A True History of Palestine and Israel 🍉

This true history, given by The Reverend Priest, Father David of Saints Constantine and Helen Antiochian Orthodox Church, is a great telling of the history of Palestine and Israel of the last 2000+ years, that simply states facts without excusing any of the many evils done by either the Zionists nor Hamas. 

His message of the forgotten people of this world begins at 01:26:00 at https://www.youtube.com/live/WyRTVHB6sE4?si=nrsaWCElm5JiMOgg and I cannot reccomend this highly enough. 

Help and Pray for Ukraine

Are you wondering how to donate and help Ukraine besides prayer, and don't want your money to errantly end up in the hands of scammers? You can donate money that will 100% go the Ukrainian people, without any executive or administration fees to pay anyone a salary through the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA at https://www.uocofusa.org/news_220224_1 marking your donations with the comment, "LET’S HELP UKRAINE". They have already used this money to get everyday supplies and medical supplies to the people of Ukraine and evacuate an orphanage of children and their teachers to Poland with the donations that they have received so far. If you prefer to donate with Facebook's own platform, you can do so at the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA at https://www.facebook.com/uocofusa.

A Prayer in Time of Pestilence and Pandemics

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy.

Heavenly Lord and Creator of all things, have mercy on us your people, for we have strayed from the path which You have given us.

Forgive our many offenses and grant us your mercies.

We come to you today with tears of repentance and ask for your protection from the terrible disease that threatens us.

We have sinned, Oh Lord, and we have disobeyed your Commandments, but we beseech your mercy and compassion; have mercy on your servants, on the elderly and the children; have mercy on us all, and keep away from the terrible diseases and viruses  which appeared in our days.

Send your holy angels, Oh Lord, to disperse every disease and calamity and keep us safe and healthy that we may worship and glorify your Most Holy Name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, through the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos and of all your Saints.

Amen.

Messengers of Peace, An Initiative Started by Two Kings

What is "Messengers of Peace"?

Messengers of Peace is a World Scout Committee initiative designed to promote and recognize service projects that contribute to world peace.

What is the program’s goal?

The goal of Messengers of Peace is to inspire millions of young men and women throughout the world to work closer toward achieving peace. Using state-of-the-art social media, the initiative lets Scouts from around the world share what they’ve done and inspire fellow Scouts to undertake similar efforts in their own communities. The result will be a mosaic of stories, data, and results showing the impact of the Scout movement—a tool for recruiting members, assuring parents, inspiring donors, and making existing members proud to be Scouts.

Who runs the program?

The initiative is inspired by the World Scout Committee, administered by the World Scout Bureau, and driven by youth volunteers worldwide. Participation by the Boy Scouts of America is being coordinated by the International Department and a team led by Peter E. Hyman.

How did the initiative come about?

The initiative stems from the 10-year-old Gifts for Peace program, which has inspired over 10 million Scouts in 110 countries to work toward peace in their local communities. After hearing about this work, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia noted that “Scouts are the messengers of peace.” He and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, honorary chair of the World Scout Foundation, formally launched the Messengers of Peace initiative in September 2011.

What do we mean by peace?

Scouting defines peace as more than just the absence of war. In terms of the MOP initiative, peace encompasses three dimensions:

1. The personal dimension: harmony, justice, and equality
2. The community dimension: peace as opposed to hostility or violent conflict
3. Relationships between humankind and its environment: security, social and economic welfare, and relationship with the environment

What types of projects qualify as Messengers of Peace projects?

Any project that has a significant impact on the community in any one of the three dimensions above would qualify. Messengers of Peace projects include unit-level service projects, William T. Hornaday Award, and Eagle Scout service projects—any projects undertaken within a Scouting context that impact peace

How do we know if our project qualifies?

It qualifies if it meets the definition of peace given above. No one beyond the unit has to approve a project’s Messengers of Peace status.

What about projects Scouts do through schools or religious institutions?

Messengers of Peace is only designed to recognize projects undertaken through Scouting. Many of those projects may involve other organizations, which is fine, but there must be a Scouting connection.

What about Girl Scout projects?

BSA members who participate in a Girl Scout project that meets the MOP definition above are eligible to receive MOP recognition.

Can you give me some examples of qualifying projects?

Projects like these inspired the Messengers of Peace initiative:

• Scouts in El Salvador working to disband violent street gangs
• Scouts in New Orleans working on the ground to rebuild post-Katrina New Orleans
• Scouts in the Great Lakes region of Africa running an inter-ethnic peace education project
• Scouts in Sierra Leone rebuilding their communities following a decade of civil war
• Scouts in Ireland bringing young Catholics and Protestants together
• Scouts in Haiti doing work in rescue, relief, and rehabilitation after the deadly earthquake in 2010

Do we have to work with specific national organizations on Messengers of Peace projects?

No. Working with local organizations with similar goals to Messengers of Peace can be an excellent approach.

Who should report Messengers of Peace service projects?

MOP service projects should be reported by the individual in each unit designated to report Journey to Excellence service projects.

How do I submit a Messengers of Peace project?

To designate a Messengers of Peace project, simply select Messengers of Peace as the partner organization when entering a service project through the Journey to Excellence website (www.scouting.org/Awards/JourneyToExcellence).

Can an individual complete an MOP project? If so, how does he or she submit it?

Yes, individuals can complete MOP projects. (An Eagle Scout service project is a good example.) Reports must be submitted by the unit’s designated person for registering service hours. The individual will get credit for the hours he or she worked.

Should we submit our projects on the Messengers of Peace website?

No, just submit your project through the Journey to Excellence website, as described above. The BSA is working with the World Scout Bureau to have projects posted on the Messengers of Peace map. Also, the BSA is working with the World Scout Bureau to collect information on all projects that have already been registered in the world system.

We would like to share a video of our Messengers of Peace project. How can we submit it for consideration?

Send a message to international@scouting.org with the subject line of "Messengers of Peace."

What recognition items are available?

In addition to the unit certificate, any Scout or Scouter who participates in a qualifying project is eligible to wear a Messengers of Peace ring patch around the World Crest on his or her uniform. A unit representative can purchase these ring patches at a local Scout shop, council service center, or ScoutStuff.org.

Can an individual earn Messengers of Peace recognition more than once?

Yes, but only one ring patch may be worn.

Do Messengers of Peace ring patches go to all unit members or just those who participate in a Messengers of Peace project?

Only those who participate in an MOP project are eligible to receive the ring patch.

Is there a Messengers of Peace video we can use to promote the initiative to our Scouts and the public?

Yes, video clips highlighting specific MOP projects are available on this website.

Don't Trust Hollywood (For True Theology or Biblical Truths)

The movie, "Noah", looks to be another Bible movie travesty. Why? Because it is only very loosely based on the Bible. It is based the fictional graphic novels of film's director, Darren Aronofsky, NOE/NOAH and NOE2/NOAH02. See this quote from Brian Godawa:

“Having got a chance to read an undated version of the script for Noah I want to warn you. If you were expecting a Biblically faithful retelling of the story of the greatest mariner in history and a tale of redemption and obedience to God you’ll be sorely disappointed. Noah paints the primeval world of Genesis 6 as scorched arid desert, dry cracked earth, and a gray gloomy sky that gives no rain – and all this, caused by man’s “disrespect” for the environment. In short, an anachronistic doomsday scenario of ancient global warming.”

According to the website, Beginning And End, In this movie Abel and Cain befriend the Shaman Noah as a child. Adding to the Biblical confusion, King Og of Bashan, an evil Nephilim King in Scripture, is portrayed as good being in Noah. In Scripture, Og lives after the flood and is one of the most powerful Kings of his day. He hated the ancient Israelites and sought to conquer them as they migrated to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, after being led out of slavery in Egypt. The battle against Og, led by Moses, took place over 1500 years after the flood.  In Noah, Og is one of the fallen angels or "Watchers", who now, despite rebellion against God, decide to help Noah build the ark and protect it. In a scene in which a small army of men try to take siege of the ark, it is the fallen angels who fight to make sure that Noah and his family can enter safely. Not only that, but Noah tries to kill his own granddaughter once she is born in the Ark!

You wouldn't stand for going to church and the Bible being preached in a way that it was changed "to be more exciting", so why would you pay people to do this very the same blasphemous thing?

This is not the first movie that Hollywood has done this with. What other Biblical movies has Hollywood messed up? Pretty much all of them, but here are just a few:

• The Passion of the Christ's principal source is The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the reported visions of the stigmatic German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), as written by the poet Clemens Brentano. Even the Vatican position on the authenticity of the books produced by Brentano was stated by Father Peter Gumpel, who was involved in the study of the issues for the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints: "It is absolutely not certain that she ever wrote this. There is a serious problem of authenticity".

• The Last Temptation of Christ's eponymous final sequence depicts the crucified Jesus—tempted by what turns out to be Satan in the form of a beautiful, androgynous child—experiencing a dream or alternative reality where He comes down from His cross, marries Mary Magdalene (and later Mary and Martha), and lives out His life as a full mortal man. He learns on his deathbed that He was deceived by Satan and begs God to let Him "be God's son," at which point He finds Himself once again on His cross. At other points in the film, Jesus is depicted as building crosses for the Romans, being tormented by the Voice of God, and lamenting the many sins He believes He has committed.

• The Prince of Egypt shows Moses is adopted by Pharaoh’s wife, instead of his daughter. Miriam walks off and leaves Moses as soon as he is found, rather than approaching Pharaoh’s daughter wife to offer her mom as a milk maid. Moses kills the Egyptian entirely by accident, and he never hides the body, because in the film this all happened in sight of everybody. He flees the very same hour, and that because of his own feelings of guilt, not because Pharaoh was trying to kill him. Pharaoh wasn't trying to kill him, not having heard about anything yet, and not having been given the opportunity before Moses left. Moses approaches the Burning Bush, to the point of putting his hand into the fire. Moses did not hide his face, neither was he afraid to look at God. Moses' reason for not wishing to return to Egypt at God's command is his guilt at having been party to the oppression of the Israelites, not because he was a poor speaker. Moses does not set his wife and children upon a donkey, but sets his wife upon a camel. He doesn't have any children. Aaron does not come forth to meet him, but rather avoids him, because Aaron is Moses' enemy.  Aaron is therefore not Moses' spokesman, does not even go in with him to Pharaoh, and manifestly does not perform the miracles. Moses demands the entire and permanent liberation of the Israelites, rather than just three days’ freedom to worship God outside the country. Pharaoh’s response is to double the workload of the Israelites, rather than to make them gather their own straw. Moses is not eighty years old by any stretch of the imagination. The carcasses of the Passover lambs continue to lie in the street after the blood has been put on the door posts, and are not eaten.  The Red Sea is parted because Moses strikes the water with his rod, not because he lifted his hand over it, and, conversely,  it returns without him doing anything at all. Pharaoh is in the midst of the sea and survives.

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"The Antichrist" by The Very Reverend Archpriest Boris Molchanoff

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "....I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (St. Matthew 16:18). What do the gates of hell signify?

The Jews had the custom of gathering under the leadership of their elders, by the city gates, for the discussion of political, legal and social questions. These meetings were the last appeal of all litigation, and here all divine commandments were announced. They were vested with a definite authority among the people. This Jewish custom of meeting at the city gates is mentioned in the Book of Ruth (IV:1,11). A description of an active wife in the Book of Proverbs (31: 23) says that, "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land." He is invested with the trust of society and takes an active part in important meetings. (Prof. V.V. Bolotoff).

The "gates" of hell" signifies not only the forces of hell, but in general staff of Hell's power. Their most important meeting is dedicated to developing a plan for a general battle with the Church. The Church and Hell are represented as two warring powers. And in this war with Hell, according to Christ's words, the Church will remain invincible.

Hell's war plan with the Church is called the "Mystery of Iniquity" in the Holy Scriptures (2 Thessalonians 2:8). The iniquity has been working for centuries and will have its culmination in the appearance of the Antichrist ( 2 Thessalonians 2:8). The Antichrist can come only as a result of universal Apostasy, that is, the abjuration of the people from God and His paths, when God's grace will withdraw from the people.

"And in the latter times of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up." (Daniel 8:23)

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders...." (2 Thessalonians 2:9)

All of the evil in its fullest strength which human nature can accept and endure will be concentrated in the person of the Antichrist. Thousands of years were required to develop and perfect the kind of human seed that was required to receive the purest most perfect Fruit of the human tree in the person of the Most Blessed Virgin. Comparably, for the appearance of the most depraved fruit, capable of containing within itself all Satanic malice, an entire line of human generations will be demanded in the direction of greatest corruption and defilement of human nature, based upon mad hatred towards Christ and war against His Church. "It can be admitted," says Pro. Belyaeff, "that innate and acquired evil, gradually accumulating in a long line of ancestors of the Antichrist, transmitted with each new generation, will reach such a degree of force in the Antichrist himself, which human nature is capable of containing, revealing and enduring. The evil which lives in mankind, will reach the highest limit of its development in him." (Godlessness And The Antichrist, Vol. 1. p. 193).

Of course, to the degree that evil strengthens in man's will, diabolic activity within man will increase also, as the devil thus receives greater access to man's soul. Inasmuch as the Antichrist's personal evil will and its corruption will reach the limit of its greatest growth, the relationship of the devil to him will reach the limit of maximum nearness, which will be expressed in the devil himself continuously acting in the person of the Antichrist, "God", says St. John of Damascus, "Foreseeing future depravity of his will (the Antichrist's) will allow the devil to inhabit him." ("The Exact Exposition Of The Orthodox Faith", Book IV, Chapter 26) St. Cyril of Jerusalem teaches the same. (Teaching, V. 14). St. Andrew of Kessary says that the Antichrist "will come out of the gloomiest and remotest lands of the earth to which the devil is banished." (Interpretation of the 11th chapter of the Apocalypse, 30th chapter.) Blessed Theodore writes, "Man's enemy, clothed in human nature, God's adversary, the demon, usurping God's Name, will appear in the world before Christ's coming." ("An Exact Exposition Of Divine Dogma", chapter 23, printed in "Christian Readings", 1844, Chapter IV, page 355.) Laktancy, Gezihy of Jerusalem and Blessed Heronim, call the Antichrist the son of Satan.

In agreement with such teachings of the Holy Fathers, the life of the Antichrist cannot admit one moment free from satanic action. It must already appear in the very birth and even in his conception, peculiar and exceptional in its depravity. "From a defiled virgin will actually be born his (the devil's) weapon." says St. Ephrem the Syrian. This is also confirmed by St. John of Damascus. "A man (the Antichrist) will be born from fornication."

The Holy Fathers Iriney ("Against Heresy", Book V, chapter 30), Ippolit (Legends about Christ and the Antichrist), and also Ilariy, Ambrose, Ieronim and Augustus, remark that the Antichrist will be of Jewish ancestry, from the tribe of Dan.

In the Synaksare, stated in the Week of Lent without meat, we read that, "The Antichrist will come and be born, as St. Ippolit of Rome declares, from a depraved wife and self-styled virgin, which is from the Jews, from the tribe of Dan." (Lenten Triod) Such indications in God's Word have several foundations:

• In the prophecies of Patriarch Jacob about each of his sons becoming the progenitors of the tribes of Israel, the fate of Dan's ancestors is depicted in such a way that can only be ascribed to the Antichrist. "Dan shall be a serpent on the way, an adder in the path..." (Genesis 49, 17)
• In the prophecies of Ierenim: "From Dan himself...(Ierenim VIII,16)
• In the prophecies of the Apocalypse, enumerating the remainder of all the tribes of Israel, marked by the Angel for salvation, the tribe of Dan is absolutely excluded. (Revelations VII, 4-8).
• According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, the devil, exalting the Antichrist, will try to vest his coming with all the signs of the coming of the Son of God to earth. (See St. Cyril of Jerusalem, the 150th catechistic word; St. Ephrem the Syrian, the 39th word, in the Russian translation Blessed Theodore, "A Short Exposition of Divine Dogma", Chapter 23, St. Ippolit, "The Legends of Christ and the Antichrist")

Of course, some resemblance of the Antichrist to Christ will only be external and in essence deceitful, for the whole life and all the deeds of the Antichrist will be an incensed and blasphemous revolt against Christ and His Church. This false external resemblance to Christ will appear in the very birth of the Antichrist. Keeping in mind that Christ was born a Virgin, the devil will produce his weapon from a virgin, not from a pure virgin, however, but from one filled with every vice and satanic filth. Then, as the Lord until he was thirty years old remained in obscurity, so the Antichrist, we assume, will, until the age of 30, remain in clandestine solitude and obscurity. As Christ began His saving service with sermons of His Divine teaching and miracles, so will the Antichrist begin his completely destructive service with the delusion of the people with his false teaching and incredibly shameful, deceitful miracles. As it was pleasing for the Lord to reveal Himself to all the people as the Messiah by solemnly entering Jerusalem and into its Temple, so the Antichrist will reveal himself as the false Jewish Messiah, the international monarch, in him solemn ceremonial entrance into Jerusalem and his enthronement in the temple of Jerusalem, which will by that time be restored.

The Lord's entry into Jerusalem, says Archbishop Innokenty of Herson, was "for all Jews a national declaration that Jesus Christ was veritably the Messiah. Indisputable proof of this are His own words, proclaimed before the gates of Jerusalem, saying: "If thou hadst known, even now, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace: But now they are hid from thine eyes." (Luke XIX, 42.) "With this day, with the rejection of the Messiah, the fate of the Israelite nation was decided for eternity." (The Last Days on Earth of Jesus Christ")

On the day when the Antichrist shall enter into Jerusalem as the false Messiah, forever and irrevocably the fate of his contemporaries will be decided. Blessed are those who, on the last day given by God for the conclusive self-determination of the people, will see the Antichrist as Satan's servant and the inescapable peril of all mankind which recognized him. Finally, as the Lord revealed Himself to the world and fulfilled His service as a Prophet, as King and as High Priest, so will the Antichrist concentrate all this triple power in his hands and complete his destructive service as the teacher of all mankind, as the monarch of an international monarchy and as the highest primate of all religions, demanding reverence for himself as God.

The entire life and activity of the Antichrist may be examined in three periods:

The FIRST PERIOD of the Antichrist from the day of birth to the moment of his social appearance will pass in clandestine obscurity. St. John of Damascus says that, "Antichrist will be raised secretly." (The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith", Book IV, Chapter 26.)

The SECOND PERIOD of the Antichrist's life will be opened by his thunderous entry on the world stage in the role of a universal teacher or "prophet". It is very possible that he will begin his activity during a world war, when people, enduring all its horrors, will not see any way out of the calamitous dead end. All the concealed levers for the solution will be in the hands of a secret society assisting the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will offer the most successful project for solving the world crisis from the perspective of political and social wisdom, which would establish a uniform political and social order in the whole world. Exhausted from the shock of war, spiritually blinded humanity will not only by unaware that this project is a cowardly trap, enticing it into the most degrading and merciless slavery, but on the contrary, will recognize it as a manifestation of scholarship and genius.

Universal advertisement about the Antichrist as a brilliant thinker, new leader, and savior of mankind, will thunder over all nations in the shortest possible period of time. "Evil spirits dispersed in the universe, will awaken a general, inflated opinion about the Antichrist in man, a general enthusiasm and an irresistible attraction for him." (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 16th word.)

In this period of his activity, the Antichrist will not use any force and will try to win men's trust and affection with his deceitful and hypocritical public mask of virtue. He, according to the expression of Vladimir Soloviev, "will throw a gleaming veil of kindness and truth over the mystery of iniquity." "He will come," said St. Ephrem the Syrian, "in an image which will seduce everyone. He will come as a humble, kind, hater of falsehood (as he will say about himself), rejecting idols, preferring piety and kindness, loving the poor, bearing extremely handsome features, constant, sweet to everyone, respecting especially the Jewish nation because they will be awaiting his coming...He will take sly measures to please everyone, will not accept gifts nor speak in anger, will not show an overcast countenance, but will entice the world with a decorous exterior until he is enthroned." (See previous citation.)

From the great wealth of ascetical experience from our great men of podvig, it is known that when the black devil cannot overcome an ascetic, encountering unswerving opposition from him, a stronger devil comes as an "angel of light" (II Corinthians, XI, 14), attempting to awaken sympathy and trust towards himself in the ascetic, and easily charming him away to destruction. Thus, we can imagine how easily and quickly the bright image of the Antichrist will attract general sympathy towards itself after the filthy devil of Bolshevism.

As a result of such deceit, "the need to invite the Antichrist will arise" within the very temperament of man's spirit. "A beckoning voice will resound in man's society, expressing urgent need for a genius of geniuses, who would raise material development and prosperity to the highest degree and establish affluence on earth". (Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninoff. Vol IV, page 313.)

The hypocrisy of the Antichrist in this period will reach the point that he, even in his relationship to Christians, will not oppose them, but will appear ready to be their benefactor. He will try to imitate Christ in the external, showy side of his life. The majority of Christians, not guided by the spiritual wisdom of the Church, but by worldly wisdom, will not see this deceit, recognizing the Antichrist as Christ who has come to earth a second time. The monks of the Solovetsky monastery pass on the answer given by Righteous Zosima to his disciples when he was asked how the Antichrist could be recognized. Righteous Zosima said, "When you will hear that Christ has appeared on earth, know then that this is the Antichrist." This answer is most precise. "The world or mankind will not recognize the Antichrist, it will recognize him as Christ, it will proclaim him Christ.....

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Prosperity Theology is another Modern Lie of New Religions Created by Man and for Man

According to Wikipedia, "Prosperity theology (also known as prosperity doctrine, the health and wealth gospel, or the prosperity gospel) is a Christian religious belief whose proponents claim has tens of millions of adherents, primarily in the United States, centered on the notion that God provides material prosperity for those he favors. It has been defined by the belief that "Jesus blesses believers with riches" or more specifically as the teaching that "believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the 'sowing of seeds' through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings." In the words of journalist Hanna Rosin, the prosperity gospel "is not a clearly defined denomination, but a strain of belief that runs through the Pentecostal Church and a surprising number of mainstream evangelical churches, with varying degrees of intensity." It arose in the United States after World War II championed by Oral Roberts and became particularly popular in the decade of the 1990s. More recently, the theology has been exported to less prosperous areas of the world, with mixed results."

The only way one can believe in this new teaching is to reject God's Church and God's Word, thereby rejecting God. Here are some clear examples from the Bible showing the lie of this materialistic, worldly lie of Satan. Again from the KJV:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
(Mat 6:19-34)

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
(Mat 16:24-27)

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, 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.
(Mat 19:21-24) 

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
(1Ti 6:3-12) 

If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
(Tit 1:6-16) 

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
(Jas 5:1-6)

Some serve God, some serve money and the world. Some follow God, some follow the money and the world. Some do all for God, some do all for money and the world. Some have only God in their heart, some have only money and the world in their heart. Some claim they know God, but only know money and the world! Who or what will you serve, value, love, and know? As for me and my house, like Jesus (Joshua in the KJV) of Nun, we will serve the Lord.

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Holy Wednesday Unction: Annointing the Physically & Spiritually Sick

Tonight in Orthodox Christian Churches around the world, the Mystery of Unction is given by the presbyters (priests) and bishops to the Faithful Christians of their flock. Are we not all spiritually not 100%? I think so.

Some may wonder what is the scriptural reference to this Tradition. Although Tradition created the Bible and not the Bible creating Tradition, here it is:

"Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven"

(James 5:14-15).

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Japan: Your Worst Nightmare x 1 Million!

What if your home, your work, your family, your friends, your city, everyone and everything you had ever known were destroyed in a matter of minutes? What if after all this disaster nuclear plants started to have explosions and 2,000 dead bodies washed up on your nation's shores? Unfortunately this is not a nightmare or a horror film, but reality for many in Japan.

Japan was hit by an enormous earthquake on March 11, 2011, that triggered a deadly 23-foot tsunami in the country's north. The giant waves deluged cities and rural areas alike, sweeping away cars, homes, buildings, a train, and boats, leaving a path of death and devastation in its wake. Video footage showed cars racing away from surging waves. The earthquake, which struck about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo, had a magnitude of 8.9, which is the largest in Japan's history. As of Sunday, March 13, the death toll had reached over 10,000.

Disaster struck again on Saturday, March 12, when about 26 hours after the earthquake, an explosion in reactor No. 1 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station caused one of the buildings to crumble to the ground. The cooling system at the reactor failed shortly after the earthquake. Officials feared that a meltdown may occur, and radioactive material was detected outside the plant. These fears were realized on Sunday, when officials said they believed that partial meltdowns occurred at reactors No. 1 and No. 3. The cooling systems at another plant, Fukushima Daini, were also compromised but the situation there seemed to be less precarious. More than 200,000 residents were evacuated from areas surrounding both facilities. Problems were later reported at two other nuclear facilities.


My family donated 10,000 Yen ($123.45 USD) at http://tiny.cc/HelpNippon and Bank of America matched it and all employee donations 100% in addition to their 100,000,000 Yen donation. I challenge you to match my personal donation too!

Think what a difference we can make if we all donate 10,00 Yen today. If you were in the shoes of the suffering Japanese right now, you would hope others would choose to rise to the challenge!

This is not what I hoped to be blogging about for my 555th blog entry, but it may be the most important blog post I have ever posted. Pray for Japan, and if you can, give to Japan too!

A Reproach to Witless Heresy: Jesus is The Way, the Son, the God.

Recently on Twitter, a J-W (not to be confused with a J_W :-p) responded to my tweet, "I AM THAT I AM is such a bad translation of YahWeh/JeHovah. I AM THAT AM is so a much more powerful & accurate translation. Meditate on it." and then starting making various claims which could not so easily be reproved in a 140 character tweet. So, as promised, I am blogging on his various errors today.

He tried to proof-text using John 14:28 and Matt 26:39 to say that Jesus Christ, the Ancient of Days, is not and never was God. As a J-W, a new man-created religion of the last 100 years, he wrongly believes Jesus is a man that used many bodies and is St. Michael the Archangel.

The first problem is he is trying to use a verse out of context. So let us read verses around the quoted verses to see what else God the Son is teaching in The Holy Gospel According to Saint John 14:6-27:

Jesus saith to him, "I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one cometh to the Father, except by Me. "If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also. And from now ye know Him, and have seen Him." Philip saith to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and sufficeth us." Jesus saith to him, "Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known Me, Philip? The one who hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and sayest thou, 'Show us the Father'? "Believest thou not that I AM in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words which I speak to you I speak not from Myself; but the Father Who abideth in Me, He doeth the works. "Keep on believing Me that I AM in the Father and the Father in Me; otherwise keep on believing Me on account of the works themselves. "Verily, verily, I say to you, the one who believeth in Me, the works which I do shall that one do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to My Father. "And whatsover ye shall ask in My Name, this I will do, that the Father might be glorified in the Son. "If ye should ask anything in My Name, I will do it. "If ye love Me, keep My commandments. "And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you forever — "the Spirit of the truth, Whom the world is not able to receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He abideth by you, and shall be in you. "I will not leave you orphans; I am coming to you. "Yet a little while, and the world see Me no longer, but ye see Me; because I live, ye shall live also. "In that day ye shall know that I AM in the Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. "The one who hath My commandments and keepeth them, that one is the one who loveth Me. And the one that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him. Judas, not the Iscariote, saith to Him, "Lord, then what hath come to pass that Thou art about to manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone love Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him. The one who loveth Me not keepeth not My words; and the word which ye hear is not Mine but of the Father Who sent Me. I have spoken these things to you, abiding with you; but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, that One shall teach you all things, and shall remind you of what I said to you. "Peace I leave to you, My peace I give to you; not as the world giveth, give I to you. Let not your heart continue being troubled, nor being fearful.

Then this chapter ends with the following verse, John 14:31:

"But that the world might know that I love the Father, and even as the Father enjoined Me, thus I do. Arise, let us be going from this place."

Obviously He is not saying that He is not one with the Father in the Chapter of the Holy Bible! In fact, if one does not understand that God the Son is one with God the Father, then he never knew the Son at all, and was never taught by God the Holy Spirit! This is straight from the Bible!

As for Chapter 26 of The Holy Gospel According to Matthew, let us look at what the early undivided Church taught about this:

Saint John of Damascus: "When He said, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I will, but as Thou wilt,' is it not clear to all that He said this as a lesson to us to ask help in our trials only from God, and to prefer God's Will to our own, and as a proof that He did actually appropriate to Himself the attributes of our nature, and that He did in truth possess two wills, natural, indeed, and corresponding with His natures but yet in no wise opposed to one another? 'Father' implies that He is of the same essence, but 'if this is possible' does not mean that He was in ignorance (for what is impossible to God?), but serves to teach us to prefer God's Will to our own. For that alone is impossible which is against God's will and permission. 'However, not as I will but as Thou wilt,' for inasmuch as He is God, He is identical with the Father, while inasmuch as He is Man, He manifests the natural will of mankind. For it is this that naturally seeks escape form death."

 Thank God for what He teaches us in his Extreme Humility and Charity!

An Interesting Week

My mother came to Texas for Easter and for the first ultrasound for my pregnant wife, YanFei. It was an opportunity for them to bond even closer, and to find out the sex of my second child.

So it appears we will be having a Daniel (a boy). The Chinese middle name is as of yet undecided, although I am pushing for Bei (备), in honor of the great Liu Bei, one of my wife's ancestors.

At Pascha services, my daughter sang her heart out, loudly and beautifully, which was very nice to see. She felt the entire congregation should be singing and they were not, so she would make up for all these non-singers.

And on Anti-Pascha, my wife will be baptized for the very first time. Hence my prior mentioning that Santa Fe is Spanish for Saint Faith.

2nd Chronicles, Chapter 20

(King James Version & Chinese Union Version-Simplified Characters)

1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 1 此後，摩押人和亚扪人，又有米乌尼人，一同来攻击约沙法。
2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 2 有人来报告约沙法说：「从海外亚兰（又作以东）那边有大军来攻击你，如今他们在哈洗逊他玛，就是隐基底。」
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 3 约沙法便惧怕，定意寻求耶和华，在犹大全地宣告禁食。
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. 4 於是犹大人聚会，求耶和华帮助。犹大各城都有人出来寻求耶和华。
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 5 约沙法就在犹大和耶路撒冷的会中，站在耶和华殿的新院前，
6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 6 说：「耶和华我们列祖的神啊，你不是天上的神吗？你不是万邦万国的主宰吗？在你手中有大能大力，无人能抵挡你。
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? 7 我们的神啊，你不是曾在你民以色列人面前驱逐这地的居民，将这地赐给你朋友亚伯拉罕的後裔永远为业吗？
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 8 他们住在这地，又为你的名建造圣所，说：
9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. 9 『倘有祸患临到我们，或刀兵灾殃，或瘟疫饥荒，我们在急难的时候，站在这殿前向你呼求，你必垂听而拯救，因为你的名在这殿里。』
10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 10 从前以色列人出埃及地的时候，你不容以色列人侵犯亚扪人、摩押人，和西珥山人，以色列人就离开他们，不灭绝他们。
11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 11 看哪，他们怎样报复我们，要来驱逐我们出离你的地，就是你赐给我们为业之地。
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 12 我们的神啊，你不惩罚他们吗？因为我们无力抵挡这来攻击我们的大军，我们也不知道怎样行，我们的眼目单仰望你。」
13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 13 犹大众人和他们的婴孩、妻子、儿女都站在耶和华面前。
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; 14 那时，耶和华的灵在会中临到利未人亚萨的後裔玛探雅的玄孙，耶利的曾孙，比拿雅的孙子，撒迦利雅的儿子雅哈悉。
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 15 他说：「犹大众人、耶路撒冷的居民，和约沙法王，你们请听。耶和华对你们如此说：『不要因这大军恐惧惊惶；因为胜败不在乎你们，乃在乎神。
16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 16 明日你们要下去迎敌，他们是从洗斯坡上来，你们必在耶鲁伊勒旷野前的谷口遇见他们。
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 17 犹大和耶路撒冷人哪，这次你们不要争战，要摆阵站著，看耶和华为你们施行拯救。不要恐惧，也不要惊惶。明日当出去迎敌，因为耶和华与你们同在。』」
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 18 约沙法就面伏於地，犹大众人和耶路撒冷的居民也俯伏在耶和华面前，叩拜耶和华。
19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 19 哥辖族和可拉族的利未人都起来，用极大的声音赞美耶和华以色列的神。
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 20 次日清早，众人起来往提哥亚的旷野去。出去的时候，约沙法站著说：「犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民哪，要听我说：信耶和华你们的神就必立稳；信他的先知就必亨通。」
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 21 约沙法既与民商议了，就设立歌唱的人，颂赞耶和华，使他们穿上圣洁的礼服，走在军前赞美耶和华说：「当称谢耶和华，因他的慈爱永远长存！」
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 22 众人方唱歌赞美的时候，耶和华就派伏兵击杀那来攻击犹大人的亚扪人、摩押人，和西珥山人，他们就被打败了。
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 23 因为亚扪人和摩押人起来，击杀住西珥山的人，将他们灭尽；灭尽住西珥山的人之後，他们又彼此自相击杀。
24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 24 犹大人来到旷野的望楼，向那大军观看，见尸横遍地，没有一个逃脱的。
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. 25 约沙法和他的百姓就来收取敌人的财物，在尸首中见了许多财物、珍宝，他们剥脱下来的多得不可携带；因为甚多，直收取了三日。
26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. 26 第四日众人聚集在比拉迦谷（就是称颂的意思），在那里称颂耶和华。因此那地方名叫比拉迦谷，直到今日。
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 27 犹大人和耶路撒冷人都欢欢喜喜地回耶路撒冷，约沙法率领他们；因为耶和华使他们战胜仇敌，就欢喜快乐。
28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. 28 他们弹琴、鼓瑟、吹号来到耶路撒冷，进了耶和华的殿。
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. 29 列邦诸国听见耶和华战败以色列的仇敌，就甚惧怕。
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. 30 这样，约沙法的国得享太平，因为神赐他四境平安。
31 And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 31 约沙法作犹大王，登基的时候年三十五岁，在耶路撒冷作王二十五年。他母亲名叫阿苏巴，乃示利希的女儿。
32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD. 32 约沙法效法他父亚撒所行的，不偏左右，行耶和华眼中看为正的事。
33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers. 33 只是邱坛还没有废去，百姓也没有立定心意归向他们列祖的神。
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. 34 约沙法其余的事，自始至终都写在哈拿尼的儿子耶户的书上，也载入以色列诸王记上。
35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: 35 此後，犹大王约沙法与以色列王亚哈谢交好；亚哈谢行恶太甚。
36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. 36 二王合夥造船要往他施去，遂在以旬迦别造船。
37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. 37 那时玛利沙人、多大瓦的儿子以利以谢向约沙法预言说：「因你与亚哈谢交好，耶和华必破坏你所造的。」後来那船果然破坏，不能往他施去了。

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... Just not now!

Whatever happened to "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"?

I find out today that after the paperwork in America is done for my wife's spouse immigration visa, that the wait in the American Consulate in GuangZhou is currently 120 days. 4 MORE MONTHS! Then after her interview, it will take about 2 weeks for her to be mailed her visa and then she can make a flight booking.

So it is going to be until September at the earliest before she can be here. All in the name of national security! For the record we filled out the paperwork the day after we were married, which was 08-08-08. Very frustrating to me!

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Book Reviews: "Wild Swans" and "Factory Girls"

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang was a good book comparing and contrasting the lives of her grandmother, a woman of Imperial China, her mother, a daughter of the Communist Revolution, and herself, an expatriate and anti-Maoist. The story is very good, although I think her editor failed her in jumping around in time too much. Chang has been accused of severe anti-Maoist distortions, but I have no way to prove or disprove this. I just know that this book is a very interesting look at China from the early 1900's to today and I would recommend it to any fan of China or history.

Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie Chang is a fascinating look at the culture of the factory girls who come from rural China and work the factories of industrial urban China. Over the years things have changed and this has changed the power structure and traditions of China for these girls and their families. This book is a very good introspective of these girls. However, seemingly out of nowhere Chang starts putting her family history in the book. Rather than adding to the book, it distracts from it. Her family history is still very interesting, and not unlike that of "Wild Swans", but I feel that part should have been left for its own book and "Factory girls" should have been left to focused on just the factory girls, which Chang never was.

While both books have serious flaws, I would still recommend them to anyone interested in the sociology of modern and recent China.

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Chinese Number Taboos are Often Local

This is from my friend LI Wan, who translated this in to English for a friend of hers.

Taboo, belonging to the category of folk culture, is a cultural phenomenon. China is a multi-ethnic country, and different nations have different totems and taboos. Taboo is the source of moral and civilization. All the Chinese people have regarded long as a totem and worshiped long all the time. When Spring Festival or other Festivals come, people in almost all areas of china will give an performance of dragon dance. In Dragon Boat Festival people will have a dragon-boat race, which reflects the nation's positive and never-give-up spirit.

1. There are many taboos in Changsha where mainly inhabit Han nationality Just as westerners view the number of 13 as a taboo, we think of the goods priced at 33, 36, 7, 94, 250, etc. as taboos.


2. Buying a house on the 18th floor is a taboo, because according to Buddhism, there is a saying like driving into the 18 floors of hell, so the land agent usually set a lower price at the 18th floor.


3. We like 8, 9 to be a number’s ending, and do not prefer the ending is 3, 4, because in china the pronunciation of 8 is the same as “Facai” which refers to making a pile,and 9 means everlasting, but 3 sounds like “Sanhuo” which means separating, and 4 sounds the same as “Si” which is an equivalent of death. In Changsha it is a taboo for 7 persons to be at table together, it is more preferable for 8 , 10 or 12 persons to have dinner together.


4. Azaleas (Rhododendron),the city flower of Changsha City, is a taboo to be used as a gift as well as chrysanthemum. Now it is the golden autumn of chrysanthemums blooming, but we'd better not send chrysanthemum to other people. Otherwise,you will find your well-intentioned behavior only arouses anger, because Chrysanthemum is always used to mourn the dead.


5. It is a taboo to present an umbrella or a fan as a gift to friends, because the pronunciations of fan and umbrella are similar to “Sanhuo”. There are also some taboos for young people when they fall in love. It is not necessarily for men to send rose to express their love. Sending some willow branches or a handkerchief may be more effective in some places. Because in China there is a wonderful legend about sending willow branches, as for the handkerchief, it means that it is made of the horizontal and vertical silk threads and silk sounds like “Sinian” which refers to missing.

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Evil Twins

Usually twins will not only look the same, but also have the same interests, aspirations, and desires in life. Sometimes this is not so. Though there may be moral disparity between actual biological twins, the term is more often a misnomer. In many cases, the two look-alikes are not actually twins. In others, the so-called "evil" twin is more precisely a dual opposite to their "good" counterpart, possessing at least some commonality with the value system of the protagonist.

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Life, Death, and Taxes!

So tonight I finally got done doing my taxes online, like I do through H&R Block's service. Hopefully I will actually see some of my refund. But probably not, as I am being audited by the IRS for tax year 2005, and they are trying to say I owe them almost $4,000.00! But tonight I also finally got word from the IRS on how to counter-claim that claim and hopefully I can only see half on my expected refund taken by the IRS this year. Which reminds me, RON PAUL '08!

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Exit the Dreaming…

I met one in the Dreaming and soon after met her in the Waking world too.

Another recently left the Dreaming and now she has departed from my Waking world now.

Pray that I not dream of your meeting with Death! :-P

So maybe But as my regular blog readers know, maybe that is okay, as I have already dreamt of my own meeting with Death and lived on in the Dreaming to experience it and its immediate after effects!

While Dream, Desire, Delirium, Destruction, Despair, and Destiny seem Endless-ly linked, Dream and Death are not as closely linked as it has been rumored to be?

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