text:
Infamous "balloon boy" hoaxer Richard Heene is at it again, hitting America right where it itches. The determined dad is trying to raise scratch for his wife and three sons by hawking his own "Bear Scratch" itching post in a YouTube commercial that makes him come across as an even more excitable version of late, leather-lunged pitchman Billy Mays.
The commercial comes with its own twangy, down-home theme song, catchy slogan ("If you itch like a son of a twitch"), but most of all, Heene himself. He's a face familiar to America through the Oct. 15, 2009, "balloon boy" hoax in which Heene and his wife alerted authorities that their son Falcon had floated away in a silver weather balloon over the mountains and plains of Colorado.
The nation was transfixed as police and military helicopters chased the weather balloon, even causing Denver International Airport to shut down briefly. The family appeared on TODAY and other media outlets to express their relief that 6-year-old Falcon had actually been hiding in the house and wasn't aboard the balloon.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
But when questioned by Wolf Blitzer on CNN on why he was hiding, Falcon looked at his dad and said, "You told me we were doing this for a show." Authorities pounced, sentencing Heene to 90 days in jail for false reporting. His wife, Mayumi, got 20 days for her part in the scheme, and the family was ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution.
Related: 'Balloon boy' dad: It wasn't a stunt
Related: 'Balloon boy' family ready to surrender
Heene did his time and has since moved his family from Fort Collins, Colo., to Bradenton, Fla., but is still serving four years probation. Under its conditions, he is not allowed to capitalize on the "balloon boy" hoax for personal gain. But that doesn't mean he's going to let his notoriety go to waste.
'Hyperactive huckster'
Coming across as a "hyperactive huckster on a Red Bull drip," according to the Denver Westward website, Heene promotes the notion of humans satisfying their itch much as bears do in the woods in his two-minute "Bear Scratch" commercial. And he tells potential customers that at $19.99 ($29.99 for two) for the yard-long, wall-mountable post, it blows away the traditional, seven-bucks-a-pop back scratcher.
"Check it out — when you walk into the woods, you don't see a bear break off a branch and scratch his back; no, he uses the entire tree!" Heene bellows in his commercial. He then rubs his back up against the Bear Scratch post and goes into ecstasy. "Oh, God — now that is a back scratch, that is a back scratch!" One of his older sons (not Falcon) gets into the back-scratching action as well.
In one of the commercial's most manic moments, Heene yells to his wife off camera, "Honey, I don't need you anymore. I can do it myself!" as he rubs his back against the scratching post.
On his website, bearscratch.com, Heene comes across as wacky as ever, describing himself as an inventor whose creations are "geared to helping make life easier for people or to save human lives." He writes that his family credo is "to live by the standards of 'The Laws of Attraction': By putting 'good' out into the electromagnetic shell of the earth, 'good' will come back."
The Bear Scratch is only the latest in a long line of publicity and money-making stunts by Heene. The 49-year-old, who originally met his wife, a native of Japan, at a Hollywood acting school, had appeared twice on the TV reality series "Wife Swap" and was pitching his family as subjects for their own reality series at the time of the "balloon boy" hoax.


text:
Fayette's representative at the annual Franklin B. Walter Awards emerged as the top senior in Fulton County.
Nathan Stoltzfus represented Fayette at the award dinner March 11 and there he was named the overall Fulton County scholar. Stoltzfus will represent the county at the state awards assembly.
The Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Award program was organized in 1990 by the Ohio Educational Service Center Association to honor Walter, a past state school superintendent.
To be eligible for the award, senior students must demonstrate outstanding achievement in five areas: involvement in school activities, awards received, personal goal statement, grade point average and ACT/SAT score.
Each district winner received a check for $150 and each county winner receives an additional $500 scholarship.
The Northwest Ohio awards—including Fulton, Defiance, Henry and Williams counties—were presented at Northwest State Community College.
Each district student winner gave a tribute to one teacher who played an influential role in their education. Stoltzfus spoke about Fayette Spanish teacher Alysa Sauder.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Colgate Geology Photo Galleries
OC Western Leg '02 – 10By Jason Kammerdiener on February 17, 2014
Leave a comment
Comments: Please make sure you keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted. Responsibility for comments lies with each individual user, not with Colgate University. Comments will not appear immediately. We appreciate your patience.


text:
Community News
2012 Relay for Life luminaria available
- Details
- Category: Community News
- Published on 17 April 2012
- Written by Mount Vernon Optic-Herald
A special luminaria ceremony during the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Franklin County remembers those lost to cancer and honors those who have battled and won.
The luminaria candle lighting to represent these individuals is set for 9 p.m. Friday, May 4 at Don Meredith Stadium. See the April 12 edition of the Mount Vernon Optic-Herald, for a registration form to sign up for luminaria.


text:
|System: PS Vita
|Dev: Nihilistic Software
|Pub: Activision
|Release: November 13, 2012
|Players: 1-8
|Screen Resolution: 544p
|Blood, Drug Reference, Strong Language, Violence
by Josh Engen
I don't think any of us were expecting Black Ops Declassified to be a life-changing piece of artistic brilliance. In fact, all we really wanted was a pocket-sized Call of Duty title that could be played in-between rounds of Black Ops 2. But Nihilistic Software, the developer behind Declassified, has created something that manages to disappoint those with even the lowest of expectations.
The game itself bears only a passing resemblance to Treyarch's signature franchise. But if it weren't for the character names, it might have no similarities whatsoever. Sure, the developers have cobbled together a campaign of sorts, but what Nihilistic is calling a "storyline," I prefer to call "a string of incoherent video clips and pointless mission objectives."
The developer was obviously trying to create a storyline that felt like a collection of top-secret, recently declassified Mason and Woods missions. But the campaign's framework is terminally flawed by the pointlessness of each operation. It jumps from character to character without explaining its reasoning and forces you to repeat the same brainless mission-type ad infinitum. It's disjointed, to say the least, but that's not event the biggest problem.
The worst part is that I polished off the entire campaign in under and hour. It consists of ten disappointingly short operations that are introduced by a video clip, which I guess is intended to setup each mission. However, there's no real story being told here and each mission can be completed in just a few minutes. So, considering Declassified's $49.99 price tag, the per minute cost of single player campaign ends up being more than one of those psychic hotlines.
What makes matters worse is that the missions themselves are more frustrating than entertaining. The enemy A.I. is nonfunctioning, so it's common to see enemies firing their guns ferociously into an object or facing the wrong direction entirely. I also watched several enemy soldiers get blown to bits by a friendly grenade. The only thing that adds any difficulty to the missions is the fact that the enemies have X-ray vision and are typically firing their guns long before you round the corner.
Unfortunately, that's not where the disappointment stops. The game also includes a survival mode that is more a test of one's patience than actual skill. As with most survival modes, players are tasked with quashing wave after wave of enemies until the player is eventually overwhelmed. Typically, in this type of game mode, the enemies become incredibly difficult, and/or more numerous. But with the artificial intelligence being almost completely broken, nearly any reasonably intelligent person should have no problem surviving for an endless number of rounds. (Protip: don't just run around in the open). Plus, instead of steadily increasing the number of enemy units, the developer just changes the type of weapons they're carrying from round to round.
More often than not, Declassified feels like an unfunny comedian doing a bad celebrity impersonation. Only, in this case, he's impersonating the wrong celebrity. Most of the pieces that make Declassified feel like a Call of Duty game have been lifted from the Modern Warfare franchise, not Black Ops. The campaign uses the same star-based scoring system that Modern Warfare's Spec Ops missions use. And there's a distinct lack of zombies in the survival mode. In fact, survival mode has clearly been lifted directly from Modern Warfare 3, only MW3's was fun and challenging.
The only part of the entire game that doesn't feel like a bad interpretation is the multiplayer mode. The loadouts, perks and gun selections are classically Call of Duty, and, if you can ever get connected, the experience isn't entirely unfamiliar. However, the game's matchmaking system and netcode are perpetually broken. Connecting to a game is difficult, and when you actually to manage to get connected, you might find yourself alone in a server.
On the rare occasion that everything goes smoothly and you manage to connect to a sever full of people, you'll instantly become frustrated by Declassified's impossibly small map designs. I commonly found myself spawning directly in the crosshairs of enemy players or quickly picking off recently spawned players. If you can manage to stay alive long enough to actually take a few steps, the experience isn't entirely unenjoyable. Actually, it can often feel like a genuine Call of Duty game, but the fact that the game's most fundamental mechanic, spawning, is broken will quickly become annoying.


text:
Should seniority or student's test scores decide which teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School district stay or go?
John Deasy, the LAUSD Superintendent wants to change the district's seniority system—no longer should the first teacher hired be the last fired. Instead, more emphasis should be put on students' test scores as a basis for evaluating a teacher's performance and future employment.
But Warren Fletcher, the new president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said that's not the answer.
"There are a lot of factors that go into quality teaching," Fletcher said. "Tying employment decisions to test scores is something that is fairly dangerous."
Test scores by themselves, Fletcher said, are not always an accurate measure of performance.
"The Federal government has said that VAM models," Fletcher said, "like the ones the school board majority and the Superintendent are proposing and pushing—those can be expected to be inaccurate twenty-five percent of the time."
Fletcher believes that while some qualities of good teaching are quantifiable, not all can be measured.
"UTLA and the district agree the evaluation system needs to be revisited," Fletcher said. "We don't want to just sort of attach test scores to a system that doesn't work."
Watch the Full Interview
Teacher Seniority Vs. Test Scores
Should seniority or student's test scores decide which teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School district stay or go?


text:
By Sherri Ellington
The board of appeals gave a preliminary approval to Arthur "Brutz" English's special exception application for an agritourism venture – a horse racing track that has had neighbors up in arms.
The county commission will take up final approval tonight.
Commission to vote on racetrack tonight
No Trackbacks


text:
Peer reviewed
Download full text
Download full text
ERIC Number: ED544576
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 836
Abstractor: ERIC
Digest of Education Statistics, 2012. NCES 2014-015
Snyder, Thomas D.; Dillow, Sally A.
National Center for Education Statistics
The 2012 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 48th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The "Digest" includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the "Digest," material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to data on educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. Although the "Digest" contains important information on federal education funding, more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices. The "Digest" contains seven chapters: (1) All Levels of Education; (2) Elementary and Secondary Education; (3) Postsecondary Education; (4) Federal Programs for Education and Related Activities: (5) Outcomes of Education; (6) International Comparisons of Education; and (7) Libraries and Adult Education. Preceding these chapters is an Introduction that provides a brief overview of current trends in American education, which supplements the tabular materials in chapters 1 through 7. The "Digest" concludes with three appendices. The first appendix, Guide to Sources, provides a brief synopsis of the surveys used to generate the "Digest" tables; the second, Definitions, is included to help readers understand terms used in the "Digest"; and the third, Index of Table Numbers, allows readers to quickly locate tables on specific topics. (Contains 493 tables and 29 figures. Individual chapters contain footnotes) [For Appendices, see ED544579. For "Digest of Education Statistics, 2011. NCES 2012-001," see ED544580.]
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Adult Education, Outcomes of Education, Definitions, Enrollment Rate, Teacher Student Ratio, Institutional Characteristics, Educational Attainment, Computer Uses in Education, Racial Composition, Family Characteristics, Expenditures, Funding Formulas, Educational Finance, Parent Participation, Teacher Characteristics, School Personnel, School Districts, Dropout Rate, Graduation Rate, School District Size, High School Equivalency Programs, Age Differences, Student Characteristics, Gender Differences, Aptitude Tests, Cognitive Ability, Standardized Tests, College Entrance Examinations, Credits, Student Behavior, Student Participation, School Libraries, College Libraries, School Surveys, Educational Technology, Academic Achievement, Comparative Analysis, Cross Cultural Studies, Libraries, Economic Climate, Instructional Program Divisions, Young Adults, High School Graduates, College Graduates, Racial Differences, Public Schools, Income, Expenditure per Student, Academic Degrees, Full Time Students, Full Time Equivalency, Federal Aid, Budgets, Labor Force, Employment Level, Adults, Older Adults, Unemployment, Dropouts, Salaries, Geographic Location, Bachelors Degrees, Graduate Study, Foreign Countries, College Students, Student Financial Aid, Crime, Drug Abuse, Internet, Access to Computers, Population Trends, Children, Family Structure, Family Income, Poverty, Resource Allocation, State Aid, Local Government, Attendance Patterns, Home Schooling, Kindergarten, Individual Characteristics, School Schedules, Disabilities, Federal Legislation, Academically Gifted, Second Language Learning, Course Selection (Students), Private Schools, Preschool Education, Child Care, Catholic Schools, Tuition, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Teacher Salaries, Masters Degrees, Principals, Incidence, Child Development, Reading Skills, Mathematics Skills, Psychomotor Skills, Language Skills, Science Process Skills, Scores, History, Civics, Economics, Art Education, College Bound Students, Homework, Suspension, Expulsion, Violence, State Standards, Special Education, Teacher Certification, Criterion Referenced Tests, Foreign Students, STEM Education, Minority Groups, Doctoral Degrees, Second Language Instruction, Psychology, Political Science, Academic Persistence, Fees, Student Loan Programs, Taxes, Occupations, Independent Living, Substance Abuse, High School Seniors, Adolescents, Teaching Conditions, Library Materials, Library Services, Adult Basic Education, English (Second Language)
National Center for Education Statistics. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reference Materials - General
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Adult Education; Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education; Grade 4; Grade 8; Grade 12; Grade 9
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Center for Education Statistics (ED)
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Elementary and Secondary Education Act; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: ACT Assessment; Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey; Fast Response Survey System; General Educational Development Tests; Graduate Record Examinations; National Adult Literacy Survey (NCES); National Assessment of Adult Literacy; National Assessment of Educational Progress; National Health Interview Survey; National Household Education Survey; Program for International Student Assessment; Progress in International Reading Literacy Study; Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (NCES); SAT (College Admission Test); Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES); Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study; Youth Risk Behavior Survey
IES Funded: Yes
IES Cited: ED565484; ED562604; ED544499; ED549980; ED561224
IES Publication: http://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2014015


text:
When Wilbur discovers his eventual fate as Christmas meal, Charlottes promises to find a way to save him.
Themes: Promise, Honesty, Candor, Insensitive, Death, Life, Loyalty, Friendship, Forewarning, Fate, Naïve, Protection, Omen
4.0/5 Stars (1 rating)
You must be signed in to comment
The classic story of loyalty, trust, and sacrifice comes to life in this live-action adaptation. Fern is one of only two living beings who sees that Wilbur is a special animal as she raises him, the runt of the litter, into a terrific and radiant pig. As Wilbur moves into a new barn, he begins a second profound friendship with the most unlikely of creatures – a spider named Charlotte – and their bond inspires the animals around them to come together as a family. When the word gets out that Wilbur's days are numbered, it seems that only a miracle will save his life. A determined Charlotte – who sees miracles in the ordinary – spins words into her web in an effort to convince the farmer that Wilbur is "some pig" and worth saving.
MPAA: Rated G
Principal Cast: Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, and Robert Redford
Director: Gary Winick
© 2004–2020 WingClips, LLC. All rights reserved. MOTION PICTURE ARTWORK, PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO are property of their respective owners. Their use is subject to the terms and conditions of this web site. By allowing their residence on WingClips.com, the proprietors do not imply licenses to intellectual property rights.


text:
Food Chat: Summer berries
For many, July marks the true beginning of summer — and the start of berry season.
Our panel of food experts has recipes for strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and more, whether you're looking for a lighter dessert, a unique salad or something suitable for transport to a family get-together (they may even throw in some currant recipes for good measure).
And this week we're welcoming a special guest. Kevin Schooley is the executive director of the North American Strawberry Growers Association and the Ontario Berry Growers Association — he's ready to share tips about picking, preserving, and cooking and baking with berries of all kinds.
On our regular panel: Liane Faulder writes about food for the Edmonton Journal and maintains an award-winning blog, Eat My Words, Peter Hum is the food editor of the Ottawa Citizen, Susan Schwartz is a feature writer and columnist who writes about food for the Montreal Gazette, Randy Shore is a former restaurant cook and avid food gardener who writes about food issues for the Vancouver Sun, Gwendolyn Richards is the food writer for the Calgary Herald and the blogger behind PatentandthePantry.com, and Laura Brehaut writes about food for canada.com and Postmedia Network.
Be a part of the discussion, Thursday at 1 p.m. ET.


text:
The Hamre Real Estate Team is proud to announce that this Mar 3rd, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 1892 Mickelberry Crescent in the Notting Hill neighborhood, Ottawa. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Single Family Home for sale in beautiful Notting Hill.
Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Notting Hill Single Family Home for sale.
As always please do not hesitate to give us a call at 613-841-2111 if we can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.
Hamre Real Estate Team | CALL 613-841-2111
RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd.


text:
It takes teamwork, dedication and determination from our students-athletes to succeed in varsity sports. And with support from donors like you, you help our athletes become champions!
Not everyone has the resources to play varsity sports. Not all teams receive the funding required to travel and compete at various levels.
This is why Western has the Adopt A Mustang program. It provides much-needed support for each team, where it is needed most.
Please make a gift to the Adopt A Mustang program today. Through your contributions, you help our talented student-athletes receive the best opportunities to pursue their sport and achieve their athletic and academic dreams.
Thank you for helping us build champions.
Yours sincerely,
|Melissa Bartlett
Head Coach, Women's Volleyball
Logging into the Giving to Western web site at www.giving.westernu.ca allows you to:
What about my privacy?
Western treats all personal information in confidence and does not share it with any individual or group, except for the purposes of gift transactions and necessary records. To view Western's privacy policy, please click here.
Need help with your User Name or Password?
Please use the Trouble Signing In? link to recover your User Name and/or Password.
HINT: User Names are often the email address at which you receive emails from Western.
If further help is required, please send an email to email@example.com. We are usually able to respond the same day during the week. Inquiries received during a weekend or on a holiday are addressed the first day back at work.


text:
Services on Demand
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in Google
Acta Theologica
On-line version ISSN 2309-9089
Print version ISSN 1015-8758
Acta theol. vol.29 n.2 Bloemfontein Dec. 2009
The referent of egeusasthe (you have tasted) in 1 Peter 2:3
Fika J. van Rensburg
In 1 Peter 2:2-3 the addressees are exhorted to "yearn for the unadulterated milk of God's word ... like newborn babies" (). This exhortation is motivated by: "since you have tasted that the Lord is good" (). This article attempts to establish the referent of . Viewed as part of the "rebegetting" and resultant new birth (cf. in 1 Pet 1:3), 1 Peter 2:3 suggests that God has given the "something" to sustain them in their salvation. The paper concludes that the implicit object of is colostrum. The referent then is that God has given the addressees colostrum as part of the beget/rebirth process, to sustain them in their salvation. Having tasted the colostrum they now know that the Lord is good. This experience of the goodness of the Lord becomes the reason why they (must) yearn for (more) milk, so that they can grow up in their salvation.
Keywords: Birth imagery, Soteriology, Milk, Colustrum
Trefwoorde: Geboorte-metafoor, Soteriologie, Melk, Kolostrum
In 1 Peter 2:2 the addressees are exhorted: . .. ("yearn for the unadulterated milk of God's word ... like newborn babies"). This exhortation is motivated in 1:3: ("since you have tasted that the Lord is good"). 1 Peter 2:3 suggests that God has given the "something" to sustain them in their salvation. This article attempts to establish the implicit object of : what is it - in terms of the beget/birth-imagery - that they had tasted? In this way the referent of is to be established.
First the relevant socio-historic context of the addressees of 1 Peter is constructed (2). Then it is explored what the argument of 1 Peter and of the pericope 2:1-3 suggests as the referent of (3). The referents of and in the beget/birth-imagery in 1 Peter is established (4). The author's use of Psalm 34:8 is studied to see what light it sheds on the referent of (5). The implicit object of is established (6). finally the referent of is defined, and it is shown how clarity about the referent of contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the macro argument of 1 Peter (7).
2. THE SOCIO-HISTORIC CONTEXT Of THE ADDRESSEES Of 1 PETER
The socio-historic context of the addressees of 1 Peter has been constructed by Van Rensburg (2006:475-481), and this construction is utilized as interpretative framework for the investigation of the referent of in 1 Peter 2:3. This construction boils down to the following:
1 Peter is a genuine letter, utilized as a circular letter,1 and exhibiting characteristics of the contemporary Jewish diaspora letter.2
The self-identification of the author is taken as a matter of fact, as do a number of scholars.3 This viewpoint implies that the letter is to be dated before 70 AD.
The addressees "represented the broad spectrum of people living in northern Asia Minor" (Achtemeier 1996:57), as indicated in the address of the letter: (1 Pet 1:1).
The labelling of the addressees4 as (resident foreigners of the Diaspora, 1:1; 2:11) and (visiting foreigners, 2:11) refers to the fact that the addressees were, already before their conversion to the Christian faith, "visiting and resident foreigners" in the literal sociopolitical sense of the words (Elliott 1981:32). Having status in the first century AD already implied hardships (Berger 1953:626). The suffering was not caused by official persecution, but by spontaneous local social ostracism (Elliott 1986:14; Breytenbach 1998:341; Balch 1981:95).
However, the label does not merely describe their social position; it indicates their previous status as "God-fearers" as well, the and the (Van Unnik 1980:72-74). It is part of the adoption of the honorific titles of the Old Testament people of God, transforming the title into a proud self-identification (cf. feldmeier 1992:104).
When these foreigners became Christians, it had positive and negative social consequences. On the positive side: they became part of a Christian group and were no longer isolated individuals or small groups. Those who d been God-fearers and could not become full Proselytes, no longer were second class members in the new Christian group.
The new Christians, however, also had to cope with negative consequences as a result of their new alliance. The unjust suffering which they had to endure as (political) foreigners, became even more severe, since now one more dimension has been added to their "otherness": the fact that they have aligned themselves with an obscure foreign sect. This resulted in further and more intense ostracism and discrimination. These circumstances forced many of them to consider to retaliate the injustices they suffered, or even to forsake their new commitment to the Christian faith.
The author uses the letter to persuade the addressees of their status as saved persons before God, of God's loving care for them, and of Christ's vicarious suffering and subsequent glory and supreme power. All of this is, however, not the purpose for writing; it serves as basis for the actual purpose: ethical exhortations to have a good lifestyle (, 2:12) and to persevere in doing good (, 4:19), even amidst and in spite of their own suffering.
3.1 The macro argument of 1 Peter
The macro argument of the letter has been argued by Van Rensburg (2006: 481-488). The pericope 1:3-12 is the basis for the rest of the letter, with the key-phrase the reassurance in 1:3 of the fact that God has begotten5 the addressees anew: . .. The body of the letter is largely paraenetic, with the pericope 1:3-12 as motivative basis for four inferential exhortations, viz 1:13-25, 2:1-10, 2:11-4:19, and 5:1-11.
This view of the argument of 1 Peter, and specifically the coherence between the letter opening (1:3-12) and the body of the letter, can be represented in the following way:
3.2 The place and function of 1 Peter 2:1-3 in the argument
The pericope 2:1-10 is introduced by the relation particle , which marks 2:1-10 as "Result".6 Because of its content 2:1-10 is interpreted to be on the same level as 1:13-25, which means that 2:1-10 is a second exhortation that has the fact that God has begotten the addressees anew (1:3) as "Reason". The function of the relation particle is therefore to mark 2:1-10 as "Result" in a "Reason""Result" relation with 1:3-12.
The pericope 2:1-10 can be divided into two sub-pericopes, each with an imperative as main verb, viz (2:2) and (2:5). The asyndeton7 in 2:4ff is interpreted as additive equivalent coordination of 2:4-10 to 2:1-3, implicating the continuance of the of 2:1. The relative pronoun () undergirds the connection. This means that 2:1-3 and 2:4-10 is a double "Result" in a "Reason" "Result relation with 1:3-12.
The inter-relationship of the two sub-pericopes of 2:1-10 can be represented in the following way:
3.3 The local argument of 2:1-3
To interpret the referent of in 2:3 it is necessary to keep the whole pericope 2:1-3 in scope. The imperative in 2:2 is the main verb governing the whole of 2:1-3. The participal in 2:1 is interpreted as subordinate to as main verb, signalling an activity (the laying aside of the bonds of sin from their past) that must take place simultaneous with the execution of the exhortation to yearn for the milk.9
The following representation of my interpretation of the syntactic structure shows the interrelations on micro level:
The local argument of 2:1-3 therefore is the following: The basic exhortation is that the addressees should "yearn for the unadulterated milk10 of God's word" (, 2:2b). The way in which this yearning must take place, is "like newborn babies" (, 2:2a), who have been (re)born as a result of having been begotten anew by God. This suggests an expansion of the "new begetting"-metaphor introduced in 1:3 ().11 The argument is: "God has begotten you anew. This resulted in your new birth, and now you are a baby."
The baby will only grow to its full salvific capacity if it gets the right nutrition, and this is the goal with the exhortation to yearn for milk: ("so that by it you may grow up in your salvation," 2:2c). A motivation for this exhortation is given in 2:3: ("since you have tasted that the Lord is good"). This motivation is yet another expansion of the "new begetting" metaphor, utilizing an adaptation from the words of LXX Psalm 34:8. The verb , as will be argued under point 5 and point 6 below, suggests that the newborn suckling baby has tasted "something" that is good, and will therefore want more.
The participial phrase in 2:1 signals an activity (the laying aside of the bonds of sin from their past) that must take place simultaneous with the execution of the exhortation to yearn for the milk. The laying aside of the bonds of sin from their past marks their progress in growing up in their salvation, and it demands a lot of effort and energy. They will only have the necessary energy and stamina when they get the right nutrition ().
This interpretation of the local argument of 2:1-3 can be represented as follows:
Activity to happen simultaneously with the execution of the "yearn for" exhortation
The referent (within the beget/birth-imagery) of this "something" that the addressees have tasted, must now be established. It is the "something" that they have tasted, that has persuaded them that God is good and motivates them to yearn for the unadulterated milk of God's word. The nutrition they gain from this will provide the stamina and energy needed to grow up in their salvation and have the capability to lay aside all evil-doings (sampled in 2:1).
3.4 The argument of 2:1-3, as embedded within the beget/birth imagery
The intentional function of the exhortation ("yearn for the unadulterated milk of God's word, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation") within the argument of 1 Peter is twofold: (1) to emphasize that their salvation has already been effected, and (2) to persuade them that they have the obligation to grow up in their salvation. If they do not comply, their salvific status is intact, but they will remain babies.
The intentional function of the statement . .. ("like newborn babies ... you have tasted that the Lord is good") within the argument of 1 Peter is that it expands the beget-metaphor while reverting back to it. Viewed as part of the "rebegetting" and resultant new birth, God has given them something to sustain them in their salvation. The taste of this goodness of the Lord is the reason why they must yearn for "the unadulterated milk of God's word", which will make them grow up in their salvation.
To identify the referent of the "something" they have tasted, the following now needs to be done: first (4) the referents of and in the beget/birth-imagery in 1 Peter is investigated, then (5) the author's use of LXX Psalm 34:8 in his argument, and finally (6) what the grammatical object and (7) the referent of is.
4. THE REfERENTS Of AND IN THE BEGET/BIRTH-IMAGERY
4.1 The referent of in 1 Peter
The verb is used in the New Testament only in 1 Peter, in 1:3 and 1:23. In the LXX it is not used at all, except for one doubtful variant in Sir Prol. ln. 28 v.l (BAGD ; Michaels 1988:17). To depend on the use of semantic equivalents and etymological derivatives in other books of the New Testament brings with it the danger of illegitimate totality transfer of meaning.12 It is more plausible to establish the referent of by studying its place and function in the rich family imagery in 1 Peter.
In 1 Peter 1:3-5 and in 2:1-3 there are no less than five components of the family imagery: (1:3), / (1:3,23), (1:4), (2:2), and (2:3).13 This suggests (but taken on its own it is not conclusive) that refers to God begetting the addressees anew, a rebegetting that resulted in a new birth. The therefore refers to the starting point of a process by which God has caused the addressees to have re-started their life, this time within an intimate and caring relationship with him.
A search in the TLG produces two relevant occurrences, both concurring with this preliminary conclusion:14
Philo uses the noun once (Aet. 8.9), in the sense of regeneration. After having explained the view of the Stoics on the creation and destruction of the world and that fire is the cause of the corruption of the world, he states: ("from it again a regeneration of the world takes place through the providence of the Creator").
Josephus (BJ 4.484) has a very interesting use of a participial form of although in a totally different context. After telling the story of Sodom, he says that there are still the remainders of the fire and traces of the five cities. He then adds: ("as well as the ashes regenerated in their fruits, which fruits have a colour as if they were fit to be eaten, but if you pluck them with your hands, they dissolve into smoke and ashes").
Interpreting as "beget anew" concurs with the BADG ( ) suggestion to render (1:3) with: "who has begotten us anew for a living hope".15
This interpretation is contra that of Louw & Nida (1988). This lexicon lists as Domain 13.55 (Be, Become, Exist, Happen), and defines its meaning as "to cause to be changed as a form of spiritual rebirth", and proposes as English equivalents: "to cause to be born again, to be given new birth". The lexicon (1988, Domain 13.55) adds: "In its NT usage , of course, has nothing to do with birth as such, but refers to a radical change in personality, with the attendant change in state, and it is for that reason that is here classified in Domain 13". The lexicon lists and as Domain 41.53, defining its meaning as: "to experience a complete change in one's way of life to what it should be, with the implication of return to a former state or relation". The lexicon (1988, Domain 41.53) adds: "It is also possible to understand in Jn. 3.3 as meaning 'from above' or 'from God', a literary parallel to the phrase in Jn. 1.13."
The first of the Louw & Nida lexicon's proposed English equivalents for ("to cause to be born again") is acceptable, although the focus on the "born again" is already problematic. The second English equivalent ("to be given new birth") is not acceptable, since not the "birth" is the referent of , but the "begetting".
It can therefore be concluded that in 1 Peter refers to God begetting the addressees anew.
4.2 The referent of in 1 Peter
The use of in 1 Peter 2:2 opens a window on the reality of the addressees of 1 Peter.16 Van Unnik (1980:67) was the first to take into account that the Proselytes were regarded as 'newborn babies', as persons who enter a new sphere of life. The rituals through which a person became a Proselyte (circumcision and baptism) signify that all that has gone before, falls away and that former transgressions17 no longer matter (Van Unnik 1980:67).18 All of this confirms that the referent of is the process by which God has caused the addressees to have re-started their life, this time within an intimate and caring relationship with him as the one who has begotten them anew, and this resulted in a new birth; because of this new birth the bonds of sin from the past are now broken.
It can therefore be concluded that the referent of as newborn babies, fits the beget/birth imagery very well. The phrase in 2:2 moves the focus away from the initiation of the rebirth-process (the begetting), to the result of the birth: the newborn baby.
5. THE AUTHOR'S USE Of LXX PSALM 34:8
The way the author of 1 Peter uses Psalm 34:8 in his argument sheds light upon the referent of . He adapts LXX Psalm 34:8 in two respects for his argument:
The Aorist indicative represents a change by the author from the LXX Aorist imperative . This means that he purposefully signals that the act of tasting had already happened.
A second adaptation is that the author omits a second imperative () in LXX Psalm 34:8 altogether. A reason for this omission could be that in his adaptation of Psalm 34:8 for use within the milk-imagery (building on the beget/birth-imagery) he has given a literal sense to , and this makes the accompanying verb in the Psalm () inappropriate.19
This leads to the conclusion that the "something" that the "newborn babies" had already tasted, must have been given to them, within the beget/birth imagery, between the present time of their being "newborn babies" and the time of their birth. This suggests that the tasting happened soon after birth. The yearn exhortation () has as object milk (), and it is suggested by in 1 Peter 2:3 that the object of the taste-activity is (a form of) milk.
Immediately colostrum springs to mind, and the possibility that the implicit object of actually is colostrum, needs to be explored.
There is no doubt about the meaning of , 20 although its implicit object in 1 Peter 2:3 is not immediately clear. It has already been argued that the intentional function of the salvific utterance in 2:2-3 within the argument of 1 Peter is that it expands the beget/birth-metaphor while reverting back to it (cf 3.4 above). If the implicit object of can be established, within the frame of this beget/birth-imagery, the referent of becomes evident.21
Within the imagery of 'beget/birth' and 'yearn for milk', and given the fact that the tasting had happened between the present time in which the addressees are "newborn babies" and the time of their "new birth", the object of most probably is colostrum,22 the very first milk a mother produces during the first few days after birth.23 The Greek word would have been (LSJ: beestings, first milk after the birth). Suda (Lexicon pi.3179 ) gives the following definition of the meaning of : ("Colostrum: That which needs to be milked out before the milk, mixed with blood. It is actually milk, a milky fluid. Some: new milk to be boiled with yesterday's. Aristophanes: 'there is also some colostrum added and four chunks of rabbit's meat.'")
This means that the referent of is the following: Viewed as part of the "rebegetting" and its resultant new birth, God has given the addressees colostrum, to sustain them in their salvation.24 Having tasted the colostrum they now know that the Lord is good. This experience of the goodness of the Lord becomes the reason why they must yearn for more milk. The milk they are urged to yearn for, is no longer colostrum, which, as part of the birth-process (i.e. as part of the process through which God has saved them), was for their initial sustenance. Rather the milk they should now yearn for is the "unadulterated milk of God's word", which will make them grow up in their salvation.
"To grow up in your salvation" () does not mean that through the milk they will grow and as a result receive salvation,25 but that the milk will enable them to live up to their status as children of God. Since their rebegetting and sequential rebirth, they already are saved and are therefore children of God. They now have the obligation to live up to their status as saved persons, as children of God. The more they digest the unadulterated milk of God's word, the more their lifestyle will evidence their status as persons (re)begotten by God, as children of God.
Having established the referent of , it is now possible to - by way of conclusion - indicate how clarity about this referent, contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the macro argument of 1 Peter.
The author of 1 Peter, right at the outset of his letter (1:3) and two more times (1:23, 2:2-3), uses the beget/birth-imagery to persuade his addressees that they are what they are because of God: God, in his great mercy and because of no other reason than his own will, took the initiative. The author argues this in terms of the beget/rebirth-imagery: God rebegot them, as if in a woman's womb, using the everlasting seed of his word. In this way he effected their (re)birth, and as part of the beget/rebirth process, he provided them, as newborn babies, with colostrum - the immediate sustenance they needed. In all of this God's mercy, his goodness has become evident.
This status that they have before God as his children, is therefore in no way at risk of being changed or neutralised by either their trying circumstances or their own weakness. They received from God, as part of their beget/birth-process, colostrum. Having tasted the colostrum, they have been persuaded that the Lord is good. This fact should motivate them to yearn for the unadulterated milk of God's word. The more they feed on and digest this unadulterated milk, the more their lifestyle will evidence their status as persons (re)begotten by God, thus: their status as children of God.
In this way the author empowers his addressees to be ready to receive and practice the directives he will be giving in the remainder of his letter for their lifestyle.
ACHTEMEIER, P.J. 1996. 1 Peter. A commentary on First Peter. Minneapolis: fortress Press. [ Links ]
AUNE, D.E. 1987. The New Testament and its literary environment. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. [ Links ]
B.A.G.D. 2000. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Third edition. Revised and edited by fredrick William Danker. Chicago: University Press. [ Links ]
BALCH, D.L. 1981. Let wives be submissive: The domestic code in 1 Peter. Chicago: Scholars Press. [ Links ]
BERGER, A. 1953. Peregrinus. In: Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Roman Law. Volume 64, Part 2 (Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society), pp 626-627. [ Links ]
BLASS, F., DEBRUNNER, A. & FUNK, R.F. 1961. A Greek grammar of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. [ Links ]
BREYTENBACH, J.C. 1998. facets of Diaspora Judaism. In: A.B. du Toit (ed.), Guide to the New Testament, Volume II: The New Testament Milieu (Pretoria: NG kerkboekhandel), pp. 327-374. [ Links ]
BREYTENBACH, J.C. 2005. Salvation of the reconciled (with a note on the background of Paul's metaphor of reconciliation). Novum Testamentum Supplementum 121:189-199. [ Links ]
DENNISTON, J.D. 1966. The Greek particles. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [ Links ]
ELLIOTT, J.H. 1981. A home for the homeless. A sociological exegesis of 1 Peter, its situation and strategy. Philadelphia: fortress. [ Links ]
ELLIOTT, J.H. 1986. 1 Peter, its situation and strategy: a discussion with David Balch. In: C.H. Talbert (ed.), Perspectives on First Peter (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press), pp. 61-78. [ Links ]
FELDMEIER, R. 1992. Die Christen als Fremde. Die Metapher der Fremde in der antiken Welt, im Urchristentum und im 1.Petrusbrief. Tübingen: JCB Mohr. [ Links ]
GOPPELT, L. 1978. Der erste Peterbrief. Eighth edition. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. [ Links ]
JOBES, K.H. 2002. Got milk? Septuagint Psalm 33 and the interpretation of 1 Peter 2:1-3. Westminster Theological Journal 63:1-14. [ Links ]
LA LECHE LEAGUE [s.a.]. Colostrum. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/colostrum.html [2006, 2 April] [ Links ].
LOUW, J.P. & NIDA, E.A. (eds.) 1988. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament (2 volumes). New York: United Bible Societies. [ Links ]
MICHAELS, J.R. 1988. 1 Peter. Waco: Word Books. [ Links ]
POYTHRESS, V.S. 1984. The use of the intersentence conjunctions 'de', 'oun', 'kai' and asyndeton in the Gospel of John. Novum Testamentum 26:312-340. [ Links ]
SELWYN, E.G. 1947. The first epistle of Peter. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd. [ Links ]
THURÉN, L. 1995. Argument and Theology in 1 Peter.The origins of Christian Paraenesis. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. [ Links ]
VAN RENSBURG, F.J. 2005. Metaphors in the soteriology in 1 Peter: Identifying and interpreting the salvific imageries. Novum Testamentum Supplements 121:409-436. [ Links ]
VAN RENSBURG, F.J. 2006. A code of conduct for children of God who suffer unjustly: Identity, ethics and ethos in 1 Peter. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 141:473-510. [ Links ]
VAN UNNIK, W.C. 1980. The Redemption in 1 Peter 1:18-19 and the problem of the first Epistle of Peter. In: C.k. Barrett (ed.), Sparsa collecta: The collected essays of W.C. van Unnik (part 2) (Leiden: Brill), pp. 3-82. [ Links ]
WERBLOWSKY, R.J.Z. 1975. A note on purification and Proselyte baptism. In: J. Neusner (ed.), Christianity, Judaism and other Greco-Roman cults (Leiden: Brill, Studies in Judaism and Late Antiquity, Volume 12, part 3), pp. 200-205. [ Links ]
Prof. Fika J. van Rensburg, School of Biblical Studies and Ancient Languages, North-West University, Potchefstroom. E-mail: email@example.com
1 Cf. inter alia Achtemeier (1996:61-62); Aune (1987:159); Goppelt (1978:45); Thurén (1995:93-94); Elliott (1986:11).
2 Cf. Aune (1987:185). The addressees, however, are not just readers in general; they are specific persons in a specific (albeit wide) area (Thurén 1995:95).
3 E.g. Selwyn (1947:27-33); Thurén (1995:25-28); Van Unnik (1980:80). Contra Achtemeier (1996:1-42).
4 Cf. excellent surveys on the scholarship on the identity and circumstances of the addressees of 1 Peter by Goppelt (1978:161-177); Achtemeier (1996:50-58); especially feldmeier (1992).
5 The English equivalent "(God) who has begotten us anew" is used for the Greek participle , to stay as close as possible to the referent of the verb . The result of this "rebegetting" is a new birth (2:2) (cf. Achtemeier 1996:91).
6 a marker of result, often implying the conclusion of a process of reasoning (Louw & Nida 1988,I:783). Cf. also Denniston's discussion of . He (1966:xlx) states that has an inferential function. He (1966:l) adds that it sometimes refers back to the general situation, and not to any particular set of words. It could refer back to the motive (not the content) of the preceding words, to a far back remark in a continuous discourse, to an individual word or phrase, or to an idea suggested rather than expressed.
7 Greek can express the interrelation of sentences either explicitly by the use of relation particles, or it can dispense with connection, using asyndeton (Blass, Debrunner & funk 1961:225). Asyndeton refers to the phenomenon that Greek sentences sometimes do not have a relation particle. Asyndeton in itself, like a "zero" morpheme in linguistic theory (Poythress 1984:318), then actually becomes the relation marker. This approximates what Denniston (1966:xliii) calls formal (as distinct from stylistic) asyndeton.
8 Michaels (1988:93) also points to a shift from an individual to a corporate focus: "having spoken of individual spiritual growth in vv 1-3, Peter now turns his attention to the church as a community of believers."
9 In most Bible versions the participle is translated as an imperative, which means that two exhortations are given in 2:1-2: to lay aside the listed wrong-doings (), and to yearn for milk () (e.g. Michaels 1988:82-83). Grammatically it is possible, but this interpretation does not make clear what the logical relation is between the imperative and the participle . Achtemeier (1996:143), although translating rather neutral ("after putting off ..."), later (1996:145) says: "because Christians have put away divisive vices (2:1) ..., they must now yearn for God's word." This creates the impression that the author exhorts the addressees to first lay aside the listed wrong-doings, and then yearn for the milk.
10 Cf. Achtemeier (1996:146-147) for a convincing argument for rendering the phrase as: "the unadulterated milk of God's word". In the research tradition both and have been interpreted in different ways, as extensively discussed by Jobes (2002:1-14) in her survey of the research on the milk metaphor in 1 Peter 2:1-3. Different Bible versions evidence the diversity: NRSV/ GNT/NLT: "pure spiritual milk"; ASV: "the spiritual milk which is without guile"; Darby: "the pure mental milk of the word"; 1983/92-Afrikaans: "die suiwer geestelike melk"; 1933/53-Afrikaans: "die onvervalste melk van die woord"; NIV/NASB95/NkJV: "the pure milk of the word"; kJV: "the sincere milk of the word". However, for the purpose of this paper it suffices to translate the phrase as: "the unadulterated milk of God's word". The referent of is thus the "Word of God".
11 Jobes (2002:1) also views 1 Pet. 2:1-3 as a continuation of the "new-birth motif begun in chapter 1".
12 In John 3:3,7 / is used. This could be a Johannine adaptation making possible either the meaning 'born again' or - as the use of in John 3:31 suggests - 'born from above' (cf. Michaels 1988:17).
13 To these five components can of course be added the other facets of the family imagery in 1 Peter, viz. 'redeemed by God into his household' (Van Rensburg 2005: 421-422) and 'having been transformed by God into his nation' (Van Rensburg 2005: 425-426), which makes the present argument about the referent of in 1 Peter even stronger.
14 In the LXX there are references to divine begetting (e.g. Deut. 32:18; Ps. 2:7; Prov. 8:25), but, as Achtemeier (1996:94) observes, they are not of a kind to suggest a source for 1 Peter 1:3.
15 However, the BAGD's different rendering of (1:23) with "born again not of perishable seed", is not substantiated, and - to my mind - not valid. In 1:23 it is yet again the "begetting anew" that is in focus; the "new birth" is the result of the begetting, and can not supplant the begetting. The result of the begetting, the birth, comes into the argument only in 1 Peter 2:2.
16 In using this "window" heed is taken of what Breytenbach (2005:190) has aptly said: "In metaphorical language use, some characteristics of the event(s) and/or entity/ies of a source domain are selected and mapped unto the event(s) and/or entities of a target domain. In terms of the rules and functions of mapping across semantic boundaries, it is inappropriate to demand the target to be described as a replica of the source."
17 Werblowsky (1975:203-204) convincingly argues that the Proselyte baptism had a halakah-function.
18 Van Unnik (1980:67) strengthens his already strong argument by showing how the breaking of the bonds of sin from the past (, 2:1) is reminiscent of the lists of the virtues of Proselytes given by Philo (De Paenitentia 2).
19 Michaels (1988:90) also gives a "certain literal quality" to , but then, in the further development of his argument, views "Christ the Lord" as its grammatical object.
20 Louw & Nida (1988, ) lists in Domain 24 (Sensory events and states), with only one sub domain: 24.72 (Taste).
21 Achtemeier (1996:148) says about 1 Peter 2:3 that "the citation here functions ... simply to reinforce a point able nonetheless to stand without the scriptural support." He gives no further attention to the possible implicit object of . Michaels (1988:83) views the implicit object of as "the Lord himself, an image capturing the intimacy of the believer's relationship to Christ."
22 The author of 1 Peter and his addressees, although fully aware of the sustaining effect of colostrum, would not have been able to explain this effect. Today, however, the characteristics of colostrum are well described. Colostrum is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies to help keep the baby healthy. It is extremely easy to digest, and is therefore the perfect first food for the baby. It is low in volume but high in concentrated nutrition for the newborn. Colostrum has a laxative effect on the baby, helping him pass his early stools, which helps prevent jaundice. Colostrum also provides large amounts of living cells which defend the baby against many harmful agents. The concentration of immune factors is much higher in colostrum than in mature milk. Colostrum actually works as a natural and 100% safe vaccine. It contains large quantities of an antibody called secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) which is a new substance to the newborn. Before the baby was born, he received the benefit of another antibody, called IgG, through the placenta. IgG worked through the baby's circulatory system, but IgA protects the baby in the places most likely to come under attack from germs, namely the mucous membranes in the throat, lungs, and intestines. Colostrum has an especially important role to play in the baby's gastrointestinal tract. A newborn's intestines are very permeable. Colostrum seals the holes by "painting" the gastrointestinal tract with a barrier which mostly prevents foreign substances from penetrating. Colostrum also contains high concentrations of leukocytes, protective white cells which can destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses (La Leche League 2006).
23 The BAGD ( ) suggestion to render (2:3) with "experience the Lord's kindness," and classifying it as a figurative extension of the meaning of , does not allow for this metaphoric understanding of , and is therefore problematic.
24 Clemens Alexandrinus (Paedagogus 188.8.131.52.1), although too late to impact directly on the interpretation of either / in 1 Peter, is evidence of an early linking of the milk and the new birth: ("Wherefore the Holy Spirit in the apostle, using the voice of the Lord, says mystically, 'I have given you milk to drink.' for if we have been begotten anew unto Christ, He who has rebegotten us nourishes us with his own milk, the word; for it is proper that what has rebegotten should forthwith supply nourishment to that which has been rebegotten."). This "immediate nourishment" after the "rebegetting" is pictured by 1 Peter as the colostrum, which - in his beget/birth imagery - his addressees "tasted" as part of their beget/birth-process.
25 Contrary to Achtemeier (1996:147) and Michaels (1988:89). Achtemeier (1996:147) argues that "it is more likely that refers to eschatological deliverance than to Christian maturity." This would make the growth conditional for one's deliverance at the time of the final divine judgment, a motif that does not fit in with the macro argument of the letter. Michaels (1988:89) argues along the same lines as does Achtemeier: " in our passage points to a vindication arising inevitably, almost 'naturally', out of the spiritual growth that results from receiving 'pure spiritual milk'."


text:
MIDDLETON — When his son first started living on the street last year, Richard Penney offered him one piece of advice about the cold winter nights.
"I told him, 'Don't go to sleep,' " Penney remembered last month, leaning to one side as he spoke on the corner of his nursing home bed.
It had been a difficult year for Penney and his son, who is also named Richard, but also goes by his middle name, Jason. The family's home on Karen Road was lost to foreclosure in early 2012. Richard Penney was hospitalized at the time, and he says his son was left with few housing options.
Neighbors tried to help. A family who lived across the street allowed Jason to stay at their property for about four months after the foreclosure. Another elderly couple on Lake Shore Drive took him in when the weather turned cold again in October.
But by January, Jason was living outdoors again, and his weight had dropped by about 15 pounds. He was frustrated, hungry, and "very, very tired," his father said.
On Jan. 31, the town of Middleton came to a standstill when Jason allegedly took a woman hostage inside her home on the edge of Sunrise Lake. Police say he held her at gunpoint, after stealing a semi-automatic rifle and ammunition from his brother earlier in the day.
Dozens of police officers and a State Police SWAT team rushed to the woman's aid, eventually convincing Jason to free her and give himself up without incident.
By his father's account, it was an unexpected turn for the 36-year-old, a man who had been helping to care for his father for years. Legally blind, and beset by a series of car accidents, Penney relied on his son's help — especially in the years after 2004, when his wife passed away.
Middleton police say Jason Penney had no criminal record before the incident. He had never been arrested by Middleton police, and the only incidents on his record were minor motor vehicle charges in 1996, 2006 and 2011.
Richard Penney says he struggles to comprehend what motivated his son's alleged actions during the standoff — an event that police say had the potential for "extreme violence." He commends Middleton police for the restraint they showed that day, and for helping to end the crisis peacefully.
And while he says there is no justification for what took place, Penney points out that life had been tough for his son in the months before he allegedly snapped. He'd been living outdoors for two weeks straight, his father says, traveling back and forth to Farmington on foot to visit his father in the nursing home. Richard Penney says he tried to help his son in the ways he could, but there was little left he could offer.
"We've all seen some pretty ugly stuff," Richard Penney said. "We've all seen some things that just shouldn't be. I shouldn't have lost that house."
Richard Penney and his family came to Middleton from Massachusetts when Jason was about 5 in search of more affordable housing.
Penney recalls that his son's favorite hobby growing up was target shooting, a sport he participated in with his father.
"He's very easygoing," Richard Penney said. "Very personable."
After he was grown, Jason stayed at home and helped his father get around. He also worked for a time at Flextronics in Rochester, the company where his mother was previously employed.
Richard Penney says you'd have to ask his son why he allegedly chose a home on Lake Shore Drive to take refuge in after stealing guns from his brother on Jan. 31.
The Penneys were familiar with the couple who previously owned the home, Richard says, and from 2006-2009, Jason also helped out around their home.
Jason didn't appear to have mental problems, his father said, and he wasn't receiving any mental health treatment before the incident.
Richard Penney believes his son also sought help from the town of Middleton's welfare office, and may have received housing assistance for a time.
Town officials have declined to comment, citing privacy restrictions.
Richard Penney says the town tried to connect Jason with a local network of social service agencies. But in the end, Jason may have been unwilling to follow the requirements of the program, his father says.
"He just never got the opportunity, based on his own actions," Richard Penney said.
One of Jason's last meaningful contacts in the community was a two-month stay at the home of Louis and Florence Ryan, an elderly couple on Lake Shore Drive.
Louis Ryan said the roof on his tin shed had just been damaged when Jason came to him seeking assistance in October.
"He had nowhere to go, and it was cold, so I took him in and said, 'Look, give me a hand,'" Ryan said.
Jason helped to rebuild the roof, learning to operate a skill saw in the process, according to Louis Ryan. In return, the couple helped him out with money, clothes and cigarettes and offered him a place to stay in their daughter's bedroom.
"You'd give him money for a haircut and you'd thought he got a million dollars," Louis Ryan remembered. "And ... I think he'd go through two packs of cigarettes a day."
Louis Ryan also tried to land Jason a steady job. He retrieved a job application from a local Dunkin' Donuts, and spoke with the manager to set up an interview. But it never materialized.
"He never did anything with it," Ryan said, "and I couldn't force him, you know?"
Ryan's daughter came home the week before Christmas, and there was no room for Richard left in the home.
Middleton Police Chief Randy Sobel said officers were asked to conduct a well-being check on Penney on Dec. 24, 2012. It was about 8:30 p.m., and Penney was found outdoors, staying inside a parked car.
With few options, Middleton Police Sgt. Timothy Brown escorted Penney to a homeless shelter in Portsmouth and gave him $20 to help him travel north again if he needed to.
In the end, it may have been Brown's generosity that helped to bring a peaceful end to the standoff that ensued about one month later.
Heather Ducharme, the woman who was taken hostage, recalled during a recent public ceremony that Jason appeared to calm down when he heard Brown's voice.
"You can't imagine how him knowing that Tim Brown was on the other end of the phone eased his anxiety," she said. "He felt like he had a friend. It was very important in this situation."
It was State Police Sgt. Joseph Ebert, a trained crisis negotiator, who eventually persuaded Penney to surrender, Ducharme said.
"This man was incredibly erratic," she remembered. "(He) was on a rollercoaster until Joe Ebert got him on the phone. My captor needed somebody to hear his pain, to hear his unreasonable demands. When Joe Ebert got on the phone, my captor felt hurt. No one was challenging his crazy accusations. His demeanor became more steady, and I was eventually released."
Even months before the standoff, Jason had been exhibiting strange behavior, according to one neighbor who spoke to Foster's on condition of anonymity. The woman, a longtime acquaintance, said he appeared to be recollecting events from his past that had never occurred.
Still, many others say they were caught by surprise when they saw Jason's face on the news after the standoff.
"He just flipped," Florence Ryan said. "Something flipped him off."
Asked whether his son had problems with alcohol or drugs, Richard Penney said Jason drank in moderation and had never appeared to struggle with substance abuse.
Court documents appear to paint a different picture. A court official who interviewed Jason on Feb. 1 indicated he has no high school diploma or GED. The county's corrections officials voiced "some concerns for his mental health," according to the document. And interviewer Blair Rowlett wrote that Penney reported he had a "history with substance abuse and a recent relapse."
Jason was also experiencing difficulties in his relationship with his brother, according to his father.
But Louis and Florence Ryan suspect the harsh conditions this winter may have taken the biggest toll on Jason. The first night after he left their home, Jason returned, appearing on the verge of tears. They found a place for him to stay for one more night, afraid to leave him out in the cold.
"My opinion would be that he snapped," Louis Ryan said. "He couldn't take any more ... He went through hell in the cold weather."


text:
Reverse Osmosis Systems
All BRS RODI systems reflect the latest in reverse osmosis technology with updated filters, components and design updates. The Value and Universal systems are both capable of treating for chloramines and chlorine.
Aquarium reverse osmosis systems are an economical, convenient way to put consistently pure water into your reef aquarium without running to the store to buy RO or distilled water. Your reef tank will certainly benefit from the installation of RODI systems, carbon blockers, and sediment filters, to name a few. Tap water, even when treated, will still contain traces of impurities, microorganisms, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, and radionuclides. Although it is safe for people to ingest, this may not always apply to other species; especially reef tank residents like corals, exotic fish, and other invertebrates. Risks that come with exposing your reef tank's inhabitants to untreated, unfiltered water can be easily prevented by installing the right reef aquarium filtration system.
Bulk Reef Supply builds numerous RODI system set-ups in our Minnesota warehouse using over 60% American-made components. We feature American made DOW, MATRIKX, Purtrex filters and American made MUR-LOK dual EPDM O-ring fittings on all of our reverse osmosis units. These NSF certified fittings and filters cost us more than inexpensive imports, but set our units apart from the competition.
Our customer service representatives are available to help you choose the right reverse osmosis deionization system for your needs and space.


text:
U.S. Women to Olympic Semis
Bill Kauffman
USA Volleyball Communications
Phone: 719-228-6800
Email: email@example.com
USAV Facebook - @USA_Volleyball
Unofficial DataVolley Stats - Official Stats
LONDON (Aug. 7, 2012) – The top-ranked U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team advanced to the 2012 Olympic Games semifinal round for the fourth straight time with a 25-14, 25-21, 25-22 victory over NORCECA rival Dominican Republic in the knockout quarterfinal round on Tuesday at Earls Court in London.
The U.S. Women, which is 6-0 at the 2012 London Games and 29-1 overall this year, will now face Korea on Thursday at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. PT). Team USA, the only undefeated team in the Olympic Games women's volleyball competition, topped Korea in four sets to open the 2012 Olympic Games.
The other semifinal will pit Japan against defending Olympic Games champion Brazil. Both teams won extended five-set quarterfinal matches as the lower seed over China and Russia, respectively.
The U.S. Women are in search of its first Olympic Games gold medal after winning silver medals in 2008 in Beijing and 1984 in Los Angeles. Team USA also won the bronze in 1992 in Barcelona. Aside from the Olympics, the U.S. has not won a major season-ending tournament including the FIVB World Championship and FIVB World Cup. However, the Americans have won the FIVB World Grand Prix, the premier annual international women's volleyball tournament, the last three years and five times overall.
In their only previous Olympic Games meeting, the Americans lost to the Dominicans during the 2004 preliminary round. Dominican Republic finished 11th at the 2004 Olympic Games, its only other appearance in the Olympics. Team USA is now 4-0 against the No. 11 ranked Dominican Republic in 2012.
Team USA bolted an 11-2 lead in the opening set and used seven blocks to win 25-14. The U.S. rattled off a 6-0 run to overcome a 10-8 deficit in the second set and proceeded to a 25-21 victory. The Americans put together an 8-1 spurt in the third set to take a 13-7 advantage and held on for a 25-22 victory after a late Dominican Republic charge.
"I am very happy with the win tonight against the Dominican Republic," U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon said. "Dominican Republic is a tough team because they have a lot of athleticism and experience. Now our focus will turn to our next opponent."
Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) ignited the U.S. offense with 19 points via 15 kills on 38 attacks and four blocks. Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Fla.) added 10 kills on 13 errorless attacks and a block. Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.) charted nine kills and two blocks for 11 points. Christa Harmotto (Hopewell Township, Pa.) contributed five kills on 10 swings and two blocks for seven points. Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) tallied four kills and an ace for five points. Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.), who received her first Olympic Games start, rounded out the scoring with a block and ace for two points.
Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) recorded 16 excellent receptions on 18 errorless attempts to go with 12 digs. Tom added 14 digs to lead the back-row defense and added 11 excellent receptions. Larson provided 11 digs in the victory. Thompson ran the offense to a 43.0 kill percent and .360 hitting efficiency (43-7-100) with 34 running sets.
The U.S. used a starting lineup void of its captain and starting setter in Lindsey Berg, but she and McCutcheon are hoping for a return later in the tournament. However, both expressed confidence in Thompson's ability to run the offense.
"It's day-to-day," McCutcheon said on Berg's status. "I thought Courtney did a great job. I don't think we missed too many beats tonight."
"I am still optimistic," McCutcheon said in regards to Lindsey Berg's return to the lineup as its setter. "I am very happy for Courtney (Thompson) and her play tonight."
"Ice, rest, massage and hope for the best and if not, I'm confident Courtney can do it," Berg said how she is preparing to get ready.
As for Thompson, she played a key role in advancing the U.S. to the semifinals for the fourth straight Olympic Games.
McCutcheon started Akinradewo and Harmotto at middle blocker, Tom and Larson at outside hitter, Hooker at opposite and Thompson at setter. Davis is the U.S. designated libero for the 2012 Olympic Games. Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Tamari Miyashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) were subs in all three sets.
Team USA controlled the net with an 11-2 advantage in blocks and held its errors to just nine for the match. Meanwhile, Dominican Republic held slim margins of 44-43 advantage in kills and 50-49 in digs, but committed 19 errors in the match. For the match, Dominican Republic converted 40.0 percent of its attacks into points, but 18 attack errors produced a .236 hitting efficiency. Both teams served two aces.
"The first two sets went really well," Hooker said. "It feels good but you have to expect the unexpected. The nerves are there every match."
Prisiclla Rivera led the Dominican Republic with 15 points and Bethania de la Cruz totaled 12 points in the loss.
During pool play Team USA defeated No. 2 Brazil (3-1), No. 3 China (3-0), No. 7 Serbia (3-0), No. 8 Turkey (3-0) and No. 15 Korea (3-1).
In the day's first quarterfinal match, Pool A third-seed Japan upset Pool B second-seed China 28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 18-16 in a marathon match in which all five sets were decided by two points. Both Yukiko Ebata and Saori Kimura scored 33 points in Japan's victory sending it into the semifinals. Japan is ranked fifth in the world, while China is ranked third.
In the second quarterfinal, Brazil rallied from a 2-1 set deficit and saved six match points to defeat Russia 24-26, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22, 21-19 in an unexpected quarterfinal round matchup. Brazil led 13-10 in the frantic tiebreaking set, but fell behind 14-13 and won the match on its only match point opportunity. Sheilla Castro scored a team-high 27 points and Thaisa Menezes added 24 points in the victory. Brazil is ranked second in the world and defending Olympic Games champion, while Russia has slipped to No. 9 in the world ranking.
In the final quarterfinal match, Korea rallied to defeat Italy 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18 as Yeun-Koung Kim totaled 28 points to maintain her tournament lead in scoring (165 points).
Team USA scored a 2-0 start to the first set with a kill and block by Akinradewo. Larson slammed an overpass and put up a block around two Dominican Republic errors to extend the gap to 6-1. Out of a Dominican Republic timeout, Hooker slammed a kill and Larson put up a block for an 8-1 at the technical timeout as part of a 6-0 run on Tom's serve. Out of the break, the U.S. scored a seventh straight point with a Hooker block. An Akinradewo kill and Harmotto block pushed the margin to 11-2. Dominican Republic notched three consecutive points at 13-7. Akinradewo downed a kill after a Dominican Republic service error to yield a 15-7 advantage. The teams traded the next 10 points before Harmotto hit a slide for a kill after a Dominican Republic service error prompting a timeout at 21-12. The U.S. reached set points at 24-14 with a kill and block by Hooker, then Akinradewo finished the set with a block at 25-14 on the next rally. Hooker totaled eight points in the opening set, while Larson and Akinradewo each added five points. Team USA totaled seven blocks in the opening set.
Dominican Republic reached a 4-2 advantage early in the second set with three unanswered points. Hooker and Larson hit back-to-back kills to square the set at 5-all. Dominican Republic scored back-to-back points to grab an 8-6 lead at the first technical timeout. Hooker and Akinradewo turned in consecutive kills out of the break to level the score at 8-all. Dominican Republic answered with a kill and ace to gain a 10-8 advantage. Team USA responded with kills from Akinradewo and Hooker to tie the score at 10-all. Hooker ended a long rally with a kill to send the U.S. in front 11-10. Thompson followed with an ace for a fourth straight point causing Dominican Republic to call timeout down 12-10. Out of the break Larson hit a back-row kill and Hooker put up a block to push the gap to 14-10 on a 6-0 run on Thompson's serve. The Americans reached the second technical timeout leading 16-11 with an Akinradewo kill before a Dominican Republic error. Dominican Republic saved three set points leading the U.S. to call timeout up 24-21, then Larson proceeded to end the set with a kill at 25-21. Hooker tallied seven points in the second set, while both Larson and Akinradewo added four points. Team USA limited its errors to one for the set and only four through the first two sets.
Team USA scored three straight points with two kills from Harmotto around one from Hooker to take an 8-6 lead into the third set's first technical timeout after four early lead changes. Dominican Republic committed an error out of the break at 9-6 for a fourth straight point on Larson's serve. Back-to-back Dominican Republic errors and Tom added consecutive kills to push the gap to 13-7. Dominican Republic narrowed the deficit to 14-10 with back-to-back points. Hooker put up a block after a Dominican Republic service error to create a 17-11 margin. Dominican Republic scored six of seven points to whittle the lead to a single point at 19-18, but could not come any closer. Hooker scored a kill after a Dominican Republic servicer error to gain a 22-19 advantage. Tom pounded a kill and followed with an ace to give Team USA set and match points at 24-21. The Americans closed the set at 25-22 on a Dominican Republic error.
2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team
# - Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
2 - Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 - Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Opp, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
4 - Lindsey Berg (S, 5-8, Honolulu, Hawaii, Minnesota)
5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Washington)
6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
10 - Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Nebraska)
11 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
13 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, Hopewell, Pa., Penn State)
15 - Logan Tom (OH, 6-1, Salt Lake City, Utah, Stanford)
16 - Foluke Akinradewo (MB, 6-3, Plantation, Fla., Stanford)
17 - Courtney Thompson (S, 5-8, Kent, Wash., Washington)
19 - Destinee Hooker (Opp, 6-4, San Antonio, Texas, Texas)
Head Coach: Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Assistant Coach: Karch Kiraly (San Clemente, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Paula Weishoff (Irvine, Calif.)
Assistant Coach/Technical Coordinator: Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.)
Technical Coordinator: Giuseppe Vinci (Casteggio, Italy)
Team Manager: Ken Sullivan (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy (Malibu, Calif.)
Athletic Trainer/Medical Support: Jill Wosmek (Silver Lake, Minn.)
Doctor: Dr. William Stetson
2012 Olympic Games Women's Volleyball Schedule
Pool A Standings:
Russia (14 points, 5-0)
Italy (13 points, 4-1)
Japan (9 points, 3-2)
Dominican Republic (6 points, 2-3)
Great Britain (2 points, 1-4)
Algeria (1 points, 0-5)
Pool B Standings:
USA (15 points, 5-0)
China (9 points, 3-2)
Korea (8 points, 2-3)
Brazil (7 points, 3-2)
Turkey (6 points, 2-3)
Serbia (0 points, 0-5)
July 28: Japan def. Algeria 25-15, 25-14, 25-7
July 28: China def. Serbia 16-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-12
July 28: Russia def. Great Britain 25-19, 25-10, 25-16
July 28: Italy def. Dominican Republic 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 25-15
July 28: USA def. Korea 25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21
July 28: Brazil def. Turkey 25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 25-27, 15-12
July 30: China def. Turkey 25-20, 25-20, 29-31, 25-22
July 30: Korea def. Serbia 25-12, 25-16, 16-25, 25-21
July 30: Russia def. Dominican Republic 25-23, 25-15, 24-26, 25-22
July 30: USA def. Brazil 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21
July 30: Italy def. Japan 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22
July 30: Great Britain def. Algeria 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 15-8
Aug. 1: Japan def. Dominican Republic 25-20, 25-19, 25-23
Aug. 1: Russia def. Algeria 25-7, 25-14, 25-15
Aug. 1: Turkey def. Serbia 25-20, 25-12, 25-21
Aug. 1: Italy def. Great Britain 27-25, 25-12, 25-12
Aug. 1: USA def. China 26-24, 25-16, 31-29
Aug. 1: Korea def. Brazil 25-23, 25-21, 25-21
Aug. 3: Brazil def. China 25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 28-30, 15-10
Aug. 3: Russia def. Japan 27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-19
Aug. 3: Turkey def. Korea 25-16, 21-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-12
Aug. 3: Dominican Republic def. Great Britain 25-9, 25-18, 25-19
Aug. 3: USA def. Serbia 25-17, 25-20, 25-16
Aug. 3: Italy def. Algeria 25-11, 25-12, 25-17
Aug. 5: Dominican Republic def. Algeria 25-15, 25-16, 25-13
Aug. 5: China def. Korea 28-26, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10
Aug. 5: Japan def. Great Britain 25-19, 25-14, 25-12
Aug. 5: Russia def. Italy 26-28, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 15-11
Aug. 5: USA def. Turkey 27-25, 25-16, 25-19
Aug. 5: Brazil def. Serbia 25-10, 25-22, 25-16
Aug. 7: Japan (Pool A3) def. China (Pool B2) 28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 18-16
Aug. 7: Brazil (Pool B4) def. Russia (Pool A1) 24-26, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22, 21-19
Aug. 7: USA (Pool B1) def. Dominican Republic (Pool A4) 25-14, 25-21, 25-22
Aug. 7: Korea (Pool B3) def. Italy (Pool A2) 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18
Aug. 9: USA vs. Korea, 3 p.m. (7 a.m. PT)
Aug. 9: Japan vs. Brazil, 7:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. PT)
Medal Round
Aug. 11: Women's Bronze Medal Match, 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 11: Women's Gold Medal Match, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 11: Women's Gold Medal Ceremony, 8:20 p.m.


text:
(I originally posted this at The American Catholic, and I thought that the film mavens of Almost Chosen People might enjoy it.)
One of my least favorite trial dramas is Twelve Angry Men (1957). As a defense attorney with thirty years experience I find it hilarious as Henry Fonda convinces his fellow jurors that the Defendant is not really guilty. Why do I find it hilarious? It is such a stacked deck! Just like a Socratic "Dialogue" the argument is tailored to make the case for the Defendant, and no contrary arguments are allowed to stand as Fonda steamrolls all opposition and saves the day for truth, justice and the American way! Or did he? Mike D'Angelo at AV Club has a brilliant analysis of why Fonda and his fellow jurors likely let a murderer off the hook:
Here's what has to be true in order for The Kid to be innocent of the murder:
- He coincidentally yelled "I'm gonna kill you!" at his father a few hours before someone else killed him. How many times in your life have you screamed that at your own father? Is it a regular thing?
- The elderly man down the hall, as suggested by Juror No. 9 (Joseph Sweeney), didn't actually see The Kid, but claimed he had, or perhaps convinced himself he had, out of a desire to feel important.
- The woman across the street saw only a blur without her glasses, yet positively identified The Kid, again, either deliberately lying or confabulating.
- The Kid really did go to the movies, but was so upset by the death of his father and his arrest that all memory of what he saw vanished from his head. (Let's say you go see Magic Mike tomorrow, then come home to find a parent murdered. However traumatized you are, do you consider it credible that you would be able to offer no description whatsoever of the movie? Not even "male strippers"?)
- Somebody else killed The Kid's father, for reasons completely unknown, but left behind no trace of his presence whatsoever.
- The actual murderer coincidentally used the same knife that The Kid owns.
- The Kid coincidentally happened to lose his knife within hours of his father being stabbed to death with an identical knife.
The last one alone convicts him, frankly. That's a million-to-one shot, conservatively. In the movie, Fonda dramatically produces a duplicate switchblade that he'd bought in The Kid's neighborhood (which, by the way, would get him disqualified if the judge learned about it, as jurors aren't allowed to conduct their own private investigations during a trial), by way of demonstrating that it's hardly unique. But come on. I don't own a switchblade, but I do own a wallet, which I think I bought at Target or Ross or some similar chain—I'm sure there are thousands of other guys walking around with the same wallet. But the odds that one of those people will happen to kill my father are minute, to put it mildly. And the odds that I'll also happen to lose my wallet the same day that a stranger leaves his own, identical wallet behind at the scene of my father's murder (emptied of all identification, I guess, for this analogy to work; cut me some slack, you get the idea) are essentially zero. Coincidences that wild do happen—there's a recorded case of two brothers who were killed a year apart on the same street, each at age 17, each while riding the same bike, each run over by the same cab driver, carrying the same passenger—but they don't happen frequently enough for us to seriously consider them as exculpatory evidence. If something that insanely freakish implicates you, you're just screwed, really. (more…)