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EATING EVERYDAY ‘CUPBOARD HEROES’ CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

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Newsdesk
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EATING EVERYDAY ‘CUPBOARD HEROES’ CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE
New research from World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) reveals that 97% of Brits already own the foods that could help to prevent cancer

  • Brits who spend the least on their weekly food shop own the most cancer preventative staple foods
  • Nation’s favourite staples revealed as tinned tuna and pasta
  • Nation’s least favourite voted as dried pulses, seeds and tinned carrots

This Cancer Prevention Action Week (21st – 27th February) World Cancer Research Fund, the leading authority on cancer prevention, is urging people to look in the back of their cupboards and make heroes of their forgotten basics.

While 40% of cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes including diet, only 10% of Brits realise this, and 7% of people think that no cancers can be prevented.*

However, you don’t need to eat goji berries or other ‘superfoods’ every day to help prevent cancer. The basic foods that often languish in our cupboards can hold the key to improving our health. Even better, most of us already own them.

Respondents were asked to select from a long list of common, nutrient rich staple foods including tinned tomatoes, rice and pulses, that all aligned with one of the charity’s key cancer prevention recommendations: ‘Eat a better diet’. 97% of people owned at least one of these items.

The nation’s most loved staples were revealed as tinned tuna and pasta (both 27%), while the nation’s least loved foods included dried pulses (4%), seeds and tinned carrots (both 6%).

To help people make the most of these ingredients, the charity has developed a Cupboard Heroes recipe generator where people can type in their cupboard (or fridge, or freezer) basics and discover an array of delicious and healthy recipes that can also help reduce the risk of cancer.

Interestingly, the research shows that the majority (42%) of people spend £20-30 per person on their weekly shop. And it’s those who spend under £30pp who were shown to own the most cancer preventative foods, proving that eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to break the bank.

Bestselling author, chef and ambassador for Cancer Prevention Action Week 2022, Phil Vickery, said, “I’m thrilled to be partnered with World Cancer Research Fund to raise awareness of these important findings. Eating fuss-free staple foods has so many benefits, particularly in the current context. It’s never too late to change your diet and improve your health and you really can make showstopper meals which are full of flavour using unexpected ingredients.”

Rachael Gormley, CEO of World Cancer Research Fund said, “We have seen the power of prevention first-hand. Healthy eating can often feel unattainable, but our evidence shows we don’t need to rely on heavily marketed, expensive ‘superfoods’. Whilst canned, dried and frozen items often get a bad rap, the good news is they are also packed full of vital nutrients and can help to reduce your risk of cancer. This Cancer Prevention Action Week, we want to provide people with the tools and information that can help them reduce their cancer risk. Our latest research shows that people already have the right ingredients they just need some inspiration to turn them into delicious dishes.”

World Cancer Research Fund’s recipe generator enables people to input up to two basic ingredients and discover an array of nutritious meal ideas at the click of a button. Recipes include lentil & tuna salad – mixing the nation’s least favourite store cupboard staple with one of its favourites, vegetable pasta bake – a simple and budget conscious option from the charity’s Family Flavours cookbook, and a chickpea & bean casserole. For all recipes fresh ingredients can also be swapped for tinned.

Find out more at www.wcrf-uk.org/cpaw and watch the campaign video here.

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* Based on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK residents.

For any media enquiries please contact rachel@skatingpanda.com

About World Cancer Research Fund 
World Cancer Research Fund is the UK’s only charity solely dedicated to cancer prevention and survival. Over the last 30 years, WCRF has worked tirelessly to understand the links between a person’s weight, diet, and physical activity levels and their cancer risk. www.wcrf-uk.org and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn.

WCRF’s Cancer Health Check tool and Cancer Prevention Recommendations help people understand what changes they could make to reduce the risk of getting cancer. Based on the latest scientific research, the advice is practical and simple to understand. 

Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of World Cancer Research Fund, on Tuesday 22 February, 2022. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/

Ukraine: Senior UN officials decry growing risks of dangerous breaches

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Ukraine: Senior UN officials decry growing risks of dangerous breaches
Following Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of certain areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday added her voice to the UN’s growing chorus of alarm.
“I am deeply concerned that any significant escalation in military action creates a heightened risk of serious human rights violations as well as violations of international humanitarian law”, said Michele Bachelet.

She underscored that at this critical juncture, “the priority, above all”, must be to prevent a further escalation, and to avert civilian casualties, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

“I call on all sides to cease hostilities and to pave the way for dialogue instead of setting the stage for further violence”, the High Commissioner said, assuring that her office continues to monitor the situation closely “from our offices on both sides of the contact line in the east of the country.”

Only one path forward

Russia’s recognition violates the Minsk Agreements – the fragile peace process regulating the conflict in eastern Ukraine – and increases fears that Russia is posed for a full-scale invasion.

Before the General Assembly meets on Ukraine tomorrow, the body’s president, Abdulla Shahid, issued a statement calling on the parties to “intensify negotiations and deescalate the current trajectory through dialogue”.

He reminded that a full commitment to the UN Charter, its purposes and its principles is “the only path to ensure lasting peace.”

Protecting health systems ‘paramount’

The World Health Organization (WHO) joined others in expressing its deepest concern over the escalating crisis in eastern Ukraine.

Noting that the right to health is “at the centre of humanitarian response”, it said in a statement: “The WHO Country Office in Ukraine, together with the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ukraine and in coordination with WHO/Europe, continues to work closely with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in providing health support to meet the needs of populations in affected areas”.

The assertion underscored that protecting health systems is “paramount, particularly during these challenging times” to guarantee the timely a delivery of essential health support and services to contain the spread of COVID-19 and maintain polio prevention and response.

“Ensuring the health and well-being of all people lies at the core of WHO’s mandate and commitments in all situations, including humanitarian crises and conflicts”, the statement concluded.

‘A stark reminder’

The UN humanitarian coordination body, OCHA, told journalists in Geneva that in recent days there had been reported increases in hostilities in areas controlled by the de facto authorities. 

OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke called it “a stark reminder” of the reality that children, women and men of Eastern Ukraine have faced for the past eight years.

“We call on everybody and all parties to protect civilians and protect civilian infrastructure in this very volatile situation.” 

Responding to journalists, he said that the UN office has had a humanitarian response plan predating recent events, which focuses on pre-existing humanitarian needs, including a convoy that had delivered humanitarian supplies to non-Government-controlled areas last Friday.

However, he lamented that funding remains short, and urged the donor community to provide additional resources.

‘Volatile, unpredictable’ 

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that it was monitoring the “highly…unpredictable” situation and stood ready to help in case any new humanitarian needs arose. 

It was important to remember also that there is a pre-existing displacement crisis caused by earlier conflict in Eastern Ukraine, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said, a reference to the 1.5 million people who’ve been forced to leave their homes since the onset of conflict in 2014. 

According to the UN’s 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine, some 144,000 internally displaced persons live in government-controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk and other areas.  

The most vulnerable include older people, who represent 32 per cent of the people targeted for assistance in 2022, and the children of vulnerable families, who make up 14 per cent.  

The response efforts also aim to meet the critical needs of 225,000 persons with disabilities. 

Disney’s first openly LGBTQ lead characters based on book by West Chester author

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News desk
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Disney's first openly LGBTQ lead characters based on book by West Chester author

At a quiet Dairy Queen in the fictionalized Philadelphia suburbs, Dylan Highmark is working a regular shift when Jordan Ator walks in. Dylan is clearly crushing on the new boy in town, but he burns his hand when he touches him, quickly discovering that Jordan’s body temperature is a whopping 110 degrees. As he grows closer to Jordan, Dylan discovers that his own body temperature is rising, too. 

That is the premise of West Chester native Brian Zepka’s debut young adult novel, “The Temperature of Me and You.” The book, which was published Jan. 25, is a romance novel centered in science fiction. It follows Dylan as he grapples with his life and his body changing as he experiences his first love. 

Less than one week after its release, The Hollywood Reporter reported that “The Temperature of Me and You” would be adapted as a television series on Disney+. The series will feature Dylan and Jordan as Disney’s first openly LGBTQ lead characters. 

“I knew I wanted the main character to be out of the closet at the beginning of the story,” Zepka said. “I wanted him to be openly gay, and then exploring first love. I’m gay, and I read a lot of gay YA literature, and a lot of them focus on the coming out process. And now there’s so much more inclusive literature, and there’s so much more to explore beyond that.”

Zepka wrote Dylan’s coming out story — a foundational aspect of LGBTQ storytelling — as a flashback. In it, both of his parents are immediately supportive, and almost too excited. 

They both celebrate their son’s coming out by baking him a rainbow cake, wearing buttons and pins in support, and overexerting themselves to make Dylan feel as validated and supported in his identity as he can be. 

Though Dylan eventually assures them that they can tone it down, it sets up the rest of the story without centering on a gay character who is entirely focused on his identity. 

Zepka said he wrote the coming out story in this way so that Dylan could be openly gay and happy with his friends and family, without having a traumatic story to go through. 

“Dylan is this anxious, insecure kid and he’s still very much figuring himself out, and how I designed it was that I wanted his coming out to be his source of strength,” Zepka said. “He’s feeling like he’s missing out on a lot in life, he sees his friends and his sister accomplishing all these different things and he hasn’t really done that, so he feels really behind. I used it as his launching pad into new things.” 

Philly and its suburbs are featured prominently throughout the novel. Zepka said that this was intentional as he was planning the book. He focused on keeping it “grounded” as a romance that takes place in the suburbs. Some of the references are easy to spot. 

Dylan works at a Dairy Queen in West Chester. He and his two best friends take the train into the city for “Second Saturdays,” a spin on First Fridays, when art galleries and shops stay open late. There is a fictionalized version of what could be John W. Hallahan Catholic High School, though the school is co-ed. Dylan’s father goes on a Wawa run to grab hoagies, oblivious to his teenage son’s antics in the next room.

The novel is Zepka’s YA debut, though he has written two other books. Previously, the author wrote a more dystopian young adult novel, which featured darker themes and heavier concepts. When it didn’t get a green light, Zepka decided to write a simpler story about first love, making it entertaining for people to escape into. 

Though the book has not even been out for a full month, Zepka has received a lot of positive feedback. In particular, the book’s targeted teenage audience has responded with praise. 

“I think people are excited that there’s this YA sci-fi queer story,” Zepka said. “I’ve gotten a lot of great messages from queer teens saying that they felt super represented in the story, or they’ve been inspired, and they’ve been given confidence in their own coming out story.” 

With the Disney adaptation, Zepka’s characters will join the Disney cinematic canon as its first openly LGBTQ lead characters. The film studio has had a complicated history with representation of queer characters in its nearly 100-year history, only recently beginning to expand the identities of its characters. 

In 2017, the studio announced the live-action Beauty and the Beast adaptation would feature Disney’s first “exclusively gay moment” ahead of the film‘s official release. This sparked controversy among conservative groups, who claimed that fans should boycott the film and the studio when the film was released. 

In reality, the “exclusive gay moment” turned out to be just seconds of screentime featuring a dance between Le Fou, portrayed by Josh Gad, and another man. 

Later, Officer Specter, a cyclops police officer in “Onward,” became the first openly gay character in a Disney animated film. Though she only appears in one scene in the film, the brief mention of her girlfriend caused the film to be banned in several countries. 

While Disney has attempted to remain neutral in its representation of queer characters, the adaptation of “The Temperature of Me and You” will showcase two lead characters that are openly gay.

“With any representation on the screen in terms of queer characters, it’s just beyond helpful to queer kids growing up to see themselves reflected on the screen,” Zepka said. “And when you have big companies, major film studios, places like Hulu and Disney and Marvel and all these different people that back queer characters, it’s really validating.” 

The adaptation was announced as a collaboration between former studio executives Zoe Kent and Foster Driver, and will be written by Alden Derck, who previously was a writer on The CW’s musical comedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” 

Nobel Peace Center Launches New Minecraft Learning Experience to Inspire Youth to Build a Better, More Peaceful World

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Shyamal Sinha
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Nobel Peace Center Launches New Minecraft Learning Experience to Inspire Youth to Build a Better, More Peaceful World

The ‘Active Citizen’ game, which features Nobel Peace Prize laureates like the Dalai Lama and Malala Yousafzai, will be available in 29 languages for all Minecraft: Education Edition players.

In Minecraft, one of the world’s most popular games, players can build anything they want — including their vision for world peace. Today, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, along with Games for Change and Mojang Studios, launched an immersive learning experience focused on civic engagement and citizenship available to all Minecraft: Education Edition payers.

‘Active Citizen’ brings Nobel Peace Prize laureates past and present into the Minecraft world to help young people learn that peace is achieved through actions, big and small. Through gameplay to Inspire Youth to Build a Better, More Peaceful World  , students will develop an understanding of the skills needed to democratically and peacefully bring about positive change, and create their own vision for peace — then bring their vision to life in an immersive Minecraft world.

The game starts at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, where players are introduced to Alfred Nobel, the creator of the Nobel Prizes. The player will meet four Nobel Peace Prize laureates, learn their stories, and help them overcome challenges to build toward peace. The Nobel Peace Prize laureates featured in ‘Active Citizen’ are Malala Yousafzai, Wangari Maathai, Dalai Lama and Fridtjof Nansen. The game includes accompanying resources on the web for classroom use, including lesson plans and teacher discussion guides for students aged 8-16.

The game ends by calling on players to create a unique Minecraft build that represents active citizenship for them. The Nobel Peace Center will curate an exhibition of the final ‘Active Citizen’ designs featuring contributions from players all over the world.

Power to inspire 

“We believe that the stories of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates have the power to inspire people to create a better world,” said Kjersti Fløgstad, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Center. “With this game we want to inspire the next generation to become active citizens and get involved in causes they care about – on a platform where they feel at home. To be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is impossible for most of us, but by inviting players to learn some skills from the laureates, we hope everyone will realize they can play a role in making the world a better place.”

Students, teachers and families can get a first look at the new ‘Active Citizen’ game in Minecraft: Education Edition during a 30-minute launch event streaming worldwide three times throughout the day on Tuesday, March 1. At the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Minister of Education Tonje Brenna and Odin Adelsten Bohmann from the Department of Culture meet local students from Kampen School to discuss what it means to be an active citizen and play the game for the first time.

The ‘Active Citizen’ project is the first collaboration between the Nobel Peace Center and Minecraft: Education Edition, and the first time the Nobel Peace Prize is part of a gaming activation of this scale. Games for Change, a nonprofit that executive produces social impact gaming projects, facilitated the connection between Mojang Studios and the Nobel Peace Center, and has supported the Nobel Peace Center in the development of educational resources for use in 112 countries where Minecraft: Education Edition is used in schools.

“Our purpose at Minecraft is to build a better world through the power of play. Through Active Citizen, we’re inviting students to bring their visions of a better world to life not only in Minecraft, but also in their schools and communities,” said Allison Matthews, Head of Minecraft Education. “We are honored to partner with the Nobel Peace Center and Games for Change to inspire action through game-based learning.”

”Games for Change is thrilled to support this groundbreaking collaboration between the Nobel Peace Center and Minecraft: Education Edition. Through the ‘Active Citizen’ project, millions of young people will encounter some of the world’s greatest changemakers in Minecraft, a game that encourages them to be creative and design their own world. We can’t wait to see the world the Nobel laureates will inspire students to create,” said Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change.

Please note that all information in this press release is embargoed until 1 March. Active Citizen and all accompanying resources will be available from that date.

The Active Citizen game and accompanying lesson plans are available for all users of Minecraft: Education Edition both in-game and on the Minecraft website. A free demo of Active Citizen will be available later this month. Further learning materials can be found on the Nobel Peace Center education portal.

Dominican Republic and Haiti build separation wall – Vatican News

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Newsdesk
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Dominican Republic and Haiti build separation wall - Vatican News

By James Blears

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the Island of Hispaniola, but soon they`ll become more distant neighbors.

At the push of a button applying the sting of a switch, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, started the one-way downward flow of concrete, establishing a rock-solid foundation of separation, reinforced by steel meshes of rods. The timing is no accident, as the anniversary of the Dominican Republic`s Independence from Haiti, was February 27th 1844, one hundred and sixty eight years ago. 

This wall will stretch 164 km and take nine months to complete. It will straddle about half of the three hundred km of border between two nations, which are respectably blessed and cursed by very different economic states and status. It`ll be 3.9 metres tall and be topped with sensors, cameras, complemented by seventy watch towers, forty-one heavily guarded access gates and drones will overfly in regular coordinated sweeps.

President Abinader predicts it`ll prove to be of great importance, stemming the flow of taxless commercial goods, guns and drugs, which currently blight both nations.  In effect, it will also prevent flight, sealing another escape route for desperate Haitians, who are fleeing in droves to the Dominican Republic, Chile, Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, and yet further afield to the perceived El Dorado of the United States. 

Instead of cementing the future, itll cause more problems than its intended to solve because inevitably, walls divide instead of uniting. Concrete and steel contain very little appeal. 

Listen to the report by James Blears

European Citizen’s Prize 2022: submit or nominate a project

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European Parliament
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European Citizen’s Prize 2022: submit or nominate a project | News | European Parliament

The European Citizen’s Prize recognises initiatives that contribute to EU cooperation and the promotion of common values. Are you involved in or know of such a project? Nominate it now!

Awarded every year by the European Parliament, the prize goes to projects organised by people or organisations that encourage:

  • Mutual understanding and closer integration between people in the EU
  • Cross-border cooperation that builds a stronger European spirit
  • EU values and fundamental rights

How to apply

Individuals, groups, associations or organisations can all apply or nominate a project for the European Citizen’s Prize. MEPs can also make a nomination.

To apply or nominate a project use this form.

For more information, write to CitizensPrize@ep.europa.eu.

Projects can be submitted between 22 February 2022 and 18 April 2022 (before midnight Brussels time).

Read more about the rules

Previous awards

Find out about the winners of the European Citizens’ Prize in 2021 and 2020.

Park plan on Mount of Olives suspended after Churches protest

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Park plan on Mount of Olives suspended after Churches protest - Vatican News

Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is backing down from a controversial plan to expand a national park onto Christian holy sites on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. According to “The Times of Israel” the decision was announced on Monday following fierce opposition from local Christian leaders.

A threat to Christian presence in the Holy Land

Although it would have not stripped the landholders of their ownership, the move would have given the Israeli Government some authority over Palestinian and Church properties and religious sites,  leading Church officials and rights groups to view the measure as a power grab and a threat to the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

Joint letter to Israeli authorities

In a joint letter addressed last week to Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg, Catholic Church Custos of the Holy Land Francesco Patton, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theopolis III, and Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourhan Manougian expressed their “gravest concern and unequivocal objection” to the plan, saying it would disrupt the longstanding state of affairs and it was aimed to “confiscate and nationalize one of the holiest sites for Christianity and alter its nature.”

The Christian leaders also claimed there was a hidden ideological agenda behind the measure against Christians in Jerusalem.

Following the outcry, INPA announced on Monday it was freezing the plan, which was to be approved on March 2 by Jerusalem’s planning committee. The Authority said it has “no intention of advancing the plan in the planning committee and it is not ready for discussion without coordination and communication with all relevant officials, including the churches, in the area.”

New Historical Fiction Levels Unflinching Gaze at Race, Religion and Responsibility in Colonial South

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EINpresswire
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New Historical Fiction Levels Unflinching Gaze at Race, Religion and Responsibility in Colonial South

Marshall Highet

Bird Stasz Jones

Blue-Eyed Slave

BLUE-EYED SLAVE by Marshall Highet and Bird Stasz Jones

This historical narrative is that rare thing: a page-turner that enables us to focus more clearly on some of the most painful aspects of the Human Condition.”
— Bruce Bennett, Professor Emeritus, Wells College

UNITED STATES, February 22, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Authors Marshall Highet and Bird Stasz Jones have made a habit of trying to find little-known stories or snippets of history that are worth telling to serve as the spine of their plots.And they’ve done it again with their just-released BLUE-EYED SLAVE, historically grounded in the racial-equity choices of its time and anchored in meticulous research about Jewish life in the Revolutionary South, a true-life school dedicated to the education of slaves and its profound dangers, and the moral stances in every generation.

It is 1764 in Charles Town, and Harry’s school for enslaved children has been in full swing for 20 years, despite the Negro Act of 1740 which specifically forbids enslaved people from learning to read or write. Harry, the headmaster and an enslaved person himself, finds an unlikely ally in Hannah, a young Jewish girl from town who tutors Bintü, an exceptionally smart and beautiful recent acquisition of the prominent Reverend and Mistress Harte.

In spite of Harry’s success as a teacher, the political winds are shifting toward instability in the streets of Charles Town as the Stamp Act causes revolt, uproar, and armed protests. Caught in the crossfire of impending revolution and increased animosity toward and fear of an educated enslaved population, Harry’s school begins to feel the pressure. As danger looms, Harry and ultimately the two girls are forced to make hard decisions that will test their faith and integrity.

BLUE-EYED SLAVE is a work of historical fiction based on true events. It combines deft storytelling with relentless attention to historical accuracy, and levels an unflinching gaze at the cruelties of enslavement. Although human cruelty may be universal, BLUE-EYED SLAVE also shows us that the same is true for kindness and bravery.

“BLUE-EYED SLAVE transported me back in time to what I imagine it might have been like to be a preteen girl growing up in the small, tightly knit Sephardic Jewish community of Charles Town,” says Randi Serrins, M.S., Bank Street College of Education and Chair, Historic Coming Street Cemetery Trust. “Our country is still dealing with the fact that one group of people owned another. Until we honestly deal with our past and how it still shapes our present, we will never be able to move forward.”

While each author has works of her own, BLUE-EYED SLAVE is their second collaboration, following the 2019 release of HOLD FAST: A BOY’S LIFE ALOFT, a Young Adult historical novel in the vein of Kidnapped.

How does this author team work together? Jones finds the historical nugget from which the story will unfold. She creates a series of truth pins – real-life historically bona fide events or people – that the story hangs on. Highet imagines almost everything else. What conversations might the characters actually have? What are they feeling? She builds in spots of humor in what otherwise can be a grim tale, and invents villains that could’ve existed, but are certainly necessary for the dramatic tension.

Praise for the new book is already rolling in.

“BLUE-EYED SLAVE is simultaneously a rousing coming-of-age story and a powerful moral tale about the impossible choices ordinary people must sometimes face,” says Bruce Bennett, Professor Emeritus, Wells College. “What happens to the main characters affects the reader profoundly, so that the horrors of slavery are not simply acknowledged, but experienced almost intimately. This historical narrative is that rare thing: a page-turner that enables us to focus more clearly on some of the most painful aspects of the Human Condition.”

“It is a combination of a suspenseful thriller with Talmudic commentary: fasten your seatbelt,” says Jean Riesman Ph.D.

Kate Grannis, author of the Caerthwaite series, notes, “The authors have given us detailed history about life in the pre-Revolutionary South as well as strong, independent characters. The Charleston geography and historical context are finely drawn with elements of suspense. A captivating novel!”

“BLUE-EYED SLAVE hooked me right away. This is a unique coming-of-age tale of two very different teens whose lives intertwine…The intricacies of the relationship between a Jewish girl and an African slave girl are at the core of this historically accurate work,” says P.J. McGhee.

The book is available on Amazon and all popular retailers where books are sold.

MARSHALL HIGHET is a professor and writer. Spare Parts – her YA sci-fi novel – was published in 2014 and has an educational bent, with science as its foundation, making it ideal to pair with a syllabus. Hold Fast, written with Bird Jones, is a swashbuckling adventure with historical facts holding it up. Currently living in Nebraska, Marshall plans on moving back to New England as soon as it’s humanly possible.

BIRD STASZ JONES holds a doctorate from Syracuse University and is a professor Emerita of Elon University. An ethnographer by training, her love of stories and story collecting has taken her from Appalachia to Central Asia. There she worked in collaboration with ministries of education, global donors, and village teachers to support literacy. Awarded a Fulbright, she was able to visit and work in the farthest most school on the Afghan/Tajik border – literally the roof of the world.

<

p class=”contact c7″ dir=”auto”>Marshall Highet
The Other Side of the Fire
+1 412-944-4416
marshallandbird@gmail.com

Saint Willibrord by Albert Termote (Archdiocese of Utrecht)

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COMECE
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The bronze statue of Saint Willibrord can be seen today in the Archdiocese of Utrecht (The Netherlands), close to the Domplein. The statue is a symbol of the devotion of the faithful to Saint Willibrord, the missionary-bishop who evangelised many areas of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Denmark in the 6th century. Born in England in the 7th century, Willibrord took his vows as monk and started his mission in continental Europe in 690 AD. By journeying to Rome, he established a connection with the Pope and symbolically united the Frisian region with the diocese of the Bishop of Rome. Thanks to his evangelising mission, the community of the Church grew exponentially until his death in 739 AD. The present-day statue in Utrecht was sculpted by Belgian artist Albert Termote, who depicted the Saint as a monk carrying a small Frisian church in his hand, symbol of the churches that Saint Willibrord built in Europe. Since 2002, the ‘Willibrord procession’ takes place every year in September, during which the relics of the Saint are carried to the Cathedral of St. Catharina. The statue represents the work and perseverance of many Saints who, like Willibrord, contributed to shape the Christian roots of Europe and, almost unnoticed, evangelised the continent in the Middle Ages.

Singing maintains good mental health

By
Gaston de Persigny
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It is a whole-body experience that allows for deliberate, deep breaths.

Singing can make people forget their worries and anxieties, even for a while. However, many of them are afraid to do so, mainly because they do not define themselves as musical. Although this hesitation is natural, it can prevent people from expressing themselves in a way that has proven benefits for their mental health.

Singing songs that match the mood or express how a person wants to feel, instead of just listening, allows them to touch more deeply and go through different emotions.

Singing is an experience that covers the whole body and creates the possibility for deliberate, deep breaths. It triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine, which causes increased physical and mental awareness.

Researchers have noticed that listening to music and singing can improve a person’s good mental state and help him cope with feelings of anxiety and sadness.

A study done in 2019 and published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care looks at how music will affect people who have lost a loved one in the last five years but have not recently taken medication for anxiety or depression and have not started attending psychotherapist.

Half of the participants in the study attended choral classes and socialized for 90 minutes a week.

After 24 weeks, this group of people experienced a stabilization of the symptoms of depression, as well as an overall improvement in their mental state and self-esteem.

According to another study conducted in 2021 by the University of Helsinki, people over the age of 60 engaged in choral singing have better developed verbal abilities than those who do not sing. The study was published in PLOS One.

Despite these benefits, many people have great difficulty singing in places where they could be heard by others. This makes them feel vulnerable.

Singing is one of the many ways in which a person can contribute to good mental health. However, some people do not find it useful or enjoyable and try to unload through other methods such as meditation or long walks.

It is important for everyone to find ways to make themselves feel better.

The results of this study found that there is a decrease in cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. The subjects felt calm, relieved and comfortable after singing, as evidenced by their responses to the questionnaire. This study concludes that singing has both health and psychological benefits in a confined space for older people.

Sound effects

So far, we’ve talked about how your body and mind can rejuvenate when you sing in the bathroom, but we also need to look at the physics associated with the bathroom and see how that makes the bathroom such an interesting place to showcase our musical talent! The acoustics in most bathrooms are essentially ideal for starting a private small concert. For example, most bathrooms have tiles that barely absorb sound. In fact, it means that your voice is reflected back and forth when you sing in the bathroom. This reflection also amplifies your voice, but it’s not just about the volume; magic lies in two other phenomena: echo and resonance.

Reverberation

Because the walls of the bathroom are not at the same distance from your mouth; some of the sound waves travel a little farther and take a second longer to reflect in your ears. In addition, because the walls in the bathroom are usually made of smooth hard surfaces, sound waves continue to bounce more often before fading. So, somehow, your sound lasts longer in the bathroom than in your living room. This effect is called reverberation. You get the impression that the note you sang lasted longer than you kept it. Reverberation also tends to smooth the transition between notes.

In fact, many karaoke systems these days are designed to implement this reverb effect electronically, which can slightly improve your sound as you sing!

Resonance

The performance of your shower will still sound better than the karaoke system, powered by the reverberation technique, because the bathroom has another acoustic property that is much harder to emulate: resonance.

In resonance, the sound waves are arranged exactly in the right way to amplify the sound. During a shower, this often happens because the wavelength of the note is exactly right for the size of the bathroom – in a way that makes the tops of the reflected waves line up. As a result, many of the notes will not only resonate, but will also combine with other reflected sound waves in a way that cancels out some of the sounds. This resonant effect is much more noticeable at deeper bass tones, as they have longer wavelengths, i. there is a greater distance between the crests of the sound waves. Now this effect of amplified and muffled sound is not the same in the whole bathroom. In some places in the bathroom your notes will be a bit muffled, while in other places it will sound great!

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