Howard Stern

Nobody in Japan would care about this news itself, but the bolded phrases might be unfamiliar with Japanese and should be learned. I 've seen this guy a couple of times on TV.

Quoted from Yahoo!:

Howard Stern gets hitched

Once avowing to never marry again, Howard Stern ties the
knot with model Beth Ostrosky.

Wa Mu?

I don't have any special knowledge to talk about why Washinton Mutual has collapsed. However, I was very surprised by the news. One of my Japanese friends who lived in California had a bank account of this bank. Also, I had not known the bank is called "Wa Mu" until I read this news through the internet.

Workstation

In the United States, your workstation is usually a cubicle.

In Japan, your desk is connected to your colleagues' desks. It may be good for all the employees to be cooperative. You cannot concentrate on your own desk work, though.

makeup and retake

A makeup (test/exam) is a test taken in school because you were not able to take a previous test. But, I wondered how you call an exam that you take again because you failed it the first time.

My American colleague told me that it should be called a "retake." He also said, though, "it's very rare." In Japan, it's not uncommon. I have taken a retake a couple of times. And one of my Japanese colleagues said she had taken many times.

I think that this difference comes from that of term exams between Japan and the states. In Japan, sometimes the mean score of a term exam is around 50 percent. And 75 percent is a very good score at times. However, as you know, 75 percent is C in the states.

Japanese people eat chicken.

I went to KFC to get some chicken. That's what most Japanese people do. I like chicken, so it's not too bad. However, I really miss stuffing. Maybe I will go to some internatinal market to get stuffing and cook it at home.

Better than anybody else

I happend to find this column in the newspaper, which I bought for classified ads. This would be a good reading text for English learners in Japan. It is written in good English and tells you about some characters of American people. I believe that EFL learners ought to read authentic materials like this. They tend to read only passages in workbooks for college entrance exams or the TOEIC test.

Ambitious to a Fault
By Robert J. Samuelson

Thursday, October 18, 2007; A25

A great strength of American society is the drive to succeed -- well, not just to succeed but to do better than anyone else; to be a star, a tycoon, an authority, a power, a celebrity or a leader; to be admired, respected, feared or obeyed more than your peers. It is the belief in these possibilities that motivates countless Americans to strive for excellence, to work hard, and to
search for new discoveries and inventions. As for one of the great weaknesses of American society, see all of the above.

It is an enduring paradox of the American condition. There is a point at which ambition and the determination to succeed, which generally serve us well, turn destructive, corrupting and dishonest. Success becomes its own god. Winning is what matters; the methods or consequences count little or not at all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702117.html?sub=new

American pop culture only for Japanese

When I lived in Missouri, I realized that there's so many things Japanese people don't know in the United States. But, at the same time, I came to know that Americans don't know something about the United States that most Japanese people know. For example, in Japan, everybody who likes mystery novels knows Ellery Queen, an American writer. His name is not that popular in the US. Some old people may have seen the drama series, but few Americans have read "Tragedy of Y," which is a must for Japanese mystery fans.

Also, American writers who are translated into Japanese by Motoyuki Shibata, a guru of translation, aren't read by young American litterary people. Basically, they prefer classics, such as Steinbeck, Twain, Hemingway, and Vonnegut.

It's not a bad thing. Also, most Westerners know much more about classical Japanese than Japanese youngsters.

Although I know Cisco isn't right,...

When I talked with some Japanese in Missouri long time ago, I recognized that they often called San Francisco "San Fran," which I didn't know. I've known that "Frisco" is right. Long time ago, when I went to San Francisco, most Japanese called it Cisco, which isn't used as a contraction for San Francisco. I just checked it out throught the internet, though, and "San Fran" seems right.

One's salary is determined by his and her education background in the states. Hasn't it been criticized in Japan?

Recently, more and more parents want to have their kids go to private schools rather than public schools. I don't know whether they are smart and right, though.

In the United States, those with higher degrees enjoy a widening pay dvantage over those with less education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, wages have increased for the very well educated — while they have either stagnated or decreased for those with less formal education. We take a closer look at the growing wage discrepancy in the United States.

Those who did not complete secondary education earned an average wage in 2005 of $22,374 and represent a 9.9% share of total employment. Their wages decreased 4.6% from 2000 to 2005.

Those who completed secondary education earned an average wage in 2005 of $31,665 and represent a 29.8% share of total employment. Their wages increased 0.2% from 2000 to 2005.

Those with some college education earned an average salary of $38,009 in 2005 and represent 27.9% of total employment. Their wages decreased 2.5% from 2000 to 2005.

College graduates earned an average wage of $56,740 in 2005 and represent 21.1% of total employment. Their wages decreased 3.1% from 2000 to 2005.

Those holding a master's degree earned an average wage of $68,302 in 2005 and represent 7.9% of total employment. Their wages decreased 1.8%from 2000 to 2005.

Those with a Ph.D. earned an average wage of $93,593 in 2005 and represent a 1.5% share of total employment. Their wages increased 2.9%from 2000 to 2005.

Those holding an MBA, JD or MD earned an average wage of $119,343 in 2005 and represent a 1.9% share of total employment. Their wages increased 10.6% from 2000 to 2005.

http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/printStoryId.aspx?StoryId=5963

When I was in high school, there was a lot of international arguement that Japan society places too much importance on one's academic background. However, if you have a look at the article above, American society has the same thing. Once Japan has become one of the most disparate nation in the world, everybody has been looking away from the fact that people who used to criticize the society heavily relying on people's educational backgrounds are pushing their childen to go to good schools.

Students who want to go to good schools will not only study a lot but also try to join sport teams or clubs to make themselves impressive. I don't know whether it is right or wrong either.

Kashiwamochi

Traditionally, the Japanese may have to eat kashiwamochi today. But, I prefer brownie to kashiwamochi.

Japanese people eat Kashiwamochi on May 5th. When Americans eat brownie, who cares. I believe that they eat whenever they want to eat.

Do you wanna hang out with me?

I saw some highschoolers in a video rental store. They were talking about going to a member's house to watch a movie. I was happy to hear their conversation because their life was like that of European teennagers in a good meaning. When I was in high school, the minds of my classmates were always occupied with going to a better college and they did not think about spending time without doing anything productive. Thinking about that kind of stuff make me come up with the English phrasal verb to "hang out," which has given me some memory.　hang out at a bar

The opening song for "That 70s Show" starts, "hanging out..."

When I was teaching Japanese at a high school in Illinois, a student in my classroom came up to me, and said in Japanese, "Can I play around here?"

I had to think for a while to find what was going on in his head. And finally, I understood. He meant, "Can I hang out here." He had to wait until the next class began.

I said, "Yes, but the verb you used was wrong," mimicking the action of to "fool around." "Okay. Then, I would say,...," he said in Japanese, "Can I stay over tonight?"

"No, you can't." I really appreciated his willingness to speak Japanese. But, helping him create a right sentence was a slightly difficult. Finally, he said the right sentence, whose word-for-word translation would be "Can I be here for a while?"


以前，このブログのどこかに書いたことがあるかもしれないが，hang out という句動詞について書く．hang out とは，「時間を取り立てて何もすることなく過ごす」という意味である．

この単語には，想い出がある．イリノイの高校で日本語を教えていたとき，生徒の一人が，日本語で「ここであそんでもいいですか？」と云ってきた．

ここは教室なんだから，サッカーなんか突然されたらどうしよう，と思ったが，考えてみれば，Can I hang out here for a while?「ちょっとここで時間をつぶしていいですか」と云いたいのだと気付いた．アメリカの学校では，休み時間以外に廊下をうろうろしていることは許されない．ガードマンに尋問される．ベルがなるまでどこかの教室にいないといけないのである．

「いいけど，君の云った日本語だとこういう意味だよ」と，部屋の中で遊びまわるしぐさをしながら説明した．すると，彼は，「ここに止まってもいいですか」と日本語で云った．おいおい，とまる気かよ．でも，彼はCan I stay here?　を直訳したのだ．

やっとのことで，彼は，「ここにいてもいいですか」という正しい日本語にたどり着いた．やれやれ．日本語はむずかしいですな．

で，hang out だが，友達と一緒に hang out するというと，ヴィデオとかを部屋で一緒に観たり，テレビゲーム（英語ではvideo game）をしたりすることを指す．今日たまたま，レンタルヴィデオ屋さんで，高校生が「お前の家でこの映画みようぜ」みたいなことを思った．けっこうほほえましく思った．ぼくが高校生のころは，みんな受験勉強に忙しくて，友達と一緒にゆったりとする（社会学者の宮台真司が「まったりする」とかいう動詞を使ってたが，このニュアンスに近い．ぼくはこの言葉を使わないし，いまの人が使うかどうか知らない）ことはあまりなかった．

これを云うとヨーロッパかぶれと云われそうだが，ヨーロッパ人（特に労働者階級）は，大人になっても，仕事よりも，家族とか友人と hang out することを生きることの第一の価値においている．日本にいる稀有のヨーロッパモデルに範を見る経済学者・森永卓郎氏の主張する「幸せな人生」というのもこのことである．

Milton Friedman, who wrote "Free to Choose" stressed the advantages of the marketplace and the disadvantage of goverment invention. He considered himself as classically liberal.

それに較べて，英米型モデルというのは多少きつい面があると思う．仕事における明確な目標設定をし，それに向かってもっとも効率的な努力をする，そして，それがうまくいけば，報酬がもたらされる，というのは仕事が好きであれば楽しそうだが，実際，自分の本当にやりたいことを仕事にできる人はおそらく1割，いや1パーセントもいないのではないか．ぼくは，いまでも英米古典派経済学者のミルトン・フリードマンに一目置いてはいるが，人間の生活はなんでも合理主義（rationalism）で割り切れるものではなく，一見意味のないように見える， hang out することに幸せがある，と考えるヨーロッパ文化に一目置く．アメリカでさえも，ぼくが住んでいた田舎にはそういうような考えで生きている人がほとんどだった気がする．

正直云って，たまに友達と会ったりはするが，hang out というようなのんびりした感じまではまだいっていないような気がする．日本だから仕方ないやとも思うが，やはり，ときどき，さみしく感じる．

Wanna pronounce them like Americans?

以前の投稿に間違いがあったので，訂正する．前の投稿を書き加えてアップデイトするつもりだが，機械になれないのでうっかり削除してしまったので，書き直す．

1) often

2) because

3) either

4) neither

２）については「ビカッズ」である．３）４）は「イーザー」「ニーザー」でもあるが，「アイザー」「ナイザー」と発音する人もいるということだった．間違えたのは，１）で，

often という単語では，中西部では /aftn/ 「アフトゥンもしくは「オフトゥン」と発音されることが多かった．ついでながら，「オー」という母音（/c/ を左右ひっくり返しにした記号）は「ア」 という母音（音声記号がでないが，筆記体の a みたいな記号，hot, father の中の母音）で代用される．more「モアー」のような /r/ の前を除いては．この傾向はアメリカではどんどん強まっている．だから，coffee「カーフィー」, caught 「カート」である．walk「ワーク」とすることに戸惑うかもしれないが，実はカタカナで表記することには限界がある．日本人はwalk「ウォーク」であり， work「ワーク」と決め付けているが，実際の音声からするとむしろ逆じゃないかと思えたりもする．workの母音は，「ァー」のようにあまり口を開けないで口の奥の方で /r/ と一緒になって発音される．そういえば，いつだったかＮＨＫ教育テレビの英語番組をボーッと見ていたら，安良城紅（あらしろべに）ちゃんが talk を「ターク」と綺麗に発音しているのを確認した．アメリカ人っぽく発音したい人は，/r/ の前以外は全部「ア（ー）」にしてみたらどうか．

She pronounced the word "talk" with clear American accent. The vowels in the two words "talk" and "hot" should be pronounced in the same way.

もちろん「オー」でも通じるので，これは個人の好き嫌いの問題である．ただ，イギリス英語をどうしても話したい人意外は，want についてだけは「ウォント」と発音することはお勧めしない．won't 「ウォウント」と間違えられることが多いからだ．これは，やはり「ワント」と発音されるべきだろう．

Being uncool is cool.

Bowling for Soup

Today I bought two CDs at HMV in Shinjuku. I hadn't bought any CD for a long time. What did I buy? One of them are "A Hangover You Don't Deserve" by Bowling for Soup. I often heard their music on MTV, so listening to their music on MTV reminds me of the days in the states.

Their music also entices me into thinking back. It's kind of nostalgic. When I was around 20, I often went to the HMV and bought a bunch of CDs that looked like a cubic when I brought them to the cashier. In those days, Swedish pop music was really in. The Cardigans was one of the coolest bands among us. There's another Swedish band named Cloudberry Jam. They aren't popular any more and I don't know how to get in touch with the friends who recommended me to listen to their music. That's kind of sad..l.

Another reason I kind of like Bowling for Soup is that they don't look cool. Actually they look tacky, but they are cool. When you notice that most of the things and people in this world aren't that cool, it gives me kind of happiness to know that a band like Bowling for Soup is popular.

Is there really no child who's left behind?

In Japan, students rarely have discussion in class.

Some Japanese people simply believe that the US education system is just great without any doubt and that if Japan just changed its education sytem into that in the US, every problem in education would vanish right away. However, in any country, Education sytem has some problems. A blog in the conservative website Townhall.com might give some ideas to such people.

In any country, education is a very important subject.

日本だけでなく，教育はどこの国でも重要な問題である．日本の教育が批判されるたびに，アメリカのそれが引き合いに出されることが多いが，アメリカの教育現場もさまざまな問題をどう処理しようかとまどっていることがわかる．↓は，ある保守的なウェブサイト中のカリフォルニア州の教師のブログからの抜粋である．日本語訳もつけたので読んでいただければわかるが，はっきり云えば，「もう落ちこぼれに構うのはやめよう．できる子どもに予算が行き渡らなくなって，全体のレヴェルが下がるから」ということである．ブッシュ政権化に制定された「どの子も置き去りにしない法（＝落ちこぼれ防止法案，No Child Left Behind Act）」によって新たに生じた問題も多い．この記事自体には書かれていないが，この引用の最後に，学校側が何を行なうかというと，標準テストの進歩度を達成するために，スコアに達しそうもない生徒を中途退学に追い込むのである．これは，『現代アメリカのキーワード』（中公新書）にも書いてある．

It is very important to help underperforming students, but...

Quote from a blog of Townhall.com:

“Students learn and achieve more”
This should be the primary goal of education in general and teachers specifically. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that today students are achieving less. Some students do not master even the most basic skills after many years in the classroom. The current trend is to make sure that all students can pass the same test at a level called “proficient.” Making sure that everyone passes a standardized test at this level of proficiency requires that the level considered proficient be very, very low. Furthermore, most of the limited available resources (teachers, money, electives) must then be focused on bringing the lowest students up to proficient. This draws resources away from students already proficient and in search of excellence beyond proficiency. Remedial courses using titles like “review” and “prep”are filled with underperforming students who have been removed from their electives. Some experts believe that this is not the best practice, that students need a reason to come to school beyond the three “r's,” but practical administrators and superintendents are making the changes that they feel are necessary to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act, and those changes are seeing test scores improve.
http://calteacherblog.townhall.com/

Japanese translation by OUTRAGEOUS2007:
「生徒がもっとたくさん勉強し，身につける」このことは，概して教育の主たる目標であり，とりわけ教師の目標であるべきなんです．残念ながら，現在，子供が身につけるものはどんどん少なくなっているのではないかと私は思います．何年も学校に通っているにもかかわらず，初歩の学力さえ身についていない子供もいます．現在の教育においては，すべての子供が標準試験で「習得」基準を満たすようにすることが主流になっています．みんながこのレヴェルの習得度で試験を通過するには，習得されるとみなす基準を非常に低くしなければなりません．さらに，限られた資源（教師，予算，選択クラス）を下位にいる生徒を習得するまでに引き上げることに集中させなければいけません．これによって，すでに習得した生徒でより高いレヴェルに行きたい人に資源は行き渡らなくなります．「復習」「準備」という名の補修クラスは，選択クラスを外された成績の悪い生徒でいっぱいです．専門家の中には，これはいい方法とはいえない，生徒は，「３つのＲ」以外に学校に来る理由がなくてはいけない，しかし，現実的な教頭や校長は，「落ちこぼれ防止法案」へ対応していると感じるように（学校を）変えようとしていて，この変化は試験の点数を上げてはいます．

I didn't mean to go get a suit.

"I didn't mean to go to the sea" is the title of a CD album by the Flipper's Guitar, my favorite music band.
Today, I was hoping to get a haircut. But, before going to go to a barbarshop, I recognized I would need a suit because I'm going to work for a new school next week. I'm not interested in how I look at workplace that much, so I thought it wouldn't take much time to find a very simple navy one with solid. But, I was wrong. Most suits at the stores were so unique. What is going on in Japan? Finally, I was able to find one, but I couldn't get a haircut. Today isn't my day!

近いうち，英語学校で勤務するので，スーツを買いに行った．何年も前に知人の結婚式のために買ったものしかもっていなかった．別に背広の着こなしなどにはほとんど興味がない．スーツにお金をかけるぐらいだったら，私服を買う．できれば，前職のように私服で行きたかったぐらいである．だから，適当に一番安い紺の無地のものを買うつもりだった．しかし，驚くことが起きた．そんなスーツはほとんどないのだ．

ＣＭでおなじみの量販店の他，最近できた若者向けの量販店にも行って見たが，紺で無地のスーツはほとんどない．黒のものがほとんどで，たまにある紺もかなり目立つストライプが入っている．ストライプなんてちょっと前にはホストクラブの人の制服だったのに……．普通の人なら，ここですごすごと商売上手な店員さんの言葉に載せられてそういうスーツを買うかもしれない．皆が着ているみたいだし，それでいいかな，と思って．

A Swedish girl told me that Japanese people are so fashionable. But, I think that they care about how they look too much.

しかし，それはできなかった．ぼくは，他人の目を気にして「失敗のないおしゃれ」ばっかりチェックしていて，それに外れた人を「ダサイ」とか云って笑いつつ，自分は内心ホッとしているような人間にはなりたくない．そんなのは日本人の悪い見本だ．そう考えると，実は，みんなが流行にだまされて黒やグレイやストライプのスーツをしている中，紺のスーツを着るということはものすごく革新的なことなのではないか．古いものが新しくなるということはこういうことではないか，とさえ思えてきた．そこで，意地になって探した結果，紺の無地のスーツはある有名量販店で見つかった．安かったので，よかった，よかった．
Ironically, the more the Japanese try to be westernized, the more their bad characters as the Japanese will stand out.

本当のことを云うと，紺のスーツを選んだのはぼくがひねくれ者だからだけではない．実は，欧米のビジネスマンにとって，紺のスーツに薄いブルーのワイシャツ（英語ではドレスシャツ），赤（ワインレッドまたはえんじのこともある）のネクタイは定番中の定番である．いまでも，厳しいところは，これに黒の靴や靴下なども加わるのではないか．アメリカでは服装を理由に，経営者は従業員を解雇できるのである（http://www.dba-oracle.com/dress_code.htm）．だから，いまからスーツを買う男性のみなさんは，無地の紺のスーツ（シングル，３ツボタンか２ツボタンかは個人の好みでいい）にライトブルーのシャツ，赤のネクタイ（柄は無地がストライプ），黒の靴下をするようにしてみてほしい．不安な人は，白のシャツともう１色ぐらいネクタイを用意してもいいが，それ以上職場のファッションについて考える必要はないのだ．繰り返すが，これは，欧米の一流ビジネスマンの定番スタイルなので，男性用ファッション誌で「イタリア風スーツを着こなし」とかいう記事を追っかけて流行のスーツを着ている周囲の人間を気にする必要はない．あなたは世界基準のファッションとともに服装にとらわれない自由を手にするのである．

Most Western people wear simply. So, if you don't try to wear a fancy suit, your fashion will be more like that of a US or European businessman.

See, that's what I said!

Ezra Vogel, one of the Japanologists in the US (a.k.a. the Japan handlers), say that Japan should not make the relationship with other Asian countries worse. Therefore Abe ministration can't take an agressive attitude any more. I have thought that the Japan should not stir up the tension in Asia, but it is kind of sad that Mr. Abe changed his mind because the US asked him to do so...

Quoted from the Japan Times:

Japan, China must step up high-level talks: Vogel

By SEANA K. MAGEE

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Ezra Vogel, a leading expert on Japan and China, told an audience at the Japan Society recently that both nations should avoid negative steps that impact relations and try to improve bilateral ties despite current challenges.

Bilateral ties hit an all-time low when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made annual visits during his tenure to Yasukuni Shrine.

The visits fueled outcries in China and South Korea. While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took a significant step in visiting Beijing and Seoul immediately after replacing Koizumi, some fear he, too, might choose to visit Yasukuni. "I
think Japan has to stop the prime minister's Yasukuni visit," warned Vogel, a emeritus professor at Harvard. "But from the Chinese, and also the Korean point of view, if the prime minister visits Yasukuni, I think the state of public affairs in those countries is such that there will not be any progress forward."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070306f2.html

If you want to know something about politics and international relations, Foreign Affairs is a must.

I have been afraid that Hikaru Ohta, a comedian, would be a candidate for governor. If he had done, it would have been the end of the world...
以下は，Foreign Affairs という国際関係専門の雑誌からの引用．サイトからは記事の一部しか読むことができないが，一応，アメリカが安倍首相をどのように考えているかの一部がわかる．ぼくに国際政治を語る能力は残念ながらないが，興味のある人はこの雑誌の記事をコツコツ読むようにして欲しい．番組名は書かないが，ゲストの政治家や学者討論が変な司会者の管理の元に行なわれるやらせ番組を見ても日本と世界の政治がどう動くなんてわからない．実は，ここのゲスト解答者にせよ，日米関係に詳しい（ことになっている）知識人はみんなこれを読んでいるし，この雑誌に書いてある以上のことは（たぶん）云えない．だけど，普通の人はこの雑誌のことはあまり知らない．ほとんどの洋書店に実は置いてあるが，へんな分厚い雑誌が置いてあるぐらいにしか思わない．もし，ＣＮＮがわかって，the Japan Times がすらすら読めるようなレヴェルにある人で，文化やニューズ記事じゃなくて，アメリカの最新政治情報，アメリカの対日政策がわかるようになりたい人は購読してゴリゴリと読むことをお勧めする．誤解のないように書いておくが，ぼくはこの雑誌の出版社とは何の関係もないし，ぼく自身はこの雑誌を読む習慣はない．
In fact, most political philosophers and politicians can't speak English. So, if you can, you will get the power of controlling the government only with your English skills.

How Able Is Abe?
Richard Katz and Peter Ennis
From Foreign Affairs, March/April 2007

Summary: Shinzo Abe has had a tough act to follow since succeeding the charismatic Junichiro Koizumi as Japan's prime minister. Abe has already
shown himself to be adept in the field of foreign affairs, and Tokyo's influence is likely to increase with him at the helm. But it remains uncertain whether he can keep the momentum going on the reforms needed to stave off economic stagnation.

Like Koizumi, Abe understands that Japan's increasingly urban and educated population needs and expects ongoing economic reform. When Koizumi repeatedly warned that there could be no growth without structural reform and sought to marginalize recalcitrant factions of his own ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Abe, in a variety of posts concluding with chief cabinet secretary, stood with him. The two men are also united by a shared understanding that changes in global geopolitics require Japan to modify its relationship with the United States by becoming a more active partner. Tactics aside, both Koizumi and Abe accept that close ties with Washington are critical to dealing with the North Korean nuclear threat.

Underlying the similarities, however, are differences in personality and policy priorities. Koizumi as prime minister was a charismatic, iron-willed maverick and a loner; Abe is a staid and collegial pragmatist who, at the relatively young age of 52, may have a harder time imposing his will on the bureaucracy and the LDP. As prime minister, Koizumi focused on political and economic reform; he defined the latter narrowly, mostly as reducing the state's role in the economy. Abe, on the other hand, seems intent on emphasizing foreign policy and conservative domestic social issues, such as giving Japanese youths a more "patriotic" education.

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070301faessay86206/richard-katz-peter-ennis/how-able-is-abe.html

Do the right thing!

In Indiana, some girls were forced to be out of the sorority because of their cultural backrounds or apperances. In Japan, a book that may increase discrimination against foreigners has been published. It's easy to say "Do the right thing!" It's difficult to see people do the right thing.

Paula Zahn

インディアナ州のソロリティー（女子学生社交グループ）からマイノリティーやスタイルのよくない女性たちが会員取り消しを求められたというニューズは昨日の『ヘラルド朝日』を読んで知っていたが，そんな大きなニューズになるとは考えていなかったが，今朝のＣＮＮで美人アンカーウマンによる番組『ポーラ・ザーン・ナウ』のトップで取り上げられていた．

Sorority evictions anger many at Indiana college
The overweight and
minorities are out

GREENCASTLE, Indiana: When a psychology professor at DePauw University surveyed students, they described one sorority as a group of "daddy's little princesses" and another as "offbeat hippies." The sisters of that sorority, Delta Zeta, were seen as "socially awkward."

Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta's national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to increasing recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.

The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members.

The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women who the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit.

"Virtually everyone who didn't fit a certain sorority member archetype was told to leave," said Kate Holloway, a senior who withdrew from the chapter during its reorganization.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/25/news/sorority.php

日本人の場合，まずこのニューズの意味することがなかなかわからないかもしれない．アメリカの大学では，学生社交クラブというのがある．男性，女性に分かれていて，それぞれ「フラタニティ(Fraternity)」「ソロリティ(Sorority)」という．たいてい，彼らは寮生活を共にして，お互いに「兄弟」「姉妹」の契（ちぎ）りを交わすらしい．

Elle uses her social network to be successful in this movie.

この社交クラブの縦横のつながりの緊密さは就職活動などでものすごい威力を発揮する．ちなみに，ブッシュ大統領と前回の民主党大統領候補だったジョン・ケリー氏はイエイル大学にある『スカル・アンド・ボーンズ』の出身である．Legally Blonde（邦題『プリティ・ブロンド』）という映画を観てもわかるが，女性版社交クラブにいるような女性は，男にとって「クオリティーが高い女」で，誤解を恐れずにはっきり云ってしまえば，アメリカ版「大和撫子（やまとなでしこ）」のような女性であることが多い．ちなみに，こういう女性をAll-American girlと英語ではいう．今回の事件は，有色人種や太っていたソロリティーのメンバーが追い出されたわけである．

追い出された女の子には同情するし，日本にはそんなのはなくてよかったと思うが，日本では男と女も合コン中に「あいつはちょっとクオリティーが低いからダメ」というような品定めをしていることには変わりない．ただ，大学内に建物があるれっきとした組織でそれをしてしまうとまずいということだ．また，特定の人種などを除外するのは，別の問題も出てくる．

Odd Girl Out describes bullies and victims of bullying well.

仲間から除外されるというのは，アメリカでもつらいんだろう．2005年に出たテレビ映画Odd girl outは，一見，ティーン用のコメディーみたいなつくりをしているが，実際はかなり深刻ないじめ問題を扱っている．日本にあるかどうかはわからないが，ＤＶＤ版があればぜひ観てほしい．
Ken "Duke" Kitashiba speaks English.
最後に，昨日，『ジャパンタイムズ』紙で見つけた気になるブックレヴュー（書評）を貼り付ける．これにはちょっとがっかりした．日本人も外国人差別をあからさまに行なっているのかと思った．しかも，よく『平成教育学院』に出ている北森健（きたしば・けん）が原稿を寄せているようだ．彼はこの番組ではなぜかよく英語をしゃべっていた．

ただ，昨日も書いたように，情報はできるだけ表に出すという原則に従うことにする．ぼく自身は，こんな本が出ていることはあまりうれしくはない．

FAMILY MART CANS SALES
Mag on foreigner crimes not racist: editor
By
MASAMI ITO
Staff writer

"Now!! Bad foreigners are devouring Japan," screams the warning, surrounded by gruesome caricatures of foreigners who look like savages, with blood red eyes and evil faces.

This is the cover of Kyogaku no Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu (Shocking Foreigner Crime: the Underground File), a special-edition magazine published by Tokyo-based Eichi that has triggered public outrage and caused Family Mart to call it discriminatory and pull it off the shelves.

The 125-page single edition is about crimes committed by non-Japanese.

The pages are filled with crime stories and photographs of alleged crimes
being committed, drug deals, stabbings, gang fights and arrests -- all of them involving people from a wide range of countries. Some of the nationalities named are Iranian, Chinese, South Korean, Brazilian and Nigerian.

A spokesman for Family Mart, the main distributor, said that two days after the magazine was released at the end of January, it began receiving e-mail complaints.

...Shigeki Saka, editor of the magazine, claimed Eichi did not intend to
discriminate against foreigners but wanted to provide an opportunity for
"discussion" about the issue.

"This book was not originally published for foreign readers," Saka said. "It was to raise the issue (of crimes committed by foreigners) in Japanese society. . . . But I believe the foreigners have the fear that they will be viewed in the same way" as criminals.

Carlo La Porta, whole holds British and Italian citizenship and has lived in Tokyo for 16 years, said he thought the magazine painted foreigners as
criminals.

The magazine "brings a problem into focus without adding perspective to it, and as such implies that foreigners at large commit a lot of crimes," La Porta said.

Although the headline of a feature interview with a former Metropolitan
Police Department investigator, on the magazine cover, says, "In 2007, anyone could be the target of foreigner crime!!" the number of crimes committed by non-Japanese has actually fallen recently.

...Eichi's Saka said he published the book despite the recent decline in crimes, a point the magazine briefly mentions.

"The content (of the magazine) really is not intended to get rid of foreigners nor is it extreme in tone. It is based only on facts," Saka claimed.

"I wanted to talk about the economic situation and environment in Japan that has caused foreigners to commit crimes. But it does contain a little bit of extreme expressions, for commercial purposes."

The magazine contains several articles about the bad conditions many foreigners work under, linking that to criminal activity.

One feature article says poor working conditions in Japan "have caused (foreigners) to build resentment toward Japanese society and, one after another, more people are getting involved in crimes because of the hardships in their lives."

On what are called "entertainment" pages, there are photographs of foreigners and Japanese women embracing on Tokyo streets. One photo of a black man and a Japanese woman has the caption, "Hey nigger!! Don't touch that Japanese woman's ass!!"

Saka said that while he knew the term "nigger" is racist, he reckoned it would have a different nuance written in Japanese. "We used it as street slang, writing it in katakana. But if we had known that we would get such a huge reaction from foreigners, we might have refrained from using it," he figured.

The Japan Times: Friday, Feb. 23, 2007

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/nn20070223f1.html

Freedom of speech, that which we have got to preserve...

この記事は知人のアメリカ人からＥメイルの転送機能で送られたものである．日本人であるぼくに，どういう意図があって送ってきたかは理解に苦しむが，この英文を書いた人とその夫は，多くのアメリカ人に読んで欲しい，と思っているようなので，ご希望を超えて，日本人にも読めるように翻訳をつけて載せることにした．言い訳のようだが，この翻訳はそれほどうまくはない．英語がある程度できる人は原文のほうにも目を通すことをお勧めする．

断わっておくが，ぼくは，この著者の移民やアメリカに対する考えに賛成している訳ではない．しかし，それでも自分のブログに乗せようと思ったのにはいくつか考えがある．

Freedom of speech doesn't exist for putting a picture like this.
まず，第１にぼくは，近代国家において，言論の自由とは何にも増して尊重されなければならないと考えている．言論の自由というのは，いやがる有名人たちを追っかけていってそのプライベート写真をタブロイド紙に載せることではない．複数の意見を載せることで，知的な読者に何が本当に正しいかどうか考える機会を与えるために，存在するのである．ところが，最近では，日本はもちろん，ジャーナリズムが進んでいるはずのアメリカやイギリスでさえ，言論の自由は制限されているようにみえる．たとえば，私たちは，北朝鮮やイランやイラクの人々が何を考えているか知らない．彼らの生の言葉が新聞や雑誌やテレビの報道番組に載ることはほとんどない．イラクや北朝鮮ばかりではない．数年前，オーストリアやデンマークなどで極右政党の動きが注目されたが，日本ではあまりきちんと報道されていなかったように記憶する．受け入れるかどうかは別に，実際，彼らの考えを知ることは大事なことと思うのだが．世の中に人種差別や偏見が満ちていると知ることは悲しい．しかし，そのことに対する認識がなくては，私たちはそれらを減らすことはできないのだ．

第２に，この記事を読むことを通じて，アメリカなどの海外に住んでいる，あるいは住みたいと思っている人たちの中で極めて知的なみなさんに海外に日本人が出ていくということはどういうことなのか考えて欲しいと思った．アメリカに住んでいたころあった日本人の多くが日本の閉鎖性に文句を云いたくなる気持ちはぼくにもわかるが，そのくせ「こんなことは日本ではありえない」とか「アメリカ人にはしょせん日本のことなんてわからない」とか文句を云っているのは相当虫のいい話だな，とも同時に思った．どこに住むにせよ，まったく自分の反省をしないというのも考えものである，と思う．

The quote below was a forwarded message from an American through email. I'm not quite sure why she emailed to a Japanese person like me. However, I decided to put this on this blog with my translation. If you are a native speaker or an advanced learner of the English language, I urge you to read the original.

By the way, I don't agree with her. However, I got it out. Here is my reasons.
Everybody has their different opinion about what their country should be.

First, I believe that freedom of speech is the most important right in a modern country. Why do we need it? For paparazzi. Hell no! Freedom of speech gives people a chance to know different ideas and to consider what is the best among them. However, you hardly can find different ideas in US and UK media as well as that of Japan. For example, you can't know what the people in North Korea, Iran, and Iraq think. Their direct words seldom appear in any newspaper or magazine. Also, when there was a movement of extreme right groups in Austria and Denmark, Japanese media doesn't give enough information to explain this movement. We have got to know their thoughts even if we do not want to agree with them. In fact, it is very sad to know that there is some discrimination or prejudice in this world. But, unless we recognize the facts, we can't make this world better.
Cameron Diaz won the court regarding the picture taken when she was 19.
Second, I want some Japanese people to think about what it is like to live in another country as a Japanese. I have lived in the United States for three years. And some of Japanese people I met up there told me that they had felt frustrated because Japan is a very closed society. I don't disagree with it, but I am kind of surprised that those people criticized the US as well as Japan like, "That would never happen in Japan," or "Americans do not understand what Japanese think!" Well, I would say that it is a bit too selfish to complain all the time regardless of where you live. You have to try to acculturate yourself into the place you belong to.

Note: In Second Language Acquistion, to "acculturate" means to adjust yourself to a new environment. It is slightly different than to "assimilate," which means to change yourself completely into a new one.

（ここからその手紙．Outrageousによる日本語訳）

新聞各社は、編集部あての手紙で政治的に不適切なもの（以下参照）や彼らの編集方針に合わないものは記事に載せることを絶対にしない。この女性の編集者あての手紙は記事に載せるべきである。だが、あなたの力でネット上に載せて欲しい。

新しい移民たち
デイヴィッド・ラ・ボンテより

私の妻のロウズメリーはＯＣレジスターあてに素晴らしい手紙を書いたが、ご想像の通り、紙面を飾ることはなかった。そこで、私は、自分でインターネット上でこれを表に出すことにした。

もし、納得したら、どんどんこの記事を（知人に）回してほしい。

署名

『オレンジカウンティー・レジスター』編集部宛の一連の手紙への見解

編集部御中
多くの（読者欄に乗せられた）多くが、アメリカが移民によってできた国ということに基づいて主張を展開しています。たとえば、アーニー・リューヤン氏は、「私たちは自由の女神像をぶち壊すべきだ。今問題に上がっている移民たちは、昔エリス島などの港を共にこの国に入って来た人のようには扱われていないのだから」と主張しています。

歴史の本を見て、リューヤン氏のような人に、なぜ現在のアメリカがこの新しいタイプの移民を喜んで受け入れないのか指摘してあげるべきです。さかのぼること，時代は約１９００年．ヨーロッパ中からアメリカに移民が押し寄せて来た時代がありました。彼らは，船を降りて，ニューヨークで長い列をつくらなければいけませんでした．移民として登録してもらうためです．跪（ひざまず）いて恥ずかしい思いをしなければならない人もいました．よい時代も悪い時代も法に服従し，この新しい国に仕えることを誓いました．彼らは新しいアメリカでの家庭において英語を勉強することを最優先の課題として，家庭内においてアメリカ流に名前を替えることさえしました．

彼らは，自分の子供に新しい生活を送らせるために，生まれた土地に完全に別れを告げて，自分の子供が新しい文化に完全に溶け込むようにいかなる努力もしました．

彼らに与えられるものは何もありませんでした．食事の配給も福祉も彼らを守る労働法もありませんでした．彼らにあったのは，輝かしい未来を勝ち取るための技術と能力だけでした．第２次世界大戦が勃発した時，彼らの子供は成人に達しました．私の父は，両親の祖先がドイツやイタリアやフランスや日本での男たちと一緒に戦いました．この第一世代のアメリカ人の中に，自分の両親がどこから来たのか考えるような人は誰もいませんでした．彼らはヒトラーやムッソリーニや日本の天皇と戦うアメリカ人だったのです．アメリカ軍がフランスを救助したとき，村人たちは誰も，フランス系アメリカ人やドイツ系アメリカ人，アイルランド系アメリカ人を探したりはしませんでした．フランス人たちが会ったのはは単なるアメリカ人でした．私たちは自分の国をあらわすひとつの国旗を掲げました．これらの移民の子供達の中に他の国の国旗を自分のアイデンティティーとして掲げる人はいませんでした．そんなことをすればここに来るまでにたくさんの犠牲を払ってきた両親に対してのひどい不遜な行為にあたるからです．これらの移民たちは本当にアメリカ人であるということの何たるかを知っていました．彼らは，人種のるつぼをかき回して，お椀に入った赤と白と青という統一された料理に変えたのです．

そして，現在，２００６年に，アメリカには，私たちアメリカ人と同じだけの権利を欲しがる新しい種類の移民が出現しました．あろうことか，かつてとは別のルールによって移民の地位を手にいれようとしているのです．永住権と自分の生まれ育った文化を大切にするという別のルールに．申し訳ありませんが，アメリカ人であるということはそういうことではないと思います．１９００年代初期にエリス島にやってきた移民は，（現在の移民の）地位以上のことをしたと思うんです．続く世代のためにつらい，苦しい労働に耐え，多くの犠牲を払い，合法的によりよい生活を求めてアメリカにやってくる人々の指針になるような場所を築いたのですから．初期の移民は，自分の生まれ故郷の国旗を振っている移民に（アメリカが移民国家である）例として引き合いに出されると知れば，彼らはショックを受けるでしょう．

そして，自由の女神を壊してしまうという提案についてですが，自由の女神は今度の移民法案に投票するアメリカ市民にとって多くのことを意味しています．私は，まだ，アメリカを壊してしまうことについて議論をし始める気にはまったくなれないのです．

ロウズメリー・ラ・ボンテ

追記　この私の文章を知り合いみんなに送ってください．この手紙を止めずにずっと動かし続けてください．この手紙がアメリカ中の何億人ものの人々が読んでほしいと願っています．もっともっとずっと遠くまで（この手紙が届きますように）！

神よアメリカに祝福あれ

Original:

Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a greatletter to the editor that should have been published; but, with yourhelp it will get published via cyberspace!

New Immigrants / From: "David LaBonte"

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OCRegister which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print"itmyself by ending it out on the Internet.

Pass it along if you feel so inclined.
Dave LaBonte (signed)

Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the
OrangeCounty Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island andother ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and badtimes. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their newhome.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most oftheir children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americansever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from.They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for theFrench-American or the German American or the Irish American. Thepeople of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag thatrepresented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would havethought about picking up another country's flag and waving it torepresent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red,white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2006 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generationsto create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searchingfor a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are beingused as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed)
Rosemary LaBonte

P. S. Pass this on to everyone you know!!! KEEP THIS LETTER MOVING!!
I hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across
thenation!!

Ever onward!!

MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA