In commemoration of my history

I have a couple of bookcases of moderate size;apx, 1.2mx2.0m in my study as well as the room for radio, that is, the shack. They are too small to store all the books I own. But it is what I could set in my small room. Since I retired, I have added books of history and social science in them. Even though I have already moved most of the medical books to a storage room, a thought I might be forced to quit from medicine completely once I organize the bookcases and do away with the old medical texts etc has made me hesitate to do that.

However, the bookcases are almost full. I have decided to move several medical books left there now. I have scarcely read or looked up with them for the past years since retirement. And those medical texts are getting older in content in several years. Some of them were added to the bookcases even a few decades ago.

A couple of books remained in the book case. One is the textbook of pediatrics, Nelson's, famous for a textbook of pediatrics. It is a token that I have studied and worked in pediatrics. The other is a diagnostics textbook written by a professor whom I have been taught at the medical university. The field of diagnostics does with diagnostic procedure with very simple tools like stethoscope or hammer etc. It was a subject we had to learn in the beginning of clinical medical training. Almost half a century ago, CT scan has just introduced into the clinical services. There were only limited number of diagnostic tools or machines available. Moreover, the diagnostic procedures with very simple tools were really fascinating to us, medical students. Reading that textbook, I surely felt a historical atmosphere in it. Without modern medical equipment, the ancestors of doctors have made effort to reach right diagnosis with their perception and the simple tools. It was sure a historical heritage which was still useful to us. What an excitement to learn it! I know I won't read it for practical purpose any longer. It is, however, still to commemorate in my memory that I have studied medicine and worked for the patients.

  

Discussing proper sending way of CW

In the FOC reflector, there has been a discussion going on regarding sending CW. Some people claim that we should send accurate CW with proper dot dash ratio and spacing for some time. It helps the listeners to read us easier.

The problem may be divided into two aspects. CW sending should be accurate as if it were sent by keyboard. Dot dash ratio should be exactly 1:3 while there should be proper spacing between characters/words. The other problem is that such mechanically accurate sending is often boring to our ears. We appreciate musical rhythm in CW. It varies in time. We often feel comfortable with something exquisitely changing. It may reflect our heart beats. Anyway, that is why CW is called as an art.

Even though I admitted that such a discussion is not meaningless and is quite right, I felt a bit reluctant to go on such a discussion. This is the reason why I feel that way as shown in this post in the reflector. 

Quote;

Everyone、



In my view, there are two points which make me reluctant to discuss

 about this problem. 
Firstly, this problem is often critical since recognition of bad keying 

could be subjective. Certain keying could be artistic to some 

operator s while it sounds like a mess to the other, depending on 

the capability of reception.

Secondly, another difficulty to discuss about keying is that some 

operators have physical or even mental problems which prevent 

them from sending appropriately. It is not courteous nor beneficial 

to comment on their keying since it is almost impossible for them 

to improve it. 

However, there seem to be the case of anosodiaphoria. The operator 

could have improved keying but are not conscious of the problem with
their keying. In this case, we should tell them it is difficult for us to read 

them. It may let them realize the problem with their keying.
With this anosodiaphoria, they won't record their own keying etc. Our 

candidate report must be the only thing to help them realize it. Maybe,
no use to discuss about it in the recflector.

Let me realize it when my keying sounds sloppy. I will try not to be 

cranky at such a report.

Shin
JA1NUT     

Kidney beans and carrot rolled with pork

Kidney beans named "Morocco Ingen" in Japanese have been harvested for the past week or two. Being boiled, it is served for salad. Soft and a bit sweet. Those sold in super markets won't taste that way.

I have cooked it with carrot rolled with pork. Seasoned with sweetened sake and soy sauce. Pretty good.

The garden farm will be into the time of harvest very soon. As often told, I feel blessed having a gust of cool wind touching me in the mid summer sunshine while working in the farm. 

I was invited to an orchestra where I used to play cello a couple of years ago. A small ensemble. They might be puzzled not having any cellist in it. No matter what reason they have had to invite me, I was glad to come back into that cozy company. I felt really excited playing the fugue in the 3rd movement of Brandenburg Concerto Nr 4 by Bach. So far as I could, I would go on for such ensemble. It is the day for another ensemble in Tokyo. It must be a hard work to walk outside carrying cello. However, I would go there. I would play the Concerto for Two Violins by Bach. In that music, two violin concertants would sound like one instrument. It is another fascinating piece by Bach. I would smile at myself sweating much to travel to Tokyo with cello. However, it is one of the reason why I still live. 

 

My Father's 13th Anniversary

It will be my father's 13th anniversary in 3 days. My sister has written to me telling she had been reading the papers for application of pension of military he left to her. It says he has served in the army from 1939 to 1945, that is, from 20 to 26 years of age. His youth, which could have been most brilliant time in his life, has been forced to serve for the military nationalism.

He has been sent to China where he experienced the hell of the war and was almost dying in the battle. It was his regret that Japanese troops had done all criminal behavior to Chinese citizens over there. He has repeatedly told us we had owed much to them. It was his dream to travel Chine for a trip of apology, which did not come true.

Coming back from China, he was luckily assigned to an educational division of the army in this area. It meant he had been spared going to abroad again in the end of the war. Later, he might feel guilty for those having lost their lives abroad on behalf of him.

After the WWII, he has become a firm pacifist. It was due not only to his belief in Christianity but also to his cruel experience during the war. He must face to the problem of emperor system when he searched the cause of the war. It was the reason why the people have approved the invasion to the neighbor countries based on the aberrant idea of elitism. In the present time, studying of the reason why our society, at least, a part of the politics, is heading back to the regime before WWII, I feel we could not go without dealing with the problem of emperor system as a quasi religion which leads us to the nightmare idea of nationalism. I sometimes could not help smiling at myself reading the same kind of books as my father used to and thinking in the same way as he did.    

On July 1st 3 years ago, the collective self defense was approved by the government, which has been the purported reason why a nation started any war in the past. Whatever the government might explain of that change in explanation of our constitution, it meant our country would go for war abroad in the future. I often wonder what my father would say about this situation.

Remembering of him, I would do what I could to protest against such movement in the politics. It was a bit muggy morning when I and my wife have been called for his passing by the hospital staff. It has come on all of sudden. How lonely he has felt when passing away. I would take over his pacifist position for the token of my apology for not being with him at that time. It is also important what a country we would leave to the next generation. Even if I could do little for that.

Oblivion by Fournier Trio

Oblivion by Piazzolla is still one of my favorite tunes. Melancholic melody is more than fascinating to me. I have uploaded the performance of this piece by a piano trio and cello solo in this blog, both of which I still love so much. I have found another excellent performance by Trio Fournier, seemingly a Taiwanese trio of young musicians. Great lyricism. I love this cellist who sings the tune softly as well as elegantly. I wonder if he has received music instruction by renowned cellist Pierre Fournier. Smooth and lyrical performance sure reminds me of Fournier.

To do or not to do

I have been wondering if I should renew the ham radio license which expires this August. There were a few reasons why I felt reluctant to do so. It is the very first time that I wondered about renewing the license in my career of ham for the past 55 years except during preparing for the entrance exam for med university and studying medicine there.

One problem is that there are too few who enjoy conversational CW. This is the theme I have repeatedly mentioned in this blog. CW itself is declining as a communication mode. If I could find someone who speaks on CW, not just exchanges codes as symbols, he or she seldom converses with me. If I should be luckily able to run across with a ham who converses on this mode, he or she talks about him/herself one way in all likelihood. There could rarely be any dialogue between us. Of course, I know I expect too much to the others. Someone may blame me making monologue by myself, I know. It is still a reality that I feel biting something tasteless when finishing a QSO with such a person. I have been trying to make each QSO meaningful but, so far, am not successful to reverse this overwhelming trend of CW.

The other reason is that the bureaucracy of the governmental office is becoming even worse and there are people devouring the concession of the licensing system. These people are retirees from our FCC or former directors of JARL. I have mentioned of the terrible new regulation of spurious emission by the authority elsewhere in this blog. They require us to pay some "fee" to guarantee the spurious emission below the level ITU has indicated. It is for some old equipments which have not been qualified to fill the spurious emission level by ITU. The problem is that they "guarantee" that only by paper work. Too ridiculous! The license system is leaving further from the ideal comprehensive license system. It is all for the concession for the certain group of people mentioned above. I am feeling disgusted at them.

I thought I had had other things to do for the time I spent for ham radio as well. I am feeling I got mentally as well as physically less capable of things like playing cello, reading or writing etc. I wondered if I should concentrate on those things other than ham radio.

I have told a few friends of mine that I could not decide to quit ham radio or not. They kindly encouraged me to renew it this time. Vic W9RGB told me to "endeavour  to persevere" this situation. Even if I could do with the trend of declination of conversational CW, I might be able to enjoy good chats with friends. I may quit ham radio any time in the future while it might be difficult for me to come back once I do so. It is only a boring conclusion but I decided to renew it this time. For the coming 5 years while the license is valid, I would see what goes on in the license system as well as in the conversational CW.

So I have done it a couple of days ago. For the coming 5 years, if I stay fine, you may hear this call on some bands.

Piano quintet f minor by Cesar Franck

In my another blog written in Japanese, I found a post in 2007 that had told of a QSO with John 9V1VV. In that QSO, he told me that he had loved the piano quintet of Cesar Franck, which I have totally forgotten. I was surprised to know he loved such a chamber music in the modern era. I knew his best music era was the Baroque.

In Youtube, there is a historical performance of this music by Richter and Borodin Quartet. The performers, especially Richter, are not self-asserting but are only letting their performance express what this class work is. Beautiful, faithful and classy. The 2nd movement is, in my view, one of the most beautiful musics in the history. This piece as well as his other musics tells what personality, most honest, faithful and earnest, he had. That must be the reason why there were so many composers learning from him, directly or indirectly, who have been named as Franckists.

I have played the 1st movement of this music twice. The first time was at a small concert for farewell to the graduates at the university orchestra. The pianist, a quiet girl majoring in music, has played it, I remember, as if she had become insane. The other chance to play it was when I came back in music around 50 years of age. The string players and the pianist were all good friends of mine. Another fond memory. I am still feeling thankful for them all giving me chances to feel this wonderful piece closer to myself.

This is an unforgettable music for me in multiple meanings.