Mechanisms of envy

Japanese researchers discover mechanisms of envy

Japanese researchers say they have discovered the location in the brain for feelings of envy. Their research also showed that the more envy people feel, the more their brains appear activated.

A team, led by Hidehiko Takahashi of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, conducted the study on 19 university students.

The students read information about classmates who were doing better in their studies, job-hunting and romantic relationships while their brains were observed with magnetic resonance imaging.

The team found that among the students who felt deeply envious, a part of the frontal lobe which senses physical pain was strongly activated.

The team also found that when students read information about the misfortunes of the envied person, the central part of the brain, called the striatum, was activated. The team says the stronger envy the subjects felt about others, the more pleasure they felt about the others' misfortunes.

Takahashi said his team's research has proven that brain studies could lead to the scientific analysis of human emotions. He added that the research could be applied to the development of new treatments for mental illnesses.

The study results will be released in the US magazine Science.

Slipping through my fingers....mamma mia

~Slipping Through My Fingers~
Artist : Meryl Streep & Amanda Seyfried
Album : Mamma Mia! OST
Lyrics Edited by Princess LiLLy

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile

I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while

The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by

Then when she's gone there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny

What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(Slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't
And why I just don't know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers

Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smil

Make Way for Noddyおもちゃの国のノディ～

Immersed in Disney world lately and enjoyed watching an animated series for children
produced by Chorion of the United Kingdom in conjunction with SD Entertainment in the United States.It's fun filled and suited for the imagination and fantasy of the simple world.

Noddy is the main character, a little wooden boy who lives in Toyland. He wears a red long-sleeved polo shirt, a tan belt, light blue denim shorts, a red and yellow spotted neckerchief, red shoes with black laces, and a long blue hat with a bell on the top. Although he is characterized as a child, with a child's imagination and fears, in Toyland he also serves as the town taxi-driver. He often finds himself in difficult situations due to his childlike impulsiveness and energy, but his Toy Town friends always help him set things right.

この頃、イギリスの児童文学者エニッド・ブライトン原作による首振り人形たちの物語を、キュートに映像化したパペット・アニメに嵌っているのだ。個人的にこのアニメがとても気に入っている

簡単に紹介すれば、「ノディ」はイギリスで生まれたユーモアたっぷりのアニメーションである。
おもちゃたちが生きるおもちゃの世界で、タクシー運転手をしている少年・ノディとその仲間たちが身の周りに起こる不思議な出来事を仲間たちといっしょに力をあわせて解決していくお話。



http://www.mu-ku.jp/noddy/

We Are One

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/arts/music/19weareone.html?scp=1&sq=We%20Are%20One:%20&st=cse.

アメリカ便り：
いまオバマ就任式の公式イベントの一環である、We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebrationをテレビで見終わったところです。リンカーン記念堂の大リンカーン像のまえで、アメリカ・ポップ・ミュージックを、白人と黒人、ことなった階級（白人ワーキングクラス、高学歴若い世代などに向かって）、左翼と右翼とノンポリにむかって大変によく構成・演出したもので、オバマ政治ですよ。つまりWe Are Oneです。

オバマとその家族は、舞台横の防弾ガラスに囲まれた貴賓席で、知っている歌なら舞台の歌手といっしょに口を動かして歌ったり、立ち上がって踊ったり（スティービー・ワンダーとのきには、しっかりと体を動かしていた）、そして最後にはピート・シガーがでてきて、This Land Is My Landをブルース・スプリングスティーンと歌い始めたときには、私はぶっ飛びましたね。もっともピート・シガーは89歳で、声があまりでない。それでおもに歌唱指導の方をやっていて、歌の方はブルース・スプリングスティーンがやっていました。シート・シガーは、いつものとおり、よれよれ戦前左翼の運動フォークシンガー服装です。
オバマのおじいさんの世代の元共産党員にして、まちがいない活動家シンガーが、もうひとりの元共産党員にしてシンガーのウディ・ガスリーが作った「愛国歌」を歌ったわけで、オバマも立ち上がって、立ってスイングしながら歌っていました。

最後に舞台に主演した歌手と俳優が全部でてきて、オバマはその一人一人で握手して話しをしていたけど、ビート・シガーとどんな身振りで話しをするのだろうか、と興味があったたのですが、放送は切れてしまいました。

このコンサートのテーマは、「愛国」です。もっともそこにはオバマ（大統領）と黒人差別（現実）と奴隷制（歴史）があるわけで、だからこれまでの愛国とは違います。このあとナショナリズムと戦争の問題は、どうするのだろうか。メモリアル・パークはほとんど埋まっていたから、どのくらいの人間があつまったのでしょうか。

いまCNNニュースのウェブサイトに行って、このコンサートのニュースを読みましたが、ピート・シガーのことは一行も書かれていませんでしたよ。

また、オバマ政権誕生を引き合いに、ニューヨークタイムズに野中氏出自について書かれた記事が16日付けで掲載されています:

http://www.nytimes.com/
New York Times (January 16, 2009)
Japan's Outcasts Still Wait for Acceptance

ヨドバシカメラの歌 Yodobashi Camera @ Akihabara

ま～るい緑の山の手線
ma ~ rui midori no yamanote sen
真ん中通るは中央線
mannaka touru wa chuuousen
新宿西口駅前と
shinjuku nishi guchi eki mae to
秋葉のヨドバシカメラ
akiba no yodobashi kamera

つくばと繋がる秋葉原
tsukubato tsunaga ru akihabara
ますます便利なお買い物
masumasu benri nao kaimono
ＩＴ何でもそろってる
IT nande mosorotteru
秋葉のヨドバシカメラ
akiba no yodobashi kamera

良いパパ良いママ、良い家族
yoi papa yoi mama , yoi kazoku
みんなが集まる秋葉原
minnaga atsumaru akihabara
安くて何でもそろってる
yasuku te nande mosorotteru
秋葉のヨドバシカメラ
akiba no yodobashi kamera

つくばエクスプレスも走ってる
tsukuba ekusupuresu mo hashitte ru
買い物便利な秋葉原
kaimono benri na akihabara
大きな売り場と品揃え
ooki na uriba to shinazoroe
秋葉のヨドバシカメラ
akiba no yodobashi kamera

みんなが集まる秋葉には
minnaga atsumaru akiba niha
ＩＴ何でもそろってる
IT nande mosorotteru
世界中の注目だ
sekaijuu no chuumoku da
秋葉のヨドバシカメラ
akiba no yodobashi kamera

コードギアス はんぎゃくのルルーシュ

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

The Holy Empire of Britannia conquered the country previously known as “Japan.” They were forbidden to use that name, and is now called “Area 11.”

The people who live in “Area 11” are known as “Elevens.” The governing ruler is from the Britannia Empire, and reigns in the name of the Emperor of Britannia. The people of Japan were stripped of their rights to self-govern, and their pride—stolen.

The empire has been using their military power to conquer various countries as “areas.” Their strength is based on robotic weapons called “Knightmares.” The power these “Knightmares” exhibit during war is devastating, and it is what supports the world domination of the empire.

It seems that no one could stop the great power of the empire.
But someone is about to stand up against it.

Lelouch, the “black prince,” has fiery ambition in his heart and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He obtains the power of the “Geass” and decides to use that power for the sake of his sister Nunnally and to build a world based on his ideals.

Suzaku Kururugi, the “white knight,” aspires for justice and strives to live an honest and fair life. Suzaku is assigned to pilot the Knightmare Frame “Lancelot” and tries to achieve his ideals while overcoming the hurdles of reality.

The paths these two take will change the relationship of the Britannia Empire and “Elevens.”

Valentine to the City of Lights

After sending out my research proposal , application documents for International Admission to Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS) , I caught a great french show called " PARIS" at Shibuya Tokyu BukaMura with Yuki san, My ex-colleague in Agilent Technologies Spore.Both of us love Paris and we have a bunch of france's friends.

"Paris" is the new film by Cédric Klapisch concerning a large group of people living in Paris. If there is one big idea, it is that life is a gift, and to be lived, in this most beautiful of cities. Stop grumbling and get it on with it, the film director seems to be saying to Paris.Though I was really too tired due to lack of sleep, still enjoyed watching this show a lots with knowing nothing about frence but counting on the Japanese subtitles.

This is the story of a Parisian who is sick and thinks he may die. His condition makes him look at all the people he meets in a new and different way. Imagining his death suddenly gives new meaning to his life, to other peoples’ lives, and to the life of the whole city. Fruit and vegetable sellers, a woman who runs a bakery, a social worker, a dancer, an architect, a homeless person, a university professor, a model, an illegal immigrant from Cameroon... All these very different people come together in this city and in this film. You might imagine there’s nothing special about them, but for every single one of them, their life is unique. You might believe their problems don’t matter, but to them, they are the most important things in the world.

I find this film is full of understated humour. Sometimes we are laughing at the characters as much as with them, but there is a sense in which their ridiculousness makes them all the more real and all the more worthy of affection. It is also a film which is truly grim in places and which pulls no punches in dealing with matters of life and death, but this is all a part of its beauty.

Recall my good friend's bright smile after watching this show~~

Gov't to extend cash handouts to 2 mil registered foreign residents

定額給付金、全外国人も原則対象　「２万円」の基準日は２月１日 Year 2009
12月20日16時56分配信 産経新聞


　総務省は２０日、平成２１年度第２次補正予算案の閣議決定に伴い、同案に盛り込まれた１人当たり原則１万２０００円を支給する定額給付金事業の実施概要を明らかにした。給付金総額は１兆９６７０億円で、このほか国が負担する市区町村の事務経費を８２５億円と想定して計上した。

　また、１１月末の「たたき台」で確定していなかった外国人の扱いについては、外国人登録者のうち、永住者や日本人の配偶者らのほか、在留資格を持つ就労者や留学生らも含めた。この結果、約２１５万人（平成１９年）の登録者のほとんどが対象となる見通し。

　給付金は６５歳以上と１８歳以下の人には８０００円加算し、計２万円が支給されるが、年齢の基準日は来年２月１日に決めた。具体的には、（１）昭和１９年２月２日以前（２）平成２年２月２日～２１年２月１日－に出生した人が加算支給の対象となる。基準日以降に他の自治体へ転居した場合の手続きなどは今後検討を進める。

　実際に住む場所と住民基本台帳に記載された居住地が異なる場合は、受給手続きが煩雑になる可能性もあり、総務省は正確な届け出を呼びかけている。

The government said Saturday it has decided to recognize 2 million foreigners registered as residents with local governments as of next Feb 1 as eligible for cash benefits it will hand out next year as a fiscal measure to spur private consumption.

The government will recognize foreigners registered as residents on the foreign registry as of Feb 1, 2009 as qualified recipients of the cash handout under the 2 trillion yen program, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Among the 2 million recipients are permanent foreign residents, such as North and South Korean residents in Japan, as well as foreign workers of Japanese ancestry who have residential permits as migrant workers, the ministry said.

Foreigners studying at Japanese schools as well as foreigners accepted as trainees by Japanese companies are also recognized as qualified recipients.

Foreign tourists, foreigners overstaying their visas and other illegal aliens will not be recognized as legitimate recipients, the ministry said.

The administration of Prime Minister Taro Aso approved on Saturday a second supplementary budget that includes the handouts as its main pillar.

The ministry said Feb 1 is the set date for deciding on eligibility for the handouts for both Japanese citizens and registered foreigners. The number of recipients, including foreigners, will total 129 million.

Japanese citizens and foreigners will basically be given 12,000 yen per person, but an extra 8,000 yen will be given to recipients up to and including 18 years old as of the standard date, as well as to recipients 65 years old or older.

Local government officials will check on such recipients’ ages when the cash handouts are disbursed. This means that those receiving additional payouts must be young people born on Feb 2, 1990, or later and elderly people born on Feb 2, 1944, or before.

Feb 2 became the defining date because Japanese law adds one more year to a person’s legal age at midnight on the day before he or she is born, the ministry said.

Consequently, people whose 65th birthday falls on next Feb 2 are counted among qualified recipients of the cash.

The older qualified recipients will total 28 million, while young recipients up to and including 18 years old will number 22 million persons.

But babies who will be born exactly on next Feb 2 or after will not be recognized as qualified recipients, because the government is designating Feb 1 as the defining date for eligibility, it said.

The cash will be handed out through the offices of the local governments at which Japanese citizens or foreigners are registered as residents.

The payments assume that the second extra budget and other relevant bills will pass the Diet. They also assume that local assemblies will pass budgetary bills to cover expenses for administering the payments.

It is not yet known, therefore, whether the government will be able to hand out the cash benefits prior to next March 31 because deliberations on these bills may drag on.