Posts by fulltimestudent

36

Year	Study Period	Unit	Unit Title	Mark	Grade	Description	Credit Points
2017	Session 3	JPS 350	Japanese Studies Project	75	D	Distinction	3.000
2016	Session 2	SPED102	Why People Believe Weird Things: Making Rational Decisions in Irrational World	64	P	Pass	3.000
2016	Session 1	PHL 137	Critical Thinking	77	D	Distinction	3.000
2015	Session 2	AHIS339	Capstone Unit: Greece, Rome, Late Antiquity	66	CR	Credit	3.000
2014	Session 2	AHIS352	Early Christian Literature and Thought	69	CR	Credit	3.000
2014	Session 1	AHIS251	The New Testament in its Times	69	CR	Credit	3.000
2013	Session 2	AHIS323	Byzantium: East and West	77	D	Distinction	3.000
2013	Session 1	AHIS342	Rome's Persian Wars	78	D	Distinction	3.000
2012	Session 1	AHIS321	From Constantine to Theodora: Church and State in Late Antiquity	75	D	Distinction	3.000
2011	Session 2	AHIS354	The Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism	68	CR	Credit	3.000
2011	Session 1	AHIS302	The Classical Tradition of Thought	67	CR	Credit	3.000
2011	Session 1	JPS 223	Intertextuality and the Tale of Genji	72	CR	Credit	3.000
2010	Session 2	AHIS344	Religions along the Silk Road	68	CR	Credit	3.000
2010	Session 2	JPS 122	Traditional Japanese Culture in Contemporary Society	73	CR	Credit	3.000
2010	Session 1	AHIS343	Early China: History and Archaeology	62	P	Pass	3.000
2010	Session 1	JPS 121	Japan - Past and Present	71	CR	Credit	3.000
2009	Session 2	AHST222	Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World	73	CR	Credit	4.000
2009	Session 2	AHST252	Pagans, Jews and Christians: Athens and Jerusalem	60	P	Pass	4.000
2009	Session 1	CHN 212	Traditional Chinese Thought	85	HD	High Distinction	3.000
2009	Session 1	HIST116	China in World History	65	CR	Credit	3.000
2008	Session 2	AHST101	Myth in the Ancient World	57	P	Pass	3.000
2008	Session 2	HIST250	Modern Chinese History	66	CR	Credit	4.000
2008	Session 1	CHN 157	Contemporary China	55	P	Pass	3.000

I've graduated at last

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

after a bit of a kerfuffle over a procedural matter, my university has awarded me a degree.

(the procedural problem was caused by my independent selection of what i wanted to study).

award : bachelor of arts.

fulltimestudent

After a bit of a kerfuffle over a procedural matter, my university has awarded me a degree. (The procedural problem was caused by my independent selection of what I wanted to study)

AWARD : Bachelor of Arts

MAJOR: Ancient History - Greece, Rome and Late Antiquity

MINOR: Japanese Studies

Which is somewhat deceiving. Why? Well, that university is not quite the best place to study Asia or China, so finding that out after I commenced studies there, I decided to adapt what they offered and also to go to another Uni for more topics of interest.

So I'll post all my study topics in the next post

5

An End (at last) to the Korean War - Well Maybe ?????

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

the korean war officially commenced on june 25, 1950, of course, it had a back history.

from 1876, the new meiji government of japan successfully subverted korea's long held attachment to the manchu ruled qing dynasty that had conquered china in the 17th century.

in 1910 japan occupied korea and attempted to make it part of japan.

fulltimestudent

dropoffyourkeylee : If the reunification occurs, it will be a very significant world event.

Not much talk of a reunification at present, as far as I have read. And, it does not seem that public opinion in either the north or the south supports reunification. And just how reunification could be managed has not been discussed. I think it would be difficult.

In my very humble opinion, both sides want a lessening of threats and political tensions, and to be free of the cost of military preparedness, which will enable both segments to get on with the very real social problems that exist in both the north and the south.

And, if these talks can achieve that, then there may may be one less trouble spot in the world.

Russia may want to extend the trans-Siberian rail link, from Vladivostok, down through the north into the ROK (the south), so enabling south Korean products a faster access into the European market. That would be good for both the north and the south. A rail link from Vladivostok into north Korea already exists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytHQJv8-b8M

Russia isn't getting much mention in the western press, but they are definitely a player in the Korean problem. Russia buys the services of contract labour teams from North Korea, and are likely to have been a very big source of foreign aid during the increased western sanctions.

This video is part of a series by Vice News:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7J8FSBitWs

There is strong evidence that North Korean Missiles that are at the root of US fears, are based on Russian designs, that may have been acquired via The Ukraine (after the collapse of the USSR). Its difficult to verify that but I have previously posted the claimed evidence.

Certainly, other missile systems being made by the North Koreans seem to resemble Russian designs.

I cant verify the claims in the next video either, but until at least recently, Russian technology was more advanced than Chinese missile technology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNBkVZooKxc

5

An End (at last) to the Korean War - Well Maybe ?????

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

the korean war officially commenced on june 25, 1950, of course, it had a back history.

from 1876, the new meiji government of japan successfully subverted korea's long held attachment to the manchu ruled qing dynasty that had conquered china in the 17th century.

in 1910 japan occupied korea and attempted to make it part of japan.

fulltimestudent

A South Korean news blog called ROK-Drop is saying (under today's date June 4):

PRESIDENT MOON TO NOW ATTEND THE TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT TO ANNOUNCE END TO THE KOREAN WAR

Reference: http://www.rokdrop.net/2018/06/president-moon-to-now-attend-the-trump-kim-summit-to-announce-end-to-the-korean-war/

And more cautiously the Korea JoongAng Daily is stating:

Trump, Moon and Kim may declare end to Korean War in Singapore, source says

Reference: http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3048864

We'll see!

5

An End (at last) to the Korean War - Well Maybe ?????

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

the korean war officially commenced on june 25, 1950, of course, it had a back history.

from 1876, the new meiji government of japan successfully subverted korea's long held attachment to the manchu ruled qing dynasty that had conquered china in the 17th century.

in 1910 japan occupied korea and attempted to make it part of japan.

fulltimestudent

The Korean war officially commenced on June 25, 1950, Of course, it had a back history.

From 1876, the new Meiji government of Japan successfully subverted Korea's long held attachment to the Manchu ruled Qing Dynasty that had conquered China in the 17th century. In 1910 Japan occupied Korea and attempted to make it part of Japan.

Japan failed in their attempt, and as WW2 proceeded to its final end, the Japanese colonial administration handed political power to a provisional government - The People's Republic of Korea, which could be categorised as as slightly left of centre government.

In the very last days of WW2, the USSR declared war on Japan and invaded the puppet Japanese state of Manchukou (the homeland of the Manchu people, and effectively part of China since the 17th century. Within days, the very effective Soviet army was in the northern section of Korea as Japan surrendered. In Japan, the new American military occupation government, proposed to Moscow that Korea be divided into two zones. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the Russians agreed. In that way, the political entities we call North and South Korea came into existence.

The northern section of Korea had been industrialised by the Japanese, and had many left wing labour movements. There were also remnants of guerilla fighters against the Japanese. The Korean communist party emerged as the strongest political grouping. It soon subverted the People's Republic of Korea. Between 1945 and 1950 many left-wing guerilla fighters fought alongside the Chinese Communists against the Guomindang Armies of Chiang Kai Shek, After 1949, they started returning to north Korea.

The south (after 1945) became the haven for dispossessed landlords from the north and for former collaborators with the Japanese, including Koreans who had joined the Japanese Army. The People's Republic of Korea, failed in the south as the American Military occupation decided to ignore it.

Both the north and the south claimed the right to represent all Korean peoples, both built stronger armed forces and spoke of uniting Korea by force. But when war did come, with the north making a feint that turned into an invasion that swept far into the south in a matter of days.

MacArthur's very successful landing behind the North's front line changed the course of the war and the south's army and allies swept far into the North's territory. MacArthur's only mistake was to ignore the Chinese warning (the Chinese feared and American invasion of China) not to proceed to the border with China.

A stalemate resulted during the last two years of the war, but the South's supporters effectively controlled airspace and the North was effectively destroyed. Negotiations commenced and an armistice was signed on July 25, 1953, but no Peace Treaty was ever formalised between north and south Korea.

The North has often called for a formal end to the war, but no agreements ever materialised.

Now it seems that there may be a formal end to that war.

51

Is there evidence about Jaracz?

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

read some reply's about jaracz being a child abuser.. is there any evidence about it?.

g..

fulltimestudent

Ummm! The very first PT/WTS I ever attended featured TJ as the speaker. I had taken a leaflet from a JW doing streetwork, because I wanted to go to a meeting. Why? Because Australia had just joined the Korean war and was calling up young guys to go and fight. I was a pacifist and was determined not to join the army. I'd heard the the JW's would not join the army either, so that was my 'ulterior motive' in attending that meeting. I wanted to know how to escape the call-up.

I was also late, as I'd been sailing that morning and having my usual great time in that pastime and cut myself short of time

And, of course, as you'd expect, in a small congregation, lots of older people, and not much new interest (converts) I was introduced to TJ. I didn't think he was impressed with me, I was wearing shorts and a brightly colored sports shirt and a close buzz haircut. But as I later found out Jaracz suffered from migraines which may have gotten worse when he gave a talk, and occasionally the headaches could incapacitate him. That may have made him appear 'cold' in his human relationships.

He was very close to a family I once knew well, and sometimes met him there.

My second close encounter, was through my group study conductor. He was in Bethel (when it was located in Strathfield) and often told me how helpful and loving the brothers were in Bethel, particularly TJ. Now I had a young man's problem called compulsive masturbation, and it worried the hell out of my conscience. I could hardly tell anyone about it, it was so difficult to discuss sex in those far off days (tried to talk to a Dr once, and he yelled at me and told me to get out of his office and never come back). I couldn't tell my GSC, so I asked if TJ would talk to someone like me? He said yes, and arranged a meeting with TJ (please remember that there were only about 1000 JWs in all of Sydney then). But in front of TJ I was just as unable to bring the topic up and sat there red-faced with embarrassment. After about 30 minutes, Jaracz gave up on me and told me to talk to my Congregation servant in future.

None of my experiences are evidence for or against the accusations against Jaracz. I can only say that eventually in that small hothouse of close associations any wrongdoing eventually became known, and in all the years I wasted in YHWH's new world society I never heard of such accusations against the man.

PS. I do not recall Lloyd Barry being Branch servant after Jaracz, I think that Brooklyn assigned Doug.Held to Australia after Jaracz. But, it was all a long time ago and my memory may be as faded as I am.

7

The First Flood Story - How Much Do You Know About It?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

you may have heard that before the genesis document (of the bible) was written there was a flood story circulating in west asia.. if your short of time, here's a 5 minute video by irving finkel discussing a flood story document written in cuneiform.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbfr-9us31k.

of course, the christian argument may be that the bible had the original (truthful) version and the cuneiform story came later.

but that's so difficult to prove.

fulltimestudent

Yup, I think that's the way we got the bible.

7

The First Flood Story - How Much Do You Know About It?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

you may have heard that before the genesis document (of the bible) was written there was a flood story circulating in west asia.. if your short of time, here's a 5 minute video by irving finkel discussing a flood story document written in cuneiform.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbfr-9us31k.

of course, the christian argument may be that the bible had the original (truthful) version and the cuneiform story came later.

but that's so difficult to prove.

fulltimestudent

Above is a section of the tablet Irving discusses.

A claim made in the Sumerian King List says: In ancient Mesopotamia, the Sumerian King List reads

After kingship came down from heaven .... the kingship was taken to Shuruppak. In Shuruppak, Ubara-Tutu became king; he ruled for 5 sars and 1 ner. In 5 cities 8 kings; they ruled for 241,200 years. Then the flood swept over.

So you can note the claim of the extraordinary long lives led by pre-flood worthies.

If you're interested in all the the legends of destructive floods, Wikipedia may be a good general view of these stories.

It says: "The Mesopotamian flood stories concern the epics of Ziusudra, Gilgamesh, and Atrahasis. The Sumerian King List relies on the flood motif to divide its history into preflood (antediluvian) and postflood periods. The preflood kings had enormous lifespans, whereas postflood lifespans were much reduced. The Sumerian flood myth found in the Deluge tablet was the epic of Ziusudra, who heard the gods' plan to destroy humanity, in response to which he constructed a vessel that delivered him from great waters.[2] In the Atrahasis version, the flood is a river flood.[3]
In the Genesis mythology of the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh decides to flood the earth because of the depth of the sinful state of mankind. Righteous Noah is given instructions to build an ark. When the ark is completed, Noah, his family, and representatives of all the animals of the earth are called upon to enter the ark. When the destructive flood begins, all life outside of the ark perishes. After the waters recede, all those aboard the ark disembark and have Yahweh's promise that he will never judge the earth with a flood again. He causes a rainbow to form as the sign of this promise.[4]
In the 19th century, Assyriologist George Smith translated the Babylonian account of a great flood. Further discoveries produced several versions of the Mesopotamian flood myth, with the account closest to that in Genesis found in a 700 BC Babylonian copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh.[5]:20 In this work, the hero Gilgameshmeets the immortal man Utnapishtim, and the latter describes how the god Ea instructed him to build a huge vessel in anticipation of a deity-created flood that would destroy the world. The vessel would save Utnapishtim, his family, his friends, and the animals.[6]
In Hindu mythology, texts such as the Satapatha Brahmana and the Puranas contain the story of a great flood,[7] wherein the Matsya Avatar of Vishnu warns the first man, Manu, of the impending flood, and also advises him to build a giant boat.[8][9][10]
In Plato's Timaeus, Timaeus says that because the Bronze race of Humans had been making wars constantly Zeus was angered and decided to punish humanity by a flood. Prometheus the Titan knew of this and told the secret to Deucalion, advising him to build an ark in order to be saved. After nine nights and days, the water started receding and the ark was landed at Mount Parnassus.[11]"

In the example of Plato's story we may be noting that his version of what he had heard (or, read) was adapted to suit Greek religion and history.

Is that what the author of the Genesis document also did?

7

The First Flood Story - How Much Do You Know About It?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

you may have heard that before the genesis document (of the bible) was written there was a flood story circulating in west asia.. if your short of time, here's a 5 minute video by irving finkel discussing a flood story document written in cuneiform.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbfr-9us31k.

of course, the christian argument may be that the bible had the original (truthful) version and the cuneiform story came later.

but that's so difficult to prove.

fulltimestudent

However, if you have a deeper interest in the topic, you may also be interested in Finkel's hour long lecture on the topic as given to The Oriental Institute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_fkpZSnz2I

7

The First Flood Story - How Much Do You Know About It?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

you may have heard that before the genesis document (of the bible) was written there was a flood story circulating in west asia.. if your short of time, here's a 5 minute video by irving finkel discussing a flood story document written in cuneiform.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbfr-9us31k.

of course, the christian argument may be that the bible had the original (truthful) version and the cuneiform story came later.

but that's so difficult to prove.

fulltimestudent

You may have heard that before the Genesis document (of the bible) was written there was a flood story circulating in West Asia.

If your short of time, here's a 5 minute video by Irving Finkel discussing a Flood story document written in cuneiform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbfr-9US31k

Of course, the Christian argument may be that the Bible had the original (truthful) version and the cuneiform story came later.

But that's so difficult to prove. We can locate the approximate time that the cuneiform version was written, but we have no ancient versions of the Genesis document that go back to that time. All the extant versions are much later.

And, if we accept the JW/WTS perspective on Genesis, i.e. that Moses wrote it based on earlier documents, we need to ask what kind of documents were they and who wrote them? The WT publication, 'Aid to Bible Understanding,' claim's Moses was born about 1593 BCE.