maiko-san

A man had just settled into his seat next to the window on the plane when another man sat down in the aisle seat and put his black Labrador Retriever in the middle seat next to the man. The first man looked very quizzically at the dog and asked why the dog was allowed on the plane. The second man explained that he was from the Commonwealth Police Drug Department and that the dog was a a "sniffing dog". His name is Sniffer and he's the best there is. I'll show you once we get airborne, when I put him to work. The plane took off and once it has leveled out, the Policeman said, "Watch this". He told Sniffer to "search". Sniffer jumped down, walked along the aisle, and finally sat very purposefully next to a woman for several seconds. Sniffer then returned to his seat and put one paw on the policeman's arm. The Policeman said, "Good boy," and he turned to the man and said, "That woman is in possession of mariuana, I'm mak...

Dutch auction: an auction that proceeds backwards; one in which the price is reduced until a buyer is found. Dutch bargain: bargain made and sealed while drinking. beat the Dutch : to do somethng extraordinary or startling. Ex. How does he do it? It beats the Dutch. Dutch built: originally, Dutch flat-bottomed vessels; current usage attriuted to (a) male: long and lanky (b) female: see "Dutch bottomed." Dutch buttocked: originally, a strain of Dutch cattle with large hind quarters; comptemporary aasociation is the large, pear-shaped rump of modern Dutch women, stemming from excessive bicycle riding and dairy products. Dutch concert: babble of noises. Dutch consolation: the philosophy or attitude that, "Whatever ill befalls you, there is someone worse off than you. Dutch courage: courage induced by alchoholic drink. Dutch defense: surrender. do a Dutch : to desert, escape; commit suicide. double Dutch: gibberish. dutching: the use of gamma r...

Good Morning. Today I'd like to talk about Vietnam War. For starters I'd like to briefly touch on backgrounds. Vietnam was one of the French colonies in the 19th century. During the 2nd World War Japan conquered Vietnam and drove the French away. In a sense Japan contributed to the independence of Vietnam. But as you all know, Japan lost the war to America and the Soviet Union. In the course of time Cold War began. There were further complicated  developments in Vietnam. In 1954 the Vietnam issue was discussed at the Geneva Conference. They divided Vietnam into two nations, namely North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Soviet Union supported North Vietnam for Communism, while the US South Vietnam for the causes of capitalism and freedom. Then uprisings induced by the Viet Congs broke out. Immediately US President Lyndon B.Johnson sent his troops to Vietnam to cramp down the rebels. This is the very beginning of Vietnam War. Throuout the war American...

I left Inter City Hotel early in the morning and walked to Nuernberg Station to check out on the subway bound for Nuernberg Airport. Since the  departure time is 11:00 am I had enough time. Then I dropped in the Internet Cafe to kill time. I enjoyed surfing in the Internet and tried to email my daughter back home. But I failed to write to her, because the keyboard was so worn out that I could not make out which key to use. I asked a German sitting next to me. Because of my bad German he couldn't catch what I was saying. In the end I decided to leave the cafe and moved toward the cashier.　From nowhere an old handsome gentleman appeared and spoke to me in English. "You're Japanese, aren't you? I've been watching you ever since you entered this cafe." He smiled at me. But I was dumbfounded. Watching me? Incredible! Supervising seems to me the typical German habit. Anyway I had to be friendly, since this is the last day in Germany. All of a sudden I remembered tha...

Today I'd like to talk about President Barack Obama's speech. There are three reasons why I chose this topic. 1. I want to speak like Obama 2. I want to learn recitations, repetitions and rhetoric from his speech 3. It's been four years since he was appointed President of America. If I emulate his speech, what kind of responses do I get from the audience now? Here's Obama's speech given at his inauguration ceremony on 2nd of February, 2008. "We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we've been told we're not ready or that we shouldn't try or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a smile creed that sums up the spirit of a people. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. It was creed written into the foundin...

I must have been an obedient person when I worked for a company. The company provided a physical check-up twice a year. Since I have high blood pressure, I regularly visited a company's clinic once a month. I made a lot of contributions to National Maid Caid. Now I'm retired and a physical check-up is not a must. I kind of overreact when I see the results. For years I suffer from tinnitus. Of course I went on doctor shopping. I gave up on treatment, because there's no cure for the disease. Now I am more like an American who wants to stay out of the hospital. I can eat, sleep, walk and sing in the Karaoke bar. What else do I want, even if my ear-ringing nags me all the time?

-Mr. American, why are you in the hospital? -I'm glad you asked. I've developed hyperparathyroidism, a condition resulting from deficiency of parathyroid hormone. there's always the possibility of tetany, plus the goddamn intermittent, bilateral muscular spasms which are painful as hell. I'll be here for a week or so while they try to raise the calcium level in my blood and reduce the high phosphorous level. Want a glass of milk? -Mr. Japanese, why are you in the hospital? -Because the doctor put me here.

I finished reading a book entitled "Perfume". It was an intenational bestseller written by a German author. The story focused on Jean Baptise Grenouille, a  perfume apprentice in 18th century France. He was born orphan with no body scent himself. As a young man he decided to make the best perfume in the world. So he begins to stalk and murder vrigins in search of the "perfect scent". He finds a young woman named Laura in a secluded private garden in the southern part of France. It took me almost five months to read this book. For there were so many difficult German words that I could not catch up with the plot. So most of the time I relied on my fantasies. One of my friends read the Japanese translated version. She wanted me to fill in me on the plot. It would be boring to hear that. Moreover it would prevent me from learning German. I never lent an ear to her. I prided myself in my ability to read the book without a dictiona...

Giving a speech is important. It sometimes changes the world. Recitation and repetition are important to pursuade people. Like Barack Obama, "Yes, we can!", like Hitler "Sieg Heil!" Your body speaks when you inspire your audience with powerful recitations, vocal variety amd repetitions When I give a peruasive speech, i use repetitions. but I don't want rhetoric The lesson was important to me at a Toastmater Club

The other day I visited my sister in Tokyo. She majored in French political history at a university in Tokyo. Now she's retired and the emeritus professor of a university in Saitama Prefecture. It is sad that she suffers from Alzheimer's for years. I had always thought about how I could ever revive her memory. This time I prepared for a lot of questions related with  "French Quarters." Question: Why are French people reluctant to speak English? Answer: The French believe that they are the most culturally refined people in the world. They are proud of the fact that the French Revolution in the 18th century created the Enlightenment, freedom and equality, which we take it for  granted among the leading western nations today.  That's why they don't need to practice English. They think  French  is the greatest, the most beautiful,  the most decent language of all the nations. Have you ever seen President Sarkozy speak Englis...