Hello, Chicago!

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches, in numbers this nation has never seen. By people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long, by so many, to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve, to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming; but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him, I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton, and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia! I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I'm grateful to them.

To my campaign manager, David Plouffe! The unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best, the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist, David Axelrod, who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics! You made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

Iwas never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines, and the living rooms of Concord, and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It drew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from this Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we WILL get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years; block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared; and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those who would tear the world down. We will defeat you.

続く

To those who seek peace and security. We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright, tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America; that America can change. Our Union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery. A time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons: because she was a woman, and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America. The heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress. The times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes, we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes, we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes, we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness, and a democracy was saved. Yes, we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes, we can.

A man touched down on the moon. A wall came down in Berlin. A world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote; because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes, we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century, if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

　十五夜も過ぎ、今日は十三夜。きょうは名月をお楽しみでしょうか？

　本当に早いもので今年もあと８０日余となりました。遂先日、明けましておめでとうございますと挨拶したばかりのような気がしますが…。

　今年も、もう良いお年をお迎え下さいと挨拶する時季があっという間にやって来そうですね。明るいニュースはあまり思い出すことは出来ませんが、ノーベル受賞者が日本から４人も受賞されたことは本当に素晴しいことですね。ご高齢者が多くもう少し早く受賞されてもいいのでは？という思いですが…。

　研究者の多くが渡米されたことは少し残念なような気がしますが、昔の日本では素晴しい研究が到底受け入れられる時代でなく、受賞者の方々もそんな古い日本の体制の中で、特に戦争の時代ではご苦労されたことも多かったことにちがいありません。

　世界の経済が低迷する昨今、我々はこれから不透明な時代を生きていかなければなりませんが、働く人たちのみならず、高齢者の老後の生活、若者たちの就職先、また今現在働いている人たちでも、決して安定している人たちばかりではありません。いつリストラに遭うか不安な日々を送っている人たちも少なくないことでしょう。

　過去の歴史から、失業者が増えれば犯罪も増える、ひとは追い込まれると死か犯罪のどちらかの道を選ぶことになりかねません。

　今回ノーベル平和賞を受賞したマルッティ・アハティサーリ前フィンランド大統領は、今後、若者の働き場所がなくなるとテロに走る若者が増加することを懸念されています。

　アメリカ自動車業界の株価は５０％以上下落、日本の大和生命の破綻とパニックが続く、世界恐慌をどうしたら乗り切れるか？いま問われる時が来た。

　一ヶ月半のご無沙汰でした。
かろうじて何とか生かされています。

明日は「十五夜」、来月は「十三夜」と過ぎ去っていく時間は風のよう。
まるで地球の自転に加速度がついていくようです。

　もう、来年のことを言っても鬼が笑わないと思うほど時の経つのが早く感じられます。今年は干支の初めの「子の年」で、中国では「金の豚」の年にあたるそうですが、来年は６０年に一度の黄金の豚年に当たるそうです。ちなみに、お隣の韓国では６００年に一度だそうです。

　日本では豚年はありませんので、その由来ははっきり解りませんが、日本の「亥」が「豚」にあたるのではないかと思われます。あと猫年というのもありませんが、なぜないのか？

　たしか、以前聞いた記憶を思い起こすと猫と牛で勝った方が一二支に入れるということで競走し、猫が牛の背中に乗って直前で降り休憩していたら、ゴール寸前で牛に追い越されたとか。

　あれ！何だかウサギと亀の競走と間違ったかな？いい加減な話でスミマセン。
　これも、謂れをよく調べておきたいと思います。

　兎にも角にも、今年も、あと残り３ヶ月半となってしまいましたが、いろいろなことがありました。

　確か昨日は、どこかで大地震が起きるという予言があったそうですが、何もニュースに流れていないようなのでよかったですね。


　最近は世の中の出来事にも取り残されて、まるで『浦島太郎』になったようです。

この暑さでトンボも一休みでしょうか？

相当近づいても逃げようとはしませんでした。


トンボといえば、もう秋なんでしょうか？

　カウラ（Cowra）とは、オーストラリア・シドニーから３２０�qほど西に位置する町。（２５０�qと書いてあるものもあるし７０�qの差は大きいよ〜）

　今から６４年前の1944年8月5日未明、この町の第12捕虜収容所で発生した日本人捕虜の集団脱走という悲劇的な出来事があったのが「カウラ事件」。

　「恥を知るものは強し。常に郷党家門の面目を思い、愈々奮励して其の期待に答ふべし。生きて虜囚の辱めを受けず、死して罪禍の汚名を残すこと勿れ」即ち、捕虜になったら自決せよという命令ではないものの「捕虜なって生き恥をさらすくらいなら、潔く死んで汚名を残さない方がいい。

　日本軍隊のみならず一般国民にもこう言った「戦陣訓」が浸透しており、捕虜になると戦死扱いされ家族の元に帰りにくい状況で、とても成功させるのが目的とは思えない悲劇の事件であった。

　日本の教科書では教えられることもなく、長い間、歴史から埋もれていましたが、このたび日本テレビで７月８日（火）２１：００から「あの日、僕らの命はトイレットペーパーよりも軽かった。」というタイトルで放送されることになったようです。

P.O.W(Prisoner of War) Camp Cowra, Japanese War Cemetry, Wyangala Dam


豪日研究プロジェクト


鉄条網に掛かる毛布（Blankets on the wire）　　PDF

カウラ捕虜収容所脱走事件とその後（62周年記念2006.8.5出版）

スティーブ・ブラード著

田村恵子訳


まえがき

序章

第一章：誤解

第二章：脱走

第三章：結果

第四章：和解

　本日も朝から雨降り。

小降りになった午後から、ぶらりと電化屋へお出かけ。

テレビ、カメラ、携帯電話、パソコンとひと回り観察。


テレビは超薄型大画面、カメラは１千万画素を超すコンパクトボディ。

携帯は五百万画素を超すカメラや地デジ対応テレビ付きの多機能型。

パソコンはDVD、TV付き、画面はキラキラと眩しいほどに輝いていました。


半年も見ぬうちにすっかり様変わり、世の中は日進月歩。


時代にすっかり取り残されそうです。



林檎機のG4,G5は生産打ち切り。

今は、ディスクトップ、ノート各３の計６モデル。


すぐフリーズしていたiMac も今はすっかり型変わり。

超薄型軽量のMacBook Air が買って欲しそうにこちらを見ていました。

　予告編を観た時から行こうと思った映画「奇跡のシンフォニー」。

この映画の素晴しさは三人の子役。チャーリーとチョコレート工場にも出演した主人公のフレディ・ハイモア。英国ロンドン生まれで米国ニューヨークでの言葉のアクセントにも苦労したようだ。

ジャマィア・シモーヌ・ナッシュ。２歳から歌い始め、５歳でアポロ・キッズ・タレント・サーチ・コンテストに優勝しショウビズの世界に入る。とても可愛らしくパンチのある歌声には魅了される。

そして、レオン・トマス３世。ニューヨークのブルックリン出身。主人公のフレディが演じるオーガスト・ラッシュに恩を感じ、最後にオーガストを演奏会に出られるよう助ける。

音楽とは音を楽しむもの。メロディを奏でるひと、聴くひと、全てのひとがまさに「奇跡の出会い」で一体となり、言葉なくとも感動のひと時に酔いしれることができる。

リリー・フランキーの実体験を基にした長編小説を昨年映画化した東京タワー 〜オカンとボクと、時々、オトン〜（オダギリ・ジョー主演）は大好評だった。

「ぐるりのこと」は何があっても別れない１組の夫婦の10年間を丁寧に紡ぎだした珠玉のラブ・ストーリー。

今回、映画初主演にしてリアリティあふれる演技を見せたリリー・フランキーがこの作品の根底に流れるテーマと魅力について次のように語っていたのには共感した。

このバブル以降の10年間、日本人の性格、モラルが変質していく中で、１組の地味な夫婦の恋愛を並行して描いた作品。娯楽的な映画じゃないかもしれないけど、重たいものもあるし、そこに降りかかってくるものもあると思う。でも、何か心に不安を感じている人とか、単純に「考えるのはめんどくさいからやめとこう」と思う人を、ちょっと気づかせてくれる映画。人とちゃんとつながっていくことでしか、人の不安は消えない。