A Happy New Year 2016 and a greeting comment

A happy new year !

Long time no see.
I don't mean I forget to post a new article.
After the last posting in September, I was kind of busy.

BTW, it's already 2016!
Drinking alcohol, I cannot sleep for a while.

I do not drink so much.
And something came up in my mind.

Last year, I mean 2015, was great because I managed to achieve TOEIC score 925 and TOEFLibt score 94.
For my age, I feel it is late to study English. But I am sort of compelled to study English.
In the status quo, I do not feel I use English perfectly very much.

Needless to say, everyone knows or says studying English is very important.
I agree with them about that.

People from other countries really would like to know what we think and how we think about something.
So, we had better to communicate with them.

Oh, you cannot find how?

Ta-da! There is English.

English is a tool for expression of opinion.
Yes, English it self is just a tool.

That you can use English is important and moreover, that you show your opinion is critical.
Half smiling and saying nothing are worst kind of all.


I know Many of Japanese are poor at insisting their opinion, so am I.
But if you don't say nothing, people around there consider you as a person who have no opinion.

Whether you use English correctly or not does not matter.

In my experience, Europeans often use English incorrectly.
So, we do not need to feel the notion be that shame, anxious.

In addition to that, using makes us feel we have to study more.

Even if you think like "English? Been there, done that.", do not hesitate to study.
As I mentioned above, we do not have to be a master of English.
Making mistake? What's wrong with it? Does it matter?

Take the plunge and begin to study!


Finally, my new year resolution.
・study for SAT accordingly
・read a book "the CELL"
・get TOEFLibt score any higher

Oops, it's about the time to pay my first visit to shrine!

bye-bye

To reinforce my English skills is required.

Hello, I had a TOEFL ibt test today.

I have a bad feeling about the result.
Actually. my best score is 87. I want to achieve obtain 92 and more.

However, I think it is difficult unlike that the numeral gap between 87 and 92 shows.

So, I have to gear up for my dream.

By the way, I am reading last week "the Economist".

The cover title is "The great fall of China".
Like showing everybody's concern, the stock price kept fluctuating this week.

"Fluctuate" means changing continually.

By the way, this magazine has a lot to read for Japanese.
Different appreciation of the Pacific War, what economic confusion brought about to Venezuela, Japanese monetary policy, and of course refugees from Middle East.


I believe that social and political stability are brought about only by achieving economical stability.
So, I understand why governments try to appeal economy development and that is why we have to look carefully in the numeral announced by them.

I dare not mention which country.

Speaking of which I came into an interesting expression among the article about Japanese monetary policy.

That is " CORE Blimey" which is a caption of a graph showing sudden down of Japanese Core.

Core indicate increasing and decreasing the prices of selected goods in 1 country.

I do not why, but Japanese central bank has somehow become eager to raise the Core 2% for last 3 years.

Leaving the monetary policy of Japan aside, back to the expression.

For the first time I found it, I became totally blanked because I do not understand the meaning at all.
Though I look up it on the Internet, I could not find the definition fixing the expression.

However, I reached a phrase finally.

That is "Cor blimey"which expresses surprise of a speaker.

And I got it.
Core Blimey is a pun between itself and Cor blimey.


Originally the phrase Cor blimey is derived from "God blind me" expressing surprise like when one sees something which he/she should not see.

That is, the graph in the article is so shocking that government officials should not see.

English is a kind of living thing. So, reading magazines is important and I need to keep my memory renewing.

Bye!

people seeking resting-place

Hello,

I was shocked today morning just because German extremists had burned refugees' shelter.
Last year , the United Nations had announced the number of refugees had reached the highest level since the end of the WW2.

Refugees are displaced from their homeland by violence, armed conflicts, and natural disasters.
Asylum seekers are rushing to the developed countries for their life.

I am very concerned with the matter of refugees because of the environment of world politics.
10 years ago, Syria was not in civil war.
Despite taking into account the dictatorship of Assad regime, Syrian people might live there peacefully, and should go to schools without fears of killing.

I never know what will happen tomorrow.
Now that taking something for granted is difficult today, even in today's Japan, today's peace will be torn apart by sudden violence, or unprecedented disasters.

Those formidable changes knock, or challenge our law-abiding society.
Violent ways easily win over pacifism and destroy lives in a way they never want.

If so, how can we get over?

The answer is to unite and to gather and to show our wisdom.


Unfortunately, Japan is notoriously know as a country which refuse accepting many refugees.
Some people might say it is kind of NIMBY.

But as a Japanese, I understand the concern of the our government.

We are utterly unprepared for that.
Mainly because we do not have the culture to understand foreign culture and may force foreigners to accept our way of doing something,

For doing the duty as a member of international community, the time has come.
We need to be prepared before it's too late.
Luckily, we still have time though clocks are ticking.

You know, there is a quote " Better late than never".

Don't turn blind eyes.
That may not be the best, but must make the better.

Assemble the men!

Money money money

Hello,

For a last couple of days, news programmes referred to a movement of the stock market.

They said stock prices fell drastically and were concerned with the global economy.

The meaning of the word "fall" is needless to say, but this is a good opportunity to obtain the knowledge of synonyms.

a group of meaning down
decline, descend, drop, fall, plunge, plummet

Those word above are frequently mentioned in economic news.


On the contrary, a group of up, opposite to down is like below
ascend, rise, soar, skyrocket, lift

"Skyrocket" is a kind of similar expression of a Japanese word "うなぎ上り”.

There are more word which mean relating to up or down than I exemplified above.


Speaking of a stock market, the word "volatility" is frequently used.

"Volatility" is a noun word and indicates the situation not being stable like other words "erratic","elastic","unstable","buoyant".

I know only a little of English word and I need to study more.

Bye!

Case closed

Hello,

I'm reading a English-version Japanese comic "Case Closed" in these days.
The title "Case Closed" is known as 名探偵コナン in Japan.
The comic is written in English.

The reason why I have started reading it because I have been tired of reading long English sentences such in novels.
I have read 2 Case Closed comics.

A concern of its readers is who Konan Edogawa is.

By any chance, are there anyone thinking Jimmy Kudo is him?
No way. I must not think so. You may want to think as I do. lol
It's illogical that a adult body shrinks to a child one.


Speaking of which, comics are very good materials for learners because they show us simple and clear paintings and phrases.

I recommend that learners use comics or games to understand something in being tired of reading difficult books.
That must be a good stress relief.

Peace out!!




"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth, my dear".

The fog of war

Today, it is of course Sunday.
I have watched a documentary "the fog of war".

The story advances as an interview of Mr.McNamara, former secretary of defense of The U.S.

He talked about his life, the WW2, the Ford company, the Cuban missile crisis, and the Vietnam war.

There are much I don't know about the WW2 and the Vietnam war.

I quote the most impressed phrase from the movie.
" We and you ought not pull on the ends of the rope, which you have tied the knots of war.
Because the more the two of us pull, the tighter the knot will be tied.
And then it will be necessary to cut that knot, and what that would mean is not for me to explain to you."

It was actually written in a letter from Khrushchev who was the Soviet leader at that time.

That means we have to compromise before passing the point we can revoke the decision.
Or, we ought not to sow the seed of war or conflict unnecessarily.

After the end of cold war, big powers have lost the influence drastically.
The era of ethnicity has begun and people are driven by anger.
Incompetent leaders use the foreign government to distract national dissatisfaction.
And people gather hatred toward minorities.
Rationality is no more.

The term "the fog of war"originally indicates the confusing situations that none of military commanders can fully understand the situation in spite of having all advanced technologies.

No one can never control wars and conflicts.
With all justice that we introduce to the logic of war, justice itself do nothing to the enemy.
People pulling the trigger of guns do.

If some powers do war under the name of justice, they must show the mercy.
Without mercy any actions with armed power are considered as "violence".

By the way, a word"ought" means not only indicating the duty or responsibility to ST, but also means 0 and any.
Zero is written ought or aught in another way.
Like," we haven't learned aught else but baseball".


Peace out!

Don't be stingy

Hi,

I stay up late and I don't know why.

Surely not, I want to stay up late.

So, I write something to keep in my mind.

1) I'll be damned!

This phrase indicates surprise of a speaker.

2)Don't be stingy.

= Be generous.
Stingy person does not spend money even for what he or she needs to pay.

3) In doing ST, I ....

=when I do ST

4) On doing ST, I OR Upon doing ST

= As soon as I do, The moment I do, The instant I do

The word "generous" reminds me of when I was in the U.S..
The rich sometimes need to give or share their wealth for the needy.

Thinking of something imbecile, I long for the proper fatigue to fall asleep.


Bye-bye

Kind of confusing

Hello!

I am still watching X-files and coming across a word" quarry".

I think it is a characteristic that English words have many meanings and it is unlike Japanese words.

The noun word "quarry " means the place extracting stones, the aimed animal (prey) , the source of something(fount), and the aimed object by hostile entities(target).

The verb word "quarry" means to mine, to dig up, and to search something with great effort,

So, I can make the confusing sentence like below.

Police have quarried a quarry in quarry while miners, the quarry of the knowledge of minerals have quarried limestone there.

I sure do not understand what I try to say...


BYE !

A situation that we had never imagined.

Hello,

Today I stopped by a book store, Kinokuniya, and found a book.

The title is Fukushima.

This book described the nuclear power plant incident on march 11th in English by a foreign author.

The matter of nuclear power plant is still controversial in Japan.
We desperately need the electricity, but the attempt to utilize renewable energy is still in the air.
No one suppose we can do without nuclear energy at all.

After 3.11 many Japanese elite seemed to like to, or they were forced to, say a phrase" A situation that we had never imagined".

How can I interpret this phrase? I don't know.

Last week, one of nuclear power plants in Japan resumed operation.
Still we have a lot to be done like where we place a nuclear waste disposable facility.

By the way, Kinokuniya book store will hold foreign book fair through this Sunday.

If you have an interest, you should go.
I plan to come by at there again.

Bye~

Apology is not policy.

Hello,

Today marks the 70th anniversary of that the Empire Japan announced they had accepted surrender.

Yesterday PM delivered speech about Japanese war-time wrongdoing.

This still is a very controversial issue today's Japan.

The WW2 or pacific war had left many issues like forced labor, disobedience of the international POW treatment treaty, and so on.
Even in Japan, some issues are unsettled, I think.

As Japanese economy lose the power, some Japanese show the attitude to justify wrongdoings that the Empire Japan had done in occupied countries.
But those insists are degrading that Japanese contribution to the world after WW2.
I remorse or regret those meaningless act of extremists.

Yesterday, PM declared he consider democracy, liberty, and human rights as important things.
In a meanwhile, the draft of new Japanese constitution written by his party, LDP, clearly say that human lights and civil liberty are bestowed only by the government and it indicated to be allowed the restriction of those by the government's own arbitrariness.

Restrictions of human rights and civil liberty had been ruled in the constitution of the Empire of Japan.
It has me think about what the government wants to do.

The tendency of the Japanese to politics must be changed as they do not show the interest at all.

I still believe Today's speech and speeches which have been delivered by PMs in the past distinguish between Japan and other countries in terms of that Japanese government has promised it uses wars and armed conflicts to solve international matters by no means.

When it comes to foreign affairs, Japan has not handled well.

But, I hope many Japanese can help needy people in the world and can impress the world with splendid ideals.

Peace out!