In Japan, the "top 40" of the richest people have the financial asset equivalent to the sum that the lower 52 percent of the people own. Not 40 % but FORTY individuals. GDP won't be increased as much at all. The inequality is increasing under the present government.
This is what is going on everywhere in the world.
It is not only a problem of fairness but also a problem of stability in the society.
I could not help thinking of the limit of the current capitalism in the world. It won't be sustainable or won't make people happy.
3/30/2016
3/29/2016
A village next to the devastated nuclear power plants in Fukushima
There is a village named ”Iitate” in Fukushima Prefecture. It used to be a peaceful farming and dairy area located on a highland in Abukuma Mountains. Not very popular at all. It has been assaulted by the radioactive contamination due to the nuclear power plant accident nearby in 2011. This village is located about 20 miles north west of that crippled nuclear power plant and was hit by the radioactive plume caused by the explosions of the reactors. The name of this village is well known in Japan. I have been anxious to know how this village looks like now. Having a chance to visit Fukushima a week ago, I drove through there.
A valley with many slopes. Winding roads were running west to east. Along the street, there have been a number of houses. Some of them seemed vacant while the others had someone living. I have seen only very few people. It was an odd scene that the farms extended along the both sides of the street were not cultivated but were used as the temporary storage places for the decontaminated material. The decontaminated material was packed into black vinyl containers piled on those farms. Of course, the soil must be too much contaminated with radioactive to use for farming. Thousands of containers with it on the farms looked unsuitable for the peaceful countryside.
I know, even before the accident, it was a sparsely populated area. The statistics of the population data in the web site of the village says the most of the population is still evacuated. The radiation dose in the air seems around 5 to 8 mSv/a year. At some places, it hits over 10. No one would stay there with family, especially, with small children, most sensitive to radiation.
The web site of the village shows a plan for the recovery of the village from the damage of this accident. However, it is most unlikely to be realized, at least, in a decade or two.
There used to be an event of willful negligence for the people in this area by the authority at the accident. Without having any prediction of radioactive contamination from the government, the people around the nuclear plant is told to have escaped this way at the accident. It was the wrong way. As told before, the radioactive plume has brought contaminated air along the valley to this way. Spending so much money, they had developed, prior to this accidnet, an application to predict where the radioactive substances will fly to. This SPEEDI has clearly predicted the contamination spreading this way. But they have never published it to the people. Some people have moved this way from less contaminated places. The authority should have informed them this area could be badly contaminated or, at least, it was actually contaminated. But no info was given to them. It was a criminal negligence by the authority, wasn't it?
It was a quiet and peaceful countryside if there had been more people working for the farms there. But, due to that accident, it was deformed to be a silent place without liveliness.
On the way back to the inland area where the highway lead to our home, I have run across a couple of young boys dragging their bicycles. They might be on the way home from their school. It was the only young people whom I had met there. Their existence has relieved me a bit. But I could not help asking if they won't be hurted with the radiation. There should be no threshold for carcinogenesis of radiation. Some researchers still insist they should have those young people move to the other places free from radiation. All I could do was to wish them very good luck.
A valley with many slopes. Winding roads were running west to east. Along the street, there have been a number of houses. Some of them seemed vacant while the others had someone living. I have seen only very few people. It was an odd scene that the farms extended along the both sides of the street were not cultivated but were used as the temporary storage places for the decontaminated material. The decontaminated material was packed into black vinyl containers piled on those farms. Of course, the soil must be too much contaminated with radioactive to use for farming. Thousands of containers with it on the farms looked unsuitable for the peaceful countryside.
I know, even before the accident, it was a sparsely populated area. The statistics of the population data in the web site of the village says the most of the population is still evacuated. The radiation dose in the air seems around 5 to 8 mSv/a year. At some places, it hits over 10. No one would stay there with family, especially, with small children, most sensitive to radiation.
The web site of the village shows a plan for the recovery of the village from the damage of this accident. However, it is most unlikely to be realized, at least, in a decade or two.
There used to be an event of willful negligence for the people in this area by the authority at the accident. Without having any prediction of radioactive contamination from the government, the people around the nuclear plant is told to have escaped this way at the accident. It was the wrong way. As told before, the radioactive plume has brought contaminated air along the valley to this way. Spending so much money, they had developed, prior to this accidnet, an application to predict where the radioactive substances will fly to. This SPEEDI has clearly predicted the contamination spreading this way. But they have never published it to the people. Some people have moved this way from less contaminated places. The authority should have informed them this area could be badly contaminated or, at least, it was actually contaminated. But no info was given to them. It was a criminal negligence by the authority, wasn't it?
It was a quiet and peaceful countryside if there had been more people working for the farms there. But, due to that accident, it was deformed to be a silent place without liveliness.
On the way back to the inland area where the highway lead to our home, I have run across a couple of young boys dragging their bicycles. They might be on the way home from their school. It was the only young people whom I had met there. Their existence has relieved me a bit. But I could not help asking if they won't be hurted with the radiation. There should be no threshold for carcinogenesis of radiation. Some researchers still insist they should have those young people move to the other places free from radiation. All I could do was to wish them very good luck.
3/24/2016
Salmon cooked with root vegetables
Salmon floured with wheat. Root crops, carrot and radish, were added. Seasoned, as always, with sake, sweetened sake and soy sauce. Boiled until the materials, previously fried, were well cooked.
3/20/2016
Magnolia blooming
Magnolia is blooming in the garden. Even though we asked a gardener to cut excessive branches of this tree, it has still blooming so luxuriously. It had been my mother's favorite flowers. Looking this flowers coming out, she often uttered as if spoken to herself that magnolia had come out. Not gorgeous but just elegant flowers. As this flowers come out, spring is right up in the air here.
3/19/2016
Health insurance should never be handled by private insurance companies
Recently, a district court has given a decision on a case of "malpractice" brought by an insurance company, AIU, that is, one of the global insurance company under AIG. It was against a medical school hospital staff that had taken care of an emergency case of accident. AIU insisted that they should have stabilized the patient's neck. That was, as AIU said, why the patient had been caused with the palsy of limbs due to cervial spine injury.
The judgement was an unsuccessful litigation of AIU. It sounded quite reasonable to us engaged in medical service. As the judgement said, the emergency staff should concentrate on the life saving procedures. If there had been anything to be done for the neck stabilization in this case, it was the duty of the ambulance staff taking care of the patient at first. No way to be blamed to the emergency staff at the hospital.
Most surprisingly, it was not the patient but the insurance company who ha sued this case. It is quite an unusual case in our country. The insurance companies like AIU seem to be eager to reduce the insurance benefits. There have been rumors that AIU has caused problems of non payment to the inusured people.
As I have repeatedly told, the economical principles won't be applied to the health issue because life won't be economically valued properly. People would behave in economically reasonable manner when they have serious health issues. That is why profit seeking insurance companies won't be suitable for health insurance insurer.
AIG should have been, not told to be too big to fail, but bankrupted in Lehman Shock. Their behaviour shown in this event would give evil things in the world.
3/14/2016
A usual complaint
Fifteen meters was wide open to the whole NA this morning. Checking my signal at various skimmers in the US, it seemed to have reached there with pretty good strength. However, as I always complain of, there was very little activity. I know it might be a complaint of an old timer who have had much fun on the air in the past. The situation is still serious.
I felt I had much less motivated at ham radio recently. I realized it had been because of this lowered activity. Very few do ordinary QSO now. CW has become a mode for contesting and competing in pile ups. It is only a game. We do not know what a person we are talking with at all. We just exchange reports, which are often meaningless 599.
Why not letting me know of what set up they are using? Without knowing that, we could never appreciate the report we get exactly. It depends on the other's set up, especially the antenna. Now we are using various antennas from mobile whip to beams in array. The reports we are exchanging are almost meaningless without the info of the antenna.
Yes, it is my goal or idea to share lives with friends through ham radio, while enjoying the beauty of this mode of CW. But I know it is almost impossible nowadays. They seem to hate to be involved with the others in that way. Shallowest relationship with the others may be most welcomed by them.
What do they think of in the end of their lives seeing a lot of plaques or awards they have got from the game like activities on the radio throughout their lives? Was it worth having lived that way with this hobby spending a lot of time and energy? Yes, it is none of my business. So far, at least, I won't spend my time in that way.
Complaining the same thing as usual, I feel now much better. I just wanted to know how the others felt with our hobby. But it should not be a problem for most of the others. When I feel less motivated, I just should quit. That is all, maybe.
I felt I had much less motivated at ham radio recently. I realized it had been because of this lowered activity. Very few do ordinary QSO now. CW has become a mode for contesting and competing in pile ups. It is only a game. We do not know what a person we are talking with at all. We just exchange reports, which are often meaningless 599.
Why not letting me know of what set up they are using? Without knowing that, we could never appreciate the report we get exactly. It depends on the other's set up, especially the antenna. Now we are using various antennas from mobile whip to beams in array. The reports we are exchanging are almost meaningless without the info of the antenna.
Yes, it is my goal or idea to share lives with friends through ham radio, while enjoying the beauty of this mode of CW. But I know it is almost impossible nowadays. They seem to hate to be involved with the others in that way. Shallowest relationship with the others may be most welcomed by them.
What do they think of in the end of their lives seeing a lot of plaques or awards they have got from the game like activities on the radio throughout their lives? Was it worth having lived that way with this hobby spending a lot of time and energy? Yes, it is none of my business. So far, at least, I won't spend my time in that way.
Complaining the same thing as usual, I feel now much better. I just wanted to know how the others felt with our hobby. But it should not be a problem for most of the others. When I feel less motivated, I just should quit. That is all, maybe.
3/13/2016
Camellia
We have a few camellia trees in the garden. Their flowers are coming out now. They bloom obscurely at corners of the garden. Not gorgeous as the others blooming triumphantly in spring or summer. Still modest and elegant. They have, however, strong presence in this season.
All of them in our garden were planted by my parents. More than 30 years ago. I wonder if they have had the same impression on these flowers at that time. I would tell them the trees have grown up and the flowers are modestly decorating our garden.
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