Saturday, February 24, 2007

Pacific Coast Near Tokyo (Memory of Summer)


"UNTIL THE POWER FROM ABOVE COMES DOWN UPON YOU"

"The Sky Is Falling"

"The Sky Is Falling"


I read "The Sky Is Falling" by Sidney Sheldon, following divine guidance, whether you believe or not.

Besides helter-skelter of the story, there are two noteworthy points.

American readers apparently love to find evil in prominent figures such as a senator, an ambassador, or super-rich people.

American readers apparently love to see and discover goodness in a female professional such as a master of TV ceremonies or a model (maybe as a reaction to various troubled ladies recently focused on in a US TV interview show).

Anyway it was a moral play, after all.

The wife of Sidney Sheldon reportedly said to her husband that he was a genius.

Any writer would be happy to here such admiration even from his own wife.
* * *

Another underlying point of the story is Russia.

In the story, Russians were secretly selling dangerous weapons, including Plutonium.

But, it was written before the War on Terror and the sharp increase in oil prices.

Taking into consideration various bloody incidents concerning Russian politics and economy, the story might be hitting a point.

According to certain statistics:
No. ...... Country ...... Oil Reserves Share in the World
1 .......... Saudi Arabia ..........22.9%
2 .......... Russia ....................14.0%
3 .......... Iraq .........................8.2%
4 .......... Iran .........................8.2%
5 ...United Arab Emirates .......6.0%
6 .......... Kuwait .................... 5.7%
7 .......... USA ........................ 3.3%

Islamic countries are important for coming decades when oil reserves will be more valuable.

But, we have also Russia as a key country in this context.

The story reminded me of this concern.
* * *

If the sky is falling, it will not harm you so long as you have faith.

People love goodness.

We have still oil reserves.

You had better believe in God.



"'BUT I AM ONE BY BIRTH,' PAUL ANSWERED"

Friday, February 23, 2007

Mt. Fuji (3776m Live Volcano, 100km Westward from Tokyo)


Why "Paulus?"

Why "Paulus?"


Around 36 A.D., when Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ from the spiritual world talked to him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Saul later changed his name to Paulus (meaning "small" in Latin), the origin of names of many contemporary Pauls and Paulas, and set the foundation of the most powerful religion Christianity.
* * *

But why was he chosen by Jesus Christ?

It is because he was the most ascetic man in the era when the glory of Alexander the Great had gone and the Roman Empire reached a dangerous level of arrogance with its first Emperor established, which foretold coming destruction of glorious independence of the race and religion of Israelites.

To conquer the Roman Empire, where public morals were corrupted enough and going to be more corrupted, He had to choose the most ascetic person.

On this line in its core principles, Christianity had developed into Europe and later America, influences of which still remain in hearts of some pious Europeans and Americans.

But, 2000 years later, the public morals of Europe and America seem to be at risk, due to commercialism and addiction to money, in the stark contrast to, perhaps, Islam.
* * *

Followers of Jesus Christ conquered the Roman Empire that was an extension of the Greek Civilization in terms of ethics.

They succeeded in it by being more ascetic than Roman pagan citizens.

For this mission to be successful, Jesus Christ first needed "Paulus," the most ascetic man in the era.

Today, are those leaders of groups fighting the American/European Civilization and Israelites more ascetic than Americans and Europeans as well as Israelites?
* * *

The message of 9/11 Terror seems to contain this issue: "Practice abstinence to be saved and to be safe."

But, the US economy depends on consumer power. Abstinence leads to decline in economy. Nonetheless, for the U.S. as a whole to secure complete security, it must probably practice abstinence.
* * *

Will Jesus Christ call another Saul in the 21st century?
If so, even Vatican will be altered.

Or will 1.57 billion Muslims in the world who look more abstinent than Christians become more democratic and equal than Americans or Europeans?

If so, no super-rich royal families in the Islamic world will survive.

The situation today is at such a historic depth as, if another Saul is called, I do not wonder (who might emerge from a most unlikely tribe).

(Jesus: Abbreviation of Joshua from the Hebrew name Jehoshua meaning 'Jehovah is salvation'.
http://www.mybirthcare.com/favorites/pg16/Latin-names.asp)


"TO LIVE IN HUMBLE FELLOWSHIP WITH OUR GOD"

Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Flower (Hana)


"YOUR PRESENCE WILL FILL ME WITH JOY"

A Hypothesis on the Birth of Jesus Christ

A Hypothesis on the Birth of Jesus Christ


According to a recent astronomical study, a great eclipse of Jupiter by the new moon or the crescent occurred, in a manner that captured great attention of then astrologers, that is, on the horizon, on March 20 and April 17, 6 B.C.

(In 6 B.C., a Roman Governor in Syria is said to have held a census count.)

There is also a description that the parents of Child Jesus traveled due to a census count, and gave His birth in a not so cold environment.

Therefore, Jesus Christ might have been born in April 17, 6 B.C.
* * *

The Roman Emperor Octavius (Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus) held a census count three times during his reign, which is believed to have been also carried out in Judea:
1) 28 B.C.
2) 8 A.D.
3) 14 A.D.

There is an interesting description in the Bible that the family of Child Jesus left for Egypt to avoid calamity King Herod had inflicted.

Even before Cleopatra committed a suicide in 30 B.C., there were many Israelites making business in Alexandria, the then capital of Egypt, along with Greeks. Also, King Herod must have his subjects stationed in Alexandria to watch moves of Cleopatra and Antonius. But, those Israelites must have returned home in 28 B.C. due to the census count conducted under the name of the Roman Emperor.

My assumption is that the future parents of Holy Mother returned from Alexandria to Judea in 28 B.C.; then Holy Mother was born in Jerusalem in a respectable family.

And, 22 years later, Jesus Christ was born; but the family left for Alexandria for the above described reason, following the old family tradition, as described in the Bible.

They might have returned to Jerusalem when Jesus Christ became 12 years old, two years prior to the next census. And, Child Jesus dropped by the Temple in Jerusalem as recorded in the Bible. Then, the family moved to Nazareth for a certain reason.

When the third census was held by Roman Emperor Octavius, Jesus Christ became 20 years old; He could travel to anywhere in order to avoid the census, this time alone.

In this way, we do not have much information about His family and Himself in those early days.
* * *

If Jesus Christ had not been engaged with that era, something very negative and decisive should have happened to Israelites and the Roman Empire, a cradle of the contemporary American/European Civilization. That is why He was born at the time when especially ethics were truly going to deteriorate even through acts of Roman Emperors.

(There must be a reason for the timing of your birth, too, just like mine.)



"GET UP, PICK UP YOUR MAT, AND WALK"

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Cherry Blossoms: Sakura (The National Flower of Japan)


Last Night in the News

Last Night in the News


Last night, a Japanese news program focused on Mr. Barack Obama.

A host of the program said that there were already some US movies featuring an African American US President. "As a movie is said to show a future course of the society, the U.S. may have an African American President some time soon."

The program showed a welcome Mr. Obama had received in Kenya and Chicago as well as pictures of his European American mother.

However, they seemed to be more anxious that the US Vice-President now visiting Japan might not be so nice to Japan, as the Japanese Prime Minister recently saw a movie, related to environment, involving Mr. Al Gore, and the Japanese Defense Minister had said something against the US War in Iraq.

One big issue, however, in the last-night news show in Japan is a Japanese whale hunting boat for scientific research under attacks by ships being operated by an international anti-whaling group and an environment protection group.

Members of the group threw flares into the Japanese whale hunting boat for scientific research in the Antarctic Ocean. And, though causal association is not clear, the Japanese ship was later damaged by mysterious fire.
* * *

We hope that a future US President will have a deep insight in environment, security, and the Japanese whaling culture.

I think Japanese news programs will welcome such a new US President unconditionally.

(For the Presidential-race racial issue, it reminded me of "Ebony And Ivory" by Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder. A piano needs at least black keys and white keys, though they can be more colorful.
Do you also play the piano?)


"THE MIRACLE OF JONAH"

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Ume (Japanese Apricot)


"The Price of Loyalty"

"The Price of Loyalty"


Mr. Paul O'Neill was in Japan when the 9/11 Terror occurred in the US East Coast in 2001. He watched the news program in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Then, from the US Air Force base at Yokota, then US Secretary of Treasure flew back to the U.S. on a military plane.

"The Price of Loyalty" by Ron Suskind is one of the very absorbing reports on the US politics and its characteristics.
* * *

I also watched the news on TV in the night of September 11, 2001.

First, on switching a channel, they said that there was a fire in Washington D.C., and I saw a somber concrete building in fire. "Is a fire rare in Washington D.C.?" Then a TV announcer said that there was another fire disaster, too, in New York. "Rare coincidence?" And then, they presented a World Trade Center tower belching out black smoke from the upper middle of its structure. "Attacks!"

It was around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. here in Japan; though I was busy at the time and could not stop my work, I continued monitoring the TV screen which also presented the unforgiven collapse of the two towers.
* * *

The leaders of Al Qaeda did not reportedly expect collapse of the entire WTC towers. They only expected the collapse of the upper part of the building. Just two commercial jet planes cannot destroy the New York City or the US economy.

The large-scale attacks to the Pentagon and other core facilities of US Government in the capital, however, are an act of war, especially when combined together with the NY attacks.
* * *

Subsequently, if the U.S. had completely destroyed the terror group and arrested main culprits or enemies in Afghanistan, and deftly driven out leaders of a longstanding hostile country in the Middle East to eradicate a potential danger of another attack on the US homeland, things today might have been very different.

It seems that the true motivation and intention of the US President on his order to attack Iraq, whether consciously or not, has not been fully understood or revealed. His honest view and assessment on the terrorists in Afghanistan, whether consciously or not, have not been clearly understood by, or presented to, the world citizens, either.

And, whenever I hear the number of casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, I have come to think that they are people, without doubt, living on September 11, 2001, just like me.
* * *

Hence, the Great Tsunami Disaster, in a magnitude observed once a century, hit the largest Islamic country Indonesia in late 2004, killing more than 150,000 people; and Pope John Paul II died in 2005.

The age seemed to be getting into the worldwide and historical stage, not only as an episode of the U.S. and its young history.
* * *

I do not know how I was tested on September 11, 2001.

But, you may see it, though I cannot present any absorbing report like "The Price of Loyalty."



"THE LORD'S SERVICE WITHOUT ANY RESERVATION"

A Village Still in Winter


"PREACH BEYOND YOUR COUNTRY"

Monday, February 19, 2007

NYSE Wealth since 1995

NYSE Wealth since 1995


It has passed several years since the New York Stock Exchange price index reached the 10,000 dollar level.

When it hit the level, then FRB Chairman under the Bill Clinton Administration reportedly thought that it should have been 7,000 dollars or so.

He checked the background with focus on increase in productivity.

It is apparent that since 1995, when Windows 95 was released with advanced Internet functions and Intel CPUs got into a continuous power-up trend, US citizens have been driven into multiplying their productivity in any activities where a PC and communications can prove their power to the full extent as convenient and effective business tools. These conditions have really allowed for launching new business and cultivating new market in the US society, leading to the boost of the NYSE index and an overwhelming sense of success among US citizens with money enough for equity investment.

I thought at that time, when Japan was said to have lost in the Japan-US Monetary War in 1990's, that the Dow Jones industrial avergae at that level was a kind of upper limits but it would stay there due to advanced financial technology of the US financial sector.
(NYSE index: 5,000 in November 1995; 8,000 in July 1997; and 10,000 in March 1999)

With that high level of stock prices, you can be given larger credit when borrowing money.

Even if the stock price level falls like in the case in September 2001, you do not necessarily have to return money immediately. There is a "time lag" in which you could purchase stocks at a lower price, which would collectively result in generating an upper momentum of the stock market again. After all, your financial credibility crisis could be avoided.

If this cycle is repeated, the NY SE index would keep, in average over time, that higher level above 10,000 dollars.

But, everything changes; the momentum of keeping the cycle might be weakened. Costly wars on terror might trigger it. Mexican workers who only send their earnings back home might have an influence on a general cash flow. New energy technology might change a view of the world economy.
* * *

You cannot serve both God and Mammon. The super-rich cannot be super-pious. (Vatican should be a Palace of the Poor.)

Anyway, it is better being loved than being rich.



"ARE YOU JEALOUS BECAUSE I AM GENEROUS?"

Sunday, February 18, 2007

"Nobody Blames You"

"Nobody Blames You"


When Jesus Christ sat between outraged people and a woman about to be executed, He was writing or drawing something on the ground.

(This is the only description on his writing or drawing in the Bible.)

Then, the outraged people admonished by Jesus Christ left the place one after another.

Was He, however, just drawing a circle on the ground?

I suppose He was writing names of women.

Outraged people, while being admonished by Him, reading the names of women written on the ground, clearly understood the meaning, since they were familiar names to them.

My assumption is that Jesus Christ first wrote the name "Cleopatra" every Israelite knew well, so as to hold the stage in the situation; it was two generations after her death in her war against the Roman Empire (just like today to WWII).
* * *

We had rain today.

I just checked "SUN TZU" (a book of ancient China on the art of war), not for any specific purposes.



"AT THAT VERY MOMENT, THE WOMAN BECAME WELL"

A Drill


"LAMBS AMONG WOLVES"