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Showing posts from May, 2021

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU MEETS HIS WATERLOO

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By Akin Ojumu The thing that Benjamin Netanyahu fears most is about to come upon him. After more than 12 years in power, Israel’s own version of America’s Donald Trump is staring down the long barrel of political defeat. Bibi's stranglehold on Israel's political life is about to be broken and the nation of Israel is about to be freed from the chokehold of a preternatural jingoist. The master manipulator - one of the most corrupt politicians in the history of Israel - is about to have the curtain drawn on his scandal-plagued, war-ridden and blood-soaked era. At long last, a perpetually belligerent president is about to meet his own political Waterloo.  Hadas Gold and Andrew Carey of CNN wrote: “Benjamin Netanyahu's run as the longest-serving Israeli prime minister may be coming to an end. Naftali Bennett, leader of the small right-wing party Yamina, announced Sunday evening he is working toward a coalition agreement with Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist party Yesh Atid, to

THE FEAR OF "DROGBA'S HEADER"

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Player by player, position by position, skills by skills, Manchester City, FC is a far better squad than Chelsea, FC in tonight's UEFA Champions League final. This fact seems to have gotten into the heads of the Citizens. To these City fans, the outcome of todays Championship match is a forgone conclusion, it is City's to lose; if City turns up, they'll win. This attitude reminds me of the 2012 finals. Bayern Munich was also a far better side than Chelsea in that game and the German side was supposed to drown the weaker side in goals. But what the Bayern side forgot was the steely hearts of the Chelsea players and the iron head of Didier Drogba. What happened at the end of 120 minutes of that game is now history. Chelsea won because of a last minute header by Didier Drogba. It will do the Manchester City players a world of good never to forget 2012 and what happened to Bayern Munich. The Citizens must be very afraid of another "Drogba's header" outcome. Go Blu

ISID-PFIZER 2021 GRANT CHALLENGE

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Name:  The International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) & Pfizer Announce A Quality Improvement Grant Request For Proposal (RFP) ISID-Pfizer 2021 Grant Challenge Competitive Grant Program  Background Pfizer’s GMG competitive grant program involves a publicly posted Request for Proposal (RFP) that provides detail regarding a specific area of interest, sets timelines for review and approval, and uses an external review panel (ERP) to make final grant decisions. Organizations are invited to submit an application addressing the specific gaps in practice as outlined in the specific RFP. For all quality improvement grants, the grant requester (and ultimately the grantee) is responsible for the design, implementation, and conduct of the independent initiative supported by the grant.  Eligibility Geographic Scope Low-income countries designated by the World Bank AND/OR Under resourced settings in middle-income countries as designated by the World Bank where limited capital and huma

COVID-19 VACCINES: INOCULATE YOUR MIND

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A whisper of conspiracy moves faster than a compendium of refutation and a sneeze of rumor often travels faster than an encyclopedia of rebuttal. Sadly, I must say. Nevertheless, you must resist the urge to go with the flow of old wives' tales. Never ever quench your thirst from the firehose of mendacity. Do not allow yourself to be sucked into the cesspit of disinformation by disingenuous deceivers. You must inoculate your mind with the truth.  Do the heavy lifting of searching for the truth from established, trusted, and well-respected sources of veracity. Seek the truth and sell it not. When it's all said and done, you'd find it's only the truth that can set you free and it's only by true knowledge that you are not consumed. 

DISEASE NAME SHAMING IS BAD FOR EVERYONE

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When the world should have been banding together to fight a pandemic, stereotypes drove people apart. As COVID-19 began to circle the globe, so did the term “Chinavirus,” perpetuating derogatory attitudes against the country, its customs and its people. While associating the disease with its suspected origin in Wuhan may have been necessary for initial surveillance, the derisive misnomer soon became fuel for conspiracy theories and increased racially-charged bias. A hashtag appeared on social media among those of Asian heritage: “IAmNotAVirus.”  Following news reports of tragic hate crimes, the White House issued a memorandum in January 2021 condemning COVID-19 based racism, stating the rhetoric “defied the best practices and guidelines of public health officials” and “stoked unfounded fears and perpetuated stigma.” These were the very things the official names SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 were designed to avoid. Disease names often incorporate geography, referencing place of discovery or

THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT, EXPLAINED

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By Akin Ojumu The Israelis and Palestinians are at it again, after a few years of a much-welcomed intermission. Like a dormant volcano woken from slumber, a bloody conflict has once again erupted in Palestine and the region has relapsed into its perennial savage internecine warfare. In a never-ending cycle of violence, the Jews and Arabs are back on the battlefield. Jewish neighborhoods are being inundated with rocks thrown by Arab youths and Jerusalem is under siege from rockets fired by Hamas’s militants from Gaza Strip. On street corners in Israeli cities, Jewish and Arab neighbors are trading violent attacks and posting the footage of the carnage on social media. The eerily dark night sky of Gaza Strip glows from bomb fire as Israeli fighter jets dump their payload of death and destruction. And hapless refugees on the dusty streets of Palestinian slums scramble for safe refuge, shaking and quaking in fear of the invasion of Israeli armored tanks. But why? Why have these mortal enem

MY DAD AND HIS GIFTS OF COLLEGE T-SHIRT SOUVENIRS

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By Dunni Ojumu Let’s talk about this t-shirt. Ever since I was little, my father has been bringing me back college t-shirts as souvenirs from his business trips. When he went to LA, he brought back a UCLA Medicine t-shirt. When he went to New Haven, he brought back a Yale hoodie. When he went to Boston, he brought back shirts from MIT and Harvard. When I was 13, these shirts started to pile up in my closet, and I was kinda annoyed because ya know...I was 13 and I wanted money. But they were comfortable and oversized, so I wore them to bed and on wash days and when I wanted to eat a large, messy bowl of spaghetti. But now that I am off to college, I realize that my father was not confused about what to get me, nor was he trying to annoy me by filling my hands with clothing instead of cash. With purpose, he sought out clothing for me to wear as a reminder, however subliminal, that my future was bright, regardless of how many classes I cried through and how many hours I spent studying ins

NIH STRATEGIC PLAN FOR COVID-19 RESEARCH 2021

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To the American People,  With the aim of turning discovery into better health for all, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests in biomedical research that spurs innovations in science and technology. NIH research has proven its value to the United States and the world over the years by rising to meet the challenges of polio, AIDS, and many other formidable health foes. Most recently, the critical importance of NIH research has been demonstrated by our response to what is likely the greatest public health crisis of our generation: the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.  Over the past year, COVID-19 has inflicted a staggering toll on our Nation, claiming the lives of more than a half-million Americans. U.S. science has risen to this daunting challenge and made unprecedented progress in the fight against this swiftly spreading disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.  To address the challenges that COVID-19 poses to our health and economy, NIH has, from the pandemi

SORRY CDC, I’M KEEPING MY MASK ON

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This from ABC News: “In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.” The CDC provides further details on the new guidance. The DOs for those who have been fully vaccinated: You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic. You can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel. You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States. You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destinati

A SIMPLE BIBLE STUDY AID

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  You'd be surprised how much your understanding of Scriptures is enhanced by simply knowing the chronological order of the books in the Bible. A knowledge of when the events in the Bible actually occurred is crucial. Being able to link the books to events or passages you are reading often results in greater illumination and better appreciation. For me, it sort of brings the Bible alive and transports me back in time to when the events I'm reading about occurred. Paul instructed Timothy to, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." This injunction is important now more than ever  in this our post-truth world filled with all manner of false doctrines, false teachings, and heretic theologies. We need all the help we can get to understand Scriptures and to rightly divide the Word of Truth. This table is a simple aid that has helped me in my study. I hope you find it useful too.

JOY BISHARA & LYDIA POGU: THE CHIBOK GIRLS ARE COLLEGE GRADUATES

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By Akin Ojumu In a September 25, 2014 opinion piece titled, "Chibok Kidnapping: 164 Days Of National Shame," published in the Sahara Reporters, I lamented the fate of the 276 young girls abducted from their Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria.  In a silly season of political chicanery, allegations and counter-allegations of fake kidnapping and political setup were thrown about by the cynical political class and many Nigerians bought into it and they drank the kool aid of deception even as the Chibok girls languished in captivity.  A friend of mine, a supposedly “jimjim” Christian brother, even lectured me that it was all fake news and that the abduction of 276 schoolgirls didn't actually happen and couldn’t have happened. His argument? No secondary school in Northern Nigeria has a population of as many as 276 pupils. In my friend’s view, the abduction story was orchestrated by the political opponents of the then president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, and i

CHIBOK GIRLS' ABDUCTION: A NATIONAL SHAME

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By Akin Ojumu | Sahara Reporters, 25 September 2014 It has been a hundred and sixty-four days since 276 Secondary School girls were abducted from the Chibok Government Girls Secondary School, in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria, by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. 164 harrowing days of national shame! For the stolen girls, it has been 164 days of hopes and dreams put on hold, and youthful innocence shattered. Since the April 14 abduction, the parents of these girls have gone to bed in tears, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Mothers and fathers rise up at the dawn of each day drenched in the chilly sweat of fear, uncertain they’ll ever see their child alive again. As a country, it is 164 days of the nation’s hopes for tomorrow left at the mercy of every whim and caprice of cruel men. For anyone, every single day in the hands of bloodthirsty cannibals can seem like a lifetime of nightmares. Yet, in that lifetime, the rest of the nation has carried on with their lives. The 270 teenagers

WOULD YOU STILL LOVE GOD, IF…?

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By Akin Ojumu Let’s play a game – a game of hypotheticals. John Christian is a fervent Christian who loves the LORD his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, with all his strength, with all his mind, and his neighbor as himself. At his Church he is known as a prayer warrior and an unusually gifted teacher of the Word. Everybody talks about his uncompromising lifestyle. His intolerance for sin and impassioned disdain for iniquity is legendary. In fact, he is the poster child for a godly man, prototypical spiritual brother, and a quintessential righteous soul.  His life is marked with blessedness all around, as a recognition of his godliness and a fulfilment of that Scripture that says, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” it seems.  The man rolls in wealth and he walks in health. His job is a 6-figure monthly income gig that he loves with passion, his wife is a beauty queen who’s more of a fashion model than a

JESUS CHRIST, MY LIVING HOPE

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How great the chasm that lay between us How high the mountain I could not climb In desperation, I turned to heaven And spoke your name into the night Then through the darkness Your loving kindness Tore through the shadows of my soul The work is finished, the end is written Jesus Christ, my living hope Who could imagine so great a mercy? What heart could fathom such boundless grace? The God of ages stepped down from glory To wear my sin and bear my shame The cross has spoken, I am forgiven The king of kings calls me His own Beautiful savior, I'm yours forever Jesus Christ, my living hope Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in your name Jesus Christ, my living hope Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in your name Jesus Christ, my living hope Then came the morning that sealed the promise You