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Meet Nicholas Chakos—the new Executive Director of FOCUS North America

Bobby Maddex interviews Nicholas Chakos, the new Executive Director of FOCUS North America, the Orthodox service organization devoted to serving "the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned by providing Food, Occupation, Clothing, Understanding, and Shelter."




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American Psalm, World Psalm

Bobby Maddex interviews renowned poet and Orthodox Christian Nicholas Samaras about his new book of poetry American Psalm, World Psalm, published by The Ashland Poetry Press.




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Glimpses of Orthodoxy in Great Britain and America

Reader Nicholas Chapman provides an exploration of moves towards Orthodoxy in Britain and later America in a transatlantic connection between the Reformation and the First World War. Our thanks to Fr. Gregory Hallam at St. Aidan Orthodox Church in Manchester (where this talk was given) for the recording.




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Speaking to Secular America

We talk with Fr. Luke Veronis about the upcoming conference "Speaking to Secular America" to be held October 28-30 at Hellenic College Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, MA. More information is available from the Missions Institute.




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Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries

Bobby Maddex interviews Alexei Krindatch, the Research Coordinator for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America and the editor of the new book Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries.




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An American Orthodox in Japan

Justin (Nicolai) Bingham joins us from Japan to describe the Orthodox experience from the perspective of an American convert. Included in the interview are a couple of recordings from the services in Japan.




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About American Orthodox Geography and American Orthodox Bishops

We interview Alexei Krindatch, the Research Coordinator of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, about a new map posted to the Assembly website titled "Orthodox Bishops and Parishes in the United States."




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A Few Insights Into How American Orthodox Churches Make “Disciples”

Bobby Maddex interviews Alexei D. Krindatch, the Research Coordinator for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, about a new study titled “Go and Make Disciples: Evangelization and Outreach in US Orthodox Parishes."




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Orthodox Christian Churches in 21st Century America

Bobby Maddex interviews Alexei D. Krindatch, the Research Coordinator of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, about a new study titled "Orthodox Christian Churches in 21st Century America: A Parish Life Study."




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Fast Questions and Fast Answers About American Orthodox Bishops

Alexei Krindatch, the Research Coordinator for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, discusses his new report on the various backgrounds of our Orthodox bishops.




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Fast Questions and Fast Answers About the Geography of Orthodoxy in America

Bobby Maddex interviews Alexei Krindatch, the Research Coordinator of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, about a new report titled "Fast Questions and Fast Answers About the Geography of Orthodoxy in America."




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Fast Questions and Fast Answers About American Orthodox Monasteries

Bobby Maddex once again interviews Alexei Krindatch, the Research Coordinator of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, about the new Assembly study, Fast Questions and Fast Answers About American Orthodox Monasteries.




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Interview with Fr. Patrick Viscuso, President of the Orthodox Canon Law Society of North America

Bobby Maddox, the Director of Digital Media for Ancient Faith Ministries, interviews Fr.Patrick Viscuso, the president of the brand new Orthodox Canon Law Society of North America. Pleae visit www.oclsna.org to learn more about the Orthodox Canon Law Society of North America




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Project for Awesome 2014 - FOCUS North America - P4A2014

Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a choice, an action. We can show our love for our neighbors (and live our Faith) by getting involved with philanthropic groups like FOCUS North America.




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The Russian Mission in America: Part One

Matthew interviews Fr. John Erickson, the preeminent historian of American Orthodoxy, about one of the past attempts at Orthodox administrative unity. Learn more HERE.




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The Russian Mission in America: Part Two

Matthew continues his discussion with Fr. John Erickson about one of the past attempts at Orthodox administrative unity. Learn more HERE.




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The American Orthodox Catholic Church

Matthew interviews Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Associate Director of the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas, about another of the past attempts at Orthodox administrative unity. Learn more HERE.




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American Feasts of Theophany

Matthew looks at a few of the ways in which Theophany has been celebrated throughout American Orthodox History. Learn more HERE and HERE.




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St. Tikhon, Enlightener of America

On this special episode of American Orthodox History, recorded at the first symposium on American Orthodox History at Princeton University, Matthew interviews Scott Kenworthy, Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Religion at the University of Miami of Ohio, about St. Tikhon, Enlightener of America.




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This Week in American Orthodox History (March 5-11)

Matthew discusses Archbishop Arseny of Winnipeg, the first Orthodox chapel in Oregon, the first All-American Sobor, the funeral of St. Raphael Hawaweeny, and the life of the early Greek priest Fr. Kallinikos Kanellas.




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This Week in American Orthodox History (March 12-18)

Matthew discusses Philip Ludwell III, St. Alexis Toth, Archimandrite Theoclitos Triantafilides, and others.




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This Week in American Orthodox History (March 19-23)

In this episode, Matthew discusses, among other things, some influential early convert priests, the Romanian Bishop Polycarp Morusca, a 1940s attempt at jurisdictional unity, and the renowned church historian Jaroslav Pelikan.




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This Week in American Orthodox History (June 4-8)

This week, Matthew Namee and new co-host Aram Sarkisian discuss, among other things, the Russian Mission in North America, the consecration of Bishop Arseny of Winnipeg, three fascinating early parish priests, and the time Jimmy Carter awarded Archbishop Iakovos the Presidential Medal of Freedom.




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Y Cymro tu ôl i un o gwmnïau wisgi mwyaf America

Cynnwys addas i ddysgwyr: Hanes Evan Williams a'i daith o Sir Benfro i sefydlu cwmni wisgi yn America.




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The American writing the Thames Valley's history

Jim Donahue is writing and photographing the Thames Valley's life and history.




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Prospects for South Americans pursuing F1 “getting better” – Colapinto | RaceFans Round-up

In the round-up: F1 hopes for South Americans "getting better" • Verschoor back to MP for fifth F2 season • Verstappen races in charity event



  • RaceFans Round-up

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‘We have to fight for the commanding heights of American culture’

American Culture Project’s John Tillman on winning through upstream engagement




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Nabuco - Two Decades of Document Processing in Latin America

This paper reports on the Joaquim Nabuco Project, a pioneering work in Latin America on document digitalization, enhancement, compression, indexing, retrieval and network transmission of historical document images.




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Numerical simulation of financial fluctuation period based on non-linear equation of motion

The traditional numerical simulation method of financial fluctuation cycle does not focus on the study of non-linear financial fluctuation but has problems such as high numerical simulation error and long time. To solve this problem, this paper introduces the non-linear equation of motion to optimise the numerical simulation method of financial fluctuation cycle. A comprehensive analysis of the components of the financial market, the establishment of a financial market network model and the acquisition of relevant financial data under the support of the model. Based on the collection of financial data, set up financial volatility index, measuring cycle, the financial wobbles, to establish the non-linear equations of motion, the financial wobbles, the influence factors of the financial volatility cycle as variables in the equation of motion, through the analysis of different influence factors under the action of financial volatility cycle change rule, it is concluded that the final financial fluctuation cycle, the results of numerical simulation. The simulation results show that, compared with the traditional method, the numerical simulation of the proposed method has high precision, low error and short time, which provides relatively accurate reference data for the stable development of regional economy.




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Information Technology and the Work/Cultural Orientations of Americans, Mexicans, and Germans




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Social Media and Prosumerism




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Can Learners Become Teachers? Evaluating the Merits of Student Generated Content and Peer Assessment

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this project was to explore student perceptions of the value of both the creation of video content and exposure to other students’ work though peer assessment and inclusion of exemplars as unit material. Background: The research was in a first year information technology flipped-learning unit, where the assessment involved students developing video presentations that were peer assessed and exemplars incorporated into the unit as teaching material. Methodology: Data was gathered using a mixed methods approach using an online questionnaire followed by semi-structured interviews with a selection of questionnaire respondents. The interviews were designed to further explore issues identified from the analysis of the questionnaire data. Contribution: Informs on student perceptions of peer review and the integration of student generated content into University teaching. Findings: Most students enjoyed the video assessment (58%) with many preferring it to a written or programming task (55-58%). In the subsequent peer assessment, many liked seeing the work of others (67%) and found the approach engaging (63%) yet some other perceptions were mixed or neutral. Recommendations for Practitioners: University IT students generally enjoyed and perceived peer assessment and found student generated content to be valuable. Recommendation for Researchers: Further investigation of peer review and student generated content in contexts where the student cohort represents a variety of cultures and age categories Impact on Society: Contributes to a body of knowledge regarding peer assessment and student generated educational materials. Future Research: Future work is needed to better understand this domain, in particular the role of learners’ individual differences in order to successfully integrate these approaches into modern learning environments.




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Autoethnography of the Cultural Competence Exhibited at an African American Weekly Newspaper Organization

Aim/Purpose: Little is known of the cultural competence or leadership styles of a minority owned newspaper. This autoethnography serves to benchmark one early 1990s example. Background: I focused on a series of flashbacks to observe an African American weekly newspaper editor-in-chief for whom I reported to 25 years ago. In my reflections I sought to answer these questions: How do minorities in entrepreneurial organizations view their own identity, their cultural competence? What degree of this perception is conveyed fairly and equitably in the community they serve? Methodology: Autoethnography using both flashbacks and article artifacts applied to the leadership of an early 1990s African American weekly newspaper. Contribution: Since a literature gap of minority newspaper cultural competence examples is apparent, this observation can serve as a benchmark to springboard off older studies like that of Barbarin (1978) and that by examining the leadership styles and editorial authenticity as noted by The Chicago School of Media Theory (2018), these results can be used for comparison to other such minority owned publications. Findings: By bringing people together, mixing them up, and conducting business any other way than routine helped the Afro-American Gazette, Grand Rapids, proudly display a confidence sense of cultural competence. The result was a potentiating leadership style, and this style positively changed the perception of culture, a social theory change example. Recommendations for Practitioners: For the minority leaders of such publications, this example demonstrates effective use of potentiating leadership to positively change the perception of the quality of such minority owned newspapers. Recommendations for Researchers: Such an autoethnography could be used by others to help document other examples of cultural competence in other minority owned newspapers. Impact on Society: The overall impact shows that leadership at such minority owned publications can influence the community into a positive social change example. Future Research: Research in the areas of culture competence, leadership, within minority owned newspapers as well as other minority alternative publications and websites can be observed with a focus on what works right as well as examples that might show little social change model influence. The suggestion is to conduct the research while employed if possible, instead of relying on flashbacks.




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Computer Supported Collaborative Learning and Critical Reflection: A Case Study of Fashion Consumerism




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Research on the Tourism Decision-Making Mechanism: A Case Study of American Outbound Tourism

Aim/Purpose: This article takes ‘tourism decision-making behavior’ as an entry point, and deeply analyzes the factors influencing the travel decision-making of Chinese ‘American Travel’ tourists and their degree of influence, so as to provide a reference for the development of Chinese outbound tourism. Background: With the development of China’s economy and the improvement in people’s level, the outbound tourism market of Chinese residents has developed rapidly. The United States has become an important tourism destination country for Chinese residents’ outbound tourism, and China has also become one of the important tourist source countries of American tourism. However, the rapid development of ‘American tourism’ has also caused competition problems in China’s tourism industry. For example, prices and tourism products have become a means of competition among tourism enterprises. As the main body of consumption, tourists’ decision-making behavior will be affected by various factors. Methodology: Drawing lessons from previous scholars’ research results on tourism decision-making behavior, the influencing factors of tourism decision-making behavior are summarized. A theoretical model and index system of factors influencing tourism decision-making behavior of Chinese residents ‘Travel in the United States’ are established, research hypotheses are put forward, questionnaire data are collected, and SPSS and Amos are used to analyze and verify the theoretical model. Contribution: This research expands the literature on topics related to tourism decision-making in research and practice. It establishes a theoretical model and index system for the factors that influence the decision-making behavior of Chinese residents’ ‘American Travel’ tourism. In addition, we propose countermeasures for tourism products, enterprises, and the government. Findings: Prior knowledge and external information have a positive influence on tourism perception and value perception, and a negative influence on risk perception. Risk perception value perception has a positive and negative influence on tourism decision-making and tourism motivation, respectively. Tourism motivation has a positive influence on tourism decision-making and has a positive impact. Recommendation for Researchers: According to the research conclusions of this article, the following counter-measures and suggestions are put forward from three aspects of tourism: products, enterprises, and governments. On the basis of existing tourism products, relevant operating companies should pay more attention to the upgrading and transformation of tourism, leisure and entertainment products in scenic spots to increase the willingness of tourists to travel. When considering corporate marketing and promotion plans, tourism companies operating related businesses should increase the weight of their marketing budgets in online marketing, increase investment in online marketing, and develop mobile applications that meet the preferences of Chinese residents in the United States. Do a good job in the timely publication of safety reminders and local information. Safety is an important foundation for tourism development and the core concern of many tourists. Future Research: Due to the important research on the impact of tourism activities, the influencing factors are many and complex, and the psychological process of tourism decision-making is carried out directly. There are still unconsidered factors that need to be studied in depth. In the future, it is possible to compare multiple resource-featured themes, and increase the characteristics of potential tourists, and the factors affecting the selection behavior of regional cultural tourists, and so forth, in order to make the research more applicable and practical instructive significance.




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Review: Trouble in the Middle: American-Chinese Business Relations, Culture, Conflict and Ethics

This book centers on the author's discovery, and moral disapproval, of expedient arrangements adopted by American firms in China, through which 'middlemen', operating as independent agents, pay bribes as part and parcel of the troublesome process of negotiating and clinching business deals there.




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Is the Second Amendment Only America’s Right? Do Illegal Immigrants Have Gun Rights?

For advocates of universal gun rights, this debate represents a fundamental question about the nature of the Second Amendment: is it an American right or a human right?




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Body of missing Russian-American climber found near K2

Photographs of the climber's body were sent to his family for positive verification




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How 'The Boys' is killing the American Dream, one supe at a time

This Prime Video show is reshaping modern narratives and we need to talk about it




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American presidential debate

Human senses are the least reliable tool to detect the truth of things around us.




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CJP Isa slams bureaucrats' job quota for children, calls for merit-based hiring

Supreme Court reviews a case concerning government jobs allocated through a statutory regulatory order (SRO)




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‘Luckiest Priest in America’ Leads His Last Eucharistic Procession on Campus

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TomTom Teams Up with ParkWhiz to Power Parking Solutions in North America

TomTom Teams Up with ParkWhiz to Power Parking Solutions in North America




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Chinese security services are blocking America's diplomatic efforts

American diplomatic efforts to conduct people-to-people contacts and exchanges in China are being blocked by Chinese intelligence and security services.




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American Jewish, Muslim voters take opposing directions amid Gaza War and domestic economic concerns

In a historic shake-up, both Muslim and Jewish voters introduced fresh dynamics to the 2024 presidential election. While Jewish Americans largely continued their Democratic support, a noticeable minority within select locales--such as zip codes in New York City -- shifted toward President-elect Donald Trump.




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There's light on the horizon for American energy and our allies in Europe

President-elect Donald Trump's resounding victory may spell doom for the anti-freedom, anti-prosperity international movement that is the push for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.




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America more united by MAGA than leftists like to admit

The numbers are trickling in, and between the presidential elections of 2020 and 2024, President-elect Donald Trump saw dramatic increases in support at the ballot boxes from Hispanics, youth and Black people -- traditionally all voters who stick with Democrats. This has the Democrat Party trembling in its big black boots.




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America voted for common sense, but fight for life continues

Last week, a majority of Americans voted for common sense. It was a repudiation of the outrageous - a call for the restoration of policies that serve families not the special interests of politicians.




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New age of tyranny: American system of checks and balances has failed

When one party dominates all three branches of government -- the executive, the legislative, and the judicial -- there is even more reason to worry.




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Trump has a plan to restore American exceptionalism

Inspirational leaders know how to make the impossible, possible.