"Today's Event special", Editor YOSHIDA selected special 
(NEW COLUMN)
Events March 24, Yoshida-selected
English edition:March 24:"1989 – In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of crude oil after running aground."
(Photos-link:[March 24:"1989 – Prince William Sound in Alaska "
Japanese edition:3月24日付「1989年 - エクソンバルディーズ号原油流出事故。タンカー・エクソン・ヴァルディーズ号が暗礁で破損、4万1300トンの油が海に流出する。」
(Photos-link:[March 24:「1989年 - エクソンバルディーズ号原油流出事故」
 
 
  
 
 


 
 
   
  
 
 
   
The Editor's memo for this day!
Thursday 22, March, 2018
Can you imagine what the Editor intends to demonstrate by showing such beauties plus in the bottom line myself with the braces in both side showing that this Editor were dependent on them when I walk until some six years before?
Half for fun and half for serious mind, let me tell some interesting stories hidden by those photos. Firstly, ever since I came to this country of the Philippines, I came to be aware that the Filippinas sure look beautiful especially their walking style, I mean, compared with that of fellow Japanese girls who walk with their head rather downward and with short steps, which comes from the Japanese custom of waking style in the Kimono, Japanese traditional classical wares.
On the contrary, here in the tropical country Philippines, many girls wear short pants with beautiful slim and straight legs, so that they expose their body lines with no hesitation, and one more plus you know what?! with big Hips! This is what I call "After many years of investigation(?)". I came to a conclusion that the reason for their beautiful walking style comes mainly from their nice and big hips!!!
By the way my three sisters had big hips very rare as Japanese! The point is my case! I never thought of anything about the hips big or not. An interesting thing about my awareness of my hips rather big came since I began using the braces on my both leg and feet. Due to my walking becoming easier with the braces, I could watch my own walking style by the show windows I walk by. I came to know that my hips sure seem ugly look backwards....Never the king of charm or the like, you know. (Ha). My thought of hips big if ever comes from my effort of walking with some stress in the hips due to abnormal physical stress giving to the hips...
It was a short time before my departure to the Philippines that a friend of mine once said to me in serious manner, "Mr. Yoshida, you look nice with your big hips even though crippled walking!". I accepted his words not as for better but for consoling me for my ugly walking style.
It was not until some ten years after that I came to know or realize that that is not a joke but real! My life in the Philippines and watching the people here changed my thought and notion of physical style and came to the conclusion I mentioned. Watching myself in the mirror, I secretly say to myself "My hips sure look big and not bad!". Ha, ha!! Anyway, I sure wish the visitors of this site would never think this sort of demonstration is never the joke and flattering!
By the way, the braces shown here are the sample I used to use until some six years before. They are sleeping in a corner of the room never to be used again. I completely depend on the wheel chairs by the thanks of the Filipino family under complete care. However, I never neglect trying to exercise whatever possible for minor leg exercising and others in a possible way and manners.
...I wonder my explanations or writing this could make the visitors to my web site understand what I intend to say with those photos, though.
    
    
     

today@VOA & NYTimes.com
This column is for editing what I call "the illustrated stories" with photos related with the events and news, so that the visitors could enjoy the stories in a visual ways. The former, "today@VOA" deals with historical events with the exception of week-ends, and the latter with stories who lived and dead with more than a hundred years old of his or her lives. My interest in the latter one comes from my strong will of living more than a hundred of years trying to make it with a thought of my mother who lived until 102, or my personal wish and will to live a life of the so-called "The longest lived Hibakusha(A-bomb survivor) with my thought of "Ms. Elbina Deans, the longest-lived suruvivor of the Titanic", and another target of a 119-year-old Filipina, Puerto Princesa, with the title of oldest living person in the Guinness Book of World Records.
No.398(march.23, 2018)
"On March 22, 1765, the British government levies its first internal tax directly on American colonists with the Stamp Act."
(The 32-photo-attached file) (172.2KB)
On This Day in American History |
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On March 22, 1765, the British government levies its first internal tax directly on American colonists with the Stamp Act. All material printed for commercial and legal use in the colonies, such as newspapers, pamphlets, wills, deeds and playing cards, is subject to the new tax. The move angers the colonists, who raise the issue of taxation without representation. (Photo: tax stamps) |
 
 
  
   

 
  
  
  
"Stamp Act(HISTORY)"
No.397(march.21, 2018)
"On March 20, 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is published." (The 36-photo-attached file) (172.2KB)
「An episode about Yoshida and Mrs. Ann Adams, polio artist」
Please click: "Mrs Ann Adams, polio artist" & "Ann Adams" for more information!!
This editor's hidden talent is the English recitation of 1. "Lord's Prayer " 2. "The Lion's Code of Ethics" 3. "Youth "
4. "Lincoln's Gettysburg's Address" 5. "My Way "
I am fond of English language. My history of English language studying dates back when I was in night-time high school. I was obliged to give up higher education because of my father's early death right after the Hiroshima atomic bomb drop.
The followings are the ones I am proud of being able to make recitation of in good memory in a way as a native speaker or even better(laugh). This is the one I could be proud of and being able to make better than the natives, yes!. You will be astonished when hear it! Sure!!
Oh I remember back in Japan some years ago, I happened to watch the CNN on the Day 11-9 ceremony, an American politician made that recitation as good as I!(laugh again)
At the end of this top page, let me introduce something about my personal hobby for English language learning and practices. The following five English notes are the ones I love to make recitation of with loud voice as good as the native English speakers.
The motivation for this habit is very interesting, and let me explain;
Back in Japan when I was 40-year-old or so, I began to take a morning nice and hot bath after more than an-hour-physical exercises until good amount of perspiration, which, I thought, was good for a person who cannot enjoy the shower after playing the golf because of being with polio.
Good amount of perspiration after exercises and more in hot bath tub brought me splendid feeling, so that I hit upon an idea of using the time in the bathtub in a more efficient way, and that is to make recitations of English speech or the poem or the like while enjoying nice and hot tub!
By the way, dipping into nice and hot bathtub is no more needed for me in this tropical country. My style all through the day and night is "Suteteko(middle-long light pants) & short shirts style" from morning through night.
Well, let me explain my English recitation hobbies. The first one is "The Lord's Prayer", and continued on with such as; "Lord's Prayer", "The Lion's Code of Ethics", "Lincoln's Gettysburg's Address", "Youth", "My Way". This takes about 8-minute, which I found it was good enough time before the perspiration came out(In Japan with nice and hot bath tub, but no more here in a tropical country, though.)
My recitation items and the motivations are as follow;
1. "Lord's Prayer "
I was born in a Buddist family. When I was in high school(Night time one because of my destiny of abandoning higher education after my father's early death after the A-bomb, to take care of my family.
It happened that I won the first prize in the English speech contest for Hiroshima prefecture high school. The title was "How I've fought my way out." This was the beginning of my long way of life benefited by my English knowledge and human relationship brought by that.
The biggest one was my experience with an American lady missionary and English teacher in Hiroshima Mission school, Miss Anderson by the name, who came to me at the contest with her student girl, saying "Congratulations, Mr.Yoshida. May I introduce my student?...". That was the beginning of my association with the missionary and her student, Miss Murakami.....
The former, Miss Anderson, to my way to become a Christian with "The Lord's Prayer" close to my life, and the latter, in later years, become my life benefactor.
One of the great lessons I learned from Miss Anderson was that "The polio is the greatest gift given me by God who wants me to show people how a man can be that strong if he has faith in God. This was the beginning of my lifelong association with the Lord's Prayer.
By the way this happening brought another life-valued opportunity of getting associated with her student, Miss Yoshino Murakami, who in later years, became my life-long, unforgettable and precious friend girl I ever knew. She happened to be a daughter of Hiroshima University professor and later year became the president of the Mission high and university, and more, becoming the go-between for my wedding, which ended in separation years later(Ha).
Continuing to write about her(Miss Murakami) more, let me tell the visitors about my essay contest winner article titled "My eternal platonic sweetheart and benefactor in my life". If you click the link, there comes the copy of that Article (though in Japanese), which was the one I got the prize for "one of the 55 items selected as "good works" among 717 applied. The contest was sponsored by a publishing company in Tokyo under the title of "My first love, first HE and first HER". The applicants were from teenagers to eightieth. The below far the right is the cover opened backside, in which my essay appears on P.235.
Well, sorry for getting off the line in my writing about how I got to be closely associated with the Lord's Prayer.
     
2. "The Lion's Code of Ethics"
At the time I was one of the Lion's club members, especially when I was the chairman of a committee and editor-in-chief of the magazine published by the Lions Club 336-C-district, something made me to try to memorize it being able to make recitation of. It happened that we had the Cabinet sponsored the Cabinet Annual General Assembly where we invited the American President of the International Club Association, Mr. Woolard was the name.
I was told that the President's special favorite is "The Lions Code of Ethics", so that I tried to memorize it and, if ever have a chance, I could let him know of that big passion of mine as a "Lion" as passionate as he. Ha
In fact I had good opportunities of being with him at his visit as a chairman of the committee and the editor-in-chef of the magazine. Apparently, he seemed to be much surprised to know of this, saying "I love the code but not as much and good as I memorize it...". Later months, I had an honor of receiving his award.
   
3. "Youth"
This poem is very popular among Japanese regardless of their being business tops or the workers. A friend of mine gave me the copy, saying that "Yoshida"s way of life overlaps with the way the poem writes". I was charmed with its contents so that I brought it into one of my favorite recitations.
I remember that the first time I happened to know of this poem was at my twentieth when I came to know that the poem was by Samuel Ullman who first appeared in the Readers' Digest in 1945, the year the World War ended, and years passed after my friend gave me a poem text.
I also came to know that General Douglas MacArthur, was one of the lovers of the poem. An interesting point and proud of about my recitations with this one is that at the end of the poem of, I personally add some words to that. "...you may die young at eighty." turns to my own words of "...You may die young at a hundred!! in Yoshida's own words!". As for this living-life-years-target, it has turned to be(Don't laugh) 120 years! The first motivation was to live as long as my mother's 102! and her younger sister(My aunt) life of 104! And some years ago I happened to know of the longest-lived Filipina, 119! My minimum target turned to 120!(Ha ha)
By the way, General Douglas MacArthur is so familiar to the Filipinos. I found in The Manila Times an article about him entitled "Behind every great man The women in the life of General Douglas MacArthur".
      
4. "Lincoln's Gettysburg's Address"
Lincoln's Gettysburg' Address is popular even among Japanese. Fortunately, in my life with a widow lady after my divorce with my former wife(....Well, sorry for being personal. A huge amount of story await for me to tell about my life history, though), her daughter happened to read aloud her high school English text, I gave her some suggestion on the pronunciation, which brought me great interest to make it as one of my own favorite English recitations.
It was in 1993 when I was in the midst of my "One-month-investigation trip to the States", I visited the Abraham Memorial Hall, where I met the President statue and on the side wall was his that famous speech! I was captured with that big speech text carved or painted, and began to stay there with my reading in heart as if making myself speaking it!
An American man standing beside me seemed interested so that I said to him, "I could make that recitation perfectly!" like a boy being proud of being able to! He seemed interested and said, "when I was young, schools used to demand students to memorize and read it aloud. However, in modern times...No..." by shrinking his shoulders.)
I remember the year before last, on the 9.11 ceremony in NY, an American politician, whose name I don't remember, stood on the platform beside the speech table with this recitation, needless to say not looking down on the speech table for the text. I thought I could make it as good as he did!!
 
 
5. "My Way "
"My Way" is indeed the best one to end the 8-minute-recitations as the final one in that I can overlap my own life with that of the original singer Frank Sinatra, in such a way as he ended with;
The last words of Frank's is ♪....Yes..., this is my way...♪ is the very thing that yoshida wants to say in heart, concluding a series of English recitations with ♪...Yes, this is my OWN way...♪. I conclude a series of my English recitation with the thought that "I have lived and will continue living the life in the way I believed to be right and demanded to...".
My last stage of life here in the soil of the Philippines is to end my life with a prayer of those who died here with no regards of nationalities during the World War II with my humble prayers.
A couple of photos attached far the right below are Ms. Masako Doi, ex socialist parliament lady, who became the first Chairwoman in the parliament general assembly, was a fond of ♪My Way♪. She used to sing it with her dignity and passion as if she herself played the life like that of Frank. See her proud posture with her back so straight in her parliament chairwoman table, and so do this an aged man of Yoshida. I thank you for reading such a long explanation.
   
Lastly, this Editor, Yoshida, would like to give the visitors a smiling "Peanuts and his fellow doggy" with their cute thoughts or conversation. This piece of cartoon symbolizes one of my life philosophies I reached after more than 60-year -life as a top business person in three stages of Life in Japan.
This idea is well and much expressed as "From own profit to others' profit", which is explained in detail when you click that, though in Japanese. Someday, I would like to have its English translation for my intention of giving the visitors as a token of my thanks for your kind visit.
 
Thanks for your visit to my website. Please be sure to come again!!
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Saturday, March 24, 2018 YUKI YOSHIDA
“Grateful to be alive and active”
(86-year-4-month old)
Santa Rosa city, Laguna, Philippines
E-mail:yoshidayuuki@rocketmail.com
URL(eng):http://www.abombsurvivor.com
URL(jpn):http://www.abombsurvivor.com/index_japanese.html
(Note:This top site is under renewal to the following day at around 5 pm every day. When the visitors come after 5, therefore, the site would be shifted to the following date. When the visitors want to see this day contents, please get it by clicking "March 23, 2018", thank you. (660px)
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