Mark Meek's Ideas: September 2020

Thursday, September 24, 2020

A Journey Around Colombia

Colombia, in northwestern South America, is named for Christopher Columbus who is credited with, if not the European discovery of, establishing the first permanent link between the eastern and western hemispheres.

Traditionally, the top yellow half of the flag of Colombia represents not only gold but all of the wealth of the country. The blue below it represents the seas by which the country is located. The red represents the blood that was shed to gain independence for Colombia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Colombia#/media/File:Flag_of_Colombia.svg

The way I see it, the colors could represent the three major periods of Colombian history. The red representing the native Indians before the arrival of Europeans. The blue could represent the period as a Spanish colony, known as Gran Colombia and which included what is now Venezuela, Ecuador and, Panama. The gold or yellow, which is the widest band of color, representing the independent nation of Colombia. The war of Independence for Gran Colombia was led by the Venezuelan, Simon Bolivar, for whom the neighboring country of Bolivia is named.

The southern part of the western hemisphere was settled by Spain and Portugal before the northern part was settled by England and France. In the days of sailing ships Europeans from the Mediterranean, and the southern part of the continent, had the simple advantage that the wind was in their favor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_winds#/media/File:Map_prevailing_winds_on_earth.png

Also ships could sail around the southern tip of South America, and sail up the west coast of the continent, whereas that could not be done from North America. Although today, global warming is opening up what is known as the Northwest Passage to ships.

Colombia has had two civil wars since independence, both between Liberals and Conservatives. On our visit to Mexico City, we saw that Mexico has undergone one such war. There was what was known as the "Thousand-Days War", around the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Then there was a ten-year war from 1948-1958. This was followed by a leftist insurgency, mainly taking place in the remote areas of Colombia's southeast, carried on by the group known by the acronym of FARC. This insurgency was remarkably similar in nature to one on the other side of the world, that carried on by the Naxalites in India.

The capital of Colombia today is the city of Bogota, which was founded in 1538. Although not as well-known as the Aztec, Maya and, Inca, the area had one of the great Indian civilizations, known as the Muisca.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogot%C3%A1#/media/File:Mira_a_lo_alto.jpg

The following scenes begin in the Primary Cathedral of Colombia, which is on Bolivar Square, or Bolivar Plaza, where Colombia's government buildings are located. Remember that Simon Bolivar led the liberation of Gran Colombia.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Central America

Central America is defined as the isthmus of land from Mexico south to Colombia, and between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. All of the nations of Central America are small. By far the most populous is Guatemala, immediately south of Mexico, with around 18 million people.

Central America has a Spanish colonial heritage similar to that of Mexico and northern South America, but the cities of Central America are usually not as old as Mexico City or Lima.

To understand Central America it is necessary to understand the past involvement of American companies in the region. These countries have been profoundly affected by United Fruit and Standard Fruit. The descendants of both companies are still with us today. United Fruit is now known as Chiquita, and is especially known for bananas. Standard fruit is now known as Dole, and is especially known for pineapples.

According to critics, these companies turned Central America into nations whose reason for being was to supply American consumers with tropical fruit. One thing that is notable about the region is how small the countries are. Most of the nations of Latin America are much larger and it does seem that Central America could have been one country. But this could be the legacy of being divided up as national plantations for rival fruit companies.

When Communism came along this history of exploitation, at least according to the critics, it found ready converts in the region which ultimately led to conflicts like that between the Contras and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Although not part of Central America, the same could be said for Cuba which was the main supplier of sugar. The result was the rise of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of war.

This is not to say that that the fruit companies did not bring any good to the region, they certainly built infrastructure and communications networks, although the critics claim that it was for the companies' own benefit and was mainly the kind of "help" that hindered Central America from developing in it's own way.

Anyway, I'll let you form your own opinion about it. Let's move along and have a look at the region.

The following scenes of Guatemala City begin inside Metropolitan Cathedral. The cathedral faces the most important square of the city, the Plaza de la Constitucion. The National Palace of Culture is also on the square. The familiar pattern in cities of Latin America is the most important church facing the main square of a city. If it is a capital city, it will be the nation's main cathedral and there will be the president's residence or national palace, and possibly other government buildings facing the square as well.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.6415598,-90.5120736,3a,75y,88.52h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMXxd0vQIdSoAa-CqlFlI4d_CuhOHd7l-PlsPXp!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMXxd0vQIdSoAa-CqlFlI4d_CuhOHd7l-PlsPXp%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya27.698635-ro-0-fo100!7i11464!8i5732

Here is some more of the central part of Guatemala City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.6345409,-90.5149814,2a,75y,103.26h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sj9gK7RPOBhf22yfrGtfwhA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dj9gK7RPOBhf22yfrGtfwhA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D103.68807%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

The way Guatemala City is organized into numbered zones is reminiscent of the arrondisements of Paris. The following scenes are in Zone 10, a modern business district.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.5906694,-90.5037906,3a,75y,162.29h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s6hkg2bijbj88gmGyIQTCbQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D6hkg2bijbj88gmGyIQTCbQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D162.28775%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

The capital city of the neighboring nation of El Salvador is San Salvador. Like so many other cities in this part of the world, the center of the capital city is a square with the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace facing the square. These views of San Salvador begin in the Metropolitan Cathedral.

https://www.google.com/maps/@13.6983334,-89.1911671,3a,75y,92.27h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMypHSs7S77nI0VRKtrvrpwlfTupvVibBYUp_65!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMypHSs7S77nI0VRKtrvrpwlfTupvVibBYUp_65%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya85.80976-ro-0-fo100!7i7200!8i3600

This is the western part of San Salvador, beginning at the Monument of the Divine Savior. Oscar Romero, a priest who was known for "Liberation Theology", was a native of El Salvador. This was a form of socialism, maybe even Marxism, but that had serving God as the goal.

https://www.google.com/maps/@13.7012491,-89.2240379,3a,75y,76.04h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOn_xeek4XeCUo_KlIPiKgpaNEiAf9AYdeGN7F1!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOn_xeek4XeCUo_KlIPiKgpaNEiAf9AYdeGN7F1%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya155.74026-ro-0-fo100!7i7200!8i3600

Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, is one of those places whose name makes a good password. (Does anyone remember Bophuthatswana, a former "homeland" in South Africa from the 1970s)? It is a much older city that most of the capitals of Central America, dating from around the same time as Mexico City and Lima. It might have been the capital if Central America had become one country.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.0891555,-87.1815757,3a,75y,214.5h,92.93t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPDXswIuWxH22Dxax4fvvtBa_uK0jvm8_SyBQYx!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPDXswIuWxH22Dxax4fvvtBa_uK0jvm8_SyBQYx%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9338646-ya316.5-ro-0-fo100!7i7680!8i3840

If you have ever wondered if nations have gone to war over soccer, called "football" outside North America, the answer is yes. El Salvador and Honduras went to war over qualifying for the 1970 World Cup.

The capital city of Nicaragua is Managua. I can remember from childhood seeing news reports of the devastating 1972 earthquake there. Then, when I was a teenager, the president of the country was overthrown in what would begin a long civil war. The president, Anastasio Somoza, was from the Somoza family which had dominated the country for decades.

He was overthrown by the Sandinistas, who were led by Daniel Ortega and took their name from a leftist revolutionary who had earlier fought against U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua (Remember the United Fruit Company, as described above), and had been killed by the forces of the Somoza family. The U.S. administration of Ronald Reagan helped to form the Contras, who undertook a civil war, against the backdrop of the Cold War, against the Sandinistas. I remember when Reagan publicly declared "I am a Contra".

The U.S. Congress banned further assistance to the Contras, but Reagan sought ways to help them anyway. This is what led to the 1980s "Iran-Contra Scandal", where American weapons were being sold to Iran, which was at war with Iraq, and the profits being used to help fund the Contras.

In the global shift against Communism toward the end of the 1980s, Daniel Ortega lost the 1990 presidential election to Violeta Chamorro, who was widely celebrated in America. But Ortega moved toward the political center from Communism, and came back to win the 2006 presidential election and is still the president of the country today.

The husband of Violeta Chamorro, Pedro, had operated a newspaper that had opposed the rule of the Somoza family, until he had been assassinated. Ironically, he had been a childhood classmate of Anastasio Somoza, the last of the Somoza rulers. At first, Violeta Chamorro sided with the Sandinistas after they overthrew the Somozas in 1979. But that did not last long because she became disillusioned with their Marxist leanings. She eventually defeated the Sandinistas in the 1990 election to become the president of Nicaragua.

Does all of this sound familiar? If it does it is because this is virtually a mirror image of Corazon Aquino winning the presidency of the Philippines four years before, in 1986. Her husband had been assassinated by the forces of Ferdinand Marcos, and she eventually led the "People Power" movement that had deposed Marcos. Ironically, Corazon Aquino's husband was told that he could return from exile, but was killed at the airport as soon as he landed just as Augusto Sandino, for whom the Sandinistas were named and who could be considered as Nicaragua's version of Che Guevara, was killed after the Somoza family had invited him to discuss a truce.

The situation in Nicaragua was more complex than that of the Philippines because it involved three parties, the Somozas, the Sandinistas and Violeta Chamorro, while the Philippines only involved two, Marcos and Corazon Aquino.

The overthrow of the Shah of Iran also bears a similarity to this story and it also took place in 1979, a few months before the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza. Like the Shah, Somoza sought exile in the U.S. President Jimmy Carter really did not want either one, but the Republicans insisted they an "old friend" like the Shah must not be abandoned. Anastasio Somoza had no such support in the U.S. and settled into exile in Paraguay.

I remember the news that the Sandinistas had finally caught up with Anastasio Somoza in his Paraguayan exile. He was killed when the assassination team fired a rocket at his car. There was a lot of speculation in the news about how much assistance they might have had from Communist Cuba.

Managua was rebuilt after the 1972 earthquake. There has long been discussion about building a canal across Nicaragua, which would rival the Panama Canal, but there seems to be a lot of opposition to it and it would inevitably mean salt water from the sea getting into Lake Managua.

Here is a look at Managua.

https://www.google.com/maps/@12.1184925,-86.2617141,3a,75y,220h,100t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNtPKK1WCA1c0JjvkVBRBzagnqNwBRl-EoZvfFf!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNtPKK1WCA1c0JjvkVBRBzagnqNwBRl-EoZvfFf%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-7.305146-ya2.9631648-ro11.570669-fo100!7i5376!8i2688

This is San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica.

https://www.google.com/maps/@9.9329002,-84.0636649,3a,75y,259.5h,92.93t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNuUbUnDPme4_btn2yOrJ2msFssqDo5ZFU0u740!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNuUbUnDPme4_btn2yOrJ2msFssqDo5ZFU0u740%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9338646-ya159.82-ro-0-fo100!7i7776!8i3888

"San Jose" means "St. Joseph". Remember that English and Spanish names are often equivalent. A difference is that "Jesus" (pronounced "Hay-seus") is a common name in Spanish-speaking countries.
Jose = Joseph
Pablo = Paul
Juan = John
Maria = Mary
Jorge = George
Pedro = Peter
Miguel = Michael
Guillermo = William
I think Ramon = Raymond
I think Manuel = Samuel

Panama City, the capital of Panama and on the Pacific side of the country, is a very old city, from the Sixteenth Century. The first Panama City was destroyed in a pirate raid, and the ruins are still there. Piracy was common in the early days of this part of the world, but what exactly a pirate was depends on one's perspective.

My understanding is that a pirate is simply a robber. A pirate ship preys on other ships, especially those carrying gold, in the days when there were no radios to call on the navy or the coast guard for help.

But it is more complicated than that. Countries were often at war. When they were, "pirate" ships would be commissioned to raid ships, but only ships of nations with which their own country was at war. These ships operated independently, and were not part of the country's organized navy. "Pirates" who raided only ships of nations with which their country was at war were known as buccaneers or privateers or, in French terminology, corsairs.

A well-known pirate, or privateer depending on your point of view, was Henry Morgan. "Captain Morgan", as he was known, even has a popular brand of rum named after him today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Morgan#/media/File:Captain_Morgan_Black_Label.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Morgan#/media/File:Captainlogo_2005.PNG

This is the ruins of the original Panama City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@9.0072148,-79.4859845,3a,75y,127.61h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMsMRL7VKQsPCFujK-JPzBneOaTXRGVe5l_n7PW!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMsMRL7VKQsPCFujK-JPzBneOaTXRGVe5l_n7PW%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi2.3866053-ya127.93231-ro1.9146585-fo100!7i7200!8i3600

This is the Old Quarter of the present Panama City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@8.9529266,-79.5368195,3a,75y,88.64h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipO6DRvWV5Z8823A0JpWQzFbGskb7MnzTqv68SHT!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO6DRvWV5Z8823A0JpWQzFbGskb7MnzTqv68SHT%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya338.62393-ro0-fo100!7i9728!8i4864

Here is the central area of modern Panama City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@8.9775769,-79.5250739,3a,75y,136.23h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNtUoKXfzyVqAUW5APMj2W-MarNXNFap_lfWeSM!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNtUoKXfzyVqAUW5APMj2W-MarNXNFap_lfWeSM%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya238.58351-ro0-fo100!7i7168!8i3584

Jerusalem And The Rock Music Era

I was only a boy during the 1960s but could feel what a special time it was, and have always been fascinated by the Sixties and it's music. Although, from a cultural and spiritual point of view, my feeling is that the "Real Sixties" did not exactly fit the chronological decade and actually only lasted for eight years, from 1964 to 1972.

The Sixties were the youth of the Baby Boom generation, the demographic bulge in the population brought about by millions of soldiers returning from the Second World War and starting families. The first of the Baby Boom generation reached adulthood in 1964.

This is why there was such an emphasis on youth culture. But the devastation, horrific weapons and, genocide of the Second World War were recent memories. Before that there had been the market crash and the Great Depression, and before that the First World War.

Could the new Baby Boom generation be the one that had learned the lessons and would change the world for the better?

Considering the world wars, and countless other wars, can you believe that, as secularism spread in the late Nineteenth Century, many people thought that it was a very good thing, since wars were primarily religious in nature, that secularism would bring peace to the world?

The Bible foretold that, far in the future, the nation of Israel would be reestablished and this, particularly the return of the original city of Jerusalem to Jewish control, would initiate the one-lifetime countdown to the Return of Jesus to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth, when the world would be the godly paradise that it was intended to be. But, of course, the world had to go through the reign of the Antichrist and the Tribulation first.

My speculation, as described in the section "17) Crossing The Red Sea", in the compound posting "New Insight Into Bible Prophecy" October 2016 and "The Failed Millenniums", February 2020, was that there was a nineteen-year delay between the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 and the addition of the original city of Jerusalem in 1967 to give the idealistic Baby Boom generation a chance to see if it could build the Millennium itself, by following God, without going through the Antichrist and the Tribulation. It would follow the pattern of the establishment of the Millennium in the Bible, with Hitler representing the Antichrist and the Second World War the Tribulation.

Of course, as we saw in those postings, it was not to be because we were just too sinful. The return of the original city of Jerusalem marked the beginning of the countdown, and the world will go through the reign of the Antichrist and the Tribulation, before Jesus returns to establish the Millennium.

The Baby Boom generation saw material prosperity like no generation had before. International travel, other than with the military, had previously been limited to the relatively wealthy. But with the postwar development of passenger jets, global travel became widespread. People saw the world outside their own countries like never before.

Mass movements of idealistic young Baby Boomers began. The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco became the epicenter of 1967's "Summer of Love".

In the U.S. there was the Woodstock concert, in New York State in 1969. 400,000 young people converged on a farm for a great concert. Certainly their hearts were in the right place to change the world, they were together for three days and there was not a single act of violence.

Later in 1969, there was a west coast version of Woodstock at Altamont Speedway. Unfortunately it didn't go as peacefully as Woodstock.

There was the "Hippie Trail", which began in Istanbul and proceeded across central Asia. The Hippies were in search of adventure, enlightenment and, of course, drugs.

But then, in 1967, just as Hippies were converging on Haight-Ashbury, Jerusalem opened up as it came under Israeli control. Pilgrims had been going there before that, but the number of visitors now greatly increased.

Could it be that God planned it this way? God knew that this generation was looking for the way to a better world, the world as God intended it to be. Young people had access to international travel like never before. So God opened up His Holy City, Jerusalem, in the hope that they would make a pilgrimage there.

Maybe God intended Jerusalem to be the catalyst that would spur the Baby Boom generation on to building the Millennium themselves, so the world would not have to go through the reign of the Antichrist and the Tribulation.

God was not to be found at Haight-Ashbury, nor on the Hippie Trail nor at Woodstock. The Sixties ironically had the patterns of the Kingdom of God. Notice the close similarity between psalms and rock songs. But the rock songs mostly put romance in place of God. Finding the Holy Spirit was replaced by getting high. The angels of the Sixties were girls in miniskirts.

There was a Christian side to the Sixties counterculture, the Jesus Movement, and there was a Christian version of Woodstock, Explo 72 in Dallas. But this was a relatively minor part of the total counterculture movement.

But can you believe the predominance of the number 19 in relation to the prophecies of the "Last Days"?

7 is an important number in the beginning of the Bible. There were 7 days in a week and the Book of Revelation describes the 7 spirits of God. 12 is another important number, there were 12 tribes and then 12 apostles and the Book of Revelation describes the 12 precious stones used in the foundations of the New Jerusalem.

If we add 7 and 12 we get 19. So shouldn't 19 also be an important number, maybe later in the events leading up to the "Last Days"?

We saw that there was a 19-year delay between the prophecied reestablishment of Jerusalem and the addition of the original city of Jerusalem. There is a 1 and a 9 in 9/11 when, with 19 days left in September, 19 hijackers flew planes into buildings. This changed the world 19 years before a virus, Covid-19, would also change the world.

Here is our visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

https://markmeeksideas.blogspot.com/2016/02/esau-and-temple-mount.html?m=0

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Seoul

This is in the northernmost part of Seoul.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6515371,127.0619779,3a,75y,264.58h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s9S2HIWp1RFZJKBbnYimfsA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D9S2HIWp1RFZJKBbnYimfsA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D264.57953%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Here is a residential and business area to the southwest of the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.3447156,126.7480289,3a,75y,243.84h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdBBAmqzUxCtXAs1jLFyrQg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DdBBAmqzUxCtXAs1jLFyrQg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D243.83585%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

The Misnomer Of "Gravitational Waves"

"Gravitational waves" were in the news again recently.

The so-called "gravitational waves" that were predicted by Einstein's Relativity theory have, in recent years, been detected a number of times. The waves can be detected with an arrangement of lasers.

Sometimes things get misnamed. Something that is misnamed is called a "misnomer". One scientific misnomer is "cosmic rays". When energy was discovered coming from space, it was initially presumed that it was radiation. By the time it was found to be particles, rather than radiation, the name "cosmic rays" had already stuck.

But I am thinking that "gravitational waves" is also going to end up being a misnomer.

Referring to the waves as "gravitational" implies mass, since mass is the only thing that produces gravity. But yet great explosions, such as supernova and gamma ray bursts, do not seem to produce "gravitational waves".

A supernova is the sudden explosion of a large star, scattering it's component matter across space. Since the supernova involves a tremendous redistribution of the mass which produces gravity, it seems logical that something like this would be what produces gravitational waves. But, as far as I am aware, gravitational waves have never been found to be produced by a supernova.

Neither does a great impact close by, such as the impact of a meteor on the earth, seem to produce any "gravitational waves". No such waves have been detected coming from a volcanic eruption, even though this involves a sudden redistribution of the mass that is associated with gravity.

The only thing that seems to produce "gravitational waves" is collisions between astronomical bodies that are not composed of ordinary atoms, namely black holes and neutron stars, even though gravity is associated with mass and these collisions may involve nowhere near the mass, or relocation of mass, of a supernova explosion.

Although they may not be as massive as large stars, what is different about neutron stars and black holes is that they are not composed of intact atoms. Both are composed of super-dense matter where the structure of atoms has collapsed.

The vast majority of an atom is empty space. The structure of an atom is sometimes compared with a sports stadium. The nucleus of the atom would be about the size of a strawberry, in the middle of the playing field, if the outer edge of the stadium represented the orbitals of the outermost electrons.

Sometimes the structure of atoms can collapse, due to extreme gravity. A neutron star is, as the name implies, composed of neutrons. The structure of the atoms has collapsed and electrons have been crunched into protons, the process known as K-capture, to form neutrons.

The matter of a neutron star is dense in the extreme. A little bit of it would weigh millions of tons. The matter composing a black hole has collapsed even further than that of a neutron star so that there is no discernible unit, such as neutrons, to the matter of the black hole.

So the term "gravitational waves" implies that mass, and it's dislocation, is what counts in producing the waves. But yet objects made of atoms, including ordinary stars, never seem to produce gravitational waves upon colliding, no matter how massive they are. The waves only seem to result from collisions of super-dense matter, where the structures of the atoms has collapsed due to extreme gravity, such as black holes and neutron stars.

It seems that the two largest stars in the universe wouldn't create any gravitational waves if they collided, but relatively small neutron stars or black holes colliding would. So it is the density of the mass that counts, rather than the mass itself.

Another thing that is interesting is that "gravitational waves" are detected on earth only by lasers, and not by any effects that they have on mass.

Considering my cosmology theory, this actually reveals what space is and how the universe operates.

What is happening is simple, but so far it has not been explained why "gravitational waves" are only produced by collisions of super-dense, rather than super-massive objects.

In my cosmology theory, described in the compound posting on this blog, "The Theory Of Stationary Space", space is composed of an alternating checkerboard pattern of negative and positive electric charges, in multiple dimensions. Matter is strings of like charges, held together against their mutual repulsion by energy. Electromagnetic waves are disturbances in the pattern of charges in space, they seem to be electromagnetic in nature because they disturb the usually-perfect underlying balance in space.

A collision between two astronomical bodies can actually tear the fabric of the negative and positive charges of space. A charge will induce an opposite charge, to balance itself, if there is no charge already next to it. This is what happened in the beginning of the universe, my cosmology theory explains down to a single electric charge.

The rush to fill the empty space resulting from the tear, by inducing new charges so that every charge is surrounded by opposite charges, creates a disturbance in space because opposite charges attract while like charges repel. This disturbance is what creates the waves that are detected on earth.

This means that "Space Waves", or "Electric Waves", would probably be a better name than "gravitational waves", since the waves are actually not related to gravity. This explains why the waves can be detected on earth by lasers, but not by any effect that it has on mass.

This shows, of course, that my cosmology theory must be correct. It is the only way to explain why the waves are caused by density, and not by mass.

The fabric of the alternating electric charges in space is strong, but not infinitely strong. A collision of ordinary stars does not tear it because stars are made of atoms, and the vast majority of an atom is empty space. It is only the super-dense matter of a neutron star or black hole, jarred by a sudden collision, that can tear it.

Also notice that the rotation of a neutron star or black hole does not tear the fabric of space, and create the waves, only a sudden collision. This shows, as explained in my cosmology theory, that nothing is actually moving, except our consciouses along the bundles of strings comprising our bodies and brains at what we perceive as the speed of light. What we perceive as the rotation of an astronomical object is really the strings of matter composing it wrapped around each other. Even the collision is not actually happening now, it has already happened when the universe was formed and our consciousness is only just arriving at it now.

It has never before been explained why so-called "gravitational waves" are not related to mass at all but are only caused by collisions of super-dense objects, where the structure of atoms has collapsed. For a quick explanation of the cosmology theory, see the posting on this blog "In Cosmology, Everything Just Fell Right Into Place":

http://markmeeksideas.blogspot.com/2019/05/in-cosmology-everything-just-fell-right.html?m=0

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Pyongyang

With North Korea in the news so much, why not visit it's capital city? Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River. Most of the buildings look modern, but it is actually one of the oldest cities in the world.

Put simply, Kim Jong Un would like a missile that can reach the U.S. because the U.S. heavily bombed Pyongyang in 1950. U.S. and South Korean forces then temporarily captured Pyongyang. Much of the city today is what was rebuilt after bombing during the Korean War of 1950-53.

To understand North Korea, and it's capital city, we must first understand the Kim family. The supreme leader of the country after it regained independence with the end of the Second World War, in 1945, was Kim Il-Sung. His photo and statue are all over the country. The entire country used to wear medals, with his photograph on them, every day.

Here is an example of a badge featuring Kim Il-Sung. Notice the symbol in the upper left of the badge. That is the symbol of the Workers Party of Korea. But, unlike the traditional "hammer and sickle" symbol of Communism, representing industry and agriculture, there is a third element in the middle. This third element is a pen, representing the importance of intellectuals in North Korean Communism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Il-sung_and_Kim_Jong-il_badges#/media/File:WPK_Pin.png

After the death of Kim Il-Sung, in 1994, his son, Kim Jong-Il, became supreme leader.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-il#/media/File:Kimilsungia_and_Kimjongilia.JPG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-il#/media/File:The_statues_of_Kim_Il_Sung_and_Kim_Jong_Il_on_Mansu_Hill_in_Pyongyang_(april_2012).jpg

The present supreme leader of North Korea is the son of Kim Jong-Il, and the grandson of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Un.

The Geumsusan (also spelled Kumsusan) Palace was where Kim Il-Sung reigned from. It is now a mausoleum of him and his successor and son, Kim Jong-Il who died in 2011, and a museum of their lives.

Over a century ago, Pyongyang was a very Christian city, and notice how the devotion to the Kim Dynasty since the end of the Second World War is a lot like a religion. Especially notice how the following statue in the mausoleum looks like something that might be seen in a Catholic church.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumsusan_Palace_of_the_Sun#/media/File:Kim_Il-sung_Mausoleum.jpg

Since most of what is seen in Pyongyang today is what was rebuilt relatively recently, after the Korean War, I decided to conduct our visit simply by geography, rather than by history. Let's start at the northern end of Pyongyang, and proceed southward. Here is the former palace of Kim Il-Sung, in the northern part of the city, that is now a mausoleum and museum of him and his son.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow, you can hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0657806,125.7882309,3a,75y,68.9h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-wlQJR8n8Hco%2FWN78K8bM9GI%2FAAAAAAAAAiE%2FEfD8cZsBXc88JHs0KW_lBH86z2r5mt8FACLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-wlQJR8n8Hco%2FWN78K8bM9GI%2FAAAAAAAAAiE%2FEfD8cZsBXc88JHs0KW_lBH86z2r5mt8FACLIB%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya268.56824-ro0-fo100%2F!7i8704!8i4352

Not far from the mausoleum is Kim Il-Sung University.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0584603,125.7679701,3a,75y,181h,76t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-B05UrtpTvz0%2FVay0SkYxsLI%2FAAAAAAAAaM4%2FmFf6LyZD6S8mlmKyZCTghqoCn76f6gQegCJkC!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-B05UrtpTvz0%2FVay0SkYxsLI%2FAAAAAAAAaM4%2FmFf6LyZD6S8mlmKyZCTghqoCn76f6gQegCJkC%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-14.999992-ya1.4999915-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i5656!8i2828

Close to the Mausoleum and University of Kim Il-Sung is the May Day Stadium, remember that the first day of May is a holiday for Communists and Socialists. Remember also that the symbol of North Korean communism has the pen of the intellectual included with the hammer and sickle.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0496636,125.7742543,3a,75y,79h,88t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-WCmlB2Ix-rE%2FVUcq86kFDFI%2FAAAAAAAAXJI%2F7JxTlUx9nuwnErrFnORSlQik1ofnwsz5ACJkC!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-WCmlB2Ix-rE%2FVUcq86kFDFI%2FAAAAAAAAXJI%2F7JxTlUx9nuwnErrFnORSlQik1ofnwsz5ACJkC%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9999962-ya79.5-ro0-fo100%2F!7i2508!8i1254

Moving southward through the city, we come to the Arch of Triumph. This is actually a little bit larger then the one in Paris, and remembers the end of occupation by Japan in 1945. The arch is located close to the Kim Il-Sung Stadium of Ideals.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Triumph_(Pyongyang)#/media/File%3AArch-of-Triumph-2014.jpg

Two structures that will often be seen in the background in photos of Pyongyang is first, the Pyongyang Television Tower, which has an observation deck and revolving restaurant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyongyang_TV_Tower#/media/File:Pyongyang_TV_Tower_01.JPG

And second, the Ryugyong Hotel. This is the structure that is over 100 stories tall and shaped like a sharp pyramid. It was begun in the 1980s, but reports are that economics has prevented it from being completed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel#/media/File:Ryugyong_Hotel_-_August_27,_2011_(Cropped).jpg

In 1968, fifteen years after the Korean War had ended, the North Koreans managed to capture a U.S. Navy intelligence-gathering ship, the U.S.S. Pueblo. The crew was eventually released, but the ship was kept as a war trophy and is now at anchor in Pyongyang, next to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. The following scenes begin on board the Pueblo.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0405327,125.7398112,3a,75y,68.61h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-Yk7wV7DbFwU%2FV7zwbSE8H4I%2FAAAAAAAAdOU%2Fc9Rt5c4i9XUci6BShfkQI7fzIHkNgMJsQCLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-Yk7wV7DbFwU%2FV7zwbSE8H4I%2FAAAAAAAAdOU%2Fc9Rt5c4i9XUci6BShfkQI7fzIHkNgMJsQCLIB%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya63.23275-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i5376!8i2688

Proceeding generally southward, we come to the Mansu Hill Grand Monument. There are monuments here of Kim Il-Sung, and his successor son Kim Jong-Il, that we saw above, and also the Socialist Revolution Monument.

Nearby is the legislative building, the Supreme People's Assembly. The large building at the top of the hill is the Korean Revolution Museum. One scene, with the statue of Kim Il-Sung holding his arm aloft, is incorrectly labeled as being in Kim Il-Sung Square, although the square is not very far away.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.032644,125.7538602,3a,75y,67.43h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-oJFtncp-EyQ%2FWPCd8WU1glI%2FAAAAAAAAPCY%2FRJZkvBtdtKkGKFdQjJdFyURWeQIxSozwQCLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-oJFtncp-EyQ%2FWPCd8WU1glI%2FAAAAAAAAPCY%2FRJZkvBtdtKkGKFdQjJdFyURWeQIxSozwQCLIB%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya158.84486-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i8704!8i4352

On the east bank of the Taedong River is the Ideals of the North Korean Workers' Party Monument. Remember, again, that the North Korean symbol for Communism has the pen of the intellectual added to the hammer and sickle.

Notice something interesting. The long promenade is aligned so that it seems to lead to the Korean Revolution Museum, which is actually on the opposite side of the river. Then, the mountain-shaped Ryugyong Hotel has been placed so that the alignment continues to it.

Paris couldn't have arranged this any better. Just as there is the Historical Axis of Paris, why not call this the Alignment of Pyongyang?

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0281181,125.7750785,3a,75y,214h,88t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-eXvAOayBWWQ%2FUhN1JLBrRgI%2FAAAAAAAAACs%2FZN-WLGqJouIY4t3rfuisDJKZF-MdzrxdQCJkC!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-eXvAOayBWWQ%2FUhN1JLBrRgI%2FAAAAAAAAACs%2FZN-WLGqJouIY4t3rfuisDJKZF-MdzrxdQCJkC%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9999962-ya214.5-ro0-fo100%2F!7i4000!8i2000

A prominent landmark in central Pyongyang is the Juche Tower. The principle of Juche means "self-reliance".

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche_Tower#/media/File%3ATower_of_Juche_Idea%2C_Pyongyang%2C_North_Korea_(2909246855).jpg

Across the Taedong River from the Juche Tower is Kim Il-Sung Square. The building with the green roof is a library, the Grand People's Study House. Government buildings are around Kim Il-Sung Square.

This alignment of a square or promenade with a monument on the other side of the river is done exactly the same way with the Juche Tower as the Ideals of the North Korean Workers' Party Monument and the Korean Revolution Museum, as described above. Doesn't the way that Kim Il-Sung Square is across the river from the Juche Tower also remind you of the viewing garden across the river from the Taj Mahal, that we saw in the visit, "My View Of The Taj Mahal"?

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0194608,125.7535511,3a,75y,61.16h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-7kUI7sA_avc%2FVcs1bzIh3oI%2FAAAAAAAAaU0%2FAdNQ_h5TylQRANf4aXLaWMYfdSZQWlVBQCJkC!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-7kUI7sA_avc%2FVcs1bzIh3oI%2FAAAAAAAAaU0%2FAdNQ_h5TylQRANf4aXLaWMYfdSZQWlVBQCJkC%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya234.67354-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i5656!8i2828

Other than a few government offices, North Koreans cannot access the outside internet. A special intranet, with several thousand web sites, has been set up for the people by the government. Here is a computer room in the Grand People's Study House.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_People%27s_Study_House#/media/File:Grand-Peoples-Study-House-Computer-Lab.jpg

You may notice that there are not many cars in Pyongyang. But it is known for it's very efficient metro system. The following scenes begin in the subway, in Yonggwan Station. As you might expect, there are murals of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0079235,125.7345852,3a,75y,28h,83t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-7SP5PFdiANc%2FV_NF4paUM7I%2FAAAAAAAAv_s%2Fy7k_M9UGmlwYzLbX9L41_nhi1P0tD7GygCJkC!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-7SP5PFdiANc%2FV_NF4paUM7I%2FAAAAAAAAv_s%2Fy7k_M9UGmlwYzLbX9L41_nhi1P0tD7GygCJkC%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-7-ya113.5-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i8704!8i4352

Moving toward the outside of the city, this is the Mangyongdae Children's Palace.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0150375,125.6577911,3a,75y,72.73h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-e4oe3Q372Ps%2FWOJpBTygJ8I%2FAAAAAAAAAnw%2FV6BLmHV1JsYZaeOteqmn2LzvV0-BQGFtACLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F-e4oe3Q372Ps%2FWOJpBTygJ8I%2FAAAAAAAAAnw%2FV6BLmHV1JsYZaeOteqmn2LzvV0-BQGFtACLIB%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya313.18695-ro0-fo100%2F!7i8704!8i4352

In the south of Pyongyang, there is the Science and Technology Center. The entire museum is shaped like an atom.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9883003,125.7139816,3a,75y,316h,88t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-OmVDMDyzOfg%2FWOJnlNABJTI%2FAAAAAAAAAnk%2FXQoxnFipvVELRDILunbYUIqdqw1TzVsWgCLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-OmVDMDyzOfg%2FWOJnlNABJTI%2FAAAAAAAAAnk%2FXQoxnFipvVELRDILunbYUIqdqw1TzVsWgCLIB%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9338646-ya115.500015-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i8704!8i4352

Finally, in the southern part of Pyongyang is the Reunification Arch. Kim Il-Sung had plans to bring North and South Korea back together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Reunification#/media/File:Monument-to-National-Reunification-2014.jpg

The Apple Tree Prophecy

Could it be that the biblical story of Adam and Eve falling by eating the Forbidden Fruit is also a prophecy? The fruit opened their eyes, giving them wisdom and knowledge that they had not had before, but also brought about their fall from paradise into sin.

Far in the distant future, Sir Isaac Newton was at home in Lincolnshire. One day, he saw an apple fall from a tree. According to some accounts, he was sitting under the tree and the apple hit him on the head.

It was a revolutionary moment because he suddenly realized that the universe was governed by a force that he called gravity.

Around the same time, Newton discerned the nature of light and color. He developed calculus, which he called "fluxions". During this great year of discovery, he set out the principles of mechanics.

Telescopes were being used to look into space. Galileo's telescope revealed things that had never before been seen, such as the craters on the moon and the moons of Jupiter. But a telescope based on lenses is strictly limited in size, and thus power, because a lens can only be supported by it's edges, and a large lens will sag under it's own weight.

Newton got the idea of basing a telescope on a concave mirror, which wasn't limited in size because it can be supported from beneath. This is known as a reflecting, or Newtonian, telescope, as opposed to a refracting telescope based on lenses. Modern astronomy has revolved around reflecting telescopes. Although the refracting design might be preferable for small portable telescopes because the mirrors of a reflecting telescope can be knocked out of alignment.

This streak of discoveries by Sir Isaac Newton is considered as the beginning of modern science.

Just like Adam and Eve's Forbidden Fruit, the fall of Isaac Newton's apple gave humanity knowledge and understanding that it had not had before. Unlike the Forbidden Fruit, the development of modern science was not forbidden to humans. The world now had the Word of God and were (hopefully) mature enough to handle the wisdom and knowledge that had been withheld from them earlier.

The knowledge of science, and the technology that it brought, certainly made life easier in many ways. But it has also made wars far more deadly and destructive. Can you believe that the Nobel Peace Prize was founded by the inventor of high explosives? We have now gained the ability to destroy civilization by pressing a few buttons, as well as to destroy the environment that we depend on to survive.

As I have written here before, if I had to describe our times in one sentence it would be; "We have reached the point where we can change the world faster than we can adapt to the changes that we have made in the world".

Along with the wonders of communication technology came the ability of governments to conduct surveillance of people. It is interesting that Newton's wonderful year of discovery was 1666, and the Bible tells us that the number of the Antichrist will be 666.

We saw the importance of the number 19 to the biblical prophecies of the Last Days in the recent posting on this blog, "The Nineteen Prophecy", August 2020. Notice that the digits in the year 1666 add up to 19.

Again, the reason that 19 is an important number is that two especially important numbers in the Bible were 7 and 12. God chose for there to be 7 days in a week and there were 12 tribes of Israel before there were 12 apostles. If we add 7 and 12 we get 19. 7 was important early, at the time of creation. 12 was important later, so it makes sense that 19 would be important in the Last Days.

For one thing, Newton's streak of discoveries that began with the fall of an apple began not as part of his academic career at Cambridge but because he was home because everything was shut down by the plague. In the future there would be another pandemic and the changes it would bring about are leading to the reign of the Antichrist, as we saw in the posting on this blog "The End Of The World As We Know It", June 2020.

The digits of the year of Newton's furlough at home due to the plague, 1666, add up to 19. The future pandemic preceding the Antichrist, whose number is 666 and would be made possible by the science and technology made possible by Newton's discoveries during that year, would be Covid-19.

This is about science and mathematics, not about prophecy, but I am a great fan of the Inverse Square Law that Sir Isaac Newton used to describe the operation of gravity. My thought is that we could be getting a lot more out of the Inverse Square Law. We saw this in the compound posting on this blog, "A Celebration Of The Inverse Square Law",

http://markmeeksideas.blogspot.com/2015/08/?m=0

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Thursday, September 3, 2020

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