The preemptive attack to Iran by the US and Israel

This preemptive attack to Iran by the US and Israel is literally against the international law. They won't be able to blame if they are called terrorists. The news said Iran had made concessions to the US in the negotiation mediated by Oman. 

Here.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/28/world/iran-strikes-trump?fbclid=IwY2xjawQPjJlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFOZ3VsMmVPMWpQS1JPSEJmc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHs4TPraGl86zfaX3tdcA2lWIBG6YrxS0lpZLHQpuY9RlNbpI05TNeiVakt28_aem_S-sL2g4m2xJRO91_s-XmlA

Trying to change the administration into a reign favorable to themselves should never be admitted. If we admit it, the world would easily become "the war all against all" of Hobbs. The war could escalate easily and might leave unanticipated results. If this attack was planned to distract the domestic political issues in each country, it is a real war crime.

Both countries are equipped with nuclear weapon. If this brutality is admitted, we should question of the superiority of nuclear weaponized nations whose priviledge is protected by NPT. They won't criticize the other countries for developing nuclear weapon. It is a nightmare for us to have these countries with nuclear weapon behave in this way.

On the Trump tariffs and the big debt of the US

In response to the The Supreme Court of The USA ruling the reciprocal tariffs by the Trump administration unconstitutional, Trump has withdrawn it. He has declared a new tafiffs of 10% imposed to all countries around the world instead. 

He seems to increase revenue from the tariffs by any means. It is incorrect that such tariffs work in that way but they are only a domestic tax imposed on the US people. Actually, 90% of the the reciprocal tariffs have been proved to be borne by the people themselves but not by the exporting companies. It is a new taxation on the people. 

So far as I understand, it is the enormous amount of government's liabilities in tha US, that is, about 36 trillion USD that they strive to avoid default. They say the government needs to have revenue of 11 trillion USD every year. The deficit is increasing by 2 trillion USD every year as well. Trump would make more military expansion by 150% in the next budget. 

The secretary of the treasury, Bessent, and others in the administration seem to plot increment of the revenue by the following maneuvers;

1) Require the allies investment to the US. 550 billion USD to Eu. 510 billion USD to Japan. 200 billion USD to S. Korea. In the agreement with Japan, the US would take 90% of benefit while Japan only 10% if it makes any benefit. The investment is controlled by Trump.

2) Require Japan import more arms from the US. It amounts up to 910 billion USD in 3 years. Most of the arms are out dated ones.

3) Issue a new virtual currency named Stable Coin. Let certain financial institutions publish it with collateral of US national bond. This is a monetization of bond by the US government.

These measures are told to cover at least 2 trillion USD, that is, the annual deficit of the US government. They would cause more inflation which is beneficial to the US government in order to superficially compress the amount of the debt of the government.

You may ask me why I am interested in such a matter in the US insisting that it is only a domestic financial issue in the US. It still involves us greatly because it aggravates the inflation in our country as well as all over the world. American people may lost the status of key currency and more liable to be affected by inflation as well than ever. Bessent told to refund long term national bond to super long zero coupon. Our ministry of finance, the biggest owner of the US bonds, may not be able to sell them any longer, I am afraid.  If our government obeys the US government to increase the expenditure for arms up to 5% of GDP, it will be around 25% of the annual budget. I am afraid our country coming into the unprecedented aging society won't go sustainable with it.

I am afraid the US may lose credit by the other countries while the US people may suffer a lot from these policies as well.   

Looking for old friends in the internet

As written in a previous post, in a couple of note books, I have kept almost all call signs of the USA hams whom I had worked. I have sorted out all the stations after their suffices. I am in a few ham groups in facebook. Whenever I find any call signs likelily familiar to me, I try to look them up in those note books. Sadly, they rarely hit in them. 

https://nuttycellist-unknown.blogspot.com/2024/08/two-indices-notebooks.html

Considering of my age 76 years, those in the note books must be the same age or older. I am pretty confident of haing worked most active stations in the US from '80s through '00s. I have never counted how many but it must be more than hundred thousands. CW guys always keep active throughout their lives in my exerience. I am afraid those old timers have already gone inactive or even SK by now. 

. 

 Actually, the FOC gang in the west coast whom I have most often chatted for the last decades are becoming fewer year by year. It must be how the life goes on. But I still miss them. I am still going on looking for old friends of mine in the internet. There are rare cases that my friends' family members give me a note or a comment like Susan KD4VXO whose father was N4DAG David. I always enjoy communicating with such a person as Susan. Say hi to me whoever you may be in case you or your family remember of me.

I sometimes have horriying moments when I realize having forgotten on good old friends. It is a way to prevent it that I have written about them in the blog. So far, I am struggling that senile moments. 

   

Prof. Isoyama's 8th anniversary

 It was the 8th anniversary of Prof Isoyama's passing yesterday. Even though I was aware of that, I didn't want to post too many subjects at the same time yesterday. This post on his anniversary is not the least but one of the most precious ones for me. He could have been 79 years old if he was still alive. His passing was not expected at all. It was due to an accident. But how he has lived surely looks like a perfect completion of life one could achieve. He has returned to the heaven immediately after finishing his dissertation on St. John's Passion.   

Having this anniversary every year, I could not help feeling time is flying away so fast that time in my life is not left so much. Not comparable to his way of living, I would not only regret on death bed. Of course, I have a lot of things to be regretted. Still I want to believe my life would be ended by the unseen hand of God, however incomplete it might be .

I have already written a lot about him and things I owe to him. I would spend sometime listening to St. Matthew's passion before going to bed. Muenchener Bach Choir and Orchestra conducted by Karl Richter. 

Spring is arriving here whatever we may think of things around ourselves

I have been concerned about what went on in the politics in our country, that is, the drift to the far right, for the past several weeks. It is a reason why I haven't renewed this blog. I still have some observation and view on it. But not so cranky at it any longer like when I was younger. People may realize what they have chosen for the administration in our country in the near future. Or before that, they may encounter drastic peril. I still believe the problem is that people are accepting and even supporting the reign by ultra right politicians, who often make very bad and thinly veiled or even obvious lies. It often causes unscientific as well as unreal conspiracy in the society. As quoted Arendt's words previously, it is akin to or leading them to fascism.

Enough with politics. I am still cooking dinner at home. This is pork seasoned with salted rice malt. I knew salted rice malt was useful in cooking. I have practised it as the seasoning of chicken breast thinly sliced. You may preserve it for a week or two. This pork dish was also good. Salted rice malt contains protease or amylase. Once foods are is marinated with it, protein and/or starch is digesed and the food becomes even more delicious. 

How many times I have uploaded the photo of blooming Ume? One of the earliest signs of spring here. From the end of last month to a few days ago, it had been pretty cold. But it seems the biological clock within these trees tells them to come out. 

I could not help askng myself how many times I could appreciate it. Not asking such unnecessary question, I may have to enjoy the moment of arrival of joyful spring. It is the time for me to start planting such as potatoes very soon.

A pleasant moment of music related event

About 15 years ago, when I was practising the Nr2 Piano Trio by Brahms with friends at the violinist home, it was the violinist's birthday. While the violinist was out of the room for a while, the pianist proposed me a trick. At the moment we started practising the trio again, as the pianist said, piano and cello would not go on with Brahms but with the famous melody of "Happy Birthday to You". The violinist has given us the Einsatz with breathing as usual. But the other two instruments started singing the melody as promised. At first, the violinist was wondering what had happened with eyes wide open. In a second, she realized that and laughed a lot. One of the happiest moments we shared. 

Shown in the reel clip below, it is such a moment for conductor Eliahu Inbal having his 90the birthday with the members of Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra at a concert. When Inbal came to the podium from the wings, the orchestra started an arranged version of Happy Birthday to You. Solemn and impressive adagio like Mahler's slow movement. When it  sounded as if to end, the music started with the whole orchestra and chorus in unison of forte! The maestro stood still close to the podium. Of course, when the performance was over, he has grinned being given a bouquette and even a big cake there. It is not a moving moment of music but is surely a pleasant time for the performers as well as the audience. Without account in Meta, it might not be able to be watched;

 https://www.facebook.com/reel/2596249997426257

Beef and Tofu

Beef and tofu with vegetables. Seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. Tofu, processed through cotton filter, is rich with protein, calcium and fiber. This dish is a simplified Sukiyaki. Tofu absorbs the taste or the umami of beef. 

Simple, nutrient rich and also economical! Good for elderly.

I am starting farming. Surprised to see how expensive the seeds of vegetables are now. Have ordered a couple of Tomato seed packs, which cost 14 USD. Most of them are imports from oversea. Farming materials are also mostly imported. The biggest trading partner is China. I am afraid the vegetables will get more expensive very soon. Only few japanese people are aware of that. I will take the seeds from the matured vegetables this year.  

Apres un Reve performed by Sol Gabetta and Bruno Fontaine

This lovely piece arranged by Casals from a Faure's song has been one of my favorites since young days. I have written about it for a few times quoting excllent renditions. 

This one by Sol Gabetta and Bruno Fontaine also attracted me so much. Gabetta plays it with beautiful and neat phrasing as usual. The piano part is playing mostly chords in eighth note all the way through. Very simple on the score. However, there are still a lot of agogique since it is originally a song. It might be a matter of common sense for such professional players but they, especially the pianist, are making perfect ensemble. That agogique is just for artistic expression like breathing in song. I remember music is originated from song whatever the genre it might be. Breathing is a basic characteristic of life. Breathing together in ensemble of music gives us the pleasure of living together.

I have missed all the chances for ensemble. Given my arms are getting better with possibly ulnar nerve trouble, I would try to play cello again. What pleasure of sense of existence I have been given in ensembles in the past. I am full of thanks to the company, especially, the violinist who has played together with me for almost 3 decades. 
 

Snowfall

It has snowed a lot yesterday. This amount of snowfall rarely occurs here. In northern areas, they have had too much snow and 45 people were killed in accidents due to snowfall yesterday.  Until the end of next month, we might have massive snowfall for a few more times. Yes, massive only in our standard.

Ume flowers seem to be ready to come out. It means spring is not too far from now. I should prepare planting such as potatoes and other spring vegetables. Hilling the farm with compost plowed into the ridges.

Winter won't last long. We should get ready for spring.

 

Prof Isoyama's memorial day A concert of a high school alumni orchestra 26 years ago

Yesterday, 8 years ago, Prof. Isoyama has been fatally injured falling on an icy road on the way back home from a chorus competetion working as a judge in suburb of Tokyo. It was so snowy as today. A couple of weeks later, he has died. He must be 72 years of age and had made excellent works on J.S.Bach. A week or two before that accident, he has published the dissertation on Johannes Passion which was credited the doctorate later.

I have been greatly influenced by his another book on Matthew's Passion, which I repeatedly read from time to time. Other than reading his books and attending a concert of Matthew's Passion in Toyama where he gave a short lecture before the performance, all I have known his activities was through his blog. I knew of his serious injury and consequent death from the news his disciple made there. Almost all of these topics have been written here in the previous posts like this;

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/229771691402494724/5236348433992853847

I have mentioned of his high school in Nagano and possible relationship with the orchestra of that school, even though I have not definite evidence showing it. He seemed to be captivated by classical music, most likelily, J.S.Bach. He has majored in aesthetics at Tokyo University and has become one of the most renowned researcher in Baroque music.

As I told in this blog, it has been one of the sweetest memories that I was invited to a concert of the high school alumni orchestra by a friend of mine 26 years ago. I also mentioned about her a few times as a chamber music company since med school days. The concert master has turned out to be the husband of a violist at the university orchestra whom I had known quite well. Ever since, I have exchanged the season's postcard every year, even though I have had no chance to see her in person. At this alumni orchestra, we have played the pieces of Faure and parts of Messiah together with chorus. Achievement with the music as well as reunion with old friends or seeing new friends was an extrordinarily pleasant gift to me.

Later, I knew of Prof Isoyama having graduated from the high school and possibly related with this music circle. I could not help feeling there is such mysterious relationship with all of them. I wonder if Prof Isoyama has been contented with what ha had made when he was leaving the earth.  

Among the jungle of files in this computer, I accidentaly found this photo of the concert. I was on the 3rd pult of audience side in the cello part. 

 

Reason why head copy is recommended in reception of Morse Code

Away from operating CW for some time, I might seem to have lost interests in it. No way. That hobby still resides deep in my mind. Whenever anything happens or come in sight  regarding it, I always pay attention to it. It may not be changed until I leave this earth. 

Enough about self-telling. While I was reading on generative grammar and related brain science, I happened to meet an interesting finding. 

As I iriterated in this  blog, head copying of CW is indesipensible for real communication on CW like conversation. One reason is that our working memory could handle only 5 to 7 things at a time. If we try to remember all the characters flowing in a CW message, we tend to forget those sent prior to 5 or 7 characters before. Then we grind to write down all the characters, that is, hand writing copy. It is quite different from conversational CW and hinder the latter.  

We should not write down or not try to remember the characters being sent but should try to understand what the words/sentences the message brings mean. That is the essence of head copy. The finding on brain mapping for linguistic activities tells a particular area named pars orbitalis of inferior frontal gyrus responsible for handling sentences different from the center for words, irrespective mode is concerned. In practising head copying, this area must be activated and trained. From this finding, we could tell not to copy words basis but do with what sentences are meaning. It is much easier to copy and gives us pleasure when our expectation for the following is correct.

This finding with fMRI, a kind of brain mapping, excited me a little bit. Morse code, the simplest mode of communication, could be a tool to investigate our cognitive process in epistemology, even though it is not a spontaneous languag without its unique syntax. 

Since the scientific methods like fMRI, PET or procedures of transcutaneous magnetic stimularion or of intrinsic optial signal are applied to research in mapping and functions of lingistics, there are numerous new findings accumulated. But because of limits in accuracy in location and timing, it is far from understanding in neuron level. It is still fascinating to know any new findings in this area.     

An old postcard to my father in young days

 A photo of an old postcard has been sent to me as a file in an e mail by my brother.

Brother has found it inserted in a book. The postcard is toward my father in Tokyo dated back in 1937 when father was around 20 years old. With the sender's unreadable handwriting, the name is not identifiable. But the content of the mail convinced brother he had been the person whom father had met in Tokyo and had been lead to Christianity by. Having lost his parents early in his life, as brother said, father had tried to study at a prep school and to attend to a higher education in Tokyo. 

The coup d’etat by the young soldiers in Tokyo,  the Feb 26 Incident in 1936, has increased the power of the military in politics. They have surged into the invasion to Manchuria at first and later into the entire China, even though it was destined to be defeated. Father has been swallowed up by the inevitable avalanche into war whatever he might have wanted in his life. He was recruited to the military twice and has spent a few years in China. Although he has not mentioned of his experience so much as a soldier there, he seemed to have seen the dark side of the war. 

From the church, a person, possibly very poor without any family members, has been sent to the sanatorium at this place, as mentioned frequently, my aunt had managed for tuberculosis patients in poverty. Father has visited here to see her for a few times and has seen mother working here. It was after the war when they got married and had a family. Without seeing the person who sent that postcard, father would not have had his family including myself.

As reiterated in this blog, father has been concerned what and who have caused that war which had ruined his youth. He never stopped rebuking any movements toward rearmament and war. I strongly wonder what he would say now since the ultra right PM and her cabinet would be approved in this general election going on now. They predict that in polls conducted recently.  

The person who sent the postcard to my father wrote in it that he would care for his parents and brother. It was from far north Aomori. How has he lived there around WWII? 

Impovertization as well as increased inequality of wealth going on in our country

So far as the wiki explains it, Gini Coefficient(abbreviated as GC) is a measure of statistical dispersion intended to represent the inequalities in income, wealth, consumption within a nation or a social group. It is expressed before and after redistribution of wealth. In no inequality, which is theoretically impossible, GC is 0, while, in only a theoretical situation, all wealth belongs to one person in the community, GC is 1.     　

GC before redistribution of wealth in this country has been steadily increasing since '80s. The most recent data has hit the worst, that is, over 0.6 among the OECD member countries. It has made me so surprised. It might be due to progrss of the population aging and increased contigent employment. The asset bubble in economy also might be a factor for that. The introduction  and gradual increase of the consumption tax, a regressive tax system, might be contributory to it as well.  

Fortunately, GC after redistribution of wealth still remains lower and in the mid range among OECD member countries. It may mean the redistribution of wealth, ths social security and the redistribution of income by taxation, is still functioning in our country. 

We could not be too optimistic for the inequality of economy. In fact, the people is getting generally impoverished in our country. The absurd economic easing since so called Abenomix has caused economic disparity among the people. Now, the government is steadily reducing social security benefits. Together with impoverishment due to inflation without rise in income corresponding to it, reduced social security benefits may result in failure of redistribution of wealth sooner or later. 

One of the imminent, or rather already beginning, problems is the lack of workers of nursing care. We have a public insurance for nursing care. More and more individual payments are required in it. The expenditure for nursing care workers is not abundant to pay the workers enough for specialists. The workeres, either Japanese or those from developing countries, won't continue working long time. The aging is in real fast progress in the society. They assume they could benefit from the long term care public insurance established in 2000. Its benefits have been reduced step by step by the government.  The service supplier system is not going to function soon. The workers for the service is already insufficient in number already.

The general election is going on in our country. They predict the ruling parties would win in it thanks to the reputation of the 1st female prime minister. Only few know what is going on in our country expressed with GC. The society is facing an absolute aging problem with retired people having impovertized with contigent employment throughout their lives.