A plum tree

This plum tree is about 20 years old. My father used to plant it here at a corner of our yard. It had not grown much for the first several years. A small poor outlook tree. It was not until we sprayed insecticide chemical on it before spring that we knew that this tree was vulnerable to insects. It has become very healthy and has grown up taller year by year after insecticide procedure was done every spring.

 

In a few years, it has grown to this size. Full of leaves on the branches in spring. When I walked under the tree one day in spring, I felt something touching on my head. It was when I found it had bore hundreds of plums. The leaves had hidden the fruits. Needless to say we have had fresh plums for a week or so. A bagful plums every morning.

 

Unfortunately, it has been suffering from some kind of mold for the past few years. It went almost dead. I heard too abundant branches with leaves could bother to get it ventilated and the resulting high humidity within the tree made mold increased so much. This fall I decided to cut some branches climbing on a ladder. This is the tree with the unnecessary branches already cut. A hard work for me. Will it bear so many fruits next spring? 

 



 

 

Haiku mimics

Calling CQ on a band again and again
        Only RBN is replying to me through the internet


Listening a band for any DX friend
      Only beacons are coming through here


A friend of mine telling me that it will survive due to its inconvenience itself
       I am afraid its apparent vacancy in the content won't attract young people any longer


Expecting much fruitful discussion by the internet tool
      I still face to difficulty to be understood and to stimulate the others

Congrats to Prof Nakayama

I would congratulate to Prof Nakayama on being awarded for Nobel Prize. In Japan, he is the 2nd award recipient for the medicophysiological area in N. P. after Prof Tonegawa. Tonegawa has made a brilliant study in immunology. Since I was involved in some immunological study those days, I was thrilled to know of his accomplishment regarding the elucidation of the diversity in immunological recognition. Nakayama's work as for iPS cell is also epoch making to the same extent as Tonegawa. This technology might open the door for new regenerative medicine.

The biggest difference between two of them is that Nakayama was originally from the clinical medicine while Tonegawa was a graduate of the faculty of biology in Kyoto Univ. Medical doctors are always behind those from biology, biochmistry or pharmacology for the undergraduate degree regarding the research works. And he was a graduate from Kobe Univ. which is a pretty good and old school but is not given much research resources in Japan. Before he was invited to Kyoto Univ, he had started his research on iPS at another school in Nara, which was not given much funds for research either. Even at the present school, he seemed to need funds for further study. I have mentioned in my japanese blog that he was appealing for any donation for his study in the internet. He told there he would run a marathon race, his another hobby, and if he got good result, he wanted them to donate for his research. Maybe, from now on, he might be blessed with a bit more funds for the research and doesn't need to run in marathon for the fund any longer.

They say he often concludes his speech with the message that it is just the start for he has not helped any patient with his technology yet. He is surely oriented for clinical medicine. It is only possible for a medical doctor. He must be focusing on those patients who need help by regenerative medicine. I am so glad a medical doctor was awarded for this prize.  

Muscular tension in manipulating paddle

Steve, N6TT, published his operation on CW in the Ustream video clips here. He is a proficient CW operator. His CW sounds smooth and elegant. He has been trying to brush up his fist for years. I was really surprised to hear his fist reached a summit as CW operator when he changed his paddle from a double lever to a single lever. His sending has become perfect. That new Begali single lever has fit his fist for sure. And I was impressed at his never ending efforts to improve his capability as a CW operator.

Apart from that topic, here I would like to discuss about the posture we take when sending CW. I found one thing in his keying different from my style. He stretched his right elbow when he manipulated the paddle. In my case, that position of right elbow makes a bit more errors in sending.

I believe it is related with the basic tension on the arm/hand muscles. In extended posture of the arm, the tension could be rather high and could make fine and quick movements of the arm/hand a little bit difficult. I mean the elbow is the main part involved in the posture. If the elbow is flexed slightly, it is easy to keep the arm/fingers relaxed. It is comparable to the performance of cello. Cellists are taught to keep the arms/hands in slight flexion as if we hugged something when we play cello. This posture tires us less and enables any smooth movements of arms/hands necessary for the performance of cello.

I won't give a lesson to such an expert as Steve as for how to manipulate a paddle. In fact, his sending is always perfect even if he runs faster than 30WPM etc. Precisely observing him in the Ustream video, his arm is still very slightly flexed. He might be feeling relaxed in this posture, maybe. I should ask him about this in the next QSO.

One more thing. The accuracy of sending is closely related with our mental condition and/or alertness. It is interesting that whenever we try to make it perfect, we shall make more errors. Being nervous about the accuracy often worsens it. The relaxation in mind is always as crucial as the relaxed muscle tone. Nervousness may directly affect the muscle tone. It may be again comparable to the performance of musical instruments. In addition, being alert is another factor determining the accuracy in sending as well. Needless to say, the alertness is needed in any physical as well as mental activity. Steve often just watch the band in the morning hours until the java tea gets him alert enough! He spends those hours in right way. On the contrary, when lager or dark one makes me sleepy at night, I always pull the big switch soon saying good night to him, before my sending may sound like a brain storm to him.

Mike W7LPV

An old friend of mine, Mike W7LPV, has sent me a video clip in Youtube. It shows him playing the famous  piano sonata titled Moon Light Sonata by Beethoven. It was an homage to his piano teacher, a visually handicapped lady, who had taught Mike since 5 years of age.

 

Mike lives in Sedona Ariz. I wanted to visit him this summer. But the tight schedule prevented me from visiting him in a beautiful resort area. I would like to see him in the near future and to listen to him playing piano more. A heartfelt pianist. Of course, he has been a good friend through CW communications for years.

 

He said the other performances will be shown in Youtube soon.     

 

 

 

About Obamacare

I know many people in the US are against Obamacare. About 70 to 80% of the people whom I met in person or on the air critisized this reformation program. In my opinion, however, it is even incomplete for the health care reformation. It is difficult for me to understand why this program has been so sturdily opposed in the US. In the supreme court, this program was judged constitutional. But the reinforced medicaid program was not, so far as I heard.

One point they blame it is that the people should be responsible for their health by themselves. It sounds like a remnant of pioneer spirit. But it is not the days of the pioneer now. If you should be seriously sick and could not affort the expensive medical care, how do you think of the situation? Healthy people won't appreciate how important the insurance system is. You will know it once you get sick. When you get seriously sick, you seem to be most likely to be bankrupted in the US without costly insurance. Is it acceptable to most of the people there?

The 2nd issue is the budget necessary for the reformation. It will take you much money to establish the individual mandate sustem as the opponents to the Obamacare say. I wonder if it is right or if it is biased by the campaign of the insurance capitals. The US medical expenditure is famous for its high cost, that is, 18% of GDP, at present. Most expensive medical service in the world. Yes, rich people could afford the most cutting edge medical treatments in the world. But one person out of 6 could not afford any insurance. Quite some of the people could have only ER type treatments. In several states with conservative leaders won't accept the Obamacare. Their ideology deprives the state people of the chance for reasonbale medical treatments even though the state people pay the same amount of the federal tax. The insurance capitals are gaining 20% of profit from the total income. At least, the logic of capitalism is not appropriate in this field.

I am concerned about this issue since our system seems to head to that in the US. The factor making it worse is our bureaucracy in our country. Now I am becoming one of those taking medical services apart from the side of medical service giver. I could not help being much concerned about it here. I won't care for the Presidential Election going on right now in the US or any theological arguments between the concservative and the liberal. Any suggestion or comment based on the reality is welcomed.

A big mess by several contests

Light epigastric pain has woke me up so early in the morning. I know it's due to too much eating last night. Having prepared several dishes for our daughter's birthday, I enjoyed them by myself also. It is the time for me to change eating habit a little bit. Now my stomach could not put up with too much foods coming into it at one time. An aging thing in addition to shallow sleep.

I came into the radio shack. There seem a few contests going on at the same time. Earlier in the evening, Chinese hams were shouting CQ WAP on 40m CW. What was WAP? In Japan, a big domestic contest is gong on on both CW and SSB, whose joiners are not numerous at this time in a day. Or is it due to the skipping of the bands? Europeans are exchanging some unique abbreviations possibly standing for their QTH as the number in an unkown contest. An Australian was sending serial numbers on SSB. Is it an Oceanian contest? There are CA QSO Party participants on CW and SSB as well. I felt dizzy at those numbers contests going on at the same time. When so many contests go on at the same time, the participants at each contest must be lower in number. It will be of less fun for them, won't it? I don't care for any contests for now. But I still worry about them. Contests are competition for only limited number of guys while they are a kind of feasts to show up each other. If so, they could be of more fun if more numbers of stations join them. Why won't they get those contests united into one or two being held at the same time?

I found Bill N7YT calling CQ on a higher freq on 20m. The signal was not loud enough. But, appreciating his guts to call CQ for plain QSO in such contest mess, I have given him a call. He told me he had tested the keyer he took over from his father. I could not go on talking with him for a long time due to the dropped condition. It seemed his father had passed away recently. Thinking that my keyer won't be used by any kid of mine after my SK, I thought his father must have felt satisfied to have his key taken over by Bill. Before his signal went down below the noise, I gave him 73 telling his keyer was working perfect. I prefer such a QSO to mechanical and depersonalized ones in any contest.