#IranElection

June 18th, 2009

イラン抗議広がる 改革派が追悼集会

イラン大統領選挙の結果に不満を強める改革派の抗議行動への支持が広がり始めた。都市部の若年層が中心だった集会にはここ数日、女性や高齢者も参加。抗議行動は地方にも広がっている。首都テヘランでは18日も改革派候補だったムサビ元首相の支持者が集会を開き、衝突で死亡した支持者を追悼した。改革派は抗議活動継続の構えを崩さず、政府は焦りを強めている。

同日夕にテヘラン市内の広場で開いた追悼集会にはムサビ氏の呼びかけに応じて弔意を示す黒い服を着た支持者が集結した。ロイター通信などによると参加者は数万人。イラン国営衛星テレビによるとムサビ氏本人も集会に姿を現し、演説した。イスラム教シーア派では死者を悼む集まりを40日ごとに開き、1979 年のイスラム革命の際にも反王制運動が拡大するきっかけになった。

AP通信によると、数万人規模が集まった17日の集会には伝統的なベール(チャドル)を着用した女性やタクシー運転手ら中間所得層が参加。富裕層の若者や学生が中心だった今週前半とは様相が変わり始めている。

Protests in Iran Spread - Reformers Gather to Mourn

Support for protests carried out by reformers, emphatically unhappy with the results of the Iranian presidential election, has recently begun increasing. Once, comprising mostly members of the young urban class, even women and the elderly have started to take part in recent days. Protests are even spreading geographically.

On the 18th, in the capital city of Teheran, the Reform Party candidate and former Prime Minister Mousavi gathered supporters to mourn the deaths of several supporters suffered in the conflict.

The Reform Party has not lost its will, and plans to continue its protest activities in the face of increasing government impatience.

Later that evening, in a Teheran plaza, protesters showed solidarity with Mousavi, wearing black garments as a sign of mourning.

Reuters and other news services reported the number of participants in the 10s of thousands. According to Iran’s state-run satellite television, Mousavi himself was present at the assembly and addressed the crowd. According to Islamic Shiia law, the period allowed for mourning a death is 40 days. This came about after the 1979 Islamic Revolution against the former Shah.

According to The Associated Press, of the 10s of thousands gathered on the 17th, many women wearing the traditional chador (چادر) and middle-class taxi drivers were also counted among the participants. The protests, once primarily driven by upper-class youth and students, had begun to change by week’s end.

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When Pigs Fly

May 3rd, 2009

新型インフル:WHOが「豚インフルエンザ」の表現やめる

【ジュネーブ澤田克己】世界保健機関(WHO)は4月30日、新型インフルエンザについて、「豚インフルエンザ」との表現をやめ、ウイルスの型を 示す「インフルエンザA(H1N1)」の呼称を使用すると表明した。畜産業界や国連食糧農業機関(FAO)から寄せられた風評被害への懸念を考慮したとい う。

WHOのトンプソン報道官は、人から人への感染力を持つようになった新型インフルエンザについて「他の人インフルエンザと同じようなものになってきた」と言明した。

WHO to stop use of the phrase “swine flu”

[Geneva - Sawada Katsumi] On April 30th, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it would stop using the phrase “swine flu,” and would instead refer to this new form of the virus as the “H1N1 Influenza A” virus.  This is thought to be as a result of charges of financial damages caused by bad press brought by the animal husbandry world as well as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

WHO spokesperson Thompson asserted that the new form of the flu, capable of human-to-human transmission, had become just like any other form of human influenza.

[http://mainichi.jp/select/world/news/20090501k0000e040077000c.html]

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Today’s Japanese

May 3rd, 2009

豚インフルエンザ  (ぶたインフルエンザ) - Swine Flu

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Do you like silly Japanese crap?

April 8th, 2009

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Warning: Danalyn says naughty words.  Danalyn is not a role model for your children.

If you get a kick out of whacky Japanese crap, then head on over and check out Nihongo-a-go-go’s sister project, jCrap.com!  If you want to learn more about Japanese, well… you’re already here, so… yeah.

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Today’s Japanese Lesson

April 7th, 2009

弾丸 (だんがん) - bullet

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今日の日本語

April 6th, 2009

回転木馬 (かいてんもくば) - carousel, merry-go-round

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Fast Food

April 5th, 2009

消費者の節約志向が一段と強まるなか、大手ファストフードチェーンの間では売り上げを伸ばそうと出店を増やす動きが相次いでいます。
このうち、大手牛丼チェーンの「吉野家」は向こう1年間におよそ100店を新たに出店する計画です。

吉野家は、牛丼の販売を再開した3年前から出店を増やしてきましたが、向こう1年間の出店は、前の年を20%上回り、これまでで最多となります。
また、サンドイッチチェーンの「サブウェイ」はことし、これまでで最多のおよそ60店を出店するほか、大手ハンバーガーチェーンの「モスバーガー」もこれまで削減してきた店舗数を今年度は増やす計画です。

消費者の節約志向が一段と強まるなか、外食産業ではファミリーレストランが売り上げの減少に苦しんでいます。

一方、ファストフード業界は割安な価格で人気を集め、ことし2月の売り上げが前の年を2%余り上回るなど好調な業績が続いているうえ、景気の落ち込みで、土地や建物の賃料が下がってきていることから出店を増やす動きが相次いでおり、今後も出店競争が激しさを増しそうです。

With consumers aiming to save money now more than ever, many major fast food chains have been making efforts to increase both sales and the number of branch stores. Among these, the major gyudon (rice covered with beef and vegetables) chain Yoshinoya has plans to open as many as 100 new stores in the coming year.

Since resuming sales of gyudon 3 years ago, Yoshinoya has been increasing their number of stores, but the planned increase in the coming year represents an increase surpassing 20% over the previous year.

Additionally, the sandwich chain Subway will open a record 60 stores this year.  The major hamburger chain Mosburger, which has been experiencing cut backs in their number of stores, has plans to increase that number this year.

The dining industry is especially feeling the pinch as a result of consumers trying to save money.

Meanwhile, the fast food industry has garnered popularity by slashing prices, with February’s figures showing a favorable upward performance trend of 2% over last year.  In this  of state of decline, with land and building rentals dropping one after another, the competition for increasing store numbers is sure to heat up.

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Today’s Japanese Lesson

April 5th, 2009

今日の日本語

Today’s Japanese lesson is: 国連安保理 (こくれんあんぽり) - United Nations Security Council

Let’s take a look at how this breaks out into individual characters:

国 country
連 join, gang, clique
安 peaceful, safe
保 preserve, support
理 logic, arrangement

Now, let’s see the characters in compound form:

国連 - United Nations
安保理 - Security Council

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KY

March 31st, 2009

麻生首相の「KY」は「漢字が読めない」の略

確かに漢字は難しい。私自身、初めて目にする地名など、漢字の読みが分からない場合が多々あるし、長年思い込んできた読みの間違いに気が付いて恥ずかしい思いをすることもある。だが、麻生首相の演説を聴いていると、平均的な日本人よりも漢字の読みを知らないのではないかと疑いたくなる。

ビデオニュースでも、麻生首相が「前場(ぜんば)」を「まえば」と言い、「有無(うむ)」を「ゆうむ」と読んだ話が失笑交じりに紹介されていた。私がテレビやネットの麻生演説で気が付いた誤読?だけでも、「詳細(しょうさい)」を「ようさい」、「踏襲(とうしゅう)」を「ふしゅう」と読んでいた。

麻生首相は新聞を読まないらしい。マンガばかり読んでいて、国際政治は「ゴルゴ13」で勉強しているというジョークも聞いた。が、ひょっとすると、ジョークではないのかもしれない。クレー射撃でオリンピックに出場した経験を持つ麻生首相は、狙撃の名手ゴルゴ13に自らの姿を投影していたりして。

「KY(空気を読まない)」と揶揄された首相もいたが、麻生首相の「KY」は、「漢字が読めない」の略のようだ。ビデオニュースによると、麻生首相の所信表明演説や「文藝春秋」の論文は、朝日の記者が書いたらしいが、漢字の読み方の誤りを教えてあげる人はいないのだろうか。「太郎ちゃん、マンガばかり読んでいないで、少しは勉強もしなさい」と。

http://www.news.janjan.jp/culture/0811/0811081029/1.php
白坂和彦

Vocab list coming (if I ever get around to it)

Prime Minister Aso’s “KY” is an abbreviation for “Kanji ga Yomenai” (cannot read kanji).

Without a doubt, kanji are difficult.  I, myself, run into situations where I cannot read  placenames, etc., the first time I see them.  And I am embarrassed when I realize that I have been misreading characters for a long time.  However, when listening to Prime Minister Aso’s speeches, one gets the idea that perhaps he understands how to read kanji even less than the average Japanese.

Even in televised news, PM Aso read “zenba” (morning trading session) as “maeba” and “umu” (existence) as “yuumu,” resulting in much laughter.  What mistakes did I notice while watching TV and surfing the net?  Everyone misreads “shousai” (details) as “yousai” and “toushuu” (following, as in footsteps) as “fushuu.”

It would seem that PM Aso cannot read a newspaper.  There’s even a joke going around that he only reads Manga, and that he studies international politics by reading “Golgo 13″ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golgo_13].  But a quick glance makes one wonder whether it really is a joke.  Aso, who has had the experience of competing in the Olympics in clay pigeon shooting, seems to be projecting himself onto the famous sniper “Golgo 13.”

There have been heads of state who have been ridiculed with “KY (kuuki ga yomenai)” [lit: 'can't take a hint']) , but Aso’s abbreviation KY would appear to mean “Kanji ga Yomenai” (can’t read Kanji).  Referring to Aso’s policy speeches and essays in Bungeishunju (a Japanese magazine), an Asahi reporter apparently wrote, “Isn’t there someone who will teach me my mistakes in reading kanji?”  “Tarou… stop reading only Manga and do some studying.”

Shirasaka Kazuhiko

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謹賀新年

January 6th, 2009

新年明けましておめでとうございます。今年も宜しくお願いします。

Happy New Year from Nihongo-a-go-go.  Here’s to a great 2009!

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