faith

If you live in the world long enough, and I most certainly think that I have, at 62, then you see that most things arise from Luck rather than from race, religion, upbringing, or karma...with karma being the most destructive and evil notion. The idea that somehow most people deserve what happens is a great and evil affront to reality.Deserving has nothing to do with anything at all. 'Deserving' is the ultimate crock and blight on humanity.
We live, we learn, we do what is necessary. The world, as it is, is as okay as it ever has been and ever will be. Any improvements are simply minor graduations that disappear pretty soon; and other stuff arises without altering the human condition at all. Life is meaningful because those who are living put meaning into it. We do that. We do the Hard Yards. This meaning is very important and lasts the length of every human life whether it is a minute in embryo or 90 years existing. Beyond that, nirvana, heaven, and all the insanities, this is all just advertising for profit and for prophets.
As for believing that only Jesus, Judaism, Buddhism or Hinduism or this or that ism being the only way to have meaning or eternity for that matter...what kind of cunt would do that to people?
If there be eternity, then we can all choose that on our own terms, or refuse it. We have choices. This is our world. This is the freedom any half way decent God would give us in a minute. I take this freedom very fucking seriously. My future, whether mortal or immortal, is not decided by rosaries or prayer beads, This is my business on earth, and as for the afterlife, well, this is even more my business and no other cunts business. I'll wait for you there, with love.

Japan hits out as UNESCO archives Nanjing massacre documents

Posted about 7 hours ago

PHOTO: Japanese troops storm a barricade during the fighting in Nanjing (Supplied: Nanjing People's Anti-Japan War Museum)

RELATED STORY: Japan's WWII apology to reopen 'Rape of Nanking' wounds with China

MAP: Japan

Japan has lashed out at UNESCO's decision to inscribe documents related to the Nanjing massacre in its Memory of the World register, describing it as "extremely regrettable" and calling for the process to be reformed.

Key points

• Japan labels UNESCO's decision to archive documents related to the Nanjing massacre as "extremely regrettable"
• UNESCO inscribed the documents in its Memory of the World register
• China says 300,000 people died in a six-week spree of killing, rape and destruction after the Japanese military entered Nanjing in 1937
• The massacre is an exceptionally sensitive issue in the often-tense relations between Japan and China

The UN's cultural and scientific body agreed to 47 new inscriptions on Friday, including a request by Beijing to mark documents recording the mass murder and rape committed by Japanese troops after the fall of the Chinese city of Nanjing in 1937.

The massacre, often referred to as the Rape of Nanjing, is an exceptionally sensitive issue in the often-tense relations between Japan and China, with Beijing charging that Tokyo has failed to atone for the atrocity.

Japan had called for the Nanjing documents not to be included and on Saturday accused UNESCO of being politicised.

"It is extremely regrettable that a global organisation that should be neutral and fair entered the documents in the Memory of the World register, despite the repeated pleas made by the Japanese government," Tokyo's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"As a responsible member of UNESCO, the Japanese government will seek a reform of this important project, so that it will not be used politically."

The UNESCO decision came after a two-year process during a meeting of experts tasked with studying nominations from 40 countries.

The new inscriptions were agreed at a meeting that ran from Sunday to Tuesday and was held in the United Arab Emirates.

Japan's World War II record still creating friction

The Japanese military invaded China in the 1930s and the two countries fought a full-scale war from 1937 until Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945.

China says 300,000 people died in a six-week spree of killing, rape and destruction after the Japanese military entered Nanjing.

Some respected foreign academics put the number lower but there is very little mainstream scholarship doubting that a massacre took place.

In Japan, however, some conservatives and nationalists deny that atrocities were committed, a source of regular regional friction.

PHOTO: When Japanese troops arrived in Nanjing, they went on a widespread killing spree(Supplied: Nanjing People's Anti-Japan War Museum)

In February, a senior executive at Japan's publicly funded TV broadcaster NHK denied the massacre, reportedly dismissing accounts of it as "propaganda".

Japan's official position is that "the killing of a large number of non-combatants, looting and other acts occurred" took place, but it adds "it is difficult to determine" the true number of victims.

In April this year, Japan rebuffed protests about newly approved textbooks after complaints that they failed to use the word "massacre" when referring to the mass slaughter of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, preferring the term "incident".

Tokyo frequently clashes with many of its Asian neighbours over its war record, with many accusing the country of failing to atone for its atrocities or recognise the suffering that took place under the yoke of Japanese militarism.

The Memory of the World register, set up in 1992, is aimed at preserving humanity's documentary heritage, and currently holds 348 documents and archives that come from countries all over the world.

"It is my deep and firm conviction that the Memory of the World program should be guided in its work to preserve documentary heritage and memory for the benefit of present and future generations in the spirit of international cooperation and mutual understanding, building peace in the minds of women and men," UNESCO director Irina Bokova said.

Japan had two entries recognised by UNESCO on Friday.

The first was a body of 18th century documents amassed by a Buddhist temple and the second a tranche of documents related to the internment of Japanese prisoners in Siberian labour camps after the end of World War II.

AFP

China completes construction of lighthouses in South China Sea

China completes construction of lighthouses in South China Sea

China says it has completed the construction of two lighthouses in the disputed South China Sea as tensions in the region mount over Beijing's maritime ambitions.

North Korea ready to fight

North Korea ready to fight 'any war' with US, Kim Jong-un tells major military parade in Pyongyang

Updated about 3 hours ago

PHOTO: North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un salutes during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. (AFP/Yonhap News TV)

RELATED STORY: North Korea releases detained South Korean student

MAP: Korea, Democratic People S Republic Of

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has used a speech at a major military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party to say his country is prepared to fight "any kind of war waged by US imperialists".

Key points

• Kim Jong-un says North Korea ready for "any war" with the United States
• North Korea stages military parade to mark 70th anniversary of Worker's Party
• Thousands of soldiers, trucks, tanks and missiles march through Kim Il-sung Square
• Parade will be closely watched in case Pyongyang unveils new military equipment

Dressed in his customary dark Mao suit, Mr Kim struck a more belligerent note than in previous public addresses.

"Our party dauntlessly declares that our revolutionary armed forces are capable of fighting any kind of war provoked by the US and we are ready to protect our people and the blue sky of our motherland," he said.

Thousands of goose-stepping soldiers in tight formations marched into Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung square for the parade, alongside a cavalcade of tanks, armoured vehicles and assorted ballistic hardware.

Mr Kim, the third generation of a family dynasty that has ruled the North with absolute authority for the past seven decades, took salute from the massed military ranks.

His words were met with rapturous applause from tens of thousands of flag-waving spectators, while above the square, a large banner slung from a gas-filled balloon read: "Long live the invincible Workers' Party of Korea."

Liu Yunshan, the fifth most powerful man in China's ruling Communist Party, stood by Mr Kim during the parade.

An overnight thunderstorm and light rain in the morning threatened to put a dampener on the parade, which has been in the works for months.

Mr Kim paid tribute to his family's legacy on Friday with a midnight visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which serves as the mausoleum for his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founding leader.

Satellite images taken four days before the parade showed a sprawling training ground in Pyongyang featuring some 800 tents, 700 trucks and 200 armoured vehicles.

As night fell after the parade, a tribute to the ruling party that has served at the whim of three generations of the Kim dynasty, the skies of Pyongyang were lit up with a fireworks display over the banks of the Taedong River.

On the ground, roaring crowds held up their coloured squares to create huge images of Worker Party flags and spelling out Mr Kim's name.

PHOTO: Soldiers and their vehicles lined up on the banks of Taedong River before the start of the parade. (Reuters: Damir Sagolj)

Experts looking out for new military hardware

As with similar displays in the past, the event was closely watched for glimpses of any new hardware that might signal a forward step in the North's military development.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and threatened a fourth as part of a nuclear weapons and missile program that it has pursued through a barrage of international sanctions.

There is debate among experts as to how far it has come in developing those weapons, especially the ability to shrink nuclear warheads so that they can fit on a missile.

An exhaustively researched report published this week by the US-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated that North Korea had between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons as of the end of 2014.

The report argued it was likely the country could already build a warhead to fit atop a Nodong missile — with a range of less than 1,300 kilometres — but added that the reliability of such a weapon was open to question.

The DPRK (North Korea) is willing to make efforts to improve relations between the North and the South and safeguard the stability of the peninsula.

Kim Jong-un quoted in Xinhua

Months of planning and preparation have gone into the parade, involving a mass mobilisation of state personnel and resources to ensure its success.

The capital itself was given a comprehensive makeover — its streets lined and decorated with giant posters, red banners and national flags, many of them displaying the numerals "10-10" in reference to the ruling party's official October 10 birthday.

The North excels at such choreographed displays of military muscle, which aim to boost pride and patriotism at home.

At the same time, it sends a defiant message to an international community that has sought, without success, to pressure Pyongyang into abandoning its nuclear weapons ambitions.

China remains North Korea's most important diplomatic ally and economic partner, even as Beijing has grown increasingly wary and impatient with Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions.

But the attendance of just one Chinese official reflects North Korea's diplomatic isolation.

Mr Kim and Mr Liu met for talks on Friday, during which the Chinese official delivered a letter from president Xi Jinping, and voiced Beijing's willingness to work with Pyongyang on resuming multi-party talks on its nuclear program.

"The DPRK (North Korea) is willing to make efforts to improve relations between the North and the South and safeguard the stability of the peninsula," Xinhua reported the young leader as saying.

PHOTO: A close-up satellite image of the Mirim Parade Training Facility in Pyongyang on October 6, 2015, ahead of the military parade. (AFP: Pleiades © CNES 2015 Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image)

AFP

N. Korea proposes talks on peace treaty with U.S. North Korea has twice in the span of a week suggested that it and the U.S. should sign a peace treaty. On October 1, at United Nations General Assembly, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong urged that the U.S. establish a permanent peace treaty with the North. Six days later, North Korea reiterated their call for a peace treaty with the U.S. For North Korea to make the same call in less than a week is unusual.

N. Korea proposes talks on peace treaty with U.S. North Korea has twice in the span of a week suggested that it and the U.S. should sign a peace treaty. On October 1, at United Nations General Assembly, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong urged that the U.S. establish a permanent peace treaty with the North. Six days later, North Korea reiterated their call for a peace treaty with the U.S. For North Korea to make the same call in less than a week is unusual. Visit NK News for more Memories of Pyongyang: How Kim Jong Un / authorities could improve the capital - Survey In part seven of a major new NK News expert interview series, we spoke with six former and current residents of the capital – both foreigners and defectors – to get a sense of what needs to change in Pyongyang. Many talk of problems that impact life all over the country, from unreliable power to an overbearing degree of state control over daily life, but also on the need for expanding mobile phone services and food choices. Visit NK News for more U.S. bolsters missile defense with N. Korea in mind The U.S. Department of State has detailed recent measures to bolster its missile defense to account for growing threats from states like North Korea and Iran. Speaking in Madrid, Frank A. Rose Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, outlined the Obama Administration’s recent steps to counter DPRK Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launches. The U.S. has been working with its allies to improve its ICBM defense network, highlighting improvements and aid from several allies, including Romania, Poland and Spain. Visit NK News for more Where does North Korea buy its hyenas?, By Leo Byrne Recent articles from North Korea’s state media and satellite imagery indicate one of North Korea’s large scale construction projects, the Pyongyang Central Zoo, is nearing completion. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claims the zoo is increasingly populated with exotic animals like hyenas and antelope. In the last two years however only three countries have made any significant animal exports to North Korea: Russia, Holland and South Africa. We took a look at North Korea's exotic trade links. Visit NK News for more N.Korean boy gets asylum in Sweden following protests A controversial case involving a North Korean defector, some questionable decisions by Swedish immigration authorities, and the threat of deportation and a brutal reception back home appears to have had a happy ending.What’s more, the decision to overturn the previous rejection of a North Korean defector’s asylum application may have far-reaching consequences for other defector looking to Europe for salvation. NK News analyses what happened and why. Visit NK News for more

Top Stories Today

Costly and complicated – why many Koreans can't face reunification (The Guardian)
Twice a month a North Korean defector and a South Korean professor meet at a cafe in downtown Seoul for a caffeine-fuelled argument.

Park, Obama to discuss more N.K. sanctions, but not THAAD: envoy (The Korea Herald)
Amid North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, Seoul and Washington will explore the possibility of additional sanctions and other ways to deter another major provocation. 

N Koreas rice, corn production down 14 pct in 2015: FAO (Yonhap News)
North Korea's production of key food produce is estimated to decline on-year in 2015, data showed Friday, apparently due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Cash Crunch Hits North Korea's Elite (WSJ)
China’s economic slowdown and a plunge in coal prices are depriving North Korea of critical foreign currency, threatening to stir discontent among the small, elite class.

N. Korea preparing to put on one of largest-ever military parade (Yonhap News)
Recent satellite imagery shows North Korea is preparing to put on one of the country's largest military parades to mark the 70th anniversary this week of the founding of its Workers' Party.

About Mishima, Seppuku etc

Apparently the blog issue regarding Mishima's seppuku death is the most 'hit' item on this 100,000 hit blog...so there are quite a few strange people out there.Now the reason I first put Mishima and his chosen way of death on the blog years ago was basically because I worked for 30 years as a clinical nurse and consultant in end stage terminal care and pain control; and then I worked in mental health for awhile and suicide was often coming up as a topic. I have no problem at all with people committing suicide based upon Mishima's noble notion: that the death should be incredibly painful and in private and done in a way to illustrate that the pain of death was worse than the pain of living and you only ever did it as a political statement to basically, in death, make yourself a bit larger than life. I've got no issue with that at all. That is actually noble. No pills, no car crashing, just a bloody big knife twisting in the guts, and you do it yourself. The primarily important thing for Mishima was that the death was discrete, his self killing, etc, although having his friend there to cut off his head kind of made it into a public event due to photography...but all in all, Mishima chose Seppuku for very valid reasons relating to Japan and the dishonour of the Empire. I do think that this is a noble form of self killing: that it be intensely more painful than life, and that it be done basically in secret and very neatly so as no one is harmed when they find the body.
I dont think death is much to be scared about.
When locking up the Hospice gates some years ago at night one of my colleagues said 'don't you need a torch to go out there in the dark?' and I replied 'darlin, i've walked along with so many hundreds of people into their nights and deaths that it is the darkness that should be afraid of me.' I actually said that. It was a real Frank Drebbin of Police Squad moment...you don't get many moments in a life time to say something really profound as well as really silly-ful of bravado, and also really deep. I did it.
I don't work at titrating pain control for people at death's door any more and I'm really happy not to do so any more. 30 years was enough for many lifetimes.
The thing about Mishima is that he is such a fucking good writer that it is a crying shame he never got the Nobel Prize, it really is. He's much better than a lot of them, he just didnt have an 'acceptable philosophy'...and when did that matter, ever, in art?

Korea Update

Korean student-detainee faces Security Law investigation The New York University student repatriated from North Korea earlier this week is currently under investigation for violating South Korea's National Security Act, South Korean media have reported.Because Joo, 21, entered into North Korea without permission and made pro-North remarks during an interview in North Korea, he appears to have violated the law, which South Korea has had on the books since the late 1940s. Attorney Jang Kyung-wook, who has experienced numerous cases involving the NIS, including Yoo Woo-seong‘s, said Joo’s US links need to be taken into account. Visit NK News for more Memories of Pyongyang: Citizens and expats reminisce about N. Korea life What’s life like in one of the most closed-off societies on earth? In part five of a major new NK News expert interview series, we spoke with seven former and current residents of the capital – both ex-pats and defectors – to get a sense of everyday life in North Korea’s largest city. While most talk of a deeply conformist society, bound by rituals and obligations, many also talk of gaining real, and often surprising, insight into the daily lives of the people.  Visit NK News for more Lawmakers says drought threatens Kaesong inter-Korean complex A drought in North Korea may result in the Kaesong Industrial Complex being shut down, a South Korean lawmaker asserted on Wednesday. Sim Jae-kwon of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy said that, according to data from the Ministry of Unification (MoU), there is a possibility that the operations of the complex being shut down due to North Korea’s water shortage. The South Korean Ministry of Unification (MoU) is carrying out a plan to secure 30,000 tons of water from Sachon River next to the complex. Visit NK News for more North Korea builds 1,800 homes in 30 days – KCNA North Korea says it built 1,800 homes in the space of 30 days in the flood hit Rason area, according to DPRK state media on Tuesday. South Korea’s YTN news station also said a further 2700 homes had also been repaired. A further 500 multi-story homes were also reportedly constructed in the Chonggyedong, Yuhyondong, Kwangokdong areas. The area was hit by severe floods which began on August 22. Figures from the DPRK Red Cross Society released in September said 89 people were killed in the flood, with a further 10 missing and 22,656 people affected. Visit NK News for more Jangmadang teaches North Koreans to break rules: Expert North Korea’s “Jangmadang generation” has learned more than just how to make money – they have learned to break rules, one expert said. This generation has engaged in its own economic activities, private business or entrepreneurship by making money for themselves from an early age in a marketized economy. The NK News podcast interviewed Sokeel Park, director of research and strategy for Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) about the Jangmadang generation. Visit NK News for more N.Korean Chuseok: Like S.Korean Chuseok without the traffic, By Kim Yoo-sung This week's Ask A North Korean is all about the Chuseok holiday. While North Koreans - like most northeast Asians - celebrate the mid-Autumn festival, North Korea does not suffer from the huge traffic jams that plague its neighbours - purely because so few people have access to personal transport. Even going by public transport is difficult, as the cost is far higher than in the South. Chuseok can also be a particularly lonely time for defectors, who miss the festivities with their relatives still in the North. Visit NK News for more

Top Stories Today

Inside A Secret State: My Invite To North Korea (Sky News)
As a journalist, I have to be officially invited to travel to North Korea. Invitations are rare. It has taken me almost three years to receive one.

3D map of North Korea's secret 'nuclear' missile site (Daily Mail)
Experts have created a true-to-life 3D map of a North Korean base which is expected to launch ballistic missiles - which could be capable of carrying nuclear warheads - in the next few weeks.

DPRK woman locked up in "island-like" S.Korea (Shanghai Daily)
A woman in South Korea, having come from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) four years ago, has wanted back since she got here to her "fatherland."

All business ahead of Party festivities (Daily NK)
North Korea’s lower-ranking Party cadres and donju have been paying bribes to cadres in the higher ranks or putting together cultural performances to secure deals. 

North Korea plans for party time (Channel News Asia)
This Saturday, the reclusive, and diplomatically elusive North is set to put on its biggest show to date -- a goose-stepping, tank-rumbling, missile-bristling tribute to the Workers' Party.