Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Japanese pasta for dinner.
The US government was temporarily shut down today because the agreement on its budget for this fiscal year hadn't been reached by the end of the 3rd quarter of this year due to the failure of a tentative plan for a controversial medical care issue. Nobody knows when the government will resume. The prime minister of Japan announced today that the rate of the consumption tax would increase from 5% up to 8% at the beginning of April 2014.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Got up at seven o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta for dinner.
As always, the real-life happenings in the US are intense. Today's news from Washington DC sounds as if a liberal media mogul is saying that it's important to watch a balanced variety of dramas. He may say that watching not only classical dramas of the criminal investigations by the FBI director but also other dramas may be mentally healthier. The happenings recently involved both an exchange of way of threats inside the Capitol and that of fire with guns outside, like a Western movie.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Got up at eight-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at a grocery store this morning. Ate a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
A few days ago, bought a bottle of Japanese sake of local brew that was brewed using the only ingredients of both rice and yeast early this spring and had been kept in the cold cellar during summer. Tasted some cups of it with dinner. The "Hiyaoroshi" sake has its own unique character in sourness.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Historically speaking, the US Democratic party that has been in power because of the success in a presidential election but failed to obtain its confidence and a majority in Congress tends to get stuck in mud spontaneously. I was able to sense that something dangerous or other moved in the darkness taking advantage of the confusion during this period of time but I was unable to predict the places that it actually moved to. They may also have placed their political go stones strategically in preparation for some seasonal considerations, by relying on give-and-take with their friends in Asian and European countries. Even when they slip and fall they find a way to get many things out of it. More accurately speaking, they found a way before they threatened others by pretending to fall.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
The word 'establishment' refers to the people who have established power and influence in either a society or an organization, whether large or small. Anyone has an opportunity to become an establishment in a family, a group, a club, a school, a company, an industry, a party, a government, a city, a country, etc. Although the people who claim to be the antiestablishment may dislike the word of the establishment, this word itself has no negative meaning, to my knowledge. It may sound paradoxical, but a person, whether he likes the establishment or not, can be the establishment in the anti-establishment activist group.
Differently from the word of the establishment, it seems that the word of the old guard has an additional meaning of their unwillingness to accept change, new ideas, or new practices. There's no doubt that not all established people are the old guards who are very defensive or intolerant of the new phases. There are a considerable number of establishments that bring up and open the way for newcomers here, there, and everywhere.
Unfortunately, however, there always exist the old guards who do nothing but get in the way of the newcomers with unethical, self-protective, and narrow-minded motives. There is quite a long history behind their villainies, which Mephistopheles' and Mara's ways to lead the newcomers astray exactly correspond to. Indeed, these evil spirits aren't imaginary but live in the minds of the old guards. As written above, anyone can be an establishment. It should be desirable for everyone to refrain from becoming the old guard possessed by the evil spirit. Don't be his adherents.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It seems that something changed the direction of the calculated scheme.
Most rules have their exceptions. In the first place, the nuclear bombing is a bad use of the nuclear energy. The nuclear power nations, some of which currently take the initiative in the United Nations, are regarded as the established nations in terms of nuclear armament. As a matter of course, some of these nations have behaved as the old guard that has blocked the other nations from arming themselves with nuclear weapons in order to monopolize the profits. In the case of nuclear armament, simply because the nuclear arms race among the nations has been continuously criticized and the total abolition of nuclear weapons has always been earnestly desired in general, the newcomers' challenges against the old guards can't be justified. It seems that the idea of the nuclear deterrent is unreliable anymore when the factor of terrorism is taken into consideration.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta for dinner.
As written in my diary several times previously, our daily conversations in the rooms of the residences have been listened in to and those over the telephone have been tapped. Metaphorically speaking, Mara in Asia asked Mephistopheles in the US to spy on us living. Troublesomely, Mephistopheles' adherents had followed us in the US for quite a long period of time. Mara's adherents have still followed us in Japan vigilantly. Strangely, the prestige medals in the sporting and academic worlds always bewitch them. This is one of the hints of who Mephistopheles and Mara are.
Many cities in Japan had tropical days, on which the temperature is above 86 degrees F (30 degrees C), this week. Wearing short sleeves was appropriate during these warm autumn days.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at a grocery store this morning. Ate a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities in Japan.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Got up at eight-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
The difference in terms of the old-school tie between Japan and the US will be talked about today. Being educated at the famous elite universities is considered to be very desirable in both countries. Although there surely exists the old school tie, especially within the Ivy League universities, in the US, it's weaker than that in Japan. This is partly because a student who completed undergraduate studies at a university is generally encouraged to enter an advanced grade at another university in the US. The honor students are set a higher value in the US than in Japan. In short, the merit system is more advanced in the US.
On the other hand, because of periphrastic evasion of westernization, calming down of the disputes, reduction of the number of suicides, and benefit to the children of the establishments, university education had been rather belittled in Japan since the end of the rapid economic growth period post WWII. Instead of attaching importance to students' performances at a university, the old-school tie has been kept strong in Japan. Probably, it has strengthened for political expedience since then. In accordance with the belittling of the higher educations that require the ability of deeper understanding, the people with their ability of memory increase. The people who are outstanding in the power of memorization but aren't capable of understanding difficult matters are usually inappropriate for the tasks necessary for international politics and academic research.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta following an aperitif for dinner.
When one has plumbed the depths of one's field of research, one has fulfilled only the necessary condition. In general, the superior people who graduated from a famous elite university are capable of satisfying this necessary condition. Naturally, what one needs to do at the next stage is the advancement of one's research from an existing state to a higher state, whether small or large. Only talented people can stand conspicuously above their peers at this level. It's difficult to measure one's talent for a liberal idea with examination and to develop it with ordinary education. It's an interesting question of which country has turned a larger number of talented individuals out of the people who master a field, Japan or the US. It seems that Japan needs to incorporate some necessary factors from the US's education system at the university level or above in its counterpart. Probably, Japan's present education for the high school level and below is good enough for the most part.
As seen in the context of history, someone who not only fulfilled both the above-mentioned necessary and sufficient conditions but also made great progress in one's field of science or art was regarded as a genius. A genius should be a rare existence.
BTW, the number of suicides should be reduced by softening the fitful and short-tempered characters.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
The season's 26th typhoon is heading for the Kantô region. It's major and powerful. There are a lot of typhoons this year.
The value of corporal punishment in sports training, as a part of education, will be talked about today. A backer for approving corporal punishment in sports training may insist that it's necessary because it effectively improves the sporting abilities of a sports team or an individual. As seen in a training that's designed to break in a wild monkey and have it perform tricks, it's true that corporal punishment is effective. It's true but it's obviously problematic for the education of humans. In a modern society where the welfare of animals has advanced and the criticism of animal cruelty has excited increasingly, the use of corporal punishment for animal training is a risky attempt. It goes without saying that the use of corporal punishment for human training shouldn't be allowed. Indeed, it's a criminal act. Simply speaking, it isn't worthwhile to go so far in order to win just a sports game.
Moreover, placing reliance upon corporal punishment exerts some bad influences on the outcome of education. Firstly, it entails a considerable risk of ruining students' flexibility in thinking. The liberal way of thinking, which is necessary for international politics and academic research at the highest level of education and practices, may be seriously harmed by it. Second, it serves as a bad object lessening an act of violence. The student who saw such a bad example may have recourse to violence when they grow up.
Like the use of performance-enhancement drugs, the use of corporal punishment for sports training should be kept under surveillance. Don't take the easy and simplistic ways out.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
As the typhoon was approaching closer, the wind blew harder and the windows trembled more. It was so noisy outside that my sleep couldn't be deep last night. A mudflow due to torrential rainfall caused a disaster in the port town of Ôshima of the Izu Islands.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner. My wife made a one-day trip to Nagoya city.
After the typhoon had passed, a typical winter pressure pattern was temporarily formed, so that a north wind brought cold weather here.
As many expected, by altering the debt ceiling the default of obligation of the US government has been avoided on time. Its shutdown has ended this time.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at a grocery store this morning. Ate a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Got up at eight-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Which way the auto industry should take, the development of an automated car that never bumps into other objects, or of a robust car that never kills its driver and passengers due to a crash may be an interesting question to ask.
The realization of a fully automatic vehicle-control system for an automobile on multiform public roads, where traffic jams are usual in large cities and pedestrians sometimes walk across, is very difficult. It seems that it's one of the ultimate but unachievable goals of the development of an automobile. Although it may be either very difficult or unachievable, the establishment of the direction toward it guides the auto developers to fix the right future courses of technological developments for vehicle safety, such as an automatic braking system utilizing various motion sensors. Although there is a risk of a traffic accident due to its malfunction or other causes, an automatic braking system could be put to practical use when it helps prevent fatal accidents dramatically in the near future. However, it's uncertain who should take responsibility for a fatal accident due to its malfunction, e.g. sudden automatic braking due to an error followed by multiple pile-ups on the highway, when it happens, a driver, an owner or a manufacturer.
On the other hand, the advancement of the safety technologies that make the body of an automobile solid and help protect its driver and passengers from an impact using airbags or other devices without sacrificing fuel efficiency significantly is a conventional way. The answer to the question above is that both ways are necessary. The realization of an automatic braking system should entail a considerably higher risk.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Got up at eight-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Differently from a fully automatic driving system for an automobile, a fully automatic control system for a non-passenger airplane, which flies in vast open space, is very realistic. It's promising for some sorts of highly specialized tasks.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast and a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch. Went out shopping at a grocery store this evening. Ate a Japanese meal for dinner.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast and a Japanese meal for lunch. Went out shopping at a grocery store this afternoon. Ate a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
For the last five decades or so, NHK has dramatized many Japanese historical novels for its one-year-running TV drama series broadcasting at eight p.m. every Sunday. The audience ratings for a TV program have been kept reasonably good. There is a recent trend in the choice of drama to tell the whole course of the life of a historical figure who was content with being a supporter of a leading figure, such as a strategist and a wife. The incorporation of some episodes related to Christianity in the story is another trend. It seems that this is a mentally healthy tendency. Probably, these trends above reflect the times in Japan.
The long-running dramas I would like to watch are the stories about Magoichi Saika and Prof. Hideki Yukawa. Although it may be categorized as fantasy fiction, the realistic dramatization rapped in a sober Japanese atmosphere of Nansô Satomi Hakkenden for the long-running TV drama is also interesting. I enjoyed its long-running puppet show in my childhood.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
According to recent news sources, the oldest and farthest galaxy in our universe that human beings have ever identified using an astronomical observatory was formed about 13.1 billion years ago. It's still within the period of time when the Big Bang Theory suggests our universe started, that is 10 to 15 billion years ago. Compared to the earth's age of 4.6 billion years old, the event of the Big Bang isn't so old. The James Webb space telescope, which is scheduled to be launched late in the 2010s, would find the galaxies older than that probably.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
By means of irradiation with fast neutrons and gamma rays generated from the fusion reaction, after some changes, fissionable substances in the spent nuclear fuels can be transformed into safer and more stable non-fissionable substances. When nuclear fusion can be ignited controllably using either a laser beam or a magnetic field, the treatment of spent nuclear fuels would become more sophisticated. If nuclear fusion can be ignited, setting aside the question of whether the realization of a nuclear fusion reactor for power generation would be possible or not, it would be unnecessary to maintain radioactive wastes at a repository for the next tens of thousands of years or longer until all the fissionable substances become much safer as a result of radioactive decay spontaneously. It seems that the safekeeping of radioactive wastes at a repository is a temporary solution. The necessary period of time for it could be much shorter than the above.
What I wrote in the paragraph above is my opinion on nuclear waste based on the assumption that any fissionable substances e.g. plutonium-239, uranium-233 in the spent nuclear fuels and any potentially fissionable substances e.g. uranium-238, thorium-232 in ores taken from deep in the earth won't be used for the purpose of future power generations. As written in my diary previously, these resources can potentially fulfill peoples' energy needs in the world for the next thousands of years. The way to avoid possible risks resulting in this type of power generation was also explained here years ago. It seems to me that the degree to which people place reliance on this type of power generation may be promoted after making complete preparations for it about thirty years from now.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Yesterday, Motorola Mobile announced its new smartphone project, called Ara. An Ara phone consists of several modules including a basic phone module, some essential modules, and some optional modules, such as a battery, a display, a camera, a keyboard, a player, etc. Users can build their Ara phone out of these modules, just like building thin blocks. Different from assembling a PC or adding memory to it, it's considerate for users who aren't technically inclined. When either a repair or an upgrade is necessary, users need to buy only the necessary modules for it. Taking the fact into consideration that incredibly large quantities of used smartphones are thrown away from day to day, an Ara phone project should be regarded as eco-friendly. It's named Ara after a small constellation near the Scorpio that can hardly be observed from Japan. What kind of sacrifice or offering will be made or has already been made to the gods on that holy table is uncertain.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta for dinner.
According to the news sources, the physics experiment using the Liquid Xenon (LUX) detector that has been conducted in a deep underground gold mine in the US in order to reduce various kinds of noises has detected no sign of dark matter so far. Although dark spirits wearing unique costumes might be seen on Halloween, dark matter has never been peeping out directly from fundamental mysteries of the universe.
