Via Crave: Nikon Universcale

I listened to This American Life episode "By Proxy." Act II focuses on a former Iraqi translator for the American army. The Iraqi translators need our support because they work under such suspicion by their fellow Iraqi's. I don't know how else to support them except in prayer; because any visible assistance from the Americans just makes them and those around them a target. Over 250 interpreters have been killed. Many Iraqi imams are calling people to kill translators. Even speaking an English word is grounds enough for murder. This particular translator said he does not regret working for the Americans, because Americans are there to show a better way than under Saddam–specifically citing how they treat prisoners with respect and how they deal with crowds without the use of force.

The New York Times article about Japan's wartime sex slaves (euphemistically called comfort women) notes that upon defeat in WWII, Japan destroyed many of its incriminating documents. Yet some had survived as evidence that through the 1930's & 40's it was an officially established operation by the military:
"Between 50,000 and 200,000 women from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and elsewhere were tricked or coerced into sexual slavery."

Yet Japanese revisionist efforts continue to deny or hide this history from their educational system. Certainly this would not be condoned by modern Japan, but this is a history that should not be ignored.

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That’s funny . . . '" - Isaac Asimov

Let love be without hypocrisy Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. - Romans 12:9 (NASB)

No one is truly obedient to the command to hate evil if he only fears the consequence of evil. A truly good man hates evil because it is evil and he loves God. - John MacArthur

Every stimulus that can be shared or any group behavior is put forth as THE universal language. This goes for sports, music, photography, film, dance, food. If so many things are considered transcendent then are any of them really?

Song to look for: the spiritual "Amen" by Jester Hairston.

Things breaking down:
JBL stereo has stopped playing CD's. At first it was only some CD's and some skipping, but now it just makes that searching whirling sound. It must be song and sermoned out. Oh, those quality speakers not being used... though the radio & cassette player still work. The worst thing is the closest JBL repairer is in New York.

Analog camera spontaneously turns off and has white arc obscuring left side of photos.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the circumstances of this world that I forget eternity.

So often we don't see our need for God until we have no choice but to turn to God. Not that we don't recognize our need before then, but it doesn't grip us.

JAMA article on vitamin supplements concludes "Treatment with beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase mortality."

A study shows college students are getting more narcissistic.

Yellow Account
Here we go again with media/entertainment sensationalizing threats against Christianity–Gnostics Gospels, Judas Gospel, and now we have the Talpiot ossuaries, which are billed by James Cameron as evidence of Jesus Christ's remains. All these where examined by archaeologists in the past but now wannabes once again adulterate history and vomit out their conjectures as fact. James Cameron even notes his motivation as, "I don't profess to be an archaeologist or a Biblical scholar. I'm a film producer. I found it compelling"– not that he bothered to personally investigate the facts, but still he means to garner the publicity.
Please, at least show some respect.

• If Jesus was still around Jerusalem, how can 500-plus witnesses attest to the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
• If the persecutors of Christians only had to point to this tomb or this ossuary sitting in Jerusalem, the Christian church wouldn't even have started.
• How could the poor carpenter family obtain a grand family tomb and why have it in Jerusalem when they were from Nazareth?
• Relatedness by DNA was only tested between the ossuaries with the name of Jesus and Mariamene (which is not even the name Mary Magdalene). The tests failed to also compare paternal relatedness. And even so, there is absolutely no proof of marriage here nor historically. Even if they are unrelated, this Mariamene could have married into the family via other males in the tomb.
  
• Joseph is not found among the ossuaries.
  
• The name of Jesus was extremely common. Consider that the name Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua. There were and are an abounding number of people named Joshua.