Interesting case!
Quote: Matthew Miller: “[In North Korea] I was prepared for the ‘torture’. But instead of that I was killed with kindness, and with that my mind folded and the plan fell apart...”
fulltimestudent
JoinedPosts by fulltimestudent
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The Young American Who WANTED to Be Arrested in North Korea
by fulltimestudent ininteresting case!.
quote: matthew miller: a[in north korea] i was prepared for the atorturea.
but instead of that i was killed with kindness, and with that my mind folded and the plan fell apart...a. .
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Poverty in China in 2014.
by fulltimestudent inchina daily recently published this overview of poverty in china: reference: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-10/16/content_18755643.htm.
under the general heading of, behind the glamour.. .
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fulltimestudent
A Chinese tax chart I posted in my last post disappeared, not sure why, Here it is again.
And its disappeared again, so I guess there's a built in function to prevent re-posting (Its from a non-government, possibly western source).
So here's the link:
http://www.sjgrand.cn/individual-income-tax-calculator
Scroll down a little to the heading: Rates valid as at April, 2014
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Feeling sad over a wasted life in watchtower
by wannaexit init's been 12 years since i first read ray franz's books and the scales came off my eyes.
by that time i was in my forties.. since 2002 i went back to school and have worked with 3 very professional organizations.
but my biological clock is ticking away and while my peers are looking forward to retirement, i am only beginning.
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fulltimestudent
Take hope!
There is a life outside the prison walls of the Watchtower.
Rejoice when they chuck you out and discard you like a bit of garbage that they have worn out, even though we may now be old.
You don't need them, you only need your liberty.
I won't say I had a bad time inside the WT prison, but I could not, was not allowed to grow intellectually, but I am SO MUCH HAPPIER now that I am free.
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Deciphering and Translating a Coptic 'semi-Christian' Book of Spells
by fulltimestudent inthis work was done by dr malcolm choat and iain gardner of macquarie university, sydney.
its reported in live science:.
http://www.livescience.com/48833-ancient-egyptian-handbook-spells-deciphered.html.
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fulltimestudent
This work was done by Dr Malcolm Choat and Iain Gardner of Macquarie University, Sydney. Its reported in Live Science:
http://www.livescience.com/48833-ancient-egyptian-handbook-spells-deciphered.html
Ancient Egyptian Handbook of Spells Deciphered
by Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | November 20, 2014 07:37am ET
An Egyptian Handbook of Ritual Power (as researchers call it) has been deciphered revealing a series of invocations and spells. It includes love spells, exorcisms and a cure for black jaundice (a potentially fatal infection). Written in Coptic (an Egyptian language) the 20 page illustrated codex dates back around 1,300 years. This image shows part of the text.
Credit: Photo by Ms. Effy Alexakis, copyright Macquarie University Ancient Cultures Research Centre View full size imageResearchers have deciphered an ancient Egyptian handbook, revealing a series of invocations and spells.
Among other things, the "Handbook of Ritual Power," as researchers call the book, tells readers how to cast love spells, exorcise evil spirits and treat "black jaundice," a bacterial infection that is still around today and can be fatal.
The book is about 1,300 years old, and is written in Coptic, an Egyptian language. It is made of bound pages of parchment — a type of book that researchers call a codex.
"It is a complete 20-page parchment codex, containing the handbook of a ritual practitioner," write Malcolm Choat and Iain Gardner, who are professors in Australia at Macquarie University and the University of Sydney, respectively, in their book, "A Coptic Handbook of Ritual Power" (Brepols, 2014).
The ancient book "starts with a lengthy series of invocations that culminate with drawings and words of power," they write. "These are followed by a number of prescriptions or spells to cure possession by spirits and various ailments, or to bring success in love and business."
For instance, to subjugate someone, the codex says you have to say a magical formula over two nails, and then "drive them into his doorpost, one on the right side (and) one on the left."
The Sethians
Researchers believe that the codex may date to the 7th or 8th century. During this time, many Egyptians were Christian and the codex contains a number of invocations referencing Jesus.
However, some of the invocations seem more associated with a group that is sometimes called "Sethians." This group flourished in Egypt during the early centuries of Christianity and held Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, in high regard. One invocation in the newly deciphered codex calls "Seth, Seth, the living Christ."
The opening of the codex refers to a divine figure named "Baktiotha" whose identity is a mystery, researchers say. The lines read, "I give thanks to you and I call upon you, the Baktiotha: The great one, who is very trustworthy; the one who is lord over the forty and the nine kinds of serpents," according to the translation.
"The Baktiotha is an ambivalent figure. He is a great power and a ruler of forces in the material realm," Choat and Gardner said at a conference, before their book on the codex was published.
Historical records indicate that church leaders regarded the Sethians as heretics and by the 7th century, the Sethians were either extinct or dying out.
This codex, with its mix of Sethian and Orthodox Christian invocations, may in fact be a transitional document, written before all Sethian invocations were purged from magical texts, the researchers said. They noted that there are other texts that are similar to the newly deciphered codex, but which contain more Orthodox Christian and fewer Sethian features.
The researchers believe that the invocations were originally separate from 27 of the spells in the codex, but later, the invocations and these spells were combined, to form a "single instrument of ritual power," Choat told Live Science in an email.
Who would have used it?
The identity of the person who used this codex is a mystery. The user of the codex would not necessarily have been a priest or monk.
"It is my sense that there were ritual practitioners outside the ranks of the clergy and monks, but exactly who they were is shielded from us by the fact that people didn't really want to be labeled as a "magician,'"Choat said.
Some of the language used in the codex suggests that it was written with a male user in mind, however, that "wouldn't have stopped a female ritual practitioner from using the text, of course," he said.
Origin
The origin of the codex is also a mystery. Macquarie University acquired it in late 1981 from Michael Fackelmann, an antiquities dealer based in Vienna. In "the 70s and early 80s, Macquarie University (like many collections around the world) purchased papyri from Michael Fackelmann," Choat said in the email.
But where Fackelmann got the codex from is unknown. The style of writing suggests that the codex originally came from Upper Egypt.
"The dialect suggests an origin in Upper Egypt, perhaps in the vicinity of Ashmunein/Hermopolis," which was an ancient city, Choat and Gardner write in their book.
The codex is now housed in the Museum of Ancient Cultures at Macquarie University in Sydney.
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Poverty in China in 2014.
by fulltimestudent inchina daily recently published this overview of poverty in china: reference: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-10/16/content_18755643.htm.
under the general heading of, behind the glamour.. .
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fulltimestudent
Mum, asked: I don't suppose the Chinese government has food stamps or other government subsidies to help their poor. Are there private charities working on alleviating the problem? Many Westerners live in China. Are they doing anything to help?
I described how it used to be handled back in the time of Mao Zedong (two posts back).
Now its being built-in to insurance schemes, that are built into the tax system, as seen in this tax calc. chart:
As you see, both employer and employee contributes to these schemes
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Of course, some people may not have regular work, and some will be farming village people. Some villages have transformed well and the villagers have an excellent standard of living. Others have not done well. And wherever you are there may always be some who have an handicap, or a run of real bad luck.
The National government has been working on a poverty alleviation plan, directed at children living in poverty, here's the details of what they will do:
China to better help children in poverty
November 20, 2014
China will take enhanced measures to ensure healthy growth and proper education for the country's underprivileged children.With health and education at the core, the government will provide assistance to children from rural impoverished families starting from their birth until they finish compulsory education, said a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council, China's Cabinet, on Wednesday.
The meeting was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.
Participants at the meeting approved a national plan to promote the development for children in the poverty-stricken areas, pledging to expand the accessibility of free neonatal screening services for newborns.
With higher medicare insurance compensation, pregnant women in rural areas will be further encouraged to receive prenatal checkups and diagnosis as well as hospital delivery care, according to the plan.
Rural impoverished children with serious diseases such as congenital heart disease or leukemia will receive more compensation from the national medical insurance program. The government will also pilot nutrition improvement education for infants and children in poverty, the document said.
The plan also pledges to build more child welfare institutions, send more teachers to rural and remote areas and increase the allowances for special education and rural teachers.
What of adults who are poor?
Families are still more important in social life in China, and that's the first place to go for help. It's interesting that another fairly traditional Chinese society, Singapore, has a LAW that children MUST support their elderly parents.
The other two categories into which most poor people fit, are some rural villages and migrant workers. For poor rural villages, there are some concessions. First, all land taxes have been removed. Second, some local government assistance is available
For migrant workers? There are about 100 million migrant workers in China. Migrant workers leave their home villages, where they have some land and a house, to try for a better life in a city. If things go bad, they are expected to return to their village of origin, where they have a place to live and work theri land.
If you have more questions, please ask.
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fulltimestudent
How to do a hip tourism ad.... !!! haha!
All tourism ad makers should take note. I don't think OZ is real good at laughing at itself, so I sent it to my friend in China. He's an independent member of the Suzhou City Government, and just cool enough to want to copy it for that city. I can just imagine his version! A visit to an up-market bathhouse should be a hit segment.
(Fact note: Core districts of Suzhou and Scotland have the same population, approx, 5 million)
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Poverty in China in 2014.
by fulltimestudent inchina daily recently published this overview of poverty in china: reference: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-10/16/content_18755643.htm.
under the general heading of, behind the glamour.. .
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fulltimestudent
Violia: There are many poor people in usa that lack food. During the 80's my hubby was unemployed for 1.5 yrs and the we did go without food and the kids occ would eat at the neighbors and my hubby and I just did not eat. One of my sons said he did remember being hungry. You have no idea how that makes a mother feel. I would starve and let my kids eat first. It was a horrible time and i shudder every time I recall it. I had to go to places to beg for help and they would look at you like refuse. NO help from the loving brothers. I will never forget or forgive any of them.
That must have been a terrible time for you.
The longest time I was ever out of work (with a family) was 2.5 months. I was retrenched in November and in OZ, most businesses do not employ new staff until January because of the summer holidays. That was a bad enough experience.
I learnt a lesson, savings became imperative from then on. And also that having been a pioneer was bloody useless when it cam to looking for a job.
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Poverty in China in 2014.
by fulltimestudent inchina daily recently published this overview of poverty in china: reference: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-10/16/content_18755643.htm.
under the general heading of, behind the glamour.. .
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fulltimestudent
talesin: China wasn't too concerned about their poor when preparing for the Beijing Olympics. Millions of people were thrown out of their homes. Like Western governments, they don't give a **** about the poor. I guess this anti-poverty initiative is good public relations, of course.
I assume you raise the points because you are wondering, how what you hear/read etc reconciles with what I've posted. So I'm going to attempt to show you Beijing.
This is Bejing circa 1900. The photographs were taken by western soldiers (British, American,- the American contingent left from Seattle, there are still, or were, photos on the internet- French, German, Italian and Japanese who had invaded China, because of anti-western civil disturbances in which western property had been destroyed. In reprisals, they destroyed some beautiful old buildings and stole many beautiful works of art.
The roads in Beijing fo the time were dirt, sewerage ran in open canals. Maybe it was similar to 19th C western cities, but that's the starting point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZBYNGMNvE
This next video is a series of LIFE piks from 1947
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGhfakG0_CU
I need to explain, that like some other places in the world, thedre is no private ownership of land. People lease the land and the buildings, unless the buildings have come to the end of their useful life. You've probably heard of the term 'slum clearance' also. Much of the housing in China pre- 1949 was sub-standard. I've walked around tenement housing near the Temple of Heaven (2003), I wanted to take piks, but was too embarrassed because it was so poverty stricken. No reticulated water, no sewerage, etc. I didn't go near Beijing around the O/Games. I happen to think the Olympics are bullsh*t, but I'm likely a minority. If people had a residential right, they were provided with modern housing, if they did not they were encouraged to go back to their villages.
Some parts of old housing could be restored and turned over to small business, you can find such streets in most modernised Chinese cities. Here's one in Beijing, taken by some tourist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd08JxYgTRU
And another tourist video of modern Beijing in general:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH3PvfI7ELQ
I guess this anti-poverty initiative is good public relations, of course.
Which I guess, is a roundabout way of asking whether the figures are accurate or not? If we imagine that in 1949 China was destitute, then to bring prosperity to a nation would be a big ask.
As I see it (my perspective) is that the success of the communists + the other Chinese parties that joined them, in the civil war (1945-49) was based on widespread popular support. (Ask me to prove that on another thread and I'll tell you why I say that, but wait until January, please - got another exam at the end of Nov, and then want to catch up with rellies that I havn't see for a while).
They then had to deliver - to modernise China, and bring prosperity. At first, private enterprise was encouraged, and maybe things were not moving fast enough and the doctrinaire central planners in the CPC wanted to try their way. They won the chance and failed. The party reacted by removing Mao from the top job. He reacted by using his prestige to bring another revolution, (the so-called Cultural Revolution) and letting immature young people (Red Guards) attempt to enforce a return to Central Planning, etc. This was a terrible time in China, everything stopped (including education). Everyone seemed to hold their breathe, wondering what could happen next. But when Mao died the CPC reacted swiftly to try to stabilise the sutuation, and re-asserted its authority. The rest you likely know. That's very simplistic, but I could go into a booklength explanantion (supposed to be funny)
Under Mao's idea, there was what was called the iron ricebowl. You would be told what education you should have and what job you could have. Your workplace would give you a place to live at low rent, and look after your health needs etc. For some, at least, it did work and some have good memories of the time. Other's do not. Personally, I do not think that sort of economic system can work for all.
When Deng started the program of change to the present system, (announcing, that to get rich was glorious) he made a point of saying that not everyone could get rich (likely he meant prosperous) at the same time. So in the roughly 30 years since then maybe 50% have a moderately prosperous life. Clearly there are some that will never be able to cope for one reason or another.
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China from the Inside; The Grasslands of Ruoergai
by fulltimestudent insichuan province in the soutwest of china is closer to india than it is to beijing.
it borders burma and bangladash and shares borderzones with xizang (tibet).. the architect of modern china, deng xiaoping, came from a middle class sichuan family, who sent him to france, sponsored by a group called the diligent work-frugal study movement, a work and study program, which sponsored some 4000 young chinese by 1927. young deng was only 15. why did he do this.
deng says, in"to learn knowledge and truth from the west in order to save china.
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fulltimestudent
LisaRose: Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. The topography reminds me of some parts of Nevada, serene and beautiful, but also a climate that can be harsh.
It is great scenery, typical of the steppes that extend across central Asia, from near Korea to at least Iran. And much more important in human history than is given credit.
The steppe people, known as the Xiongnu, in the last centuries BCE, had an empire that challenged the first Chinese empire (the Qin). War between them was continuous. And, there were defections over the border both ways, as people were attracted to the other side. In later periods of time, they often ruled what is now north China. (The Manchus, who established the last Qing dynasty came from the same ethnic group)
In Roman times, the same people, known to Europe as the Huns, caused the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, swept into both France and Germany and became an important factor in the eventual rise of both political entities.
In the early thirteenth C, Chiingis Khan (Ghengis, in some spellings) united Mongolian and Turkic tribes and established the biggest land empire the world had known. They ruled the world from Korea and China to eastern Europe, and became an important factor in the development of Russia. The Mongolian horde at the gates of Vienna, scared Christian Europe sh*tless.
The scenery in Mongolia is similar to that above:
The Mongolians by the way have a similar form of Buddhism to the Tibetans.
Not sure of where the above pik was taken, but if anyone would like to travel there (It's safe) on their bike (motor) this guy organises tours across Europe to Mongolia: http://nicksanders.com/cms/adventures/mongolia/
I'm confident it will be more fun than a modern JW convention would be. :(
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The Problems People have in finding Love....
by fulltimestudent in... are even more complex for those who are same sex attracted:.
from the philippines, a short film:.
nessun dorma - .
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fulltimestudent
A straight boy may have a few fumbles with a girl. Unlikely a gay boy would have done that.
Sometimes, in my haste, I write something stupid. Those two sentences prove it. Of course, a young gay man could have a fumble with a girl (some of them even marry girls), but not as a result of their own natural attraction.
What I wanted to say, was that there is a certain social expectation that a young man (understood as heterosexual) will have some sexual experimentation with a willing girl, but I wanted to juxtapose that with the situation of young homosexual man. There would be no societal toleration of his sexual experimentation with another boy.
That (in the past at any rate) likely made it difficult to gain some experience in who appealed to them and who did not.
An Egyptian Handbook of Ritual Power (as researchers call it) has been deciphered revealing a series of invocations and spells. It includes love spells, exorcisms and a cure for black jaundice (a potentially fatal infection). Written in Coptic (an Egyptian language) the 20 page illustrated codex dates back around 1,300 years. This image shows part of the text. 