Can Zen change a person to Liberal
Very fundamental question — Can Zen Buddhism change a person to be more
open-minded liberal personality, or a person who IS open-minded, come to Zen ?
= in other words, that person has been born to be a liberal by own Karma already.
Zen or Das Kapital may have played little role to make one’s direction, only gave
an excuse and a cosmetic to the life.
— In my early post, I wrote, I came here by coincidence though, from the start,
I was born to be a son of Zen priest. Like it or not, Zen family has the Zen principal
and such atmosphere anyway. So, standing here as I am, was that because of
nurture or my nature IS questionable (pointless) question.
[]
In scientific theory, decision making in the brain “which one to choose” or “do I take,
or not” was driven by the the Dopamine reward system = choose correct direction
would be rewarded by the seclusion of the Dopamine = so, feel satisfied and happy.
—– But, this selection, “Which choice would be rewarded” was not necessary
rationally decided by the data book’s logic.
We might thought, such as the choice to be a Liberal or Conservative kind is highly
intellectually complex matter therefore it must be concluded by the big data-book
(thus lots of experiences and the learning required = So that, a long practice of Zen
would affect) —– though, contrary to this, a Gene affecting the person to be Liberal or
Conservative as one’s nature, seemed to be found. (was what they says — can be true !)
Can genes make us liberal or conservative?
Aristotle may have been more on the money than he realised in saying man is a political animal,
according to research linking genes with liberal or conservative leanings.
Or, to be precise, a specific variant of one gene that would seem to exert greater sway over women
than men. Working with 1,771 university students of Han Chinese origin in Singapore, researchers
compared answers to surveys — including one tailored to hot-button issues in the city-state — with
the presence of a permutation of the DRD4 gene.
DRD4 is one of several genes that determines the way dopamine — a crucial neurotransmitter, or
chemical messenger — is released in the brain.
What they found was a robust link between the presence (or not) of the variant and a split between
liberals inclined to decry inequality, on the one hand, and die-hard conservative wary of change,
on the other.
The association between political attitude and DRD4 was highly significant for females, and less so
for men, said the study, led by Richard Ebstein of the National University of Singapore.
Women, it was also shown, tended to be more conservative in general.
The results are bolstered by earlier research based on people of European descent that found similar
patterns around the same gene, according to the study.
In the long-standing Nature vs. Nurture debate, it was long assumed that social values — and
especially political ones — were rooted in family upbringing, education and class.
But a growing body of evidence suggests, in the words of the researchers, that biology can’t be ignored.
A landmark study published in 1999, for example, of twins separated at or near birth showed a
marked strain of heritability for ‘conservatism’.
The brain is wired with several distinct dopamine pathways, including one related to the risk-taking
— arguably a parallel to the liberal-conservative dichotomy.
From an evolutionary standpoint, risk-taking is a complicated business: in some situations, it may
enhance one’s chances of success or survival, and in others it may spell doom.
In the study, the researchers used standard questionnaires to rate conservative or liberal tendencies,
making it easier to compare with earlier efforts to uncover links between genes and attitudes.
At the same time, to adjust for cultural variations from one country to another, they also devised a
survey based on local issues known to divide opinion in Singapore along political lines.
One set of questions, for example, asked the students — half men, half women with a mean age of 21
— to take positions on sensitive environmental and animal rights issues.
The correlation with the genetic variations was especially strong on these points.
Our results provide evidence, Ebstein and colleagues conclude, for a role of the DRD4 gene variants
in contributing to individual differences in political attitude, particularly in females.
(2015/08/06 12:34) from AFP-Jiji Press
So, I may born to have a fancy variants of DRD4 ! —- have I ? ? ?
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Internal Structure of Canon 5D
Some days ago, I got an opportunity to disassemble a Canon 5D body as I’ve bought it almost nothing. (still fully functioning) — Then, what I found inside was rather disturbing — hence I made this post.
As the people who has been using Canon DSLR may know, new 5DS, 5DSR are having not only 30 Mp large image sensor (for 35 mm full-frame) but also mechanically, structurally much improved design = that’s what they said.
—– While planning, designing, developing new camera, Canon must have a lots of tests and analysis to achieve their objective = at least twice better image quality than the predecessor with its big sensor.
(Photo above is the inside of the 5D Mk-III)
(And this is the 5D Mk-IV = basic design is the same = plastic mirror box was connected to the tripod screw by a stamped panel and few screws. — Photo from Lens Rental site)
Though my guess was, when they tested new sensor on the temporally adapted 5D Mk-lII body, they must be realized that the crispy sharpness was not there. Even if the image of the lens alone on the optical test bench was good, it couldn’t be replicated if the same lens was mounted on the 5D body —– it’s mean, 5D body structure was shaky and giving blur, deteriorating the image quality. (Which was not so visible on the 22Mp sensor, but showing up on the 30 Mp.)
What Canon boasted about the New 5DS was, not only rethink of the mirror shock damping mechanism, but also much solid tripod fixing. —– But it was too funny to hear that, when I opened and saw the inside of an old 5D body, I almost dropped my jaw, because the design of 5D was the remotest from the solid structure.
—– I’ve been seeing the inside of cameras more than 40 years thus I know how they were designed and made. (When Canon developed EOS 1, production team brought a prototype here and asked my advice. When they asked me which camera was my favorite, I answered “Contax” a man responded “You can’t have that quality any more” “Why ?” “The man designed the Contax was no longer there. I am the Man”
= The man, Mr. Morota had been headhunted and came to Canon to develop EOS 1.
—– I guess, he must be pretty annoyed to see the design of 5D series cameras. )
[]
When I changed my 35 mm camera, from Nikon to Contax, it was not only I’ve encountered the Zeiss 85 mm F1.4 lens but also I found that the structure and the way their camera was made, was such solid therefore reliable.
(Preceding to this, I’ve been utterly annoyed by the erratic behaviour of the Nikon’s motor-drive = always at the most crucial moment, they stop to work. — but they worked always perfect on front of the Nikon’s Service Engineer. 😦 and 😀 )
The photo left here was the inside of 20 years old EOS RT body. = You can see the metal frame of which all the mechanism was built-in and holding the lens mount. And the tripod screw was directly fixed to this metal frame.
In contrast, what I found the inside of 5D (photo center) was = the structure framefor Mirror Box and the Shutter was made by injection mold plastic and even a lens mount base was a plastic.
The photo right shows the almost the same design of 5D Mk-III.
In all those 5D, a stumped 1 mm thin metal connecting the plastic mirror box to the 1/4″ tripod screw on the bottom of the camera. = I couldn’t believe my eyes, IS this plastic camera priced for £3000 ? ? ?
(Photo left =Lens Mount base, on the plastic frame.
Photo center = Thin white metal alone connects the Mirror Box to the Tripod screw.
= Almostly, the camera body is floating on the tripod !
Photo right = Plastic frame is soft, hence so easy to cut.
— Plastic could be more resilient to the shock with its flexibility but the same flexibility is the enemy to hold the moving shutter and the lens solidly together.
Think about the situation when you use the camera on a tripod, like the photo left = even if a lens was firmly mounted on the tripod (therefore, the lens mount was solid) still, behind the mirror box, the shutter mechanism and the image sensor could be jumping and dancing, because the mirror-box is not rigid, even if its bottom side was having a metal plate.
Imagine a car, when the main chassis was made by plastic, I wouldn’t be impressed by the buzz-word that the outer shell was made by “magnesium alloy” = it’s a cover-up cosmetic.[]
—– (I remember, EOS RT body was not more than £400. = A camera body which has a film wind-up and rewind mechanism, all together built onto a metal die-cast, was still £400, £500) In comparison, just a shutter and a sensor were built into a plastic mirror box (+ a bit more electronics and the Memory) cost £3000 !
—– Oh ! C’mon it’s not fair. = So, it was obvious, so-called new feature in 5DS, 5DSR = “improved anti-vibration and the solid connection to the Tripod” was not a new achievement but a necessary patch-up against the old shoddy design. Though, despite the patch-up work, the test report from Japan saying that 5DS still showing high susceptibility to image blur which would negate the crop use of the photo.
( As a matter of fact, I haven’t checked the “claimed to be” improved 5DS yet. And I’m not sure whether I would buy this camera in order to see their fix ! ) Reading the Tech Reports here and there —– I haven’t seen any report showing the superiority of New Canon 5DS or SR over Nikon D810 = even on the chart test 30Mp image didn’t show a difference over 36Mp Nikon image —– I wonder what’s going on and why ? = It seems better wait till the matter sorted out. 🙂
********
PS: Related post “Camera stability test” would be good to read.
[]
Yoshizen Phenomena
Alongside the peculiar phenomenon found in the Google Search, such as
“Yoshi – Zappa” which lead to my circular fisheye photo on the top page,
or “Tiny Life Egg” which lead to my photo of the Green lacewings’ Egg
( = on top of the 3.4 million items on their list,)
— the search term “Art Figure – St. Lucia” will have this image
on the top page of the 850,000 items in their listing.
Really ? —- is this an Art ?
Isn’t any better art work or painting of
St. Lucia exist in the world such as the
Spanish old masters religious paintings ?
—– I have no idea how the algorithm of google,
worked-out to select an image of a twisted wire.
Never the less, this is the Google certified “Art”
on top of the million items. 😀 😀
Even more peculiar phenomenon was, the artist
can recognize this as an art in one glance,
while holding the breath. (If you think otherwise, you are not the artist. 😀 )
[]
The same question again. Is this an art or even a sculpture ? If this was a
sculpture, where IS the sculpted substance ? We are seeing a mere contour of
something. Something of What ?
—– to see, it was a frightened woman while she was hit by a blue line (purported
to be a lightning from the God) 🙂 was in fact in the mind of the viewer.
—– otherwise it was just a twisted wire. —– And in its contour, we are seeing a
woman’s body — are we ? Where is the body. = it IS just an empty space between
the wire isn’t it ? —– You believe this or not, this is the very ZEN Buddhism.
(In the term of the liberated mind and the eyes, the mind of complete selfless
Buddhist is very close to the complete open minded artist. — and the children.)
[]
What you are seeing is the wire and the VOID between. Seeing the twisted wire and
in the same time, to see it was a figure of the woman in one glance. (Without hear or
read any explanation still capture the meaning instant, by a naked subconscious.)
To know the meanings in one glance while seeing its twisted wire as it is. = This is
the clear eyes and the mind. Indeed, this is what the Buddhism teaches. We might
be seeing just a contour or shadow, and the substance may there or may not =
Who can see everything anyway ? = and, does it a matter ?
—– as long as we can see its clear face and the meaning, we know what we have to do
and how to live without being bothered by a wrong thinking.
This IS the very enlightenment. (You may say what is the difference between a wrong
thinking or delusion to the clear mind. = the former was a result of the thinking with
a lots of desire and the greed kind so on, and the later will come only on the moment,
without thinking, like as an intuitive, spontaneous reflection.
(= this is the reason why, Zen never give a second thought or negotiation.) =
The interaction of the million factors in the Karma gave very reflection of very moment.
And that was what the Dharma gave the person to pick. —– this Confidence “To be with
the Dharma” is the core of the Enlightenment, hence no hindrance in the life though,
on the face, it looks the life just as it IS = it’s mean no fancy magic or mysterious
supernatural manifestation = hence it was described as common and ubiquitous
as a Dog Shit. = if anybody was saying something “Special Enlightenment” it is a sign
of that the person haven’t learnt what the Zen Buddhism IS.)
[]
So, look at the photo again. What do you think of this. —– do you see, is the VOID
between the wire, still a meaningful existence ? (or the illusion ? = Did the Google too,
saw the illusion and said that this IS the Art ? ? ? Ha ha ha ! )
___/\___
PS[]
Chinese Fake Egg !
Well, this is about the Fake Egg, made and
sold in China.
＜中国食品＞初公開！
ニセ卵の製造過程が明らかに―河南省
配信日時：2007年8月14日(火) 16時21分
|
写真を大きなサイズで！ |
13日、中国河南省鄭州市のメディアにより、鄭州市内の市場で、化学薬品や食品添加物で作られた
ニセ卵が販売されていると伝えられた。
2007年8月13日、カメラマンは、ニセ卵を製造する業者をよく知る人物Aさんとの接触に成功した。
Aさんは、今までベールに包まれていたニセ卵の製造過程を明らかにした。
A さんは説明を交えながら、カメラの前で実際に作ってくれた。Aさんの話によると、このニセ卵は
10年前から中国東北地方で製造を始め、3～4年前から杭 州・香港などでも販売されるように
なったという。数年前からニセ卵が発見され、取締りが行われたが、いまだニセ卵の流通は後を
絶たない。卵は安価で、なぜ コストをかけてまでニセ卵を作るのか、中国の人々も理解できないという。
Aさんは、ニセ卵製造に熟練している業者は1日一人で1000個以上作ることができ、コストは本物の
卵の10分の1で、卸販売価格は本物の2分の 1。業者にとってはコストパフォーマンスがよい。
ニセ卵は普通の卵と一見変わらないが、ゆで卵にして食べるとゴムのような食感で卵の味はしないという。
このニセ卵は、主に褐藻に含まれる多糖類の一種で、ミョウバンやゼラチン、でんぷんなども使われる
食物繊維の一つであるアルギン酸ナトリウムが主 原料である。卵の殻は炭酸カルシウム製としている。
中国の専門家達は、こうした材料を使った食品を長く摂取すると、記憶力が減退したり、認知症などの
症状 を招く可能性もあると注意を呼びかけている。（翻訳・編集/YO）
———————–
The original article = http://www.recordchina.co.jp/a10497.html
The fake Eggs has been known to be sold in china many years. And I’ve
been wondering how it was made ? = at last, I found the report how it was made.
It seems this report was made by a Chinese reporter who met a man who
demonstrated to make Fake Eggs.—– According to the article, the Egg was made by
Aga aga jerry from the seaweed, with other ingredients, and the shell was made by lime.
The most amazing things were, they were so well made and the people has been buying
them without noticing the fake —– until they were cooked. (taste was not the Egg)
To find the way to make it and perfected the product —– isn’t this genius ?
It seems, this ingenuity was parallel to the way how Chinese invented the Acupuncture.
[]
Chinese Food Scare ?
I bought this Tofu on March thinking to use soon though, I don’t remember
why but anyhow, it went out of sight in my fridge —– when I discovered this
a week later, it seemed perfectly alright to eat —– though, wait a moment,
Tofu used to be last less than a week even before open the package while the
water getting yellowish murky and the package got ballooned up.
—– with a serious doubt, I decided to experiment to watch this Tofu.
—– FOUR months past. The Tofu looks exactly the same to the beginning.
There is a kind of “Wisdom” to watch, such as a bread. = in the original plastic
bag, if the loaf of bread didn’t mold after 4 days, don’t eat and stop to buy
that bread because the food preservative is too strong.
[]
Coincidently, there was a news in a Japanese site transcribing a news from a
Chinese paper, Global Times ;
【海外発！Breaking News】もはや塩も信用でき
ない国。防腐剤たっぷりの有害な塩が7年も流通。
北京の工場を摘発。
2015年07月12日 12:55 by Joy横手
偽装問題をはじめ、食品に関する危険なニュースがあまりにも多い中国。塩ですら信用できない商品が
出回っているようだ。有害物質をたっぷりと含んだ塩を7年にわたり生産していた工場が摘発され、
波紋を広げている。
中国の英字新聞『Global Times』によれば、このほど中国・公安部の指導のもとで北京市および江蘇省の
警察が行った4か月にわたる抜き打ちの商品検査により、有害な塩を生産し ていた北京の工場が摘発され、
22人の逮捕者が出たもよう。悪質な塩は7年にわたり北京、天津、江蘇、河南、河北、安徽、および山東と
いった都市、省に流 通していたという。
毒入り塩により摘発されたのは、北京市大興区の床面積がたった8平方メートルという小さな工場。
パッケージに「食用塩」という偽のラベルが貼られていたが、中身には亜硝酸塩（防腐剤）がたっぷりと
含まれていた。1トンあたり400～450元の価値しかないものを彼らは800～1,000元の値で2万トンも販売
していたことから、江蘇省泰州市・公安局のZhu Jinhua氏は彼らが大変な利益をあげていたとみている。
また北京の「中国農業大学」で食物科学・栄養技術学が専門のFan Zhihong教授は、「致死量には
至らない程度の亜硫酸塩、その他の化学物質が含まれていると思われる。そうした悪質な塩は
一般消費者が購入する販売店 向けではなく、大部分が食品加工工場向けであろう」などと述べている。
——————–
Which said, a factory was discovered who has been selling an industrial chemical,
a mixture of Sodium nitrite and common salt packaged as a Cooking Salt.
My guess was that, this factory didn’t pay enough money to the local police, that all.
—– many stories of the Chinese Food Scare were too well known. Such as that
famous Melamine Milk or Swage Oil were the name but feeeeew. As a matter of fact,
since the scandal of Swage Oil, I stopped to buy any Chinese food using any oil, not
only Sesami Oil kind but even to Fried fishball. (The circulation of Swage Oil for mix
was said to be too widely spread and impossible to trace).
—– The trouble is their mentality.
[]
Jessop’s Fun-camera Lens
I found yet another fun-camera (One-time use Camera / Camera with Film)
in an Odds and Ends Box of a Camera shop. (for a couple of pounds)
This time it was a Jessop’s product though, since Jessops disappeared many years
ago, this product was also pretty old. Old enough to be rotten deep = supposed be
an unused battery inside was completely corroded and the chemical has been leaked.
Branded Jessops though, it was a Chinese made = hence cheap battery was rotten.
This was an interesting product. As a Chinese made, it could be a complete
Copy-cat product though, the Jessops then was a well known English company
= they could be an easy target of a lawsuit for a Copyright infringement.
So, they didn’t copy the lens by taking a mold —– instead, they put their own
Two-element Lens for this camera. When Japanese film company, Konica,
Fuji, invented the disposable camera (one-time use camera), they designed the
omnifocus lens using pretty fancy aspherical design.
And to make the camera able to take photos under different lighting condition
with fixed shutter speed (about 1/60th second) on ISO 100~200 film, the
lens has to be about F4~3.5. Especially after flash light was incorporated,
to have a reasonable picture for 3m, the lens can’t be smaller. = It’s mean,
pan-focus with smaller F-aperture was not an option, therefore, they had to
design sophisticated aspherical lens which could produce a reasonably well
focused image in any distance with F4 diameter (7~8mm).
—– But, without using aspherical lens, Jessops opted to the simple two lens
design with smaller F8 aperture setting, while taking advantage of the
higher ISO sensitivity of 400.
The trick here was,
F4 x2 = F5.6 F5.6 x2 = F8 while
ISO 100 x2 x2 = ISO 400 (the same)
—– and F8 can give much deeper
depth of the field
(= Pan focus effect using ordinally
lens though, F8 is not enough for
close focus).
I tested this lens attached with rather
heavy concave lens to extend the
original 27mm focal-length to 44mm,
in order to use on the Canon EOS, (Photo left)
(thus, 3.5mm lens diameter, now gives F13 = pretty dark to see the finder image)
—– Not only that, the image produced by this lens was utterly rubbish. = when F13
lens could make only trash image while having no fancy fuzziness (F13 couldn’t
have any chance of nice fuzziness) = there wouldn’t be any point to use this lens.
—– Well, not all the experiment has been a successful one. 😀
[]
Awa-odori — Most popular dance in Japan
—————— Awa-odori at Koiwa / Tokyo — Photo from Tokyobling blog.
Following the post, Tanbo-art, someone asked me why some of the Japanese
culture were not introduced or even reported to the west at all ?
And, what is the current popular culture in Japan — are those well known
“Japanese culture, such as Manga, Anime, Cos-ple” really popular in there,
or are they only on the exaggerated western media ?
Well, I’m not on the street of Tokyo today, so, I can’t tell you what exactly though,
at least I can see the news, info etc on the Net, deeper than the western people.
And I can tell a reality I could read from the photos etc. = like random photo of
a Tokyo street never show the people walking in a fashion of anime character or
in its costume = they gather only in a very limited place or occasion, such as an
anime-festival. Very different from such as the Punk culture in the west on the 80th.
What the most popular culture in Japan I can tell you these days is, Awa-odori.
(Improvised street dancing originated from the Awa region of Shikoku.
— You can Google and read it in the Wiki.)
[]
Apparently, the spread of this dance started after 80th (after I left Japan) =
(when I was in Japan, Awa-odori was limited only in Awa (Tokushima on Shikoku),
then after it sprung out to Koenji (west of Shinjuku / Tokyo) it was copied and
spread all over Japan.) The dance was organized and practised in the each local
group which was called “Ren” while having their own musicians too.
(= Somewhat an equivalent of Brazilian Samba.)
In the Net sphere, an English blogger lives in Japan, Tokyobling, showing many
local Awa-odori events, in fact so many, which made me realize that it was now
almost a national culture held by the men and women, young and old alike.
(Indeed, it amazed me “How on earth, from where so many people came out to do
such a silly dance ?” —– While people dancing they chant “Odoru Aho ni Miru Aho,
Onaji Aho nara Odoranya Son son” = Dancing fools and the watching fools, be the
same fools why not dance !)
Japanese local festival, Matsuri was originated from the local Shinto Shrine, but
now, on top of the traditional Matsuri, the Awa-odori became even more popular
community event and the established culture in Japan. I guess, this must be
utterly new to your knowledge. (and you may feel it’s funny but not cool. 😀 )
(When I try the dance, I found its movement was slower than the Aflo, more like
a staged comical acting = doesn’t taxing the body’s dynamic balance nor fire the
reaction on the rhythm. Awa-odori’s emphasis was created by the gap or
the moment of holt = “Ma / 間” which is
the opposite of the western syncopation (compressed force).)
—– Well, this post is, for your pass time. 🙂
[]
Tanbo Art (Rice field Art) in Japan
————————————————— (Photo from Jiji news)
I’ve been seeing those news every year on this season. This is a Tanbo-art,
exclusively in Japanese rice-field. (of course, not everywhere of their field)
—– it was a picture drawn by the different colored rice crop. And in here,
a famous medieval samurai Keiji Maeda (famous in his eccentric behaviour,
called Kabuki-mono = origin of the name Kabuki) was depicted in Yonezawa.
(You may better Google “rice field art japan” or watch this youtube.)
Amazing isn’t it ? !!!
( It is completely different from an on-the-spot, one hour prank = Crop-circle. — To do
this, four or five different colored rice crop has been kept many years and the seeds
were sown to exact position — and wait and see it’s grow ! = Typical Japanese Mind )
[]
Garden Flowers @ Greenwich Park
Lots of flowers from the Greenwich Park. (They were taken by the Homemade
Two Element Lens and the Homemade Gaudy Lens on Canon 5D Mk-III.)
Don’t see this as a botanical picture. (If this one was for botanical use, it must be a
nightmare for the photographer = may be even beyond the Hi Dynamic Range process.)
= So, see this as an abstract painting. —– black petunia kind and the white one.
After green and the blue Chrysanthemum was created, next by next, rather fancy
colored flower has been appearing in the market.
Another day, I saw an almost perfect black Tulip —– and started wondering, if the
flower industry managed to crack the genetic-code of black color or found the
chemical to tint the flower. In either way, it is a very very uncomfortable situation.
They are extra = I found a huge Tulip Tree in the park. = I may need to visit
again to see its ancient flower !
And realized, in fact there are lots of Chestnut tree = better come again
on October to pick the nuts. 🙂
It was a very hot day —– still some people like to enjoy the sun.
[]
Cosmos and Hydrangea @ Greenwich Park
While checking the photos I’ve taken this time at Greenwich Park, I went
back to the post I did last year and found that it was one week earlier, yet still
I did shoot almost identical photo then. = not only the tree, some of the plant was
perennial and stayed the same patch, keep flowering with the same face. And the
approach to the same plant is the same = amazingly persistent as the same person.
(It’s mean not much fresh innovation or improvement.) 🙂
Two element homemade lens was the same though, this year I brought
“New” Gordy Lens. (Looks somewhat the same fuzziness, but Gordy Lens
can give close focus. = further background became out of focus ! )
Hydrangea was one week too early and having dry hot weather they looked
a bit withered. = I may come again and change the photos here.
Those heavily fuzzier photos were taken by the Double Density Pinhole.
But those closer images were taken by the Gaudy Lens.
(One more post of Greenwich Flowers would follow.) 🙂
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