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Mar 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
Mar 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
"Who then can be saved?"
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Mar 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
Mar 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Friday, October 25, 2013
"go through the eye of a needle" - Other Piece of Evidence on Senkakus
Other Piece of Evidence on Senkakus
In 1616 when the Tokugawa samurai regime of Japan was not yet to close the country, the samurai leaders in Edo (presently Tokyo) decided to check if they could take any part of Taiwan. Receiving an order, samurai governor Murayama, stationed in Nagasaki, sailed out, leading 13 ships where 4000 samurai soldiers were on board.
However a typhoon attacked the fleet to disperse them. Only three ships reached Taiwan but samurai troops faced strong resistance by Taiwan natives. Samurais eventually retreated from Taiwan.
On the other hand, other seven ships of this fleet arrived at Fujian Province, a region on the Chinese continent facing Taiwan over the East China Sea. However as a few decades before the then samurai king of Japan Hideyoshi made a war against the Ming dynasty (the Chinese empire at the time) twice mainly on the Korean Peninsula, Ming fleets commanded by Chin Yo Yu (in Japanese, 沈有容) did not welcome the Japanese ships but fought them. One Japanese ship was sunken.
But during this naval battle, other Japanese ship got to a Chinese island 40 km off the Chinese continent, which was called To-waku Island (in Japanese, 東湧島). Then the Ming military sent a reconnaissance officer in the disguise of a fisherman. So, Chinese officer To Haku Ki (in Japanese, 董伯起) was arrested by samurais to be brought to Japan. However governor in Nagasaki Murayama decided to send back To Haku Ki to China in order to establish trading relations with Ming. Governor Murayama appointed a samurai named Doyu Aakashi to the commander for this mission.
The commander Akashi reached the Huangqi Peninsula of Fujian Province where he delivered To Haku Ki to the Ming authorities. Then Ming naval general Chin Yo Yu and vice governor of the sea region of the Ming government Kan Chu Yo (in Japanese, 韓仲雍) interrogated Aakashi and other samurais. On this occasion, those high-ranking Ming officers made clear to the Japanese samurais the extent of the sea territory of the Ming dynasty from the Chinese continent into the East China Sea. It was recorded in Ming Jitsu Roku (in Japanese, 明実録), the Authentic Record of the Ming Dynasty.
Ming Jitsu Roku (in Japanese, 明実録), the Authentic Record of the Ming Dynasty
Specifically, contents of this interrogation and discussions can be found in Vol. 560 of Shin-syu-ken-kotei-jitsuroku (in Japanese, 神宗顕皇帝実録) or the Authentic Record of the Holy, Manifest Emperor, the Authentic Record of the Ming Dynasty.
In it the Chinese officials said, "The territory of Fujian is surrounded by the Tai-san (in Japanese, 台山) islands, the Sou-san (in Japanese, 礵山) islands, To-waku Island (in Japanese, 東湧島) which is currently To-in Island (in Japanese, 東引島), U-ki Island (in Japanese, 烏坵嶼), and the Penghu qundao islands of Taiwan."
The original Chinese sentence is: 迤南而為臺山、為礵山、為東湧、為烏坵、為彭湖，皆我閩門庭之內，豈容汝涉一跡，此外溟渤，華夷所共
These islands were all situated close the Chinese continent except the Penghu qundao islands of Taiwan. The most distant islands were To-waku Island (in Japanese, 東湧島) which is currently To-in Island (in Japanese, 東引島), 40 km from the Fujian land. Accordingly it is apparent that the Ming Dynasty did not think that the Senkaku Islands 330 km east of the Chinese continent belonged to China.
From Chinese Continent to To-waku Island (東湧島) and Uotsuri-jima (魚釣島) of the Senkaku Islands
So, the current claim by China that the Senkaku Islands were subject to China from the era of the Ming Dynasty 600 years ago is groundless.
Officials of the Ming government, in the early 17th century, clearly stated to Japanese samurai officers that Chinese power did not cover the sea out of 40-km zones from the Chinese continent while Uotsuri-jima, Taisho-to, and other islands of the Senkaku Islands are situated more than 330 km far from the continent.
This description in the authentic old Chinese history book was recently found by Professor Ishii of Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University. So, we have obtained other piece of evidence for the Japanese assertion that the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan, since Okinawa people have sailed around the islands for 2000 years.
Also refer to the other posting related to the Senkaku Islands:
http://eereporter.blogspot.jp/2010/10/yesterday-two-miracles-however-you.html
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Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
"for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God" - JFK, MLK, and RFK
JFK, MLK, and RFK
I have been thinking about the JFK Assassination like so many people concerned with mysteries.
And recently I came to believe that M.L. King was assassinated as a kind of camouflage for the RFK Assassination.
If there had been no assassination of M. L. King, peoples in the world would have only seen a series of assassination of J.F. Kennedy and R.F. Kennedy. Especially American citizens would have been critically alerted and angry. "Why should only Kennedys be assassinated," they would think.
So, without the M.L. King assassination, there should have arisen a strong demand in the American public to review the JFK Assassination in the wake of the RFK Assassination. It was not desirable for those guys involved in the JFK Assassination. They had to dilute the impact of the planned assassination of another Kennedy. So, they decided to kill M.L. King. Then a shock from expected death of Robert Kennedy in another assassination incident would have become vague to any extent.
The JFK and RFK Assassinations only should have been very shocking and alarming, but the JFK, M.L. King, and RFK Assassinations would have made the matter a little complicated and diversified. American people would have not demanded a through review on the JFK Assassination which occurred just five years before the planned attack on RFK in 1968.
Chapter 6
The Assassinations of Robert Kennedy
and Dr. Martin Luther King
and Lyndon B. Johnson's Withdrawal in 1968
The Power Control Group faced several dangers in 1968. While President Johnson had cooperated fully with their desires in Viet Nam and in other parts of the world, he had not met their requirements in other areas. He had gone too far in appeasing the blacks and had shown some signs of giving in to the young people in America in early 1968. Through threats to expose his role in covering up the truth about the JFK assassination or personal threats to the safety of his family, the Group forced his withdrawal from the 1968 election race. Their plan now was to install Richard Nixon as president at all costs.
Robert Kennedy and Dr. King posed real threats to this plan. Dr. King was beginning a movement in the direction of a coalition with Malcom X followers and other black militant groups. He was speaking out against the Viet Nam war. His influence might help defeat Nixon at the polls. So the Power Control Group created an environment in which he could be assassinated by his arch enemies.
The FBI and J. Edgar Hoover had become a vital part of the Power Control Group by 1968. Hoover had no love for King and was harrassing him in several ways. The Power Control Group undoubtedly let Hoover know that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have King out of the way before the election campaigns really warmed up. They also passed the word along to some of the groups who were out to murder King that the crime would probably not be stopped. Fletcher Prouty has described this approach in some detail.[1] The net result of these actions was the assassination of Dr. King by a group of wealthy white bigots who employed two of the intelligence community's own expert assassins. One of these men, Frenchy, had fired shots at JFK. The other, Jack Youngblood, was a soldier of fortune and CIA contract killer. They recruited James Earl Ray and set him up as a patsy.The daughter of John F Kennedy is assigned to the Ambassador to Tokyo. However it is unknow if Caroline Bouvier Kennedy would be happy to think that bad guys involved M.L. King only for obscuring the shock the possible direct series of assassinations of her father and uncle only might have generated.
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/ToA/ToAchp6.html
The MLK and RFK Assassinations were rather viewed in Japan as part of the global turmoil of the era centering round the anti-Vietnam movement and liberal student violent movements. And the essentially horrible incidents were obscured by the American great success of the Apollo program to send men to the moon in 1969.
But some people must have recalled all these Assassinations along with the shocking news of the Watergate scandal involving President Nixon, which was first reported in 1972.
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Mar 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
"the eyes which see the things that ye see" - B29 Superfortress
B29 Superfortress
During WWII, Tokyo suffered air raids by US bombers 106 times since November 1944. Especially the capital of the Empire of Japan was made a big air raid on on March 10, April 13, April 15, May 24, May 24, and May 25 to 26, 1945.
However, the so-called Tokyo Great Air Raid usually means the air tack carried out on May 10, 1945 when 100,000 Tokyo citizens were killed due to bombings and fires caused by incendiary bombs total 279 B29s dropped on down-towns of Tokyo. This air raid injured 400,000 citizens and forced one million people to be evacuated. Total 270,000 buildings and houses were burnt and lost.
This Tokyo Great Air Raid started at 0:07 a.m. and ended at 2:37 a.m. B29s flew low 2000 meters or lower above the ground as new tactics, since high-altitude bombings had not resulted in big achievement, though the B29 was most strongly featured by its ability to fly 10,000 meters high.
The leading player of these bombings was the B29 bomber. It was a warplane more advanced by one generation than other fighters and bombers having been used by nations at war in those years.
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States toward the end of World War II and during the Korean War. It was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II and a very advanced bomber for its time, with features such as a pressurized cabin, an electronic fire-control system, and remote-controlled machine-gun turrets. The name "Superfortress" was derived from that of its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Although designed as a high-altitude strategic bomber, and initially used in this role against the Empire of Japan, these attacks proved to be disappointing; as a result the B-29 became the primary aircraft used in the American firebombing campaign, and was used extensively in low-altitude night-time incendiary bombing missions. One of the B-29's final roles during World War II was carrying out the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
General characteristics of the B29
Crew: 11
Length: 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m)
Wingspan: 141 ft 3 in (43.06 m)
Empty weight: 74,500 lb (33,800 kg)
Loaded weight: 120,000 lb (54,000 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 357 mph (310 knots, 574 km/h)
Cruise speed: 220 mph (190 knots, 350 km/h)
Stall speed: 105 mph (91 knots, 170 km/h)
Combat range: 3,250 mi (2,820 nmi, 5,230 km)
ArmamentThe US manufactured about 3,900 B29 bombers during WWII almost all of which were assigned to the war against the Empire of Japan. But more than 1,500 B29s were damaged in the air of Japan due to Japanese antiaircraft artillery and interceptors. Specifically more than 700 B29s were shot down during their action for bombing Japanese cities.
Guns:
10× .50 caliber (12.7mm) Browning M2/ANs in remote-controlled turrets.[60]
2× .50 BMG in and 1× 20 mm M2 cannon in tail position (the cannon was later removed)[N 11]
Bombs: 20,000 lb (9,000 kg) standard loadout.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress
But what is more impressive might be following facts:
1. The US Government spent total $30 billion for development and production of about 3,900 B29 bombers during WWII. On the other hand, they allocated $20 billion for their development of atomic (nuclear) bombs which were actually used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
(For reference, GDP of the Empire of the Empire of Japan in 1941 was $200 billion while the US GDP was $1100 billion.)
2. The US military studied in earnest features of Japanese houses and towns. They actually built a mocked Japanese town in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. An American architect who had lived in Japan for 18 years before WWII was in charge of this simulation project. In fact, they built perfect Japanese residential houses to find the best way to destroy them. The answer is thorough use of firebombs.
3. General LeMay was the commander who introduced a change of role of B29s from high-altitude day bomber to low-altitude night bomber. In Japan some Japanese hate the name LeMay, since he looked most responsible for the deaths of 100,000 Tokyo citizens on March 10, 1945. But his boss general Henry Arnold was more responsible. General Arnold had been preparing for Tokyo raids for three years before the actual bombings on Tokyo started. He decided to use a new type of incendiary bomb, later called a napalm bomb, for Japanese cities on his own authority. Arnold wanted to build the US Air Force by expanding air fleets of US Army. To achieve this goal, he needed big contribution from air fleets and B29s to the coming victory over the Empire of Japan. So, he appointed LeMay suitable for cruel tasks as the commander of air raids on Japan.
4. General LeMay and his staff first targeted six big cities of Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Yokohama, and Kobe (however Kyoto was dropped from the targets due to objections from Secretary of War Henry Stimson). After having bombed enough these big cities, they selected 180 medium or small cities based on national census data of the Empire of Japan. But the war finally ended when B29s bombed the 57th medium city of Japan. The last city actually attacked in this scheme was Toyama City on the Sea of Japan. Even on August 15 when the Emperor announced surrender of Imperial Army and Navy by radio to the Japanese people, B29s bombed Kumagaya City and Isezaki City, north of Tokyo. Anyway the post-war economic recovery of Japan was partially made possible because most of small and medium cities could get rid of exhaustive bombings by B29s.
http://kissyarita.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-109.html
In addition, the Imperial Navy produced about 10,000 Zero fighters during WWII, though other types of warplanes were developed toward the end of the war to cope with the high-power B29s. Zero fighters were exhaustively used for kamikaze (suicidal attack) missions. But at the end of the war only 1,000 Zeros remained most of which were however set apart for expected battles on mainland Japan rather than being used for interception of B29s on the air over Japanese cities.
Incidentally, that famous Iwojima Island was important for B29 missions to bomb Japan as they needed an airfield for emergency escape in this island when returning to their main air bases in Mariana Islands.
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Luk 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
"he that endureth to the end shall be saved" - Who Killed Mongolian Buddhists
Who Killed Mongolian Buddhists
In 1939, immediately before the start of WWII, a big battle was fought by the Imperial Army of Japan and Soviet Union troops at the border between Manchukuo, a puppet nation of the Empire of Japan, and Mongolian People's Republic, a satellite nation of the USSR.
The Battles of Khalkhyn Gol constituted the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield. In Japan, the decisive battle of the conflict is known as the Nomonhan Incident (Nomonhan jiken) after a nearby village on the border between Mongolia and Manchuria. The battles resulted in total defeat for the Japanese Sixth Army.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Khalkhin_Gol
Documents obtained from the former Soviet Union authorities after the fall of the communist empire in 1991 show, however, that it was not one-sided defeat on the Japanese side.
Forces on the Japanese Side:
Troops: 24,000
Artillery: 120
Tanks: 100
The Loss on the Japanese Side:
Death in action: 8,440
Injured in action: 8,864
Tanks: 30
Warplanes: 180
Forces on the Soviet Side:
Troops: 52,000
Artillery: 570
Tanks: 800
The Loss on the Soviet Union Side:
Death in action: 9,700
Injured in action: 16,000
Tanks: 400
Warplanes: 360
The staff headquarters of the Imperial Army in Tokyo judged that the USSR could not mobilize big troops to the expected battle ground around the river Khalkhyn Gol. It was because the distance from the nearest base with a railroad station of the Soviet Army to the battle ground was more than 600 km (400 miles), while the distance to the nearest base of Japanese troops was about 200 km. So, the Japanese generals in Tokyo sent only a division which had been organized on a tentative base.
Tokyo did not take the occasion as a chance to invade Mongolia and drive Soviet troops out of the satellite country of the Soviet Union. The central government in Tokyo had a localization policy for this border conflict, though generals stationed in Manchuria intended to make the best use of this opportunity for exercising their military power no matter how their military means were restricted by Tokyo. On the other hand, the Soviet Union and Stalin had to show their military strength to Tokyo so that the Empire of Japan would not launch a full scale war against Moscow, since there was a strong possibility that the Soviet Union had to concentrate on a coming war against Nazi Germany.
But the issue at point here is not on the Empire of Japan but the satellite country of the USSR Mongolian People's Republic.
Stalin and leaders in Moscow wanted to put Mongolians under their rule, while this once-glorious Asian tribe had narrowly got independent from China and established their own country in 1924. Like the Empire of Japan put Manchu under its rule, Russian communists wanted to take Mongolians on their side. But there was a big obstacle: Buddhism.
To get rid of influences of Mongolian Buddhist leaders or lamas from the general public of Mongolia, Stalin and Russian communists decided to carry out a purge of high-ranking monks.
From 1932 to 1939 when the Nomonhan Incident occurred, Soviet agents and their Mongolian henchmen arrested and killed 14,201 Buddhist monks in Mongolia while put into jails 3,751 monks for 10 years. Those communists also killed more than 20,000 Mongolian politicians, military officers, and active anti-Soviet Mongolians. This number was huge as the population of Mongolian People's Republic at the time was about only 700,000.
But after WWII the Chinese Communist Party committed a more horrible purge of Mongolians living in Chinese territory. Between 1966 and 1976, the Chinese Communist Party arrested about 800,000 Mongolians and executed 100,000 of them.
Anyway it cannot be thought that the Imperial troops of Japan killed more Mongolians or Manchus or even Chinese in Manchuria than Russian communists or Chinese communists having killed so many innocent or Buddhist Mongolians before and after WWII.
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Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Monday, October 21, 2013
"have treasure in heaven" - Workers in Fukushima Daiichi
Workers in Fukushima Daiichi
Even today 3000 workers are engaged in recovery work in the Fukushima Daiichi Plant which fell into malfunction due to big tsunamis since March 11, 2011.
But they are not so happy.
They have to work in dangerous environment with poor facilities. What is worse, most of them have been recruited by dubious companies or subcontractors at the fourth, fifth , or lower tier in contract structure down from Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). Therefore some percentage of a salary TEPCO paid for one worker is taken by those companies involved in this contract chain.
For example, a second tier subcontractor paid $250 (25,000 yen) for one worker per day to a third tier subcontractor. Finally a worker employed by a fifth tier subcontractor in this chain of recruiting received only $110 per day for his work in Fukushima Daiichi. It is also doubted that some businesses run by crime syndicates are involved in this chain of recruiting Fukushima Daiichi workers. Some money TEPCO pays as labor costs eventually settles in the hand of gangsters.
What is more dangerous is a disciplinary problem. In a rest room of Fukushima Daiichi, it is often observed that some tired workers lie about without protective masks on their faces while a dosimeter alarm is ringing. There are even teenage workers who are not given a warning about danger of radioactive material.
It is estimated that Fukushima residents account for 60% of those workers in Fukushima Daiichi. Some of those Fukushima citizens lost their jobs, agriculture fields, and houses due to the Fukushima Daiichi accident. They like to stay in Fukushima Prefecture even if they have to work in the radioactively contaminated Fukushima Daiichi plant.
In some statistics there are 500,000 people in Japan who have ever worked in a nuclear power plant. But some of them are forbidden by law to work for one year if an accumulated dosage they received during their work in nuclear plants should become larger than 100 mSv in five years.
Contaminated Water Tanks in Fukushima Daiichi
No.4 Reactor Building in Fukushima Daiichi
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Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
"nothing shall by any means hurt you" - Success of Non-Christian Japan
Success of Non-Christian Japan
As of 2012, there are 11,020,000 millionaires in the US while the 3,580,000 millionaires in Japan.
The two countries lead this ranking of countries in terms of the number of millionaires followed by No.3 France with 2,280,000, No.4 the UK 1,580,000, No.5 Germany 1,460,000, No.6 Italy and No.7 China.
Though the population of the US is 2.5 times larger than Japan's, there are three times more millionaires in the US than in Japan.
The GDP of the US in 2012 was about $16,244 billion while Japan recorded $5,960 billion. The ratio is 2.7.
However the land size of Japan is almost equal to the area of California State. Japan produces almost no crude oil and natural gas. So, it tells that Japanese people have been making great efforts to catch up with the US in terms of production of wealth.
Nonetheless there are 230 million Christians in the US while only two million Christians in Japan. For reference, it is estimated that there are 90 million Christians in China.
The modern science and technology originally developed in Europe and the US allowed peoples and nations in the world to produce various industrial products which became sources of wealth. Japan has adopted and developed material aspects of the Western civilization so well, and China has learnt modern technology and industrial knowledge from Japan. But the core of Western civilization which is Christianity has still no direct influence on the Japanese people.
Put differently, it is a kind of surprise than the non-Christian country Japan has been able to so well learn Western civilization in these 150 years to produce so many millionaires and so many valuable products.
So, some Western scholars came to be interested in Japan even before WWII. They have studied various aspects of Japan, including religion and history, but seem not to come to any clear conclusion. But it may tell that they have become less and less Christian. Only true Christians might find a true cause for success, if so material, of non-Christian Japan in this modern era.
The Number of Nobel Prize Laureates in Natural Science as of 2012:
1. US 242
2. UK 77
3. Germany 68
4. France 31
5. Sweden 16
6. JAPAN 15
6. Swiｔzerland 15
8. Netherlands 14
8. USSR/Russia 14
10. Denmark 9
10. Canada 9
Anyway Japan is the only leading scientific country in regions with non-European tradition.
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Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Friday, October 18, 2013
"before governors and kings for my sake" - Valuable Cities on the Earth
Valuable Cities on the Earth
Ranking of Cities in Terms of General Performance
1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Singapore
6. Seoul
7. Amsterdam
8. Berlin
9. Vienna
10. Frankfurt
Tokyo is however ranked No.1 concerning economy and environment and No.2 in terms of research and development. However, the capital of Japan is rated as No.8 for culture and communications, No. 10 for transportation and access, and No. 20 for convenience in living.
Now let's see what cities have wealthy residents.
Ranking of Cities Concerning the Number of Millionaires
Cities in order of the number of residents possessing $1 million or more:
1. Tokyo
2. New York
3. London
4. Paris
5. Frabkfurt
6. Beijing
7. Osaka
8. Hong Kong
9. Shanghai
10. Seul
Cities in order of the number of residents possessing $1 billion or more:
1. New York
2. Moscow
3. London
4. Hong Kong
5. Beijing
6. Shanghai
7. Paris
8. Los Angeles
9. Chicago
10. Singapore
11. Tokyo
However the most historic city in the world is of course Jerusalem. The city has six items of treasure:
1. Church of the Holy Sepulchre
2. Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock
3. The Western Wall
4. Mount Zion
5. Via Dolorosa
6. Mount of Olives
You cannot make a price for each of the above items. To save these items, all the Christians in the world, including the Pope, will pay billions of dollars.
But of course the most valuable asset for men is peace.
Jerusalem - whose name, according to tradition, is derived from the two Hebrew words "Ir" meaning city and "shalom" meaning peace - embodies the hope expressed in mankind's noblest aspiration: peace among all men. The freedom of worship which is enjoyed by Jews, Muslims and Christians at their holy sites, just a short distance from one another, and the daily contacts among the city's various ethnic and religious groups, each of which boasts a long-standing cultural tradition, can serve as a pattern of peace and coexistence to be emulated throughout the region.Maybe you might enjoy the most peaceful time in Jerusalem, which must be the most precious thing in the world.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/living%20in%20jerusalem.aspx
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Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
"Good Master, what shall I do" - Crude Oil Tells Future
Crude Oil Tells Future
Oil Production Ranking:
2011
1. Saudi Arabia
2. Russia
3. US
4. Iran
5. China
...
9. Iraq
2020
1. US
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Russia
4. Iraq
...
6. China
...
8. Iran
2035
1. Saudi Arabia
2. US/Russia
4. Iraq
...
7. Iran
...
12. China
According to IEA, the US will be the largest producer of crude oil by 2020. This position will be kept by the US till the middle of 2020s. It is due to development of shale oil expanding. The US will become the largest producer of natural gas in 2015, too.
More interestingly, Iraq will be the fourth largest producer of crude oil, following the US, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, in 2020.
This is a surprising result of the War on Terror. In terms of energy, the US and Iraq have bright future. But Saudi Arabia, one of the largest beneficiaries of the Iraqi War, is expected to maintain its status as the first or the second largest provider of crude oil for the global market at least till 2035.
However the International Energy Agency predicts that 50% of crude oil to be traded in the world will be transported through Straits of Hormuz in 2035. It means stability around the Persian Gulf or the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia will remain as a key factor for economic development of the world.
Looking back to the history after WWII, the US was engaged in wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The only remaining major region in Asia for the US military engagement is Iran. And as I wrote, Iran can be even a key nation to the global economy as it can control Straits of Hormuz.
In a larger context of human history, Iran or a kingdom based in presently Iran took part as an occupier of ancient Israel. The land of Judea had been occupied by Persians till Alexander the Great defeated Darius III, the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia.
So, the US defeated Iraq where Abraham was born; the US defeated Afghanistan where Alexander the Great advanced and reached as the most eastward territory of his empire; and the US is expected to fight Iran which destroyed the last independent kingdom of Hebrews and caused Babylonian captivity of ancient Israelites. And then the history of the ancient Middle East will be completely reflected on. Then the world must see the Second Coming of Christ so clearly.
Embarkation Ports of Crude Oil around the Persian Gulf
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Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
"the vessel was received up again into heaven" - Division of the World
Division of the World
Major Sources of CO2 Emission:
1. China 24.0%
2. US 17.7%
3. EU (15 members) 9.8%
4. India 5.4%
5. Russia 5.2%
6. JAPAN 3.8%
7. S.Korea 1.9%
8. Canada 1.8%
Put simply, the Far Eastern countries, Japan, China, and South Korea, in total account for about 30% in total output of CO2 in the world. In other world, these only three countries are consuming energy and producing products in a ratio of about 30% of all the energy and products in the world. And they are not so called whites or blacks; peoples of these three countries are neither of European races nor of African races. They have also almost nothing to do with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
So, the world can be now divided in the following way in terms of races, religions, and culture (though relationships between Japan, China, and S. Korea are not necessarily friendly or harmonious).
1. European/Christian Tradition Domain: Europe, Americas, etc.
2. Far Eastern Domain: Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.
3. Other Domain: Africa, Islamic nations, India, etc.
However the world today is more directly governed by money and wealth than differences in races and culture.
For example, those who possess assets less than $10,000 account for 68.4% of all the adult population in the world. Their aggregate assets amount to $8.2 trillion, accounting for only 4.2% of all the wealth in the world, as the above figure tells (as of 2010).
If the world consisted of 1000 persons, they are divided in the following way:
5 super-rich or very rich men with assets of more than $1 million.
75 rich men with assets of more than $100,000 (less than 1 million).
235 non-rich/non-poor men with assets of more than $10,000 (less than 100,000).
684 poor men with assets less than $10,000.
(Note that 90% of adults in the world are non-rich or poor.)
And those in the highest tier occupy $69.2 trillion (accounting for 35.6% of all the adults) in total.
According to other statistics of 2012, there are 11 million wealthy people in the world. The US is the country where the largest number of wealthy people live, which is 3,060,000. Japan is the second with 1,820,000 wealthy people.
But we can refer to other statistics to view other way of division. According to UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 68,000 homicides occurred in the world in 2010. Its breakout is as follows:
Africa - 36%
Americas - 31%
Asia - 27%
Europe - 5%
Oceania - 1%.
Worldwide, 468,000 homicides occurred in 2010. Some 36 per cent of all homicides take place in Africa, 31 per cent in the Americas, 27 per cent in Asia, 5 per cent in Europe, and 1 per cent in Oceania, though population of each region is different.
Ratio of Population in the World:
Asia - 60.7%
Africa - 13.2%
Americas - 13.8%
Europe - 11.8%
Oceania - 0.5%
So, in a comprehensive sense, roughly speaking the world can be divided into the two: one sphere consisting of the US and its neighboring countries and another sphere consisting of the rest of the world.
So, if you are an American, you had better repent.
If you are outside Americas, you had better be outside Americas.
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Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Act 10:16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Act 10:17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
Act 10:18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
Act 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
Act 10:20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
Americas - 13.8%
Europe - 11.8%
Oceania - 0.5%
So, in a comprehensive sense, roughly speaking the world can be divided into the two: one sphere consisting of the US and its neighboring countries and another sphere consisting of the rest of the world.
So, if you are an American, you had better repent.
If you are outside Americas, you had better be outside Americas.
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Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Act 10:16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Act 10:17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
Act 10:18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
Act 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
Act 10:20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
"I speak as to wise men"
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1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1Co 10:15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
Monday, October 14, 2013
"the locust went up over all the land of Egypt" - Mercury and Minamata Disease
Mercury and Minamata Disease
According to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the amount of mercury discharged to the air in 2010 was 1960 tons.
The largest source was gold digging by small businesses, accounting for 37% of all the discharged amount of mercury. In order to extract gold from gold ores, they made alloy of gold and mercury. And then the alloy was heated so that mercury is evaporated. And it is estimated that millions of people are engaged in this trade being carried out mainly in developing countries.
One of the most well-known diseases caused by mercury in the world is the Minamata Disease that was confirmed in Minamata City of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, in 1956. Minamata City faces a rich inland sea connected to the East China Sea.
Minamata disease , sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease, is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A congenital form of the disease can also affect foetuses in the womb.
Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in 1956. It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968.The evil of the Minamata Disease lies in that the Japanese Government promoting industrial development policies after WWII helped Chisso Corporation deny its responsibility and hide real conditions of the pollution. Some elite bureaucrats of Japan clearly took a stance to protect the company and sacrifice poor fishermen and residents eating contaminated fish and suffering the Disease. Indeed any company should have gone bankrupt if it had fully compensated tens of thousands of Minamata victims for their damage and diseases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease
However, as time went by, a trend of respecting human rights and enhancing anti-pollution measures was intensified. And along with the Japanese society getting rich, consumers came to directly face the evil of industrial pollution. Accordingly the Government gradually changed its policy from industry-centric one to resident-centric one.
In this context, patients of the Minamata Disease are classified as follows:
1. Those who were not officially identified as patients of the Minamata Disease but received lump-sum money of 2.6 million yen as a final settlement of a political sense. Total 10,353 citizens fall into this category.
2. Those who were judged to be patients of the Minamata Disease in a law suit called the Kansai Minamata Disease litigation in 2004. The number of those identified as Minamata patients in various law suits was 7,890.
3. Those who are hiding their Disease or living without noticing that they are patients of this Disease. (Once Minamata Disease patients were treated badly and alienated by the public as if they had been suffering contagious diseases, since people did not realize the true cause of the Disease.) Total 20,000 to 30,000 citizens fall into this category.
4. Those who have been officially identified as Minamata Disease patients by public offices. Total 2,265 persons have been somewhat saved、though 1,582 patients among them were already dead.
If a citizens is officially identified as a Minamata Disease patient, he or she can receive damages of about 17 million yen and a special pension of about 150,000 yen per month. Chisso has already paid $1.2 billion though half of this amount was debts from Kumamoto Prefecture. As Chisso is a big company and a big employer, the prefecture office cannot let it go bankrupt.
Once, anti-Minamata Disease movement was very much highlighted along with anti-Vietnam War movement in Japan around 1970. Many liberal students and activists went down to Minamata City from Tokyo and other big cities to support victims of Chisso. Many notable journalists in Japan had an experience of having visited Minamata City for any purposes. It became a touchstone for proving one's passion and philosophy for justice in the industrialized nation Japan.
It is estimated that Chisso's plant in Minamata City has leaked total about 100 tons of mercury in the form of organic mercury in these decades. Incidentally Chisso means nitrogen in Japanese. And there is another location in Japan where people are also plagued with the same symptoms: the Aganogawa River region of Niigata Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan.
http://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/hs/minamata2002/ch4.html
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Exo 10:14 And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.
Exo 10:15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
Exo 10:16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
Exo 10:17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
"let your peace return to you" - Do Not Eat Sinfully
Do Not Eat Sinfully
According to a report issued by FAO last fall, there are 868 million people in the world who are suffering from malnutrition. The ratio of such people living in developing countries is 99%. However conditions have been steadily improved in these 20 years.
Accordingly the most sinful thing in this world is Michelin Red Guide which introduces restaurants of high-quality.
What did Jesus eat?
In Nazareth meals have always been important occasions. The act of eating and drinking together forms a bond of family, friendship, and community. It is no coincidence that many of Jesus' stories and most important encounters-such as the parable of the wedding banquet, the feeding of the five thousand, and the last supper-take place around meals or feasts.
Despite their significance, meals were quite simple and came only twice a day. Bread, legumes, oil, and dried or fresh fruit composed a typical meal.
Among the foods most likely available in first-century Nazareth:
Grains: Wheat, Barley, sorghumIf all the Christians today eat the same foods Jesus took, there would be no tragedy about foods in developing countries.
Legumes (pulses): lentils, broad beans, chickpeas (pulses were roasted, dried, and used in soups and stews or ground into pastes and purees)
Vegetables: cucumbers, onions, garlic, leeks
Fruits: olives, figs, grapes, melon, pomegranates, dates, (fruit by-products: olive oil, raisins, wine, dried figs, fig cakes, syrup, honey)
Nuts: walnuts, pistachios, almonds
Spices: cumin, dill, cinnamon, mint, hyssop, mallow, chicory, mustard, coriander, salt
Milk and milk by products: butter, leben,(curdled milk), yogurt, cheese
Meat and related food: eggs, fish (salted), fish by-products (fish brine, fish gravy), lamb, beef (probably quite rare), fowl (chickens, doves)
Nazareth, as a Jewish town, followed dietary laws from Hebrew Scripture governing clean and unclean animals. Cattle, sheep, and goats could be eaten. Pigs were forbidden. Fish with fins and scales were allowed. Catfish, crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp), and mollusks (clams, mussels) were not allowed.
The last recorded meal of Jesus is in Luke 24:42-43 after his resurrection when he eats broiled fish to show his disciples that he is not a ghost. The last meal Jesus serves is a breakfast of fish and bread (John 21).
http://nazarethvillage.com/food.php
But can those who eat more than Jesus ate in terms of quality and quantity claim that they are followers of Christ Jesus?
The key to solving any problems in the human world must depend on realization of how sinful people of today are as they east so much. However, conversely, the solution is so simple: Eat less or like Christ Jesus.
Truly how he or she eats tells everything about the person.
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Mat 10:12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
Mat 10:13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
"if a woman shall put away her husband" - Democratic and Representative System
Democratic and Representative System
Results of comparison among Japan, the US, the UK,
Germany, and France in terms of the regular numbers of the parliament and a salary and costs for each member of each house are as follows:
JAPAN USA UK Germany France
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Lower House Seats 480 435 650 620 577
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Upper House Seats 242 100 826 69 348
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Population 170,000 570,000 40,000 110,000 60,000
per Member
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Annual Salary $211,000 $136,000 $80,000 (L) $95,000 (L) $88,000
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Budget per Member
Lower House $582,000 max $1.5 M $264,000 $341,000 $280,000
Upper House $592,000 max $3.9 M * $6,000 $260,000
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So, in France every 40,000 citizens can elect their representative in the national assembly. But in the US 570,000 citizens can only send one representative of them to Congress.
Members of the British Lower House receive the lowest consideration for their service to the nation. Each of American congressman receives very high salary and expenses.
But Japanese National Diet members get the highest salary, though US congressmen enjoy the largest total expenses.
From the beginning how society and communities were established in each country was so different.
For the US and Americans, society is what should be built newly or incessantly by incumbent citizens, and communities should be based on individuals. Therefore pressure on each member of Congress is heavy.
For Europeans, society is what should be always monitored, maintained, and adjusted, and communities should be formed against other classes or outsiders. Therefore pressure on each member of the parliament is of various types.
But Japanese were born in a complete society, and communities are what has been already fixed or cannot be changed. Therefore pressure on each member of the National Diet is neither heavy nor complicated.
One interest thing about Japan is that when the last samurai regime decided to put an end to the 250-year-long policy of closing the country, they sent an envoy to the US in 1860. But elite samurais could not well understand the American democracy. They visited Congress in Washington DC but samurais could not understand why Americans were discussing matters in an assembly to decide any policy. Such practices of democracy were beyond their imagination.
Japan was then governed by elite samurais from the leading Tokugawa clan and other samurai clans or feudal lords. The samurai class possessed all the cultural products and skills, though farmers and townsmen could were allowed to develop culture so long as they did not become enemies of samurais. So, the most learnt men in Japan in the samurai era could be found among samurais or noblemen in Kyoto. Accordingly, whatever elite samurai decided and formulated was thought to be better than any ideas and plans farmers and townsmen came to think about. So, no national assembly was needed; no elections were needed; and no democracy was needed in the era of rule by the sword.
So, even today there is a kind of a presumption in Japan that whoever is elected as a parliament member he or she must have some merit in terms of their ability. A national Diet member must be wiser than most of voters, they think.
However, in Europe and the US, politics is not a matter of the God. Human beings cannot play the part for the God. Nothing is mysterious in any parliament member. He or she is just one of citizens but each with a louder voice, an outstanding outlook, and a smart mind. It is business for profane persons. They know they cannot find a genius or a saint among their representatives in the parliament. The only exception might be the case of Hitler.
But in Japan National Diet members are those who are closer to the Emperor than any other Japanese citizens. No ordinary persons are usually invited to a banquet or a ceremony in the Imperial Palace, but Japanese parliament members have many occasions to visit the Imperial Palace and face the Emperor and the Empress or other imperial family members. The prime minister of Japan occasionally visits the Imperial Palace to explain his policies to the Emperor. (When PM of Japan travels abroad and comes back to Japan, he always visits the Palace to write down a simple memo of his return to the Emperor.) So, in this context, the Prime Minister of Japan is someone that is the closest to the Emperor in the nation.
The king or queen of England is also the head of religion in England. But he or she is a mere human being. Everybody calls him or her Henry, Elizabeth, etc. But the Japanese emperor cannot be merely one of human beings in Japan. He must be more spiritual than other Japanese. In shinto theory, ancestors of the Emperor include gods. Though no Japanese think that DNAs of the emperor include something special, they want the emperor to be spiritually different from others. The emperor as the highest priest of shintoism must be pure and clean as much as possible when he performs his religious duty before spirits and gods, including ancestors of the imperial family.
So no matter who are elected as representatives of Japanese, beside them there is one permanent representative, the emperor, in Japan. And the emperor should not be an ordinary man.
This characteristic of the Japanese national and political system was once abused by generals of the Imperial Army and Navy. They started the war against China and then the war against the US between 1937 and 1945 in the name of the emperor.
However, after WWII, Japan has vastly adopted the American democracy, while specifying the Emperor as the symbol of unity of the Japanese people but not the ruler in the Constitution. Mass opinions have come to be respected than opinions of the political elites. So, Japan can be now regraded as having a democratic representative system almost with the same functions as those in Europe and the US.
That is also why China cannot represent Asian peoples.
Emperor of Japan
Empress of Japan
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Mar 10:11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Friday, October 11, 2013
"the good shepherd giveth his life" - India in the 1st Century AD
India in the 1st Century AD
A Japanese professor visited a museum in Calcutta, India.
He checked a collection of coins of India. They displayed coins used along successive eras of history. Then the Japanese researcher found something strange.
Most of coins used in India till the second or third century AD were made of gold. But on the surfaces of these gold coins engraved were gods or kings who looked like Romans or Greeks. So he searched for gold coins with images of Indian gods on. In fact, such coins appeared only in the fourth century when India was in the Gupta era.
He was naturally convinced that merchants in ancient India used coins designed and produced in ancient Rome. Those Indian merchants traded with their counterparts in Mediterranean Sea regions. And they loved to use gold coins circulated in the cultural sphere subject to the Greek/Roman civilization.
Specifically in the middle of the first century AD, the Kushan Empire was established in India by Iranian people. They monopolized trade between Parthia and Central India. In this era, it is thought that Indians received not only interest the trade produced but also cultural and religious influences from the Hellenistic world. One example were statutes of Buddha built in Gandhara.
But the Japanese professor thought that the influence from Mediterranean Sea regions must not have been only related to figurative arts. Indian philosophy and religion must have been also subject to the cultural influx from ancient Greece or Rome.
In deed, about the first century AD Mahayana (greater vehicle) Buddhism appeared in India. This school of Buddhism prevailed in the central Asia and China and as far as to Korea and Japan. But the exact origin of this type of Buddhism is a mystery. No scholars can identify the source of this school.
So, the Japanese professor concluded that some philosophy in Mediterranean Sea regions must have induced this religion in India around the 1st century AD.
Accordingly, I think some Christian legend that Thomas the Apostle traveled to India to preach the gospel must be true. Maybe it was somebody else, but some disciples of Christ Jesus must have had a chance to promulgate their faith in ancient India. And as an impact of such a mission was so great, Buddhists in India must have developed a new version of Buddhism, taking into some lessons those early Christian missionaries taught.
If this theory was true, even the Japanese Buddhism can be regarded as having been influenced from the beginning by the early Christianity conveyed through ancient India and China.
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Statute of Buddha Made in Gandhara in the Era of Early Christianity
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Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.