Cort Durham

JMU 2022 Philosophy Major

[Declaration of Memes @LibertyCappy]

This is so true

I traveled to Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova and the Orthodox churches there were EXTRAORDINARY

The Eastern Orthodox Church traces its roots directly to the earliest Christian communities established by the Apostles throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Centers such as Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople became some of the most influential sees of early Christianity. For the first thousand years after Christ, Christians in both the East and West remained part of one Church, despite growing cultural and theological differences. In 1054, a series of disputes over doctrine, papal authority, and longstanding political tensions culminated in what is now known as the Great Schism, separating the Orthodox East from the Roman Catholic West.

Over the following centuries, the Orthodox Church spread throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond. Missionaries such as Saints Cyril and Methodius brought Christianity to the Slavic peoples during the 9th century, helping establish the faith in places that would later include Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, and Russia. Even after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Orthodoxy endured, preserving many of its ancient liturgical traditions, theology, and artistic heritage.

One of the defining features of Orthodoxy is its architecture. Orthodox churches were never intended to be ordinary meeting halls. They were designed to reflect heaven on earth. Every element serves a symbolic purpose rather than simply an aesthetic one.

The model for many Orthodox churches became Hagia Sophia, completed in AD 537 under Emperor Justinian I. Its massive central dome appeared to float above the worshippers, creating the impression of standing beneath the heavens themselves. This architectural style influenced church construction throughout the Orthodox world for centuries.

Domes became one of Orthodoxy's defining characteristics. Rather than emphasizing towering spires, many Orthodox churches draw the eye upward through broad domes symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven. The interior is intentionally immersive. Walls and ceilings are covered with icons depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, apostles, and saints, surrounding the congregation with visual reminders of the communion of believers across history.

Light also plays an important role. Sunlight filtering through windows reflects from gold mosaics, polished icons, and candlelight, creating an atmosphere meant to evoke divine glory. Incense fills the sanctuary, chanting echoes beneath the dome, and every sense is engaged during worship. Orthodox architecture was designed not simply to be admired, but to communicate theology through beauty.

Unlike many later architectural movements that emphasized simplicity or minimalism, Byzantine architects believed beauty itself could direct the human heart toward God. Skilled craftsmen spent years laying millions of tiny glass and gold tesserae into intricate mosaics, carving marble columns, painting icons according to established traditions, and constructing buildings that have endured for centuries.

Today, Orthodox churches remain among the most recognizable religious buildings in the world. From the great cathedrals of Greece and the Balkans to the onion-domed churches of Russia and the monasteries carved into cliffs, they stand as enduring examples of how faith, architecture, art, and symbolism were brought together to create spaces intended to inspire reverence, contemplation, and worship.

[Steak 'n Shake @SteaknShake]

We have been getting a lot of comments asking why there are only 400 Steak n Shakes in America and 1500 Five Guys. We AGREE that is a BIG problem!

Today we are announcing a new business model: We are replicating the size of Five Guys stores, with no drive-through. And we are seeking franchisees.

Anyone interested in owning and opening a Steak n Shake can reach us at [email protected]

https://t.co/Qtp9slQalM

[Olivia Charlotte @OliviaChar30912]

Imagine explaining this to a dog sitter 😂

[Brian Roemmele @BrianRoemmele]

THIS THING COMING AT YOU

Duke University had developed Argus, a 20-legged robot equipped with a camera on each leg, drawing inspiration from the visual system of the sea urchin.

[Fr. Daniel☦️ @Fragbaza]

A man and a woman must always, every minute, believe that their union is God's plan. Nowadays, people get divorced because they think, "He's not mine," or "My husband/wife is not suitable for me. I have to look for another one; my other half is out there somewhere, and I made a mistake here.

"Believing spouses know that God has put them together. They say, "My second half is mine. She may be imperfect, flawed, and broken, but she is mine. That is what God has given me." I find this useful; it is a lifesaver for me.

Today, people often run away from family at the first sign of hardship because they do not understand that marriage is a feat. It is not a comfort zone but a battlefield—with ourselves, with passions, and with temptations. The one who fights for his family daily is a warrior of Christ, even if no one sees it.

A wife should be loved even more than a mother! This is the paradox of the biblical commandments. Mothers are good, but once you get married, you must listen to your wife more and protect her from your mother, no matter how strange it sounds. She is vulnerable here: she is in a foster home, under someone else's roof, and sleeping on someone else's bedsheets.

Marriage is a mystery. It is the union of two souls made by God. Parents often think that even after the wedding, they remain the most important people—especially mothers. A son's mother often wants to remain the first woman in his life, refusing to step back for the wife's championship. But from the moment of the wedding, the main woman becomes the wife, and the mother has to step aside. If she does not back off, there will be trouble, quarrels, humiliations, and divorces. That is why every parent should understand: when children grow up, they must be let go. It is painful, but that is exactly what true love is—letting go and trusting God.

Today's world shouts to girls: "Be strong, independent, and do not obey anyone!" But the Gospel says: "Be meek, humble, and loving, and through that, become strong." The power of a woman is not in protest, but in the ability to protect, inspire, pray, and lift others from their knees. We need to raise our daughters to be guardians of family, love, and faith, rather than warriors. If Christ lives in the heart of a girl, she will be a light even in the darkest world.

A girl becomes a woman next to her mother, but a personality next to her father. He instills in her a sense of dignity, boundaries, and self-confidence. If a father does not teach his daughter that she is valuable and worthy of respect, the world will convince her otherwise. A father should be the first to tell her: "You are wonderful; you are a treasure."

A woman is the mirror of her husband. If the woman in the family is bitter, nervous, and annoying, it means the man made her that way. She reflects how she is treated. If you want a good, loving wife, be good and loving yourself. A woman reveals herself in response to love and care. The man is the sun, and the woman is the moon. As the sun shines, so does the moon.

A man must always defend his wife in front of his mother, father, brothers, or anyone else. The woman is an extension of him—his second half. She is a sanctuary bestowed by God in the mystery of marriage. Together, they are a home church and a vessel of God's grace.

A man is a provider, not just a defender. He must be able to protect his wife from outside interference, his children from stupidity, and himself from pride. Today, to be a true man is a feat. It requires being patient, faithful, silent when necessary, and brave when it matters.

The man in the family is like a priest before the altar. He must pray for his wife and children to bless, guide, and protect them. If there is no father's prayer in the home, the home is spiritually sick. A man is just as responsible for the spiritual atmosphere in the home as he is for the bread on the table.

[Modern History @modernhistory]

Old cartoons are no longer being made.

[Akhilesh Mishra @livingdevops]

Vibe coders everyday struggle in 15 seconds.

[Final Cut Tile 🇺🇸 @FinalCutTile]

Taco Bell needs to calm down. This one taco cost more than an entire Hot n Ready pizza...

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

The greatest trick coffee pod companies ever pulled was convincing people to pay more for cheap coffee wrapped in trash.

Tens of billions of single-use coffee pods and capsules are used every year. Many are made from mixed plastic, foil, aluminum, filters, lids, and wet coffee grounds, which makes them annoying or impossible to recycle through normal curbside systems. Even the 'recyclable' ones often require special collection programs most people don't have easy access to.

The pod gives you one cup of coffee, then leaves behind a tiny piece of manufactured garbage that may outlive you.

A French press, drip maker, moka pot, pour-over, percolator, or reusable pod can make coffee every morning without throwing away a plastic capsule every time you wake up. The grounds can go in your compost.

This is one of those environmental swaps that is not complicated. You don't need a lifestyle overhaul. You don't need to become a coffee snob. You just need to make the switch.

[Houseknecht Automotive @Houseknech9360]

Pre ‘90 vehicles were mostly garbage for reliability & don’t hold a candle performance wise to modern stuff

Pre ‘11 vehicles were built objectively better than current year models with less unnecessary tech while giving up very little in performance

[The Future of Agriculture @Agricultinsider]

Easy Way to tie fishing hook perfectly 🥰

[Noah Bergren @NbergWX]

MAJOR HEAT DOME: Some of the hottest weather of the summer ahead of July 4th next week in the Ohio Valley and eastern U.S. Ridge of high pressure parks over KY/TN and will bake areas from Pennsylvania to the Carolina's, and out to the Deep South. Some of the highest heat index values each afternoon 7/1 & 7/2 of 110+ likely around Memphis to Paducah.

By the end of the week, the heat dome slides east to blast the Carolina's.

[NWS Weather Prediction Center @NWSWPC]

A dangerous heat wave will impact the central & eastern U.S. starting Sun and continue through the Jul 4 weekend. Highs will be in the 90s-100s with heat indices of 100–110° (locally 115°). Warm nights will offer little relief. Stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity, and seek A/C.

[History Nerd @_HistoryNerd]

In 1956, Tom and Jerry aired one of the darkest and most philosophical episodes ever shown in a children's cartoon

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

A single toad in your yard can eat thousands of pest insects over a single summer. One cheap June project gives them a place to hide out over winter.

Find a terracotta pot, ideally 12-14 in diameter, remove the drainage plug, and bury it on its side in a shady corner of the yard, flush with the ground. Pack the inside loosely with leaf litter and leave a clear entrance.

You've built a toad hibernaculum. Toads need a frost-free place to overwinter underground, and a buried pot gives them exactly that. They find these within a season if toads are anywhere in your neighborhood.

[Gubba Homestead @GubbaHomestead]

I am willing to pay more for a non-smart device or appliance at this point.

One by one I’m replacing them in my home.

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

The box turtle crossing your yard this morning may have been crossing that same ground before you were born.

Eastern box turtles can live over a century. Individuals have been documented at 120 years. And unlike most animals, they don't use that time to go anywhere. A box turtle may spend its entire life within 250 yards of the nest it hatched from.

It knows every log, every seep, every patch of shade in that radius the way you know your own kitchen.

This is why relocating one is such a serious problem. Move a box turtle a mile down the road and it will spend the rest of its life trying to walk home, crossing roads it doesn't know, exposed in territory it's never mapped. The shell protects it from predators. Nothing protects it from not knowing where it is.

The turtle in your yard isn't passing through. It lives there, in the same specific place it has always lived, doing the slow, methodical work of being a box turtle: eating mushrooms and berries and earthworms, dispersing seeds, getting through another season.

If it's large and worn-looking, with a shell that's gone dark and scratched with years, it may have been working that same patch of ground since before your neighborhood had a name.

Leave it where it is, chances are, it was there first.

[Anna 🇺🇸 @realAnn_29]

The World Cup is giving the planet a front row seat to everyday America…and the visitors are straight up glitching.

In the greatest way. Here is what's blowing their minds:

24 hour gyms with free weights, classes, saunas, and smoothie bars that never close. You can deadlift at 2 a.m. if the spirit moves you.

Walmart or Target supercenters the size of city blocks where you can buy a kayak, fresh sushi, a prom dress, ammunition, and a birthday cake all in one trip.

Roadside diners serving pies, biscuits and gravy, and bottomless coffee while the jukebox plays whatever decade you're feeling.

College football Saturdays: entire towns painted in team colors, 100,000 fans in one stadium doing coordinated cheers, and tailgates that look like outdoor festivals with smokers going full blast.

National forests and state parks you can just… drive into. No passport. No fees for most of them. Pull over, hike, swim in a lake, and be back before dinner.

Pharmacies with entire walls of vitamins, snacks, and over the counter everything, plus a mini grocery section so you never have to make two stops.

The variety of hot sauces, BBQ rubs, and seasonings in any random store. Entire end caps dedicated to 'make your food taste like joy.'

Huge, clean public libraries with free Wi-Fi, 3D printers, seed libraries, and story time for kids, all without a membership card.

Drive-thru ATMs, coffee, pharmacies, and even liquor in some states. Your car becomes a magic portal for errands.

The fact that strangers smile, hold doors, and say "how y'all doing today?" like it's normal human behavior.

And the portions. Good lord, the portions. One plate could feed a European family for two days and still have leftovers for tomorrow's breakfast.

America isn't perfect.
But right now the world is getting a live tour of the conveniences, scale, and casual abundance we barely notice anymore.

It's wild out here.
And yeah… we kinda love it. 🫶🏻🇺🇸

[CHARLES @Ikcharles90]

Best way to pack a cooler for camping trips, beach days, backyard BBQs and all your summer adventures