A walk with my wife late in the morning

It was overcast and cool today after it had been very wet for the past week. Late in the morning, I told my wife to go for walk together. We used to do that often before. It has been a while since we won't go for that. No reason to stay at home in such comfortable morning. 

It was really suitable for walk. We went to a farming area close to our home. She told me she had taken our dog for walk there often. I have never heard of that. I still remembered of that dog named John, a mixed breed, we kept some 20 years or more ago. Having lived with her for more than 40 years, I thought I had known of almost everything about her life. It was a surprise there was still something unknown to me. 

On the way, there was a small shrine among the farms. Surprisingly, she told me she and the company of the local resident's association used to clean the tiny shrine as one of the duties of the group, when our family was responsible for the management of the association. I have asked my wife and my father to do such duties of the association or for our children. I once again regretted I had not been involved in such activities by myself.

It was the shrine I used to visit by myself and uploaded a few photos in this blog. Among farms, it was not well cared for at all. It was surrounded with high cedar trees and weeds were growing freely. 

The tiny building and the small yard around it were cleaned and looked tidy. The explanation panel said it was named as Inari Shrine founded by a ruling person in the 12th century. The ruler's family name was Nakamura. My address includes Naka which must come after their name. There seemed to be a castle of the ruler, Nakamura, in this area. The ruler, changed the name as Date, was later assigned to govern Sendai area in 16th century. 

The local history tells there had been a lot of wars and struggles when those rulers owned this area until Tokugawa founded the shogunate in Edo, that is, Tokyo at present. The people must have finally had peaceful time then, even though they could sometimes have to endure with the high tax from the shogunate those days.  In the era of war under unstable politics, the people must have worshipped the ancestors and/or something supreme in the world at such a shrine, I believe. That may be a reason why there have been a lot of shrines and of temples built and founded in that era. Our neighbors' association has done the care and cleaning of such shrine. I don't know how long that custom will be carried out, though.

My wife is looking up into GPS of her smart phone. She has no sense of direction and is always helped by GPS. Her costume is that for gardening. A perfect defense against sunray or bugs.   

It was a great walk. I should bring her for another walk soon. It took us almost an hour to go around. While taking a walk together, we could find something we did not know of each other yet.  

 

Innate immunity plays an important role in COVID19

 I was excited as well as attracted by a couple of articles published in Science lately. They were regarding the function of type I interferon in the innate immunity. Genetic dysfunctions of type I interferon or the autoimmune mechanism against type I interferon predisposes severity in COVID19 infection as they say, even if they won't explain all of those severe cases. There must be multiple factors responsible for exacerbation of the cases.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/09/25/science.abd4570

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/09/23/science.abd4585

 It still seems to indicate the innate immunity plays an important role in defense mechanism for this virus infection. It has been noted those having had vaccination against pathogens other than this SARS CoV 2 may be resistant to the virus and/or may be spared from aggravation. Vaccination, including BCG, is known to augment the innate immunity. 

The innate immunity could be affected by the past history of the host for viral or other pathogens' infection. It could be genetically polymorphic and may explain the fact that certain race is more resistant to it.

This finding that the innate immunity is of importance for defense against SARS CoV 2 may let us understand the pathophysiology of this infection and helps to find out the treatment based on it. It may help to distinguish those being aggravated in the course from the others in the beginning of the course as well.  

I could not help being excited to know of such findings as these. Let's hope researchers may achieve understanding fully the process of the infection. It is the only way to solve this pandemic.

A fantasy early in a morning

 Half an hour after our sunrise, I listened 20m and found W1AW sending Morse Code reception practice with pretty big signal. Otherwise, nothing else was heard. I tried to call CQ a bit below W1AW. No one has answered to me for 10 or 15 minutes. Calling CQ with the memory keyer and sometimes manually, I wondered what the CW world would undergo for the next 10 years.

Considering its history for the past decades, which I have lived in by myself, this trend of decline won't be changed. It has been discussed many times on this process. Despite of the efforts some groups are making to revert and augment its activity, this trend seems to continue. Whatever the reason of this decline might be, I believe, there would be much fewer CW operators, at least, those who could copy without decorder, in the next decade. 

The average age of CW operators will be higher then. The only activity of CW might be contesting. Contests may last only for a day or even shorter considering of the age of the participants. There should be some net for just exchanging reports on certain frequency at some time in a day. Without these activities, the CW bands might sound quite silent. Some portion or all the bandwidth allotted for only CW might be shared with the digital modes. We might hear only screaming digital signals on those portion of the bands.

There could be hopefully a small number of CW operators who would enjoy the  conversational CW. Those who find much fun in that communication style would hand down its tradition to the next generation. In the society that they could find easier way of communications, I believe, they should verbalize their fun in it and deliver it to the next generation. What they should pass on to the next generation is comprised of two aspects. As I have reiterated in this blog, one is regarding the joy of this communication itself. And the other is about the relationship with brass pounders all over the world. The former may be related with the the psychological process which could be depicted in brain-scientific term. In my view, in analogy with the pleasure in music, it could be a rewarding sensation associated with expectation for the up coming content of communication. I have written about it in a post. The latter is from the comrade with the this nerd enjoying this old fashioned communication mode all over the world. The relationships with them could be life long ones. 

Well, having been indulged in this not very pleasant fantasy for the prospect of this mode, I got a few callers, all of them being good old friends of mine through this mode. I don't know if I am foreseeing it right or not. Empty CW bands seem to continue and even more empty in some time, I should say. Even though I could hear someone telling me I am too much a person of glass half empty. 

A morning walk

It's getting cooler in the morning here. I have driven south in the rice farms and took a walk yesterday morning. The sun has just risen. Even though it was still a bit humid, breeze coming through the window was comfortable. It had been the commuting route to my own clinic until I retired 8 years ago. 

The rice plants were almost laying on the ground possibly thanks to its weight. I always wonder how farmers harvest those plants. I have met only a lady walking in the same place. A quiet and serene place.

The mount Tsukuba was seen south east of the place. As depicted elsewhere, it is the highest mountain in the north eastern part of the Kanto plain, even though the absolute height is only 877m asl. From its conspicuous figure, it has been an object of the folk religion in this area. 

As also written before, in this season, having the car windows/sun roof fully open, I often drove to my office, listening to G Dur String Quintet by Brahms or h moll Orchestral Suite by Bach at maximum volume. What a joy it was! I won't return to that time but still recall those days for a fond memory. What I thought those days came back to my mind together with the memory of such commuting trip. 

This is repeatedly taken up in this blog, a Bentenduka tumulus. A tomb for a big person in this area possibly over 1000 and several hundreds years ago. As an object for the religion for the ancestors, it might have been worshiped by the people. Ever since the days when it was built, there had been eras of battles continued until the feudal system of Edo was established. In the battle era, people seeked relief with such a folk religion for this tumulus, I believe. Thinking of that, it won't stay being a historical monument but is imminently approaching to our mind as a symbol of the people's thought those days. 

It was another refreshing morning walk. I would return there from time to time.

It is the day today when I drive to my sister's home in Tokyo and to enjoy ensemble with my sister and her daughter, that is, my only niece. My nice, working as a head nurse of novel corona virus infection ward in a big hospital in Tokyo, was anxious that she could bring the virus to her parents. But, in the declining phase of the infection so far, we have decided to get together today. Loading my instrument on my car, I will leave for Tokyo in a few hours. A big trip, though only a couple of hours drive, for me.

Jean Guihen Queryas plays Unaccompanied Cello Suite Nr3

The unaccompanied cello suites by J.S.Bach has been deemed as the old testament in cello music. Technically, they are not so difficult to play just after the score as modern or romantic pieces for this instrument. The content is, however, profound and is like a mountain towering never conquered by climbers.

In its Prelude, I feel hearing the creation of the universe. Modern quantum theory tells there was a time when certain harmony was present immediately after the big bang of the universe creation process. Of course, it was not this suite itself which rang in the primitive universe. Something musical was present in the universe when it was born. This fact makes me touched a lot. And the spirit might be comparable to what we are impressed with this music.

Queryas is one of the best contemporary cellists. He plays this piece as if telling a story of creation. His concentration on the music is incredibly deep. There must be an effect of the reverberation in this recording. Together with it, his cello sings the song of creation with various nuances. Whenever I listen to his performance, I am lead to the world of creation. It is, in other words, a description of our inner world as well. Very fine texture and deep emotion. 

Anner Bylsma, another great cellist recently passed away, used to tell we should play the unaccompanied suites as if telling stories. Queryas is a cellist who has realized his saying. 

A long way to go for me to learn this piece.

This week end, I will have a chance to practice the cello sonata in e minor of Brahms with my niece at my sister's home. And a piece for soprano, cello and piano for a poem by Jukichi Yagi composed by a senior friend of mine in the medical school days. He has given that piece to me. It has been almost 20 years since I played it at a concert before the composer. I wish to play it again for him and other orchestra friends someday.

Chinese dumpling

 I have cooked chinese dumpling yesterday. I am inclined to make it too much at one time. So did I yesterday. It tastes not bad but is still boring if we take it for 2 or 3 consecutive days.

It is still a joy for me to cook dinner. But, honestly, I sometimes wonder if it is the duty I should do all after my career as a pediatrician. 

I still remember I have promised my wife to do house chores half by half at a date on a bench of a lake in Ueno. I was too innocent to imagine what goes on later as today. Actually, I owed much for house keeping and chores for the past decades. 

I persuade myself it is my life and I am destined to do that.

  

What was the past 7 years and 8 months for us?

The prime minister Abe is going to resign very soon. What does this 7 years and 8 months of his administration mean to us?

I believe two points should be noted as for what this administration has left and what has enabled it survive such a long time.

First, fairness and justice as the ground of democracy have been lost, or exactly, intentionally destructed by him. He has dominated the government bureaucrats through personnel affairs. So has he done with not only administrative personnel but also that of legislation and justice. The right administration was to serve not for the people but for the government. 

For the second place, but not less, his economic policy has resulted in a big fault. The astronomical quantitative easing has left much more debts to the government. Our national bank, BOJ owns more than 5 trillion of national bond to implement monetary easing. It has not brought any solution of the economic and financial problems in our country. Only the debt has increased. The market of national bond has been dysfunctioned. With enormous amount of national bond owned by BOJ, the credibility of BOJ could be lost easily, which results in decrement of credibility of our currency as well. Without hard landing, it seems not to be solved. 

Then, why has such a deteriorated government lead by Abe maintained certain level of endorsement? Someone may explain that with the government's control of the mass media. The mass media have undergone drastic change in this Abe era and have given up the right and duty to watch and criticize the power. Press conference for the prime minister and the spokesman of the government have become like fixed games. It is now the place for the public advertisement of the government. NHK, which used to be an excellent public news media, has undergone a drastic metamorphose to be the public advertiser of the government. This change has been well plotted by the government from its beginning.

 The most important reason or fact is that certain number of people still approve this government whatever fault or fraud they might commit. Of course, the problem in the election system, that is, the single seat constituency system, which could elect majority in the diet with small number of votes. The opinion polls, however, says it is not the definite factor. Our country is on the process of decreasing the economy and our standard of living. Despite of that reality, the majority of the people believe they belong to the middle class. Exactly, they wish to stay being in that class. That wish won't lead us to reformation but to keep things in the same way however rotten they might be. Both the people might not be able to forget the high growth period in '70s through '80s. 　

The opposition parties should show a manifesto which let us see the reality and direct the way to get out of it. It won't be a rosy future but a hard way to go. We should look straight to it and change our paradigm. The corona virus pandemic might be a good chance for us to make a turnaround to a real law abiding country.