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The
"news" entries are listed in chronological order
from TOP to BOTTOM |
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**JANUARY
2005** |
1
January 2005
It's 12:01am here in
Tokyo, and for
all of you still living in 2004 (for the next 12 - 15 hours), I can report that the future is
fine -- not all that different from 2004, in many respects. Of
course, here in 2005, technology is quite advanced... we use Two-Way Communicationing Devices
(we call them "phones")... and they've started this Networked
Informational Global Web which I hear they are gonna call
"the Internet" -- claim you can type in a word or subject
and find all kinds of information about it. Oh,
and I also read something earlier this year (at 12:00:42am) about
some new thing they've "cooked" up -- something like a Bread And
Baked Goods Browning Box -- "toaster" I think they
called it...
We can
"call" to our friends on this telephonic device in 2005! (nicknamed a
"phone") |
Coming soon: a sort of
"world-wide web" of
computing machines! |
Say goodbye to
room-temperature bread! |
So
YES, there's lots to look forward to in the future!! .
. . Meanwhile,
just so you know, it is 2 degrees celcius here, and we have lots of
SNOW today -- yes -- my first real snow in over 3 years.
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 |
| I
took these photos after the sun had already set -- but
for some reason, it seems my camera is not making the
white-balance adjustments it's supposed to be making
automatically -- everything I shoot is coming out blue
or purple these days! |
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.
. . Anyway,
HAPPY
NEW YEAR,
and here's hoping those who
are suffering and hungry tonight can find comfort and
peace in the coming weeks and months...
6
January 2005 What's
that? You're asking me how's the weather in Tokyo these days? Well,
I can report that it's NOT "cold" -- nope, you definitely
wouldn't call this "cold"... I
think the correct term is "FREEZING cold"... Dude,
it's so cold, I can't believe it. I have been so long in Hong Kong
that to finally be in the real, honest-to-goodness,
you-can-lose-your-digits COLD, it's quite jarring. Other
than that, I don't have much to report. Oh, except I saw this on the
web just now:
Jimmy Carter Urged
to Give Fish a Chance
Tue Jan 4, 2005 10:08 AM ET
ATLANTA (Reuters) - A prominent U.S.-based animal
rights group urged former President Jimmy Carter on
Monday to give up fishing on the grounds that the
activity was inconsistent the Nobel peace laureate's
humanitarian efforts.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals made its
appeal in a letter faxed to Carter's non-profit Carter
Center on Monday. The group said the letter was prompted
by Carter's recent appearance on The Tonight Show With
Jay Leno.
Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981 and
won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, told Leno of the pain
he suffered when he accidentally hooked himself through
the face on a fishing trip.
"We're asking President Carter to think this
through and to grant fish peace by leaving them in the
water where they belong," PETA President Ingrid
Newkirk said in a press release.
A Carter Center spokesman said the center does not
comment on Carter's private correspondence. |
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7 January
2005
Believe it or not, holiday
greetings continue to pour in from around the globe -- I'm so happy
to hear from ALL of you!
I finally got a message from Fonna
in HK -- I had been so poor about keeping in touch with her, but
some "business" matters required a quick consultation
recently. It seems she is very busy (as always -- HK people are
ALWAYS busy) -- but she sounds good, I think -- I hope I
"heard" her "voice" correctly in her
e-mail...
I also talked to David the other
day -- he is the FIRST person with whom I have connected using Skype
-- seemed to work fine, and two calls to HK only cost me about $1
U.S. (I may start using Skype more often, in that case).
Also got a message from Pastor
Yeung from Xi Lin CP Church (in Sheung Shui) -- he is coming to
Japan to visit in February! Now, of course I'm sad that he is NOT
coming with the large group who had been planning to come -- for
some reason they changed their plans and it will only be him and one
other person. Too bad for them AND for me. But it will be so
wonderful to spend some time with William, who I respect and care
for deeply.
Finally, I got a message just now
from Miss Betty Leung, the soon-to-be-famous Chinese authoress. She
gave me an update on her recent holidays, including the death of her
95-year-old grandmother in the Mainland. Please keep her in your
Jesus thoughts...
. . .
In case you haven't noticed, I've
added some photos
over the holidays -- not much to see but it will help you know what
I've been up to recently... Also a new missive regarding my mailbox
situation. If you're bored silly, you can check that out --
it's a real lesson in, uh... something...
21 January
2005
http://www.humanbeatbox.com/
23 January
2005
You perhaps saw this one already,
but I think it bears reprinting (without permission from Associated
Press, emphasis mine):
Tennessee 'Demon Jeans'
Assault Case Dismissed
Sat Jan 22, 8:10 PM
BRISTOL, Tenn. - A
Sullivan County judge threw out a case between a
preacher and three feuding sisters and warned them to
leave one another alone.
"This is the most ridiculous case I have ever
seen in the court system," General Sessions Judge
Bill Watson said Friday. "You people should be
ashamed."
Reba Storey, 46, alleged the Rev. Clarence
"June" Love, 83, called her demon-possessed
and twisted her arm when he threw her out of church Jan.
9.
Storey and her sister Mary Steele, 64, showed up a
the Assemblies of Jesus Church wearing blue jeans to see
their 88-year-old mother, Maude Yates. The church that
has a total of four members forbids women to
wear pants.
"He said, 'You're not wearing pants in my
church, you demon,'" Storey said. "I said, 'I'm
so glad I serve a God who can work through my
pants.'"
Love's girlfriend and a sister to the two women,
68-year-old Rosa Harrison, said the women grabbed their
mother, shoved everyone else out of the way and tried to
carry her out the door.
"I asked them to leave," Love said.
"They told me to shut my mouth. God knows my heart.
I've never been cruel to no woman. They're just
troublemakers."
The judge ordered the family members to stay away
from each other and set a court hearing for next year.
"It's a sad day when you have people go in a
place of worship and do what was done in this
case," Watson said. "I hope I never see a case
like this come before this court again."
"Amen!" the preacher said.
Love said he plans to return to his church, where he
says the sisters have driven away the congregation. The
preacher wouldn't say whether he still thought Storey
was possessed.
"All this has hurt the church real bad," he
said.
Storey said she plans to continue her case in civil
court.
"Do I look like I have a demon?" she said.
"That's defamation of character." |
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