WBC 2023
アメリカがキューバに大勝して，決勝進出を決めました。
日本も明日，メキシコに勝って，日米対決になるといいですね。
当初，Youtubeで怪しげなスペイン語の実況を聞きながら，
テニスの試合を見る予定だったのですが，体調不良により，断念。
明日のメキシコ戦，「勝つ」ことを祈念して，ヤマザキのパンを食べました。
私は共産党員ではありませんが，公選にした方がいいんじゃないかなあ。
ATP tour
Masters1000インディアンウェルズ，アルカラス選手が，
メドベージェフ選手にストレート勝ち，初優勝を決めるとともに，
ランキングナンバーワンを取り返しました。
ランキングはフル参戦しておらず，ウィンブルドンのポイントがない
ジョコビッチ選手がだいぶ不利ですが，それでも，ほとんどポイント差が
ないのはすごいところですね。
本日の将棋棋戦
棋聖戦決勝トーナメント，羽生善治九段が斎藤明日斗五段を退け，
次局は渡辺明名人との対局です。これは楽しみですね。
王座戦二次予選，丸山忠久九段が佐々木勇気八段相手に劇的な逆転，
勝った丸山九段は次局は近藤誠也七段との対局となります。
スペインリーグ
カンプ・ノウでのクラシコ，後半途中で目眩がしたので，
観戦を諦めましたが，後半試合終了直前に，バルサが決勝点。
2-1でクラシコでの勝利を収め，リーグでの勝ち点差を広げました。
ここ数年のクラシコはつまらないと感じていたのですが，
今朝の試合はなかなかのいい試合でした。
4月にもう一度，国王杯でクラシコがありますね。
カーリング女子世界選手権
ロコ・ソラーレ，2連敗スタートでしたが，スコットランド相手に，
劇的な第10エンド，4点取っての逆転勝ち，反転攻勢のきっかけになると
いいですね。クラシコを見ていたので，NHK-BSの中継を見ることができず，
残念だったなあ。
本日，午後5時からのアメリカ戦は前半で1-6でリードした試合の入り，
結局，アメリカが第8エンドでコンシード，3-8で勝利して，2勝2敗の五分に。
午前3時開始の試合を観戦するのはなかなかつらいですね。
渡辺名人は見ているのかなあ。
NHKラジオ講座
ニュースで学ぶ「現代英語」(2023年3月20日分)
“Ｈ３”ロケット 打ち上げ失敗
JAPAN H3 ROCKET LAUNCH FAILS DUE TO 2ND ENGINE PROBLEM
ignite verb
UK /ɪɡˈnaɪt/ US /ɪɡˈnaɪt/
[I or T] formal
to (cause to) start burning or explode:
The fuel spontaneously ignites because of the high temperature and pressure.
abort verb
UK /əˈbɔːt/ US /əˈbɔːrt/
abort verb (STOP)
[I or T] to cause something to stop or fail before it begins or before it is complete:
The mission had to be aborted at the last minute.
If something goes wrong during the launch sequence the system will automatically abort.
(from Cambridge Dictionary)
Disaster has its roots in the belief that the positions of stars influence the fate of humans, often in destructive ways; its original meaning in English was "an unfavorable aspect of a planet or star." The word comes to us through Middle French and the Old Italian word disastro, from the Latin prefix dis- and Latin astro, meaning "star." Another unfortunate word that comes to us from astrological beliefs is "ill-starred." Now generally used in the sense of "unlucky" or "having or destined to a hapless fate," "ill-starred" was originally used literally to describe someone born under or guided by an evil star. We also have star-crossed, meaning "not favored by the stars" or "ill-fated."
The Surprising History of Influence and Its Modern Use
Influence may seem like a ho-hum word, but its history is heavenly.
The word first referred to a celestial fluid that was believed to flow from the stars. As this fluid reached the Earth, it supposedly affected the actions of the planet's inhabitants—especially the human ones. (The word influenza has the same origin: the Medieval Latin word influentia. It was for a time believed that epidemics were caused by unusual conjunctions of the planets.)
In modern use, the noun typically refers to the power to change or affect someone or something—especially the power to cause changes without directly forcing those changes to happen. Influence can also refer to a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.
The noun had been in use for more than 200 years before the verb use developed. As a verb, influence typically means "to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but usually important way." Something or someone that influences a person or thing, then, has an influence on that person or thing.
(from Merriam-Webster)
ENGLISH NEWS
CNN 10
Beware The Seaweed Blob? | March 20, 2023
Today CNN 10 is examining the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for an alleged scheme to deport thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. The International Criminal Court tries people, not countries, and focuses on those who hold the most responsibility, but could Putin ever see his day in court? Then, we have the story on a 5,000-mile-wide mass of seaweed that’s headed for Florida and could spoil your next trip to the beach. And it’s normal to have a roommate in your 20s, but CNN spoke to young people across the country whose roommates go by mom and dad. All that and an Australian man who spent more than forty hours in ocean on this episode of CNN 10.
NHK WORLD ASIAN VIEW
2023年3月20日分を聞きました。
UBS to acquire Credit Suisse | UBS Global
STOP RUSSIAN INVASION!