(Friday, July 1, 2005)
　It's been so hot that many people suffer from the heat. If you can't give off heat inside your body, you'll be seriously sick, which sometimes causes death. The sickness was first spotlightd some ten years ago. At that time very few people knew how to deal with the symptom and just let him or her lie in the shade. But some died after that.
　Especially in the sprots field in Japan, it was a kind of rule that while exercising the athletes shold not take any water in order to get mental strength. However, after the heat sickness was spotlighted, it became common sense for the sports instructors to let the athletes drink enough water in order to avoid the sickness.
　In my place it's been raining since this morning, which is just like a usual weather at this season of the year. Some TV personalities said that they'd like some high-tech system to invite rain artificially. Actually China has been putting it into practice for some years. But we also have to know that in China many people are dying from flooding. They may be able to let it start raining, but they can't let it stop raining. That's also another big problem, isn't it? So I'm against the idea of inviting rainfall artificially, because it may possibly cause some other trouble in natural weather system.

(Saturday, July 2, 2005)
　Why can't Japanese people be frank enough when it comes to a very important matter? Why do they complain behind someone else's back? When I was a school teacher, the teachers' meeting was very quiet in most cases. Even if I tried to express my frank opinion, nobody would try to show their own colors. I though they were so negative. When I was in great trouble, none of my co-workers tried to help me. They were just looking at what was going on between the principal and me. And now that a few years have passed, some of them regret having done nothing about my trouble. It's too late, because I already quit my job. I'm no longer a school teacher, so I cna say that more than 90 percent of the school teachers are bullshit. They're not talented and honest enough to get that big amount of money as salary. I really hate them.
　I'm thinking of opening my own language school at my home, because I can't expect so many regular lessons given by the ECC and the KGC. I don't mind if I have to work so hard working on my classes. But I think I have to think twice before putting my ideas into practice.

(Sunday, July3, 2005)
　I got the DVD of the recent movie "Man on Fire" starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. I got it from the Amazon by online shopping as usual, of course. They gave me 20% discout. I've been so much interested in the movie, so I'm dying to see it as soon as possible. It usually costs you 1,700 yen to see a movie in a movie theater today. Don't you think it's too expensive? For most of the popular movies, DVDs will be made about three months after they're out of run. It costs you only around 3,000 yen to get a DVD of a movie. Which do you think is beneficial, going to a theater or buying a DVD? I usually try to get DVDs, because I can see the same movie times and times again, which, of course, helps me brush up my English so much.
　As I had planned, I went to see the softball games at Hagisono Junior High School today. It was cloudy in the morning, but after about 2:00 in the afternoon, it started raining. But the games were continued to the very end. I felt most of the players were much better than the leading players some years before. Especially the pitchers and the catchers got much better. All the teams that had been invited today were, of course, at the top level, and their plays facinated me so much that I was fully satisfied.

(Monday, July 4, 2005)
　Today's the Independence Day of the United States of America. It became independent in 1776, which makes the country 229 years old this year. Isn't it a great job for one country to become the greatest superpower within only about 230 years? Of course what it means to be a superpower in today's world is a different question for us to discuss.
　The TV news programs are now completely like damn weekly magazines. They're now crazy about Sugita Kaoru's trouble with her husband, which Damn Reporter Nashimoto made public. Does he have the right to reveal someone's private troubles? Whe the hell does he think he is? I really hate a guy like Nashimoto who makes his living on someone else's tragedy.
　I no longer want to hear anything about the Waka-Taka trouble. It's not the question that we usual people should discuss, but the question they themselves try to solve. Mass medias should also shut their mouths up about it. They're all bullshit!
　The so-called "privatization of posts and telecommunications" is seemingly going to become the LDP's official policy tomorrow. Everyone feels that Mr.Koizumi has been too pushy about this issue, although I myself am not against his idea. The problem is that each statesman in the LDP works on behalf of his own supporters, not for general public people like us. Everything they do is for their winning in the coming election, which makes Japan such a politically low-leveled country. I'm so ashamed of our top leaders.

(Tuesday, July 5, 2005)
　Are they really going to introduce a new plan of increasing tax rate? Yesterday the average annual income of the statesmen was made public. I was surprised to hear the sum of money. It was 23 million 590 thousand yen, which was the smallest sum in history. How can they lead rich lives while most of the civilians are having a hard time living the day? I have to confess that I don't want to pay any more taxes, even if I'd be arrested for being against the law.
　The Prime Minister Koizumi's long-cherished bill in question has successfully got through the House of Representitives. After all most statesmen are afraid that they might be disliked by the top people in power. I couldn't help but laugh at the results which would be of no interest of us civilians. Who cares? There's nothing beneficial in the bill!
　I bought a mini-Loto ticket for 1,000 yen, but the result was no good at all. Interestingly enough it's harder for me to predict the numbers of mini-Loto than those of Loto 6. Anyway I'd like to get the first prize during this year.

(Wednesday, July 6, 2005)
　Yesterday there was a press conference of the two big movie stars, Hilary Awank and Morgan Freeman, who both got the Academy Awards for playing in the movie "Million Dollar Baby" directed by Clint Eastwood. I like Morgan Freeman who also appeared in "Day After Tomorrow." He's such a talented actor in Hollywood. Both of them were very proud of the movie that they have come all the way to Japan to promote. I was also impressed by the interpreters sitting beside each of them, who did quite accurate translation immediately after each of them answered the questions from the press. I could never do such a wonderful job.
　It is said that the privatization of the banking system in New Zealand has been causing serious troubles throughout the country. If we take that into consideration, is it really safe for us to let Mt.Koizumi go on his own way? What if we have to pay 100yen for a postcard after the privatization? Even if we insist we don't like the new system, it'll be too late.
　Japan has now become one of the most advanced countries in the world. But what does the word "advanced" mean for us? Does it mean that Japan's so good at making money? Does it mean that the politicians can do anything they like whether or not we civilians want it? Now I can't really trust those who are called "politicians." I feel the only thing they're interested in is their own wealth, not their people's welfare. Am I too pessimistic?

(Thursday, July 7, 2005)
　Today is the Star Festival. Are we going to have a fine weather, which will give the romantic legendary couple the only one chance in a year to meet each other? The only chance for the Vega and the Altair to meet each other will be realized only when it doesn't rain.
　Do I have to prepare a bamboo tree to put our wish cards on? But if I have to, I must find a good place where I can cut out a bamboo without being punished by the land owner. Oh, I'm very sorry for actually having done the sin of taking a bamboo branch without notice, while I was walking my dog. I hope God will forgive me, because I helped an old woman who had trouble with her bicycle on my way back from walk. Now the bamboo branch is stuck into a plastic bottle with some nutient liquid in the water. Later we'll have to put some stips of wish paper all over the bamboo branch.
　It's so hot today that we have to be careful when we take our pet dogs for a walk during the day. They might suffer from the heat just as some of us do. We shouldn't underestimate the heat exhaustion. In some cases you can die from this heatstroke.
　An incredible incident has happened in London while its people are excited to know that the Olympic Games would be held in London in 2012. It was simultaneous coordinate attacks, just like the one which occurred in New York on September 11 in 2001. It might have been done in retaliation for what the British government had been doing in Iraq. But revenge can only invite another revenge from the other side. I'd like to express my sincere condolences for those who have been killed in this terrorism. Why don't you stop killing people for nothing!

(Friday, July 8, 2005)
　In an Islamic web site an Al Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the London blasts. The London police says that 33 people were killed and that 45 were seriously insured and that more than 300 people were treated for minor injuries. They don't know if the blasts were caused by suicide bombing or by packaged explosives yet. It was even more shocking because it happened just after London had been tapped to host 2012 Olympic Games. Is it true that some non-conventional weapons were used, I mean some chemical weapons? If it's true it's a great threat to all the people living in the Americanized world.
　According to the TV news this morning, many specialists doubt that the London blasts were really caused by an Al Qaeda-linked group. However, one specialist points out that a big terrorism happens every one and a half years. After 9.11 in New York came the explosion of the big disco on Bali Island in Indonesia, killing more than 100 people. Then came the train explosion in Madrid, the capital of Spain, killing about 200 people. And after London, the group says, some other country that support the U.S. policy against Islamic World could be the target. So many people are now terrified, which terrorists basically expect.

(Saturday, July 9, 2005)
　This evening I took our pet dog Ryoma for a walk in heavy rain, or in a shower I should say. Everytime I take him for a walk, I can never come home without being dissappointed by the dogshit left unpicked on the roads, on the muddy paths in the worst case. How can such awful deed happen in this peaceful city of Chigasaki? It is obvious that someone intentionally leaves his dogs remainings in the public place. According to the City Regulations those owners who don't pick up their pets' droppings into their bags or something, they'll be fined less than two thousand yen. However nobody patrols to see if people are trying to obey the rules, so the number of people who ignore the regulations will never decrease. What a pity!
　Today Ryoma's delivery service has been making me burst into laughter. He's been trying to carry anything which comes into his sight; a two-litter empty plastic bottle, a vinegar soy sauce bottle, my mother's sandal, a vinyl bag, and even an eggplant. I don't know why he's so crazy about his delivery service. It's possible he does it when he wants to say something to us. For example, "Let me out for a walk," "Give me something more delicious to eat," "Come and play with me," and so on. I wish I could understand dogs' language.

(Sunday, July 10, 2005)
　It's a beautiful morning we're having today. Are they having the official softball games today? This is the last championship tournament for the 9th graders. It's every teams goal to win the Prefectural chanmpionship and go on to the Kanto Distric Campionship Tournament. Only the two teams that went up to the final have the right to take part in the upper tournament. It's a pity that I have never let my team play in the Kanto Championship Tournament. We had a big chance once, but at that time both of the two pitching aces were seriously injured. I had let them practice too much, which made them so tired that they were easy to get injured. It was my fault. It's too late to feel sorry for them, though. After all they got the bronze medal in the prefectural championship tournament, which would have been their best job to do. Maybe more than the best. Being a softball coach is so exciting, but so difficult as well.
　As I was afraid, Hagisono Junior High School was beaten by Hamasuka Junior High School by the score of 1-2. But they were lucky enough to take part in the consolation match to get the last ticket to go on to the Shonan District Tournament. We can't expect what will happen in the Summer Sports Festival for junior high school teams, just as anything could happen in the high school baseball games played in the Koshien Stadium.

(Monday, July 11, 2005)
　It seems it's going to be a hot day today again. I'm sorry for those people in trouble in the south part of Kyushu. They have too much rain there. Some landslides occurred and killed some people. The weather is changing too drastically. There're days when we don't have rain at all, and then suddenly came days when we have much more rain than needed. In the Caribbean Area the hurricane Dennis is destroying everything, killing many people. What's happening to our Earth? Does God want us to make up for what we've been doing to our mother planet?
　In the morning Mr.Ono, one of the softball umpires belonging to the Chigasaki City Softball Association came to see me. He wanted me to renew my qualification as a 3rd grade official softball umpire and a 3rd grade official scorer. It will be alomost impossible for me to work as an official staff on Sunday, but he wants me in the list. And one more thing, he asked me to come to the softball which will be held next Sunday at Muroda Elementary School ground. I may not have a chance to play in the game, but he wants me to come with a softball glove. I think I have to train myself again, if possible with some junior high school girls after school.

(Tuesday, July 12, 2005)
　At last the death toll of the London Terror got over 50. Some say that there're still about 25 bodies left at the blast scenes. More than 700 were wounded. Many people are trying to find their friends or relatives still missing after the explosions. The scenes are quite similar to those seen at the Amagasaki train crash site. Too terrible for us to know what to do for them.
　I bought an electric device which takes cockroaches away from the house, and it's been working very well. But these days we see some big cockroaches running across the living room. I wonder why they suddenly came to appear in my house. My mother thinks it's because of the total mess that the next-door neighbor's been making in their garage-like space. I agree with her. Do I need buy another device to force the headaches out of our house? Will it work?
　I feel a little tired, because I was under the burning sunshine all day last Sunday to cheer for the Hagisono JHS softball team. It is often said that sunburnt makes you exhausted, although spending the summer without getting sunburnt is something like coffee without milk and sugar.

(Wednesday, July 13, 2005)
　It's been cloudy and a little cool since this morning. Those who went to bed with the windows of their rooms open might have caught a cold this morning. I have cut all the hydrangea flowers off its branches so that they might have beautiful flowers again next year. Now that we don't see beautiful hydrangeas, we're getting close to the end of the rainy season. Are we going to have a usual hot summer this year? Or anything strange might also happen in the coming summer too? There are some people who are afraid some kind of catastrophe might happen in the near future. And I am one one them.
　While I was walking our pet dog Ryoma, he made a piss on the wooded pole standing around the parking place of a house. Just then I heard a scolding voice from upstairs. "You shouldn't lot your dog piss there, you know that?" The owner of the house happened to see us from the window of the second-floor room. I was so ashamed that I hurried to walk away saying I was so sorry about that. I have to be careful next time I pass by the house with Ryoma. But to tell the truth I felt a little bit angry to hear the voice, although I knew that it was completely my fault. I thought I lacked calcium, which made me easy to get angry. My god!

(Thursday, July 14, 2005)
　The kinky man Kobayashi told the police that he had confined as many as seven girls and women in places like apartment so far. He came to know those victims on the Internet, pretending to be a gentle woman. But the problem is that why those ladies came to the idea of meeting Kobayashi in person. It's sometimes beneficial to talk to someone on the Internet. Exchanging ideas on the mimic boards on the Internet is a lot of fun. You might be able to find someone who you can talk to frankly. But you have to know that there's alwasys danger of contacting someone strange. Why not go outside and try to meet people face to face? On the Internet it's quite easy to become a totally different person. You can pretend to be as gentle as an angel. This case should be talked about spotlighting not only Kobayashi's strange behaviors but also careless ideas for young ladies to find friends on the Internet.

(Friday, July 15, 2005)
　Today I had the 14th English conversation lesson at the Peare Fujisawa. It's a 15-time conversation course which I first thought would going to be such a long period of lessons. But now that we have only one lesson left, it's been such a short period of time. That's because I could enjoy teaching English conversation to the mothers there. It's really been such a wonderful experience that I've never had before.
　The Governor of Tokyo, Mr.Ishihara told the press today that he did not regret having banned the French language to be unqualified as an international language just because it has a complicated system of mentioning numbers over 60. Why couldn't he just apologize to the French people for what he had carelessly said? I believe he is quite immature or too childish in sticking only to what he believes is important. I really think he should quit the position as soon as possible for the bright future of Japan.

(Saturday, July 16, 2005)
　The Meteorological Agency declared that the Shikoku District had got out of the rainy season giving the area only three fourths of the usual amount of rain. But they don't have to worry about that, because the Typhoon 15 is coming near. The weather forecast says that we're having a thunder storm tomorrow here in the Kanto District. I'm afraind our softball games meight be postponed. We're going to have two games tomorrow afternoon. I'm not sure that I'm playing in the games. It's been almost a year since I played catch last. I don't know if I can throw a ball well still now.

(Sunday, July 17, 2005)
　Surprisingly enough, the hydrangea branches which I though had already been dead are now having new leaves growing from some forks. To tell the truth, I brought the hydrangea from some large stock sticking out onto the road without notice. I was thinking that God knows the fact and didn't allow me to take care of the branch. That's why I'm so happy about the new buds coming out of the forks. I have to thank God for giving me such a great gift.
　It's been cloudy all day today, so we could play the doubleheader game. First I was supposed to play only a little part of the game, but actually I played all through the two games. In the first game I played as a right fielder. You know what? I hit a home run! But I fell just after I hit the ball, so I had to stop on the third base. It was a memorial game for the ace pitcher Mr.Tsumagari to record his 300th victory. We were relieved to have win the first game. In the second game I played as a catcher, which made me so tired out. Every time I come back from the position, I should have looked like a patient in the hospital. It's only too natural, because it was alomost a year since I had played softball last. Anyway I did a good job today. Next time I play I think I should bring a tank of sports drink so that I might not suffer from the summer heat.

(Monday, July 18, 2005)
　Yesterday just after the two games were over I got a cramp in my right thigh. After coming back home, I soon took a shower and tried to cool the thigh with a cooling spray. It worked soon and I didn't feel any pain in my thigh. But the problem is whether I will be able to walk tomorrow morning. I should have trained myself more before the games. Sudden physical exercises cause a lot of troubles to your body.
　Did you know that the rainy season had already gone in Kanto District too? I was surprised when I heard that from my wife. It's gone before I knew. That means we're having about a month and a half of summer heat. Will water be enough for us druing the hot season? I'm afraid some big typhoons will suddenly be born and attack Japan unexpectedly. I hope there will be no natural disater during the following few months.

(Tuesday, July 19, 2005)
　Today an ECC supervisor's coming to observe my lesson. There's nothing special I can do for the observation. I think I should handle the class as usual. He sent me an e-mail saying that I don't have to be too nervous, which would be almost impossible. However I think it's a good system for the ECC to check out if the newly hired instructors are doing well or not.
　It's been so hot today, and that's why it's getting cloudy toward the evening. We might have a sudden shower in the humit weather like this. Today I didn't turn on the air conditioner, so Ryoma looks kind of tired from heat. I'm sorry for dogs, because they are covered by thick fur, which enables them to cool down their physical temperature only by putting out their tongues. Even dogs often lose appetite when it's so humid just as we humans do.
　As was planned Mr.Miyagi, the personnel manager of the ECC Kanto District Branch, came to observe my classes. I was a little bit nervous, but I could do no better than I was capable to do. After the classes were over we had a brief meeting. I was very happy to hear him say that both of the two classes had good atomosphere, which could be evaluated. At the same time he gave me some good advice to improve my lesson.

(Wednesday, July 20, 2005)
　This evening I'm having an extra lesson at ECC Kawasaki School as a substitute instructor. Another personnel manager Mr.Nomura had offered me the lesson about a week before.
　What a crazy guy! I'm talking about the man who has been arrested for having abused his pet dog which he had got on the Internet. The police suspects that he got the dog for the purpose of abusing him/her. I don't want to refer to the victimized dog as "it," because the dogs have their own personalities just as we human beings do. I hope the kinky guy will be severely punished bu the police. Go to hell, you bustard!
　By the way, the ECC Kawasaki had its office in a very gorgeous building, which made it almost impossible for me to find the school easily. There was also a lot of space and the lesson rooms were so large. If I remember correctly, it was my first time to get off the train at Kawasaki Station. I didn't know the city was as modern as Tokyo. Interestingly enough, I felt most people walking aroung the station were obeying certain rules. It was quite different from Fujisawa where people go up and down the stairs in their own ways.

(Thursday, July 21, 2005)
　Today in the ECC ID English Conversation Class we had a new high school girl who had joined us to observe the lesson. She spoke such good English that I thought she was a returnee. But actually she had never lived abroad. She had begun learning English conversation at an ECC home school when she was a 6th grader. I was really surprised to know that a student could become so good at English after only four years of learning English in Japan. I myself have never studied abroad, but I've been learning English for such a long time. It's only too natural for me to become a fluent speaker of English. I hope she will dicide to learn with us at the ECC.
　When I came home, Ryoma welcomed me by waving his tail. I hugged him in my arms, which made him feel so happy. Of course my wife welcomed me with a warm-hearted hello. I think I'm such a lucky guy to have someone at home who always smile at me when I come back home from work. I really thank them.

(Friday, July 22, 2005)
　Under the highest alert situation again London was attacked by the terrorists. Many people wonder why they could go through the alert barrier. Why couldn't the British Intelligence get the information of the terror? Does that mean they can sneak in anywhere they like?
　Not to change the subject, the table tennis genius Fukuhara Ai's now so popular among Chinese people. She has had some training camps in the country so far. She has even showed up in the famous Chinese Interview Program called "Face to Face," she showed her tears when she was asked very severe private questions, though. What's the most impressive about Ai-chan is that she speaks the Chinese language so fluently. It's partly because she has stayed in China many times, but mostly because she made a lot of effort to be able to communicate with the people living in the country. I really think that she's a great diplomat.
　It's a famous story here in Japan that she was urged to play table tennis by her parents. Her parents got divorced probably because they had different opinions as to how to educate their great daughter.
　But no one can blame her parents for what they have done to their angel, because she has now become such a charming lady as well as a great top level table tennis player. I think her parents should be proud of what they have done to their daughter in their own ways.

(Saturday, July 23, 2005)
　I'd like to say "Congratulations!" to all the players of the Hagisono Junior High School softball team. The manager Mr.Ide called me and left his happy message. In the city tournament they lost the first game against the Hamasuka Junior High School. It sometimes happens for a strong team to lose the very first game in the official championship tournament.
　But they could go on to the Shonan District Tournament and today was their first day. They fought against the Nishihama Junior High School, ranked in the second in the city tournament, and kicked them off to become a finalist. That means they've got the ticket to take part in the Prifectural Championship Tournament. They have only three 9th graders on their team. So they did a great job! Here again I'd like to say "Congratulations!" I couldn't go to see their games today, because I had to take care of two classes at the ECC Kamiohoka School. If possible I think I'm going to go and see them play in the Prefectural Tournament.

(Sunday, July 24, 2005)
　Today I've been to Odawara to take the TOEIC test. The test itself was much easier than I had expected, but it'd not easy to get more than 900 points out of full 990. I was surprised to see so many people trying to take the test. Most of them are young people in their twenties. There were , of course, some who were as old as me. When I went out of the college building after everything was over, I happened to hear two young girls talking about how they felt about the test. One of them said that she was almost asleep during the test. I could understand how she felt, because the test was too long for young people to do. There were too many questions. I think they should also take speaking and writing abilities into consideration in some ways. Just listening comprehension and reading tests are not enough to measure your English ability.
　If you get some special training for the test for a certain period of time, it will not so hard to get more than 700 points, I'm sure. But it's not the exact evalutaion of your English capability, is it? I hope some better changes would be made someday.

(Monday, July 25, 2005)
　Today was a pay day for most of the businessmen. I went to the bank to withdraw my pay from my bank account, where surprisingly long line was waiting for me. I decided not to do that in the main office near the station and moved to use the ATM by a department store. I was quite right in doing so. While I was waiting for my turn in a shorter line, I heard a young mother shouting at her little son who was hanging a shopping bag from the handlebar of his bike. But when I carefully looked at the mother's bike, she was also hanging more shopping bags from the handlebar of her bike. She was yelling to the boy, "You mother is old enough to do that, but you're not ready for it." Do you think a little boy could understand the mother's words? I think it's a matter of course that children try to do the same thing as their parents do. The mother should have said to the boy, "OK, I'll stop doing that, so you also have to take awas the shopping bag from the handlebar. It's so dangerous. You're good enough to listen to your mom, aren't you?" Grown-ups often try to look good before other people. But the most important thing is to be a really good parent.

(Tuesday, July 26, 2005)
　The typhoon went through Japan so quickly that we didn't feel it was really there. In my place it didn't rain a lot, which was quite different from the terrible situation we had expected we would have. We were lucky this time, because the typhoon gradually lost its energy as it came near to our country. Last night I had two lessons at the ECC. First I thought they were crazy as to their decision not to close school that night, but now I know they were right. When the second class was over around 9:30, it had stopped raining. My wife was kind enough to be waiting for me at the other side of the station. I didn't have to use my umbrella walking to our car.
　Talking about cars, we notice these days that there are more and more old drivers in the town. Sometimes they have a mark called "Futaba Mark" or two-leaf sign indicating the driver's old. I don't insist that older people should not drive a car, but when they drive they shouldn't forget that drivers are drivers whether they're young or old. Very often they are dangerous drivers. Some drive too slowly, and others pay no attention to the traffic. Last year I was almost hit buy a car driven by a driver who was over 80 years old. He didn't even notice that his car touched me. It was an accident, so I soon called the police because he had run away. When I came home from work a police officer at the Ebina Police Station called me to let me know they had found the driver to be too old to drive safely. He asked me if I wanted his family to come to my place to apologize for what the old man had done to me. I told him that I didn't want that. Then he said, "OK, I'll tell the family not to let him drive any more anyway." If I hadn't stop my motorbike so quickly, I could have been dead. What a dreadful experience I had!

(Wednesday, July 27, 2005)
　Because of the foehn phenomenon after the Typhoon Mindulle passed by, the temperature went up as high as more than 35 degrees Celcius everywhere in Japan. It was a little cool last night, so there must be many people who feel sick not being able to adjust their physical condition to the drastic change of the weather. Our pet Ryoma seemed to be a little sick today because of the heat, and he didn't want to walk a lot this evening. Now he is lying under the cool air from the air conditioner.
　One of my business partners has been cheated by some internet business company and had contract in which she had to pay more than 1 million yen to the loan company. The business system she had bought was a kind of a software to collect mail addresses somehow. The number of the collected mail addresses should be about 40,000 if the advertisement was correct, but actually the system work that well. Now she's talking with a lawyer to cope with the unscrupulous business company. I hope she can successfully cancel the contract with the help of the lawyer.

(Thursday, July 28, 2005)
　The Inter-Junior High School Sports Festival of Kanagawa Prefecture started in Odawara area. The softball team of Hagisono Junior High School is having the first game tomorrow at the softball ground built by the side of the Sakawa River at 11:00a.m. The other team has just been decided to be the Ebina-Arima Junior High softball team which has been managed by Mr.Gamo. He and I have been good friends for more than 15 years. It's going to be a close game. I'm looking forward to going to Odawara to see their game tomorrow morning. I'm having an English conversation class tomorrow afternoon at Fujisawa, so I'll have to hurry back as soon as the game is over.
　Today it is reported that some personal information including customers' bank account number has been leaking out from the Rakuten Internet Shopping Site. My credit card data has also been registered to the site, so I'm a little worried to hear the news. I really hope the Rakuten will take some effective action as immediately as they can. The leaking of personal data is the biggest pitfall of the Internet business. We all have to be very careful about that.

(Friday, July 29, 2005)
　I went to Odawara on my motorbike to watch the softball games. It took me more than 40 minutes to get to the ball parks by the side of the Sakawa River. The game I watched was fought between Hagisono and Ebina-Arima. It was such an exciting game and finally the goddess of victory smiled at Hagisono. Hagisono won the close game by the score of 4-3. I was very happy, but at the same time I felt very sorry for Mr.Gamo, the manager of Ebina-Arima.
　Mr.Gamo and I have been good friends since we met first. He introduced me to many famous coaches in Kanagawa Prefecture. He himself have been teaching me a lot of things about team making. I really respect his honest personality. In today's game he could have done many tricky plays, but it should have been against his belief. I saw two pitchers he had grown. They were so good. Hagisono's ace pitcher threw natural dropping balls which looked difficult for Arima players to hit successfully. In that case many managers could have tried bunts to cause the other team's errors. But Mr.Gamo didn't do that. He told his players to try to hit the ball with a usual swing. That was Mr.Gamo's softball. I was so much impressed.
　After the game was over, I went to say hello to Mr.Gamo. But he looked so embarrassed that he wanted to be alone for a while. I should have thought of his aching heart. I just game him two of my newly published books and said good-bye. I hope we'll meet again and enjoy talking looking back on the close game.
　In the afternoon I had to teach in Fujisawa, so I hurried back home after the first game. After the first class which had started at 3:00p.m. I called Mr.Kozuka, the former president of the Prefectural Softball Organization, and asked him about Hagisono's second game. I was really excited to hear that Hagisono won the second game to go on the the semi-final game. Mr.Ide made it at last! Congratulations!

(Saturday, July 30, 2005)
　Yokosuka's Tokiwa Jnior High won the championship as everybody had expected. Congratulations! This is the first time for Mr.Sakuma to take part in the Summer Kanto District Championship Tournament. It's also a long-cherished dream for Mr.Hirakawa of Yokohama's Kamoi Junior High. I've been good friends with both of them for such a long time. I'm really happy as if I won the right to go on to the Kanto Championship Tournament.
　However, at the same time, I felt really sorry for Mr.Gamo of Ebina's Arima Junior High which one of the strongest teams within a reach of the gold medal. I believe he will make another strong team next year again.
　Hagisono Junior High has got the ticket to the All Japan Softball Championship Tournament sponsored by the Japan Softball Association held in Osaka on August 12 this summer. It may cost each player or each parent about 50,000 yen, but they know that it's going to be a good memory that money could not buy. Good luck!

(Sunday, July 31, 2005)
　This afternoon our dog Ryoma took a shower. When he was first taken into the bathroom last year, he was afraid something dreadful would happen to him. But now he understands taking a shower is so refreshing. But basically the Shiba dog doesn't like bathing very much. After taking a shower my wife dries him, which is such a tough work to do. He's usually so excited after the shower and tries to run around in the living room. He never stays quiet for a while. Now he looks so refreshed that he's interested in everything he sees. He's so active again!　

(Monday, August 1, 2005)
　It's been a little more than a year since I quit the teaching job last July. Now I think I have progressed much more than I had expected. I didn't expect that I would have any chances to work for language schools, so that's the greatest job I have done for the last one year.
　Now Ai-chan of table tennis is very famous not only in Japan but also in China. At a very difficult time when most Chinese people hate Japanese, Ai-chan is doing her best to become very popular among Chinese table tennis fans. It's such a great job. This morning the TV news say that a new little star named Miu-chan has been trying hard to become the second Ai-chan. She's just five years old. Why do grown-ups around her become so crazy about the little angel's vincory in the All Japan table tennis tournament? She's different from Ai-chan. I hope she will be allowed to go her own way to become a great player of table tennis. It is said that all roads lead to Rome. I want all the people around her including her parents will know better to let her go on her own way.

(Tuesday, August 2, 2005)
　Today's the last day for us to buy Summer Jumbo Lottery Tickets. I have already bought 30 tickets for my mother, but none for myself. I'm still wondering whether I should buy some for myself or not. What do you think? Have you bought some?
　What does Sugita Kaoru want to do? She'll have to get devorced because of her husband's affairs? She's been doing the same mistake as Takanohana has done. She's talked too much about her and her husband's private life on TV. Now that she's got married to a businessman she should have known better. She should have known what to do. Her husband's live in a different world where she's lived, where pravate talkes help become more popular.
　One of today's ECC classes had only two people. Where had all the others gone? There was a firework at the Enoshima Island tonight, which might have invited them. But the two students were lucky enough to take an almost private lesson in which they could practice talking a lot.

(Wednesday, August 3, 2005)
　Zico, manager of the All Japan Soccer team, has decided to change all the starting members after they lost the first game against the North Korean team two days ago. I understand how he feels about the Japanese players who're not as hungry as Zico was when he was a young soccer star in Brazil. It seemed that the players were confident enough to win an easy victory against the North Korean team. That's why they let them make the first decisive goal. In this tournament none of the players who plays in a foreign team was called, which means that it's a good chance for the other players to appeal to Zico. "We could do without them!" But the result was they proved that they could not do anything without them.
　Late this afternoon my wife and our dog Ryoma and I went to visit our father in the hospital in Ebina City. It was just 20 minutes' ride in the car from our house to the hospital. My father looked so happy to see us. The doctor who took care of my father in the former hospital said the it would be almost impossible for him to eat food himself. But the doctor in charge of my father now has been trying hard to let him eat himself. And surprisingly enough, my father started to eat himself. The amount of food he can take from his own mouth is increasing little by little. I really thank the doctor for his efforts to make our wishes come true.

(Thursday, August 4, 2005)
　Both Nadeshiko Japan and Zico Japan were tied with China in the East Asia Soccer Championship Tournament. I think the women's team did a great job fighting against the strong Chinese team ranked in the 8th in the world. But the men's team could have done more in the game. The Chinese team got the first two goals and it was only a few minutes before the end of the game that Zico Japan got the second goal. Then why didn't they try hard to get the third point to win the game? They should understand they are representing all the soccer players in Japan. They're the most lucky guys to play in the international official game. Women players in Nadeshiko Japan looked much more aggressive than the lazy players in Zico Japan. I'm sorry for the great manager who has been doing his best to make a strong team for Japan.

(Friday, August 5, 2005)
　It seems that I might have caught a cold. I usually turn on the air-conditioner when I go to bed. Of course I set the timer to automatically turn off the air-conditioner, but I'm sure it caused my catching a bad cold. I've been taking medicine, so it's not going to get worse, I hope.
　High-tech machines have made our lives so comfortable, but at the same time they have made us physically weaker. We should be careful when we use those machines.
　Interestingly enough, our dog Ryoma moves from place to place to look for the right place where it's not too cool for him. He's wiser than we are.

(Saturday, August 6, 2005)
　After the last class of KGC was over at about 3:00, I went to a Chinese restaurant for a late lunch. As I was satisfied with my lunch, I dropped in at the Pachinko Shop instead of directly coming home. It was my lucky day. I though my machine was broken, because I got as many as 14 boxes after all. I got more than 90,000 yen for the short visit. Of course I some of them went to my wife and my mother. But it's wise of me never to to to the same shop again. The manager should have remembered my face, so next time I visit the shop they'll adjust the machine using the main computer in the office so that I might lose almost the same sum of money I got yesterday. "It can't be!" you may say, but I know it actually happens. When you get a lot of money at a Pachinko Shop, you should go to a different shop next time. You can go back to the first shop in a month or so, of course. But remember as far as they remember your face, you'll never have the same good luck again there.

(Sunday, August 7, 2005)
　My mother, my wife, and I went out for lunch today. We went to one of our favorite shops called "Shonantei." The owner of the shop helped the city welcome the Southern All Stars a few years ago. That's why the shop is filled with a lot of items related to the pupular group. The leader and the vocalist of SAS Kuwata Keisuke was born in Chigasaki. When he was a student at Chigasaki Daiichi Junior High School, he belonged to the baseball team. After that he went on to Kamakura Gakuen High School and then entered Aoyama Gakuin University. He majored in the English literature there. My most favorite food in the shop is "Southern Lamen," Chinese noodeles cooked with various kinds of vegetables and sea food in the special soup thickened with flour. It tastes really good. When you come to Chigasaki, don't forget to drop in at the shop to enjoy the delicious "Southern Lamen."

(Monday, August 8, 2005)
　The House of Representatives has really been dissolved. It's not wise of Mr.Koizumi to break up the House of Representatives, I think. If the election is carried out, the Liberal Democratic Party will never gain as many seats as they got last time. Instead the Democratic Party of Japan might get more seats and become the ruling party. I hope it will actually happen, because the LDP has not been thinking of our lives. They're planning to introduce a new taxation system next year. In that case our lives will get more terrible than before.
　I understand that Mr.Koizumi sincerely tried to reform the rotten system of the LDP, but I doubt he was successful in doing something effective. It's easy to say something, but putting it into practice is another thing. Now it is obvious that he is no longer able to keep on what he calles reformation of the LDP. I hope that the next Prime Minister will never insist on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, which undoubtedly make both China and South Korea upset.

(Tuesday, August 9, 2005)
　There used to be many great leaders at the end of the Edo Era, but many of them were killed by simple-minded patriots who believed Japan should not open its door to the United States. They didn't understand Japan was 100 years behind them in technology just because the door had been closed and locked for such a long time. Smart guys were gone and only dull guys were left alive to build the new government, which basically for the rich people not for the poor citizens.
　Japanese statesmen have been getting less passionate about improving people's lives. Now they are only interested in making money for themselves. They're insane! Mr.Koizumi is, in a sense, a symbol of the insane statesmen in Japan.
　I've been in change of 5-day intensive English basic training courses for elementary school children. Some go to kindergarten. In of the the courses, I teach some returnees how to read a picture book about Little Bear. Their pronunciation is alomost perfect, but they are not so good at reading written English. But anyway you must be surprised to hear them speak English. If you were not told that they're returnees, you might think they're native speakers of English. Their English is so good, maybe much better than mine. Their English is their treasure. I hope they will become private diplomats to make better the relations between Japan and foreign countries. In that sense I'm shouldering an important burden.

(Wednesday, August 10, 2005)
　The general election for the House of Representatives( referred to as the Lower House in the Japan Times) will be held on September 11. Why on 9.11? Does Mr.Koizumi want the election to have something to do with the New York Terror which happened on September 11? It is said that because he was born and bred near the Yokosuka U.S. Base he has been crazy aboutalla all the Americanized things. If that's why he has set the election on 9.11, he is really insane.
　By the way what does the postal privatization actually mean to us usual citizens? If the bill is passed, what will happen to the prices of postal cards, letters, and packages? Will it also be decided by the government? If so, is it not a complete privatization? There are too many things that we don't understand. I think Mr.Koizumi has to explain the bill to the people.
　I wonder why Mr.Koizumi is now supported by more people than ever. Because he dissolved the Lower House as he had been insisting on doing? The crazy government supported by the crazy people, that what we look like.

(Thursday, August 11, 2005)
　Recently it's become very difficult to predict the six numbers of Loto 6. I feel something is happening to the mutual relations among the 43 numbers. Of course the lottery is based on the theory of mathematical probability, which means as it goes on and on the probability of each number comes near to a similar rate. But when I once asked a math teacher about Loto 6, he said it would have to be done billions of times before the probability of each number comes to a similar rate. We've had only 251 times so far. I don't quite understand.

(Friday, August 12, 2005)
　What's going on in the political field of Japan? Is it really necessary for the LDP to punish those who voted against the postal privatization bills? Do they have confidence in winning the general election scheduled for September 11 when candidates of the same party have to be against each other? It's OK to me, because I want the Democratic Party of Japan to become the ruling party this time. But isn't it crazy for both Mr.Koizumi and Mr.Okada to have insisted that they would resign if they couldn't win the coming general election? I really want them to spend their energy on more important questions we're having now.
　Today is the 20th anniversary of the JAL jumbo jet crash accident happened in 1985. The president of JAL climbed up to the crash site of Mt.Osutaka and promised the families of the victims that he would try his very best to prevent another big accident. But can you believe that on the same day a JAL plane had an engine trouble and returned to the airport? It's easy to make a promise, but it's very difficult to actually keep it. All the top people working for JAL have to keep that in mind....for as long as they live.

(Saturday, August 13, 2005)
　What's happened to me? I found my body all red with rash a few days ago. When I was a junior high school kid, I was first told by the doctor that I was alergic to the sudden change of temperature. The doctor called it "Kanrei-Jinmashin," or rash caused by sudden coolness. I guess I'm no alergic to any food. Anyway I couldn't sleep well because it was so itchy. It might have been caused by stress and fatigue from working too hard in the hot weather.

(Sunday, August 14, 2005)
　My mother bought me a strong medicine for rash and it seems to have worked. I feel much better today. Actually most of the red rash has disappeared from my body. She also bought a drink made from a kind of bamboo called "kumazasa," which doesn't taste good. I drank it last night and this morning, but I still can't say whether it really works or not.
　The radio news told that the engine trouble of the JAL jet plane could have been predicted, because the ministry had already advised them to fix the engine which might explode into pieces. But the JAL has been lazy in putting the advice into practice, which means they didn't take the problem so seriously. Such kind of laziness may have caused the 1985 JAL jumbo jet crash at Osutaka Ridge. We have to strongly blame them of their laziness not to try hard to keep safe flights for the passengers. What silly people they are!

(Monday, August 15, 2005)
　Today is the 60th anniversary of the end of World War �U. Prime Minister Koizumi has decided not to visit the Yasukuni Shrine today. I want to say it's wise of him to have made the decision, but actually he's such a cunning statesman. He wants to maintain his popularity to win the general election to be held on September 11.
　So may young people lost their lives for nothing. If the Japanese government had agreed to make an unconditional surrender earlier, many of the precious lives should have been saved. Why did Japan have to continue fighting against the U.S. until it got great damage in Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki? It was quite obvious that Japan was going to lose the war. Why did they try to save as many young lives as possible? What did they die for? They would make a deep sigh if they saw the present Japan and its people.
　What we could do for the lost lives is never go to war again. But the atomosphere around Japan is so unstable that another war could happen at any time. It's our country to lead other countries in Asia in order to keep peace and prosperity of Asian countries.

(Tuesday, August 16, 2005)
　There was a rather big earthqueake off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. It's been said by some seismologists that there is an area which hasn't released its energy for a long time off the coast of Chiba Prefecture. So today I was first thought it had happened in that area. Earthquakes are so scary. They can occur at any time in any place here in Japan. There's nothing we can do to prevent them from happening.
　Which party are you going to support for the coming general election? I've been supporting the LDP, but this time I'm going to vote for a candidate of the Democratic Party of Japan, which insists on cutting 20% of the pay for public servants. Now that I'm not a public teacher, it's quite OK for them to cut the pay. You'll know they get too much pay if you see what they do. I know well how they spend their days, so I can strongly insist that their pay should be cut at the rate of more than 25%. They don't deserve the pay they get at present.

(Wednesday, August 17, 2005)
　It's surprising that Atsugi-Shogyo High School won the inter-high school all Japan softball championship this summer again. You can easily imagine how difficult it is to scout for best players. Actually most of the players come from junior high school teams in Kanagawa Prefecture. Of course there are some from far away like Okinawa. When it comes to scouting for players, private high schools have more advantages. Above all the hardships Atsugi Shogo won the championship as one of the public schools. It's a miracle! It proves that how great a manager Mr.Tonegawa has been. I'm very proud of him.

(Thursday, August 18, 2005)
　Time really flies. We've already crossed over the center line of the summer vacation. What have I done for the summer? I haven't been swimming. I haven't been mountain climbing. I haven't been fishing in the river. I haven't done anything that I should do during the summer. OK, maybe next year I'm sure I'll do whatever I want to do.
　By the way the result of the TOEIC test has not yet been made public. They say we could know our own result a week before the official annoucement on the Internet. The results will be delivered to each of us on August 24. What's going on? I'd like to know how much ponts I've got as soon as possible. If I couldn't have made more than 900 points, I think I should take another test in September or in October. Gee, I can hardly wait!

(Friday, August 19, 2005)
　What's happened? I got the result of the TOEIC test this afternoon. My score was 880! I couldn't clear my minimum goal of 900 points! "Don't take it too easy," God wants to say to me. But I have no time to be dissappointed by the miserable result of mine. I have to work harder to take the test again in October. My next goal is 980 points. Anyway I have to make it!
　Today I had to take care of three classes at the Social Insurance Office at Fujisawa City. Two of them are usually handled by my native co-worker called Ron. The students of his classes welcomed me warmly and took my lesson in a very serious manner. I was so impressed when they gave me their big hand at the end of the class.

(Saturday, August 20, 2005)
　Last night my wife and I enjoyed watching Little Ryoma at the age of just three months. He was such a cute little dog that we could hardly believe a year had already passed since then. Now he looks like a young energetic Shiba dog, but somewhere in his expressions we could feel the Little Ryoma still alive. Now that he's got such a lot of friends, it's hard for me to get home soon. He has to enjoy playing with some of his favorite friends on his way back home. It's true that his gentle personality is loved by a lot of dogs around my place.

(Sunday, August 21, 2005)
　I'm happy it's getting cloudy today. We've had incredibly hot days this week. I hope we'll have some rain this afternoon. No, it shouldn't rain this afternoon! I almost forgot today Tokiwa Junior High School's softball team is having All-Japan JHS Championship Tournament games in Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture. I hope they'll win today's two games to go on to the semi-fainal game which will be held tomorrow. I'm sure they're strong enough to become the winner of this years All-Japan JHS Championship.

(Monday, August 22, 2005)
　It's difficult to go on winning. Yokosuka's Tokiwa JHS lost the quarterfainal game against Mie Prefecture's Watarai JHS by the score of 1-3. Mr.Sakuma, manager of Tokiwa JHS, told me that his team was almost pushing away Watarai JHS during the first half of the game. But the other team had many left-handed hitters who made tricky hittings to disturb Tokiwa's defense.
　Anyway, to be listed in the best eight teams in the All-Japan Championship Tournament is itself worth the gold medal, I'm sure. I have to thank them for letting me enjoy exciting softball games this summer. I hope the good memory will stay in their minds to give them energy to get over any difficulty they will meet in ther future lives.

(Tuesday, August 23, 2005)
　Today some pictures of Tokiwa JHS's All-Japan softball games were went to me by the father of the ace pitcher. Soon after I opened his e-mail, I renewed the page of Tokiwa JHS on my website. I hope many members of Tokiwa JHS softball team were happy to visit my home page.
　Tonight's TV news said that a junior high school boy attacked a police officer in order to get his gun, though in vain. But the police officer who was stabbed with a 30-centimeter knife in the back was seriously injured. The boy is reported to have admitted his crime and to deeply regret committing the crime. How could he think of attacking a police officer? Why don't young kids realize it's a serious crime to try to kill somebody? How can we tell them the price of human lives? They should understand the meaning of the famous saying: A human life is heavier than the earth. All the grown-ups are responsible for taking care of them.

(Wednesday, August 24, 2005)
　Typhoon 12(Guchol) is going away from Japan, but Typhoon 11(Mawar) will land on the Kanto District tomorrow evening. It's not the Kanto Area but the Shikoku Area that needs lots of rain as soon as possible. As a famous saying goes, the weather is as changeable as women's minds. When we expect rainfall, it will never rains. When we expect sunny days, we will have an unnecessary typhoon coming.
　On tonight's TV news there was an interview with the father of the boy who tried to kill a police officer to rob him of his gun. I couldn't believe what he was talking about. It seemed to me that he was talking about somebody else's kid. According to his father, the boy often stayed inside his room. He even took his dinner into his room to eat alone. There wasn7t enough communication between the father and the boy. I think parents should talk much more with their kids. If they don't understand their own kids, how can we understand them at all?

(Thursday, August 25, 2005)
　What a surprise! They've had 100mm/hour of rain in Hakone. If Hakone were a big swimming pool, it would have been filled with 10cm-deep rainwater in just an hour. The Typhoon Mawar is moving very slowly at the speed of 20 km per hour, which means it still has plenty of energy kept inside. It is said to be landing on the south part of Kanto Area early tomorrow morning.
　If I remember correctly, it is unusual for a few big typhoons coming to Japan during the summer time. September should be the typhoon season. What's wrong with the climate around Japan? We've been having some big earthquakes for the last few months. Is anything wrong with the natural system on the earth?

(Friday, August 26, 2005)
　Typhoon Mawar has left a lot of damage on many places in Eastern Japan. I think I'm one of the lucky people who live in safe places. Those who lived near large rivers must have been afraid of possible flood. Mawar has brought us indredibly much rain and strong wind, and the scars it has left are so serious and terrible. In Hakone it rained more than 500mm of rain in about a day, which is the worst record in history.
　Today I had an English conversation class at Peare Fujisawa, where I was surprised to hear one of the students in another class and the manager quarreling with each other in a very loud voice. I didn't know what was wrong, but I tought both of them should talk with more polite and more thoughtful words. Words are dangerous, because they can sometimes kill people. I myself tend to use strong words when I'm upset, so I thought I should be careful with my words.

(Saturday, August 27, 2005)
　Now I get more than 2,000 business e-mails, because I made requests for free-of-charge business advertisement to some mail magazines. It's not an easy job to read all of them, so I first check the title of each mail and if I'm not interested I delete the mail at once. I reapeat doing this every day. But by doing this I found some good magazines and put links to each other's homepage. This worked so well that about 100 people come and visit my website.
　At present I've got 18 e-dictionaries left, so I've decided to make a clearance sale and put the price down to 19,800 yen per each. This is an incredibly cheap price that you can never see anywhere else than by website.
　The Japan High School Baseball Association has made public their decision not to take away the championship title of Komazawa University Tomokomai High School, which was quite reasonable. The teacher in question should resign voluntarily, but the players should not be blamed. It's not their fault. We still don't know the fact hidden behind the incident, but the school side apologized for what the teacher did to the student, which means that they admitted they were to be blamed. Then why didn't they admit their fault earlier?

(Sunday, August 28, 2005)
　It's 8:05 in the morning. I have to be at Muroda Elementary School by 9:30a.m. Today we're going to have an official softball game in the Shorin Area. If we win the girst game, we might have to do the second game in the afternoon, I'm not sure. The only thing I must be careful with is make sure I won't get injured. I'm still young at heart, but physically I'm 47 years old, which I'm sorry I cannot deny.
　Late in the afternoon my brother came to visit us. He looked a little bit tired from working too hard as an architect. The end of August is the time when many office workers feel exhausted after working in the hot weather. Especially those who have been working air-conditioned office have to be careful, becuase their physical condition is not tough enough to adjust itself to the weather changes outside. I gave him a bottle of liquid essence extracted Japanese bamboos, which is said to be good for tired bodies. I usually drink it mixed with a glass of milk.

(Monday, August 29, 2005)
　My wife and Ryoma found a beetle with its back on the surface of the road. They brought it back home, and my mother gave it a piece of cucumber and I gave it some honey. Soon it started to stick to the cucumber, then started sucking honey. Ryoma was interested in the insect, so my wife put the tin box outside the house. This morning my mother found it had gone. Maybe I regained energy by having cucumber and honey and flew away.
　When I was a little boy, I didn't understand the small insects were as alive as we humans were. I did a lot of cruel things to them. But now that I'm 47 years old who knows every bitter expericence of life, even a small insect is a lovable creature that is trying hard to live a longer life. My wife always says to Ryoma, "Don't bully small insects. They're as alive as you are. No life is more worthless than others." I'm not sure if Ryoma can understand what my wife wants to tell him, but it's true he has grown to be a very gentle dog.

(Tuesday, August 30, 2005)
　In New Orleans, Louisiana State, Hurricane Katrina is on the rampage, giving lots of damage to property estimated at more than 2 trillion yen. The oil price went up to a little over than 67 dollars a barrel, which of course affects Japanese economy. Actually the price of gas is now as high as 137 yen per litter. The U.S. government has decided to release its oil stock to make the prices stable.
　The TV news says that Hurricane Katrina has grown to be on a scale much greater than the biggest typhoon we Japanese has ever experienced. The damage is becoming greater and greater to be estimated about 3 trillion yen now. Some people predict that the price of oil might rise to be as high as 80 dollars per barrel. There are some scientists who insist that as the global warming goes on much more powerful storms will be generated. My God!

(Wednesday, August 31, 2005)
　This morning I put a link on my website to the e-mail to me in which any student at the ECC and the KGC can ask me to check up their English composition. I wonder how many students make use of the e-mail system. In order to improve your English ability, nothing is more effective than to express your ideas by writing them down in your own English. I always advise them to do so, but only a few of them can put it into practice. I understand they're too busy to find time to do English composition, but I don't want them to forget that a famous English saying goes, "No pains, no gains."
　These days some major English language school advertise on TV commercials saying it's a piece of cake to master English if you learn English from native speakers. It's not true. I myself have been learning English in my own effective way, but even after doing that for more than 30 years I'm not a perfect speaker of English. How can usual people become so good at speaking the language by just learning from native speakers for just a few years? It's impossible! You have to make the best use of every chance around you if you really want to become a good speaker of English. There's no shortcut in learning a foreign language.

(Thursday, September 1, 2005)
　Do you know why today is called "Disaster Prevention Day"? It's because the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred on September 1, 1923. More than 100,000 people were killed by the fires that happened soon after the tremor. The number of victims was as great as that of people killed by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Over 80 years have passed since then. Scientists say that in Donan District earthquakes on the scale of magnitude 7.9 come every 60 years. You may be surprised to hear this. The longer the period between the big earthquake in 1923 and the next one, the greater the scale of the coming one becomes. So I estimate the coming earthquake to be on the scale of magnitude 8.2 or so.
　It's still humid, but the air is gradually getting cooler and cooler day by day. I feel we're at the beginning of the fall. I've been thinking that the summer is my favorite season, but now I feel I love the fall more than the summer now. Does that mean I've got older?

(Friday, September 2, 2005)
　The damage that Hurricane Katrina has given to American people was much greater than we had expected. The TV news says that thousands of people might have been killed only in the State of Louisiana. President Bush asked his father to be responsible for taking care of donations given by many American citizens living in other states with no damage. But it is reported that the sufferers don't have enough food and water and that there're a lot of robberies in the devastated areas. Most of the people living in Louisiana States are African Americans, and it is regarded as the second poorest state in the U.S.
　I think if I could make a donation too, but these days donating money is very dangerous. We're not sure if the money is properly used for sufferers or not. Actually lots of money gathered as donations have been used for other purposes in many cases. What should I do?