My opinion of this week(523):
Roman Holiday
My wife and I went out for overseas trip after a long time. It was a trip
to Rome and Paris for eight days. We left Narita for Rome at 13:35 on April
24 and arrived at Rome at 19:15 on the same day. We left Paris at 19:05
and came back to Narita at 13:55 on May 1.
There were five high spots to visit in this tour. The first one was the
visit to "Blue Cave" at Capri Island in Napoli. Weather was so nice very
fortunately. Two conditions are necessary to watch mysterious blue color
of wave in the cave. It must be fine and the sea must be very calm.
According to the guide, probability to get into the cave is only about 60%
although you visit there. We were very lucky to watch mysterious blue wave
of the sea.
The second high spot was Rome. Vatican Palace was so impressive. We were
overwhelmed by a great architecture made by marble. It just remind me the
meaning of the history of Catholic and existence of Pope.
Visit to several famous spots in Rome where all visitors know by famous
movie Roman Holiday was another highlight, of course. I saw that movie at
least five times in the past. So all places were so familiar with me.
The third one was the visit to city of Paris which was made in the
morning directly from Charles de Gaulle air port when we moved from
Rome to Paris. Memorial Arch and Eiffel Tower was so crowded with a
lot of people. Palace of Versailles which remind me of glory and guillotine
for Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.
The fourth one was dinner Seine excursion cruises. We enjoyed wonderful
music and were fascinated with the beautiful night view of Paris from
boat.
The last high spot was Mont St-Michel. A long drive by bus was worth
enough to watch such mysterious monastery world heritage which exist in
the sea.
We were fully satisfied with so many world historic and cultural heritage
in Italy and in France during this trip. This is just to describe the
summary of our trip to explain where we visited. Some of my personal
impression and thought on each places are written in my BLOG which was
revised from time to time during the trip and after we came back from
the trip.
I would be very happy if you have some chance to read them.
2007/5/5
Tadashi HAYASE
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My opinion of this week(524):
What is High School Baseball Association?
High School Baseball Association advised all member high schools to stop
their baseball club members getting scholarship for their special talent
as ball players. The purpose of such notice is to ban member club teams
to collect many excellent ball players from all over Japan to make team
stronger.
Member high schools were asked to report number of scholarships given
to baseball club members. There were so many high schools which
introduce such scholarships not only for baseball players but also for
many other sports and even some cultural activities. So many high schools
which introduce such system cannot stop scholarship only for baseball
club members. If scholarships were stopped, those members of baseball
team could not continue to attend to school itself.
A number of complains and requests to ease the associations action were
raised by so many schools all over Japan.
Even Bunmei Ibuki, Minister of Education and Science, called Haruo
Wakimura, President of High School Baseball Association, to his office
and asked him to ease such step to ban scholarship for baseball club
members. Regardless the existence of the request by the minister,
President Wakimura have already announced to ease their action to ban
scholarship for baseball member students. There are so many number of
students who are getting such scholarship to continue to play baseball
in their school teams.
The association announced to say that numbers of scholarship reported
was beyond their expectation. They were obliged to take step to ease
their first action to ban such scholarship system basically.
I was quite surprised to see the association's reaction to the reports
made by member schools. It is quite common for all those famous high
school baseball club teams to introduce such scholarship system to collect
good players from all over Japan. Such scholarship system exists not
only for baseball clubs but also for many other sports and cultural
activities as a matter of fact. What's wrong with it? Why does the
association try to stop it? There raised so many criticism from various
places in mass media for what the association tried to do.
The association have conducted so many unreasonable actions to show off
their power in high school baseball world. If there were some scandals
happened in or around baseball teams of high schools, the ball teams
were often ordered to stop participating baseball tournament to go to
Koushien Ball Park. Some baseball teams had been taken away the ticket
to Koushien which they got already because of some scandals happened
at the high school with or without direct connection with baseball team.
The association have been very tyrannical in many ways. They believe
in pure spirit of amateurism and think high school baseball is the one
which materializes it in every sense of the word.
I have had some doubt about their actions and their existence itself
in many years. The happening at this time is a typical evidence of
such unreasonable behavior of the association.
Bunmei Ibuki, Minister of Education and Science, should have suggested
some action to reform the organization itself against the president of
the association.
2007/5/12
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(526):
Unfair cheating
Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrested Thursday two top officials
of the Japan Green Resources Agency (J-Green) who allegedly rigged bids for
forest road survey consulting contracts ordered by the government-affiliated
agency in fiscal 2005 and 2006. It is just one other example of scandals
caused by such public corporation. Toshikatsu Matuoka, Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries, have been provided a lot of contribution from this
corporation in the past. The issue of politics and money are still in the
darkness in many ways as far as I see it.
An intensive discussion on the transparency of political fund have been made
at diet during this week. The opposition parties continued to question Minister
Matuoka about huge amount of light and fuel expenses written in his political
fund report. He has never explained them in detail for the current rules do not
require it. Opposition fronts insisted that it is one important responsibility
as a politician to explain such details to some extent in transparent manner. It
seems that there is no question about such necessity.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has supported Minister Matuoka saying he is making
enough explanation alright on this issue. The tactics of ruling front to
avoid attack against Minister Matuoka from opposition front is to bring up the
case of purchase of high value real-estate by Ichirou Ozawa, President of
Democratic Party of Japan. Prime Minister Abe let one of his man ask about
it at the diet session and pointed out such purchase of high value real estate
by political fund may possibly end up with unfair ownership by one man.
Prime Minister Abe's and ruling fronts' tactics on this issue is very obvious.
They try to make up Matuoka's unfair practice by hitting their strong enemy
Ichirou Ozawa by bringing up a kind of different accounting procedures.
The editorial of Asahi Newspaper on Wednesday criticized this stance of Prime
Minister Abe. The editorial mentioned that Ichirou Ozawa explained the details
of the purchase of this real estate. It is quite fair by itself. On the other
hand, Minister Matuoka has never disclosed any details of high amount of the
expense item. Why can he not do it ?
Before they argue whether it is good or wrong from accounting rule point of
view, politicians must disclose details of account to some extent if required.
It is common sense for any people including general public. It is quite natural for
us to prepare receipts for any payment when it comes to some public matters.
When it comes to politicians who spend our tax and many of such public
contribution, transparency of their accounting procedures is absolutely
necessary.
I just can't believe the stance of Prime Minister Abe who continue to support
Minister Matuoka on this very important issue.
2007/5/26
Tadashi HAYASE
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