりするよう言われ、スケジューリングに四苦八苦するところから始まります。
そして『もし必要なら追加で誰かを雇ってもいい』、『少し休みをとって国内を旅行でもしてきたらどうだ』などの主人からの言葉と、以前Darlington Hallで働いていた女性から、もう一度ここで働きたいという意向を匂わす手紙を受け取り、ほとんど初めてといってもいい国内ドライブ旅行に繰り出します。
・・・私が読んだのはまだその辺ぐらいまで。~(=^‥^A

イギリス紳士にはないアメリカ人特有のからかいの言葉に、それを親愛の情の表現だと受け止めつつ、どう答えていいかわからずに戸惑う執事さんが可愛い♪
例えば、『今朝、雄鶏が鳴くような音をたてていたのは君じゃないよな？』と聞かれ、それがジプシーのたてていた音だと知っている執事さん、ウィットに富んだところを見せようとして、『雄鶏というよりツバメでしょう。放浪性のあるところをみますと・・・』と答えます。
ところが音の正体がジプシーだと知らない主人に "I beg your pardon?" と返されて、用事のあるフリをして部屋からそそくさと出て行ってしまうところなんて、可哀相だけど可愛い。（^m^*)

この連休はいろいろとショックなこともありましたが、めげずにマイペースで頑張るぞ！

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今日のメモ-The Remains of the Day-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Nomo Hideo's MLB comeback suffers setback.
suffer a setback : 挫折する（↑は記事見出し）

・He has demonstrated with one gesture that he has a strong tendency, given his fluency in Mandarin and his history as a diplomat, toward China and that this may be at a cost to Japan.
対～関係を損なう

・Has Australia set itself a choice between two of its most important neighbors?
自身で選択をする

・The consequences for Australia are unfortunate, to say the very least.
控えめに言っても

・When a woman says she has to "powder her nose," it's a polite way of saying she is going to the lavatory.

・To get a "second wind" is to find renewed energy after a period of feeling tired, often to accomplish something.

・If you "get wind of" something, it means that you hear about a rumor or secret.

・Ancient rainforests grow in sand along the banks of fast-flowing, crystal-clear creeks, with the highest dunes on the island reaching up to 240 meters above sea level.
fast-flowing : 流れの速い
crystal-clear : 透き通ってきれいな

・Fraser Island is so special it has joined the ranks of the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park as a World Heritage site.
～の仲間入りをする

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

　　　
・'I'll foot the bill for the gas.'
～の費用を負担する

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

I've started reading The Remains of the Day, a Booker prize-winning novel of Kazuo Ishiguro, an author of Never Let Me Go, while continuing the struggle with the English textbooks I bought long ago.
It's because staring at the textbooks day after day makes me feel bored and sleepy enough to deaden my enthusiasm for learning English.
I wonder, however, if I can balance enjoying the novel with learning English through the textbooks.
As for The Remains of the Day, I bought it along with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from Amazon at the beginning of March.
It was said on a site which introduces English novels for beginners to be written in a little easier English than Never Let Me Go I love.
Honestly, I still don't know whether it's interesting or not, because I've just finished reading not more than 10 pages of it, where nothing interesting or exciting happens, though, it reminded me of how intriguing his English was.
For instance:

Recalling a time when I had had a staff of seventeen under me, and knowing how not so long ago a staff of twenty-eight had been employed here at Darlington Hall, the idea of devising a staff plan by which the same house would be run on a staff of four seemed, to say the least, daunting.
Although I did my best not to, something of my scepticism must have betrayed itself, for Mr Farraday then added, as though for reassurance, that were it to prove necessary, then an additional member of staff could be hired.

※ "were it to prove necessary" = "if it were to prove necessary"

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

↑の２つ目の文章、"Although I did my best not to, something of my scepticism must have betrayed itself" 部分で一度『？』状態に陥りましたが、"Although I did my best not to betray my scepticism" ってことなんですね。
一瞬、"something～"の部分は "Although～"の文に挿入された付け足しのようなものかと思ってしまいました。
同作者の『Never Let Me Go』が本当に印象的だったのと、あるサイトで『「Never Let Me Go」よりは若干簡単』と紹介されていたので、レベルの高そうな本にチャレンジする前に読書量をこなすのにはもってこいの一冊だと思い買ったのですが、ちょっと英語の本を読まない間にいろんな物が抜け落ちてしまったみたいです。
いえ、抜け落ちるほどの物もなかったのですが、英語に少し慣れたような気がしていた幸せな『勘違い』すらなくしてしまった感じ。
テキストとにらめっこするの、もうやめちゃおうかな～。(/_<。)

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権利と義務、自由と責任

How are you spending these scattered holidays?
I enjoyed a delicious lunch with a friend of mine chatting about this and that ― about nothing in particular as usual. :)
She, however, was furious about the government's handling of the gasoline tax and her husband, saying there was nothing she could depend on.
So I told her about what Toru Hashimoto, governor of Osaka Prefecture, had said on TV.
That is, he said it was voters who was to blame for this financial blunder by Osaka Prefectural Government because it was a result of their long-term neglect of the right to vote.
What do you think about this?
I think he is right, at least about this point.
Most of us, sometimes more than half of us, give up voting, our living prefecture and our Japan, that is to say, our future, always saying it can't be helped, and that even if s/he votes, nothing will be changed, but maybe it's wrong.
I felt as though we were big children who think it's natural for adults around them to do anything they want adults to do, just by their throwing tantrums or complaining.
Don't we forget freedom or rights come with duties and responsibilities?
Isn't it us who let politicians freely do whatever they'd like to?
Honestly, I didn't like Hashimoto before he became governor.
Maybe I still don't like him, but I sometimes feel like his words are right and true, and have something strong enough to make me believe them.

Er..., as for her husband, I think, or hope (laugh), I have no right to say something about him. :P

テレビで弁護士、あるいはタレントとして登場していた時は、まるで注目を浴びたくて過激な発言を繰り返すだけのいい加減な人かと思っていた橋本氏ですが、大阪府知事になられてからは、寝ぼけた大阪府民を叩き起こさんばかりに熱の入った言葉の数々に、うっかり感動してしまうこともしばし。
・・・感動してる場合じゃないんですけどね。（大阪府民です。σ(^_^；）
まさか大阪がここまで、これ程までにお金がないとは思ってなかったし、特に先日、テレビで述べていた『府政や国政の堕落は、最終的には全て選挙権の行使さえもサボリがちだった府民・国民の責任。だから今の有権者にも我慢をしてもらいます。でも子供達に今の問題を押しつけてはいけない。子供達に選挙権はないのだから』というような趣旨の意見には殴られたかのような衝撃を受けてしまいました。
そうなのよね。
彼のしていることが全て正しいとは思わないけど、この点に関しては大賛成。
（親が生きていけなきゃ子供も生きていけないと思うけど・・・。まぁ、これは揚げ足取り）
選挙権すら行使せず文句ばかり言っているのは、『あれして、これして』と駄々をこねていれば周りの大人達が何でもしてくれると思っている子供と同じ。
『投票したところで何も変わらない』というのは、言い訳にすらならない。
権利や自由ばかりを声高に求めて、それに伴う義務や責任は放棄するようなことしてちゃだめよね。
できるだけ投票するようにはしてるけど、何度となくサボってきたこともある私としては反省するばかりです。

・・・って、テレビばっかり見てない？＞私　~(=^‥^A
英語の勉強開始から１年経過。
そのうえ頭に花が咲きそうなお天気続きときては、勉強どころではないのですよ。
今日はちょっとぐらいは（ちょっと？）勉強して、お休みはたっぷり休んじゃおうっと♪

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今日のメモ-I have a dream!-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Of the more than 34,000 runners who finished the Flora London Marathon, six stood out ― they were warriors of the Massai tribe of Africa.
"Six of the more than 34,000 runners who finished the Flora London Marathon stood out ～" の倒置（？）

・It's time to speak your truth and then walk your talk.
有言実行する

・Americans say, "Nice guys finish last."
お人好しは損をする

・A little birdie told me.
風の噂で聞きました
e.g. "Who told you such a thing?" "Just a little birdie told me.（ただの風の噂ですよ）"

・Actions speak louder than words.
行動は言葉より雄弁

・If I use a big word, you are very eloquent.
大袈裟な言葉、難解な言葉、大言壮語、意味不明な語、もったいぶった言葉
if I uses a big word : 「言い換えれば」とここでは訳されていました。

・All of us are working against the clock.
時間と勝負している

・in chronological order : 時代の順番に

・out of order : 主に公共物が故障した際に使われる
not work : 一般家庭の家電等が故障した際に使われる

・You need good hand-eye coordination to play video games.
視覚と手の協調関係（ここでは「目と手の動きを上手く調整することが必要」の意味）

・The audience was made up of people who love documentary films.
～が占める

・Scuba divers have long headed to Rota because its water visibility is amongst the best in the world.
～の１つ、（３つ以上の）～のうちで　（＝among）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

The Mainichi Weekly runs a column called "A New York Minute", which is written by Sean Sakamoto, who lives with his Japanese wife in New York City, every four weeks.
I love his column, where he usually introduces various kinds of interesting people and his daily life in plain English even I can understand.
And I found the address of his(?) blog was on the paper, and checked the site out yesterday.
The blog hadn't had so many articles yet when I visited it, though, it was full of intriguing videos probably having been shot by him and his fellows.
I was able to hear his voice for the first time there!
His English was also clear enough for me to take in what he said in his video titled "Nerdnyc, Thanksnerding!" though I could hardly make out what the other people appearing in it said.
Please check his blog out, if you'd like to.  (^^)
http://www.idratherbe.tv./

And one more thing.
The Mainichi Weekly has started running an article about American history since this week.
The article of this week's issue features Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, both of whom were the slain black civil rights leaders living in the same period.
Let me write down very famous King's speech in today's diary just for remembrance' sake.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.
So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

And the Barack Obama's speech is this:

There is no white America. There is no black America. There is no Latino America. There is no Asian America. There is only the United States of America.

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

キング牧師のスピーチは、むか～し昔の中学生時代に暗記させられた記憶があります。
・・・こんなに長くはなかったけどね。~(=^‥^A
引用したキング牧師のスピーチは、え～、申し訳ない。
他人様のHPに記載してあったのをそのまま頂戴いたしました。m(__)m
いろいろな "I have a dream" がYouTubeで聴けますが、↑の演説が聴ける動画をペタッとな。

開始から３分20秒たったぐらいから、↑と同じ演説が始まります。
これを探すにあたり、いろんなバージョンの演説を見てみましたが、どれも熱狂的！
聞いてるだけで熱くなります。

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複雑怪奇なり

As the day goes on, it seems to have become more and more comfortable and pleasant for us to do anything, like walking, driving, washing, and airing out futons.
The things disturbing my English learning and luring me out are everywhere.
Who can blame me for neglecting my English learning under this circumstances?
I'm a genius in finding excuses.  (--;

Oh, and have the Golden Week holidays already started?
I can't believe it!
Almost all of my friends, some of whom often enjoyed their Golden Week holidays traveling abroad or somewhere in Japan, seem to have no special plan for this year's scattered holidays as well as me.
Do you have anything special to do in these holidays?
Whether or not you have, please enjoy your holidays with someone very special to you.  (^^)

By the way, I'm writing this diary watching the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics running through Nagano right now on TV.
I hear it was Nazi Germany that began the Olympics torch relay at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, and that they took over Pohland in only a week soon after that, in 1939, which was the beginning of World War II.
Why could they occupy Pohland that quickly?
It was thanks to the torch relay they began.
They checked all the roads running through Europe before the Berlin Olympics, saying it was for the sake of the Olympics.
I regret to say the Olympics torch relay seems to have been exploited for political purposes since the start of it.

聖火のリレーなんだか、警備のリレーなんだか、はたまた抗議のリレーなんだか、すっかり何がなんだかわからなくなってきた感のある聖火リレーが長野で行われている真っ最中ではありますが、皆さんはゴールデンウィーク第１日目をいかがお過ごしでしょうか。
私は英語の勉強に勤しむ予定ではありましたが、言い訳を見つける天才と化しております。 ~(=^‥^A
数日前の雨空が嘘のように晴れ渡り、暑くも寒くもない爽やかな風が吹き抜けるこの休日を、どうしたら家にこもってすごせるというの？
う～～ん、飛べるものなら空を飛び回ってみたいぐらいの快晴だわ・・・♡

で、再び聖火リレー。
聖火リレーって、ナチスドイツがベルリンオリンピックの際に始めたのが最初なんだそうです。
聖火リレーを行うに当たって、ヨーロッパ全土の道路事情を調べ尽くし、その数年後にはポーランドをわずか１週間で占領し、第２次世界大戦が始まったわけですね・・・。
聖火リレーが政治に利用されているのは、今に限ったことではないようですね。
なんか情けないというか、悲しいというか、虚しいというか・・・。
複雑怪奇なり。＞オリンピック
もっとシンプルなのがいいわ。

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今日のメモ -壁-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The company removed the bitterness characteristic of lotus roots through trial and error, and the taste has reportedly got the thumbs-up from people who have tried it.
trial and error : 試行錯誤
get the thumbs-up : 承認される

・What might not be behind the wood of that green door!
緑の扉の向こうには何だってありだ！

・A "slip up" is a common idiom which means to make a mistake. For example, "I know that I slipped up a number of times during my interview, so I was surprised that they offered me the job."

・If you let something "slip through your fingers," it means that you allowed something to escape or to go missing. "I can't believe that you've been invited to give a presentation in New York! You can't let an opportunity like this slip through your fingers!" It is also used in connection with money. "As soon as I get paid, money seems to just slip through my fingers."

・To experience a "slip of the tongue" can have embarrassing consequences. This means to mistakenly say something that you didn't mean to.

・As with all other classical and folk forms of India, Purulia Chau begins with Ganesha Vandana ― homage to Ganesha.
～と同様に

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

I heard the news reporting the defendant, who was 18-year-old boy at the time of the crime, had been sentenced to death, maybe as well as most of the other people in Japan.
His crime is so disgusting that I don't so much as want to understand the reason of his acts, but it may be wrong, especially now that the lay-judge legal system is to get under way from May 21, 2009.
Honestly, I'm one of those who think the death penalty is necessary to prevent vicious crime.
I think now, however, it may be about time for us to reconsider various things involved with trials.

光市の母子殺人事件は、報道を聞いているだけで胸が悪くなるような非道い事件でしたが、ここで一つの区切りがついた・・・と言うべきなのかさえわかりません。
あの元少年は本当にあの最後の裁判に納得しているのかしら？
（弁護団は上告したそうですが・・・）
遺族の方もあんな裁判を望んでいたとは思えない。
・・・それでも、この国における最高刑が下されたことが、遺族の方にとっての小さな、本当に小さいけれど、救いになることを願います。

で、今日のお気に入りの台詞♪

・I don't know if life is greater than death, but love was more than either.

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

『Tristan & Isolde（トリスタンとイゾルデ）』という映画の台詞らしいのですが、西洋人だからこそ許される台詞かも・・・。(^m^*)
典型的な日本人が照れずに言うには、相当の度胸と根性が必要でしょう。
ましてや『お笑い優先主義』（？）の関西人、とりわけ大阪人とこの台詞の間には、ヒマラヤ山脈どころじゃない険しく厳しい壁があるかと思われます。

昨日のルー君は、一度だけブランコから落ちてはいましたが、プラスチックケース相手にマシンガントーク（？）を繰り広げるぐらい絶好調・・・なのか？
ただ今もご機嫌に羽づくろいをしております。
一応、私よりは元気そう。
私は・・・死にそう・・・。　お腹がキモイ。(T_T)


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