Fools Rush In (91/04/01)
On this first day of April, known as April Fool's Day, some people play jokes on others to make them feel foolish. In 1771, the English poet, Alexander Pope, wrote the following sentence about fools which has become a well-known saying: "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." The meaning is that foolish people act hastily, without thinking of the consequences, whereas wiser people, or angels, will be more cautious. There is a similarity to the Japanese saying that the blind have no fear of snakes. 'Mekura hebi ni ojizu'. foolish people who do not perceive the danger of a situation will not experience the fear that a wise person does. According to Ecclesiastes 2:14, "the fool walks in darkness." Today, it is good to be on guard and to accept the words of others "with a grain of salt." (3534)
Rice (91/04/02)
It is estimated that the staple food for about half of the world's population is rice. This cereal grass is native to such ancient rivers as the Ganges in India, the Yangtze in China and the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq. There are thousands of different strains of rice and the world's major producers are China, India, Pakistan and Japan. Rice has held an important place in the history of Japan, where it has been considered not only a source of food and drink but a sacred plant as well. In recent years, Japan's protectionist policy relating to rice has become a sore point of friction in relations with the United States. The cost of rice in this country is many times that in other countries so the U.S. is pressuring Japan to change its policy and permit rice imports from abroad. The suggested theme for essays this week is "Rice". What is your view of the place of rice in Japanese history and culture? Why must it be so expensive in Japan? Do you think government support of rice should continue or should it be placed on the open market to compete with foreign imports? Essays on this theme sent to me will be corrected and included in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. (3535)
Pocket Money (91/04/03)
A small pouch sewed into a garment is called a pocket. Men's trousers and jackets have pockets in which various small items may be conveniently carried but women usually carry such items in an external bag or purse, sometimes called a pocketbook. Whether carried in a pocket or a pocketbook, however, both men and women usually have some pocket money with them. "Pocket money" denotes cash on hand for incidental or minor expenses. According to a recent government survey of 6,200 Japanese aged 18 or older in 660 cities and 530 towns nationwide the average amount of pocket money spent in one month by women was ¥54,618 compared to ¥52,206 for men. Women in their 30s have the most money to spend and averaged almost ¥70,000 a month while married men of that age spent an average ¥49,000. The report noted that married men receive most of their pocket money from their wives, while working women use most of their income as they like. In this regard, it seems that men are at a disadvantage. Regardless how much pocket money we carry with us during this affluent time in Japan, we should remember the Italian proverb that our last garment will be made without pockets. (3536)
Dorthea Lynde Dix (91/04/04)
The word "sane", derived from the Latin word for "healthy", denotes a mentally healthy person, one who is reasonable and shows good sense, while "insane", its opposite, signifies a mental disorder. How to care for the mentally ill has been a serious problem throughout the ages. One-hundred-eighty-nine years ago today, on April 4,1802, a pioneer in the movement for specialized treatment of the insane was born in the American state of Maine. While still a young lady, Dorthea Lynde Dix established and administered a private school for girls in Boston. Visiting a Massachusetts jail, she was shocked at the conditions there, especially at the indiscriminate mixing of criminals and the insane. After inspecting conditions in other places. she wrote a famous memorial to the state legislature and her subsequent crusades resulted in the founding of state hospitals for the insane in many states. Her influence was felt in Canada and Europe as well. While giving thanks for people like Ms. Dix who worked on behalf of the mentally ill, we should recognize that even we so-called normal people have different degrees of sanity. William Allen White, an American author and editor has written "There is no insanity so devastating in man's life as utter sanity." (3537)
Water Wheel (91/04/05)
While preparing today's message, I was surprised to find over a hundred words listed in the dictionary that begin with the word "water." The one I have chosen to talk about is "water wheel," defined as "a wheel propelled by falling or running water used to power machinery." According to the 'Guinness Book of World Records,' the largest water wheel in the world, built in Syria almost two thousand years ago, is about 40 meters in diameter. Last month, the largest water wheel in Japan began operating in a public park in the Kagoshima town of Kedōin. Originally designed with a 13-meter span, when the wheel was completed and measured, it was found to be 20 centimeters wider than planned. Until now, the largest Japanese water wheel was a 12-meter wheel in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The town of Kedōin spent about ¥25 million to build this device made of black pine in hopes of attracting up to a million tourists to this town of some 7,000 inhabitants. The wheel is powered by water falling from a pipe fashioned as a dragon's head and grinds buckwheat into flour, which reminds me of the well-known words of a German poet over 300 years ago regarding the retribution of God: "Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small." (3538)
Delayed Train (91/04/06)
I was scheduled to leave from Osaka for Manila on Monday, October 1st, last year, but when I went to pick up mail from my post office box on the Saturday before, the plane ticket from the travel agent was not there. Returning home, I called the agent and was told the ticket had been sent by registered mail. Back at the post office, I found that the letter had indeed arrived but someone had neglected to put a notice in my box. Sunday was a busy day: preaching in Takahama in the morning, holding a meeting of "Daily Word" listeners in the early afternoon and preaching at Nagoya Union Church afterward. It was also the day a strong typhoon hit Japan and I was concerned about train and plane schedules the following day. I boarded a shinkansen train at Nagoya Station about 7:30 Monday morning as I had planned, but it was not the train I had proposed to take. Rather that train had been scheduled to leave Nagoya at 9:30 the night before but, due to the typhoon, had been delayed. The atmosphere in the train was heavy and listless. I took an aisle seat next to a young couple who seemed very friendly with each other. I first thought they were married but I found out later that they had just met on the train twelve hours earlier and had spent the night in their adjacent seats. (3539)
Joyful Singing (91/04/07)
A common feature of religious worship is singing or chanting and the distinctive character of a religion may be recognized by the kind of music it produces. Christianity has been called "a singing religion" and harmonious melodies have always been an important element in Christian worship which has inspired some of the world's most beautiful musical compositions. In Japan, singing is often connected with drunkenness, but in the New Testament Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5, it is written: "Do not get drunk with wine, instead be filled with the Spirit." "Sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts." Psalms were the sacred songs of the Jews and in the 98th Psalm, recorded in the Old Testament book of Psalms, all people are encouraged to sing for joy using such musical instruments as harps, trumpets and horns. Not only people, but all of nature, including the sea and the earth, rivers and hills are invited to join in joyful praise to God for his goodness, justice and salvation. A healthy religious faith stimulates joy that cannot be suppressed and one way to give expression to it is through music and song, but the joyful singing it produces is quite different than that stimulated by alcoholic beverages. (3540)
"Easier Said Than Done" (91/04/08)
Do you understand the meaning of the saying that "Maids' children and bachelors' wives are well governed"? Maids, of course, are unmarried women so they have no children of their own. Bachelors are unmarried men and thus do not have wives. Maids and bachelors, however, sometimes glibly give advice to others about how to govern their families. In such cases, we remember the English proverbs, "Easier said than done" and "Saying is one thing and doing is another". I'm sure you are acquainted with the Japanese proverb having the same meaning: 'iu wa yasuku, okonau wa katashi'. Because "actions speak louder than words", the most effective method of teaching others is by example. So it was that Jesus told his disciples in the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verse 15: "I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you." (3541)
Organ Transplants/Euthanasia (91/04/09)
Since today is a tomobiki, "friend-pulling" day, no funerals will be held in Japan today. It is also the 9th day of the 4th month, a combination of numbers not liked by some people because their pronunciations remind them of suffering and death. Nevertheless, suffering is a natural part of human life which inevitably ends in death so these subjects should not be avoided but should be considered in a rational manner. A couple of themes under serious consideration these days in the field of medical ethics are related to death and the alleviation of suffering. Is a person whose heart is still beating but whose central nervous system is no longer functioning really dead? Should organ transplants from a brain dead person be permitted to alleviate the suffering or to save the life of another? And what about euthanasia, the purposeful killing of or withholding of life-sustaining treatment from one who is in great pain and has no hope of recovery? Should such "merciful killing" be permitted? These are very complicated questions with no easy answers. What do you think about them? I will correct essays on these themes sent to me and print them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. (3542)
Joseph Pulitzer (91/04/10)
The collecting, writing, editing and publishing of news or news articles for newspapers or magazines is called journalism. Some universities offer courses in journalism and the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University in New York City is one of the outstanding schools in the United States. Since 1917, this school, founded by Joseph Pulitzer, has made annual awards every May for achievements in American journalism and letters using funds left for that purpose by Mr. Pulitzer. These highly-respected Pulitzer prizes are awarded to journalists for editorial writing, for local, national and international reporting, for the best cartoon, for the best newspaper photograph and to newspapers for the most disinterested and meritorious public service. The prizes in letters are for fiction, drama, history, biography and poetry. Joseph Pulitzer was born in Hungary 144 years ago today, on April 10, 1847. He emigrated to the United States when he was 17 years old and, after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, became a reporter and then the editor and publisher of newspapers in St. Louis and New York. Elected to the Missouri state legislature and to the U.S. House of Representatives, his influence on American journalism was extraordinary. (3543)
Svelte to Portly (91/04/11)
In recent weeks, you may have seen Marlin Fitzwater on television news programs speaking to journalists and reporters in Washington D.C. Mr. Fitzwater is President Bush's chief spokesman. According to a recent news article, Mr. Fitzwater gained 15 kilograms during the Gulf Crisis, increasing his weight to 103 kilograms, which makes him quite a big man. He is quoted as saying, "On August 3 (the day after Iraq invaded Kuwait), I made a strategic decision that I could not worry about my body and the war both. One had to take priority, and I chose the war." Mr. Fitzwater now has three sets of clothes and takes a liquid diet breakfast instead of scrambled eggs in order try to get back into his smaller wardrobe. He confessed that he didn't have the discipline to imitate the President by exercising regularly in order to lose weight. The article noted that his physique "has ranged from svelte to portly in the last few years." "Svelte" denotes a slender or graceful figure and has a nicer sound than simply "slim" or "thin". And "portly" is an elegant way to describe a person who is fat. An English essayist, Cyril Connolly, has written, "Imprisoned in every fat man a thin one is wildly signalling to be let out." (3544)
Sony's/Sony (91/04/12)
A restaurant is a place where meals are served to the public and the manager or owner of a restaurant is called a restaurateur. Recently, a 54-year-old restaurateur in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States lost a legal battle with a Japanese electronics manufacturer. This lady was born in the Philippines and, like many other Filipino children, was given a nickname which has stayed with her even as an adult. The problem is that her nickname is "Sony" and, in 1982, when she opened restaurants in the Baltimore area, she called them "Sony's." You can imagine the reaction of Sony Corporation officials when they saw the name on those restaurants. To say the least, they were not happy to have their trademark name on restaurants. Four years ago, the 'Sony' Corporation sued Sony Florendo to force her to drop her nickname from her establishments. In her initial response to a court order, she changed the name of her restaurants to "Sony Florendo's," but that did not satisfy the Sony Corporation and the court has now ordered her to eliminate her nickname completely. According to Proverbs 22:1, "A good name is more to be desired than great riches," but in this case Sony maintained that Sony was gaining riches illegally by using its good name. (3545)
Manila Airport Telephone (91/04/13)
From Osaka Station, I took a bus to the Osaka International Airport and boarded the plane for Manila. After going through immigrant procedures at the Manila International Airport and retrieving my suitcase, I reconfirmed my return flight to Osaka on Saturday. One of gun-toting security guards at this airport accompanied me on the large bus to the domestic airport a few minutes away, on which I was the sole passenger. From this airport, I was to fly to the city of Davao on the island of Mindanao. Compared to the bright international airport, this airport was quite dingy. Outside the boarding area, there was only one public telephone, which I tried to use to call my church's representative in Metro-Manila. But communication in the Philippines is quite different than in Japan. After inserting the required three twenty-centavo coins I dialed the number, but there was so much static along with distant voices that I never was able to determine whether or not I had reached the home of this man, so I hung up. Inside the boarding area, there was also only one public telephone, from which I tried to call that number again. On the first try the line was busy. On the second try, although the call was not completed, my coins were not returned, so I gave up and decided to try to call from Davao. (3546)
Traditional Customs (91/04/14)
The conservative religious leaders of Jesus' day often criticized him for his new way of thinking and for not observing traditional customs they considered important. In answer to the question why his disciples did not fast regularly like the pious disciples of traditional teachers, according to the second chapter of Mark, he replied that guests at a wedding party do not go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them, but when the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast. In this illustration, Jesus portrayed himself as a bridegroom and his disciples as guests at the wedding party. When Jesus is present, it is a joyful time of celebration, not a sorrowful time when people fast. So it is that the Christian faith is characterized by joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving rather than by mournful dirges. Jesus recognized, however, that he would be forcibly taken away from his disciples. Then his disciples would fast, not because it was the traditional custom but because of their own feelings of sadness. His words should cause us to reflect upon why we continue to observe traditional customs. Is it only to "follow the crowd" or is it an outward expression of our inner feelings or belief? Jesus always emphasized the primacy of inner motivation rather than external form. (3574)
'Jūnin Toiro' (91/04/15)
Some Japanese emphasize the unity or homogeneity of the Japanese nation and some foreigners say that all Japanese think alike and lack individuality. Yet, there is a well-known Japanese proverb, 'jūnin toiro', ten people, ten colors, which implies variety. This proverb itself has a certain peculiar character in that the same character for "ten", for some reason, is pronounced both 'jū' and 'to'. In the case of the term for "ten days", 'tōka', the vowel of the latter pronunciation is elongated, which makes Japanese very confusing to foreigners. In English, we have the proverbs, "So many men, so many minds" and "So many countries so many customs". Despite differences of people, colors, customs and ways of thinking, however, the Bible teaches that one God created all people and they find their deepest joy in loving and serving their Creator and kindred people. (3548)
Yatai (91/04/16)
Many elements in traditional Japanese life have been changed or eliminated due to the country's modernization. In years gone by, the downtown streets of many cities were lined with small "restaurants on wheels" known as yatai. These streetside food stalls, with menus including udon, yakitori and oden, along with saké, were places where lonely or tired people could spend time talking with an amiable chef and sympathetic strangers. Now, such temporary booths have been removed from busy streets and relegated to back alleys or to neighborhoods of temples and shrines on festival days. Last month, a symposium was held in Sendai to protest that city government's policy of eliminating alcohol-selling food stalls in the city. Contending that such stalls disrupt traffic and become a source of money for gangs, the city has banned the opening of new yatai and the transfer of rights of those serving alcohol. As a result, the number of yatai serving saké along with food dropped from 500 in the 1950's to 14 at present. What are your thoughts or memories about yatai? Should they be permitted without restrictions, with restrictions or eliminated? I will correct essays on this theme sent to me and publish them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. (3549)
"Clean Up Australia Day" (91/04/17)
Two years ago, an Australian yachtsman completed a one-man, around-the-world trip. Upon his return, he criticized the filthy state of Sydney Harbor and appealed to residents to help him clean it up. His plea was heeded and volunteer workers turned out in force on a designated day that made the harbor look much better. The response was so successful that last year a nationwide cleanup day was initiated in which more than 300,000 people removed an estimated 14,700 tons of rubbish. Three weeks ago, half a million Australians joined together in what has now become an annual "Clean Up Australia Day" to tidy up the country. The huge army of volunteers, including men, women and children, worked with buckets, brooms, rakes and shovels. Litter which had been thrown from trains was picked up along railway lines and rubbish was collected from riverbanks. Boats and diving equipment were used to cleanse waterways. This year, volunteers listed collections in such categories as glass, metal, paper, rubber, etc. to help compile a National Rubbish Report to assist authorities in their effort to control litter pollution. People with clean minds will work to keep their environment clean and a clean environment will influence the minds of people in return. (3550)
Launderette (91/04/18)
Fifty-seven years ago today, on April 18, 1934, in Ft. Worth, Texas, the world's first launderette was opened. Called a "Washateria", it contained washing machines which customers paid to use for washing their clothes and linens. "Launder" is derived from the Latin word for "wash" and "laundry" may mean garments that are to be washed, have just been washed or the place where washing is done. The suffix, "ette" usually denotes something small, as a kitchenette, or female, as an usherette, or an imitataion, as leatherette, but a launderette is a self-service laundry with coin-operated washing machines and dryers. The verb "launder" may also mean to channel money through an intermediate party in order to conceal the source. In illicit operations, money is sometimes "laundered" by passing it through foreign banks. Traditionally, Japanese people have been known for their cleanliness, and purity is an important element in traditional Japanese religion. More important than the laundering of bodies, clothes or money is the cleansing of hearts. This is not accomplished by disciplined effort nor by ritual. It requires spiritual power from God. (3551)
New Employees (91/04/19)
It seems to be a common practice of some Japanese companies to require new employees to undergo intensive training in order to cultivate attitudes or manners that the company deems advisable. Some recruits are sent to Zen temples to give them a taste of a disciplined life, including arising at four in the morning for meditation, followed by the chanting of Buddhist sutras and cleaning the temple on hands and knees with cloths and cold water before having a very simple breakfast, eaten in strict silence. Others are taken to army bases to improve their endurance by marching up and down parade grounds or taking long hikes. Big banks and insurance companies have their own etiquette manuals to instruct employees how to behave both at work and when away from the office. Special attention is paid to the niceties of honorific speech and the appropriate behavior toward those of higher and lower status, including how to bow and when the bow should be at 15-, 30- or 45-degree angle. Employers complain that young people are not being taught how to behave properly by their parents so companies have to give such training. In the deeper sense, however, good manners cannot be imposed from without but come from an inner attitude of genuine respect for others. (3552)
At Davao Airport (91/04/20)
One purpose of my trip to the Philippines last fall was to represent the Asian Health Institute at a graduation ceremony in the city of Davao. I hoped that someone related to that training session would meet me at Davao Airport and was relieved when a man approached me when I got off the plane. I thought he said, "Are you Mr. Offner?", so I replied "Yes" and he told me to follow him. He asked for my claim ticket, gave it to a porter to pick up my luggage and suggested that we go ahead and let the porter bring my suitcase later, but I replied I'd prefer to wait and make sure he got the right suitcase myself. While waiting, I asked if he was sent by Dr. de la Paz. He replied that he was from the International Hotel where a room had been reserved for me. Further conversation raised doubts in my mind, so I asked him the name of the person he was sent to meet and he told me a name similar to mine, but entirely different. I retrieved my claim ticket from the porter and, after picking up my suitcase and carrying it outside the "Passenger Only" area, spotted a sign, "Welcome, Dr. Offner", held by a small group of people. Needles to say, I was relieved to see it, for the day had become dark and I was beginning to wonder where to go from the airport, so I was very happy to accompany this group to a station wagon. (3553)
"Follow me!" (91/04/21)
In the final chapter of the Gospel according to John, there is a story of an appearance of Jesus to some of his disciples following his resurrection. These disciples had spent an unsuccessful night fishing, but when Jesus appeared on the shore and told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat, they did so with a surprising result. At the conclusion of his subsequent conversation with Peter, Jesus informed Peter of the way he would die and bring glory to God. He then gave him the command: "Follow me!" When Peter asked Jesus what was to happen to another disciple standing nearby, Jesus responded, "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" This short dialogue contains two important points. One is that we may bring glory to God even through our death. In fact, Peter did bring glory to God through his martyrdom. Another is that we need not be concerned about God's purpose for another person. We should be concerned about his will for us. Most of us think too much about what others are or should be doing. We should be more concerned about whether or not we ourselves are obeying God's command to us. The details of God's plan for each person is different, but the basic command for all Christians is the same. We are to follow our Lord. (3554)
Oaks from Acorns (91/04/22)
Have you heard the Japanese proverb, 'hotoke mo mukashi wa bonpu nari'? It implies that even great men were originally common people. In English, there is the saying that "Great oaks from little acorns grow". An acorn is the tiny nut or fruit of the oak tree. It also becomes the seed from which a great tree grows. These proverbs teach that great people and things have small beginnings. We do not fully understand the mystery of life, how a seed becomes a plant that finally bears fruit, as Jesus taught in three parables in Mark, chapter 4. Twenty-one years ago today, the first Earth Day was observed internationally to emphasize the need to conserve the natural resources of the world. All of us should be concerned about preserving our natural environment so that little acorns can continue to grow into great oaks and nature can continue to function naturally. (3555)
Postal Service (91/04/23)
There are three English words pronounced [meil]. One, spelled m-a-l-e, denotes sex or gender and is the opposite of female. The other two are spelled m-a-i-l and one of them denotes letters and packages handled by the postal service. In Japan, Teishin-kinen-bi, April 20th, marks the beginning of "Mail Week" and also "Stamp Hobby Week". Japan has excellent mail service and prints many pretty, commemorative stamps. Post offices throughout the country are convenient places to deposit or withdraw money, send money orders, etc. Today's theme for those who enjoy writing English essays is any subject related to the postal service, such as mail, letters, stamps or services provided by the post office and its employees. I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. If you wish to receive a copy of the current issue of the Echoes, please deposit ¥400 in the yūbin furikae kōza of "Deiri-Wa-do", Nagoya 3-37078 or send a postal money order for that amount. If you wish to receive written copies of these telephone messages before they are spoken, send self-addressed, stamped envelopes plus ¥60 in stamps for each week of messages desired. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. (3556)
College Students (91/04/24)
Last fall, a university students' union conducted a survey of 7,468 students nationwide. Results indicate that 21 percent of students have traveled overseas during their college years, almost double the number recorded in a survey three years ago, and that 87 percent have a part-time job or have worked part time in the past to supplement the money received from parents. Students who live at home receive an average ¥20,000 a month from their parents but spend over ¥64,000. Over 2/3 of the students who live away from home rent an apartment and only 7 percent reside in a dormitory. Students away from home receive an average ¥87,600 a month from parents and spend about ¥120,000 for living, leisure, books and other expenses. To me, the survey's most surprising result was the time college students spend reading. The average reading time was only 37 minutes a day, with a third of the students responding that they hardly spend any time reading at all. I find it difficult to imagine college students reading so little and I wonder what their purpose is in attending college. Sir John Harrington has written: "Books give not wisdom where was none before, / But where some is, there reading makes it more." (3557)
A Burglarized Car (91/04/25)
In some areas of New York City, unfortunately, thefts are quite common occurrences. Thus, it was not so surprising when a car parked in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan was broken into a couple of weeks ago and a box was stolen from it. The thieves evidently thought the box contained something valuable and hoped to gain some profit from their crime, but they must have been quite surprised when they opened the box and saw what was inside. The discarded box with its contents untouched was found a short distance away from the burglarized car. A taxi driver who found a group of people staring at the box and its contents put it in the trunk of his car until the police arrived. The box contained, not one but six human heads which were being transported by a doctor from a medical school to an infirmary where he was to teach a class in medical dissection. The heads had been taken from bodies that were donated for medical research, preserved in formaldehyde and sealed in plastic bags. The backs of the heads had been cut away but the faces were left intact. Can you imagine the reaction of the thieves when they opened the box to see what they had obtained? It would be good if they were so shocked that they vowed never to steal again. (3558)
Suko Coffee Park (91/04/26)
Just as the traditional staple food of Japan is rice, the common drink of the Japanese is tea. In recent years, however, rice has been giving way to bread and more and more people are drinking coffee. Even as there are many different varieties of tea, so there are numerous kinds of coffee. Tea is brewed from the leaves of a bush, but coffee is made from the seeds or beans of a tree. And where is coffee grown? Of course, much coffee comes from South America, but coffee trees can also be grown in Japan. In fact, in a greenhouse in 'Suko Coffee Park,' a newly-opened park in the city of Omura in Nagasaki Prefecture, 90 coffee plants are now on display. Hirohiko Nakashima, the 49-year-old manager of the park, runs a restaurant in the city. He first planted coffee saplings in 1974 after leaving the Maritime Self-Defense Force to begin his career as a restaurateur. He now harvests 40 kilograms of coffee beans a year and sells them under an original brand name, blending them with foreign beans. Nagasaki is the place where coffee was first brought into Japan from the Netherlands and Mr. Nakashima hopes that the park will become a tourist attraction where coffee made from domestically grown beans is served. (3559)
Philippine Telephone System (91/04/27)
From Davao airport, we went to a restaurant where I was introduced to the trainees who had just finished eating. Then, I and those who had come to meet me began to eat. Our meal consisted of rice along with raw and baked fish and vegetables, although the kind of rice, fish and vegetables were different than in Japan. After eating, we joined the others in a dimly-lit nightclub where they were celebrating the last night of their training session, as musicians played and sang loud, modern music on the stage. I escaped from this din, taking the car driver and a session leader with me in the rain to find a telephone from which to make a call to Manila, but public telephones are not plentiful in the Philippines--not even in major cities. The first one we found in a shop could not be used for long-distance calls. We then found a streetside counter of the Philippine Telephone and Telegraph Corporation. After repeatedly trying for 20 minutes, however, the clerk told us that lines beyond a certain point were overloaded in that telephone system and he was unable to reach the Metro-Manila number I was calling. We then found another telephone, belonging to a different telephones system. Here, also the clerk tried to place the call, but was unsuccessful. Even so, he wanted to charge me for the call, but I refused to pay. (3560)
The Love of God (91/04/28)
Because God is spirit, without form or substance, we can speak of God only by using figurative expressions. In the Bible, "father" is a common term used for God. But this does not mean that God is of the male gender. This term implies certain qualities of God, such as authority along with such moral attributes as righteousness and love. If we compare the love of a father and a mother, even though the depth of love for their children may be the same, generally speaking, the father's love will be sterner and the mother's love will be more tender. The love of God taught in the Bible is both stern and tender. It makes certain demands of human beings, God's children. These demands were reflected in the strict requirements of the Old Testament. The Gospel, or Good News, of the New Testament is that, in Jesus Christ, God entered human history and "himself" fulfilled those requirements on behalf of all people, who may receive salvation by accepting Christ's work on their behalf by faith. In his Letter to the Romans, Paul teaches that people may become righteous, or justified, in God's sight through faith in Christ. This "justification by faith" was one of the basic emphases of the Protestant Reformation. (3561)
Rice (91/04/02)
Pocket Money (91/04/03)
Dorthea Lynde Dix (91/04/04)
Water Wheel (91/04/05)
Delayed Train (91/04/06)
Joyful Singing (91/04/07)
"Easier Said Than Done" (91/04/08)
Organ Transplants/Euthanasia (91/04/09)
Joseph Pulitzer (91/04/10)
Svelte to Portly (91/04/11)
Sony's/Sony (91/04/12)
Manila Airport Telephone (91/04/13)
Traditional Customs (91/04/14)
'Jūnin Toiro' (91/04/15)
Yatai (91/04/16)
"Clean Up Australia Day" (91/04/17)
Launderette (91/04/18)
New Employees (91/04/19)
At Davao Airport (91/04/20)
"Follow me!" (91/04/21)
Oaks from Acorns (91/04/22)
Postal Service (91/04/23)
College Students (91/04/24)
A Burglarized Car (91/04/25)
Suko Coffee Park (91/04/26)
Philippine Telephone System (91/04/27)
The Love of God (91/04/28)
Pitchers Have Ears (91/04/29)
Library (91/04/30)
Fools Rush In (91/04/01)