Podcasts about Ravenna

Un enorme blocco di pietra d'Istria. Una costruzione decagonale. Due livelli. Una copertura monolitica gigantesca.E un re che, ancora in vita, sta già costruendo il luogo destinato a custodire la propria memoria.Nella terza parte di “Teodorico e il suo progetto di regno”, arriviamo a Ravenna davanti al Mausoleo di Teodorico, uno dei monumenti più affascinanti dell'archeologia tardoantica.Ma che cosa ci racconta davvero questo edificio?La sua architettura mette insieme elementi diversi: tradizioni romane, elementi legati al mondo gotico e una concezione monumentale del potere che non può essere ricondotta a una sola identità.Parleremo della gigantesca pietra che ne costituisce la copertura, delle tecniche costruttive, della funzione funeraria del monumento e delle trasformazioni che il Mausoleo subì dopo la conquista bizantina.E soprattutto torneremo alla domanda che ci accompagna dall'inizio: chi era davvero Teodorico?Continua il viaggio di ArcheoTravelers nel regno degli Ostrogoti e scopri il monumento con cui Teodorico volle consegnarsi alla memoria.Trovi il progetto "ArcheoTravelers, viaggiatori nel passato" sui maggiori canali social tra cui Instagram e Facebook, oltre che sul sito internet ad esso dedicato www.archeotravelers.com

In apertura Paolo Mieli commenta i fatti del giorno attraverso la lettura dei quotidiani nazionali ed internazionali.L’inchiesta della Procura della Repubblica di Ravenna relativa all’ipotesi di falsi certificati medici rilasciati per impedire il trattenimento in C.P.R. di cittadini stranieri irregolari, ha aperto un forte dibattito anche politico su questi luoghi di detenzione e sul ruolo dei medici che devono decidere se un migrante è idoneo o no a stare in questi luoghi. Ne parliamo con Filippo Anelli, presidente della Fnomceo, la Federazione nazionale degli Ordini dei Medici e Sara Kelany, responsabile del dipartimento Immigrazione di Fratelli d'Italia.

Come si costruisce un regno? E come fa un sovrano a rendere visibile il proprio potere?Nella seconda parte di “Teodorico e il suo progetto di regno”, continuiamo il viaggio archeologico nell'Italia degli Ostrogoti per seguire le tracce concrete del progetto politico di Teodorico.Ravenna, il complesso palaziale, città e infrastrutture, monumenti e oggetti ci raccontano un sovrano che governò un'Italia profondamente romana, ma nella quale la presenza gota aveva ormai un ruolo fondamentale.Poi arriviamo nel Vercellese, con il Tesoro di Desana: 51 reperti che ci portano dentro una società in cui identità, tradizioni e culture diverse entrano in contatto. E infine torniamo a Roma, per capire perché Teodorico non potesse fare a meno della memoria e dei simboli della città eterna. Ascolta la seconda parte dell'episodio e continua il viaggio con ArcheoTravelers.Trovi il progetto "ArcheoTravelers, viaggiatori nel passato" sui maggiori canali social tra cui Instagram e Facebook, oltre che sul sito internet ad esso dedicato www.archeotravelers.com

In this week's episode photographer, Alex Majoli takes on our ‘Proust Photo Quiz'… The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Proust answered the questionnaire in a confession album, a form of parlour game popular at the end of the 1890s. The album, titled An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings, etc.was found in 1924 and published in the French literary journal Les Cahiers du Mois. Our ‘Proust Photo Quiz' is an adaption of the original text. Alex Majoli Majoli was born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1971 and attended the Art Institute in Ravenna. His career began to develop after he photographed the closing of the notorious insane asylum on the island of Leros in Greece, which resulted in his first monograph, Leros. Majoli's early interest in psychiatric care led him to Brazil, which marked the beginning of his twenty-year-long, ongoing project, Tudo Bom, a body of work documenting the multi-layered country, and the extremes found in the darker side of its society. The experience of photographing people in all kinds of circumstances led him to explore the idea that everyone is an actor in their own life. This is why he started the ongoing project, Scene in which his images become scenes in which people, through their performances, express themselves in what becomes a film set or a theater stage. Majoli's work is held in various public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, International Center of Photography, MUFOCO and Mucem. Among many honours, he has received the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Fellowship for Humanistic Photography, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an ICP Infinity Award, a Getty Images Grant. He was NPPA Photographer of the Year and received an OPC Feature Photography Award. His books include One Vote (2004), Libera Me (2010), Congo (2015), Andante (2018), Scene (2019) and Opera Aperta (2021). Majoli joined Magnum Photos in 1996, becoming a full member in 2001 and lives in New York. www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/alex-majoli/ Dr.Grant Scott After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby's, art directed foto8magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), and What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006) and Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018. Scott continues to work as a photographer, writer and filmmaker and is the Subject Coordinator for both undergraduate and post graduate study of photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England. © Grant Scott 2026

What happens when you combine Amazon-level operational efficiency with cutting-edge AI automation? You get a total transformation of how modern companies handle their internal support and ticketing systems.   In this episode of Born in Silicon Valley, Jake Aaron Villarreal sits down with Kevin Coleman, co-founder of Ravenna, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of Enterprise Service Management. Kevin shares his incredible journey from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, detailing how his experiences at AWS inspired him to rethink internal IT and HR support structures.   Ravenna is leveraging AI agents to automate the most repetitive tasks within mid-market and enterprise companies, such as software access requests and onboarding workflows. Kevin unpacks the immense value of Forward Deployed Engineers, explaining why having highly technical professionals deeply embedded in a customer environment is the ultimate growth hack for B2B SaaS startups.   Learn how agile startups can consistently outperform legacy incumbents by prioritizing rapid iteration and unparalleled customer service. Discover why building backwards from customer demand remains the most reliable strategy for achieving product-market fit.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction and guest background 02:23 Kevin's journey from finance to tech 05:39 What is Ravenna and its mission 09:54 The impact of ChatGPT and AI in enterprise support 15:20 Target companies and customer profiles 18:25 The sales process and proof of concept 21:12 Platform overview and technical integrations 27:13 Startups vs. incumbents: speed and service 33:22 The future of AI agents in organizations 37:30 Lessons learned and advice for founders 41:06 Company growth and hiring plans   Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders' journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

(00:00:00) Bill Gates sullo schermo e i fischi del pubblico Apple (00:00:41) Che cosa prevedeva davvero l'accordo del 1997 (00:00:56) I 150 milioni non salvarono Apple da soli (00:02:05) Quando l'identità diventa isolamento (00:02:33) Il collo di bottiglia che un partner può rimuovere (00:03:27) Primo controllo: il vantaggio per il cliente (00:03:55) Secondo controllo: la dipendenza (00:04:38) La terza edizione del Piccolo Libro della Scrittura Persuasiva (00:05:32) L'esercizio per trasformare il nemico in un ponte (00:06:26) La lezione di Jay Abraham sulle partnership (00:06:49) Scadenze, revisioni e numeri da misurare (00:07:44) Il caso dei macchinari B2B high-ticket (00:08:02) L'esempio del mercato immobiliare di Ravenna (00:09:54) The Prize, Rockefeller e la tentazione di eliminare i rivali (00:11:10) Acquisizioni, joint venture e collaborazioni alla portata delle PMI (00:12:00) Chiusura Nel 1997 Bill Gates compare sul maxischermo del Macworld di Boston e il pubblico Apple lo accoglie con i fischi. Steve Jobs ha stretto un accordo con Microsoft: Office continuerà a essere sviluppato per Mac, Internet Explorer sarà il browser predefinito e le due aziende si accorderanno sui brevetti. Microsoft investirà anche 150 milioni di dollari in azioni Apple senza diritto di voto.Per capire perché Jobs fosse disposto a collaborare proprio con Microsoft, però, bisogna guardare oltre quell'assegno. L'accordo contribuiva a rassicurare chi comprava un Mac e chi sviluppava programmi per quella piattaforma, mentre Apple lavorava al proprio rilancio.Nella puntata 406 parto da questa storia per ragionare sulle collaborazioni alla portata di una piccola impresa. Un concorrente o un fornitore potrebbe avere già il pubblico, il canale di vendita o la competenza che ti mancano. Vale la pena capire se potete lavorare insieme, e a quali condizioni.Ti propongo tre controlli per valutare l'accordo e un esercizio da fare pensando a un'azienda precisa. Parlo anche di Jay Abraham, di un nostro caso studio sui macchinari B2B, del mercato immobiliare di Ravenna e di The Prize di Daniel Yergin. L'obiettivo è trovare nuove occasioni di vendita senza ritrovarti con l'attività nelle mani del partner.Risorse della puntataAccordo Apple–Microsoft: comunicato originaleMacworld Boston 1997: il discorso di Steve JobsJay Abraham: sito ufficialeThe Prize, di Daniel YerginIl caso studio sui macchinari B2B high-ticketBending Spoons: sito ufficialeIl Piccolo Libro della Scrittura Persuasiva, di Andrea Lisi

La Procura di Ravenna sta indagando su presunti certificati medici falsi ad opera di camici bianchi, perquisiti, per evitare che migranti irregolari fossero trasferiti nei Cpr. Ne parliamo con l'avvocato Fabio Anselmo, legale di alcuni dei medici interessati dall'inchiesta. Torniamo poi sul tema dell'over-tourism perché il presidente del Cai Veneto, nostro ospite, ha lanciato un allarme sullo stress in capo ai rifugisti per le troppe presenze in alta quota di turisti durante l'estate.

Episodio tratto dal Festival Atlanti del Presente 2026, che si è svolto dal 24 al 26 luglio a Ravenna.Lucio Caracciolo tratteggia il contesto in cui si muove il nostro paese e le possibili sfide che lo attendono. Video originale su YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ25pVOzc00 Link a Imperium Podcast - Geopolitica: https://open.spotify.com/show/0PY9nEbUWfye0XEw1cDKIC

È avvenuto mercoledì mattina in 9 città italiane, e riguarda l'indagine della procura di Ravenna che contesta dei certificati falsi da parte dei medici che attestavano l'inidoneità delle persone a finire nei Centri di Permanenza e Rimpatrio (CPR). Il nuovo report del Wmo sullo stato delle risorse idriche certifica la gravità delle siccità che abbiamo vissuto. E nei prossimi mesi, altre centrali nucleari europee rischiano di essere temporaneamente sospese per via di fiumi caldi o troppo bassi. Ieri è stato il giorno di Mark Carney al Parlamento europeo dove ha proposto all'Europa un patto per lo scambio di materiali critici e risorse – facendo arrabbiare Trump. Camilla Soldati, giornalista di LifeGate, ci racconta della possibile convivenza con gli orsi marsicani nel Parco nazionale d'Abruzzo e dintorni. Rassegna stampa: Cereali perenni per resistere alla crisi climatica: lo sviluppo del Kernza negli Stati Uniti, Carlotta Garancini L'orso bruno marsicano è tornato a espandersi, e noi possiamo conviverci, Camilla Soldati Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chi era davvero Teodorico? Un re goto? Un sovrano romano? O qualcosa di molto più complesso?Nel secondo episodio di “1500 anni dopo Teodorico” seguiamo Teodorico dalla corte di Costantinopoli alla conquista dell'Italia e alla costruzione del suo regno.Ravenna, Roma, palazzi, restauri, oggetti e simboli del potere ci raccontano un sovrano che governò un'Italia profondamente romana, cercando di costruire una convivenza tra Goti e Romani.E poi c'è il suo volto: quello del Medaglione di Senigallia, una delle testimonianze più affascinanti dell'immagine del re.Attraverso l'archeologia proviamo a capire che cosa volesse davvero costruire Teodorico: un regno goto, una continuazione del mondo romano o una nuova realtà nata dall'incontro tra tradizioni diverse?

(00:00:00) #399 - Dove ho messo i miei soldi e quale numero mi preoccupa davvero (00:00:17) Oltre un milione, ma non tutto è già mio (00:02:35) Quattordici stanze nel centro di Ravenna (00:07:38) Canoni annualizzati, costi e cash flow reale (00:09:28) Perché ho spostato 50.000 euro dagli ETF (00:11:48) Baracca: il terzo acquisto e il nuovo mutuo (00:13:03) La soglia sotto la quale non voglio scendere (00:14:44) Lavori in ritardo, stanze vuote e altri scenari (00:16:17) Pensare all'uscita prima di investire (00:17:15) Quanto tempo puoi permetterti di avere torto? Ho appena acquistato Baracca, il mio terzo immobile a Ravenna. I tre appartamenti valgono insieme circa 900.000 euro. Se aggiungo una quota familiare che forse riceverò in futuro, il conto supera il milione.Potrei fermarmi qui e raccontarti che sono diventato milionario. Sarebbe un modo comodo per confondere il valore lordo di alcuni beni con il denaro che possiedo davvero.Il numero che apro prima di investire ancora è 50.000 euro. È la soglia di liquidità sotto la quale, oggi, non voglio scendere.In questa puntata ti mostro dove ho messo i soldi guadagnati negli ultimi dieci anni: gli immobili di Stanz@Ravenna, Persua Srl, i marchi e gli altri asset che non si vendono premendo un pulsante. Poi metto il portafoglio alla prova con lavori in ritardo, stanze vuote, clienti persi e rate che continuano ad arrivare.A chi serve questa puntata: imprenditori, professionisti e investitori che stanno facendo crescere un patrimonio, ma vogliono conservare abbastanza margine per non farsi dettare le scelte dal primo imprevisto.In questa puntata scoprirai:Perché 900.000 euro di immobili non equivalgono a 900.000 euro disponibiliDove sono finiti circa 50.000 euro che avevo investito in ETFCome distinguo valore lordo, equity e cassaQuali numeri sto usando per valutare BaraccaPerché ho fissato una soglia di liquidità a 50.000 euroCome provo un investimento contro lo scenario scomodoCosa c'entrano questi conti con le decisioni di chi investe in persone, marketing e crescita aziendaleIl Baffo Podcast è dedicato a marketing, creatività e investimenti per persone intraprendenti.Approfondimenti citati:Articolo completo: come valuto un investimento immobiliareStanz@RavennaLa libertà finanziaria mi ha mandato in crisiRischio e incertezza non sono la stessa cosaIl Manifesto del Creatore LiberoReparto Marketing PersuasivoLettera agli azionisti Berkshire Hathaway 2014Banca d'Italia: liquidità delle imprese durante uno shockCONSOB: perché diversificare gli investimenti—Iscriviti alla newsletterSegui Il Baffo Podcast per ricevere i prossimi episodi.

Giulia Ballestri scomparve a Ravenna il 16 settembre 2016. Il suo corpo venne trovato nella notte tra il 18 e il 19 settembre nello scantinato di una villa di proprietà della famiglia del marito, Matteo Cagnoni. Quella villa, costruita negli anni Trenta, era abbandonata da tempo. In città era conosciuta come “la casa degli spiriti”. La donna, stabilì l'inchiesta, era stata colpita ripetutamente con un grosso ramo di pino. L'aggressione era durata 40 minuti, a più riprese. L'assassino l'aveva guardata soffrire, l'aveva spogliata per umiliarla. Giulia Ballestri si stava separando dal marito, un dermatologo famoso, appartenente a una famiglia molto conosciuta in città. L'uomo fu fermato dopo un tentativo di fuga dalla casa dei genitori a Firenze. Negò, e ha sempre continuato a farlo, di essere l'assassino della moglie. Grazie all'iniziativa di una pubblico ministero, l'indagine venne aperta subito, fin dal 18 settembre, per omicidio e non per scomparsa di una persona. Questo permise di acquisire rapidamente una serie di elementi che consentirono di ricostruire, anche visivamente, grazie a varie videocamere, che cosa poteva essere accaduto. Gli inquirenti individuarono il movente nel rifiuto dell'uomo di affrontare quello che considerava uno sfregio alla sua immagine pubblica. Matteo Cagnoni è stato condannato in via definitiva all'ergastolo per omicidio aggravato dalla premeditazione e dalla crudeltà. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giulia Ballestri scomparve a Ravenna il 16 settembre 2016. Il suo corpo venne trovato nella notte tra il 18 e il 19 settembre nello scantinato di una villa di proprietà della famiglia del marito, Matteo Cagnoni. Quella villa, costruita negli anni Trenta, era abbandonata da tempo. In città era conosciuta come “la casa degli spiriti”. La donna, stabilì l'inchiesta, era stata colpita ripetutamente con un grosso ramo di pino. L'aggressione era durata 40 minuti, a più riprese. L'assassino l'aveva guardata soffrire, l'aveva spogliata per umiliarla. Giulia Ballestri si stava separando dal marito, un dermatologo famoso, appartenente a una famiglia molto conosciuta in città. L'uomo fu fermato dopo un tentativo di fuga dalla casa dei genitori a Firenze. Negò, e ha sempre continuato a farlo, di essere l'assassino della moglie. Grazie all'iniziativa di una pubblico ministero, l'indagine venne aperta subito, fin dal 18 settembre, per omicidio e non per scomparsa di una persona. Questo permise di acquisire rapidamente una serie di elementi che consentirono di ricostruire, anche visivamente, grazie a varie videocamere, che cosa poteva essere accaduto. Gli inquirenti individuarono il movente nel rifiuto dell'uomo di affrontare quello che considerava uno sfregio alla sua immagine pubblica. Matteo Cagnoni è stato condannato in via definitiva all'ergastolo per omicidio aggravato dalla premeditazione e dalla crudeltà. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How are you saved? Is being a good person enough?Most of us have some kind of spiritual scoresheet. We look at the good we've done, the mistakes we have made, how often we go to church, or how our lives compare with everyone else. Some look at the score and think, "I've done enough." Others look at it and wonder, "Could God ever want someone like me?"But what if both are looking in the wrong direction?In this sermon from Ephesians 2:4-10, Pastor Jason Barnett explores what the Bible says about salvation, God's grace, faith in Jesus, and good works. Paul's answer is surprisingly freeing: salvation isn't something we accomplish or earn. It is God's gift, and the good things we do come after God makes us alive in Christ, not as a way of convincing Him to save us.Whether you're exploring Christianity, new to following Jesus, carrying regrets from your past, or have been in church your entire life, this message invites you to consider one important question: When you think about whether you are saved, are you looking at what Jesus has done or at what you have done?Put down the scoresheet. You are not saved by what you have done, but by what Jesus has done for you.Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

Host Matt Trump (fighting a temperamental mic cord) turns his leftover map slides into a full episode on a provocative question: did the barbarians actually destroy Rome, or preserve it? Picking up from last week's Phantom Time detour, he leans on Belgian historian Henri Pirenne and the book Medieval Cities, bought decades ago as an Austin physics grad student, to argue a mainstream but revisionist case. The thesis: the Germanic tribes (Goths, Angles, Saxons, Franks) did not want to burn Rome down. They wanted in, preserving Roman civilization under new rulers, feudalism, and above all the Church, which outlived the state. What truly severed the ancient world, Pirenne argues, was the Arab conquest cutting Christian Europe off from Mediterranean commerce, shifting Europe's center of gravity north. Expect Hagia Sophia, Ravenna mosaics, Justinian, and pointed parallels to whether America is reliving Rome's fall.

Episode 527 debuts on Wednesday, August 26, at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time). Rebroadcasts will take place according to the Crusade Channel programming schedule. Our topic is Before Christ, There Were Sacraments. Sacraments Before Christ I: ‘The Law of Nature' — by Brother André Marie at catholicism.org Sacraments Before Christ II: Abrahamic Covenant and Mosaic Law — by Brother André Marie at catholicism.org The Sacrifices of Melchizedek, Abel, and Abraham. Mosaic from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. Reconquest is a militant, engaging, and informative Catholic radio program featuring interviews with interesting guests as well as commentary by your host. It is a radio-journalistic extension of the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center.

In 533, a twenty-eight-year-old general named Belisarius sailed from Constantinople with 15,000 men to reconquer North Africa from the Vandals, a kingdom that had held it for nearly a century since the sack of Rome. The last time the Eastern Empire had attempted the crossing, the entire fleet had been destroyed. Belisarius landed, defeated the Vandal king in two battles, entered Carthage without a fight, sat on the enemy's throne, and was awarded the first proper Roman triumph in five hundred years. Then Justinian sent him to retake Italy with 7,000 troops. He took Sicily, took Naples, took Rome, and held it against a Gothic army that outnumbered him roughly twenty-to-one for over a year, personally leading cavalry charges from the crumbling Aurelian Walls. When the Goths offered him the crown of the Western Roman Empire, he pretended to accept, walked into Ravenna, arrested the Gothic leadership, and shipped them to Constantinople. Italy was Roman again. And Justinian, terrified of the man who had made it possible, recalled him, stripped his command, and never gave him the resources to finish anything again. Today's guests are Matteo and Matthew Storm, the father-and-son hosts of Lost Roman Heroes, who devoted a five-part series and over five hours to the life of Belisarius. We discuss why a man who did more than anyone since Aurelian to restore the Roman Empire has been almost completely erased from popular memory, how the Plague of Justinian and a volcanic winter destroyed everything Belisarius had reconquered, why Procopius wrote two radically contradictory portraits of the same man, and whether Antonina was the most unfairly maligned woman in Byzantine history or one of its most destructive. We look at why Justinian gave the eunuch Narses everything he never gave Belisarius and what that reveals about how empires manage the men they depend on, why the legend of Belisarius blinded and begging in the streets has persisted for fifteen hundred years despite being almost certainly false, and whether a civilization truly dies when its last true believer falls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You believe in Jesus. You know the Bible stories. Maybe you can point back to the moment you first gave our life to Christ. But when was the last time your faith actually moved you?In "Pick Up the Hammer," Pastor Jason Barnett closes the Faith in Work Boots series from James 2:20-26, where James points to Abraham and Rahab as examples of a faith that didn't stay safely on the shelf. Their trust in God became visible through obedience.This isn't a message about doing more church stuff, earning God's love, or proving you're a good Christian. It's about the uncomfortable gap between saying, "I believe" and actually following Jesus when He asks us to move.If your Christian faith has become routine, if most of your stories about God happened years ago, or if you've been waiting for somebody else to do what God may be asking of you, this message is for you.What is the next thing Jesus is asking you to do? You don't have to do everything. You just have to trust Jesus enough to take the next step.Living faith leaves footprints, and you cannot leave footprints until you move.Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

Anders ser en romantisk cirkelslutning när Ronaldinho "värvas" till Ravenna. Johan synar den och vill hellre hänga med Uefaranken.Dessutom: Italienska fotbollsoperor, kvartssamtal, 11-spelarplaner, Siriusbröder, Modern Talking-receptet, svensk fotbolls usla form och en ödesmättad mening om Mjällby som vårt sista hopp. Bli Offsidemedlem och lås upp hela vår ljudvärld!

John Bennett is joined by Julien Laurens & James Horncastle to preview the Serie A season and react to the news of Ronaldinho's return for third tier Ravenna. Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway drops by to give the latest on Barcelona's striker search. Plus, Malaga fan Jose Luis Sabatel talks about the club's return to the Spanish top flight. And in Ligue 1, Paul Pogba has left Monaco, but where next for the former Manchester United man? Time Codes: 05:00 - Ronaldinho's return 09:40 - Serie A Preview 27:55 - Barcelona Latest 36:00 - Malaga's La Liga return 44:20 - Paul Pogba 50:50 - Season Predictions

John Bennett is joined by Julien Laurens & James Horncastle to preview the Serie A season and react to the news of Ronaldinho's return for third tier Ravenna. Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway drops by to give the latest on Barcelona's striker search. Plus, Malaga fan Jose Luis Sabatel talks about the club's return to the Spanish top flight. And in Ligue 1, Paul Pogba has left Monaco, but where next for the former Manchester United man? Time Codes: 05:00 - Ronaldinho's return 09:40 - Serie A Preview 27:55 - Barcelona Latest 36:00 - Malaga's La Liga return 44:20 - Paul Pogba 50:50 - Season Predictions

En esta emisión del Daily Show de Fútbol de Primera, repasamos las noticias del día: Víctor Manuel Vucetich es presentado como vicepresidente y entrenador de Tigres UANL. Analizamos también el traspaso de Armando "La Hormiga" González al Olympiacos de Grecia desde Chivas, el anuncio del nuevo modelo deportivo de la FMF y la confirmación de Ivar Sisniega sobre el límite de convocados por equipo para la Selección de Rafa Márquez. En Europa y Sudamérica, el "Cuti" Romero es presentado con el Atlético de Madrid y aborda la situación de Julián Álvarez, la insólita vuelta del astro brasileño Ronaldinho al fútbol con el Ravenna en Italia, y el repaso completo de la jornada de Copa Libertadores y Sudamericana. Déjanos tu opinión en los comentarios y suscríbete para mantenerte informado con el sello de Fútbol de Primera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us would never say we believe some people matter more than others. But what happens when our actions reveal a seating chart we didn't realize was there?In James 2:1-13, James confronts favoritism in the church and challenges the way Christians judge people by wealth, reputation, family, appearance, and status. His words are uncomfortable because he doesn't dismiss favoritism as personal preference or harmless bias. He calls it sin.But this message isn't only for those who have judged others. It is also for anyone who knows what it feels like to be judged, overlooked, or made to feel like the wrong kind of person. The answer James points us toward isn't more judgment, it is mercy.What does loving your neighbor actually require? How should the mercy of Jesus change the way Christians see and treat people? And what if some of our hardest judgments reveal places where we still need Christ's mercy ourselves?People who receive mercy don't add to the load; they share it.In this message from the Faith in Work Boots series, Pastor Jason explores James 2:1-13 and what it teaches about favoritism, Christian judgment, church hurt, mercy, holiness, loving your neighbor, and a faith in Jesus that changes how we treat people around us.Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

It is easy to see the cracks in someone else's life. Their bad decisions. Their anger. Their compromises. Their sin. But what if James wants to inspect a different house?In this sermon from James 1:13-15, Pastor Jason Barnett explores where temptation really begins, why our desires make certain bait attractive, and what happens when the cracks within us are ignored. James challenges us to stop blaming God, the devil, our circumstances, or the people around us long enough to honestly examine our own hearts.But recognizing what is broken isn't the end of the gospel. Jesus offers more than better behavior or stronger willpower. Through the cross, resurrection, and transforming work of the Holy Spirit, we can receive forgiveness for sin and experience real transformation from within.Faith does the hard work of confronting what is broken within. What crack has God shown you're finally willing to let Him repair?Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

Send us Fan MailGolden words can do more than sound beautiful. They can change how you live. We're diving into the life and sermons of St. Peter Chrysologus, the fifth-century Bishop of Ravenna whose preaching earned him the title “Doctor of Homilies” and the nickname “Golden Worded” for a reason: he makes Catholic truth feel close, clear, and doable.We trace who he is, the turbulent world he shepherds, and why his message still hits home in a distracted age. His homilies don't float above real life. They land in kitchens, workplaces, and parishes with vivid images and simple urgency. We talk about the historical pressure in Ravenna, the confusion of heresy and spiritual apathy, and how Chrysologus answers it by weaving Scripture and tradition into a steady path toward holiness.Then we spend time on the heart of his preaching: Eucharistic devotion and the Real Presence. Chrysologus points away from himself and toward the altar, insisting the Eucharist is not a symbol but an encounter with Jesus Christ. We also explore his Marian reverence, his insistence on charity and forgiveness, and his direct call to repentance, confession, and ongoing conversion. If you've been craving a more focused Catholic spiritual life, his “golden words” offer a clean reset: Christ at the center, the sacraments as strength, Our Lady as guide, and the saints as companions.Subscribe for more Catholic teaching and saint stories, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What's one practice you want to change after listening?Open by Steve Bailey Support the showJourneys of Faith brings you Super Saints PodcastsChat with US 24/7 Ask us anything https://chatting.page/mjxs9aerrtgm3lmpndlcepmbyosntrjnDownload Journeys of Faith App for Iphone or Android FREE https://journeysoffaith.com/pages/download-our-appPlease consider subscribing to this podcast or making a donation to Journeys of Faith Help us Grow!Journeys of Faith is blessed to provide Catholic media, including podcasts and inspirational content, free of charge across multiple media platforms for viewers and listeners around the world. While access to this content remains free, there are significant and continually increasing costs associated with producing, hosting, and distributing these programs. Your support helps us continue sharing the beauty of the Catholic faith with souls everywhere. We want to reach more souls and you can help us do that by becoming a Mission Angel. Make a Donation Any AmountRefer a FriendYou can help us ...

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus; 5th century Church Father; he studied under Bishop Cornelius and was ordained Bishop of Ravenna by Pope Sixtus; he was given the name Chrysologus or “golden-worded” by Empress Galla Placidia, daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius I; he died in 450 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/30/26 Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53

RDOD — Our Norwegian Viva Mediterranean Trip Report (Part 1): Venice to Athens

How do you keep your heart open in a world that keeps giving you a reason to close it?After enough disappointment, it is easy to become guarded. We've all been hurt. We've all trusted the wrong people. We've all wondered if being compassionate is worth the risk.In this sermon from Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Pastor Jason Barnett explores God's command to "open your hand" and reveals that the real issue isn't our wallets, it is our hearts. Before our hands ever close, our hearts do.Discover how God's generosity toward us through Jesus Christ transforms our hearts so we can become people with open hands, open homes, and open lives.Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

He was a disciple of St Peter, born in Antioch. St Peter took him to Rome (he was bishop of Antioch before being bishop of Rome, so Antioch is as much the 'see of Peter' as is Rome) and made him Bishop of Ravenna. In Ravenna, he healed the wife of the military governor of a grave illness, after which the governor and his household confessed Christ and were baptized. Apollinarius was able to form a house church in the governor's home, from which he labored for the Gospel for twelve years. Eventually, he was condemned to exile in Illyria for his faith, and began a life of missionary travel in the Balkans, travelling as far as the Danube. After twelve years of this work, he was driven back to Italy by the hostility of some of the pagans. He was received with joy by the people of Ravenna, which aroused the envy of the pagan elders, who denounced him to the Emperor Vespasian. When the elders asked permission to kill Apollinarius, the Emperor only gave them permission to drive him from the city, wisely saying 'It is not seemly to take revenge on behalf of the gods, for they can themselves be revenged on their enemies if they are angered.' But, in defiance of the Imperial decree, the pagan leaders attacked and killed Apollinarius with knives. His holy relics are preserved in Ravenna, in a church dedicated to him.

24 And there was also a strife amongst them, which of them should seem to be the greater.Facta est autem et contentio inter eos, quis eorum videretur esse major. 25 And he said to them: The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and they that have power over them, are called beneficent.Dixit autem eis : Reges gentium dominantur eorum : et qui potestatem habent super eos, benefici vocantur. 26 But you not so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is the leader, as he that serveth.Vos autem non sic : sed qui major est in vobis, fiat sicut minor : et qui praecessor est, sicut ministrator. 27 For which is greater, he that sitteth at table, or he that serveth? Is it not he that sitteth at table? But I am in the midst of you, as he that serveth:Nam quis major est, qui recumbit, an qui ministrat? nonne qui recumbit? Ego autem in medio vestrum sum, sicut qui ministrat : 28 And you are they who have continued with me in my temptations:vos autem estis, qui permansistis mecum in tentationibus meis. 29 And I dispose to you, as my Father hath disposed to me, a kingdom;Et ego dispono vobis sicut disposuit mihi Pater meus regnum, 30 That you may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom: and may sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.ut edatis et bibatis super mensam meam in regno meo, et sedeatis super thronos judicantes duodecim tribus Israel.St Apollinaris, a disciple of St Peter, came with the latter from Antioch to Rome. He was consecrated Bishop of Ravenna and preached the Gospel of Christ amidst many persecutions, including prison and exile. The Apostle of Ravenna was beaten to death A.D. 79.

Kapitelsmesse aus dem Kölner Dom am Donnerstag der 16. Woche im Jahreskreis. Nichtgebotener Gedenktag des Heiligen Apollinaris, Bischof von Ravenna, Märtyrer (außer in der Stadt Köln; in der Weltkirche am 20. Juli) / Übertragung der Reliquien der Heiligen Drei Könige (außer in Düsseldorf). Zelebrant: Domdechant Robert Kleine.  

Was our first 10-night cruise on the Norwegian Viva everything we hoped it would be?

What if the greatest threat to the church isn't false teaching but putting ourselves first?In one the shortest books of the Bible, the Apostle John introduces us to a man named Diotrephes. We don't know much about him, but one sentence says a lot about him: he loved to be first. That desire didn't just affect him, it damaged relationships, divided the church, and pushed people away from Christ.In this message from 3 John 9-11, Pastor Jason Barnett explores how pride quietly turns the Church of Christ into the Church of Me. We'll discover why the real issue isn't simply church leadership, but the throne of the human heart. When self sits on the throne, Jesus becomes a tool, the church becomes a means, and people become obstacles.Whether you've been hurt by church conflict, struggle with pride, or simply want to keep Jesus at the center of your life, this message offers both honest truth and the hope of the gospel.Jesus didn't come to build our kingdoms, He came to invite us to into His.Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

Send us Fan MailA first-century city packed with temples, power, and suspicion meets a single unshakable missionary. We follow Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna, remembered as a disciple of Saint Peter and the first bishop of Ravenna, as he steps into a world where preaching the gospel is not a metaphor, it is a risk you feel in your bones.We talk through the heart of his apostolic mission: how he leads like a real shepherd by staying close to his people, teaching house by house, and carrying a quiet confidence rooted in Christ. Along the way are traditions of miracles and healings that spark conversions, but also the darker side of early Christian history, riots, brutal beatings, and exile. What keeps Apollinaris moving is not denial of fear, but a steady choice to return, serve, and forgive.His story ends where so many early Church stories do, with martyrdom, but the episode refuses to treat it as defeat. We trace how his sacrifice strengthens the Christian community, shapes Ravenna's identity, and lives on through devotion, pilgrimage, relics, and the Basilica of Saint Apollinarius. If you want a faith story that builds real courage, deepens Catholic devotion, and shows what leadership looks like under pressure, this journey delivers. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with the line that challenged you most.Open by Steve Bailey Support the showJourneys of Faith brings you Super Saints PodcastsChat with US 24/7 Ask us anything https://chatting.page/mjxs9aerrtgm3lmpndlcepmbyosntrjnDownload Journeys of Faith App for Iphone or Android FREE https://journeysoffaith.com/pages/download-our-appPlease consider subscribing to this podcast or making a donation to Journeys of Faith Help us Grow!Journeys of Faith is blessed to provide Catholic media, including podcasts and inspirational content, free of charge across multiple media platforms for viewers and listeners around the world. While access to this content remains free, there are significant and continually increasing costs associated with producing, hosting, and distributing these programs. Your support helps us continue sharing the beauty of the Catholic faith with souls everywhere. We want to reach more souls and you can help us do that by becoming a Mission Angel. Make a Donation Any AmountRefer a FriendYou can help us ...

Today's saint, Apollinaris was important in the early church in Ravenna. St. Apollinaris shows us what it means to be holy and humble.

Monday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Apollinaris; born in Antioch, and became a disciple of St. Peter; his successor as bishop of Ravenna, St. Peter Chrysologus, preached a sermon in his honor in the 5th century, recalling how in the Church’s infancy, St. Apollinaris showed deep faith and dedication in the face of punishment; two beautiful churches in the onetime important Byzantine city of Ravenna are dedicated to him; he died in 79 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/20/26 Gospel: Matthew 12:38-42

Full Text of Readings Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 395 The Saint of the day is Saint Apollinaris Saint Apollinaris' Story According to tradition, Saint Peter sent Saint Apollinaris to Ravenna, Italy, as its first bishop. His preaching of the Good News was so successful that the pagans there beat him and drove him from the city. He returned, however, and was exiled a second time. After preaching in the area surrounding Ravenna, he entered the city again. After being cruelly tortured, he was put on a ship heading to Greece. Pagans there caused him to be expelled to Italy, where he went to Ravenna for a fourth time. He died from wounds received during a savage beating at Classis, a suburb of Ravenna. A beautiful basilica honoring him was built there in the sixth century. Reflection Following Jesus involves risks—sometimes the supreme risk of life itself. Martyrs are people who would rather accept the risk of death than deny the cornerstone of their whole life: faith in Jesus Christ. Everyone will die eventually—the persecutors and those persecuted. The question is what kind of a conscience people will bring before the Lord for judgment. Remembering the witness of past and present martyrs can help us make the often small sacrifices that following Jesus today may require.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Have you ever felt like you have to clean up your life before you could come to church? Or maybe someone made you feel like you didn't belong because of your past, your appearance, or your mistakes.Jesus tells a very different story.In this message from Matthew 22:1-14, Pastor Nicole Barnett explores the Parable of the Wedding Banquet and of its most misunderstood moments: the guest without wedding clothes. Rather than teaching Christians to stand at the door deciding who belongs, Jesus reminds His followers that our calling is to carry the invitation while trusting God to transform the people He welcomes.If you've experienced church hurt, struggled with feelings of unworthiness, or wondered whether God's invitation is really for you, this sermon offers both hope and challenges. It also calls believers to exchange gatekeeping for grace, remembering that the King never asked us to inspect His guests--only to invite them.The invitation is open.Will you trust the King enough to accept it... and extend it to someone else?Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

Hermann Ebbinghaus is remembered mostly for discovering the forgetting curve. Open any psychology textbook, any blog devoted to a flashcard app or any study-tips listicle, and you’ll find his name alongside a distinctive graph. Memory expert Tony Buzan called it the most important graph in the world. That’s because its iconic line shows memory plummeting within hours of learning something new, then flattening out over days. Countless discussions of how to reduce forgetting give you the same tidy recommendations. Usually they tell you to review your study materials at intervals, just at the point you’re starting to forget. That way, many authors promise, you’ll beat the curve. The problem, just one of many you’ll discover today, is this: Ebbinghaus didn’t discover the forgetting curve. He discovered his forgetting curve. He was one man, testing his own memory, on one kind of material, using one method. And although the forgetting curve is indeed one of the most repeatable and reproducible principles in the history of scientific studies, reproducibility in laboratory settings does not mean you’ll stop forgetting by using the conventional recommendations. Besides, here’s something almost no one else will tell you: The deepest principles the Ebbinghaus experiments revealed were already written down more than two thousand years earlier by Aristotle. You’ll find them in a short treatise that describes something remarkably close to using a Memory Palace in combination with the same kind of serial positioning Ebbinghaus described as a means for reducing forgetting. So today I’m going to cover a few aspects of the forgetting curve all serious users of memory techniques need to know. These are points I’ve been putting off writing about for a long time. However, a few emails and comments I’ve received over the past few years have convinced me that now is finally the time. Especially since I’ve spent decades memorizing poetry, scripture, mantras, complex terms, the names of people from various backgrounds and vocabulary and phrases in multiple languages. And I’ve done this all while teaching thousands of students to do the same. From where I sit as a practitioner, the forgetting curve is real, useful and badly misunderstood. But treated correctly, it’s an invitation to success. First, however, for the uninitiated, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about the definition of this term. That way, you’ll be able to discover your own curve and work on reducing its impact in your learning life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_qwUkfO65M   What Is the Forgetting Curve? In 1885, Ebbinghaus published Über das Gedächtnis (Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology). In this monumental work, he reported years of experiments he had run on a single subject: himself. He memorized lists of sinnlose Silben, the German term for nonsense syllables. These were consonant-vowel-consonant combinations like ZOF and KEB. After committing lists of such invented words, he then tested how much effort it took to relearn them after various delays. Notice two things. First, these were invented words. Nothing with any meaning. Second, pay attention to the word relearn. Ebbinghaus did not measure memory only by asking whether he could reproduce an entire list perfectly. He also measured what he called “savings” in the context of relearning. This study goes quite deep into the nuances and implications of this particular concept for memory. To get the concept in brief, suppose it initially took you 20 repetitions to learn something. If it took only 10 repetitions to relearn it later, some trace of the original learning clearly remained. Your inability to reproduce the information perfectly would not mean the memory had disappeared completely. Keep this idea of “savings” in mind. It matters more than the famous graph, and we’ll return to it when I show you what happened to a long Sanskrit mantra I intentionally abandoned for years. It also connects to some concepts in memory introduced by Richard Semon and studied more recently by Dr. Paul Garrett in relation to the role of fuzzy memory. Back to Ebbinghaus, the  result of his experiments is what we now call the forgetting curve. It shows how retention drops steeply at first, then the decline slows. He also documented what we now call the spacing effect. It describes how reviews distributed over time preserve more in long-term memory than the same number of reviews crammed together. All of what Ebbinghaus found replicates, so his science is not in question here. What’s in question is what you and I should actually do with his findings.  And that’s where things really start to get interesting. Ebbinghaus Was an Early n=1 Memorizer Notice what Ebbinghaus actually was: A practitioner running experiments on his own memory. In today’s language, he was doing n=1 self-experimentation. He had skin in the game, memorized real material with his own mind, and measured what happened. I took his actions as both a lesson and an inspiration. It’s just that rather than memorize nonsense (apart from a bit of Kurt Schwitters’ “Ursonate”), I’ve focused on applying memory techniques to Chinese, scripture, poetry and facts related to law school. But you will never see the results you can achieve by reading about Ebbinghaus. You’ll only see it by memorizing information yourself and paying attention to what happens next. Tony Buzan was great about splitting the difference during his ThinkBuzan seminars. He taught memory techniques, but also had participants draw their own graph of the forgetting curve. Here’s mine: In sum, reading about the forgetting curve while never memorizing anything is like reading about swimming while refusing to get wet. Is There Such a Thing As Too Much Scientific Literacy? Years ago, Harry Lorayne coached me on becoming a successful memory coach. I followed just about everything he said, except one thing. He said, “whatever you do, don’t tell ’em about the science.” The reason I ignored the advice is that: I’m very interested in memory science Studying it has helped me discover many powerful memory activities and brain exercises The only problem I’ve seen is that about a year ago, students of all ages started writing to me in the language of science at an increasing rate. And for many, the various terms and memory statistics available online have created anxiety and perfectionism I don’t think needs to exist. For example, a medical student taking the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass recently emailed multiple times with worries about whether his review schedule was set to properly combat the “decay function.” Now, obviously, the research on memory genuinely matters. I cite it often and terms like this can be useful for forming a solid practice with using mnemonics. But Lorayne’s warning has started to take on a strange and unexpected sense because something strange happens when the vocabulary of science replaces practice. After all, science is mostly there to describe, not proscribe. We can certainly use scientific findings to improve our practice, but it’s not helpful to let techniques that have been used happily for thousands of years become the source of anxiety thanks to scientific papers. Don’t Let These Terms Interfere With Your Memory Training It’s not only beginners with memory techniques or medical students who would tend towards scientific verbiage when contacting me. I regularly hear from people fluent in the terminology, sometimes with publications to their name. A published researcher wrote me recently and had thoroughly reasoned himself into genuine paradox. Amongst other things, he wanted to know what a trained mnemonist’s memory does “without any technique.” Now, you certainly can get a swimmer to demonstrate what a particular stroke looks like without the water. And in the context of memory training, the question can sound rigorous. But in my view, this kind of question suggests that the researcher has lost contact with the very thing he’s asking about. This is because someone with a trained memory can’t isolate a ‘raw baseline’ without risking cognitive paradox. I would have to reflect on my use of mnemonic methods while not using them. And since he immediately followed-up with a pseudo-scientific claim about photographic memory, I knew he was not taking Ebbinghaus’ n=1 practice as an example by actually using the techniques himself. After all, photographic memory has been thoroughly debunked and I’ve demonstrated many times over that it not only does not exist. The term itself makes zero sense. So this is where some nuance about the forgetting curve is very important to the serious user of memory techniques. No matter who you are, you need to make contact with actual remembering. Aristotle Described the Core Principle Two Thousand Years Ago Actually studying and practicing a wide variety of memory techniques will get you insight far more interesting and impactful than any psychology textbook could hope to provide. In De Memoria et Reminiscentia, Aristotle describes recollection as movement through an ordered series. At one point in the book, he uses a sequence like the letters of the alphabet and gives strikingly practical advice that deeply inspired what I call Recall Rehearsal. This is a form of spaced repetition applied specifically to the Memory Palace technique. As Aristotle puts it, if you forget something, don’t start over from the beginning. Start from the middle of the series and move outward from there. Richard Sorabji, in his landmark study Aristotle on Memory, admits that he doesn’t understand what Aristotle is talking about in this passage. That’s a courageous confession, as many scholars would just make something up or speculate. As a practitioner of memory techniques with decades of experience, I can tell you what I believe Aristotle is describing. It’s either: An alphabetically labeled Memory Palace An early description of serial positioning and spaced repetition Or a description that provided the inspiration for creating this kind of Memory Palace practice. It’s genuinely difficult to say which. But either way, the principle and how it reduces unwanted forgetting is unmistakable to anyone who has actually run the technique. In case you have never used a Memory Palace, it involves ordered locations, deliberate starting points, and strategic entry into the middle of a sequence as part of several spaced repetition patterns that establish substantial retention. Modern Practitioners Who Know How to Beat the Forgetting Curve  You can trace this practitioner lineage forward through Peter of Ravenna, Jacobus Publicius, Robert Fludd, Giordano Bruno, and in our own time, mnemonists like myself and Lynne Kelly (especially in her book, Memory Craft). Our combination of fieldwork and daily personal practice in particular sets the standard for studying these techniques. Certainly Frances Yates deserves credit for reviving scholarly interest in mnemonics through her book, The Art of Memory, but she acknowledged never practicing the techniques herself. Frankly, it shows. Her treatment of memory wheels, for example, creates the impression they were used as Memory Palaces, which is possible but unlikely. Practice changes what you can see in the Memory Palace books you read. Why does the Aristotle passage matter for the forgetting curve? Because his advice that you should “start from the middle” of a sequence of information you keep forgetting is serial positioning in action. And serial positioning is the key to defeating the curve. My Own Forgetting Curve, Observed in the Wild The reason I’ve never tried to reproduce Ebbinghaus’s experiment formally by memorizing nonsense is precisely because you see advice on how to beat the forgetting curve thousands of years before he conducted his research. That said, I have watched my own forgetting curve operate over years, and the observations I’ve made are instructive. For example, I worked daily with one long-form mantra built from a few dozen Sanskrit phrases for many years: the Song Celestial. Then I deliberately let it lapse with no rehearsal at all for approximately two years. I was not as deliberate as I could have been in terms of tracking like Ebbinghaus would have. But since the research is so heavily reproducible and we know why Memory Palaces work, I was happy to be casual about it. When I finally came back to this mantra, I was shocked by how much I could still recall. The forgetting curve had certainly caused some “decay.” But it was nothing like what Ebbinghaus’s graph would predict for material of that length after that much neglect. In Ebbinghaus’s own terms, the “savings” were enormous. And the relearning cost me a fraction of the original effort, because the trace was never gone. It was waiting for me. The question is, why? After all, I can’t sing songs I used to know by heart when I was a kid? Part of the answer is that I never stopped reciting the other three Sanskrit mantras I have memorized. They have very similar meanings, and in many cases, some of the same words. The meaning element in particular suggests that I partly benefitted from stronger retention due to what scientists call context dependence. Because I never left the realm of reciting Sanskrit entirely, that must explain the higher rate of retention. Compare this to my previous career as a Film Studies professor. I hardly watch movies anymore, let alone read theoretical books about them or lecture for weeks on end during a traditional university semester. The lack of context has accelerated the force of the forgetting curve and deskilled my chops as a film scholar. Memory Palaces: Structured Spaced Retrieval Systems That Beat Forgetting Apart from context-dependent memory benefits, another reason I could recall so much of a mantra despite not reciting it for years has to do with how I memorized it: using the Memory Palace technique. Not as a party trick, but as a structured spaced retrieval system. To learn more about how it works, check out my Complete Guide to the Memory Palace technique. In brief, the key is to place information tethered to associations along the stations of a Memory Palace and then practice Recall Rehearsal following patterns no software like Anki can guide you through. Titus Andronicus and Recall Rehearsal in Action My favorite demonstration where I show you Recall Rehearsal in action involves Shakespeare, specifically a passage from Titus Andronicus I memorized for my case study of how Anthony Hopkins memorizes his scripts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhjIkGu32CA I’ve retained the passage ever since running it through Recall Rehearsal with minimal repetition. Or better said, I repeat these lines often, but now it’s performance, not just recitation. But the interesting thing isn’t really that I can recite this passage. Anyone can chain words together through brute force rote learning and recite lines like these forward. The proof of the power of Recall Rehearsal is that I can recite the lines out of order: Jumping between sections Running lines in reverse Reciting the odd-numbered lines and then the even numbered lines It’s now probably my favorite demonstration because it makes the power of serial positioning visible. Even better: I’m not alone in enjoying the benefits of improved retention. Magnetic Memory Method Students Who Have Bent the Curve I’ve watched this play out in my students for years, and two cases capture it especially well. Jeannie Koh spent years learning Koine Greek using rote learning during years of what she said were filled with tears and pain. But after learning to encode with Memory Palaces, she found memorizing “much less painful, and much more enduring over time,” now recalling whole passages in that ancient language with an ease she says feels almost suspicious. Same brain, same language, two encoding methods, two completely different forgetting curves. She’s a one-person controlled experiment. For more success stories, including physicians who used these methods to retrieve high-volume, complex information under exam pressure months after encoding it, check out my testimonials page. The pattern is always the same: the forgetting curve is not destiny. So long as you’re using memory techniques optimally, you can resist it, if not beat it. Should You Reproduce Ebbinghaus’s Experiment? One problem I see time and again is that many people want the exact steps needed to measure their progress. Especially when they hear me discuss how rigorously I use journaling as part of my memory activities. I’m sorry, but the demand for “exact steps” is mostly a desire installed by content marketing. The truth is that there isn’t one exact path. There are several and the real lesson in Ebbinghaus’ story is that you need to get involved in creating your own. You can journal manually by simply memorizing real words or nonsense words. Note the dates, and test yourself over time. What matters is that you work inside projects that matter to you. Whether that’s language learning, poetry, mantras, scripture, use a memory journal to help you test what holds and what fades as you use memory techniques. If you’re competitive, you can study how memory athletes use journaling to sharpen their game. My podcast conversation with Johannes Mallow, in which he explains how journaling improved his competitive standing, will be useful in that regard. Often Forgetting Is Actually a Crisis of Commitment If there’s one thing I’ve noticed over the years, it’s that people often take on learning projects connected to lives they do not actually want. They study for a qualification because they believe they should, or to please a family member. As a result, they struggle to memorize information for a job they already suspect will make them miserable. Then they interpret their resistance as a defective memory, when the deeper problem is in fact a conflict of purpose. I’ve had to face this in my own law-school experiment. I could not know in advance exactly what studying law would involve or how well the field would suit me. The saving grace is that trying it has given me greater insight into what’s involved. But now that I’ve seen some of the field from within, I have to ask a different question: Just because I am a mnemonist who can memorize legal Latin quickly and an upcoming presentation I have to give does not mean I must continue pursuing every possible outcome associated with the degree. The ability to remember something does not prove that it deserves years of my life. As I know from my studies in polymathy, memory mastery must include the development of careful selection parameters. In other words, one of the best “meta level” ways to beat the forgetting curve is to decide whether the material deserves a place in your memory at all. If you’d like help picking what to memorize on top of using the Memory Palace technique and Recall Rehearsal, my new training “The System” can help you pick a first project you actually care about. Once you have a learning goal you love, keep a journal as you memorize. Not to reproduce a nineteenth-century experiment, but to watch yourself break the forgetting curve, one piece of info at a time.

Have you ever spent years trying to earn someone's love or approval?Maybe it was a parent. Maybe it was a spouse. Maybe it was a coach, teacher, or boss. You kept thinking: "Maybe this time...", "Maybe this accomplishment", "Maybe this conversation", or "Maybe this success" would finally be enough.Leah knew that feeling.In Genesis 29:31-35, Leah spends years hoping Jacob will finally notice her, love her, and choose her. But what happens when the person whose approval you've been chasing never changes?Pastor Jason explores one of the most heartbreaking stories in Genesis and reveals the freedom that comes when we stop building our identity on someone else's acceptance and discover the love God has already given us through Jesus Christ.If you've ever struggled with rejection, people-pleasing, emotional neglect, or the exhausting pursuit of approval, this message is for you.The greatest freedom isn't found when someone finally gives you the love you've been chasing; it's found when you realize God already loves you.  Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

"But now my will and my desire were turned, as wheels that move in equilibrium, by love that moves the sun and other stars" - Dante Alighieri, Canto XXXIII"Welcome to Episode #146:Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy Divina Commedia over many years and completed the work late in his life. He died a few years later in Ravenna, Italy. Many find comfort in his words, “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood where the straight way was lost” - Dante AlighieriI contemplate his exile from Florence and his journey as a writer while musing over my own sense of being “in the woods” in recent times and having to forge a new path. It seems his profound words were written for the generations and the centuries that would follow. Yes, there are words that transport and there are some things already written in the stars. Enjoy this episode,Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle's BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA White Chalk ProductionA Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way. Italy has many attractions - art, design, architecture, history and the wonderful food culture. Michelle shares her love of books on Italy and the places and regions that have inspired her along the way.Michelle started 'A Writer in Italy Podcast' to share personal stories and the love of books on Italy that would lead to beautiful conversations with people and like minded souls who share a deep love affair with Italian Culture and the country as a place of beauty and spiritual renewal.Michelle Johnston lives in Australia with her family.© 2026  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and lifeMusic Composed by Richard Johnston © 2026Support the show

Are you exhausted from fighting? Maybe it's conflict at home, tension at work, temptation, anxiety, bitterness, or old wounds that just won't heal. The truth is, everyone is fighting something. But followers of Jesus are not called to fight the same way the world does.In this message from 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, Pastor Jason Barnett explores Paul's powerful military imagery to reveal a surprising truth: Christians do bear arms, but not the weapons the world expects. Instead of  anger, revenge, manipulation, or intimidation, God has given His people spiritual weapons empowered by the Holy Spirit to tear down strongholds, overcome lies, and bring every thought into obedience to Christ.Discover why the cross looked like weakness to the world but became God' greatest victory, and how belonging to another kingdom changes the way you fight every battle.Whether you're struggling with broken relationships, spiritual warfare, unforgiveness, fear, or discouragement, this biblical message will encourage you to lay down the world's weapons and take up the ones Christ has given you.Send us Fan MailLinkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.Ravenna Church of the Nazarene530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472Support the showThe Dirt Path Sermon Podcast is a place for real sermons that speak to real life. Subscribe and walk the path with us every week.Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor.   Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Email dirtpathpastor@gmail.com

I just sat my first open book exam, the format where you’re allowed to bring your notes. You can even bring the physical textbook if you want, a testing format that was totally new to me. Should be easy, right? That’s what your tricky examiners want you to think. And I know not to fall for it. I have a PhD in Humanities, two MA degrees and taught at three universities around the world. During my years of teaching, I wrote, administered and graded more exams and assignments than I can count. Now, back in school as I near my 50s, I’m working on a second Bachelor’s degree. This time in law so I can develop an exact understanding for what law memorization is all about. For my first exam, I scored “High Distinction.” That’s the top grade here in Australia. But here’s something to consider that probably no one else will tell you about open book exams: There was one question I got wrong. And it wasn’t even the one I thought I’d missed. This “error” suggests that having the textbook wouldn’t have saved me even if I’d brought it with me. No, the problem was caused by the open book format itself. In this experience-based guide, I’ll show you what this kind of exam actually tests, and how to prepare properly. That way you can avoid the same recycled study advice just about everyone else gives online. https://youtu.be/_orag2IBwbA What an Open Book Exam Actually Tests (It Isn’t What Most Guides Tell You) First, I have to tell you that I was initially surprised that open book testing exists in law school at all. Especially since to pay for my earlier university studies I took some high-stakes exams for jobs I worked to help pay my tuition at York University. For example, I worked as a store detective and having open book testing for the required security guard license would have been absurd. No employer wants a guard who needs to flip through a textbook to determine whether or not they’ve witnessed a crime, after all. But now that I’ve taken my first exam of this type, I’m fascinated and did some research on why such tests are administered in the first place. In this study, researchers Ming-Yin Chan and Kwok-Wai Mui reveal that open book examinations have existed since at least the 1930s. Using my university library access, I found one such early study in the Journal of Higher Education from March, 1934. As John and Ruth Stalnaker argue in Open-Book Examinations, such testing has many positives: Emphasis falls on the course objectives Students utilize facts to solve problems Inference skills are exercised More time tends to be spent by students on preparation rather than cramming They predict that these kinds of tests will be more widely used in the future and encourage more research into the best kinds of questions suited to this format. Are the questions suitable to the format of studying law? Now that I’ve sat for a couple, I think so. After all, law is the field where getting even just one section number wrong could change the outcome of a case. That means this kind of testing is only partially about testing recall. It’s more about determining whether you can read with precision and work with the exact information as worded on a variety of source materials while the clock is ticking. Twenty Questions, Sixty Minutes, and No Authentic Way to “Look Things Up” So there I was at my laptop, the entire device reduced to just one screen by a lockdown browser called Respondus. My first exam was for a course called “Legal Institutions and Processes.” It is heavy on history and legislation. The first few weeks involved a ton of dense reading from multiple textbooks and a legal dictionary. This is the kind of reading I really haven’t done since I changed my major from Political Science to English during the second year of my first undergraduate degree. Although I had dreamed at my naive young age of one day becoming the Prime Minister of Canada, I changed my mind that year after interviewing the premier of British Columbia for the student newspaper. He clearly lied in response to my question and I determined right then that I was never going to be anything like him. Anyhow, do the math with me. Twenty questions during an hour-long exam gives you three minutes per question. During that time, you need to Read each question carefully Check your answers Fight off all kinds of urges and fidgety feelings that arise when you’re trapped And due to how the lockdown browser software works, I was literally trapped. The rules dictated that I could not leave the computer until I ended the session or the time ran out. The Practical Reality of Flipping Through Notes If you’ve never sat for an exam like this, ask yourself: How much time can you really afford to spend flipping through fifty pages of notes looking for an answer you don’t know? There’s no cookie-cutter answer here, but without preparation, the answer may as well be “zero.” The research agrees. In a 2024 study involving 112 open book and 83 closed book cognitive psychology students, the open book group scored higher. However, they also took longer to finish their exams. One way to interpret these research findings is that having access to your textbook increases your accuracy. But at what price in a world where time is your scarcest resource? How Long Did I Spend? As a time-poor entrepreneur with lots of polymathic projects on the go, I finished my first open book test in approximately thirty minutes. But needing the time to do other things was only part of the reason. A lot of the questions I was able to answer simply by using critical thinking, a skill I taught at university as a professor myself for four years. If you’re interested, here’s a list of my favorite critical thinking books. But the real reason I finished early is because I took the exam without a textbook. And that means for me, it wasn’t an open book situation at all. At least not in the normal sense. Here’s what I mean: My Notes-Only Experiment: Testing Digital Amnesia Under Exam Conditions Years ago, I wrote about a condition the Kaspersky Lab researchers called “digital amnesia.” In brief, your mind blanks out when trying to access information because you’ve stored it on a device you trust instead of in your head. Back then, I argued that every time you reach for a search engine instead of pausing to ask your own memory first, you deskill it. This is not unlike the way your muscles droop when you stop performing pushups. Here’s my original digital amnesia article if you’re interested. Anyhow, I don’t know if I’ll take more advanced law school courses without buying the physical textbooks. But for this exam, I took it as my chance to run a more high-stakes experiment with digital amnesia than I’d ever tried before. Did I have to experiment under proctored conditions, with a grade attached? Of course. Because real test conditions matter. And all the more so in the age of Artificial Intelligence, which challenges many aspects of mind and memory as I’ve previously written about in the context of learning. Let me take you a bit deeper behind the scenes. Because if you know my work with the Magnetic Memory Method, you’ve probably seen me with books frequently. And it can be confusing to suddenly hear that I decided to study 100% online. Why I Refused to Buy the Course Textbooks on Purpose Two reasons. First, I’ve said it on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast for years: I don’t memorize well from screens. In fact, 3x USA memory champion John Graham and I have talked about this “problem” of mine on more than one of our podcast conversations. I’m not alone with this problem. Some researchers even have a name for people who forget what they read from digital devices: the screen inferiority effect. Pablo Delgado and his research team probably gave away the best advice about how to handle the fact that we forget what we read from screens. They gave the solution away in the title of their 2018 Educational Research Review meta-analysis, “Don’t throw away your printed books.” Don’t throw print away indeed. Even some of the most pro-digital people I know follow this advice. For example, Andrew Mayne, host of the OpenAI podcast has been on my podcast to talk about how and why he still uses print journals and physical notebooks as part of training his memory. Second, I made this choice to dimensionalize my work on Peter of Ravenna, the 15th-century jurist who wrote about his legendary memory techniques. In my imagination, he wouldn’t have bought the textbooks either. All of which is to say that I knew what I was getting into when I made the deliberate choice to forgo ordering any of the physical textbooks for my first trimester of law school. But when I learned that my first test settings were going to be open book? I immediately had to reconsider my approach. And handle a frustration I faced with a contradiction in terms. The Unprintable Textbook Problem The assigned textbook, Laying Down the Law, is available through the university’s online library. But they’ve offered it in a digital format that makes printing individual chapters impossible. This means that a student who can’t afford the print edition, or doesn’t want to study from print, has exactly one permitted way to use the textbook: effective note taking. Could I have opened the library copy on a second computer during the exam? Technically, perhaps. But the rules make clear that accessing any secondary device counts as cheating. So I showed up to the test prepared with my handwritten textbook notes instead. I also prepared my own version of the lecture slides to make sure I could refer to them if needed. This required a couple of steps: Download them from the online course platform Upload them into Google Slides Export them as text files Edit the text into useful notes in a Google Doc Supplement the notes with my own observations Print them out Study them further from the printout These steps took time. But I wound up with much more understandable notes as a result. The notes not only fused the lecture content with the readings. I also got an additional review of the material. An Absurd Study Requirement Still, part of my mind couldn’t let go of the absurdity of the situation. I was preparing for an open book exam where the book is locked behind a screen you’re not allowed to open. Students willing to spend the money get to bring the textbook. Anyone else has to bring whatever they managed to copy out by hand. This is not a level testing field. It’s a paywall wearing an academic gown. In my case, the absurdity of this barrier served my learning experiment. But I had a choice. Plenty of students don’t. Think First, Verify Second: How I Actually Used My Notes So how did my handwritten notes and transformed notes based on the slides perform against the clock? At first, I didn’t use the notes at all. Instead, I initially answered every question by thinking first. Then I went over everything a minimum of three times, checking my answers for accuracy against the notes. In other words, I used my notes as a verification instrument, letting the answers come first from my memory. Now that you know how my exam went, let me consolidate everything into some tips for your own open book test. How to Prepare for Your First Open Book Exam: My Best Tips My study suggestions break down into practical strategies and mindset management. You really can’t have one without the other because unexpected things can and do happen no matter how prepared you come to a test. Build a Reading “Moat” Well In Advance Even before I knew about the assignment structure and course exams, I started reading the instant I had access to the course area. But not just the textbook. I made ample use of the included dictionary and memorized new terms using this tried and true vocabulary memorization process. To supplement the reading, I also found as many YouTube channels and podcasts about Australian law as I could. I listened intensely and watched as many hours of video tutorials as possible. Sometimes these audio and video supplements went quite ahead of the reading. So I took care to balance going too far afield of the requirements against making sure I was going through additional material related to legal institutions. Placing guardrails on myself required vigilant self-monitoring and discipline, but I wound up with a “moat” around the core reading. In other words, my core reading was surrounded by related multi-media study. How to Pass an Open Book Exam? Complete All the Readings & Every Exercise Often students ask me about how to find the most important details in their study materials. As I discussed in my tutorial on finding the main points in books and articles, many books include summaries and conclusions. And some include dedicated exercises. That was the case with Laying Down the Law. The instructor also included some additional exercises, and so I completed both. And this is exactly what you need to do too. Be a completist. I know it is tempting to search for hacks of every kind under the sun. But in reality, the point of studying something is to become an expert in that topic. Some experts certainly do skim and scan, but that doesn’t mean you should. Frankly, I found both the readings and the exercises for my first exam a bit boring. But I went through them anyway to help develop my understanding of the material. And to go beyond the call of duty so that later on, I will know I at least tried my best. How to Pass an Open Book Test with Help from AI As I discussed in my video tutorial on studying complex topics, I wrote an AI prompt to spar with and test my answers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfL5ygsYpyg The prompt is called A.I.M. and you’re welcome to grab it below if you want to give this GPT I trained for myself a try with your study material. Here’s an important point: Getting your reading down early and supplementing it with additional material enriches how you complete your exercises. Memorize Anyway, Even If You Have Textbook Access & Keep Flawless Notes One thing I kept hearing early on were sentiments like, “No one cares if you can remember legal Latin.” I took this point into consideration, but memorized the phrases I came across anyway. It turns out one Latin phrase did show up on the quiz. If I hadn’t memorized it, I would have been underprepared (especially since I did not have the textbook with me). Memorization of terms, dates, important names, sections and other minutiae related to your studies might not prove valuable in the end. But more practice with a variety of memory training techniques will provide many benefits. The core techniques I used for this part of the study process were: Memory Palaces Pegword method PAO System Spaced repetition Although it can take a while to learn and practice these mnemonic devices, it is well worth having them on your side. Organize & Supplement Your Notes Effectively I actually got the idea to print out the slides and then rearrange them from my friend Nick. At first, I thought it might be a waste of time. I already faced the problem of forgetting more from digital exposure. But as I edited the slides in a Google document, I realized that the additional exposure involved looking at the information from a unique perspective. While changing the format and organizing them into a structure I better understood, I was processing the information again. I wouldn’t call this form of learning either deep or shallow. It was simply an integrative step that enabled further questioning after I printed out the notes. And I found some initial study exercises in the notes that I later answered with a red pen after doing further research. For example, I extended my understanding of the “Cab-Rank rule” as you see here:   Additionally, I took a moment to set up the footer area. As you can see in the example, this simple trick indicates: To which lecture slide the notes belong The page number The total number of pages for this set of notes Although I felt a bit silly, and perhaps more like a secretary than a student doing this, the rewards were obvious as I was doing it. Knowing that each set of notes was full and completed reduced my test anxiety. And because the pages were numbered and using the footer showed me at a glance that I wasn’t missing anything, I spared myself any and all mystery about the status of my notes during the testing hour. This is not a small point because anxiety-induced memory loss is a real problem. Seriously. I can imagine nothing worse than my mind seizing up with worry that a page of notes had gone missing. Especially when the rules of the test required that I remain in front of the computer throughout. Finally, I bound each set of notes together with a simple clip from the stationery store. Again, it felt a bit secretarial, but it was really useful in making sure all of my notes were organized. I did the same with my handwritten notes. In this case, my handwritten notes were based entirely on key terms I thought would be important for the exam. What I found interesting is that most of what I had written out from the online textbook was the same as on the lecture slides. For more tips on dealing with your reading, check out how to take notes from a textbook. Follow up with my how to memorize a textbook training for what to do with your notes once you’ve got them. Take Deliberately Timed Breaks While Studying Provided you’ve started reading early and expanded your reading to include a variety of sources, it’s important to rest. Frankly, taking breaks is a weakness of mine. I love to plow forward. But I made myself take entire days off leading up to the exam where I didn’t read anything related to the exam. However, I did engage in reflective thinking about my studies. This simple activity while taking time off helps with memory formation and comprehension. Verify Your Sources Before Exam Day As a final step, I went through everything again the day before the exam. This included checking the file names of all my notes and various citations. Plus, there were various names and dates that I had memorized that were not on my notes. So I checked those, such as for the Mabo decision, an important legal case in Australia. Although I knew it was unlikely that a multiple choice question was going to confirm that I knew Mabo’s first name was Eddie, I checked my memory of the fact anyway. This simple verification step not only made sure that other details of the case were clear to me. It’s also just fun to check for accuracy. For Online Open Book Exams, Test All Software In Advance Since I’m a remote student, I not only made sure I completed installing the Respondus software days in advance of the exam. I also made sure all my software was up to date, from the browser to the operating system. Not only is regularly updating software a best practice. Knowing that everything is operational helps reduce exam anxiety. Control Your Mind While the Clock is Ticking Although I finished the exam quickly, it’s not that time wasn’t on my mind. In fact, it was raining hard and I hadn’t slept well. Both of these factors injected no small amount of misery into my mind. In my case, I kept thinking about Peter of Ravenna and how disappointed he would be. There wasn’t much room for memory techniques to shine during the exam experience. Then I started doubting that law school was such a great idea after all. As soon as I caught myself doing that, I started running some of the mantras I memorized prior to writing The Victorious Mind. Having this simple ritual focused my mind back on the task at hand by blowing the distracting thoughts away. If mind wandering causes you issues while sitting for exams, it could be worth looking into various mental routines you can practice. This complete guide contains multiple concentration meditations you might find useful as a learner. Why Do Teachers Give Open Book Exams? Although I passed with High Distinction, my first exam of this type felt alienating. I can’t quite put my finger on what bothers me about it. But to use a critical thinking tactic, I’ll try to steelman the format by way of understanding the reason behind the testing scheme. It’s clear that this kind of test is less about knowledge and more about how detail-oriented the student is. I also suspect that the reason the teacher gave an open book exam is twofold: One: Anti-Guessing Design The open book format means that you will actually go through your learning material. There’s no incentive to guess when you can look at your study sources, leading to at least one more pass through the material. Two: Blended Testing This exam was only part of the grading for the course. I still need to give an oral presentation and submit an essay. By having an initial exam with the anti-guessing design optimized to generate an additional review of the study material, it does set the stage for stronger performance. Summing up: A Plan for Your First Open Book Exam Because time is always in short supply, I suggest that you: Start reading as soon as possible, ideally before the course even begins. Take extensive notes and give yourself time to verify them. Complete all of the available practice questions. Use ChatGPT as a sparring partner, not as a source of answers. Schedule plenty of breaks. If you’re a remote student, check that all of your software is updated. If you would like access to the sparring partner I created for myself, it is called A.I.M. As a study prompt, it’s simple and direct. But I found that it helped me identify a number of blind spots in my thinking. Click or tap the image below to claim it: I don’t know what Peter of Ravenna would have to say about exams like this. But in my experience, the format rewards the prepared mind and the precise reader. I expect my memory will be tested in future law courses and because of the amount of review this kind of testing promotes, I expect the experience has indeed helped my recall. Even if in a different way than I’m used to when studying. For more of my experience and teaching on that, check out my guide on How to Study Effectively next. Above all, enjoy the learning process. We sometimes forget what a blessing it is to be able to study at all. Yet, here we all are, with more people on the planet studying than ever before. Don’t forget to celebrate the opportunity you have and bring that awareness to the exam. Keeping a positive attitude is a major skill that promotes massive success in all of life’s many “tests.”

Full Text of Readings Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 369 The Saint of the day is Saint Romuald Saint Romuald's Story In the midst of a wasted youth, Saint Romuald watched his father kill a relative in a duel over property. In horror he fled to a monastery near Ravenna. After three years, some of the monks found him to be uncomfortably holy and eased him out. Romuald spent the next 30 years going about Italy, founding monasteries and hermitages. He longed to give his life to Christ in martyrdom, and got the pope's permission to preach the gospel in Hungary. But he was struck with illness as soon as he arrived, and the illness recurred as often as he tried to proceed. During another period of his life, Saint Romuald suffered great spiritual dryness. One day as he was praying Psalm 31 (“I will give you understanding and I will instruct you”), he was given an extraordinary light and spirit which never left him. At the next monastery where he stayed, Saint Romuald was accused of a scandalous crime by a young nobleman he had rebuked for a dissolute life. Amazingly, his fellow monks believed the accusation. He was given a severe penance, forbidden from offering Mass, and excommunicated—an unjust sentence that he endured in silence for six months. The most famous of the monasteries Saint Romuald founded was that of the Camaldoli in Tuscany. Here began the Order of the Camaldolese Benedictines, uniting the monastic and eremitical lives. In later life Romuald's own father became a monk, wavered, and was kept faithful by the encouragement of his son. Reflection Christ is a gentle leader, but he calls us to total holiness. Now and then, men and women are raised up to challenge us by the absoluteness of their dedication, the vigor of their spirit, the depth of their conversion. The fact that we cannot duplicate their lives does not change the call to us to be totally open to God in our own particular circumstances.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Tonight's guest, Mike Tornincasa, started out as a paranormal investigator, but due to a series of experiences he had while doing field investigations in places with a history of paranormal events, he's now a paranormal/sasquatch investigator. The first experience he had that might have involved seeing a sasquatch happened about 4 years ago, in an old cemetery, in Ravenna, Ohio. To this day, Mike's not sure what it was that he saw. A few weeks ago, however, he had a clear sighting of a sasquatch. You see, he was doing a livestream for his podcast that night, in Cuyahoga Valley National Forest, in Summit County, Ohio, and wound up seeing an 8-plus-foot-tall sasquatch peek out at him from behind a tree. Mike got the impression the sasquatch wanted him to see it. Needless to say, the experience made quite the impression on Mike. He's officially caught the sasquatch bug now.If you'd like to check out Mike's podcast, MT Paranormal Life, which we hope you will, please visit…https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoq5ddP3YYqUgoezNkF-digIf you'd like to visit the MT Paranormal Life Facebook Page, please visit…  If you've had at least one Sasquatch sighting and would like to be a guest on the show, please go to BigfootEyewitness.com and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.If you'd like to help support the show, by buying your own Bigfoot Eyewitness t-shirt or sweatshirt, please visit the Bigfoot Eyewitness Show Store, by going to https://Dogman-Encounters.MyShopify.comI produce 4 other shows that are available on your favorite podcast app. If you haven't checked them out, here are links to all 4 channels on the Spreaker App...My Bigfoot Sighting https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-bigfoot-sighting Dogman Tales https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dogman-tales--6640134Dogman Encounters https://www.spreaker.com/show/dogman-encounters-radio_2 My Paranormal Experience https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-paranormal-experience Thanks, as always, for listening!

On August 24, 410 AD, the Visigoths walked into Rome. They didn't break down the gates. They didn't storm the walls. The gates were opened from the inside — by slaves, by people who had been living under the Empire for years and had quietly stopped believing in it.The conventional story of the Sack of Rome is barbarian invasion. Fire and screaming. Civilization ending in a single night. That's the Hollywood version. The reality is quieter and worse.Rome wasn't murdered. It was hollowed out over more than two centuries by three forces that had nothing to do with barbarians.The first was money. The silver denarius had been debased so consistently that by 410 the coins were essentially worthless metal stamped with the emperor's face — a promise nobody believed anymore. Soldiers stopped showing up because they were being paid with garbage. Tax collectors demanded payment in gold and silver because the state's own currency wasn't worth taking.The second was borders. On the last day of 406, the Rhine froze and tens of thousands of Vandals, Suebi, and Alans walked across into Roman Gaul. The forts along the river were empty or close to it. The garrisons had been pulled back, stripped to fight civil wars in Italy, or simply never replaced. The frontier wasn't overrun. It was abandoned.The third was power. The Emperor Honorius was hiding in Ravenna — a swamp city with marsh walls — issuing laws that nobody enforced. When they told him Rome had fallen, he thought they meant his pet chicken, a bird he had named Roma. He had become emperor at eight years old. He had never led an army, never governed a province, never made a decision that wasn't filtered through palace bureaucrats more interested in their own survival than the Empire's.When Alaric's Visigoths arrived at the gates of Rome in August 410, the city's own slaves opened them.Rome didn't fall that day. Not really. The Visigoths left after three days. Honorius stayed in Ravenna. The Empire limped on for another 66 years. But everyone who mattered understood what 410 meant. The machine had been failing for centuries. The sack was just the paperwork catching up.Empires don't fall. They hollow out. And hollowing is worse than falling — because from the outside, everything still looks intact.00:00 — Rome Wasn't Murdered, It Was Hollowed Out01:54 — Welcome to The Roman Pattern02:19 — Rome in 410: A Theater Set03:06 — Two Centuries of Debasement05:15 — December 406: When the Rhine Froze06:53 — Alaric: The Visigoth Who Wanted to Be Roman08:16 — Honorius and His Chicken Named Roma09:10 — August 24, 410: The Gates Open From Inside10:29 — Saint Jerome Wept in Bethlehem11:50 — Why Rome Didn't Fall (Yet)12:44 — The Three-Link Chain: Money, Borders, Power14:02 — Hollowing Is Worse Than Falling14:53 — The Universal Pattern15:55 — Same Playbook, Different Century

On August 22, 408 AD, the Western Roman Emperor Honorius signed an execution order. The man being executed was Flavius Stilicho — half Vandal, half Roman, the general who had defeated Alaric three times, held the Rhine frontier together for 13 years, and kept a collapsing political structure functioning through sheer competence. For more than a decade he had been the only thing standing between the Western Empire and total disintegration.The Senate hated him. The court whispered against him. They said he was conspiring with the Goths. They said he wanted to put his son on the throne. They said his barbarian blood made him untrustworthy.None of it was true. But systems like this eventually stop needing truth. They just need targets.Stilicho walked out of a church in Ravenna and accepted his fate. He could have resisted — 10,000 federate troops were personally loyal to him, and he could have seized power and likely won. He chose not to. He still believed in something larger than himself. The system that executed him no longer did.Within months, 10,000 federate soldiers marched directly to Alaric's camp. The Rhine frontier collapsed. The borders dissolved. The army Stilicho had built to defend Italy became the army that destroyed it. Two years later, on August 24, 410 AD, Alaric walked into Rome — undefended, unresisted — and sacked it for three days.The man most capable of preventing it had already been killed by his own government.This is the autopsy of how empires actually die. Not from the outside in. They destroy their own immune system first and call it patriotism.00:00 — Rome Killed the Man Who Was Saving It02:24 — Welcome to The Roman Pattern02:45 — What Rome Had Become by 395 AD03:06 — Who Was Flavius Stilicho?04:05 — The Three Fault Lines: Money, Borders, Power06:23 — Stilicho's Rise Through Competence07:38 — Theodosius Dies, Stilicho Inherits an Empire08:03 — Alaric and the Eastern Court's Sabotage09:43 — The Battle of Pollentia (402 AD)10:55 — The Deal That Sealed His Fate11:43 — The Rhine Freezes (December 406)12:31 — Honorius the Chicken Farmer13:21 — Olympius and the Whispered Accusations14:07 — August 22, 408 AD: The Execution15:07 — The Federate Defection and the Sack of Rome18:13 — When Systems Can't Tell Threat from Solution21:06 — The Last Roman

Put the bucket and spade aside and join Rose Manley and Rebecca Charlton as they tackle the first stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women that runs between the seaside towns of Cesenatico and Ravenna.And don't forget to listen in all week as The Cycling Podcast Féminin bring you daily coverage from the race.Also on the agenda: having no interest in remaining upright, barmen vs sports psychologists and a REALLY MASSIVE BUT BADLY TIMED BOMBSHELLFollow us on social media:Twitter @cycling_podcastInstagram @thecyclingpodcastFriends of the PodcastSign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month, plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.The 11.01 CappuccinoOur regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am).The Cannibal & BadgerFriends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.The Cycling Podcast is on StravaThe Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.