ウォーキング・コース傍らの竹林 ４ (The Bamboo Grove at the Side of a Walking-Exercise Course 4)

　写真はウォーキング・コースの一つの傍らに見られる竹林。2010年8月16日に撮影。

The photo, taken on August 16, 2010, shows the bamboo grove at the side of one of my walking exercise courses.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Applied Mathematics or Physics

"Mathematicians create objective quality of life index," Tech Rev arXiv blog. —Japan comes to 17th. Find your country's ranking in the paper cited.

About Internet

"27 best twitter accounts for science lovers," Indiana Public Media, A Moment of Science.

About Peace and Politics

"「普天間基地撤去を求める高校生の会」の署名運動にご協力を！" Blog, "福泉・鳳「憲法９条の会」２."

[Retweet of UN's words; additions are made here. 46 others also retreated.] "Secretary-General's Message on the International Day against Nuclear Test, 29 August." Web site of United Nations, Message and Articles. —About nuclear tests, UN SG Ban Ki-moon says, "We must stop passing this problem to succeeding generations."

[Retweet of chiamai's words that cited the same Web page as above] It was yesterday, but we should think about it every day: International Day against Nuclear Tests (29 August) via UN. —Yes, I agree with you!

About Physicists

理研紹介映画『科学の殿堂』ダイジェスト版（昭和17年制作）(Introducing RIKEN "A Sanctuary of Science", 1942, Digest edition), YouTube (in Japsnese) (via mmizo4). —Yoshio Nishina and Sin'itiro Tomonaga appear at 4 m 37 s and 4 m 57 s from the beginning, respectively, with their names written in Chinese characters.

ウォーキング・コース傍らの竹林 ３ (The Bamboo Grove at the Side of a Walking-Exercise Course 3)

　写真はウォーキング・コースの一つの傍らに見られる竹林。2010年8月16日に撮影。

The photo, taken on August 16, 2010, shows the bamboo grove at the side of one of my walking exercise courses.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About English Language

"How do you pronounce ‘Nevada?’ You're probably wrong," Time NewsFeed (via Internet Scout). – I cannot discriminate the two pronunciations uttered in the video included.

About Peace and Politics

[Retweet of hutenma1's words] ＜普天間基地撤去を求める高校生の会＞：私たちは、沖縄の過重な基地負担を問題だと考えます。そして、とくに危険な普天間基地の閉鎖・撤去を求め、そのために、署名を集めています。協力していただけたら嬉しいです。http://jimorikouken.web.fc2.com/.

About Physicists

"The lady vanishes: Invisible Wife Syndrome," Guardian (I learned this article via BadAstronomer and jonmbutterworth).

The author of the above article is TV personality Gia Milinovich, and her husband is the British particle physicist, Professor Brian Cox at the University of Manchester. He is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programs for the BBC. He also had some fame in the 1980s as the keyboard player in the rock band Dare and in the early 1990s with the Irish pop band D:Ream ["Brian Cox (physicist)", Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (11 August 2010 at 23:54)]. Gia writes: I told him [Brian] I felt my very presence was upsetting their budding bromance, that I was some unwanted tag-along girlfriend. "I felt like bloody Yoko Ono in there!" ["their . . . bromine" means here the close relationship between Brian and the TV producer of the program in which Brian and Gia appeared together].

Exchange of Words with Friends

[In reply to heppoco_daze's words, "まだまだ残暑が厳しいようです (>_<)　涼やかな眺めですね！"] ブログに掲載の竹林の写真をご覧いただきましたか。ありがとうございます。一ヵ月ほどかかってようやく描き上げた水彩画「夏木立」の写真を、近日中に掲載する予定です。残暑厳しい折、ご自愛下さい。

ウォーキング・コース傍らの竹林 ２ (The Bamboo Grove at the Side of a Walking-Exercise Course 2)

　写真はウォーキング・コースの一つの傍らの竹林。2010年8月16日に撮影。

The photo, taken on August 16, 2010, shows the bamboo grove at the side of one of my walking exercise courses.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Books

"Book Review: The Twilight of the Bombs by Richard Rhodes," NYTimes. – The reviewer Nicholas Thompson writes, "Rhodes is now 73, but I hope he writes a fifth book on this subject, perhaps a decade from now, that describes how we truly moved to a world free of nuclear weapons." I hope so, too!

[Retweet of newscientist's words with an addition to the version here] What's the most underrated popular science book of last 50 years? Nominate in the comments here: "Win the best science books of the year," New Scientist. – The article cited describes that the Royal Society has just announced their shortlist for the 2010 Prize for Science Books and that the list includes two physics books, We Need to Talk About Kelvin by Marcus Chown and Why Does E=mc2? by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw.

About Cosmology

[Retweet of newscientist's words with an addition] "Black holes + dark matter = light," New Scientist. – A story related to the paper "Probing Dark Matter with AGN Jets," arXiv:1008.2230v1. (AGN is the acronym of "active galactic nuclei.")

About Internet

My activity on Twitter can be seen at "LinkedIn: Tweets".

About Peace and Politics

[Retweet of mdnjp's words with an addition] "Japan should maintain weapons export ban," Mainichi Daily News. – I completely agree with this editorial about the proposal of an advisory panel to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on national security.

Words to Friends

[In reply to Barry K's words at asahi_weekly, "Thanks! I will be wearing my blue belt proudly today as I go to my karate lesson. I won't be embarrassed anymore, wearing white. Barry K"] Congratulations on your getting the blue belt of karate! (Retweeted by asahi_weekly. Strangely, at the twitter home of asahi_weekly, the rewet comes after Barry's words. Therefore, another member of asahi_weekly must have learned about Barry's getting the blue belt by my tweet and retreated it.)

ウォーキング・コース傍らの竹林 １ (The Bamboo Grove at the Side of a Walking-Exercise Course 1)

　写真はウォーキング・コースの一つの傍らの竹林。2010年8月16日に撮影。

The photo, taken on August 16, 2010, shows the bamboo grove at the side of one of my walking exercise courses.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Books

I liked a YouTube video: "だから優しく、と空が言う" (Book promotion movie). The author of the book is a friend of mine at the social networking service Mixi.

About Astrophysics

"Kepler-9: A system of multiple planets transiting a sun-like star, confirmed by timing variations," Holman et al., Science Express. Popular accounts of this work are given; for example, "Astronomers find two giant exoplanets locked in an endless dance," Discover 80beats.

About Physics

"Higgs, Higgs glorious Higgs," physicsworld.com blog. – Videos of "The particle physics song" and "Neutron doodle." The former video can also be seen at YouTube: http://youtu.be/28X9czEROPs?a.

Exchange of Words with Friends

[To chiamai on the basis of my guess from her tweet in Italian] Hi, please enjoy your last day in Varese!

[From chiamai] Thanks! This is my last day here, but not the last day of vacation. I'll take some day off in France and restart work on September 2nd :)

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ９ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 9)

　日曜日の泉北スポーツ広場。2010年8月22日に撮影。

The photo shows Semboku Sports Ground on a Sunday (August 22, 2010).

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Arts

"Japanese view of the natural world," Nature – Review of the exhibition, Sensing Nature: Rethinking the Japanese Perception of Nature, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, until 7 November 2010. "A resolve to note and then destroy borders between humans, nature and artefact powers the show."

About Astrophysics

"Making black holes from scratch," Nature – "Numerical simulations show that the collision of massive galaxies can naturally lead to the creation of [supermassive black holes]."

"Nasa discoveries: most thrilling headlines and pictures," Telegraph – A selection of remarkable announcements in recent years.

About Books

"Last days of the lone astronomer," Nature – Review of Ann Finkbeiner's book, A Grand and Bold Thing: An Extraordinary New Era of Discovery. "[This book] succeeds in capturing the arcane world of the professional astronomer."

About Internet

"Timely and all-time best & worst lists," Time – "List: Science" includes "20 things you need to know about Einstein."

About Physics

"G-whizzes disagree over gravity," Nature News – "Recent measurements of gravitational constant increase uncertainty over accepted value."

"Nuclear theory nudged," Nature News – "Results from mothballed facility (the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory) challenge established theory."

"Quantum mechanics: The usefulness of uselessness," Nature News – "A game for three or more players called 'guess your neighbour's input' reveals common ground between classical and quantum physics — at the expense of more exotic, super-quantum, theories of nature."

[Retweet of seanmcarroll's words] Look, Mom, I'm on YouTube! Talking about the arrow of time at Google (with "googol" jokes): "The origin of the universe and the arrow of time." [Sean M. Carroll is a theoretical physicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California and wrote a popular-level book on cosmology and the arrow of time: From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time.]

"Fine structure constant varies with direction in space, says new data." Tech Rev arXiv blog. – "[The leading author John] Webb is "no stranger to controversy" [. . .] So sit back and enjoy the show." (Retweeted by charmqgp)

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ８ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 8)

　泉北スポーツ広場南側の緑地。2010年8月14日に撮影。

The photo was taken on August 14, 2010, showing the green square at the south of Semboku Sports Ground.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Environment

[Retweet of sciam's words] "How Much Is Left? The Limits of Earth's Resources," Made Interactive, Sci. Amer.

About Music

"After Mozart’s Death, an Endless Coda," NYTimes – What killed him? A review has organized theories into five categories.

About Physicists

I like "Physicist Tv" on Facebook.

"Michael Faraday, Death Anniversary on 25 August," Video Posted by Physicist Tv on Facebook.

About Physics

"The Hawking Paradox (Part 5)," YouTube. Parts 1–4 are also available there.

"Quantum entanglement can be a measure of free will, say physicists," Tech Rev arXiv blog.

About Science (Medicine)

[Retweet of mdnjp's words] "Top scientist [in Japan] says homeopathy efficacy 'scientifically and conclusively disproven'," Mainichi Daily News.

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ７ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 7)

　昨日掲載の写真を撮った場所から少し右へ歩いたところから見た風景。写真中央から右にかけて新しく住宅地が出来て、田圃だったところに、そこへの道もつけられている。2010年8月11日に撮影。

The photo shows the view from the point some distance away to the right from the viewpoint of yesterday's photo. New housing has appeared in the region from the center to the right of this picture. A road to the housing now passes through the rice fields. (Taken on August 11, 2010.)

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Astronomy

"Rare flash of light seen on Jupiter in astral collision," Telegraph (http://bit.ly/d0OaAq) – By a Japanese amateur stargazer Masayuki Tachikawa.

[Retweet of madgestar's words with an addition] "Rich exoplanet system discovered," BBC News (http://bbc.in/bGAVv9) – "[The system contains] at least five planets that orbit a star called HD 10180, which is much like our own Sun."

About Music

[Retweet of madgestar's words; explanations are added to the version here] Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Four Sea Interludes (from the opera Peter Grimes op. 33), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, conductor, 1) Dawn (http://bit.ly/9Ed7Wd), 2) Sunday Morning (http://bit.ly/9zZa13), 3) Moonlight (http://bit.ly/bUeqwz), 4) Storm (http://bit.ly/cMmT1O).

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ６ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 6)

　わが家からの直線距離 1 km 以下のこの辺りには、まだ田畑が残っている。2010年8月11日に撮影。

Around here, at the linear distance of less than 1 km from our house, rice and vegetable fields still remain. The photo was taken on August 11, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Books

Michael Byers’s Novel "Percival's Planet," NYTimes (http://nyti.ms/dAPhS7) (via stevesilberman's tweet) – "Byers reminds us that yearning has dignity."

About Science

[Retweet of CatherineQ's words, which in turn was the rewet of MarcelloJun's words] Brian Cox explains how curiosity-driven science pays for itself, powering innovation (http://is.gd/cMj9C) (video).

[In reply to the above, chiamai tweeted as follows] Curiosity is always important: Brian Cox explains how curiosity-driven science pays for itself (http://is.gd/cMj9C) (via tttabata).

[In reply to chiamai] Thanks for your many retweets of my tweets as well as tweets mentioning "via tttabata" the day before yesterday and today.

[From chiamai] Hi! I'm spending some days in Varese with my family and only connect from time to time. So sometimes my tweets come in "bursts."

[In reply to the above] It's nice that you again have summer holidays. My retweet about Brian Cox's talk was about the same video as the one I tweeted about on June 15.

Humor

[In reply to sc_k's tweet, " 'oH ghaH QaQ jaj DaqjaH (translate: http://bit.ly/aEZ17f)" (the result of translation from these Klingon language at the tweetinklingon.com site: "It is a good day to tweet.")] ghaj not leghpu' Hov leng, 'ach DaH ghoj vo' lIjjaH vetlhchaH lo' tlhIngan. (translate: http://bit.ly/abwulo) (these words were translation from "Have never seen Star Trek, but now learned from your tweet that they use [the language called] Klingon [in Star Trek].") [I wonder how Klington words are pronounced.]

[In reply to sc_k's tweet: "I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again." (http://bbc.in/aX7Qac) Funniest joke? Really? Really?] Isn't it black humor? [The quote by sc_k is comedian Tim Vine's one-liner joke, which has won a prize for the funniest joke of this year's Edinburgh Fringe. I suppose that this joke as well as the votes for it constitutes black humor.]

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ５ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 5)

　堺市・津久野南団地の庭園。2010年8月11日に撮影。

The garden of Tsukuno-Minami Estate. The photo was taken on August 11, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Science (Archaeology)

[Retweet of guardianscience's words with an addition] Discovery of ancient cave paintings in Petra stuns art scholars (http://bit.ly/dtm2HN) – 'Experts from the Courtauld Institute in London have removed the black grime, uncovering paintings [of] "exceptional" artistic quality.'
/p>

２０１０年７月分記事へのエム・ワイ君の感想 (M.Y.'s Comments on July-2010 Articles; in Japanese only)

　M.Y. 君から "Ted's Coffeehouse 2" 2010年7月分への感想を8月21日づけで貰った。同君の了承を得て、ここに紹介する。青色の文字をクリックすると、言及されている記事が別ウインドウに開く。

---

1. 大阪で (In Osaka)、大阪で ２ (In Osaka 2)

　「大阪で」には次のように述べられています。

　さる3日、埼玉からの来客があった。2007年に日本一周クルーズで知り合った女医・Nさん（81歳）である。一昨年秋に夫君を亡くされた。夕方、妻とともに新大阪駅で出迎え、夜は一同、大阪市内のホテルで過ごした。（…中略…）2日目には OAP（大阪アメニティパーク）港からグルメ・ミュージック船「ひまわり」でのランチクルーズと、水上バス「 アクアライナー」による大阪城・中之島めぐりを楽しんだ。

　これを読んで、女医さんご夫妻は、短いクル－ズでの出会いで、筆者ご夫妻の温かみのあるお人柄に親近感をもって接しられ、淡いお付き合いを望まれていたものと拝察いたします。この女医さんご夫妻については、2008年11月24日付け「見舞う」、11月30日付け「祈る」に紹介されていて、私は「クルーズで邂逅した老夫妻とのわずか1年余という短い期間に起こったこの物語には宿縁的な感じがします」として、以下のような感想を書き送っています。

　昨年クルーズで知り合い、その後メールで付き合っていただけで、住所も知らなかったのに、ご主人が晩秋の高野山での大学院のスクーリングに参加される出発前に、体調を心配された奥様から、筆者宛てに万一の時には相談にのって下さいと、虫の知らせでもあったようなメールが届きました。万一のことはないだろうと思いながら、ご心配なくと返事を出した後、その万一が起こって、奥様から電話があり、筆者ご夫妻は行ったことのない方面に電車とバスを乗り継いで行かれました。その数日後にご主人は亡くなられました。このように時間的（邂逅から死にいたるまでの短い時間）にも空間的（堺と遠距離の埼玉に住んでいる人が、死の直前に堺に近い霊場高野山に出向かれた）にも最後の時に向かって何らかの力が作用していたように感じられます。

2. 日本語文章においての段落概念の欠如

　学士會会報の最新号に掲載された英文学者・外山滋比古氏の講演記録を、概略次のように紹介している。

　外山氏は「日本語にはパラグラフが存在しなかったため、『欧米の言語構造が、パラグラフ単位で意味を積み重ねている』ことを見落とし、これを軽視した。今もってわれわれが欧米文化の根本を理解しきれていないのは、ここに原因がある」と述べている。 私は、これに全く同感であり、先日この引用文を私の英訳とともにツイッターで述べた。氏はさらに、「知識と思考が一緒になって出来るエッセイ」が「将来の日本の言葉をリードしていく最も有望なジャンル」と述べている。
　外山氏が「日本語にはパラグラフが存在しなかった」といっているのは、古来、日本語で書かれた文にはパラグラフ（段落）ごとに意味をまとめて表現するという手法がとられて来なかったため、パラグラフを文の重要な構成要素とする欧米の言語に比べて、科学性、論理性、思考性において劣る、という意味である。
　英文に見られるパラグラフ構造において、パラグラフ自体が三部に分かれているという特徴がある。最初に抽象的な一般論があり、次に具体例が述べられ、最後に抽象的一般論に帰る、という形になっているのが典型的であるというのである。
　日本で随筆あるいはエッセイといえば、主に情緒的な作品を指すが、欧米でエッセイというのは、主に論文調のものである。外山氏がエッセイと呼んでいるのは、欧米式エッセイである。文末において、「日本語を他の国の言葉に負けない思考性と創造性を持った言葉にしたいと考えています」と述べている。

　筆者は最後に、「氏が「言葉」の語で表現しているのは、単語や文だけでなく文章構造も加えた文章作品である。したがって、ここに述べられているのは、思考的創造性において欧米に引けをとらない欧米式日本語エッセイの輩出が日本語の地位を高める、という考えといえよう」と、講演の要旨を敷衍しています。これを読み講演の論旨がよく分かりました。氏が優れたエッセイの例として挙げている「寺田寅彦」の随筆集を読み返し、氏のいう段落概念を把握し、国際的に認められている作家のエッセイを読み「有望なジャンル」との親近性を見てみようと思います。

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ４ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 4)

　堺市・鈴の宮団地の5階建住宅北側を通る道。2010年8月9日に撮影。

The road passing the northern side of the five-storied housing area of Suzunomiya Estate, Sakai. The photo was taken on August 9, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Blogs

[Retweet of scienceblogging's words] "Drumroll, please! Introducing: Scienceblogging.org" (http://bit.ly/cKbB5M). The organization has been built by mistersugar et al. (via sc_k). (Retweeted by chiamai)

About History

"World Timelines" (http://bit.ly/c2JgMq) – Being sponsored by the British Museum, this site shows timelines in six areas of the world and comparison between them (via Internet Scout). (Retweeted by chiamai)

About Language

"LanguageGuide.org: Vocabulary, grammar and readings" (http://bit.ly/bacWr6). – Interactive learning resources for 13 languages (via Internet Scout). (Retweeted by gtsouza and chiamai)

About Music

[From madgestar's words with additions] Turloch O'Carolans No.180, played by Sarah Deere-Jones (http://bit.ly/clShHM); and Pearl in the Egg medieval musicians playing Quinte Estampie Real on harp and recorder (http://bit.ly/dibgLm). – Good harp music. (The first link, retreated by chiamai)

About Physicists

科学遺産: 湯川研究室 (Scientific Heritage: Yukawa's Office), YouTube (http://bit.ly/dAA1GK). – Without narration; titles in Japanese (via @mmizo4).

理研紹介『科学の殿堂』(Introducing RIKEN "A Sanctuary of Science", 1942) YouTube (http://bit.ly/9NSYY3). – Yoshio Nishina, Sin'itiro Tomonaga and others appear (in Japanese) (via @mmizo4).

About Physics

"A better picture of molecules," Physical Review Focus (http://bit.ly/a8LVqF). – A hydrogen or deuterium molecule attached to the STM-probe tip improves imaging.

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ３ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 3)

　ここからは、大阪府と和歌山県を隔てる和泉山脈がかなりよく見える。左側の木々の向こうは、八田荘中学校の運動場。2010年8月9日に撮影。

At this point, we can see rather well Izumi Mountain Range, which separates Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures. On the left is the playing field of Hattashō Junior High School. The photo was taken on August 9, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Astronomy and Cosmology

"Cosmological constraints from strong gravitational lensing in clusters of galaxies," Science (http://bit.ly/91zSAK). – The error of the parameter related to dark energy has been reduced by about 30%. Popular accounts of this paper have appeared in mass media, for example: "A galactic magnifying glass shows the Universe will probably expand," BBC News (http://bbc.in/d2Eejc).

About Information Science

"Information theory: A signal take on speech," Nature (http://bit.ly/diZGX0). – The author Michael Lewicki first writes, "[C]onsonants are more informative [. . . ] You c·n ·nd·rst·nd t·xt q··t· w·ll w·th··t v·w·ls, [. . .]" However, he later explains that the measure called cochlear-scaled spectral entropy (CSE) shows vowels are more informative (higher CSE) on average than consonants. Where does this discrepancy come from?

About Physics

"Fractals boost superconductivity," physicsworld.com (http://bit.ly/9giwiT). – High-temperature superconductor seems to thrive on its fractal structure.

Quotations

"To the young of all lands Hollywood represents the last word in modernity, displaying both the pleasures of the rich and the methods to be adopted for acquiring riches." – Bertrand Russell, "In Praise of Idleness" (Routledge, London，2004; first published 1935 by George Allen & Unwin, London) p. 134.

"The idea that a special training may be necessary to understand, say, the theory of relativity, causes a sort of irritation, although nobody is irritated by the fact that a special training is necessary in order to be a first-rate football player." – Bertrand Russell, ibid. p. 136.

ウォーキング・コースの風景 ２ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 2)

　赤い屋根が木々の緑に映えて美しい。2010年8月9日、堺市・鈴の宮団地の脇で撮影。

The combination of the red roof and the green leaves of trees makes a beautiful scenery here. The photo was taken near the corner of Suzunomiya Development, Sakai, on Augusy 9, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Astronomy and Cosmology

"US survey sets cosmic priorities," Nature News (http://bit.ly/c7rnxP) – "Dark energy rises to the top in decadal report ranking future astronomy and astrophysics projects."

"Closing in on the inflation, mother of the universe," New Scientist (http://bit.ly/bdftzP) – The particle that fueled its inflation is running out of hiding places.

About Hobbies

[From chiamai] Inspired by your previous post, I think I should take a camera with me when I go walking, maybe I'll buy a very small one.

[In reply to chiamai] Thanks for your reply tweets [meaning the above tweet and those quoted below]. My computer was open these hours, but I have been looking at a photo all the while to color my drawing based on it.

About Physicists

[To chiamai] From the Wikipedia page of him (http://bit.ly/91gwN5), I learned that Cabibbo was senior to me by just a week. If I had majored in particle physics, he and I would perhaps have been good friends. In fact, you are my first Italian friend (and Italian daughter).

[From chiamai in reply to the above words] Thanks, I guess it will be easy for you to have more Italian friends, but a bit less easy to have Italian daughters [with the smiley ":)" here]. I met Cabibbo only twice shortly but had the impression that he was also a very good person. So I am sure that you would have been good friends with him.

ウォーキング・コースの風景１ (Scenery in the Courses of My Walking Exercise 1)

　写真は堺市・石津川と夏の空、2010年8月9日に撮影。中央遠くにわずかに見える山々は、大阪府と和歌山県を隔てる和泉山脈。

The photo, taken on August 9, 2010, shows Ishizu River in Sakai and the summer sky. The distant mountains seen a little at the center are part of Izumi Mountain Range, which separates Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)

About Blog Posts

[From chiamai, about my blog post "なぜセミの逃げ足が速くなったか (Why Cicadas Fly Away So Quickly These Days?)" (http://dlvr.it/3x5ZS)] The cicada in the picture of your blog post resembles the cloud of the previous post (http://dlvr.it/3tk4g) (or vice versa), only in a different position.

[In reply to chiamai] Yes, though the cicada made of clouds has a too long tail. In the photo of the day before yesterday (http://dlvr.it/3rYxY), you see the children who go to catch cicadas.

About Books

[Retweet of grahamfarmelo's words with an addition] BBC review of my Dirac biography "The Strangest Man" just out: http://bit.ly/clOttk – "This is a rich book . . ."

About Culture

[Retweet of NatGeoSociety's words with an addition] Ancient observatories make World Heritage (http://bit.ly/akpETV) – Jantar Mantar observatory, India, and Center of Heaven and Earth, China.

About Physicists

Nicola Cabibbo: 1935–2010, physicsworld.com (http://bit.ly/bhCJ6l) – "Cabibbo was a giant of contemporary particle physics," says Tim Gershon, a particle physicist at the University of Warwick in the UK. (Retweeted by chiamai)

[From chiamai] Thanks for your post on Prof. Cabibbo, I would have missed that article otherwise.

なぜセミの逃げ足が速くなったか (Why Cicadas Fly Away So Quickly These Days?)

　先般、近くの鈴の宮公園で見たアブラゼミが、みな逃げ足の速かったことを書いた（8月3日付け）。その後、その原因が分かったような気がした。カラスが盛んにセミを襲っているのを見たのである。

　写真は、さる8月16日、同じ公園でサクラの木の地面にごく近いところに止まっていたアブラゼミを撮ったもの。8月も半ばになると、当地ではクマゼミに劣らない数のアブラゼミを見受ける。

The other day, I wrote about the quick flying away of all the cicadas of species called large brown cicada I saw in Suzunomiya Park nearby (see the article of August 3). Thereafter, I found the possible reason of such behavior of them: I saw crows chasing cicadas near the top of trees.

The photo shows the cicada that rested near the ground of a cherry tree in the same park on August 16. In the mid-August, the number of large brown cicadas we see here becomes comparable to or larger than that of the cicadas of species Cryptotympana facialis.

From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, additions, etc.)

About Mathematics

"Step 1: Post elusive proof. Step 2: Watch fireworks," Debate over P vs NP proof highlights Web collaboration. NYTimes (http://nyti.ms/baP9mh).*

About Peace and Politics

"The A-bombed country's moral responsibility: To seek withdrawal from the 'nuclear umbrella'," Kenzaburo Oe, Asahi Shimbun, August 17.

『被爆国の道義的責任とは何か：「核の傘」離脱求めてこそ』大江健三郎、朝日新聞、8月17日付け見出し。本文は彼独特の回りくどい表現で記されており、ツイッターに引用すべき簡潔明瞭な文は見当たらない。

About Physicists

[Retweet of Italia_Notizie's words] "Morto fisico Nicola Cabibbo," Corriere della Sera "ROMA - E' morto questa sera a Roma il fisico Nicola Cabibbo (The physicist Nicola Cabibbo died this evening). . ." (http://bit.ly/dvtEvs).

[In reply to chiamai's words, "Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix http://bit.ly/9YqUv6"] Yes, I knew the name of Cabibbo by Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix. It's sad that the Nobel Prize committee failed to reward him.

[Retweet of PhysicsNews's words] Interview with Newton Medal winner Professor Edward Witten (http://goo.gl/fb/FTxgb). (Retweeted by fermin771009)

About Physics

[Retweet of jonmbutterworth's words with an addition] "Into the unknown," First LHC paper to probe beyond the Standard Model (http://bit.ly/9HJPLx) ". . . four pages of physics, 15 pages of authors and acknowledgments!" (Got words of thanks from jonmbutterworth for this retweet.)

Humor

[Joking reply to CatherineQ's joking words: What day is it? Where am I? Who am I?] It's today. You are there. You are you.

[From CatherineQ] That seems very simple – I think I can handle that.

____________________

* The following is a conversation about this piece of news at the Web site Facebook.

[Sarah Kavassalis's words citing "Morto il fisico Nicola Cabibbo" from Corriere della Sera] R.I.P. Nicola Cabibbo. He just received ICTP's Dirac Prize too . . .

[I wrote after clicking the "Like" button of Sarah's message:] To push "Like" button may be a strange action for the sad news, but I like that you cited the article of Corriere della Sera.

[Sarah's reply] Yeah, I understand. "Like" really doesn't seem like the most universal button they could have chosen.

この雲の形は… (The Clouds of the Form of …)

　写真下側手前の一団の雲は何かの昆虫の形に見えないだろうか。2010年8月9日、ウォーキング途中で撮影。

The group of clouds that lies lower in this photo shows a form like an insect, doesn't it? The photo was taken in the course of walking exercise on August 9, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Mathematics

[Retweet of newscientist's words wish an addition] "To infinity and beyond" (http://bit.ly/bJYER4). – To deny the existence of infinity or to resign ourselves to the idea that we are destined never to know certain things about numbers.

About Peace and Politics

[To chiamai] Thanks for your reply at my blog site (http://dlvr.it/3pLfQ). The situation in Italy seems to be similar to that in Japan. Let us spread the voice for peace!

About Physicists

[Retweet of grahamfarmelo's words with the addition of the year of interview] Videoed interview (2006) with theorist C. N. Yang, 88, married woman 54 years younger ('my last gift from God') (http://bit.ly/2l6i1q). (Retweeted by fermin771009)

[Retweet of madgestar's words] "We humans are capable of greatness," SagansCosmos – Carl Sagan reading from his book, "Pale Blue Dot" (http://bit.ly/cHV9rx).

About Science

[Retweet of madgestar's words with an addition] "An Edge Conference: The new science of morality" (http://bit.ly/9hmmge) – Videos of 9 scientists' talks and discussion are available.

昆虫取りの子ら (Children Catching Insects)

　数年前まで、わが家から100 m ほど南に田圃があった。その一部には、いま住宅が建ち、残りも最近、住宅会社に売られたという。写真で雑草の生えているところが、その最近売られた土地である。そこで昆虫を取って遊んでいる子どもたちの姿を見たので撮影した（2010年8月9日）。

There was a rice field about 100 meters south of our house until a few years ago. The owner of the field sold part of it to a housing company, and some houses stand there now. The remaining part of the field, seen in the photo as covered with weeds, was also sold recently. There, I saw children catching insects and took a picture (August 9, 2010).

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Life

[From chiamai in reply to my words of the previous day] Interesting. How do you study quantum field theory with your citizen group? Which textbooks do you use? Today, August 15, is a holiday here. People are used to go out for picnics or so, but it's raining!

[In reply to chiamai] We use an introductory text book "Field Theory" written in Japanese by Gyo Takeda. One or the other enthusiastic person in our circle, who read some pages of the book in advance, gives a lecture. Thanks a lot for your comment on my blog post (http://dlvr.it/3pLfQ). I will write my reply soon. What kind of holiday today there?

[From chiamai] August 15 is a Catholic holiday to celebrate the Assumption of St. Mary into heaven but is now mostly considered as a midsummer day off.

[To chiamai] Posted my reply to your comment at http://dlvr.it/3pLfQ, with a question about your country. A short reply suffices.

About Peace and Politics

Mr. Gates Makes a Start, Editorial, NYTimes (http://nyti.ms/c5URb3): Defense Secretary has sensibly pledged to restrain military spending.

About Science

"An easy way to boost a paper's citations," Nature News (http://bit.ly/cGFP3P) - "[... I]t could pay to include more references."

敗戦後６５年 (Sixty-fifth Anniversary of Japan's Defeat in World War II)

　日本が第2次世界大戦で負けてから、きょうで65年になる。敗戦のその日、私は大連の国民学校（小学校）の4年生だった。竹で鉄砲を作って遊んでいたが、日本が負けたと知ってやめた。間もなく大連へはソ連兵が進駐して来ると聞き、鉄砲を見つけられては大変と、急いで処分した。

　私は、戦勝国の人々によって、日本の国民はみな奴隷にさせられるのかと思い、生きている心地がしなかった。わが国の軍隊が侵略先で行なって来た残虐な行為からの連想であろう。約1年半後に引き揚げ船で内地へ帰ったときには、『借りぐらしのアリエッティ』一家の引越のように、手に持てるだけのものしか持ち帰れなかったが、故国の土を踏んでほっとした。

　いま、わが国は戦争放棄を明記した憲法9条を持っている。これを変えて、愚行を繰り返すようなことがあってはならない。［写真は、薄紫色の花のアサガオ。2010年8月2日、ある幼稚園前で撮影。］

Today, it is the 65th anniversary of Japan's defeat in the World War II. Sixty-five years ago, I was a 4th year pupil of a primary school in Dalian and was playing by making a gun with bamboo. Hearing that the soldiers of USSR would soon come to Dalian to occupy the city, I hastily destroyed the gun and threw it away.

Supposing that all the Japanese would be made slaves by the people of the winning country, I had almost lost the feeling of being alive. This might have been the effect of having heard the evil deeds of Japanese troops in the places they invaded. After about 6 months, we came back to Japan only with things we can have by hands like the house-moving of Borrower Arietty's family, but I felt relieved to be standing on the native land.

Now we have Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan that declared the renunciation of war. We should never change this to repeat the folly. [The photo shows the picot morning glory with an orchid-colored flower. It was taken in front of a kindergarten on August 2, 2010.]

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Life

[To chiamai] Hi, this is Bon days here to honor the deceased spirits of one's ancestors according to Japanese Buddhist custom. Many persons go to their home town. But we finished the event last month by the local custom of Kanazawa and stay here in the "evacuated" city.

[From chiamai] Interesting. We remember our deceased ancestors and relatives on November 2nd, bringing flowers (chrysanthemums) to the cemeteries. The 'evacuated' city must be fascinating in its own way!

[To chiamai] Tomorrow afternoon I go to Osaka Science Museum to study quantum field theory with citizens by almost vacant train and subway.

About Mathematics

[Retweet of newscientist's words with an addition] "Tide turns against million-dollar P ≠ NP maths proof" (http://bit.ly/dkFu42) – "The internet is making a huge difference to the way mathematicians operate."

About Physics

"Mining for missing matter," Science News (http://bit.ly/aLo2kO) – A popular review of dark matter search experiments.

Science & Technology Review (Lawrence Livermore Natational Laboratory, 2005) (http://bit.ly/bRPbyE) – Issues from May to September include Albert Einstein series (via Internet Scout).

About Science

"A visual history of science, from the pages of Scientific American" (http://bit.ly/bue98S) – With 40 slides including pictures of Marie Curie winning her 2nd Nobel Prize and Albert Einstein proving the principle of equivalence of energy and inertial mass.

アサガオ：白 (Picotee Morning Glory: White Flower)

　アサガオ（朝顔、牽牛花、蕣、ヒルガオ科）。2010年8月2日、ある幼稚園前で撮影。

Picotee morning glory, ivy morning glory or Japanese morning glory; botanical name, Ipomoea nil; family, Convolvulaceae. The photo was taken in front of a kindergarten on August 2, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Peace and Politics

2053 Suns, Blog, physicsworld.com (http://bit.ly/amx2VO) - "An average nuclear detonation once every 9.5 days, a harrowing statistic." With a video.

[Retweet of mdnjp's words by adding my comment] Kan's lame speech disappoints on 65th anniversary of atomic bombing of Hiroshima (http://bit.ly/94p3n4) - I agree.

About Society

[Retweet of asahicom's words with addition of English translation of part of them] I uploaded a YouTube video: １０万人いざ「踊る阿呆」の夏 徳島市の阿波踊り (http://youtu.be/2H69uyTNJQc?a) - Awaodori dancing in Tokushima, Shikoku, Japan.

M. C. さんとその家族 (Ms. M. C. and Her Family)

　M. C. さんは、いまは消えてしまった旧版 "Ted's Coffeehouse" のブログをおいていた SNS サイトで知り合った若い友人である。彼女はスウェーデン姓の本名で、しかもスウェーデン語でブログを書き始めたので、私は初めのうち、てっきり日本へ来たばかりのスウェーデンの方と思っていた。実際には、当時、スウェーデンの学者さんと結婚したばかりの日本生まれの方で、ブログをスウェーデン語の練習に使っていたのだった。昨年の夏、ご夫君が京大へ一年間の研究に来ることになり、一家で京都に滞在していた。

　昨秋、私の自費出版書を送りたいと思って、京都の住所をメールで問い合わせたところ、M さんのほうから、一度お茶でもご一緒に、との言葉を貰った。さる6月末に、それがようやく実現することになり、京大近くの喫茶店・進々堂で、ご夫君と3歳半の息子さんを含む C さん一家に初めてお目にかかった。M さんは、スウェーデンで小学校の先生になることを目指している意欲的な方、ご夫君は目下、日本における社会運動史の研究をしているという、日本語が流暢で優しい方、そして息子さんは元気で愛らしく、お会いしていて心の温まる一家だった。

　7月31日午前10 時に関西空港発の便でスウェーデンへ帰国するとのことだった。空港はわが家から近い（電車で30分）ことでもあり、見送りをしようと出かけたが、手違いで会えなかったのは残念だった。［写真は、空港を引きあげる際に寄ってジュースを飲んだ喫茶室のある空港ホテル・ビルの2階。］

Ms. M. C. is a young friend of mine whom I was acquainted with at an SNS Web site, where I had the previous version of the blog "Ted's Coffeehouse" (it is now lost by the accident of the provider). She started to write blog articles in Swedish by her real Swedish last name, so that I thought she was a Swedish who just came from Sweden. In fact, she was the Japanese-born lady who had just married to a Swedish scholar and was using the blog site to practice the Swedish language.

Last summer, M's husband came to Kyoto University for one-year research. Thus, she and her family were living in Kyoto. Last autumn, I wanted to send her a copy of my book and asked her their address in Kyoto by email. Then she wrote me that she wished to talk over tea someday. This came true at the end of June; M, her husband, their son (three and a half years old) and I met at the coffee house Shinshindō near Kyoto University. M is a mentally active lady, who wishes to become a primary school teacher in Sweden; her husband is an affectionate man, speaks Japanese fluently, and is studying the history of social movements in Japan; their son is lovely and cheerful; and the whole family gave me quite a pleasant impression.

I heard that they would fly back to Sweden at 10:00, July 31, from Kansai Airport. The airport is rather near my house (30 minutes by train). So, I went to see them off. However, something went wrong, and, regrettably, I could not meet them at the airport. [The photo shows the second floor of the airport-hotel building with a coffee shop, where I had a glass of juice before coming back home.]

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Japanese Language

[In reply to chiamai's message of the previous day: . . . I even had some session of shiatsu massage (in a 'westernized' version) . . .] It is interesting to hear that the Japanese word shiatsu is used also in Europe. It is written as 指圧 in Chinese characters. 指 means fingers; and 圧, pressure or to push.

リュウキュウアサガオ (Oceanblue Morning Glory)

　いままで、写真の花はセイヨウアサガオと思っていたが、リュウキュウアサガオ（琉球朝顔、ヒルガオ科）らしい。リュウキュウアサガオは、「オーシャンブルー」「宿根アサガオ」など多くの異なる名称で販売されているという。2010年7月28日、堺市・中の池公園で撮影。

Oceanblue morning glory, blue morning glory, koali awa or blue dawn flower; botanical name, Ipomoea indica (a genus); family, Convolvulaceae. The photo was taken at Nakanoike Park, Sakai, on July 28, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Arts

Watched an NHK TV program telling the inside story of the Japanese anime film "The Borrower Arrietty" last evening. The efforts of the new director Hiromasa Yonebayashi at Studio Ghibli were well depicted as well as Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki's patient observation of him.

About Mathematics

[Retweet of newscientist's words with an addition] "P ≠ NP: Has the biggest question in computer science been solved?" (http://bit.ly/bgtc6r) (via @physicsdavid) - Good explanation.

About Physics

"How to perform the perfect stone skim," Telegraph (http://bit.ly/cSwj97) - I read about a similar study before in the journal Nature: "Secrets of successful stone-skipping" (http://bit.ly/djkj9w).

Quote

[Retweet of sciencewisdom's words with an addition] I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. - A. Einstein #quote (http://iwise.com/ObAL3) - Me too.

シロタエヒマワリ (Silverleaf Sunflower)

　シロタエヒマワリ（白妙向日葵、キク科）。2010年7月28日、ウォーキング途中で撮影。

Silverleaf sunflower; botanical name, Helianthus argophyllus; family, Asteraceae. The photo was taken in the course of walking exercise on July 28, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Peace and Politics

Voices of the survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki (http://bit.ly/b1CLVl) - Listen to the hibakusha (A-bomb victims) (in English and Japanese).

About Physics

[Retweet of NJPhysics's words with an addition] Biological damage of tumour cells by laser-accelerated proton beams (http://bit.ly/bKJ1wK) - For future medical use of such beams.

カンナ (Canna)

　カンナ（カンナ科）。2010年7月28日、わが家の庭で撮影。

Canna or canna lily; botanical name, Canna (a genus); family, Cannaceae. The photo was taken at our yard on July 28, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Peace and Politics

[Retweet of grahamfarmelo's words with a comment] Press Censorship: How the Truth Was Hidden About Nagasaki 65 Years Ago (http://bit.ly/d3CyuD) - Read this on the A-bomb day of Nagasaki.

About Physics

[Retweet of PhysicsNews's words with an addition] "Rethinking Einstein: The end of space-time," New Scientist (http://bit.ly/bTGwhl) - Petr Horava, "We have found some new land. But we are very far from getting all the details right."

"Particle accelerators could work as power generators," Tech Rev arXiv blog (http://bit.ly/c0GpVG) - Robert Wilson's 1976 paper has now found its way onto the arXiv.

ワンコイン コンサート (One-Coin Concert)

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Arts

Went to a one-coin* concert held in memory of the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin's birth at Westy Hall, Sakai, together with my wife this afternoon.** Performers were Osamu Chopinsuki*** Ogata and his family who live near here.

* This means 500 yen.
** The image at the top shows the leaflet of this concert.
*** This means "I like Chopin."

　［午後、近くの西区役所にあるウエスティ・ホールで「ワンコイン（入場料500円という意味）コンサート：ショパン生誕200年を記念して」があり、妻と聞きに行った。昨年も同じ日に同様なコンサートを行なったオサム・ショパンスキ・オガタ氏一家の出演で、子ども連れの来聴者が多く、満員だった。］

About Peace and Politics

[In reply to fermin771009's words of the previous day] It's my pleasure that you liked Kenzaburo Oe's article (http://nyti.ms/dwoHts). (07:44:48)

About Physics

A funny typo: "Theoretical critical angels of ion channeling in carbon nanotubes", Nucl Instr Meth B (http://bit.ly/btSlc7).

チョウセンアサガオ (Angel's Trumpet)

　チョウセンアサガオ（朝鮮朝顔、ナス科）。2010年7月25日、ウォーキング途中で撮影。

Angel's trumpet, devil's trumpet, or metel; botanical name, Datura metel; family, Solanaceae. The photo was taken in the course of walking exercise on July 25, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Arts

"Matisse: Radical Invention 1913-17", The Art Institute of Chicago (http://bit.ly/dozIee, via Internet Scout) - The site shows processes of making his works with images and film. (via Internet Scout)

About Neuroscience

[Retweet of PLos's words with an addition] The left hand of Obama (http://tinyurl.com/obamalefthand) - Is there a correlation between handedness and good-gesture-lateralization?

About Peace and Politics

Kenzaburo Oe, "Hiroshima & the Art of Outrage", http://nyti.ms/dwoHts -Yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan just said what Oe was anxious about, i.e., about the former's wish to keep a nuclear umbrella. (Retweeted by fermin771009)

[From fermin771009 in reply to my tweet above] Great article by Kenzaburo Oe! Thanks for the link.

About Physics

[Retweet of sc_k's words with a comment] What a ridiculous story! Poor Sean … @seanmcarroll "My diva moment: a cautionary tale" (http://is.gd/e6C7B) - A bad TV producer!

"Metamaterials [might] probe changes in spacetime structure," Phys Rev Focus (http://bit.ly/blvJDf).

モミジアオイ (Brilliant Hibiscus)

　モミジアオイ（紅葉葵、アオイ科）、別名は紅蜀葵（こうしょっき）。2010年7月25日、わが家の庭で撮影。

Brilliant hibiscus, scarlet hibiscus or scarlet rose mallow; botanical name, Hibiscus coccineus; family, Malvaceae. The photo was taken at our yard on July 25, 2010.

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Books

"Between the lines: Da Vinci, quantum mechanics and theories in half a minute – the rest of the best of this month's books," physicsworld (http://bit.ly/bZ8pBI)

About Peace and Politics

"Odd Couple: Frank & Paul target military spending," NPR (http://n.pr/dhrgkM) - Frank, "We don't need 15,000 marines in Okinawa." (via ANPO on Facebook).

To kannaotobot: 『「核抑止力は引き続き必要」菅首相、平和祈念式後に』 asahi.com (http://bit.ly/bglEyv) - 菅さん、あなたはそれでも核被爆国の首相ですか。

About Physics

"Damage limitation: John Gordon explains why this 'particle therapy' deserves to be a mainstream healthcare option." physicsworld (http://bit.ly/aafjrT).

"Physicists use offshoot of string theory to describe puzzling behavior of superconductors" (http://bit.ly/dl5ire, retweet of physorg_com's words).

"Pushing the boundaries of the isotope frontier: Discovery of 45 rare neutron-rich isotopes provides clues to the stellar formation of heavy elements." Riken Research (http://bit.ly/aFyXoJ).

網戸のセミ (The Cicada on the Window Screen)

　二階にある寝室の網戸にクマゼミがとまっていたのを、内側から撮影した（2010年7月19日)。

I found a cicada (Cryptotympana facialis) on one of window screens of our bedroom on the second floor and took a shot of it from inside the room (July 16, 2010).

From tweets of yesterday (rephrased)

About Arts

Went to see the Japanese anime film "Karigurashi no Arietti (The Borrower Arrietty)" (http://bit.ly/duSPPh): Its story as well as its pictures was heartwarming.

About Arts-Science Interaction

"Behind the Mona Lisa's smile," Nature, books and arts page: "X-ray scans reveal Leonardo's remarkable control of glaze thickness, explains Philip Ball" (http://bit.ly/9S6eoO).

About Physics

"The long story of how the boson got only Higgs's name," Nature, correspondence page: Higgs himself suggested "ABEGHHK'tH mechanism" (http://bit.ly/czNzVb).

"Physicists get political over Higgs," Nature News: "A storm is brewing round the scientists in line to win the Nobel prize for predicting the elusive particle" (http://ff.im/-oHE4P, retweet of NatureNews's words).

サルビア (Scarlet Sage)

　サルビア・スプレンデンス（シソ科）。2010年7月16日、ウォーキング途中で撮影。

Scarlet sage or tropical sage; botanical name, Salvia splendens; family, Lamiaceae. The photo was taken in the course of walking exercise on July 16, 2010.

ヒマワリ (Sunflower)

　ヒマワリ（向日葵、キク科）。2010年7月16日、ウォーキング途中で撮影。

Sunflower; botanical name, Helianthus annuus; family, Asteraceae. The photo was taken in the course of walking exercise on July 16, 2010.

アブラゼミ (Large Brown Cicada)

アブラゼミ（油蟬、鳴蜩、セミ科）。
Large brown cicada; zoological name, Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata; family, Cicadidae.

　ここ大阪・堺市では、7月中頃からまずクマゼミが鳴き出す。8月に入るとアブラゼミの姿も見受けるが、その声はクマゼミほど騒がしくなく、注意しないと存在が分からないほどである。昨日、そろそろ鈴の宮公園にアブラゼミが見られる頃だと思って出かけた。始めに見つけた2匹は、カメラを構える間に逃げてしまった。3匹目にようやく撮影出来たが、間もなく飛び去った。多く見られるクマゼミはみな、泰然自若として動かない。

Here in Sakai, Osaka, we begin to hear the voices of Cryptotympana facialis (a species of cicada called kumazemi in Japanese) in the middle of July. In early August, we begin to see the other species of cicada called large brown cicada (aburazemi). However, their voices are relatively soft so that we do not notice their appearance unless careful. Yesterday, I went to Suzunomiya Park to find the latter kind. Two of them escaped while I was taking out a camera. Finally, I was able to take a shot of the third one, but it soon flew off. We see the cicadas of the former kind still a lot, and they do not move as if not noticing the approach of a human.

赤花のサルスベリ (Crape-myrtle with Carmine Flowers)

　サルスベリ（百日紅、ミソハギ科）。2010年7月31日、堺市・鳳公園で撮影。

Crape myrtle, or crepe myrtle; botanical name, Lagerstroemia indica; family, Lythraceae. The photo was taken at Ōtori Park, Sakai, on July 31, 2010.

白花のサルスベリ (Crape-myrtle with White Flowers)

　サルスベリ（百日紅、ミソハギ科）。2010年7月31日、堺市・鳳公園で撮影。

Crape myrtle, or crepe myrtle; botanical name, Lagerstroemia indica; family, Lythraceae. The photo was taken at Ōtori Park, Sakai, on July 31, 2010.