2024/8/24(土)SMC
Word of the Day:
Each participant presented a new word they recently learned, and we voted to decide the Word of the Day, then "fair" was selected.
"fair"
1 resonable and acceptable
2 treating everyone equally
3 hair, skin : someone who has fair hair or skin, has hair or skin that is very light in color
4 according to the rules
5 level of ability: neither particularly good nor particularly bad
6 weather: pleasant and not windy
Lecture: SM Takahata
Fill in the blank.
(1) A: Father, I hate to say this, but I’ve decided to quit my job.
*1:= to try very hard to do something good or helpful
*2: = to act badly toward the person who is helping or has helped you
(Answer: *1 backward, *2 feeds)
(2) A: You should stop dreaming of winning big in pachinko. You’re throwing money down the drain.
B: *1 Keep your (n ) out of my business. If I win today, I’ll *2 (b ) even this month.
*1: = to not become involved in my activities or relationships
*2: = to earn enough money to pay for expenses, without any profit
(Answer: *1 nose, *2 break)
(3) A: I hate to drive through this narrow street. I’ll turn to the right at the next cross road.
B: OK. *1The (c ) is clear on this side. Slow down. Drive safely.
*1: = It is safe for you to do something without being seen or caught
(Answer: *1 coast)
(4) A: I’ll promise all of you a pay raise next year.
B: 1 With all (d ) respect, we can’t 2 take your word at (f ) value. We’d like you to *3 (w ) the (w ) without loss of time.
*1: = used for expressing polite disagreement
*2: = to accept what you say without thinking there may be a hidden meaning
*3: = to do the things that people expect or think are necessary in a particular situation = talk the talk
(Answer: *1 due, *2 face, *3 walk walk)
(5) A: You must be a daughter of a rich family.
B: No way! My family isn’t wealthy *1 by any (s ) of the imagination. I wasn’t *2 born with a (s ) (s ) in my mouth.
*1: = used to emphasize that a negative statement is true
*2: = to be born into a rich family
(Answer: *1 stretch, *2 silver spoon)
(6) A: The grandparent scam begins with an urgent phone call to an unsuspecting senior citizen.
Don’t *1 (f ) for such a trick, Granma.
B: *2 I wasn’t (b ) yesterday.
*1: = to be tricked into believing something that is not true
*2: = I’m not stupid or easy to deceive
(Answer: *1 fall, *2 born)
(7) A: That left-hander *1 gives too many (b ) on balls.
B:You ought to *2 make (a ) for him. He used to be an ace pitcher, but now he’s *3 over the (h ).
*1: = to throw four balls
*2: = to think about their characteristics and not judge them too
Severely
*3: = used for describing someone who is old and no longer useful or attractive
(Answer: *1 bases, *2 allowance, *3 hill)
(8) A: The exam is just around the corner.
B: Don’t worry, mom. I don’t want to *1 (b ), but I think I’m a clever guy.
A: You see the world through *1(r )-colored glasses.
*1: = to speak too proudly about what you have done or what you own
*2: = a happy or positive attitude that fails to notice negative things, leading to a view of life that is not realistic
(Answer: *1 brag, *2 rose)
Table Topic Speech
(1) Is it more important to do what you love or to love what you are doing?
(2) What is the number one thing you want to accomplish before you die.
(3) What is you most striking physical attribute?
(4) If you could go back in time and change things, what would you change about the week that just passed?
(5) Is the reward worth the risk?
(6) What music do you listen to to lift your spirits when you're feeling down?
Prepared Speech
(1) Summer resort: SM Yoko Narisawa
A heatstroke warning alert is broadcast every day in Aikawamachi. I’m fed with scorching weather. I cannot live without an air conditioner.
When I was a child, I often went swimming in the river near my house with my friends and enjoyed eating watermelon and shaved ice to cool down. Back then, those things were enough to get me through the hot summer. But this current heat is formidable. One way to escape it is by finding someplace cooler like a summer resort.
Do you know that Katsuura City in Chiba Prefecture is becoming popular as a summer resort? It is famous as a city where the maximum temperature does not exceed 35℃. There hasn’t been a single extremely hot day in the past 100 years.
Why is it cool in Katsuura? The reason lies in the topography of the ocean floor. The ocean floor near Katsuura City suddenly becomes deeper and just a few kilometers from land, the depth reaches about 100m. There is cold water at the bottom of the ocean, where sunlight cannot reach. Additionally, a strong southerly wind blows at sea, causing the water near the ocean floor to be quickly replaced, allowing cold water to circulate upwards. As a result, the sea surface water temperatures remain low, and a cool southerly wind blows over the land. This is the reason for Katsuura’s cool climate.
Although I can’t move to Katsuura, I’d like to visit and experience its cool weather.
(2) Restaurants as they are now: SM Koizumi
When I travel to different towns for various events or parties, I often find myself choosing fast food chain restaurants over high-end or local establishments. The reasons are simple: convenience, time efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Chains like Matsuya, Matsunoya, Yoshinoya, Sukiya, Nakau, Gust, Bamiyan, Marugame, or Saizeriya are my go-to choices. I rarely venture into unknown local restaurants because I can't predict how long it will take to get my food, the price, or the comfort level.
One of the most fascinating aspects of these chain restaurants is the integration of technology into their operations. Take Gust, for example. There, you order your food using a tablet placed right on your table. Once the food is ready, a notification appears on the display saying, "Your food is ready, and it will be served soon." And then, like something out of a sci-fi movie, a robot waiter arrives, delivering the dishes from the kitchen to your table. After finishing your meal, the payment is handled at a self-service kiosk. You simply scan the barcode on your bill, and the total amount due appears on the screen. Following the on-screen instructions, you complete the payment.
Another interesting experience I had was at a Saizeriya restaurant near Yamato Station on the Odakyu line. Unlike other Saizeriya locations where you order via tablet or paper menu, here, I was met with only a QR code on the fancy menu. I could have called a waiter using a bell, but I decided to try the QR code instead. After scanning it with my phone, I followed the instructions and placed my order. Shortly after, a waiter brought my meal to the table. Saizeriya now requires customers to use their phones to order. I couldn't help but wonder how older adults, children, or anyone without a phone would manage in such a setting. Nevertheless, this is how things are now.
It might be difficult to get used to these new systems, but I believe it's inevitable. Especially with the advancements in AI technology, these changes are happening faster than ever before. So, let's embrace the change. Let's enjoy discovering new things. And let's move forward into the future without clinging to the past.
(3) All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy: SM Kei Narisawa
We have been studying English seriously, honing our speech skills. It's about time we stopped and took a rest. We are sort of suffering from summer grogginess and one of the members had his temperature going up as high as 30 degrees Celsius. I made a proposal that we have a fun workshop in which we can mix business with pleasure. There we will make an impromptu speech as business and play games as pleasure. The date was fixed for 9/28. When you hear my speech so far, you may be wondering if this is really a speech. Like you guessed right, this is just giving information in the form of a speech.
(4) Fine-tuning & Synchronisity: SM Kaneko
Are there any arguments relating fine-tuning with synchronicity?
ChatGPT said:
The concepts of fine-tuning and synchronicity can indeed be related in philosophical discussions, though they emerge from different contexts.
Fine-Tuning:
The fine-tuning argument is typically discussed in the context of cosmology and physics, where it refers to the idea that the conditions in the universe are extremely specific and precise, to the extent that they allow life to exist. Proponents of the fine-tuning argument often suggest that the precise values of the constants in nature (e.g., the gravitational constant, the cosmological constant) seem so unlikely to occur by chance that they might point to the existence of a designer or some purpose behind the universe.
Synchronicity:
Synchronicity, a concept introduced by Carl Jung, refers to the occurrence of events that are meaningfully related but do not appear to be causally connected. These events are often seen as being more than mere coincidence, suggesting some underlying order or connectedness in the universe that isn't explained by conventional cause-and-effect relationships.
Potential Connections:
1. Underlying Order: Both fine-tuning and synchronicity suggest that there might be some underlying order or purpose in the universe. Fine-tuning does this through the precise conditions that allow life to exist, while synchronicity does it through meaningful coincidences that seem to point toward some form of underlying connection or pattern.
2. Purpose and Meaning: The fine-tuning argument is often used to suggest that the universe has a purpose, as it is "tuned" in a way that allows life to exist. Synchronicity can be seen as events that also suggest a purpose or meaning, albeit in a more individual or psychological sense.
3. Interpretations of Chance: In both cases, what might be dismissed as mere chance or coincidence is instead interpreted as evidence of something deeper. For example, while a skeptic might argue that fine-tuning is simply a result of chance, proponents argue that the improbability suggests design. Similarly, while skeptics might view synchronicities as mere coincidences, those who believe in them see them as significant and meaningful.
Criticism:
However, it's important to note that both concepts face criticism. Fine-tuning is often critiqued from a scientific and philosophical perspective (e.g., the multiverse hypothesis), while synchronicity is often seen as a form of cognitive bias or pattern recognition rather than evidence of some deeper reality.
In summary, while fine-tuning and synchronicity come from different domains, they both touch on the idea of a universe that is more than just random, potentially pointing to some form of underlying order or purpose.
(5) Life's Balance: SM M.G
Mitokomon's song said there are pleasures and hardships.
There is an Aesop fable, "Ants and the Grasshopper." Speaking of happiness, I do not know which is happier because both approaches have its merit and choices depend on one's character and philosophy.
YOLO or you once live once is good phrase to encourage others or ourselves, but also it is problematic. Sometimes it is used to excuse for doing bad thing.
( conclusion below is made by AI)
Balance is important.
Meeting Schedule
In-person: 9:30 AM on Sep. 14 at Seishin Community Center (small conference room)
(Coordinator: SM Yoko Narisawa, Word of the Day;: SM Noro, Lecturer: SM Kaneko)
Zoom: 7:30 PM on Aug. 26 and Sep. 2
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