English Recordings

She always showed deference to her customers

She bolstered her daughter's morale before her first day at summer camp

Have you heard of the term "Helicopter Parent?"

While I was internet-surfing, I came across on the blog of a person from the US.

The definition is a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child's experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutes. Those parents hover over the child like a helicopter.

What surprised me was that those children don't hate their parents' behaviors.

The image of American children is nowhere near the ones who are happy with those helicopter parents. I guess that they are just a minority in the west, right?

Meanwhile across Japan, the term "Monster Parents" has been an issue lately. Teachers are reporting an astonishing change in the character of parents, who used to be respectful and silent. They are now super-aggressive complainers.

Previously, when a child was in trouble, the parent worried and often asked the teachers what to do, but now they try to have the teachers sacked because the teachers did not manage the children well in school.

The number of the monster parents seems to have been increasing over the last ten years. While writing this, I came up with an idea as to why parents have changed.

Maybe because they started thinking that they are the ones who can protect their children from bullying and other problems that children encounter in school.

They seem to look and sound scary from a teacher's point of view. Lots of teachers have mental problems in Japan. This is a serious problem that follows monster parents. It is a totally vicious circle...

It was sad news for me to hear; one of my American friends has decided to leave Japan after an eight-year stay in Japan.

She called and asked me to have lunch with her yesterday.

Since she has been very busy managing her own English school for kids, we haven't been able to meet up very often; however, I believe that we have a great friendship built on the faith we have in each other.

Even while I am writing this journal entry, I can't help but shed tears feeling lonely for her. She is going to leave here in five months.

Sometimes, people ask me how many friends I have. I can't answer. I don't know exactly how many. It seems that most people assume that I have accumulated a lot of friends, but I don't think so. It's because I don't care for shallow friendships, so maybe I'm a bit discriminating about it.

I have been thinking about friendships a lot lately.

"Good-bye" always drives me nuts..

We are sorry to inform you that Coulomb Technologies, Inc. want to withdraw provinding their products. However, we strongly want to consider applicable products other than the other product.
We are considering selecting a product under the following condition.
Charging mode shall be the one that meets Level 1 and Level 2.
Wide Area network CDMA-1 or GRPS shall be used for data collection and management for the 24 units.
CDMA-1 or GPRS Modem must be able to be replaced with a product of japanese domestic communication carrier.
Web-enable management software is ideal.
But if it is impossible, dedicated software that requires new IP communication line shall be used.
We need some more time from now on.

While applauding the progress that has been made by the green-building movement in the past 20 years, the authors of the Challenge say it has not been enough. In an April 2010 description of the program, they argue that “incremental change is no longer a viable option.” Given the enormity of the task that still lies ahead, they maintain that we need “to completely reshape humanity’s relationship with nature and realign our ecological footprint to be within the planet’s carrying capacity.”

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quandary involving the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people (Muggles).

Since the June 30, 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2008, the book series has sold more than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age, it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death, which has led to much criticism, as it is primarily considered to be a work of children's literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as love and prejudice.

English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Raincoast Books in Canada. Through 2010, the first six books have been made into films by Warner Brothers; it is the highest grossing film series of all time so far. The seventh book is being made into two movies which are currently scheduled to be released nearly eight months apart: Part I on November 19, 2010 and the series finale on July 15, 2011. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth £15 billion. On October 1, 2010, JK Rowling stated in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that she could potentially write a new book in the series.

Harry learns that Voldemort is seeking the Elder Wand, but is unaware of the Hallows and their significance. The trio decides that discovering Voldemort's Horcruxes is more important than procuring the Hallows for themselves. They break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at the Wizarding Bank Gringotts to recover another Horcrux, the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. Harry learns that another Horcrux is hidden in Hogwarts, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the school. They find this Horcrux, the Diadem of Ravenclaw, and successfully destroy the cup and the diadem.

The book culminates in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, in conjunction with students and members of the wizarding world opposed to the rise of Voldemort, defend Hogwarts from Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and various magical creatures. Several major characters are killed in the first wave of the battle. Harry discovers that Voldemort inadvertently made Harry a Horcrux when he attacked him as a baby, and that he will have to die to destroy Voldemort. Harry surrenders himself to Voldemort, who attacks Harry with the Killing Curse, sending Harry to a sort of Limbo between life and death. There, Harry meets Dumbledore who explains that because Voldemort used Harry's blood to regain his full strength, Harry is protected from any harm that Voldemort could commit against him, meaning that the Horcrux inside Harry is destroyed, but Harry can return to his body despite being hit by the Killing Curse. Harry then returns to his body, the battle resumes, and after the last remaining Horcrux is destroyed, Harry is able to defeat Voldemort.

Following Dumbledore's death, Voldemort has completed his ascension to power and gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drop out of school to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. They isolate themselves to ensure the safety of their family and friends. They do not have much knowledge about the remaining Horcruxes except the possibility that two of them are objects that belonged to Hogwarts founders Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, and that the third is Nagini, Voldemort's snake familiar. The locations of the two founders' objects are unknown, and Nagini is presumed to be with Voldemort himself. As they search for the Horcruxes, the trio learn details about Dumbledore's past, as well as Snape's true motives.

The trio recovers the first of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Salazar Slytherin's locket, by infiltrating the Ministry of Magic. They recover the Sword of Godric Gryffindor; it is one of a few objects that can be used to destroy Horcruxes (being dipped in Basilisk venom), and they use it to destroy the locket. In their travels the trio comes across a strange symbol, which an eccentric wizard named Xenophilius Lovegood (father of Luna) tells them represents the mythical Deathly Hallows. The Hallows are revealed to be three sacred objects: the Resurrection Stone, a stone with the power to recall the dead to the world of the living; the Elder Wand, an unbeatable wand; and an infallible Invisibility Cloak.

How do you feel about the practice of daylight savings?

Is it just like you're going through jet-lag twice a year?!

Although Japan doesn't observe daylight saving time, I'm interested in it because of the concept, which is to save energy.

It's said that Korea suggested in 2009, at the leader's session, that Korea and Japan will adopt it at the same time in the near future.

Despite that, I've heard some negative opinions about it. Some say that they won't be able to adapt to it very easily, and as a result, they will have sleep-disorders and other health problems.

Some people complain that their chickens won't adapt to it! Hahaha. I know~ they want to wake up with the sun no matter what time it is!

I guess that there must be some more serious problems, and it could potentially cause more confusion, which I am not sure about though.

So, if daylight savings time were observed in Japan, like in 70 other countries around the world, what would happen here?

The temperature during the daytime here has been increasing amazingly in the last few years, particularly this year!

I'm afraid of Japan becoming subtropical because of the rapid procession of global warming!

I wonder if we could be active as we are during the daytime, even if the working time gets longer by the practice of daylight savings.