Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Preparation for Annual Health Check

　　The staff members of the Safety and Health department of the company started preparation for the annual health check for the employees, which will be held in April. The items of the check would be almost the same in every developed country, but some of the items differ according to the employees' tasks. I've been thinking that I have only to check everyone on autopilot, but I was wrong.
　　The annual health check is provided by the law called Industrial Safety and Health Act and it has several detailed rules. According to employees' occupational condition, the staff members have to see if they have an unfavorable effect from dust, noise, vibration, organic solvent, weld fumes and poisonous substances which my company uses like arsenicum, and biantimony trioxide.
　　That is to say, the health check items vary person by person. This makes the health check complicated. The number of the target employees is more than 3,000. It must be held avoiding congestion as a measure against Covid-19. I'll write about this health check later after it has finished.

(Vocabulary)
Industrial Safety and Health Act　労働安全衛生法
provide that　(フォーマル) 〈法律・規則が〉 …ということを規定する
The law provides that employees have the right to join a union.　その法律は従業員が組合に加入する権利があることを規定している．
solvent 溶剤, 溶媒; (借金の) 支払い能力がある
solvency 支払い能力のある状態
arsenic ヒ素
biantimony trioxide 三酸化二アンチモン
welding fume; weld fume 溶接ヒューム
weld [他] 〈金属〉 を溶接する; (金属の) 溶接部［箇所］

 

2020 Tokyo Olympics

　　What will become of the one year late Olympic games in Tokyo? Representative players from all over the world are surely expecting it to be held, but about 70% of Japanese people around me seem to be reluctant to have it. As for me, I'm on the reluctant side. I'm sorry to say this for the authorities concerned, Japan should be cautious to the utmost about receiving visitors. The influence of the Wuhan virus is now decreasing in Japan. I hope that this tendency would go on and on to put an end to the outbreak.

今年、1年遅れの東京オリンピックが開催されるのだろうか？ すでに代表に決まっている選手たちは是非とも開催して欲しいだろうが、日本の国民感情はどうだろうか？僕の周りでは７割くらいは消極的な考えのようだ。僕自身ももう開催しないほうが良いのではないかと考えている。
準備に投資した関係者には申し訳ないが、海外からウイルスが持ち込まれる可能性がある。大量に外国人がやってくることには慎重になるべきではないか。

My Surgery

　　My surgery for my inguinal hernia is scheduled in the beginning of March. I have a little restlessness, but I have no other way than undergoing the surgery. I'd worked as a general surgeon for nearly 40 years and performed lots of operations and a variety of anesthesia, but it's the first time to be placed under general anesthesia. I'm feeling the same sensation as my patients had felt.
　　My illness is not so serious and is often seen in the hospital. It's a kind of everyday affair for the surgeons. I have no allergic history, so my anesthesia and surgery would be surely successfully done, but my knowledge of several malpractice suites makes me uneasy. The patients which I was concerned about would be uneasy like myself of today. I'm wondering if I'd been able to care for them with self-reflection.

(Vocabulary)
malpractice suit 医療過誤訴訟

 

手術

３月上旬に鼠径ヘルニア根治術を受けることになっている。少し不安もあるが仕方ない。これまで多くの患者の麻酔や手術に関わってきたが、手術を受けるとはこういうことかと今更ながら思っている。特殊な疾患ではないありふれたものであるし、薬剤に対するアレルギーなどもないので心配する必要など無いのだが、それでも知識として種々の合併症を知っているだけに不安がある。これまで関わってきた患者たちも見なそうだったのだろうなあと説明不足があったのではなかったかとこれまでの自分が行ってきた医療に対して思い返している。

What I think about the mainstream media

　　The New York Times reported without any hard evidence on Jan. 6th that some of the mob who had stormed into the Capitol Hill killed a policeman, and this news sparked and fanned the 2nd impeachment trial of President Trump. Other mainstream media also blindly followed this report one after another.
　　I heard the fact today that the policeman had nothing unusual about his health after the insurrection.He passed away from the attack of his personal problem. His death had nothing to do with the insurrection. The New York Times made an official apology on the previous day of the impeachment trial. However, they were totally irresponsible for their report. They didn't get the positive fact about his death before reporting. I'm just astonished beyond words.

(Vocabulary)
hard evidence 確かな証拠

 

What I think about Myanmar's situation

　　Recently I often see Myanmar's anti-military government demonstrations on TV. In general, it's bad to take over the government by the military power. However, are you acceptable for the media's reports from the unilateral side? All demonstrations which I saw on TV were performed in the capital or big cities. I wanted to see how the rural areas are. I've heard that Suu Kyi and her party hasn't taken care of rural districts. I'd like to know the evaluation of the military coup in the rural country. Military personnel should have their families and friends. Their points of view should show up on the media's report. When all the media go in the same direction, I'd like to dare to hear their opponents and evaluate the situation carefully.

(Vocabulary)
coup (coup d'état とも) (武力などによる) クーデター

このところしばしばミャンマーの反軍事政権デモを見る。一般的に考えれば、民主政府を倒し、クーデターで政権を取ることはよくない。しかし、全てのメディアがデモを支持し、軍を否定するのはどうなのだろうかと思う。デモは都市部で行われているが、都市部以外での軍事クーデターに関する評価はどうなっているのか、知りたいと思う。軍人にも家族や友人がいるだろう。その人たちの意見も報道に出てきても良いと思うのだが。メディアが一方向を向く場合、僕は敢えて反対の立場の人の意見も聞き、冷静に状況を判断したいと思う。

Resignation of the Chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Preparation Committee

　　The former Prime Minister, Mr. Mori, stepped down as the chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Preparation Committee, being criticized for his remarks, which allegedly looked down on women. I wondered what remarks on earth he had made. I searched for his full statement and was surprised to read it. There was no intention in his remarks to despise women. The media cut out a part of his comments and criticized him taking no notice of the full context. What could be happening? Are there some forces which want to interfere with the Tokyo Olympic Games?
　　What the hell are these malicious acts by the media for? I saw the same scene in the last U.S. presidential election. Unspeakably autocratic movement by the leftist media and IT giants is beyond description. People who don't deliberate by themselves are easily influenced or captured by the current of thought. I feel something dangerous in those people.
　　I remember a philosopher's words: Democracy works only when ordinary people are smart. I realized his words are right seeing the resignation of the chairman.

(Vocabulary)
despise …を軽べつする, 見下す, 嫌悪する
take notice (of sb/sth) （＜…＞に）耳を傾ける, 気を配る
take no notice (of sb/sth) （＜…＞に）見向きもしない, （＜…＞を）無視する
not take any/much notice (of sb/sth) （＜…＞を）まったく［あまり］気に留めない
current (ある集団内の) 思想, 意見, 風潮
a current of thought 支配的な思想［考え方］, 思潮

　女性蔑視発言の責任を取ってオリンピック会長が辞任した。一体どんな発言をしたのだろうかと発言記録を読んでみた。なんと驚くことに、彼の発言の文脈に女性蔑視などと言うものはない。前後を切り取り、ごく一部の発言を取り出して批判している。東京オリンピックを是が非でも中止させたい勢力が存在するのだろう。
　いったい、マスコミのこの悪意に満ちた行動はなんなんだ。先のアメリカ大統領選挙でも見てきたが、昨今の左翼メディア、大手ＩＴ業界の横暴は筆舌に尽くしがたい。また自分で考えることをせず、世の流れに、マスメディアに流されてしまう、考えない人たち。
　民主主義とは、民がまともであるときだけに機能するシステムだと誰か哲学者が言っていたがその通りだと実感している。

Silent Marriage

　　My second daughter got married today on National Foundation Day, on which the 1st Ten-noh, what you call Japan's Emperor, Jinmu, ascended to the throne 2681 years ago. It should be a happy and epoch-making event in my family, but as you know, we are told to refrain from having a big party including even wedding ceremonies. As a result, my second daughter left home silently. I resent the outbreak of the Wuhan virus.

(Vocabulary)
resent 〈不当な扱いなど〉 に憤慨する, 〈人〉 を恨む

 

Reliability of Existing Media

　　The number of Youtubers is increasing in Japan. It might be due to the dishonesty of the existing media. I don't completely trust the existing media. Their report is often unilateral or partial if they aren't wrong. I wanted to know what's going on in Texas now and the way to get information was to search for videos from the residents in Texas. I found many video clips on YouTube. I'm relieved to know the situation is getting better. What is right, or what is wrong, I keenly feel the importance of considering when taking in others' thoughts.

(Vocabulary)
dishonesty 　不正（行為）, いんちき



ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅで情報発信をする人が急激に増えてきた。おそらくは既存メディアの報道に嘘が多く含まれるためだろう。僕も既存メディアの報道をほとんど信じなくなった。彼らの報道は嘘でないとしても一面的で公正な報道とは言えない。何が本当で何が嘘なのか、慎重に見極めながら情報は受け取らねばならないと痛切に感じている。

Amazon Kindle

　　Reading is one of my favorite occupations. I've found that very often my eyes pass over the words without taking in the meaning, but even though, as many books as I read, I get as much knowledge as I can. Reading books is a big delight to me. However I sometimes feel the deterioration of my memory. When I have to specify the information source - for example when I'd like to explain something to others - it's not seldom that I can't recall where in which book the source was written. I frequently get irritated by that. Then I found out about Amazon's "KINDLE". I read several affirmative and negative opinions of the present Kindle users online and those comments sounded very handy to me, and I bought one at last year's Cyber Monday Sale on Amazon.
　　I have bought several Kindle version books online since then. A few minutes after I had ordered books from Amazon, I could read those books even after midnight. This system is really handy though it's a little sad that my bookshelves won't get occupied by good books. On the other hand, however, I won't be bothered to prepare the store space for flooding books.
　　To my utmost delight, I can carry lots of books all the time in my body bag and I can read books in my short free time. It's a little unhandy to take notes on pages of Kindle version books more than on paper-base books, but not impossible. Above all, you can use online search services like Google Search or online dictionaries anytime if your Kindle is connected to the internet. I don't need to even carry dictionaries!
　　The only question is how many books my Kindle can keep, but I'll worry about it when my Kindle reaches its maximum capacity.

(Vocabulary)
occupation [C] a way of spending your time; [=]pastime:
One of my childhood occupations was collecting stamps.
Then そんなとき

読書は趣味の一つ。時々、無意識になって十分な理解をせぬまま、眼だけが文字を追っているようなときがあるが、それでも読めば読んだだけ知識が増えるし、楽しい。ただ、記憶する能力が落ちてきたようで、後で書かれていた情報を確かめるときにどの本のどこに書かれていたのかわからずに困ることがよくある。そんなとき、アマゾンのキンドルを知った。使っている人からの言葉で便利そうに思い、またサイバーマンデーのセールで半額くらいになっていたので購入。昨年末の話だ。

その後、何冊も購入した。本棚に本が並ばないのがさみしいが、多くなると保管場所に困ることにもなる。嬉しいのは、持ち歩いているバッグの中に何冊もの本が入っていること。ちょっとした時間に本が読める。紙ベースと比べてメモを記入することに制限があるが、書き込みできないわけではないし、なにより検索が使えることが素晴らしい。またネットに繋がっていれば不明な単語、用語がすぐに調べられることも素晴らしい。消費電力がごく少なく、また目に優しい照明となっている。

問題はどれくらいの本を保存できるかと言うこと。まあそれは一杯になってしまったときに考えることにしよう。

Speaking Exercise

　　The progress of internet technology has produced a variety of new business in all kinds of sectors. My company started a program that encourages employees to learn English under a contact with an internet technology company the other day, which connects Philippine students, who live in their country, and Japanese who want to practice English conversation. I applied for this program and was accepted. The practice fee is supposed to be paid by my company for its 70% and my defrayal is only 30%. Additionally even such 30% of lesson fee is expected to be paid by the company if participants attain everyone's goal.
　　I've not so much difficulty in reading English books and papers. I feel a little hardships in writing English sentences, but not much. However, I'm not at all good at speaking English. As for listening, if you speak in clear pronunciation like trained announcers or stage actors, I can catch you, but in noisy circumstances like in the bar, railroad station or somewhere like that, my listening ability heavily deteriorates.
　　This endeavor by my company seemed to have started last year and the result was apparently ideal. That's why the company set the English-learning campaign. Taking advantage of this endeavor, I'm going to practice English conversation.

(Vocabulary)
defrayal 負担
endeavor
[C](フォーマル) 試み
in an endeavor to do something ＜…＞する試みとして
make every endeavor to do something ＜…＞するためにあらゆる試みをする
[U] 努力
scientific/creative/artistic/human endeavor 科学的［創造的，芸術的，人間の］努力

 

フィリピン人と会話練習

インターネットの発達はいろいろなビジネスを生んできたが、フィリピンの大学の学生を雇い、日本人と会話をさせることにより日本人の英語能力向上を目指す英語教育プログラムがある。学生はフィリピン在住で、オンラインでの会話練習だ。
勤務している会社がこの教育会社と契約して社員のうち希望者に英会話のレッスンを受けさせるという社内プログラムがある。去年は数十名が申し込んだらしい。案内が来たので早速申し込んだ。３月１日から開始して８月いっぱいまで。費用負担は本人が3割だが、Toeicのスコアが上がったらレッスン費用は全て会社持ちとのこと。
英語を読むことについてはあまり苦労は無くなったが、書くことには少し苦労があり、話すのは苦手である。聞くことについてはキャスターのような英語でゆっくり喋ってくれたら聞き取れるが、居酒屋で交わされる会話には入ってはいけない。これを奇貨として話すことにも力を入れていきたい。

Rusty Downtown

　　I drove my car downtown in the evening and saw its surprisingly deserted atmosphere. The municipality now regulates the bars and restaurants which serve alcoholic drinks to close their business at 20:00 hours in exchange for official benefits. The regulation will be in effect for two weeks, but if the prevalence of the virus continues to expand, the period would become longer. I have some familiar bars downtown and I hope they will survive this virus crisis.

(Vocabulary)
deserted
〈場所・通りなどが〉 人けのない, 閑散とした
The streets were deserted. 通りには人けがなかった．
〈建物・町などが〉 さびれた, 打ち捨てられた
a deserted mining town さびれた炭鉱の町



寂れたダウンタウン

夜、車でダウンタウンを走ってみた。その静かさに驚いた。現在、酒を出す店は２０時で店を閉めねばならない。また完全に休業したら政府から補助金が出るので、２０時で閉めるよりも休んだ方が有利だと考えて休業する店もある。対策強化期間は２週間の予定であるが、期間が延長されたら潰れる店も出てくるだろう。ダウンタウンにはなじみの店が何軒もある。何とか持ちこたえて欲しい。