Ramen

Since I spend the daytime alone at home on the plain week days, I am apt to take simple junk foods for lunch. Thinking it was not good for health, I often cook a kind of noodle named Ramen in Japan. It is an instant food that has been sold for decedes. Recently, the technology has improved the quality of  noodle so much that it tastes like fine raw noodle.

 

The problem for aged people to take it as meal is that it has high calory as well as high sodium content. It may worsen the trait of high blood pressure or the arteriosclerosis, maybe. I have made a couple of principles to take it as "a safer food" for myself.

 

1)Do not take the soup, which contains much salt. This may eliminate 60% of sodium intake.

 

2)Put as much vegetables as possible. Almost the same amount as the noodle in volume. It may give me satisfaction that lasts longer than noodle alone. 

 

This lunch Ramen has fresh spinach from our garden. With the colder weather, it tastes sweeter. Cabbage tastes mildly sweet in the salty soup seasoned with pork. Some carrot makes it look better. The ham was again a gift from the violinist.

 

 

 

 

It was good like Ramen at good restaurant. But it might not be advisible for aged people to take it for lunch every day. I still recommend you to try it with the principles.

 

The expense account will be more tax free!

A half of the expense account would be tax free in the next national budget as the government has determined. It is told as a plan to stimulate business. Heck! The cost for parties of company held as reception is a stimulating measure?! Whom will they give reception? How could it stimulate business?

The economical recession, apparently deflation, is due to the decrease of the working generation in number as well as the depositing money by aged people worring about their future. The income of the working generation has been constantly decreased while the reserve of major companies is increasing up to more than 200 trillion Yen, that is, 2 trillion USD, since the beginning of this century. With increased tax, they should have done with those problems.

All the government does to stimulate business is to conduct the record quantitative easing. It could be of help to relieve credit failure. Only as a temporary measure. The quantitative easing has been carried out without any effect on the apparent deflation. It won't yield any value in the economy.

As the last measure, they are stimulating business with reception expense. What silly politicians! 

Cheers!

 

The pottery pot dish is very popular in Japan in this season. Warm and tasty. It is ready for dinner. 

 

 

Before starting it, I would toast myself with a can of dark beer. The ham is a gift from a violinist friend. I have been enjoying ensemble with her for over ten years since her student days. I have not been able to spend time for that ensemble for months this year. This girl kindly told me to enjoy ensemble together again with her and a pianist. Needless to say that I have started practising the d minor piano trio by Mendelssohn which we had practised until Jan. this year. What a sweet girl! Cheers to our piano trio!!

 

 

In a hurry, where do they go?

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navy Pillay has expressed concern about the state secret protection bill our diet is going to enact. She says the law should meet the international standard of the human right.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/131202/un-rights-chief-urges-japan-hear-public-concerns-secre

The Ambassador of Sweden, Lars Vargo, has told in his blog on Dec 2nd how important free speech and the freedom of the press are. Though he has not indicated directly of the bill above mentioned, it is most likely he has meant of that bill.

http://blog.swedenabroad.se/tokyo/2013/12/02/free-speech-and-freedom-of-the-press/

Regrettably, in a couple of days, the government would have the bill voted at the upper diet, where it is supposed to be approved. It has not been discussed enough at the diets yet. The government is rushing to get it enacted by some reason. This law will change the framework of our country. It is not rational to conclude about such a subject of much dispute in too much of a hurry.

To my pal, John, 9V1VV

In the FOC mailing list, when John 9V1VV has told how much he look forward ordinary ragchews, he has added the following sentences. It has made me smile. I should, however, definitely tell that we are not falling out yet. It is the condition and the difference of our operating hours that made us apart a bit for some time. I still love as well as respect all the masterpieces of J.S. Bach. Actually, I have got a book regarding his works at a book store today. I have been practising his great unaccompanied suits for the past months. I must confess, however, that I haven't listened so much to both Couperins yet even though John has taken them as real geniuses and has recommended me to lsiten to.

quote:
My regular ragchew pal is JA1NUT. Shin and I can chat for ages. But recently we have fallen out because our tastes in music differ radically. He is a huge Brahms fan, whereas any music written after Bach is anathema to me. Hence my email address. (There are two famous Couperin's, and I prefer the Uncle).
unquote:

I am sure John will bring a wind for the basic tradition of ragchewing into FOC. It is difficult to know how much every one enjoys ragchewing. No award nor contest for ragchewers. But I am sure there has been a basso continuo of love for ragchewing as the tradition in the club. Let's talk much more of musics in the upcoming QSOs from now on, John. Have a nice business voyage. Best season's greetings to you and yours. See you again soon.

A War Drum

Bob W6CYX has metaphored the OTH radar for a war drum. That radar is believed to come from the south eastern part of China. It covers almost all of CW portion on 40m all day long. A source says it is a harmonic of 1.8MHz. Anyway, very noisy. It makes me give up operating radio in the evening. It could have been very quiet on 40m. I could have enjoyed nice QSOs with all over the world in our evening hours. I surely miss the good path to the western Eu at this time in a year.

Bob's comparison of it to a forerunner of a war is quite correct. Very meaningful. When there is more strain in the eastern Asia, they would run more radar. It might be related with the increased tension by chinese new ADIZ at present. We could do little for this problem. A friend of mine in the US has sent a claim on this OTH to a Chinese consulate there. I have enjoyed his idea and have approved him for that at that time. But I don't think the fanatic military would stop the radar owing to such complaints.

Why on the amateur band? No one knows that. It could be a military demonstration to hams in the world. I don't understand why the  military officials in China realize such a demonstration of their power makes much antipathy among hams. Is the radar effective against stealth planes? Isn't is a technology in the last century?

Drew VK3XU used to collect reception information for this radar on the amaeur bands from various parts of the world. From what direction and how strong etc? He told me he and the group would report on it to IARU. This invasion to the ham bands is illegal if it is from China, one of the IARU members. I believe all we could do is working on through such an international organization as IARU.

I hope this drum would be calmed down very soon.

A closing radio parts mall in Akihabara

I have heard a radio parts mall in Akihabara, a downtown famous for electrical items, would be closeed tomorrow. I wanted to go there before it was closed. I left for Tokyo late this morning.

 

The radio parts mall, under the reailroad, is composed of three divisions. I knew only one of them would be closed. The photo shows the entire mall on the opposite side of the street over the pedistrian crossing. The history says it was constructed 64 years ago. One of the three divisions named the Radio Store was closed.

 

 

The mall was not very crowded. Several people were taking photo of the closing mall. Along a narrow passage, where just a couple of people could go through, there were small shops located on each side. Each shop was about 2m wide and 1.5m deep in size. There were always one or two personnel in the back of a shop as this photo shows. Every shop had its speciality. This shop seemed to sell mainly tiny parts of resistor or capacitor etc. Since my teenage days, this outlook has not been changed at all. Most of the items sold there have been changed. I used to attend there once a month grasping small amount of money in a hand. What thrill I have felt looking around for the parts I needed those days!

 

 

There were some foreign people enjoying shopping there. It was the same as in old days. All I have bought were a coil of solder, a soldering iron and a microphone for FT2000. The mic replaced an old one with a trouble and is used for PTT on CW! I should say I got a new stand by switch in stead.  

 

 

It was a fine beautiful day. I have walked from Akihabara up to Ueno. Since my mother school was near there, I used to walk this street in my student days. Gingko trees along the street looked beautifully shining.

 

 

It is a lake in Ueno, named Shinobazunoike, located the western side of Ueno Park. It was at a restaurant close to this lake, where a reception for my elmer, Ralph, WB6BFR, and his wife was held in late '60s.  I and my wife have walked around there as well. A lot of memories. It took me an hour to walk there. I was happy my feet did not complain of such a long walk yet.

 

I was pleased to know all the mall won't disappear. It seems, however, such shops won't go on for too long time since there would be less necessity for such radio parts and the internet shopping might replace it. Anyway, I wish them good luck in their business. It is still a place of my fond memory.