2023/4/22(土)SMC

President's remark: SM Kei Narisawa

The other day, the TV set in our living room broke down. My wife and I went to the nearest Nojima to buy a new one. While we had a conversation with a store clerk to get some information of TV sets, I asked about how long the store clerk had been working at Nojima. He said three years. That seemed to have broken down the sense of aloofness that existed between us. I felt his friendliness and I'm sure this impression was reciprocal. I really like to converse with young people. It may be because I had a long experience teaching young people at schools. Some day I hope we will welcome young member into SMC.

Word of the Day: SM Yu. Narisawa

Word of the Day is ( ? )

1. "After quitting her job, Sarah became a ( ), traveling from one country to another, experiencing different cultures and lifestyles."

2. "John decided to embrace the ( ) lifestyle and sold most of his possessions to live a minimalist life, moving from place to place, seeking new adventures."

3. "The young couple, Emma and James, are digital ( )s, working remotely while traveling the world with their laptops and backpacks."

4. "During the pandemic, many people turned to ( ) living, exploring nearby natural destinations and camping in their RVs as a way to maintain social distancing."

5. "Alex's passion for photography led him to become a ( ), wandering through remote landscapes, capturing breathtaking shots of nature."

6. "Mark decided to take a sabbatical and become a ( ), embarking on a solo backpacking trip across South America to explore its rich culture and history."

7. "The retiree couple, Tom and Lisa, sold their house and bought a motorhome, becoming full-time ( )s, traveling across the United States and enjoying their retirement years."

The answer is "nomad."

Lecture: SM Kakisu

Listening English news

We listened to the following CNN interview introduced by the lecturer and had a discussion.

CNN　Anderson Cooper 360 (4/11)

①COOPER: Tennessee's Republican Governor, Bill Lee today urged State lawmakers to pass new gun control measures. He is asking the Legislature for what he calls an 1)Order Protection Law to keep weapons out of the hands of those who might be a danger to themselves or others. The Governor also says he'll sign an 2)executive order strengthening the State's background checks.

②This comes two weeks and a day since the gunman murdered three children and three adults at a school in the State's capital, Nashville. It was four days after two Black Democratic State Representatives were expelled for violating decorum in a protest on the floor of the State Legislature, and a day after one of those lawmakers, Nashville Representative, Justin Jones was reinstated.

====== Partially Omitted ======= ⑭So to come back and to say let's refocus the conversation on common sense gun laws to protect our young people, to protect our communities from weapons of war on our streets, it was very emotional, but it was also very hopeful because there's thousands of people gathered who walked with me from City Hall to the legislature to be re-sworn in and to walk back into the chamber and truth be told, (a)it sent a message that democracy will not be killed in the comfort of silence, that democracy will not be killed without a voice of moral dissent challenging it. ⑯I really believe that their (b)attempt to crucify democracy has really resurrected a movement here in Tennessee for a multiracial democracy, a democracy that really lifts up the voices of our marginalized communities and all Tennesseans I think, that is having national implications. So I'm very hopeful for the days ahead. ⑰COOPER: Representative Justin Jones, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

JONES: Thank you, Anderson.

2) Executive order is an official directive from the U.S. president to federal agencies that often have much the same power of a law.

3) Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, becoming famous for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings.

4) Common sense gun laws would not ban gun ownership or repeal the Second Amendment. Proposals include raising the minimum age to buy semiautomatic weapons, banning high-capacity magazines, passing safe storage ...

8) Red Flag Law is a gun violence prevention law that permits a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who they believe may present a danger to others or themselves.

9) Background checks is a type of check that requires a comprehensive review of an individual’s criminal history before they are allowed to purchase a firearm.

Table Topic Speech

1) What is the most recent dream you remember having while sleeping?

2) How have you helped someone else recently?

3) What book has had the greatest influence on your life?

4) If I could travel through time

5) What will you never do?

Prepared Speech

1) Itch for Itch Manga: SM Kei Narisawa

Today he talked about his favorite manga called Itch. Just so you know, the title of the speech, Itch for Itch Manga is a play on words. Don't you say I have an itch for ice cream, do you ? Yes. He wanted to say Manga Itch, or Itch Manga grew on him recently. He talked how unique the stories are, as well as how different the drawing of the characters are. It's kind of difficult to tell others how impressive something is, like your favorite song. It's not necessarily that your favorite song is someone's favorite song, is it? But he tried his best to describe how superb the Manga Itch is.

2) Baseball: SM Yoko Narisawa

It’s been about one month since WBC. But not a single day passes without our watching the news about members of Samurai Japan on TV, especially about Ohtani Shohei. We can watch him play as a two-way player every day. He has become one of the most popular baseball players in America.

The word " Ohtani rule " was listed in an online dictionary ' dictionary.com '. It is a rule that allows the pitcher to be assigned to the designated hitter spot in the batting order and to remain as the designated hitter even if replaced on the mound by another pitcher. Major League changed the rule in order to cater to the demands of baseball fans who want to watch Ohtani go to the batter's box even if he leaves the mound. He has made a huge impact on a lot of baseball fans. You may have a lot of chances to watch broadcast on Major League Baseball games. We can learn a lot of interesting expressions announcers

use in the middle of the game. I'd like to introduce four of them.

1 Here comes the pitch. This means the pitcher is going into his motion and throws a ball.

2 It's going,--- going, --- gone. This means the batted ball flies high and lands in the stands.

3 Swing and miss! This means to strike out.

4 Seeya! / Good-bye, baseball. These mean home run.

There are other interesting expressions related to baseball. I'd like to introduce five of them.

1 " go to bat for " means to help and support someone.

2 " do something right off the bat " means to do something immediately.

3 " a ballpark figure " means a number that is almost but not exactly correct.

4 " The bases are loaded " means the conditions are met.

5 " touch all the bases " means to deal with every part of a situation.

It is said that new words will appear with times. I hope I will be able to find some words which are associated with Ohtani Shohei.

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on May. 13 at Oyama Community Center

(Coordinator: SM Kei Narisawa, Word of the Day: SM Takahata, Lecturer: SM Eda)

Zoom: 3:00 PM on Apr. 30, 7:30 PM on May. 1