This medical career has undergone massive changes in the past few decades, after states began passing laws requiring optometrists to give the prescription to the patient, freeing the patient up to buy glasses and contact lenses wherever they pleased. Before that, patients generally had no choice but to purchase directly from the optometrist. As a result, prices of glasses and contact lenses are dramatically lower than they used to be, and people working in an optometrist career have had to adapt.
Licensed optometrists must earn a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited optometry school and pass a written and a clinical State board examination before starting an optometrist career.
Admission to optometry school is competitive.
Optometrists usually remain in practice until they retire, so relatively few job openings arise from the need to replace those who leave the occupation.
Optometrists, also known as doctors of optometry, or ODs, provide most primary vision care. They examine peoples eyes to diagnose vision problems and eye diseases, and they test patients visual acuity, depth and color perception, and ability to focus and coordinate the eyes. Optometrists prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses and provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation. Optometrists analyze test results and develop a treatment plan. They administer drugs to patients to aid in the diagnosis of vision problems and prescribe drugs to treat some eye diseases. Optometrists often provide preoperative and postoperative care to cataract patients, as well as patients who have had laser vision correction or other eye surgery. They also diagnose conditions due to systemic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, referring patients to other health practitioners as needed.
Optometrists should not be confused with ophthalmologists or dispensing opticians. Ophthalmologists are physicians who perform eye surgery, and diagnose and treat eye diseases and injuries. Like optometrists, they also examine eyes and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. Dispensing opticians fit and adjust eyeglasses and, in some States, may fit contact lenses according to prescriptions written by ophthalmologists or optometrists.
Most optometrists are in general practice. Some specialize in work with the elderly, children, or partially sighted persons who need specialized visual devices. Others develop and implement ways to protect workers eyes from on-the-job strain or injury. Some specialize in contact lenses, sports vision, or vision therapy. A few teach optometry, perform research, or consult.
Most optometrists are private practitioners who also handle the business aspects of running an office, such as developing a patient base, hiring employees, keeping records, and ordering equipment and supplies. Optometrists who operate franchise optical stores also may have some of these duties.
Optometrists work in placesusually their own officesthat are clean, well lighted, and comfortable. Most full-time optometrists work about 40 hours a week. Many work weekends and evenings to suit the needs of patients. Emergency calls, once uncommon, have increased with the passage of therapeutic-drug laws expanding optometrists ability to prescribe medications.
Optometrists held about 32,000 jobs in 2002. The number of jobs is greater than the number of practicing optometrists because some optometrists hold two or more jobs. For example, an optometrist may have a private practice, but also work in another practice, in a clinic, or in a vision care center. According to the American Optometric Association, about two-thirds of practicing optometrists are in private practice. Although many optometrists practice alone, a growing number are in a partnership or group practice.
Salaried jobs for optometrists were primarily in offices of other health practitioners, including optometrists; offices of physicians, including ophthalmologists; or health and personal care stores, including optical goods stores. A small number of salaried jobs for optometrists were in hospitals; the Federal government; or outpatient care centers, including health maintenance organizations. Almost a third of optometrists were self-employed.
All States and the District of Columbia require that optometrists be licensed. Applicants for a license must have a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited optometry school and pass both a written and a clinical State board examination. In many States, applicants can substitute the examinations of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, usually taken during the students academic career, for part or all of the written examination. Licenses are renewed every 1 to 3 years, and, in all States, continuing education credits are needed for renewal.
The Doctor of Optometry degree requires the completion of a 4-year program at an accredited optometry school, preceded by at least 3 years of preoptometric study at an accredited college or university. Most optometry students hold a bachelors or higher degree. In 2002, 17 U.S. schools and colleges of optometry held an accredited status with the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association.
Requirements for admission to schools of optometry include courses in English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. A few schools also require or recommend courses in psychology, history, sociology, speech, or business. Since a strong background in science is important, many applicants to optometry school major in a science such as biology or chemistry, while other applicants major in another subject and take many science courses as well. Applicants must take the Optometry Admissions Test, which measures academic ability and scientific comprehension. Most applicants take the test after their sophomore or junior year, allowing them an opportunity to take the test again and raise their score. A small number of applicants are accepted to optometry school after 3 years of college and complete their bachelors degree while attending optometry school. Admission to optometry school is competitive.
Optometry programs include classroom and laboratory study of health and visual sciences, as well as clinical training in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. Courses in pharmacology, optics, vision science, biochemistry, and systemic disease are included.
Business ability, self-discipline, and the ability to deal tactfully with patients are important for success. The work of optometrists requires attention to detail and manual dexterity.
Optometrists wishing to teach or do research may study for a masters or Ph.D. degree in visual science, physiological optics, neurophysiology, public health, health administration, health information and communication, or health education. One-year postgraduate clinical residency programs are available for optometrists who wish to specialize in family practice optometry, pediatric optometry, geriatric optometry, vision therapy, contact lenses, hospital-based optometry, primary care optometry, or ocular disease.
Employment of optometrists is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012, in response to the vision care needs of a growing and aging population. As baby boomers age, they will be more likely to visit optometrists and ophthalmologists because of the onset of vision problems in middle age, including those resulting from the extensive use of computers. The demand for optometric services also will increase because of growth in the oldest age group, with its increased likelihood of cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, and hypertension. Greater recognition of the importance of vision care, rising personal incomes, and growth in employee vision care plans will spur employment growth, as well.
Employment of optometrists would grow more rapidly were it not for anticipated productivity gains that will allow each optometrist to see more patients. These expected gains stem from greater use of optometric assistants and other support personnel, who will reduce the amount of time optometrists need with each patient. Also, laser surgery that can correct some vision problems is available, but expensive. Optometrists will still be needed to perform preoperative and postoperative care for laser surgery; however, patients who successfully undergo this surgery may not require optometrists to prescribe glasses or contacts for several years.
In addition to growth, the need to replace optometrists who leave the occupation will create employment opportunities. Relatively few opportunities from this source are expected, however, because optometrists usually continue to practice until they retire; few transfer to other occupations.
Median annual earnings of salaried optometrists were $86,090 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $62,030 and $115,550. Median annual earnings of salaried optometrists in 2002 were $87,070 in offices of other health practitioners. Salaried optometrists tend to earn more initially than do optometrists who set up their own independent practice. In the long run, however, those in private practice usually earn more.
According to the American Optometric Association, median net annual income for all optometrists, including the self-employed, was $110,000 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $82,500 and $156,500.


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Tony Pulis insists Middlesbrough's strategy wasn't to blame for missing transfer targets
'There's been clarity about the players that we wanted, there's been no changing our minds,' says Pulis
Philip Tallentire
Tony Pulis has defended Middlesbrough's transfer strategy after the club failed to land their deadline day targets.
The Boro boss expressed his frustration at a lack of signings but says targets were identified in plenty of time to avoid a last day scramble.
Unfortunately, the club were unable to complete any late deals.
"There's been clarity about the players that we wanted, there's been no changing our minds," said Pulis.
"We've just not been able to do it. You'll have to speak to everybody why we haven't been able to do it, the reasons for it.
"You always want to avoid these windows by doing business as early as you can, the problem is the selling club will leave it late to get the best price.
"You've seen how many deals go through at the last minute, even yesterday with the big clubs, that's what this market, system produces. It produces desperation at the end.
"The fact is, cut all the nonsense, we haven't done it and that's the disappointment."
Tony Pulis says Middlesbrough transfer window 'a disappointment for everyone' and repeats promotion warning
Boro's targets included Everton's Mo Besic and Yannick Bolasie and Millwall pair Jed Wallace and George Saville.
For a variety of reasons, the club failed to complete deals in the final 48 hours of the window and Pulis, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's home meeting with Garry Monk's Birmingham, admits he doesn't know if Besic will now agree a loan contract.
"I'm not sure, you'll have to speak to Neil (Bauser) about that," was his answer when asked if that deal was now dead.
Ian Holloway's Championship talking points: 'Prolific' Aden Flint, Middlesbrough promotion tip and 'genius' Marcelo Bielsa
Pulis was frank about his team's potential in his press conference and admitted the current squad wasn't good enough to win promotion and was weaker than the side that kicked-off the play-off semi-final against Aston Villa in May.
"At the moment the team that will play on Saturday will not be as strong as the team that started against Aston Villa," he said.
"I think that's obvious, if you take (Ben) Gibson, (Patrick) Bamford, (Adama) Traore, (Dani) Ayala, Besic; there's five of them (missing) so it's quite easy to see, it's not difficult."
New Burnley signing Ben Gibson in the stands during the pre season friendly match with Espanyol
The focus now turns to the loan window and Pulis will be hoping he can add the quality he believes the squad is still lacking.
"There's still lots of time to get things done so fingers' crossed in two or three weeks' time we will be talking about players who will help us push on to where we want to be," he said.
"We've still got three weeks to hopefully get a bit of luck and get a few over the line. The next three weeks will be important, it's just waiting to see what drops for us and what can drop for us."
Championship loan rules explained as Middlesbrough target temporary signings after transfer deadline passes
One signing Middlesbrough were able to complete was Jordan Hugill, who penned a season-long loan deal from West Ham on Tuesday.
However, the 26-year-old Teessider is unlikely to make his debut for his beloved Boro until after the first international break in mid-September.
"He's injured so he won't be fit for another two to three weeks," explained Pulis. "I think it's a hamstring which came a little bit off the side of his knee.
"Talking to our doctor – and I think Bryan (English) is as good as any doctor in the country, certainly the best doctor I've ever worked with - if Brian thinks that then you can take that as given.
Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis
"It's a disappointment for everybody, and the fact we have to get him up to speed as well, so that's going to take a bit of time.
"So Jordan won't be involved, I don't think, until the turn of the window, the international break."
On signing Hugill, the manager added: "I think the football club needs players from this area. There's been a lot of praise for Wingy (Lewis Wing) from Tuesday night, a player who lives 20 minutes from the ground.
"It's nice to bring local players in whether you are buying them or producing them and Jordan's gone on record saying he's always wanted to play for Middlesbrough and he'll be a great asset because he sees this football club as his football club and it's lovely to have that association with the people on the terraces."
Follow @GazetteBoro
Tony Pulis
Middlesbrough FCJonathan Woodgate sheds light on Middlesbrough's recruitment team & process'I trust their view - they have targets, they look at this all year and they find players they can put to the manager,' says the Boro boss
Middlesbrough FCJonathan Woodgate reveals the identity of his new Middlesbrough captain'George Friend is a fantastic leader - everyday in training he does everything right,' says the Boro boss
CourtsMan accused of raping woman in tunnel after saying 'I want to sex you' and calling her a 'bad girl'Goran Husseini, 36, denies rape in the trial at Teesside Crown Court and says the sexual activity was consensual

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


988 FM Penang is the main and the central source of entertainment and the enjoyment which is the combination of two Languages Chinese and Malay which is widely known over the areas. A well known company Saufi Sopa (M) Sdn. Bhd is monitoring the broadcasts of FM 988 with the healthy development. In 1949, Radio 988 was started which regarded the main posting and advertizing cables broadcasts on station which is half of the percent of stocks in Re-diffusion was obtained by Arab Malaysian Group (AMG). During the old periods it was known to titles of Redi FM 98.8 but with the year of 2000 it was transformed into the name of 988 FM Malaysia.
Radio 988 is gaining so many numbers of the audience from whole Malaysia and many other outside regions all due to of its development framework that is such as 'languages' of these locations. Now the awesome audience and fans could also enjoy the 988 FM on the internet and keep in touch with the route at several areas as Klang Area, Southern Perak, Malacca, Northern Johor, Kuantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Ipoh, Cameron and most of the places of Singapore with various wavelengths.
The respected audiences are every time welcome to visit and get entertained in the main Radio 988 headquarters which is situated at Tropicana City Office Tower or even can contact on the amount (603) 7885-1188. Radio 988 FM Malaysia on the internet listen all the time of day with plenty of entertainments, comedy, funny contents, joys and details media.


CHERUB is a new generation series of Angel Drums.
Developed for customers who wished for lighter or more affordable, but uncompromised quality drums.
The technology, workflow and the artisan made quality remains.
Difference lies in the material: the drums are made of three new types of wood, and aluminium or iron hardware, instead of stainless steel.


Red Note Ensemble is a key partner in delivering the Leverhulme Conducting Fellowship programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As Contemporary Ensemble in Residence, Red Note supports emerging conductors on the brink of their careers, offering vital experience of working on new music repertoire with an ensemble of professional musicians, under the guidance of the Conservatoire's Artistic Director of Conducting, Gary Walker. In 2019, Red Note will be working with fellows June-Sung Park and Joel Sanderson.
As one of the world's leading new music ensembles, Red Note also promotes the development of composers on the RCS undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, workshopping and interpreting new pieces, offering players'-eye view feedback and support, and performing finished works at Plug (the RCS festival of new music).


Washington State has set a precedent by charging 11 and 12-year-old kids for cyber bullying.
This is fantastic. All too often I have heard about kids making others upset writing on Facebook walls, harassing, creating fake profiles, showing and creating unsuitable content on computers, tablets and smartphones. This isn't just the boys. It's the girls too! And it isn't just the older ones. Students are starting as young as grade 2.
This is definitely an issue that is occurring in schools, but they can't take full responsibility for the problems. People, young and old, educators, parents and children need to do something about this problem.
My recommendation is that it doesn't stop there. If all countries adopted laws that are not toothless, students will think twice about being inappropriate online. Coming from the top-down takes out the grey area for schools. A lot of the harassment is taking place at night-time, on weekends, and in the summer time, which is outside of the educational domain. Is it still suitable for schools to be managing these situations?
We are charting relatively new territory. However, there is already substantial proof that cyber-bullying is effecting students detrimentally.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher Marilyn Campbell said many child victims of cyber and internet abuse felt they had no place to hide.
She said cyber bullies were posting personal information about the victim on the internet while letting all their peers know the web address via email.
Dr Campbell said the victim had no method of direct retaliation and could not even strike back physically. She said that there is a feeling that everybody in the peer group knows what's going on, whereas in face-to-face bullying it's at least more contained with only a small audience.
More than 13 per cent of students already had fallen victim to cyber-bullying by year eight of school and 25 per cent knew someone who had. More than half of kids thought the phenomenon was on the rise, the study showed.
While traditional bullying often had long-term damaging consequences for its victims, it was possible to surmise that cyber bullying could have even worse consequences, Campbell said.
What if countries and states are not taking control where you live? What can you do? This video has a few strategies, including parenting, education and involvement.


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Prevalence and progression of myopic retinopathy in an older population
Ophthalmology. 2002 Apr;109(4):704-11. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(01)01024-7.
Jerry Vongphanit 1 , Paul Mitchell, Jie Jin Wang
1 Department of Ophthalmology and Save Sight Institute, the University of Sydney and Millenium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, NSW, Australia 2145.
Objective: To determine the prevalence and progression of myopic retinopathy in an older community-based population sample.
Design: Population-based epidemiologic study.
Participants: Eligible residents aged 49 years or older (n = 3654) who attended the Blue Mountains Eye Study, west of Sydney, Australia.
Methods: Participants had a detailed eye examination including measurement of logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity, standardized refraction, and retinal stereophotography. All patients were invited to attend follow-up examinations after 5 years.
Main outcome measures: Myopic retinopathy was defined to include staphyloma, lacquer cracks, Fuchs' spot and myopic chorioretinal atrophy. beta-peripapillary atrophy was assessed separately.
Results: Signs of myopic retinopathy were found in 67 eyes from 44 participants (1.2%), a prevalence of 1.4% in women and 1.0% in men; this increased from 1% in right eyes with myopia <3 diopters to over 50% in right eyes with myopia > or =9 diopters. There was a nonsignificant age-related trend in prevalence. The average spherical equivalent refraction was -6.1 diopters and the average visual acuity was 20/40 in eyes with myopic retinopathy. Visual impairment (<20/40) was present in 38.8% of affected eyes. Myopic retinopathy was bilateral in 52% of cases. Staphyloma was present in 26 participants (0.7%), bilateral in 35%, with a strong concordance of staphyloma location. Lacquer cracks were seen in 8 participants (0.2%), Fuchs' spot in 3 (0.1%), and chorioretinal atrophy in 7 (0.2%). Forty-six eyes (68.7%) with myopic retinopathy were reexamined after 5 years; 8.7% had new or increased numbers of lacquer cracks and 15.2% had new or expanded areas of chorioretinal atrophy. In those eyes developing lacquer cracks or chorioretinal atrophy, best-corrected visual acuity decreased by a mean of two LogMAR lines.
Conclusions: This study documented the age and sex-specific prevalence of myopic retinopathy and 5-year progression in an older white population.
Myopia / epidemiology*
Myopia / physiopathology
New South Wales / epidemiology
Refraction, Ocular
Retinal Diseases / epidemiology*
Retinal Diseases / physiopathology
Sex Distribution
Urban Population / statistics & numerical data


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HKSI Chairman Congratulates HK Delegation on Concluding the Paralympic Games with 2 Silver And 3 Bronze Medals
Dr Lam Tai-fai SBS JP, Chairman of the HKSI, congratulated the Hong Kong Delegation on adding two medals for Hong Kong, 1 silver and 1 bronze from badminton events, on the last day of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Hong Kong concluded the Paralympic Games with 2 silver and 3 bronze medals, a total of five medals.
The thirteen-day Paralympic Games ended today and Hong Kong badminton players Chu Man-kai and Chan Ho-yuen made their final appearance by competing in the men's SH6 singles final and men's WH2 singles bronze medal match respectively.
Chan Ho-yuen played in the men's WH2 singles bronze medal match against South Korea's Kim Kyung-hoon. Chan defeated Kim by 2:0 and sealed the bronze, the fourth Paralympic medal for Hong Kong. Chu Man-kai competed against India's Krishna Nagar in the men's SH6 singles final. Despite eventually losing 1:2 to take a silver medal, he demonstrated his unparalleled hard work and fighting spirit.
Although Hong Kong's medal tally in this year's Paralympic Games was not as good as the Rio 2016 edition, Dr Lam highly praised all participating athletes, saying that each of them not only overcame their own disabilities, but also prepared for the Games under the pandemic, which made it even more difficult. The Delegation finished the Games with 2 silver and 3 bronze medals and truly deserved our applause. He hoped that members of public would continue to provide support and root for athletes in the future competitions.
Dr Lam pledged that the HKSI would, as usual, continue to effectively use the Government resources and work closely with the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled and the Hong Kong Sports Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability to provide the most suitable training and all-round supporting facilities for athletes with disabilities, so that they could continue to strive for sporting success and bring more glory to Hong Kong in the future.
Through this year's Paralympic Games, members of the public had a better understanding of athletes with disabilities. Dr Lam hoped that all sectors of the society, such as the business sector, would open up by providing more opportunities and support to these athletes in terms of sports development, life and work, allowing them to shine in other areas.
HKSI Chairman Congratulates HK Delegation for the First Silver Medal and Roots for Athletes' Quest for More Medals at Tomorrow's Paralympic Games
HKSI Chairman Congratulates HK Delegation on Winning the Second Medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games


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Nasa spacecraft survives dive through Saturn's rings
An unprocessed image of features in Saturn's atmosphere captured by Cassini spacecraft during its dive.PHOTO: EPA
http://str.sg/423b
MIAMI (AFP) - An unmanned Nasa spacecraft has survived its plunge between the rings of Saturn and, after briefly going dark for the flyby, is communicating again with Earth, the US space agency said onThursday (April 27).
Cassini skimmed closer than any previous spacecraft to the sixth planet from the Sun, and lived to tell the tale, sending back a signal that arrived early on Thursday at 0656 GMT, about 20 hours after the crossing took place.
"No spacecraft has ever been this close to Saturn before. We could only rely on predictions, based on our experience with Saturn's other rings, of what we thought this gap between the rings and Saturn would be like," said Cassini project manager Earl Maize of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
"I am delighted to report that Cassini shot through the gap just as we planned and has come out the other side in excellent shape."
The gap between the rings and the top of Saturn's atmosphere is about 2,400km wide.
Our closest look ever at #Saturn's atmosphere and giant hurricane. #GrandFinale https://t.co/giL0pulIEW pic.twitter.com/Qi3T2wSzc1
— CassiniSaturn (@CassiniSaturn) April 27, 2017
The rings are made of fast-moving particles of ice and space debris that could strike and disable the spacecraft.
Cassini zipped through at a speed of about 124,000kmh relative to the planet.
The spacecraft will make a total of 22 dives between the rings and the planet before making a death plunge into the gas giant in September.
Its next pass is scheduled for May 2.
The spacecraft is a joint mission of Nasa, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. It launched in 1997 and has been orbiting Saturn since 2004.
Cassini is now running low on fuel and scientists have decided to end its mission rather than risk damaging one of Saturn's moons, whose subsurface oceans may be explored for signs of life in the future.
SPACE AND COSMOS


The following exhibitions are available online only and are not on display at the Royal Air Force Museum.
Alex Henshaw took up flying in 1932 and quickly gained his Pilot's licence flying over the open landscape of Lincolnshire. Aviation soon became a passion in which the honing of his skill was matched by increasing ambitions to tour across Europe and to take part in competitions and races.
During the Second World War the Royal Air Force not only fought to defend the freedom and liberties of the British people but also helped to liberate people living in countries occupied by Germany, Italy and Japan.
In 1930 Amy Johnson became world famous overnight, when she became the first woman aviator to fly solo to Australia. This biography is taken from the exhibition, originally created to celebrate the centenary of her birth, and uses material from her extensive archive held by the Museum.
It is often said that "a picture is worth a thousand words" and nowhere is this more true than in the case of Air Diagrams - posters produced for use in the training of air and ground crews.
The collection of the RAF Museum aircraft has many regrettable gaps, reflected in the ranks of preserved aircraft as a whole. Many famous aircraft types, of all vintages, nationalities and types, right up to the 1940s and 50s, are now extinct, either through scrapping at the end of their service lives or the later destruction of one-time 'preserved' examples.
Between 1930 and 1950 military aircraft design advanced from propeller driven biplanes to jet powered monoplanes. Civil aviation remained dominated by large propeller driven aircraft until 1949 when de Havilland introduced the world to the age of the jet airliner.
Despite wartime shortages Blacker was able to work in several media, water-colour, oil and ink, the latter used with both brush and pen. She was most successful and prolific in water-colour and in drawing with ink, though some of her pencil drawings show a highly refined and sensitive technique.


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Nationbuilding in Nascent South Sudan – How to Remember the War
Ole Frahm, Department of Social Sciences Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Processes of national identity formation in post-colonial Africa have typically followed a similar trajectory: (1) state-led top-down proclamations of inclusive nationalism combined with oppression of alternative, mostly ethnic loyalties; (2) resurgence of ethnic sentiment due to the state's failure to deliver benefits and deserve adherence; (3) rise of discourses of autochthony and exclusionary politics of belonging. In this context, the process of collective identity formation in newly independent South Sudan is a highly intriguing case study of nation-building. After overwhelmingly opting for independence and thus separate South Sudanese statehood in 2011, the nascent state is already struggling with ethnic rebellions, persistently strong sub-national (tribal) loyalties and widespread complaints over ethnically based nepotism. Public debate on the issue of nation-building is dominated by appeals to overcome tribalism while lacking in any prescriptive ideas on how to achieve a widely accepted national identity. Most citizens do not have good command of English, nominally the country's official language, whereas Juba Arabic, a colloquial form of Arabic and the country's de facto lingua franca, is officially shunned. Hence, for the time being, the unifying effect from the civil war period of having a common enemy – the Khartoum government – has not been replaced with either a new negative 'other' or a positive vision of a bond that is capable of uniting all citizens of the nascent state. Candidates for a positive identity include Christianity, the army, multiculturalism, and, especially, memory of the independence struggle. While the government appears to favour the latter – Veteran's Day is a major holiday and the late rebel leader John Garang's mausoleum has been turned into a shrine – a single authoritative historiography is difficult to achieve because much of the fighting during the second half of the civil war (post-1991) occurred between different Southern factions; and in spite of successful local initiatives, national reconciliation has so far not been undertaken.
The Subject of Politics: The Non-Identificational Aspects of Occupy Wall Street
Ott Puumeister
Phantasy of Sameness of an Other: Impact of Imagination on Collective Memory in Conflict
Dmitry Chernobrov
Collective Memory, Identity and Inter-Group Conflict
Pinar Kadioglu
Alexander Griffiths
Norms and Identity in Kosovo. The Troubled Relationship
Jaume Castan Pinos
Identity Transfers Between Artists Figures and Music Signifiers. A Socio-musical Study of the Creation of Stars in Popular Music
Christophe Magis
Media Communicative Discourse and Identity Crises: EU and USA
Galina Klimova
Oxana Medvedeva


Two years after its launch Apple Pay isn't as mainstream as many experts projected, only 13-percent of iPhone users have been willing to give it a try and they say that's an extremely low adoption rate among apples loyal user base.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two years after its launch Apple Pay isn't as mainstream as many experts projected.
They say app weary consumers haven't been educated enough on its pluses. At the same time, some businesses are no longer accepting cash.
E-commerce analysts are reporting that while a substantial one-third of businesses now offer Apple Pay, only 13-percent of iPhone users have been willing to give it a try and they say that's an extremely low adoption rate among apples loyal user base.
Right now many clerks are confused on how to guide consumers through using electronic payments and shoppers are hesitant because of their concerns about security breaches.
Consumers agree. "I haven't been prompted enough to make a switch but I'm open to it," one customer told ABC7 News.
"I tried using Google pay once and it didn't work immediately so I stopped trying it," an Apple user told ABC7 News.
Some businesses are actively trying to get customers to use mobile payments because it's the quickest transaction, and they say it's safer and faster than using plastic.
"Unfortunately we were burglarized on New Year's Eve, I still can't believe it. Did that prompt your switch to no cash? Yes that's part of it too," said Nelson German, the owner of AlaMar restaurant in Oakland.
"We put a sign at the door no cash so less of a chance to get burglarized," said German.
The app won't be considered mainstream until 20 percent of users are swiping phones at registers across the country.


Kodachrome slides are sometimes the only way left for historians to answer tough questions.
When a recent request came in to ROCHESTER STREETCARS as to the exact colors of 1950s red-and-cream Rochester Subway cars, quite a flurry of activity resulted. No RTC color diagrams are known to be extant, and Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's Subway car 60 was known to have been repainted somewhat incorrectly while at Rail City in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
This exceptionally clear and sharp Kodachrome slide of car 54 was made in April 1951, soon after the car was painted into the red-and-cream then used on RTC buses. It is seen in the small yard area behind the Subway car house. A bright red main body color was set off by a very pale yellowish cream upper body color. Other colors, though, remained as they had been: golden yellow for car numbers, sienna for doors and window sashes, brownish red for the car roof, and black for under-body equipment. Later Kodachrome slides confirm that these colors were used until the end of passenger service in 1956.
Oh, and the answer to the question: the RTC logo was indeed in that very pale yellowish cream upper body color. Thankfully, it was Kodachrome to the rescue, once again.


Levels of self-esteem may interact with influences on interrogative suggestibility identified by Baxter and Boon (2000) and Bain and Baxter (2000). The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of variations in interviewer manner on scores obtained on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales GSS 1 (Gudjonsson, 1984) from participants with high and low levels of self-esteem. The study had a two-factor between-participants design. Equal numbers of participants with high and low self-esteem were tested on the GSS 1 by an interviewer whose behaviour was either 'Abrupt' or 'Friendly'. Results showed a main effect for self-esteem with high levels being associated with reduced suggestibility and low levels associated with increased suggestibility. No significant main effect was found for condition: overall responses were not significantly different between Friendly and Abrupt conditions. However, a significant interaction was observed. High self-esteem participants demonstrated reduced suggestibility from Friendly to Abrupt condition, whereas low self-esteem participants' scores increased from Friendly to Abrupt. The results are discussed in terms of the importance interviewers should attach to carefully controlling their manner when assessing or interviewing potentially vulnerable witnesses.


The mission of our Kids Ministry is to assist parents in introducing our kids to Jesus, fostering that relationship, and providing concepts that shape a biblical view of the world for our kids through games, activities, stories, songs, and crafts.
Each Sunday, we offer childcare for infants on up to 5 year olds.
For our children ages 6 and up, we offer a worship guide in order to encourage engagement in "big" church and meaningful interaction with parents.
During the adult Discovering God hour all children are welcome to go to their sunday school class where we will use this curriculum to teach them.


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Philly's ZBA chairman is denying variances for multi-family housing because of trash
Litter is really bad in North Philly. Is zoning the problem?
A North Philly street, full of trash
Paige Gross / Billy Penn
Michaela Winberg
Apr. 09, 2018, 9:00 a.m.
"Filthadelphia" has been a well-publicized problem for years, but in some areas it's worse than others. In neighborhoods like Sharswood, Brewerytown and North Central, garbage seems to pile up outside rowhomes and in vacant lots well before trash day. Many North Philly blocks notch a 2.5 out of 4 on the city's Litter Index, not a great score.
What makes the difference in how dirty some Philly streets get versus others? Per Zoning Board Chairman Frank DiCicco, prime among a plethora of factors is irresponsible zoning.
DiCicco, a former city councilperson, believes the rapid proliferation of multi-family homes is one of the primary reasons litter has gotten so bad in some parts of the city. As ZBA chairman, he's acting on that belief — using it as a guiding principal when deciding whether to approve or deny variances for certain development projects.
"We have a dirty city," DiCicco told Billy Penn in an interview, "and one of the reasons is there's no place to put trash."
Zoning comes into play when developers try to flip single-family homes into multi-family dwellings, which can be more profitable. Oftentimes, before that can happen, a variance is required to change how the land is zoned. But good luck snagging one of those multi-family zoning variances in the near future.
"I tend to want to deny those conversions unless they can prove there's ample place for trash to be stored," DiCicco said.
Trash piling up in the Sharswood neighborhood of North Philly
DiCicco explains his position thusly: Multi-family rowhomes often house up to 20 people, but have limited trash storage options. So during the week, as garbage piles up in advance of pickup day, they're forced to either:
Utilize a small box under their front stoop, which could work for one family but won't have enough room for trash from dozens of residents
Keep the garbage in their homes, which DiCicco said could become a "health issue"
Throw the trash outside early
That last is probably the most common option, which can result in copy-cat litter and trash pile-up throughout the neighborhood. Therein lies the problem, DiCicco said.
"It becomes a public nuisance," he said. "It's a quality-of-life issue."
DiCicco believes the multi-family housing problem has gotten particularly bad in a couple different areas of the city: North Central Philly surrounding Temple, and around Seventh and Snyder in South Philly.
Tweet from @Mall___
There's no all-out ban on multi-family variances, DiCicco insists, maintaining that he's not against development. But he wants to impress upon developers seeking these variances that they need to have a plan for trash disposal. Ideally, he said, the property should have an accessible backyard where trash could be placed throughout the week.
"The individuals who play with the real estate market, I don't fault them for trying to maximize their revenue," he said. "But there's a burden then on the community. The residents there have to put up with all this nonsense."
"There's a need for housing in Philly," DiCicco added. "But it has to be done, in my opinion, in a way that doesn't negatively impact the neighborhood."
Trash, Frank DiCicco, North Philadelphia


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TV: The Problem with Smash.
By Scarlett Harris ¶ Posted in TV	¶ Tagged Angelica Huston, Broadway, Clem Bastow, Debra Messing, Katharine McPhee, Marilyn Monroe, Megan Hilty, Smash, Steven Spielberg, TheVine, Uma Thurman	¶ 2 Comments
This post was originally published earlier in the year when Smash first aired on Foxtel's W, now SoHo.
Smash, the Steven Spielberg-produced musical-serial about a Marilyn Monroe Broadway show, debuted with promise. I quite enjoyed the first few episodes, with Debra Messing as one of the musical's writers, Angelica Huston as its producer, and Broadway star Megan Hilty as the number one contender for the role of Marilyn. But then Smash kind of plateaued.
Clem Bastow, writing for TheVine, seems to think it's because of Katharine McPhee's inclusion as the other competitor vying for the lead, and I have to agree. Bastow writes:
"The trouble with McPhee's performance in Smash is that it jolts me out of my suspension of disbelief… [B]ut whenever Karen/Katharine opens her mouth, the fourth wall comes crashing down around me. Her voice is thin, her performance mannered, she acts with her chin like a young Gwyneth Paltrow, and self-consciously holds her mouth in such a way to suggest a very pretty female version of Jack Nicholson's Joker."
I'm all for Hilty's Ivy Lynn, who's spent ten years in the chorus and lives and breathes Marilyn through and through. But I just can't get behind McPhee's Karen Cartwright who, as Ivy rightfully observes, got to New York five minutes ago, hasn't paid her dues and is already getting callbacks for lead roles. She can't act (McPhee as Karen nor Karen as Marilyn), complains about everything and is an ineffable dolt.
But in the last few weeks, Smash has been looking up. I immensely enjoyed the episode when Ivy lost the plot after being replaced as Marilyn by Uma Thurman's major movie star, Rebecca Duvall, and had to go back to being an angel in the chorus line of Bombshell's (the name they've settled on for the fictional—but very well could be a real Broadway show if Smash's commercial success continues—musical) writers' other Broadway show, Heaven on Earth. Ivy loses it, mixes her throat medication with alcohol, goes on stage high, and ends up singing Rihanna's "Cheers (Drink to That)" with Karen in Times Square (video above. Please excuse the horrid quality, but I wanted a clip that actually showed the scene rather than just the audio).
I still can't stand Karen and Ellis, the sneaky assistant to Huston's Eileen and, formerly, Bombshell writer Tom Levitt but, if it's about Marilyn Monroe, I'm willing to let Smash go out with a bang.
Are you watching Smash? What do you think of it?
Related: The Problem with Smash.
Elsewhere: [The Vine] You Ain't Gettin' 88 Cents From Me, Smash.
Image via Crushable.
2 thoughts on "TV: The Problem with Smash."
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In for the kyl
Chelsea enter race for Kylian Mbappe as Antonio Conte contacts Monaco's teenage sensation
Blues join Arsenal in the pursuit for the Monaco forward who is valued at £100million following his breakthrough season
By George Boulton
9 Jun 2017, 7:54
Updated: 9 Jun 2017, 7:55
CHELSEA are the latest club to enter the race for Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe.
The 18-year-old could be drafted in to become the No1 striker at Stamford Bridge after Antonio Conte reportedly told the forward he is not part of his plans.
Chelsea have entered the race to sign Kylian MbappeCredit: Getty Images
According to Le10 Sport, the Blues have already made contact over a potential move for Mbappe.
Keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip, rumours and done deals in SunSport's live transfer blog
It is believed Conte will also meet with the forward after France's friendly against England on June 13th.
While it has also been reported Arsenal have launched an audacious £87million bid for the young forward.
Manchester United and Real Madrid have also been heavily linked with a move for the potent teenager who netted 26 goals in 44 games last season.
Mbappe helped Monaco to the Ligue 1 title after spearheading Leonardo Jardim's attack alongside Radamel Falcao.
The teenager helped fire Monaco to the Ligue 1 titleCredit: Getty Images
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has reportedly met with the Monaco forwardCredit: Rex Features
While Romelu Lukaku has also been linked with a move to Chelsea to replace Costa.
Lukaku recently spoke while playing for Belgium and said he is seeking Champions League football.
Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, Lukaku said: "I know what's going on, but I let my agent finish things.
"In the end I do take the decision. I want to improve and enhance myself.
"We are in talks with the club. I want to play in the Champions League, and try to win the Premier League a few times. I'll take the decision."
Antonio Conte has reportedly told Diego Costa he is not part of his plansCredit: PA:Press Association
Romelu Lukaku is seeking Champions League footballCredit: PA:Press Association


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Bible > Commentaries > 1 Peter 2:11
◄ 1 Peter 2:11 ►
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
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PRUDENTIAL RULES OF CONDUCT IN VIEW OF THE HOSTILE ATTITUDE OF THE HEATHEN.—As slanders against the Christian name are rife, and bringing practical persecution on the Church, they are exhorted to extreme care about their conduct, especially in regard (1) to purity, and (2) to due subordination, whether as subjects to the officers of state, or as slaves to their masters, or as wives to their husbands (1Peter 2:11 to 1Peter 3:12.)
(11) Dearly beloved.—"Affectionate and pressing exhortation," says Bengel. "That which is known to come from love," says Leighton, "cannot readily but be so received too, and it is thus expressed for that very purpose, that the request may be the more welcome. Beloved, it is the advice of a friend, one that truly loves-you, and aims at nothing but your good; it is because I love you that I intreat you, and intreat you, as you love yourselves, to abstain from fleshly lusts."
As strangers and pilgrims.—The exhortation will be felt with the more force if we turn to the Psalm from which St. Peter draws the phrase (Psalm 39:12, LXX.). The words, especially when compared with that Psalm, prepare for the description of distress which is to follow. (Comp. also Psalm 119:19.) The word "pilgrim" (which comes to us through the French form pelerin, from the Latin peregrinus) does not originally, or in this place, mean one on a pilgrimage. It implies no journeying, but simply residence in a foreign country. Here it represents the same Greek word which is rendered "strangers" in 1Peter 1:1, but is used in a metaphorical and not literal sense. Though no longer "scattered," but gathered mercifully once more into "a people," they were still far from home—unprotected residents in an alien and hostile world, which scrutinised their conduct and was anxious for an opportunity to get rid of them.
Abstain from fleshly lusts.—First prudential rule. Although all bad desires might be described as fleshly, the word seems here to mean what we usually understand by it, the lusts which lead to drunkenness, gluttony, and uncleanness. And though such sins are usually characteristic of the Gentile, not of the Jew, yet see our Note on 1Peter 1:14. Jews were not impeccable in such matters, and here the Apostle has a special reason for insisting on the observance of the seventh commandment. It may even be said that his mode of insistence recognises that his readers usually do observe it. He appeals to them as "Israelites from home" to be on their guard in such matters, as Leonidas might exhort Spartans going into battle not to flinch, or Nelson tell English sailors that "England expects every man to do his duty." There was special reason for these Hebrew Christians to be more than ever vigilant, because (see Note on next verse) of the calumnies which the heathen were beginning to circulate about the Christians.
Which war against the soul.—This clause is no specifying of the particular fleshly lusts to be guarded against, as though there were some of them which did not war against the soul; but it is a description of the way in which all fleshly lusts alike act. It means not merely a general antagonism between soul and body, but that the lusts are on active service, engaged in a definite campaign against the immortal part of the man. St. Peter has probably forgotten for the moment his metaphor of strangers and sojourners, and we are not to put the two things together too closely, as though their position of strangers rendered them more liable to the attack of the hostile lusts. "Abstain" cannot mean merely "be on your guard against." It runs rather thus: "You Christian Jews are dwelling as sojourners in the midst of jealous Gentile foreigners, and must, therefore, be particularly observant of moral conduct; for though I know that you usually are so, yet the fleshly appetites are actively engaged against your soul all the time; and if you should in any degree let them get the better of you, the heathen neighbours will at once take advantage of you." As the expression might have been drawn equally well from St. Paul or from St. James, it is perhaps the easiest thing to suppose that (like the metaphors of building or of giving milk) it was part of the common property of Christians, and not consciously traceable to any originator.
1 Peter 2:11-12. I beseech you, as strangers — Or sojourners; and pilgrims — Who have no inheritance on this earth, but are travelling to the heavenly country. The former word, παροικοι, properly means those who are in a strange house, a house not their own: the second, παρεπιδημοι, those who are in a strange country, and among a people not their own. We sojourn in the body; we are pilgrims in this world; abstain from fleshly lusts — Or carnal desires; from inordinate desires of any thing in this country. "The settled inhabitants of a country are anxious to acquire riches, to purchase lands, and to build houses. But they who stay but a few weeks in a country, or who only travel through it, are commonly not solicitous to secure to themselves accommodations which they are so soon to leave. In the same manner, believers, being only sojourners on earth, and travellers to a better country, ought not to place their happiness in the enjoyment of those objects by which carnal desires are gratified, and which are peculiar to this earthly state, but in securing themselves possessions in the heavenly country, the proper habitation of the righteous." — Macknight. Which carnal desires, though pleasant to the senses, war against the soul — Against the health, the strength, the liberty, the purity, the usefulness, the comfort of the soul. Having your conversation — Your whole behaviour; honest — Greek, καλην, amiable, excellent, commendable, and honourable, pious and virtuous in every respect. But our language sinks under the force, copiousness, and beauty of the original expressions; among the Gentiles — Your heathen neighbours, who narrowly watch you; that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers — As seditious persons and atheists, because ye do not worship their false gods, and because you join yourselves with what they presumptuously call the impious sect of Christians; they may by your good works — Your unblameable, useful, and holy conduct, your obedience to the just laws of the state, your submission to magistrates, and your patience and meekness when unjustly punished; which they shall behold — Shall be eye-witnesses of; may not only lay aside their blasphemous reproaches and bitter enmities, but may exchange them for commendations and praises, and so may glorify God — By owning his grace in you, being induced to believe and obey the truth, and to imitate your example; in the day of visitation — During the season in which the gospel is preached among them, whereby they are visited with the offers of pardon and salvation. It is well known that the patience, fortitude, and meekness with which the first Christians bore persecution for their religion, and the forgiving disposition which they expressed toward their persecutors, made such an impression on the heathen, who were witnesses of their sufferings, that many of them glorified God by embracing the gospel.
2:11,12 Even the best of men, the chosen generation, the people of God, need to be exhorted to keep from the worst sins. And fleshly lusts are most destructive to man's soul. It is a sore judgment to be given up to them. There is a day of visitation coming, wherein God may call to repentance by his word and his grace; then many will glorify God, and the holy lives of his people will have promoted the happy change.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you strangers and pilgrims - On the word rendered "strangers," (παροίκους paroikous,) see the notes at Ephesians 2:19, where it is rendered "foreigners." It means, properly, one dwelling near, neighboring; then a by-dweller, a sojourner, one without the rights of citizenship, as distinguished from a citizen; and it means here that Christians are not properly citizens of this world, but that their citizenship is in heaven, and that they are here mere sojourners. Compare the notes at Philippians 3:20, "For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven." On the word rendered "pilgrims," (παρεπιδήμους parepidēmous,) see the 1 Peter 1:1 note; Hebrews 11:13 note. A pilgrim, properly, is one who travels to a distance from his own country to visit a holy place, or to pay his devotion to some holy object; then a traveler, a wanderer. The meaning here is, that Christians have no permanent home on earth; their citizenship is not here; they are mere sojourners, and they are passing on to their eternal home in the heavens. They should, therefore, act as become such persons; as sojourners and travelers do. They should not:
(a) regard the earth as their home.
(b) They should not seek to acquire permanent possessions here, as if they were to remain here, but should act as travelers do, who merely seek a temporary lodging, without expecting permanently to reside in a place.
(c) They should not allow any such attachments to be formed, or arrangements to be made, as to impede their journey to their final home, as pilgrims seek only a temporary lodging, and steadily pursue their journey.
(d) Even while engaged here in the necessary callings of life - their studies, their farming, their merchandise - their thoughts and affections should be on other things. One in a strange land thinks much of his country and home; a pilgrim, much of the land to which he goes; and even while his time and attention may be necessarily occupied by the arrangements needful for the journey, his thoughts and affections will be far away.
(e) We should not encumber ourselves with much of this world's goods. Many professed Christians get so many worldly things around them, that it is impossible for them to make a journey to heaven. They burden themselves as no traveler would, and they make no progress. A traveler takes along as few things as possible; and a staff is often all that a pilgrim has. We make the most rapid progress in our journey to our final home when we are least encumbered with the things of this world.
Abstain from fleshly lusts - Such desires and passions as the carnal appetites prompt to. See the notes at Galatians 5:19-21. A sojourner in a land, or a pilgrim, does not give himself up to the indulgence of sensual appetites, or to the soft pleasures of the soul. All these would hinder his progress, and turn him off from his great design. Compare Romans 13:4; Galatians 5:24; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 2:12; 1 Peter 1:14.
Which war against the soul - Compare the notes at Romans 8:12-13. The meaning is, that indulgence in these things makes war against the nobler faculties of the soul; against the conscience, the understanding, the memory, the judgment, the exercise of a pure imagination. Compare the notes at Galatians 5:17. There is not a faculty of the mind, however brilliant in itself, which will not be ultimately ruined by indulgence in the carnal propensities of our nature. The effect of intemperance on the noble faculties of the soul is well known; and alas, there are too many instances in which the light of genius, in those endowed with splendid gifts, at the bar, in the pulpit, and in the senate, is extinguished by it, to need a particular description. But there is one vice preeminently, which prevails all over the pagan world, (Compare the notes at Romans 1:27-29) and extensively in Christian lands, which more than all others, blunts the moral sense, pollutes the memory, defiles the imagination, hardens the heart. and sends a withering influence through all the faculties of the soul.
"The soul grows clotted by contagion,
Embodies, and embrutes, till she quite lose
The divine property of her first being."
Of this passion, Burns beautifully and truly said -
"But oh! it hardens a' within,
And petrifies the feeling."
11. As heretofore he exhorted them to walk worthily of their calling, in contradistinction to their own former walk, so now he exhorts them to glorify God before unbelievers.
Dearly beloved—He gains their attention to his exhortation by assuring them of his love.
strangers and pilgrims—(1Pe 1:17). Sojourners, literally, settlers having a house in a city without being citizens in respect to the rights of citizenship; a picture of the Christian's position on earth; and pilgrims, staying for a time in a foreign land. Flacius thus analyzes the exhortation: (1) Purify your souls (a) as strangers on earth who must not allow yourselves to be kept back by earthly lusts, and (b) because these lusts war against the soul's salvation. (2) Walk piously among unbelievers (a) so that they may cease to calumniate Christians, and (b) may themselves be converted to Christ.
fleshly lusts—enumerated in Ga 5:19, &c. Not only the gross appetites which we have in common with the brutes, but all the thoughts of the unrenewed mind.
which—Greek, "the which," that is, inasmuch as being such as "war." &c. Not only do they impede, but they assail [Bengel].
the soul—that is, against the regenerated soul; such as were those now addressed. The regenerated soul is besieged by sinful lusts. Like Samson in the lap of Delilah, the believer, the moment that he gives way to fleshly lusts, has the locks of his strength shorn, and ceases to maintain that spiritual separation from the world and the flesh of which the Nazarite vow was the type.
Strangers and pilgrims; not only strangers in the several countries where ye inhabit, (being out of your own land), but strangers in the world, as all believers are, 1 Chronicles 29:15 Psalm 39:12 Psalm 119:19 Hebrews 11:13,14.
Abstain from fleshly lusts; not only sensual desires, but all the works of the flesh, Galatians 5:19-21, the carnal mind itself being enmity against God, Romans 8:7.
Which war; as enemies, oppose and fight against, Romans 7:23 Jam 4:1.
Against the soul; the inner man, or regenerate part, or Spirit, which is opposed to fleshly lusts: see Galatians 5:17.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you,.... The apostle, from characters of the saints, and which express their blessings and privileges, with great beauty, propriety, and pertinency, passes to exhortations to duties; he addresses the saints under this affectionate appellation, "dearly beloved", to express his great love to them, and to show that what he was about to exhort them to sprung from sincere and hearty affection for them, and was with a view to their real good; nor does he in an authoritative way command, as he might have done, as an apostle, but, as a friend, he entreats and beseeches them:
as strangers and pilgrims; not in a literal sense, though they were in a foreign country, in a strange land, and sojourners there, but in a spiritual and mystical sense; they were "strangers", not to God and Christ, and to the Spirit, to themselves, to the saints, and to all that is good, as they had formerly been, but to the world, the men of it, and the things in it; and therefore it became them to separate from it, and not conform to it; to abstain from all appearance of evil, to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts: and they were "pilgrims"; whose habit is Christ and his righteousness; whose food is Christ and his fulness; whose staff is Christ and the promises; whose guide is the blessed Spirit; the place for which they are bound is heaven, the better country, where is their Father's house, their friends, and their inheritance; this world not being their country, nor their resting place, it became them to have their conversation in heaven, and to
abstain from fleshly lusts; which spring from the flesh, and are concerned about fleshly things, and are exercised in and by the members of the flesh, or body; hence, in the Syriac version, they are called, "the lusts of the body": these are to be abstained from; not that the apostle thought that they could be without them; for while the saints are in the body, flesh, or corrupt nature will be in them, and the lusts thereof; but then these are not to be indulged, or provision to be made for them, to fulfil them; they are not to be obeyed and served, or lived unto, but to be denied and crucified, being unsuitable to the character of strangers and pilgrims, and also because of their hurtful and pernicious nature:
which war against the soul; see Romans 7:23, these are enemies to the spiritual peace, comfort, and welfare of the soul; and being of a man's household, and in his heart, are the worst enemies he has; and are to be treated as such, to be shunned and avoided, watched and guarded against; for though they cannot destroy the souls of true believers, they may bring much leanness upon them, and greatly distress them, and spoil them of their inward joy, and spiritual pleasure.
{9} Dearly beloved, {10} I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, {11} abstain from fleshly lusts, {12} which war against the soul;
(9) He returns to that general exhortation.
(10) A reason why we ought to live holy, that is, because we are citizens of heaven, and therefore we ought to live not according to the laws of this world, which is most corrupt, but of the heavenly city, although we are strangers in the world.
(11) Another argument: The children of God live not according to the flesh, that is, according to that corrupt nature, but according to the Spirit. Therefore fleshly actions should not rule us.
(12) The third argument: for although those lusts gratify us, yet they do not cease to fight against our salvation.
1 Peter 2:11-12. A new exhortation: the central thought is expressed in the beginning of 1 Peter 2:12. The apostle, after describing its peculiarly lofty dignity, considers the Christian church in its relation to the non-Christian world, and shows how believers must prove themselves blameless before it by right conduct in the different relations of human life. The condition necessary for this is stated in 1 Peter 2:11.
Ἀγαπητοί] This form of address expresses the affectionate, impressive earnestness of the following exhortation.
παρακαλῶ (sc. ὑμᾶς) ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους]; cf. Psalm 39:13, LXX.
ὡς, as in 1 Peter 1:14.
πάροικος, cf. 1 Peter 1:17, in its strict sense: Acts 7:6; Acts 7:29, equal to, inquilinus, he who dwells in a town (or land) where he has no civil rights; cf. Luke 24:18. In Ephesians 2:19 it stands as synonymous with ξένος, of the relation of the heathen to the kingdom of God.
παρεπίδημος, cf. 1 Peter 1:1. The home of the believer is heaven, on earth he is a stranger. Calvin: sic eos appellat, non quia a patria exularent, ac dissipati essent in diversis regionibus, sed quia filii Dei, ubicunque terrarum agant, mundi sunt hospites; cf. Hebrews 11:13-15. A distinction between the two words is not to be pressed here; the same idea is expressed by two words, in order to emphasize it the more strongly. Luther inexactly translates παρεπίδημοι by "pilgrims."
Even if ἀπέχεσθαι be the true reading, the words ὡς παροίκους κ.τ.λ. must be connected with παρακαλῶ (as opposed to de Wette-Brückner, Wiesinger), for they show in what character Peter now regarded his readers (Hofmann)[131] in relation to the following exhortations, and have reference not simply to the admonition ἀπέχεσθαι; as Weiss also (p. 45) rightly remarks. Probably, however, ἀπέχεσθε is the original reading, and was changed into the infinitive in order to make the connection with παρακαλῶ more close. ἀπέχεσθαι presents the negative aspect of sanctification, as chap. 1 Peter 2:1 : ἀποθέμενοι.
τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν] similar expressions in Galatians 5:10; Ephesians 2:3; 2 Peter 2:18. The ἐπιθυμίαι are σαρκικαί, because they have their seat in the σάρξ. Wiesinger improperly says that "the lusts which manifest themselves outwardly" are here meant, for all ἐπιθυμίαι tend to, and do, manifest themselves outwardly, if there be no ἀπέχεσθαι. Schott assumes, without reason, that the ἐπιθυμίαι are here considered "as something outside of the Christian community, and manifesting itself only in the surrounding heathen population;" they are indeed peculiar to the unbelieving world; but the Christian, too, has them still in his σάρξ, though he can and should prevent them from having a determining power over him, inasmuch as in the world over which they rule he is a πάροικος καὶ παρεπίδημος.[132] This sequence of thought lies plainly indicated in the close connection of the exhortation with what precedes (as opposed to Hofmann).
αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς] is not a definition of the σαρκικαί, but as αἵτινες, equal to "as those which," shows, explains the nature of the ἐπιθυμίαι σαρκικαί, thus giving the reason of the exhortation.
στρατεύειν is not: "to lay siege to" (Steiger), but: "to war," "fight against," as in Jam 4:1 (Romans 7:23 : ἀντιστρατεύεσθαι).
ψυχή has here its usual meaning; it is neither: vita et salus animae (Hornejus, Grotius), nor: ratio (Pott: libidines, quae nos impellunt ad peragenda ea, quae rationi contraria sunt); nor does it mean: "the new man" (Gerhard: totus homo novus ac interior, quatenus est per Spiritum s. renovatus), nor: the soul, "in so far as it is penetrated by the Holy Spirit" (Steiger), nor: "life as determined by the new Ego" (Schott); but it is here simply, in contradistinction to σῶμα, the spiritual substance of man of which Peter says that it must be sanctified (chap. 1 Peter 1:22), and its σωτηρία is the end of faith (chap. 1 Peter 1:9); thus also de Wette-Brückner, Wiesinger, Hofmann, Fronmüller. In the natural man the ψυχή is under the power of the ἐπιθυμίαι σαρκικαί (which according to Jam 4:1 have their dwelling ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν; cf. also Romans 7:23); in him who is regenerate, it is delivered from them, yet the ἐπιθυμίαι seek to bring it again into subjection, so that it may fail of its σωτηρία;—in this consists the στρατεύεσθαι κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς.—1 Peter 2:12. τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν (chap. 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Peter 1:17) ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔχοντες καλήν] ἐν τοῖς ἔθν.: "among the Gentiles;" for the churches to whom Peter wrote were in Gentile lands.
ἔχοντες καλήν: Luther inexactly: "lead a good mode of life;" καλήν is a predicate: "having your mode of life good (as one good);" cf. chap. 1 Peter 4:8.
ἔχοντες (antithesis to ἀπέχεσθε, 1 Peter 2:11) is not here put for the imperative, but is a participle subordinate to the finite verb; if ἀπέχεσθαι be read, there is here, as in Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:16, an irregularity in the construction by which the idea contained in the participle is significantly made prominent.
ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλοῦσιν κ.τ.λ.] "that in the matter in which they revile you as evil-doers they may, on the ground of the good works they themselves have beheld, glorify God," i.e. in order that the matter which was made the ground of their evil-speaking, may by your good works become to them the ground of giving glory to God.
ἵνα states the purpose; not for ὥστε; ἐν ᾧ is not: ἐν ᾧ χρόνω, as in Mark 2:19 (Pott, Hensler), for the καταλαλεῖν and the δοξάζειν cannot be simultaneous; nor is it: pro eo quod (Beza), such a construction has no grammatical justification; but ἐν specifies here, as in verb. affect., the occasioning object (cf. chap. 1 Peter 4:4), and the relative refers to a demonstrative to be supplied, which stands in the same relation to δοξάζωσι as ἐν ᾧ to καταλαλοῦσιν. It is not then τοῦτο, but ἐν τούτῳ, which is to be supplied (Steiger, de Wette, Wiesinger, Hofmann). If τοῦτο were to be supplied it would be dependent on ἐποπτεύσαντες; but such a construction is opposed by the circumstance that it is not this participle, but δοξάζωσι, which forms the antithesis to καταλαλοῦσι. The participle is interposed here absolutely (as in Ephesians 3:4 : ἀναγινώσκοντες), and ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων is connected with δοξάζωσι, the sense being: "on account of your good works." Steiger specifies the καλὰ ἔργα as that which occasions the καταλαλεῖν,—and later the δοξάζειν τὸν Θεόν,—but the subsequent ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων does not agree with this; de Wette gives: "the whole tenor of life;" the connection with what precedes might suggest the ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκ. ἐπιθυμιῶν;[133] but it is simpler, with Hofmann, to understand by it generally the Christian profession.
With κακοποιοί, cf. 1 Peter 2:14; 1 Peter 4:15; John 18:30. Brückner, Wiesinger, Weiss (p. 367) justly reject the opinion of Hug, Neander, etc., that ΚΑΚΟΠΟΙΌς here, in harmony with the passage in Suetonius, Vit. Ner. c. 16: Christiani genus hominum superstitionis novae et malificae, is equivalent to "state criminal." In the mouth of a heathen the word would signify a criminal, though not exactly a vicious man; one who had been guilty of such crimes as theft, murder, and the like (cf. 1 Peter 4:15), which are punished by the state[134] (cf. 1 Peter 2:14).
ἘΚ ΤῶΝ ΚΑΛῶΝ ἜΡΓΩΝ] The ΚΑΛᾺ ἜΡΓΑ, in the practice of which the ἈΝΑΣΤΟΦῊ ΚΑΛΉ) of the Christians consists, are here presented as the motive by which, when they see them, the heathen are to be induced to substitute the glorifying of God for their evil-speaking; as the Christians too, on their part, are often exhorted to holiness of life, that thus they may overcome the opposition of the Gentiles, cf. chap. 1 Peter 3:2. Hofmann incorrectly interprets ἘΚ Τ. ΚΑΛ. ἜΡΓΩΝ ἘΠΟΠΤΕΎΟΝΤΕς: "if the heathen judge of your Christianity by your good works;" for ἘΠΟΠΤΕΎΕΙΝ does not mean "to judge of." With ἐκ τ. καλ. ἔργων … δοξάσωσι τ. Θεόν, comp. Christ's words, Matthew 5:16
1 Peter 2:11 f. indicate generally the subject to be discussed. Beloved I exhort you to abstain from the lusts of the flesh, because they wage war against the soul. Standers and even torments can only affect the body. But the lusts natural or acquired which you have renounced may hinder your salvation, as they have already impeded your mutual love. For the sake of your old friends and kinsfolk refuse to yield to their solicitations. If rebuffed they resort to persecution of whatever kind, remember that it is only a passing episode of your brief exile. Let your conduct give them no excuse for reproach; so may they recognise God's power manifest not on your lips but in your lives.—ἀγαπητοί, not an empty formulæ but explanation of the writer's motive. He set before them the great commandment and now adds to it as Jesus did, Love one another as I have loved you, John 13:34.—ὡς π. καὶ παρεπιδήμους with ἀπεχ. (motive for abstinence in emphatic position) rather than παρακαλῶ (as νουθετεῖτε ὡς ἀδελφόν, 2 Thessalonians 3:15—the motive of exhortation is here expressed by ἀγ.) echoes παρεπιδήμοις of 1 Peter 1:1 and παροικίας of 1 Peter 1:17. The combination (= גר וחושב) occurs twice in LXX (Genesis 33:4; Psalm 39:13). Christians are in the world, not of the world.—ἀπέχεσθαι, cf. Plato, Phaedo, 82 C, true philosophers, ἀπέχονται τῶν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἐπιθυμιῶν ἁπάσων—not for fear of poverty, like the vulgar, nor for fear of disgrace, like the ambitious, but because only so can he, departing in perfect purity, come to the company of the gods".—τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, the lusts of the flesh. St. Peter borrows St. Paul's phrase, ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν (Ephesians 2:3), but uses it in his own way in a sense as wide as τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐ. (Titus 2:12). For the flesh is the earthly life (cf. Colossians 3:5) the transitory mode of existence of the soul which is by such abstinence to be preserved (1 Peter 1:9).—αἵτινες … ψυχῆς, because they are campaigning against the soul.—στρατεύονται (cf. 1 Peter 4:1 f., for military metaphor) perhaps derived from Romans 7:23, "I perceive a different law in my members warring against (ἀντιστρατευόμενον) the law of my mind;" cf. Jam 4:1, the pleasures which war in your members, and 4Ma 9:23, ἱερὰν καὶ εὐγενῆ στρατείαν στρατεύσασθε περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας.—κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς. The lusts of this earthly life are the real enemy for they affect the soul. Compare Matthew 10:28, which may refer to the Devil and not to God, and the Pauline parallel, ἡ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος … ταῦτα γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ἀντικεῖται (Galatians 5:17).
11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims] This is manifestly the beginning of a fresh section of the Epistle. Somewhat after the manner of St Paul, the Apostle, alter having allowed his thoughts to travel through the mysteries of redemption, reaches, as it were, the highest region of the truth, and then pauses in the act of writing or dictating, and takes a fresh start. In doing so, however, he goes back to the opening words of the Epistle (see note on chap. 1 Peter 1:1). Those to whom he wrote were "strangers and pilgrims" (the English reader must remember that "pilgrim" is but another form of peregrinus), not only as belonging to the Jews of the dispersion, but as being, like the patriarchs of old (Hebrews 11:13), men who, in whatever country they might be, felt that their true home was elsewhere. In the LXX. version of Psalm 39:12 we find both the words and the thoughts to which St Peter now gives utterance. It is obvious that the special local position of the disciples, though not, it may be, altogether excluded, is now thrown quite into the background.
abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul] The negative aspect of the Christian life is put forward first, as being prior, both in order of thought, and often in that of time, to its more positive development. The entreaty rests upon the character implied in the previous words. Travellers in a strange land, yet more in the land of enemies, do not care commonly to adopt all its customs. They retain their nationality. The exiles who hung their harps by the waters of Babylon did not forget Jerusalem, and would not profane its hymns by singing them at idolfeasts (Psalm 137:1-3). The citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem were in like manner to keep themselves from all that would render them unfit for their true home. The words "fleshly lusts" have, perhaps, a somewhat wider range than the English term suggests, and take in all desires that originate in man's corrupt nature, as well as those directly connected with the appetites of the body: comp. St Paul's list of the "works of the flesh" in Galatians 5:19-21. In the description of these as "warring against the soul," we have another striking coincidence of language with St James (James 4:1) and St Paul (Romans 7:23). "Soul" stands here, as in chap. 1 Peter 1:9, for the higher element of man's nature which, in the more elaborate threefold division of man's nature, adopted by St Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and elsewhere, includes both "soul and spirit."
1 Peter 2:11. Ἀγαπητοὶ, dearly beloved) A friendly and well-disposed exhortation.—παρακαλῶ, I beseech you) So ch. 1 Peter 5:1. [A great exhortation, of which the former part begins here; the second part in the middle of 1 Peter 2:15, ch. 3. Both parts have ἵνα ἐν ᾧ, κ.τ.λ., ch. 1 Peter 2:12, and 1 Peter 3:16.—Not. Crit.]—παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμονς, strangers and foreigners) A gradation: ye are not only as in a strange house, but even as in a foreign city, ye who believe of the Jews and Gentiles. The reason why ye should abstain. Leviticus 25:23, Septuagint, προσήλυτοι καὶ πάροικοι ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, ye are strangers and sojourners before Me. Psalm 39:12, ὅτι πάροικος ἐγώ εἰμι ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ παρεπίδημος, καθὼς πάντες οἱ πατέρες μον, for I am a stranger on the earth and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Comp. Hebrews 11:13, note.—ἀπέχεσθε, abstain) The Imperative,[17] as ch. 1 Peter 5:1-2, I exhort—feed. Thus cohere the words, having your conversation, etc., 1 Peter 2:12, and ch. 1 Peter 3:7-9, and the word ready [ἕτοιμοι coming after the previous Imperative, as ἔχοντες here], ch. 1 Peter 3:15.—σαρκικῶν, carnal) 2 Peter 2:10; 2 Peter 2:18.—στρατεύονται, war) Not only do they hinder, but attack. A fine word.
[17] Not the Infinitive ἀπέχεσθαι, as B Vulg. and Rec. Text. But ἀπέχεσθε in AC, both Syr. Versions, Memph. and Cyprian.—E.
Verse 11. - Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims. St. Peter returns to practical topics: he begins his exhortation in the affectionate manner common in Holy Scripture. He calls his readers "strangers and pilgrims." The word here rendered "strangers" (πάροικοι) is equivalent to the classical μέτοικοι, and means "foreign set-tiers, dwellers in a strange land." The second word (παρεοίδημοι, translated "strangers" in 1 Peter 1.) means "visitors" who tarry for a time in a foreign country, not permanently settling in it. It does not contain the ideas associated with the modern use of "pilgrim;" though that word, derived kern the Latin peregrinus, originally meant no more than "sojourner." St. Peter is plainly using the words metaphorically his readers were citizens of the heavenly country; on earth they were sojourners. Both words occur in the Septuagint Version of Psalm 39:12 (38:13 in the Greek), with the same metaphorical meaning. Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Strangers and pilgrims should remember their distant home, and not follow the practices of the strange land in which they sojourn. The lusts of the flesh are all those desires which issue out of our corrupt nature (temp. Galatians 5:16-21). They "war against the soul." "Non mode impediunt," says Bengel, "sod oppugnant; grande verbum" (comp. Romans 7:23). St. Peter uses the word "soul" here for the whole spiritual nature of man, as in 1 Peter 1:9, 22. 1 Peter 2:11
Beloved (ἀγαπητοί)
A favorite term with Peter, occurring eight times in the epistles. See the phrase, our beloved. Barnabas and Paul, Acts 15:25, in the letter sent by the council at Jerusalem to the Gentile Christians, the account of which, doubtless, came from Peter. Compare our beloved brother Paul, 2 Peter 3:15.
Strangers (παροίκους)
Rev., sojourners. Compare 1 Peter 1:17, "the time of your sojourning (παροικίας)."
Which (αἵτινες)
The compound pronoun denotes a class, of that kind which, classifying all fleshly desires in one category.
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Is Keyword Density Still Important?
It's nearly the end of 2017 and the SEO game is still changing. Keyword density is a common area of concern for all that dabble in search engine optimisation, but is there an answer to the age-old question?
Back in 2011, including plenty of keywords in your body content and meta tags would almost guarantee that page would rank well in search engines for that specific search term.
It's because of this that the whole concept of keyword density even exists. Industry experts caught wind of this strategy and began advising us all that a density of anywhere between 2 and 5% (meaning at least 2-5% of words on the page were your specific target keywords) was something to strive for.
When the Panda update was released, this approach was called into question – was it better to leave things as they were, or shift your focus towards creating high quality, reader-friendly content?
Ultimately, that question remains unanswered today, partly due to the fact that the SEO landscape has continued to increase in complexity. The release of the Hummingbird update, as well as other semantic search improvements, has left marketers struggling to understand if content keywords are still as important as they used to be.
That original game plan appeared to work regularly back in 2011 and still forms the basics of keyword density strategy today. It's premise was straightforward enough – if you wanted to appear for a search term such as 'hardback books', you'd simply include the phrase 'hardback books' regularly throughout your content.
Unfortunately, Google decided this wasn't providing its users with the most relevant content and moved the goalposts with Hummingbird – an update to the search algorithm that changed how Google viewed relevance. Instead of matching identical 'exact match' keywords, the new update meant that Google would now attempt to understand the intent of a user's search term and therefore present pages that matched its own interpretation.
Simply put, instead of searching for pages that repeatedly listed 'hardback books', Google would find pages that discuss hardback books using natural language and present these at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). This change suggests keyword density as part of an SEO strategy is no longer as important as it used to be, plus the fact that a more contextual writing style would appear to work more effectively with the Hummingbird update criteria.
So What Does The Cold, Hard Data Suggest?
Well, research from SEMRush conducted earlier this year showed that 18% of top-ranked pages actually didn't have the searched keyword in body content at all – surprising huh! This reinforces the new-found belief from many industry experts that you can rank for a target keyword without including it in on-page content.
Now we don't want to suggest that you start ignoring keywords – far from it. A focus on your target keywords is still vitally important to any SEO campaign, but the research suggests that keyword density has far less of an impact on rankings than it used to. Even though the data highlights 18% of top-ranked pages don't feature the searched keyword, the other 82% do – that's still 8 out of every 10 search results.
In fact, pages targeting keywords that are particularly popular and see large volumes of traffic featured the search terms in their titles, metadata content or a combination of all three. The key thing to take away from the data is the fact that the higher the keyword was placed in the body content of a page, the more important Google's crawlers took it to be.
Researching Keywords Are Still Important – You should still take the time to investigate potentially valuable keywords and find the most appropriate topics to create content about.
Popular Keywords Matter More – Pages that feature more popular search queries include more keywords than less popular queries. This means that main keywords have more value to you than long-tail keywords.
Keyword Position Matters – Google takes the position of your keywords into account, so keywords in titles and high in body content have more importance than those hidden at the end.
Natural Language Is King – Only produce content that is natural and high quality as Google will discount anything else, and keyword density shouldn't interfere with this.
So is keyword density still important in SEO? Yes, but not nearly as much as it used to be.
Don't go out of your way to optimise individual pages for exact-match keywords and aim for that previously worshipped 2-5% density – your time is better spent understanding your primary target search terms and creating shareable content that is of use to readers.
Relevancy and usefulness are the new kings in SEO town.


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This Date In History: 70 Years Ago Today, The United States Unnecessarily Dropped The Uranium Nuclear Bomb, Little Boy, On Hiroshima
Yes, today marks the 70th anniversary of that terrible day when an American B29 stratofortress bomber, named "Enola Gay" opened its bomb bays over the peaceful city of Hiroshima Japan at approximately 812am Japan time....And sent one bomb on its way hurtling down to the city below.... That bomb was an Uranium 235 based "rail gun" device code named "Little Boy".... At 815am, the device exploded in a fireball some 150 meters in diameter... It also released a massive blast shock wave that obliterated the city below it killing some 150000 innocent people in an instant, while leaving some 100000 more to feel the ravages of radiation sickness for years to come, and changed the world forever....
Being a student of real history, I can say unequivocally that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was indeed unnecessary and after researching the facts for years, I can safely say that it was indeed an act of cold blooded murder and genocide on the Japanese people.... We have always been led to believe that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (and Nagasaki 3 days later) was to "save American lives" and quickly put an end to the war with Japan... I find the real facts to be different, and I will explain why....
After the Japanese naval defeat at the Phillipine Sea battle of June 19th-20th, 1944, sometimes called the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" where the Japanese lost 3 heavy aircraft carriers, and their entire naval air fleet was utterly destroyed, the Japanese government forced the resignation of Hideki Tojo's cabinet and placed Prince Fumimaro Konoye in the office of Prime Minister... Konoye was no fool and realized that the Japanese had been thoroughly beaten and that the war against America was a lost cause... Within a few weeks, his cabinet sent out "peace negotiators" to seek honorable terms with the American government for Japan's surrender.. However, the negotiations reached a stalemate, due to the American demands that Japan surrender "unconditionally".....
The Japanese nation before and well into World War II had been governed with the religious belief under "Shintoism" that their Emperor, Hirohito, was somehow "divine", and that almost unshakeable belief was a major stumbling block for the Japanese in their want to end the war... The Japanese negotiators in 1944 were trying to have one single term placed into the Unconditional Surrender terms outlined by the Americans, in that they be allowed to keep their Emperor as the head of state, even if it means in a "figurehead" capacity... The Americans basically said "no deal" to this request, and the war continued....
Few people are even aware that when Japan finally did surrender on August 14th, 1945, the terms were indeed agreed that the Emperor was to be allowed to continue as the Japanese head of state, but only in a "figurehead" position.... So the question that everyone should be asking is .... WHY did the war continue after 1944 if the simple terms that the Japanese asked for at that time were actually agreed upon with the final surrender? That unwillingness by the American government at the time cost the lives of some 100000 more allied troops in the unnecessary invasions of the Phillipines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and even Borneo and Burma.....
I have read many works by authors such as Eustice Mullins, that show that the war was indeed carried on for another full year against Japan, costing my innocent lives in the process, for not only the military industrial complex, the criminal Jewish banking cartels, but for the testing of the ultimate Jewish weapon, the A-bomb, on the innocent civilian population of Japan.... It does appear now that their information is indeed correct....
The United States with the Manhattan Project in full swing by late 1944, had already invested at the time some 2 BILLION dollars in 1944 dollars on the development of the atomic bomb, and it does appear that the criminals involved in the Jew Roosevelt government did not want the project to end abruptly and wanted to make sure that the experiment was a success... It does appear that these monsters did not care about the lives of innocent people that would be murdered in the process.....
Therefore by mid 1945, the American scientists had three nuclear devices developed and ready for testing... One was the "rail gun" Uranium device code named "Little Boy", and two Plutonium 239 "implosion" devices... One of the Plutonium based devices was subsequently detonated at the Trinity site in New Mexico on July 16th, 1945 while the other, code named "Fat Man" was loaded, along with Little Boy, on the American cruiser Indianapolis and sent to Tinian Island in the Marianas......
Yes, the facts have been coming out over the years that Hiroshima was indeed unnecessary, and can now be seen as an act of cold blooded murder and genocide....The Jewish criminal scientists involved in the Manhattan Project had their "super weapon" and wanted to have it tested on innocent lives and they got it when Enola Gay dropped their device over Hiroshima...
I came across the following report, that has a great amount of actual photos of the carnage that resulted in Hiroshima from that one single weapon... I want to present the link to that article here for all to see...
http://www.fogonazos.es/2007/02/hiroshima-pictures-they-didnt-want-us_05.html
I and others in this, the "real" truth movement, have been honoring this day for the real victims of the murderous American attack on the innocent city of Hiroshima..... People everywhere must understand that we have all been lied to purposely in our so called "History books" about the real truths about this fateful day, and it is again time for the real story to be told!
torus said...
Take comfort in knowing that nobody is going to hell...as we've already arrived.
Jerome P. said...
I hope you got a good holiday period :-)
I see you came back with interesting articles as always!
Particularly good for me was the one about the MH370 part, as a french I immediately thought when the TV "news"(je?ish propaganda) came up with this, that it was all bogus.
As my question is about nuclear weapons, I post it as a "comment" on Hiroshima's bombing 70th "anniversary", which was a major war crime, whether we believe it was nuclear weapons or chemical/firebombing weapons that were used.
I just wanted to know if you had read this blog: http://heiwaco.tripod.com/bomb.htm
about the fake atomic bombs (and also about the impossibility of 9/11 towers falling as supposed to have done, and Moon travels fakes) ?
Reading your blog regularly, I came to the conclusion that you have knowledge in Physics (I was not particularly "good" in physics at the University where I had started to study maths, well...about 20 years ago now), and I would like to have your opinion about this, if you have the time to answer to me, my address is: startiger at hotmail dot fr (if you can keep the address to yourself, and not show it on the comment, maybe it would be better, I don't know if there is a feature to hide it, no obligation to hide it though, it's just that I prefer to be cautious).
I found his parts "1.2" to "1.4" about the fins quite funny :-)
well, the article is long to read (2 "long" internet pages), but an interesting read, maybe you have read them already (as they have been updated a little, but were there several years ago when I first found them).
Anyway, thanks again for posting many interesting & reliable informations on your blog,
friendly regards,


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US prosecutors trying to block Rasmea Odeh's release from jail
Charlotte Silver Rights and Accountability 10 December 2014
Rasmea Odeh
Update: US backs down
Supporters of Rasmea Odeh say government prosecutors have backed down from their latest attempt to delay the Palestinian American community leader's release from jail.
Assisant US Attorney Jonathan Tukel withdrew the government's motion challenging the source of the $50,000 that will be used to pay Odeh's bond, according to a statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee, published by the US Palestinian Community Network on Wednesday evening.
The retreat came after US prosecutors deposed – or questioned – the anonymous donor who has put up the money.
According to the statement, the prosecutors asked whether the donor "is actually a friend or only a political supporter" of Odeh, "as well as challenging the donor's views on Israeli military courts, the decisions of Judge Drain in the case, and the treatment of Palestinians by US federal courts."
Odeh's Detroit-based attorney William Goodman "objected to all of these political questions as irrelevant to the proceedings," the statement says.
"Their actions are nothing but punitive in nature, and their questioning of the donor clearly affirms that their politics and ideology, not the law, govern their work," Hatem Abudayyeh said in the statement, referring to the prosecutors.
If there are no further surprises, Abudayyeh, a lead organizer in the Rasmea Defense Committee, expects that bond will be posted on Thursday morning, and Odeh could be on her way back to Chicago that afternoon.
Federal prosecutors in Michigan are trying to stop Rasmea Odeh getting out of jail.
On Monday, US District Judge Gershwin Drain granted a defense motion to allow the Palestinian American community leader to go free on bond pending sentencing. This reversed a decision he made to jail her immediately after she was found guilty of immigration fraud in November.
But now prosecutors have raised objections to the source of $50,000 that would be used to pay her bond and get her out of the St. Clair County Jail in Port Huron, about an hour north of Detroit, where she has been held for exactly a month.
The bond will allow Odeh, 67, to return home to Chicago until her 10 March sentencing. The judge's order requires her to report to a probation officer every two weeks, restricts her travel and prohibits her from obtaining a new passport.
The news of Drain's decision cheered Odeh's supporters, who had grown increasingly concerned over reports she had been held in sustained solitary confinement and was receiving inadequate medical attention.
But last night, lead US prosecutor Jonathan Tukel filed a motion with the court questioning the source of the bond money.
Citing the online requests for donations to support the Rasmea Defense Committee on stopFBI.net and US Palestinian Community Network, Tukel asserted that, "It is difficult to see how money raised by large numbers of people creates any incentive for Defendant Odeh to appear. It is likely she would suffer no personal loss by virtue of its forfeiture."
Following the prosecution's motion, Drain scheduled a hearing for tomorrow, 11 December, in Detroit.
"Moot Argument"
Hatem Abudayyeh, one of the lead organizers of the Rasmea Defense Committee, said, "The argument from the prosecution is moot."
Speaking to The Electronic Intifada while en route to Detroit for tomorrow's hearing, Abudayyeh explained: "We didn't raise the bond by raising a bunch of one-dollar donations from thousands of people. We raised it with one person, who is a close friend and knows Odeh well. He is posting the entire bond."
The Chicago-based person is being deposed today about his relationship with Odeh, and his testimony will be presented at tomorrow's hearing. Odeh will also testify tomorrow.
"She would never flee and force him to lose what is essentially his life savings," Abudayyeh said.
Abudayyeh is executive director of the Arab American Action Network, a Chicago organization that works with Arab immigrants in the city, where Odeh serves as associate director.
Punishment for exercising due process?
Odeh's defense has filed a motion for a new trial, citing several grievances with the way November trial was conducted. The prosecution and Drain have used Odeh's dissatisfaction with the trial and guilty verdict as justification to keep her detained.
Drain wrote in his ruling on Monday, "It is of course not lost on this Court that Defendant's testimony concerning her escape from prison in Israel suggests her belief that her actions were warranted because her conviction was unjustified. Defendant has expressed a similar feeling concerning her recent conviction for unlawful procurement of naturalization."
Odeh's conviction stems from her failure to disclose in an immigration form her 1969 conviction in an Israeli military court for a role in two bombings. Odeh has consistently stated that the conviction was based on a confession Israeli interrogators extracted through prolonged torture and sexual assault.
Rasmea Yousef Odeh
Hatem Abudayyeh
Arab American Action Network
stopfbi.net
United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)
Gershwin A Drain
Jonathan Tukel
The position of the US
Permalink maggie replied on Thu, 12/11/2014 - 13:36
The position of the US prosecution is a reflection of the position of the US government in regards to the Israel - Palestinian issue. Israel unfairly dominates the government's position in all things Israel and the treatment of Odeh reflects that and that alone, not the governing law of the USA. None of this would be happening if Odeh were not Palestinian.