You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Today's print edition Home Delivery Amid the worry and suffering wrought by COVID-19 tears of joy seem an unlikely topic for today’s news because they’re probably in short supply now But my two studies with professor Hidekazu Sasaki of Utsunomiya University and others — involving nearly 600 Japanese men and women from teens through old age — offer important guidance for maximizing personal well-being during this stressful time the backstory: As an active international researcher/writer in positive psychology (popularly dubbed “the science of happiness”) I’ve long been interested in experiences so joyful that tears emerge it’s clear that people for millennia have cried in happiness.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); including the English poet William Wordsworth and the American writer Edgar Allen Poe gave thoughtful explanations about tears of joy modern psychology had virtually nothing to say about this seemingly universal occurrence it was as if the field had chosen to study only human misery dysfunction and conflict — and ignored everything else In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Some of Europe’s poorest citizens have been recognized as its critical workers Amid a pandemic that has grounded passenger flights and closed borders among EU countries seasonal agriculture workers from Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe have been among the few still allowed to board a plane and travel abroad for work “Seasonal workers are critical to the agricultural sector in terms of harvesting, planting and tending functions, especially in the current season,” the European Commission said at the end of March calling on EU countries to ensure they can travel smoothly But with hundreds of them packed in buses on the way to Romanian airports and made to share rooms on the farms where they pick asparagus in Germany, some have suggested that Eastern Europeans’ health is less important than Western Europe’s food supplies “When seasonal workers are going to start dying who will be held responsible?” asked Ramona Duminicioiu of the Romanian association Eco Ruralis “Why can’t [the Germans] pick their own asparagus?” — Ramona Duminicioiu Romanians’ hard work under tough conditions that Western European farmers have come to rely on is nothing new It’s just that their travel in times of a pandemic has made their situation more visible “I don’t know if the European Union is able to give up on this development model based on the work of the poor,” she said The inability of the bloc to ensure that there are no second-class citizens is its “biggest failure," she added “Why can’t [the Germans] pick their own asparagus?” Duminicioiu wondered Germany, the U.K. and France have called on people who worked in restaurants or other sectors impacted by the pandemic to go farm for their nations But the low take-up and the newcomers' lack of experience made German and English farmers turn back to their Eastern European workers The Romanians who come year after year tend to be from the country’s rural population — so they're used to agricultural work and are eager to earn more than they could at home The average net wage in Romania was around €650 per month in January But Romanian villagers can make at least double that for a month’s worth of work on fields abroad The Eastern European workers “are a critical part of making sure that we can put affordable food on people’s plates,” said Tom Bradshaw vice president of the U.K.’s National Farmers’ Union That’s because they understand the nature of the job “and they bring the productivity with them because of that experience,” he said They'll be a key part of trying to train the local recruits given that Britain needs around 70,000 farm workers this summer to harvest crops of cucumbers Romanian seasonal workers hoping to travel to Germany wait on the parking in front of "Avram Iancu" | Raul Stef/AFP via Getty Images German farmers are looking for skilled workers who in the best case have years of work experience," said a spokesperson for the German farmers' association DBV "A lot of the seasonal workers are exactly that." What fewer farmers would admit is the equally important reason behind their preference for workers from Eastern Europe: They accept hard working conditions such as long hours and almost no days off It’s 10 to 12 hours of hard work per day," said Ariane Amstutz spokeswoman for the State Farmers’ Association Baden-Württemberg "It’s something not everyone is able to do." A 21-year-old woman from southwestern Romania She’s been going to pick asparagus in Germany since she turned 18 she boarded a chartered plane from Bucharest heading to a farm in the Bavarian town of Rain "If you cry and say you can’t do it anymore they don’t trust us." — Anonymous seasonal worker You have to be on all fours to be able to pick it in the field She requested anonymity for fear of reprisal from her intermediary — whom she pays €200 per contract — if she criticizes work conditions She expects to be paid €9.35 an hour — the minimum wage in Germany — but that’s only if she hits the required target of picking 23 kilograms of asparagus in that time She has been in touch with some of her friends who left to work on the same farm three weeks before her They say they work more than the 12 hours legally allowed Her friends said they stop at around 11 p.m because the farmers can dock €50 from their pay if they refuse to go to work because they’re too tired or unwell because that’s what they brought us there for." Germany's powerful farmers lobbied the government to allow these workers into the country despite entry restrictions imposed on foreigners to stem the spread of the coronavirus In early April, Berlin introduced an exception allowing 40,000 seasonal workers to come into the country that month and another 40,000 in May Bucharest had shut down all passenger flights to and from Germany by that time but decided to make an exception for chartered flights for seasonal workers to leave Romania A few days later, thousands of them crammed in front of the airport in the western city of Cluj, ready to board 13 flights to Germany. The images of the crowd Seasonal workers from Romania sit in a bus on their way to a farmer after their arrival at the airport of Duesseldorf | Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images Those workers had traveled in buses from different parts of Romania which was under a full lockdown because of the high number of coronavirus cases Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said the situation was  unacceptable and demanded an investigation, the national public broadcaster reported he said the government had no legal means to stop its citizens from going to work abroad Given that the pandemic in Romania led to the suspension of one million work contracts and the cancellation of a further 300,000 his government wasn't in a position to deny work abroad to its citizens He estimated 80,000 to 90,000 people may go abroad to work some 14,700 Romanians left the country on chartered flights The German government has asked farmers to pick up the workers from the airport and take them to the farms Asked whether Berlin put pressure on Bucharest to allow seasonal workers to travel Orban’s chief of staff Ionel Dancă echoed his boss "What pressure can the government of one state put when we’re talking about the rights of Romanian citizens who want to work," he said Dancă likened the chartered flights for farm workers to those his government helped organize to bring Romanians back from quarantined areas in other parts of the world we care about our citizens and we respect their rights,” he told POLITICO “There are stringent health checks at either end” of the flight from the air charter service that brought workers into the U.K Passengers were spaced one seat or an aisle apart on a flight that landed in Britain on April 19 where they may work as long as they're separated from other groups for 14 days They can't leave the host farm during that period and their accommodation can't exceed 50 percent of normal capacity according to the measures adopted by the German government These rules also require farm workers to keep their distance from each other while working or be provided with face masks gloves and protective plastic gowns if distance isn't possible whose employer brought them to Germany before border restrictions set in harvest white asparagus | Sean Gallup/Getty Images If a worker is suspected of being infected with coronavirus that person should be isolated and tested by a doctor That worker's team should also be isolated and tested The German government also made public demonstrations of its support Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner welcomed the “helpers” with chocolate Easter bunnies “The first helpers have now landed, which is a good day for the industry, but also for us consumers who are supplied by the farmers,” she said in mid-April But some unions say that the safety rules get short shrift Szabolcs Sepsi, a team leader at the Fair Mobility project of the German Trade Union Confederation said that while seasonal workers are quarantined away from the German population Romanian media have reported that some asparagus pickers claim they have to work close together and wear the same face mask for five days “In this so-called quarantine, it doesn't seem to matter that thousands of people have traveled without maintaining social distance and that hundreds will work, eat, sleep and wash next to each other,” he told Deutsche Welle The conditions imposed by the German government to avoid the spread of the coronavirus may leave workers defenseless They have no way of returning home on their own since the flights are organized by their employers deputy general secretary of the European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) A sign depicting sanitary measures put in place as seasonal workers take part in a harvest | Sebastien Salom-Gomis/AFP via Getty Images In response, the German agricultural workers’ trade union IG-BAU demanded a full investigation into the man's death noting that his infection was only detected post-mortem has said foreign workers should be given a contact number at the Fair Mobility project where they can receive advice in their own languages Meanwhile, Romania's ambassador to Germany, Emil Hurezeanu, called on seasonal workers on Friday to report all cases of abuse directly to the embassy so his team could address them swiftly with their German counterparts Eco Ruralis wants the government to make bilateral agreements about proper working conditions with other countries before letting its workers leave “The political environment is behaving like it’s business as usual,” the organization’s Duminicioiu said The far-right chief qualifies for the presidential runoff in which he will face centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan said the National Cybersecurity Directorate Romania’s foreign ministry said the decision was political Romania’s political loyalties are complex Don’t expect ganging up against Simion in the second round It's a Ligue 1 McDonald's side facing off against a Ligue 2 team when these squads face off in mid-January Bastia had a comfortable 5-0 win in the Round of 64 over Saint Joseph while Nice needed a penalty kick shootout to advance past USC Corte after the two teams finished 1-1 Lyon secured a 2-1 win in the Round of 64 in a tightly contested matchup against National 2 side SC Feignies OL will face another National 2 club as they matchup against Bourgoin-Jallieu who defeated Ligue 2 side FC Martigues 4-1 last Saturday The Round of 32 will see an all-Ligue 1 McDonald's matchup when Nantes and Brest meet Nantes defeated National 3 side JA Drancy 4-0 and Brest advanced to the next stage of the competition when they beat La Roche 1-0 Luis Enrique and his team went to a penalty kick shootout to advance past fellow Ligue 1 McDonald's side RC Lens who are coming off an upset win over Dijon FCO a club currently in the third tier of French football but one that has played in France's top flight in the past 🙌#RCLPSG https://t.co/5dTxK7j492 pic.twitter.com/54IZLBk9G6 ES Thaon are coming off an upset 2-1 win over Ligue 2 side Amiens SC and now they'll look for another impressive victory when they clash against RC Strasbourg Liam Rosenior and his team are coming off a 3-0 win over National 3 team RC Calais The National side advanced past US Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu following a 2-0 victory Waiting for them in the Round of 32 is Angers who secured a tightly contested 1-0 win over Football Club 93 Bobigny-Bagnolet-Gagny Troyes earned a 3-0 win over FC Metz to advance to the next phase of the tournament Rennes continue to secure wins under new manager Jorge Sampaoli as they defeated FC Girondins de Bordeaux 4-1 Monaco will matchup against Reims with a ticket to the Round of 16 on the line Reims are coming off a 3-1 victory over Association Still-Mutzig while Monaco defeated L'Union Saint-Jean FC 4-1 𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃 @LunionStJeanFC 👏 pic.twitter.com/GeCPCv7a1c Les Violets needed a penalty kick shootout to advance past Hauts Lyonnais after the two sides played to a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes The Ligue 2 side also needed a penalty kick shootout to get past Sport Athlétique Mérignacais following a scoreless 90 minutes The third all-Ligue 1 McDonald's matchup in the Round of 32 will see Lille and OM go head to head Les Dogues advanced past FC Rouen 1899 in a tightly contested 1-0 victory while Olympique de Marseille cruised to a 4-0 win over AS Saint-Étienne >>Recap: PSG need pens to see off Lens in Coupe de France>>Coupe de France: Five magic moments from the weekend Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks is just getting underway at SAS Racines Carrées The 100% organic producers' organization also cultivates shell lamb's lettuce all year round This Nantes-based range is "recognized and renowned," thanks in particular to the terroir's soil and climate characteristics: "sandy soils and an oceanic climate," explains Simon Plantive Too much water during sowingAlthough SAS Racines Carrées was spared by storms that struck Brittany in early November the lamb's lettuce seedlings still suffered from the rain "There's been a lot of water in the last few weeks in the area "The large-scale production of lamb's lettuce that usually arrives for Christmas will undoubtedly be impacted and supply difficulties are therefore to be expected." These problems have affected the whole region New production basinsSpecialists in lamb's lettuce for several years now Nantes-based growers have noticed in recent years the emergence of new crops in other regions that could "compete with Nantes-based lamb's lettuce These are recent productions that are still developing with volumes that are currently small and mainly sold on local markets" For more information:Simon PlantiveSAS Racines Carrées2 La Brosse Tenaud44310 Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-LieuTel.: 02 40 78 40 13www.racinescarrees.fr FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 HortiDaily.com Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, India (Left) Alexander McQueen Fall 2018; (Right) Versace Fall 2018 / Photo: Indigital.tv, Corey TenoldHometown: Adelaide, South Australia Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, France Photo: Indigital.tvHometown: Zhengzhou, China Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: Hurley, New York Highlights: Chanel, Valentino, Chloé, Calvin Klein Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: Denver Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: Lagos, Nigeria Photo: Indigital.tvHometown: Manchester, New Hampshire Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown:  San Diego Photo: Indigital.tvHometown: Guangdong Province, China Photo: Indigital.tv; Photographed by Corey TenoldHometown: St. Petersburg, Russia