Tags: Alternative, Lyrics
Musicians: Arcade Fire, Leonard Cohen Genre: 10s, 60s, Alternative, Folk Rock
Japan Times 2013/12/01
河北新報社 2013/12/04
G.R.L. Tokyo (YouTube)
石破という男、どれだけ無知なのでしょう。
demonstration：名詞（デモ、表明）
democracy：名詞（民主主義）
democratic：形容詞（民主的な）
democrat：名詞（民主党支持者）
demo-の語源はギリシャ語の「人々」です。アクセントがそれぞれ違うので注意して下さい。デモンストレーションは民主主義の大切な意志表現手法です。デモが出来ない世界、自由に個人の意見を発言できない世界は恐怖政治の世界です。保守系・原理主義系はいつも影でコソコソするのを好みますね。実際はそれをテロというのですけど...。私が前に言った通り（「原発反対運動をするとテロの予備軍として逮捕されてしまうのでしょうか？」）、デモをすること自体をテロだと言う、人類の思想哲学体系を知らない無知な自民党員が案の定現れてきましたね。彼らの知識って実感や経験を伴わないものなんですよ。要するに受験のための鵜呑み勉強です。民主主義がどんなものか？それを得るために人類が何をしてきたとか？体制の中でぬくぬく育った自民党のおぼっちゃま議員に、それを理解しろというほうが無理なのかもしれません。
Secrecy law protests ‘act of terrorism’: LDP secretary-general
BY AYAKO MIE DEC 1, 2013Citizens demonstrating against the controversial state secrets bill are committing “an act terrorism,” according to Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba.
In a blog post Friday, he wrote: “If you want to realize your ideas and principles, you should follow the democratic principles, by gaining as much support as you can. I think the strategy of merely shouting one’s opinions at the top of one’s lungs is not so fundamentally different from an act of terrorism.”
In a speech Sunday in Toyama Prefecture, Ishiba maintained his criticism of the rallies being held outside the prime minister’s office. More than 1,000 people gathered there last Tuesday when the ruling coalition rammed the state secrets bill through the Lower House.
“It is doubtful if it is in line with democracy to appeal in a threatening manner that ‘We will never accept it,’ ” Ishiba said in his speech.
But he backtracked on likening the demonstrations to terrorism.
“I retract that part as the demonstration does not fulfill all of the conditions necessary to constitute terrorism,” Ishiba told reporters after the speech. “I see the loud noise as a problem. . . . Demonstrations in general should be welcomed as long as they follow democratic rules, regardless of how many people they draw.”
With the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set to pass the bill into law by Friday, when the extraordinary Diet is scheduled to close, the demonstrations outside the prime minister’s office have continued and similar rallies are being held around the country.
Because the bill stipulates that coercing information out of someone with knowledge of state secrets is punishable by up to five years in prison, activists worry it could be used to prosecute people seeking public disclosure of sensitive information. The government has repeatedly denied this is the case and that Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, including public demonstrations.
Ishiba’s comments appear to contradict the government’s stance and have given ammunition to the opposition camp, which has already been critical of the various interpretations of the bill expressed by Cabinet ministers.
Akihiro Ohata, secretary-general of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, said Sunday during a street speech in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, “It is guaranteed under the Constitution to stage demonstrations,” urging Ishiba “to change his mindset.”
Tadayoshi Ichida, head of the Japanese Communist Party secretariat, told reporters, “It is an unacceptable remark as it declares the people’s voice as terrorism.”
Mizuho Fukushima, deputy chief of the Social Democratic Party, said, “I cannot trust the ruling party, whose member makes such a comment, even if it says it will respect the right to know.”
Information from Kyodo added
Tags: Democracy, Interpreting an English Text, Nuclear Power Plants, Pronunciation
Tags: Blues, Lyrics, Rock
Musicians: Rolling Stones Genre: 70s, Blues, Rock
Even more interesting than who the subject is, is the question of why this one portrait, among so many painted in the Rsnaissance, has become so famous.
普段は高校教科書とか馬鹿にしてあまり目を通さないのですが、昨日「何これ？」というものがあったのでちょっと採り上げてみたいと思います。クラウンIIのレオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチのトピックからです。どうでしょう？一読でなんとなく言いたい事は解ると思うのですが、文の構造としてどうなっているのか、ちょっと不思議ですよね 😀 。
先にちょっとヒントを出します。それでからもう一度考えて見て下さい。まずコンマの存在が、なんだか分かりづらいですね。引っかかってはいけないのが最初のコンマから次のコンマまで、これを挿入句と見るとちょっと分かり難くなる。最初のコンマは実は英語文には珍しくただの区切り、前のisと後ろのisをごっちゃにしないためなのです。だから文としては続いています。それからもう一つは、2番目のisの後ろにはthatが隠れています。さあどうでしょう？
"Even more interesting than who the subject is is that the question of why this one portrait, among so many painted in the Rsnaissance, has become so famous."
もしかしたら、余計分かり難くなった(＠д＠)？そして英検2級以上の英文法の知識がある人なら、これはどう見ても通常のSVOやSVCでなく、文に乱れがあると判断できますよね。そうです。倒置です。その前にamong前置詞の挿入句を元の場所に戻しますね。
"Even more interesting than who the subject is is that the question of why this one portrait has become so famous among so many painted in the Rsnaissance."
どうでしょうか？見えてきましたか？この文のメインの主語と動詞。メインのSとVに線を引きますね。
"Even more interesting than who the subject is is(V) that the question of why this one portrait has become so famous among so many painted in the Rsnaissance(S)."
それでは倒置が置こる前に戻します。
That the question of why this one portrait has become so famous among so many painted in the Rsnaissance is even more interesting than who the subject is.
(ルネッサンスの多くの絵画の中でこの一つの肖像画が何故有名になったかという問題のほうが、この絵の主題よりさらに興味深い。）
倒置はわざと文に違和感を出し、「強調したいんだ」と主張するために使われるのです。
Tags: Grammar Tips, Inversion
BBC: US remembers Kennedy 50 years after assassination
Inaugural Address （全文）
Inaugural Address （日本語訳）
J.F.ケネディが暗殺されたのは1963年11月22日。今から50年前だそうです。日本ではタイムリーな事に彼の娘キャロライン・ケネディがアメリカ大使として就任しました。彼女は強硬なリベラル派だそうです。same sex間のmarriageも女性のabortionの権利も強く支持しているそうです。多分日本の政治家達と接したら唖然な事連続だろうと思います 
。で今回は50年前のJ.F.ケネディのinaugural address（就任演説）を取り上げてみたいと思います。オバマ大統領の就任演説に比べると遥かに難しいように感じます。当時は有権者としての底辺大衆はあまり意識されていなかったという感じなのでしょうか？引用として載せたテキストは歴史的に有名な後半残り3分部分です。「国があなたに何をするかではなく、あなたが国に何をできるかを尋ねるべきだ...」というやつです。国家という前提はどうか？と思いますが、民主主義の普遍的考え方を言っているわけです。日本の自民党政権の「国が全てをしてやっているんだ...まず始めに国家ありき...」という考えとは相当違うと思います。さらにはその後「アメリカが何をあなた達にするかではなく...」という世界に呼びかける姿勢、日本の総理大臣には絶対にあり得ないセリフですね。
Now the trumpet summons us again--not1 as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not1 as a call to battle, though embattled we are-- but1 a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His2 blessing and His2 help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
summon 招集する、奮い立たせる
bear 耐える、担う、持つ
year in and year out 何年も ※day in day out = day after day
tribulation 苦悩
forge 鋳造する、築く、偽造する
alliance 同盟
shrink 縮む、ひるむ
devotion 献身的愛情、信仰心
fellow 同朋、仲間、特別研究員
ask of ～に要求する
Tags: BBC, Interpreting an English Text, J.F.Kennedy, Speech