The collapse of the Soviet Union and the creation of 15 new countries in December 1991 remade the world overnight. The Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation disappeared, and democracy and free-markets spread across the now defeated Soviet empire. Of course, 25 years later, events didn’t exactly unfold as initially predicted. The forces of globalization have mutated former Soviet countries in unseen ways, emboldening autocrats and entrenching corruption across the region. Meanwhile, the geopolitical animosities of the Cold War are resurgent, with relations between Moscow and Washington at their lowest point since the Soviet-era arms race. The creation of new countries, meanwhile, has given rise to nationalism and autocracies that are shaping foreign-policy decisions and altering societies in unforeseen ways.
Yet, the significance of this quarter-century of change is still not fully understood. Why did the Soviet Union really collapse and what lessons have policymakers missed? How is history repeating itself across the lands of the former superpower? In search of answers, Foreign Policy asked six experts with intimate knowledge of the region from their time in finance, academia, journalism, and policymaking. Here are the unlearned lessons from the collapse of the Soviet Union.
We’ve been able to welcome over half a million guests… our outstanding pastry chefs have baked 200,000 holiday cookies… and Barack has treated the American people to countless dad jokes. They are great jokes. Not so funny. Although a few got a…Frosty reception.
(Urban dictionary) Dad Jokes An indescribably cheesy and/or dumb joke made by a father to his children.
8年の任期最後のクリスマスメッセージなのでこれまでの成果をしっかりとアピールしています。
THE PRESIDENT: And the greatest gift that Michelle and I have received over the last eight years has been the honor of serving as your President and First Lady. Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years, and got unemployment to a nine-year low. We secured health insurance for another twenty million Americans, and new protections for folks who already had insurance. We made America more respected around the world, took on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids, and much, much more. By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we first got here. And I’m hopeful we’ll build on the progress we’ve made in the years to come.
文化的事項を丁寧に説明してくれている英英辞典のオックスフォードはSanta Clausも大きく扱ってくれています。He usually finds that the children have left him a plate of Christmas cookies (= sweet biscuits in special shapes) or, in Britain, a mince pie (= a small pastry containing dried fruits), and possibly salt or a carrot for his reindeer.という部分は上の動画コマーシャルを見てもわかりますね。
（オックスフォード） On 24 December, the night before Christmas, children hang stockings (= long socks) at the end of their beds. Santa leaves the North Pole with a sled or sleigh (= a kind of carriage with metal strips instead of wheels so that it can move over ice and snow). Santa's sled is pulled by reindeer (= a kind of deer) called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph, who know how to fly. They travel through the air stopping on the roof of every house where a child is sleeping. Santa slides down the chimney and leaves big presents under the Christmas tree and small ones in the stockings. He usually finds that the children have left him a plate of Christmas cookies (= sweet biscuits in special shapes) or, in Britain, a mince pie (= a small pastry containing dried fruits), and possibly salt or a carrot for his reindeer. Santa Claus is an important symbol of Christmas, and pictures of him appear on Christmas cards and decorations. He is mentioned in poems and Christmas songs (= traditional songs) such as The Night Before Christmas and Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer. As children get older they realize that Santa Claus cannot be real and stop believing in him.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power on Monday criticized Tokyo's apparent reluctance to back a draft Security Council resolution that Washington is pushing to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan. "The arms embargo is a tool not only for protecting the people of South Sudan," she told reporters. "It is also a tool for protecting peacekeepers." The United States is pressing Japan to back the resolution to help it reach the minimum threshold of nine votes needed for passage in the 15-member Security Council, diplomats close to negotiations told Kyodo News recently. Japan is apparently concerned that if the council adopts the resolution, South Sudan would retaliate against U.N. representatives on the ground, notably peacekeepers, who include those from Japan, according to one of the diplomats.
Some Council members have been pretty direct about expressing concerns about the risk that imposing these measures would pose to their peacekeepers or to their workers who are on the ground in South Sudan. Every government has a responsibility to look out for their citizens, and I very much appreciate that concern. We also, of course, have so many aid workers and embassy personnel who are there in South Sudan.
But can we really believe – those of us who care about our people – can we really believe that more arms coming into the country is the way to look out for their safety? That allowing the government of South Sudan to continue to invest its money in those arms systems instead of in the food that people need to eat, that that’s looking out for our people? When the people that we are hoping to designate – people who nobody disputes their public statements, they’re on the record, they advertise their statements trying to ethnicize this conflict, tying to spoil whatever hope there is to get back to a peace agreement – when these individuals feel a sense of impunity as they do, if this Council is unprepared to act on those designations, can that sense of impunity be good for our people on the ground? Our workers, our peacekeepers, our aid workers? It can’t be. How is impunity good? How are more arms good for the safety of our people?
Here's the thing. If you're a perfect mom who's got this whole parenting thing figured out, well, then, you should probably vote for Gwendolyn, 'cause she's amazing.
Yes.
But if you're a bad mom like me and you have no fucking clue what you're doing, or you're just sick of being judged all the time... Then please vote for me. Thank you.
Sometimes, I'm so crazy that I don't even understand the words that are coming out of my mouth. You see, what works for my daughter almost never works for my son. And whenever I think I'm actually starting to figure my kids out, they grow up and I'm back to square one. So, the truth is, when it comes to being a mom, (CHUCKLES) I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. (ALL LAUGH) And you know what? I don't think anyone does. I think we're all bad moms, and you know why? Because being a mom today is impossible! （ときどき、頭に血が上って何を口走ったかわからないことがあるの。だって、娘にうまくいくことでも、息子にはまったくなほどうまくいかないんだから。子供たちのことがわかり始めたと思っても、子供たちは大きくなって振り出しに逆戻り。実のところ、母親であることについては、何をしているのかまったく見当がつかない。でも、誰だってそうでしょう。）
I think we're all bad moms, and you know why? Because being a mom today is impossible! So can we all just please stop pretending like we have it figured out and stop judging each other for once? Look, I'm running for PTA president because... Because I want our school to be a place where you can make mistakes, where you can be yourself, where you're being judged on how hard you work and not on what you bring to the fucking bake sale. （皆ひどい母親だと思うわ。どうしてかって。だって今母親でいることは大変ななんだから。だから分かりきったことのように振る舞うのをやめ、お互いを評価するのを一度でもやめられないかしら。いい、私がPTA会長に立候補したのも、私たちの学校を間違いをしていい所にしたいからなの。自分らしくいれる所に。どれだけ熱心に取り組んでいるかで判断される所にしたいからの。馬鹿らしいお菓子販売会に何を持ってくれるかではなく。。。）
どうしても他人や他国に関しては綺麗事を押し付けやすいですが、押し付けられる方としてはたまったもんじゃないですよね。you're just sick of being judged all the timeとなってしまうでしょう。もちろんだからと言って好き勝手やっていいわけでなく、自分の私腹を肥やすために大統領職を利用するなんてもってのほかですが。。。
(スクリプト) Okay. Hi, I'm Amy Mitchell. And I'm running for PTA president. (WOMAN COUGHING) You're doing great. Just 'cause they're not responding doesn't mean they think you're terrible.
You know... I know there's a lot of rumors going around about my daughter.
(WOMEN MURMURING) That's a bad place to start.
And I'm guessing a lot of you think that I'm a bad mom.
Yes.
No, no. No, you know what? You're right. Sometimes, I'm too lenient with my kids. Sometimes, I'm too strict.
Well, we overestimated her, obviously.
Sometimes, I'm so crazy that I don't even understand the words that are coming out of my mouth. You see, what works for my daughter almost never works for my son. And whenever I think I'm actually starting to figure my kids out, they grow up and I'm back to square one. So, the truth is, when it comes to being a mom, (CHUCKLES) I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. (ALL LAUGH) And you know what? I don't think anyone does. I think we're all bad moms, and you know why? Because being a mom today is impossible!
I never doubted her. I never doubted her. She's doing great. She's a natural.
So can we all just please stop pretending like we have it figured out and stop judging each other for once? Look, I'm running for PTA president because... Because I want our school to be a place where you can make mistakes, where you can be yourself, where you're being judged on how hard you work and not on what you bring to the fucking bake sale.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Yeah! Yeah!
I want our school to be a place where it's okay to be a bad mom. Do you know what I mean?
My kids haven't had a bath in three weeks.
That's okay! Listen, we've all been there.
(ALL CLAPPING) I confiscated my son's weed and then I smoked the shit out of it!
(YELLS) What's your number?
I give my kids a Benadryl every Tuesday night so I can watch The Voice.
(LAUGHS) I can't tell my twins apart! I let my 7-year-old watch Mad Max. I drink margaritas for breakfast. I threw my son's violin in the garbage. (SPEAKING RUSSIAN) Oh, honey, we don't speak Spanish. I like my nanny better than I like my husband. Wait, really? (WOMEN GASP AND CHEER) (WHOOPING) Yeah, you do! I don't even have kids! I just come to PTA meetings because I'm lonely. CROWD: Aw. (APPLAUSE)
AMY: Here's the thing. If you're a perfect mom who's got this whole parenting thing figured out, well, then, you should probably vote for Gwendolyn, 'cause she's amazing.
Yes.
But if you're a bad mom like me and you have no fucking clue what you're doing, or you're just sick of being judged all the time... Then please vote for me. Thank you.
The End Shall Be Ours At a half hour after noon yesterday, President Roosevelt went before a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Japan.
Hardly had the echoes of the President’s address died away before the Senate passed a war resolution. The House acted less quickly only because of the greater length of time required to call the roll.
We are at war with Japan by the practically unanimous will of the country. It now follows:
1—That every citizen puts his contribution to the nation’s war effort ahead of every consideration of personal interest or prejudice or preference.
To analyse the content of children’s science books can be like pulling the beard of Father Christmas to see if it’s real. Some of the magic is lost in the process. But there is a serious — and an educational — side to children’s books. Their influence is great, and as such their style and content have been scrutinized over everything from their depictions of violence and gender roles, to people’s attitudes to the environment and recycling. If books leave such a lasting impression on people, then should scientists and researchers do more to make sure that those read to and by children are accurate? Where, for example, does fiction tip into fantasy — and should young readers be made aware of the difference?
Joanna Cole has authored more than 100 science books for children, including the best-selling Magic School Bus series, the latest edition of which tackles the topic of climate change. In the last of our series of interviews with authors who write science books for different audiences, Cole reveals how clarity and colour can introduce even very young children to science.
Do you do a lot of research? I research for maybe half a year, so I learn a lot. I read journal articles, textbooks and popular science. You have to know a lot more than what ends up on the page. And you have to try to make it as accessible as possible. I once wrote some articles for adults in a magazine and I was amazed at how easy it was — you don't have to rewrite everything to make it clearer and simpler and still accurate. Once a book is written I send it to a scientist for checking, and we make changes accordingly.
よく言われることではありますがYou have to know a lot more than what ends up on the page.（たくさんのことを知る必要があります。最終的にページに収まったこと以上のことを知らないといけないのです）という言葉は重いですね。
Writing about the ‘alt-right’ Nov. 28, 2016, by John Daniszewski Recent developments have put the so-called “alt-right” movement in the news. They highlight the need for clarity around use of the term and around some related terms, such as “white nationalism” and “white supremacism.”
Usage “Alt-right” (quotation marks, hyphen and lower case) may be used in quotes or modified as in the “self-described” or “so-called alt-right” in stories discussing what the movement says about itself.
Avoid using the term generically and without definition, however, because it is not well known and the term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters’ actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience. In the past we have called such beliefs racist, neo-Nazi or white supremacist.
Boilerplate Again, whenever “alt-right” is used in a story, be sure to include a definition: “an offshoot of conservatism mixing racism, white nationalism and populism,” or, more simply, “a white nationalist movement.” Here is an example from the AP news report:
With an ideology that’s a mix of racism, white nationalism and old-fashioned populism, the “alt-right” has burst into the collective consciousness since members showed up at the Republican National Convention to celebrate Trump’s nomination last summer.
Be specific and call it straight Finally, when writing on extreme groups, be precise and provide evidence to support the characterization.
We should not limit ourselves to letting such groups define themselves, and instead should report their actions, associations, history and positions to reveal their actual beliefs and philosophy, as well as how others see them.
“Alt-right”は引用符で囲み、一般的用法として定義もなく使わないこと。必ず“a white nationalist movement”のような補足説明を付け加えること。さもないとthe term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters’ actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience.になってしまうと書いています。
When there is a change in the pace of change in so many realms at once, as we’re now experiencing, it is easy to get overwhelmed by it all. As John E. Kelly III, IBM’s senior vice president for cognitive solutions and IBM Research, once observed to me: “We live as human beings in a linear world—where distance, time, and velocity are linear.” But the growth of technology today is on “an exponential curve. The only exponential we ever experience is when something is accelerating, like a car, or decelerating really suddenly with a hard braking. And when that happens you feel very uncertain and uncomfortable for a short period of time.” Such an experience can also be exhilarating. You might think, “Wow, I just went from zero to sixty miles per hour in five seconds.” But you wouldn’t want to take a long trip like that. Yet that is exactly the trip we’re on, argued Kelly: “The feeling being engendered now among a lot of people is that of always being in this state of acceleration.”
In such a time, opting to pause and reflect, rather than panic or withdraw, is a necessity. It is not a luxury or a distraction—it is a way to increase the odds that you’ll better understand, and engage productively with, the world around you.
How so? “When you press the pause button on a machine, it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings they start,” argues my friend and teacher Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN, which advises global businesses on ethics and leadership. “You start to reflect, you start to rethink your assumptions, you start to reimagine what is possible and, most importantly, you start to reconnect with your most deeply held beliefs. Once you’ve done that, you can begin to reimagine a better path.”
But what matters most “is what you do in the pause,” he added. “Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: ‘In each pause I hear the call.’”
Breaking the habit The future of oil The world’s use of oil is approaching a tipping-point, writes Henry Tricks. But don’t expect it to end imminently Nov 26th 2016
特集記事では読者の興味を引くための切り口が必要になります。その点AT THE TURN of the 20th century, the most malodorous environmental challenge facing the world’s big cities was not slums, sewage or soot; it was horse dung.（20世紀になったばかりの時に世界の大都市が直面していた一番ひどい環境問題はスラムでも、下水でも、煤でもなかった。馬の糞だったのだ）は秀逸です。
AT THE TURN of the 20th century, the most malodorous environmental challenge facing the world’s big cities was not slums, sewage or soot; it was horse dung. In London in 1900, an estimated 300,000 horses pulled cabs and omnibuses, as well as carts, drays and haywains, leaving a swamp of manure in their wake. The citizens of New York, which was home to 100,000 horses, suffered the same blight; they had to navigate rivers of muck when it rained, and fly-infested dungheaps when the sun shone. At the first international urban-planning conference, held in New York in 1898, manure was at the top of the agenda. No remedies could be found, and the disappointed delegates returned home a week early.
Yet a decade later the dung problem was all but swept away by the invisible hand of the market. Henry Ford produced his first Model T, which was cheap, fast and clean. By 1912 cars in New York outnumbered horses, and in 1917 the last horse-drawn streetcar was retired in Manhattan. It marked the moment when oil came of age.
あと面白いのは社会のあり方が変われば意味も変わっていく可能性があるという点。“There is a pivot away from asking ‘when are we going to run out of oil?’ to ‘how long will we continue to use it?’ ” For “peak oil”, now read “peak demand”.とあります。peak oilはこれまで石油産出量のピークを意味していたが、再生可能エネルギーや電気自動車が普及していけば石油需要が減っていくことから今は石油需要のピークを意味するようになってきているというのです。
Which peak? This marks a huge shift. Throughout most of the oil era, the biggest concern has been about security of energy supplies. Colonial powers fought wars over access to oil. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel was set up by oil producers to safeguard their oil heritage and push up prices. In the 20th century the nagging fear was “peak oil”, when supplies would start declining. But now, as Daniel Yergin, a Pulitzer-prizewinning oil historian, puts it: “There is a pivot away from asking ‘when are we going to run out of oil?’ to ‘how long will we continue to use it?’ ” For “peak oil”, now read “peak demand”.
This report will argue that the world needs to face the prospect of an end to the oil era, even if for the moment it still seems relatively remote, and will ask three central questions. Will the industry as a whole deal with climate change by researching and investing in alternatives to fossil fuels, or will it fight with gritted teeth for an oil-based future? Will the vast array of investors in the oil industry be prepared to take climate change on board? And will consumers in both rich and poor countries be willing to forsake the roar of a petrol engine for the hum of a battery?
最後のthe roar of a petrol engine for the hum of a batteryはroarとhumと対比的に書いているところですが電気自動車のエンジン音が静かだというを知っていればピンとくる表現です。
NEWS WEB EASYについて NHKは、人ひとにやさしい放送ほうそうやサービスをすることを目標もくひょうにしています。「NEWS WEB EASY」は小学生しょうがくせい・中学生ちゅうがくせいの皆みなさんや、日本にほんに住すんでいる外国人がいこくじんの皆みなさんのために、分わかりやすいことばでニュースを伝つたえるウェブサイトです。 漢字かんじには全部ぜんぶひらがなで読よみ方かたをつけました。 難むずかしいことばには辞書じしょの説明せつめいをつけました。 そして、できるだけやさしいことばでニュースを書かいています。 やさしいことばで書かいたニュースは音おとで聞きくこともできます。
News Web Easy アニメの映画えいが「君きみの名なは。」が中国ちゅうごくでも始はじまる [12月02日 16時00分] しんかい誠まことさんが監督かんとくをしたアニメーション映画えいがの「君きみの名なは。」は、日本にっぽんでとても人気にんきになりました。１２月がつ２日ふつかから中国ちゅうごくの映画館えいがかんでも「君きみの名なは。」が始はじまりました。 北京ぺきんの映画館えいがかんでは、２日ふつかの午前ごぜん０時じから大勢おおぜいの若わかい人ひとたちが見みにきました。映画えいがを見みた男性だんせいは「高校生こうこうせいのときから新海しんかいさんの映画えいがが好すきです。長ながい間あいだ待まって、やっと中国ちゅうごくで見みることができました」と話はなしていました。若わかい女性じょせいは「泣なきそうになりました。すばらしかったです」と話はなしていました。
Thank you for your courageous service. We have your backs.
We have your backs.についての具体的内容はメッセージの中で触れています。
As you continue to serve us in this tumultuous hour, we again recognize that we can no longer ask you to solve issues we refuse to address as a society. We should give you the resources you need to do your job, including our full-throated support. We must give you the tools you need to build and strengthen the bonds of trust with those you serve, and our best efforts to address the underlying challenges that contribute to crime and unrest.
オバマ大統領といえば演説で難しい構文を使って受験英語支持派を喜ばせていますが、そこはYes we canを生み出した人物We have your backs.のような簡単なフレーズで心を掴むことも長けています。すっと心に届く言葉だったからこそNPRの記事も見出しに使ったのでしょう。
To: Delta Colleagues Worldwide From: Ed Bastian Subject: Disruptive Passenger on DL248
まず宛先はTo: Delta Colleagues Worldwideとcolleaguesが使われ仲間意識を出していますね。それに本題に入る前にねぎらいの言葉から文書を始めています。特にThanksgivingのシーズンは尋常ない忙しさですから、そんな大変な時期に働いてくれている従業員に感謝の言葉をまず伝えています。Thank you for the amazing jobと大げさすぎるくらいに褒めるのがいいかもしれません（笑）
Thank you for the amazing job you did running our operation and taking care of our customers during the busy Thanksgiving holiday. At Delta, we strive to deliver a safe and reliable product while providing a customer experience that is second to none. You come to work every day prepared to serve our customers and to take care of each other while also dealing with the unexpected.
第二パラグラフで本題に入っていますがここでも頭ごなしに「〜すべきだった」とは言わずにour team members made the best decision they could given the information they hadと理解をまず示している点に注目したいです。もちろん後の文章でthere is no question they would have removed him from the aircraftと本来すべき行動を述べているんですが前の文章がないと一方的に責める内容になってしまいます。
As you may have heard by now, last week a video began circulating around the internet showing a disruptive passenger on board a Delta flight. This individual displayed behavior that was loud, rude and disrespectful to his fellow customers. After questioning the customer, our team members made the best decision they could given the information they had and allowed him to remain on the flight. However, if our colleagues had witnessed firsthand what was shown in the video, there is no question they would have removed him from the aircraft. He will never again be allowed on a Delta plane.
Part of being a reliable travel partner and a servant leader is acknowledging our mistakes so we can learn from them and respond more effectively in the future. Delta has apologized to the customers onboard that flight. We are also refunding those customers the cost of their tickets.
最後に大切なことを再確認しています。あれこれ指図をするのではなくまずI also want to make sure all of you know we have your backs.として会社として社員を支える姿勢を示しています。
I also want to make sure all of you know we have your backs. The heightened tension in our society means that now more than ever we must require civility on our planes and in our facilities. We must stay true to Delta’s core values and treat one another with dignity and respect. We also must remain committed more than ever to the safety of our customers and our crew members. We will not tolerate anything less.
Again, thank you for all you do.
I also want to make sure all of you know we have your backsの部分ですがhave your backというのは意外に英和辞典に載ってなかったりするんですね。とてもわかりやすく説明してくださっているブログがあったので引用させていただきます。
（オックスフォード） have (got) somebody’s back (North American English, informal) to protect and support somebody Don't worry, I've got your back. I’m loyal and I’ve got your back.
