Guy's Books and Thoughts

I came to the anime meeting about 3:10 and saw the remainder of the shows. The first one I saw was about a woman whose mother in law and husband died. Her neighbors thought the woman was mean to her mother in law. But after the mother in laws death the woman was able tell her neighbor that her mother in law was the abusive one. She lost both her husband and mother in law in the accident. To keep her husband near her, she kept some of the bones of her husband remains in a potted plant. Her neighbor, who had discovered the bone in the potted plant, freaked out when she discovered it earlier. The neighbor received the explanation for the bone in the plant after talking to the woman about the bone. I don't know if this happens in real life. But I remember reading in the NIKKEI WEEKLY that some people keep ashes of their loved ones in some sort of jewelry to keep their loved one near them. I don't think this is an old custom. My impression is this is a recent fad.

The next story was from the series "Human Crossings." It is about a Japanese couple who meet and marry in Paris. The story is narrated from the wife's point of view. She talked about how they struggled to live in Paris. The husband was a struggling artist. In exchange for a drawing the couple would get a meal at a café. Upon the death of the husband's uncle, the husband returned Tokyo. He was asked to do a poster for an advertising campaign. While the husband preferred "art" over commercialism, he agreed to the poster and became an instant success. As a result, the wife decides to leave Paris and go to Tokyo. The story picks up 18 years later with the husband as an established commercial artist. The wife talks about how she missed her husband who followed his art instead of being wrapped up in money. She tells him she is leaving him and going to Paris. When she gets to Paris, she goes to the café where she and her husband used to eat. It is more upscale. When she asks the owner if she could give him the painting in exchange for a meal, the owner replied that café no longer has that practice. He recognizes the women and gives her a hug. Of course she has money to pay. But I think it was her form of nostalgia. Then she sees her husband and the drawing he just completed. They reconcile. She said she was upset with her husband for being so obsessed with money. But I guess he had not completely lost his artistic instinct. Personally I think the art vs. commercialism may be overstated. One can have good art (or literature) and commercial success. I wonder if the cry for government subsidies for art is just an excuse to support trash pretending to be art? I wonder if the government subsidies for the arts is really for pretentious wannabe types? My impression is Rodin also had a commercial side to him. I think he was clever in making molds for his statues. That way he could make more than one copy of a statue. I believe there are at least 3 copies of his statue "The thinker" around the world.

The story after "Human Crossings" was a new series called "Tactics." I have no idea why that is the title. The title is actually taken from the English word. It is about someone who is an exorcist and demon hunter. But since this is modern day Japan, he has to make ends meet by working as a writer. My understanding is the Japanese religious tends to be polytheistic. They seem to have a multiplicity of gods, demons, goblins etc. What little I've read indicates is their gods are finite specialized gods .I think there is even one for the prevention of traffic accidents. Last week our Sunday school class briefly covered some of the saints in the Roman Catholic Church. The teacher mentioned, the church's city Cupertino, was named for Joseph of Copertino, the patron saint of air travel. To me the patron saints are almost comparable to the specialized gods in Japan. The Japanese word "kami" is translated as "god." But I understand that is not exactly the most accurate description. Japanese religions seems to be a mix of all sorts of beliefs put together with a mix of polytheism and pantheism. I wonder if patron saints of the Roman Catholic Church are a drawing card for many Japanese? I'm not saying that Protestants should adopt a patron saint system, although I did tell one Marianist brother, I wanted to become St. Guy. This person explained I'd have to live a holy and evangelical life or die a martyrs death. I don't think I like either option. I should add the Roman Catholic Church does not "make" saints. My book on the Baltimore Catechism (Roman Catholic) states that the church simply provides recognition of which people are saints. This can get tricky since The Roman Catholics, Copts, Nestorians, and Orthodox don't all agree on the same saints. Before ending this paragraph I thought I'd mention what little I know of Joseph of Copertino. He apparently had the ability to levitate. No wonder he is the patron saint of air travel. My church history dictionary stated that one witness was so impressed that he converted from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism. But at present I have no plans to leave the Church of the Augsburg Confession (the official title for Lutherans). I guess I'm more impressed by the wrath of Grandma and her prayers than an act of levitation.

The last show was from the series Code E. The main character, Ebihara, has the ability to affect electrical equipment. She considers it a curse. A male classmate takes an interest in her powers. He wants to help her control her powers. This male classmate has a childhood friend named Kujo. She is jealous of the male classmates interest in Ebihara san. She tells Ebihara to stay away from that male classmate. Ebihara releases her power and all sorts of electrical equipment starts to malfunction. Kujo realizes the power is coming from Ebihara. Other classmates complain to Ebihara as well. The male classmate intervenes and says it was some new chip on commercial planes which caused the disturbance. He gets jealous Kujo to play along with the explanation. At the end Kujo realizes that the male classmate is NOT romantically interested in Ebhihara In fact the male classmate is clueless when it comes to people. He is so obsessed with harnessing the power of science that he does not notice Kujo's interest in him. He does not even know who Kujo is talking about when she uses the term "science geek." I think the series later gets into some adventure spy story, but that has not yet happened. For the most part it seems a bit cutesy up to know with some standard gags and misunderstandings.

I neglected to summarize the episode from Little Pet Shop of Horrors. But maybe I will write about it another time.

Guy

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Schools of thought of Western science.
A. Supernatural. Thinking the creator's thoughts.
B. Naturalistic. Matter and Energy created the universe.

Methodology.
A) Make observations. From observations come with a hypothesis.. Inductive reasoning. e.g. I observe that water freezes at 32 degrees F. My hypothesis is that water will freeze at 32 degrees F.
B) Do experiments to confirm hypothesis.
C) With some confirmation hypothesis becomes a theory.
D) With even more confirmation it becomes a principle or law.

Limitations of the scientific method.
One can only do a limited or finite number of observations. Also there are certain conditions in which the hypothesis does not work. E.g. Water can remain in liquid form, under certain conditions even it is below the freezing point. This water is I think called super cool water.

The human element in science frailty in bias and politics.
E.g Uniformitarians used political clout to gain ascendancy over
Catastrophists in the field of geology. Wishful thinking: The acceptance of the Piltdown man though it was an obvious fraud. Samuel Morton's "proof" of "intelligence" of one race over another. Morton faithfully reported all the data, but selected only the data which supported his thesis, ignoring the contrary data. A subconscious bias. ( See Ian Taylor's IN THE MINDS OF MEN.)

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History need not be simply a recitation of names and dates. While names and dates are important, I think focus should be given on the people who lived though history. Also emphasis should be given on the motivations of people in history. Why do people do what they do? Why do people act contrary to expectations? Why did the pope support Protestant king William over Catholic James II? The reason become clear when one learns that James was allied with the French King Louis XIV, who was at odds with the pope.

Reading biographies or talking to people around you can lead to some interesting windows into history. My friend Mrs. Myers provided an interesting insight into the society of Nazi Germany. Her father was a lawyer, who served in the German Parliament until 1932. Her mother was a Polish Jew who taught economics at the University of Berlin. When Hitler came to power both parents lost their jobs. Fortunately they were not sent to the camps. They moved to the countryside and kept a low profile for 12 years. Mrs. Myers later went on to serve as an interpreter for Lucius Clay, who later engineered the famed Berlin airlift. She also translated for former Herbert Hoover. She provided a little glimpse into Hoover's character. She told me that she had a hard time in translating for him and she struggled to find the right German word. Mr. Hoover leaned over and whispered the correct German word to her. He could have been a show off and told her the German word out loud in front of the audience. But he chose to help her out without embarrassing her. Mrs. Myers said she was glad for his help or she would have ended up with egg on her face.

What is really interesting for me is when one piece of information ties in with another. I heard that the Phoenicians were in England. I also received confirmation of this information when I read John Steinbeck's mention of the Phoenicians using England as their secret source of tin. When I talked to a friend, who was trained as a metallurgist, he pointed out that tin was an important metal in the ancient world. Tin was an essential ingredient to making bronze. And bronze was used to make swords and mirrors. Steel did not become widely available until modern times. England was the major source of tin in the ancient world. And that is probably why Caesar conquered England. Somehow people learned where the Phoenicians secret source of tin was located.

It is really interesting to connect one piece of knowledge with a related piece. My friend Grandma was in China shortly after the Tiananmen Square tragedy. She was angry about the black Mercedes parked outside the U.S. Embassy. She got out of her friend's car and took a picture. She told me the people in the car were secret police. I was slightly skeptical until I read the book DAUGHTER OF CHINA. In that book the main character was taken away in, you guessed it, a black Mercedes.

I should add that sometimes events work out where one event leads to making contact with another person. A lecture on sacred music, which I attended, helped in my friend Grandma establishing contact with a former co-worker, who wrote the book SONG OF SURVIVAL. Grandma and I were able to meet and talk with the author for an hour.

In conclusion I would say that while names and dates are important focus on the persons and motivations in history would make the study of the subject more interesting. And as one accumulates more knowledge, connecting the dots adds to the excitement.

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The anime group showed a Japanese series called Pet Shop of Horrors. I don't know if it is related to the American "Little Pet shop of horrors." My guess is that it is not. The anime MC who introduced the series thought it was appropriate for the Halloween season. The show is about someone referred to as "Count D" who sells pets to people with certain conditions. If they break the conditions bad consequences will follow. The show opens up with someone complaining by phone, to Count D, that he tried to show the scroll of a tiger to some friends and the scroll. Count D said that one of the conditions of the sale was not to show the scroll to anyone. He violated the term and thus no tiger in the painting. As the irate customer is talking a tiger moves out of the scroll and kills the customer. The focus of the first story is about a couple who lost their daughter. Count D sells them someone who looks exactly like their late daughter. Count D tells them that someone is actually a rabbit. He gives them 3 conditions. The third condition is that this rabbit is not to be fed anything other than water and vegetables even if the rabbit asks for something else. A police detective suspects Count D of selling drugs and investigates. He keeps an eye on the couple that bought the rabbit. Sure enough the couple gives in to the rabbit's pleading and allows her to eat cookies. The rabbit loses her human form and gives birth to an army of rabbits who attack the couple. The police detective who followed the couple found out that the couple's late daughter died of a drug overdose. Both the police detective and Count D arrive about the same time at the couple's house. Count D knowing that the couple would not keep the agreement comes to reclaim his pet and the police detective, if I remember correctly, is looking for proof that Count D is dealing drugs. When they get to the house they find house full of rabbits. They have apparently already killed the husband. They are multiplying like crazy the detective says the city would be overwhelmed by the hostile creatures. Someone who was watching this made a Monty Python reference asking where the holy hand grenade is when you need it. (This is a reference to the "holy hand grenade of Antioch" in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail). Count D mentioned the pied piper of Hamlin as the solution. What happens is the rabbits die out. The Count explains that the cookies contained additives which eventually poisoned the rabbits. (I'm not sure if this is a "sermon" against additives in sweets). The Count tells the mother of the late daughter that they spoiled their child. They could not say no to her. The mother yielded to the daughters request for drugs, "just once more." And that killed her. History sort of repeated itself when she gave in to the rabbits request for cookies. So while the story engaged in scary and gross scenes in the end it got a little preachy. Of course one must not spoil one's children. But my impression is this show wanted to have it both ways showing scary and gross scenes and preaching in the same show. I wonder if that is true with movies: show a lot of disgusting stuff and preach a little goodness in the end. I think that may have been the old Hollywood. I suppose now its just gross stuff. But I must admit I haven't kept up with the latest Hollywood films. In a way the story reminds me of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit or the Greek legend of Pandora's Box which was probably based on Adam and Eve. It also reminds me of a Nathaniel Hawthorne short story "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." I wonder if this story also gives some reference to the Lewis Carroll books? Note the characters Alice and rabbit.

The group also showed a cutesy series called Strawberry Marshmallow about the adventures of some little girls and their "big sister." The little girls were obsessed with the idea of hypnosis. One tried to hypnotize people using a string and coin. Later their big sister called to ask them to meet her at the park. The little girls take a long time in getting to the park. So "big sister" tells them she was thinking of treating them all to cake, but she decided against it. She was upset they took so long to get to the park. The girls call out big sisters name and she sees them all holding a string with a coin at the end. They had an angry look in their faces. I don't think they succeeded in hypnotizing big sister into treating. But I suspect big sister decided humor them by treating them out to cake instead of risking their wrath.

Fate/ Stay night was another series that was shown. In that a master and his servant, named Caster, want to sacrifice some souls to summon a holy grail and get their wish. Our heroes Shiro, Rin and Saber oppose them. I think Shiro scolds them for sacrificing people like logs on a fire. I don't know if that dialog was a conscious reference to the atrocities committed by the Japanese doctors in China. The Japanese medical staff at Unit 731 in China referred to the people they experimented on as "logs." These Japanese medical professionals were never prosecuted by the United States government after World War II. Instead they were given immunity in exchange for the result of their work. The deal was a waste since the United States was already ahead of the Japanese in biological warfare. The Soviets only gave the Japanese, they captured, a few years of imprisonment instead of death. My guess is the Soviets got some information out of these Japanese in exchange for sparing their lives. But this idea of sacrificing people for medical experimentation has not gone away. Today the fad among many is embryonic stem cell "research." This line of "research" has not yielded any cures. But that hasn't stopped people from blindly claiming that such "research" would cure diseases. I remember a business teacher asking if there is a moral law in the universe. I think his point was morality is sort of hardwired in social interactions and business ethics. In other words, in the long run, it is more profitable to honest, fair and ethical with people than dishonest and unethical. I would go one step further and say that the moral laws are written in the very physical fabric of the universe.

I know it's only anime. But sometimes trivial things like anime get me thinking about bigger issues.

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The Sunday school class is covering the liturgy. I think we too often go through the motions of the liturgy without understanding why the liturgy has such a structure. At this point we are at the "Kyrie." The Kyrie refers to the petition in Greek "Lord have mercy." The Pastor provided some scripture references showing where that petition or related petition was used in the scripture. The liturgy is not something that was simply created out of thin air. In this class we are seeing how the liturgy is intertwined with the scriptures.

I must admit there are times I go through the liturgy without thinking. I should be conscious of the significance of each part of the liturgy. What I remembered of the sermon was how the various prophets and apostles died. But if I remember correctly there is reason for hope. But the sermon seemed to indicate that following Christ did not mean health, wealth and prosperity. I must admit that martyrdom is not my favorite topic. But Christ never promised us a "theology of glory." I hope God will show mercy on us believers in America. But I wonder about our future. I got an email from a doctor expressing concern about the so called "Freedom of Choice Act." According this person, people who refuse to do abortions could face being fired or fined or imprisonment. Maybe Christians will face unofficial persecution instead of official. Who knows? I know that people who do not subscribe to naturalistic science can face problems. I know of one biology professor, who got flak for advocating "Intelligent Design." He was able to keep his job, but he was denied a raise or a sabbatical. My friend Mrs. Ellen Myers wrote a novel dealing with academics that pay the career price, when they become a Christian.

After church I dropped by the Assyrian church. I sat through the later part of the liturgy. I had hoped to drop off some materials on creation. During the liturgy, I thought about my being like Jonah in that I wanted to run away. But here I was in this Assyrian church. For those of you who don't know, Jonah was commanded by the LORD to preach a message of repentance to the Assyrians at Nineveh. Granted a giant fish did not swallow me and transport me to the church. I boarded the bus voluntarily. And unlike Jonah, I only dropped off some articles, I didn't preach. I do NOT claim to be of the stature of Jonah. I merely pointed out that one thing I have in common with Jonah is my desire to run away and not get involved.

I should backtrack a little. A week ago, I was at the Chaldean / Assyrian food fest. I gave some articles on creation to one of the vendors. This Sunday I dropped by and gave some creation materials to someone at the church and asked him to give the articles to the vendor if he sees him again. The food fest was an interesting experience. I was struck by how the Assyrians varied in appearance. I guess not all of them a "Middle Eastern" appearance of black hair and dark complexion.. One of them looked like the late John Candy. I told one of them that he looked like Val Kilmer from the movie Top Gun. His friend laughed and said "Iceman." Apparently everyone of his generation saw the movie.

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