A view of snowcapped Mt. Fuji from my laboratory.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Egg and wall
Mr. Haruki Murakami, a popular Japanese writer, is considered to be "one of the world's greatest living novelists". Of course, I read several of his books. These are easy to read but have profound implications.
This week, I saw a news program on TV saying that Murakami had been awarded Jerusalem prize, an Israel's prestigious literary award, in January.
He attended the ceremony at the 24th International book fair in Jerusalem and took the prize flanked by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. After that, he explained why he accepted the Jerusalem award.
"I have come to Jerusalem today as a novelist, which is to say as a professional spinner of lies", he said.
"Today, however, I have no intention of lying. I will try to be as honest as I can. There are a few days in the year when I do not engage in telling lies, and today happens to be one of them.
"The reason for this, of course, was the fierce battle that was raging in Gaza. The UN reported that more than a thousand people had lost their lives in the blockaded Gaza City, many of them unarmed citizens -- children and old people.
He compared individual to an egg.
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg.
"Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?
"This is not all, though. It carries a deeper meaning. Think of it this way. Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: It is The System. The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and then it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others - coldly, efficiently, systematically.
"I have only one thing I hope to convey to you today. We are all human beings, individuals transcending nationality and race and religion, fragile eggs faced with a solid wall called The System. To all appearances, we have no hope of winning. The wall is too high, too strong - and too cold. If we have any hope of victory at all, it will have to come from our believing in the utter uniqueness and irreplaceability of our own and others' souls and from the warmth we gain by joining souls together.
"Take a moment to think about this. Each of us possesses a tangible, living soul. The System has no such thing. We must not allow The System to exploit us. We must not allow The System to take on a life of its own. The System did not make us: We made The System.
He closed his speech by thanking his readership.
"I am grateful to have been awarded the Jerusalem Prize. I am grateful that my books are being read by people in many parts of the world. And I am glad to have had the opportunity to speak to you here today”.
As his writings, his speech is easily accessible, yet profoundly complex.
Digest of his speech is here.
"Always on the side of the egg"
This week, I saw a news program on TV saying that Murakami had been awarded Jerusalem prize, an Israel's prestigious literary award, in January.
He attended the ceremony at the 24th International book fair in Jerusalem and took the prize flanked by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. After that, he explained why he accepted the Jerusalem award.
"I have come to Jerusalem today as a novelist, which is to say as a professional spinner of lies", he said.
"Today, however, I have no intention of lying. I will try to be as honest as I can. There are a few days in the year when I do not engage in telling lies, and today happens to be one of them.
"The reason for this, of course, was the fierce battle that was raging in Gaza. The UN reported that more than a thousand people had lost their lives in the blockaded Gaza City, many of them unarmed citizens -- children and old people.
He compared individual to an egg.
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg.
"Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?
"This is not all, though. It carries a deeper meaning. Think of it this way. Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: It is The System. The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and then it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others - coldly, efficiently, systematically.
"I have only one thing I hope to convey to you today. We are all human beings, individuals transcending nationality and race and religion, fragile eggs faced with a solid wall called The System. To all appearances, we have no hope of winning. The wall is too high, too strong - and too cold. If we have any hope of victory at all, it will have to come from our believing in the utter uniqueness and irreplaceability of our own and others' souls and from the warmth we gain by joining souls together.
"Take a moment to think about this. Each of us possesses a tangible, living soul. The System has no such thing. We must not allow The System to exploit us. We must not allow The System to take on a life of its own. The System did not make us: We made The System.
He closed his speech by thanking his readership.
"I am grateful to have been awarded the Jerusalem Prize. I am grateful that my books are being read by people in many parts of the world. And I am glad to have had the opportunity to speak to you here today”.
As his writings, his speech is easily accessible, yet profoundly complex.
Digest of his speech is here.
"Always on the side of the egg"
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentine's Day
In the West, lovers usually express their love for each other by presenting cards, flowers, or confectionery on Saint Valentine's Day. In Japan, however, it is the day that girls give chocolate to boys. Additionally, office ladies hand out chocolate to their boss and co-workers to express their friendship (namely, giri-choco). It is believed that a confectionery company (i.e., Morinaga) originated the present custom in Japan. On Mar 14, called White Day, men oblige to pay back more expensive gifts to the women who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day.
On this winter, Japanese confectionery companies have marketed "gyaku-choko" to men. "Gyaku" means "reverse" and so the gyaku-choko indicates that men give chocolate to women on Valentine's day. See the photo. This is the chocolate designed for the "gyaku-choco". The inverted image implies "gyaku".
In South Korea, there are more holidays. On April 14, or Black Day, people who could not find their partner on Valentine's Day get together in black clothes and eat Jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce). On May 14, or Yellow Day, men who failed to get girlfriend until then have to eat curry in yellow clothes. On the same day, couples present roses for each other. The day is also called Rose Day.
On this winter, Japanese confectionery companies have marketed "gyaku-choko" to men. "Gyaku" means "reverse" and so the gyaku-choko indicates that men give chocolate to women on Valentine's day. See the photo. This is the chocolate designed for the "gyaku-choco". The inverted image implies "gyaku".In South Korea, there are more holidays. On April 14, or Black Day, people who could not find their partner on Valentine's Day get together in black clothes and eat Jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce). On May 14, or Yellow Day, men who failed to get girlfriend until then have to eat curry in yellow clothes. On the same day, couples present roses for each other. The day is also called Rose Day.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Spam mails
I get numerous spam mails to my yahoo address.For example, "Do you know how to use that between your legs? NOT ONLY for pissing."
Of course I know that.
How about the Pooh?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My birthday
Mari and Ken cerebrated my birthday. We had cake in the cafe. It was a happy time. We had "sukiyaki" and "shabu-shabu" for dinner. Unfortunately, the restaurant served us processed meat.
Monday, February 9, 2009
A crisis of confidence
The United States seems to have a surplus of scientists now. The Editorial in the current issue of the journal Nature says, "With a surfeit of graduates for the available funds, the US scientific endeavour is increasingly losing its lustre as a career choice. The country needs to take stock and plan more carefully for the future."
"A crisis of confidence"
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7230/full/457635a.html
(cited)
"..There is no doubt that competition can breed excellence, and that agencies should be rigorously selective in their research portfolios. But beyond a certain point, the hyper-competition for grants, publication and tenure hurts everyone --- the individuals involved, the country and science itself. The process ceases to select for only the very best young scientists, and instead starts to drive many of the smartest students out of research entirely. They realize that the risks outweigh the benefits in science and choose alternative careers..."
I Japan, the issue of excess postdocs has been recognized. The top undergraduates prefer to entering business than going academia and the number of doctorates has declined.
In January 2009, the supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 have passed and approved. That contains a budget for the "stabilization of employment of non-regular workers" including postdocs. Following the budget, a government-financed project for career assistance and job placement for postdocs has started at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). This project will promote postdocs to enter businesses; however, no support is offered for researchers struggling to remain in the academia.
According to the Editorial, investigators typically spend some 40% of their working week on grant submittals and other administrative duties.
The Nature News in the same issue profiled two scientists struggling to keep their laboratories going in an extremely tough funding environment. It says, "The battle to keep a lab funded can be long and painful."
"Research funding: Closing arguments"
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090204/full/457650a.html
"A crisis of confidence"
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7230/full/457635a.html
(cited)
"..There is no doubt that competition can breed excellence, and that agencies should be rigorously selective in their research portfolios. But beyond a certain point, the hyper-competition for grants, publication and tenure hurts everyone --- the individuals involved, the country and science itself. The process ceases to select for only the very best young scientists, and instead starts to drive many of the smartest students out of research entirely. They realize that the risks outweigh the benefits in science and choose alternative careers..."
I Japan, the issue of excess postdocs has been recognized. The top undergraduates prefer to entering business than going academia and the number of doctorates has declined.
In January 2009, the supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 have passed and approved. That contains a budget for the "stabilization of employment of non-regular workers" including postdocs. Following the budget, a government-financed project for career assistance and job placement for postdocs has started at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). This project will promote postdocs to enter businesses; however, no support is offered for researchers struggling to remain in the academia.
According to the Editorial, investigators typically spend some 40% of their working week on grant submittals and other administrative duties.
The Nature News in the same issue profiled two scientists struggling to keep their laboratories going in an extremely tough funding environment. It says, "The battle to keep a lab funded can be long and painful."
"Research funding: Closing arguments"
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090204/full/457650a.html
Niigata
On Jan 31, I went to Niigata city with my family to determine our new apartment. We visited the candidate apartment on the day. The room satisfied her, but I was unable to check it well because I felt ill.
The next day, I attended a meeting at the University where I will work from this April. At the night, I had a high fever again.
I went to the hospital on Tuesday. The number of my white blood cells was abnormally higher and the CRP value in the serum was elevated to 7.69. I had been suffering from pneumonia too.
The next day, I attended a meeting at the University where I will work from this April. At the night, I had a high fever again.
I went to the hospital on Tuesday. The number of my white blood cells was abnormally higher and the CRP value in the serum was elevated to 7.69. I had been suffering from pneumonia too.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Flu
On the fourth Saturday in January, Mari caught a cold. She had a high fever and inflamed eyes. She went to a hospital and was diagnosed as the "pharyngoconjunctival fever" caused by an adenovirus. She had run the fever for two days and completely recovered.
On the next Monday, Mari called me that Ken had a high fever at his daycare. I took him to the hospital soon. I suspected he got the adenovirus from Mari, but he got the flu. He had run the fever for two days and completely recovered.
On the next Wednesday, I had a high fever. I got the flu too. I ran the favor for five days and I have not fully recovered yet.
On the next Monday, Mari called me that Ken had a high fever at his daycare. I took him to the hospital soon. I suspected he got the adenovirus from Mari, but he got the flu. He had run the fever for two days and completely recovered.
On the next Wednesday, I had a high fever. I got the flu too. I ran the favor for five days and I have not fully recovered yet.
Seeds
"I have two seeds." Ken touched his balls in the bath and told me that."What seeds?" I asked him.
"Strawberry!"
Ken really loves strawberry.
Ken loves boobs too. One day, Ken was watching a movie on TV. Mari turned the channel in the love scene. Ken got angry and required her to turn it back.
Another day, Mari watched some YouTube videos and left the PC. Ken picked up a video of a sexy girl from the "related videos" and stared at the screen.
Mari is worrying about his future, but I think he is perfectly normal.
I went shopping with Ken. He saw a bus and told me that a big crocodile eats the bus.
"That's the crocodile in the Peter Pan. Tick-tack, tick-tack."
"That eats ship too. Ken beats up the crocodile!"
"Wow."
"But… Ken may die."
He should not go killing the crocodile.
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