I was born in the early years of the Cold War, and was very mindful, as a child, of the risk that at any given moment an unfortunate series of communications between America and Russia could cause a very terrible weapon to rain out of the skies above our heads.
As a nine year old during the Cuban Missile Crisis I was literally worried sick. I remember lying in bed, crying, and my parents laughing at my explantion that "World War III could start any minute." Revelations decades later confirmed that my fears were well-founded. Soviet torpedo and missile boat commanders had in fact received orders permitting them to launch in the event of any aggressive acts by the United States. Two American spy planes had been fired upon by Soviet forces and struck. One was downed. The other made it back to base. Had we retaliated, World War III would have been the result. A Soviet attack submarine, B-59, was cornered by American forces. The crew was running out of air. The angry, tired Soviet submarine captain ordered that his nuclear torpedoes be loaded into torpedo tubes for firing. Destroying several American ships with one blow surely would have started World War III. Deputy Submarine Commander Vasiliy Arkhipov, well-comprehending that firing the torpedo would be the shot that ended the world, talked the tired captain out of firing.
I think that all of this occurred on the day I was worried sick in bed, crying.
I have heard that a Soviet nuclear missile boat off the American coast actually disobeyed an affirmative launch order, during the Missile Crisis.
In any event, this post is about another incident involving Soviet and American military forces -- not the Missile Crisis. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was just background.
Many of us recall the loss of the USS Scorpion, one of our newest attack submarines. It failed to return to base in the end of May, 1968, and was presumed lost with all on board. Somehow, we located it, in 11,000 feet of water, and the bathyscaph Trieste II took several thousand photos of the wreckage.
What very few know is that there was a handshake agreement between the Soviet Union and America pursuant to which America would not ask about what happened to the Scorpion in May, 1968, if the Soviet Union did not ask about what happened to a Soviet Nuclear Missile Submarine K-129 in January, 1968.
And very few are aware that the Soviet Union finally told us precisely where the Scorpion wreckage was located -- because they sank it -- just as we knew pretty much precisely where K-129 was located, so that the U.S. ship Glomar Explorer was later able to raise all or a part of it -- perhaps because we sank it.
In other words, in 1968 the United States and Soviet Union had reached the point, in the middle of the Vietnam War, where we were sinking each other's submarines.
The public, in each country, was told that their country's submarine's loss and deaths of the sailors were accidental.
In fact, they were casualties of war.
Several attempts have been made to pierce the impenetrable curtain of secrecy surrounding each incident.
One interpretation of the evidence connected with K-129 is quite frightening, and far too controversial to ever be the subject of a movie -- Soviet Missile Submarine K-129 Commander, Rear Admiral Rudolf A. Golosov, "went renegade" and was caught by the United States positioning his boat for a nuclear attack on Pearl Harbor. We gave chase, and sank his submarine.
The Soviet submarine forces, outraged at the loss of what they believed to be innocent comrades on board K-129 in January, 1968, sank the Scorpion in May, 1968.
Lo and behold, as though perfectly aware of the nature of such a sinking -- a misguided-but-understandable limited retaliation for our justified sinking of K-129 -- on May 22, 1968, only a few hours after the sinking of the Scorpion, Naval Intelligence Agents seized all recordings of the sounds of the attack on the Scorpion and sinking, recorded by United States underwater Sound Surveillance System, SOSUS.
Rather than go to war over the attack, American officials decided to bury the Scorpion incident as an accident.
Thank God.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Oldest Living Thing
Most people know that the giant redwood trees are no longer among the "oldest living things." The bristlecone pine, at 4,700 years, learly has the redwoods beat.
Some folks bet on the creosote bush in the Mojave Desert, which seems to be 11,000 years old.
But even the creosote bush is overwhelmed by a peculiar biological fluke. Near Carlsbad, New Mexico there is a salty lake containing bacteria in the spore state which are about 250 million years of age. The bacteria, dubbed "B. permians,' can be reanimated, making them the oldest living things on Earth at the moment of reanimation.
Some folks bet on the creosote bush in the Mojave Desert, which seems to be 11,000 years old.
But even the creosote bush is overwhelmed by a peculiar biological fluke. Near Carlsbad, New Mexico there is a salty lake containing bacteria in the spore state which are about 250 million years of age. The bacteria, dubbed "B. permians,' can be reanimated, making them the oldest living things on Earth at the moment of reanimation.
The Chess Game Rice Wager Story
In a prior post I told the story of the Thousand Year Trusts of the Middle Ages, where rich merchants would purchase 1,000 year certificates of deposit for their remote descendants, at 3% interest compounded annually.
$1,000 held for 1,000 years at 3% compounded annually = $1,000 x (1.03 to the 999th power) = 6.67 QUINTILLION dollars.
As related, the European courts later struck the notes down essentially for bestowing unlawful amounts of economic power to individuals.
My other favorite story of the same sort, exhibiting the power of geometric progression, is that of the two men playing chess. One says to the other, "If I win, I want you to pay me one grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, two grains on the second square, four on the third square, eight on the fourth, and so on, doubling the number of grains to the 64th square of the chess board."
The other man idly agrees, and loses, and has his servants bring a basket of rice to begin paying-off the wager.
The numbers of grains of rice mount in this fashion
1+
2+
4+
8+
16+
32+
64+
128+
256+
512+
1024+
2048+
4096+
8192+
16384+
32768+
65536+
131072+
262144+
524288+...
You can see what is happening. We are less than one-third of the way through the 64 square board, and the numbers are getting huge.
Years ago I read that by the time we get to the 64th square, the accumulation of rice is equal to about 9 cubic miles.
$1,000 held for 1,000 years at 3% compounded annually = $1,000 x (1.03 to the 999th power) = 6.67 QUINTILLION dollars.
As related, the European courts later struck the notes down essentially for bestowing unlawful amounts of economic power to individuals.
My other favorite story of the same sort, exhibiting the power of geometric progression, is that of the two men playing chess. One says to the other, "If I win, I want you to pay me one grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, two grains on the second square, four on the third square, eight on the fourth, and so on, doubling the number of grains to the 64th square of the chess board."
The other man idly agrees, and loses, and has his servants bring a basket of rice to begin paying-off the wager.
The numbers of grains of rice mount in this fashion
1+
2+
4+
8+
16+
32+
64+
128+
256+
512+
1024+
2048+
4096+
8192+
16384+
32768+
65536+
131072+
262144+
524288+...
You can see what is happening. We are less than one-third of the way through the 64 square board, and the numbers are getting huge.
Years ago I read that by the time we get to the 64th square, the accumulation of rice is equal to about 9 cubic miles.
First Reading for Mass on May 9, 2010
Reading 1
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Circumcision -- the Jewish bris -- is a Jewish rite foreshadowing Christ. How in Heaven's holy name does a circumcision, of all things, foreshadow Christ?
In Bible typology -- Bible symbols -- the Man Type symbolizes (1) God; (2) representative of God; and (3) empowered by God.
The male organ is the epitome of the Man Type. Though it is our humblest organ, it oddly functions as the symbol of the Most High. As Paul observes, God gives greater honor to the lowly members. I Corinthians 12:24.
And what do we see in the circumcision rite? We see that the God figure is stripped and bloodied -- just as Christ was!
So, in the circumcision rite, Jewish men were "Christed" with a "ritual picture" of the stripped-and-bloodied Christ for centuries!
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
Paul and Barnabas, Apostles to the Gentiles, know that there will be zero support for the new Faith among the Gentiles they are going to if the men all have to be circumcized. Why ask this of them if Christ has come, thus fulfilling the foreshadowing so that foreshadowing is not longer necessary?
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
Because such is blasphemous, right?
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
Apparently because we now have the Eucharist, which blood and the meat of strangled animals foreshadowed.
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
So, Paul won this one.
Though the Jewish rituals concerning meat and strangled animals were still preserved by this First Council of Jerusalem, Paul says of Christ, in his subsequent letter to the Ephesians, that "in his Own flesh He abolished the law with its commands and precepts." I.e., none of the Old Testament rituals foreshadowing Christ are necessary anymore, because they foreshadow, and the Foreshadoed One has come!
Some might nastily answer, "BUT YOU ARE CONTRADICTING INSPIRED SCRIPTURE! WHEN GOD ESTABLISHED CIRCUMCISION AS A REQUIRED RITUAL, HE CLEARLY SAD THAT THIS HAD TO BE DONE 'THROUGHOUT THE AGES.'" SEE GENESIS 17:9, 12.
The Catholic Church actually agrees with this. "Thoughout the ages," to join the perpetually-valid Old Covenant of Judaism, one must be circumcized if one is male.
But just because Judaism is still a valid covenant does not mean that that of Christ is not also valid.
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Circumcision -- the Jewish bris -- is a Jewish rite foreshadowing Christ. How in Heaven's holy name does a circumcision, of all things, foreshadow Christ?
In Bible typology -- Bible symbols -- the Man Type symbolizes (1) God; (2) representative of God; and (3) empowered by God.
The male organ is the epitome of the Man Type. Though it is our humblest organ, it oddly functions as the symbol of the Most High. As Paul observes, God gives greater honor to the lowly members. I Corinthians 12:24.
And what do we see in the circumcision rite? We see that the God figure is stripped and bloodied -- just as Christ was!
So, in the circumcision rite, Jewish men were "Christed" with a "ritual picture" of the stripped-and-bloodied Christ for centuries!
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
Paul and Barnabas, Apostles to the Gentiles, know that there will be zero support for the new Faith among the Gentiles they are going to if the men all have to be circumcized. Why ask this of them if Christ has come, thus fulfilling the foreshadowing so that foreshadowing is not longer necessary?
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
Because such is blasphemous, right?
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
Apparently because we now have the Eucharist, which blood and the meat of strangled animals foreshadowed.
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
So, Paul won this one.
Though the Jewish rituals concerning meat and strangled animals were still preserved by this First Council of Jerusalem, Paul says of Christ, in his subsequent letter to the Ephesians, that "in his Own flesh He abolished the law with its commands and precepts." I.e., none of the Old Testament rituals foreshadowing Christ are necessary anymore, because they foreshadow, and the Foreshadoed One has come!
Some might nastily answer, "BUT YOU ARE CONTRADICTING INSPIRED SCRIPTURE! WHEN GOD ESTABLISHED CIRCUMCISION AS A REQUIRED RITUAL, HE CLEARLY SAD THAT THIS HAD TO BE DONE 'THROUGHOUT THE AGES.'" SEE GENESIS 17:9, 12.
The Catholic Church actually agrees with this. "Thoughout the ages," to join the perpetually-valid Old Covenant of Judaism, one must be circumcized if one is male.
But just because Judaism is still a valid covenant does not mean that that of Christ is not also valid.
Computer Problem
Hi, friends.
I greatly injured my computer the other day when I tried to eliminate a bug which had been ailing it for years. So, I'll be a little scarce here until I straighten out the problem.
Please check in every now and again to see if the presses are rolling. Also, go over the past material to see what you might have missed.
I greatly injured my computer the other day when I tried to eliminate a bug which had been ailing it for years. So, I'll be a little scarce here until I straighten out the problem.
Please check in every now and again to see if the presses are rolling. Also, go over the past material to see what you might have missed.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
I Am Pro-Environmentalist, But...
.
...But sometimes they make me crazy.
As the Gulf well leaches oil onto beaches and wetlands, wiping-out life, Envoronmentalists exhibit rage, screaming, "WE TOLD YOU SO!!!"
But, at the same time, they are fiercely opposed to the Cape Cod wind turbines, intent on making such oil drilling less necessary.
There Oughta Be a Law (TOBAL): Any environmentalist who says both is prohibited from turning on the lights or driving a car.
.
...But sometimes they make me crazy.
As the Gulf well leaches oil onto beaches and wetlands, wiping-out life, Envoronmentalists exhibit rage, screaming, "WE TOLD YOU SO!!!"
But, at the same time, they are fiercely opposed to the Cape Cod wind turbines, intent on making such oil drilling less necessary.
There Oughta Be a Law (TOBAL): Any environmentalist who says both is prohibited from turning on the lights or driving a car.
.
Is It Possible That There Is, on Earth, a Man Preserved by Christ from Aging and Dying?
At Matthew 16:28, Jesus says, "Amen I say to you there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Some interpret these mysterious words to refer to the Time of the Gentiles, the beginnings of the Gentile Church after Christ's resurrection.
Others interpret the verse to refer to the events described in the following verses -- by seeing Jesus in the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw "the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
But still others offer the following story to explain Christ's words.
In the Middle Ages, Crusaders returning to Europe with the Army of Richard in 1192 A.D. reported stories of a Jewish man whom they called "Cartaphilus" and "the Wandering Jew" which went as follows.
During the Way of the Cross, while Christ was still carrying His cross before Simon of Cyrene was drafted to take over that job, a Jewish man who had been hired as a doorkeeper in the Judgment Hall of Pontius Pilate saw Christ stop to rest. Intent on being seen throwing his weight around a little bit, Cartaphilus walked up to Christ and told him to be on his way.
Jesus supposedly answered, "I will go now, but you will wait [i.e., to go to his death] until I return." Cartaphilus did not understand the words, and Roman soldiers shoved him away from Christ and pushed him back into the crowd.
As the years passed, family and friends began to remark at how fit and young looking Cartaphilus was able to stay despite his age.
Ultimately, family and friends began to die of old age, while he always looked young. People became afraid of him, and drove him out of their village, forcing him to travel to places where no one would know him, again and again and again.
The name "Cartaphilus" was probably not a real name, but rather an ancient version of a made-up name reflecting prior travel like "Johnny-Come-Lately." It is composed of two Greek roots meaning "map" and "lover" -- because he was forced to travel so much so that he could always be living someplace where people were not afraid of him, his chronic need to travel also made him a "map lover."
There were various mentions of Cartaphilus in the years following the Third Crusade. The best recorded one is that of a Roman Catholic Bishop of Armenia who visited St. Albans Abbey in England in the year 1228, preserved in a chronicle called Flores Historiarum. The Bishop of Armenia claimed to have struck up an acquaintance with Cartaphilus, and reported that he had converted to the Catholic faith.
Beginning in the early 1700s, the stories of Cartaphilus acquired a new twist. A man calling himself the Count of St. Germain appeared in Venice in 1710 and struck up a friendship with Countess von Georgy. He had a handsome Jewish appearance, seemed to be about 45 years of age, and was deeply intelligent. The countess saw him 50 years later, in 1760, noticed that he looked identical and also still about 45 years of age, and asked him if it was his father she had met in Venice in 1710. The Count replied that, no, it had been himself. The shocked countess accused him of being a demon.
In 1740 the Count appeared at the court of the French King Louis XV and among other things claimed to have personally known Christ (as Cartaphilus). He shocked his listeners with his detailed knowledge of history.
He appeared in England in 1745, he may have been vested with governing authority over a portion of India by the East India Company in 1752, he was definitely seen in India in 1756 by Sir Robert Clive, in 1753 Giacomo Casanova declared him too good to be true, in 1760 Louis XV (who by then must have become suspicious about his persistent youth) dispatched the Count of St. Germain to the Hague respecting a peace treaty between Prussia and Austria.
In 1762 the Count was in Russia, where he had a hand in deposing Peter III of Russia and in elevating Catherine the Great to the Russian throne.
In 1769 he returned to Venice and opened a factory for the manufacture of synthetic silk.
In 1774, Louis XV died. The Count, introducing himself to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and warned them about the coming revolution. Marie Antoinette, years later, recorded her regrets respecting ignoring his warnings.
In 1784, a German prince announced the Count's death.
But in 1785, he was clearly back in France.
In 1820, Mademoiselle d'Adhemar, 45 years after seeing him in Paris, also reported that he had not aged at all.
In 1870-1871, French Emperor Napoleon III, fascinated by "the man who wouldn't die," accumulated records about him in a year-long investigation, but the records were destroyed in a fire.
Reports of meetings with the Count of St. Germain continued for years thereafter, including occultist Annie Besant, as well as French singer Emma Calve.
By this time the occultic crowd had gotten hold of the Count of St. Germain idea, and they never let it go, and lore respecting him becomes hopelessly lost in occultic claims, and as a consequence the modern media, making ample use of the occultic nonsense, bury reputable truth in the mindless speculations of idiots.
If there is a Count of St. Germain "out there," it seems likely that he has counted it unwise to reveal himself publicly any longer -- no place on Earth is safe from the prying eyes of modern mass media -- Cartaphilus, finally, would run out of places to live, if our ugly media get hold of him.
If the story is true -- and, who knows?, it just might possibly be true; God can do anything! -- God might have a special job in mind for Cartaphilus near the end of time.
Some interpret these mysterious words to refer to the Time of the Gentiles, the beginnings of the Gentile Church after Christ's resurrection.
Others interpret the verse to refer to the events described in the following verses -- by seeing Jesus in the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw "the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
But still others offer the following story to explain Christ's words.
In the Middle Ages, Crusaders returning to Europe with the Army of Richard in 1192 A.D. reported stories of a Jewish man whom they called "Cartaphilus" and "the Wandering Jew" which went as follows.
During the Way of the Cross, while Christ was still carrying His cross before Simon of Cyrene was drafted to take over that job, a Jewish man who had been hired as a doorkeeper in the Judgment Hall of Pontius Pilate saw Christ stop to rest. Intent on being seen throwing his weight around a little bit, Cartaphilus walked up to Christ and told him to be on his way.
Jesus supposedly answered, "I will go now, but you will wait [i.e., to go to his death] until I return." Cartaphilus did not understand the words, and Roman soldiers shoved him away from Christ and pushed him back into the crowd.
As the years passed, family and friends began to remark at how fit and young looking Cartaphilus was able to stay despite his age.
Ultimately, family and friends began to die of old age, while he always looked young. People became afraid of him, and drove him out of their village, forcing him to travel to places where no one would know him, again and again and again.
The name "Cartaphilus" was probably not a real name, but rather an ancient version of a made-up name reflecting prior travel like "Johnny-Come-Lately." It is composed of two Greek roots meaning "map" and "lover" -- because he was forced to travel so much so that he could always be living someplace where people were not afraid of him, his chronic need to travel also made him a "map lover."
There were various mentions of Cartaphilus in the years following the Third Crusade. The best recorded one is that of a Roman Catholic Bishop of Armenia who visited St. Albans Abbey in England in the year 1228, preserved in a chronicle called Flores Historiarum. The Bishop of Armenia claimed to have struck up an acquaintance with Cartaphilus, and reported that he had converted to the Catholic faith.
Beginning in the early 1700s, the stories of Cartaphilus acquired a new twist. A man calling himself the Count of St. Germain appeared in Venice in 1710 and struck up a friendship with Countess von Georgy. He had a handsome Jewish appearance, seemed to be about 45 years of age, and was deeply intelligent. The countess saw him 50 years later, in 1760, noticed that he looked identical and also still about 45 years of age, and asked him if it was his father she had met in Venice in 1710. The Count replied that, no, it had been himself. The shocked countess accused him of being a demon.
In 1740 the Count appeared at the court of the French King Louis XV and among other things claimed to have personally known Christ (as Cartaphilus). He shocked his listeners with his detailed knowledge of history.
He appeared in England in 1745, he may have been vested with governing authority over a portion of India by the East India Company in 1752, he was definitely seen in India in 1756 by Sir Robert Clive, in 1753 Giacomo Casanova declared him too good to be true, in 1760 Louis XV (who by then must have become suspicious about his persistent youth) dispatched the Count of St. Germain to the Hague respecting a peace treaty between Prussia and Austria.
In 1762 the Count was in Russia, where he had a hand in deposing Peter III of Russia and in elevating Catherine the Great to the Russian throne.
In 1769 he returned to Venice and opened a factory for the manufacture of synthetic silk.
In 1774, Louis XV died. The Count, introducing himself to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and warned them about the coming revolution. Marie Antoinette, years later, recorded her regrets respecting ignoring his warnings.
In 1784, a German prince announced the Count's death.
But in 1785, he was clearly back in France.
In 1820, Mademoiselle d'Adhemar, 45 years after seeing him in Paris, also reported that he had not aged at all.
In 1870-1871, French Emperor Napoleon III, fascinated by "the man who wouldn't die," accumulated records about him in a year-long investigation, but the records were destroyed in a fire.
Reports of meetings with the Count of St. Germain continued for years thereafter, including occultist Annie Besant, as well as French singer Emma Calve.
By this time the occultic crowd had gotten hold of the Count of St. Germain idea, and they never let it go, and lore respecting him becomes hopelessly lost in occultic claims, and as a consequence the modern media, making ample use of the occultic nonsense, bury reputable truth in the mindless speculations of idiots.
If there is a Count of St. Germain "out there," it seems likely that he has counted it unwise to reveal himself publicly any longer -- no place on Earth is safe from the prying eyes of modern mass media -- Cartaphilus, finally, would run out of places to live, if our ugly media get hold of him.
If the story is true -- and, who knows?, it just might possibly be true; God can do anything! -- God might have a special job in mind for Cartaphilus near the end of time.
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