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Thread: Greetings and Welcome

  1. #1
    Master OptiBoarder Clive Noble's Avatar
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    May 2000
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    Israel
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    Hi Folks,

    I'm Clive, and am based in Israel. I've been a regular lurker of the Optiboard for a couple of years now and through these columns, not only have I made some good friends, but also some great business contacts.

    This new design of the board opens up all sorts of extra possibilities, and I particularly welcome the International Forum.

    On looking through the general postings, it seems that the majority of contributors are from the USA, but I do know that there are many people who access this site from countries all over the world. One person did mention to me that he would like to post a message but feels his English is not good enough.

    Well, I have to tell you, it really doesn't matter. I've seen postings on other boards (outside of optics!) with many spelling and grammatical mistakes, it's not important, what does matter is taking part, and exchanging ideas.

    I'm a Dispensing Optician, trained in the UK in the 60s, my mentor at college was Mo Jalie and I have to tell you, not a day goes by in the practice or lab when I don't think of him and some tip he gave us.

    I moved out to Israel about 20 years ago and am happy to say that together with my partners, also British trained Optometrists, we've managed to build up a small group of practices with the emphasis on quality, and have managed to keep away from price cutting and giving 'two for the price of one'

    We also run a Low Vision Clinic and hold a stock of various instruments, magnifiers and CCTV items. One of our Optometrists also handles Visual Training.

    Israel is a small country, but we have over 500 Optical stores.
    The majority are 'one man' businesses and there are 4 or 5 small chains.

    There are only 4 Rx Labs and as far as frames are concerned, almost every name is represented here.

    That's enough about me, I know we'd all like to hear from people around the world, and how Optics works in your country.

    Looking forward to hearing from you,

    All best, Clive


  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder Darryl Meister's Avatar
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    May 2000
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    Kansas City, Kansas, United States
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    Lens Manufacturer
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    Hi Clive,

    I've read much of Jalie's work, including three of his textbooks and many of his articles. And not many days go by for me wherein I don't look up something in "Principles of Ophthalmic Lenses!" He certainly is one of the true "gurus" of the industry. (He recently assisted me with the Optics spreadsheet that I have available for download here on the OptiBoard.) It must have been a very unique and exceptional experience to study under him.

    And I agree completely about your comments on English... I think we all can agree that the purpose of this board is to communicate ideas and encourage discussion, not police grammar. This is especially true for those without a strong grasp of the English language. I believe that most -- if not all of the OptiBoarders -- understand the language barriers and challenges inherent in this kind of globably communication, and are very understanding about them. (I think you'll find that the English of most Americans isn't very good, anyway!)

    Best regards,
    Darryl

  3. #3
    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Apr 2000
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    Back in AZ
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    Other Eyecare-Related Field
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    Originally posted by Darryl Meister:
    (I think you'll find that the English of most Americans isn't very good, anyway!)

    Best regards,
    Darryl
    Shouldn't that be:

    "Most Americans don't speak good English neither!"

    :D

    Nonetheless, a simple perusal of Usenet postings will affirm the fact that true English is a second (or possibly third) language to many Americans.

    I sincerely hope that our non-American colleagues feel they can contribute to this Board without worrying about using proper English.


    ------------------
    Steve
    OptiBoard Administrator

  4. #4
    OptiBoard Professional
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    May 2000
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    plymouth, michigan and Chicago
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    Shalom Clive.
    With so many optical shops, the per capita coverage of opticianry would suggest a relatively high presence of visual abnormalities in Israel.I seem to recall some publication a number of years ago linking ethnicity to the incidence of visual correction requirements. Do you have any statistics?

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