"Conquering cancer through AI"
Lunit, a portmanteau of ‘Learning unit,’ is a medical AI software company devoted to providing AI-powered total cancer care.
Our AI solutions help discover cancer and predict cancer treatment outcomes, achieving timely and individually-tailored cancer treatment.
The job title for this position within the company will be Software Engineer.
🗨️ About the team
Handling large images like Google Maps poses unique challenges for a frontend developer. How can you enable smooth, lag-free zooming and panning of gigantic files in real time? What about incorporating advanced annotations -akin to Adobe Photoshop - for medical research? Our Frontend Engineering team for the AI Platform tackles these complex capabilities daily.
Join us in refining the frontline interaction between human insights and algorithms - enabling aspiring AI to better perceive the world while making research intuitive.
🗨️ About the position Join us at Lunit and be part of our mission to revolutionize medical imaging with AI. We are looking for a frontend engineer who is passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology and making a real impact in healthcare. Your work will directly contribute to our mission to Conquer Cancer through AI by improving Lunit’s AI model development platforms.
This role will collaborate with UI/UX designers to build an intuitive interface optimizing data, annotation, and image visualization. The goal is to visualize data, annotations, and big images rapidly so researchers can iterate AI models faster. Beyond pixels, you’ll craft elegant code synchronizing clinical data feeds, analytics, and more in reusable components.
Our frontend engineers bridge design and engineering, working alongside product managers and backend developers to manifest high-performance solutions from wireframes. Working towards our mission involves more than dazzling graphics, you’ll instill time-saving efficiency into the user experience to propel AI Platform ahead as a nexus for next-gen AI innovation.
🚩 Roles & Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of front-end features in our products.
• Work closely with designers and back-end engineers to create interactive and dynamic web interfaces.
• Implement end-to-end (E2E) testing strategies and enhance unit test coverage in TDD ways.
• Stay updated on the latest technologies and proactively share new technical insights.
• Support the Frontend Engineering Leadby evaluating and recommending optimal web technologies to boost development velocity.
• Mentor junior or intermediate frontend engineers for practical software craftsmanship and championing hands-on coding expertise.

🚩 Tools Used

• HTML, CSS, CSS-in-JS, Javascript, Typescript, Asynchronous programming, React.js, Next.js
• Package manager: npm, yarn
• Module Bundler: Webpack, Parcel
• Test automation tools: Jest, Cypress
• Container: docker, Kubernetes
• General: Slack, Confluence, Jira, Git

Requirements
🎯 Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional experience in Frontend Development
• Strong proficiency in English
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, (software) engineering or a related field or proven practical experience.
• Proven frontend-related experience and familiar with Typescript, React.js and its ecosystem.
• Familiarity with Git flow and Git version control tools, with experience in API integration
• Experience in Next.js, Vercel, responsive web design (RWD)
• Knowledge of computer graphics like canvas, webGL
• Strong sense of responsibility, stability, and independent thinking with the ability to collaborate effectively with team members
• Participation in user experience (UX/UI) interface design planning
• Strong teamwork skills to ensure project requirements and goals are met
• Strong understanding of UI/UX principles and best practices
• Continuous Learning for staying up-to-date with the latest frontend technologies, best practices, and industry trends.

🏅 Preferred Experiences

• Proficiency in JavaScript-based tools more over 6+ years for debugging, Testing, Packaging managers like npm, or yarn, Module Bundlers like Webpack, Parcel
• Knowledge of docker or container service
• Knowledge of CSS Frameworks like Material UI, and related tools
• Knowledge or experience in backend development
• Good Korean communication
• Experience in sharing frontend technical knowledge or writing technical articles

📝How to Apply

• CV (resume, free format, in English)

🏃‍♀️ Hiring Process

• Document Screening →Introductory Interview → Assignment → Competency interview (Technical + Behaviour)→ Culture-fit Interview → Onboarding
  • All interviews are conducted in English.
  • After the final interview, we may proceed with reference checks if needed.

🤝 Work Conditions and Environment

• Work type: full-time
• Work location : Lunit HQ(5F, 374, Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul)
• Salary: after negotiation

🎸 ETC

• If you misrepresent your experience or education or provide false or fraudulent information in or with your application, it may be grounds for cancellation of the employment.
• Lunit is committed in providing the preferential processing to those eligible for employment protection (national merits and people with disabilities) relevant to related laws and regulations.

Benefits
🌻Benefits & Perks

• The new office is one minute away by foot from Gangnam Station Exit 3 making it very convenient
• Up to 12, 000 won is covered for both lunch and dinner when working at the office
• Up to 300,000 won is covered upon joining to decorate your personal workspace
• Provide the latest computer models, such as Macs and 4K monitors, and renew them every three years
  
• Attending seminars and purchasing books are covered
  
• Regular in-house AI and medical seminars are held
  
• Korean language education is provided for Lunitians who do not speak Korean as their first language
  
• Access high-quality AI learning resources & deep learning DevOps system
  
• Up to 1.2 million won worth of benefits points can be claimed annually
  
• Korean National holiday gift: Seollal and Chuseok gift/voucher
  
• Annual medical checkups and employee accident insurance are provided
  
• Financial support for participation in employee gatherings (once a month)
  

Click here for the application form!

So, I am 26 years old and going blind due to a retina disease and glaucoma. I have a BA but am struggling to find work even remotely related to my field. I have never been able to drive, and this presents a lot of challenges when living in the US, especially in the south.Services that exist to help folks like me do not exist here. There are some, but it mostly concerns resume building.. the jobs they tend to find are all very low paying. I have never earned above 30k net in my working life and I've been employed since I was 18.
I recently heard of a program being offered through my local trade school for masage therapy, and according to what I was told it is covered under some grant which would reduce the costs to basically nothing for those who qualify via FAFSA. I already have 30k in student loans, the idea of taking out another 4k only to be stuck after a year with a certificate that won't lead to a job scares me.. but on the other hand, it could open some doors?
If I qualify for the grant, the program will cost $600 in uniform fees and materials, it would be tuition free. If I don't qualify, it would cost me $4,000 in tuition. My local blind services is unwilling to sign off on the idea. I am in South Carolina so I imagine part of it is they simply lack the money/resources. I just want to be able to have work which will allow me to come home with money. If Uber costs me $50 one way, I need to earn a minimum of $200/day to feel like I am actually earning money.
Does anyone know the stats on MT salaries? Would it be something I could get hired for at a chain or spa? Around here, employers really have a problem with people not being able to drive.. yes, even when I tell them I'm disabled.. they just cannot compute somebody arriving to work without a car :D. Ultimately, I want to future-proof myself, and be in a relatively stable situation in the event my eyesight does completely leave me.

I'll create a new resume or fix and rewrite (as needed) your current resume, and I'll offer career advice. Keeping up with the news and latest trends in employment, I offer my advice freely to my clients, ensuring your resume not only tells your story but also aligns with what HR managers are currently seeking.
My process starts by researching what HR managers are looking for in your field, optimizing the resume for your specific case, and ensuring your resume is ATS compliant so you can use it to apply online. With extensive experience across all job types, I boast one of the most comprehensive resume databases ever written by anyone!
What do I offer? ATS-compliant resumes and cover letters are all original and tailor-made to suit your needs. Leveraging research from Harvard and other leading institutions, I craft resumes that meet the formal criteria and tell your unique professional story, ensuring you stand out to potential employers.
I am excited to announce a new service: applying for jobs for you.
This service includes:

• Using a residential VPN to search for jobs in your area, ensuring a localized and relevant job search.
• Tailoring your resume and cover letter for each job application, maximizing your chances of landing an interview.
• Creating an email address for job applications and any additional profiles required for employment.
• Delivering a spreadsheet with all the jobs applied for, keeping you organized and informed.

Price list:

• Resume: $60 (median price, may vary based on experience and length)
• Original cover letter: $40 (40 dollars is the base price, can be higher or lower as well)
• Resume + Cover letter combo: $85 (median price, may vary based on experience and length)
• LinkedIn Optimization: $50

Job Application Service:

• 4 applications for $30
• 6 applications for $35
• 10 applications for $65

Resume + Cover: Cryptocurrency (BTC, BNB, ETH, USDT only), Venmo, Zelle, Paypal, CashApp, and Wire Transfer. (I currently have problems with Paypal; I can use it, but I'd prefer to avoid it as much as possible)h as possible)
Typically, resumes are delivered within 24-48 hours, with many clients receiving theirs in just 24 hours. For those in a hurry, I offer a same-day delivery option. A rush fee of $40 ensures you get your resume in 8 hours or less.
Payment methods: Cryptocurrency (BTC, BNB, ETH, USDT only), Venmo, Zelle, Paypal, or CashApp, Wire Transfer. (I currently have problems with Paypal; I can use it, but I'd prefer to avoid it as much as possible)
To request my services, please email me at [resumes.moe@gmail.com](mailto:resumes.moe@gmail.com) with:

1. The service you're interested in.
2. Your Reddit username.
3. Your current resume.
4. Specific edits or updates you need.
5. A general deadline for when you need your documents.

Clarifications:

• I approach each project with a research-first mindset, ensuring that your resume is not just a document but a narrative that speaks to your strengths and ambitions. I prioritize customer satisfaction, offering to show you the finished resume before any payment is made, but would you please ask for immediate compensation once delivered?
• I have a new ATS beating technique that I will use for your resume.
• I'm in contact with recruiters and I often suggest my old clients to them If I know they might be a good fit for the job.
• Having served over a thousand Redditors (with many leaving positive remarks), my experience spans online and local community work. While not all clients leave feedback, you can check out some of the remarks and before/after examples of my work in the provided links and on Imgur.
• I now prefer advanced Payment for the resume, but still It can be delayed till after the delivery, but job application service payment must be paid in advance (usually done after completing the resume).
• I retain the right to ask for prepayment or deposit without having to explain my reasoning.
• Finally, while I ensure you're completely satisfied with your resume before requesting payment, I ask that you complete the transaction as fast as possible once the work is completed.

Education in Canada
Canada has long been a preferred destination for international students seeking a world-class education and a diverse, multicultural environment. With its stunning natural landscapes, welcoming communities, and high-quality educational institutions. Year after year, numerous global scholars opt for Canada as their study destination of choice. In this guide, we'll delve into the various aspects of students’ life in Canada, encompassing not only academics but also the vibrant lifestyle that accompanies it.
Quality Education
One of the primary reasons students flock to Canada is the exceptional quality of education offered by its universities and colleges. Canadian institutions are renowned for their academic excellence and rigorous standards. Whether you're pursuing a degree in engineering, business, or the arts, you'll find top-notch programs tailored to your interests.
Multicultural Environment
Canada's commitment to diversity is reflected in its educational institutions. Students from different cultural backgrounds and nationalities coexist harmoniously on campuses across the country. This multicultural environment not only enriches your academic experience but also broadens your horizons by exposing you to a wide range of perspectives.
Research Opportunities
Canada is a research powerhouse, and its universities are at the forefront of various fields. As a student, you'll have access to cutting-edge research opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities. Whether you're passionate about science, technology, or social sciences, Canada offers a platform for your academic growth.
Canadian Lifestyle
Safety and Security
Canada frequently ranks as one of the world's safest countries. This sense of security is particularly important for international students, as it allows you to focus on your studies and enjoy your time in Canada without unnecessary worries.
Natural Beauty
Canaa's beautiful landscapes are a constant source of wonder. From the Rocky Mountains in the west to the vibrant foliage of the east, the country offers a myriad of outdoor activities. Hiking, skiing, and exploring national parks become an integral part of your Canadian experience.
Cultural Diversity
Canada's cities are vibrant hubs of culture and entertainment. Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and many other urban centers host a wide array of cultural festivals, events, and culinary experiences. You'll find international cuisine, art galleries, theaters, and live music venues to cater to your interests.
Work Opportunities
Co-op Programs
Canada boasts abundant employment opportunities for students. Canadian universities offer co-op programs that allow students to gain hands-on work experience related to their field of study. This not only enhances your resume but also helps cover your living expenses. These co-op programs are a valuable aspect of the Canadian student experience, blending academic learning with real-world application. By participating in these programs, students can lay the foundation for a successful future career while minimizing financial burdens.
Post-Graduation Work Permits
Canada offers generous post-graduation work permits to international students. These permits allow you to work in Canada for up to three years after completing your studies, providing a valuable transition into the Canadian workforce. This period not only facilitates a smooth transition into the Canadian job market but also serves as a significant step towards permanent residency.
Cost of Living
Affordable Education
In terms of educational expenses, Canada presents a competitive advantage. International tuition fees in Canada are competitive, and the cost of education is often more affordable than in many other English-speaking countries. Additionally, there are numerous scholarships in Canada for Indian Students and financial aid options available to help ease the financial burden. This affordability is one of the key reasons why Canada has emerged as a prime destination for international education, attracting students from around the world seeking quality education without excessive costs.
Living Costs
The cost of living varies depending on your location in Canada. Generally, smaller cities and towns have a lower cost of living compared to major metropolitan areas like Toronto and Vancouver. Proper budgeting and financial planning are essential for a comfortable student life in Canada.
Conclusion
In conclusion, studying in Canada offers a unique blend of academic excellence, cultural diversity, and a high quality of life. If you're considering pursuing your education in a welcoming, safe, and dynamic environment, Canada should be at the top of your list. Explore the adventure of studying in Canada and seize a world of opportunities that will shape your future.
Remember that assistance and guidance will be vital as you begin on this wonderful path. Eduland Immigration can help with this. We're with you every step of the way, from visa applications to settling into your new life. We will assist you in making your aspirations a reality by providing individual assistance and an in-depth understanding of Canadian immigration. Join the thousands of outstanding students who have made Eduland Immigration, the best Immigration Consultant in Chandigarh, their trusted partner in achieving academic achievement and a bright future in Canada.

Hi All,
I started looking for a new job, in my previous applications(last 3 years when i changed my job), I was only sending a CV + Cover letter, after successful interviews then I got asked to send work certifications from my last employers, I read somewhere that I should send them at start and include my uni transcript.
should I do that? plus in Linkedin i can only apply with 1 PDF which is my resume, should I make one big fat PDF merging all docs together?
Any tip? ideas ? I ll be happy to get the right one of doing it.
Thanks in advance

Below you'll find information and links to help advocate for Reproductive Freedoms and Abortion care in Canada and emerging policy issues with the Reddit platform. This is a recurring post and will be periodically updated as needed. Feel free to post additional information and discussions in the comments.
Advocating for Abortion Care in Canada:

• There is a serious lack of Abortion Care options in Canada, particularly in the rural areas, and for those living on reserves, they have almost no access to Abortion care. People may have to travel more than 100km and across provincial lines to access abortion. Some have to travel by plane from their rural community to one with an abortion clinic or hospital. This puts an unfair financial and logistical burden on those that need to access abortion care. Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not cover travel costs related to receiving medical care.
• Because many provinces have few facilities that provide Abortion care, this places an unreasonable load on the clinics that do exist, forcing clients to look elsewhere for facilities with capacity to help them. In Alberta, there is one clinic for every 209,077 people who can become pregnant (number of assigned-at-birth females between the ages of 15-29). PEI, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory each only have 1 Abortion care provider. Nunavut only has 2 abortion providers, and of those, only one offers medical abortion covered by the provincial health insurance plan. In fact, 9 (out of a total of 13) Canadian provinces and territories have five or fewer facililities offering abortion care in their entire province. And 10 Canadian provinces and territories have one or fewer (0) rural facililities offering abortion care.
• Some provinces, have more restrictive guidelines regarding abortion, limiting access to abortion care to those with a gestational period of less than 12 weeks (meaning, 12 weeks since the first day of your last period, not 12 weeks since you discovered you were pregnant or when you had sex). Many people who menstruate have irregular periods. Some people might only menstruate every 2 or 3 months, and might only discover that they are pregnant near the gestation limit of 12 weeks.
• Insurance coverage also limits access to abortions. Some provinces, like Nunavut, do not offer coverage for medical abortions unless they are prescribed and performed in a hospital. And being a rural province, there also happens to be only 1 hospital in Nunavut - Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqualuit. New Brunswick will only cover abortion services in a hospital setting, which means that abortion medical care provided in clinics are not covered by their Provincial Health Insurance Plan.
• Sexual and reproductive health services are among the services that physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners are most frequently unwilling to provide on moral or religious grounds. People who have been harassed and/or attacked while visiting an Abortion clinic may experience stigma and/or discrimination from their peers, especially in smaller, rural communities where everyone knows one another. People refused care by health care professionals because of personal beliefs may experience stigma and/or discrimination, forcing them to travel outside of their community to receive the care they need. This can all be particularly daunting for young people or those with limited resources.
• Everyone in Canada is supposed to have equal rights to access health care, regardless of race, age, class, immigration status, gender expression, sexuality and ability. Nevertheless, anyone's right to seek abortion care can be be impacted by discrimination and bigotry, both systemic and as a result of individual prejudice on the part of service providers. Racism, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism in Canada are all direct and intersecting barriers to accessing abortion. It is much more difficult for a person who doesn\u2019t speak English to access abortion services, despite the presence of a translator. Transpeople also experience discrimination at higher rates in reproductive health care settings. Providers may also lack the knowledge or training to provide trans-affirming abortion care and abortion services are typically housed within *women\u2019s* health care departments.
• Further compounding the issue of inequitable abortion access are unregulated crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs), which are anti-choice pregnancy centres that advertise in hospitals, doctor's offices, churches, schools and community centre. They deceive people coming to them for options and advice by giving misinformation about abortion or by insisting on options that may delay or interfere with the clients ability to access the care they need. CPCs far outnumber abortion care providers in Canada. In Ontario alone, there are 77 active CPCs but only 38 abortion care providers. Overall, in Canada, there are 165 known CPCs compared to 147 abortion care providers (as of August 2022).

Reference: Policy Options, via the Institute for Research on Public Policy and Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights
What can you do to improve access to abortion care in Canada?

1. Listen, research and learn. This is always the first step to understand any problem.
2. Send a letter to your MP and MPP. Tell them that access to abortion care is important and how difficult it can be to access it in your province. Urge them to prevent anti-choice groups and CPCs from receiving charitable status, and to revoke the charitable status from CPCs that already have it. Encourage them to include reasonable reimbursement for travel costs related to receiving medical care when it is not available in your community. And push them to pass Safe Access Zone Legislation to protect patients, practitioners and their staff from anti-choice harassment and intimidation.
3. Give a donation to a pro-choice charitable organization of your choice. Remember, if you give a total of $201 CDN or more to Canadian charitable organizations, you'll get a credit of 29% of your total annual donations on your income taxes (for those that file Canadian Income Taxes, only).
4. Sign up for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Newsletter. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
5. Participate in local marches and rallys in support of access to abortion care.
6. Spread the Word. Tell your friends and family. Encourage them to research, listen and learn. Encourage them to contact their MPP and MPs.
7. If you work in a Doctor's office or as a family physician, consider incorporating Mifegymiso into your practice to ensure patients have timely access to this essential service. If you are a Doctor, or studying to be one, consider opening an Abortion Care practice when you are licensed and qualified to do so, especially in rural areas where there are a lack of options.
8. If you work in politics, consider proposing legislation that will ensure safe access zones for abortion care providers and their clients and covering reasonable travel costs for constituents when medical care is not available in their community.
9. If you are a journalist or work in media, consider preparing pieces sharing the difficulty Canadians can have accessing medical care such as abortions.
10. If you work in the area of Not For Profit/Advocacy, consider partnering with a Pro-choice organization and helping them spread information and lobby for improving access to abortion care for Canadians.
11. If you know someone who needs abortion care, consider giving them a ride to a clinic, helping them access the advice and care they need, and provide non-judgemental support.
12. Ensure persons of First Nations, Metis and Inuit heritage know about Jordan's Principle, which ensures that First Nations children (which includes people who can become pregnant under the age of 18) can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emerging Policy Issues with Reddit
On July 1, 2023, Reddit raised the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that killed every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader. This policy change meant that mobile users would have a lesser experience browsing Reddit, users with visual difficulties could not browse reddit as screenreaders are not compatible with the official Reddit app, and mods lost tools that they depend on to keep communities on-topic and spam-free. Many subreddits protested this change in June 2023, and the Reddit admins enforced draconian measures such as removing and replacing mods who privatized their subreddits in protest of this policy change.
On September 12, 2023, Reddit will eliminate reddit coins, including removing all accumulated coins, a perk that Reddit Premium users pay for every month. Coins are used to reward comments and posts by showing your appreciation for the effort. Some reddit coins offer the ability to use reddit without ads.
In March 2024, Reddit had an IPO (Initial Public Offering), and the founder and current CEO, as well as the COO have sold $500,000 of their shares. How does this effect you? Reddit may face pressure to increase revenues to attract investors. This could lead to more ads or new monetization features. There could also be changes to the platform to attract a wider user base, such as bans and censorship on certain topics or words and control over content to appease more conservative shareholders or users.
What can you do to protest policy changes at Reddit?

1. Listen, research and learn. Check /modcoord for updates
2. Cancel your Reddit Premium membership
3. Participate in subreddit led protests
4. Look for other forums to patronize. We have a forum on Discord called Auntie Network Canada. Message the mods here for an invite link to the Discord group.
5. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit. Leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks of running your business? Whether it's managing emails, organizing schedules, or improving your online presence, I'm here to lend a hand. With my experience as a Virtual Assistant and a background in various industries, I bring a tailored approach to meet your specific needs and drive growth for your business.
If your inbox is overflowing and your calendar is a mess, let me help you out. With my experience in email management, calendar organization, and minute-taking, I'll ensure your administrative tasks are handled smoothly and efficiently.
Struggling to manage your time effectively? I've been there! With my exceptional task management skills, I'll help you prioritize your workload and ensure everything gets done on time.
SEO feeling like a foreign language? Don't worry, I've got you covered. With my experience in basic on-page and off-page SEO, along with keyword research and content strategy, I'll help optimize your website and improve your online visibility.
Content creation causing headaches? Been there, done that! I know how to create engaging content that resonates with your audience. Whether it's writing blog posts, crafting social media updates, or managing your content strategy, I'll help you tell your story and connect with your customers.
Tech troubles giving you a headache? I've got experience with popular software like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Google Suite. Whether you need help with document management, presentations, or data analysis, I'll make sure your technical needs are taken care of.
Customer service slipping through the cracks? Not on my watch! With my background in providing excellent customer service, I'll ensure your clients receive prompt and professional responses, leaving them satisfied and coming back for more.
If you're ready to take your business to the next level and could use some extra support, send me a message or take a quick view of my resume below. I'm excited to help your business thrive!
My rate is $500-$750/ month.
Resume:

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks of running your business? Whether it's managing emails, organizing schedules, or improving your online presence, I'm here to lend a hand. With my experience as a Virtual Assistant and a background in various industries, I bring a tailored approach to meet your specific needs and drive growth for your business.
If your inbox is overflowing and your calendar is a mess, let me help you out. With my experience in email management, calendar organization, and minute-taking, I'll ensure your administrative tasks are handled smoothly and efficiently.
Struggling to manage your time effectively? I've been there! With my exceptional task management skills, I'll help you prioritize your workload and ensure everything gets done on time.
SEO feeling like a foreign language? Don't worry, I've got you covered. With my experience in basic on-page and off-page SEO, along with keyword research and content strategy, I'll help optimize your website and improve your online visibility.
Content creation causing headaches? Been there, done that! I know how to create engaging content that resonates with your audience. Whether it's writing blog posts, crafting social media updates, or managing your content strategy, I'll help you tell your story and connect with your customers.
Tech troubles giving you a headache? I've got experience with popular software like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Google Suite. Whether you need help with document management, presentations, or data analysis, I'll make sure your technical needs are taken care of.
Customer service slipping through the cracks? Not on my watch! With my background in providing excellent customer service, I'll ensure your clients receive prompt and professional responses, leaving them satisfied and coming back for more.
If you're ready to take your business to the next level and could use some extra support, send me a message or take a quick view of my resume below. I'm excited to help your business thrive!
Resume:

Hello All,
unfortunately i couldn't find any similar queries to the one that I have, so I decided to address it directly to this community.
I recently installed Stremio and Torrentio and linked with Real Debrid. And everything is working as expected, which is, I can stream all the content without any issue.
I do have VPN, which is usually active. But in case the VPN is not active, then I'm afraid that my activity with torrentio will be visible and will probably get a letter asking me to pay a hefty fine.
My questions are:
How can i be sure that the streaming content is working only with RD? Can it also happen, that torrentio can stream without any valid RD subscription? Does the Torrentio addon work, if the RD API Key is invalid?
I live in a country where the sharing copyrighted content is prohibited, so I want to make sure that the cover my tracks.
Please also suggest any tips.
Thanks everyone in advance for clarifying my questions.

There are several essential items that students should have in order to successfully prepare for their CBSE exams. To summarise in simple points heres the list..

• Understand the latest CBSE syllabus and textbooks thoroughly
• Use sample papers and previous years' question papers for practice
• Create a study schedule to cover all subjects adequately, You should also have access to study materials such as CBSE textbooks, notes, and sample papers to practice and revise the concepts
• Stay organized and focused on important concepts, It is crucial for students to have a quiet and distraction-free study environment where they can focus and concentrate on their studies.

-Students should make sure to take care of their physical and mental well-being by getting enough rest, staying hydrated, and managing stress levels to ensure they are in their best shape for the exams.

Hi y’all!
I have been a silent reader on this sub and decided to post my experience just to offer an understanding of the current visa grant timeline.
Background:
-600 visa, upto 3 months stay, for my husband and myself. We’re both Indian passport holders but live and work in the UAE
-Both have a travel history to countries in the SE Asia and Europe (I have also held an Australian tourist visa in the past but not him)
-Documents attached: Bank statements, title deed of my husband’s house in India, our salary slips, evidence of leave from our workplaces, UAE ID, UAE resident visas, investment P&L statements, cover letter (I didn’t attach this but husband did), invitation from my sister who lives in Sydney
We applied on the 13th of May, completed the biometrics on the 15th (a requirement for Indians when applying from the UAE) and received our visas this afternoon.
Hope this helps 🙂
(edited to add details and format better)

I’m Mark Gatuati. I work as a freelancer and I run a small YouTube channel as a hobby. Some of the tasks that I have handled in the past include;

1. Research
2. Writing (Creative Writing, YT Scripts, Resumes... and more)
3. Graphic Design
4. Social Media Management
5. Video Editing
6. Organization

And more...
Here is a link to some of my previous works.
Work Samples (Personal Resume, Research & Writing Experience, Logos, and Social Media Posters)
Video Editing Experience (My YouTube Channel)
Resume Samples
Let me know if you need my services. You can reach me at:
Discord: .ToxicChief
Telegram: @ chifusumu
Email: [m.arkgatuati@gmail.com](mailto:m.arkgatuati@gmail.com)
I charge a fair price of 4 USD/hr. We can explore other payment plans for tasks where hourly rates don't apply. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

I’ve recently just moved to the UK from North America and currently looking for jobs. I work in a very unique field that my current city doesn’t have much to offer in terms of available jobs. That being said, I’ve recently just discovered a position at a company that I would be perfect for. I sent my application in early April, as soon as the listing went up, and worked really hard on my resume, portfolio to coincide with their company, and a cover letter. The job listing doesn’t have an end date of when they will close to applications, but I didn’t think much of this.
Fast forward to the beginning of May (two weeks later after sending my application in) and I sent a follow up email stating my continued interest in the position and asking for an update. The HR person replied saying they are still reviewing applications and that they will contact me when there is an update. Now that we’re nearing close to June (two weeks since I sent follow up email) I’m wondering if I should email again to ask the status even though they have said they will give me an update. I don’t want to be annoying but I know I would be a perfect fit for this role and really want to get an interview as I’m confident that I could make a good impression.
The job listing is currently still up on indeed and their website but again I don’t want to be annoying by contacting them again after they said they will give me an update when they have one. Or if it’s progressive and will be seen in a good light contacting them for a second time two weeks after the first follow up.
Thank you!

Hi all, earlier this year my son bought a car, the seller could not provide the logbook or new keeper slip, so a new one was applied for, I filled the v62 out for him and not knowing the exact date of purchase put new years eve down, as I knew this was definitely before actual date.. (A mistake? Irrelevant maybe??)
Throughout this time the car remained on our private drive, where it had been trailered to.
Cut to March 5th and he received a letter from dvla confirming sale and that a new logbook, v5, would be issued shortly, buoyed up by this he finished the last few jobs needed, to return it to the road, this included him moving it to the end and just off our drive. This meant the passenger side wheels were technically on the public road while the rest of the vehicle and driver side were on our property. A situation that was just a few hours. On the 18th he received the v5 (issued 14th) and promptly taxed the car, now showing as taxed from 1st March (insurance and mot already done). Off he sets happily using vehicle. Then, may 18th he received a letter detailing his use/keeping the vehicle on public road at midday on the 5th March, the time when he was working on it, however the fine (out of court settlement offer) appears to include back dated tax and is £105, from reading it should be £30 if anything, but shows on dvla site as taxed from 1st
So how to proceed? He is only marked as keeper from 14th March, and payed the duty ASAP to cover March, surely previous keeper has liability, seems they are trying to pin his unpaid tax on new keeper? No prior contact, so I don't believe it's escalated charges. Just a bit lost as to how to move forward, the more nominal fine it wouldn't be worth challenging, but at this rate instinct is to appeal it, or at least offer mitigatiin at a hearing as he had no means to tax or sorn until that v5 arrived, anybody been in this position, any advice appreciated

A company reached out to me to try and find someone suitable... So here I am.
​
​

About the company

Small business, hospitality adjacent.
​
​

About the role

You will be responsible for marketing the brand and its products online and offline for wider exposure.
You can expect to be required to travel within the UAE and GCC mostly, but there may arise a need to travel to other countries across the MENA region. Passport holders who can get visa easily will be preferred.
​
​

Expected salary

To be negotiated with the employer.
​
​

Requirements

Must already be in the UAE with valid residency visa.
Language Proficiency: English and Arabic, professional level, reading and writing as well. Fluency in a third language preferred.
Experience: Open to all levels of experience, but ideally young candidates who have the skills and need experience. Training will be given.
Driving License: Valid Dubai driving license and car preferred (fuel expenses will be covered). If not, company car may be provided.
Preferrably female.
​
​

Process

You can forward a cover letter that briefly introduces yourself or discusses your CV.
You may forward me images or imgurl link of your CV through DIRECT MESSAGE ONLY.
Make sure to remove any personally identifiable information from your CVs. Do NOT include the following:

• Face
• Name
• Phone number
• Email address
• Names of companies you worked with in the past
• Names of schools and/or universities you studied at

If the company is interested, I'll get back to you.
​
​
Do not send me a chat request about this topic or you will be ignored or blocked. Sorry, but I just don't like chats on Reddit and any other app. Chats overwhelm me.
All the best!

Heres the timeline of events which may have contributed to the waiver being denied and or supports my desire to contest the decision. (20F, England, events covering 2020-2024)
Dec 2020 - a rent waiver was submitted on my behalf on the grounds of ill-health. I did not get to see any documentation over the T/Cs and didn't sign anything. I repeatedly asked/offered to supply evidence of ill-health which I was subsequently told was not needed.
Jan 27th 2021 I vacated the room a day before the deadline - unfortunately I forgot to return the keys. HOWEVER, as much as the keys represent having access to the accomodation, these keys no longer worked as the locks had been changed. I was let into the room that night by security who happened to hand me back the redundant pair of keys and thats where my oversight lay. (In 2022 I am made aware that according to their records I vacated the room a week and a half late (when i finally traveled back to hand in the keys) and the waiver was rejected.)
March 2021 I call to ask for an update on the waiver and I am told "it has been waived". I accept this was most likely someone palming me off and mispoke due to not checking the situation but this is ridiculously irresponsible and dictated my next set of responses. A week or two after this phone call, rent arrears emails ceased. This further affirmed I no longer owed any rent.
Sep 2021 Rent arrears emails resume but I ignore, thinking it was a glitch due to the commencement of a new academic year.
After a few months of these emails I ask about them and I am told the rent is owed, no mention of the waiver, rejected or otherwise. I say I was told the rent was waived and I receive an apology and that the issue would be followed up. I hear no more for several months.
Rent arrears emails restart again, some months later. The case is transferred to STA debt collection and I discuss with them the issues I am having. They pause proceedings multiple times and "close" the case on one occasion.
I also reiterate the same information to the university about: - my doubts over the waiver submission due to no evidence being requested, nothing to sign or T&Cs to read. I was not made aware that in passing the deadline for key hand over I would be liable for the whole term of rent not just the days exceeding the deadline.

• that in coming to a resolution some leeway for the deadline should be accommodated considering I exited the rental agreement on health grounds and ill health doesnt work to deadlines AND limited travel due to COVID made moving out at night, alone with no car as a 20 y/o woman quite difficult.
  
• the keys not actually allowing access to the room so I would like to argue that some leeway should be made again as per their conditions for the room to be vacated and inaccessible, I did not have access to the room anyway.
  
• the irresponsible staff member claiming it "has been waived". Which then dictated my finances since I no longer thought I owed a large sum of money. And later on another member or staff apologising and rent arrears emails ceasing once more.
  
• that i thought it was fair I owed the days of rent after the deadline but not the whole term
  

The uni also claim I was sent an email in 2021 updating me that the waiver was denied. I asked for this to be resent as I do not remember ever receiving such an email and this request was ignored. At least twice my emails were unanswered and many times it took weeks to receive a response.
I communicated these points multiple times to the uni and in the last instance (July 2023) they replied 2 months later with a reduced amount owed, more than halved - but not for any of the reasons I stipulated, for some other reason I cant remember currently (the new amount did not reflect the days of rent over the deadline)
At this point I was completely tired, doubtful of their handling of anything and offended because now they admit that for 2 years they have been requesting over double the amount I owed anyway!
(Not essential to read, just concluding) Its my graduation in 2 months and I do NOT want them to pull me aside on the day because of this - I have no tuition fee debts so I can graduate, I just dont want this to be flagged to the accommodation services that I'll be on site that day. Please, where do I stand here? I realise this has been dragged out so long and since their last email with the reduced amount I have ceased communication, STA call me multiple times a week but no letters or emails. I was admitted to hospital for a month last summer for the same reasons I left the uni halls and I've just had a lot on my plate. The official way is to submit a complaint but since it has been so long I now have to justify why I did not take action sooner i.e. after I received the last email in Sep 2023.

Job hunting in today’s fast-paced and competitive job market can be incredibly challenging, especially for Gen Z and Millennials. These generations are entering the workforce at a time when the landscape is rapidly changing due to technological advancements, economic fluctuations, and shifting industry demands. The traditional career path is evolving, and with it comes a set of unique challenges that young professionals must navigate.
From dealing with the lack of experience that many employers require to staying motivated amidst a sea of rejections, the journey to securing a job can often feel like an uphill battle. However, it's important to remember that every challenge presents an opportunity for growth and learning. By adopting the right strategies and maintaining a positive mindset, you can turn these obstacles into stepping stones towards a successful career.
In this guide, we'll explore practical tips and advice to help you overcome the most common job hunting challenges. Whether you're a recent graduate stepping into the job market for the first time or a young professional looking to make a career change, these insights will equip you with the tools you need to succeed.

1. Leverage Internships & Part-Time Jobs: Gain valuable experience and build your professional network. Internships and part-time roles provide the hands-on experience that employers value.
   
2. Highlight Transferable Skills: Skills from volunteer work, academic projects, and extracurricular activities can be highly relevant. Focus on abilities such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and leadership.
   
3. Create a Strong Online Presence: Use LinkedIn effectively, start a blog, or build a portfolio website to showcase your talents. A strong online presence can set you apart from other candidates.
   
4. Tailor Your Resume & Cover Letter: Customize your resume and cover letter for each job application. Highlight relevant skills and experiences, and use job-specific keywords to pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
   
5. Network Actively: Networking is crucial. Attend industry events, join professional groups on social media, and reach out to professionals in your desired field. Informational interviews can provide valuable insights and potential job leads.
   
6. Prepare Thoroughly for Interviews: Research the company and role you're applying for. Practice common interview questions and prepare your responses. Demonstrating knowledge about the company and enthusiasm for the role can make a big difference.
   
7. Handle Rejection Gracefully: Rejection is part of the process. Seek constructive feedback to improve, stay positive, and focus on self-care to maintain your mental and physical health.
   
8. Stay Motivated: Set realistic goals, track your progress, and celebrate small wins. Breaking down your job search into manageable tasks can help maintain motivation and organization.
   

Remember, every step you take brings you closer to your dream job. Stay positive, persistent, and proactive. You've got this!
Feel free to share your own job hunting tips and experiences below. Let's support each other through this journey!

JobHunting #CareerGrowth #GenZ #Millennials #WorkplaceCulture #CareerTips #ProfessionalDevelopment #JobSearchJourney #CareerGoals #ESG

Yo peeps, I have a question and hope I can find some clarity about my following subject:
Can I upload my beats with Vocals I took both out of the big grime acapellas folder, everybody knows or nowadays I merely using stem extraction with the AI Moises App - put them on my beats and on the cover I put a disclaimer with the message I didn't want to annoy anyone with the remix and that I've made it for the love of grime, arts and as homage to the artist, and will erase it in case of any issues?
I've asked a very few Artists on IG if I may use their vocals.
But they didn't read it yet.
On yt I see so called unofficial remixes done with acapellas taken from the grime acapellas folder e.g. Next Hype. Here it's declared a unofficial remix in some tracks. Does that mean unofficial implicates there's no official permission of the artist that got sampled or remixed.
I hope I can help here. I want to come further and must know if I shall be cool and easily upload my unofficial remix.
Some of the acapellas are free for remixers. Artists officially gave a.global permission to use them.
Tempa T Next Hype. I think I could upload a remix without a permission of Tempa T and put it as bootleg.
But Moises. The App brings me into a higher state remixing. Today every Track is quickly separated in stems. So I can make acapellas from tracks that artists not officially gave free.
I think here I shall be as careful as possible with copyright infringement.
Additionaly with Moises I can extract the vocals from a live Set when the MC ( in my example Tempa T) is spitting freestyle. Here isn't any specific track where questions of copyright are associated.
I'd be so thankful if someone read my text to this far point😅🔥
And I'd appreciate if you can help me.

“We’re a meat family,” my dad would proudly tell strangers. He’d wait for the quizzical look, then launch into detail, starting with how many freezers we had, how long we could sustain ourselves on the contents. It was just his way of starting a conversation, which made sense when you considered that raising and home-killing animals for food was, for want of a better term, his life-long hobby. His prize possession was one of those industrial-sized vacuum sealers: you could put half a pig inside and wrap it in plastic so tightly that every wrinkle and skin fold waxed unreal with shiny detail.
If we hadn’t lived in a rural area, albeit semi-urbanised, I guess it would have been pretty weird. But the mostly farming-stock locals only found his extra enthusiasm a little bit odd.
When he wasn’t being a bit embarrassing talking about it, I never really paid much heed to his hobby. I had a child’s vaguely grateful awareness that though our family went through some lean financial times, our stomachs never suffered like some of the families around us. All the beef, pork, ham and bacon in those big old chest freezers passed down from his dad really could have fed us for years.
I should preface all this by saying that I wasn’t a particularly bright kid, though neither was I dumb. I didn’t fail badly at anything in school, I just never achieved beyond a pass. I didn’t know it yet back then, still quietly dreaming about being a ballet star or a dressage champion, but mediocrity was my destiny. And I think that’s why I got on so well with my Aunt Liz.
Liz was my dad’s live-in youngest sister. She was one of those women who get described as ‘bubbly’ — not really pretty, not really smart, not a lot going on besides just being… well, all Liz. But she was salt of the earth; kind, caring, and great with kids. She was the only person who would willingly mind my two older brothers, who fought like hellcats and caused more trouble than the whole last generation of my family combined. People would privately lament to my parents that it was a shame Liz didn’t have kids of her own, but dad would just shake his head and say Liz liked it that way – that all the fun of looking after kids is being able to give them back to their parents.
I guess she was like me; nice, but mediocre. Lovely, but somehow forgettable when she wasn’t doing something for you.
But when Liz left us, I couldn’t forget her.
In hindsight, it was pretty weird timing that we had a big fortieth birthday party for Liz right before she disappeared. She was radiant that night; she’d hired a local girl to do her hair and makeup, and it was honestly the first time I’d ever seen her look pretty. She’d even worn a push-up bra under a tight red dress, which flattered her very plump curves well enough that the neighbour’s farmhand was spotted disappearing into the woolshed with her for a snog. In my dawning awareness, that gave a plain girl hope: if Aunty Liz could get a guy at forty, maybe things would turn out okay for me.
Anyway, I couldn’t forget how her pink cheeks, her eyes, her whole self, glowed that night before Liz went to bed. She said it was the best birthday ever, and that she was very much looking forward to the next stage of her life.
Would I have done anything different, if I had known? If I had realised what, exactly, that next stage was?
The week after the party, Aunt Liz said she was going on a little holiday up north, to visit some old school friends. She packed her things – she didn’t honestly have that many – and drove her little orange mini out onto the main road. And with a wave of one fleshy hand, she was gone. Nobody really thought much of it when she didn’t call, because nobody rural had cellphones back then. And Liz was, as I said, somehow kinda forgettable when she wasn’t right in front of you.
When we hadn’t had contact for six weeks, Dad tracked down the land line numbers for their old school buddies. They were surprised to hear from him — Liz had never arrived, so they had just assumed she’d cancelled her visit. No-one had thought to check. I eavesdropped on the conversation, and it sounded for all the world like *they* had forgotten about Aunt Liz, too.
From there it became a missing person case. The local cops came and talked to all of us; the farmhand who’d been seen snogging her was briefly detained, then let go, dad got grilled at length, even my hellion brothers were questioned thoroughly to see if this was one of their wild and dangerous pranks gone wrong.
But everything was a dead end. Nobody knew where Liz was, or what had happened to her.
The remains of her old mini were found halfway across the country, burned out on a beach, on a derelict stretch of ragged, rocky coastline. The police assumed murder and combed the area for remains. But even the most expert divers couldn’t conquer the incredible undertow and fast-shifting seabed of that coastline to look for evidence, so none was forthcoming.
Eventually the cops collectively shrugged and said that there was really nothing more they could do unless more information suddenly came to light. The locals knew nothing, no witnesses had come forward, and the trail was cold. As far as anyone knew, poor aunt Liz had been murdered on some desolate beach, far away from her home.
It didn’t feel fair to me. She’d once mentioned wanting her remains buried on our farm, in the graveyard plot beside grandma and grandad.
So, in my grief, I went into her room to look for something of hers to bury beside them.
Like I said, Liz didn’t have many things. Her room was pretty spartan, and her wardrobe was mostly sensible farm stuff. There was one exception: she, like me, did like to read, and she had a pretty good collection of well-thumbed books. I think it’s the escapism – even the most mediocre girl can lose herself in the plot of some trashy romance novel, imagine there’s still hope of being swept off her feet by that handsome stableboy, his inexplicable yearning for chubby plain girls.
So I set myself the task of going through the books, to find the right one to bury in the graveyard plot.
Most of them were exactly what you’d expect, but some of them were racier than I was used to. I felt various parts of my body flushing and tingling, as I read breathless prose about calloused hands touching the softest flesh of the protagonist. Okay, if I’m honest with myself, I might have got a little *too* invested in my project at that point. But that was also why I persisted going through her entire collection, until I found the ragged paperback from 1970, entitled Tawny Sands. And inside that trashy cardboard romance cover, I discovered not the tale of Tawny Sands, but some carefully hand-cut, stitched-in pages. A handwritten story in my Aunt’s rounded penmanship: Memoirs of a Long Pig.
I read her story twice in a row, utterly gripped.
Aunt Liz was no Stephen King – heck, she wasn’t even the Goosebumps guy – but her story was gripping and compelling, and I couldn’t put it down. Even if I hadn’t known her, I think that would have been true.
The gist of it was that Liz, when she was sixteen, had discovered that our family had a very long history of eating what she described as ‘Long Pork’. It’s an antipodean term, anglicised from the Pacific Islands: human meat.
Like me, young Liz still had some hopes and dreams. In one of her many failed attempts to find a special talent, she’d taken up cooking as a hobby. Naturally, with our family’s overabundance of meat, she’d scoured the freezers in the shed for ingredients: the racks of ribs and stacks of pork chops, butcher-paper wrappings all neatly labelled with the first letter of the name of the animal they came from.
She found familiar meat from Rodney, one of the pigs that had been recently slaughtered, emblazoned with an ‘R’ in her father’s strong, blocky lettering. There were cutlets labelled ‘M’ for Mary, from one of the lambs she’d hand-reared, and ‘F’ for Ferdinand, the steer they’d killed the month before. But she couldn’t explain the many, many curious parcels of meat on one side of the huge freezer, all labelled ‘J’ – at least, not until she took it all out and assembled it as well as she could on the scoured concrete floor of the killing shed. A big, frozen jigsaw puzzle without the box, her best attempt to discover what kind of beast the pieces had come from.
The animal, she quickly realised, was a Long Pig. Her own Aunt Jenny, who had died the month before – just after her fortieth birthday.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, for Liz, her father entered the shed right at that moment and realised his daughter had discovered the family secret. He sat down calmly on the lid of the freezer, and explained to her that this was a long-running family tradition, dating back to at least before his grandfather had been born.
“There are always people in life, Liz,” he’d said, “who won’t really amount to much. They want to be useful, want to be more. They strive and they strive, trying job after job, hobby after hobby, trying to hit on something they’re really good at. Something that makes them special. Those people can waste their whole lives, chasing dreams that never come true. Eventually they die unfulfilled, knowing that all their time has been wasted. That what they leave behind will fade quickly.”
His voice was oddly gentle as he leaned down and patted one of the neatly wrapped cuts of Aunt Jenny, still sitting frozen on the shed floor.
“Your Aunt Jenny was one of those people. So was my Aunt Irene.” He paused to gaze at his daughter, his next words peppered with emphasis. “But you see, my sweet Liz, they did find a purpose in life. They did find a way to be special, and they left this world utterly certain of their gift.” He stood up, stretched his back. “Let me show you.”
Liz waited while my grandad meticulously stacked the meat back into the freezer, all but one J-marked parcel that looked for all the world like a thick venison steak. He took her back to the farmhouse, and reverently unwrapped the deep red, heavily marbled meat to let it thaw. Then he laid it in the family’s ancient, cast-iron pan, basting it with butter and rosemary until a heavenly scent filled the kitchen, and Aunt Liz couldn’t stop her mouth from watering.
“Just try it. Let her show you. You’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.”
Even though she knew it was her aunt, Liz couldn’t stop herself from taking that first bite. There was something transcendent about the smell, overriding her natural revulsion that this was human meat, not one of their farm animals. For the first time, she truly realised it: we’re just another kind of animal. And weren’t her memories of Mary the lamb almost as fond as her memories of Aunt Jenny?
Liz explained then, in her curly handwriting, the explosion of taste that had assaulted her when she tried the steak. It was tender, it was succulent, it was rich beyond imagining. The fats melted on her tongue, lingering somewhere between pork and beef, but oddly neither. The flavour of the meat defied identification; something familiar, yet not.
But one thing she couldn’t deny; it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. Tears dripped onto her plate, mingled with the juice, the grease — not grief, but a pure, real, giddy delight.
“You’re tasting your aunt’s love for this family,” my grandad explained. “Her entire life was carefully curated, to eventually make unforgettable moments for us, just like this. This was her way of being special. This was the greatest gift she could possibly bring to our world – and because she realised that, she died with not a single regret. She knew her life had purpose. She was perfectly, completely fulfilled.”
I felt those words. I felt them lodge in my own belly, settling uncomfortably deep. I knew Aunt Liz, probably better than anyone else in the family. I’d seen how fucking happy she’d been on her fortieth, how goddamn fulfilled she was, despite apparently being a *nobody* and achieving *nothing*. Somehow, in the space of a single day, she had gone from being a forgettable background character to becoming the *main character*, immortalising herself in our family’s history with her sacrifice. Quite literally becoming part of all of us, forever.
I went to the killing shed after I finished with the book. I looked inside the freezers.
But there were no vacuum-sealed packages labelled ‘L’, no matter how deep I dug into the frozen stacks of plastic-wrapped flesh. Panicked now, not sure if I wanted to connect all the dots or unconnect them, I tried to think back over the last few months, recall any meals that had been unusually good. A few Sundays ago, we’d had a stew that really hit the spot and left me craving more. And I realised that the family had a really good night that night; my brothers behaved themselves, my parents didn’t fight, and grandma and grandad had been there. Hadn’t they looked far more… expectant than they should have?
I strained my brain, trying to recall if I’d seen the homekill bag on the kitchen bench – if I’d registered what letter it was. I knew it wasn’t an L. I would have remembered if it was an L.
And then it hit me, the memory, the connection, sizzling as if branded with a hot iron.
It had been an ‘E’.
E for Elizabeth. Not for Edward the pig.
I snorted at my own stupidity – of *course* Liz was short for Elizabeth – and as I comprehended my lack of smarts, I felt something give inside me.
I wasn’t clever, and nothing, nothing would ever make me smart. I had no big talents. I wasn’t beautiful, or even cute – and even if I had a million plastic surgeries, it still wouldn’t fulfill me. It wouldn’t be real.
I was a Liz.
I was a Jenny.
I was whoever the first aunt had been, the aunt who had dedicated her life to making her flesh as delicious as possible, who had worked every damn minute to be the best Long Pig she could ever be.
I wondered how many magical family evenings had been spent eating Aunt Jenny. How many glorious, satisfying, memorable dishes had been made out of her.
And… I wanted that. I wanted to finally know I had a *purpose* in life. One so simple, and so easy to achieve.
I wanted what Aunt Liz had.
***
It's my fortieth birthday today and I’m so fucking excited. For the last twenty-four years, I’ve dedicated myself to this moment; I’ve eaten exactly what I needed to, I’ve exercised just enough, but not too much, to maintain that perfect balance of marbling vs tenderness. I’ve relaxed and meditated to keep all those amazing flavours inside of me. I’ve researched all the greatest meats in the world, from prime Angus beef to A5 Wagyu. I really think I may have outdone myself.
I’m having my hair and makeup done at the local salon this afternoon, and I’m going to look so pretty; all prize piggy on show at the fair. I’m even going to have a big red ribbon in my hair, in memory of Aunt Liz.
Maybe there’ll be a cute boy I can snog in the wool shed, maybe there won’t – I don’t really care; because the most important, most certain thing is that I’m going to be the most delicious Long Pig in the history of our entire family.
I’m going to make everyone so damn happy, and I’m just so glad I can share my story with you all, instead of hiding it in a grubby book like poor Aunt Liz.
My only real disappointment? That you won’t get to taste me.
Reader, I have loved, loved my life. My Long Pork will be out of this world: once tasted, never, ever forgotten.

"Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross?"

The main reason Jesus died on the cross was to defeat Satan and set us free from his oppressive rule. Everything else that Jesus accomplished was to be understood as an aspect and consequence of this victory (e.g., Recapitulation, Moral Influence, etc.).
This understanding of why Jesus had to die is called the Christus Victor (Latin for “Christ is Victorious”) view of the atonement. But, what exactly was Christ victorious from, and why? To find out the answers to these questions, we have to turn to the Old Testament, as that's what the apostles would often allude to in order to properly teach their audience the message they were trying to convey (Rom. 15:4).
The OT is full of conflict between the Father (YHVH) and false gods, between YHVH and cosmic forces of chaos. The Psalms speak of this conflict between YHVH and water monsters of the deeps (an ancient image for chaos) (Psa. 29:3-4; 74:10-14; 77:16, 19; 89:9-10; 104:2-9, etc).
The liberation of Israel from Egypt wasn’t just a conflict between Pharaoh and Moses. It was really between YHVH and the false gods of Egypt.
Regardless of whether you think the aforementioned descriptions are literal or metaphorical, the reality that the Old Testament describes is that humanity lived in a “cosmic war zone.”
The Christus Victor motif is about Christ reigning victorious over wicked principalities and Satan's kingdom, and is strongly emphasized throughout the New Testament. Scripture declares that Jesus came to drive out "the prince of this world” (John 12:31), to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8), to “destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14) and to “put all enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25). Jesus came to overpower the “strong man” (Satan) who held the world in bondage and worked with his Church to plunder his "palace" (Luke 11:21-22). He came to end the reign of the cosmic “thief” who seized the world to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” the life YHVH intended for us (John 10:10). Jesus came and died on the cross to disarm “the principalities and powers” and make a “shew of them openly [i.e., public spectacle]” by “triumphing over them in [the cross]” (Col. 2:15).
Beyond these explicit statements, there are many other passages that express the Christus Victor motif as well. For example, the first prophecy in the Bible foretells that a descendent of Eve (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). The first Christian sermon ever preached proclaimed that Jesus in principle conquered all YHVH's enemies (Acts 2:32-36). And the single most frequently quoted Old Testament passage by New Testament authors is Psalm 110:1 which predicts that Christ would conquer all YHVH’s opponents. (Psalm 110 is quoted or alluded to in Matthew 22:41-45; 26:64, Mark 12:35-37; 14:62, Luke 20:41-44; 22:69, Acts 5:31; 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, 1st Corinthians 15:22-25, Ephesians 1:20, Hebrews 1:3; 1:13; 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 15, 17, 21; 8:1; 10:12-13, 1st Peter 3:22, and Revelation 3:21.) According to New Testament scholar Oscar Cullman, the frequency with which New Testament authors cite this Psalm is the greatest proof that Christ’s “victory over the angel powers stands at the very center of early Christian thought.”
Because of man's rebellion, the Messiah's coming involved a rescue mission that included a strategy for vanquishing the powers of darkness.
Since YHVH is a God of love who gives genuine “say-so” to both angels and humans, YHVH rarely accomplishes His providential plans through coercion. YHVH relies on His infinite wisdom to achieve His goals. Nowhere is YHVH's wisdom put more on display than in the manner in which He outsmarted Satan and the powers of evil, using their own evil to bring about their defeat.
Most readers probably know the famous story from ancient Greece about the Trojan Horse. To recap the story, Troy and Greece had been locked in a ten-year-long vicious war when, according to Homer and Virgil, the Greeks came up with a brilliant idea. They built an enormous wooden horse, hid soldiers inside and offered it to the Trojans as a gift, claiming they were conceding defeat and going home. The delighted Trojans accepted the gift and proceeded to celebrate by drinking themselves into a drunken stupor. When night came and the Trojan warriors were too wasted to fight, the Greeks exited the horse, unlocked the city gates to quietly let all their compatriots in, and easily conquered the city, thus winning the war.
Historians debate whether any of this actually happened. But either way, as military strategies go, it’s brilliant.
Now, there are five clues in the New Testament that suggest YHVH was using something like this Trojan Horse strategy against the powers when he sent Jesus into the world:
1) The Bible tells us that YHVH's victory over the powers of darkness was achieved by the employment of YHVH’s wisdom, and was centered on that wisdom having become reality in Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:25, 1 Cor. 2:7, Eph. 3:9-10, Col. 1:26). It also tells us that, for some reason, this Christ-centered wisdom was kept “secret and hidden” throughout the ages. It’s clear from this that YHVH's strategy was to outsmart and surprise the powers by sending Jesus.
2) While humans don’t generally know Jesus’ true identity during his ministry, demons do. They recognize Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, but, interestingly enough, they have no idea what he’s doing (Mark 1:24; 3:11; 5:7, Luke 8:21). Again, the wisdom of YHVH in sending Jesus was hidden from them.
3) We’re told that, while humans certainly share in the responsibility for the crucifixion, Satan and the powers were working behind the scenes to bring it about (John 13:27 cf. 1 Cor. 2:6-8). These forces of evil helped orchestrate the crucifixion.
4) We’re taught that if the “princes of this world [age]” had understood the secret wisdom of YHVH, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8 cf. vss 6-7). Apparently, Satan and the powers regretted orchestrating Christ’s crucifixion once they learned of the wisdom of YHVH that was behind it.
5) Finally, we can begin to understand why the powers came to regret crucifying “the Lord of glory” when we read that it was by means of the crucifixion that the “handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us [i.e., the charge of our legal indebtedness]” was “[taken] out of the way [i.e., canceled]” as the powers were disarmed. In this way Christ “triumph[ed] over” the powers by "his cross” and even “made a shew of them openly” (Col. 2:14-15). Through Christ’s death and resurrection YHVH's enemies were vanquished and placed under his Messiah's feet, and ultimately His own in the end (1 Cor. 15:23-28).
Putting these five clues together, we can discern YHVH's Trojan Horse strategy in sending Jesus.
The powers couldn’t discern why Jesus came because YHVH's wisdom was hidden from them. YHVH's wisdom was motivated by unfathomable love, and since Satan and the other powers were evil, they lacked the capacity to understand it. Their evil hearts prevented them from suspecting what YHVH was up to.
What the powers did understand was that Jesus was mortal. This meant he was killable. Lacking the capacity to understand that this was the means by which YHVH would ultimately bring about the defeat of death (and thus, pave the road for the resurrection itself), they never suspected that making Jesus vulnerable to their evil might actually be part of YHVH's infinitely wise plan.
And so they took the bait (or "ransom"; Matt. 20:28, Mark 10:45, 1 Tim. 2:5-6). Utilizing Judas and other willing human agents, the powers played right into YHVH’s secret plan and orchestrated the crucifixion of the Messiah (Acts 2:22-23; 4:28). YHVH thus brilliantly used the self-inflicted incapacity of evil to understand love against itself. And, like light dispelling darkness, the unfathomably beautiful act of YHVH's love in sending the willing Messiah as a "ransom" to these blood-thirsty powers defeated them. The whole creation was in principle freed and reconciled to YHVH, while everything written against us humans was nailed to the cross, thus robbing the powers of the only legal claim they had on us. They were “spoiled [i.e., disempowered]” (Col. 2:14-15).
As happened to the Trojans in accepting the gift from the Greeks, in seizing on Christ’s vulnerability and orchestrating his crucifixion, the powers unwittingly cooperated with YHVH to unleash the one power in the world that dispels all evil and sets captives free. It’s the power of self-sacrificial love.

Why Penal Substitution Is Unbiblical

For the sake of keeping this already lengthy post as short as possible I'm not going to spend too much time on why exactly PSA (Penal Substitutionary Atonement) is inconsistent with Scripture, but I'll go ahead and point out the main reasons why I believe this is so, and let the reader look further into this subject by themselves, being that there are many resources out there which have devoted much more time than I ever could here in supporting this premise.

"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:"-1 Corinthians 5:7

The Passover is one of the two most prominent images in the New Testament given as a comparison to Christ's atonement and what it accomplished, (the other most common image being the Day of Atonement sacrifice).
In the Passover, the blood of the lamb on the door posts of the Hebrews in the book of Exodus was meant to mark out those who were YHVH's, not be a symbol of PSA, as the lamb itself was not being punished by God in place of the Hebrews, but rather the kingdom of Egypt (and thus, allegorically speaking, the kingdom of darkness which opposed YHVH) was what was being judged and punished, because those who were not "covered" by the blood of the lamb could be easily identified as not part of God's kingdom/covenant and liberated people.
Looking at the Day of Atonement sacrifice (which, again, Christ's death is repeatedly compared to throughout the New Testament), this ritual required a ram, a bull, and two goats (Lev. 16:3-5). The ram was for a burnt offering intended to please God (Lev. 16:3-4). The bull served as a sin offering for Aaron, the high priest, and his family. In this case, the sin offering restored the priest to ritual purity, allowing him to occupy sacred space and be near YHVH’s presence. Two goats taken from "the congregation” were needed for the single sin offering for the people (Lev. 16:5). So why two goats?
The high priest would cast lots over the two goats, with one chosen as a sacrifice “for the Lord” (Lev. 16:8). The blood of that goat would purify the people. The second goat was not sacrificed or designated “for the Lord.” On the contrary, this goat—the one that symbolically carried the sins away from the camp of Israel into the wilderness—was “for Azazel” (Lev. 16:8-10).
What—or who—is Azazel?
The Hebrew term azazel (עזאזל) occurs four times in Leviticus 16 but nowhere else in most people's canon of the Bible, (and I say "most people's canon," because some people do include 1 Enoch in their canon of Scripture, which of course goes into great detail about this "Azazel" figure). Many translations prefer to translate the term as a phrase, “the goat that goes away,” which is the same idea conveyed in the King James Version’s “scapegoat.” Other translations treat the word as a name: Azazel. The “scapegoat” option is possible, but since the phrase “for Azazel” parallels the phrase “for YHVH” (“for the Lord”), the wording suggests that two divine figures are being contrasted by the two goats.
A strong case can be made for translating the term as the name Azazel. Ancient Jewish texts show that Azazel was understood as a demonic figure associated with the wilderness. The Mishnah (ca. AD 200; Yoma 6:6) records that the goat for Azazel was led to a cliff and pushed over, ensuring it would not return with its death. This association of the wilderness with evil is also evident in the New Testament, as this was where Jesus met the devil (Matt. 4:1). Also, in Leviticus 17:1-7 we learn that some Israelites had been accustomed to sacrificing offerings to "devils" (alternatively translated as “goat demons”). The Day of Atonement replaced this illegitimate practice.
The second goat was not sent into the wilderness as a sacrifice to a foreign god or demon. The act of sending the live goat out into the wilderness, which was unholy ground, was to send the sins of the people where they belonged—to the demonic domain. With one goat sacrificed to bring purification and access to YHVH and one goat sent to carry the people’s sins to the demonic domain, this annual ritual reinforced the identity of the true God and His mercy and holiness.
When Jesus died on the cross for all of humanity’s sins, he was crucified outside the city, paralleling the sins of the people being cast to the wilderness via the goat to Azazel. Jesus died once for all sinners, negating the need for this ritual.
As previously stated, the goat which had all the sin put on it was sent alive off to the wilderness, while the blood of the goat which was blameless was used to purify the temple and the people. Penal substitution would necessitate the killing of the goat which had the sin put on it.
Mind you, this is the only sacrificial ritual of any kind in the Torah in which sins are placed on an animal. The only time it happens is this, and that animal is not sacrificed. Most PSA proponents unwittingly point to this ritual as evidence of their view, despite it actually serving as evidence to the contrary, because most people don't read their Old Testament and don't familiarize themselves with the "boring parts" like Leviticus (when it's actually rather important to do so, since that book explains how exactly animal offerings were to be carried out and why they were done in the first place).
In the New Testament, Christ's blood was not only meant to mark out those who were his, but also expel the presence of sin and ritual uncleanness so as to make the presence of YHVH manifest in the believer's life. Notice how God's wrath isn't poured out on Christ in our stead on this view, but rather His wrath was poured out on those who weren't covered, and the presence of sin and evil were merely removed by that which is pure and blameless (Christ's blood) for the believer.
All this is the difference between expiation and propitiation.

The Content of Paul's Gospel Message

When the New Testament writers talked about “the gospel,” they referred not to the Protestant doctrine of justification sola fide–the proposition that if we will stop trying to win God’s favor and only just believe that God has exchanged our sin for Christ’s perfect righteousness, then in God’s eyes we will have the perfect righteousness required both for salvation and for assuaging our guilty consciences–but rather they referred to the simple but explosive proposition Kyrios Christos, “Christ is Lord.” That is to say, the gospel was, properly speaking, the royal announcement that Jesus of Nazareth was the God of Israel’s promised Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The New Testament writers were not writing in a cultural or linguistic vacuum and their language of euangelion (good news) and euangelizomai would have been understood by their audience in fairly specific ways. Namely, in the Greco-Roman world for which the New Testament authors wrote, euangelion/euangelizomai language typically had to do with either A) the announcement of the accession of a ruler, or B) the announcement of a victory in battle, and would probably have been understood along those lines.
Let’s take the announcements of a new ruler first. The classic example of such a language is the Priene Calendar Inscription, dating to circa 9 BC, which celebrates the rule (and birthday) of Caesar Augustus as follows:
"It was seeming to the Greeks in Asia, in the opinion of the high priest Apollonius of Menophilus Azanitus: Since Providence, which has ordered all things of our life and is very much interested in our life, has ordered things in sending Augustus, whom she filled with virtue for the benefit of men, sending him as a savior [soter] both for us and for those after us, him who would end war and order all things, and since Caesar by his appearance [epiphanein] surpassed the hopes of all those who received the good tidings [euangelia], not only those who were benefactors before him, but even the hope among those who will be left afterward, and the birthday of the god [he genethlios tou theou] was for the world the beginning of the good tidings [euangelion] through him; and Asia resolved it in Smyrna."
The association of the term euangelion with the announcement of Augustus’ rule is clear enough and is typical of how this language is used elsewhere. To give another example, Josephus records that at the news of the accession of the new emperor Vespasian (69 AD) “every city kept festival for the good news (euangelia) and offered sacrifices on his behalf.” (The Jewish War, IV.618). Finally, a papyrus dating to ca. 498 AD begins:
"Since I have become aware of the good news (euangeliou) about the proclamation as Caesar (of Gaius Julius Verus Maximus Augustus)…"
This usage occurs also in the Septuagint, the Greek translations of the Jewish Scriptures. For instance LXX Isaiah 52:7 reads, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news (euangelizomenou), who publishes peace, who brings good news (euangelizomenos) of salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'" Similarly, LXX Isaiah 40:9-10 reads:

"…Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings (ho euangelizomenos) to Sion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings (ho euangelizomenos); lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Ioudas, “See your God!” Behold, the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with authority (kyrieias)…."-NETS, Esaias 40:9-10

This consistent close connection between euangelion/euangelizomai language and announcements of rule strongly suggests that many of the initial hearers/readers of the early Christians’ evangelical language would likely have understood that language as the announcement of a new ruler (see, e.g., Acts 17:7), and, unless there is strong NT evidence to the contrary, we should presume that the NT writers probably intended their language to be so understood.
However, the other main way in which euangelion/euangelizomai language was used in the Greco-Roman world was with reference to battle reports, announcements of victory in war. A classic example of this sort of usage can be found in LXX 2 Samuel 18:19ff, where David receives word that his traitorous son, Absalom, has been defeated in battle. Euangelion/euangelizomai is used throughout the passage for the communications from the front.
As already shown throughout this post, the NT speaks of Jesus’s death and resurrection as a great victory over the powers that existed at that time and, most importantly, over death itself. Jesus’ conquest of the principalities and powers was the establishment of his rule and comprehensive authority over heaven and earth, that is, of his Lordship over all things (again, at that time).
This was the content of Paul's gospel message...

Justification, and the "New" Perspective on Paul

The following quotation is from The Gospel Coalition, and I believe it to be a decently accurate summary of the NPP (New Perspective on Paul), despite it being from a source which is in opposition to it:

The New Perspective on Paul, a major scholarly shift that began in the 1980s, argues that the Jewish context of the New Testament has been wrongly understood and that this misunderstand[ing] has led to errors in the traditional-Protestant understanding of justification. According to the New Perspective, the Jewish systems of salvation were not based on works-righteousness but rather on covenantal nomism, the belief that one enters the people of God by grace and stays in through obedience to the covenant. This means that Paul could not have been referring to works-righteousness by his phrase “works of the law”; instead, he was referring to Jewish boundary markers that made clear who was or was not within the people of God. For the New Perspective, this is the issue that Paul opposes in the NT. Thus, justification takes on two aspects for the New Perspective rather than one; initial justification is by faith (grace) and recognizes covenant status (ecclesiology), while final justification is partially by works, albeit works produced by the Spirit.

I believe what's called the "new perspective" is actually rather old, and that the Reformers' view of Paul is what is truly new, being that the Lutheran understanding of Paul is simply not Biblical.
The Reformation perspective understands Paul to be arguing against a legalistic Jewish culture that seeks to earn their salvation through works. However, supporters of the NPP argue that Paul has been misread. We contend he was actually combating Jews who were boasting because they were God's people, the "elect" or the "chosen ones." Their "works," so to speak, were done to show they were God's covenant people and not to earn their salvation.
The key questions involve Paul’s view(s) of the law and the meaning of the controversy in which Paul was engaged. Paul strongly argued that we are “justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law” (Gal. 2:16b). Since the time of Martin Luther, this has been understood as an indictment of legalistic efforts to merit favor before God. Judaism was cast in the role of the medieval "church," and so Paul’s protests became very Lutheran, with traditional-Protestant theology reinforced in all its particulars (along with its limitations) as a result. In hermeneutical terms, then, the historical context of Paul’s debate will answer the questions we have about what exactly the apostle meant by the phrase "works of the law," along with other phrases often used as support by the Reformers for their doctrine of Sola Fide (justification by faith alone), like when Paul mentions "the righteousness of God."
Obviously an in-depth analysis of the Pauline corpus and its place in the context of first-century Judaism would take us far beyond the scope of this brief post. We can, however, quickly survey the topography of Paul’s thought in context, particularly as it has emerged through the efforts of recent scholarship, and note some salient points which may be used as the basis of a refurbished soteriology.
[Note: The more popular scholars associated with the NPP are E.P. Sanders, James Dunn, and N.T. Wright. Dunn was the first to coin the term "The New Perspective" in a 1983 Manson Memorial Lecture, The New Perspective on Paul and the Law.]
Varying authors since the early 1900's have brought up the charge that Paul was misread by those in the tradition of Martin Luther and other Protestant Reformers. Yet, it wasn't until E.P. Sanders' 1977 book, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, that scholars began to pay much attention to the issue. In his book, Sanders argues that the Judaism of Paul's day has been wrongly criticized as a religion of "works-salvation" by those in the Protestant tradition.
A fundamental premise in the NPP is that Judaism was actually a religion of grace. Sander's puts it clearly:
"On the point at which many have found the decisive contrast between Paul and Judaism - grace and works - Paul is in agreement with Palestinian Judaism... Salvation is by grace but judgment is according to works'...God saves by grace, but... within the framework established by grace he rewards good deeds and punishes transgression." (Paul and Palestinian Judaism, p. 543)
N.T. Wright adds that, "we have misjudged early Judaism, especially Pharisaism, if we have thought of it as an early version of Pelagianism," (Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said, p. 32).
Sanders has coined a now well-known phrase to describe the character of first-century Palestinian Judaism: “covenantal nomism.” The meaning of “covenantal nomism” is that human obedience is not construed as the means of entering into God’s covenant. That cannot be earned; inclusion within the covenant body is by the grace of God. Rather, obedience is the means of maintaining one’s status within the covenant. And with its emphasis on divine grace and forgiveness, Judaism was never a religion of legalism.
If covenantal nomism was operating as the primary category under which Jews understood the Law, then when Jews spoke of obeying commandments, or when they required strict obedience of themselves and fellow Jews, it was because they were "keeping the covenant," rather than out of legalism.
More recently, N.T. Wright has made a significant contribution in his little book, What Saint Paul Really Said. Wright’s focus is the gospel and the doctrine of justification. With incisive clarity he demonstrates that the core of Paul’s gospel was not justification by faith, but the death and resurrection of Christ and his exaltation as Lord. The proclamation of the gospel was the proclamation of Jesus as Lord, the Messiah who fulfilled Israel’s expectations. Romans 1:3-4, not 1:16-17, is the gospel, contrary to traditional thinking. Justification is not the center of Paul’s thought, but an outworking of it:
"[T]he doctrine of justification by faith is not what Paul means by ‘the gospel’. It is implied by the gospel; when the gospel is proclaimed, people come to faith and so are regarded by God as members of his people. But ‘the gospel’ is not an account of how people get saved. It is, as we saw in an earlier chapter, the proclamation of the lordship of Jesus Christ….Let us be quite clear. ‘The gospel’ is the announcement of Jesus’ lordship, which works with power to bring people into the family of Abraham, now redefined around Jesus Christ and characterized solely by faith in him. ‘Justification’ is the doctrine which insists that all those who have this faith belong as full members of this family, on this basis and no other." (pp. 132, 133)
Wright brings us to this point by showing what “justification” would have meant in Paul’s Jewish context, bound up as it was in law-court terminology, eschatology, and God’s faithfulness to God’s covenant.
Specifically, Wright explodes the myth that the pre-Christian Saul was a pious, proto-Pelagian moralist seeking to earn his individual passage into heaven. Wright capitalizes on Paul’s autobiographical confessions to paint rather a picture of a zealous Jewish nationalist whose driving concern was to cleanse Israel of Gentiles as well as Jews who had lax attitudes toward the Torah. Running the risk of anachronism, Wright points to a contemporary version of the pre-Christian Saul: Yigal Amir, the zealous Torah-loyal Jew who assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for exchanging Israel’s land for peace. Wright writes:
"Jews like Saul of Tarsus were not interested in an abstract, ahistorical system of salvation... They were interested in the salvation which, they believed, the one true God had promised to his people Israel." (pp. 32, 33)
Wright maintains that as a Christian, Paul continued to challenge paganism by taking the moral high ground of the creational monotheist. The doctrine of justification was not what Paul preached to the Gentiles as the main thrust of his gospel message; it was rather “the thing his converts most needed to know in order to be assured that they really were part of God’s people” after they had responded to the gospel message.
Even while taking the gospel to the Gentiles, however, Paul continued to criticize Judaism “from within” even as he had as a zealous Pharisee. But whereas his mission before was to root out those with lax attitudes toward the Torah, now his mission was to demonstrate that God’s covenant faithfulness (righteousness) has already been revealed in Jesus Christ.
At this point Wright carefully documents Paul’s use of the controversial phrase “God’s righteousness” and draws out the implications of his meaning against the background of a Jewish concept of justification. The righteousness of God and the righteousness of the party who is “justified” cannot be confused because the term bears different connotations for the judge than for the plaintiff or defendant. The judge is “righteous” if his or her judgment is fair and impartial; the plaintiff or defendant is “righteous” if the judge rules in his or her favor. Hence:
"If we use the language of the law court, it makes no sense whatsoever to say that the judge imputes, imparts, bequeaths, conveys or otherwise transfers his righteousness to either the plaintiff or the defendant. Righteousness is not an object, a substance or a gas which can be passed across the courtroom. For the judge to be righteous does not mean that the court has found in his favor. For the plaintiff or defendant to be righteous does not mean that he or she has tried the case properly or impartially. To imagine the defendant somehow receiving the judge’s righteousness is simply a category mistake. That is not how the language works." (p. 98)
However, Wright makes the important observation that even with the forensic metaphor, Paul’s theology is not so much about the courtroom as it is about God’s love.
Righteousness is not an impersonal, abstract standard, a measuring-stick or a balancing scale. That was, and still is, a Greek view. Righteousness, Biblically speaking, grows out of covenant relationship. We forgive because we have been forgiven (Matt. 18:21-35); “we love" because God “first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:8, 10, Gal 5:14, Jam. 2:8). Paul even looked forward to a day when “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10), and he acknowledged that his clear conscience did not necessarily ensure this verdict (1 Cor. 4:4), but he was confident nevertheless. Paul did in fact testify of his clear conscience: “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation [i.e., behavior] in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward” (2 Cor. 1:12). He was aware that he had not yet “attained” (Phil. 3:12-14), that he still struggled with the flesh, yet he was confident of the value of his performance (1 Cor. 9:27). These are hardly the convictions of someone who intends to rest entirely on the merits of an alien righteousness imputed to his or her account.
Wright went on to flesh out the doctrine of justification in Galatians, Philippians, and Romans. The “works of the law” are not proto-Pelagian efforts to earn salvation, but rather “sabbath [keeping], food-laws, circumcision” (p. 132). Considering the controversy in Galatia, Wright writes:
"Despite a long tradition to the contrary, the problem Paul addresses in Galatians is not the question of how precisely someone becomes a Christian, or attains to a relationship with God….The problem he addresses is: should his ex-pagan converts be circumcised or not? Now this question is by no means obviously to do with the questions faced by Augustine and Pelagius, or by Luther and Erasmus. On anyone’s reading, but especially within its first-century context, it has to do quite obviously with the question of how you define the people of God: are they to be defined by the badges of Jewish race, or in some other way? Circumcision is not a ‘moral’ issue; it does not have to do with moral effort, or earning salvation by good deeds. Nor can we simply treat it as a religious ritual, then designate all religious ritual as crypto-Pelagian good works, and so smuggle Pelagius into Galatia as the arch-opponent after all. First-century thought, both Jewish and Christian, simply doesn’t work like that…. [T]he polemic against the Torah in Galatians simply will not work if we ‘translate’ it into polemic either against straightforward self-help moralism or against the more subtle snare of ‘legalism’, as some have suggested. The passages about the law only work — and by ‘work’ I mean they will only make full sense in their contexts, which is what counts in the last analysis — when we take them as references to the Jewish law, the Torah, seen as the national charter of the Jewish race." (pp. 120-122)
The debate about justification, then, “wasn’t so much about soteriology as about ecclesiology; not so much about salvation as about the church.” (p. 119)
To summarize the theology of Paul in his epistles, the apostle mainly spent time arguing to those whom he were sending letters that salvation in Christ was available to all men without distinction. Jews and Gentiles alike may accept the free gift; it was not limited to any one group. Paul was vehement about this, especially in his letter to the Romans. As such, I will finish this post off by summarizing the letter itself, so as to provide Biblical support for the premises of the NPP and for what the scholars I referenced have thus far argued.
After his introduction in the epistle to an already believing and mostly Gentile audience (who would've already been familiar with the gospel proclaimed in verses 3-4), Paul makes a thematic statement in 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This statement is just one of many key statements littered throughout the book of Romans that give us proper understanding of the point Paul wished to make to the interlocutors of his day, namely, salvation is available to all, whether Jew or Gentile.
In 1:16 Paul sets out a basic theme of his message in the letter to the Romans. All who believed, whether they be Jew or Gentile, were saved by the power of the gospel. The universal nature of salvation was explicitly stated. The gospel saved all without distinction, whether Jew or Greek; salvation was through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Immediately after this thematic declaration, Paul undertakes to show the universal nature of sin and guilt. In 1:18-32 Paul shows how the Gentile is guilty before God. Despite evidence of God and his attributes, which is readily available to all, they have failed to honor YHVH as God and have exchanged His glory for idolatrous worship and self-promotion. As a consequence, God handed them over in judgment (1:18-32). Paul moves to denunciation of those who would judge others while themselves being guilty of the very same offenses (2:1-5) and argues that all will be judged according to their deeds (2:6). This judgment applies to all, namely, Jew and Greek (2:9-10). This section serves as somewhat of a transition in Paul’s argument. He has highlighted the guilt of the Gentiles (1:18ff) and will shortly outline the guilt of the Jew (2:17-24). The universal statement of 2:1-11 sets the stage for Paul’s rebuke of Jewish presumption. It was not possession of the Law which delivered; it was faithful obedience. It is better to have no Law and yet to obey the essence of the Law (2:12-16) than to have the Law and not obey (2:17-3:4). Paul then defends the justice of God’s judgment (3:5-8), which leads to the conclusion that all (Jew and Gentile) are guilty before God (3:9).
Paul argues that it was a mistaken notion to think that salvation was the prerogative of the Jew only. This presumption is wrong for two reasons. First, it leads to the mistaken assumption that only Jews were eligible for this vindication (Paul deals with this misunderstanding in chapter 4 where he demonstrates that Abraham was justified by faith independently of the Law and is therefore the father of all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike). Second, it leads to the equally mistaken conclusion that all who were Jews are guaranteed of vindication. Paul demonstrates how this perspective, which would call God’s integrity into question since Paul was assuming many Jews would not experience this vindication, was misguided. He did this by demonstrating that it was never the case that all physical descendants of Israel (Jacob) were likewise recipients of the promise. In the past (9:6-33) as in the present (at that time; 11:1-10), only a remnant was preserved and only a remnant would experience vindication. Paul also argued that the unbelief of national Israel (the non-remnant) had the purpose of extending the compass of salvation. The unbelief of one group made the universal scope of the gospel possible. This universalism was itself intended to bring about the vindication of the unbelieving group (11:11-16). As a result of faith, all (Jew and Gentile) could be branches of the olive tree (11:17-24). Since faith in Christ was necessary to remain grafted into the tree, no one could boast of his position. All, Jew and Gentile alike, were dependent upon the mercy and grace of God. As a result of God’s mysterious plan, He would bring about the vindication of His people (11:25-27). [Note: It is this author's belief that this vindication occurred around 66-70 AD, with the Parousia of Christ's Church; this author is Full-Preterist in their Eschatology.]