Teens Need Sleep!

Sleep Banner

What’s the problem?

Sleep is an extremely important part of our lives, seeing as we spend an average third of our life in bed. Sleep is even more important for teenagers, who are recommended to get at least 8 hours every night. Getting enough sleep is a day to day struggle, whether it’s because of school, sports, jobs, or other commitments. Lack of sleep can hurt performance in school and cause unwanted side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, muscle aches, memory loss, and even depression. A CDC study showed that high school students who are deprived of sleep are more likely to drink, smoke, and seriously consider suicide. This lack of sleep usually comes about by having too much work, not enough time, or bad time management. Ensuring teens get enough sleep is vital to ensuring their health, and actions such as moving school an hour back or lessening workloads would help combat the problem.

Feel free to watch this video of a CBS News segment on sleep and teens:

Why do you care?

This issue affects both me and every one of my friends. We all have trouble keeping track of time, and many nights are spent working past midnight studying for tests or completing assignments. I am sure that these issues are shared with teens worldwide, and by fixing sleep problems in teens, we can increase academic performance, productivity, and overall health.

Who’s involved?

While sleep deprivation certainly does not affect only teens, the problem being highlighted here is between teenagers and schools in general (or those who control the school).

Sleeping teen in class

what is GT?

How does Game Theory work/help?

Game theory is the study of strategic decision-making. Using logic, reasoning, and math, game theorists try to solve games between players and determine the most likely outcome(s). In this sense, the game is being played by two players: the teens as a whole, and schools as a whole. Both players will play different strategies, which are basically the different actions that can be performed by one group. When both strategies are played, a certain outcome occurs.

When the players play the game, they want the outcome that produces the best payoff (or reward) for them. In the model below, these payoffs are represented by the numbered pairs. The first number is the payoff to the row player (the teens), while the second number is the payoff to the column player (the school). A positive number indicates a good payoff, while a negative payoff indicates a bad payoff.

By using Game Theory, we can map the players and their moves and determine all of the outcomes, and which will be the best or which will most likely occur (solving the game).

Setting Up the Game Model

 I chose to model this game as a teen against a school and the options a school could take regarding sleep. Overall, a teen student is faced with three items that they can do/partake in before sleep.

  • Studies: Doing homework, studying for tests. Missing out would mean poor grades and education, and could lead to further stress and, in the long-term, less success (generalized)
  • Social/Leisure: Interacting with friends, socializing, relaxing, playing games, etc. Missing out would mean less time to de-stress and enjoy yourself, or make friends
  • Activities: Playing a sport, working, and other commitments. Missing out could mean anything from not earning money or not taking care of a sibling.

Seeing as a student that does all three would most definitely have a little sleep, a student can only choose to do one or two if they want to get enough sleep. This means they must give up something.

Doing only one thing would guarantee enough sleep and a proper day at school, but you would miss out on the other two options. Which ones you choose to miss or do depend on the individual’s preferences and utilities. With certain combinations of the three, the students will end up choosing one of three strategies:

  • Get the right amount of sleep – The teenager will complete their work and be refreshed for the next day, but may miss out on Studies, Social/Leisure, and Activities
  • Get more than enough sleep – The teenager will be even more refreshed and prepared for the next day, but to do so they will have to skip doing one or more of Studies, Social/Leisure, and Activities
  • Get not enough sleep – The teenager will not be refreshed for the next day (less attention, drowsiness, poor in-school performance) but will have completed Studies, Social/Leisure, and Activities

The school’s two strategies are much more straightforward:

  • Do nothing –  the school will not change in any way and continue on as normal
  • Start School later – the school will change their schedule to allow students to arrive noticeable later (say 1 hour).

The Model

This chart models the payoff on the sleep of students, and how that reflects on a school

Teen and Sleep vs School Schools
Do Nothing Start School Later
Teens Sleep late (insufficient sleep)

Not enough sleep means more stress, less attention, activity, etc. Schools get less out of the student

Students will get enough sleep thanks to extra time, and will have completed all of their “things”. School benefits from a student more (maybe they now play a sport, join a club, etc.

Sleep on-time (recommended sleep)

Ready for school with no sleep-caused side effects, school benefits from a productive student

Teens get even more sleep and are ready for school. School benefits from a productive student

Sleep early (more than enough sleep)

(-1, 1)

Students have missed out on too much the previous day, but still have sleep for school. School benefits from a productive student

(-1, 1)

Students will still have missed out on the day before, but has plenty of sleep. School benefits from a productive student

win GT

What’s the best strategy?

Solving this game, we see that the school’s optimal strategy would be to Start School Later every time, due to better outcomes when students sleep late. The student’s optimal strategy (knowing the school will choose to Start Later) is to Sleep Late or Sleep On-time, which both gives the best outcome.

For the school, it makes sense to start school an hour later. While they may have to initially deal with transitional issues like logistics for buses, planning events, they will be rewarded with more active students, both in the literal and physical senses; students will feel as if they had more time to sleep or work, and they may be able to manage to balance all three of the “actions.” In turn, more students might get further involved in school, do more activities, and so on.

For students, they now have the choice to stay up later to do more things, or catch up on sleep and develop a healthier sleep routine. They can choose either of these two options and still benefit from a later school start.

How could we implement the solution?

While starting school an hour later (shifting everything an hour later) is itself a policy, it might prove to be too difficult to implement. Instead, schools could still get extra time in the morning by shortening or removing the first-period class to allow for a later start. As a compromise, a school could do this on certain days (maybe three of five) only to transition into a full week of a later start.

How can people help right now?

The ideal way for people to get involve is to campaign for starting school later at your own school, or at a school nearby. Talk to the administration and urge them to start school later to help their students succeed.

If you want to help from the comfort of your computer, please head over to Start School Later and read what they have to say. I would strongly recommend joining their newsletter and even donating to help spread awareness and promote change within schools and the country as a whole.

Start later

Your thoughts

I believe a good way of showing proof of the occurrence of sleep deprivation in teens is asking you, the reader, directly. Please click on the short poll below and then view the statistics of the poll after. If you are not currently a high schooler or teenager, please answer the questions as you would have when you were a high school student.

Sleep Poll

Further Reading

If you want to read more on the subject, please follow the links below:

Further Watching

If you want to watch more videos on the subject, please click on the videos below:

Thank you for browsing my Catalyst Proposal! I hope you have taken something away from it!

Have a Good Night!

Would you support starting school later? Are there any other solutions you can think of? Thoughts or concerns? Feel free to comment and add your own opinion to the discussion!

Share this project
  1. April 28, 2017 by emmawpga

    I agree! I need more sleep.

  2. April 28, 2017 by Kamran from Costa Rica

    Sleep is best thing that has ever been created. Everyday I fall asleep at around 10 – 11 PM, and I have to wake up at around 5:15 AM because my bus comes at 6:30. Practically everyday, I always feel tired and sleep right when I get home, and I waste a lot of time on being able to do my work. I would really love it if my schools starts later so that I can get my full sleep and not always have to feel tired.

  3. April 28, 2017 by Claire N

    Your title caught my eye right away! I totally agree with you.

  4. April 29, 2017 by Colette O

    I love that you did this and I completely agree! I think you had a lot of information and I really like all of the pictures and videos!

  5. April 30, 2017 by Ashli J

    I love this project!! I think it is extremely important for everyone to learn more about this 🙂

  6. April 30, 2017 by Royden Lynch

    I relate so much to this project! This was very well done and really opened my eyes!

  7. May 01, 2017 by Ana Bogdanovich

    Teenagers’ lack of sleep is such a relevant and important issue. It’s so cool to me that you used Game Theory to come up with a solution and you explained it clearly!

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


• Open Access

Bacteriophage biocontrol in animals and meat products

*E-mail Robert.Atterbury@bristol.ac.uk; Robert.Atterbury@nottingham.ac.uk; Tel. (+44) 117 331 9016; Fax (+44) 117 928 9324.

Since their discovery almost a century ago, bacterial viruses (bacteriophages or ‘phages’) have been used to prevent and treat a multitude of bacterial infections (phage therapy: PT). In addition, they have been the basis for many advances in genetics and biochemistry. Phage therapy was performed on human subjects in the United States, Europe and Asia in the few decades following their discovery. However, Western countries largely abandoned PT in favour of antibiotics in the 1940s. The relatively recent renaissance of PT in the West can be attributed partly to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in human and animal pathogens. However, the stringent controls on human trials now required in the United States and Europe have led to a greater number of domestic animal and agricultural applications as an alternative to PT in man. This trend is set to continue, at least in the short term, with recent approval from the Food and Drug Administration allowing commercial phage treatments to be used in human food in the USA. Nevertheless, despite these significant milestones and the growing number of successful PT trials, significant obstacles remain to their widespread use in animals, food and ultimately medicine in many parts of the world. This review will provide a brief overview of the history of PT in the West and will summarize some of the key findings of phage biocontrol studies in animals and meat products.


We have our Easter Sunday traditions. Church, a delicious buffet and spending time with family. Additionally, we have several activities we started to implement throughout the days leading up to Easter to help us draw closer to one another and to Jesus, the One we are celebrating this special time of year!

The Sedar

Celebrating a traditional Jewish Passover meal, otherwise known as a Sedar, can be intimidating. Even though I had the passion, drive and desire to teach this tradition to my family, I was hesitant because of all of the preparation that goes into it. Once I looked at what the Sedar truly represents; reflecting back on the God of provision, protection and faithfulness, I decided to go for it.

I’m not Jewish, so why would I even consider making the Sedar a part of our Easter routine? My husband and I wanted to show our children, in a practical way, how a Biblical practice, dating back to the Old Testament, is a symbol of Jesus. We wanted to dive deeper into Biblical history by giving them a hands-on experience. We thought it would be powerful to have them to partake in a meal similar to the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples shortly before his sacrifice on the cross.

Before our first attempt, I had only ever attended one Sedar, and it was in Israel so the ingredients for the meal were easy to come by. Trying this meal in the states was going to be a bit different. So, I sat down, looked at the list of ingredients, and decided to pick and choose what would work for our family. I found a simple recipe for homemade matzah, gathered some bitter herbs, grape juice, candles and some traditional recipes for the main meal such a potato pancakes and meat. We hid a piece of matzah for the children to search for after the meal and had the children take turns reading the readings designated for children. Everyone had a role to play that first evening and the children had a wonderful experience. It has become a family tradition ever since!

Bible Reading

Two weeks before Easter, we begin reading the Easter story, according to the Bible. I take a slightly different approach than others might be used to. I begin the week by whispering instructions into each of my children’s ears telling them something I want them to act out. What I choose, is an event that we have all done together recently; a meal at a restaurant, a hike in the woods or a trip to a local museum. They love it because they get to use their creativity and I love that it gets their energy out! After their dramatic performances, I tell them that they were all told to act out the exact same thing. They immediately laugh because their interpretations were all so different and unique. I remind them that we do this activity to remember that when we read the different accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection that they were all written by different people with different perspectives. Each of the four gospels share the story of Jesus, all from a different viewpoint. I split up the accounts so we can read through all four gospel accounts of the Holy Week throughout the weeks leading up to Easter. To keep it interesting, I make a chart and use colorful markers to compare and contrast the events mentioned in each of the gospels. This helps keep my kids on their toes as we read through each account. They love noticing new events mentioned as we go through the different gospels and making note of it. Even though I enjoy reading illustrated storybook’s depicting the Easter story to them when they are little, as they get a bit older I find that reading straight from the Bible itself opens up the door for good, quality conversation about what Jesus did on the cross for us, and why!

Resurrection Rolls

On a morning when we have plenty of time, I call the kids into the kitchen for a special breakfast treat, Resurrection Rolls. The ingredient list is simple:

  • 2 (10 oz) Cans Refrigerated Biscuits
  • 1 (10.5 Oz) Bag Marshmallows
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar3 Tablespoons Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Cup Melted Butter

While the oven is preheating to 400 degrees, the children combine the sugar and cinnamon. I hand each one a flattened biscuit and they place “Jesus” (the marshmallow) in the tomb. They fold it up so the edges are wrapped firmly around the marshmallow and then dip it into the “oil,” (butter). Then they dip it into the “spices,” cinnamon and sugar. I place them in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Once they are cooled, I cut them in half and the marshmallow is gone (melted), Christ has risen!


Cerebrospinal fluid leaks (CSF leaks)

Spontaneous CSF leaks (cerebrospinal fluid leaks) can develop due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome itself or cervical spine instabilities.

With a connective tissue disorder such as EDS the collagen-containing „sleeve“ of the spinal cord (meninges) can spontaneously tear without any external influences which then leads to the discharge of cerebrospinal fluid.

Instabilities, however, can irritate the meninges mechanically and therefore cause small holes.

A CSF leak leads to discharge of the liquid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord, called liquor cerebrospinalis. As a result a vacuum develops around the brain which causes intracranial hypotension and leads to the typical orthostatic headaches. These occur shortly after changing the bodies position from lying to standing or sitting upright.

Other symptoms that can occur with CSF leaks:

Neck pain

Visual and hearing disturbances

Disturbed consciousness

A comorbid condition of Chiari malformation can be exacerbated by the intracranial hypotension which is why CSF leaks should be treated immediately.

EDS patients have a higher risk of developing CSF leaks after lumbar puncture or spinal anesthesia due to healing problems of the puncture wound.

CSF leaks can basically occur in any part of the spine.

CSF leaks are often missed and diagnosis can be delayed due to the absence of orthostatic headaches or other unspecific symptoms

MRI is usually the first measure

Lumbar puncture with opening pressure

But even if intracranial hypotension has been found the main difficulty still is to find the leak.

Non-invasive: bed rest and caffeine tablets

Invasive: blood patch

Learn about Spinal CSF Leaks


Summer of ’69

The County Fair

Seven at One Blow

The basement

On lying to children

I don’t want to create the impression that my childhood was tightly regimented, but you could determine the day of the week by seeing what was served for breakfast. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we each had one fried egg, one strip of bacon (or one sausage link), and four ounces of orange juice. Tuesday we had scrambled eggs, Thursday we had French toast, Saturday we had cold cereal, and Sunday we had pancakes. Sometimes we had coffee cake along with the scheduled breakfast–usually leftover coffee cake from some other event. Only three days varied the routine: on Thanksgiving and Christmas we had coffee cake for breakfast, and on Easter we ate breakfast at church after the sunrise service.

Lunch was usually sandwiches, and (in the winter) a bowl of soup. The sandwiches might contain deli meat or perhaps a salad made from eggs, tuna, or some meat left over from an earlier dinner. Side dishes might be chips, pickles, applesauce, or whatever else was available. Since I lived just down the street from the school, I had lunch at home every day of the week. Sundays we did not have lunch; we had dinner at noon, generally a major meal with a beef roast or ham or some other big piece of meat, along with a vegetable, a salad, and a starch (whether bread or potatoes). On Sundays we had supper in the evening–generally sandwiches, just like lunch the other days of the week. The other evenings of the week we had dinner in the evening.

Monday was always laundry day. Everything was washed on Monday: bed sheets, towels and wash clothes, and clothing. Weather permitting, bed sheets and some clothing were hung in the back yard to dry. Everything was ironed, even bed sheets and blue jeans. Monday night’s dinner was frequently leftovers from Sunday’s dinner, unless it was something else easily prepared.

Friday was grocery shopping day, followed by a thorough housecleaning. When we got up Friday morning, we had to clear the furniture so it could be dusted and also pick up things from the floor so the floor could be vacuumed. All those things were piled on the bed; when I got home from school, I was expected to put them all away again. Not only were the bedrooms dusted and vacuumed; the living room and dining room were also dusted and vacuumed, and the kitchen was mopped. Friday’s dinner was either a casserole or something else easy to prepare, such as spaghetti or Spanish rice con carne.

Christmas was the only holiday that interfered with these Monday and Friday schedules.

Every lunch, dinner, and supper included a dessert. Lunch desserts might be a cookie or a piece of cake; dinner desserts were often pie or something else fancy. Desserts were always homemade. Bread for sandwiches or for a side at a dinner was also homemade. Dinners always included a salad–usually lettuce and dressing, but sometimes coleslaw, and sometimes (generally in the winter) jello with fruit. Many of the vegetables we ate were home-grown, either fresh when in season, or thawed and cooked after being frozen. After dinner we each had one piece of candy. In November, my piece of candy would come from what I had received on Halloween’s tricks-or-treats. That often lasted until Christmas. Christmas stockings included candy, and candy was also given on Valentines’ Day and in Easter baskets. When holiday candy had been consumed, we generally each got a piece of candy from a box of chocolates.

Dishes were done after every meal. (We didn’t have a dishwasher.) My mother washed the dishes; the rest of us dried them and put them away. Sometimes we played guessing games while doing the dishes (“I’m thinking of something vegetable.”) and sometimes we sang songs (“I’ve been working on the railroad.”). Doing the dishes was inevitable after every meal, and no one was excused from the chore.

We always ate our meals at the dining room table. Television was not on while we ate, with a rare exception for a Chicago Cubs baseball game or Chicago Bears football game. For a while, we also made an exception during Sunday supper for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Often the radio was on while we ate, especially during breakfast, and at times records were played during meals, especially in December when we listened to Christmas music.

When my friends visited and stayed for a meal, they were startled by the formality of my family. The table was always set with a plate, a glass, a spoon, a knife, a fork, and a napkin for each person. Food was served from platters or bowls, never from pots or pans. When the food was on the table and everyone was seated, we said a quick prayer, and then we passed the food around the table. No one started eating until everyone had his or her food. Each of us was expected to eat all the food that we put on our plates. Second servings were permitted, but only after everyone had finished their first servings. Dessert was not served until each of us had finished the rest of the meal.

Mealtime was family time. No one missed a meal unless work or school or sickness made it necessary to be absent. We talked to each other while we ate (but never spoke with food in our mouths), reviewing the day’s events or sharing jokes we had recently heard. Often during Sunday’s dinner we would discuss the pastor’s sermon. Feeders outside the dining room window held seeds to attract birds, and sometimes we would comment on an unusual visitor to the feeder.

Mealtime was valuable time, both for nutrition and for family togetherness. Many of my warmest childhood memories took place in the family’s dining room. J.

The living room

Fresh fruits and vegetables (and weeds to pull)

The soil of my childhood home consisted of rich black dirt. Yellow and gray clay lay under the dirt, as I found along the banks of the creek. The topsoil was fertile, capable of supporting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

My grandparents, my parents, and my uncle and aunt and cousins lived in three houses on three acres of land. Each household owned part of the land, and the property lines were known to all of us. All three households cultivated land in the center of the three acres. Although it looked like one garden, each household planted and tended and harvested from its own part of the land, according to the property lines.

Standing in my back yard, I would see the right side of the garden with a flower bed in front and vegetables behind the flowers. To the left were two grapevines, as old as the house. Behind the grapevines was a bed of strawberries and then some more vegetables. Further left, toward the creek, was an orchard. There were two apple trees, a pear tree, and a cherry tree. The cherries from the orchard were sour, not good for eating raw, but good for pies and jellies. The orchard also had a bed of rhubarb and some bushes which produced currants, gooseberries, and blueberries.

Late in the winter my father would start some tomato plants and pepper plants. These he would keep sheltered until after the last frost. By the time those plants were moved into the garden, rows of seeds were being planted for other vegetables. He would plant lettuce, peas, beans (green, yellow, and lima), carrots, beets, parsnips, and onions—usually one row of each vegetable. He would also plant several short rows of sweet corn, because the corn would not pollinate well if it was planted in one long row. He would plant small beds of zucchini, cucumbers, and sometimes pumpkins. The pumpkins were a particular challenge, because they would trail in various directions all over the garden, so we never knew where the actual pumpkins might ripen. There was also a bed of asparagus that renewed itself every spring.

Needless to say, weeds also thrived in our fertile soil, so pulling weeds was a task we all shared. It’s not enough to pick weeds—if you leave the roots in the soil, they will grow again, stronger than before. When pulling weeds, though, one must be careful not to harm the desired plants. Some vegetables were hardier than others; cucumbers, I remember, were one of the most fragile of garden plants. They would seem to wither if someone merely looked at them the wrong way.

I did not enjoy pulling weeds, but as my father and mother both said, “It has to be done.” When the three of us worked together on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, we would usually have a transistor radio in the garden with us, tuned to the baseball game. From experience, I learned the seasons of different fruits and vegetables: asparagus and peas in the spring, before the heat of the summer; strawberries in June; sweet corn in August; sun-ripened apples and grapes in autumn. I remember snacking on an apple and some grapes on many a weekend afternoon in the fall while I was playing in the back yard.

The benefit of a garden is, of course, fresh fruits and vegetables. The family also froze or canned fruits and vegetables for other times of the year. Nothing beats fresh vegetables from one’s own garden; I still cannot stomach canned peas. When we were to have corn on the cob for supper, my father insisted that the water must be heating to a boil on the stove before the corn was picked and the husks removed. The hottest and most humid days of August were always the days that corn was harvested for freezing. My mother would have large pots of water boiling on the stove as we husked the corn—and we had no air conditioning. All of us were dripping with sweat. The corn would be boiled briefly; then the kernels would be cut from the cobs and bagged and boxed for the freezer.

My parents were frugal, and we often continued to eat vegetables that had passed their peak of freshness. I remember stringy asparagus, tough and wrinkled lima beans, and woody parsnips. I remember my mother cutting a five pound zucchini in half, removing the seeds, and stuffing it with a meatloaf. But I particularly remember all the homemade foods: pies, jellies, tomato juice and grape juice, tomatoes left on the vine until they were red and ready to eat; and zucchini bread. I remember shelling peas so they could be warmed in a little butter and served with supper. I remember seeing tall yellow stalks of corn standing upright in the first snow at the end of autumn. J.

Neighborhood games

Those who read my previous post about playing outside may have assumed that I always played alone. It is true that I often played alone–from solo baseball to solo croquet–but I was also part of a neighborhood cadre of eight children, from three families, who played together. Often our group expanded to include children from other families further down the street.

Our favorite game was “kick the can.” For the can we used a plastic ball filled with air. One player (who was It) guarded the can while the rest of us tried to kick the can. Those of us who were not It had to be hidden, though, because when we were spotted, It would touch the can and announce, “one-two-three on [name] who is hiding [location].” If the person who was It could spot the rest of us before any of us kicked the can, he or she remained It for another round. If one of us did manage to kick the can, he or she would then be It for the next round. No cumulative score was kept; each round counted as its own game. Success required darting from one hiding place to another, approaching the can; it often involved teamwork to approach from different sides, forcing It to choose which side to guard. It could wander anywhere to discover hidden players, but if It strayed too far from the can, one of the players was sure to kick the can and end the round.

We also played a game we called Army, which essentially involved splitting into two teams and reenacting unspecified military events from World War II. Half of us would be Germans and the other half Americans. Most of our loose scripting was based on what we had learned about the war from television shows and movies. Each of us carried a stick to represent a rifle. In this game also, the goal was to remain hidden from the opposite side while trying to sneak up upon them to shoot them. A clear sight of someone on the other team led to raising and aiming the stick and shouting “bang,” or, sometimes, “I got you.” A certain amount of honor was involved in agreeing to be shot and to die upon these announcements. If someone insisted, “you missed,” or, “you only got me in the leg,” the game was effectively over. Unlike kick the can, our desire in Army was to prolong the game and enjoy the maneuvers. I remember that the game fizzled, though, once one boy from down the street brought a new plastic replica of a gun that even produced sound effects when used.

I cannot remember ever playing Cowboys and Indians. Once we were all accomplished bicyclists one summer came to pass in which we designed a Cops and Robbers game, but I no longer remember the rules to that game. We did not try to split into teams for sports such as baseball or basketball. One boy in the group, who was in Little League, introduced us to a baseball-based game he had learned called Stealing Bases. There were two bases, fifty to sixty feet apart, and two fielders with mitts. They threw the ball back and forth. The rest of us (generally five or six, as I recall) would be on-base until someone thought that the throwing and catching might be challenged by a sprint. The hope was to inspire an off-target throw or a dropped ball, since a thrown ball is much faster than a human runner. I was more daring than the others, but I was also tagged out more often than the others.

Most of these games were played in the summer when school was out. Eventually we became too busy even to play in the summer, by which time we had friends at school who outranked our neighborhood friendships. I do not know the location of any of these childhood playmates. I doubt we would recognize each other any more if two of us happened to be in the same room (aside, of course, those who were siblings). As with the house in which I lived, all that remains of those times are memories. J.


Iran and Hezbollah: The balance of power shifts in Lebanon

January 27, 2011

Emile Hokayem

  • How does the selection of new Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati--a Sunni Muslim hand-picked by Hezbollah, a Shiite movement--alter Iran’s influence or reach in Lebanese politics in practical terms?
The swift change in government reflects the ascendancy of Hezbollah in Lebanese affairs over the past two decades. Through its forceful backing of Mikati, Hezbollah has clearly demonstrated that it is the dominant political and military force in Lebanon. Thanks to its organic links to the Shiite organization, Iran emerges stronger from recent political shifts in Lebanon.
At the same time, by forcibly removing Saad Hariri, the paramount Sunni leader whose community is entitled to the position of prime minister, Hezbollah has ventured in the highly explosive sectarian arena and has become vulnerable to accusations that it is behaving as a sectarian actor. This affects Iran’s image as well. Indeed, Hezbollah’s rivals, both Christian and Sunni, have been quick to denounce it as a Shiite and Iranian project. Iran is therefore irremediably tainted in the eyes of a significant segment of the Lebanese population.
  • Iran helped create Hezbollah, a Shiite movement, after Israel’s 1982 invasion. But Hezbollah also has strong indigenous roots in Lebanon, reflected in parliamentary elections since 1992. How much influence does Iran have over Hezbollah today and how has it changed in the past three decades?
Hezbollah was once an Iranian proxy, but it has clearly outgrown this status over the past two decades to become Iran’s brother-in-arms. The relationship is complex and multi-directional: beyond its strategic value against Israel, Hezbollah’s successes and popularity in the Arab world make it a treasured interlocutor for Tehran.
Hezbollah operates firmly within Iran’s strategic orbit but on political and day-to-day matters in Lebanon, Hezbollah enjoys great autonomy. Its electoral victories are the result of its successful if reluctant entry into Lebanese political life. Its smart positioning, successes against Israel, social services network and the competence of its leader Hassan Nasrallah have rallied Lebanon’s Shiite community. This is, however, complicated by the triangular relationship with Syria. When Syria occupied Lebanon, Hezbollah had to bow to Syrian strategic imperatives which, at times, differed with Iran. Since Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon, Iran’s influence has grown.
  • How will Iran’s influence on Lebanon be affected or tempered by other parties who will be part of a multi-party and multi-confessional cabinet?
Iran is viewed suspiciously by many Lebanese. Fears that Iran seeks to establish an “Islamic Republic on the Mediterranean”, however overblown, are real. More importantly, there is a genuine concern that Hezbollah will draw Lebanon into a war with Israel to do Iran’s bidding.
Iran seeks to preserve Hezbollah as an essential element of its deterrence and defense posture against Israel and the United States. This goal has been attained now that no Lebanese cabinet, more so one imposed by Hezbollah, can constrain Hezbollah’s strategic choices in matters of war and peace. Iran will let Hezbollah manage its relations with other Lebanese actors and make tactical deals to preserve that state of affairs.
  • How does Iran’s influence play out on specific domestic, economic or foreign policy issues?
Iran is not interested in determining domestic or economic policy in Lebanon, or imposing its rigid Islamic rules onto the Lebanese population. Hezbollah itself is reluctant to do so: it means swimming in the treacherous waters of Lebanese politics at the risk of ruining its image as an incorruptible and competent resistance group. Hezbollah was drawn deeper into Lebanese politics because of its need to protect its armed status and ‘resistance’ from the criticism of rival factions after the Syrian withdrawal.
In fact, Hezbollah seeks to remain above the state rather than to be the state. The militia and Iran are primarily concerned about having a dominant say in the country’s foreign, security and defense policy to make sure Hezbollah’s armed status is not threatened by UN resolutions or Lebanon’s relations with the West or Arab states.
  • Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom recently described Lebanon’s new government as “an Iranian government on Israel’s northern border.” And Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi visited Damascus on January 24, with Lebanon as one of the main topics of discussion. How will the new Lebanese government alter regional dynamics?
Much will depend on the composition of the new Lebanese government and its acceptance by the international community, including the West and Arab countries. It could be cautiously welcomed or completely ostracized.
The new situation is not without difficulties for Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s military strategy has always been to remain distinct from the state because a non-state actor is more flexible and can better fight and survive a war. In a future conflict, Israel will consider the Lebanese state as an accomplice and an extension of Hezbollah. And with Hezbollah the kingmaker, it will be difficult for the United States or any other actor to convince Israel to distinguish between the two.
Syria finds itself in a complicated situation. Its ally scored a victory for the Jabhat al-Mumana’a—or the Front of Refusal—and neutralized its Lebanese critics, yet it is not comfortable with a situation that increases the chances of war. Syria makes different calculations about the conduct and outcome of a conflict with Israel than Hezbollah or Iran.
  • How does Hezbollah’s political victory affect Washington’s strategic interests in the region—and its effort to pressure Iran on its controversial nuclear program?
U.S. policy has undoubtedly suffered a major blow. While Lebanon is not a top U.S. interest, it is the bellwether of regional politics. Iran’s allies have defeated both militarily and politically U.S.-backed factions and derive a great sense of confidence in its regional reach.


Article Text

P48 Modifying health promotion interventions for ethnic minority groups: systematic overview of guidelines and reviews
  1. E Davidson1,
  2. J J Liu1,
  3. U Yousuf2,
  4. R Bhopal3,
  5. M Johnson4,
  6. M White5,
  7. G Netto6,
  8. M Deverill7,
  9. A Sheikh1
  1. 1General Practice section, Centre for Population Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Edinburgh, UK
  2. 2Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
  3. 3Public Health Sciences section, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Edinburgh, UK
  4. 4Mary Seacole Research Centre, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
  5. 5Institute of Health & Society, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
  6. 6School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
  7. 7Institute of Health and Society, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Background Some UK ethnic minority groups experience disproportionate levels of morbidity and mortality when compared with the majority White population. For these populations, access to and use of health promotion interventions may be limited. Adaptation of smoking cessation, physical activity and nutrition interventions of proven effectiveness for the majority population could represent an efficient strategy for reducing persistent health inequalities when adapted for minority ethnic populations.

Objectives To identify the high-level evidence for health promotion interventions which have proven effectiveness for the general population and construct a framework of effective interventions, including any recommendations relating to ethnic minority populations.

Design A systematic overview was conducted with two reviewers independently searching and identifying guidelines and systematic reviews of interventions for smoking cessation, improving nutrition and physical activity. SIGN, NICE and Clinical Evidence databases were searched for relevant guidelines. Cochrane Library, Campbell Collection, HTA reviews and DARE databases were searched for systematic reviews. Data on the effectiveness of interventions were extracted.

Results 19 guidelines were identified as relevant. 2399 systematic review records were identified and assessed for eligibility. 187 systematic reviews were included in the final analysis. The guidelines revealed a large evidence base for smoking cessation interventions, but highlighted major gaps in relation to how best to increase physical activity and improve nutrition. There was little advice in these guidelines on how to adapt interventions to meet the needs of ethnic minority populations. The 187 systematic reviews were screened to identify any additional effective interventions not included in the guidelines. All effective, evidence-based interventions have been compiled into a summary framework. The 187 systematic reviews were also subjected to a detailed assessment of the population composition to determine whether any subgroup analysis for ethnic minority groups was undertaken. Approximately half of the reviews reported the inclusion of ethnic minority groups; however, no reviews conducted subgroup analyses according to ethnicity and ethnic-specific recommendations were scarce.

Conclusions The evidence base reviewed provides specific guidance on effective interventions for smoking cessation, but generic advice for increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. Identification of the range of evidence-based interventions for these three areas has led to the development of a summary framework that can be utilised for health promotion. Interventions already found to be effective in the majority population are, if appropriately adapted, likely to prove effective in minority ethnic populations. This work will advance current guidance on how to approach adaptation.

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“Twitter is stupid and Instagram is Twitter for people who can’t read” — 2 Broke Girls

I disagree. Until last week I never heard this quote before and now every time I watch a CBS television show on demand I am tormented by those words.

Some of my friends know I have spent most of 2014 living inside of Instagram. At times it feels like I am on Instagram for several hours a day. I know I changed because these days when I wake up in the morning I go onto Instagram first before checking my email.

Inside the world of advertising, the advertising, PR, Marketing worlds grew up with the terms “earned media” and “paid media.” Paid media is advertising that is paid for. Earned media is the opposite. It happens when someone writes a story on a media platform about a product, person, place, thing, and service without economic compensation. In the era of Instagram I have discovered another form of media, “Love Media.” Imagine a world where the customer will share a photograph of their food, their sneakers, their hotel room, their camera, their clothing and more with their friends and community without payment or any expectation of payment. They are driven by love. On any given day, millions of people are sharing their love for a product, service, food, TV show, movie and more with their communities on Instagram. The amount of sharing is growing. And as 2014 nears the end, it is all about love.

As a marketing professional, your challenge is to find a way to leverage the love from your customers into something meaningful. Figure out how to best approach this and Instagram can be a great marketing channel for future product rollouts. The success of Instagram is disruptive to marketing strategies, which are passive. The idea of building bottom up community is still foreign to many. Yet in 2015 community will have an even bigger role. Use Instagram to build your contacts and as a channel to connect to your customer community.

These days I am working with a number of owners of restaurants in Manhattan on their Instagram strategy. These are restaurant owners who recognize that an active Instagram strategy is more important than begging for reviews on Yelp. This is the profile of the kind of person I prefer to work with since they intuitively understand Instagram is where the buzz is. And Instagram is where they need to be.

Inside of the food industry, Instagram is magical. Imagine discovering a new dish tonight because one of your Instagram friends scored a reservation in the hot new gluten free vegan spot in the Lower East Side. Imagine being able to click on the location inside the photo and see 25 other mouth-watering dishes. Food discovery via Instagram is viral and a game changer for foodies and business owners.

In a world of 140 Characters, Twitter continues to be a powerful platform. But in a platform where a picture is worth a thousand words, adding a story in the description of a photo turns each Instagram post into a short form novel. And something meaningful for the future.


Study of the stability and unfolding mechanism of BBA1 by molecular dynamics simulations at different temperatures

BBA1 is a designed protein that has only 23 residues. It is the smallest protein without disulfide bridges that has a well-defined tertiary structure in solution. We have performed unfolding molecular dynamics simulations on BBA1 and some of its mutants at 300, 330, 360, and 400 K to study their kinetic stability as well as the unfolding mechanism of BBA1. It was shown that the unfolding simulations can provide insights into the forces that stabilize the protein. Packing, hydrophobic interactions, and a salt bridge between Asp12 and Lys16 were found to be important to the protein' stability. The unfolding of BBA1 goes through two major steps: (1) disruption of the hydrophobic core and (2) unfolding of the helix. The β-hairpin remains stable in the unfolding because of the high stability of the type II' turn connecting the two β-strands.


Chopped S33E10 – Best Laid Pans

An enormous setback leaves one chef not sure whether or not her sausage and okra appetizer will come collectively on time and as deliberate. Savory pie and a recent Italian cheese meet on the cooks’ entree plates. Then, peppers and pears pair up in an thrilling dessert spherical.
Chopped - Best Laid Pans

Watch Chopped S33E10: Best Laid Pans On-line

Chopped challenges 4 promising cooks to show a choice of on a regular basis components into a unprecedented three-course meal. In every episode, 4 cooks compete. The present is split into three rounds; in every spherical, the cooks are given a basket containing between three and 5 unrelated elements, and the dish every competitor prepares should include all of those elements.


Betty W. Phillips, Ph.D., Psychology
The Stress Monster Loves Sleeping Pills

                                The Stress Monster Loves Sleeping Pills!

In writing an update about controlling stress and improving sleep, it occurred to me that I should research the effects of pharmaceutical medications commonly used for sleep. More and more people are just "popping a pill" instead of using the wisdom of the body to relax and glide into peaceful dreamland. If you are using these medications or are considering their use: READ THIS NOW!

Are these medications even effective? Drug companies cite research that these medications improve sleep. Yes, but what is the average length of sleep improvement?  An analysis of sleeping pill research found that the average improvement in total sleep time with drugs such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata was 11.4 minutes!  Other research found that long-term sleeping pill users actually had more nighttime awakenings than drug-free insomniacs.

Why are sleeping medications so popular when their effectiveness is so limited? These drugs are sedative-hypnotics which depress brain functioning, interfering with cognitive ability to make or store new memories. This condition, anterograde amnesia, impairs nighttime memory. You may be tossing and turning and losing sleep during the night, then simply forget these events.

What other problems are caused by these drugs?  The FDA requires warning labels about "complex sleep-related behaviors" which sometimes occur during the night under the influence of these drugs including eating, talking, and even driving! Nighttime falls and injuries and hallucinations are sometimes reported. Users may take extra pills during the night, compounding the drug affects. Although the individual under the influence of these drugs may appear conscious, their behaviors may be quite inappropriate or dangerous and they will have no memory of these events. You may recall hearing about US Congressman Patrick Kennedy who was arrested driving erratically at 3 AM under the influence of sleeping pills.  Kennedy stated, "I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions."  You can find alarming testimonials on the Internet about these types of effects. The FDA also warned about severe allergic reactions and facial swelling.

What about ongoing effects of the drugs? Users report daytime fatigue, impairments in memory, concentration and performance. These medications are habit-forming and often result in rebound insomnia.  Serious effects are seen when these drugs are used in combination with alcohol.

Stress and insomnia do go hand in hand, so how can we get a good night’s sleep? I did report on a number of sleep remedies in two articles on Sleep for Health in the Reading Room of my website, Many of those suggestions can be implemented at night. So for today's article I'll mention considerations for morning and afternoon. The body does regulate sleep according to circadian rhythms. Exposure to bright natural or full spectrum light in the morning will preset the body’s melatonin cycles for deep restorative sleep that night. Exercise in the morning also stimulates the body's natural rhythms, while exercise at night may be over-stimulating.  Most people are not aware that caffeine, energy drinks, sugar and other stimulants may have long-lasting effects so should be used sparingly or not at all after noon. The half-life of coffee is six hours, so the effects often persist into the bedtime hours.  When sleep deprived individuals use these stimulants to keep functioning during the afternoon they may inadvertently cause insomnia that evening.

Want some good ideas for rest at night? Consider self-hypnosis which can be very effective in inducing restorative sleep. You might try Deep Sleep, a CD available from Dr. Steven Gurgevich (  My clients who have tried this CD have found the third induction on disc 2 particularly helpful. You may have to practice use of this induction several times for maximum effectiveness. Another innovative idea is to use a light stimulation device which entrains the brain and body into a state of deep relaxation. (Relax-Mate II designed by Dr. Norman Shealy,  If you want to pop a pill, consider supplements for relaxation which also facilitate sleep.

While the stress monster is making lots of money on these drugs, you and I can instead experience some healthy drug-free zzzz’s!


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Where do graduates welcome with open arms and where they earn the most? Added:19.11. 2009

„It can not support you,“ you may have heard as a response to the poetry of your dream business. What salary and it is a selection criterion for future studies and professions. Where to go for a certain place and a full wallet will tell our story.

How can it really stand graduates in general? Dry talking numbers in higher education benefits. According to the study of education policy Education Centre of Charles University in Prague, Czech university graduates are 69% less risk of unemployment than the rest of the population and also earn 66% more. And what they do pay graduates? Average is 42 crowns (Let's take this into account but it is a gross wage, and that also allows people with higher vocational education).

Most desirable fields ===== =====

Education Policy Studies Centre Pdf UK also shows how the success of graduates in finding employment type of school they attended. It turned out that it is best to graduate doctors, lawyers and engineers, a great fear of unemployment may not have even educators and economists. Difficult position, however, are graduates of faculties of arts and agriculture, while the unemployment rate for artists with last year despite a general decline in 2008 further increased. It must however take into account the number of graduates that the school and of course the conditions of the region in which the school is located. The specific results of individual unemployment universities and faculties, and a summary of a study on the status of university graduates in the labor market for 2008 can be downloaded „here“:…VP_MF_v2.pdf.

How does the structure of job opportunities in practice? Ing. Ondrej Myslivecek, analyst at LMC, said that 28% of all offers of suitable graduates to portal, which operates the LMC, were customer service positions, 27% of the administrative work. 18% of advertisers offered positions in banking and financial services and offers 13% came from both sales and trading, IT, economics and the construction industry.

===== Best paid professions

Where to easily find work, we already know, but where we pay the most? "We are still among the highest paid positions for graduates in IT, pharmaceuticals (business representatives), engineers and technologists – in short, all scarce profession. Graduate with no experience at best obtained starting salary of 25 thousand CZK, with the practice of CZK 30 thousand, "says Myslivecek.

Detailed statistics on the amount of average gross monthly salary brings the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. If we look at non-business sphere, simply to state employees, most are on the legislators, senior officials and managers, just behind Technicians and associate professionals and members of the army. Seven rated the best non-business positions with an average gross monthly wage is as follows:

1st Director of central government authority 60 503 CZK 2nd The director, deputy service department, the department Presidium, in office, the administration of the police 56 046 CZK 3rd The head of government, administrative authority (except the central authorities) 49 968 CZK 4th A doctor specializing in the field nec 45 997 CZK 5th Head of central government authority 45 349 CZK 6th Director of government authority, the administrative office (except the central authorities) 43 066 CZK 7th Leaders, representatives of the departments, groups on the Presidium, in office, the administration of the police 42 100 CZK

In the business sphere are the best managers and executives (CEOs and presidents of large organizations and enterprises, managers of different departments, business, economic and technical directors in the banking, insurance, but also in various branches of production and services). Scattering the salaries of individual positions is quite large, the highest gross monthly salaries ranging up to over 100 thousand crowns for the director of the largest enterprises. The second highest paid group of business are scientists and academics. Lucrative positions in this group are:

1st Designer and Analyst Computer Systems 50 678 CZK 2nd Lawyers, legal advisers (among the legal profession and the judiciary) 48 653 CZK 3rd Engineer manager of integrated information systems, networks 47 174 CZK 4th The programmer specialist in the field of computer technology 46 747 CZK 5th Designers of electronic systems and telecommunications networks, engineers – elec 42 996 CZK 6th Marketing Specialist 42 906 CZK 7th Construction of structures and facilities engineer 42 459 CZK

We can expect some changes in the evolution of the labor market? "Changes in the short term can not be expected, it will still be enough graduates in economic and humanities, and fewer graduates in technical fields. Become more lucrative in the long term specialized fields such as genetics, cybernetics, professions related to the processing and transmission of data, "explains Myslivecek.

Source: „Study Summary PDF GMP UK“:…VP_MF_v2.pdf, „MLSA“:

2000 - 2017


The heavenly taste of local greatness

White Swan Inn, Scotter. G101008-2
White Swan Inn, Scotter. G101008-2
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EATING out should be much more than just paying for a plate of food – it should be an escape from the day-to-day grind.

I gave myself an hour off from my hectic schedule, and as I rolled through the picturesque Lincolnshire countryside with the wind whistling and the crisp winter sunshine beaming down, I felt certain that this is God’s country.

Then, as if I needed convincing any more, I found myself at The White Swan Inn in Scotter. Nestling comfortably in this quaint and sleepy village, The White Swan is a perfect example of a traditional British pub.

Built into a charming country cottage setting with a hotel, I would challenge you to find a better place to retreat to.

Settling into my charming surroundings beside a crackling fire and oak furnishings, it felt like the world was slipping away.

Looking around the room, my eye fell upon the special offers board. At selected times they offer an impressive two for £12 deal on a delectable array of mains including steak and ale pie, beef cobbler, lasagne, gammon steak or six oz haddock.

As tempting and wallet-pleasing as all of those sounded, my taste buds were caught up in the battle of choosing between the Cajun chicken and the Mexican steak.

I was swiftly and pleasantly served by the attentive and polite staff, who provided fantastic service throughout my meal. At that point, I took the plunge and went for the Mexican steak, if only to silence the voices in my head imagining what it could possibly be.

When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. It was an eight oz rump steak topped with mixed pepper and chilli salsa, topped with mozarella cheese and served with vegatables and new potatoes.

How was it? One word: wow.

I like my steak done medium rare, which I find is often hard for many pubs to get just right, but the clearly very skilled chef pulled it off to perfection.

The steak was a fantastic cut of meat in itself, but the Mexican twist on an old classic was a stroke of genius. I can only describe it as a festival of flavour. The vegetables being tasty and piping hot simply added up to a pretty flawless meal.

I eyed up the dessert menu for quite a while too, as I considered the cool mint fling, a selection of Blyton ice cream, mango and coconut brulee and the almost irrestible warm chocolate cookie cup, but I was already satisfied.

So if you want to eat out and eat well, you need to get away. You need to get yourself out to the White Swan Inn at Scotter.

By Andrew Trendell


940 Nutri-Placer

Available in widths of 65-foot - the widest in the industry - or 60-foot frame size, the Case IH Nutri-Placer 940 heavy-duty welded frame design delivers large-acre productivity, even in the toughest field conditions. Heavy frame tubing runs the length of the frame, giving it more strength while also making it possible to stagger additional coulters and row units for better residue flow. Welded support members between the forward and rear tubes add strength and stability throughout, resulting in increased uptime, faster ground speed capabilities and maximum reliability.

The Nutri-Placer 940 features a five-section field flex and seven-section fold frame design for superior ground contouring and easy folding and unfolding. While operating in the field, the five-section field flex position frame weight is evenly distributed across the width of the machine. The 65-foot model gives 23 percent more operating width than the largest version of previous designs, allowing it to cover more acreage.

Case IH 940 Nutri-Placer

The Case IH 810 Flex-Air™ applicator delivers accurate application of dry fertilizer and granular herbicides. It’s designed to co-apply rather than blend for unmatched accuracy, and it meters near the distribution point so you can change rates instantly. Put one, two or three bins on your Titan™ Series floater. Then choose a 500-gal. (1890-L) liquid system, mounted externally to maximize bin capacity.

Case IH 810 Flex-Air Applicator

Case IH Precision Air Carts


The Birth of Venus (detail of the Winds), by Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510), Italian Renaissance painter

Botticelli (1444-1510), Italian Renaissance painter

The winds. They appear personified even in the Homeric poems, but at the same time they are conceived as ordinary phenomena of nature. The master and ruler of all the winds is Aeolus, who resides in the island Aeolia (Virg. Aen. i. 52, &c.; comp. AEOLUS) ; but the other gods also, especially Zeus, exercise a power over them. (Hom. Il. xii. 281.) Homer mentions by name Boreas (north wind), Eurus (east wind), Notus (south wind), and Zephyrus (west wind). When the funeral pile of Patroclus could not be made to burn, Achilles promised to offer sacrifices to the winds, and Iris accordingly hastening to them, found them feasting in the palace of Zephyrus in Thrace. Boreas and Zephyrus, at the invitation of Iris, forthwith hastened across the Thracian sea into Asia, to cause the fire to blaze. (Hom. Il. xxiii. 185, &c. ; comp. ii. 145, &c., v. 534, ix. 5, Od. v. 295.) Boreas and Zephyrus are usually mentioned together by Homer, just as Eurus and Notus. (Comp. BOREAS and ZEPHYRUS.) According to Hesiod (Theog. 378, &c., 869, &c.), the beneficial winds, Notus, Boreas, Argestes, and Zephyrus, were the sons of Astraeus and Eos, and the destructive ones, as Typhon, are said to be the sons of Typhoeus. Later, especially philosophical writers, endeavoured to define the winds more accurately, according to their places in the compass. Thus Aristotle (Meteor. ii. 6), besides the four principal winds (Boreas or Aparctias, Eurus, Notus, and Zephyrus) mentions three, the Meses, Caicias, and Apeliotes, between Boreas and Eurus ; between Eurus and Notus he places the Phoenicias ; between Notus and Zephyrus he has only the Lips, and between Zephyrus and Boreas he places the Argestes (Olympias or Sciron) and the Thrascias. It must further be observed that according to Aristotle, the Eurus is not due east, but south east. In the Museum Pio-Clementinum there exists a marble monument upon which the winds are described with their Greek and Latin names, viz. Septentrio (Aparctias), Eurus (Euros, or southeast), and between these two Aquilo (Boreas), Vulturnus (Caicias) and Solanus (Apheliotes). Between Eurus and Notus (Notos) there is only one, the Euroauster (Euronotus); between Notus and Favonius (Zephyrus) are marked Austro-Africus (Libonotus), and Africus (Lips); and between Favonius and Septentrio we find Chrus (Iapyx) and Circius (Thracius). See the tables of the winds figured in Göttling's edit. of Hesiod, p. 39. The winds were represented by poets and artists in different ways; the latter usually represented them as beings with wings at their heads and shoulders (Ov. Met. i. 264, &c.; Philostr. Icon. i. 24). On the chest of Cypselus, Boreas in the act of carrying off Oreithyia, was represented with serpents in the place of legs (Paus. v. 19. § 1). The most remarkable monument representing the winds is the octagonal tower of Andronicus Cyrrhestes at Athens. Each of the eight sides of the monument represents one of the eight principal winds in a flying attitude. A moveable Triton in the centre of the cupola pointed with his staff to the wind blowing at the time. All these eight figures have wings at their shoulders, all are clothed, and the peculiarities of the winds are indicated by their bodies and various attributes. (Hirt, Mythol. Bilderb. p. 140, &c.) Black lambs were offered as sacrifices to the destructive winds, and white ones to favourable or good winds. (Aristoph. Ran. 845; Virg. Aen. iii. 117.) Boreas had a temple on the river Ilissus in Attica (Herod. vii. 189; comp. Paus. viii. 27. § 9), and between Titane and Sicyon there was an altar of the winds, upon which a priest offered a sacrifice to the winds once in every year. (Paus. ii. 12. § 1.) Zephyrus had an altar on the sacred road to Eleusis. (i. 37. § 1.)


St. John Chrysostom: The Prophet of Charity

Protopresbyter Georges Florovsky (+1979)

Yet, Chrysostom was in no sense a sentimental optimist. His diagnosis of the human situation was stern and grim. He lived in a time when the Church was suddenly invaded by crowds of nominal converts. He had an impression that he was preaching to the dead. He watched the lack of charity, and the complacent injustice and saw them almost in an apocalyptic perspective: “We have quenched the zeal, and the body of Christ is dead.” He had an impression that he was speaking to people for whom Christianity was just a conventional fashion, an empty form, a manner and little more: “Among the thousands one can hardly find more than a hundred of them who are being saved, and even about that I am doubtful.” He was rather embarrassed by the great number of alleged Christians: “an extra food for fire.”

Prosperity was for him a danger, the worst kind of persecution, worse than an open persecution. Nobody sees dangers. Prosperity breeds carelessness. Men fall asleep, and the devil kills the sleepy. Chrysostom was disturbed especially by an open and deliberate lowering of standards and requirements, even among the clergy. Salt was losing its savour. He reacted to this not only by a word of rebuke and reprimand, but by deeds of charity and love. He was desperately concerned with the renewal of society, with the healing of social ills. He was preaching and practising charity, founding hospitals and orphanages, helping the poor and destitute. I le wanted to recover the spirit of practising love. He wanted more activity and commitment among Christians. Christianity for him was precisely “the Way,” as it had been sometimes described in Apostolic times, and Christ Himself was “the Way.” Chrysostom was always against all compromises, against the policy of appeasement and adjustment. He was a prophet of an integral Christianity.

Chrysostom was mainly a preacher of morality, but his ethics was deeply rooted in the faith. He used to interpret Scripture to his flocks, and his favorite writer was St. Paul. It was in his epistles that one could see this organic connection between faith and life. Chrysostom had his favorite dogmatic theme, to which he would constantly return first of all, the theme of the Church, closely linked to the doctrine of Redemption, being the sacrifice of the High Priest Christ; the Church is the new being, the life in Christ, and the life of Christ in men. Secondly, the theme of Eucharist, a sacrament and a sacrifice. It is but fair to call Chrysostom, as he was actually called, “the teacher of Eucharist,” doctor eucharisticus. Both themes were linked together. It was in the Eucharist, and through it, that the Church could be alive.

Chrysostom is very evangelical at this point. Treasures must be gathered in heaven, and not on earth, and all earthly treasures are unreal and doomed to corruption. “A love for wealth is abnormal,” says Chrysostom. It is just a burden for the soul, and a dangerous burden. It enslaves the soul; it distracts it from the service to God. The Christian spirit is a spirit of renunciation, and wealth ties man to inanimate things. The acquisitive spirit distorts the vision, perverts the perspective. Chrysostom is closely following the injunctions of the Sermon on the Mount. “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. . .” Life is greater than clothing or food, but it is anxiety which is the prevailing temper of the acquisitive society.

Chrysostom was afraid that everything kept aside was in a sense stolen from the poor. One cannot be rich, except at the cost of keeping others poor. The root of wealth is always in sortie injustice. Yet, poverty was not for Chrysostom just a virtue by itself. Poverty meant for him first of all need and want, and suffering and pain. For this reason Christ can be found among the poor, and he comes to us in the guise of a beggar, and not in that of a rich man. Poverty is a blessing only when it is cheerfully accepted for Christ’s sake. The poor have less anxiety than the rich and are more independent-or at least may be. Chrysostom was fully aware that poverty can be tempting too, not only as a burden, but as an incentive of envy or despair. For that very reason he wanted to fight poverty, in order not only to ease the suffering, but to remove temptations also.

Chrysostom was always concerned with ethical issues. He had his own vision of a just society, and the first prerequisite was, in his opinion, equality. It is the first claim of any genuine love. But Chrysostom would go much further. He felt that there was but one owner of all things in the world-God Himself, the Maker of all. Strictly speaking, no private property should exist at all. Everything belongs to God. Everything is loaned rather than given by God in trust to man, for God’s purposes. Chrysostom would add: Everything is God’s except the good deeds of man–it is the only thing that man can own. As everything belongs to God, our common Master, everything is given for common use. Is it not true even of worldly things? Cities, market-places, streets-are they not a common possession? God’s economy is of the same kind. Water, air, sun and moon, and the rest of creation, are intended for common use. Quarrels begin usually when people attempt to appropriate things which, by their very nature, were not intended for the private possession of some, to the exclusion of others.

Chrysostom had serious doubts about private property. Does not strife begin when the cold distinction mine” and “thine” is first introduced? Chrysostom was concerned not so much with the results, as with causes-with the orientation of the will. Where is man going to gather his treasures? Chrysostom was after justice in defense of human dignity. Was not every man created in God’s image? Did God not wish salvation and conversion of every single man, regardless of his position in life, and even regardless of his behavior in the past? All are called to repentance, and all can repent. There was, however, no neglect of material things in his preaching. Material goods come also from God, and they are not bad in themselves. What is bad, is only the unjust use of goods, to the profit of some, while others are left starving. The answer is in love. Love is not selfish, “is not ambitious, is not self-seeking.” Chrysostom was looking back to the primitive Church. “Observe the increase of piety. They cast away their riches, and rejoiced, and had great gladness, for greater were the riches they received without labor. None reproached, none envied, none grudged; no pride, no contempt. No talk of ‘mine’ and ‘thine.’ Hence gladness waited at their table; no one seemed to eat of his own, or another’s. Neither did they consider their brethren’s property foreign to themselves; it was a property of the Master; nor again deemed they ought their own, all was the brethren’s.” How was this possible, Chrysostom asks: By the inspiration of love, in recognition of the unfathomable love of God.

Chrysostom did not believe in abstract schemes; he had a fiery faith in the creative power of Christian love. It was for that reason that he became the teacher and prophet for all ages in the Church. In his youth he spent some few years in the desert, but would not stay there. For him monastic solitude was just a training period. He returned to the world to proclaim the power of the Gospel. He was a missionary by vocation; he had an apostolic and evangelistic zeal. He wanted to share his inspiration with his brethren ‘ He wanted to work for the establishment of God’s Kingdom. He prayed for such things in common life so that nobody would need to retire to the wilderness in search for perfection, because there would be the same opportunity in the cities. He wanted to reform the city itself, and for that purpose lie chose for himself the way of priesthood and apostolate.

Was this a utopian dream? Was it possible to reshape the world, and to overrule the wordliness of the world? Was Chrysostom successful in his mission? His life was stormy and hard, it was a life of endurance and martyrdom. He was persecuted and rejected not by the heathen, but by false brethren, and died homeless as a prisoner in exile. All he was given to endure he accepted in the spirit of joy, as from the hand of Christ, Who was Himself rejected and executed. The Church gratefully recognized that witness and solemnly acclaimed Chrysostom as one of the “ecumenical teachers” for all ages to come.

From Volume Four of “Collected Works: Aspects of Church History”

This article originally appeared in St. Vladimir’s Seminary Quarterly, IV, Nos. 3/4 (1955), 37-42.

Source: St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church, Irvine, CA

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Tag Archives: Gallaudet University

What Was Laurent Clerc Thinking That Night?

The Hidden Hand: Hate in Deaf Community

Every year, on Saint Patrick’s Day, my grandparents would watch their favorite movie, 1952 “The Quiet Man” because Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne were their favorite actress and actor. Plus, it was filmed in Ireland. As they say, “Erin Go Bragh!” [Ireland forever]

Then I learned later that John’s name was not his birth name. He was born as Duke Morrison. I also learned that he was hungry for supremacy. That does not fit Hollywood’s image. I learned that the other night about a year ago that it has happened in California, a Republican congressman was attempting to make a special honor called “John Wayne Day” held in May and the Democrats came out protesting strongly against the idea. The bill failed because they hold zero tolerance policy against Racism and hate. That is what we all should do the same thing. How do we feel about white supremacy?

When you see an image below, John Wayne actually said that in 1971 Playboy magazine interview below. University of Virginia wrote about John Wayne, “Wayne has grossed more than $400 million for his studios–more than any other star in motion-picture history. But because of his uncompromising squareness–and his archconservative politics–he was still largely a profit without honor in Hollywood.”

Now, can we do something about Audism and hate? What about those hearing actresses and actors who are pretending to be Deaf in the big picture front of Deaf eyes? Why are Deaf people rejected as an aspiration to a world in which all forms of inequality and dehumanization among ourselves that allows a society to oppress Deaf people who have plenty of talent out there?

Some people would say that a degree of “diversity” is a wonderful thing, but within certain demographics it has continue to practice the old, dirty politics, and there are plenty of people in this or that minority culture for whom the old-fashioned non-cultural politics is more relevant. For most people of any group, including the minority groups, the specifically diversity issues are actually a small proportion of the actually important yet invisible issues affecting Deaf people anywhere.

Should Audism be “extinct” in Deaf community, in the sense that the public eye of Alexander Graham Bell is quite welcoming to anyone Deaf. This is not always true. Struggle with sign languages everywhere, communication and personal appearance exists in the term subtle diversity in the society. In Canada, more specifically, Nova Scotia “NS” in ASL— 12 years ago in the legislative Act of 2005, the honor created “Alexander Graham Bell Day” where they celebrate his achievements on March 7th every year ever since and it has became a personal insult for the Deaf community.

While the only Alexander Graham Bell Day in the world, Canada is the front runner and they should get rid of it. One day they will. Do not wait too long. Celebrating Alexander Graham Bell Day is like creating a massacre filled with laughter! What do you think when you see “education” first thing? It may be most complex noun of all. It means, “to train someone for what?”—And it is a teacher-centered, not student-centered. If a teacher thinks a Deaf pupil is better off speaking, then the pupil is really stuck.

I strongly believe in student-centered learning and teaching (peer-teaching) is best of the best for the Deaf as they often teach each other. That is what a Deaf culture is supposed to be. Paulo Freire once said, “The teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher.

Deaf people are not part of inventory or investment! Is ASL suffering language bigotry? What do we mean Audism when we say that an oppressor usually a hearing person believes a given proposition about the Deaf? We all need to be outspoken promoters of social justice and  defender of the oppressed! We need to follow a good example what California did and support Deaf Canadians to get rid of AGBell’s Day! So, do you think we should remove all the ranks of Audism in public eye? Alexander Graham Bell’s 1884 hate speech:

We should try ourselves to forget that they are deaf. We should try to teach them to forget that they are deaf.”-Alexander Graham Bell, 1884.

Cite: Ladd, Paddy. Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood. Page 129.

Isn’t Bell doing exactly the same thing what John Wayne said about, I don’t believe giving authority and positions of leadership and judgement to irresponsible people…—AGBell’s speech was instructed to teach Deaf people to hate their own “identity” and forget their existence as the state of being Deaf and lose all the ranks of leadership just because Deaf people are viewed as socially inferior and ‘irresponsible’ people. AGBell was really afraid. The dark side of AGBell has been revealed. His leadership is now weak. The evolution of FEAR begins.

After all, that is the worst massacre created by Alexander Graham Bell and its followers. There may be more reasons behind that. On the left bottom corner, the postage of Alexander Graham Bell–look at his fists. He was so charged to attack Deaf community. That’s the hidden hand, folks!

Lastly, Wayne’s words, “Our so-called stealing of this country from them [Native Americans] was just a matter of survival.” What an asshole! Generally speaking for “matter of survival” would be any incident where Deaf people would be oppressed by another and the perpetrating group has the control of power.

The stories told by Deaf people becomes the collective journey and how their struggles and circumstances meet with the full use of force. In other words, if people agree that AGBell created a massacre for power, politics, hate, and the oppression ranks, then it meets our criteria.

It makes him less human. His primary goal was to destroy the survivorship of ASL and Deaf people. That makes Bell a bigger asshole. What is so funny right now? Well, I have this book, A**holeolgy The Cheat Sheet: Put the Science into Practice in Everyday by Chris Illuminati sitting on the bookshelf; I saw a perfect introduction from the book: The Ten Demandments of Being an Asshole.

  1. The asshole cares about the asshole the most.
  2. The asshole is always right.
  3. The assholes rarely apologizes.
  4. The asshole never accepts the word “no.”
  5. The asshole is always in control.
  6. The asshole always has a plan.
  7. The asshole takes what he wants.
  8. The asshole always look good.
  9. The asshole learns from his (few mistakes)
  10. The asshole is always evolving.

I rest my case.

Copyright © 2017 Jason Tozier

Who Coined “Deaf Studies” First?

Copyright © 2017 Jason Tozier

The Politics of Audiology at Gallaudet University

Few weeks ago, Gallaudet University held a graduation for 2017 graduates—and I attended and received the 147th Commencement Ceremony “catalog” ranging from Order of Exercises [Processional to Conferring of Degrees and to Recessional]—there was one page that caught my eyes very much. Doctor of Philosophy where students received their Ph.D in field: Two in Education, two in Critical Studies in the Education of the Deaf Learner, three in Interpretation, two in Linguistics, two in Psychology, seven in Education Specialist, six in Specialist in School Psychology……..23 in Audiology.

That’s a lot, 23—and do you think Gallaudet University is allowing the practice of Audism? It is an engrossing study of the nature of American Sign Language and the subtle ways in which it gets oppressed. The language war (battling between signed and spoken languages) is set for the Deaf deliberately by audiologists and cochlear implants advocates for example, sometimes, it is set inadvertently by ourselves. The Language war——creating all the faces of Audism explains three general areas: why, how, and what.

Day after day we the Deaf people struggle against Audism, a hegemony of being able to hear a little over being profoundly Deaf in our society. Deaf people are treated to more and more euphemisms that dismiss our being Deaf as being bad, being inconvenient, being deficient. Not All Deaf Students wants to be cured. We encounter innumerable ambiguties and indulge in a few ourselves. We need to explore the “oral” minefield, and explains how to spot a language and sound war—and how to avoid the face of Audism.

The burning question, since 23 people received Ph.D in Audiology at Gallaudet University, does the Department of Audiology gets commission and money flowing and help them rake up the politics of Audiology and applying the pressure on Gallaudet University should be willing to pool some cash for the Department of Audiology to get space ready to branch out? But what about ignoring Audism at Gallaudet? Is either Department of Audiology or Gallaudet University getting rich after handing out each Ph.D? What is allowed in that Deaf space?

President Lincoln was the first Patron for Gallaudet University did not need his dollars rolling over at Gallaudet Univerity for Audiology at all. Lincoln made this a big dream for Deaf students to get higher education, nothing more!

On a side note: Why not Gallaudet University create Ph.D program in ASL/Deaf Studies? University of Bristol in England Deafhood Studies was 100 times better than ASL/Deaf Studies graduate program at Gallaudet. More Social Philosophy. More human rights. It is more Deaf-centered. Deaf students only. No Hearing students in the cohort. Why are Deaf people being plagued with lifelong damnation? In some instances—I am sure that is valid, but is there no process in place to clear up one of oppressing Deaf people on the campus of Gallaudet University?

There are the new 21st century elitist, American exceptionalism at its finest, progressive cochlear implant industries who are extremely dangerous as a group. They are fearful, uninformed on any true facts and not interested in receiving any factual information. They would rather believe in a “miracle” to cure Deaf people even in the dark just waiting for the big cash to flow into their bank accounts.

Because when people watch television, read newspapers that give one-sided, fact-free, fear based information, our educated minds will immediately go to the most primitive part of our brains and people will pull out the DNA implanted fear driven, emotionalized—“the big dinosaur is going to eat me” tape. Independent, questioning individuals are few and far between as we all want to be liked and be part of a group think environment.

During my GSO (Graduate Student Orientation) in 2013, I remember talking with a graduate student that was telling me a story that when she bumped into a graduate student who was majoring in Audiology, does not know ASL at all and she offered to teach her ASL, that person said, “NO THANKS!” and she asked her, “Why are you here at Gallaudet University for if you do not want to learn ASL?” and that person said, “Because Audiology is cheap to get degree at Gallaudet.” and that was pretty insulting to say that thinking that Deaf people are cheap and easy to fool them. Why do Gallaudet University really need Audiology for when the university was designed for Deaf-centered environment only? Battery economics?

The most dangerous and unthinking part of giving away 23 Ph.Ds in Audiology is that when you take away the voice for all facts to be presented, and decisions are designed through only emotions, when basic constitutional protection for ASL guaranteed in the Constitution under the Bill of Rights, did Gallaudet University turning a free society into something that in later years that Deaf people will suffer for? It would be SUPER COOL if there are 23 Ph.Ds in ASL/Deaf studies instead–of course, for Deaf students only.

Copyright © 2017 Jason Tozier

Did Gallaudet University Erase Hate Crime Recently?

I learned about this when I visited Gallaudet University couple of hours ago. It is being offered for $500—the university viewed it as vandalism. It was a student action project exhibit and robbed their time and education. I am very much in support of Black Lives Matter.

To me, once someone took the sign down out of pure vengeance, it means they bullied human beings down just because they are Black and it is a hate crime. Yes, Gallaudet University has been racist for long time. The English language has a strange inference of criminalization, “Legislation that makes something illegal.” For example, indicating the criminalization of Black Deaf people everyday—it is true that the society fails to educate Deaf community what Racism really meant in the highest term of learning.

From Jack Levin’s book, Hate Crimes: The Rising Tide of Bigotry and Bloodshed:

Thrill seeking hate crime: an individual joins a group activity so that the people who are most important to him–his friends, will not reject him. It is the most common type for anyone to use this.

Mission hate crime (the rarest group): the rarest version of hate crimes consists of an attack carried out by the individuals with a mission; they seek to rid the world of evil by disposing of the members of a despised group.

You decide which would be best to describe for the haters or is it both, too? What kind of hate crime policing at Gallaudet University? What works to get Deaf community to take hate crime seriously by having a policy from Gallaudet community to make a statement, “our policy is to take hate crimes seriously” and create specializing units. Specifically study and keep track of hate crime data and set a good role model by Gallaudet community. Racist, xenophobic and intolerant discourses in politics is not enough discussed at the university.

Unfortunately, Gallaudet University has been always a white privilege stronghold campus. When someone took the BLM project down, it is also a racial harassment, is it also a violation of U.S. Civil Rights laws, too? As Joe R. Feagin and Karyn D. McKinney wrote in a book called The Many Costs of Racism “Dealing with everyday Racism is more than a matter of managing internal concerns and crises.”

Community accountability needs to be recognized at Gallaudet University. We need to prevent this crisis not to let this happen again. We do not need Trump’s America to let it happen on the campus. Again, I am all in support for Black Lives Matter. Our democracy is at risk.

Thanks for standing with us against Racism and hate crime.

Copyright © 2017 Jason Tozier

The Truth about Authentic of ASL in Deaf Community

Why I was Rejected A Future Doctoral Degree

Here are the scholarship recommendations with two letter samples:

To the Scholarship Committee,

Dear Scholarship Committee:

It would be very symbolic when you join your precious faculty.

Again, they are not animals!

To be continued…….

Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier

Scholarship Has Nothing to do with Past Mishaps

Dear Jason,

To be continued…..

7FE45BD2-877D-4638-9C7B-A5D2486258A9 2.JPG

Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier