The earthquake and the tsunami in Tohoku area Mar 11 were a terrible disaster which we could hardly imagine of. But it also convinced us that we were united and lived together.
I was impressed that so many young people have volunteered to help the affected people there. Here is a dairy of such a young nurse who has gone to the area to help the people immediately after the disaster.
She is so sensitive to the other's pain or anxieties. She expresses it in natural way. This dairy has encouraged me a lot when I got apathic after the event myself. It has a remarkable value to be remembered.
http://jkts-english.blogspot.com/2011/04/1-to-affected-areas.html
11/06/2011
Chopin's music
My favorite music critic, H. Yoshida, says, I believe, Chopin is a composer of monophony. That could be a reason why I haven't been so much fascinated by his works. Another reason might be that he has composed, mostly, for piano, though I admit his chamber musics are of much value.
Listening to this performance of C sharp minor nocturn originally for piano solo, arranged by Nathan Milstein for violin and piano, I got sure that his works could fit well to string instruments. Monophonic singing instruments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHex-NcqX6c&feature=youtu.be
Midori Goto, the violinist, sings this music from the bottom of the heart. I felt as if I could not breathe while listening to the long lasting phrase sung by her violin. She starts the music from the darkness in pianissimo and goes on the long phrase of melancholy in gradual crescendo to the peak at the refrain of the beginning theme. Then, the tune declines and vanishes into darkness again. It should not be performed brilliantly like a concerto cadenza as often done by the other players. Midori expressed the melancholy in most suppressed manner that appeals us profoundly.
This must be the tune which was sounding in Chopin's mind, I believe, when he was almost dying.
Listening to this performance of C sharp minor nocturn originally for piano solo, arranged by Nathan Milstein for violin and piano, I got sure that his works could fit well to string instruments. Monophonic singing instruments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHex-NcqX6c&feature=youtu.be
Midori Goto, the violinist, sings this music from the bottom of the heart. I felt as if I could not breathe while listening to the long lasting phrase sung by her violin. She starts the music from the darkness in pianissimo and goes on the long phrase of melancholy in gradual crescendo to the peak at the refrain of the beginning theme. Then, the tune declines and vanishes into darkness again. It should not be performed brilliantly like a concerto cadenza as often done by the other players. Midori expressed the melancholy in most suppressed manner that appeals us profoundly.
This must be the tune which was sounding in Chopin's mind, I believe, when he was almost dying.
11/05/2011
Welcome to our earth, Jonah
A young prince in the world of CW, Nathan KO6U, has added a new family member together with his wife, Ayako. Jonah Ren is his first child. Congratulations to you, Nathan. I wish him a wonderful life.
I heard the delivery had not been uneventful at all. So far, both Ayako and their son, Jonah, are getting well now.
Jonah might take over the trait of good brass pounder from his father.
I heard the delivery had not been uneventful at all. So far, both Ayako and their son, Jonah, are getting well now.
Jonah might take over the trait of good brass pounder from his father.
11/04/2011
TPP
The TPP, the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, is finally under much discussion here. It is aimed to lift the whole tariff among the participant countries. Our government insists that the content of the agreement will be discussed by the participants after they determine joining it. The government and the bureaucrats behined them have intended to make this issue appear before the people as late as possible. It seems they are making a bit of success. But the public opinion is clearly divided as for this agreement scheme.
The major participant is undoubtedly the US. Learning the process of negotiations between the US and the other countries like Australia etc in the past, the core of this agreement should be that the major investors/companies, most of them being in the US, would have the previledge to get into the markets in the other participant countries. Of course, the outlook seems an even fair relationship among the participants. But being dominated by the major capitals in the US, the other countries seemed to obey the rule of the globalism, which is one-sided for the former major capitals.
One of the most serious issues is the ISD article, that is, the Investor State Dispute article, which enables the investors bring any case of disadvantage for them in the other countries to the court by an agency under WTO. They say that the court questions only if the investors have any disadvantage by any governmental legislation. No concern or consideration of the advantage for the people in particular country such as ecological issue or public welfare etc. There have been many cases of such suit all over the world since '90s. We should bitterly remember what the investors have brought to the developing countries in the past decades under the propaganda of the globalism.
They say the major insurance companies in the US intend to find their ways into the medical insurance market in Japan. The public insurance system in Japan should be a big barrier for those insurance capitals to get into the market. The TPP will break through this barrier by some means. There are some omens for that here. Our public insurance system is in danger for collapse due to the increased number of the senior citizen and the economic recession. It will be completely destroyed once the foreign major insurance capitals get into the market here. I don't believe this americanization of the health insurance system is not advantageous to the people here.
I won't approve the TPP in this scheme at present.
The major participant is undoubtedly the US. Learning the process of negotiations between the US and the other countries like Australia etc in the past, the core of this agreement should be that the major investors/companies, most of them being in the US, would have the previledge to get into the markets in the other participant countries. Of course, the outlook seems an even fair relationship among the participants. But being dominated by the major capitals in the US, the other countries seemed to obey the rule of the globalism, which is one-sided for the former major capitals.
One of the most serious issues is the ISD article, that is, the Investor State Dispute article, which enables the investors bring any case of disadvantage for them in the other countries to the court by an agency under WTO. They say that the court questions only if the investors have any disadvantage by any governmental legislation. No concern or consideration of the advantage for the people in particular country such as ecological issue or public welfare etc. There have been many cases of such suit all over the world since '90s. We should bitterly remember what the investors have brought to the developing countries in the past decades under the propaganda of the globalism.
They say the major insurance companies in the US intend to find their ways into the medical insurance market in Japan. The public insurance system in Japan should be a big barrier for those insurance capitals to get into the market. The TPP will break through this barrier by some means. There are some omens for that here. Our public insurance system is in danger for collapse due to the increased number of the senior citizen and the economic recession. It will be completely destroyed once the foreign major insurance capitals get into the market here. I don't believe this americanization of the health insurance system is not advantageous to the people here.
I won't approve the TPP in this scheme at present.
11/03/2011
A pleasant and relaxing trip to Fukushima
As planned before, we have been to the lake of Inawashiro in Fukushima. It was a quiet hot spa resort. The grand view of Mt. Bandai and the lake Inawashiro has welcomed us. There were very few tourists around there even though it was the season of beautiful trees. The owner of the hotel we stayed told us there was 20 or 30 % decrease in the visitor numbers after the disaster in the coast area of Fukushima. They haven't been damaged by them at all. We had a great time with the hospitality of the hotel owner etc and the scenary. On Sunday, we met and had lunch together with our son studying medicine overthere. We would return there for trekking around the foothill of the mountain with many ponds very soon.
The picture abover shows Mt. Bandai seen from the hotel room. There was a pond just before the hotel. The next picture shows the lake shore early in evening. So quiet water surface. The gradation of the sunray from the setting sun was being reflected on it.
The picture abover shows Mt. Bandai seen from the hotel room. There was a pond just before the hotel. The next picture shows the lake shore early in evening. So quiet water surface. The gradation of the sunray from the setting sun was being reflected on it.
An old trick of the bureaucrats in Japan
In Japan, the medical system has been managed like that in the planned economy in the past communism countries. It has enabled the people to access to the most modern medicine, if not the best, at very reasonable costs since 1960s. Since the period of continuing growth of the economy has ended and the number of the senior citizen is increasing rapidly, this system seems on the way to collapse right now. The government and the bureaucrats are trying to cut the budget for the medical services by various means. Of course, cutting the income of the private practioners is one of the easiest ways. It also prevents the doctors working at hospitals from leaving there and owning their own practice. It may be beneficial to hospital owners who comprise of the most of the doctor's association in Japan.
The latest news told "the private practioners" had been earning 2.3 times of those working at hospitals. This data came from a committee of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare discussing about the costs and the expenditures for the medical services. This is a terribly biased data given by the bureaucrats who intend to lessen the expenditure to the whole private practioners. The category of "the private practioners" the committee took up is only a part of the whole practioners, that is, the founders of the juridical person in medicine services. Those founders always manage larger facilities with larger gross income than the other doctor categories including those working at hospitals. The former is always experienced in medicine. They have made much investment to their facilities. They won't have any previledge in public pension etc. On the other hand, the latter is always young and less experienced without any investment to their work. They are given social securities. It is not rational to make comparison between these two categories of doctors.
In order to lead the people erroneously believe that lessening the payment to the private practioners is an inevitable and only strategy to get out of the present crisis, they have made such irrational comparison between those two categories. This has been one of their old tricks. It won't work out, I believe, because the expenditure for the private practioners is relatively small in the total budget for medical services. The expenditure for medical services is paid for the most cutting edge and expensive medical procedures and/or the medical apparatus etc. It won't take so long before the people get aware of this old trick.
It may result in that the people will lose this system most advantageous for them ever in the history of medical services in the world.
This is one reason why I quit my job earlier than the average retiree of the doctors in Japan. I feel fed up with the old trick by the bureaucrats.
The latest news told "the private practioners" had been earning 2.3 times of those working at hospitals. This data came from a committee of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare discussing about the costs and the expenditures for the medical services. This is a terribly biased data given by the bureaucrats who intend to lessen the expenditure to the whole private practioners. The category of "the private practioners" the committee took up is only a part of the whole practioners, that is, the founders of the juridical person in medicine services. Those founders always manage larger facilities with larger gross income than the other doctor categories including those working at hospitals. The former is always experienced in medicine. They have made much investment to their facilities. They won't have any previledge in public pension etc. On the other hand, the latter is always young and less experienced without any investment to their work. They are given social securities. It is not rational to make comparison between these two categories of doctors.
In order to lead the people erroneously believe that lessening the payment to the private practioners is an inevitable and only strategy to get out of the present crisis, they have made such irrational comparison between those two categories. This has been one of their old tricks. It won't work out, I believe, because the expenditure for the private practioners is relatively small in the total budget for medical services. The expenditure for medical services is paid for the most cutting edge and expensive medical procedures and/or the medical apparatus etc. It won't take so long before the people get aware of this old trick.
It may result in that the people will lose this system most advantageous for them ever in the history of medical services in the world.
This is one reason why I quit my job earlier than the average retiree of the doctors in Japan. I feel fed up with the old trick by the bureaucrats.
11/02/2011
The possibility of re-criticality at the 2nd nuclear reactor
They have reported that two Xenons, both of which have short half life spans, were possibly found in the 2nd nuclear reactor in the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima. This means that it could goes critical recently.
As told in the previous post, the 3 reactors underwent the melt-through down to the secondary containment. The authority had triumphantly insisted, with "the evidence of measurement of lowered temp at the reactor", they had achieved the cooling arrest of the nuclear reactors some time ago. If there was really Xenons detected there, this statement turns out to be false. On the whole, we don't know what has been going on with these reactors in the melt through.
They announce that there is no substantial change of the radiation around the reactor. No date as for the neutron emission from the reactor area, though. The raw data of the measurement of the neutron in elapse is mandatory. We should claim them to show all the data available.
They have already poured Boron to stop the possible criticality into the nuclear reactor. So far, it is not likely that the reactor has gone critical yet. But this event has taught us the nuclear power plant accident has never been out of danger yet. The technology of nuclear reaction is not controllable yet.
As told in the previous post, the 3 reactors underwent the melt-through down to the secondary containment. The authority had triumphantly insisted, with "the evidence of measurement of lowered temp at the reactor", they had achieved the cooling arrest of the nuclear reactors some time ago. If there was really Xenons detected there, this statement turns out to be false. On the whole, we don't know what has been going on with these reactors in the melt through.
They announce that there is no substantial change of the radiation around the reactor. No date as for the neutron emission from the reactor area, though. The raw data of the measurement of the neutron in elapse is mandatory. We should claim them to show all the data available.
They have already poured Boron to stop the possible criticality into the nuclear reactor. So far, it is not likely that the reactor has gone critical yet. But this event has taught us the nuclear power plant accident has never been out of danger yet. The technology of nuclear reaction is not controllable yet.
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