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Peter and Abby are not very close, but they are my fond friends. I remember the day I met Peter for the last time in 2015, probably, in front of Ann’s Sabin house. I also remember the time I met Morry, their daughter, long time ago. She was with Emily and was very pleased to have a Japanese toy, Origami Mobile. I think I visited their house, but not sure.

Peter became short, because of his age, like anybody else! Morry looks so beautiful! I am very pleased to know that everybody has been having good and happy life.

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Jan 14th　　　 May 5th　　　Oct 6th　

★ January 14th

Kellogg Library
Obitualy of Ann http://www.akemimarumo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Ann-L.pdfAnn

We talked about: my dream of Ann calling for John this morning, John’s dinner menu, John’s Covid, very sick for 2 days, caughing, chills and…, recovery process of the Montpelier flood last July, my rehabilitation (“you look good!” they said to me), Japan’s Standard University Entrance Exam of Haruka, about Yohta going to master’s course, pretty Emily, still taking courses on philosophy, US presidential election:,Biden is a very good president but good chane for Trump to be next（怒）, Ken’s work (is at Haneda Airport, going to Fukuoka), Montpelier’s shortage of Elevators, Post office problems, Simon will turn to be 22 tomorrow.

May 5th, Zoom Talk

Talked about Yohta, Haruka, and Adri’s future goal! John told us about his happy life at Westwind with Herigan! I was so glad to know that John got used to it and became populer at his new apartment. Wonderful!!

Screenshot
Screenshot

★Oct 6th 　Adri’s future, US Election, Barbara, moving to two bed-rooms apartment (on Nov 1st), Vermont’s foliage, housing for homelesses in Sabin Pasture <650 thousand dollers, the price of the Sabin house 1億円>, Climate change with floodings, Halloween, the day of the death??, Japan’s ruling LDP’s two political scandals and so on.　A lot of fun, makes me stronger and happier.

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Vermont’s capital, Montpelier, closes downtown as river reaches historic levels. National Weather Service warns of more potential flash floods.

The Aftermarth Sept. 13

Northeast storms dump over 2 months’ worth of rain on Vermont: Live weather updates
Floods in Vermont close streets, take out bridges, and burst a dam

うちの家族にとっては「私たちのアメリカの家」と思っている（た）Vermontの大洪水は、自分事だ。みんなで大ショック！幸い上流のダムの決壊は免れ、水は引き始めた(7/13 As of this morning, the dam has held, and the water is beginning to recede. So now the clean-up will begin. As you can tell from the pictures, it will take a long time to get things back to normal. J. I saw a picture of the flooding in downtown Montpelier, I’m really surprised. It’s unbelievable. I’m also worrying about the Dam. I wish your family are all safe K..)

バーモント州は水没しました！米国バーモント州モントピリアで鉄砲水が発生　wildweatherus

Heat wave, flooding:
Water can be seen flowing next to a damaged road after flash flooding in Ludlow, Vt., on Monday. (Joanna Slater/The Washington Post)Water can be seen flowing next to a damaged road after flash flooding in Ludlow, Vt., on Monday. (Joanna Slater/The Washington Post)
You’re probably watching — and maybe living — two of the biggest political stories this week: The punishing heat wave across the West and South, and torrential rain drowning Vermont and upstate New York. But maybe you’re not seeing them as political stories. Let’s fix that.These two dramatic meteorological events are first and foremost about the lives of the people in physical danger, or who are losing their homes or livelihoods. But because our working definition of politics includes how a society addresses threats, the label clearly applies.Today, we’re going to focus on the flooding.

Vermont’s capital, Montpelier, closes downtown as river reaches historic levels. National Weather Service warns of more potential flash floods.
Updated July 11, 2023 at 6:24 p.m. EDT|　WP
Relentless rain washed out roads and prompted evacuations in Vermont on July 10 as the state braced for more rain and flooding overnight. (Video: Julie Yoon/The Washington Post, Photo: John Tully/The Washington Post)

Even as the rain stopped late Tuesday morning, a deluge and swollen rivers created “historic and catastrophic” flooding in Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott (R) said Tuesday, with officials warning that more rainfall is expected as early as Thursday, threatening another wave of flooding and damage.

“This is nowhere near over,” Scott said.

More than 100 people have been rescued by boat as authorities rushed to rescue those stranded in hard-hit and remote areas. Thousands have lost homes or businesses and “countless” roads have been washed out, authorities said. No deaths had been reported in the state, but officials said search-and-rescue would take at least several days. Officials hoped to begin damage assessments by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

A man walks down street flooded by recent rain storms in Montpelier, Vermont, U.S., July 11, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

地図と街の風景

Sept 14 The newspaper which John sent to us today!

Goodbye “our” Vermont House　2023

Ann’s Room

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Important and interesting topics are mostly from friends abroad!

Dec. 2022

  • Junior-high entrance exams in Japan. What is the “standard deviation?”
    • A standard deviation (or σ) is a measure of how dispersed the data is in relation to the mean. Low standard deviation means data are clustered around the mean, and high standard deviation indicates data are more spread out.
  • Level of school teachers in the US. (not payed enough/ to be doctors and lawers)
  • Should US limits the number of foreign students, like Chinese, Korean and black Africans? But, how to define “white American?” (me)
  • Trump’s popularity and next election? Joe Biden will challenge to the next election. (John)
  • Weather in Vermont
standard deviation
young geranium

Wary of China, Japan unveils sweeping new national security strategy
Washington Post, Updated December 16, 2022, 6:00 p.m.


Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended a press conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Friday. In a major break from its strictly self-defense-only postwar principle, Japan adopted a national security strategy Friday declaring plans to possess preemptive strike capability and cruise missiles within years to give itself more offensive footing against threats from neighboring China and North Korea.　

DAVID MAREUIL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO — Japan on Friday unveiled sweeping changes to its national security strategy and a major ramp-up of its defense budget, a dramatic shift to shed its longtime postwar pacifist constraints as it grapples with increasing security threats and risk of war in the Indo-Pacific.
Wary of the growing military threat posed by China, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Japan is poised to take a tougher stance to defend itself and improve its capabilities to do so.

Among the notable changes is the move to acquire ‘’counterstrike’’ capabilities, or the ability to hit enemy bases with long-range missiles and coordinate with the United States in such circumstances, and an increase of its defense budget to 2 percent of gross domestic product over five years, making it the third-largest in the world.

It was my big surprise, a photo taken by me near the White House in 2010 revealed the data, the date and place of the photo taken!

NEWS WEEK誌より（Amazonで読み放題になったので・・・）

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2022/10/23　　　2023/7/23　　2023/9/17

よく続いているmeeting。病気の時だけ中断したが、退院後真っ先に再開したのがこのミーティング。大切なつながり、Ann の見えないpowerを感じる。今回はEmily、Adri、Simon(&Erik)も参加して豪華になった。Emilyの成長も素晴らしい。MarieもAdriと文通したいといい、いいことばかりだ。

Autumn in Small Town America 🍂 (Best Fall Foliage)

The crimson red streets, gloomy weather.

きれい！

photo by Hitoshi

2023/7/23 よく続く楽しいmeeting。今日の話題はもちろんMontpelierの鉄砲水。State St. Main St.の交差点では150cmぐらいまで水が来て、ひどいものだったらしい。Johnが2022.10 と同じシャツを着ている(w)。Johnも高齢者施設で楽しそうだ。脚がしびれるというから私は「John, we are old!」とかいう。世界中にJohnのような素敵な友人がいっぱいいて楽しいことも伝えた。本当に恵まれていると思う。

元気そうだといわれる

Sept. 17, 2023 Montpelier in “dusk” 夕暮れ時のmeeting 話題はもちろん洪水その後。Johnは復興に関する諮問機関に呼ばれたらしい。素晴らしい。The Bridge Newspaperがあったので話が弾んだ。

Kenの newデータサイエンス百景siteの話、私の「尻餅事件」の話。Yohtaのmicrobiologyでは、Johnが辞書派、Ken and EmがAIに頼る話となり意見が分かれた。面白かった！

The shop Ann always took me

Sept 19: Here is the link to the website for the Bridge.  I don’t think you have to pay for a subscription.  The paper is published twice a month, and the website is updated every few days.  We’ll be in touch about a meeting next month. John ★The Link ：https://montpelierbridge.org/

AROUND NEW ENGLAND Boston Globe 9/18

On one of Vermont’s most idyllic(牧歌的な) roads, fed-up locals say no more to the leaf peepers.

Residents convinced their town to close the road for three weeks at the height of foliage season to prevent social media-inspired tourists from clogging it.

Skype meetings with John in 2020

Skype meetings with John_3 in 2024

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Emily Dickinson – 1830-1886

花、自然の画像のようです

The photo left is from Sunshine, Oxfordshire, and the photo right side is from me taken at Sankei-en Garden.

The poem is on my FaceBook account posted by Sally.

Dear March – Come in –
How glad I am –
I hoped for you before –
Put down your Hat –
You must have walked –
How out of Breath you are –
Dear March, how are you, and the Rest –
Did you leave Nature well –
Oh March, Come right upstairs with me –
I have so much to tell –

I got your Letter, and the Birds –
The Maples never knew that you were coming –
I declare – how Red their Faces grew –
But March, forgive me –
And all those Hills you left for me to Hue –
There was no Purple suitable –
You took it all with you –

Who knocks? That April –
Lock the Door –
I will not be pursued –
He stayed away a Year to call
When I am occupied –
But trifles look so trivial
As soon as you have come

That blame is just as dear as Praise
And Praise as mere as Blame –

大好きな三月さん、お入りなさい！
あたしとっても嬉しいわ
今まであなたを探していたの
帽子をお取りなさいよ-
ずっと歩いてきたんでしょ-
息をきらしているじゃない！
大好きな三月さん、ご機嫌いかが？
そして他のみんなは？
あなた「自然」を元気にしておいたの？
ああ、三月さん
一緒に二階に上がりましょうよ
あたしお話したいことがたくさんあるの！

あなたの手紙は届いてるわ、小鳥の手紙も
カエデの木たちは知らなかったの
あなたが来るなんて
-だからほら、みんな赤い顔をしてるでしょ！
だけど、三月さん、許してね-
あそこの丘のことだけど
あなたに色を付けるように頼まれてたのに
ぴったりした紫色がなかったものだから
あなたが持って行っちゃったものだから

誰　ノックするのは？四月さんなの？
鍵をかけて！
追いかけられたくない！
彼は一年間留守だったわ
あたしが忙しいときには呼ぶんだから
でも些細なことなんてどうでも良く思えてきた
あなたが来てくれたとたんに
非難されるのも褒められたように嬉しいし
賞賛されるのも叱られるみたいにどうでもいい

2008.08.01 藤井宏行 : ここで歌われているのは大自然の営みのこと。３月を久しぶりにやってきた友人のように擬人化していますが、ここで率直に歌われているのは春がやってきた喜びの爆発です。

Twelve poems of Emily Dickinson 大好きな三月さん、お入りなさい！ 　
　　　　 エミリー・ディキンソンの12の詩による歌曲

Dear March, Come In! poetry reading
Copland: Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson – 6. Barbara Bonney · André
Piano: David Breitman Baritone Vocals: Sanford Sylvan Composer: Aaron Copland

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. While she was extremely prolific as a poet and regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends, she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. She died in Amherst in 1886, and the first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890.

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2010年ごろ, Ann John Em Simon Kenとでホワイトハウスへ行った！見学コースの廊下に歴代大統領の肖像画が飾られていた。その中で、なぜかJFKだけ、下を向いたポーズだった。案内の人に勇気を出してなぜほかの人と違うのか質問したら、「急に亡くなったので肖像画用の写真がなかったから（ではないか？だったかもしれない）」と。悲しい気持ちになったものだった。

Sad JFK
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • George Washington
  • Abraham Lincoln

Elena B.からもらったWhite House のクリスマスデコレーションの記事で付いていたVideoを見たら、その肖像画の映像が！！ずっと見たいと思っていたものが突然目に飛び込んできた。うれしいSurpriseだ。

The White House visit
Christmas : Mrs. Obama VS Mrs. Trump

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<2020/6/30のできごと>

なんと慌ただしく楽しく疲れる1日だったことか！

朝 🌹 Jo**からメール
午前 🌷 Co**先生とメールでお話<日本語で＞
昼　🌹 Gh*****先生とランチ
午後 🌹 Sa***とイタリアからの帰国便についてメールで話
夜 🌹David Joly に誕生日メッセージ、Squash談義

1日置いて、今度は南スダーンのAnt****から！

Covid-19 cases in South Sudan is alarming.

(2020.7.3) Covid-19 cases in South Sudan is alarming. People refuse to adhere to the rules laid down by the Ministry of Health. It stands at around 2007 confirmed positive cases, 38 deaths, 332 recovery, 1 in critical situation. 
The Government of Japan is building a bridge for us across the river Nile. We thank the kindness of the people and government of Japan towards us in South Sudan.

South Sudan speaker steps down

Makana resigns under pressure from fellow MPs for blocking efforts to fight corruption and mismanagement.Monday 09/12/2019

Anthony Lino Makana

Corruption is rampant in South Sudan

JUBA – South Sudan’s parliamentary speaker has resigned after lawmakers threatened to impeach him for blocking efforts to fight corruption and mismanagement, local media reported Monday.

Anthony Lino Makana was accused by fellow MPs of failing to present auditor-general and anti-corruption reports to parliament and blocking lawmakers from summing ministers for questioning. He was also accused of approving a loan of $400 million (361 million euros) from Afrexim Bank without bringing it first to the house as recommended by law, in a motion tabled by lawmakers who demanded he resign. “The reason for tendering my resignation is an act of deep and sincere respect to your leadership (of the ruling SPLM party) for you requested me to do so,” Makana said in comments carried by South Sudan Broadcasting Radio on Monday. Corruption is rampant in South Sudan, which achieved independence in 2011 and plunged into civil war two years later.


World Cannot Choose Between Economy and Saving Lives, Fauci Says

1日で５か国の友人と・・(2)　 a friend from Canada

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