Pork and Beans

Watch the official video for "Pork and Beans" from Weezer starring some familiar YouTube faces. New Self-Titled "Red Album" out June 3rd, 2008!

Kali Anastasi to my family!

Kalo eftichismeno Pascha kai Kali Anastasi! Kalo pasxa kai kali anastasi na exete!

Kalo pascha kai kales giortes!

Kali Anastasi se olous tous orthodoksi christiani!

Good Friday
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday. It commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Golgotha.

Original Events of Good Friday
Main articles: Passion (Christianity), Death and resurrection of Jesus, and Sayings of Jesus on the cross

According to the New Testament, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane by the Temple Guards through the guidance of his disciple, Judas Iscariot. Judas received money for betraying Jesus. He told the guards that whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Jesus was brought to the house of Annas, who is the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. There he is interrogated with little result, and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest, where the Sanhedron had assembled (John 18:1-24).

Conflicting testimony against Jesus is brought forth by many witnesses, to which Jesus answers nothing. Finally the high priest adjures Jesus to respond under solemn oath, saying "I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us, are you the Anointed One, the Son of God?" Jesus testifies in the affirmative, "You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty, coming on the clouds of Heaven." The high priest condemns Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedron concurs with a sentence of death (Matthew 26:57-66). Peter also denies Jesus three times during the interrogations. Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him three times.

In the morning, the whole assembly brings Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king (Luke 23:1-2). Pilate authorizes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own Law and execute sentencing, however the Jewish leaders reply that they are not allowed by the Romans to carry out a sentence of death (John 18:31).

Pilate questions Jesus, and tells the assembly that there is no basis for sentencing. Upon learning that Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate refers the case to the ruler of Galilee, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Herod questions Jesus but receives no answer; Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate tells the assembly that neither he nor Herod have found guilt in Jesus; Pilate resolves to have Jesus whipped and released (Luke 23:3-16).

It was a custom during the feast of Passover for the Romans to release one prisoner as requested by the Jews. Pilate asks the crowd who they would like to be released. Under the guidance of the chief priests, the crowd asks for Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for committing murder during an insurrection. Pilate asks what they would have him do with Jesus, and they demand, "Crucify him" (Mark 15:6-14). Pilate's wife had seen Jesus in a dream earlier that day; she forewarns Pilate to "have nothing to do with this righteous man" (Matthew 27:19).

Pilate has Jesus flogged, then brings him out to the crowd to release him. The chief priests inform Pilate of a new charge, demanding Jesus be sentenced to death "because he claimed to be God's son." This possibility filled Pilate with fear, and he brought Jesus back inside the palace and demanded to know from where he came (John 19:1-9).

Coming before the crowd one last time, Pilate declares Jesus innocent, washing his own hands in water to show he has no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified in order to forestall a riot (Matthew 27:24-26). The sentence written is "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Jesus carries his cross to the site of execution (assisted by Simon of Cyrene), called the place of the Skull, or "Golgotha" in Hebrew and "Calvary" in Latin. There he is crucified along with two criminals (John 19:17-22).

Jesus agonizes on the cross for three hours, during which there is darkness over the whole land.[1] With a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit. There is an earthquake, tombs break open, and the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declares, "Truly this was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:45-54)
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and secret follower of Jesus, who had not consented to his condemnation, goes to Pilate to request the body of Jesus (Luke 23:50-52). Pilate asks confirmation from the centurion whether Jesus is dead (Mark 15:44). A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out (John 19:34), and the centurion informs Pilate that Jesus is dead (Mark 15:45).

Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus, wraps it in a clean linen shroud, and places it in his own new tomb that had been carved in the rock (Matthew 27:59-60) in a garden near the site of crucifixion. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus (John 3:1) also came bringing 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, and places them in the linen with the body of Jesus, according to Jewish burial customs (John 19:39-40). They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb (Matthew 27:60). Then they returned home and rested, because at sunset began the Sabbath (Luke 23:54-56).

On the third day, Sunday, which is now known as Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead.

Dedicated to My Wonderful Husband

Here and Now by Luther Vandross

Singlehanded sailing kitecam compilation

Here and Now

Yes, we bought a boat. Catalina 27 and she is a beauty!! She is located at the Dana Point Harbor. Marcus, my wonderful husband calls it our little Yacht. Her name is, Here and Now. The original owner gave her this name. She is named after a famous poem. Who knows why he gave her this name, only he knows why and I wish I knew why!

Here and Now Poem by;

Ella Wheeler Wilcox From: Custer and Other Poems, 1896

HERE, in the heart of the world,

Here, in the noise and the din,

Here, where our spirits were hurled

To battle with sorrow and sin,

This is the place and the spot

For knowledge of infinite things;

This is the kingdom where Thought

Can conquer the prowess of kings.

Wait for no heavenly life,

Seek for no temple alone;

Here, in the midst of the strife,

Know what the sages have known.

See what the Perfect Ones saw--

God in the depth of each soul,

God as the light and the law,

God as beginning and goal.

Earth is one chamber of Heaven,

Death is no grander than birth.

Joy in the life that was given,

Strive for perfection on earth.

Here, in the turmoil and roar,

Show what it is to be calm;

Show how the spirit can soar

And bring back its healing and balm.

Stand not aloof nor apart,

Plunge in the thick of the fight.

There in the street and the mart,

That is the place to do right.

Not in some cloister or cave,

Not in some kingdom above,

Here, on this side of the grave,

Here, should we labor and love.

March 25th Celebrating Anninciation Evagelismos

Let me help you understand, why we, as Orthodox Christians celebrate our name days. On March 25th we will be celebrating Annunciation (or Evangelismos in Greek) to the Theotokos. We have Evangelismos names in our family. I have my beloved, sweet, wonderful, son and his name is Evangelos. My beloved, sweet, wonderful Mama her name is Evangelia. My wonderful Ex-Father In Law his name was Evangelos and may God Rest His Soul in Peace. My Grandmother her name was also Evangelia and May God Rest Her Soul In Peace.

It is known to the Greek Orthodox tradition, nearly every day of the year is dedicated to a Christian saint or Martyr. When someone is named after one of the saints, that day becomes their "name day" and, traditionally, is celebrated.

All Orthodox Christians that I know celebrate their name day by inviting family and friends to their home. Since this day is to focus on the saint, his/her icon is prominently displayed. Whoever comes to visit wishes "Happy Name Day" to the celebrant. Favors or token gifts can be part of the day, but with a significant difference, the person whose name day it is gives the gifts rather than receives them. Giving is the best sign of gratitude for Christians.

If you are interested in reading the full story, here is the link for the Annunciation to the Theotokos.

Lets all celebrate and remember The Annunciation to the Theotokos and it is the Great Feast of the Orthodox Church.

Happy name day to my sweet, wonderful son and also to my sweet, wonderful, mama and to all the Evangelismos around the world!

The Annunciation to the Theotokos

The Annunciation (or Evangelismos in Greek) to the Theotokos is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on March 25. Greeks also celebrate Greek Independence Day this day. This is one of only two days during Lent, the other being Palm Sunday, when fish is permitted.

According to the Gospel of Luke 1:26-38, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she "knew no man." According to holy tradition Mary had come home to her parents when she was only fifteen when she was visited by Gabriel.

This date was selected by the Church Fathers to be exactly nine months ahead of Christmas, indicating that Christ was conceived in perfection at that time "of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary," as stated in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Many men and women in Greece are named for this event and celebrate their name day on this date.

Greek: Evangelia (f) and Evangelos (m)

English: Evangeline (f) and Evan and Angelo (m)

In Arabic traditions, the names Bechara, Beshara, or Bashar (all of which mean "good news") are used by men for whom this feast is also their name day.

Celebration of the feast
The feast of the Annunciation normally falls during the season of Great Lent, but it is still a joyous day. Many lessen their fast with fish on this day.

If the feast comes on a weekday of Lent, the Divine Liturgy of the feast is served in the evening with Vespers. When this happens, the fasting rules for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts are followed. The Divine Liturgy of the Annunciation is the only celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom allowed on a weekday of Great Lent.

If the feast falls on the same day as Pascha, the resultant festival is called Kyriopascha and is celebrated with special rubrics.

Greek traditions
Many people make a pilgrimage as a special tribute to the Theotokos on the island of Tinos. Thousands of pilgrims jam the docks and city streets to visit the Church of Evangelistria (Tinos, Greece) that safeguards a miraculous healing icon of the Theotokos. Revealed in a vision, it was found buried in a field in 1823, and the church was built to house it. Pilgrims bring items of precious metals and other gifts to leave at the church. On August 15 (Dormition of the Theotokos) and March 25 the icon is carried through town in a grand procession.

Hymns

Troparion (Tone 4) [1]

Today is the beginning of our salvation,
The revelation of the eternal mystery!
The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin
As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace.
Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos:
Rejoice, O Full of Grace,
The Lord is with You!

Kontakion (Tone 8)

O Victorious Leader of Triumphant Hosts!
We, your servants, delivered from evil, sing our grateful thanks to you, O Theotokos!
As you possess invincible might, set us free from every calamity
So that we may sing: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!

Forefeast hymns

Troparion (Tone 4)

Today is the prelude of joy for the universe!
Let us anticipate the feast and celebrate with exultation:
Gabriel is on his way to announce the glad tidings to the Virgin;
He is ready to cry out in fear and wonder:
Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!

Kontakion (Tone 8)

You are the beginning of salvation for all of us on earth, Virgin Mother of God.
For the great Archangel Gabriel, God's minister,
Was sent from heaven to stand before you to bring you joy:
Therefore, we all cry to you: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride.

MARCH 25th GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

From 2nd Elementary School of Paleo Faliro. Athens. GREECE.

I am proud to be a Greek American!

«Θέλει αρετήν και τόλμην η ελευθερία….Αυτή επτέρωσε τον Ίκαρον»
(Α.Κάλβος – Εις Σάμον)

Greek life did not end when the Ottoman Turks took Constantinople in 1453.

Greeks held administrative roles in the central Ottoman administration itself. Many of them were in the sultan’s interpreters’ service, because muslims were discouraged from learning foreign languages. Greeks therefore became de facto ambassadors and participated in diplomatic negotiations.

The «Phanar» or lighthouse district of Instabul became the center of the Ottoman Greek culture afer the patriach took up residence there and the Greek orthodox clergy had substantial religious, educational, admistrative, and legal power in the Balkans. Greek shipowners in the islands enjoyed similar advantages.

Greeks dominated Balkan commerce by the 1700s. They were permitted commercial contacts with non-believers, an awkward matter for Muslims. Westerners who did business in the region used Greeks as agents for reasons of safety, language and convenience. On the other hand Greek civilization was never completely separated from the rest of Europe. After the fall of Constantinople, some Greeks fled to Italy and played a role in the Renaissance.

There were Greek printing presses at work in Venice and Greek merchants and enterpreneurs found the economic and political concepts of liberalism and the Enlightment attractive. Wealthy Greeks went to France to study and they were heavily influenced by the doctrines of the French Revolution.

In 1814 three Greek businessmen Athanassios Tsakalof, Emanuel Xanthos and Nikolaos Skoufas founded the «Philiki Etairia» (Friendly Society), in the Russian port of Odessa. It was a Greek independence party that held the firm belief that armed force was the only effective means of liberation and made generous monetary contributions to the freedom fighters. Word of the «Philiki Etairia» spread quickly and branches opened all over Greece. Members met in secret and were planning to revolt. Ali Pasha’s private rebellion against the sultan in 1820 gave the Greeks the opportunity they had been waiting for.

On 25th March 1821 the Bishop of Patras, Germanos, raised the Greek flag at the monastery of Aghia Lavra in Peloponese, an act that marked the beginning of the war of Independence. Fighting broke out throughout the Peloponese at first and then in the mainland and many islands as well.

Greek Independence was proclaimed at Epidaurus on the 13th January 1822. The other European countries were reluctant to intervene, fearing the consequences but help came from the Philhellenes. They were young men of classical education who saw themselves as the inheritors of a glorious civilization and were willing to fight to liberate the oppressed descendants of the ancient Greeks. Among them were Shelley, Goethe, Victor Hugo, Schiller, Lord Byron who died of pneumonia in Messolonghi a greek city of major resistance in the Revolution.

At last the western countries intervened , and a combined British, French and Russian fleet destroyed the Turkish-Egyptian navy in the Bay of Navarino (Pylos) in October 1827. The Sultan proclaimed a holy war but was again defeated by the Russian army which arrived at the gates of Constantinople and he had to accept the Greek Independence by the Treaty of Adrianopole. Finally the London Protocol created a small, independent Greek kingdom and appointed Prince Otto of Bavaria as the new King of Greece.

ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΙ ΠΟΛΙΟΡΚΗΜΕΝΟΙ
Άκρα του τάφου σιωπή στον τάφο βασιλεύει
Λαλεί πουλί,παίρνει σπυρί,κι η μάνα το ζηλεύει.
Τα μάτια η πείνα εμαύρισε,στα μάτια η μάνα μνέει,
Στέκει ο Σουλιώτης ο καλός παράμερα και κλαίει.
«Έρμο τουφέκι σκοτεινό,τι σ’έχω γω στο χέρι;
οπού συ μου `γινες βαρύ κι ο Αγαρηνός το ξέρει».
Poem written by Dionissios Solomos after the siege of the town of Messolonghi during the Greek Revolution.

The poet shows us the way things were going. Death silence was everywhere and the atmosphere was heavy.Only a bird can find a seed and a mother of the town of Messolonghi is jealous because she does not have anything to give to her children.There is no food to eat and people are starving. The proud man from the Souli area is humiliated because he cannot use his weapon and thinks that because of this his pistol became unbearably heavy. ( At that time it was very humiliating not to be able to use their weapons to defend their country and their families)
Catherine - 6th grade

ΠΑΤΡΙΔΑ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

Η καρδιά σου χτυπάει τόσους αιώνες
και ακούραστη, αγέραστη εσύ παραμένεις.
κι αν η μοίρα σου σ’ έριξε μες στους κυκλώνες
«ασφαλής κιβωτός» τους περνάς … κι ανεβαίνεις.
Τον ασύγκριτο, υπέρλαμπρο, μέγα ναό σου
πόσοι, αλίμονο, άφρονα να συλήσουν ζήτησαν.
μάταιη προσπάθεια … δεν πέφτει ο βωμός σου !
τα παιδιά σου με το αίμα τους, χρόνια πριν τον στοίχειωσαν.
Κι αν το χώμα σου κάποτε πάτησαν ξένοι
κι αν ξαπόστασαν έστω για λίγο σιμά σου
από ‘κείνο το χώμα ξεπηδούν οι αντρειωμένοι
που ανεπίστρεπτα – όλους – ξαποστέλλουν μακριά σου.
Λευκογάλανη κόρη, γλυκιά μάνα – πατρίδα
σ’ ακρογιάλια και όρη, από κάθε μεριά
ημιθέων, σοφών, ακριτών η κοιτίδα
τα τραγούδια σε σένα, θάναι για λευτεριά …

Poem by Teacher - Vassiliki

25th March
25th March is a very important day for Greece.On that day the Greeks started the revolution that freed them from the Turks.Greeks were very few and almost unarmed but Turks were a lot and had many weapons.The Greeks' motto was "Liberty or Death" so they fought many battles and a lot of them died, but they finally won.Now we are a free nation because our ancestors died for our freedom.
George - 5th grade

25th March 1821
On the 25th of March we celebrate the revolution against the Turks,after 400 years of slavery. The Greeks fought bravely and died for their freedom.Our ancestors liberated our country after many years of sacrifices.On this day we honour them with celebrations and parades.All the pupils and students dressed in blue and white march in front of many people who admire and applaude them.We have many celebrations in which we dance Greek folk dances dressed in traditional costumes and act theatrical plays about the war of revolution.
Stamatis - 5th grade