Days after the two-day visit from the end of July of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to Athens at the invitation of the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the media in our southern neighbor released spicy details about his stay in the most expensive hotel – Four Seasons in Vouliagmeni.
The entire hotel, which has 100 rooms, 20 of which are suites, has been reserved for the prince and his entourage. Bin Salman, of course, was accommodated in the royal suite. Special order armored glasses were installed there.
In advance, it was requested to change the furniture, as well as to connect several rooms so that his closest relatives could be accommodated in them.
His personal belongings, along with his entire wardrobe in Greece, were transported in 180 suitcases.
Several of the rooms have been converted into a hospital.
All the cups, plates, cutlery and towels for the prince, as well as the bed linen, were brought from Saudi Arabia.
The food was also brought in by airplanes, which was taken care of by 20 people, including nutritionists and tasters.
The prince arrived in Athens with 700 people who traveled on 7 planes.
One plane carried the prince and the closest staff, while the others carried the delegation.
One of the planes was empty in case of an emergency.
Photo: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is greeted by Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. (SPA)
Salt is addictive, and addiction to it can become a risk factor for hypertension, says the doctor of medical sciences and nutritionist Mariat Mukhina. There are people who perceive sodium chloride – ie. table salt – as a “taste stimulant” and tend to constantly increase the amount of salt in their food, says the doctor.
“We did a study of people’s taste buds. Some people get used to salt as a taste stimulant. They develop a semi-narcotic addiction to salt. They constantly have to increase the dose to irritate the taste buds on their tongue. They haven’t tasted the food yet, but they are already starting to salt it,” Mariat Mukhina explains. Studies show that such behavior is characteristic of people suffering from hypertension – continues the nutritionist. Excessive intake of sodium chloride contributes to the development of this disease, which is why the amount of salt in food should be reduced to reduce the risk of hypertension, she warns. For those who are used to salty dishes, Mukhina advises adding salt with a reduced sodium chloride content to the dishes.
Scientists from the US have proven that people who put extra salt in their food are at greater risk of premature death. The study, which involved more than 500,000 people, is published today in the European Heart Journal. Sodium in table salt (NaCl) increases the risk of cancer, high blood pressure and stroke. Estimation of the total intake of an unhealthy dietary supplement can be done by urinalysis. However, this method may not reflect dietary habits, as many foods initially contain high levels of salt.
Therefore, the researchers, led by Professor Lu Qi from the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, USA, decided to check how people’s habit of adding salt to food at the table affects their health. “In the Western diet, table salt accounts for 6-20% of total dietary intake. This provides a unique opportunity to assess the relationship between sodium intake and risk of death,” Professor Qi said. The scientists analyzed data from 501,379 people who participated in the UK Biobank. Between 2006 and 2010, participants were asked how often they added salt to their food. Individuals who chose not to respond were not included in the analysis. The researchers adjusted the analysis based on factors that could affect the results, such as age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet and general health. Study participants were followed for an average of nine years. Death before the age of 75 is considered premature. For those who like to eat more salty, the risk of early death is 28% higher compared to those who never or rarely use the salt shaker. The study also found lower life expectancy among people who always added salt. At age 50, the life expectancy of women and men who constantly added sodium chloride to their plate decreased by 1.5 and 2.28 years, respectively. These risks are slightly reduced in people who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. As Professor Qi explains, they are a major source of potassium, which has a protective effect.
“To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relationship between added dietary salt and premature death,” he says. – “This provides new evidence to support recommendations for dietary behavior change. The scientist believes that even a small reduction in sodium intake by reducing the amount of salt added to the meal or avoiding extra servings of the taste enhancer can lead to significant benefits for health.
Scientists from Italy and France examined the wall coverings of three amphorae in July and found that ancient Roman winemakers used local grapes and their flowers while importing resin and spices from other regions of Europe, the PlosOne electronic library reported.
Experts led by Donatella Magri of the Sapienza University of Rome have examined amphorae used to store red and white wines with mass spectrometry and paleobotanical data on the pollen and tissues of the wild Vitis grape and its flowers. Their goal was to find out how the ancient Romans produced wine and where they got raw materials from.
The characteristic shape of the grape pollen, as well as the chemical composition of the walls of the amphorae, testify to the fact that local wild or cultivated grapes were used for the production of wine. In addition, there are traces of resins and aromatic substances, which were probably imported by winemakers from Calabria or Sicily.
Scientists have studied three amphorae that were discovered a few years ago on the coast near the Italian village of San Felice Circeo, in the Lazio region. According to experts, the vessels fell to the bottom of the Tyrrhenian Sea after the wreck of one or more ships, and the amphorae were subsequently washed ashore
A bill was introduced in the State Duma of Russia, which prohibits citizens of “enemy countries” from adopting Russians, Reuters reported.
Russia’s list of enemy states has expanded after many countries imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February. This list currently includes the US, UK, all of the EU, South Korea and Japan.
Beginning of April 2022 a series of constitutional amendments signed by President Vladimir Putin intensified Russia’s years-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights. The wide-ranging amendments formally outlaw same-sex marriages and ban transgender people from adopting children. Marriage equality had been long treated as illegal in Russia, where LGBTQ+ people commonly face persecution from governmental authorities, but as local activists told the Washington Blade, the definition of a family unit as “exclusively… a union of a man and a woman” was absent from the country’s constitution prior to this week.
Other amendments signed by Putin include new presidential term limits allowing him to remain in power until 2036 and grant him total immunity from prosecution for the remainder of his lifetime, as the Associated Press reports. The president also approved language specifying “a belief in God” as central to Russian values along with vaguely worded restrictions on “negative foreign interference in the educational process.”
The latter measure has proven highly controversial, with more than 1,000 artists, academics, and leading Russian cultural figures warning that it stands to impact virtually “any public activity” in which “knowledge and expertise are disseminated” in a March open letter.
The targeting of queer and trans people follows a continued campaign of scapegoating vulnerable minorities in Russia. In 2013, Putin signed a law forbidding the spread of pro-LGBTQ+ “propaganda” to minors under the age of 18 — which has, in practice, served to target everything from Pride parades to carrying a pink iPhone case in school.
In the eight years since that law passed, hate crimes targeting people due to their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity have doubled. The semi-independent Russian territory of Chechnya recently marked the four-year anniversary of its infamous “gay purge,” in which individuals suspected of being LGBTQ+ are rounded up, beaten, tortured, and sometimes killed. Over 200 people are estimated to have been detained while at least three have died.
Putin, who oversees the Muslim majority region, has yet to speak out about the anti-LGBTQ+ campaign, which is ongoing. Russian leaders, meanwhile, have dismissed reports of violence, with a spokesperson for the Kremlin telling reporters in 2017 that there is no “reliable information about any problems in this area.”
Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova further claimed that the reports were fabricated by people who “plan to capitalize on this,” calling allegations of human rights abuses a “provocation.”
Even despite sanctions on Chechen leaders from the United States and European Union, Putin has defended his country’s record on LGBTQ+ rights. After singer Elton John slammed Russia’s censorship of gay scenes in the 2019 biopic Rocketman, Putin claimed that the singer’s characterization that he is hostile to “policies that embrace multicultural and sexual diversity” is a “mistake.”
“We [in Russia] have a very neutral attitude to members of the LGBT community,” the president said at the time.
Description photo: View of the Moscow Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral from Zaryadye Park in Moscow by Michael Parulava /unsplash.com
The Russian pop star gave Philip Kirkorov the first place among the most influential musicians in the country
Not only Philip Kirkorov, but also his ex-wife Alla Pugacheva follows in the footsteps and follows the eccentricities of Michael Jackson. The Russian pop star bought a barometer to improve her health, StarHit reported. The device, under the influence of whose pressure the body absorbs oxygen several times faster than usual, was ordered in Israel, where the singer spent the last few months after the start of the war in Ukraine. Its value is 3 million rubles, or over 48,000 euros.
At the time of the order, the star was in the Israeli city of Caesarea, but then she rented a villa in Latvia and moved there with her husband Maxim Galkin and their twins Lisa and Gary, which is why she could not receive the delivery, the publication revealed. “Since Alla Borisovna herself is listed in the “client” column in the contract, she must personally accept the pressure chamber. But at one point, when it became clear that there were problems with the international delivery, her manager stopped answering the phones. So in the end it turned out that the capsule was paid for, but still waiting for its owner in the warehouse. Maybe in September he will finally get it if he returns to Russia, “says a representative of the seller company.
It will soon be 6 months since the diva left Russia with her family. She explained the departure with the intention to rest and take care of her health. The 73-year-old star was repeatedly criticized on social networks for her decision. The queen of the Russian stage responded succinctly to the attacks that “vacation, leave and treatment are not emigration.” Currently, the family is in the villa in the resort of Jurmala, which they have been renting every summer for the past few years. Meanwhile, it became clear that for the first time in several years, Pugacheva is not at the top of the list of the most influential musicians in the country. According to the poll, Philip Kirkorov is in the lead, reports KP.RU. Despite the confusing statements of Kirkorov, who called the Russian military in Ukraine “heroes”, it appears that his rating among fans has increased. Research holding Romir polls a wide audience of Russian citizens four times a year to determine the main influencers in various fields. In the sphere of the music industry, Kirkorov, who was born in Bulgaria, climbed to the top of the list for the first time, and Alla Pugachova was in fourth place. She was also overtaken by the vocalist of the group “Eskadron” Oleg Gazmanov and the TV presenter, singer and actress Olga Buzova. The musicians Yuri Shevchuk, Sergey Shnurov, Nikolai Baskov, Grigoriy Leps, Nikolai Rastorguev and Andrey Makarevich are also in the Top 10.
A major investigation reveals the cruelty suffered by sows in the EU. The organization Compassion in world farming, or CIWF, is conducting an undercover investigation in which shocking footage has been collected from 16 pig farms in Italy, Spain, France and Poland. It reveals the suffering of over 85% of sows on farms with cell rearing systems in the EU – incl. the producers of premium ham brands such as Parma and Bayonne.
As the promised ban on keeping animals in cages in the EU has not yet entered into force, approximately 9 million pigs are forced to live in cramped quarters and cages. Pigs spend almost half their adult lives in cramped cages that don’t even fit them. As long as they are capable of giving birth, they are artificially inseminated, and during the pregnancies, and not only then, they live lying in their own excrement. The size of the cells limits them in maternal instincts and proper care of the young. The conditions are miserable and the births also take place in cages. The smell of ammonia and the inability to move freaks the animals out and causes them to chew the air and bite the metal bars in agony.
In response to these shocking revelations, the non-governmental organization for the welfare of animals and the protection of the environment, sent the summarized results of the investigation to the ministers of agriculture throughout Europe. An appeal has been made to every active citizen and supporter of the cause to send letters and emails insisting to the ministers for an immediate ban on cage farming in the territory of the union. This change has been expected since last year, when the European Commission committed to introduce changes in the legislation in response to the “End the Cage Age” welfare initiative, which collected over 1.4 million signatures from EU citizens.
With the Parma brand, about 8 million shoes are produced annually, 36% of which are exported. The largest importer is the USA, where 757,000 packages were sold last year. In France, about a million packages of Bayon brand ham are produced every year, which are exported to the market in the USA, Germany, Belgium, Japan and Great Britain. There is no data available on the quantities of exported production
“Consumers who pay a higher price for ham than Parma and Bayonne brands will probably be shocked to discover that products from the so-called ‘high-end’ come from farms with such cruel production conditions,” says Ina Müller-Arnke, an expert from the organization Four Paws. According to the investigation data, the farms of these premium brands are no better than ordinary ones – the animals there spend a significant part of their lives locked in cages and deprived of basic needs and hygiene.
The work of St. Gregory the Theologian For myself and for the bishops is one of the most censored patristic works, although it was created in the so-called “Golden Age” of the Orthodox Church – the time of the ecumenical councils, when the Cappadocian fathers made a decisive contribution to formulate the dogmas of faith. It was written under the influence of the saint’s impressions of church life in the capital, Constantinople, whose department he headed. St. Gregory the Theologian comes face to face with the constant intrigues, with the inner life of the bishopric. Distraught, he left his chair after the end of the Second Ecumenical Council in 381.
The coordinates of the text in Patrologia graeca are: 37:1166-1227.
For myself and for the bishops
Surely I should, inspired by the commands of the One,
Whoever suffered may bear the insult caused by me
Whoever suffered may bear the insult caused by me
and in suffering I must hold my tongue.
Thus, if the battle is brought to an end,
5. I could hope for a fuller reward.
Indeed, the reward is fuller with those who toil the most,
and scarcer in those who cannot bear toil.
But not to make it seem like the bad guys are ruling the roost
above all and that their path is smooth
10. and yet no one opposes them, yet I
I consign their deeds to the last fire,
who conquers all and cleanses righteously.
Even if we did not learn about everything due to some tricks,
yet I will smite the murderers with my humble speech,
15. for indeed those who judge wrongly are murderers,
shedding the blood of innocent souls:
all whom I have raised and led forward.
But I will say what I will, not at all afraid of reproach,
of what is forbidden to all,
20 and which I hate more than anything.
I, of course, will not start naming names,
lest it appear that I reveal what should remain hidden
(besides, I don't remember everyone equally) –
lest my mouth dare go too far.
25. It is true, I know many worthy of great praise,
but whoever dwells among the wicked (and even worse than the wicked),
he must be caught and tamed at once.
My verbal sword will cut through vice.
If you speak against my speech,
30. you will openly accuse yourself.
So this is my way: anyone can hit me,
I learned long ago to bear the blows of the stones.
You can trust a lion, a leopard can be trained
and even the snake may flee, though you fear it,
35. But beware of only one thing – bad bishops,
disregarding "the dignity of their throne."
Everyone can get a high position, but not everyone - grace.
Turn your gaze to the sheepskin, examine the wolf behind it!
Convince me not with words, but with your deeds.
40. I detest the doctrines to which life itself appears to be opposed,
praising the beauty of the grave, I am disgusted
from the stench of the rotting corpses inside.
- How so? What does that mean? Why do you, ever brilliant orator,
don't you say something nice this time too?
45. For it is characteristic of the sufferer to pour out his grief:
before God, before friends, before parents, before neighbors, before guests,
or in the last case – before the future times and the coming generations.
But I will begin my speech a little further,
no one can say that the laborer
50. receives a reward for his labor in this life: anyone who says so is joking.
Everything ends its course in night and darkness,
God tests some with fire, and covers others in darkness,
until the fire lights up everything.
A man lived a hard life,
55. moaned, spent sleepless nights, shed tears,
confined himself even to simple bed and food,
cared for the study of the inspired Scriptures,
he constantly whipped himself and tore his soul.
What else have I missed? What did I do that I shouldn't?
60. Some other man plucked the fruits of his youth,
laughed, sang, indulged in gluttony,
of all pleasures, of feelings.
He did not impose prohibitions on himself, he was like a stallion without a bridle.
Then misfortunes began to happen to the first man,
65. (indeed hardly exactly miseries, since none of this here concerns the sages,
what most people think they are
and the other man, successful in everything, was also successful in this,
to be considered highly virtuous.
70. I, uttering these words, am a witness to the above written,
I was above the things visible to sensual eyes,
and my mind was directed only to the immaterial.
I left my fame, my estate, my hopes, my literary work,
I felt luxury in being delivered from luxury,
75. and I enjoyed my life with the little piece of bread. I was freed from insults
(however, you must expect everything, even if you are a sage).
But someone, tearing me away from the blessings, led me directly to my expectations
in foreign lands. Who it was I will not name.
Was it the Spirit of God, were my sins the cause of this,
80. that I received recompense for my exaltation.
But the formal reason was this: the assembly of the shepherds and the Orthodox people, although they were not yet numerous.[1]
Finally a faint ray of light was seen:
people already had the opportunity relatively freely
to profess the Orthodox faith;
85. little by little they began to breathe again
peacefully amidst the evils that surround them.
[For formerly,] amid chattering tongues and many delusions,
they suffered but had no protection.
Is it even possible for a rose to enjoy growing among thorns,
or of the ripe grape among the sour ones?
90. So this is [how things stood when] I, the pious stranger, came,
yielding to exhortations and many pleas,
the refusal of which would have been a display of excessive pride.
But when I came, leaving the land of Cappadocia,
which for all is a pillar of true faith,
95. (but I have not abandoned the people or any of my duties,
all these are, in their essence, tricks of the enemies, their lying speeches -
a clumsily contrived cover for their envy).
Now I want you to say what happened next,
since you are witnesses of my labor.
100. There is nothing unfavorable, rude or harmful
said or done during these more than two years?
Except for one thing, that I spared the bad people,
who from the beginning pelted me with stones for bearing this patiently.
It is true, at least a little was truly pious,
105. because thus I became empathetic with Christ's sufferings.
You see what the poor offer as a gift to God.[2]
But we can even impute this to ourselves as guilt if we wish:[3]
Someone had said that the sensual mind is like rot,
bone corrosive. I was convinced of this
from my own experience:
110. my body, formerly strong as copper, but now weary of care,
already bending to the ground. But nothing more than myself I can give,
though even if I give all, I shall still have to give more.
And what else can happen to one who has become attached to a weak friend.
However, the time has come for me to return again to the speech I had begun.
115. They called me, and I gathered the people,
who was among wolves,
I watered the thirsty flock with the word, I sowed the faith rooted in God,
I spread the light of the Trinity to those who were previously in darkness.
I was like leaven in milk and like medicine
120. because of the strength of his convictions. Some had already joined [the true faith],
others were near, and still others were coming.
Everyone's mood, which was previously furious, changed,
And true teaching in response produced love:
this moderate favor could be developed to full success.
125. They know about this in Happy Rome[4] (here I
I mainly mean those who are in charge) –
these people unexpectedly honored me with some respect[5]
and they think that one should have at least a small part of the glory,
to be first in honor instead
130. indeed, they are far more powerful than all!
When I was with them, I was honored,
and even today, when I left them, they condemn the wicked.
Well, they can't do anything more than that either,
and I myself have not asked them to do anything, "O city, city!"
135. (if we exclaim in the spirit of the tragedy.[6]
But my "honorable and well-behaved" co-pastors,
bursting with envy, (don't you know the Frasonides look-alikes,[7]
indolence does not tolerate culture)
they chose as an ally my bodily infirmity, which accompanies my monastic labors
140. and which must be respected by all,
who have labored at least a little in the name of God,
they pleaded, among other things, that I did not aspire to the power of such a great throne,
at that time when the whole world was torn by strife.[8]
And so, incited by the demon, they made this charge,
145. loved ones gladly drove me away,
throwing me out like excess cargo from an overloaded ship.
Well, in the eyes of the bad guys, I was a burden because I reasoned soberly.
Then they will raise their hands up as if they are clean,
and they will offer God "from the heart" the cleansing Gifts,
150. in order to sanctify the people with the words of the sacrament.
These are the same people who treacherously drove me out of there
(though not quite against my will, as it would be a great disgrace to me
to be one of those who sell their faith).
One of them, being descendants of publicans,
155. they can think of nothing else but collecting illegal taxes,
the others come from money exchange shops
the third - from the field, blackened by the sun,
the fourth - from his occupation with the pick and hoe,
others - leaving the sea craft and the army,
160. still smelling of ship holds or with body marks.
They imagine that they are the helmsmen of the people
and they don't want to give up even a little bit.
At the same time, others, even with
unwashed soot from the forge,
165. are ready to be flogged or ready to be sent to turn the millstones.
If, before they repay their masters,
have the opportunity to interrupt their work, they are immediately proud
and seduced some of the people,
sometimes with conviction, sometimes with coercion.
170. They aspire to the heights, like a dung beetle to the sky,
rolling a ball no longer made of manure
and without bowing their heads as before.
They think they have power over heaven,
even though they talk all kinds of nonsense
175. and they cannot even count how many their hands and feet are.
But is this not a great evil, unworthy of the episcopal office,
oh dear? Let's not think primitively
and for such great [deeds] to judge wrongly
(although I prefer being in the position of being humiliated).
180. Episcopacy, indeed, is not the worst thing. [On the contrary]
it is absolutely necessary that the bishop should be chosen from among the most worthy, I myself choose
the most worthy, if not the most worthy, at any rate not the worst
(if of course my opinion counts for anything).
And this is important, especially now, when chatter is raging like a hurricane
185. and enters into great cities and assemblies.
And if they abide [in the true faith] steadfastly, then this
can be of great benefit to them,
and if they do not reside - too much harm.
Therefore, you must choose the most worthy people.
Well, people of mediocre ability,
190. even if they prove themselves diligently, they cannot overcome the best.
This is the judge's opinion, far from lying in the highest degree.
But tax collectors and fishermen will stand before me,
as the evangelists were. Well, you
were also weak in their eloquence,
but they caught the whole world as with a net with their simple words.
195. Even the wise men caught in their fishing nets,
so that in this way the miracle of the Word becomes even more evident.
This opinion is supported by many people,
against whom mine is directed,
a short but extremely clear speech.
Give me the faith of at least one of the apostles,
200. [so] to give up my money, my traveling bag and staff, to be half-dressed, to have no sandals,
to live day by day, to be rich only in my hope,
to be inexperienced in verbal mastery,
to be the one for whom it is impossible to think that
rather speaks flattery [than tells the truth],
205. not to delve into the study of foreign teachings.
If someone comes along who has these qualities, I'll take it all in too:
the man without the gift of speech, the dishonest, the ignorant, the shepherd of the oxen.
After all, the righteous way of life hides the external flaws.
Be one of them, and even if you were a frog-catcher [not a fisherman],
210. we will exalt you to the angelic choirs. So show me at least
one thing. But can you deliver from demons,
to cure leprosy? Raise the dead from the grave?
Can you stop paralysis?
Give your hand to the sufferer and end his illness!
215. Only in this way can you convince me to ignore knowledge.
If something consists of two parts, a praiseworthy part and a blameworthy part,
and you only consider the first part,
and the other you surround with your silence,
then you insidiously distort the truth about things.
220. Matthew was a publican, but he is
deserved respect not as a publican, but as a man filled with the Spirit.
Peter was the leader of the disciples, but he was "Peter" [hard as a rock!].
Not as a fisherman, but because he was filled with zeal,
his way of life makes me respect his fishing net too.
[1] In 378, the Council of Antioch invited St. Gregory to become Archbishop of Constantinople (note trans.).
[2] The poor can only give their bodies (note trans.).
[3] In the sense, we cannot offer even our body, because we have ruined it; see: Prov. 14:30: “A meek heart is life to the body, but envy is rot to the bones” (note trans.).
[4] Constantinople – The New Rome (note trans.).
[5] At the end of 380, imp. Theodosius granted to St. Gregory the temple “St. Apostles” (note trans.).
[6] “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles (note trans.).
[7] Character from Menander’s “Invisible” (note trans.).
[8] The so-called “Antiochian” schism, which arose in the Nicaean camp (note trans.).
The Mediterranean region is currently one of the hotspots of the climate crisis
Against the background of the drought in Italy, humanity may face a shortage of Parmesan cheese, predict scientists quoted by the world media. The reason is that the amount of water in the Po River, which supplies 30% of the country’s farms, has greatly decreased, threatening the production of the popular cheese.
According to Massimiliano Fazzini, head of the Climate Risks Unit at the Italian Society of Geoecology, the water shortage in the river basin is 45-70%. The specialist explains that the Po is fed by the snow in the Alps and by the rains in the spring. Since May this year, however, rainfall has been low, so people who live and work thanks to the river are at risk.
According to him, the situation is critical and can only continue to worsen.
The expert reports that the water of the Po is necessary for raising dairy cows. Normally, cows give 30 liters of milk per day to produce real Parmigiano-Reggiano – for this purpose each animal must consume 100-150 liters of water.
Moisture is also needed to grow juicy fodder for the herds. The shortage of water in the Po River threatens to lead to the closure of agricultural holdings.
According to scientists, the Mediterranean region is one of the hotspots of the climate crisis. Forecasts are that temperatures there will be 20-50% higher than the global average, and droughts will increase by mid-century.
Scientists from the State University of New York at Binghampton have found a new application for old CDs, using them to make flexible wearable biosensors, reports the New Atlas site. As digital music files became more popular, CDs fell out of favor. However, some of them can “resurrect” for a new life.
Although CDs are primarily made of polycarbonate, they contain a thin layer of reflective foil, usually aluminum. At the so-called gold compact discs it is of the precious metal.
Usually, when these CDs are disposed of, the gold foil goes to landfill. But thin layers of gold are also used in flexible biosensors that stick to the skin. Therefore, the scientists asked themselves the question whether they could not use the gold from the CDs for this purpose.
They developed a technique where gold CDs are initially soaked in acetone for 90 seconds. In this way, the polycarbonate is destroyed, which leads to the loosening of the connection between it and the foil.
The engineers then applied polyamide tape to the gold layer and peeled it off the polycarbonate. Flexible circuits are cut from this layer to produce sensors that stick to human skin and can be used repeatedly.
In combination with other electronics, they can be used to monitor the electrical activity of a person’s heart and muscles, to measure lactose, glucose, pH and oxygen levels. All data can be transmitted to a smartphone via Bluetooth.
The entire recycling process takes only 20 to 30 minutes, requires no expensive equipment, and costs approximately $1.50 per sensor. And although acetone is used in the process, no toxic chemicals are released into the waste stream.
Word one: Life in Christ is realized through the sacraments of divine baptism, holy anointing and communion
1. The life in Christ is planted in this present life [φύεται μὲν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ], begins here and continues into the future [ἐπὶ τοῦ μελλέντος] until we reach the last day. Neither the present life is able to fully bring the life in Christ to the souls of men, nor the life to come, if the beginning is not made from now, because at present the carnal [τὸ σαρκίον] is covered with shadow, here are clouds and corruption, which cannot inherit incorruption. That is why Paul asked above all to be freed by being with Christ: I desire to be freed and be with Christ, because this is much better (Phil. 1:23). If the future life were to receive those who have not the necessary powers and senses [τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις] for it, it would be of no use to them, for they would pass into that blessed world where there is no corruption, being dead and miserable. The reason is that when the light has already dawned and the sun is shining its pure radiance, the eye is not yet created. The fragrance of the Spirit abundantly already fills and covers everything, so that only he who has no sense of smell could not feel it.
2. And so the purpose of the sacraments is to bring the devoted Christians [τοὺς Αφημείου] to communion with the Son of God [κοινωνῆσαι τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ], and what He has learned from His Father, from Him to teach them. It is necessary, therefore, that they, after being devoted to Him, should welcome Him with ears open to listen, because it is impossible to first have a devotional commitment [φιλίαν συστῆναι] and only then to open the ears to listen, to prepare the marriage clothing and to prepare all the other things that are necessary to welcome the Bridegroom. The present life is precisely a workshop for the preparation of all this, and those who fail before the Bridegroom comes will have nothing to do with that life. And witnesses to this are the five virgins and those invited to the wedding, who came unprepared and did not have enough oil, nor were they able to prepare clothes for the Bridegroom[1]. This world is in labor pains because of the renewed inner man, created according to God (Eph. 4:24). Thus created and sculpted, man is born perfect for that perfect world where there is no aging.
3. As with the embryo, while it is in the dark and gloomy womb of its mother, nature prepares it for the life of light, and forms it, as it were, according to some pattern fitted for the life to come, so it happens with the saints. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is talking about to the Galatians, saying: My children, for whom I am again in labor pains (Gal. 4:19). Unborn children, however, until they come into this world, have no sense knowledge [αἴσθησιν] of life, whereas to the blessed saints even in the present many things of the future life are revealed to them. The reason for this is that for them this life is no longer the present, but entirely the future. In that place light is not contemplated, nor any of the other things that we know of this life. However, it is not so with us, but that future life seems to be connected and mixed with the present one, because that Sun has already risen for us in a human-loving way, and the heavenly myrrh has been poured out on the foul-smelling world, and the angelic bread has been distributed to people as well[2].
4. The saints live the life in Christ already in the present. Therefore, therefore, not only a setting [διατεθῆναι] and preparation for life is necessary, but it is characteristic of the saints to live and perform it [ἐνεργεῖν] even in the present. Lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12), Paul wrote to Timothy. Elsewhere he says: and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). The divine Ignatius also: There is living water that speaks in me…[3] and with many such testimonies Scripture abounds.
5. Besides all this, Life itself is fully present in the promise to the saints. Behold, he says, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). What else could this mean? This means that after he had sown the seeds of life in the earth, and cast down fire and knife, he did not go away, leaving the people to plant, eat, light fire, and serve themselves with knife, but Sam was present as says the blessed Paul, make in you both to will and to act (Phil. 2:13). He alone kindles and brings the fire. He is the one who holds the ax, and is the ax even greater than he who cuts with it (Is. 10:15)? With whom the good God is not present, nothing good could come of them.
6. Moreover, the Lord has promised not only to be with the saints, but also to remain with them and – what is greater – to make a dwelling in them. In general, I say that the Lord so philanthropically unites with the saints that he also becomes one Spirit with them. The voice of the apostle Paul: he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17); you are one body and one spirit, just as you were called (Eph. 4:4).
7. For just as the love of mankind is unspeakable [ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἄρρητος], so the love of God to our race surpasses human reason [τὸν λόγον τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ὑπερβαίνει] and is suitable only to divine goodness, since it is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4: 7), likewise His union with those who love Him [τὴν πρὸς τοὺς φιλουμένους ἕνωσιν] is above all union that any one can think of, and of which no example can be found.
8. Therefore Scripture needed so many examples to be able to show this unity, since one example is not enough. On the one hand, the example of the inhabitant and the dwelling is used, on the other – of the vine and the rod; for the marriage, for the members and the chapter. Of these examples, however, none is completely similar [οὐδέν ἐστιν ἴσον] to this union, because by means of them the truth cannot be fully arrived at. Mainly because it is necessary for devotion to be followed by the conjunction [τὴν συνάφειαν]. And what can be compared to divine love?
9. That which seems best to show union and unity [συνάφειαν καὶ ἑνότητα] is the marriage and harmonious relationship between the members of the body and the head [ἡ τῶν μελῶν πρὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἁρμονία], but nevertheless it is far from showing the completeness of the whole union. , because on the one hand marriage could not combine so that the two may be and live in each other [ἐν ἀλλήλοις εἶναι καὶ ζῆν τοὺς συναπτομένους], as happens with Christ and the Church. Hence the divine apostle, speaking of marriage as a great mystery, adds, but I speak of Christ and of the church (Eph. 5:32), indicating not this, but that marriage, which is accomplished by a miracle. On the other hand, the members of the body are joined to the head and live through this union, but being separated they die. Hence it is clear that that body, which is united to Christ more than to its own head, lives more by virtue of Him than by reason of harmonious union with it.
10. This is evident from the lives of the blessed martyrs, who gladly endured the first, but did not even want to hear about the second. They gladly allowed their heads to be cut off from their bodies, but there was no question of giving up on Christ. I’m not saying yet which is the latest. What could be more united to anything else than to itself? But the very unity of the combination is more insignificant than that unity.
11. The saints are united more to Christ than to themselves. Each of the blessed spirits is one and the same with itself [ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸ ἑαυτῷ]. However, he is united to Christ more than to himself, because he loves Him more than himself. Paul testifies to this verbatim when he prays: to be excommunicated from Christ (Rom. 9:3) for the sake of the salvation of the Jews, so that all glory may be given to Him. But if the human affection [τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πιτόρον] is such, the divine cannot be thought of at all. If even wicked men could show such favor [τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην], what can be said of that divine goodness? Thus, since this love is supernatural [ὑπερφυοῦς ὄντος τοῦ ἔρωτος], and necessarily surpasses the union to which it has brought the lovers, human reason stands too low to be able to describe it by example. Let’s look at it this way.
12. There are many things which necessarily accompany us in this life: air, light, food, clothing, the very forces of nature, and the members of the body, but it does not happen to anyone to take advantage of all these things and to strive for them all at the same time, but now he uses one thing, then another, using different things according to the available need. When, for example, we put on a garment, it could not be food. However, when we need a table, it is necessary to look for something else. On the one hand, light does not allow us to breathe, on the other hand, air cannot be a substitute for lighting. Since we cannot always dispose of the operations of the senses [τῶν αἰσθησεων δὲ ταῖς ἐνεργείαις] and the bodily members, nor use them, sometimes both the eye and the hand prove unfit to hear. The hand will prove useful when we want to touch something, but to smell, hear or see will not do us any good, and leaving it, we look for another faculty.
13. And so, the Savior is so unchangingly and in every way present to those who live in Him that He provides every means and is everything for them, not allowing them to look for anything other than all that, nor to look for anything different, because for the saints there is no nothing that they need and that He Himself is not for them: He gives birth, nurtures and feeds, He is light and air. He makes them an eye with Himself, gives them light again with Himself and offers them Himself to look at Him. He is the One who feeds and is food, because He is the One who offers the bread of life, He is also the One who offers. He is life to those who live, fragrance to those who breathe, clothing to those who want to be clothed. He alone is indeed the One with whom we can walk. He is the way, but also the end and end of the way. We are the members, He is the head. Should we fight? Fight with us. Are we celebrating? Becomes an arbitrator. Are we winning? It immediately becomes a crown of victory.
14. And so He everywhere turns everything to Himself, and allows no one to turn his mind to anything else, or to beget love for any of the existing things. If our aspirations are directed there, He restrains and calms them. If they turn this way, it’s opposite again. If we deviate from the path, He also surrounds this, the other path, to guide those who walk on it. If he ascended to heaven – You are there, he says, if he descended into the underworld – and there You are. Do I take the wings of the dawn and move to the seashore – and there Your right hand will hold me (Ps. 138: 8-10). As if at the cost of coercion and in a state of some strange and philanthropic tyranny [ἀνάγκῃ τινὶ θαυμαστῇ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ τυραννίδι] He draws only to Himself and only with Himself binds Himself. I consider this to be the same compulsion with which he gathered into his house those whom he called to the feast, saying to the slave: make them come in, that my house may be filled (Luke 14:23).
15. Let it be! For, therefore, the life in Christ is not only in the future, but for the saints and for those who live and act in this way [καὶ ζῶσι κατ’ ἐκείνην καὶ ἐνεργοῦσι] is already present also in the present, which becomes clear from what has been said so far. What does it mean to live, which Paul also says, to walk in the renewed life (Rom. 6:4), I mean what the saints do so that Christ is united and united with them and I don’t know what to call it yet, for that is to come to talk further.
16. In what way is life in Christ established in us: through initiation into the holy sacraments of baptism, anointing and the Eucharist. So, on the one hand it depends on God, on the other – on our own zeal [σπουδῆς]. On the one hand it is entirely His work, on the other – the work of our endurance [φιλοτιμίαν]. Our contribution in this is mostly as much as receiving the grace, not squandering our treasure and not extinguishing the already lit lamp. I mean: let us not allow anything contrary to life that begets death, for—comparatively—every human good and every human virtue [πᾶν ἀνθρώπειον ἀγαθὸν καὶ πᾶσα ἀρετὴ] comes down to never drawing a sword against ourselves, yes let us not run away from our happiness, and let us not cast the crowns of glory from our heads.
17. Since Christ transcends the very essence of life [τήν γε οὐσίαν αὐτὴν τὴς περασία], in an unspeakable way He plants it in our souls. Indeed, He attends and assists the beginnings of life which Himself, in settling, brings forth. He is indeed present, but not as the first time, to call, gather, and converse by communicating with us, but in another better and more perfect way, in which we become consubstantial [σύσσωμοι] and quickened [σύζωοι] with Him, we become Its members and all that pertains to it [εἴ τι πρὸς τοῦτο φέρει]. As, therefore, the love of mankind is unspeakable, in respect of which he so loved the most hated, as to honor them with exceeding gifts, and also the union in which he bound those who love him, surpasses every image and every name, so the manner, by which he attends and benefices, is wondrous and befits only Onomuva, Who works miracles.
18. Briefly of what is the power of the divine sacraments. Those who imitate with symbols – as if in a drawing – His death, by which He really died for our life, these indeed He renews, regenerates them and makes them partakers of His life. By depicting through the sacraments His burial and by proclaiming His death, we are born, regenerated, and supernaturally united with the Savior. This is what Paul says that through Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
19. And so baptism gives being [τὸ εἶναι] and complete existence according to Christ [ὅλως ὑποστῆναι κατὰ Χριστόν], since it, receiving the dead and decaying, first brings them into life. Anointing, for its part, perfects the newborn, putting in him the power corresponding to the new life [τῇ τοιᾷδε ζωῇ προσήκουσαν ἐνέργειαν]. The Divine Eucharist already preserves and sustains this life and this health, for in order to preserve what has been acquired and to support the living, it gives the bread of life. Therefore, with this bread we live, with the ointment we move, and we have received our being from the font.
20. In this way, we live in God, having transferred life from this visible to the invisible world, changing not the place, but our life and life. For it was not we who ascended and reached God, but He Himself came and descended to us; we did not seek, but we were sought; it was not the sheep that sought the shepherd, nor the drachma – its owner, but God himself bent over the earth, found our image, appeared in those places where the sheep wandered, and brought it home, delivering it from its wanderings, and without moved people from here, and leaving them on earth, made them heavenly; put the heavenly life into them, not by lifting them up to heaven, but by bending heaven towards us and coming down. That is why the prophet says: He bowed down the heavens and came down (Ps. 17:10).
21. And so, through these holy sacraments, as through a door, the Sun of righteousness penetrates into this dark world, on the one hand mortifying the life fused with it, and on the other – resurrecting the peaceful life, and the Light of the world overcomes the world, saying: I have overcome the world (John 16:13), putting in the mortal and changeable body eternal and immortal life.
22. As in the house, when the light of day penetrates, the lamp no longer attracts the gaze of the beholders to it, but they are attracted by the all-conquering brightness of the ray, in the same way, entering into this life through the sacraments, the light of the future life, which dwells in our souls, defeats the life according to the flesh by hiding the beauty and splendor of this world.
23. This is also the life in the Spirit, which overcomes every carnal desire [ἐπιθυμία πᾶσα σαρκὸς], as Paul says: live by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). This road the Lord built, coming to us; this door he opened when he came into the world, and after he ascended to the Father, he did not allow it to be closed, but through it he comes from himself to men. Most of all, He is always present and with us, and will be forever, keeping those promises.
24. And so, this is nothing else, the Patriarch would say, but the house of God, these are the gates of heaven (Gen. 28:17), through which not only angels descend to earth, since they are present to everyone who has received Baptism, but also Sam the Lord of the Angels. Therefore, when, as if describing the baptism in His name, the Savior Himself ascended to be baptized with the baptism of John, the heavens were opened, showing that this is by which we perceive the heavenly country.
25. And indeed, by this it is shown that he cannot enter into life who is not baptized in this font, which is a sort of entrance and door. Open to me the gates of righteousness (Ps. 117:19), says David, wanting – as I think – precisely these gates to be opened. Because this is what many prophets and kings wanted to see – that the very artist who made these doors should come to earth. Therefore, if it should happen to him, he says, to enter through the entrance and through these doors, he would confess to God that he split the wall. I will enter them, I will glorify the Lord (Ps. 117:19). Thus, especially through these doors, he could reach the most perfect knowledge – the knowledge of God’s goodness and humanity towards the human race.
26. For what greater sign of kindness and human love than that He, washing the soul with water, cleanses it of defilement; anointing her with ointment, enthroning her in the heavenly kingdom, and finally satiating her, offering her His Body and His Blood? That men become gods and sons of God, and that our nature is honored with the dignity of God, and the dust is raised to such a glory, becoming something subservient and even like the nature of God [ὁμοτιμον καὶ ὁμόθεον ἤδη τῇ θείᾳ φύσει], what can compare to this? What else is missing from this abundance of renewal?
27. This is, I think, the virtue of God, which has covered the heavens, has covered every creation and work of God, surpassing them with its majesty and beauty. For of all the works of God, which are so many, which are so wonderful and great, there is not one which more clearly shows the wisdom and skill of the Creator, and it could not at all be said that of all that exists there is anything more wonderful and greater. If, then, it is possible for the work of God to be so wonderful, so good, as to compete with that wisdom and art, and—as they say—to equal the immensity, and—like a footprint—to display all the majesty of God’s goodness, such a thing – I think – must be able to overcome everything. If this is God’s work—to always bestow good, that is what He does all things for, and that is the purpose of all that is analogously in past time and that which is to come[4] (for it is said that the good was poured out and was leading), then doing all this, God distributed the greatest good – greater than which he cannot gave This should be the greatest and most wonderful good of goodness, the ultimate limit of goodness.
28. Such is the work of house-building, which was done for the sake of the people. For here God no longer merely bestows upon human nature some good, reserving the greater part to Himself, but bestows the whole fulness of divinity, having invested His whole riches in nature. That is why Paul says that God’s righteousness is especially revealed in the Gospel.[5] If there is any virtue and justice of God, it should be this, that God should give generously to all His goods and fellowship in bliss.
29. Thanks to this, the sacraments could clearly be called the door of righteousness, because God’s humanity and kindness to the human race, which is the divine virtue and righteousness, has made them an entrance to heaven.
30. In another way, as if for some judgment and justice, the Lord has placed before us this victorious trophy and granted us this door and this path. For He did not lead captives, but gave a ransom for them and bound them tightly, not because He had great power, but by judging in a righteous judgment. He has reigned in the house of Jacob, abolishing slavery in the souls of men, not because he has the power to do it, but because it is just to abolish it. This is exactly what David showed with the words: Justice and righteousness are the foundation of Your throne (Ps. 88:15).
31. Righteousness not only opened these doors, but also through them it reached our race. Since in former times, when God had not yet come to men, righteousness could not be found on earth, therefore he sent her from heaven and sought God Himself, from whom she could not hide, but at the same time He did not found her: All, – it is said – all turned aside, became equally corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (Ps. 13:3).
32. Then, after the truth had overshadowed those lying in the shadow of false darkness, then righteousness was sent from heaven, first appearing truly and perfectly to men. Then we were justified, freed from bonds and shame, when He who had done no wrong, defended us by the death of the Cross, by which He bore the punishment for what we had dared to do. In this way we became friends of God, and through this death we were justified. Because the Savior, dying, not only freed us and reconciled us to the Father, but also gave us the power to become children of God, uniting with Himself our nature through the flesh He took, uniting each of us with His flesh through the sacraments. Thus He sent into our souls His righteousness and His life.
33. Thus, by means of the holy sacraments, it became possible for men to know true righteousness and to do it. For even if, according to the Scriptures, there were many righteous and friends of God, even before the Justifier and Reconciler came, we must now understand this in another way, especially with regard to his origin, and finally to the future, namely, that they are became such, and prepared to meet the justice that was to come, to be freed by the ransom [τοῦ λύτρου καταβληθέντος], to see the dawning light, and shake off the images when the truth was revealed. By this also the righteous are distinguished from the wicked, with whom they were bound by the same bonds and with whom they were subjected to the same slavery, namely, that the one bore the enslavement and all the slavery grievously, prayed that the prison might be overthrown, and that those fetters to be loosed, and they desired that the head of the tyrant should be trodden under foot by the captives themselves, while to the others nothing at present seemed terrible to them, and they wished to remain enslaved.
Such became those who, in those blessed times, did not receive the sun that rose upon them, and tried to extinguish it as far as they were able, doing everything to dim its brightness; and therefore some were freed from the hell of slavery when the King appeared, and others remained in chains.
34. As those sick, who strive by all means to find a cure for their disease, and welcome the physician with joy, generally prove better and more patient than those who do not know that they are sick and run away from medicine, and therefore such, – I think – even if he has not yet begun to heal them, the physician already calls healers, unless he realizes that his skills are powerless before their disease, in the same way even in those times God called some righteous and His friends . They bore everything upon themselves and showed that righteousness was possible, which made them worthy to be set free when He who was able to set them free appeared, but that in itself did not make them free. Although, if this were true righteousness, then they themselves, leaving their bodies, should be in peace and in the hands of God, as Solomon said.[6] Now, however, hell receives those who leave this world.
35. Now the true righteousness and the friendship of God were not accepted by our Lord as coming from a foreign country, but He Himself introduced them into the world, and as leading to heaven He did not seek them here, but He Himself established them. Because if they existed before, someone else would have discovered them even then. Now, however, no one has ascended to heaven, except the Son of God who came down from heaven, [7] Who dwells in heaven (John 3:13).
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[1] Matt. 22:25.
[2] Ps. 77:25.
[3] St. Ignatius the God-bearer, Epistle to the Romans, 7.
[4] Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Divine Names, 4.
[5] Rom. 1:17.
[6] Trans. 13:3.
[7] The Synodal translation reads “Son of Man” (note trans.).
