Metals/Medals/Golden Week
X's and Circles
Power Outage
Wind
A Harrowing Tale
Military Titles
Senior Citizens
Saint Augustine
Acronyms/SARS
"Can" and "May"
Memorial Day Weekend
Refugees
Ice and Iceboxes
Metals/Medals/Golden Week
03/05/02
There are many different kinds of metals. Precious metals, such as gold and silver, are used mainly as decorations; others, such as iron and aluminum, are very common and used in practical ways. Alloys, such as brass and bronze, are a mixture of two or more metals. Brass is, basically, a mixture of copper and zinc, and bronze is, basically, a mixture of copper and tin. In the homes of ordinary people, there are many articles made of iron, aluminum, brass or bronze, but in the palaces of some monarchs or ostentatious wealthy people, including the former dictator of Iraq, even some very common utilities are made of precious metals. Metals, including gold, silver, nickel, copper and aluminum, have been used to make coins, and metals are also used to make medals. A medal is a flat piece of metal stamped with a design and given as an award. In the Olympic Games, first, second and third place winners are given gold, silver and bronze medals to celebrate their achievements. Throughout history, gold has been considered the most precious metal and there are various expressions using "gold" or "golden." In Japan, the week beginning April 29th is known as "Golden Week" because the group of national holidays during that week enhanced the business of movie theaters. April 29th, the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, was designated "Green Day" following his death, because of his interest in a healthy green environment. May 3rd, Constitution Memorial Day, commemorates the enactment of the present Constitution on that day in 1947. And May 5th is Children's Day, focusing on the healthy growth and development of children. (576)
X's and Circles
03/05/04
A recent newspaper article described actions of people in Iraq who pounded statues or pictures of Saddam Hussein with their shoes. In the Arab world, the foot is considered the dirtiest part of the body so hitting someone with one's shoes is a sign of great disrespect. The article noted the need to understand the meaning of symbols and symbolic actions in different cultures, which caused me to think of the difference in America and Japan related to the symbolic meaning of the English letter X. In American elections, we put an X in the space next to the name of the candidate we are voting for. Thus, an X indicates our approval. It may also be used to indicate a certain point on a map, for the signature of an illiterate person or to represent a kiss in a letter to a loved one. As the first Greek letter in the word "Christ," it may also be used to represent Christ, as in the term "Xmas." In Japan, however, X is a symbol of disapproval and may represent penalty or punishment. In school tests where statements must be designated "true" or "false," the X represents "false" and a circle is used for "true." In Japan, the circle, which may represent harmony, is a positive symbol and voters mark a circle beside the name of the candidate of their choice. Students are happy to see a circle at the top of an examination paper, which indicates they did well. It is also interesting that the Chinese character for "circle" is used for the Japanese monetary unit, "(y)en." This character is also found in some Japanese translations of the Bible in Isaiah 40:22, where we are told that God "sits enthroned above the circle of the earth." (572)
Power Outage
03/05/07
Recently, we were suddenly reminded how dependent we are on electricity and how different life would be without it. As the result of a thunderstorm, our area suffered a power outage that lasted about five hours in the afternoon and early evening. I was working on my computer when the outage occurred, but, fortunately, my laptop computer immediately transfers to an internal battery when the external power supply is cut off so my work was not interrupted or damaged, but the lights went out throughout the house. Not only did lights go out, the radio and television were inoperative and the washing machine and air conditioner did not function. And for some reason, our telephones, which have a different power supply, were also unusable so it would have been very stressful if we needed to make an emergency telephone call. Fortunately, the medical institution in our community has its own generator and because I do have a portable radio that is battery-powered, I was able to listen to it. As suppertime approached, however, we could not make use of the oven or toaster and the refrigerator and freezer were getting a little warmer. An afternoon and an evening meeting had to be called off because there was no power in the meeting hall. As the darkness deepened, I took out a flashlight and began reading a magazine by its light. The next day, a newspaper article noted the traffic problem that occurred because traffic lights throughout the area had ceased to function. We were forced to think how dependent we are upon powers that are beyond our control--physical, social or spiritual. (575)
Wind
03/05/09
Both my wife and I were born and raised in the northeastern area of the state of Illinois near the city of Chicago, which was called the "windy city" because of the strong winds that frequently blew off of Lake Michigan. One of the many natural forces that cannot be controlled by human technology is the movement of air called "wind." There are a number of areas in the world where windstorms occur regularly or irregularly. The cyclones which often pass over the islands of Japan are called "typhoons." This word is derived from Chinese and may mean "great wind" or "wind from Taiwan." Typhoons which arise in the western part of the Pacific Ocean are similar to the cyclones which arise in the Atlantic Ocean, called "hurricanes." Now that my wife and I live in the state of Florida, we have to endure periodic "hurricanes" rather than "typhoons." But these windstorms are different from the "tornadoes" which swept across parts of the United States of America a couple of days ago. A "tornado" is a rapidly rotating column of air accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that causes great destruction. According to a newspaper article, there were more than 83 tornadoes reported in the region on Sunday night. At least 38 people lost their lives as a result. Hundreds of people lost their homes and some communities were completely devastated. In the New Testament Letter of James, at the beginning of the 3rd chapter, the human tongue is compared to the small rudder that controls a large boat that is driven by strong winds and we are cautioned to be careful how we use our tongues. (578)
A Harrowing Tale
03/05/11
When used as a noun, "harrow" denotes a farm instrument consisting of a heavy frame with sharp teeth or upright disks used to break up and even off plowed ground. As a verb, "harrow" may mean to break up and level with a harrow or to inflict great distress or torment on and the adjective "harrowing" means extremely distressing or agonizing. Thus, "a harrowing tale" denotes an extremely distressing story. Such a story appeared in many newspapers and news magazines a few days ago. It recounted the experience of a 27-year-old American mountain climber who has made more than 40 solo winter climbs up Rocky Mountains over 4200 meters high in the states of Utah and Colorado. While hiking along a trail rarely used by others, a huge boulder crashed down on his right arm, bringing his climb to an abrupt end. Despite his strenuous efforts, he was unable to move the rock and remained in that place for four days, until his water ran out. Faced with the difficult choice of losing his life or his right arm, he used his pocket knife to amputate his arm, just below the elbow. He also fashioned a tourniquet to stop the flow of blood. Then, he descended the steep mountain and hiked for over ten kilometers seeking help. Spotted by a County Sheriff's Department helicopter, he was taken to a hospital where he is recovering and hopes to get back to his favorite activity, mountain climbing. Reading this extraordinary, harrowing tale, I was reminded of difficult decisions many of us must make related to our priorities. What is of supreme importance or value in our lives and how is it determined?(579)
Military Titles
03/05/14
Since the United States Army has become officially involved in military activity overseas, we frequently see the titles of military officers in newspaper articles. Reading those articles, I wondered why the officers were given such titles and today's message reveals the result of my investigation. There are five basic officer ranks in the U. S. Army. At the top of that military organization is a "general." As an adjective, "general" denotes something or someone not limited in scope or area, such as a "general rule" or a "general manager." In the army, a "general" is in charge of the entire military unit. Under the general is a "colonel," which is pronounced the same as the word spelled k-e-r-n-e-l, denoting a grain or seed. This word is rooted in a Latin word for "column," for this officer originally was in charge of a column of soldiers, but the word entered English by way of French so the spelling and pronunciation do not match. The officer under a colonel is a "major," for he has the major responsibility for those under his authority. And under a major is a "captain." This word is rooted in a Latin word meaning "head," for a captain is the head of those under his authority. Another English word derived from the same Latin word is "cap," which a captain wears on his head. The fifth officer is a "lieutenant," which is rooted in French words meaning "place-holder," for that officer holds a particular place in the military organization. Soldiers often must endure hardship and, in the New Testament, Timothy is instructed to "endure hardship . . . like a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 2:4). (577)
Senior Citizens
03/05/16
The word "senior" is derived from a Latin word meaning "old." It may signify the older of two persons. When a son has the same name as his father, the father is "Senior" and the son is "Junior." It may also denote a person above others in rank or length of service. New employees in a company should be submissive to their seniors. "Senior" is also used to designate the fourth and final year of high school or college. Nowadays, the term "senior citizen" is often used for a person over the age of retirement and the retirement community in which my wife and I now live is made up of senior citizens. According to one theory, the name of this fifth month of the year is derived from a Latin word meaning "elders" in contrast to the following month, derived from a Latin word for "juniors." This month of May is designated a month to respect the elderly in the United States of America and in our retirement community, a special celebration is held during this month for residents who have passed their 90th birthday. At the recent celebration, there were over 50 such residents on the list and over half of them attended; a number of them were pushed in wheelchairs from their rooms in assisted living units. Younger senior citizens, including my wife, took homemade cookies for those in attendance to enjoy along with the punch. At that celebration, prayers were offered, songs were sung and messages were delivered from the town mayor and the association president. Looking over the group, I was reminded of the words of Proverbs 20:29: "The glory of young men is their strength, but the beauty of old men is their gray hair." (582)
Saint Augustine
03/05/18
The oldest city in the United States of America, located on the east coast of the state of Florida, is named St. Augustine for it was on August 28,1565, the feast day of St. Augustine, that the Spanish explorer, Pedro Menendez, first sighted this land on his voyage from Spain. The man in whose honor it was named is one of the most influential men in the history of the Christian Church. Aurelius Augustinus lived in north Africa in the fifth century. After leaving home for school, he spurned the influence of his Christian mother and led a wild, immoral life, but following his baptism at the age of 33, he became a monk and later, against his will, he was chosen to be a priest and then a bishop. In his Confessions, written in 400, he related the great change that took place in his life as a result of his conversion. This book continues to be an inspiration to those who read it today. In it, we find these words, addressed to God: "Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee." His view of history is expounded in the City of God, in which he affirms God's providential control over human actions to build a city of God or a city of the devil. The works of St. Augustine are recognized and utilized by both Roman Catholic and Protestant church scholars. Although some of his views are obviously conditioned by the time, place and situation, others remain relevant in all times and places. Today, we should heed his advice to "Hear the other side," to recognize humility as "the first, second and third thing" in religion and to see selfless love as the basis of a moral life: "Love, and do what you will." (581)
Acronyms/SARS
03/05/21
A living language continues to change; as some words are discarded or become obsolete, other words are added. Sometimes it may be difficult for a senior citizen to understand the conversation between a couple of teenagers who use words not yet found in a dictionary. But new words are also being coined by scientists, scholars and newspaper reporters and editors. Some of the new words began as abbreviations or acronyms. An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of a name or by combining initial letters or parts of a series of words. A "Wac," for example, was a member of the Women's Army Corps of the U. S. Army, organized during World War II. And "radar," which is "a method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of very high frequency radio waves reflected from their surfaces," was coined from the words "radio detecting and ranging." Now, certain areas of the world have become completely discombobulated because of a new disease called SARS, from "severe acute respiratory syndrome." Thousands of people in many different countries have become ill and hundreds have died as a result of this disease which began in a rural province of China. Airlines have canceled flights, tourists have changed their schedules, companies have gone bankrupt and the economies of some areas have suffered greatly. The catastrophe called SARS, along with terrorism, reminds us that we are, indeed, a global community and all nations must work together to find an acceptable solution to these international problems. (584)
"Can" and "May"
03/05/23
Readers of these messages know about the irregularities and inconsistencies of the English language related to spelling, pronunciation and use of words. Today's message is related to the words "can" and "may." When used as verbs, the past tense of "can" is "could," but the past tense of "may" is "might." And the correct usage of these verbs is confusing, even to native speakers of English. Furthermore, what is considered "correct usage" may be different in Great Britain and the United States of America and may change over the years, but the position presented in this message is based on a reference book printed in New York in 1957. Both "can" and "may" may be used to express possibility, as in "he can come" and "he may come." But here "can" means "it is physically possible that" and "may" means "there is a chance that." Thus, "can" and "may" are not interchangeable when speaking about a possibility. But "may" is also used to ask for or grant permission, as in "may I come in?" In this case, "can" is often used in place of "may" to suggest that the decision is not merely a personal whim but something based on objective facts. In refusing permission, "you may not" is considered disagreeably personal and "you cannot" is preferred. In granting permission, "may" is still used, as in "you may keep it till Friday," but most people now feel it is more courteous, less autocratic, to say "you can keep it till Friday." In asking permission, "may" is generally felt to be more polite than "can," as in "may I look at it?" rather than "can I look at it?" I hope you can understand the meaning of this message and may be helped by it. (580)
Memorial Day Weekend
03/05/25
A week denotes a period of seven days, usually beginning with Sunday and ending with Saturday, but there are two similar, but different, definitions of "weekday." According to one dictionary, a "weekday" is "1. Any day of the week except Sunday. 2. Any day exclusive of the days of the weekend." And, in that dictionary, a "weekend" is defined as "the end of the week, especially the period from Friday evening through Sunday evening." On June 28, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation shifting the dates of certain holidays to provide Americans with an increased number of three-day weekends. One of those holidays was Memorial Day, which is now celebrated on the last Monday of May. During the preceding century, following the Civil War, the day to commemorate those soldiers who died in the service of their country was May 30th. This year, Memorial Day falls on May 26th, the earliest day possible for the "last Monday." On this day, many Americans will visit cemeteries where remains of deceased members of the armed forces and others are buried. They will honor their memories in various ways, but the motivation and inward significance of their actions is very similar to what is designated "worship" in the Orient. Not only during the special observances this weekend in memory of those who died, but in the traditional formalities or rituals regularly performed on weekends or at other times, it is well to remember the words recorded in the Old Testament book of I Samuel, chapter 16, verse 7: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (583)
Refugees
03/05/28
A place providing protection or shelter may be called a refuge. If an "e" is added to the end of this word, the meaning changes to a person who flees from one place to another seeking refuge--usually because of war, oppression or persecution. There are now millions of refugees throughout the world and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has a web site (www.unhcr.ch) and publishes a periodical called "Refugees," to provide information about them. In the current issue of that periodical, it is noted that more than a quarter of a million civilians returned home in the last year following two decades of war in Sri Lanka. In Afghanistan, more than two million refugees went back to their homeland in the year 2002 and the UN Refugee Agency expects to help another 1.5 million return to that country this year. In the African nation of Angola, where battles between government forces and rebels have been going on for a quarter of a century, more than four million people have been forced from their towns and villages and sought refuge elsewhere. The periodical noted that there are more than 40 million uprooted persons around the world, more than half of which are children and young people between the ages of 13 and 25. It is difficult for those of us who reside peacefully in our homelands to imagine the lasting physical, psychological and economic effect that such an experience will have upon these unfortunate young people for the rest of their lives and we should dedicate ourselves to work more vigorously for peace within and among all countries in the world.(586)
Ice and Iceboxes
03/05/30
Water is a clear, colorless liquid that turns into ice when it is frozen. When I was a child, there was an icebox in the back porch of our house. In the top part of this insulated box was a rack where a large block of ice was placed with a tray underneath to catch the water as it melted. Food placed on the shelves under the block of ice in the icebox was kept cool and preserved. An ice man came regularly into our neighborhood with large blocks of ice covered with a large canvas sheet in a wagon pulled by a horse. If we needed ice, he would cut the ice with an ice pick and carry it to our icebox with a pair of ice tongs. Later, after an electric refrigerator was purchased and put into the kitchen, the icebox was no longer needed. On the two times my wife and I returned to the United States from Japan with our three children by way of Europe, we purchased a camping car in Germany and spent a month traveling through many different countries. In the camping car, there was a small icebox and it was often troublesome to find out where to obtain ice for it as the only language I knew was English. In Germany, I got some from a brewery. In the Netherlands, I found an ice house. In England, I got some from a fishmonger. In Turkey, I found an ice wagon, pulled by a donkey. And in Yugoslavia, when I showed the tray in which I wanted a block of ice to be put at a beer hall, the bar attendant thought I wanted it filled with ice cream. A customer then led me to his third floor apartment down the street to give me ice cubes. When I refused, he took me to the back of a restaurant where a suitable block of ice was found. (585)