Good Earth Friday

It's quite unusual for this to happen but, thanks to the rare late Easter we have this year, Earth Day and Good Friday (marking the date of Christ's Crucifixion) have fallen on the same day.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

— Job 12:7-10

I've read the Bible from cover to cover, and many parts multiple times, and I have always found it head-scratchingly baffling that purported Christians would be so antagonistic toward protective stewardship of God's creation (i.e., the environment). I also find it perplexing that so many Christians are so married to the idea of unfettered capitalism, when so many parts of the Bible run counter to its values and dictates, but that's another post for another time. Maybe on Adam Smith's birthday. Or Karl Marx's. Or Jesus's, since He and His Dad were quite the socialists.

Good Friday, by the way, is a state holiday in Hawaii (!). Never sure how that passed muster Constitutionally, but if the birthers are right, we don't really care about that kind of thing anyway.

UPDATE:
Speaking of socialists and environmentalism, the People's Daily in China, according to North Korea's KCNA news agency (朝鮮語):

The DPRK government has attached importance to environment protection, the article said, adding:

Pyongyang is taking the lead in it. It is taking a series of measures to improve the urban environment.

It is giving priority to preventing the environmental pollution and tree planting and afforestation are brisk at all institutions and industrial establishments and in different parts of the city.

Big successes have been gained in environmental protection of the city and the city was spruced up.

The green foliage in all places of the city, the blue sky and the clean river add to its landscape.

That, of course, is what's happening in Pyongyang. Outside the capital where the elite live (and are held hostage in order to guarantee loyalty to the regime), there is massive deforestation thanks to a lack of fuel and food (trees don't always survive so well when starving people are stripping away their bark for food).

Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 메리 크리스마스!
And a belated happy Hanukkah!



Here's wishing you and yours a joyous holiday season. And for those of us in Seoul, enjoy the semi-white Christmas.

And last, but not least, for the US military personnel who find themselves thousands of miles away from loved ones while serving in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Korea, Okinawa, mainland Japan, Europe, out at sea, or anywhere else in the world, here's a heart-felt word of thanks this holiday season for your sacrifice and your courage.

For you, a small tribute in the form of a Korean Christmas past:


From this website of Paul Noll:

After we left Taejon we went to Taegu and camped there for a while. On Christmas day we had a Christmas feast with Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, green beans, nuts, cake, celery, cranberry sauce, eggnog, milk, coffee, and other things I have forgotten about.

Tears come to my eyes as I write and think about that wonderful Christmas and the effort the army went to, to make it feel a little bit more like home. The officers served the dinner.

My team had a Christmas tree about 7 inches high and we sang songs and thought of Christmases long ago home with our families.

We wondered about our families and how they might be worrying about us here. We wrote home often but mail was hard to get and send. I did get one package from my brother Mark. It was, so help me, a box of handkerchiefs. I kidded him about that when I got home.

Some of the group got packages of cookies, cheeses or salami. Whenever anyone got something it was always gratefully shared with others in the team. We grew to trust and depend on each other very much. This was one of the few times we spent as a company together. Soon after my team went off to set up a station.

God bless you all!