姉と買い物へ。甥っ子1号は今日も元気にセンター試験へ行ったそうだ。親は風邪を引きませんようにインフルエンザにかかりませんようにと願うことしか出来ないというけれど、それだけでもかなりのプレッシャーがかかっていたようで、流石に疲れたよぅと言っていたがホッとしているのが体全体に現れていた。お疲れちゃん！無事送り出せたのはあなたたち親の努力の賜物だと思うよ！と身内贔屓全開で思う。^^甥っ子1号は文系が得意ではないし、ムーミン問題もやはり間違えたそうで（高校生男子はムーミンがどこの国のお話かは知らないのね！）１日目は気重そうだったそうだ。が、2日目は彼の好きな科目ばかりだから、切り替えて、今日は満点狙ってくる！と言って出かけたらしい。^^親よりも子供の方がずっと逞しい。
作者別: masago
センター試験
可愛いのでつい買ってしまった。もちろん甥っ子たちに。風邪やインフルエンザにならずにこの週末を迎えられてよかった。全力で臨めてますように。ムーミン問題はどうだったかな。^^
Jan 13th, 2018
トランプ支持の先生は失言についてはフェイクニュースだよ。と言っていた^^ このまま収まるとは思えないけどどうだろう。
1) A stricken Iranian oil tanker has drifted into Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a spokesman for Japan’s Coast Guard told Reuters on Friday, as strong winds pushed the burning ship away from the Chinese coast.
2) A newly appointed female judge on Japan’s Supreme Court has said she will use her maiden name when handing down rulings, a legal first in a country criticised for its attitudes to gender equality.
Married couples in Japan are required to have a common surname under a law that was upheld in 2015, sparking criticism from activists who complain it is sexist and outdated.
3) Thai police said they have arrested a 74-year-old fugitive Japanese gang member who was recognized when photos of his full-body tattoos were circulated online.
A police statement said Shigeharu Shirai was arrested Wednesday in a province north of Bangkok where he has been hiding for over 10 years to evade murder charges in Japan in connection with the death of a rival gang member.
4) Local authorities inKagawa Prefecture began culling about 92,000 chickens Thursday after the highly pathogenic H5 strain of avian influenza was detected.
The outbreak was confirmed at a poultry farm in the city of Sanuki as the chickens tested positive in genetic tests, making it the first bird flu case affecting livestock in Japan this season. The culling operation is to be completed within 24 hours.
5) Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will not be attending sumo’s new year tournament as the ancient sport deals with a string of deep scandals, the palace told local media Thursday.
Imperial Household Agency Grand Steward Shinichiro Yamamoto said the Japan Sumo Association had cancelled a customary invitation, issued in October, for the couple to watch the tournament later this month, citing “recent situations”.
6) Japan’s foreign minister has urged Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in the country.
He said Japan will give 3 million dollars in emergency aid to Myanmar to help provide the refugees with daily commodities such as generators and water purifiers.
7) Fishermen are worried about extremely small catches of baby eels in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. It is known as the birthplace of eel farming in the country.
Local officials say the catch in December totaled only 184 grams. That’s about 0.04 percent compared to the same month in 2016.
It is the third time since 1989 that less than one kilogram was registered for December in Shizuoka.
8) The US government has approved the sale of 4 new interceptor missiles to Japan, to counter the threat from North Korea.
US State Department officials said on Tuesday they had notified Congress of the decision. The US and Japan are jointly developing the SM-3 Block 2A missiles.
They are the successor to the SM-3 Block 1A missiles currently mounted on Japanese Self-Defense Force Aegis destroyers.
They are expected to have a much longer range and a wider capability to intercept.
9) The Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS, has said 42 Russian athletes have filed appeals against Olympic bans.
The International Olympic Committee disqualified the athletes following revelations of Russia’s systematic doping during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. They include bobsledder Aleksandr Zubkov, who won 2 gold medals. CAS announced on Tuesday that it has registered the appeals.
10) Sony has put its iconic pet robot dog “aibo” back on sale for the first time in 12 years.
Sony held an event at its headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday to mark the release of the updated version of the product. Five parties selected by lottery each received a new aibo.
The new version has a miniature camera and 20 sensors in its body. It walks around and wags its tail while detecting its surroundings.
The new model recognizes human faces. Its artificial intelligence analyzes images captured by its camera. Aibo shows different expressions and reactions depending on whom it faces.
しもやけレス
今日も強風だ。いよいよ寒さもピークになっているはずだが、なぜか今年はしもやけになっていない。何故だろう？靴下もこの時期は2足履きがデフォなのに時々は1足でも平気なくらいだ。もしや今年は例年より暖かいのだろうか・・・。ともあれしもやけがないのはありがたい。
昨夜ピンポンと玄関チャイムが鳴るので宅急便の予定はないのにどなただろう？と思ったら郵便局の方が立っていた。この場合すぐ荷物を渡されるのだけどその様子がないので、はい？と言うと、ようやくこちら郵便ですと荷物を差し出して来た。。そして、勢いよく、あの！このようになっていますが、私どものところに届いた時にはすでにこのような状態で！と言うので、荷物を見ると海外に住む友人からの便で、箱の1/3が見事に潰れていた。海外からなのでそういうこともあるだろうとわかりました！と答えてみるも郵便局の方はそれから2分はうちに来た時にはこの状態だったと繰り返すのであった。よほどこう言うときクレームが多いのだろうか？郵便局の人は私の大丈夫です！わかりましたよ！に安心した様子だったが、最後に、もし中身が破損していてもそれはこちらではどうにもなりませんので差し出し人の方におっしゃって下さい！と言って去って言った。大変だな。郵便局。。。。箱はそんなだったけれど中身はお菓子で別包装でそちらの箱には全く影響もなかった。思いがけず届いた寒い夜にぴったりの美味しいお菓子たち。幸せなり！感謝！
諸々
朝急に髪の毛をバッサリ切りたくなった。でも今日は成人の日の前日。流石に美容室は超絶忙しかろうと来週末の予約を入れるべく電話して、忙しいのにごめんなさい。今日じゃなくて来週の予約をというと、あら今日でもいいわよ、と言うので、でも成人の日が・・・と言うと、ああもうあれはうちではお断りするようにしたの。昔はやってたけどね、よかったら今からおいでと言ってくれたので、電話を切ってすぐ美容室へ。ショートカットにしようとしたら、一気に短くすると後悔するかもしれないからとりあえずこれくらいの長さにしておきなさいとちびまる子ちゃんくらいのショートボブにしてくれた。気になっていた急激に増えた白髪のことも相談すると、まだこのくらいなら染めない方が良いと次回また相談となった。おばあちゃん、お母さん、娘さんの3代でやっている美容室で娘さんが私と同じ歳で、娘さんと私の白髪の量比べをして、私の方がまだ少ないと言う結論になり（笑）娘さんが「私だってまだ染めてないから、とにかくまだやめておきなよ！」それならば。。。と。
家に帰ると母が買い物に行きたいと言う。この前買い物に行って自分の好きな服を買って楽しかったそうなので、買い物をしてご飯を外で食べようとなった。洋品店に行きあったか仕様の下着や靴下を買って、洋服は好みのがなかったので断念。おやつの煎餅も買いたいと言うので、煎餅専門店に行きあれこれ購入。お昼ご飯は母のリクエストで回転寿司へ。地元で美味しい餃子屋さんが第1候補だったが前を通ったらすでに行列ができていた。TVに出てから常に行列なのでもうあの店で食べられないかもしれないねと母と話して残念がったが回転寿司もそれなりにいろんなものが回ってくるのやタッチパネルでの注文を面白がっていた。
初ランチ
御節と自分の作る食べ物に飽きていたので友人に「出汁の味がしないランチに付き合ってー」とお願いして、少しドライブして、お初のイタリアンへ。鎌倉の有名イタリアンの支店らしい。大正解でなんどもこれ美味しいね。と。
美味しゅうございました！また行くきっと^^
そのあと二人で近くのスーパーを探検していたら、事件発生発覚！びっくりした。そして。
友人のお父さんが超人だということがわかった日!!
Jan 5th, 2018.
今年初の英語。いつもTシャツの先生が上着を着てた。フロリダなのに寒いそうだ。一体何度なの？と聞いたら4度だって。まさかのここより寒い！カメも歩けなくて保護されるわけだ。
1) Police arrested a 28-year-old man in Tokyo on Wednesday on suspicion of attempting to murder a teenage girl he became acquainted with on social media who was contemplating suicide, in a reminder of mass murders that shocked Japan last fall.
The suspect admitted to the allegations, saying he tried to kill her because she “asked for” it, they said.
A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery after drugging a high school girl with sleep-inducing pills last month at a love hotel in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture. According to police, the suspect, Isamu Miura, visited the hotel with the 18-year-old girl on Dec 3, Fuji TV reported. The two became acquainted through an online dating site last year.
2) A Japanese man was stabbed to death and two other men were injured in separate attacks on the streets of Ireland Wednesday. Police investigating the incidents said terrorism is one line of inquiry.
Police said an 18-year-old Egyptian national has been arrested and detained at the Dundalk Police Station in the Republic of Ireland just south of the border with Northern Ireland.
3) The Nikkei stock index surged over 3% to end at a 26-year high on Thursday, the first trading day of 2018, as solid manufacturing data from the United States and China reinforced optimism about the world economy.
4) A group of multiparty lawmakers will submit to the Diet this year a bill aimed at dealing with Japan’s low representation of women in politics, which puts the country near the bottom of global rankings on the issue, political sources said Wednesday.
However, the bill will only ask political parties to “make efforts” to field men and women in equal numbers as candidates in national and local elections, and will not penalize its violators.
5) US President Donald Trump renewed his support for protesters in Iran on Wednesday, tweeting that he praises its people as they try to take back their corrupt government.
He also tweeted they will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time.
6) US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off financial aid to the Palestinian Authority.
Trump on Tuesday tweeted that Washington pays the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars a year and gets no appreciation or respect.
He also tweeted, “With the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?”
7) Councilors of the Japan Sumo Association have demoted stablemaster Takanohana from the post of director over his handling of an assault scandal.
A court in Japan has fined former sumo grand champion Harumafuji 500,000 yen, or about 4,400 dollars for assaulting and injuring a lower-ranked wrestler.
8) Japanese pro tennis player Kei Nishikori says he is pulling out of the upcoming Australian Open as he has not fully recovered from a wrist injury.
9) Many economists predict the Japanese economy will continue to expand in 2018.
They expect Japan’s exports to grow this year, led by strong global demand. They also say consumer spending will moderately rise, because of an improved job market.
Ten think tanks project Japan’s gross domestic product will expand 1 to 1.3 percent in price-adjusted real terms in fiscal 2018, which starts in April.
10) German automaker Audi this year plans to sell the world’s first automated car that does not require driver control of the steering wheel on expressways.
Audi says it will roll out the model in Germany, the only country which currently allows such technology. It is ranked level 3 on the scale of vehicle automation, with level 5 being the highest.
初詣2
あっというまに8日。4日から仕事始め。母もリハビリ始め。今年もまた職場の皆と一緒に目の前の神社に初詣に出かけた。三が日は過ぎていたがまだ結構な人出で屋台も名物の餅の売り場も、おみくじ売り場も華やかだった。今年もこの職場で平和で楽しく過ごせますように
ドラマと本
おやすみ中に見たかったけれど我慢して見なかったドラマを見て、本も読む。ビバ！連続休暇。細切れでなしって素晴らしい！ドラマは私の愛するビッグバンセオリーのシーズン8。基本コメディは好きじゃないし日本のお笑いも全く好きではないのに何故このドラマが好きなのだろうか？分からないけどとにかく面白い！見終わって寂しい。でも9をまた楽しみに。それから Pure GeniusとLucky Man、これらはまだ始まったばかりだけど最初から面白い。2017で一番衝撃的なドラマはWEST WORLDだったかな。 シーズン2が待ち遠しいし、ある意味怖い。ドラマも本も製作者や作家自身にはあまり興味がないので調べたりもしなかったけれど、同僚とSTARWARSの話をしていて7,9の監督が同じ人になるんだよと教えてもらったので、へーとチェックして見たら同じ監督が私の好きなPerson of InterestやFRINGE、LOST、そしてWEST WORLDをも作っていたのには驚いた。確かに共通するクオリティ！）
本の中では赤目姫の潮解の衝撃がすごかった。これはいつも車に入っている。何かの待ち時間の間に持って行ってまた読むのだがほんといつ読んでもすごくて衝撃を受ける。 去年は前半に家人が入院したのでちょこちょこ売店に行っていつも読まないような作家さんの文庫も読んだりした。なんじゃこりゃという本もあったし、あら予想外に面白いというものもあってドラマも本もチャレンジしてみるもんだ。職場の人はスターウォーズの本（映画と映画の間がつながるらしい）をもお勧めしてくれるが、それはまだ未着手（読まないかも）。アウトランダーシリーズもまだ途中だが(14巻目）最初の1-5巻が面白いので時々読み戻るのでなかなか進まないという。。。デボラハークネスの魔女シリーズも映像化の記事をどこかで見たので楽しみにしているのだけど（日本で見られないだけか？）、物足りない感じだと残念なので見ないほうが良いのかとも思っている。
2018も良いドラマと本に出会えますように。十二国記の新刊が出るといいなぁ。
元旦
大晦日の夜はお節料理とお酒と紅白で過ごした。元旦の朝、母が足湯に入りたいというので用意して昨夜の紅白の話をしながら足湯タイム。平和だ。お天気もいいからあとで初詣に近くの神社に行こうか？と誘ってみるも、それはいやだそうだ。寒いからね。家でほかほかがいっか。
今年も御節はこんな感じ。もう毎年同じもの。新しいのにチャレンジは無し！母は田作りと昆布巻き伊達巻きと栗きんとんが好きで家人は海老とローストビーフと鴨ロースと牛タン味噌漬けが好きで私は煮物とブリとなますが好きでそれぞれが好きなものが生き残っている。^^
お雑煮を食べたら家人が近所の神社に初詣に行こうというので出かけることにした。神社への途中に義祖母のお墓があるのでそこにも寄った。小さな神社なので人もほとんど来ておらず交通整理係の方も手持ちぶさたそうだった。神社前に珈琲屋さんがあるのだがまだ開店していないのにも関わらず長い列が出来ていた。某アニメのキャラの名前の珈琲屋さんなのだがこんな元旦から営業しているのにも驚きだが列ができているのにも驚いた。お参りしておみくじを引いて、さて帰ろうとしたら家人が今日もこれからまたたくさん食べるのだから運動がてら散歩しようというので浜経由でぐるっと回って家に帰ることにした。浜では元旦恒例の寒中水泳イベントをやっていた。今日はお天気でそれほど寒くないとは言え、元気だなぁ。躊躇なく水の中に入っていく。元旦から良いものを見た気がする。浜からの富士山は綺麗で遠回りして来てよかった。
大晦日
あっという間に今年最後の日。大掃除も体力の衰えを感じつつそれなりにして、御節も作って、もう少ししたら姉とお墓参りに行く予定。姉とは昨日も年末の買い出しに一緒に出かけたが先週同様まだ怒っていた。義兄もそんな職場もう辞めろ！と言っているようだが、姉がやめたら残りの二人がその分負担が大きくなるのでそれはできないそうだ。でもパートで時給も上がらないのにお金が関わる責任のある仕事をやらされ、なおかつときには急に朝7時から夜7時まで働かされたりして、その分のしわ寄せが義兄にきているらしく（義兄が会社を早退してフォローしたりだそう）そんな状態で子供達の夕飯の世話もできないとイライラと怒りは収まらないそうだ。昨日も話をしているうちにどんどん怒りがエスカレートしていくのでまた姉の血圧が心配になった。（そうでなくても高めで薬でコントロールしているのに）年明け3月までは甥っ子たちのW受験で更にストレスが高くなるから本当に心配だ。職場の人には申し訳ないが姉の健康維持のために義兄同様もう辞めてほしいと密かに思っている。
夕方ちょっと早めの夕飯の年越しソバを母と食べる。母が海老の天ぷらが好きなので揚げたてを乗せて暖かいお蕎麦にした。御節用にとった出汁は一年で一番美味しい出汁なのでそれとみりんもたっぷりの甘目のものにすると案の定とても喜んでいた。母直伝の昆布巻き（我が家は鯖芯）も鍋から熱いのを出して食べる。あとで家人とも紅白を見ながら夕飯なのでセーブしたつもりが食べすぎた。ここから2-3日は毎日が食べすぎ注意！！
Dec 29th, 2017
今年最後の英語！See you next year!で終了。英語の勉強というか娯楽と感じているから続けられていると思う。来年も土曜の朝のお楽しみにします！
1) What better way to spend Christmas than eating fried chicken and strawberry shortcake? While it may not be exactly traditional from a Westerner’s point of view, that’s the way they do it in Japan, especially if the chicken is from good ol’ American fast food restaurant, Kentucky Fried Chicken. With it being tradition to eat KFC on Christmas, it’s no wonder that KFC Japan’s sales between December 23 and 25 are calculated to be over 6 billion yen.
2) The New Year holiday exodus from Tokyo and other cities began on Friday, with vacationers crowding train stations, airports and expressways.
Travel agents and airlines said about 880,000 people are estimated to depart and return to Japan by plane between Friday and Jan 3. Travel agents said the most popular destinations this year are Hawaii, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Cebu in the Philippines.
3) Yamato Transport Co, Japan’s largest package delivery company, plans to open a new distribution facility with labor-saving technology near Tokyo early next year, its chief executive says.
The move comes amid widening labor shortage and a surge in parcel volumes because of the country’s growing use of e-commerce retailers such as Amazon.com Inc.
The Bank of Japan’s quarterly survey on Friday showed Japanese companies were faced with the most severe staff shortages since 1992.
“It’s especially difficult to find workers in big cities. The labor shortage got more severe in December,” Yamato Transport CEO Yutaka Nagao said in an interview.
4) Authorities are trying to crack down on “shirotaku” taxis, the relatively cheap but illegal and potentially dangerous services that have grown in popularity among tourists from overseas.
Many of these unlicensed taxis are found in and around tourist destinations and airports across Japan.
Tourists can easily book shirotaku through apps on their smartphones in Chinese and other languages..
5) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday made light of climate change science as an Arctic chill settled on much of the central and northeastern United States and Canada, forcing people indoors, stranding motorists with dead car batteries and complicating firefighting duties.
“In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record,” Trump tweeted from his Mar a Lago resort in Florida, where he is on holiday vacation.
“Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!”
6) Japanese authorities on Thursday indicted the North Korean captain of a boat that drifted to its coast on charges of stealing a generator, appliances and other equipment from an uninhabited island, officials and media reports said.
The captain and his nine crewmembers on the dilapidated boat were rescued near a tiny island off of Hokkaido, northern Japan, in late November. Japanese police said they arrested the captain and two crewmembers earlier this month on suspicion they stole a generator and appliances from a barn on the island.
7) A report by a British research firm predicts a growing dominance of Asian nations in the global economy in 15 years, with China becoming the world’s largest economy.
The Centre for Economics and Business Research on Tuesday released a report on the global economic outlook for the next 15 years.
The report says that by 2032, China is likely to overtake the United States in the size of gross domestic product. At present, the US is the largest economy while China is ranked second.
8) Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has said she plans to start mass production of surveillance drones as Chinese military jets become more active in the region.
Tsai unveiled the plan in a year-end news conference at a military facility on Friday.
Tsai pointed to the recent surge in Chinese jets flying around the island. She said China’s ambition to expand militarily in East Asia is becoming more apparent.
9) The South Korean Navy started a 2-day maritime drill around the Takeshima Islands in the Sea of Japan on Thursday.
Japan lodged a strong protest, as it claims territorial sovereignty over the islands.
10) A decision by Japan to deploy a U.S. missile defense system will damage Moscow’s relations with Tokyo and is a breach by Washington of a landmark arms control treaty, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Japan formally decided this month it would expand its ballistic missile defense system with U.S.-made ground-based Aegis radar stations and interceptors in response to a growing threat from North Korean rockets.
Dec 29th, 2017
ラスト
今年最後の母の病院デー。行く途中に年賀状を投函した。午後からすごい風が吹いたが午前中はそれほどでもないなか行ってこれてよかった。帰りにまたラーメンが食べたいというので車椅子で行けるラーメン屋さんを何軒か回ってみたのだけれど火曜日はお休みなのか年末だからか、まだ少し時間が早かったからか全部に振られて結局たまにはカップラーメンを家で食べようかというところに落ち着いた。スーパーはお正月食品であふれていた。蒲鉾とか数の子とかまだピンとこない。仕事は28日まで。後2日か。しかしもうすぐお正月なんて信じられない。
メリークリスマス
大掃除はほぼ終了。冷蔵庫がキレイになったのが嬉しい。後は仕事部屋の本棚をやる予定があったがこれは気が向いたらにしよう。ゴミをベランダに出すときに顔を窓のサンにぶつけて痛い思いをした。転んだり、あちこち痛かったりしてるけど、まさか空間認識能力まで落ちてるとは。。。頬骨の上に1.5cmほどの切り傷ができてしまった。顔を洗うときヒリヒリするし、紫になっていてちと恥ずかしい。^^
いつもの鶏屋さんにホールチキンがなかったけれど、近所の鶏屋さんに行ったらあったので今年もギリギリで２羽購入できたので、仕込んで焼いた。中にはまた鶏出汁のピラフを詰めて。これ以外にはローストビーフを焼いて（焼いた後ヨーグルトメーカーに65度/1時間で入れてみたらお手頃の牛肉の塊だったのにパサパサせずすごく柔らかくてジューシーなのができて感動！）、それからスモークサーモンとオリーブのサラダ、シャンパン、ケーキなどなどで無事恒例の家クリスマスディナー。
甥っ子たちにもチキン無事届けられてよかった。
Dec 23rd, 2017
今日はこれ以外に老々介護の記事とか猫ロボットのことを話した。いろんな記事を見つけてくれるねぇ。
1) Japan’s government approved a record military budget on Friday but did not earmark enough extra money to stop a splurge on U.S.-made ballistic missile defense kit from putting a squeeze on funding for an ambitious domestic jet fighter project. The military expenditure is part of a record-high 97.71 trillion yen budget plan for fiscal 2018.
2) The Japanese government said Friday it will use revenue from an envisaged departure tax only for boosting tourism, amid concern that it would be directed to a wider range of purposes. Japan plans to introduce the departure tax from Jan 7, 2019, requiring each passenger, regardless of nationality, to pay 1,000 yen when they leave the country by air or sea.
Its revenue will be allocated to three areas — creating an environment for pleasant and stress-free journeys, facilitating access to information on the country’s tourist attractions,
3) The latest price tag for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been trimmed slightly, but is still nearly twice the initial estimate even after a major cost-cutting effort.The organizers said Friday that the event will cost a total 1.35 trillion yen ($11.9 billion).
In their release, Tokyo 2020 officials said the U.S. dollar cost would be $12.6 billion. But at the current exchange rate of about 113 yen to the dollar, it is just under $12 billion.
4) Kobe Steel Ltd, at the center of a data-falsification scandal that has shaken Japan’s manufacturing industry, admitted for the first time that executives were aware of the cheating, and reassigned three senior officials.
Japan’s No. 3 steelmaker, which supplies the manufacturers of cars, planes and trains across the world, has said about 500 customers had received products with falsified specifications, throwing global supply chains into turmoil.
5) North Korea’s foreign ministry has denied involvement in a massive cyberattack that the United States publicly blamed on the country.
The WannaCry virus infected computers in May around the world, including Japan. A senior White House official said this week that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s government was responsible.
6) The South Korean military says a North Korean soldier fled to the South on Thursday morning by going over the border of the demilitarized zone dividing the 2 countries.
A spokesman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Roh Jae-cheon, made the announcement about the defection at a regular news conference later on Thursday.
7) Members of the US Senate have passed a bill that would deliver the biggest rewrite of the tax code in a generation.
Senate members voted along party lines with 51 supporting the bill and 48 voting against it. The legislation is now just one step away from becoming a reality.
The bill calls for a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21. It also includes a break for the richest Americans, who’ll get a reduction in individual income tax from nearly 40 percent to 37.
8) Taiwan’s authorities plan to make all new vehicles there electric by 2040 to fight worsening air pollution.
チキンーっ
毎年クリスマスはホールチキンを焼いていたが、今年は鶏屋さんに予約に行くのが遅くなり、今週ようやく行ったら。。。すでに予約で完売だそう。がっくり。いやでももう焼かなくてもいいよということなのか？運よく土曜日にどこかで売っていたら買って焼くことにしよう。家人は楽しみにしていたので伝えたら、じゃあクリスマスは七面鳥にする？とマリーアントワネットか、君は。^^
毎朝食べているバナナの黒くなったのでバナナと黒蜜とヨーグルトカップケーキを焼いた。ブサイクだけど焼きたてを朝ごはんに出したら、母大喜び。ほんと甘いものが好きね。今日は冬至でディサービスでは冬至スペシャルメニューランチだそう。おいしいものが食べられるかな？と楽しみにしていた。私の食いしん坊は間違いなく母の遺伝子だな。
R1
以前勤めていた会社のLINEグループで教えてもらったR1ヨーグルト作り、美味しくて家族全員が大満足で500mlでは足りないということになり、ヨーグルトメーカーを買ってしまった。^^ 楽チン。そしてしっかりキレイなヨーグルトができている。感動。今の所ヨーグルトしか作るつもりがないけれど、そのうちヨーグルト生活に飽きて来たら納豆も作ることになるのだろうか。。。イヤだー。
May the Force be with you…
ということで友人とSTAR WARS へ。前回は子供の頃に見たSTAR WARSのエピソード4しか見たことがなくエピソード7を見に行くというもったいないことをしてしまっていたけれど、今回は映画に合わせてHuluでエピソード1-7一挙配信してくれていたのでそれを事前にコツコツ見ていた上に、職場にSTAR WARSの長年のファンという同僚がいたので色々教えてもらい、前日に前作のエピソード7を見て、準備万端で臨んだので大満足であった^^ 。。。次のエピソード、多分2年後にこれらの内容を覚えているかどうかは怪しいが。見る前に謎が色々分かるかと思っていたが見終わった後違う謎がまた出て来た。スナークだれ？三部作で終わると聞いていたが、四部作になるとか？生きているうちに終わるだろうか。。。。以前はR2D2とかBB8が好きだったが、シリーズを全部見ているとどんどんC3POが好きになるのもいとおかし。
映画を観た後はランチと甘いもの。
ろうばい
英語の後は姉と産直へ。隣町の産直がリニューアルしたのでこの頃はそちらへ行きたいと姉が言うのでそちらへ向かう。今日も姉は怒っていた。この一年、姉の職場では諸々あり、もう辞めたい！とずっと言っている。でも辞めると他の同僚の迷惑になるしこれから子供達にお金もかかるから。。。ということでぐるぐるしているのだが、今週は更に色々あったそうで、怒りもピークに達し、あの姉が悪口雑言吠える！！タダでさえ血圧が高くて薬を飲んでいる姉の血管が破れちゃうんじゃないかと私はそれが心配である。職場のストレスで持病のあれこれの数値も悪くなっているようだし。何とか心穏やかに暮らして欲しい。
産直に蠟梅が！。良い香。
Dec 14th, 2017
カメラが無事復活していた。フロリダも14度で寒いそうだ。
1) Six of 10 North Korean “fishermen” rescued from a tiny wooden boat drifting off northern Japan will be deported back to their country, an immigration official told AFP Tuesday.
Three of the crew have been arrested on suspicion of theft after they reportedly admitted to “taking out” electronic products from a remote Japanese island where they landed briefly to take refuge.
One of the men is still in hospital, reportedly suffering from a stomach illness, said Tanaka.
2) A metal-framed window fell from a U.S. military helicopter onto a school sports field near a U.S. Marine Corps air base on Okinawa on Wednesday, the Marines said, the latest in a series of accidents that have fanned safety concerns on Japan’s southern island.
3) Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions shrank 0.2% in fiscal 2016 from the previous year to 1.32 billion tons, declining for the third consecutive year, Environment Ministry data showed Tuesday.
The latest figure for the year until March 2017 is 4.6% below fiscal 2005 levels. Japan has already met its goal of a 3.8% cut by fiscal 2020 set in its COP19 commitment,
The fall in greenhouse gas emissions was mainly attributable to the increased use of solar and wind energy resources, with renewables growing about 50% from the previous year.
4) A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of committing an indecent act after he kissed a woman who was sleeping on a train in September.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 2 p.m. in the afternoon aboard a train heading to Kansai Airport from Kyobashi Station in Osaka, Sankei Shimbun reported.
5) Toshiba has settled legal disputes with U.S. production partner Western Digital, both firms said Wednesday, clearing the way for the embattled Japanese conglomerate’s multi-billion-dollar sale of its prized chip business.
Toshiba has been on the ropes after the disastrous acquisition of U.S. nuclear energy firm Westinghouse, which racked up billions of dollars in losses before being placed under bankruptcy protection.
6) For the first time, a Japanese high court has ordered the operator of a nuclear plant not to restart a reactor.
The Hiroshima High Court issued the injunction on Wednesday. It ordered Shikoku Electric Power Company not to restart the No. 3 reactor at its Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture. It’s currently offline for regular inspections.
7) Members of the International Olympic Committee have enjoyed food from areas of northeast Japan that were hit by the massive earthquake and tsunami 6 years ago.
The head of the IOC coordination commission for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, John Coates, and other officials attended a dinner in Tokyo on Tuesday.
They are making the visit to see how the Japanese capital is preparing for the Games. The recovery from the 2011 disaster will be a key theme for the events.
Food from the 3 prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima was used for dishes and snacks. The diners also sampled sake from these regions.
8) Japan’s government has revised its basic space policy so the country can take part in an international manned exploratory mission to the Moon.
The government held a meeting of its Strategic Headquarters for Space Development on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe chaired the meeting, and Science and Technology Policy Minister Masaji Matsuyama also attended.
The panel decided to start discussions next year on how Japan can contribute its technological expertise to the lunar probe.
9) Japan’s leading construction equipment firm plans to develop a new automatic control system for its machines to offset a labor shortage.
Komatsu officials say the artificial intelligence-controlled machinery will be developed in cooperation with US chip company Nvidia.
The AI would be capable of recognizing people and obstacles in images captured by cameras installed on hydraulic excavators and avoid possible accidents.
AI would also judge the optimum amount of soil to load on a truck.
Komatsu hopes to have construction sites be unmanned in the future.
10) Analysts are predicting that business sentiment at large Japanese manufacturing firms will show a 5th straight quarterly improvement in a forthcoming Bank of Japan report.
Fifteen private-sector institutions have come up with their projections for the BOJ Tankan report to be issued on Friday, covering about 11,000 businesses in Japan.
The quarterly survey measures how executives feel about the economy. The Tankan index represents the difference in the percentage of companies that say business is good and those that say it’s bad. A positive reading means more companies are optimistic.
11) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has indicated a potential shift of policy, saying that the US is ready to begin talks with North Korea without pre-conditions.
The US has been demanding Pyongyang change its stance and give up its nuclear program before coming to the table. But Tillerson now says that is just not “realistic.”
Tillerson made wide-ranging remarks about the issue at a foreign policy forum in Washington.
He said “I don’t think it’s realistic to say we are only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program.”
12) US President Donald Trump has called for tougher immigration rules after a man from Bangladesh was detained for allegedly setting off an explosion in New York.
Trump said in a statement on Monday, “As I have been saying since I first announced my candidacy for President, America must fix its lax immigration system.”
Trump said the current system allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access the United States.
13) The man arrested for exploding a pipe bomb in New York may have been affected by online extremist propaganda.
The Monday morning blast in an underground passage connecting the Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station wounded 3 people.
Police detained 27-year-old Akayed Ullah from Bangladesh at the site on suspicion of setting off a pipe bomb strapped to his body.
Ullah is thought to be a lone perpetrator identifying with the Islamic State militant group.
寒い
昨日は午後からすごい風で洗濯物の布団カバーが飛んじゃってるじゃないかと心配したが辛うじてベランダに捕まっていてくれた。フゥ。そして今日は朝から強風、そして寒い。天気予報の通り昨日よりも10度くらい下がる体感。それでも雪国に比べたら随分暖かいのだろうからつくづく雪国には住めないなぁと思う。友人から雪の降る動画が送られて来てムムムと唸るばかりである。綺麗だけれど寒いのだろうなが先にくる。
ご近所のOさんの痛みの原因は帯状疱疹だったそうだ。原因がわかってホッとしたけれど痛みはまだ続いているそう。老化で痩せて免疫力が下がったのかなぁと言うので母の愛用アミノ酸配合ゼリーを届けて、前の晩テレビでレンコンが免疫力をすごくあげてくれるらしいよ？と言うとレンコンはもう硬くて食べられないのよと言う。確かに母ももうレンコンは硬くてとイヤと言ってた。すり下ろしてお味噌汁に入れたりするといいんだってと言うとすりおろすのももう力がなくてと言う。レンコン団子とか食べたいんだけどね。と言うので早速作って届けることにした。団子にしておけばお汁にも入れて食べられるし。ネットで調べたらすり下ろしたものは冷凍もできるそう。今度産直でレンコンを買ったら摩り下ろして冷凍したものを届けることにしよう。
」
レンコン団子、エビとレンコンを小さく切ったものを中に入れて蒸した。たくさん作って翌日はレンコン団子お澄ましにした。
Dec 7th, 2017
無事スカイプは直ったけど今度はカメラの調子が悪いと言うことで今日は音声のみ。東京オリンピックのマスコットはどれがいい？と聞かれて私はウ案が好きだけどと言ったら今の所生徒さんはウの人が多いらしい。家人はア案がいいそうだが。
1) Japanese schoolchildren will help determine the mascot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on Wednesday unveiled three sets of designs for the Games’ mascots. The schoolchildren will review the shortlisted designs with their classes casting a single vote in favor of one of the three sets.
2) Bank of Japan board member Takako Masai on Wednesday advocated sticking with ultra-easy monetary policy due to uncertainty over how fast inflation will rise, while warning that the central bank should remain on guard against the possible side-effects.
Despite a strengthening economy, Masai conceded that it was taking longer than expected to eradicate Japan’s sticky deflationary mindset, or public perceptions that prices won’t rise ahead.
3) Japan is considering having 10 consecutive days off from April 27 to May 6 in 2019 to coincide with Crown Prince Naruhito’s succession to the throne on May 1, government sources said Wednesday.
April 29 and May 3-6 are already assigned as national holidays in 2019, following the weekend of April 27 and 28. If May 1 is designated as a national holiday, April 30 and May 2 would become public holidays. Japanese holiday law stipulates that a weekday sandwiched by national holidays automatically becomes a public holiday.
4) Bitcoin hit a fresh record of $14,000 Thursday as investors piled in, triggering a warning the cryptocurrency was “like a charging train with no brakes” which would inevitably slip back.
It touched a new a high of $14,400 in Asian trade before slipping back to $13,900, according to Bloomberg News.
5) Big companies are stepping up their plans in case Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to get talks back on track after a major setback.
Britain is aiming to agree with the EU on Dec. 14 to move the Brexit talks on to the second phase. This would focus on trade and a two-year transition deal to smooth the departure after March 2019. But the timetable has been thrown into doubt after discussions broke down in Brussels on Monday.
6) Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was ditching its leading role as a peace mediator.
The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
7) The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that owners of televisions in Japan are legally required to sign up with public broadcaster NHK and pay a subscription fee, dismissing a claim that the fee collection system violates the freedom of contract guaranteed by the Constitution.
The ruling that the fee collection is constitutional was handed down in a lawsuit filed by the broadcaster against a Tokyo man who persistently failed to respond to NHK’s requests from September 2011 for a contract. He owned a TV from March 2006.
8) A lone monkey apparently traveling north has appeared in central Tokyo, roving through an area with high-rise apartment buildings.
The monkey was spotted in a residential area in Minato Ward on Thursday.
Police received a number of reports from residents that they saw a monkey. No wild monkeys are known to live in the area.
9) An association of major social networking service providers in Japan has urged member firms to ban messages soliciting suicide on their sites.
The move follows serial murders near Tokyo, in which a suspect is believed to have lured his victims with suicidal posts on Twitter.
The association comprising 17 firms, including Twitter and LINE, made the appeal on Wednesday. It was originally established to prevent children from becoming victims of social media.
10) Police in Tottori Prefecture will file papers with prosecutors next week on the alleged assault by former sumo grand champion Harumafuji.
They say they are recommending that the wrestler be indicted.
They say Harumafuji admitted to striking fellow wrestler Takanoiwa with his hand and a karaoke remote control device in October.
11) Japan’s Defense Ministry is set to request funds in the next fiscal year to study a plan to equip fighter aircraft with long-range cruise missiles.
The ministry is looking into the Norwegian-made Joint Strike Missile, which has a range of more than 300 kilometers, and the US-made JASSM-ER, with a range of over 900 kilometers.
12) The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has presented a detailed plan for decommissioning its prototype fast-breeder nuclear reactor over 30 years.
The government decided last year to scrap the Monju reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, after a series of accidents and other safety problems.
ラーメンカーの日
ペースメーカー検査日。本当は今日はデイサービスにラーメンカーが来てラーメンを振舞ってくれる日だったようで母も楽しみにしていたのだが、残念ながら検査日となってしまったのでお休みしなけらばならい。のでお昼はラーメン屋さんへ行くことにした。母が好きなラーメン屋さんは車椅子では入りにくいので、広くてでも美味しいところは？と考えて病院とは全然方向が違うけれどここに。
ペースメーカーの検査はいつもよりも時間がかかった。やはり不整脈がだいぶ出ているとのことでドクターとペースメーカーの会社の人たちが何やらごにょごにょ相談してしながら設定を変えたりしていた。それから来年からどうするかの説明があって脳外科の先生が紹介してくれたK先生のところは医療センターとの連携病院となっているそうでそれならこれまで通り検査前にハガキを送ります。と言う。
ご近所のOさんに電話して様子と御用を訊ねたら、だいぶ痛みが引いて来たよと言うことでよかった。これから更に寒くなるし、年末だし。日一日と良くなりますように。
作品
友人作。もらって嬉しい！これを作るんだからすごい！いつもながら。^^
母、皮膚科と循環器科のハシゴ。採血の区域に大量のベンチ椅子が追加されていて、めちゃ混みだったけれど、何かの指定検査の日だったのだろうか。うっかりマスクを忘れていたので慌てて売店で購入。診察室前の番号パネルと会計マシンが新しくなり数も増えていた。人手が足りないからカバーできるところはシステムでカバーしようとしているのだろうな。帰りに母のお気に入りの美味しいクリームパンを購入して帰った。
こちらは母の作品。（と母が言うので）ディサービスで作ったクリスマスリース。わぁ、可愛いねーと喜んだら、そう言ってくれると思った！と嬉しそうであった。
朝
明け方空を見たらまだスーパームーンが輝いていた。模様もくっきり。得した気分。
土曜の朝時間
土曜の朝の英語は先生のスカイプの調子がおかしくてキャンセルに。チャットはやり取りできるのにどちらからのコールも届かないと言う現象。翌日どう？と聞いたらアンインストールしてアカウント変えたらできるようになったよとのこと。来週は大丈夫そうだ。
姉と大中寺芋収穫祭へ。産直通いで偶然遭遇した年一度のこのお祭りは私たちのお気に入りでこの数年楽しみにしている。つきたてのお餅や熱々のきのこ汁などが振る舞われる。野菜以外にも地元の奥様たちの大中寺芋料理や韓国料理、牧場の牛乳を使ったアレコレやお花の販売までが並び朝から活気にあふれている。最近は２箇所の産直をはしごして、長ネギはXXさんの、トマトは〇〇さんのなどと買い分けたりしている。産直のあとは朝茶をして今週の甥っ子たち情報を聞くのが私の楽しみである。甥っ子2号はまだどこを受験するのか決まっていない。
元会社の同僚たちの間でブームの牛乳パックでのヨーグルト作りに私も挑戦。R1で。簡単にできるのねぇ。チンして入れて保温すれば一晩でちゃんと固まって感動。普通に美味しい。私はそれほどヨーグルト好きではないので続かないかもしれないけど、家人が毎晩食べている寒天にかけたいと言うので寒天ヨーグルト生活に突入か？
ファッションショー
自分で選んだセーターとベスト。可愛い可愛い！（娘バカ）と褒めたらえへへという顔をした。^^ これからはもっと買い物に行く気になるといい。車椅子姿を他の人に見られるのがずっと嫌だったのだけどこのところ吹っ切れたのかもしれないな。ディサービスで100円ショップに連れて行ってもらえてるのでそれで車椅子でお店に行くことに慣れたことが大きいのかもなと思った。感謝。
後ろも可愛いのだ。猫の足跡。
秋の日
母の脳外科受診とインフルエンザ予防接種デー。ペースメーカー検査のことを脳外科のドクターBに相談してみたら私の話を聞くや否やどこかに電話して、あ、Kくん？あんたのところでペースメーカーの検査やってる？あ、そう？なら来年から私の患者さん一人おねがいするよ。よろしく！だって。Kくんは脳外科のある隣町の心臓外科の先生であった。^^ よかった。とりあえずどこにしようか悩まなくてもOKになった。インフルエンザのワクチンはやはり足りないそうで看護師さんがうちではもう予約の人の分しか用意できてなくてお断りしているくらいです。次入荷するのがいつなのかもわからなくて。。と言っていた。そうなのか。流行らないといいけれど。診察が予想外に早く終わって母が気に入った食パンをまた予約したのだが受取り時間までまだ1時間もあったので、時間潰しもかねて銀杏並木が綺麗だと言う丘へドライブ。ついでなので久しぶりに母の好な丘の上の和食屋さんで昼食を取ることにした。銀杏並木も綺麗で喜んでいたがお店から見える庭の紅葉も綺麗で更に喜んでいた。
空の青に赤い葉っぱが映えて綺麗ねぇ。とうっとりしていた。食事は限定のお弁当。
こちらも綺麗でうっとり。暖かい日だったので食後丘の上紅葉が綺麗なところを車椅子を押してぶらぶらしていたら、感じの良いカップルがいて、写真撮りましょうか？と言ってくれたので母とのツーショット写真を撮ってもらえた。（私もお返しに恥ずかしがる2人を撮ってたあげた！初々しいな！）空も木々も綺麗だったせいでテンションが上がったのか、突然母が「洋服を買いに行きたい！」と言うので、嬉しくなって、最寄りのデパートへ行き、母のあっちへこっちへと言う司令のままに車椅子を押して、グリーンのセーターと、茶色の猫の柄のベストを購入。洋服を自分で選ぶのがたいそう楽しかったそうだ。これまで何年も何度も買い物に誘ったけれど、行きたくないと言うばかりだったのに、暖かい秋の日に感謝である。
朝イチ
大泉さんに会えるなんていいなぁ。。。とまた思ったよ。^^
頂き物のりんごを使ってケーキを焼いたので、仲良しのご近所さんにも差し入れ。坐骨神経痛からの痛みがなかなかよくならず、おじさんまでしょんぼりとしてきた。もうかれこれ一月になるのだろうか。食卓のオマケに加えてもらう煮物等を持ってチョコチョコ様子を見に行くが一向に痛みが収まらないとおばさんが嘆く。ついに先週はどうしても行かねばならないところがあって外出（！とても外出できる風情ではないのだが）したら、案の定その場所であまりの痛みで気を失い救急車で病院へ運ばれたんだそうだ（涙）。気がついたら救急車の中にいてびっくりしたよ。とおばさんは笑ったが、気を失うほどの痛み。。。想像するだけで辛い。
Nov 25th, 2017
北と南の国の話が多かったな…
1) Police in northern Japan have found eight men near a boat at a seaside marina who said they were from North Korea, and appear to be fishermen whose vessel ran into trouble, rather than defectors, a police official said on Friday.
2) Mitsubishi Materials Corp., a maker of components used in autos, aircraft and electricity generation, has become the latest among major Japanese companies to report faked quality data.
Executives of the company bowed before reporters in apology Friday as they reported on falsified data by some subsidiaries.
3) A local Japanese politician has been criticised by lawmakers for trying to bring her baby to a council session.
Yuka Ogata said she wanted to show how difficult it is for women to juggle careers and raise children.
Kumamoto municipal assembly officials said she had violated assembly rules as visitors and observers are forbidden from the floor.
After a lengthy discussion, Ms Ogata left the child with a friend and the session started 40 minutes late.
The council says it will discuss her case and ways to support lawmakers with young children.
4) A local Japanese politician has been criticised by lawmakers for trying to bring her baby to a council session.
Yuka Ogata said she wanted to show how difficult it is for women to juggle careers and raise children.
Kumamoto municipal assembly officials said she had violated assembly rules as visitors and observers are forbidden from the floor.
After a lengthy discussion, Ms Ogata left the child with a friend and the session started 40 minutes late.
The council says it will discuss her case and ways to support lawmakers with young children.
5) San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee signed a document Wednesday formalizing the city’s acceptance of a statue that symbolizes Korean and other Asian women forced into wartime brothels for the Japanese military, city officials said, prompting the mayor of its sister-city Osaka to decide on dissolution of their affiliation.
6) An employee of the British Embassy in Jordan has become an online sensation after his appointment as… chief mouser.
The embassy adopted a cat from an animal shelter last month, and named him Lawrence of Abdoun.
The name is a reference to Thomas Edward Lawrence, a British officer who helped the Arabs fight the Ottoman Empire during World War One… and who came to be known as Lawrence of Arabia.
Abdoun is the neighborhood Amman where the British Embassy is located.
Photos of the fluffy black-and-white “chief mouser” have attracted huge attention on Twitter. He gained more than 4,500 followers in just one month, surpassing the British ambassador’s own account.
7) Japanese pro tennis player Kei Nishikori has spoken of his renewed resolve to return to competition in his first interview after sustaining an injury in August.
Nishikori had his right wrist dislocated while practicing serves. The injury forced him to skip all remaining tournaments in the season. His world ranking fell to the 22nd, from the 9th prior to the injury. He ended the season out of the top 10 for the first time in 3 years.
8) Chinese researchers have released 2 captive-bred pandas of different sex into the wild at one time. It’s the first such experiment.
The 2 were transported from a wilderness training facility and let loose in a nature reserve on Thursday. Both have collar trackers for monitoring.
The release is part of a program begun in 2006 by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda based in the inland province of Sichuan.
The center hopes the program will have greater chances of succeeding if the captive-bred pandas form a pair and breed in the wild.
9) Dozens of Indian Army soldiers have set a world record by riding a single motorcycle for 12-hundred meters.
The challenge took place at an air force station in Bengaluru, southern India.
Participants hopped on the moving motorcycle while clinging to each other.
The bike ultimately carried 58 soldiers and slowly drove the 12-hundred meter distance. The previous record of 56 soldiers was set by another unit 4 years ago.
10) North Korea has replaced dozens of guards and fortified a section of its border with South Korea following the dramatic defection of one of its soldiers last week, a report said Friday.