Is Taiwan a Country?

An interesting reality I came across today is that the United States recognizes 195 countries.  I would argue that there are 196 because Taiwan (Republic of China) is left out of the list.  The United States apparently cannot recognize Taiwan due to some political issues form back in 1979 (http://www.state.gov/s/inr/rls/4250.htm#note6).

The definition of a country from Google (perhaps not the authority) says: a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.  Websters College Dictionary 2003 says: a political state or nation or its territory.

From the ROC constitution: “The Republic of China is a multiparty democracy founded on the ROC Constitu- tion. The Constitution was adopted by the National Assembly 國民大會 in Nanjing on December 25, 1946; was promulgated on January 1, 1947; and took effect on De- cember 25 of that same year. It comprises 175 articles in 14 chapters, plus 12 Ad- ditional Articles added in seven rounds of revision between 1991 and 2005.”  http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=18690&CtNode=2579&mp=807

Neutrino Nuance

I can not resist commenting on the latest in subatomic physics.  Back in September a group running an experiment at CERN released an interesting observation from their work: neutrinos were arriving, on average, sooner than predicted and sooner than light would have arrived.

Relevant particle physics in brief:

Stuff is either made of quarks or it is not.  Particles made up of quarks (proton, neutron, pion) are called hadrons.   Stuff not made up of quarks (electron, muon. neutrino) are called leptons.  Also, every particle has an antiparticle.  Don’t freak out it just means that every particle has an opposite (in terms of properties other than mass).  Most folks are familiar with the electron which is a subatomic particle (smaller than the atom).  The anti particle to the electron would be the antielectron which has actually been named the positron.  The positron has the opposite charge of an electron but the same mass.
Now then . . .
It turns out there is a particle called the muon and a particle called the tau.  The electron, muon and tau each have their own neutrino associated with them so their are 6 leptons in total.  So you have the electron, muon, tau, electron neutrino, muon neutrino and tau neutrino.  Neutrinos have no charge, very little mass, and interact with regular matter very infrequently.  Neutrinos can be produced by a muon decaying into an electron which produces a muon neutrino and an electron antineutrino.  Also an antimuon can decay into an antielectron (positron) and an electron neutrino and a muon antineutrino.  Below are the equations describing those two potential decays. (The u looking letter is the negative muon and positive antimuon.  The e is the negative electron and positive positron.  The v looking letters are neutrinos, the subscript indicates what kind of neutrino (tau, electron, muon).  Since neutrinos have no charge (+,-) the bar over the top indicates it is an antiparticle instead of a particle.

So CERN (its an acronym that doesn’t matter here)  is a place on the Switzerland/France boundary near Geneva (roughly speaking).  Physicists make particles go really fast in a circle underground via powerful magnetic fields etc. and then smash them into/through  stuff (other particles) and set up detectors to see what happens, what is produced, how fast, how massive etc.

A project at CERN called OPERA (its an acronym and the names don’t matter here), which was not looking for or intending to focus on the observations made, noticed that the neutrinos being produced at CERN were, on average, arriving at the particle detectors in Italy, 450 miles away, early and in fact earlier than photons would have.

Einstein:
About one hundred years ago Einstein brought forth the idea that the speed of light is a unversal constant that cannot be surpassed.  Along with that is the relationship between energy and mass, E=mc².  This equation only refers to the energy associated with the rest mass of a particle (as if it is simply sitting and existing).  If the particle is moving then the equation looks like:  E²=m²c⁴ + p²c².   So you have energy associated with the particle existing plus the kinetic energy associated with the particle moving.  At any rate what happens when a mass (a particle) is accelerated towards the speed of light, the particle’s mass increases which requires more energy to continue accelerating the particle toward the speed of light and as it speeds up it gets more massive requiring more energy to continue to accelerate it toward the speed of light and that continues.   In summary we arrive at a seeming reality that as a particle approaches the speed of light its mass approaches infinity requiring infinitely more energy to increase its velocity making it impossible for the particle to actually attain a velocity of c (the speed of light).

So as far as we know, particles (unless they cheat) cannot make the speed of light.  The OPERA experiment shows particles (neutrinos: super unmassive, and neutrally charged) are beating light to the finish line.  It will be interesting to see the results as research groups work to reproduce the results and investigate there processes in an attempt to locate areas of potential mismeasurement and/or misunderstanding.  From what I have heard there is a sense of great skepticism regarding neutrinos actually exceeding the speed of light.  In the end I am glad God has everything in His hands, but it sure is fascinating to be able to explore the great order and complexity of processes He has made in this universe.

What He Thinks She Thinks

So I have been involved in the FSU Navigators campus ministry for a few years and this video was made at a “talent” night a year ago. The song I wrote in 2005 as a result of conversations and interactions my buddy and I shared during that season of life.  Perhaps someday I will take my own advice . . .

What leads me to post . . .

A momentous occasion leads me to reacquaint myself with WordPress.

The Occasion:
It was a brilliant day, the sun fast approaching midafternoon.  The sky blue, the kind of blue you stare at as if you could see deeper the longer you look.  I was walking through a parking lot, my eyes intent on the cracked asphalt below my feet when I notice a bird shadow approaching from the right of my periphery.  Fear gripped me, for I knew that birds show no discrimination when it comes to waste management.   As I looked up I saw a second bird coming in from the left and to my relief they passed over me and proceeded to bomb the roof of a nearby house.  I count myself among the blessed for if the birds were but 30 seconds later in take off,  I would have been the preferred bullseye of there bombing mission.

Enjoy the day folks.

Truth Logic Chapter 2

Degenerate truth is the idea that the truth exists in more than one state or form such that several different combinations of micro truths can lead to the same ultimate truth.  The micro truths can be considered relative truths.  Truth to one person is not necessarily the truth to another person.  This way each person can find and reach the ultimate truth by living according to their relative, personal truths.  This has potential if truth is a man made concept, but if truth is really ultimate reality, then it goes beyond man and exists regardless of what man considers it to be.  In this case only truth is truth, and relative, personal truths are just a false reality.  So then if we are all bound within our false realities, how can we ever see the truth?  How does one step out of their own world?  If I were looking for the ultimate reality, I would be looking for something that is based on a concept beyond mankind’s ability and natural desire.  The invented truths will be based on mankind’s understanding, experience, and desire, so we have to look for something outside of that.  An interesting thought about truth, is that it must be apparent if sought.  Ignorance and bias are blind to truth, but eventually truth is revealed to the earnest seeker.

Truth Logic Chapter 1

I will define truth to be the ultimate reality.  It exists outside of perception and influence.  It is, regardless of opinion and emotion.  Truth does not allow itself to be degenerate or in states of multiplicity.  Simply put, there can only be one truth.  Suppose there are two “potential” truths . . .  If they are not identical then they contain some disgreement.  At this point there are only two options.  Either one truth is correct, and the other is not, OR neither is correct.  By this process all “potential” truths can be negotiated until the point of saying there is no truth or there is one truth.  There is an issue with having no truth because if that is correct, then it becomes the one truth; however the one truth can not be the denial of its own existence, that would be a lie and the truth can not lie.  So I suppose the conclusion must be that there must be one truth.  Next chapter, expanding on the potential for degenerate truth and relative truth . . .

As I Sit …

. . . has come to mean a lot to me over the years.

. . . I remember how I used to help my dad out with household projects on the weekends.  There was always something, it seemed, that needed fixing.  At the time I remember feeling slightly robbed of my precious cartoon and video game time.  But as I sit and think, I also remember having many discussions – important ones – talks about the mysteries of the bible and the practicalities of life.  I also learned many lessons.  One of the biggest, perhaps most painful lessons I remember was this:  What I do will ALWAYS affect other people.  Sometimes it is as obvious as being reckless with someone’s belongings.  Sometimes it is ignorance of words or lack of appreciation.  Of course there are the good examples as well.  Going out of your way to make things easier for people.  Trying to focus on the person’s situation so that you can anticipate their needs.  The likeness of Christ is love, love that does not depend on the receiver.  Dads practice this love on their children.  I can not imagine the pain of Christ.  I can not yet imagine the pain of fatherhood, but because of the love of God the father, and the love of my father, I know that the pain must be nothing compared to the joys of having a healthy relationship.

. . . I realize that I have the opportunity to see things.  When I am doing, I have not time nor resources to notice other things.  When I sit, I can notice a fly on the wall, an intense conversation across the room, and sometimes if I sit quietly enough, I can see the glory of God.

. . . I am resting in Christ.  When I sit, I no longer support myself.  I am energized as my body rests.  I can be more relaxed as I sit, and being relaxed allows me to slow down my thoughts, filter out the extraneous stuff and really ponder the important things.  The couch has already been built and all I have to do is sit on it.  Christ is the eternal living sacrifice offered up to pay for humanities’ sin so that anyone who pursues a relationship with God may be able to have it through Jesus Christ.  Christ paid the price, and access has been granted, all I need do is rest in it.  Sitting in the grace of Jesus Christ, I am energized, no longer supporting myself, I am held by the power of Jesus Christ to overthrow sin.  When I am sitting I am vulnerable,  when I am vulnerable, there is room for God to do amazing things for His glory.  The root of my relationship with God begins . . . as I sit.

. . . here in The Barracks at Fort Special, where I currently live, I hear my roomate play the piano.  He plays songs about Jesus Christ and the things those who struggle to follow Him experience.  He sings too, and though he is not a professional vocalist, what I hear is beautiful.  “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psalm something).”  It is beautiful because his heart is in it.  I join in spirit and sometimes song as well, and with one voice we communicate to our Lord and Saviour our love.  Sometimes if I close my eyes I see the Lord looking down and smiling, and if I really quiet my heart I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit . . . as I sit.

. . . I try to think of ways to have a sitting mindset all the time.  Afterall, the day to day of living often allows little time for actual sitting.  I hope I haven’t wasted this time . . . as I sit.

Bupkis

Recently a curiosity over the legitimacy of the word bupkis came up among my colleagues so I checked it out. The word bupkis or bupkiss, is a Yiddish slang expression that has something to do with beans. It comes from the word kozebupkes which actually means goat droppings. The Slavic root koz means goat and the diminutive of the Slavic root bob means beans. So the shape of the droppings and appearance brings us back to the Yiddish expression bupkis or bupkiss referring to beans. The word is defined to mean nothing, very little, zip, nil, worthless. This makes sense since beans are relatively worthless and common.

Usage in a sentence. I worked all day long and got bupkis for it. Have you ever heard the expression, “Thats just a hill of beans.” So there you have it, bupkis and beans.

On Predicting Lightning Strikes

Apparently UF and Florida Tech research has shown that lightning indeed produces x-rays. As lightning moves, it does so in 30 to 160 foot “steps” so to speak. The x-ray emissions seem to occur at the top of the step only millionths of a second apart from the actual event. At any rate, more expensive and sensitive detectors will be used in continuing research on the potential x-rays have to track and predict the movement of lightning. How about that folks. On a side note, the x-rays are a bit of a phenomenon themselves since the lightning, although 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun, is not, or should not be, able to provide the level of energy sufficient to produce x-rays. Now you may feel a little more or less intelligent than when you started reading this, in which case my job is done. Peace.

Young Death

For me death is not the scariest thing in the world, though it still ranks high on my list. People die daily, some of my friends could personally verify that, and not every death grips me emotionally, in fact most do not. The people closest to me naturally have the greatest emotional impact on me, in life and death, but the death I have the hardest time handling is young death. I was reminded of this when last week a little four year old girl, Grace Chen, died in a hospital hours after being found in the classroom of a burning day care center. Her family attends the same church I do, and though I was not close to the family, I know her face and remember seeing her. I have taught 1st through 3rd grade sunday school at church several times and thought, I would have had the opportunity to teach her in a couple of years, but it was not to be.

I thought about how much more I would have been affected if it was one of the kids in my sunday school class who one day no longer showed up. We teach these younger children about the way Christ lived His life on earth as an example for them to grow up in. We teach them about His sacrifice so that we may live eternally with God some day. We teach them so that they may know and grow to teach others. She was so young, I wonder how much a four year old knows about the gift of salvation and the meanings of sacrifice and love . . .

I prayed to God and asked Jesus to come into my heart and be with me when I was four years old . . . but what exactly did I understand? I was told that Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth and lived as a human, and died to save me. I was told that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we were given the opportunity to be with God forever if we believed. I simply believed and wanted to accept the gift. Remembering my past encouraged me. I still wonder what the grand purpose of young death is. Perhaps for the sake of their friends and families, leading them closer to the knowledge and truth of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Apparently it has led me to this place just now.

I will admit I have shed a tear picturing the happy face of a little girl, who no longer is manifested in the physical. The temporal joy and happiness that a young child brings is tremendous, but I remember that the joy and happiness that Christ has brought is eternal, and therefore that much greater.

Thank You Lord for Your love and mercy, bring us closer to You through trying times, and may we glorify You in our reactions. Please comfort the Chen family and remind them of the grace You have poured out on them, including Grace Chen. Amen