Recently Yahoo News reported the following :
国内食品最大手のキリンホールディングスと同２位のサントリーホールディグスが経営統合に向け交涉に入ったことが１３日、分かった。統合が実現 すれば、ビールと清涼飲料でそりぞれ国内トップとなるほか、平成２０年３月期 両社単純合算の連結売上高は３兆８２００億円と、世界でも最大級の酒類. 飲料メーカーが 誕生する。 食品業界の勢力図が塗り変わるのは確実で、国際的な業界再編が加速する可能性も出てきた。. . . 統合後の両社の連結 売上高は、国内食品３位のアサヒビール (１兆４６２７億円) を２．６倍に達し、 世界の食品会社でも、 米飲料事業最大手のペプシコや 米総合食品大手のクラフト.フーズと肩を並べる。
The nation's biggest food company Kirin Holdings and the second biggest Suntory Holdings were considering a merger. If the merger is materialized, total beer and beverage joint sales around the country would reach 3.82 trillion yen, and becomes the world's largest wine and beverage making company. This will redraw the map in the food industry and may accelerate changes in the international food business. After merging, the total sales would be 2.6 times larger than the third largest company Asahi Breweries which has 1.46 trillion yen sales. And in the world's food industry, the new company would be comparable to the world's biggest beverage company the PesiCo, and the US food industry giant the Kraft Foods.
It seems that merger is a way out for big companies in order to stay profitable. Probably merger will continue to be the trend in the business world.
2009年7月13日 星期一
Wei Yuan (魏源)(VI)
The purpose of chapter five was to clarify the nature and purpose of the Treatise, its structure, and its source materials. It also explained the book's significance as a traditional Chinese statement about the foreign maritime world. In this chapter Leonard stressed that Wei's view on the maritime world or the tributary order had not changed although he was using western sources to write his book.1 Wei wrote the book with the Opium War in mind, the purpose was to guide Qing official in the conflicts with the British.2 What Wei saw was that for the first time, Nan-yang was occupied by Western powers. What Qing had to do was to know the barbarian, and he admitted that Qing's ignorance about the situation.3 In chapter six, Leonard pointed out that because Wei understood the War from the perspective of China's relations with the Nan-yang, therefore his solution was to restore what he considered as the "normal" stabilising patterns of overlordship and tribute system. Qing still held the concept of regional overlordship in the Nan-yang and saw itself had a responsibilities for the region.4 There was still no equal nation-state concept in Wei's understandings of Nan-yang, and the world beyond. Wei's perception of the regional tribute system in Nan-yang was an expression of the traditional Chinese concept of hierarchy in Nan-yang political relationships, with Qing as the overlord at the center. In Wei's understanding, the responsibilities for regional overlordship was more than maintaining internal order, it encompassed the maintenance of peaceful relations between neighboring regional powers.5 With this world view in mind, Wei saw the British occupation of Singapore and intrusion into the Malay Peninsula as an encroachment against Thai's overlordship in the region.6 Wei knew that for Qing, direct intervention was not the best solution in suppressing disruptive elements in the Nan-yang because behind-the-scenes maneuvers could be a better solution. He suggested joined military efforts by Burma, Vietnam, and Thailand to fight against the British intrusion into the Nan-yang maritime world.7 (to be continued)
Notes:
1. Leonard, Jane Kate. Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World. Cambridge (Mass.) and London: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University: distributed by Harvard University Press, 1984, page 93
2. Ibid., page 99
3. Ibid., page 100
4. Ibid., page 121
5. Ibid., page 134
6. Ibid., page 135
7. Ibid., page 142
Notes:
1. Leonard, Jane Kate. Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World. Cambridge (Mass.) and London: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University: distributed by Harvard University Press, 1984, page 93
2. Ibid., page 99
3. Ibid., page 100
4. Ibid., page 121
5. Ibid., page 134
6. Ibid., page 135
7. Ibid., page 142
2009年7月12日 星期日
Trout
A few days ago I had the chance of tasting locally caught fish, including two trouts which were steamed as lunch. They were about 1.5 lbs each, caught by my elder daughter together with her boy friend. The meat of the fish looked like pink salmon, it was in light pink color but the texture was slightly softer. Because there were small bones at the back, we had to eat them with care. According to my daughter, local people liked to fry the trout with flour. The fish symbolized a new stage in life to me as the parent of a daughter.
2009年7月11日 星期六
日本回收物中有現鈔
Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:
８日午後４時４５分頃、山梨県笛吹市御坂町下黑駒, 廃棄物回收 リサイクル会社鈴健興業の從業員男性 (29)が ' ゴミ選別中に大量の１万円札を見つけた’ と１１０番した. 笛吹署の発表によると、從業員らが同社工場の '吹笛リサイクルプラント’のベルトコンベヤーで、 収回したゴミをプラスチックや紙類に選別していたところ、ゴミに交ざった１万円札 が百數十枚 流れてきたという。ゴミは県外のゴミ収集車が持ち込んで来た。 同署で 拾得物として現金の所有者を捜している。
In the afternoon on the eighth of this month, in a recycle plant at the Yamanashi Prefecture a twenty-nine years old worker dialed 110 to report to the police that a large amount of ten thousand yen bills were found. According to the police report, this company, when trying to separate plastic and paper objects, at their conveyor belt they saw over one hundred numbers of ten thousand yen bills slowly moving together with the rubbish. The rubbish was brought there by rubbish collecting cars from outside the province. The police treated this as a lost and found case and was looking for the owner of the money.
Sometimes Japanese may handle their cash in different unthinkable ways. Not long ago I heard from the news in Japan that someone put cash inside envelops and deposited them to strangers' house. Interesting!
８日午後４時４５分頃、山梨県笛吹市御坂町下黑駒, 廃棄物回收 リサイクル会社鈴健興業の從業員男性 (29)が ' ゴミ選別中に大量の１万円札を見つけた’ と１１０番した. 笛吹署の発表によると、從業員らが同社工場の '吹笛リサイクルプラント’のベルトコンベヤーで、 収回したゴミをプラスチックや紙類に選別していたところ、ゴミに交ざった１万円札 が百數十枚 流れてきたという。ゴミは県外のゴミ収集車が持ち込んで来た。 同署で 拾得物として現金の所有者を捜している。
In the afternoon on the eighth of this month, in a recycle plant at the Yamanashi Prefecture a twenty-nine years old worker dialed 110 to report to the police that a large amount of ten thousand yen bills were found. According to the police report, this company, when trying to separate plastic and paper objects, at their conveyor belt they saw over one hundred numbers of ten thousand yen bills slowly moving together with the rubbish. The rubbish was brought there by rubbish collecting cars from outside the province. The police treated this as a lost and found case and was looking for the owner of the money.
Sometimes Japanese may handle their cash in different unthinkable ways. Not long ago I heard from the news in Japan that someone put cash inside envelops and deposited them to strangers' house. Interesting!
2009年7月10日 星期五
張恨水
<回憶我的父親張恨水> 是一本我較早期購買的書 (一九七九年廣角鏡出版). 當時電視台播放本地電視製作劇集 "啼笑因緣", 收視率很高. 它的主題曲亦紅極一時, 街頭巷尾的唱片舖都播它. 我因為有興趣知道"啼笑因緣"原本小說的作者張恨水(1895 - 1967) 的背景, 故買了這本書. 作者是張的女兒張明明. 這本書文筆亦算流暢. 張恨水壯年時正值中國多災多難的年代. 他到了晚年, 亦要面對一些人禍. 例如作者在214頁有以下的一段自己當時生活的描述:
"從一九五九年開始, 中國進入了物質供應極度缺乏的 '三年困難期' . . . 那時期我們沒有足夠的食物. 用句摩登的話講就是沒有足夠的卡路里來應付每天的正常活動. 我正在上大學, 學校裏的體育課停止了, 改學太極拳 . . . 老年人和孩子則慘些 . . ."
讀者從這本書除了可以看到張恨水的生平和他的一些個人習慣外, 並可由側面見到時人的生活片段. 對張恨水生平有興趣的人士可以一看.
2009年7月9日 星期四
Wei Yuan (魏源)(V)
In chapter four, Leonard pointed out Wei's belief that the maritime affair was associated with Qing's internal problems arose from internal weakness. Therefore Wei's solution was to change pattern in trade and politics of Nan-yang (南洋) in response to the Western penetration in the region. 1 The solution to this problem, according Wei, was to eradicate the Chinese piracy which was part of the opium smuggling activity, and believed to have interrupted the Nan-yang trade since the early 19th century along the coast of Guangdong. Wei was the first Chinese to reappraise coastal security by altering the traditional Qing orientation to the southeastern coastal region.2 According to Wei, the poor communication between the Emperor and Guangdong had kept the Court from seeing the full picture of the crisis. Also, the Emperor was not aware of the backwardness of Qing marine in face of the British. And as such, poor decision were made by the Court during the opium crisis.3 Wei during the War had once accompanied I-li-pu's army to reoccupy Chusan after the British had retreated. He was shocked by the unruliness of the Chinese troops and their inadequacy in military discipline.4 In late June 1841 Wei met Lin Tse-hsu (林則徐) after the latter was ordered into exile. During that discussion, Lin mentioned the enormous power of the British naval force and 'implored Wei to publicize the issue and awaken China to the seriousness of Western penetration of maritime Asia'.5 (to be continued)
Notes:
1. Leonard, Jane Kate. Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World. Cambridge (Mass.) and London: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University: distributed by Harvard University Press, 1984, pages 79-80
2. page 86
3. page 90
4. page 91
5. page 91
Notes:
1. Leonard, Jane Kate. Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World. Cambridge (Mass.) and London: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University: distributed by Harvard University Press, 1984, pages 79-80
2. page 86
3. page 90
4. page 91
5. page 91
2009年7月8日 星期三
日航減路線
Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:
日本航空と全日本空輸は７日、 今秋から不採算便の廃止や減便を計画していることを明らかにした。関西国際 空港発着便で、 全日空は高知(1 日2便), 松山 (同), 鹿児島(1日1便) の3 路線を廃止、 福岡線も１日４便から２便に減らす計画だ。 日航は大連, 杭州 の中國２路線廃止、国內線でも一部路線の廃止などを検討している. また、日航は中部国際空港発着のパリ便運休も検討している。 日航は６月にも、成田空港, 関空など発着の国際線 8 路線を夏季限定で減便すると発表している。 世界不況 や新型インフルイザにより航空需要は落ち込んでおり、 両社は秋の見直しでそれぞれ数十億円の收支改善效果を見込んでいる。
Two Japanese airlines have announced plans that starting from this autumn unprofitable flights will be stopped or reduced. All Nippon Airways (ANA) will cancel three domestic routes and reduce flights in one other. Japan Air Lines (JAL) will cancel their flights to two Chinese cities, and will review some of its domestic routes. Also, JAL will consider stopping the flights to Paris. JAL in June has already reduced its flight in eight international routes. Due to the world's uncertain future and the new influenza, the demand for air flight has declined. It is expected that in the autumn assessment, respectively these two companies can achieve income improvement up to many billion yen.
My feeling is that, in view of the above, is it too optimistic to say that Japan's economy is recovering.
日本航空と全日本空輸は７日、 今秋から不採算便の廃止や減便を計画していることを明らかにした。関西国際 空港発着便で、 全日空は高知(1 日2便), 松山 (同), 鹿児島(1日1便) の3 路線を廃止、 福岡線も１日４便から２便に減らす計画だ。 日航は大連, 杭州 の中國２路線廃止、国內線でも一部路線の廃止などを検討している. また、日航は中部国際空港発着のパリ便運休も検討している。 日航は６月にも、成田空港, 関空など発着の国際線 8 路線を夏季限定で減便すると発表している。 世界不況 や新型インフルイザにより航空需要は落ち込んでおり、 両社は秋の見直しでそれぞれ数十億円の收支改善效果を見込んでいる。
Two Japanese airlines have announced plans that starting from this autumn unprofitable flights will be stopped or reduced. All Nippon Airways (ANA) will cancel three domestic routes and reduce flights in one other. Japan Air Lines (JAL) will cancel their flights to two Chinese cities, and will review some of its domestic routes. Also, JAL will consider stopping the flights to Paris. JAL in June has already reduced its flight in eight international routes. Due to the world's uncertain future and the new influenza, the demand for air flight has declined. It is expected that in the autumn assessment, respectively these two companies can achieve income improvement up to many billion yen.
My feeling is that, in view of the above, is it too optimistic to say that Japan's economy is recovering.
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