Our fate, until the Empire’s dissolution, is etched in the narrative communicated through the murders of journalists orchestrated by the USA, Israel, and Ukraine. This is the reason you must maintain silence and avoid expressing the truth. Doing so could jeopardize your life. Hence, this is precisely why I have altered the course of my journey. – kKEETON…
Regrettably, I have faced threats to my life multiple times throughout the past two decades, primarily due to the documentation of truth…
WtR
I am amazed at lack of any logic by the USA…
Then what we did!
So now illogical thinking says…
Let the USA attack China…
What could go wrong?
WtR
I realize that Easter is close at hand and or over with in the western world, but the Easter that I observe in my life is at a different time than the western Easter…
This actually is an older article that explains Easter according to the Orthodox Church. I started it in 2008 and I found it interesting, thus add to it every year, bring it forward and still find myself learning the ways that are so different in the East compared to the West. Maybe it would be good for you to read this article and learn a different way at looking at things. There is a whole world out there and many things are very different from how you perceive them…
I now only accept the Orthodox Easter as the appropriate Easter…
Russian Easter:
Easter in Russia is celebrated according to the rituals laid down by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Apart from differences in rites and rituals, the bone of contention between Western Christians (Protestants and Roman Catholics) and the Eastern Orthodox Christians is the date of Easter celebration. In determining the vernal equinox, the Eastern Church uses the Julian calendar while the Western Church employs the Gregorian calendar…
Moreover, whereas Western Churches hold Easter sunrise services, in Russian Orthodox Church Easter services last all through Saturday night. The congregation gathers in the church or cathedral on Saturday evening and takes part in an Easter vigil commemorating the buried Christ…
Easter service is also held in a different way. Already on a Saturday night people put on their best clothes and come together in dark churches that symbolize a gloomy world without the light of faith…
The Holy Week is pretty much busy in most Russian homes. Once a spring cleaning is done, it’s time for baking Easter bread. The eggs are painted on Holy (“Clean”) Thursday and fresh Easter cakes (Paskha) are prepared on Saturday. It’s a tough time as Saturday is the strictest fasting day when orthodox Christians are almost not allowed to eat. Tasting food while cooking is also forbidden. But everyone is looking forward to the feast, and the cooks do their best. It is a tradition to bless Easter eggs and bread in the church. Fasting ends after the Easter Mass and feasting begins…
The Easter Day starts with a long family breakfast. The table is decorated with fresh flowers, pussy-willow branches and, of course, painted eggs. Besides Easter bread and Paskha that are only eaten on Easter, there is lots of other food on the table like sausages, bacon, cheese, milk, etc. – so basically everything that was prohibited during the Forty Day Fast. However, the feast starts with a piece of aromatic Easter bread…
Sharing food on Easter has been a long tradition in Russia. That is why after breakfast people visit their friends and neighbors exchanging eggs and small Easter breads. If the first egg you get on Easter is a truly gift given from the heart, it will never go bad, says an old Russian wisdom…
It is also common practice to visit cemeteries and bring eggs, some bread and beer to the graves. In doing so, people let deceased loved ones enjoy the feast…
Strangely enough the weather on the Easter Day is usually very nice and sunny. “The sun plays”, say the Russians. It is an old custom to open the cages and let birds go free on Easter…
In the past, only men were allowed to ring church bells. Bell-ringing could be heard everywhere creating a joyful atmosphere. There was no Easter without swinging on a swing. It was great fun, especially for kids and girls…
It is still very popular to roll Easter eggs on the ground or down a hill. The aim of the game is to break the eggs of other players without damaging your own ones. Experienced players pay special attention to the form of the eggs and even make special gutters for the eggs to have a better roll. Farmers believe that rolling eggs keep the soil fertile…
Painted eggs are an international Easter symbol. In Russia Easter eggs are believed to possess magic powers. They are supposed to protect crops against hail damage, keep cattle healthy and ward off evil spirits. An Easter egg hidden in the foundation of a house would bring the owners happiness and prosperity. It should even be possible to make yourself look younger by rolling an Easter egg over the face. So it’s no wonder that painted and blessed Easter eggs used to be kept as lucky charms for a long time. One day someone started making and painting wooden eggs. Porcelain, golden, silver and gemstone eggs are very precious. The most exquisite ones are probably the Imperial Easter Eggs designed by the world-famous jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé’s for the Russian Royal Family…
Traditional Easter eggs are red. Of course, it is also possible to use other colors. In Russia eggs are often cooked together with onion skins or wrapped in colorful fabric remnants. Spinach dyes eggs green and beet root gives them a red tint. Easter eggs get a nice shine if rubbed with vegetable oil…
At midnight ringing church bells announce the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Priests come to the altar holding a crucifix and candles. Solemnly singing, they walk through the church and then around it. Everyone lights the candles and follow the procession. Churches and cathedrals are now full of singing voices and candle lights…
The Orthodox liturgical chant substitutes a Catholic organ and creates a very special atmosphere. The Mass goes on till dawn. Today, the president and other politicians also attend the Easter Mass…
As there are no bench rows in orthodox churches, some people find it difficult to stand the whole mass that goes on for hours. But the impressive ceremony is worth every effort. The Easter service ends early in the morning when the priests go around the crucifix. Numerous church bells start ringing, the singing gets louder, and finally the priests tell everybody to forgive each other and seal it with a hug and a kiss. Everyone happily follows this appeal. The traditional Easter greeting can be heard everywhere:
“Christ is risen!” and the answer: “He is truly risen!”
WtR
Indeed, the USA, despite its childlike tantrums in the sandbox, had to pause and take a look around. The sandbox felt quite desolate. There was only a troublesome little Israel throwing sand into the eyes of the US. – kKEETON…
WtR
The full text of SNSC’s statement is as follows:
SNSC Issues Statement about Iran’s Victory over Enemies – Politics news – Tasnim News Agency (PDF)
The enemy has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat in its cowardly, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation. Thanks to the pure and innocent blood of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei (peace be upon him), the measures of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Supreme Commander of the Iranian Armed Forces, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei (may God protect him), the struggle and bravery of the warriors of Islam on the fronts, and especially, the historic, lasting and epic presence of you, the dear nation, on the scene from the very first days of the war, Iran achieved a great victory and forced the criminal America to accept its 10-point plan, in which the United States is committed in principle to guaranteeing non-aggression, continuing Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, accepting (unanium) enrichment, lifting all primary and secondary sanctions, terminating all resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA Board of Governors, paying compensation to Iran, withdrawing American combat forces from the region and stopping the war on all fronts, including against the heroic Lebanese Islamic resistance.
We congratulate all the people of Iran on this victory and emphasize that until the details of this victory are finalized, there is still a need for perseverance and prudence on the part of the authorities and for maintaining the unity and solidarity of the Iranian people.
Islamic Iran, together with the brave resistance fighters in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and the occupied Palestine, has dealt blows to the enemy in the past 40 days that the historical memory of the world will never forget. Iran and the axis of resistance, as representatives of honor and humanity against the most savage enemies of humanity, have taught them an unforgettable lesson after a historic battle and have crushed their forces, facilities, infrastructure and all their political, economic, technological and military capacities to such an extent that the enemy has now fallen into despair and sees no other way than surrendering to the will of the great Iranian nation and the noble axis of resistance.
On the first day that Iran’s criminal enemies began this cruel war, they thought that they would achieve complete military dominance over Iran in a short time and, by creating political and social instability, would surrender Iran. They thought that Iran’s missile and drone fire would quickly die down and they did not believe that Iran could give them such a powerful response beyond its borders and across the entire region.
The evil global Zionism had convinced the unwise American president that this war would finish Iran off and that by eliminating this last bastion of humanity, they could now easily commit any crime against anyone they wanted. They dreamed of dividing dear Iran, plundering its oil and wealth, and ultimately leaving the Iranians in the midst of chaos, instability, and insecurity for many years to come.
The brave warriors of Islam and their brave allies in the axis of resistance, despite their hearts being wounded and torn to pieces by the martyrdom of their Imam, relied on God Almighty and the Lord and Master of Martyrs, and decided to teach these enemies a historical lesson once and for all, take revenge on them for all their past crimes, and create conditions in which the enemy would forever forget the idea of aggression against dear Iran and fully taste the taste of humiliation in its confrontations against the great Iranian nation.
The brave warriors of Islam and their brave allies in the axis of resistance, despite their hearts being wounded and torn to pieces by the martyrdom of their Imam, relied on God Almighty and the Lord and Master of Martyrs, and decided to teach these enemies a historical lesson once and for all, take revenge on them for all their past crimes, and create conditions in which the enemy would forever forget the idea of aggression against dear Iran and fully taste the taste of humiliation in its confrontations against the great Iranian nation.
With this strategy and relying on the unprecedented political and social unity that had been created in the country, Iran and the resistance began one of the heaviest combined battles in history with the US and the Zionist regime, and they achieved all the goals they had planned for this battle.
Iran and the resistance almost completely destroyed the American military machine in the region, dealt crushing and deep blows to the mass of infrastructure and facilities that the enemy had built and deployed in the region over the years for this war with Iran, inflicted massive casualties on the criminal American army on a regional scale, inflicted devastating and crushing blows on the enemy’s forces, infrastructure, facilities, and assets inside the occupied territories, and imposed pressure in all fronts on the enemy to such an extent that not only were none of the enemy’s main goals achieved, but the enemy realized about 10 days after the start of the war that it would not be able to win this war in any way, and for this reason, it began trying to communicate with Iran through various channels and methods and request a ceasefire.
The noble nation of Iran should know that thanks to the struggle of its sons and their historical presence on the scene, the enemy has been begging for more than a month to stop the fierce fire of Iran and the resistance, but the country’s officials, because it was decided from the very beginning that the war would continue until the goals were achieved, including the enemy’s regret and despair and the removal of the long-term threat to the country, responded negatively to all these requests, and the war has continued until today, which is the fortieth day. Iran has also rejected the deadlines presented by the US President several times and continues to emphasize that it does not give any importance to any kind of deadline from the enemy.
We now give the great nation of Iran the good news that almost all the objectives of the war have been achieved and your brave sons have brought the enemy to a historic disappointment and a lasting defeat. Iran’s historic decision, which enjoys the unified support of the entire nation, is to continue this battle for as long as necessary until its great achievements are consolidated and new security and political equations are created in the region based on the acceptance of Iran’s power and sovereignty and the resistance.
Accordingly, and in accordance with the advice of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei (may God protect him) and the approval of the Supreme National Security Council, and considering resistance and Iran’s upper hand on the battlefield, and the enemy’s inability to carry out its threats despite all their claims, and the official acceptance of all the legitimate demands of the Iranian people, it was decided to hold negotiations in Islamabad to finalize the details so that within a maximum of 15 days, with the finalization of the details of Iran’s victory on the battlefield, it can also be consolidated in political negotiations.
In this regard, Iran, while rejecting all the plans presented by the enemy, formulated a 10-point plan and presented it to the US side through Pakistan, emphasizing the fundamental points such as controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the Iranian armed forces, which would grant Iran a unique economic and geopolitical position, the necessity of ending the war against all elements of the axis of resistance, which would mean the historic defeat of the aggression of the child-killing Israeli regime, the withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases and deployment points in the region, the establishment of a safe transit protocol in the Strait of Hormuz in a way that guarantees Iran’s dominance according to the agreed protocol, full payment for the damages inflicted of Iran according to estimates, the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions of the Board of Governors and the Security Council, the release of all of Iran’s frozen assets abroad, and finally the ratification of all of these matters in a binding Security Council resolution. It should be noted that the ratification of this resolution would turn all of these agreements into binding international law and would create an important diplomatic victory for the Iranian nation.
Now, the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan has informed Iran that the American side, despite all the apparent threats, has accepted these principles as the basis for negotiations and has surrendered to the will of the Iranian people.
Accordingly, it was decided at the highest level that Iran will hold talks with the American side in Islamabad for two weeks and solely on the basis of these principles. It is emphasized that this does not mean an end to the war and Iran will accept an end to the war only when, in view of Iran’s acceptance of the principles envisaged in the 10-point plan, its details are also finalized in the negotiations.
These negotiations will begin in Islamabad on Friday, April 11, with complete distrust about the US side, and Iran will allocate two weeks for these negotiations. This period can be extended by agreement of the parties.
It is necessary to maintain complete national unity during this period and to continue the victory celebrations with strength. The current negotiations are national negotiations and a kind of continuation of the battlefield, and it is necessary for all people, elites, and political groups to trust and support this process, which is under the supervision of the Revolution leaders and the highest levels of the system, and to strictly avoid any divisive statements.
If the surrender of the enemy in the field becomes a decisive political achievement in the negotiations, we will celebrate this great historical victory together, otherwise we will fight side by side in the battlefield until all the demands of the Iranian nation are achieved. Our hands are on the trigger, and as soon as the slightest mistake by the enemy is made, it will be responded to with full force.
Supreme National Security Council
WtR
Iran’s 10-point plan to the USA…
1. Guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again.
2. Permanent end to the war, not just a ceasefire.
3. End to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
4. Lifting of all US sanctions on Iran.
5. End to all regional fighting against Iranian allies.
6. In return, Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz.
7. Iran would impose a Hormuz fee of $2 million per ship.
8. Iran would split these fees with Oman.
9. Iran to provide rules for safe passage through Hormuz.
10. Iran to use Hormuz fees for reconstruction instead of reparations.
WtR
I recognize that inflation is a constant factor, even if it may not seem logical to me. However, I have started to perceive, sense, and witness that our global economy is deteriorating at a pace that exceeds the rise of inflation. We are witnessing inflation in an upward death spiral while the world is caught in a downward death spiral.- kKEETON…
Except clouds have no substance and thus we fall anyway…
Hmm…
WtR
When the USS Tripoli withdrew under attack and sailed towards the Indian Ocean carrying 3500 Marines, it marked a pivotal moment and a moment of hesitation for the USA. The strength of the US Navy was effectively removed from the conflict…
West is out of resources and Iran is just beginning…
Let us see what the USA is gonna do now…
Blink Blink
WtR
The aftermath of the midterms will lead to a state of gridlock. This may not necessarily be negative, as it implies that Congress will be inactive, and the President will also be unable to effect change, resulting in total gridlock. This situation allows for continued governmental incompetence, which seems to keep Americans content…
However, Americans ought to reconsider their satisfaction with their government, the compromised media, and the unjust wars that are intentionally designed to undermine both them and the economy. The reality is that the US government is acting contrary to the desires of its own citizens, yet no viable solutions exist because American citizens themselves are often unclear about what they truly want…
WtR