Psalm 15

   LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
   He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent; he who does these things will never be shaken.

   This is a beautiful passage in my opinion, three sentences long. The final sentence is the best, nearly six times the sum of the first two.
   Why? because everyone at some point in their life wishes to be unshakeable. I mean, what a trip, really. To know you're unstoppable. Some people think that's like evil, but it's straight from the Bible: there is an elixir to being invincible... okay maybe not invincible, but to be "unable to become dislodged or fall". Ever. And the way is listed just before. All you have to do is: be perfect. So, even though King David (the credited author) tells us how to be invincible, he tells us in the same sentence that it is impossible without God.
   So, for a second reason, this is a beautiful sentence, for it reminds us that nothing we can do will bring us to the point of invincibility. However, with God, everything is possible. This sentence then answers the first to questions: who may live on your holy hill? answer: no-one, for no-one can fill those prerequisites. No-one has ever been blameless, had zero gossip come from their mouths, nor always keep their promises. But Jesus' blood covers our imperfections (every single one), and makes us righteous in his eyes.
   So, guess what that means. That means, that as long as we've accepted His forgiveness, we are unshakable. That sends shivers down my spine. But it's true. If God wants us alive, who can kill us, and if God wants us dead, what is going to keep us alive? NOTHING. Beautiful. So beautiful.

   Now for an imitation (which will be no-where close to the beauty of the first):
   Faith whose beneficiary is LORD and which has been tested successfully, which inspires the crowd through its actions but is not worn like a medal, which gives the angels new strength and strikes relentless fear into the demons, which had an unseen beginning and grew steadily as do the children, which continues its life regardless of the pain, which has no end in sight, neither believing nor accepting that its end will come; faith which imitates this account is better than gold.

The Chinese Sinocentrism

   There were many reasons for the isolation of ancient China. One such reason was because of the overriding concept of Sinocentrism, which identified China as the center of the world:

   The Sinocentric system was a hierarchical system of international relations that prevailed in East Asia before the adoption of the Westphalian system in modern times. Surrounding countries such as Japan, Korea, the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and Vietnam were regarded as vassals of China and relations between the Chinese Empire and these peoples were interpreted as tributary relationships under which these countries offered tribute (朝貢) to the Emperor of China. Areas outside the Sinocentric influence were called Huawaizhidi (化外之地), meaning "uncivilized land".
   At the center of the system stood China, ruled by the dynasty that had gained the Mandate of Heaven. This Celestial Empire (神州 Shénzhōu), distinguished by its Confucian codes of morality and propriety, regarded itself as the only civilization in the world; the Emperor of China (huangdi) was regarded as the only legitimate Emperor of the entire world.

   This passage is from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinocentrism), describing the supremacy of China. Since China had advanced more technologically, they were able to create the overriding system for what they believed was the entire world. They prided themselves as being the best, and therefore ignored any Westerners who claimed otherwise. This arrogance was a major reason that they did not allow the West to trade until the mid 19th century.

US Drone Strike in Pakistan

   ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An American drone strike killed a top Pakistani militant commander in a northwestern tribal region, security officials said on Thursday. The death of the commander, Maulvi Nazir, was seen as a serious blow to Taliban fighters who attack United States and allied forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
   The drone strike took place on Wednesday night and targeted Mr. Nazir’s vehicle in the Angoor Adda area in South Waziristan. Five other people were also killed, including one of his key aides, officials said.

    “Maulvi Nazir would probably have posed a problem for the Pakistan Army if and when a political settlement is reached in Afghanistan in 2014. But in the interim, the killing of Nazir and his deputies likely hurts the Pakistan Army’s efforts against the T.T.P. [Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan] in South Waziristan,” said Arif Rafiq, an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute, based in Washington.

    “Nazir would probably have wanted to hold on to his local jihadist fiefdom, making him a long-term threat for the Pakistani state,” said Mr. Rafiq.

    The suspicion that the Pakistani military gave a nod to Mr. Nazir’s killing could result in attacks on Pakistani troops in some areas in South Waziristan, analysts said.

    Pakistani officials publicly denounce American drone strikes but have privately acknowledged the effectiveness of the campaign.

   This passage was published on January 3, 2012, by The New York Times by Salman Masood and Ismail Khan (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/world/asia/us-drone-strike-is-said-to-kill-a-top-pakistani-militant.html?ref=world&_r=0).

   I think the whole situation is very interesting. First, drones are becoming the rage for the American government when it comes to fighting terrorism. These remote-controlled vehicles have come a long way in the last ten years, and are able to go places foot soldiers would never be able to access. These drones have all sorts of uses, and some have even reached the size of insects.

   The ability to spy on enemies has now reached a new height, which should make it easier for the US to carry out such spy missions. This then begs the question: what else could/will these drones be used for?

   With this kind of technology, the government could seemingly find and dispatch any person at anytime they wish. And when other governments get this technology, war will again take a new shape. It's always been a battle over who has the better technology, whether it be men, guns, satellites, missiles, or these new "bugs". It will be interesting watching how this weapon pans out in the next twenty -- even ten -- years.