text:
The endless breadsticks and salad at Olive Garden may leave some patrons too full for dinner, but a new regional test by Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) beginning this week may have young and cost-conscious customers sticking around for more.
Continue Reading Below
The Orlando, Fla.-based restaurant operator, known for popular chains like Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse, is playing with small and family style dishes (the latter is rival Carmine’s claim to fame) at Olive Garden as it looks to gauge customer preference.
Darden has been revamping operations at Olive Garden, including modernizing its logo and motto last year to try to shed some of its more traditional stigmas. It’s a bid to further overhaul the Italian eatery, which suffered in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
The move, which also includes new online-only lunchtime deals, comes days after Darden warned earnings would likely fall in the coming months despite recent promotions that have helped improve sales. Executives at the company told analysts they see a 3% to 5% drop in earnings per share next year amid widening employee and operation costs.
But Darden did tout the success of previous promotions, and on Monday unveiled a new batch of them as it looks to revive the chain's sales.
Among those are new lunch flash sales only available through a Groupon-lookalike website the day of the lunch. The eatery is looking to target tech-savvy Millennials by offering the sales on its website in a service that plays on Groupon’s (NASDAQ:GRPN) “Now” deals.
A few times a week the website will offer up to 25% off meals that day, with the savings declining every hour leading up to lunchtime in an effort to incentivize patrons to “choose Olive Garden” earlier in the day. Patrons interested in the flash lunch deals can also subscribe to receive email notifications about the promotions, similar to how daily deals sites like Groupon mail coupons to users.
Separately, Olive Garden began testing the small plates and family-style promotions this week in an effort to get a better idea of what patrons are looking for when they come to the restaurant.
The first promotion, which it is calling “Tastes of Italy,” includes smaller-serving items starting at $3.99 including risotto bites, pizza fritta napoli and parmesan roasted asparagus. It was launched in select markets including Atlanta, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Louisville, Portland and New Jersey and Olive Garden says it hopes to roll out the feature nationally later this summer.
The restaurant giant also began regional testing on Monday at 40 Olive Gardens of a new “weeknight family-style dinner” promotion, available from Monday through Thursday and including both dine-in and take-out orders. The deal features meals like fettuccini alfredo, spaghetti with meat sauce and eggplant parmesan that serve four for $29.99.
Darden served up an annual profit of $412.6 million Friday, a year-over-year decline of 12% as sales failed to offset growing expenses. Shares of Darden were trading virtually flat on Tuesday just above $49. They are up about 9% year-to-date.

domain: food


text:
12 Feb SEX – It’s What’s NOT Happening – Part 3
So here we are at #3. WHAT in the world is a CHILD SEX SLAVE who was tortured and raped talking about SEX for? BECAUSE the world needs to know what a difference JESUS can make. How Jesus can take broken, evil, sin and make it NEW and beautiful and fun and kind and good and PLEASURABLE.
#3 Sexual Sin and Abuse
One doesn’t have to look for long to understand the scope of sexual sin and abuse in this world. It’s everywhere.
This is not a “NEW” problem. Sexual sin and abuse has been around since the bite of the apple and sin entered the world at our own hands. We wanted to call the shots. We wanted what we wanted and that was all that mattered. And it’s been that way, ever since.
Sexual sin and abuse is not a MAN’S game. Women rape children, are addicted to pornography, have affairs and have multiple sex partners with zero commitment and don’t care as long as their needs are met.
So let’s just get this straight right from the get go.
Sexual sin and abuse is EVERYBODY’S issue.
Why do I say that? Because even if you haven’t been sexually abused, or hurt by someone, or looked at pornography or raped someone or cheated on someone, YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS.
The statistics are sobering. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men have been sexually abused. When left untreated, the ripple effects can be devastating to a marriage. The broken emotional links to a person who has been abused can cause hidden anger, self-hatred and isolation.
If you’ve been hurt sexually by another human being you MUST deal with that.
I can’t stress to you enough how important it is to get help for sexual abuse. There are multiple layers of emotions that come from a betrayal in this manner.
A relationship with Jesus is the first step. Jesus completely forgives and restores brokenness and fills us up with real love. He has everything that we need and everything we didn’t even know we needed. He can change our hearts and our minds in such a way that we live differently. Our only hope is Jesus.
The 2nd step is to get professional help from a counselor or a licensed therapist. Obviously because of my story, I hear from many people who have past sexual abuse in their lives. I hear the pain of those that have committed sexual sin and are living with the consequences of their choices every day.
It’s the person who has the courage to deal with their crud that makes it through the pain and hurt from the past so that they can move on to a wonderful future, full of love and trust and hopefully a healthy sexual relationship with their spouse.
Communication is EVERYTHING.
This is one of the most difficult things for someone who has been betrayed by sexual abuse. Most of the time we’ve been told by the abuser to “Keep the secret” and “Don’t tell.”
For those that have been involved in sexual sin, there’s a TON of guilt and shame associated with those choices. There can be feelings of never being good enough, unworthiness, distrust, fear, bitterness, and never giving your entire heart to another human being ever again. To open up about any of this pain is like taking a knife and gutting yourself.
Will my spouse judge me? Will they stop loving me? Will they ever forgive me?
A spouse who is open, kind, loyal, forgiving and does not judge is critical in a relationship where there has been sexual abuse and sexual sin.
If you are married to someone that you believe has been sexually hurt in their life, or has hurt YOU deeply by their sexual sin, my encouragement to you is…
DON’T GIVE UP on THEM. They NEED you!!
They love you desperately and they don’t want to lose you. They’re afraid that THAT is exactly what’s going to happen! It’s THAT fear that has them in chains.
So what can you do?
A. First thing you can do RIGHT NOW is to PRAY and ask Jesus to give you wisdom and compassion with truth.
B. COMMUNICATE the truth in love to your spouse about how you’re feeling. It’s okay to feel betrayed and hurt. It’s okay to feel angry. Talk about how you feel. Use your words. It’s NOT okay for you to withhold your feelings from your spouse, just like it’s not okay for them to be withholding anything from you. So, BE HONEST. Communicate.
C. Then, SHUT UP and LISTEN. Listen to what they tell you. Really listen. No blame. No judgement. No excuses. Just listen. Close your mouth while they talk. DO NOT TRY TO FIX THIS!
You can’t fix this. Let me say this again. YOU can’t fix this. Only Jesus can. As hard as it is, please don’t try. It’s a heart issue and that has to be healed by Jesus and also potentially by a professional therapist or other counseling resource. LISTEN. HEAR.
D. And finally LOVE.
We throw that word around carelessly, don’t we? Loving someone is the hardest thing we will EVER do.
Why do you love your spouse? Do you remember? Maybe you need to remind yourself of the 3 main reasons that you fell in love with your spouse. In the hard times, it’s easy to forget why we love our spouse. But if we can focus on 3 things, that can sometimes turn our hearts around.
Love that spouse that God has given you for ALL that they are. Not the things that you enjoy but ALL the things that they are. You have crud, too. So love ALL of them. Choose love even when you don’t feel like it. And watch what God will do.
So here we are. Crud dealing time.
There is no magic pill or anecdote that makes sex spectacular. There are different seasons in marriage where sex is difficult and not the greatest priority. Some of us are in marriages where the sex doesn’t feel good and it’s not fulfilling. Some of us feel ugly and embarrassed to be that naked with another human being. Some of us have been sexually abused or raped. And some of us have been betrayed by our spouse and we don’t trust them with our heart anymore. All of that is hard and needs to be dealt with. BUT…that never excuses a complete absence of sex.
This is what a marriage vow before God means…It is our commitment to do whatever it takes to keep our “ENTIRE” marriage God honoring.
This is personal.
It’s between you, your spouse and God.
If you’re a woman and you hate sex, would you be brave enough to ask yourself “Why?” Has someone hurt you? Did they abuse you or betray you? Have you done something sexually that the bible would call sin and you can’t forgive yourself? Have you lied? Have you been unfaithful? Have you withheld the truth from your spouse about how it feels or push them away because of how YOU feel about yourself? Your body?
If you’re a man and you have something sexually that holds you back, (health issues, pornography, addiction, work-a-holism, depression, abuse, poor body image, maybe you’ve been betrayed and hurt by a cheating spouse, or you don’t know what to do sexually that is pleasing to your spouse), would you be brave enough to admit that there is an issue? And…ASK for help? I know, I just lost you, didn’t I?
If we could all come before our creator and ask Him to help us understand the “why” then maybe we could deal with that crud once and for all and get free of what holds us back.
Our spouse is part of us. “The two shall become one flesh.” So withholding ANYTHING from our spouse is not okay. Communication is the key. If you have struggles in your life, and you don’t share that with your spouse, you have deliberately withheld yourself from the one you claim to love. You are living a lie in the relationship by not being truthful with all things.
And let’s talk about Forgiveness.
FORGIVENESS is a beautiful gift to GIVE and to RECEIVE. None of us are perfect. And with Jesus, it’s never too late to do better. By His grace, we can give forgiveness to our spouse and release them from the debt that we feel they owe us. We can also receive that forgiveness from a spouse and begin again in grace and truth, letting go of the past, walking in truth from this day forward and communicating our hearts to one another in love.
Have you withheld your forgiveness? Some of you are TICKED. You’re so angry that it’s rotting you from the inside out. Sometimes it’s easier to hold on to that anger. That way you think you can guarantee that you’ll NEVER be hurt again. But that’s a lie. You can always get hurt. That’s the reality of life. I get how it feels to be hurt so bad that you WISH you could die instead of having to feel it. I get it. I do. Someone you loved and trusted broke your heart and destroyed your trust. Someone who should’ve known better DIDN’T do better.
That inability to forgive is KILLING YOU. It’s choking out your soul. You can’t live and refuse to forgive. It’s a poison. It altars who you are and allows you to willingly choose to sin against someone.
Forgiveness doesn’t depend on whether the person deserves it or not or whether they’ve asked you to forgive them.
It doesn’t mean that what that person did is OKAY and there are no longer any consequences.
But when you refuse to forgive the bible says THAT is SIN. So now by you choosing to withhold your forgiveness, you’re NO better then the one who sinned against you. It’s all sin. We all sin. NONE of us deserves forgiveness.
Do you think that I don’t know how HARD this is to do? Sin caused Jesus to LAY DOWN HIS LIFE in order to FORGIVE. YES, it’s HARD.
I’ve learned that forgiveness means that you look at the hurt that the person caused you. You REALLY look at it. See it. Feel it. DEAL with it. And then you release THEM from the debt that YOU think they OWE you.
We must go to our spouse and tell the truth and then ask them to forgive us.
I understand how difficult this is for you to do. You are giving yourself COMPLETELY to someone that could possibly hurt you. Maybe they have hurt you. Jesus completely understands this.
He gave EVERYTHING and He got hurt.
Sit on that one a moment. He gave everything and He got hurt but He did it anyway.
God can heal and restore any broken thing. He WILL forgive us.
God demands our best. Right? How can we do our best in our marriages if we have secrets, anything that holds us back from being ALL that God wants us to be? A holy God won’t settle. A holy God demands truth.
He created sex for man AND woman. It’s a beautiful, wonderful gift from God for married couples. So anything less then a healthy loving sexual existence between a married couple is UNACCEPTABLE.
And because of this treasured gift, we must pursue the truth of WHY we are avoiding sex. Anything else is a lie. You can’t believe the parts of the bible that you pick and choose. It’s either all true or all false.
Is your spouse not worth your best? Is God?
So what do I want for you? For me? For all of us? It’s this.
And the man and his wife were BOTH NAKED and were NOT ashamed.”

domain: psychology


text:
Use your leftover cranberry sauce to make this brightly flavored, moist Cranberry Orange Christmas Poundcake. It’s sure to be a hit at your holiday dinner.
Did you end up with a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers hanging out in your fridge? I know I did and among them was a big container of cranberry sauce.
My daughter, Kelly, made a batch of homemade sauce and it was delicious, but it made way more than we could possibly eat on Thanksgiving. So there it was staring at me in the fridge. We had no problem eating up all of the leftover turkey, potatoes and stuffing, but the cranberry sauce just wasn’t getting eaten up.
What to do with it? Make a cranberry orange Christmas poundcake, of course.
I realized that if I stirred some of this delicious cranberry sauce into a poundcake batter, along with some fresh orange juice and zest, I would have a wonderfully festive cake that would be perfect for dessert on Christmas Eve.
Trust me when I say this cake is really easy to make. And believe me, it’s so delicious! I also should mention that it freezes beautifully, so you can get ahead of the game with your holiday preparations and make this cake well in advance.
To add to the deliciousness of this cake, I drizzled an easy cranberry glaze on top. I would also suggest serving it with additional cranberry sauce and a little dollop of fresh whipped cream. Your guests will be swooning over this!
This recipe has been shared at:


text:
Beloved actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson traveled to Australia last week to begin pre-production on his next project, a movie titled Elvis. Hanks will be portraying Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker.
While there, the couple began feeling “a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches.” Along with chills and slight fevers, both Hanks and Wilson were tested for coronavirus and “were found to be positive.”
View this post on Instagram
Hello, folks. @ritawilson and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive. Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves! Hanx!
One day after Hanks and Wilson revealed their diagnoses to the public, the award-winning actor took to social media once again. He shared a selfie of he and his wife and wrote, “Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else.”
He continued, “There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other.”
View this post on Instagram
Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball. Hanx
On March 15, Hanks updated fans once again, this time sharing a photo of toast lathered in the Australian spread Vegemite along with a plush kangaroo holding an Australian flag.
“Thanks to the Helpers. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other,” he wrote.
Hanks’s rep confirmed with CNN on Monday (March 16) that he and his wife were able to leave the hospital and are now in self-quarantine at their home in Queensland. The couple will remain in self-quarantine for some time in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Now in self-quarantine, Hanks and Wilson are still recovering from COVID-19.
Hanks said that while they don’t have fevers anymore, “the symptoms are much the same.” Little tasks like folding laundry or doing the dishes make them so tired, they have to take naps afterwards.
Ironically, Hanks also told his fans that he brought a typewriter with him to Australia, and the brand of typewriter is “Corona.”
To pass the time, Wilson and Hanks have played lots of Gin Rummy and Hanks has perfected the amount of Vegemite to put on toast, after getting called out by countless fans!
The actor also urged fans to “flatten the curve,” meaning to self-quarantine and to continue to practice good handwashing techniques, and be diligent about keeping surfaces and workspaces sanitary.

domain: news


VESTAL (WBNG) -- The Binghamton Bearcats topped former America East rival Boston University in an overtime victory Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats and Terriers went back and forth during regulation, with Boston University senior forward Max Mahoney forcing overtime with 32 seconds left on the clock.
Sam Sessoms secured the Binghamton lead for good in overtime with 4:25 to play. Sessoms scored nine points in overtime, and finished with a school-record 40 points. He also scored a school-record 15 field goals.
Senior Richard Caldwell finished with a double-double, with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Brenton Mills added 12 points in the win.
Binghamton - 84 (5-5), Boston University - 79 (3-7)
The Bearcats travel to Youngstown State on December 18.


text:
The ECB raised rates by 75 basis points to 2.00%. However, the comments from Lagarde at her press conference did not really convince the markets the she was “all in”. Yes, she put on her “we have to do more” face, but she didn’t go too far out on the limb with any “kill inflation now” rhetoric.
- We have to do additional rate increases
- The pace of hikes will be determined meeting-by-meeting and be data dependent
- Did not discuss substantive APP issues today
- We stil have ground to cover on normalization
- The ultimate destination is the rate that will deliver 2% inflation in the medium term
- It might well be ‘several meetings’ but it will be determined meeting by meeting
Later in the afternoon, there was the usual “sources” headlines that said the 75 bps hike wasn’t unanimous and that three doves only wanted to hike by 50 bps. Dovish. However, a more hawkish observation was that the ECB comments about ‘progress’ weren’t meant to imply slower hiking..In other words there can be more 75 hikes too.
The EURUSD did whip around but is closing nearer the lows for the day at 0.99569 (the pair is trading at 0.9968). Yesterday at this time, the pair was bumping against the 100 day MA at 1.0088. Sellers leaned and going into the decision the pair was trading at 1.0035 just before the release. The price moved to a low of 0.9971 before bouncing to a NY session high at 1.0043. The rest of the day stepped down with support at 0.99515 (50% of the move up from last Friday’s low, and the cycle low going back to July 14) attracting some dip buyers. The low got within 5 pips of that target but could go no further. In the new trading day, that level and the rising 100 hour MA at 0.99442 will be eyed for more bearish clues. Move below should tilt the bias further to the downside.
Overall, the EURs moves today (vs the dollar and the other currencies) has that currency as the weakest of the major currencies.
The strongest of the majors today were the JPY (the BOJ is the next central bank on tap – a surprise would be an easing of the yield curve controls), and NZD (those currencies were virtually tied for the lead as the strongest currencies today). The USD and CAD also moved higher. The greenback moved up 1.05% vs the EUR and had gains of 0.45% to 0.53% vs the CHF, AUD, and GBP respectively.
US stocks were mixed with the Dow rising (5th day in a row), while the S&P and the Nasdaq closed lower for the 2nd day in a row ahead of Amazon, Apple and Intel after the close. The Dow 30 were supported by Caterpillar which rose 7.73%.That stock is up over 26% in the last month and up 2.64% YTD. Caterpillar is the new Apple. Boeing rose over 4.7% and McDonalds, up 3.62% also propelled the Dow.
The Nasdaq was hurt by Meta which plunged over -24% and had Cramer literally in tears. Amazon fell over -4% and Apple fell over -3% ahead of earnings.
The Nasdaq declines came despite lower yields which saw the 2 year down around 10 basis points at 4.319%. The 10 year moved lower by 8 basis points to 3.935% (back below 4%). German 10 year moved back below 2% today which helped to drag US yields down as well. Although the yields moving lower did not help the Nasdaq, the small cap Russell 2000 did close marginally higher (better than the Nasdaq).
The final stock numbers are showing:
- Dow rose 198 points or 0.62%
- S&P fell -22.59 points or -0.59% at 3808.00
- Nasdaq fell -178.31 points or -1.63% at 10792.68
- Russell 2000 rose 1.98 points or 0.11% at 1806.31.
Gold fell -$3.00 or -0.18%. Crude oil was up $0.96 at $88.85.
Fundamentally, the US GDP came in at 2.6% which was marginally higher than the 2.4% estimate (QoQ annualized).
PS After the close Amazon – on weaker guidance – has the stock down -18% in early after hours trading. Apple will report a little later. Will the next mega cap shoe drop?


text:
A living testimony2 August 2015
We have spoken earlier about the cause of all evil. We are not hesitating however to speak again about this tragedy which originates from this single cause: the dark and devilish pride. Not only have we as human beings perished from this evil but also the very non-material angels. It has corrupted their intentions and their image, and they have become the most revolting and beastly rational beings. Hence, this contagious sickness is in essence not only complete wickedness but also darkness. It harbors inside the root of all sin. Our Lord, when He assumed the task of our reformation, began His gospel with the instruction: “Repent”. This command includes the complete code of contact and the path which one may follow to completely depart from the deluded ways of his former life. The word ‘repentance’, as we have noted earlier, means a complete change of the way we perceive our life; it means that we have to change our attitude to life and proceed in exactly the opposite way.
Self-confidence, haughtiness and authoritarianism have separated us from the root and the trunk of life. “The Lord opposes the proud” (James 4, 6). We are not able to find or do anything without God’s help. Repentance restores us to the base from which we have departed, while humility reconnects us to the trunk from which we have been cut off. Hence we begin to bear fruit again. Our humble prayer, which we have been taught, restores the fatherly love and authority of God in us. The more we persevere in repentance and in prayer, the nearer we come to perceive the divine affection, which has no measure on this earth. The end of this progress is only found in regeneration, when we will finally become like our prototype. “What we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3, 2). When the spirit of prayer incites us to continue with even more fervor, there is nothing else in our hearts than fervor for our beloved savor, our Christ. While we are persevering in prayer, suddenly we are overcome by something which we have never known or imagined before: our Lord’s light inside our own darkness. Then genuine consolation appears which is not comparable to any other. All thoughts become quiet, our intellect is being illuminated and our wounded soul is being healed. This experience is prompting us to remain inside the fatherly love. Our entire body and mind is devoted to this kind of prayer. However, no matter how much we try, our entire nature cannot supersede its natural limits, since we are only capable of “partly” doing something. The love, which is a product of our heart’s warmth towards God, intensifies and illuminates our prayer, frees it from being flighty and urges it somehow to passionately rise towards the beloved God.
Then this might happen: we may depart from the sense of our material self by the divine grace. If someone asks us, we are not able to say if this has happened “with or without our body”. This is incomprehensible to those who did not personally experience it. When we were asking our most holy elder to explain these events to us which are beyond our nature and which he himself was experiencing, he would certainly describe them as best as he could, but this state of affairs was again incomprehensible to us. While he was speaking about spiritual matters, or when we were exposing our thoughts to him late at night, he would suddenly interrupt the discussion and would tell us about our brother Athanasios, who had been away for many days, that he was on his way to us with his sack on his back and that he was somewhere between the monasteries of Dionysiou and Saint Paul’s.
We would consider this strange since the places he was talking about were not visible from where we were even during the day. How could he see them while he was kneeling in his cell? “This is how it is done”, he would explain to us. “When the divine grace illuminates the mind through prayer, then man can see where grace guides him without being prevented by things or landmarks standing in the way”. Even though this virtue is a gift of the Holy Spirit and is cited in divine commandments, very few people acquire it, since it requires a great deal of self-denial and love for God. Very few rare souls manage to show enough courage and bravery, to obey the Christian commandments precisely in these turbulent times, instead of following the wider path taken by many.
One such rare person, who had preserved the fullness of his initial piousness and zeal, was our blessed Elder Joseph. He had spent his entire life without any backward glances or compromises but most importantly he did not take offence at the ridicule and obstacles posed by those who did not understand his goals or by those who were lazy themselves. He preferred to accept the title of the “deluded, the eccentric and the unsociable” instead of contravening the rules of the austere patristic teachings. Many times he did this because he experienced the fruits which diligence and the zeal to patristic teachings bear and did not wish to bow before any social systems.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8, 38-39). Once the blessed elder had delighted in the fullness of divine love, how could he ever become separated from this source of life? The unwavering faith to our risen Christ promotes this kind of bravery and total self-denial. That does not at all mean that those who line themselves up to this way of life will not taste the bitterness of changes or harsh temptations, which occasionally lead one to the brink of bottomless desolation. This desolation, which is in accordance with our human measure, presents itself as a matter of fact in order to enable us to reach the fullness of humility of the comprehensive Golgotha, behind which the resurrection is hiding. The extraordinary thing is that grace hides itself; thus during excruciating difficulties one feels he is lost.
“Despite all my efforts to recall it”, our elder was saying, “I could not bring it back; it was toughening its stance and was showing no signs of coming back. Then my only consolation was my tears. All Mighty, I was crying, “you have taken me up and thrown me aside” (Psalm 102, 11) and I have no consolation, “I am forgotten as though I am dead” (Psalm 31, 12). “But You O Lord do see trouble and grief; The victim commits himself to you, you are the helper of the fatherless” (Psalm 9 35) Then consolation would appear to the speechless exaltations of my heart; sometimes this comfort would sooth me, at others it would test me. The Lord once appeared to me crucified in the true dimensions of His God-Man body, but it was a time when I was going through some unrelenting temptations caused from the inside and outside environment, which had no end. The Lord using a complaining note spoke to me clearly: “I have been crucified for you and you cannot persevere in your trials for my sake?” My Lord, remember me in your kingdom, I cried, and all my troubles disappeared along with the crucified Lord”. How great indeed are the benefits and the change which takes place when one reaches the state of such contemplations and communications with the leader of our salvation?
When our Lord is united with the humble human beings, He calls upon us to follow him; but He only calls upon those who have received Him and to whom He “gave the right to become children of God” (John 1, 12). Such people are able to remain beyond natural conditions and laws and perceive the spiritual realms in all their height and width. Those, however, who are under the law of gravity and are slaves to their own desires and pride, remain sluggish in this valley of tears.
When a person perceives Christ’s love for the first time – not the love which is called ‘introductory’ and aims to console one-, but the love in all its fullness through which he is able to cry out along with Saint Efraim the Syrian: “Withdraw the waves of your grace my Lord, for I am swamped”. Then his intellect is captured by a contemplation which is beyond natural laws and rules and outside the limits of time. Upon his return to his usual self, he is distressed and miserable for what he has lost, since he would have liked to have remained in this state. However, he is only left with faith and hope, since grace secretly encourages him on.
Oh, our most holy and blessed elder and father, why did you leave us so soon, alone in the struggling arena, you who have been such a unique instructor? We are being overcome by your loss! Why did we meet you at such an early age, where we had not been mature enough to recognize who you really were? Why did you conceal yourself from our youthful eyes and we are now flooded with regret? Is it not possible for you to come back to us even for a week? Blessed were those days when even though we had been laboring really hard and had almost nothing, we were constantly inundated with the fragrance of resurrection and eternity. Even though we were ascending a hill, fully laden three times the height of 1200 feet from the shore of Saint Anne to our cells, we were not tired. Instead we were upset because the shortage of time was not permitting us to ascend the same path once more for the sake of obedience. We had no help from any animal since the path was steep; we had to carry everything on our backs. Therefore, we were replacing a donkey.
There is only one meaning to our purpose in this life, no matter how many theories try to dissect it: Our obedience to Christ’s commandments. It is only in this way that we find solutions to the various problems which trouble us. There never is and there will never be any other assistance from anywhere in the entire creation other than the force of His redemption. He has given us everything- I mean our Christ- and firstly, the essence of everything, which is the comprehension of and the faith to the Holy Trinity. He has made known to us the Father: “Father, I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world”( John 17,6).Through Him we know and receive the Holy Spirit: “If I go, I will send the Counselor to you”(John 16,7) From now on we are able to recognize His divine energies both inside us and around us without making a mistake, and are able to test if they are sent from God or the evil one.
The detailed nature of the human personality has been revealed through Christ and in Him. It is now apparent what man’s image is like and how the likeness to God is being achieved. He alone has exposed our material nature in relation to the surrounding environment; He has demonstrated that our return to eternity goes through Him. Now no one needs to carry out any research as to the nature of man, as to his origins or his destination. He revealed this quality when He justifiably said “All who ever came before me, were thieves and robbers” (John 10, 8).Similarly elsewhere, in a different context, He states: “A man’s enemies will be members of his own household (Matthew 10, 36) How is one to take this without being scandalized? The fifth commandment states: “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20, 12) and “anyone who curses his mother or father must be put to death” (Exodus 21, 16). Is this a contradiction? Of course not! This is how it is being explained: “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Matthew 18, 9). Together with the eye, He also refers to the hand and the feet, advising their severance. Therefore, He is not just referring to our bodily parts but also to the members of our family, when they prevent our relationship with God. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10, 37) Does not this verse mean the same thing? We love our family but if through their unhealthy love they try to separate us from God, then we ignore them.
In reality, a Christian’s struggle initially begins with his internal self and then it spreads to the outside world for the sake of solidarity. When one turns his attention inwards and searches his inner self, he turns his whole being towards God’s love; When he turns outwards he also loves his neighbor. According to the Gospel, those who adhere to Christ’s commandments, irrespective of their level of education or origin, become the abode of their Creator. “You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11,25). Were not the Apostles little children when they had received the great blessing of the Pentecost? Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit which resided in them, granted them the fullness of wisdom both of the present and of the eternal world. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” ( John 17, 3) Thus, he who has recognised this truth has inherited eternal life and will be able to hear:“rejoyce that your names are written in heaven” ( Luke 10, 30).
It is the holy Gospel alone which exceeds not only every intellect on this earth but also whatever else human has imagination created in the entire history. What philosophcal concepts could ever identify the unusual man of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, as the true God who has no beginning and as the One who had created the Universe? He is the same one who had previously revealed himself to Moses when He told him: “I AM”? What kind of present or past intellectual could ever connect Moses’ conception of God with that of grace and believe that He indeed was the one who “spoke and it came to be; he commanded and it stood firm”( Psalm 33,9); the One who was with God from the beginning and “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made”( John 1, 3); the One who was the first reason for the whole world’s existence, of the heavens and earth, of the seen and the unseen; that this person was the same One who had been crucified amongs two robbers? It is difficult to believe the foolishness of such a gospel. But we believe “in Jesus Christ crucified”. Some regard this “as a stumbling block and others as foolishness”( 1 Corinthians 1,23-24). However, none of these groups of people will ever achieve their own purification and deification nor will they ever enter the bridal chamber with the bridegroom. None of these will feast at the banquet of the regeneration. The fact that our Jesus was crucified becomes the living testimony of his deity only to the faithfull; to the little children; to the “humble in heart”; to those who believe in their own deification and to those who have accepted the authority to become kins with God with simplicity and through grace they have become children of God. Thus, Paul says: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1, 18). “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe”(as above, 1,21).
When we are finding difficulties and we certainly lose our courage, our Lord consoles us: “Take heart! I have overcome the world!”( John 16,33) Since therefore, He has overcome the world, we will also come out winners and overcome nature. Our prototype not only has become our example but has also provided us with this power: the grace of repentance which destroys the law of sin. This is how our Lord transfers the grace and the authority: “Father,I have given them the glory that you have given me” ( John 17, 22). His gifts do not stop here. After He transfers His father’s inheritance, He goes deeper and shocks even the hardest consciences: “Father,I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world”( John 17, 24). The magnificance of our Jesus’ promises may only be expressed by deep silence, otherwise they may be dimished. I do not think that there is anything in human reasoning or imagination which is able to measure this. If anyone is to contemplate His glory, must first get used to it. If anyone is to understand even “partly” this kind of mystery, must first perceive “who Jesus is”. Our Lord has informed us that He is hidden in His commandments. “Whoever has my commandments and obeys them, he is the one who loves. He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show myself to him”( John 14, 22). Whoever did not follow Him with absolute faith, who did not show his love for Him in practice with all his heart, as well as his soul and his mind as we have said before, let him not delude himself that he belongs amongs the faithful and let him not dare describe Him.
What kind of person man is indeed! Christ, our Savor, has loved man and by His grace has lifted him to the fullnes of the uncreated being even though He created him from nothing by His godly command. This is the gift which Christ, the Lord, has granted him without restrictions or reservations. Just as our Lord, as the incarnate Word, exceeded natural reality, in the same way man, who is being deified by him, becomes through the power of the Holy Spirit which resides in him, exceptionally more noble and worthy than all the material creation. One can only succeed in becoming “worthy of his calling” if he manages to comply with this merit and changes his minset. In case we are overcome by conceited thoughts, our Lord presents us again with a way to defend ourselves. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” ( Matthew 16, 24-25) With these words of the Gospel, our Lord expresses the most critical revelation on “the gate which is small and the road which is narrow that leads to life” ( Matthew 7,14) The lowest level of the practical way of salvation for the kingdom of heaven is for one to miss out on his deliverance because of his wordly interests. Whoever has no comprehension of eternal life regards as irrational the required sacrifice of the total self-denial. Is not though the whole world subject to ruin, often ahead of time, because of human absurdity and artificial circumstances? How is the immortal human soul, which is a beloved part of Christ, who is the ruler of eternity, to be measured?
The architect of the past, the present and the eternal future has founded His Church on the testimony of His divinity. Any thought or notion, which does not refer to the essence of immortality or to the triumph against all elements of corruption and hell, which is the true nightmare of all living beings, deducts from Christ the fullness of His divinity. Without the steadfast confession to Christ’s divinity the Church is also unable to exist, either as Church-militant or as Church-triumphant. Our Lord, before His splendid resurrection, in order to confirm His divinity, ascended on mount Tabor and transformed Himself in front of His chosen disciples. Thus He revealed in an outstanding way what “we will become” in the eternal future in His kingdom. These are pleasing and satisfying hopes. But first one must approach them practically.
We have several times stressed and we are going to repeat again, the meaning of the cross since it constitutes the key to our assured access. Only if “we die with Him” we are going to live with Him. Hence, before we start thinking or doing anything, we must have in mind what Peter the Apostle says: “Since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude” (1 Peter, 4, 1). The “old Self” of sin neither wants nor is able to do what God wants. This is exactly our point of combat and struggle. If we confess that the full gift of inheritance has been granted to us by the divine All Love, then we have a cause for recognizing our wretchedness and meekness. This attitude opposes the incurable pride, which is the fundamental plight which the evil one uses against us. If we recognize our wretchedness, in accordance with our Lord’s saying that “apart from me you can do nothing”, then we are being led towards the state of humility. The humble mindset is our particular self-emptying; our personal Hades, towards which we must first descend just like our prototype, our Jesus. The greatest virtue, which as our Fathers say, leads us towards this path, is self- condemnation. This virtue breaks down all the traps set by the devil through our selfishness and our need to safeguard “our rights”. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14, 11).
What a great gift prayer is and how little we use it! Is not our wretchedness, with our numerous deficiencies and weaknesses, undoubtedly our most distinguishing attribute? What better solution will there be for this, other than the saying: “ask and you shall receive”? We unravel our manifold troubles and are being taught how best to fight the unseen war against the “rulers and the authorities of darkness” by believing in our Lord’s resurrection and by continuously asking for His divine mercy. The Lord says:”Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me” (Psalm 50, 15). At the same time He admonishes us with His parabolas that we are not holding fast with prayer. Our contact with the divine through grace, which is the cause of prayer, will reform everything. It tames passions, extinguishes temptations, enlightens the intellect so that it does not delude itself by inappropriate thoughts and it generates bravery and zeal to perform our duties. Then man, even if he is swamped by the causes of sin, he is not tempted but becomes an example to his brothers for his illuminating life and his virtuous behavior. But most of all, if he perseveres with humble prayer, the divine grace, which he had honored with his careful behavior and sacrifice, will not delay raising him to the realm of divine mysteries and the inheritance of the children of God. When man remains at this level, he becomes spiritual and begins to experience inside him the belief that God’s promises are real and that he will come to get familiar with them soon, since he already tastes them.
“How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all” Psalm 104, 24). “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”(Ephesians 6, 12) The entire essence of evil at its most intense has only one purpose: to destroy the faithful. If we place our faith in Christ as our foundation and we decide to follow Him with all our might, we will be able to stop the relevant forces of the opposing enemy, who is trying to prevent us from doing so. The repenting, humiliated heart receives the intensity of the manic attack, which confuses our mind and the struggler thinks that all these unspeakable thoughts and notions are a result of his own defeat and misery. After the fall, poor man has suffered this calamity: to be under the authority of the evil one, who incites him to follow his own corrupt designs. It is only fervent repentance that may stop this irrationality in its tracks and strengthen the intellect to evade the vicious circle and allow it to be dragged into the realm of infinity. The intellect illuminated by the divine grace is able to discriminate his own positive stance and inheritance from the hasty and useless enemy, who is only tightening his rope around us temporarily. It is through our steadfast faith in our risen Lord that we are able to win the struggle against all opposition. Satan’s authority over the one who does not believe in the power of the resurrection, but relies on his own rationality, is not just seditious but powerful and many times it strangles him. This precisely happens because it is not just thoughts and concepts which launch the fight but also the permanent inward and outward causes and particularly the fight against one’s fantasy. This situation leads some people to confusion and delusion. It is nevertheless an indisputable fact that “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14, 22).
God is indescribably great. He is “the blessed and only ruler, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see”( A Timothy 6, 15-16). It is one thing to hear about God and a different thing to experience Him. Nevertheless, the infinite God when He wants He diminishes Himself to the measure of man, so that He can fit inside the meager human nature. Because of His divine designs for our own resurrection and perfection, He permits the harsh fight which launches the enemy against us, so that we are apparently humbled. In reality though, God is the one who is working our redemption through this struggle, even though He registers the victory to us. If man does not duck the pain during the fight, he fulfills his confession. Even though God was the One who has brought about the victory by His grace, He ascribes it to our humble selves because we have shown this little patience. As soon as man realizes that it is very essential to return and remain near God, he receives illumination and is being taught in practice the mysteries of spiritual life.
Then here again, we have one mystery in the making which is almost the same with the changes of our natural condition, which we have talked about. The divine grace, which is everything to us, while it has been teaching us and guiding us to victory by the experience of the warmth of divine love, almost totally disappears and leaves us alone, often during the hardest part of the fight. This is done by the motherly attribute of grace in order to test our intention and our dedication to our confession. We must necessarily verify that we have freely chosen to love God absolutely. Thus, our every motion has this as its primary aim.
This is how we will fulfill our primary motion: “To lift up our cross and follow Him”. It is also how we totally prove our affection to Him as our father in order to be able to receive the seal of the gift. That is, to inherit the promised goods, His All-Love. When the warrior responds in this way and stays faithful and grateful during the times when grace weakens; when he feels alone and helpless, he has managed to make progress in many ways. According to Saint Isaac of Nineveh no gift increases unless the beneficiary shows gratefulness. Then patient endurance is required in the face of tribulation. Temptations become apparent when grace weakens its presence and hides itself. This is how we are ascending to the higher level of the faith of contemplation. Moreover, grace does not introduce us to higher mysteries, because we are lacking in practical experience and our hands have not been trained for war, our fingers for battle (see Psalm 144, 1). Lastly and most importantly, without this experience it is impossible for one to reach the fullness of humility without which he makes no progress whatsoever. It is only through patient endurance in the face of every kind of tribulation during the weakening of grace, that our conscience will stop rebuking us for our trespasses as in the saying: “The servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows” (Luke 12,47).
According to our great father Diadohos Fotikis “faith without deeds and deeds without faith will be reprimanded in the same way”. God examines the presence of faith in all our deeds towards Him and only receives and rewards something when it is done in faith. As an example we take our father Abraham, who has shown his faith in practice, by trying to slay his own son. He thus became the pillar of faith throughout the generations.
We have stressed the issue of the weakening of the presence of grace and our obligation to show patience when we feel that we have been orphaned by God. We are now going to cite a different factor which is absolutely crucial to this preparation. If one compares the reason for his fall and his destruction and the way one may return and save himself, one concludes that our adherence to this factor becomes obligatory. Through the disobedience and rebellion of our forefathers, we and the whole creation have suffered total damage and the greatest calamity. Our Christ, our incarnate Word of God, has healed this disaster by His obedience and His crucifixion. There is no need to comment on this since facts speak for themselves. “Those who want to fight the devilish pride must strive for obedience.The latter by itslef will in time show us the paths towards all virtues, without any mistakes”( Diadohos Fotikis,Ascetic Treatise, paragraph 41). If according to our Fathers, the essence of all things consists in their participation in the creative and cohesive power of Word God, and “it is not in man to direct himself” then, where is all the so- called power and ability of nature or of man’s reasoning after his fall? “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15, 5). Our blessed elder was specifically insisting on this point in order to convey to us the essence of obedience and submission as the absolute particulars of our duty to love God. Since Paul incites us to imitate him, and hence to imitate Christ, there is no other element which best describes our God-Man Savor than His obedience. The Ever-Virgin Mary was another example which our blessed elder was referring to. She too, through her submission to God’s will and her obedience to Word God, attracted the Father’s splendor away from His bosom and became the prototype and the source of the entire world’s redemption.
Obedience, being the highest virtue and at the same time the source and the origin of all other basic virtues, necessarily adorns the godlike image and the figure of those who have been reborn in God. We have said earlier that everything exists, including rational beings, because they participate in the creative and cohesive power of Word God. The factor which connects beings with Word God is called “dependence”. This is why it is imperative that all rational beings submit to God, through Whom all things were made. We are convinced of this by the fall of both angels and man. As soon as the angles even thought of becoming self-sufficient they broke their unifying connection to God and they immediately perished. “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10, 18).The same happened to our Forefathers when they disobeyed the commandment. This mistake was so severe that it cost the perpetrators their spiritual life and imposed corruption on material things which have been created as “very good”. As a proof that disobedience was the main reason for the disaster was the fact that the incarnate Word God reinstated that which has fallen by His absolute obedience to the Father. Submission and obedience to God’s will is not simply an unambiguous virtue which abolished the corresponding evil, but it is the practical bond between the divine “BEING” and the rational beings. It is the central connection without which spiritual life disappears and the whole purpose of the existence of rational beings is being nullified. Therefore, our Fathers were right in saying that discernment and freedom, which are the main charismas of the spiritual life in God, originate in obedience. Abbot Poimin, who is regarded as the pillar on discernment, stressed exactly this point, as well as the need to completely pay attention to our conscience. Abbot Kasianos says: “Discernment is the acropolis and the queen of the rest of the virtues. When it is raised, it teaches one to avoid any scarcity or abundance”. Consequently man acquires spiritual eyes and recognizes where he is coming from and where he is heading to and does not become a victim of the outside influences or irrational passions. The Scriptures say that the “eyes of the wise man are on his head”. This means that he has acquired the virtue of discernment. So essential is the enlightened discernment that it equals in importance to vision (διόραση) and to foresight (προόραση) because it is a spiritual virtue. As Paul says it is the “discrimination of spirits” which is the work of the “one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12, 11). This is the ‘salt’ which our Lord urges us to acquire in order to be able to discriminate. The origin of blessed obedience is freedom. Paul praises it and cautions us to remain in such a state. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” ( Galatians 5,1). He who is granted this particular fragrance of the Holy Spirit is no longer under typical laws in accordance with the saying “the law is not made for good men”( 1 Timothy 1,9). As a son of God, set free by the divine grace from the yoke of the letter of the law, he becomes a ruler of Sabbath, since he has submitted himself to the spiritual laws of life. The Lord has proven to Peter that “the sons are exempt” (Matthew 17, 26) from the kings’ taxes, meaning the ways of the “old self of sin” who as mortal has now been overcome by life.
When the grace of repentance reaches its fullness, it is able to raise man to this kind of freedom. Because man has honestly thrown himself at the ‘feet’ of divine mercy, he is made worthy of ascending on the ladder of godlike virtues, which in its turn leads to the full comprehension of the truth. “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8, 32).This kind of freedom is inconceivable to laymen, who only believe in the truth which they themselves have established. This is what Abbot Isaiah, one of the pillars of our Church Fathers, says about freedom acquired by grace through our honest repentance: “When man abandons his sins and returns to God, his repentance regenerates and totally renews him.”(Abbot Isaiah the hermit, ‘An ascetic treatise on the keeping of mind’, paragraph 22)
The state of our society today is most dangerous and opposes those who would like to live a godly life. The motives of all the elements and notions of this world, which wish to impose themselves, are clearly the designs and schemes of Mammon (i.e the god of riches), who does not like to submit to God’s will. His whole intention and the total purpose of his actions are to direct one towards “the wide and broad path”, which certainly pulls him to the opposite way of his human destination. Some restrictions deprive the existing causes of the ability to influence man and drag his faculties away from the narrow and steep path, since the fallen man is from now on a victim of the law of influence. One necessary effort, which becomes an obligation if we are to overcome the law of influence, is to ‘lack care’ (be unconcerned) (αμεριμνία) for everything which is not of our concern. These days this seems strange. Nevertheless it constitutes the main means by which we can be set free from the influences of the various causes which tempt us and affect us daily. When the intellect is freed from the confusion of the multiple concerns, it naturally leans towards God who is the first and main origin.This state of mind rouses our desire for God. This desire gives birth to zeal, which has wrath against evil and sin as its weapon. Then man, armed, can stand up and fight against the unseen enemy “the rulers and the authorities, the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6, 12). The love for God originates from the fear of God and man is set free from the bondage of vanity by the grace of Christ. What are we then looking for? We are looking for spiritual labor (ergasia), which can only be performed if one is dedicated to practice the virtue of ‘the lack of care’. This is what is meant by “your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 109, 105). Let us not refer to the extreme tasks but let us cite in accordance with our humble measures our great Father’s, Abbot Isaiah’s opinion: “Let us begin the struggle, my brothers, in accordance with our ability and God will come to our assistance because of His infinite mercy. Even if we do not manage to keep our hearts pure, let us at least keep our bodies pure as best as we can, as our Lord wants and let us believe that in the present times of spiritual hunger, He is showing His mercy to us as He does with His saints” (Abbot Isaiah as above, paragraph 17)
The most important factor for man’s spiritual advancement is to protect his conscience. Our conscience is a natural law, which has remained healthy and is assisting us after our fall in order to be able to discern good from evil and to generally succeed in reaching our destination. It is an infallible criterion of our deeds and thoughts which cannot be bought off, or silenced unless it is being ignored or infringed upon. Sometimes our Lord calls it ‘salt’: “Have salt in you, and be at peace with each other” (Mark 9, 50). At other times He calls it our ‘adversary’: “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court” (Matthew 5, 25). If one listens to his conscience and does not silence it by infringing upon it, the latter will point out his duty and he will avoid making mistakes, as we have already said. If he does not sin in deeds, fear of God remains with him and God’s grace strengthens him to heed the divine commandments. In this way, his spiritual state is enhanced “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 5, 13).
To the prudent conscience acts in two ways. It protects him from vices and points out his obligations. In other words, it strengthens him. If one relies on this revelation and the spiritual law and obeys God’s will as it is expressed in the commandments, then he builds up his conscience to react to more sensitive issues, through which his total love for God is being expressed. For instance, we are obeying the divine beatitude “blessed are the poor in spirit” and by our conscience we degrade ourselves to the lowest step of humility. This attitude which is dictated by our conscience has an immediate effect. “He who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14, 11). This is done because of the abundance of grace, since God “gives more grace to the humble” (James 4, 6). The humble one, therefore, who has raised himself towards God, is the only one who acquires the improvement or rather the unity and fully enters into the realm of divine knowledge. This kind of full knowledge is the knowledge of truth. Thus, the following saying is fulfilled: “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free” ( John 8, 32). “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8, 36).
Just as the links of a chain are connected to each other and if one is moved, the others will move also, virtues are connected with each other with the same continuity. The same applies to vices. If we obey the precepts of our Lord’s beatitudes for which He has expressed His contentment and we regard them as our obligation, a series of virtues will follow as an unbreakable chain and without any special effort we gradually progress spiritually. The experience of our humility, which is the subject of the first beatitude, causes the fear of guilt and creates the pain of repentance. The latter brings forth supplication and prayer, which cause mourning and lament. Then mother grace approaches because it cannot take the lament and the pain of the penitent. “ Blessed are those who mourn for they will be consoled” ( Matthew 5, 4).
Who is causing the consolation if not the Most Holy Spirit, which not only is but it is also called the “Comforter”? What else is the feeling of comfort if not the awareness that our God has accepted our painful prayer and has forgiven our sins? After the absolution of our tresspasess and in accordance with our painful supplications, our bodily parts and our senses which were serving our former sinful life are being transformed and are being transfigured to work for the virtues, just as they had been working for the vices. If we obey the divine commandments in practice, the fullness of love will be caused in us and its perception will from now on be a fact. “He who has my commandments and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He, who loves me, will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show myself to him”. (John 14, 22). What else is mightier than divine epiphany, on which the whole purpose and the aim and the final destination of human beings rest? When man loves God, neither trials, nor wars, nor changes nor anything else which prevent the spiritual war, are able to thwart him from his present combat. We have partly talked about the fight against temptations. We are now more or less going to give a fuller explanation, because temptations are almost at the centre of our practical struggle.
Obeying the commandments places us in front of the divine “BEING”. We are not denying our debt and we are not going back to our decision to pay for it. However, the ‘old self of sin’ is trying to prevent our progress because he is being pressurized by the law of corruption. The fear which we have in case we fall short increases our pain and the attrition of our heart. We are denying any glory or seeming merits, which may possibly adorn us; our knowledge, our beliefs even our own wishes. The harsher trial is to persevere in God’s occasional desertion in spite of our wish and desire to remain steadfast in our faith in him. He weakens the presence of His grace in order to test our faith in Him. The seeming spiritual poverty together with the ache of the divine silence causes real bitterness and darkness. At such times, I think, we are not far behind the feelings that our forefather experienced after his exile from Paradise. None of the so-called human abilities remains standing and the most intense repentance takes place. Then man comes to the point of hating himself. This is how our complete self- emtying takes place and causes our resurrection which itself is a divine gift. How are we to explain this to modern man in order to make him understand? Our Holy Fathers have been using metaphors in order to explain the Scriptures for our benefit. Even the Holy Testament has occasionally an allegorical, symbolic and metaphorical meaning. The story about the resurrection of Lazarus if seen allegorically as part of the spiritual war, can be explained in the following way according to Abbot Isaiah: The dead Lazarus symbolizes the lifeless human intellect which no longer behaves rationally inside the grave of anesthesia. The four days of his burial symbolize the four forces of the soul, which have died because of the abuse and the excessive use of things and they also constitute the grave of anesthesia. The two sisters of Lazarus who cry in front of Christ to raise their dead brother, symbolize the practical means of repentance: Martha the deeds and Maria the contemplation. Their supplication is being accepted by the Lord, who raises Lazarus, who has been dead for four days. After the resurrection, Martha continues to serve and this symbolizes the healthy behavior of the senses after their honest repentance. Maria sits by Jesus’ feet and rejoices in the contemplation of His teachings. This symbolizes the healthy intellect when it is preoccupied with the adoration in spirit and truth (ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ λατρείαν). Lazarus sits at the dinner of the feast together with Jesus. This symbolizes the actual emergence of apathy and the sabbatical of those who have acquired it by the grace of God.
Source: Γέροντος Ιωσήφ Βατοπαιδινού, Αθωνική Μαρτυρία,
Ψυχοφελή Βατοπαιδινά 2, Έκδοσις β΄,
Ιερά Μεγίστη Μονή Βατοπαιδίου, Άγιον Όρος 2008.

domain: literature


text:
Like many German kids growing up in the 1990s, Lea Krichely only ever saw tracht—traditional German clothing: the busty, floral two-piece dresses known as dirndls and the three-quarter leather breeches known as lederhosen—in old movies, often portrayed as curiosities of the mountain hillbillies. Few spoke of tracht’s past status as the once-official ensemble of the Nazi party. But when Krichely—at 19, looking for a university in a city with a larger Jewish community than in her native town of Karlsruhe—moved to Munich, she purchased her first dirndl: blue and pink, with the traditional Bavarian apron tied around in front.
She had heard that the peasant costume had begun to make its mark as an alternative to T-shirts and jeans at Oktoberfest, Munich’s two-week-long, tented drinking event, most commonly associated today with hordes of drunken visitors gorging on sausages and sauerkraut and dancing to hokey accordion music. When Krichely arrived in Munich, she realized that the dirndl has actually gone beyond Oktoberfest and into the mainstream, as a fashion staple at nightclubs, bars, and even the office.
“All of my Jewish friends wear it,” she told me. “We know that it’s very German, and even [its history as a Nazi symbol] would never hold us back from wearing it now. We want to keep living here, to be a normal part of the community.” They also want to take part in the resurging conversation around German national identity that takes on particular prominence in Munich, the culturally distinct Bavarian capital, said Krichely.
In recent years, Munich’s economic boom and enviable standard of living have fueled a renewed appreciation of traditional institutions, many of which are deeply linked to Alpine culture, like the Oktoberfest beer festival. The city’s tourism offices have long emphasized its uniqueness from the rest of Germany. But some of that uniqueness is wrapped up in the history of Nazism in the region.
Bavaria has a complicated relationship with its WWII legacy. While the region expressed substantial resistance to the Nazis, particularly from Catholic constituents, Munich was the party’s nerve center. Hitler dubbed it the “capital of German art” and the “capital of the Nazi movement.” Following the war, the bombed-out city chose to restore its prewar past, placing a heavy focus on its royalty class, while also keeping many Nazi buildings intact, sans swastika. “The desire for a new beginning, independent of the past in toto, was rooted in an escapist disposition, if not in the outright ‘repression of guilt,’” wrote Gavriel Rosenfeld in his book Munich and Memory: Architecture, Monuments and the Legacy of the Third Reich. Many German critics argue that the region, which grew to become a political base for the Christian Socialist Union, the offshoot of the ruling Christian Democratic Union party formerly under Angela Merkel, has avoided confronting its past.
But the historical reckoning is finally starting to take shape, surprisingly, fueled by kitsch movements like the tracht trend. Its pioneers are millennial Germans, who, compared to their parents’ and grandparents’ generations, feel less guilt about, and more willingness to confront, their German nationalism. They are proud of their heimat, a German phrase that roughly translates to patriotism and national belonging, but was long considered taboo.
“Unfortunately, Hitler took so many symbols and ideas that he stole from other cultures and ruined them. Tracht was such a statement during the war, like a perfect picture of the Aryan children with pigtails,” said Janina Engel, a 25-year-old, originally from the tiny Austrian town of Graz, who studied fashion as a teenager and interned with two dirndl designers before moving to Munich.
Engel often struggled to reconcile her two worlds: her identity as an observant Jew, embodied by her mother, an American Jew; and her love for Austrian traditions, embodied by her Austrian father, and, more specifically, her paternal grandparents who during the war belonged to the Nazi party. At school, she frequently felt like a one-woman task force, responsible for identifying and countering casual anti-Semitism. Teachers would scold children for “Jewing out” on field trip fees, or when friends were impatient, they often used a German phrase that literally translates to “I don’t want to wait until I get put in the gas chambers.” But she always loved dirndls for their pre-Nazi history linked to the diversity and richness of the Germanic Alpine cultures. “I personally think people should know the correlation, but we shouldn’t ruin it because of that,” she said. “The history goes so far back.”
Dirndls and lederhosen were first worn by 19th-century rural farmers and servants. While Jewish Germans and Austrians today are mostly consumers in the countries’ contemporary tracht industry, before the war they worked as textile factory owners, designers, and folk-art collectors credited with introducing it into the urban milieu.
Among the most prominent figures were Julius and Moritz Wallach, two Jewish brothers from the northwestern region of Westphalia, who were the first to see a niche marketing opportunity. Like many Jews, their families had summered in the Bavarian Alps, where they wore lederhosen and fell in love with the regional printed fabrics, textiles, furniture, and other arts and crafts. Before the Nazis took power in 1933, the Wallachs introduced hand-printed dirndls and lederhosen to Munich as an upscale and naturalistic but also wholly urban fashion, as industrialization swept the country. They were appointed purveyors of the royal court, in charge of organizing and outfitting participants in Oktoberfest parades. Their five-story, centrally located House of Folk Art functioned as a department store and exhibition space, filled with imports from across the Alps, western Germany, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands. They also sold handicrafts from Palestine, targeting the Jewish market. After designing a silk dirndl for the wife of Prince Joachim of Prussia for a high-profile ball in Paris, commissions began rolling in from opera costume departments and the top fashion houses of Paris, London, and New York.
After 1933, however, the Wallachs increasingly suffered anti-Semitic assaults. They were deemed lacking the “suitability and dependability required to participate in fostering German culture, in responsibility toward the people and the Reich,” according to an official document calling for the “Aryanization” of their store. In 1938, three months before the events of Kristallnacht, they were forced to sell to a pro-Hitler art dealer and their personal items were confiscated. That year, Hitler banned Jews from wearing tracht. While the Wallach brothers were able to flee to America, several of their relatives were killed in concentration camps.
Documentation of the Wallachs’ story had collected dust in the homes of their descendants but has in recent years been given a public stage. Bernhard Purin, the director of the Jewish Museum Munich, focused on their plight for the inaugural exhibition in 2007 titled Dirndls, Trunks, and Edelweiss—the Folk Art of the Wallach Brothers. Such exhibitions represent a relatively new approach to honoring the victims of the Holocaust in cities like Munich, with a growing Jewish community.
“After the 1990s, with the opening of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, there was a feeling that it was time to stop looking at the Jews as victims, but to show how they lived before the war,” said Purin. Over the years, Jewish leaders and museum curators came to realize that the sole, and sometimes overpowering, focus on the tragedy of the Holocaust had potentially reached its limits. As new Jewish immigrants began to move to Germany, there was interest to not only mourn the loss, but also celebrate prewar Jewish life.
While Purin, 55, originally from Austria, said that he still has “a little bit of mixed feelings” when seeing young Oktoberfest revelers donning white woolen socks with their lederhosen—once the secret signifier of Austria’s Nazi party members—he knows that such popular symbols carry different connotations for today’s German youth: “The idea is to bring non-Jewish people, who are not interested in Jewish history or culture but are interested in dirndl or beer,” and to demonstrate how inseparably the two are connected. In a country where Jews still make up a tiny minority, that may be the best tool for combatting stereotypes, said Purin, who has hosted representatives from German cultural associations as well as from Muslim-German communities.
Rahmee Wetterich, among Munich’s new-wave designers who has been defying and modernizing the dirndl, said that she hopes the liberal flair of tracht’s popularity could be a way forward for all minorities in Germany.
She has Jewish clientele who, much like herself, have held a complicated relationship with the look. As a young child, Wetterich moved to Munich from Cameroon with her family and said that she never felt comfortable with the dirndl, which reminded her of old-fashioned misogyny and traditional German culture, which remained off-bounds to many immigrants. It was her half-Bavarian, half-Cameroonian daughter who suggested she swap out the drindl’s traditional apron and integrate West African prints. The result, she said, is Noh Nee, a local-but-also-global dirndl line that both appreciates German heritage and opens it up for interpretation.
“I had Jewish women who told me, ‘one of my nightmares was about the dirndl,’ and then bought a dirndl and said, ‘thank you, it doesn’t belong to them anymore,’” Wetterich told me on the phone from her Munich boutique. “Suddenly, we hear people saying, ‘I won’t wear the Bavarian dirndl, but this one I will wear.’”
Like this article? Sign up for our Daily Digest to get Tablet magazine’s new content in your inbox each morning.
Shira Rubin is a journalist in Tel Aviv. Follow her on Twitter @shira_rubin.

domain: history


Frequently Asked Questions
What is LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN enables LOng RAnge bi-directional communication between a gateway and Node (also referred to as a Mote). LoRaWAN and other LPWANs (Low Power Wide Area Networks) form the cornerstones for (I)IoT and small data communication.
A Gateway is a device that enables two way communication between itself and LoRaWAN enabled nodes. A network may consist of multiple Gateways.
What is a LoRaWAN Gateway?
What distance can a Node transmit and receive data at?
Some test show that ranges of 100 km are possible in ideal conditions. More commonly though, a node can typically transmit and receive data at a range of 2~15 km depending on the environment.
Is there a gateway close to me?
If you plan to use LoRaWAN nodes in the city or urban areas, chances are good. There are open networks available to join such as the popular Things Network. It is also possible to put up your own gateway for private applications.
How many devices can a gateway handle?
Each gateway is capable of hosting 1000+ nodes, such as our LoRaWAN enabled devices.


PopofIn iTunes ansehen
Um eine Hörprobe eines Songs abzuspielen, fahren Sie mit der Maus über den Titel und klicken Sie auf die Wiedergabe-Taste. Öffnen Sie iTunes, um Musik zu kaufen und zu laden.
French techno producer and DJ Popof (Alexandre Paounov) was part of Heretik System, a collective that formed during the mid-‘90s for the sake of organizing underground raves. It was around that time that Popof initiated his production career — one that saw a few dozen 12” releases through the 2000s, including several on his Form Music label — and he continued into the following decade with an emphasis on stripped-down material. He also remixed tracks by the likes of Moby, Depeche Mode, Booka Shade, and the Chemical Brothers, among several others.


Shenzhen E Look Technology Co.,LTD
E Look Co ,Ltd is a world-leading manufacturer of the highest quality body-worn video cameras for Police Forces and the professional Security Sector. Each camera provides exceptional HD audio-visual quality matched with market leading durability
Shenzhen DCW Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen DCW Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2012 with registered capital of 10 million yuan, is engaged in professional police video product development, manufacturing and selling.The main products are police law enforcement...
Windyoung Technology Co., Ltd.
Windyoung Technology Co., Ltd. specialized in manufacturing vehicle video recorders, Police body cameras, USB hubs and consumer electronics accessories for many years. Windyoung can offer you full high definition camera recorder/body camera, high...
Shenzhen Cammpro Technology Co.,Ltd.
CammPro company was established by a professional engineer team who focused on R&D image products for more than 10 years. Based on 5000m² modern equipped manufacturing center, CammPro works in high efficiency on customized solutions, and average...
Sworsche Technology Co.,Limited
Founded in 2002,SWORSCHE Technology Co.,Limited is the Chinese Leading Manufacturer in Audio Surveillance&Video Surveillance products,GSM Alarm Devices.We are proud that our products have been exported all over the world,especially SWORSCHE Watch ...


text:
Smooth Cardstock is now available in the most classic and stylish colours. Get just the right shade for your scrapbook layouts, cards, invitations and more.
Click here to find a huge selection of Textured Cardstock!
How often do you use cardstock? Take a look at how our designers incorporate cardstock into their projects.

domain: design


text:
One of the mainland's most prominent infectious disease experts says the "irreversible" end of the Covid pandemic is finally in sight as the nation emerges from the shadow of the coronavirus.
Zhang Wenhong, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the comments on the sidelines of the annual “two sessions” meetings in Beijing.
“After going through the highly infectious Omicron wave, we have entered a post-pandemic era. And this is irreversible,” said Zhang, who is also head of infectious diseases at the Huashan Hospital in Shanghai and led the Shanghai Medical Treatment Expert Group for the pandemic.
He said life had been brought back to normal after the removal of the country's Covid isolation since December, stressing that the effect on people’s livelihoods had been minimal.
Asked about the timing of the rolling back of Covid measures, Zhang said every country had its own considerations.
“Every country has their own understanding of the Covid situation, and will adjust its Covid strategies considering the amount of medical resources. That’s why there's a different timing for every country to drop the mask mandate, social distancing rules and open the border,” he said.
The mainland expert also said Hong Kong's decision last month to end compulsory masking had put a smile on people's faces, calling it a step in the right direction.
“Whether this is the right path, I guess it’s very clear. In the past month, both new Covid infections and Covid-related deaths in Hong Kong have been on the drop,” he said.
Liu Yangsheng, a senior fellow with the Taihe Institute think tank and an investment expert, echoed Zhang's views.
"It went through the peak period very, very quickly," he said of the Omicron wave. "And then the opening up occurred. All of a sudden, things started to move very quickly, running right through the Chinese New Year Holiday. Businesses are booming again in Beijing."
Liu said while there’s no compulsory mask wearing in Beijing, many people still mask up to protect themselves against the flu.
“You see people still wearing a mask, I think it’s out of a desire to prevent catching a cold,” he said. “Because there have been many cases of flu occurring in Beijing, in the Northern region where it is colder, I think this is a consideration. People are adopting masks as a means of having a healthier life."


I Would Stay (V2) - Krezip Free Piano Sheet Music
I Would Stay (V2) description
The band gained more exposure after a show at Dutch festival Pinkpop, with the ballad "I Would Stay" being received exceptionally well. Accordingly, the song was released as their second single, featuring a video compiled from footage of the Pinkpop show. "I Would Stay" became a #1 hit in Belgium and #2 in the Netherlands. It was the #1 song of 2000 in Belgium. Show I Would Stay (V2) piano sheet
Krezip was a Dutch band from Tilburg, formed in 1997. It is notable for the band member's young ages during their original breakthrough. Since then, the band has had several successful albums and singles in the Benelux countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). The origin of their name remains unclear, though a popular explanation is that the name is an anagram of "perzik", the Dutch word for "peach". More piano sheets by Krezip
Did you know?
Learn to Play Blues on the Piano
Learning to play the piano is not really that difficult. Especially when there are lots of free piano sheet music websites out there. Almost everybody loves music. Some of us love different genres such as pop music, rock, jazz, alternative, rhythm, blues and many others. No matter what style of music you love, you can play it on the piano. If you first learn to play...Continue reading Learn to Play Blues on the Piano


MOST RUSSIANS ARE CONVINCED THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN IN THE CAPACITY OF THE PREMIER WILL PERFORMS SOME FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESIDENT
Most Russians expect Vladimir Putin to retain its clout in the premier’s capacity.
Sociologists of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) conducted an opinion poll a fortnight before election of the president and discovered that the Russians fully expect Vladimir Putin to retain his clout in politics. Most Russians (88%) are convinced that not even resignation as the president will diminish Putin’s clout. Ninety-three percent of the Russians who voted for Dmitry Medvedev gave this answer to the question. Ninety-nine percent are stone-cold confident that Putin will keep the reigns in his own hands even when he is no longer the president. Only 3% believe that Putin should step down completely and leave everything to the new president.
“It shows that Medvedev’s voters are actually Putin’s,” VTsIOM General Director Valery Fyodorov said. “As for Medvedev himself, he is perceived as someone who will continue what Putin started, and not as a new president about to begin everything from scratch.” According to Fyodorov, “It never even occurs to the people that so powerful and respectable a politician will agree to have his powers restricted or want to become someone’s subordinate… That is why the president kept saying that he had no intentions to run for presidency again while opinion polls kept showing that this was exactly what the people wanted and expected from him.” Asked about Putin’s future in the capacity of prime minister, respondents (62%) believe that he will perform some of the functions currently performed by the president.
Experts are usually less categorical than respondents in the streets. Most political scientists expect appearance of a tandem at first but suspect that the Russian state will be down to only one center of power again one fine day.
Iosif Diskin of the National Strategy Council expects Medvedev to initiate formation of his own “kitchen Cabinet” next week. (According to Diskin, in the United States this term is applied to every new president’s advance-guard, his inner circle of closest confidants who are entrusted with the task of putting together the rest of the team.) The expert is convinced that Medvedev’s “kitchen Cabinet” will include the official who will be put in charge of the presidential administration, a couple of trusted aides, and whoever will tackle personnel issues. Diskin believes that Medvedev will discuss personnel composition of the “kitchen Cabinet” with Putin, but only when it has already been formed. “Discuss is the key word here, as opposed to asking Putin for advice,” Diskin said.
“I believe we can already scrap the forecasts that Medvedev will be a weak president with a strong Premier Putin,” Aleksei Mukhin of the Political Information Center said. “Despite all preliminary agreements, Putin will have to give up on particularly odious men like Igor Sechin.” The experts predicted staff shuffles in security structures as well and appearance of “pro-Medvedev men in their upper echelons.” “All in all, the pro-Putin to pro-Medvedev proportion in the corridors of power will be fifty-fifty,” Mukhin said.
Mikhail Krasnov of the Supreme School of Economics (Department of Constitutional Law) does not expect any diarchy in Russia regardless of the exact nature of relations within the tandem. “The Constitution we have includes a system of checks and counterbalances that only allows for a mono-subject political regime headed by the president,” Krasnov said. “If, however, there is a pact between Medvedev and Putin that the premier will be strong and independent, then the center of decision-making will shift to the government indeed.”


text:
Most of us have seen intimate comedies where guy comes hard for your lady. Their particular common interest is really strong that they undoubtedly kiss when they 1st satisfy – they cannot help it! It is this one thing we must expect in true to life?
Singles tend to be more old-fashioned than you possibly might think, at the least in accordance with research conducted recently. When it comes to the best time in most of People in america to choose 1st hug on a night out together, it is typically date number 2. This is because many people believe an initial time is simply too soon when you’re just learning some one.
Above a-quarter of People in america think its okay â even more appropriate â to hold back through to the next time to kiss someone. Remarkably, this number retains constant for gents and ladies (27 and 25 percent, respectively), homosexual or direct (27 and 26 percent respectively).
The ethnicity of learn individuals did not appear to change lives, sometimes. Around the same one-fourth per cent would go with the second date hug among whites, black hookups, and Asians. Just Hispanics had a higher percentage from the norm to hold back for one minute big date hug – at 31percent.
Not surprisingly, there really does be seemingly a difference among various age groups, with more youthful singles tending to be much more available to the idea of an extra big date kiss. At 34 per cent, more youthful Us citizens had the highest reaction among 1,080 individuals interviewed. People elderly 18 to 24 had a 79 percent larger possibility of kissing a potential spouse in the second time than both women and men elderly 54 to 64.
Individuals from different regions tended to concur at the same time, with 27percent of respondents from western, Midwestern, and Southern agreeing that looking forward to a first kiss on a second go out is actually preferable. But those who work in the Northeast varied slightly, with only 21per cent agreeing that an additional day hug could be the route to take.
Rachel Dack of DatingAdvice.com whom commissioned the analysis, said that it recommends more people tend to be tuning within their own hookup or absence thereof due to their dates to ascertain if kissing throughout the first day may be the correct selection for all of them.
“The wish is actually unmarried individuals will determine when to hug their particular date predicated on unique sense of inner readiness, appeal, principles or abdomen emotions instead of acting out of force from community,” she said. “In my opinion it is also vital that you note this may feel you should hug the date or get sucked in to the belief that âeveryone’ kisses regarding very first time, but plainly that isn’t the situation.”

domain: sociology


XXL’s New Issue Features Eminem, Dr. Dre And Jimmy Iovine On The Cover
This month's issue of XXL celebrates Beats Electronics with the first ever magazine cover featuring Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Eminem. Beats By Dre initially took over the industry with their headphones six years ago. Now Beats is at it again with the brand's newest endeavor, Beats Music, a music streaming service which focuses on the curation of playlists by genre experts (including XXL). Eminem, one of the biggest artists under Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine's direction, launched the promo for his most recent solo album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 with a Beats Music commercial, kicking off the campaign for the service, which is now available in the iTunes store.
In the magazine, Dre—celebrating his birthday today—Jimmy and Em reflect on the impact they have made on music of all genres though the Beats brand and how the streaming service could very well change the way fans consume their music.
Besides special interviews with three of the biggest dogs in hip-hop, the issue also features stories on ScHoolboy Q, who drops his solo debut Oxymoron next Tuesday 2/25. Hit-Boy and his HS87 group discuss what they're cooking up, 10 rappers break down the most difficult verse they ever wrote and Show & Proves on Lil Bibby, Vic Mensa and Chinx, plus much more.
The magazine is on stands nationally on March 11.


Top Guidelines Of Hartley Car Servicing
In the event the appellate inspection finds the car was incorrectly diagnosed, DVSA/DVA normally takes proper motion versus the station included. This can range from penalty factors remaining issued for slight infringements, to the station's MOT licence remaining rescinded For additional significant violations.
Before your MOT check, have an individual wander around your automobile to check Every single of the lights while you operate them from the driver's seat.
A car or truck MOT check guarantees a car is roadworthy – Subsequently, any automobile that doesn't pass its MOT may have expensive repairs. An auto with no an MOT can not be taxed through the operator. It’s very essential to perform an MOT heritage check prior to paying for a employed motor vehicle since it may be used as a sign the general affliction of the vehicle.
Viewing the entire MOT Record check of the car You are looking to obtain presents important insight to how the vehicle has long been managed all through its latest and former ownership. You can also use this company to check the MOT standing of your own personal automobile in addition to get MOT and Tax renewal reminders.
Don’t consist of individual or financial information and facts like your Nationwide Insurance coverage number or bank card specifics.
You'll discover Hartley Garage team and experts perfectly properly trained and expert in a wide array of car or truck, vans and light-weight professional motor vehicles, providing you with comfort that all repairs, servicing and upkeep perform is going to be performed to the best of standards.
“I picked up a light-weight dent and scratch in excess of the bumper and wheel arch And that i planned to get it fixed as I like to keep the car or truck as clean up as you can. Adam turned up with the appointment 10 mins early which was a refreshing adjust and also have to convey, he did an incredible task on my pleasure and Pleasure ! He managed to match the paint beautifully as well as the final result appears to be extraordinary ! I must acknowledge to haven't used a cellular motor vehicle restore provider right before and am impressed at how the process was from begin to finish.
The provision of such providers on a fully mobile foundation, allows us to provide prospects having a turnkey aftermarket vehicle repair service Option to remove motor vehicle human body paintwork imperfections and minor vehicle destruction simply and without having fuss.
I have utilised AML solutions for servicing and MOT on two events. I am very satisfied with the quality of the function and the prices are value for money. The usefulness of not needing to push to your garage and waste my time is such a additionally. I would suggest AML within an occasion.
About Us... The Hillary's loved ones setup the coachworks from the early 1800's to construct high-quality carriages for your area nobility and gentry. The company continued to run properly and eventually transferred its capabilities to system developing for the modern motorcar. In the course of the early 1900's they even obtained a royal warrant to create car or truck bodies with the Royal family. Within the late 70's the enterprise was obtained by The existing Managing Director and nowadays the company specialises in restoring traditional cars, renovation of more mature cars & insurance policy work. More Information... Giving your comprehensive array of bodywork solutions
In the area of your windscreen right before the driver, there will have click here to not be any problems or obstruction for the perspective greater than 10mm. Outside the house this region (but in the swept spot), there must not be any damage or other obstruction larger sized than 40mm.
Should your steering features a locking machine, It will get more info be analyzed to be sure it only locks when the engine is not really operating.
Newbridge Incident and Maintenance Centre is a small corporation based in Basildon Essex who presents you the very best in car fix services. Set up for over twenty years Now we have crafted a wonderful standing for furnishing high quality repairs to insignificant car or truck paintwork scratches, bumper scuffs, clever repairs and dents to car body get the job done. We have now in excess of 30 yrs market encounter which is well known during the work that may be offered to customers.


text:
Customs authorizations with limited validity that were obtained based on the current customs legislation and which are valid on 1st of May 2016 will still remain valid after this date.
- customs authorizations with limited validity (e.g. Inward processing) will remain valid until their validity term will expire or until 1st of May 2019 (depending on which of these dates will come first).
- all other customs authorizations (e.g. AEO, Customs warehousing) will remain valid until they will be reassessed by customs authorities.
In need of substantial amendments to be brought to customs authorizations after 1st of May 2016 (e.g. a new location for processing or storage needs to be added) a recall of those authorizations will be necessary followed by a reissuance of new authorizations based on the provisions of the New Union Customs Code.
Also, at request, customs authorizations with limited validity can be extended. Extension requests can be submitted to customs authorities until 1st of April 2016. The maximum validity term that can be re-established is 1st of May 2019.
What does it mean for you?
If you hold a customs authorization, it is necessary to analyse how the above transitional measures will impact you and to take early action so that on 1st of May 2016, your customs activity will not be affected.
Partner, DELOITTE România
Senior Manager, DELOITTE România

domain: economics


text:
Sea to Sky Farm is an organic fruit, herb and vegetable farm located in northern Santa Cruz County in Bonny Doon. It was started by Chris and Dana Laughlin Thanksgiving of 2018. Chris comes from four generations of family farming. Her great grandfather, grandfather, father and brothers are farmers.
Our mission at Sea to Sky Farm is to use sustainable farming practices to provide healthy, organic produce to our local Santa Cruz community.
Our produce will be in farmers markets, local supermarkets and restaurants starting August, 2019. We’re looking forward to a great first year in operation!

domain: agronomy