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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Cost of Libya,Russia against arming rebels;Syria,unrest;Kurdish MP fined;"KLA values";Asylum in Cyprus;Church burned,India



In evidence to the U.S. Senate yesterday, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral James Stavridis, said that thus far, military operations in Libya have cost "hundreds of millions of dollars". American officials said the military intervention has cost the Pentagon an extra $550m with bombs and missiles accounting for most. Of the additional spending, about 60% was "for munitions, the remaining costs are for higher operating tempo" of US forces and of getting them there, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said. As of Monday, the 10th day of the intervention, the US had launched 192 long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from Mediterranean naval positions at a cost of about $1m to $1.5m each. The US had also flown 983 sorties, 370 of those bombing missions against Gaddafi military sites and forces.


Russia warned the West on Wednesday against arming the rebels fighting against Muammar Gaddafi's forces and said Libyans must forge their country's political future without interference. With U.S. President Barack Obama and other Western leaders saying they were not ruling out arming the rebels, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized Russia's opposition. "It's clear that it will be a different regime, and it's clear that it should be a democratic regime, but Libyans themselves must decide without influence from outside."


In his first address since the outbreak of anti-government protests in Syria, President Bashar Assad blamed foreign and domestic "conspirators" for the unrest. Assad said the aim of the conspirators was to "fragment and bring down Syria" and "enforce an Israeli agenda." The Syrian president slammed what he called foreign "plots hatched against our country," saying that the people and leadership of Syria would overcome them. "We should draw a lesson from what has happened," Assad added.


A Turkish court has handed down a guily verdict and compensation fine of TL 6,000 (3,000 Euro) to Hasip Kaplan, Member of Parliament, for an "attack of the personal rights" of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. After the verdict, Kaplan stated that he would appeal the decision and would go to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if necessary. "I do not think that my words contained any insult; they implied criticism," he said. Here is what Kaplan said in his speech in question: "The Dolmabahçe [Palace] has been turned into a place where the collaborating powers set up their counter. (...) The Prime Minster summons people and throws out speeches but he has two busses full of university students attacked by the police with tear gas and a young woman has a miscarriage. We saw such a country, such a picture in Istanbul. We have seen the government, we have seen it today in Silopi. So what, Erdoğan! If you are brave enough, if you are courageous then come and remove the election threshold, let us be in these elections together".


Last week, the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), in Kosovo, arrested a group of members of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), suspected of crimes committed in the Klecka concentration camp near Lipljan. Since then, there have been protests in the streets of Kosovo. Yesterday, hundreds took to the streets to protest said arrests under the slogan, "Everyone to the defense of KLA values." The protesters, who were carrying Albanian flags with KLA insignia, shouted "KLA, KLA", "set our liberators free" and called on EULEX to leave Kosovo. EULEX also has an arrest warrant for Fatmir Limaj, the commander of the KLA unit which was deployed in the area around Klečka, but he is protected by his immunity as a member of the assembly in Priština.


According to Eurostat data, Cyprus ranks first among EU member states in the number of asylum applicants per million inhabitans. In 2010, 2.875 individuals applied for asylum in Cyprus. The figure corresponds to 3.580 applicants per million inhabitants, which is the common method of comparison amongst member states in the EU. Sweden comes next, with 3.410 applicants, Belgium with 2.410 applicants and Luxembourg with 1.555 applicants per million inhabitants.The most common countries of origin for asylum applicants in Cyprus were Iraq (340), India (320) and Vietnam (225). For Greece, the respective countries were Pakistan (2.750), Georgia (1.160) and Bangladesh (985). The authorities in Cyprus reviewed 2.440 asylum applications in 2010 and granted asylum status to 425 applicants, while they rejected 2.015 applications. In Greece, the total number of applications was 3.455, approving 115, while rejecting 3.350 applications.


There is much sorrow in the Christian community in India due to the new episodes of violence and damages done to the community. A Christian church in Kerala, Southern India, was completely burned down. This occurred on March23 but has only now been recounted by local sources. The church of St Mary, part of the Orthodox Church of Syro-Malankara rite in Poddivatuvialla, was set on fire by unknown persons that the police are trying to identify. Also, in the Diocese of Jhabua, some militants stopped a vehicle carrying the statues for the Stations of the Cross to a Catholic parish in Jhapadra, and they destroyed the statues. Additionally, in Rajasthan, the police arrested two people suspected of violence against Pastor Harish Ninama, who in February had been forced to walk naked over 5 kilometres on the main street of the city, derided by some young Hindu extremists on a motorcycle who abused, stripped and beat him.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

FYROM:Vergina Sun;UN:Palestinian state;Chechen militants;Russia-Serbia,NATO;Cyprus talks,Archbishop Chrysostomos II,Pope Benedict XVI



The Vergina Sun [Star of Vergina] is depicted on university diplomas awarded by a state-run university in the north-central part of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). According to the Skopje broadcaster, the symbol appears on the fours corners of the diploma issued by a university, which was established in 2007. This report comes a week after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened proceedings in a lawsuit filed by FYROM against Greece for allegedly violating a provision in a bilateral 1995 "interim agreement" not to block FYROM's membership in international organisations under its provisional name, i.e. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Greece countered the allegation that it did not veto FYROM's entry into NATO, while at the same time charging FYROM with violating the interim agreement with a series of provocations - using Hellenic symbols and historical figures. The Vergina Sun, now prominently associated with the ancient kingdom of Macedon, was brazenly featured on FYROM's flag between 1992 and 1995. One of the most significant provisions in the "interim agreement" was that the symbol be removed from the neophyte country's flag.


Israel informed the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council last week that if the Palestinian Authority persists in its efforts to gain recognition in September as a state within the 1967 borders, Israel would respond with a series of unilateral steps of its own. The Israeli diplomatic corps conveyed the message that support for international recognition, encouraged the Palestinians to forgo negotiations with Israel and to move more quickly toward recognition at the UN of Palestinian statehood. Israeli diplomats stressed that such a move violates the Oslo Accords and will not lead to a Palestinian state even if the General Assembly grants recognition, but could lead to violence on the ground.


Russian investigators on Tuesday accused Chechen militant leaders Doku Umarov and Aslan Byutukayev of organizing January's deadly blast at Moscow's Domodedovo airport. The attack killed 37 people and injured dozens more. Meanwhile, it was reported on Tuesday that both Umarov and Byutukayev may have been killed during recent fighting in the volatile North Caucasus region. On Monday, 17 militants were killed in an attack on a base in Ingushetia used by Islamist insurgents to train suicide bombers.


Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Konuzin said that if Serbia joins NATO, which it remains freed to join any organization it chooses, the alliance will want to then install long-range missiles in its territory. This, Russia may see as a threat to its own security. "We count that Belgrade will respect our thinking that entering NATO would represent a threat to Russia’s security,” the ambassador said adding that Russia would have to "take military measures to remove such threats. The measures would not be against Serbia, but against the missiles.”


President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu will meet on Wednesday morning in the framework of the UN-backed direct negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus problem. On March 23, President Christofias submitted a proposal for a population census in both communities that would be monitored by the United Nations. However, the Turkish oppose such a move. Christofias said, “If we do not know the numbers and how many Turks from mainland Turkey have the so-called citizenship of the Turkish Cypriot regime, we will not be able to get into the depth of the issue. We are ready, the UN has said it is ready to help towards this, but unfortunately, we have again problems with the Turkish Cypriot side." Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.


The head of the Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, following a visit to the Vatican to meet his holiness Pope Benedict has asked the Pope to work "along with the powerful nations of Europe - Germany, Italy, France and Poland - who are also Catholic, in order to exert pressure on Turkey to terminate the pillage of our religious monuments in the occupied areas". The new "entente cordial" between Rome and the "old church" of Byzantium, marks a strategic shift in the foreign policy inside Cyprus, with its Government making alliances with Israel, and the church with Catholic dominated nations. There is a consensus that there must be bridge building in Europe with Roman Catholics, to lobby against the ongoing illegal occupation of the northern third of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkish troops. Bishop Porfyrios who is the Brussels based head of the Church of Cyprus to the EU said: "This is nothing other than an abuse of the freedom to religious expression, freedom of movement by Turkey against Cypriot and European citizens".


On the morning of Monday, March 28, Benedict XVI received in private audience Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Nea Giustiniana and All Cyprus. During the meeting they discussed, among other things, the situation facing Christians in the Middle East and the issue of religious freedom on the island of Cyprus. The Orthodox Primate of Cyprus then met Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Kosovo mafia&UDI;NATO,Libya,Russia&UN;Cypriot property;Bomb explodes,Lebanese church;Metropolitan Jonah:Veneration of the Cross



The war of Kosovo, which the U.S. framed as a needed war of humanitarian intervention, is no hamstrung by corruption and intimidation. U.S. and NATO allied themselves with Kosovo Liberation (KLA) leader Hashim Thaci [former leader of KLA and current "Prime Minister" of Kosovo], as well as his fellow Kosovo Albanian leaders in 1999 and while they are still clinging to power today, they are facing numerous allegations of criminal wrongdoing. In just three months of reporting, GlobalPost has found that these concerns among Kosovo's ruling political class went largely ignored by the U.S. and NATO, as well as the UN.


Spanish State Secretary for EU Affairs Diego Lopez Garrido, while in Belgrade on Monday, said that his country was the first to ratify the Serbia-EU Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), and that Madrid supports further, accelerated integrations. Garrido said he had traveled to Belgrade with a message, "First, Spain is a friend of Serbia and supports Serbia on its European path. Second, Serbia should speed up implementing the reforms the EU insists on, so that it can receive candidate status and open up EU membership negotiations." He also reaffirmed his country's stance not to recognize the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in early 2008. "We cannot accept unilateral political decisions that are in violation of international law. For that reason we remain strongly on our position regarding Kosovo's independence, and will not change it...."


NATO's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, ruled out arming Libyan rebels Monday as the alliance continued to take over command and control of the entire Libyan mission. Rasmussen said, "The U.N. mandate authorizes the enforcement of an arms embargo," and that NATO has decided to participate. "We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect people." Some NATO sources acknowledged to CNN that they expect the scope of the rules of engagement to be more narrow than the coalition's thus far, but they caution that as the situation on the ground changes, so too will the character of the NATO mission. "Our mandate is very clear: We are there to protect civilians against attacks, no more, no less, and that will be our focus," Rasmussen said. He was unwilling to further characterize the nature of the rules of engagement.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the military intervention by the Western-led coalition force in Libya is out of tune with the relevant UN Security Council resolution. "We believe that the coalition's intervention in the civil war [in Libya] has not, essentially, been sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolution." Russia abstained from the Security Council vote. Libyan television has reported that at least 100 civilians have been killed and over 150 wounded in the strikes and that many health and education facilities have been destroyed. Coalition commanders deny this.


If talks fail to reunify divided Cyprus, property claims will reach "tens of billions of euros," said United Nations envoy Alexander Downer. The latest round of reunification talks, now in its third year, have produced only limited progress. [Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded in 1974 and illegally occupies the northern half of the country.]


A bomb, which consisted of about two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of TNT that exploded Sunday night, was placed at the side entrance of St. Mary's Syriac Orthodox Church. No injuries have been reported and no one has claimed responsibility. The church is located in an industrial part of town, where earlier this week, seven Estonians were kidnapped by armed men. These men have yet to be located. Lebanon has been without a government since January, when the powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah toppled premier Saad Hariri over his refusal to cut ties with a UN court probing the 2005 assassination of his father Rafiq Hariri.


[Text as posted on byztex blog explaining this feast] On the Third Sunday of Great and Holy Lent, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Services include a special veneration of the Cross, which prepares the faithful for the commemoration of the Crucifixion during Holy Week. The commemoration and ceremonies of the Third Sunday of Lent are closely parallel to the feasts of the Veneration of the Cross (September 14) and the Procession of the Cross (August 1). Not only does the Sunday of the Holy Cross prepare us for commemoration of the Crucifixion, but it also reminds us that the whole of Lent is a period when we are crucified with Christ. As we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24), and will have mortified ourselves during these forty days of the Fast, the precious and life-giving Cross is now placed before us to refresh our souls and encourage us who may be filled with a sense of bitterness, resentment, and depression. The Cross reminds us of the Passion of our Lord, and by presenting to us His example, it encourages us to follow Him in struggle and sacrifice, being refreshed, assured, and comforted. In other words, we must experience what the Lord experienced during His Passion - being humiliated in a shameful manner. The Cross teaches us that through pain and suffering we shall see the fulfillment of our hopes: the heavenly inheritance and eternal glory.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Libya:EU&NATO;ICJ:Greece&FYROM;Kosovo:KLA arrests;Putin in Serbia;Netanyahu's trip;Paris:Orthodox Cathedral



The European Union (EU) has yet to get its messsage out in "one voice" over its policy on intervention in Libya. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is trying to show a united front, but division under UN Security Council authority complicat her task. Ashton said, “While contributing in a differentiated way, the EU and its member states are determined to act collectively and resolutely with all international partners, particularly the Arab League, to give full effect to these decisions.” Italy, which once ruled Libya as a colony has called on a more "coordinated approach under NATO."


Prime Minister George Papandreou, briefing Parliament on Tuesday, said that "Greece will not become the evasive neutral in the developments in the region. This stance would not help national interests." Papandreou stressed that Greece's presence on the side of countries in favor of armed pressure on the Gaddafi regime - with UNSC approval and Arab League, African Union support - is in agreement with the steadfast positions of its foreign policy for respect for international law and serves national interests. "As a country, we have an interest to contribute to the strengthening of our international credibility without the logic of double standards," Papandreou said, noting that when Greece calls for the implementation of the UN Security Council's resolutions on Cyprus and FYROM, it cannot oppose today's.


In 2008, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) decided to take its fight to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), over a 20-year dispute against Greece. FRYOM accuses that Athens is in a "blatant violation" of international law by blocking its bid for NATO membership. The suit calls on the ICJ to order Greece to meets its international obligations under a 1995 treaty and allow FYROM to join NATO. When these hopes were dashed in 2008, due to Macedonia also being the name of Greece's northern province, without FYROM accepting alternative mutually agreed upon name, Greece would veto its assencion, which it ultimatley did. Macedonia was recognized by the UN in 1993 under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. But more than 100 states, including four permanent members of the UN Security Council, have recognized the Balkan state as the Republic of Macedonia.


Last week, EULEX arrested nine Kosovo Albanians for war crimes in 1999. Earlier today, about 2000 ethnic Albanians took to the streets in protest of the arrests. Most of the protestors are former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and they carried banners blaming the EU police Mission for "tarnishing" the image of the KLA. Among those arrested was a former government minister - also a former KLA member. His alleged crime, torturing and killing Serb captives and their ethnic Albanian collaborators. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The EU police mission is in charge of prosecuting war crimes in the new nation.


Focusing on economic cooperation, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Serbia on Wednesday to meet with the country's top officials. Serbian President said that both countries are bound together by centuries of friendly relations, noting that Serbia and Russia have historical and spiritual ties, as well as similar languages and flags. Tadic added that ""this is a country of great friendship for Russia and the Russian people". Putin said that he was glad to be in Belgrade for talks on mutual cooperation, and noted that the volume of that cooperation was on the rise. Ahead of the visit today, Moscow sources said that the talks in Belgrade would focus on economic cooperation, Kosovo and international affairs, including the situation in the Middle East and north Africa, especially Libya.


After today's bus station bombing near the Jerusalem International Conference Center, which injured over 25 bystanders, with tree in critical condition, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that he is delaying his departure on a planned trip to Russia. The bombing occured as Netanyahu finised a meeting with his security cabinet about the escalation of rocket attack. Netanyahu does not intend to cancel the trip.


The recent announcement of a Franco-Russian style Sade-Arch for a $30 million Russian Orthodox church beside the Eiffel Tower has sparked fears of "cold war-style" espionage. A possible reason for the French angst may be due to the man who is overseeing the project, Vladimir Kozhin. He happens to be a former KGB agent. Archbishop Marc d’Egorievsk, who represents the Moscow patriarchy, said the practice was chosen because its scheme “blends orthodox tradition and the modernity of a city like Paris”.The cathedral will be part of an Orthodox centre with a vast 3,400sq m public garden with terraces as well as a library, classrooms, a reception hall and lodgings for church representatives.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Kosovo,War Crimes;Greece-FYROM-ICJ;Stolen icons;Israel Cyprus,NatGas;Ukraine,Soviets;TSA;Patriarch&Pope



The European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) arrested nine Kosovo Albanians for war crimes committed in 1999. The regional commander of Kosovo Police in Prizren, Nexhmi Krasniqi, was the most senior official arrested, as well as eight others - all members of the same unit of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).


Greek foreign ministry spokesman, Grigoris Delavekouras said on Wednesday the case brought by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is a "legal process that was politically motivated when it was initiated". FYROM alleges that Greece violated Article II of the September 1995 "Interim Accord", however, Delavekouras said that the Greek has prepared documents refuting these allegations. He added that FYROM's use of "ancient Hellenic symbols is in conflict with the Interim Accord".


Greek officials have blocked the sale of a dozen religious icons by galleries in Britian and the Netherlands. The icons date from the 18th century. The icons are said to have been pilfered from monasteries and churches of Epirus in northwestern Greece. The icons were identified thanks to an electronic database of treasures stolen from the area. In recent years, about 40 icons have been stolen.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cypriot President Demetris Christofias discussed the possibility of transporting natural gas from an offshore Israeli site to Europe via Cyprus. The gas would come from Leviathan field, about 80 miles off the Israeli coast. Its reserves are estimated at 16 trillion cubic feet. Leviathan is the world's biggest deepwater find of the past decade and production is expected to begin there about 2017.


According to a poll of Ukrainian residents, more than half (54 percent) regret the break-up of the Soviet Union. However, only 26 percent said they would vote against independence from the Soviet Union if such a referendum took place today, while 51% say they would choose independence. A total of 2,075 respondents took place in survey on March 1-9. The margin of error is estimated to be below 2.2 percent.


Calling for an airport screening process that maximizes security but cuts down on passenger hassles, the U.S. Travel Association on Wednesday recommended key changes to the current system. They suggest creating a trusted traveler program that would allow fliers to volunteer certain information and therefore, allow them to pass through with less rigorous security before their flight.


On Wednesday, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill received the head of the Pope’s Council for Christian Unity Cardinal Kurt Koch. The Patriarch said that the Cardinal is visiting Russia at a very interesting time, when all forces in the society, including the Church, are rapidly developing. Earlier, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church have spoken of the positive dynamics in relations between the two Churches.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

AHEPA:Japan Relief Fund;Israel:weapons&Kosovo;Cyprus&PA;Russian tourists&trade w/U.S.;Orthodox:Uganda,S.Sudan



The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the leading membership-based association for the nation's three million American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes, has made available its Emergency Relief Fund to help the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. Since its inception, the Emergency Relief Fund has provided disaster relief to aid the greater community, including: Haitian Earthquake (2010), Greek Wildfires Relief (2007), September 11 Relief (2001-2002), and Athens Earthquake (1999), among others. To make a donation to the AHEPA Emergency Relief, please click here - and then click the "AHEPA Emergency Relief Fund" button. Donations may also be sent via mail to: AHEPA Emergency Relief Fund, Attn: Japanese Earthquake, 1909 Q Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009.


The Israeli navy reported that it has intercepted - off its Mediterranean coast - an Egyptian-bound ship carrying a weapons, saying that it had been sent by Syria to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The military said that the cargo vessel initially departed Syria, making a stop in Turkey, before departing for Egypt, adding that Turkey had no involvement in the arms shipment.


The Israeli embassy in Belgrade released in a statement in response to rumors that it may have changed its stance on Kosovo's unilateral decleration of indepence from Serbia. Israel reiterated that it had not recognized Kosovo's independece and sees no reason to change its position. The province's ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence over three years ago, which was rejected by Serbia's authorities as an illegal act of secession.


After an official visit in Israel, Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias arrived in Ramallah and was received by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Christofias laid a wreath at grave of former PA President Yasser Arafat. Since its decleration in 1988, Cyprus has recognized an independent Palestinian state.


The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) reports that tourist trends from Russia to Cyprus this coming summer season are exceptionally optimistic. This report is based on contracts with big tour operators who specialize in Cyprus and who bring tourists to Cyprus. In comparing 2009 and 2010 tourism from Russia, Cyprus saw an increase of 50 percent with 223,000 tourists, adding that safety and quality of services in Cyprus are factors in attracting tourists.


U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called for expanding trade with Russia on Monday. Biden said that the "next frontier in [U.S-Russia] relationship will be building stronger ties of trade and commerce that match the security cooperation we have achieved." He also called for admitting Russia to the World Trade Organization.


The Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, Theodoros II, has ordained two deacons to serve the Orthodox Church in Uganda and Southern Sudan. Speaking at the ordination at Monde Orthodox Church in Luweero District on Sunday, Patriarch Theodoros II emphasised preaching the message of hope to the sick, oppressed, elderly and the youth in areas facing poverty and war. "You are moving out to serve the people but emphasis should be on preaching the message of hope to a population that faces many challenges, including war and poverty." The patriarch added that the worlds needs a message of hope and the oppressed, sick and elderly need to be encouraged to seek God as the answer to their plight. The Archbishop of the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga, said the Church is currently strengthening its programmes in the country, which include providing scholarships and building schools.

Monday, March 14, 2011

U.S. Churches,Japan,Man found adrift,Russians open homes;KLA trial,EULEX;Turkey's Balkans,opposes NATO;Cypriot-Israeli meeting



As news from earthquake-stricken Japan and Tsunami-devastated coastal areas worsens, U.S. churches and religious groups are pulling out all the stops to assess how they can help. The Orthodox Church in America said its hierarchs, clergy and faithful are being asked to remember in prayer all those affected by the disaster and to support efforts undertaken by International Orthodox Christian Charities [IOCC], which has assembled its emergency response team to assess needs and possible responses. "The devastation being experienced in Japan is numbing, and it is only appropriate that we respond in kind with our prayers for the suffering and departed and support for any and all humanitarian efforts," said His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah. "Not only has the earthquake -- the strongest in Japan's recorded history -- caused incalculable damage, but the tsunami it released and the attendant destruction of much of the nation's infrastructure are almost beyond comprehension. In addition to our prayers, our support of IOCC's efforts are crucial at this time."


Russians, living on its country's pacific coast, have volunteered to house some of the Japanese made homeless by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on Friday. Vladimir Ostapyuk, Chairman of the regional branch of the Russian Union of Afghan Veterans said, "We sent an appeal to the Japanese government proposing that Japanese victims of the natural disaster be taken in to Russian families." A hotline was set-up on Monday and already 50 host families have volunteered.


After two days adrift at sea 15 kilometers off Japan's northeast coast, a 60-year-old man from Minamisoma in the Fukushima prefecture, was found clinging to a piece of his home's shredded roof on Sunday. Still among those missing, his wife, who was reportedly torn from his arms in the tidal wave. After the earthquake struck, both he and his wife returned to their home to gather their possessions. As the tsunami roared across the landscape, their attempt to flee on foot was too late and while he was able to scramble to his roof, his wife was swept away and still missing.


Two former Kosovo Liberation Army [KLA] leaders - accused of seven charges of war crimes for "inhumane treatement, torture and murder of cvilians" in illegal prison camps set-up in Albania - pleaded not guilty at the start of their trial before a court part of the EU's rule-of-law mission to Kosovo known as EULEX. The alleged war criminals are also mentioned in the Council of Europe's report linking them to Kovoso prime minister Hashim Thaci and other senior KLA commanders to organ trafficking and organised crime.


As Turkey's with the Balkan countries increased to $17.7 billion in 2008 from about $3 billion in 2000, so has its influence in the region. Turkey has the largest university campus in the Balkans - Bosnia - and has provided 85 percent of the loans for building highways through Serbia for tranport of Turkish goods to the EU. In 2009, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu linked his nation's Balkan strategy to that of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled from the 14TH - 16TH centuries. "The Ottoman centuries of the Balkans were success stories. Now we have to reinvent this." "Turkey," he declared triumphantly, "is back." While Muslims in the Balkans welcome Turkey's growing influence, Christians in Serbia, Bulgaria and elsewhere in the region, as well as the U.S. and E.U., are increasingly wary of Turkey's growing clout.


"Military intervention by NATO in Libya or any other country would be totally counter-productive," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Edrogan said, reiterating his opposition to NATO intervention in Libya. He added, "In addition to being counter-productive, such an operation could have dangerous consequences," stressing that the 28-member military alliance could only intervene when on of its members is attacked. A NATO intervention in Libya would be, he said, "unthinkable" and "absurd". Erdogan also raised strong objections to imposing sanctions on Libya.


Ties between Israel, Greece and Cyprus have improved remarkedly over the past two years, as ties with Turkey has blown cold. Marking the first trip to Israel in 11 years, Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, arrived on Sunday night for a two-day visit. Security and defense, as well as medical cooperation between the two countries is apparent and over the past two millennia, Jews often found refuge in Cyprus. The improvement of the ties with Cyprus was manifest in Cyprus’ position regarding protest flotillas setting sail for Gaza. Cyprus has consistently refused to let these ships set sail from its ports. Christofias is scheduled to meet with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Monday, March 07, 2011

CCTV faulty,Frankfurt;War Crimes Suspect;China eyes reporters;Evacuees missing;Biden's tour;Int'l Women's Day;Forgive me brethren



According to reports from German newspaper Die Welt, Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the Frankfurt Airport were allegedly out of action when an Islamist from Kosovo shot four U.S. airmen, killing two. The suspect has been officially charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The shooter said that we was not a member of a terrorist group and acted alone. The CCTV footage was thought to be crucial in verifying these statements.


Former Bosnian Army general and war crimes suspect, Jovak Divjak, was arrested at the Vienna airport on Thursday evening. However, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger stated that Austria will not extradite him to Serbia. Divjak is indicted in connection to the May 1992 Dobrovoljačka Street massacre, when retreating Yugoslav soldiers were attacked and killed in Sarajevo. At present, the court in Austria awaits the files related to the case to decide whether to extradite Divjak to Serbia.


In an attempt to keep Middle East and North African style protests from surfacing within China, its authorities have been - in addition to detaining Chinese dissidents - impacting foreign reporters. The New York Times reported that on Sunday some European and Japanese reporters in Shanghai were kept in an underground room for 2 hours. The Times also reported that in Beijing, plainclothesmen watched the home of a U.S. correspondent through the weekend. Coincidently, that same correspondent was beaten the previous week as he sought to cover a similar gathering in the capital. The Times said security people also visited a dozen or so other journalists and photographers in their homes during the weekend to renew warnings about not causing trouble.


After transporting about 1,200 evacuees from Libya, Greek coast guard and navy are still looking for the more than a dozen who had jumped from a ferry as it was to dock at the port of Souda, Crete. A helicopter, three coast guard boats, two navy vessels and some private boats were helping in the search operation on Sunday. Greece has been very active in helping people leave Libya over the last couple of weeks and has ferried more than 10,000 Chinese workers to Crete so they could fly back to their homeland.


U.S. Vice President Joe Biden left Washington, DC sunday night to travel to Finland, Russia and Moldova. After a stop in Finland and a meeting with Finish president Tarja Halonen, Biden will head to Moscow. Biden will U.S. businessmen and visit Skolkovo, dubbed Russia's Silicon Valley, where he will participate in a roundtable with Russian businessmen and will also meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Before leaving Russia for his stop in Moldova, which will be the first time a U.S. vice president has visited, Biden will meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and will later give a speech at Moscow State University on bilateral relations of the two countries.


March 8, marks the 100TH Anniversary of International Women's Day and Secretary of State Clinton said that women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease and famine, adding that a lot more work has to be done to consolidate gains and keep momentum moving forward. The United States continues to make women a cornerston of its foreign policy and we should mark this day by finding news ways to ensure women and girls have access to education, healthcare, jobs, and credit, and to protect their right to live free from violence, she said.


…Forgive me brethren. The Lord forgives and I forgive. Let us double up on our prayer life and pray for our bishops, for their judgment is greater than ours.

Friday, March 04, 2011

ICJ:Greece&FYROM;Turkey-Greek FMs;Cyprus talks;Israeli gas;Russia's oil;Kosovo:drug route;Patriarch Irinej,Met Jonah meet



The International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, is schedule for public debate between Greece and FYROMacedonia on March 21. Greek Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Grigoris Delavekouras said that Greece is well prepared for debate in the proceedings that Macedonia instituted against Athens and Greece will prove Skopje violated the 1995 interim agreement. No word on whether this outcome would or could influence the name issue talks under the auspices of the United Nations.


On March 8, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected in Athens for a three-day official visit. Speaking to recent protest in occupied north Cyprus, Greek foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras officially said that "the occupation army and the settlers have created a huge pressure on Turkish Cypriots, obstructing a solution and making their future more difficult". He added that Turkey should allow all the people of Cyprus to enjoy the benefits of the country's accesion to the European Union.


U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is concerned at the slow pace of Cyprus reunification talks, warning that they cannot drag on indefinitely. Ban said that he would meet both sides, but only to hear ways they resolve differences. "The moment hsa come to confront hard choices," he said. Turkey invaded Cyprus's in 1974, splitting the island among its Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004.


Natural gas from Israeli's offshore Tamar field may be headed to markets in both Cyprus and Jordan. Shell offered the Cyprus a 20-year supply contract for liquefied natural gas. Greek officials also started talks with Israeli officials about transporting gas from the offshore Leviathan field to European markets. Israel had depeneded on Egypt and other regional energy giants for natural gas, but that is likely to change.


Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia should work on overcoming its dependence on oil revenues and dependence on raw materials. "The favorable market situation for our raw materials... must not serve as cause for complacency or an excuse for not taking any action on pressing problems." The prime minister urged his party members to search for new growth points, incentives for industrial development, and ways of enhancing "national competitiveness."


In the U.S. State Department 2011 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which was sent to the U.S. Congress, due to "porous borders and corruption among the Kosovo Border Police and Customs officers," Kosovo is facing "challenges in combating narcotics trafficking." Though Kosovo is not a signifcant narcotics producer, the report read, "Kosovo is primarily a transit country for Afghan heroin transiting from Turkey and for cocaine and marijuana coming throug the Albanian and Montenegrin ports destined for Europe... [and] due to the issue of statehood status and a sense of mistrust in the Kosovo police, there has been hestitation by surrounding countries to conduct joint investigations with Kosovo authorities." The State Department added said it supported Serbian government efforts to combat drug smuggling and "will continue to support efforts of the Serbian police forces against drug smuggling in the country and in the region.”


His Holiness, Patriarch Irinej, the Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch, met with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, as well other Orthodox Church in America hierarchs at Saint Sava Monastery in Libertyvile, Illinois earlier this week. Patriarch Irinej shared his views on a wide range of topics, including the role of the Orthodox Church in America in an increasingly secular society, as well as the situation of the Serbian Church in Kosovo. Patriarch Irinej, who was elected successor to His Holiness, the late Patriarch Pavle on January 22, 2010.

Thursday, March 03, 2011

TurkishCypriots protest;Germany&Islamism;Tunisia-Libya border;Gaddafi;SoudaBay,Crete;Jihad w/Russia;Coptic support



Turkish Cypriot opposition parties and unions are holding a new protest in divided Cyprus' breakaway north against an austerity package they say Turkey has unfairly foisted on them. Wednesday's protest comes in the wake of a rally last month that badly strained relations between the Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish government. Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded. The north is only recognized by Turkey, which maintains some 35,000 troops there.


A German security official said Arif Uka, the Kosovo-Albanian gunman who shot dead two U.S. airmen in an attack on their bus at Frankfurt airport on Wednesday, cried "Allahu Akhbar" ("God is Greatest") before opening fire and German federal prosecutors said that the attack is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism. Both President Barack Obama and Chancellor Merkel condemned the attacks saying that everything will be done and no effort will be spared to find out what happened.


The border crossing between Tunisia and Libya reaced a crisis point on Tuesday and Tunisian boarder guards beat people with sticks and fired their guns into the air in an attempt to control the crowds... In an attempt to keep them from climbing over the border wall. There are many horrific scenes playing out at the border, some even carried out mock executions. An estimated 140,000 people are trying to flee Libya, and around half that number has already entered Tunisia. With food, water and shelter a major issue, bottles of water and loaves of bread have been seen falling from the sky -- thrown by volunteers on the Tunisian side of the border. The situation is quickly turning into a humanitarian emergency.


While Muammar Gaddafi's forces struck at rebel control of oil export hubs in Libya's east for a second day on Thursday and as Arab states weighed a plan to end turmoil Washington said could make the nation "a giant Somalia," rebels called for U.N.-backed air strikes on those foreign mercenaries fighting for Gaddafi. This call for a no-fly zone echoes Libya's deputy U.N. envoy demand, who now opposes Gaddafi. Rebels also where heard shouting, in support of President George W. Bush and referring to a no-fly zone imposed on Iraq in 1991, "Bring Bush! Make a no fly zone, bomb the planes."


The U.S. Souda base on the Greek island of Crete, welcomed 400 U.S. Marines that have been dispatched there ahead of deployment on warships off to Libya. The troops are from North Carolina and will later join two U.S. warships in the Mediterranean. The USS Kearsage and the USS Ponce are already in route to Libya. With a fleet of helicopters and medical facilities, the U.S. contingent can support humanitarian efforts, as well as military operations.


Chechen Islamist rebel leader, Doku Umarov, Russia's most wanted man, has issued an appeal for recruits for a "total war" against the Russian state, in a new video message posted on Thursday. Standing between two younger men one of whom clutched onto a Kalashnikov rifle with a grenade launcher, Umarov said "A total war is in progress, fight the enemy where ever you can... Jihad is becoming necessary for all of us... Spring has come, so, brothers, I ask you to step up Jihad against enemies of Allah. Today children don't have to ask their parents for permission to start Jihad, wives don't have to ask their husbands' permission... I call on you to destroy Allah's enemies wherever you have them, wherever your hands reach you may open a front... When there is a total war, there are no more civilian objects or civilian population." The tone has become much more Islamist in tone and much more violent as it has spread to neighbouring regions.


As our attention has moved from Egypt to cover "current" topics such as Libya, or even, Charlie Sheen, some would like to see the media light to shine on Christians who were struggling to survive in Egypt even before the Hosni Mubarak government collapsed. To help in this effort, Coptic Orthodox Bishop Serapion spoke at the Convention Center in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon about the Copts' vision and hope for rebuilding Egypt. Bishop Serapion's mentor and Coptic priest, Daoud Boutros was stabbed to death in his apartment on Febuary 20. Also that day, Egyptian military forces began destroying fences protecting ancient Coptic monasteries, leaving the monks and monasteries vulnerable to attacks. On Feb. 23, military forces opened fire on monks and young people, wounding many severely. Coptic Orthodox Christians form 10 to 20 percent of the 79 million population in Egypt.

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

U.S.Soldiers shot;Erdoğan,Germany,Cyprus response;Greek rescue;EULEX:Kosovo;P.Christian killed;Army attacks Monks



Two U.S. soldiers have been killed, two injured in a shooting at Frankfurt airport. Shots were fired on a bus carrying soldiers. In addition, reports are that a 21-year-old suspect from Kosovo has been arrested.


Turkey's prime minster Recep Tayyip Erdoğan goes to Germany in efforts to shore up support for his country's EU assession bid. However, while there, Erdoğan takes aim at Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel. If anything his visit has had the opposite effect.


After hearing Turkish prime minsiter Erdoğan's remarks at the Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, questioning Cyprus's accession to the EU, since he claims no such state exists, Cyprus government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou reminded Erdoğan in a statement that the Republic of Cyprus is an internationally recognised member state of the UN since 1960 and of the EU since 2004. Stefanou was sure not forget to add that the only country that does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus is Turkey.


The Cretan port of Iraklio, on Wednesday morning, welcomed a Greek passenger ferry that evacuated 2,146 Chinese and one Greek national from Libya. Another Greek vessel, is expected to arrive in Crete on Wednesday afternoon carrying 665 Filipino nationals. For its services, Greek shipping firms are expected to earn about $20 million Euros.


EULEX Spokeswoman Irina Gudeljević said Wednesday that no one was currently under investigation for organ trafficking in Kosovo and Albania. Gudeljević said that its goal is to determine whether there is enough evidence for an official inquiry. "EULEX acts based on fact and evidence, which means there can be no criminal trial without evidence, and as soon as such information surfaces, EULEX prosecutors will be ready to act,” the EULEX spokeswoman pointed out.


Assailants purportedly sent by al-Qaida and the Taliban killed the only Christian member of Pakistan's federal Cabinet Wednesday, Shahbaz Bhatti. His alleged "crime" was opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy laws that impose the death penaly for insulting Islam. The 42-year-old Roman Catholic, had been threatened by the Taliban and al-Qaida and said that these threats would not deter him from speaking for persucuted Christians and that he would "die to defend their rights."


One monk and six church workers were shot and wounded last week when the Egyptian Army attacked a Coptic Orthodox monastery in order to destroy a wall monks had built to defend their property from raiders. When the monks had asked for protection, the military told them to fend for themselves. The monks then built a brick wall, with a metal gate, around the monastery grounds. Later, the army claimed the monastery had not acquired the proper permits, ordering wall to be torn down. The monks refused and the army moved in. Despite a video that has been widely circulated on the Internet showing soldiers firing weapons on top of U.S.-supplied armored personnel carriers, the army denied conducting the attack.

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

OIC:No [NATO] military intervention,Russia,Nagorno Karabakh;Kosovo:Wrong Choice;Erdogan angry;FYROM;Daily Life,Spiritual Lessons



The Organisation of the Islamic Conference said Tuesday that it was against any military intervention in Libya, while the United States and Europe weighed up the idea of a no-fly zone over the country. "Allow me to underline our position against any possible military intervention on the situation in Libya," OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told the UN Human Rights Council. "To this end, all options should be utilised for the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and without resorting to the use of force," he added. The United States on Monday positioned naval and air forces around Libya, where ongoing violent repressions by Moamer Kadhafi's regime has left at least 1,000 dead. Although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that Washington was not planning any naval operations, she stressed that all options remained on the table. Some Western countries are also weighing up the option of using NATO air power to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent the regime from aerial bombardment of its population. Ihsanoglu said that the OIC remained "seized of the situation in Libya" and has sent two coordination missions to assess the humanitarian needs at Libya's borders with Tunisia and Egypt, where tens of thousands of people have fled. The OIC chief highlighted that the situation in the Arab world reflected that the people in the region "aspire to democracy, good governance and human rights". "This must be respected," said Ihsanoglu. "The leadership in these countries and the international community must deal with the situation with patience, wisdom and forward looking vision," he added.

II. VOICEOFRUSSIA - Kremlin: Gaddafi should quit

Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi should step down, a high-ranking Kremlin source told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday. For a politician who used military force against his own people there is no place in the civilized world, the source said. He confirmed that Russia would impose sanctions against Libya in conformity with the UN Security Council’s resolution which stipulates an arms embargo and a travel ban against Gaddafi and his inner circle over brutal violence against civilians. Russia endorsed the resolution but has been restrained in its comments because of fears for the safety of Russian citizens in Libya, the Kremlin source said.


The Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents will meet in the Russian southern resort city of Sochi on March 5 to discuss Nagorno Karabakh settlement issues, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan to Sochi to discuss the settlement issues of the long-pending territorial dispute, the Kremlin said. On January 18, during a visit to Cyprus, Sargsyan said that Azerbaijan does not have legal, political, or moral grounds for claiming the territory of Nagorno Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian region. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh first sparked in late 1980s, when the region claimed independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia. More than 30,000 people are estimated to have died on both sides between 1988 and 1994. Nagorno Karabakh has remained in Armenian control since then. Russia, along with France and the United States, is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is mediating efforts to resolve the conflict.

IV. THEJAPANTIMES - Wrong choice in Kosovo

A recent Council of Europe report says that during and after the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict, militia leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) tortured and killed hundreds of Serbs and political rivals in secret Albanian hideouts, removed their organs for sale and dumped their bodies in local rivers. The report added that these people were also heavily involved in drug, sex and illegal immigrant trafficking across Europe. Yet while all this was going on, the NATO powers had decreed that Serbia should be bombed into accepting the KLA as Kosovo's legitimate rulers — rather than the more popular Democratic League of Kosovo headed by the nationalist intellectual Ibrahim Rugova advocating nonviolent independence... Western involvement in the breakup of the former Yugoslavia had more than its share of such mistakes. The Serbian forces resisting the breakup were accused of war crimes and ethnic cleansing. But anyone aware of that nation's troubled history should have realized that the Serbian minorities in Croatia and Bosnia would not accept domination by the successors to their former pro-Nazi oppressors. Retaliations and violent resistance, including even the shocking Srebrenica killings, were inevitable. Besides, the final result was that close to a million Serbs had to seek refuge in Serbia itself. So who had been cleansing whom? Kosovo too had seen wartime ethnic cleansing against Serbs by pro-Nazi elements. The cleansing continued during the 1990s as U.S.-trained KLA guerrillas targeted Serbs isolated in rural districts and towns (by then Belgrade's efforts to give the province autonomy had failed on the rock of ethnic Albanian noncooperation). When Belgrade finally sent in troops to resist the guerrillas, it was accused of war crimes even though the illegitimate force used was much less than what we see when most other Western nations, the U.S. particularly, intervene against guerrillas they do not like. When many ethnic Albanians fled temporarily after the NATO bombing intervention, that too was supposed to be Serbian ethnic cleansing. Even after gaining power, the KLA violence and cleansings continued. Their victims included the Jewish and Roma minorities and ethnic Albanians who had cooperated with Serbia's attempt to offer autonomy. The trafficking of drugs, women and body organs continued, right under the noses of the U.N. forces sent in to maintain order. Rugova supporters were eliminated. the U.S., U.K. and Germany bear most of the blame for this horror; Germany especially should have realized the passions that would be unleashed by any sudden breakup of the former Yugoslavia. But they seemed more interested in the geopolitical gains. In exchange for helping the KLA, the U.S. got to add the strategic Bondsteel military base in Kosovo to its global base network. And the feisty U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright got to play world leader at the 1999 Rambouillet conference by decreeing that the dashing, handsome KLA leader Hashim Thaci was far preferable to the elderly, unpretentious Rugova as Kosovo's future leader, and that Serbia should be bombed if it did not agree. Belgrade's agreement to Rugova as leader of an independent Kosovo was dismissed as irrelevant. One wonders how the Serbs saw this performance. Two generations earlier, they had been the only European nation with the courage to resist Nazi attack. They had been bombed and massacred as a result. Now they were to suffer again at the hands of the NATO-supporting European nations, most of whom had spinelessly succumbed to, or had even collaborated with, that former Nazi enemy. True, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has now resolved that it is "extremely concerned" over the recent KLA revelations. But is that not rather too late? And will we see apologies from the people behind the past policies, particularly from the likes of former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair who still boasts that his firm resolve against Serbian "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo led him to support the U.S. in Iraq? I doubt it.


Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Germany to speak plainly about Turkey’s prospects of joining the European Union. The Turkish prime minister’s remarks come at a time when German and French resistance to Turkish EU membership is seen by Ankara to have reduced Turkey-EU relations to a new low. Erdogan said: “I have no secret agenda. I am explicit in everything I say. If the reality among the Europeans is ‘We don’t want Turkey among us,’ then they should say it clearly. I will accept it, with pleasure!” On Sunday, the Turkish leader, before a visit to Germany, reiterated his rejection of any proposed privileged partnership between Turkey and the EU, short of full membership in the bloc. Accession talks began in 2005, and have moved very slowly. There are 35 negotiating chapters. Thirteen have been started, only one concluded and 18 frozen by Cyprus, France or the European Union.

"The question is not what has occurred to Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski after three years. What is necessary now is to find a solution to the naming issue. Greece has made an acceptable proposal - a proposal, which can break the deadlock in a quick fashion”, Grigoris Delavekouras, Spokesperson of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented, as cited by Macedonian Kanal 5 TV station. His announcement was an answer to Gruevski’s words that Macedonia had agreed to the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje) proposal three years ago. Kanal 5 commented that media in Athens were following recent developments in Macedonia with great interest, expecting a fair share of nationalism and an anti-Greek campaign in the pre-election period.


We often feel as if our daily life distracts us from having thoughts of God. This is a trick of our mind that we must learn to change. Our sense take inputs from our surroundings and interpret them in terms of our well being automatically. Thus the real essence of everything we see is separated from any spiritual significance. To change this so that everything brings us greater awareness of God requires effort on our part to lift our awareness so we always seek a spiritual meaning for what we observe through our senses. Here is some advice for Saint Theophan the Recluse -- It is necessary for you to reinterpret everything that comes before your eyes in a spiritual sense. This reinterpretation must fill your mind to such an extent that when you look at something, your eyes see something sensual, but your mind contemplates a spiritual truth. For example, you see a stain on a white skirt and sense that it is unpleasant, a shame to have happen. Reinterpret this as to how unfortunate and unpleasant it must be for the Lord, angels, and saints to see the stain of sin on our souls, pure from creation in the Divine image, renewed in the font of Baptism, and cleansed in the tears of repentance. You see how small children, when left by themselves, run around making noise and raising a fuss. Reinterpret this as to how our souls make noise and raise a fuss when their attention falls away from God and the fear of God. We can see that almost any event can be seen as a lesson for our spiritual benefit. You can begin to examine all things around you and consciously seek a spiritual interpretation that keeps the memory of God in front of you all the time. Examine you surroundings and begin to give them spiritual significance. Saint Theophan says, When you do this each thing will be like a holy book or an article in a holy book for you. Each thing will lead you to a thought about God,... Everything will speak to you of God and keep your attention on Him.