here, there, and everywhere
Revisiting some earlier things.
Here are updates on some recent items:
The strange little island of Nauru made news again this week. Operation Weasel, the American intelligence plan that employed several Pacific nations to assist defections by North Korean scientists, reportedly used the Nauru consulate in China as a safe house for defectors. Meanwhile, the United States Treasury Department is considering cutting off Nauru financial organs from the American banking system - a power granted by the PATRIOT Act - as punishment for Nauru's notorious money laundering. I wrote about Nauru last month, when a novel proposal to govern the island was introduced by an private Australian consortium.
Tony Halme, the Finnish former professional wrester recently elected to Parliament, has been upstaged by Japanese wrestling superstar Masanori Murakawa, a.k.a. The Great Sasuke. Sasuke became the fourth professional wrestler elected to a public position in Japan when he gained a seat in the Iwate Prefectural Assembly. Sasuke, who wrestles in a mask, announced shortly after winning that he would remain masked while working in the Assembly. Later, Sasuke conceded to design a new mask that reflects the "dignity of the Assembly" and would show more of his face. Read more about Tony Halme.
Also, today is the 439th anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare, and also the 387th anniversary of his death. As he put it: Not Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn the living record of your memory.
Furthermore, today is St. George's Day. The myth of St. George is one that would make any egalitarian proud. According to the legend, a great dragon lived in a lake near the village of Silene. The dragon consumed all the village's sheep, and when there were no sheep to eat, the dragon ate the local young women instead. George rode into the village the day the local princess was to be the dragon's meal, and slayed it. In gratitude, the king gave him a large reward, which he promptly distributed to the local poor. Generation after generation of tales of dragon-slaying knights resulted from the mythic version of the story of St. George, including the Arthurian legends.
The historical St. George was a tribune in the Roman army during the rule of Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a general before gaining the Roman throne, and governed like one. His rule was characterized by growing civil unrest, a weak economy, and an expanding Christian population within the Empire. Consequently, Diocletian - in a fashion that would be bitterly repeated in the twentieth century numerous times - targeted for destruction an organized minority with non-traditional customs as a scapegoat for all societal ills. In an act of suicidal courage, George tore down Diocletian's posted anti-Christian edicts in the city of Nicomedia. Arrested shortly afterward, he denounced Diocletian's brutal repression, earning himself a prison sentence and orders from the emperor that he be tortured until he abandoned his faith. Eventually, on 23 April 303, he was beheaded. Within 90 years Christianity would become the official religion of the Roman Empire.
23.04.2003 © ljr