Fatblueman

Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana

2009-04-24T09:52:00.002+09:00

世界に一つだけの花

Just one flower... is all it would have taken...

link

2009-04-23T16:07:00.001+09:00

An implantable GPS chip. http://ping.fm/hCirB Would you put one in your kids to keep them safe? Gut says no but if my kid was gone...

Reality check

2009-04-15T16:13:00.000+09:00

Speaking of optimism, here is a lesson on gratitude from Louis CK.

2009-04-14T12:16:00.001+09:00

Ok, Billy Bob was obviously high during the interview. Why are none of the news reports even alluding to that aspect?!

2008-09-10T17:22:00.000+09:00

Good news for FBM

2008-06-09T20:44:00.002+09:00

Hey! Yesterday was a happy day for us. We entered Yamaha's Band Jiman contest, and won both prizes available. One was for being the crowd favorite, and the other results in us doing a concert at the Nagoya Bluenote on July 13th. And if they like us again at that one, we will advance to the Tokyo final in Ebisu. Wouldn't that be nice.

Anyway, the funny thing for me is that the whole contest is judged on cover songs. For the 13th, they actually state "no originals". Weird, because any contest I have entered previously has always said "no covers!" But in the final judgment they said that they really liked how we changed the cover songs to fit our style while still making them work. I will admit I got a charge out of that comment because I have always been a big fan of a musicians who can bring out a new interpretation of an old song that makes it even better (Holly Cole singing "I've Just Seen a Face" comes to mind).

The song we won with was Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi. I'll put our performance up on our youtube page later if you want to see it. (http://ca.youtube.com/user/fatblueman)

I also forget to mention that we got a really good full page write-up in Japanzine this month. I sat down and had a great chat with their reporter, and the result is posted here: http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/jz/1663/Fatblueman

2008-02-28T12:30:00.000+09:00

Now on sale on iTunesで発売中！！

2008-02-28T11:50:00.005+09:00

The Back to Winnipeg album is now on sale at iTunes! Just search "Fatblueman" or follow this link (the iTunes application will open):

Or, if you still prefer to buy a regular hard copy CD, you can get one at CD Baby.

ファットブルーマンのCD"Back to Winnipeg"は今Apple iTunesで販売中！iTunesで「fatblueman」を検索して、または下記のリンクをクリックしてください。

普通のCDを買いたい人はCD Babyで買うことができます:

CD BABY

Back To Winnipeg 販売中！！

2008-02-27T14:05:00.001+09:00

It's on sale online!!!

You can buy the actual CD or download a digital version from CDBaby .

次のライブ　Upcoming Concerts

2008-02-27T00:01:00.004+09:00

５月１１日　１６時４０分
Central Park 栄、Springfest
ホームページ：http://www.nagoyaspringfest.com/

５月１８日　１２時
明治公園、Nagoya Walkathon Charity Event
ホームページ：http://www.nagoyawalkathon.com/rw/web/ja/homePage

see Facebook page.

Facebook Musician page

2008-02-04T20:20:00.000+09:00

Just made a facebook musician page. Could this be the end of myspace?

外国人のMixiみたいなFacebookと言うホームページに最近ミュージシャンページを作成しました。Check it out!

MIXIもやっています！FATBLUEMANを検索したら、私たちのページを見つけめす！

2008-01-30T13:28:00.001+09:00

私の名前はジョンジャンゼンと申します。私はカナダから来て、日本に６年間滞在しています。私はファットブルーマンと言うバンドのリーダーをしており、最近名古屋近郊でライブ活動をしております。

CDの中で特におすすめしたい曲があります。バラードが好きな方にはトラック１の"Hope"と言う少し悲しそうな曲です。ロックが好きな方には、トラック４の"Loveletter"をおすすめします。カントリー／フォークが好きな方にはトラック３のにぎやかな"Which Road Takes Me Home"と言う曲を聞いて下さい。最後に私が日本に来て経験したライフについて歌った"Back to Winnipeg"をぜひ皆さんに聞いていただきたいと思います。このCDはすべて英語の歌詞ですが現在日本語の曲を作成中です！

よろしくおねがいします！

Song Downloads at Myspace

2008-01-06T03:36:00.000+09:00

If you want to hear some of our songs, there are some up at Myspace. Check them out here. All our upcoming gigs are listed there as well.

私たちの曲を聞きたかったら、Ｍｙｓｐａｃｅをチェックしてください。次のライブとかも書いてあります。

Lyrics (曲の歌詞）

2008-01-05T18:00:00.000+09:00

1. Hope (日本語の翻訳)
2. Back To Winnipeg
3. Which Road Takes Me Home
4. Loveletter
5. The Greatest Thing

We made a (very simple) music video!!

2007-12-18T20:35:00.000+09:00

Hope (日本語字幕）

2007-12-17T13:00:00.000+09:00

Hope Lyrics （歌詞と日本語の翻訳）

2007-01-16T11:50:00.000+09:00

この曲はMyspaceで聞けます。

Hope

You left without a goodbye
あなたはさようならを言わずに行ってしまった
Not a good reason why
理由がないのに
Just an hour before midnight
１２時になる前に
I can't understand why you'd run
どうしておれの前から消えたの
I thought we were having fun
楽しい時間を過ごしたのに
I just hope it turns out alright
すべてうまくなるといいな

More, I always asked you for more
いつも頼ってばかりだった
But how do you keep the score?
あなたはどう思っていたの
Am I getting the questions right?
間違ったことを聞いているか
Clear, it's never been very clear
いつも素直じゃない　（曖昧）
But what I can see from here
ここから見える暗闇は
Is the dark makes the stars shine bright
星をもっと輝かせるんだ
And I remember the warm sunlight
ぼくは太陽の温もりを覚えている
I just hope it turns out alright
すべてうまくなるといいな

Can't you remember the way that it was in the start?
私たちのスタートを覚えていないの？
I never believed you and me would be this far apart
こんなはずじゃなかったのに

Truth
実は
If I could leave here today
できることなら
I think I'd go right away
今すぐ行きたい
But I guess that it's just not right
でもいけない
I'm lost, 'cause I can't hear your tune
あなたの歌が聞こえなくなったからぼくは迷子になった
Please come back to me soon
早く戻ってきて
I'll be staying up late tonight
あなたを寝ずに待っている
'Cause I remember the warm sunlight
ぼくは太陽の温もりを覚えている
I just hope it turns out alright
すべてうまくなるといいな

Can't you remember the way that it was in the start?
私たちのスタートを覚えていないの？
I never believed you and me would be this far apart
こんなはずじゃなかったのに

I just hope it turns out alright
すべてうまくなるといいな　

Japanese translation by:
吉川明里、坂本かん奈、Linjing Song, 大桑都武

Back to Winnipeg

2007-01-15T12:01:00.000+09:00

Back to Winnipeg

Here's the gun I polish everyday
When the day is slow
Slow like Hemingway
Then the glow down in the basement
Messed with the goverment
What kind of world is this
Kind of crappy anyway
Kind of crappy anyway

I got a class in origami
Folding big A3's
'Cause I don't really need
To get a dosage of reality
From an anime
On a big screen plasma TV
A big screen plasma TV

So I say,

Hey, hey, hey
I got a feeling if I don't leave now I might be here to stay
Hey, hey, hey
That's it, Back to Winnipeg

This view of life is all that I can see
Live from a train window
At least primarily
I'm rushing on to the next fantasy
Put on my holy robe, get my cheque, and I leave
This cheque ain't make believe

I got a copy of the Bushido
But it's just sitting there
Because it's just for show
But I know that don't really matter though
Because it's all a show
We talk a lot more than we actually know
That's just the way we roll...

So I say...

Which Road Takes Me Home

2007-01-14T12:05:00.000+09:00

Which Road Takes Me Home

Everybody gets to sow a few wild oats
Well I never sowed none
And I’ll be damned if the thought doesn’t haunt me
That I should have had more fun
One can never know

It’s like
I held the pearl, let it slip through my fingers
Like it was worthless
And I know I can never go back now
‘Cause I did it on purpose
But I’m missing home

You’ll see that I’m messed up with you
You’re my best answer to the question, still unknown
Which road takes me home

People wonder why it’s always a sad song
Well, you write what you know I guess
But there’s nothing worse than a prince in a castle
Who’s always chronically depressed
Putting on a show

I’m the one, I’m the guy you should talk to
I’m like my own little dream museum
I’ve got ideas and they’re gonna change everything
Just wait ‘til you see them
I’ll be doing them tomorrow

You’ll see that I’m messed up with you
You’re my best answer to the question, still unknown
Which road takes me home

Loveletter

2007-01-13T12:26:00.000+09:00

Loveletter

I put my ear to the ground, tried to stop and listen
But there’s something left out, there's something I'm missing
We were in the back row there was holding and kissing
Now I'm sucking a pepsi in the intermission

But this is the path to love you say,
Just rattle the windows, and go away
Like a bomb going off far away
It'll turn your head, but not wreck your day

Because where it blows no one knows
You just plant the rose and hope it grows
A broken heart, a bloody nose
You're just keeping me on my toes

I talk a lot because I think that I know stuff
I don't sleep too much but I dream like Joseph
But in dreams it seems that I'm wearing handcuffs
Your kiss is soft, but your touch is rough

You want to be chased; you don’t want to be caught
It was all for love, but now it’s all forgot
And you won’t be bribed and you won’t be bought
Do I make you out to be something you’re not?

Because where it blows no one knows
You just plant the rose and hope it grows
A broken heart, a bloody nose
You're just keeping me on my toes

So how do I play these cards I hold?
Am I getting closer or just getting old?
Because the silence is just like gold -
It's of the greatest worth, and hard and cold

By the time I send this I might have lost it
I'm enjoying my time here but I don't really fit
When we stand, I'll stand, and when we sit, I'll sit
But I can't say I care for it

Because where it blows no one knows
You just plant the rose and hope it grows
A broken heart, a bloody nose
You're just keeping me on my toes

The Greatest Thing

2007-01-12T13:45:00.000+09:00

The ringing in my ears was a clanging cymbal
Just the words I had heard too many times
And I’d seen the mountains fall into the ocean
But that just left me here gasping for life

So I turned to the prophet who fathomed all the mysteries
Who never lacked in faith or charity
He spoke in many tongues of men and angels
But he never said anything to me

I was doing what you told me to
You never asked me for my point of view
But I know about the greatest thing and that’s truth to me

Now this window’s so cloudy
And I can’t tell what I see,
Maybe shrouded in synthetic mystery
Of one too many prayers in front of one too many temples
You’re hiding all the truth that even you can’t see

I was doing what you told me to
You never asked me for my point of view
But I know about the greatest thing and that’s truth to me

2006-06-22T16:51:00.001+09:00

2005-01-24T16:30:00.001+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:30:00.000+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:29:00.001+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:29:00.000+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:28:00.002+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:28:00.001+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:28:00.000+09:00

fatblueman

2005-01-24T16:27:00.000+09:00

fatblueman

2003-04-19T23:58:00.000+09:00

2003-04-18T22:40:00.000+09:00

Ron Sider says,

For months, debate has raged in government circles about whether to extend the war against terrorism to Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, the Philippines, Yemen - using military power to rid these countries of terrorist elements.

We can do so if we choose. We are so overwhelmingly superior militarily that for the next couple of decades, we can do pretty much what we please. But behind the intense debate about whether to invade Iraq, etc., lies a crucial question: What kind of world does America want to use its power to promote?

There are two options. We can use our power unilaterally to promote the shorter-term economic and political self-interest of America (always, of course, with a veneer of moral appeal to freedom, justice and democracy for all). Or we can seek genuinely to implement the moral principles we claim to embrace and take the lead in creating a better world for all.

2003-04-18T22:17:00.000+09:00

Every day lately, I come across something that totally freaks me out. Today, it was an article from CNN. Dershowitz: Torture could be justified It is a very one-sided "debate" about whether the US should allow the FBI, CIA or whoever to get "torture warrants" if they feel that torture is necessary in a given case.

Hello?? What country is this again? Did I somehow stumble through a vortex into a parallel universe, or what?

2003-04-18T22:05:00.000+09:00

"If the weapons are not identified and found then I think people will start to ask very, very serious questions about what the war was really all about," Richard Butler, former head of UN weapons inspections in Iraq said.

Hans Blix, Butler's successor who pulled his team out of Iraq before the US-led invasion, said his inspectors could be back in Iraq within two weeks. The US has said it prefers to do the job itself.

Does anyone see a conflict of interest there??

2003-04-14T11:44:00.000+09:00

Look up the names of all the great men
And if you can't find mine then look it up again
I know it's in there under the tried and the failed...
(from Away by Greg Macpherson)

... ever have a day like that?

2003-04-11T13:57:00.000+09:00

And the discussion that comes out of that article is also thought-provoking. One commenter says:

If the peacemakers had persistently marched on Baghdad months ago - demanding the end of Saddam's government (rather than the end of the Bush administration) - I would see them as a true force for peace. As it is I often see them as a part of the isolationist left that is antiwar regardless of the ongoing abuses of Saddam.

and Hartung responds:

I totally agree that pacifists should not be passive when there is opportunity to free people from oppression. However, I am not sure on the particulars or how far they should go. Marching peacefully on Baghdad sounds more like suicide than peaceful intervention to me. The martyrs did not march on Rome, but they did not resist when the oppressive regime sentenced them to death for their beliefs.

2003-04-11T13:38:00.000+09:00

A close friend of mine claimed that if my beliefs were followed we would inevitably be controlled by an evil dictator. While I cannot deny that as a possible result of my pacifism, I must say it is not the only conclusion possible. Is it too far of a stretch to imagine that displays of God's grace even in the face of losing rights or even death just may cause a turn of events in and of itself? Do we have such little trust in God's sovereignty that we cannot trust what He says is the right way to live?

Jordon points to a great article at the Ooze.

2003-04-11T13:20:00.000+09:00

Right next door to the Boutique de Small Intestine

2003-04-10T15:42:00.000+09:00

Wal-Mart rejects racy worship CD

ANAHEIM � The latest Vineyard Music worship CD, "Intimacy, vol. 2," has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker.

2003-04-10T15:07:00.000+09:00

From Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi (taken from introduction to 411)-

"While the world has suffered acts of terrorism for many decades, we discovered the evils of terrorism on September 11, 2001. And now we are so incensed by this act of arrogance that we are willing to destroy all those who oppose us. Grandfather said anger is like electricity-- very useful if treated with respect, but very devastating when abused. Imagine if the rest of the world reacted to terrorism the way we have; this world would have been destroyed centuries ago.

"How then should we deal with terrorism? After September 11, we should have done some honest soul-searching to find out why so many people in the world hate us so much. Waging a war on terrorism and threatening the world with dire consequences if they did not support us is a reaction that is fraught with arrogance and designed to make more enemies than friends. We may not care what the world thinks right now but imagine what life would be like if we were far too scared to travel. Then try to imagine where we would be if half the world was destroyed.

"Life is not simply about how many millions of dollars one has accumulated or how rich a nation is. It is about friends and relations. Are we loved by people or despised? Do we have true friends or only those who want to bleed us? Does the world respect us for the love, respect and compassion that we project or because we are a super power with the capacity to blow the earth to pieces? The difference between the two is obvious. No one likes a bully."

via David Hopkins

2003-04-09T09:37:00.000+09:00

I've been absent for a while due to a hard drive crash. But everything is reinstalled now, so I will try to find something to say. We have been doing a lot with music and that is acuseing a dilemma for me in trying to figure out what to so with this page. See, the band name is Fatblueman, and we need a webpage but as it is, type that into a search engine and it all points here. So I am thinking that sometime in the future, this page will be replaced by the band site, and I will put a blog page on the band website.

Working on it.

2003-04-04T15:48:00.000+09:00

More really sharp thinking from John Campea...

This is the classic question that it ALWAYS boils down to

To me, the Bible is clear. I must do to that intruder as I would hope he would do to me. Since I don't want him to kill me, I can not kill him. It's as simple (and unbelievably hard) as that. The Bible gives me no "out" from this. Christ commands I turn the other check, it's as simple (and unbelievably hard) as that. Once again the Bible gives me no "out" from this.

The question for me is this "Do I trust God enough to obey his commands even when my human mind is telling me to do something different?" For instance, the Bible does not say "DO to others as you would have them do to you... UNLESS they're about to hurt you or your family". The Apostles had to watch their Lord and Master be taken away to be murdered... and yet Jesus told them not to fight because His kingdom is not of this world (John 1.

Do we trust Him? When all our "common sense" says we can't walk on water, it's impossible, will we get out of the boat anyway? WHen our "common sense" says we can't cross the Red Sea! Will we walk into the water anyway? When our "common sense" says we can't allow ourselves to be thrown into a fiery furnace, we'll surely die! Will we willingly go in? When our "common sense" says rubbing a bunch of mud in our eyes isn't going to cure our blindness, will we rub the mud in anyway? When our "common sense" says we can't get blessed by giving our things away, will we give anyway? And when our "common sense" says I can't turn the other cheek and love this enemy who is now harming me and my family... will we do it anyway?

Will we trust Jesus? Will we OBEY Jesus? Or, will we tell Jesus that there are worldly circumstances that do not permit us to follow him? Will we tell Him the world is greater than Him, and He must not have taken OUR situation into consideration when he taught us these lessons.

It's hard, very hard. But Jesus never said following Him would be easy. However, even though it's hard (almost impossible really) it's also very clear. It's not up for debate. This is what Jesus taught... the question now is, will we follow or default back to our human way of thinking?

2003-04-03T15:34:00.000+09:00

Brian, I forgot to get back to you about the Old Testament War thing. I remembered today when I was reading this at John Campea's sight. He pretty much states it like I see it (OT part at the end):

My final thoughts on Christians and killing and war

Ok I've had a lot of people email me asking what I specifically think about war and killing. Here's an outline.

1) There are 2 separate kingdoms. The kingdom of the world, and the new Kingdom of God that Jesus instituted. Christians are to live by Kingdom principals and NOT worldly principals. (John 18:36)

2) Christians should not judge World leaders. They live in a different kingdom than we do. We should not expect them to live by Jesus' kingdom principals. (Romans 13)

3) The West (U.S., Canada, England, ect.) IS NOT the Kingdom of God.

4) The West (U.S., Canada, England, ect.) IS NOT a new version of the Old Testament Israel.

5) The Kingdom of God transcends all worldly boarders and transcends ethnicity.

6) As Christians, our citizenship is Heaven and not the U.S. or Canada. Therefore, our allegiance to God's Kingdom principals MUST take priority over our "national" loyalties.

7) Jesus taught that the second most important command in the entire Bible was to "Love your neighbor as you love yourself". (Mark 12:30-31)

8) Jesus taught that our enemies are our neighbors. (Luke 10:25-37)

9) Jesus commanded that we "Love our enemies" (Matthew 5:43-46)

10) Jesus taught that loving your enemies means being willing to lay down your life for them. (John 13:34), (Romans 5:8)

11) Jesus taught that loving your enemies mean doing good to them when they hate us, praying for them when they persecute us and blessing them when they curse us. (Luke 6:27-30)

12) Jesus commanded that we should do to our enemies, as we would have our enemies do to us. (Luke 6:31)

13) Since I can't imagine myself ever WANTING my enemy to kill me, I cannot kill him if I am to be obedient to the command of Christ. (Luke 6:31)

14) Jesus commanded that if someone strikes me, I should offer him my other cheek as well. This command takes away my "right" to retaliate. If I am to be obedient to the command of Christ, I cannot strike them back. (Matt 5:39)

15) The Bible commands us not to even curse any human beings, because all humans bear God's image. If I cannot even curse them, what makes me think its ok to kill them? (James 3:9-10)

16) There is evil in the world. The Bible commands us to overcome evil with GOOD, not with more evil. (Romans 12:19-21)

17) The Saddams of this world are evil. However, the Bible teaches that all human beings are evil. Yes, that includes you and me (It's a good thing Christ died for us!) (Mark 10:18)

18) God uses worldly secular leaders to carry out certain things, such as punishing lawbreakers. (Romans 13:4)

19) The Bible makes it CLEAR that this is not the responsibility of those who live in the Kingdom of God, nor do we have the right to. (Romans 12:19-21)

20) To summarize, If I (as a Christ follower) were to ever kill an enemy, I would be violating multiple CLEAR commands of Christ, my supposed King:
a) To love my neighbor
b) To love my enemy
c) To do to my enemy as I would have them do to me
d) To do good to them that hate me
etc? etc? etc?

Just a quick wrap up thought here. Some people understandably feel some confusion over all the war in the Old Testament. A few things to keep in mind: 1) Jesus brought the new Kingdom of God. He is now the ultimate and complete revelation of God. Jesus completes and supercedes the Old Testament. 2) Israel was a Theocracy literally ruled by God, unlike any nation on the earth today. 3) In all the wars, the Old Testament made it clear that God himself was the warrior. Always going into battle short handed so the glory would belong to God. I don't see any other nations utilizing this particular strategy anymore. I.E. if the West really thought God was on their side, why send 250,000 troops to fight instead of just 5,000?

Jesus followers don't kill people because Jesus CLEARLY taught that in the new Kingdom of God it isn't done.

I would add that part of the clarity that John is talking about comes when Christ goes into the bit about "you have heard it said 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" but I tell you love your enemies...". He is taking a command right out of the OT law and giving a new "rule". Pretty clear indicator of the new way that has come. It's echoed in Christ's opening statement at the beginning of Mark, "At last the time has come!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!". Oooh. Gives me chills.

2003-03-31T17:48:00.000+09:00

I know that a hawk will just say that the hospital was bombed because Saddam was making WMD's in there, but man, these are real people who are really there seeing things first hand, not "embedded journalists". Who has a bigger motive to be telling lies?? This war is about justice and freedom and the primary concern is for the civilians? If you believe that... well, you must really love your country.

...they were able to open the doors on the top side of the vehicle and eventually were able to pull everyone out. Everyone was bruised, badly shaken, but all were conscious though it was clear that Weldon was badly injured, and Cliff was bleeding badly from a large gash in his head. The car was totaled, and the other two cars in the convoy were well out of sight down the road toward the Jordanian border and no one in the delegation had a satellite phone. Because of to the intensive US/British bombing, with very good reason, there were very few vehicles on the road between Baghdad and the Jordanian.

The group was just beginning to panic, when an Iraqi civilian car approached, pulled over and asked if he could help. Without a second thought, the driver packed the 5 additional passengers into his car and drove to the closest Iraqi town, Rutba, about 6 km from the site of the accident. Rutba is a city of about 20,000 people located 140 km east of the Jordanian Border. The group was astounded to see that this civilian town, with no apparent military structures had been devastated by US/British bombing three days earlier.

Much of the town was destroyed including the children's hospital in which two children were killed in the bombing. The group was taken to the only remaining functioning medical facility in town, a 20-foot X 20-foot four-bed clinic. The people of the town quickly gathered to inspect their uninvited foreign guests.

The group hastily offered everyone a copy the CPT hand-out, a description of the Christian Peacemakers Team's mission and work in Iraq, with English on one side of the page and Arabic on the other. Introduction in hand, the people of Rutba warmly welcomed the wounded stranded American refugees, just three days after their town had been destroyed by American/British Aircraft.

The next morning, Shane asked, "How do you think Americans would respond to Iraqi civilians accidentally stranded in their community three days after Iraqi aircraft had destroyed their town?"

When the doctor arrived, the group was in for an even bigger surprise. In this town of 20,000 in the middle of the Iraqi desert, the doctor who would treat them spoke perfect English, and without delay, he started his examinations.

Everyone in the vehicle was badly bruised, but Weldon Nisly had a broken thumb, several broken ribs and other possible fractures, while Ciff Kindy had a very bad gash in his head. The doctor was professionally embarrassed. Because of the embargo, and the Allied attack on their primary hospital three days earlier, many medications were unavailable. Some painkillers were on hand, but Cliff Kindy would have to get the 10 stitches he needed to close the gash in his head without anesthesia.

Under normal circumstances, the doctor explained, they would gladly have offered to take the wounded of group by ambulance to Jordan. But, he could not make that offer in the current situation. As was obvious from the bombed out ambulance not far down the road, it appears that even ambulances are at times considered legitimate targets of American/British bombing.

By the time everyone in the group had been treated, about two hours after they had arrived, the two other cars in the convoy had returned and found them. The group warmly thanked the people of Rutba for their hospitality, and tried unsuccessfully to pay the clinic and doctor for their services. "We treat everyone in our clinic: Muslim, Christian, Iraqi or American. We all are part of the same family you know," the doctor said.

2003-03-31T10:29:00.000+09:00

Jordon points to this guy who drips with satire. Like it.

2003-03-31T09:36:00.000+09:00

As you can tell from all the pictures, I had a great weekend. This weekend was the first of the Sakura time, when the cherry trees burst into full blossom. It is a very cool time to be in Japan, because it almost seems like Christmas. People wait in anticipation for the arrival of the cherry blossoms to signal the coming of spring, and then they set up lanterns around the castles and drink and barbecue meat and generally party together. And we get to be a part of it.

Life is really good right now.

2003-03-31T09:32:00.000+09:00

2003-03-31T09:26:00.000+09:00

2003-03-31T09:08:00.000+09:00

2003-03-31T09:03:00.000+09:00

A beautiful Saturday in the park in Nagoya

2003-03-28T09:44:00.000+09:00

Music news:

A while back my CD got picked up by an American distributor. They just emailed today and said that the CD will be available nationally through Christian music outlets. If any of you are interested in a new CD, drop by your local Christian bookstore and order Think Again. Tell them to get it through www.grassrootsmusic.com. That would give me a boost. Tell your friends. Thanks!

Update: Canadians can still get it through www.vineyardmusic.ca

2003-03-27T16:08:00.000+09:00

This is Bob Sapp. Warren's brother. He played for a while in the NFL and now he is K-1 fighting in Japan. He is something like 6'7'' and 380lbs, and he is all the rage in Japan right now. His fights are morbidly attrractive, like watching an execution. You should see what he does to his (much smaller) opponents. It makes boxing look kinda sissy.

2003-03-27T16:01:00.000+09:00

In Japan these are called, "mansions" though I think apartment hell might be a more appropriate term.

2003-03-27T15:57:00.000+09:00

They are still very rare, but here in the heart of Nagoya, you too can find the most massive SUV's on the market. Never know when that urban jungle is going to require a few hundred extra horsepower.

Give them a break - their name is Peace International, not Ecological Harmony International.

And peace is somehow connected to high fuel consumption, isn't it?

2003-03-27T15:54:00.000+09:00

Good to see Canada's official sport catching on in Japan.

2003-03-27T15:52:00.000+09:00

And the stadium food is a little different too...

2003-03-27T15:47:00.000+09:00

The Nagoya Dome, home of the Chunichi Dragons (as baseball teams are named after companies, not cities - though interestingly enough, the dome is named after the city). And how about that for stadium washrooms? Beats the troughs at Winnipeg, er, Canad-Inn Stadium, eh?

2003-03-27T15:44:00.000+09:00

Lady walking dogs in river park.

2003-03-27T15:40:00.000+09:00

Ok, I'm back. First a vending machine. I only took the picture because they are making coke bottles completely out of aluminum now. Do we have that at home yet?? And peanut butter m and m's, which I love. Never saw those at home either.

2003-03-27T10:42:00.000+09:00

I am going on a long bike ride today and I plan to come back with a lot of pictures...

2003-03-27T10:40:00.000+09:00

Best new find...

2003-03-27T09:00:00.000+09:00

ANGERED BY SNUBBING, LIBYA, CHINA SYRIA FORM AXIS OF JUST AS EVIL

Thanks, Steve.

Update: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DEMAND WARS IN EASIER-TO-FIND COUNTRIES

Update: CANADIAN WARSHIP SEIZES TANKER IN... WAIT... CANADA HAS A WARSHIP?

2003-03-26T22:24:00.000+09:00

Hmmmm...

A northern Iraqi rural FAMILY makes around $80 a month. The white house has estimated that the bill for this war will be around $75 Billion (cnn). If you take $75 000 000 000. Billion and divide it by the Iraqi Population of 24,001,816 it would come out to $3124.76 per person. I assure you that if we sent representatives of our country around and gave our $3125. to every PERSON (not family, every PERSON, meaning a family of five would receive $15,625.) the need for bombs and bullets falling on Baghdad would not exist.

From deathkills via dan.

2003-03-26T09:22:00.000+09:00

Call me a cynic, but it looks like they are already getting anxious about dividing up the spoils. And this from the mainstream press!

Worried it could be shut out of business deals in postwar Iraq, France is drawing up plans to win French companies access to lucrative oil and reconstruction contracts, officials said Tuesday.

The government is determined that French companies will be part of rebuilding Iraq, despite President Jacques Chirac's vigorous opposition to the war, a Finance Ministry official said...

The Bush administration awarded a $4.8 million contract Monday to a Seattle-based company to rebuild Iraq's only deep-water port. Washington is expected to announce similar deals soon...

No, no John, don't be so cynical. This is really all about freedom and justice...

2003-03-25T08:18:00.000+09:00

Chris Smith has good stuff to say. Nothing in particular, just generally like it.

2003-03-25T07:22:00.000+09:00

Jordon posts something from Tony Campolo.

Nothing would destroy the authority of Saddam Hussein more than if we Christians provided a massive relief program of food and medicine to the people of Iraq. And if we are going to pave the way for missionary enterprise, we have got to do that. We've got to do that. I don't know who's going to do it; but somebody's got to organize the Christian community, and say we're going to load up freighters with food and medicine -- and we're going to send them to Iraq, and we dare the US Navy to stop us

2003-03-24T19:54:00.000+09:00

Arguably the greatest meal in the history of humankind.

2003-03-24T19:47:00.000+09:00

Yes! Finally, a movie theatre just like Silver City at home. But this one costs 20 bucks a pop.

2003-03-24T19:44:00.000+09:00

On the side of a van parked next to me.

2003-03-24T19:42:00.000+09:00

Let me play with your new toys. You can't enjoy them on as many levels as I can....

2003-03-24T14:00:00.000+09:00

Lisa Martens, of Christian Peacemaker Teams, is sitting in a hotel in Baghdad and frequently calling home. You can keep up with what is going on with them here.

I truly admire what these people are up to threre. Their very presence in the city serves to weaken the "us vs. them" mindset that is so necessary for hating your enemies. Christ be with them as they testify to the possibility of there being another way.

2003-03-20T23:32:00.000+09:00

What is bringing on this rant is the question that has been bugging for days now: how could "support democracy in Iraq" become to mean "bomb the hell out of Iraq"? why did it end up that democracy won't happen unless we go thru war? Nobody minded an un-democratic Iraq for a very long time, now people have decided to bomb us to democracy? Well, thank you! how thoughtful.

from Salam in Iraq

2003-03-20T08:13:00.000+09:00

War is Sell

By this time next week, there will almost certainly be war in the Middle East.

The American government has justified this terrifying step with several pieces of evidence presented to a doubting world.

During the last Gulf War, the most spectacular example of Iraqi brutality � soldiers disconnecting baby�s incubators in Kuwait � turned out to be a colossal fabrication [see: San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center: Baby Killing Lies and the 1991 Gulf War].

Has it happened again? This week, Disclosure�s Gillian Findlay reports on how this war was sold � and asks how much was fact and how much was fiction.

From my buddy Brian.

2003-03-19T18:45:00.000+09:00

"So yes, if you count crimes, it's an ugly record, but it's only the enemy's crimes that count. They're the ones we deplore and agonise about, and so on. Our own, which may be monstrously worse, they just don't enter into our field of vision. You don't study them, you don't read about them, you don't think about them, nobody writes about them...."

Thus, during the endless debate on Iraq over the last year there has been almost no media discussion on the suffering inflicted by the West. The idea that Western sanctions have killed a million people somehow does not register - it simply can't be true. It has to be the product of overheated 'loony left' imaginations, rather than the reason why UN diplomats who ran the sanctions programme resigned in protest. Their words don't count either - they can't matter because their view of the West can't be allowed to matter.

Noam Chomsky once again points us to the fact that, as we are the ones on top, we are not interested in truth.

2003-03-18T23:05:00.000+09:00

This game is the Pong of the 21st century.

From the websurfing brilliance of sparky at snarky malarkey.

2003-03-18T19:33:00.000+09:00

Rachael Corrie was the American girl who was run over by the Israeli tank yesterday. Here are some emails she sent to her parents in the weeks before she was killed.

I really can't believe that something like this can happen in the world without a bigger outcry about it. It really hurts me, again, like it has hurt me in the past, to witness how awful we can allow the world to be.

Found in a comment at AKMA's site.

2003-03-17T20:13:00.000+09:00

Here's the juice on Dan: he uses big words. But if I am correctly interpreting what I think he is saying, I like it a lot. More juice: he requires a lot of reading.

It may be difficult for me to wrap up my point. I am tired of the faddish approaches to spiritual life and identity. Just be yourself. Check out the traditions that surround you. Consider the things that have had part in making you. Create something beautiful in the midst of it all. Haphazardly advocating or vociferously reacting against the strands of credulity that make up the web of existence you would not exist without is to engage in a certain ideological violence that is more destructive than creative.

2003-03-17T19:15:00.000+09:00

A couple more of Simon's bestest buddies...

2003-03-17T19:05:00.000+09:00

Simon and his best buddies, who are the sons of some of our best buddies. The Hioki's. Ironically, I only recently realized that Hioki is their last name, rather than Tatsuya, which is the father's first name. Amazing how dumb a language barrier can make you look sometimes.

2003-03-13T23:21:00.000+09:00

Hauerwas story from the Gutless Pacifist:

Stanley Hauerwas used to say that he wanted to be sure that his children suffered for his convictions as a Christian - so when President Richard Nixon began (pre-emptive?) bombing in Vietnam -- he told his son over breakfast that everytime he hears the name Richard Nixon at school today (he was in grade school) he wanted him to say real loud, "You mean the murderer?" Hauerwas practiced it with him a number of times over breakfast before sending him to school.

2003-03-11T23:50:00.000+09:00

More from Andrews:

As we move towards the centre, Christ, we can move beyond the scriptures, creeds, rights, rituals, ceremonies, and even religions that divide us. 'One, greater than the Bible, is here,' Jones says:

"We love the Bible, honour it, assimilate it, for it leads us to his feet. But the Bible is not the revelation of God. It is the inspired record of the revelation. The revelation we have seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 'You searched the scriptures, imagining you possess the eternal life in their pages - and they do testify to me - but you refuse to come to me for life' (John 5:39 - 40). Eternal life is not in the pages; it is in Christ who is uncovered through the pages."

'One, greater than the creeds, is here,' Jones says:

"The creeds attempt to fix in statements what we see in Christ. We are grateful for these attempts - grateful but not satified. A fixed creed becomes a false creed. Christ is ever beyond us calling us to new meanings. Hence our creeds must be eternally open to revision - revision towards larger, fuller meanings."

One greater than our rights, rituals, and ceremonies, is here, says Jones: 'no right, ritual, or ceremony of any kind is essential for salvation. We are saved by Christ.'

2003-03-10T22:47:00.000+09:00

Another big point that Andrews gets into, which I think is pivotal to changing the way we view our mission as followers of Christ, is the view of salvation as a "bounded" versus a "centered set". Bounded set is the one where we all know the rules plain and clear and the prayer you have to pray to get "in". In that view, we come to believe that the "rules" are so clear that we can pretty much look around us and judge who is in and out just as well as God can. From there we can really go get our condemnation on. The centred set is not quite so clear about the rules, and leaves the judgement up to God:

Peterson assumes that the only way to have a boundary between 'not being saved' and 'being saved' is by having a set boundary. Thus salvation can only be understood in terms of a Bounded Set. However, though there are no set boundaries in the Centred Set, there are still boundaries. And one crosses the boundary, from 'not being saved' to 'being saved', by choosing to follow in the footsteps of 'the Saviour'. In the Bounded Set, the boundary is in the same place for everyone, no matter where they are coming from. However, in th Centred Set the boundary is moving all the time to accomodate anyone who makes a move toward the centre, whether they cross a set boundary or not. The gospels show that 'being saved' depends on choosing to 'follow in the footsteps of the Saviour', but that may mean 'different paths for different people', depending on where they are coming from.

Christ called everyone to follow in his footsteps. But he expected one person to leave home (Mt. 8:22), while he expected another person to go home (Mk 5:19). His expectations of them were exactly the opposite of each other, based on their personal circumstances at that particular time and place.

Christ challenged everyone to give generously to the poor. But while he expected one person to sell all that he had to give to the poor (Mk 10:21), he expected another person to sell only half of what he had to give to the poor (Lk 19:8-10). His expectations were not 'set' standards, but variations on a common theme.

This all sounds a lot like C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity.

2003-03-10T22:17:00.000+09:00

I just finished a great book. Christi-anarchy, by Dave Andrews. It's the kind of book that makes me realize that most of the stuff I wanted to say has already been said, just with a great deal more clarity and depth of thought. If I could post the whole book up, I would, but seeing as that would take too long, I will just quote as much as I can while trying to avoid violation of copyright laws (I can quote 10% or something can't I??). Just buy the book.

He starts out without a historical snapshot of the incredible evil that has been perpetuated in the name of Christ. He revisits the idea that in the evolution of the Church from Christ to Constantine, already the church as an institution has become contrary to the teachings of Christ:

According to A.N. Wilson, the Nicene Creed, to which all Christians now subscribed on pain of banishment, notably 'contained not one jot of the ethical teachings that Jesus had once preached.' Not for the Emperor was a Jesus who called upon his followers to 'love your enemies... love them, not hate them... bless them, not curse them... turn the other cheek... take up your cross and follow me'; but the 'unthinkable, impossible, perfectly ridiculous ' imperial Christ 'riding a fiery white stallion... and shouting - "Heigh! Ho! Forward charge!"'

From that time onwards no one Christian territory has been safe from Christian tyranny imposed in the name of an imperial Christ. Jaques Ellul laments the fact that 'freedom finds little place in church history'... He says - as we have witnessed for ourselves - that 'whenever the church has been in a position of power, it has regarded freedom as the enemy'.

I have found myself increasingly coming to believe that when Christ says things like "those who Love me will obey my teaching" and "many will say Lord, Lord, but I will say 'I never knew you'", it means that what we look back on and call the Church may be completely different from what Christ sees as his Church throughout history. I have come across various groups in history who were very deliberate about living out the teachings of Christ, and most often they were labelled heretics by the "Christians" in power, as their lifestyles subverted the rulers' power. Andrews touches upon some of these groups and deals well with the power-laden use of the word "heretic".

2003-03-08T20:07:00.000+09:00

Live from Norway House, Manitoba, Derek's English class is blogging. Take a look inside the mind of a northern Manitoba teenager...

2003-03-08T20:05:00.000+09:00

Leila's "dialogue" pretty much captures the essence of the debate...

2003-03-08T08:49:00.000+09:00

Booze and a meal.

Who can ask for anything more??

2003-03-08T08:36:00.000+09:00

One of the Swiss Anabaptists wrote in the 1530s, 'when someone comes to church and constantly hears only one person speaking, and all the listeners are silent, neither speaking nor prophesying, who can regard the same to be a spiritual congregation, or confess according to 1 Corinthians 14 that God is dwelling and operating in them?'

2003-03-08T00:11:00.000+09:00

Stream of conciousness semi-rant I wrote on the train coming back from Tokyo.

War is a declaration that God does not exist or at least that he is a passive impotent God �Ethat under no circumstances will he intervene. We take things into our own hands and thus our actions reveal that our true belief is that it is up to us to save us; there is no sense of �acting only in Love and then allowing God to work his will among us�E Old Testament models, which involve shrinking armies and oddball war strategies to show that it is God who wins the battle, are ignored, as is the New Testament paradigm of a sort of Love that is very willing to die but never to kill and coerce.

Example: At the end of WWII Truman delved into grotesque in order to bring about what he believed would be the quickest end to the war. Tens of thousands of innocents were sacrificed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The decision revolved around the notion that up to one million American lives could be lost in an invasion of Japan. So to avoid that, Truman preferred to sacrifice the lives of the innocents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One might propose that a possible �high road�Ewould have been to follow the dictates of the Just War theorem, avoiding the bombing of civilians and instead fighting the war with soldiers. Bombs can�t discriminate the way a soldier can (same case now in Iraq). The Japanese were ready to sacrifice their lives for their belief in Japan. For all our belief in ourselves as a Christian nation, you would have thought that a determination to do things the �just�Eway (the just war, which of course I think is a stretch) would have led us to accept huge sacrifices of soldiers if it meant saving the lives of Japanese innocents. But the facts of how we actually did things tend to reveal the reality behind the lies we tell ourselves.

I have said before that such talk, in the face of the history of war, is absurd, as history shows war to always be a race to the bottom. It is absurd because no nation has ever considered the teachings of Christ to be relevant to national affairs. But let�s entertain the fantasy for a moment. What would a nation look like that �loved its enemies�E For one, it would have no military. Militaries are for hurting enemies and coercing rather than blessing and freely persuading. Perhaps all military expenditure would be used by the Department of Extreme Generosity toward the active blessing of nations that didn�t have as much. Because of course, a Christian nation would not be satisfied to live in luxury while other nations struggled to feed themselves. Progress itself would be seen more in terms of bringing about the equality that God so desires rather than a race to the top of the comfort ladder.

Fantasy indeed. I don�t think it was ever intended to be a national thing for Christ, that is why he talked, more than anything in the gospels, about the Kingdom of God. We have our own nation to be devoted to, and it plays by different rules than all the other ones. The thing is, Christ knew that no one group of humans could be trusted to carry it out in its fullness, and that is why we pray �thy kingdom come�Eand live lives that look forward to his return. He promises us that his kingdom is advancing (though I admit I sometimes find that hard to believe), and we are invited to join in, but we don�t join in by playing by the old rules of revenge, control, and coercion. Just the opposite.

It�s not a national thing. The metaphors he uses to describe his followers�Esojourn in the world are �salt�Eand �yeast�E We won�t be the over-arching thing until he comes and sets it up, as only he is capable of not screwing it up. Our job is to be transformed by his Love, and serious about acting out his grace, even if they seems as nothing more than mustard seeds. This stance demands the existence of God, because if he doesn�t exist and isn�t giving birth to and driving the advancement of Love to a victorious conclusion, then all our embracing of weakness is just hopeless and pathetic, and will end in our own laughable destruction. But if there is something bigger than just these good ideas, if Christ�s commands for a new way of living can be taken seriously, then all it takes is courage to believe it and act on it. I guess that is why Jesus was always telling us to have faith, because without it, we can�t even take the simplest steps in his direction, whether it is a peace-full lifestyle, radical generosity, healing, etc...

2003-03-06T12:46:00.000+09:00

The last time I was here, it was a game called Beat Mania that was all the rage. Now it is this one, a little more traditional than Beat Mania, but same kind of idea. It is amazing how good some people get at it. Last week I stood behind a grandma and what looked like her grandson who had been obviously spending some time in the game centre. I left after watching for twenty minutes, and they still weren't done.

2003-03-05T09:57:00.000+09:00

I have been re-reading Chomsky, and I must say I really like him. I don't know if there is a better example of a modern day prophet. Because what does a prophet do? Stands for truth (what is actually true rather than the white-washed version that kings and presidents tend to promote), and calls us to repentance for our sins. In very unreligious language, this is exactly what Chomsky does.

2003-03-04T14:12:00.000+09:00

2003-03-04T12:21:00.000+09:00

This is shopping mall near where I work. The Japanese have somewhat of a reputation for loving imitation, but this takes it to a new level.

2003-03-03T22:32:00.000+09:00

I went way north of Tokyo with my job on the weekend. It was long by Japanese standards, about four hours each way on the Bullet train. In Canada, that wouldn't even be a trip to Grandma's house. When you are travelling at about 250kmh, nothing seems to take too long.

Anyway, here is the Shinkansen. This the second fastest one, the Hikari (light). There is one that goes even faster and looks even more like a spaceship, the Nozomi (Hope), but I didn't have time to get a picture.

Anyway, I went up to place called Nasu, in Tochigi. It was nice to see the area as I have never been north of Tokyo before. Quite different actually. I saw cows. And farms. And not very many people. Kinda like where I grew up except no white people.

They say that the Emperor vacations there, which is easy to believe as the indicators of the old nationalism are a little more evident there. Like this "Museum of War" complete with the old flag.

And the Uyoku guys were out in the big van demanding that everyone respect the Emperor. On its own, that would not have been a strange thing; Uyoku trucks can often be seen around Nagoya. What made is a little more unnerving the passenger rolled down his window, stuck his head out with camera in hand, and took a picture of me. He made it very obvious by advancing the film, taking careful aim, and taking another one. As my small act of rebellion, I decided I would get a picture of him too. I took out my cell phone, and I guess it was obvious what I was up to, because he scrambled to close his window. This is all I got:

Weird day. I hope I didn't get myself on some yakuza, "uppity foreigners to watch" list.

2003-03-02T22:54:00.000+09:00

Note: All these pictures I took with my cell phone. Not bad, eh?

2003-03-02T22:52:00.000+09:00

Nagoya at night:

2003-03-02T22:44:00.000+09:00

Ok, just a few more. English captions on shirts is all the rage in Japan again. But who thinks up the captions??

2003-03-02T22:35:00.000+09:00

Just to get started, here is an interesting I took today while walking downtown in Nagoya. There is a village under a highway made up entirely of thrown together shacks. Japanese welfare doesn't provide much, so many end up in one of these shacks. I wish you could read the caption on top of the Jesus poster on the front of the shack: it says, "God Bless Our Home".

2003-03-02T22:19:00.000+09:00

In the next few days, I will be moving my site over to another server, thanks to the selfless-cyber charity of me buddy Chris (you rock). Please keep in mind that I am html-impaired, so if everything disappears, well, I'm working on it. And I have a back log of Japan type photos that I have been wanting to post, so if it is on interest to you, get ready for a period of life-in-japan type posts ("beats the heck out of all that obnoxious peacey preaching" I can hear some day...).

2003-03-02T07:49:00.000+09:00

Debunking the myths of war

Fanciful comparisons of Saddam to Hitler and Bush to Churchill are simplistic, absurd and extremely dangerous, writes Robert Manne.

2003-02-27T16:27:00.000+09:00

Double Haiku?

i thought I was a poet until i met you
but now i am just a loner with wet hair on the train
writing songs about love and the sea

- Dan Unrau

Fatblueman

Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana

Reality check

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