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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ルー君の受難

To tell the truth, Ruu the budgerigar, one of my irreplaceable family members, was born with a problem with his left leg, though he is very, very healthy except it, eating and playing a lot, flying in my room very well, and disturbing my working and learning.
He, however, seems to have something wrong with his left leg these days ― seems unable to clutch such things as the perches, my fingers and his most favorite swing, where he sleeps every night.
The day before yesterday, he slipped off the swing twice soon after getting into his cage at night.
And yesterday, he repeated the same blunder no less than three times!!
I thought every bird could perch securely even on something as thin as electric wires while sleeping!!

I let him out of the cage and waited until he calmed down, watching his preening on my hand, because he panicked every time he slipped off the swing.
I can't help being worried that he might be suffering from the pain of his leg so terrible as to be unable to grasp firmly.
I have no idea what to do for him.
It, however, is a great comfort to me to see him eating as much as usual.

ルー君は生まれつき左足が心持ち小さめで、常に軽くグー 気味な子ではありますが、２日前ぐらいから物をしっかり掴めてないようです。
私の指にとまっている時も、しょっちゅう足を滑らせています。
カゴの中では鏡付きのブランコがルー君の指定席なのですが、如何せん、プラスチック製品なので木製の止まり木よりも滑りやすい。
カゴに入れてやるたびに、ブランコから滑り落ちることを繰り返しています。
日曜日には、彼が『滑らないように』と、ブランコの止まる部分にザラザラとしたループのない布地を巻き付けてみましたが（☆ループのある布地は爪に絡まるので危険なの☆）、ブランコの変わり果てた姿を見るや否や、私の腕を手のひらから肘に向かって一気に逆走し、その勢いのまま私の部屋へと飛び立つ始末。
見慣れない物は恐がるって言ってるでしょー！　なんて事するのよ！！
（彼の行為を止めることなく見ていたのは私ですが・・・）

ブランコの上での就寝前の羽づくろいを一通り終え、寝入ってしまえば、滑り落ちることもなくグッスリ寝ているようですが、見慣れない物に全く近寄れないルー君に、一体何をしてやればいいのかもわからないのが申し訳ない。
足が痛いんじゃないかと気が気でないのですが、食欲もいつも通り旺盛だし、排泄物もいつも通り。
もう少し様子をみてみましょうか・・・。

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今日のメモ-touch up-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Nevertheless, the experience provided me with some food for thought, as I commuted daily to the courtroom to watch the case unfold and to observe my fellow jurors.
考える糧

・Your finances are either firing on all cylinders or they aren't.
調子よく進む、総力を挙げる

・Being impatient and cutting corners will only result in having to do everything twice.
手を抜く、近道をする、無駄を省く、節約する

・If you overestimate your abilities, then you'll just end up with egg on your face.
バツの悪い思いをする

・Delayed payments are the order of the day.
昨今の風潮、その日の日程、議事日程

・My friend Cindy has been suffering from hay fever since coming to Japan, so she can't do without a mask in the spring.
do without ～ : ～無しで済ませる
do with ～ : （不十分ながら）～で済ませる

・I personally couldn't tell how his Japanese fared, but I saw the bride's grandfather give him a thumbs-up after he said his vow.
僕自身は彼の日本語がどうだったかわからないけど、新婦のおじいさんが新郎に親指たててオッケーの合図してたのをみたよ。
fare : やっていく、（事が）運ぶ

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

On a front page of this week's issue, The Mainichi Weekly runs an article about the Dalai Lama's news conference held in Japan the other day.
I don't know well about the problems between Tibet and China, so maybe I shouldn't write anything about it.
I think, however, China must resume talks with the Dalai Lama.
If Tibetan don't be guaranteed even freedom of speech, how will they be able to protest against China?
Not that I want to say it can't be helped for Tibetan to raise a riot ― to choose the path of violence.
It's obvious any violence should never be allowed, and China must also have their point of view.
I believe therefore they need to have mutual talks immediately.

『言論の自由』さえ保障されていない状態で、私ならどうやって自分の主張を相手に、しかも国を相手に訴えるんだろう。

・・・そんなことを考えてみて、それでもなお非暴力主義を貫き通せるダライ・ラマという人があれだけ尊敬されている理由がわかる気がしました。
スポーツに政治を持ち込むのも当然許されないことだし、中国には中国の言い分があるのだろうから、一日も早く誠実な話し合いが行われることを祈るばかりです。

で、全く話は変わって、毎日ウィークリーからもう一つメモ。＿〆(。。)メモメモ…

・『ランナーはタッチアップした』は "The runner touched up." ではなく "The runner tagged up."

He touched up his painting?  I didn't know he was an artist!
"Touch up" in English means "to make minor improvements in the appearance of something," and often refers to what an artist does to an artwork that is nearly finished.  In American baseball, instead of "touch," we say "tag."

　　　　　　　　　　-from The Mainichi Weekly -

『"touch up" ってそういう意味なんだ～♪』と頷くことはできても、『タッチアップ』の正しい英語での表し方を教えてもらっても何の感動もない私・・・。
そもそも『タッチアップとは何ぞや？』というレベルの野球知識しかないのだから仕方がない。
日本語で意味のわからないものが、英語で理解できるはずがない。
基礎知識って大切だ・・・。

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Mid-Summer Blossoms

Do you favor the songs of Southern All Stars or of Keisuke Kuwata?
Do you really value their songs more than any other artists'?
If so, maybe you should try to listening to All of Mid-Summer Blossoms, which feture their popular songs covered by such foreign artists as Philip Bailey, Bill Champlin and Leon Russell. 
Those albums, to tell the truth, had been discontinued for a long time until they were re-released bundled in 2005.
I bought them for several hundred yen per CD before that, having a lot of trouble with finding them, running from store to store.
I think they are worth buying, and that the first album of it is especially great; however I must say that whether you like them or not depends on individual taste.　(^^;

An interesting thing is the fact that as you listen to them from the first to the third, the songs are getting more and more arranged.
So it may be difficult for you to say which song is which when you listen to the third album.
And a disappointing, or sad, ... whatsoever, thing to me is that the original English lyrics Keisuke Kuwata wrote are also changed.
Um, is this because there are mistakes in the original?
Let's try to compare the original lyrics to changed one.

The original lyrics extracted from Just A Little Bit:

No other love will do
No-one like you
For you're the one who makes my life complete
My mind keeps telling me what a fool I had to be
Just a little bit for you
Just a little bit to me

And the changed one:

No other love will do
No one's like you
It's plain to see you make my life complete
Sometimes good love can fool you
There's always more to learn
Just a little bit for you
Just a little bit for me

I wonder if I should say this is interesting...

何故に春に『Mid-Summer Blossoms』？　というツッコミはさておき、昨日、Mid-Summer Blossom シリーズのアルバムを久しぶりにCDラックから取り出してみました。
私が買ったのは、このシリーズが製造中止になっていて、おまけにまだネットオークションもさして広まっていない時期だったので、中古CD店を半泣きになりながら駆け回らざるをえませんでしたが、まさかその数年後に再リリースされるとは。
まぁ、３枚合わせても1000円以下だったはずなので、良しとしましょうか。

で、肝心のアルバムの出来はどうかというと、人によって相当好みが別れるかと思われます。
許せないのは『スキップビート』というソロの曲。
この曲は "skip beat, skip beat, skip beat, skip beat" と連呼するのが 『スケベー、スケベー・・・』と聞こえてこそ意味があるのに、完璧に綺麗な発音で "skip beat, skip beat,..." と歌われてしまった日には・・・。~(=^‥^A
元々英語で書かれている歌詞も変更されてしまっている点については、あまり深く考えないようにしようっと。

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時制の壁、あるいは感覚の壁

There are a lot of things which are always bothering me about how to write in English ― about which tense to use or about whether a noun should be used as a countable or not, for instance.
The book titled 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English says like this:

1. We usually use the simple past tense to talk about completed past actions, even when we are talking about the duration of an action.

e.g., not "I was living in America for five years when I was a child," but "I lived in America for five years when I was a child."
Not "We were waiting for an hour, and the we left," but "We waited for an hour, and the we left."

2. We usually use the simple past tense for completed past actions, even when we are talking about the duration of an action.

e.g., not "Last year I had gone to China and had stayed in Beijing for ten days," or "Last year I had gone to China and had been staying in Beijing for ten days," but "Last year I went to China and stayed in Beijing for ten days."

3. We use the present perfect tense ('has become') to talk about actions and situations which started in the past and have continued up to the present time.

Thus, one should say not "Japan became rich since the war," or "I made many new friends this year," but "Japan has become rich since the war, (Japan is rich now.)," or "I have made many new friends this year, (This year has not ended yet, and presumably the speaker still has his/her new friends.)"

　　　　　　　　　　- from 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English -

Can't you understand?
When reading this book, I feel like I was able to do, but when trying to write English, I very often feel as if I'd gotten stuck in a labyrinth without an exit.

By the way, I'm now listening to the audio book of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban again.
Er..., just for a change.
Reading it after the fifth volume, I can't help feeling sorry for Sirius and how cruel the fate all of his fellows and he, who all had spent their boyhood at the same place and in the same period, followed was.
Anyway, audio books are really wonderful.
I could buy more, if I had enough time, physical strength and budget.

例えば、今日を含めここ数日の間、ある行為を続けている場合、現在完了形を使うべきなのか、現在完了進行形を使うべきなのか、普通の進行形を使うべきなのか・・・、いつも悩みます。
完了形か進行形かは、最終的には一緒に使う副詞なんかで使い分けるようにしていますが（正しくは『しているつもりですが』）、一体どの時制を使うべきなのかと考え始めると、いつもわけがわからなくなってしまいます。
加算・不可算名詞なんかと同じで、日本語にはない（？）感覚だもんね。＞完了形
さらに『アメリカ英語では現在完了形のかわりに過去形を使うことが多い』などと言われてしまうと、さらに・・・。
曖昧なくせに、『それは間違いだ！』と頑として譲ってくれないケースも多々あって、もう泣きそう。(T_T)
でも言葉ってそういうものよね。
理屈だけじゃないから面白いのかもね。
（そう思わないとやってられないわ）

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今日のメモ-The Way up to Heaven-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Wearing shades and a short mustache, he comes across as a lightweight yakuza.
～のような印象を与える

・"Sushi is part of our national psyche."
（ここでは）日本人の魂（とも言える食べ物）

・Several gas station in Tokyo blanked out signs advertising gasoline prices on April 1, as gasoline prices fell in line with the expiry of a provisional gasoline tax.
in line with : ～に従って
provisional : 暫定的な
a provisional gasoline tax : ガソリン税の暫定税率

・Five movie theaters have canceled planned screenings of a Chinese director's award-winning documentary about Yasukuni Shrine, leaving the opening date in Japan up in the air.
～を未決定にする

・It's ironic that DPJ leader Ozawa Ichiro coined the term "normal country," meaning, in part, a nation that has two competing political parties, as opposed to a country that has just one political party in cahoots with a powerful bureaucracy.
coin the term : 言葉を作る
in cahoots with : ～と共謀して

・If something is "in safe hands," it meant that a reliable person or organization is taking care of it. For example, "I don't trust baby-sitters these days. I'd much rather leave our child in the safe hands of my sister."

・Can we have a "show of hands"? ― If you want a quick decision, you may ask people to vote on an issue by rasing their hands. "The teachers voted by a show of hands to end their strike and go back to work."

・"I like movies that smell real, that blur the line between art and life."
虚と実の境をぼかす

・"I thought that maybe if I played that part, that it would show, in some subconscious way, a level of forgiveness."
無意識に

・Without experience you can't get a job, and without a job you can't get experience. This is a typical catch-22 situation.
catch-22 : 米国の小説家 J. Heller の作品 Catch-22 から出てきた単語。空軍部隊の軍規で『狂気ならば戦闘は免除されるが、狂気だから戦闘に行きたくないと申し出ると正気とみなされる』というもので、そこから『にっちもさっちもいかない状態』『どうもがいても解決策が見つからないジレンマ（板挟み状態）』という意味になった。

・Things come to a head as the Full Moon stirs up your financial affairs.
危機に陥る

・Then along came healthy eating, organic food and fair trade products ― too many decisions, too many choices.
healthy eating came along の倒置　（come along : ～が到来する）

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

Shining and clear though today is, I also feel as though something invisible is squeezing my head.
After several dozen days' struggle with it, I finally decided not to push myself too much and to go on my learning English at my own pace, taking adequate rest, at least until my dosage is reduced.
Take it easy.   :D

た・・、太陽が眩しいわ・・・
ダメかな～？　せめて薬の量が減るまで無理しない方がいいかしらん。
『いいかしらん』って、もう無理しないって決めちゃったけど。~(=^‥^A

余談♪
連載が終わってしまった Roald Dahl の連載（毎日ウィークリー）では、"Man from the South"、"Skin"、"The Way up to Heaven" の３つの短編小説を読むことができましたが、"The Way up to Heaven" が一番恐かった～！！
最初の２作品も、多少予想しつつもラストで『ひぇ～！』と叫びたくなる作品でしたが、"The Way up to Heaven" は、旦那様方は一読しておいた方がいいかも。
いや、しない方がいいかも・・・。 ~(=^‥^A
Roald Dahl は長編、少なくとも私が唯一読んだ "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" よりも、短編の方が読み応えがありました。
・・・私はね。

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眠たいの・・・

I have no idea what to do for my English learning.
No, I was planning how to learn through the reference books I'd already bought long before: FOREST, 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English, etc...
However, I feel sleepy every time I open one of those books, so sleepy that I think it's almost impossible for me to concentrate on and to take in what I read.
As the result, I haven't done almost nothing ever since finishing Harry Potte and the Order of the Phoenix.
I felt sleepy and heavy in the head while reading the last part of it, but it was not as bad as I feel now, and my feeling of wanting to read more encouraged me so much.
Will it be better if I take an adequate rest, or will it make no difference because it's due to my medicine having been increased the dosage of?
I wonder how those who learn English by using reference books or text books can continue their learning style.

By the way, the author of the serial novel in the Mainichi Weekly is changed from Roald Dahl to O. Henry.
The first novel being serializing is The Green Door; have you ever read it?
As interesting as easy to read, and his writing seems to me something ... cool.
For instance:

In the big city of New York, Romance and Adventure are always waiting.  As we walk along the streets, they are watching us.  We look up suddenly and see a face in a window. The face seems to interest us strangely. Or in a quiet street we hear a cry of fear and pain coming from a house where no one lives.  A cab takes us to a strange door, instead of to our own.  The door opens, and we are asked to enter.  At every corner, eyes look toward us, or hands are raised, or fingers point.  Adventure is offered.

Cool, isn't it?  (^^)

うっ・・・、久々の日記だというのに、とってもテキトーな内容になってしまった。
でもまぁ、いつものことだけど。 (^^;
それにしても参考書や問題集ばかりで英語の勉強をずーーーっと続けている人をたまに見かけますが、彼らってスゴすぎ。
飽きないのかしら？　眠くならないのかしら？
要点や間違いやすい所が、わかりやすく＆まとめて載っているから、上手に使いたいと思うんだけど、どうも私自身に問題があるようです。(--;

結局、土・日はほとんど何もせずに、ドライブ三昧。
しかも車の中ではほとんど寝てたし。＞私　σ(^_^;
私にとって車は揺りかごと同意です。

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今日のメモ-Phineasで締める-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・He felt several hairs part company with his scalp.
～と別れる、たもとを分かつ、etc

・'They would much rather be tragically misunderstood, wallow in self-pity, stew in their own ―'
stew in one's own juice : 自業自得で苦しむ

・'If you don't ― if you keep me in here ― if you don't let me ―' [, said Harry.]  'By all means continue destroying my possessions,' said Dumbledore serenely.
いかなる手段を用いても

・'For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age.'
～に関しては

・'Why I had not so much as looked at you for months?' [asked Dumbledore.]
～さえしない、～すらない

・'He was bound by the enchantments of his kind, which is to say that he could not disobey a direct order from his master, Sirius. But he gave Narcissa information of the sort that is very valuable to Voldemort, yet must have seemed much too trivial for Sirius to think of banning him from repeating it.'
which is to say : つまり
repeat : （ここでは）（人の話・秘密など）を人に伝える、他言する

・He had no business being weak when Harry wanted to rage and storm at him.
～する権利がない、～してはいけない

・You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despise, and which he has always, therefore, underestimated ― to his cost.
自分の苦い経験から、自分で犠牲を払って

・'He has insisted over the past year that You-Know-Who is not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but is recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempts to seize power.
（文全体を先行詞として）それは～であるが、～として

　　　　　　　　　　- from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (UK) -

When I started reading Harry Potter series in English, I'd felt I was stuck in a sort of slump in my English learning.
I think, however, I was able to change my negative thoughts about English to a little more positive ones, I mean, it's not what should be considered something difficult, but what we should take easy ― what we should use at ease, writing or speaking the way we feel.
Of course, I know well I need a certain amount of knowledge about it to do so.
If there's only thing I can say, it's that Harry Potter series is the most effective, wonderful teacher for me to learn English.

And the most, no, one of my most impressive phrases is this:

Harry turned his head in time to see Phineas marching out of his portrait and knew that he had gone to visit his other painting in Grimmauld Place. He would walk, parhaps, from portrait to portrait, calling for Sirius through the house...

　　　　　　　　　- from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (UK) -

Phineas has a haughty mouth, but I think is a tender man at heart, probably so tender as to be easily bruised.

Phineas の名前を聞いて思い出すのは、最終巻で Hermione に an unceremonious good-bye をされては、数日間ふてくされていたこと。
"unceremonious" って『儀式張らない』『不作法な』という意味ですが、（そういうニュアンスはないのかもしれないけど）惜しまれながら、かつ少しは盛大に（熱烈に）サヨナラを言ってもらいたがっている頑固爺・Phineas のイメージが頭に浮かんで、毎回笑ってしまいます。　(^m^*)
私にとっては、可愛い、愛すべきオヤジ様です。 =＾-＾=

それにしても、ハリ・ポタ最後の感想を、まさか Phineas で締めることになるとは思わなかったわ・・・。 ~(=^‥^A

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ハリ・ポタ全巻読破～♪

Listen!  I've finally finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!!
It means I managed to read through all of the Harry Potter series, struggling with numerous words I hadn't known, and drowsiness hard to ignore day after day, and that I undoubtedly got through one million words set as a sort of the first goal for English learners trying to read as many books as possible to achieve.
One million words!!  Well done, Me!!

Though it took me about a month which is much longer than I had expected when I had started to read the fifth volume of it, I feel now so happy and satisfied with my having read it to the last.
And at the same time, I can't help feeling so sorry for Harry and HIM after I read the chapter thirty-five "Beyond the Veil."
I couldn't stop something hot in my heart from coming up to my throat and behind my eyes some times.
So sad as to wonder if there's any point in killing him, especially in the book for children, when I first read the Japanese edition of it years ago.
I guess, however, there is in the sense of the ideal relationship between two or more different species now that I've finished all volumes.
At least, in the sense that wars are just what claim many irreplaceable lives meaninglessly, unnecessarily and mercilessly like that, though whether or not it's suitable for children is another matter.

Anyway, it's over!!
It took me so long to read through all of it, indeed more than seven months, even if considering the fact that I read another books between them.
My quest with Harry, Ron, Hermione and all the other characters, however, was all the more thrilling and wonderful for its occasional but hard-to-subside twinges and the jokes having made me smile each time I came across it, and I'll never forget it!
Bye, until we meet again.   Love. 

終わったーーー！！
辞書のひきすぎで、左手が腱鞘炎になるかと思うほどの未知の単語の数々と、そして怒濤の如く押し寄せる睡魔と闘いながらも、約７ヶ月かけてようやくハリ・ポタ・シリーズ完全読破☆
辛かったわ・・・・。
でもそれ以上に楽しかったし、一度日本語版で読んだ作品も毎日が新しい発見の連続で、そりゃもう大満足です♪

あ、１つだけ。
５巻をまだ読んでいない人は読み飛ばしてくださいね。

例の『予言』。
日本語版ではどうなってましたっけ？
とにかく、英語版の大事なところだけ・・・

either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...

mixiに『英語でハリ・ポタを読もう』という趣旨のコミュがあるんですが、そこを見て初めて知ったんですが 、 "either" って『２人のうちどちらか１人』という意味と、『２人のうち両方とも』という２つの意味があったんですね。
つまり、↑の予言でハッキリしているのは、『Harry と Voldemort の２人が共に生き残ることはない』ということだけ。
どちらか一方だけが生き残るか、２人とも死んでしまうか・・・。

７巻を読みながら、『死ぬのはどちらか一方じゃなかったの？』と、何度か疑問に思っていたので、これを知ってとてもスッキリしたのを覚えています。
日本語版ではどうなっているんでしょうね？

まぁ、とにかく私の長～～～い魔法の世界の旅はひとまず終わり。
ハリ・ポタ全巻で100万語以上よ！
長いわよ、そりゃ。
明日からは、残念ながらしばらく読書を離れないといけないかも。
１～２ヶ月だけ、面白味に欠ける実に勉強らしい勉強法に切り替えます。
・・・たぶんね。
誘惑に負けて、結局読書に走ってしまうかも。

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今日のメモ-頭・春爛漫-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Phonetic Alphabet : 音標文字
"NATO phonetic alphabet"/ "spelling alphabet" とも言う。
無線等の際、A を Alpha, B を Bravo, C を Charlie というように曖昧性を排除するためにアルファベットの文字を独特の呼び方で呼ぶ

A:Alpha  B:Bravo  C:Charlie  D:Delta  E:Echo  F:Foxtrot  G:Golf  H:Hotel  I:India  J:Juliet  K:Kilo  L:Lima  M:Mike  N:November  O:Oscar  P:Papa  Q:Quebec  R:Romeo  S:Sierra  T:Tango  U:Uniform  V:Victor  W:Whiskey  X:X-ray  Y:Yankee  Z:Zulu

ex1. "It's Takada, Taka-Da. D as in Delta."
～にあるように。
ex2. "I'm sakuya. Sierra-Alpha-Kilo-Uniform-Yankee-Alpha."

・Time to take care of them with lashings of love as you show them how much they mean to you.
愛のムチ

・This one, directed byMark Waters (The House of Yes, Freaky Friday), doesn't skip a beat before its truly horrific moments, so if you're under 8 or 9 years old, don't say you weren't warned.
ドキッとする間もない

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

・Ron had the grace to look ashamed of himself.
いさぎよく～する、～するだけの礼儀をわきまえている、～する品位を持ち合わせている

・It was a fine, clear day; Ron could not wish for better, and Harry found himself hoping against hope that Ron would not give the Slytherins cause for more rousing choruses of 'Weasley is our King.'
見込みはないが希望を持ち続ける、万一を頼む

・'Kept 'emselves to 'emselves, bu' always turned up if I wanted a word.'
keep oneself to oneself : 人との関わり合いを持たずにひっそりと暮らす

・'Course, he covers the ground pretty well when he wants ter, but he kep' wantin' ter go back.'
cover much (/a lot of) ground : 長距離を進む、仕事などがはかどる

・'Always assuming, of course, we can get past the herd of murderous centaurs on the way in and out!'
～ならば、～と仮定して

cf1. suppose (/supposing), providing, provided : もし～ならば（条件を表す）
cf2. giving (that) : ～と仮定すると、～を前提として、～をかんがみて

・Nobody was foolish enough to snap back, so she was unable to vent her spleen any of them and was reduced to telling off some first-years for giggling too loudly in the common room.
～に怒りをぶちまける

・He had a stab at question five (How was the Statute of Secrecy breached in 1749 and what measures were introduced to prevent a recurrence?) but had a nagging suspicion that he had missed several important points; he had a feeling vampires had come into the story somewhere.
ちょっと試しにやってみる

・Harry found his voice was shaking, as were his knees.
(関係代名詞としての "as"）～もまたそうである

ex. The trafic out of Bristol is heavy, as is the travel to Bristol.
ブリストルを出る道路は混んでおり、戻ってくる道もまた渋滞している。（from Obunsh's Comprehensive English-Japanese Dictionary)

　　　　　　　　　　- from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -

In my head, cherry blossoms are still in full bloom, baby pink petals fluttering down without cease, which means I did almost nothing at all yesterday again.
The heaviness of my head is also still keeping me from taking in any words I read.
I have to read not less than 116 pages.
How many days will it take me to finish it?
I want to sleep all day long!!  :'(

言い訳するなんて恥ずかしい。
常日頃、自分に言い聞かせている言葉だというのに、日増しに増える言い訳の数々をまた言い訳せずにはおれないなんて、重症かもしれない。
春の陽気だけではないこの眠気と頭重感。
そこに『頭・春爛漫状態』とくればもう、野原に寝っ転がって、よだれでも垂らしながら寝るしかない。

・・・しないけどね。

まぁ、無理はせずにできる範囲でやりましょうか。
Harry君達は、恐ろしいほどスローテンポで（これは半分は私のせい）、かつ着実にクライマックスへと向かっております。

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世の中に絶えて桜のなかりせば

I went to the nearby park known for its many cherry trees only, it's sad to say, though, within our living area, and enjoyed viewing cherry blossoms in full bloom, eating delicious and many kinds of box dinner for cherry blossom viewing, and drinking nice cold beer and sake.
I was still not good in shape, but the fantastic beauty of the cherry blossoms lit by the reddish light from the Japanese lanterns made me forget the heaviness of my head.
So beautiful that it made me feel close to tears, and reminded me of my affection for my country: Japan.
Yes, I love Japan!
I don't know well whether or not other countries have this sort of custom, relishing the beauty of flowers while eating and drinking; I'm sure, however, this Japanese astonishingly longstanding custom of cherry blossom viewing is one of what we should be proud of.
But at the same time, it's shame that there are some people who can't care about the others trying to enjoy the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms as well.

One man's fault is another's lesson.

That's right.
All I should do is learn through other's, and maybe my own too, behavior or mistakes.

I decided today's song in heavy rotation at my room is Tojin-Monogatari, the beautiful and sad song from Southern All Stars' album Sakura, sung by Hara Yuko, and depicting the tragic fate of a woman having lived at the period of Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan.

英語学習者に広く名を轟かせる『英辞郎』君によると、『お弁当』は "a box lunch" なんだとか。
では夜に食べるお弁当は "a box dinner" なのかと問うてみても、貝のように答えることを拒否するばかり。
むむぅ・・・、致し方ない。
夜に食べるお弁当は "a box dinner" だと（勝手に）決めさせていただきます。

私の家から少し歩いたところに、季節の木々や花々を楽しめる（私の居住区限定で）人気の公園があり、言わずもがな、この季節には見事に咲き誇った桜の花を愛でる人達で、昼も夜も大にぎわいです。
『桜吹雪』とはいきませんでしたが、絶えず舞い落ちる花びらに酔いしれながら飲むお酒の美味しいこと。
濁音だらけの大声で騒ぎ踊る（？）会社員どもがいなければ、もっと素敵だったろうな～・・・。
毎年、桜の時期になると言われる、いわゆる『マナー違反』の数々がなければ、私にとっては世界無形遺産としてUNESCOに登録申請したいぐらいの伝統（？）行事なのに。
・・・マナー違反がなくても、それは無理かしらん？
在原業平さんも詠っている。

世の中に　絶えて桜の　なかりせば
　　　　　  　春のこころは　のどけからまし

木の芽時には、多かれ少なかれ、頭の中が常日頃の回転軸から逸れてしまうものです。
（在原業平さんの言う『春のこころ』は、『桜まだか、散りはしまいか』と、思い煩わずにおれない気持ちのことですが・・・）
まぁ、いずれにせよ、『人の振り見て我が振り直せ』。
・・・はい、気を付けます。　（← 心当たり大アリだわ）

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今日のメモ-悪くない-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Japan and Canada are both countries with large ecological footprints per capita.
ecological footprint : 生態学的足跡（人間が生活する上で消費する自然資源を土地の面積に換算した指標）
per capita: 一人あたり

・When I travel to Japan, I am always so stunned by the traditional aesthetic of nature appreciation.
aesthetic: 審美眼、美学、美学的思想
nature appreciation : 自然観

・It takes about one and a half hours to drive to Niagara Falls from Toronto Pearson International Airport.
「滝」は普通は "a waterfall" ですが、固有名詞の場合は "falls" を用いるのが普通。"falls" と複数形ですが単数扱い。

・In retrospect, I don't think it was the right choice," he admits.
振り返ってみて

・Then on the second day of rehearsals, they did a scene and Fuji got it just right. "He hit the nail on the head," says Gagnon.
要領を得る

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・'Ah,' said Dumbledore gently, 'yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag.'
hit a snag : 思わぬ障害にぶつかる

・'Don't Stun them, Filch!' shouted Umbridge angrily, for all the world as though it had been his incantation.
全く、あらゆる点で

・'Only thing is, we used our whole stock; we're going to have to start again from scratch now.'
出発点から、全くの最初から、無から

・Harry tried to make a case for Snape having deserved what he had suffered at James's hands: but hadn't Lily asked, 'What's he done to you?'
言い訳を弁じる、訴える

・Pulling out her wand, she hurried off in the opposite direction: it was now or never.
今こそ絶好の機会だ

・'And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts, and James ― whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry ― always hated the Dark Arts.'
～に没頭して、夢中になって

　　　　　　　　　　- from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -

So sleepy!  Can somebody, anybody, help me?!
I don't know if this is all because of my prescription having been increased its dosage since mid-March.
I can't help hoping I can have my dosage decreased as soon as possible!

There are some annoying things these days, but I came across a really compassionate man, though, unfortunately (lol), he might not seem so, judging from his writing style. (^m^*)
I think you-know-who is really happy, and it's just pity that you-know-who might not have noticed at all he has that wonderful fan who tells him off and is waiting for his comeback from his heart.

私はあの事件以来、“彼”には愛想を尽かした、どちらかというと薄情な人間だと自認していますが、今でも変わらず応援し続け、本気で叱ることのできる人がいるんだとわかったことは、悪い気はしない。
うん。　なんか『まだまだ捨てたもんじゃないな』って思える。
・・・応援し続けている人がね。
思いが伝わらないのって、何度経験しても辛いもんですね・・・。

で、今日のお気に入りのフレーズ。
チョット長め。
『赤毛のアン（Anne of Green Gables）』第１巻のAnneの言葉。（毎日ウィークリー掲載記事から）

"When I left Queen's my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road.  I thought I could see along it for many a milestone.  Now there is a bend in it.  I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does."

　　　　　　　　　　- from the excerpt from Anne of Green Gables printed on the Mainichi Weekly -

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SHAME！

As I wrote in the other day's entries, Takashi Omori, a former member of Souther All Stars, announced his willingness to want to play on the band's 30th anniversary event, which is supposed to be held this year, on his blog on March 21st, despite his being still on probation for possession of illegal drugs ― marijuana and a large amount of stimulant drugs.
At that point I thought my resentment and disbelief at him had gone far beyond the bounds, and that I couldn't feel more anger towards him than I did at that time, but apparently I was wrong.

Flash Exciting, the magazine which carries an interview written about his bald.., oh, sorry, BOLD wish to get back in the band, hit bookstores yesterday.
This is the last straw for me...
I guess you can't stand to read it as I can't.
It's big surprise that he was able to tell such absurd things in it as though he hadn't committed any crime in his past.
Doesn't he have any efficient staff who can give him advice about what to do, or friends or fans who sincerely tell him off?
PATHETIC!!

The only consolation to me of what's written on this filthy article is that Keisuke Kuwata, according to what Omori said in this interview, hasn't answered his phone call, and that Omori hasn't got any offer for the event from Southern All Stars' talent agency: Amuse Inc.
It's natural!
That's just what I think Keisuke Kuwata I love should do.

ふっ。　『見下げ果てる』とはこのことかしら？
『もう彼のことで一喜一憂、もとい、一“怒”一憂するのには疲れたわ』と、思うことにも疲れたわ！！
馬鹿な行為をしてしまうことは誰にだってあるので、その行為の反省と償いは求めても、人間性まで云々したりはしません。
でも、ここまでくると、もはや人間性の問題なんじゃ・・・？
そう思う私って性格悪い？　ねぇ、最低？

女性にとっては触れるのも嫌な雑誌なので、ネット上での情報ででしか確認できませんが、非道すぎる！
とりあえず、“彼”の恥知らずなブログはこちら。
覚醒剤と大麻で起訴され、執行猶予中の身でありながら、謝罪もなくこの発言。
ブログだけならまだしも、あの雑誌発売ときたらもう、リンクしちゃる。
SHAME ON YOU!!　

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