Jimmy Carter

2025年01月20日

Jimmy Carter was one of the first presidents I remembered growing up. I am from Georgia in the U.S., and Carter was the Governor of Georgia when I was in elementary school. He passed away on December 29th of last year. He will always be remembered as a kind and decent man. Here is a brief history of his life.

James Earl Carter Jr., known as Jimmy Carter, was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. He served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Before his presidency, Carter was the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 and served in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of lieutenant. He is known for managing his family peanut farm before becoming involved in politics.

Carter’s presidency was marked by significant achievements, including the Camp David Accords, which brought peace between Egypt and Israel, and the creation of the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. However, his presidency also faced challenges such as the Iran hostage crisis and economic difficulties.

After leaving office, Carter became known for his humanitarian work and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts in diplomacy and advocacy. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history, passing away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.

 

Rick

★4月スタート！★韓国語初級クラス

2025年01月17日

★お得がいっぱい！★春の入会キャンペーンが始まります

2025年01月17日

『今年こそ英語を学びたい！子供に英語を学ばせたい！』

そんな方必見！

春の入会キャンペーンが始まります♪

 

キャンペーン中にご入会の方

↓↓↓

入会金半額￥2,500（通常￥5,000）

 

更に！！！

イングリッシュハウス現会員様のご紹介によりご入会の方は入会金が無料です！

紹介して頂いた会員様にも特典がございます。

 

ぜひご検討下さい♪

 

【無料体験レッスン・ご予約受付中！】

2月1日・3月1日(土)

                                                                                                                                                                             幼児対象　　 　　　　　　　 9：30 　 ～　 10：15

                                                                                                                                                                             新小学１～５年生対象　　　 10：45    ～ 　11：30

                                                                                                                                                                             新小学６年生対象  　       　  9：50　  ～　 10：35

                                                                                                                                                                             新中学1年生　   　　　　 　 11：00    ～　 11：45

 

お申し込み、お問い合わせはお電話・ホームページよりお願いいたします。

Do you like flying? Do you like flying fast?

2025年01月14日

Meet the Concorde: A Revolutionary Supersonic Jet

On March 2, 1969, the Concorde, a joint project between British Aerospace (UK) and Aérospatiale (France), made its maiden flight from Toulouse, France and began scheduled flights with British Airways (BA) and Air France (AF) on 21 January 1976, 7 years later. This supersonic jet was a game-changer in commercial aviation, offering unparalleled speed and luxury to passengers. The Concorde’s sleek design and delta wing configuration enabled it to reach speeds of up to Mach 2.04 (2,166 km/h) and altitudes of 18km (commercial flights usually cruise around 10km).

The Concorde’s revolutionary design was driven by the need for faster transatlantic travel. With a flight time of just 3 hours and 30 minutes from New York to London, the Concorde reduced travel time by nearly 50%. This was a significant improvement over traditional subsonic jets, which took around 7-8 hours to complete the same journey.

The Concorde was a technological marvel, but it was not without its challenges. The high operating costs, limited range, and environmental concerns (such as sonic booms) made it a difficult aircraft to maintain. Additionally, the Concorde’s complex design and high-speed requirements made it prone to technical issues.
Tragically, the Concorde’s career was cut short by a fatal accident on July 25, 2000, when Air France Flight 4590 crashed on takeoff from Paris, killing all 109 people on board. The investigation revealed that a piece of debris on the runway caused a tire blowout, leading to a fuel leak and subsequent engine failure. The accident led to the Concorde’s retirement in 2003, marking the end of an era in commercial aviation.

However, progress never stops and now there are new contenders to continue where the Concorde left off. One of the them is Boom Technology, Inc. They are building a supersonic airliner under the name Boom Overture, designed to cruise at Mach 1.7 or 975 knots (1,806 km/h). Let’s hope it becomes reality and we can all enjoy supersonic flights in the not too distant future.

Alex

English Cafe Topic ～ イングリッシュ・カフェ1月のトピック

2024年12月23日

「イングリッシュ・カフェ」クラスは

毎回身近な話題を通して文化や習慣について英語で話し合います。

コーディネーターの外国人講師が適切な英語表現をアドバイスしてくれます。

1月の各週のトピックは次のようになります。

2025　January

【Monday : Erik】

6rd:   How did you exchange New Year’s greetings this year?

20th: What was/were your memorable issue(s) from last year?

27th:  Will overtourism in Japan continue in 2025?

Christmas Cakes and puddings

2024年12月23日

The Christmas cake is a long-standing tradition that started all of the way back in the 16th century! This tradition has been carried through families from all over the world and has many variations depending on the recipes that have been passed down over the years.

The Christmas cake is a very popular item around the holidays with variations of cakes with frosting, mixed spices, powdered sugar, orange zest, other fruits and more!

 

In England, Christmas cake is a tradition that began as plum porridge. People ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into Christmas pudding.

 

Then, in the 16th century, oatmeal was removed from the original recipe, and butter, wheat flour and eggs were added. These ingredients helped hold the mixture together and in what resulted in a boiled plum cake. Richer families that had ovens began making fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste, seasonal dried fruit and spices. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the Wise Men. This cake then became known as “Christmas cake.”

In Scotland, the traditional Scottish Christmas cake, also known as the Whisky Dundee, is very popular. It is a light crumbly cake with currants, raisins, cherries and Scotch whisky.

 

There are other types of accompaniment cakes such as an apple creme cake and mincemeat cakes or pies. Christmas mincemeat is a mixture of dried fruits, spices, sugar and nuts; which can also be steamed and made in to a Christmas pudding. The apple creme cake is made with apples, other fruit, raisins, eggs, cream cheese and whipping cream.

 

Generally speaking, all Christmas cakes are made in advance. Many people make them in November, keeping the cake upside down in an airtight container. A small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured into holes in the cake every week until Christmas. This process is called “feeding” the cake. The cake will then last for several months and beyond.

Richard

Happy Christmas

 

★受付中！★　新学期向け・無料体験レッスンのお知らせ

2024年12月16日

新学期向け！！

　✫無料体験レッスン受付中✫

楽しく英語を学びませんか？

 

【　２／１(土) ・３／１(土)　】

 幼児　　　        　 9：30-10

新小学1年生～５年生   　10：45-11：30

　   新小学6年生　         9：50-10：35

        新中学1年生　         11：00-11：45

 

お申し込み、お問い合わせはお電話かホームページよりお願いいたします。

 

The Chosen

2024年12月16日

With the Christmas season upon us, what better time to delve into the reason for Christmas, Jesus. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Israel and at the age of 30 began his work which involved healing the brokenhearted, bringing sight to the blind, setting free the oppressed, destroying the work of the devil, sharing the Good News, bringing peace and joy and saving sinners. To help do this work, Jesus chose 12 men and along the way accumulated a number of other followers.The Chosen is a multi-season TV series that focuses on Jesus, the 12 men he chose and others who became his followers. Being a historical drama, The Chosen is based on the Bible with artistic liberty taken to tell and connect stories and develop characters. As of today, four seasons have been released with a total of 34 episodes. Season five will soon be available, and more are in the works. The show can be watched on The Chosen website or through The Chosen app and is available in over 50 languages including Japanese. Being dependent on public support, it is one of the largest crowd-funded projects ever and also one of the most-watched shows with over 200 million viewers all over the world and over 770 million episode views as of June, 2024.

As I am very fond of the Bible and the Truth that it proclaims, I have greatly enjoyed watching The Chosen, and it has me brought me some deeper insights into the Bible. Aside from the wonderful story The Chose tells, it is very well made with excellent acting, costumes and sets. I heartily recommend this show to one and all. Merry Christmas.

Erik

The Grinch

2024年12月9日

One of my favorite Christmas cartoons growing up was “How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”. I always felt sorry for the poor dog who was the Grinch’s pet and enjoyed the narration by Boris Karloff. The cartoon is based on the book by Dr. Seuss.

It follows the Grinch, a cranky, solitary creature who attempts to spoil the Christmas plans by stealing Christmas gifts and decorations from the homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. However, as he witnesses the towns unwavering spirit, a transformation occurs within him. Moved by their resilience and kindness, the Grinch returns the stolen items, realizing the true meaning of Christmas lies not in material possessions but in the hearts of others.  The Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all about money and presents.

As we enter into the Christmas season may we all realize that the love and respect we show to family, friends and acquaintances  really make the “Christmas Spirit”. Merry Christmas!

 

Rick

 

The most famous man who may have never lived.

2024年12月5日

A magician (turning water to wine, walking on water, rising from the dead, etc.) who may or may not have been born in December (or 2024 years ago for that matter).

This is December again so it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room, JC, aka Jesus Christ. In the realm of religious mythology, few narratives have captured the imagination quite like the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. However, upon closer examination, this tale of divine conception and miraculous events is riddled with inconsistencies and uncertainties.

If he had lived then first and foremost, the exact date of his birth remains a mystery. Despite the popular belief that he was born on the early morning of December 25, there is no historical evidence to support this claim. In fact, it is widely accepted that Jesus was not even born in the year 1 AD.

Furthermore, our knowledge of Jesus’ early life is woefully inadequate. We have no reliable information about his formative years, leaving us to speculate about the experiences and influences that shaped his worldview. And what of his earthly step-father, Joseph? Save for a few fleeting references in religious texts, we have precious little information about this enigmatic figure.

But, of course, the most fantastical claim surrounding Jesus’ birth is that of the virgin birth. The notion of a woman conceiving without the involvement of a male is, to put it mildly, implausible. I am pretty sure those of you with children know how this works. Except the religious types…

And yet, this miraculous conception is a cornerstone of Christian theology.

As for Jesus himself, we have no record of him ever having a romantic relationship or experiencing the joys and heartaches of human love with either gender, man or woman. And yet, we are expected to believe that he was fully human, capable of experiencing the full range of human emotions.

Furthermore, the idea of going to heaven after death is a fanciful notion that defies logic and reason. The belief in a heavenly realm, separate from the earthly one, is a comforting thought, but it is just that – a thought, an imaginary tale, unsupported by empirical evidence, for people who are weak and deathly afraid of dying.

Finally, let us not forget the practice of forcing children to study the Bible and attend church. This form of indoctrination is not only misguided but also tantamount to child abuse and brainwashing.

In conclusion, the story of Jesus’ birth is fraught with inconsistencies and uncertainties. While it may provide comfort and solace to believers, it is a tall tale that is grounded only in faith not in fact. And, as such, it is a story that should be approached with a critical and discerning eye and it should be clear to everyone who has reached the age of reason that it is just a fairytale told by religious hustlers to intellectually challenged “believers”.

Alex