King Shapur II of Persia conducted a fierce persecution of Christians in his realm for thirty-seven years. In the final years of this persecution he gave his magi authority to torture and kill any Christians who would not renounce their faith. Acepsimas, the aged and holy Bishop of Paka, was arrested along with Joseph the priest and Aithalas the deacon. All not only refused to deny Christ, but boldly preached Him before the magi and the king. The enraged king had them viciously tortured, then, as a final indignity, made prisoners of all the local Christians and forced them to stone their own shepherds to death. With their martyrdom the great persecution in Persia came to an end.

Rita encourages us to deepen our Advent Fast by simplifying our choices of what and where to eat, so that we can spend more time attending services, praying and serving others who are in need. She also introduces a new program called My Beautiful Advent which can be found at http://www.mybeautifuladvent.com.

Joining the Louh's are Cynthia Damaskos and Molly Sabourin from Filled With Less.

Fr. Joseph joins Sir Paul McCartney, Alvin Chipmunk, José Feliciano and other Wailers in a journey down memory lane -- eschewing the worldly sounds of the season for some really bad (ghostly) percussion moments. Are you prepared?

Live from the Saint Iakavos Retreat Center in Kansasville, Wisconsin, Steve and Christian explore some of the deeper themes of one of America’s most beloved and longest-airing television families: the Simpsons! They discuss marriage, despondency, and how The Simpsons models repentance within the context of family life. This time, the guys close with their top 5 Simpsons quotes of all time!

During the season of Lent, we are called to crucify our passions and turn from sin so that we can gain the strength to respond like the Theotokos in simple, trusting obedience.

Fr. John looks at a couple of consequences of St. Augustine's anthropology in the West.

Fr. John describes the desanctification of the world that began to occur in the time leading up to the Great Schism.

Fr. John addresses the foundations in the West of a growing pessimism about man's condition, paying particular attention to Augustine.

In this latest episode on the impending Protestant Reformation, Fr. John discusses ways in which the long legacy of pessimism about the human condition and the world in general undermined western Christendom at one of her most critical moments.

Fr. John discusses the dignity of man according to the Greek Fathers

Fr. John contends that to understand the coming of the Renaissance and its humanism, one really needs to understand how in the West the doctrines about man became increasingly pessimistic.

Fr. John continues to discuss St. Augustine by looking first at his notorious doctrine of original sin and its impact on the conception of man in the West.

Looking at Hebrews 2:11-18; Luke 1:24-38; and Judges 6:12-15, we think about the poignant salutation of Gabriel, “Rejoice!” and the deep significance of the Theotokos’ response to God’s will for her and for us.

"Saint Simon, The Zealot," from The Disciples of Christ, Illustrated Biographies, by Spiritual Fragrance Publishing (2012)

"Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia," from The Lives of Our Saints, Illustrated Biographies Book 7 (Spiritual Fragrance Publishing, 2012)

127. St. Gerasimos and the Lion by Georgia Kalogerakis (St. Nectarios Press, 2009).

Have you ever met a true missionary, ministering to hundreds of people and caring for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs? SVOTS alumnus Fr Simon Menya (M.Div. '19) is one such inspiring figure. In this conversation with Sarah Werner, Fr Simon describes his upbringing in his wartorn home country of Uganda, his conversion to Orthodoxy, his journey to and through the M.Div. program at St Vladimir's Seminar, and the many facets of his ministry in Uganda as an Orthodox priest and as founder of the Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project (NUSSP). Fr Simon conducts church services daily; translates Orthodox service books and other texts from English into the local language, Luo; and travels to many small towns and villages in his region to visit the sick, celebrate the sacraments, and catechize new inquirers. Last fall, he oversaw the completion of a new church building dedicated to St Catherine and baptized 33 catechumens into the Orthodox Faith. In addition to this prodigious work, he works with NUSSP to organize medical treatment and the building of new clinics; improve local water infrastructure; offer secondary schooling for children; and facilitate opportunities for adults to practice animal husbandry and farming, among other professional skills. Listen now to hear directly from a true missionary and servant of Christ, Fr Simon Menya.

In this episode, Martha shares impressions of a memorable meal, a book about famous chefs, and Flannery O'Connor.

Simplicity has been a prevalent part of host Martha Condra's holiday season. Link to this episode's recipe.

Part 1 of a 2 part series on prayer.

Part two of a two-part series on prayer.

Dr. Rossi takes some pages out of Brothers Karamazov and Dostoyevsky's character Fr. Zosima to help us learn how to live and love.

Dr. Rossi interviews Simon Menya, a Ugandan student at St. Vladimir's Orthodoxy Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

Dr. Albert Rossi interviews seminarian Dn. Simon Menya on his vision for ministry in his home country called "Project Uganda." Dn. Simon is a student at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

We talk with Claire Brandenburg, Manager of the Heavenly Ladder Bookstore in Taos, New Mexico, about a new CD featuring the writings of Archpriest Sergius of Kasimov.

Bobby Maddex interviews Dn. Marek Simon, the new Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Fellowship.

Fr. Pat discusses the meaning of Christian discipleship.

Do you want to pray more, but aren't sure where to start? Draw some inspiration from the life of Symeon, a pious man profiled in the book "Ascetics in the World." His life shows how even a simple prayer rule can open our lives to God's grace.

As we look ahead to the new Church year, we're not preparing simply to learn more about God: we're preparing to grow closer to God. And here are 6 things we can start doing right now to make the most of the year ahead as we take our first steps towards Christ and His Kingdom!

Taking your first steps in UX? Welcome! In this straightforward guide, we're breaking down the concepts of 'User Journey' and 'User Flow' for you. Dive in to understand how a user journey outlines the broader experiences of your users, while a user flow zooms in on the specific actions they take on your platform. Let's simplify these essential UX elements together.

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Call simulators can be nice tools when you want to provide supplemental training and practice for your agents, but they can’t replace the hands-on experience they’d get from dealing with real customers. In other words, call simulators work, but they’re not very practical for training purposes—especially in the long term.  […]

The post Will a Call Simulator Help Your Agent Training? Not Really appeared first on .

Guernsey squash player Chris Simpson sets his sights on a match with world number one Nick Matthew at the British Championships.

A general election in the Republic of Ireland has officially been called for Friday 29 November.

Katie Simpson's mother says those responsible for police failings "are nowhere to be seen".

For several months, Katie Simpson’s death in 2020 was treated by detectives as a suicide.

Microsoft unveiled its first Microsoft branded Lumia phones tonight, the Lumia 535 and a dual SIM equivalent, the Lumia 535 Dual SIM. The phones follow along with Lumia’s attraction to the lower end of the market, offering an affordable phone …

In the round-up: New simulator 'like Star Wars' - Krack • Pirelli likes 'flexibility' of new C6 • Play NZ anthem when McLaren wins - Lawson

Des files d'attente, la nuit, devant les prￜfectures, pour tenter d'obtenir un rendez-vous afin de demander ou de renouveler un titre de sￜjour. C'ￜtait la rￜalitￜ au dￜbut des annￜes...

Aim/Purpose: Improving public schools is a focus of federal legislation in the United States with much of the burden placed on principals. However, preparing principals for this task has proven elusive despite many changes in programming by institutions of higher learning. Emerging technologies that rely on augmented and virtual realities are posited to be powerful pedagogical tools for closing this gap. Background: This study investigated the effects of immersive simulation technologies on principals’ self-efficacy after treatment and the perceived significance of the design of the immersive simulation experience as an effective tool for adult learners. Methodology: The investigator employed a multiple-methods study that relied on a purposive sample of graduate students enrolled in educational leadership programs at two small universities in the southeastern United States. Participants completed a two-hour module of immersive simulation designed to facilitate transfer of knowledge to skills thereby increasing their self-efficacy. Contribution: This paper contributes to a small body of literature that examines the use of immersive simulation to prepare aspiring principals. Findings: The findings indicate moderate effect sizes in changes in self-efficacy, positive attitudes toward immersive simulation as a pedagogical tool, and significance in the design of immersive simulation modules. This suggests that immersive simulation, when properly designed, aids principals in taking action to improve schools. Recommendations for Practitioners: Educational leadership programs might consider the use of immersive simulations to enhance principals’ ability to meet the complex demands of leading in the 21st century. Impact on Society: Principals may be more adept at improving schools if preparation programs provided consistent opportunities to engage in immersive simulations. Future Research: Future research should be conducted with larger sample sizes and longitudinally to determine the effectiveness of this treatment.

Aim/Purpose: To prepare students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of wireless communications. Background: Teaching wireless communications and networking is not an easy task because it involves broad subjects and abstract content. Methodology: A pedagogical method that combined lectures, labs, assignments, exams, and readings was applied in a course of wireless communications. Contribution: Five wireless networking labs, related to wireless local networks, wireless security, and wireless sensor networks, were developed for students to complete all of the required hands-on lab activities. Findings: Both development and implementation of the labs achieved a successful outcome and provided students with a very effective learning experience. Students expressed that they had a better understanding of different wireless network technologies after finishing the labs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Detailed instructional lab manuals should be developed so that students can carry out hands-on activities in a step-by-step fashion. Recommendation for Researchers: Hands-on lab exercises can not only help students understand the abstract technical terms in a meaningful way, but also provide them with hands-on learning experience in terms of wireless network configuration, implementation, and evaluation. Impact on Society: With the help of a wireless network simulator, students have successfully enhanced their practical skills and it would benefit them should they decide to pursue a career in wireless network design or implementation. Future Research: Continuous revision of the labs will be made according to the feedback from students. Based on the experience, more wireless networking labs and network issues could be studied in the future.

Aim/Purpose: This paper describes a technologies education model for introducing Simulation Learning and Extended Reality (XR) solution creation skills and knowledge to students at the tertiary education level, which is broadly applicable to higher education-based contexts of teaching and learning. Background: This work is made possible via the model’s focus on advancing knowledge and understanding of a range of digital resources, and the processes and production skills to teach and produce playable educational digital content, including classroom practice and applications. Methodology: Through practice-based learning and technology as an enabler, to inform the development of this model, we proposed a mixed-mode project-based approach of study within a transdisciplinary course for Higher Education students from the first year through to the post-graduate level. Contribution: An argument is also presented for the utility of this model for upskilling Pre-service Teachers’ (PSTs) pedagogical content knowledge in Technologies, which is especially relevant to the Australian curriculum context and will be broadly applicable to various educative and non-Australian settings. Findings: Supported by practice-based research, work samples and digital projects of Simulation Learning and XR developed by the authors are demonstrated to ground the discussion in examples; the discussion that is based around some of the challenges and the technical considerations, and the scope of teaching digital solutions creation is provided. Recommendations for Practitioners: We provide a flexible technologies teaching and learning model for determining content for inclusion in a course designed to provide introductory Simulation Learning and XR solution creation skills and knowledge. Recommendation for Researchers: The goal was to provide key criteria and an outline that can be adapted by academic researchers and learning designers in various higher education-based contexts of teaching and inclusive learning design focused on XR. Impact on Society: We explore how educators work with entities in various settings and contexts with different priorities, and how we recognise expertise beyond the institutional interests, beyond discipline, and explore ‘what is possible’ through digital technologies for social good and inclusivity. Future Research: The next step for this research is to investigate and explore how XR and Simulation Learning could be utilised to accelerate student learning in STEM and HASS disciplines, to promote knowledge retention and a higher level of technology-enhanced learning engagement.