<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771011167393245952</id><updated>2012-01-20T22:16:18.581-05:00</updated><title type='text'>AVCMEDIA</title><subtitle type='html'>Audio Visual Communications Inc. O/A  AVC</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Trifon Haitas</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05374936908175654149</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='24' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TIJtGEUXWCI/AAAAAAAACDQ/ldg4VpR_fqA/S220/Trifon-Haitas-headshot.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>6</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771011167393245952.post-3596918746618442624</id><published>2006-12-24T04:17:00.775-05:00</published><updated>2012-01-02T16:47:26.978-05:00</updated><title type='text'>CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVCMEDIA ON YOUTUBE"&gt;AVCMEDIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="trifonhaitas.com"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@AVCMEDIA.CA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s400/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528666835989974690" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6IL6id8aJI/AAAAAAAABTs/6kG9HOe3qQw/s1000-h/CityCN.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6IL6id8aJI/AAAAAAAABTs/6kG9HOe3qQw/s400/CityCN.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161701223232727186" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_-eBMryzI/AAAAAAAAA5c/4hKMaoPSHlk/s1000-h/ILm.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_-eBMryzI/AAAAAAAAA5c/4hKMaoPSHlk/s320/ILm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084562295995747122" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;PLEASE CONTACT TRIFON&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt; TO BECOME A CONTRIBUTING SPONSOR&lt;j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED~&lt;br /&gt;Opinions presented in this program are those of the individuals&lt;br /&gt;and do not necessarily reflect the position of CMN.&lt;br /&gt;CANADIAN MULTICULTURAL NETWORK&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/p/audiovisual-gallery-2.html" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 132px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRJsC5nUTfE/TmN-SkrpqaI/AAAAAAAACLI/QCGkTOoXGJA/s400/videos_panel_ca_en.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648497215202240930" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK TO VIEW FEATURE PRESENTATION&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/avcmedia" title=""&gt;avcmedia's videos on Dailymotion&lt;/a&gt;&lt;script type="text/javascript"&gt;(function(){var d = document, L = d.getElementsByTagName('a'); l = L[L.length - 1], i = d.createElement('iframe');i.src = 'http://www.dailymotion.com/badge/user/avcmedia?type=carousel'; i.frameBorder = 0; i.scrolling = 'no'; i.width = '300px'; i.height = '355';l.parentNode.replaceChild(i, l);})();&lt;/script&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ru58mekOqLE&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ru58mekOqLE&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ru58mekOqLE" target="_blogView"&gt;2011 CEGA AWARDS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hwmafKoUMEk&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hwmafKoUMEk&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwmafKoUMEk" target="_blogView"&gt;WI-FI HEALTH HAZARD&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hLOswfElpzA&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hLOswfElpzA&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=hLOswfElpzA" target="_blogView"&gt;KALOMIRA@FIVEOSEVEN&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xinet6_institute-of-holistic-nutrition_school" target="_blogView"&gt;ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΖΩΗ~HELLENIC LIFE EP33 HOLISTIC NUTRITION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="420" height="339"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xinet6_institute-of-holistic-nutrition_school&amp;related=0"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xinet6_institute-of-holistic-nutrition_school&amp;related=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="339" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON ARROW ABOVE TO PLAY CURRENT EPISODE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/p/audiovisual-gallery-2.html" target="_blogView"&gt;PLEASE VISIT AUDIOVISUAL GALLERY TO VIEW PRIOR EPISODES&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-1582856683488724931&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-1582856683488724931" target="_blogView"&gt;THE ILIAD TRAGEDY ~ ACHILLES LAST STAND&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YOhpWC8Nl70&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YOhpWC8Nl70&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=YOhpWC8Nl70" target="_blogView"&gt;POLITIKI KOUZINA ~ TOUCH OF SPICE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a class="sub" href="http://www.earthdaytv.net/" target="_blogView"&gt;EARTH DAY TV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://earthhour.org/" target="_blogView"&gt;EARTHHOUR.ORG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;script src="http://www.clocklink.com/embed.js"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"&gt;obj=new Object;obj.clockfile="world001-green.swf";obj.TimeZone="EST";obj.width=480;obj.height=250;obj.wmode="transparent";showClock(obj);&lt;/script&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Founder and CEO of &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVC"&gt;AVC&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFONHAITAS.COM"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt; along with his team of proven professionals are committed to producing news and entertainment that is valued by viewers throughout our globe. Trifon is also Founder of the CANADIAN MULTICULTURAL NETWORK (CMN). CMN is primarily an electronic media source to the multicultural community and to the commercial media industry. We are based in Toronto, Canada and publish our news and entertainment via the digital choice network, satellite and via Internet broadband. Alongside with CMN's electronic publication service, AVC’s production team provides creative materials to national, regional and local television networks based in Canadian, South American, Asian and European markets. We also offer distribution, editorial and marketing services that are being utilized by local and international press agencies that print their reputable newspapers in Toronto and distribute them worldwide.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Haitas was born in Europe and immigrated to Canada at the age of six. Haitas has always known Canada as his home; it is here that he has grown to become a longstanding member of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association &lt;a href="http://www.canadianethnicmedia.com" target="_blank" title="CEMA"&gt;(CEMA)&lt;/a&gt;, and is also an honourary member of the National Ethnic Press &amp; Media Council of Canada &lt;a href="http://www.nepmcc.ca" target="_blank" title="NEPMCC"&gt;(NEPMCC)&lt;/a&gt;. On the 26th of January 2007, Haitas was granted the organization’s medal for distinguished services. Haitas is also a recipient of the NEPMCC “Honoris Causa” award for promoting equality, respect for human values, human rights, cooperation and understanding amongst the members of the various cultural groups existing within Canadian society.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the 2007 Provincial Elections in Ontario, Haitas ran as the nominated Green Party Candidate in the Toronto riding of Don Valley East. His Green team successfully increased the Green vote by a factor of six compared to the previous Provincial Elections. In the 2011 federal election, Haitas was the nominated candidate for the Green Party of Canada in the electoral district of &lt;a href="http://www.elections.on.ca/en-CA/Tools/ElectoralDistricts/EDMaps/OakRidgesMarkham.htm" target="_blank" title="OAK RIDGES-MARKHAM"&gt;Oak Ridges~Markham&lt;/a&gt;. Successful in raising promising Green Party support during the May 2nd Election, Haitas will continue to press forward seeking nomination for the Liberal Party in the Riding of &lt;a href="http://www.elections.on.ca/en-CA/Tools/ElectoralDistricts/EDMaps/torontodanforth.htm" target="_blank" title="TORONTO-DANFORTH"&gt;Toronto~Danforth&lt;/a&gt;. Haitas along with his wife Mary, and their two young children thank you for your encouraging support.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Ecology, Media and Politics have always played an important role in my life," Haitas says. "I've seen firsthand how committed people can make their community a better place when they have a long-term vision, the will to carry it out and most importantly, great listening skills."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Haitas' ideal role as M.P. is to function and serve as the two-way lens through which both the community and the government can let each other know about their expectations, ideas and activities as well as their roles and responsibilities. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you have something important you wish to discuss, please contact Trifon Haitas. Be rest assured that the concerns of the community in Toronto-Danforth will be addressed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Best wishes to everyone living and working in our community, your encouraging support is valued and greatly appreciated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"It is both a privilege and an honour for me to serve our community and our great Country." Trifon Haitas&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a &lt;br /&gt;majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by &lt;br /&gt;a majority of those who make themselves heard &lt;br /&gt;and who vote - a very different thing."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gpo.ca/riding/59/candidate"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6M8d75dvQJI/ToyL5SOr2CI/AAAAAAAACLQ/_QlRtDr8iEw/s400/AbAV8xtCIAEvtXH.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660052647960107042" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors ~ Plato&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsAPjD2c0JY/TVSclvx9nuI/AAAAAAAACI4/GQGEbIFal5A/s1600/TX001.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsAPjD2c0JY/TVSclvx9nuI/AAAAAAAACI4/GQGEbIFal5A/s400/TX001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572250811259264738" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.greekembassy.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666666;"&gt;Consul General of Greece in Canada&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; H.E. Ambassador E. Anghelopoulos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNfs4a4OgI/AAAAAAAACE0/dCea6pNuFNs/s1600/IMGP0004_3.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNfs4a4OgI/AAAAAAAACE0/dCea6pNuFNs/s400/IMGP0004_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522362792750365186" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;TOGETHER WE WILL CHANGE THE CLIMATE IN PARLIAMENT&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO CONTACT YOUR TEAM&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@trifonhaitas.com" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@TRIFONHAITAS.COM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.tdfla.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;TORONTO-DANFORTH LIBERALS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://davidsuzuki.org/" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666666;"&gt;DR. DAVID SUZUKI&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; WITH &lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com/" target="_blank" title="Trifon Haitas"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R5_zMSd8aHI/AAAAAAAABTY/k2zLzhxLGUE/s1600-h/Dr.Suzuki%26Trifon.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R5_zMSd8aHI/AAAAAAAABTY/k2zLzhxLGUE/s400/Dr.Suzuki%26Trifon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161111090431289458" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2004/DSF-GG-En-Final.pdf" target="_blogView"&gt;DSF'S BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN A GENERATION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF7eylt08iU" target="_blogView"&gt;DAVID SUZUKI "FORCE OF NATURE"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jF7eylt08iU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jF7eylt08iU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON ARROW OR TITLE TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU" target="_blogView"&gt;HOME&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jqxENMKaeCU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jqxENMKaeCU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON ARROW OR TITLE TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlTibQzQhhc" target="_blogView"&gt;NEPMCC "HONORIS CAUSA" AWARDS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYb_t51r4PI/AAAAAAAAABM/n-eOWMwEqEg/s1600-h/awards+152.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYb_t51r4PI/AAAAAAAAABM/n-eOWMwEqEg/s320/awards+152.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009972799581446386" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RcbJpVfbmuI/AAAAAAAAAz0/lUCihWNHcrE/s1600-h/IMG_2204.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RcbJpVfbmuI/AAAAAAAAAz0/lUCihWNHcrE/s320/IMG_2204.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5027927745986534114" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SNvAzyUw6uI/AAAAAAAABe0/T1gcx5lCaQk/s1600-h/Nick,Trifon%26Theo+El+Greco.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SNvAzyUw6uI/AAAAAAAABe0/T1gcx5lCaQk/s400/Nick,Trifon%26Theo+El+Greco.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250001786545171170" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psLLe6_uSTI" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666666;"&gt;NICK ASHTON EL GRECO &amp; THEODORE ZOUBOULIDIS&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; WITH &lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com/" target="_blank" title="Trifon Haitas"&gt;TRIFON&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:70px; font-size: 11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt; PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:70px; font-size: 11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVCMEDIA ON YOUTUBE"&gt;AVCMEDIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFONHAITAS.COM"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@AVCMEDIA.CA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s400/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528666835989974690" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PRIVACY NOTICE:&lt;br /&gt;Warning--any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States &amp; Canadian Federal Governments also using and/or monitoring, using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my comments, remarks, commentaries, photos, and/or the comments made about my photo's or any other "picture" art and/or video posted on my profile. 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If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8771011167393245952-3596918746618442624?l=avcmedia.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/feeds/3596918746618442624/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8771011167393245952&amp;postID=3596918746618442624' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default/3596918746618442624'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default/3596918746618442624'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/2006/12/enjoy-our-gallery-of-videos-pictures_2438.html' title='CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY'/><author><name>Trifon Haitas</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05374936908175654149</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='24' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TIJtGEUXWCI/AAAAAAAACDQ/ldg4VpR_fqA/S220/Trifon-Haitas-headshot.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s72-c/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771011167393245952.post-7407001851035000388</id><published>2006-12-24T03:52:00.030-05:00</published><updated>2010-10-16T12:44:54.523-04:00</updated><title type='text'>VIDEOTRACE</title><content type='html'>&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:70px; font-size: 11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVCMEDIA ON YOUTUBE"&gt;AVCMEDIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFONHAITAS.COM"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@AVCMEDIA.CA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s400/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528666835989974690" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO CONTACT YOUR TEAM&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;SAFETY STRATEGIES FOR YOUR FAMILY&lt;br /&gt;A helpful guideline for you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HELP PREVENT CHILD ABDUCTION &amp; ASSIST MISSING ELDERLY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;These days the words MISSING and ABDUCTION are used so frequently that they have almost lost their ability to alarm people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What is Videotrace?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Videotrace is a digital video identification service provided by AVC that was created by Len Rushton and Trifon Haitas to aid in the search for missing children and the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;No-one likes to imagine the abduction of their child or the disappearance of their elderly family member who suffers from Alzheimer’s, but increasingly families are facing this tragedy and frequently they have little or no reliable material to help in the search.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Videotrace offers an audiovisual portrait that includes broadcast quality&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;digital video.  This detailed digital documentation along with fingerprints and a lock of hair, will better assist police and professional investigators to track down and identify abducted or missing children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;They know that the first few hours are vital in the search for a missing child.  Take a look at today's newspaper, any one will do.  Over two million children go missing in North America each year and over sixty thousand in Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For your own feeling of security contact Videotrace today and make arrangements for your child's audiovisual portrait.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Preparing the video can be fun for children. We make our subjects feel at home with toys, balloons and easy chatter while recording the video.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Len Rushton and Trifon Haitas have demonstrated their Videotrace service on CITY-TV, and other television shows as well as news releases appearing in various city newspapers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Note: This service is especially recommended for people who have elderly family members who suffer from Alzheimer’s, or who have the cause of fear that an estranged parent may attempt an abduction. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For more information phone, email or write to AVC now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;You have made a wise move.  You have taken steps to ensure the security of your family and to provide yourself with the resources you need, should an emergency occur.  Just like any other kind of insurance, it's a safeguard you hope you'll never have to use.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Now that you have good photographs, a high quality videotape, and a detailed data sheet, all of which describe your child and or elderly family member in detail, there are just a few more steps you can take to add to the effectiveness of these records:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;RIGHT NOW..... develop a plan of action to be implemented instantly should your child or elder go missing. Sit down and think out what ought to be done.  If you live in a rural community, you would probably concentrate on organizing a search patrol.  In an urban setting, the media might be your most effective allies.  Know where your Videotrace documentation is and augment it as suggested below.  Update your Videotrace information frequently.  An update every six months for children under six and annually for older children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Cut a small lock of your child's/elder’s hair, place it in a clear plastic bag and keep it with your Videotrace package.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Write down the name, address and telephone number of your child's/elder’s dentist. If possible obtain a copy of your child's/elder’s dental records.  File this with your data sheet , and update as necessary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Write down the name address and telephone number of your child's/elder’s doctor.  File this with your data sheet, and update as necessary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Make a list with all your child's/elder’s friends and relatives, complete with name, address and phone number for each. Put it with your data sheet. Update it as necessary.  Make photocopies for immediate use should an emergency arise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Write a description of any new and permanent distinguishing mark your child/elder acquires.  File with your data sheet. You may decide to call Videotrace to update the videography of your child/elder, depending on the magnitude of the change.  A new, permanent scar, for example, may need only an instant photo.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Sit down and carefully read everything contained in the package.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CHILD FIND, BLOCK PARENTS, and the YORK REGIONAL POLICE FORCE COMMUNITY SERVICES BUREAU have contributed to this wealth of information.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* From the dvd section of your library, borrow dvd's on Street proofing, Child Security, Child Molestation, Child abuse, Sexual abuse etc.,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Better Safe Than Sorry, and Better Safe Than Sorry II are two such films (Vitascope) narrated by two children. You may also find these video's useful:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Children Take Care / Street Proofing / Strong Kids, Safe Kids (with Henry Winkler)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The last of these films may be found in your local video store, for sale or rental.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Also, call Child Find, and inquire about their library of related materials.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Tell your sitter where your Videotrace documents are kept. If you'll be away for a considerable length of time or if you are leaving your child/elder with relatives at another address, you may want to give them your tapes, photographs and all other investigative aids for the period of your absence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Don't shy away from TV and newspaper coverage of missing children and elderly.  There may be something to be learned from each of these events.  It is better to replace your fear of occurrences such as these by a confidence in your ability to protect your child/elder.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;MISSING CHILD/ELDER? HERE'S WHAT TO DO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* If your child/elder is missing, call the police as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the colder the trail becomes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Check the child's room. Is anything missing?  Is the piggy bank still full? Check your wallet.  If nothing is missing you can usually rule out a runaway.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Think back to the last time you observed any stress in your child's life. Has he or she been behaving normally these last few days? Talk to your child's teacher and school friends. Generally speaking, the younger the child, the faster you must act.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Make sure someone stays at home in case the child/elder returns or there are phone calls (from the police or Block Parents for example).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Stay off the phone. Leave your own free for incoming calls and use a mobile or neighbour's phone to call your child's/elder’s friends and relatives.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Immediately use all documentation and investigative aids at your disposal IE. photographs, videotapes, fingerprints etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Move your search to the school if everything has been covered at home. You'll have ready access to phones and phone numbers there.  Take copies of your child's photograph with you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Start the search.  Act without delay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Call your friends.  Get them to use their imagination in suggesting locations to search.  Let them assist you with all the little things that help to boost the spirit of the search party, such as keeping the coffee pot full. You may also need someone to organize a car pool for the volunteers. Draw volunteers from as many sources as possible.  Try your school's Parent Teacher Association, service clubs, etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Phone all the radio stations in your area.  Have your child's/elder’s videotape and picture delivered to any television station and newspaper which will accept it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Call Child Find or the Alzheimer’s Society and any other organization that can help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Contact someone who uses a Citizen's Band radio and give the operator as much accurate information as you can.  Get as many pairs of eyes as possible looking for your child/elder.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Call the taxi services.  Give the dispatcher a description of your child.  All taxis have radios.  You may also consider distributing a great number of small pictures of your child/elder.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Organize a foot patrol if the police have not already done so. Post a map on a board so no time is wasted searching the same area more than once initially.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Ask for help.  Friends, relatives and total strangers will rally to your aid – accept their help.  Select one person to take charge of the search if you find it difficult to control your panic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Give the police your full co-operation.  Provide all the information you are asked for.  Try not to feel insulted or alarmed if police investigators interview friends, relatives, former boyfriends etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;NO-SHOW AT SCHOOL?  TRY THESE STEPS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Ask the school to double check, then call the police.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* If you are separated from your spouse, phone and find out where he or she is.  Abduction from a parent who is not currently the child's custodian may be a concern, but don't forget that in most cases it is the other parent's prerogative to know what is happening.  If you were not the child's custodian at a time such as this, you would want to be told about this emergency as soon as possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Find out if there are any other children missing from the school.  Is there a possibility that one or several classes are out on a field trip?  Is the weather nice?  It is a fact that most children will not play hooky during a rainstorm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Call the parents of other children who have not been accounted for at school.  If your child's class has not gone on a trip, then perhaps he or she is with a friend.  Working with other parents makes it easier to track children down.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Stay off your home phone unless you have a "call waiting" system. Your child may be trying to get through to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Get a friend to call all your child's friends, (keep your own phone free).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Don't leave your house empty. You will want someone to sit by the phone for you.  Before you leave the house for any reason at all, make a thorough search - garage, attic, everywhere.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;STREET PROOFING ~ DEFINING A STRANGER&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What is a stranger?  Kids often think strangers are people, usually male, who look strange or act in a strange manner.  When you ask young children what a stranger is, most of them will tell you he is an old man with a beard an shabby cloths.  Actually, the "stranger" can be kind and generous, offer gifts and engage a child in friendly conversation, to avoid being identified with that "stranger" you warned your child about.  As parents, we sometimes help the would-be abductor by putting the child's name on the outside of his clothing, on a jacket, a team uniform or hat.  Children need to be told that strangers who try to impress kids with charm may actually want to win them over, and to this end will employ coercion, manipulation, flattery, bribery, guilt or fear. He's off to a good start if he can read a child's name on his jacket.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Street proofing is a preventative measure - an essential element in parenting and therefore requires the same kind of work, thought and care. In order to help children to assess and avoid a dangerous situation, we can teach them three STRANGER questions:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1. Do I have a YES feeling or a NO feeling towards this person?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2. Does a grown-up that I trust know where I am right know?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;3. Can I get help right now if I need it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A stranger may tell your child that she must not tell anybody anything because "it's a secret", and if she does tell anyone, bad things will happen to her or her parents. But this is the kind of secret that must be told.  You can teach your child to remember these three words:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;NO, GO, TELL&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;NO: YOU ARE NOT MY PARENT, I DON'T KNOW YOU, AND I DON'T&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU TELL ME&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;GO: GET AWAY FROM THE SCENE AND THE SUSPECT IMMEDIATEL&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;TELL: TELL A GROWN-UP AS SOON AS YOU CAN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Teach children to trust their instincts and to be alert to their surroundings. If they do not feel right about a situation, they should call the police or approach a responsible person such as a Block Parent or a store clerk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;STREET PROOFING gives children the ability to recognize potentially dangerous situations and equips them with a way to react whenever they feel threatened.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;YELL FIRE! If your child is grabbed by a stranger who won't let go, teach her to yell "FIRE!" It's likely to get more immediate attention than "help" which is heard often on school playgrounds.  If the stranger still won't let go, teach your child he should kick as hard as possible, aiming at the shinbone, between the ankle and the kneecap.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;LIES MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME ~ Children should be told that there are times when it is okay not to tell the truth.  For example, if your child is home alone and answers the phone or the door, she should never say there's nobody else in the house.  Instead, she should say that mommy is in the shower, or that daddy is in the back yard.  If answering the phone, it's a good idea to tell the stranger to leave his or her phone number so that daddy can call back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Experts warn that children who respect authority without question may respond to any adult's demands, despite their own parents warning not to talk to strangers.  A study of first graders showed that when asked by a stranger to get into a car, 85% believed it was okay to do so and climbed in.  Teaching abduction prevention skills is just as important as teaching water, traffic and bicycle skills and should be reinforced just as often.  Once is not enough – children forget.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;WHEN YOUR CHILDREN LEAVE THE HOUSE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do you know where they are going?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do you know what time they will be back?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Are they carrying identification?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do they know where you will be the whole time they are out?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do they know how to get in touch with you while they are out?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Are they able to reverse the charges when making a phone call?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Have you explained the BLOCK PARENT program to them?  Do they know the BLOCK PARENT symbol?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do your children know how to approach someone in authority if they get lost or separated from you?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;STREET PROOFING ~ FOR PARENTS AND KIDS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Does your child know what to do when lost?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Have you ever discussed abnormal behaviour with your child?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Have you ever taken a walking tour of your neighbourhood?  Do you know of abandoned buildings, vacant lots, unlighted walkways, creeks subject to flooding?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do you know your child's favourite play spaces?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Does your child know when to reject adult authority?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Does your child carry personal medical information?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Can you account for your child's whereabouts hourly?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do you have an up-to-date list of names, addresses and phone numbers of all of your child's friends?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Does your child know how and where to reach you at any time?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Can you reach your child at any time?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Does your child know whom to approach for help?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Do you know exactly how much money your child has with him?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Are you familiar with the route your child takes to school? Have you walked this route yourself?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE PARENTS ROLE IN STREET PROOFING&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Teach your child the facts about abduction early.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Know your area parks, vacant lots and construction areas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Define a stranger. Children often think a stranger is just someone they have never seen before (the same person seen two or three times is no longer a stranger to some children).  Tell your children that Block Parents are people they can trust and rely on when they need help. Walk your children through your neighbourhood and point out all the Block Parent's homes.  Tell them that most adults will not harm kids.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Strangers may try and use sympathy (your mother is hurt and she sent me to take you to her).  Have a secret password between you and your child, and tell her that if you ever send someone to get her, then you'll tell that person the password. If your child then asks that person for the password and the adult cannot tell her, she should yell:  "you're a stranger" and run for help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Teach your child his full name, address and phone number.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Teach your child how to use the telephone, how to use a pay phone, how to call collect and how to call the operator.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Never leave your child unattended in a car or shopping cart.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Know your child's route to school, any friends and play areas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* If our children are going door to door selling or collecting items, accompany them or insure that they travel in groups of two or three.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Be cautious and thorough when choosing a baby sitter.  Check references.  Know the people who are responsible for your child's care. Also, make sure you know the people your own child may be baby-sitting for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* If your children's friends are staying at your house, for an evening or overnight, call their parents and double check that they know where their children are, and that permission has been granted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Instruct baby sitters or friends caring for your child that your child must not be left with anyone but the designated bay sitter.  Tell them not to transfer the responsibility to anyone else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Children alone at home should never open the door to strangers.  Install a peephole at child eye level.  Be sure doors and windows are secured with good locks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Children alone at home should never volunteer information to a stranger over the phone.  Teach them to say that the parent is home but cannot come to the phone, and to leave a message.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Post emergency phone numbers near your telephone. These should include Police, Fire Department, friends, neighbours, relatives and your own work number.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Don't display your child's name on lunch box or clothing.  A stranger calling your child by name doesn't seem like a stranger any more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Never tell your children that if they don't behave, a policeman will put them in jail.  Instead of approaching a policeman when they're lost or looking for help, they may run away instead.  Tell them that the police officer is their friend and helper.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;GETTING LOST&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Getting lost, and losing a child in a public place are traumatic for both child and parent.  This is how lost children often react:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE RUNNERS:  When these children find they've been separated from mom and dad, they begin to run.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE CRIERS:  These children remain glued to the spot and just cry or wail.  The volume of tears and the noise level increase when the child is offered help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE HIDERS:  In department stores, these children may be found among the long dresses or crouched low in corners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE WANDERERS:  These are usually fairly confident children. If they cannot be found in a short period of time, they often assume one of the above patterns of behaviour.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;LOST IN A SHOPPING MALL&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Busy shopping centres present special challenges in keeping track of active youngsters.  Talk about this while you are actually in a mall with your child, because of course it is no use trying to ask your child to imagine the local mall while you are talking to him in your own home.  Begin this conversation as you enter the mall and continue in stops and starts until you have finished shopping.  Don't hesitate to kneel down to your child's eye level and take a good look around.  Everything looks very different, doesn't it?  Ask your child "if you and I were separated (don't use the word "lost") right here, right now, who would you go to for help?  If you have warned your child not to talk to strangers, you may be in a quandary, so now is the best time to identify the best people to approach.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Here are some of the people you may want to point out:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;MOTHERS WITH SMALL CHILDREN:  Mothers are usually extraordinarily protective of lost children, and they tend to stay with the child, surrendering him only to the parent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;STORE PERSONNEL:  Show your child a cash area and a cashier. Show her what a staff ID button or tag looks like, and how to recognize the identifying store smock or uniform.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;OLDER WOMEN:  Grannies are a good resource, and least likely to harm a child.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;POLICE OFFICERS:  An excellent resource, but seldom on hand in these situations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Unfortunately also, small children, especially those under the age of seven, rarely differentiate between different kinds of uniforms.  Ask a five year old to point out every policeman he sees.  Make this a game, and give a small reward for each police officer correctly identified.  Parking tag officers, bus drivers and doormen (all potential sources of help to a lost child), limousine drivers and porters - in fact men wearing any kind of hat - may at first be confused with police officers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Police officers who are not very busy are usually happy to show their badges and identification.  Never threaten children that if they are bad, a policeman will come along and put them in jail.  A child would then never seek help from that type of person.  Children must understand that police officers are there to help them and to protect them from harm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;LOST ON A CITY STREET&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Discuss with your child what action is to be taken if you are separated from one another on the street.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Tell your child:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Stop.  Take a good look around, but don't cross any streets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* If you can't see me, go into a store and ask the person behind the counter to call the police.  Don't accept help from a stranger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Watch out for police or parking tag officers and go to him or her, but don't go looking for such a person.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Tell a taxi driver, if you see one, that you are lost. Taxi drivers have radios and can call the police.  But don't get into a cab. Stand back and wait while the taxi driver calls the police.  This is not of course the tactic of choice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;LOST AT A FAIR&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The very idea of loosing a child at a sports arena, an exhibition, or inside a circus tent is disturbing to say the least.  What can be done before such an outgoing begins?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Here are some suggestions:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Put very small children in harnesses.  Take older children to a designated meeting place and tell them "this is where we meet if we are separated". Tell children who are too old to be put in a harness and too young to find a meeting place that they should seek help from a mother with small children. Teach your child to be the initiator ~ to ask for help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you are a member of a block parents' or similar volunteer organization, why not suggest that your group initiate the placement of booths at fairgrounds, etc., and issue flyers to promote the programme?  Volunteers should give their permission to have their credentials checked by the police, if this has not already been done, and the entertainment company management should be approached with your proposal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;TO THE WASHROOM WE MUST GO!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;At some point between the age of six and ten, children have a right to go to the men's and ladies' washroom alone. It is a rite of passage for little boys and little girls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;These are things you should remember:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Do not allow your child to go into any washroom with two exits.  Teach your child how the locks work on washroom cubicles.  Some children panic if they cannot open a washroom door, but most will readily crawl under it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Little girls out with dad are in a low risk situation.  Statistics show that women are least likely to molest.  Fathers tend to ask women for help, but this is usually unnecessary.  If your daughter is too old to go into the men's washroom have her follow the rules we apply to little boys, - give her a time limit, and tell her to call out if she is in trouble.  If you don't want your child to talk to anyone, tell him to skip the hand washing.  This is when a conversation is most likely to get started. It's a good idea to forget the hand washing for little kids particularly, because taps may be difficult to reach, and there is danger of scalding.  They may turn the wrong tap on, then not be ready to turn it off quickly. Campground, subway and street washrooms should not be used by children alone.  Encourage them to "buddy up" with a friend or friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE WASHROOM IS A PLACE WHERE PARENTAL RULES MUST BE ENFORCED&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;NOTE: There is no law, which states that a man cannot take his small daughter into a man's washroom, and similarly, prohibits a woman from taking her small son into a woman's washroom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;DON'T BE ALARMIST ~ BUT KNOW THE FACTS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* At some time during their lives, about one in two Canadian females and one in three males where victims of one or more sexual acts. These acts include indecent exposure, being sexually threatened, being touched on a sexual part of the body, attempts to assault or sexual assault.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* About four in five of these unwanted sexual acts had been first committed against these persons when they where children or youths.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Four in one hundred of young females have been raped.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Two in one hundred young persons have experienced attempts or acts of unwanted anal penetration by a penis or by means of an object or fingers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Acts of exposure constitute the largest single category of sexual offences committed against children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Three in five sexually abused children have been threatened or physically coerced by their assailants.  Young victims are as likely to be threatened or forced to engage in sexual acts by persons relatively close in age as by older persons.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Few young victims where physically injured; substantially more suffered emotional harm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* About one in four assailants is a family member or a person in a position of trust.  About half are friends or acquaintances and about one in six is a stranger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Virtually all assailants are male - one in a hundred is female.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* A majority of victims or their families do not seek assistance from public services.  When they do they go most often to the police and to doctors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Over two in five of all sexual assault homicides are committed against children fifteen and younger. Children are the victims of three in four convicted sexual offenders found to be dangerous at the time the sexual offenders were being sentenced by courts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;HELLO CHILDREN ~ PLEASE READ THIS!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A stranger is a person you do not know.  It can be a man or a woman, young or old, fat or thin, short or tall, pretty or ugly, rich or poor, black, white or brown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Nearly all people are nice and like children, but sometimes there are people who are sick in their minds, and want to hurt you.  People you know - people like your brothers and sisters, and your mother and&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;father's friends, your grandparents and your teachers - are okay.  But it is a good idea to avoid people you do not know, because you cannot tell what they are like.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Never get into a car with a stranger.  The stranger may not take you home but to somewhere you don't know.  Never ever hitchhike.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When asked for directions, answer politely, but stand well back from the car.  If you don't know the answer, say so and walk away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Never take candy, presents or money from a stranger.  They might be very kind, but on the other hand they could be trying to trick you into making friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Do not go into any stranger's house and never let any strangers into your house when you are by yourself. Ask your parents what you should tell a stranger who knocks at the door when they are out. Never let anyone in unless you know him or her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you are going to be left by yourself, ask your parents for the phone number of a friend who lives nearby, so you can call them if you get frightened or need help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If there is a baby sitter with you, ask the sitter to talk to the stranger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If a stranger stops you in the street and tries to touch you, take you away or frighten you, the best thing to do is run away. If the stranger holds on to you, then scream and wave your arms so someone will come to help you. Yell "FIRE" to get immediate attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you have to go somewhere by yourself, it may be a good idea to ask your parents to buy you a whistle to wear around your neck so you can blow it if you need to attract attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It is very important to try and walk home with other children, because strangers do not usually bother people in groups. Never play in lonely parks or buildings, and try not to dawdle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If a stranger bothers you, try very hard to remember what their face looks like, what clothes they are wearing, if they have glasses, and what their voice sounds like.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Sometimes, there is no one around to help, so if there is a stranger who is bothering you, run to a house, or phone the police.  Dial 911 from a phone booth - it is FREE.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If a stranger has a car, try to remember the colour, the license plate number and the make (if you know about makes of cars).  If you do not have any paper or pencil with you, try to scratch the number on the pavement with a stone, or in the dust with a stick.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you have a pen but no paper, write it on your hand. The police have a much better chance of finding the person if they have the number of the car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When you run away from a stranger, or say no to a ride or a present, always tell your parents and ask them to tell the police, just in case the person is dangerous.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Another child may not be as lucky as you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The police are there to help you, and you would never get into any trouble by telling them about people who bother you. Also tell a movie theatre manager or a bus driver, if anyone bothers you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Do not go with people who say they were sent by your mother or father to pick you up, unless you know them.  Always ask your parents how you should get home, and make sure you know what the person looks like if your parent has arranged for someone else to pick you up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you don't understand any of these rules, ask your parents to explain them to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;AND REMEMBER...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Don't go with anyone, or ride in anyone's car unless you have your parent’s permission.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Never talk with a stranger, walk with a stranger, or get into a stranger's car with him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Travel in pairs or groups.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Don't take shortcuts to school or the store.  Stick to the same route.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* If confronted by a stranger, yell and run the other way.  After getting away, tell someone - parents, teacher, Block Parent, police or someone you know and trust.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Try to remember what the stranger looked like, what he wore, and what his car looked like, but don't hang around putting yourself in further danger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Don't get too close to a car, if a stranger is asking you a question.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Block Parents are SAFE STRANGERS. If you need help, or are being bothered by a stranger, a Block Parent will help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Phone your parents when you are at a friend's house, and call again when you are leaving for home.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Report any suspicious incidents to your parents, the police, Block Parents, or a teacher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Never hitchhike.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;OUR NIEGHBOURHOOD PICTURE ON MESSAGE CENTRE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Emergency numbers: 911 - Fire department - Police&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Also include on MSG Centre:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;*Dr.’s #, Grandma's #, Aunt and Uncle’s #, School #&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;*Neighbourhood map&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;*Messages&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE MESSAGE CENTRE - A FAMILY PROJECT&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Here's a project that the kids make themselves, with a little help from parents.  Make a map of the area showing parks, community centre, school, plaza, swimming pool, library and friend's houses. On the finished map, put a list of phone numbers, including emergency numbers.  Select a prominent place for the map and designate this same location as your message centre - notes and numbers about where you are and when you will be back.  Encourage your children to check the board regularly and to leave their own messages about where they are and when they'll be home.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;HANDY PHONE NUMBERS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;School:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Police:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Doctor:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Neighbours:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Child's friends:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;These excellent services exist for your family's additional security.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;BLOCK PARENT PROGRAM&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;WHO MAY BECOME A BLOCK PARENT?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Any responsible citizen aged, 16 or over who:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Cares about the well being of everyone, especially children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Has been screened by the police force.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Is willing to provide help at any time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you want your house to become a Block Parent home, every person over the age of 16 years must be included on the application and must sign the applications which are submitted in duplicate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The applicants are then screened by the police force and if approved they are then recommended to the Block Parent committee of their area.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If anyone in the residence is not recommended, that person is advised directly by the police force.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Block Parent sign is an indication to everyone that children in the community have been taught how to deal with strangers, and that the community is alert to potential danger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;VIDEOTRACE ~ An investigative aid provided by Audio Visual Communications Inc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Videotrace provides an audiovisual portrait of your child.  The full package includes a broadcast-quality videotape, studio-quality still photographs, child identification record, and child safety information.  Videotrace, founded in 1990, is a private and confidential service created by the late Len Rushton, a child photographer and Seneca College professor, and Trifon Haitas, a Documentarian and Videojournalist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Videotrace is insurance you hope you'll never need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CHILD FIND ONTARIO INC. is a non-profit, volunteer organization, but thanks to community service groups, local businesses and private donors, it now has a furnished dwelling in York Region from which it offers services to parent’s children and schools.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* Child Find Ontario Inc. is accumulating a library of materials available for private use.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH PROGRAM&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Neighbourhood Watch Program is a formal network of concerned citizens who communicate with their neighbours and the police regarding crime related problems.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A Neighbourhood Watch sign is posted in the approaches to an organized area as a deterrent to would-be criminals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As part of Child find Canada, which as a primary interest is locating missing children, Child Find Ontario Inc. has something more to offer, and has directed it's services as:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* KIDCHECKS - fingerprinting and photography.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* PUBLIC AWARENESS - with the use of films and research-verbal presentations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* PUBLICITY - through the use of newspaper, cable TV and the distribution of flyer portfolios and posters of missing children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;* STREET PROOFING - Child Find Ontario Inc. is starting to be recognized by school boards, churches and nursery schools and has achieved it's most valuable role, that of prevention - the best tool we can give our children.  The program covers ages 3 - 14.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:70px; font-size: 11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVCMEDIA ON YOUTUBE"&gt;AVCMEDIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFONHAITAS.COM"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@AVCMEDIA.CA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s400/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528666835989974690" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO CONTACT YOUR TEAM&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8771011167393245952-7407001851035000388?l=avcmedia.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/feeds/7407001851035000388/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8771011167393245952&amp;postID=7407001851035000388' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default/7407001851035000388'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default/7407001851035000388'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/2006/12/rosetta-stone-discovery-reason.html' title='VIDEOTRACE'/><author><name>Trifon Haitas</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05374936908175654149</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='24' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TIJtGEUXWCI/AAAAAAAACDQ/ldg4VpR_fqA/S220/Trifon-Haitas-headshot.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s72-c/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771011167393245952.post-937757744445168512</id><published>2006-12-19T22:34:00.334-05:00</published><updated>2012-01-20T22:16:18.593-05:00</updated><title type='text'>REAL ISSUES &amp; POLITICS</title><content type='html'>"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a &lt;br /&gt;majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by &lt;br /&gt;a majority of those who make themselves heard &lt;br /&gt;and who vote - a very different thing."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.tdfla.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;I am proud to be a Liberal &lt;/a&gt;   Je suis fier d’être un Libéral&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NvtyMr1BE0Q&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NvtyMr1BE0Q&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3C77w4KZ-Q" target="_blogView"&gt;Don Tapscott - Liberal Convention 2012 / Congrès libéral 2012&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S3C77w4KZ-Q&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S3C77w4KZ-Q&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU" target="_blogView"&gt;HOME&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jqxENMKaeCU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jqxENMKaeCU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;RECENT EVENTS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsAPjD2c0JY/TVSclvx9nuI/AAAAAAAACI4/GQGEbIFal5A/s1600/TX001.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsAPjD2c0JY/TVSclvx9nuI/AAAAAAAACI4/GQGEbIFal5A/s400/TX001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572250811259264738" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.greekembassy.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666666;"&gt;Consul General of Greece in Canada&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Ambassador E. Anghelopoulos &lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf3pqk_the-hellenic-community-of-york-regi_people" target="_blogView"&gt;GRAND OPENING OF SAIGEON TRAIL &amp; TREE PLANTING EVENT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNfs4a4OgI/AAAAAAAACE0/dCea6pNuFNs/s1600/IMGP0004_3.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNfs4a4OgI/AAAAAAAACE0/dCea6pNuFNs/s400/IMGP0004_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522362792750365186" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKK5X60bn5I/AAAAAAAACEc/-9cwr7tyhKk/s1600/60231_10150280350715524_808155523_15079356_7613870_n.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKK5X60bn5I/AAAAAAAACEc/-9cwr7tyhKk/s400/60231_10150280350715524_808155523_15079356_7613870_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522179913686949778" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKK_j8-N4tI/AAAAAAAACEs/2ZuJnnpm-oU/s1600/60042_10150280320075524_808155523_15078640_8307974_n.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKK_j8-N4tI/AAAAAAAACEs/2ZuJnnpm-oU/s400/60042_10150280320075524_808155523_15078640_8307974_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522186717493060306" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNftipbpEI/AAAAAAAACFE/rn36vQI5Y1w/s1600/IMGP0001_4.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNftipbpEI/AAAAAAAACFE/rn36vQI5Y1w/s400/IMGP0001_4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522362804085695554" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNftFDYXRI/AAAAAAAACE8/hINBtX8Sa9g/s1600/IMGP0003_3.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TKNftFDYXRI/AAAAAAAACE8/hINBtX8Sa9g/s400/IMGP0003_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522362796141468946" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/M8_msl4ach4" target="_blogView"&gt;ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="415" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M8_msl4ach4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M8_msl4ach4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="415" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inzSx65XewY" target="_blogView"&gt;NATURE'S DISAPEARING&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/inzSx65XewY&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/inzSx65XewY&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF7eylt08iU" target="_blogView"&gt;DAVID SUZUKI "FORCE OF NATURE"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jF7eylt08iU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jF7eylt08iU&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/RM8buuZJXGI" target="_blogView"&gt;WE ARE ALL ONE ~ A MESSAGE FROM OUR ELDERS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="415" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RM8buuZJXGI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RM8buuZJXGI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="415" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/GZvbl5xxuuk" target="_blogView"&gt;RESPECT MOTHER EARTH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GZvbl5xxuuk&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GZvbl5xxuuk&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8915966819502040048" target="_blogView"&gt;EXTRAORDINARY NATURE OF WATER&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-8915966819502040048&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.tdfla.ca/donate" target="_blogView"&gt;PLEASE DONATE TO THE LIBERAL PARTY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@trifonhaitas.com" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@TRIFONHAITAS.COM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.tdfla.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;TORONTO-DANFORTH LIBERALS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17598349061" target="_blank" title="GREEN PLANET"&gt;GREEN PLANET on facebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://earthhour.org/" target="_blogView"&gt;EARTHHOUR.COM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epVZrYbDVis" target="_blogView"&gt;DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/epVZrYbDVis&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/epVZrYbDVis&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFON HAITAS"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(416) 871 4288&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.tdfla.ca" target="_blank" title="TORONTO-DANFORTH"&gt;TORONTO-DANFORTH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@trifonhaitas.com" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@TRIFONHAITAS.COM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rtu7VZs0RfI/AAAAAAAABD0/B3buSCaIhn8/s1600-h/Agapi%26I010.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rtu7VZs0RfI/AAAAAAAABD0/B3buSCaIhn8/s320/Agapi%26I010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105880578905097714" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpZawa3rfPI/AAAAAAAAA68/pJ3uZtfpoDQ/s1600-h/Trifon+Jim+%26+wife+Stacy.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpZawa3rfPI/AAAAAAAAA68/pJ3uZtfpoDQ/s320/Trifon+Jim+%26+wife+Stacy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086352617054633202" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYb_t51r4PI/AAAAAAAAABM/n-eOWMwEqEg/s1600-h/awards+152.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYb_t51r4PI/AAAAAAAAABM/n-eOWMwEqEg/s320/awards+152.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009972799581446386" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlTibQzQhhc" target="_blogView"&gt;NEPMCC "HONORIS CAUSA" AWARDS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbhhm3_michael-ignatieff_news" target="_blogView"&gt;LIBERAL PARTY LEADER MICHAEL IGNATIEFF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=37899739427795027&amp;amp;hl" target="_blogView"&gt;FORMER LIBERAL LEADER STEPHANE DION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/ReB7A-0FDUI/AAAAAAAAA00/BpMsCCYqQww/s1600-h/Stephen+Dion+Liberal.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/ReB7A-0FDUI/AAAAAAAAA00/BpMsCCYqQww/s320/Stephen+Dion+Liberal.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035159640191864130" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R3ZWX8h5UkI/AAAAAAAABQQ/DiT1TGYnFq4/s1600-h/IMGP2725.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R3ZWX8h5UkI/AAAAAAAABQQ/DiT1TGYnFq4/s320/IMGP2725.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149398193330016834" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glkZ8YIiYsM" target="_blogView"&gt;NDP LEADER JACK LAYTON&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/ReB6Nu0FDTI/AAAAAAAAA0s/saG7OVWG08o/s1600-h/Jack+Layton+NDP.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/ReB6Nu0FDTI/AAAAAAAAA0s/saG7OVWG08o/s320/Jack+Layton+NDP.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035158759723568434" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=534696577184290660&amp;amp;q" target="_blogView"&gt;PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYhk9J1r5zI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/8RzqRB-d7Vg/s1600-h/T%26PM32.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYhk9J1r5zI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/8RzqRB-d7Vg/s320/T%26PM32.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010365587225569074" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PREMIER OF ONTARIO DALTON McGUINTY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RoMRkxMrysI/AAAAAAAAA4k/5v-aMiSRlis/s1600-h/T%26Premier2.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RoMRkxMrysI/AAAAAAAAA4k/5v-aMiSRlis/s320/T%26Premier2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080924127983553218" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://davidsuzuki.org/" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666666;"&gt;DR. DAVID SUZUKI&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; WITH &lt;a href="http://avcmedia.ca/" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666666;"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R5_zMSd8aHI/AAAAAAAABTY/k2zLzhxLGUE/s1600-h/Dr.Suzuki%26Trifon.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R5_zMSd8aHI/AAAAAAAABTY/k2zLzhxLGUE/s400/Dr.Suzuki%26Trifon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161111090431289458" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2004/DSF-GG-En-Final.pdf" target="_blogView"&gt;DSF'S BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN A GENERATION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;WILD THINGS WITH WINGS EVENT IN TORONTO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;On Saturday May 3rd, not even the rain held back the social butterflies from coming out in full force to take in the sweet nectar of knowledge presented by Dr. David Suzuki. One could also hear the sound of busy bees buzzing all around the Evergreen Brick Works located off of the Bayview Extension (550 Bayview Ave), between the Prince Edward Viaduct (Bloor/Danforth) and Pottery Rd.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Host Gill Deacon ran a fun filled day featuring children’s activities, delicious organic foods, and of course local musicians who sang to the crowd that gathered to see special guest Dr. David Suzuki in Toronto’s great urban outdoors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It was very enlightening to be part of the eco-workshops presented by Lorraine Johnson, Dagmar Baur, and the Beehive Collective. The workshops featured presentations that focused on native plants, urban naturalization, native bees, food security, and ecosystem restoration to name a few.  What an inspiration and pleasure it is to see parents partake in this type of event with their children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Dr. Suzuki spoke eloquently about the need to understand how important insects are in our daily life and how much we are dependant on their daily activities, and in their survival. He also stated that if humanity suddenly disappeared, only a handful of living organisms would be greatly affected. If we lost our ant species, all of our ecosystem would collapse. His overall message is that we need to learn how we may become biocentric, instead of continuing in our present day anthropocentric lifestyles. A world without our wonderful pollinators leads to a desolate planet. We need to do everything possible to assist them in doing their part in our environment. One thing we may do right away is to encourage a ban on pesticides. Not only do they harm our insects, they end up in our food supply and cause harmful effects that are irreparable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The event at the Evergreen Brick Works took place from 10AM up until 2PM. The public was also invited to attend an informative and entertaining evening centering on the subject of native plants and pollinators at the Danforth Music Hall. Dr. Suzuki hosted this event alongside Bob MacDonald of Quirks and Quarks. Celebrity gardener Marjorie Harris, and bee expert Dr. Lawrence Packer also presented their expert opinions on the current crisis that we face today in regards to the delicate state of our ecosystem. This event was brought to fruition by: Seeds of diversity, FoodShare, Evergreen and the David Suzuki Foundation. To learn more about how you may join fellow gardeners and naturalists please visit the organizers of this encouraging event. Feel free to visit the website davidsuzuki.org for relevant information, and to see how you can become part of the solution. It is after all in our hands, and in our nature to protect our livelihood.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LECTURE BY DR. DAVID SUZUKI&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;On the evening of January 18th, 2008 the University of Toronto students’ Union featured a lecture by Dr. David Suzuki, identifying problems and offering solutions for the climate crisis. This was a rare opportunity, as Dr. Suzuki is reducing his carbon footprint by refusing to fly for live audience lectures. He agreed to the University of Toronto students’ Union request, as he was filming his television series The Nature of Things in Toronto during that same week. The lecture addressed the Biosphere Crisis: How did we get here and where are we going?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As the doors opened around 5:30, one could see a line up stretching all around the Convocation Hall of St. George campus at U of T. Excitement filled the air as 1700 people of all ages patiently waited to see Dr. David Suzuki the renowned scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His message about our present biospheric crises was strong and direct; Dr. Suzuki stressed the importance of maintaining a balance amongst all species inhabiting our planet. “Since we are at the top of the food chain, we must respect and manage our resources in a way that it does not disrupt the natural environment that all species depend on” was one of the key messages that he stated.  He also stressed the point that we only have one planet to live on, and if we do not do anything right now to stop the biospheric crisis, we will end up extinct like so many other animals that were not given the opportunity to live through to the present.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He instructed everyone to never forget that we too are animals and as such, we need to realize that we live in a world that is finite.  Our resources are being used up at such a rapid rate that our future generations will not be left with anything to secure their livelihood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Our generation presently has the magnificent opportunity to decide the future fate of mankind. Dr. Suzuki, along with his strong like minded following, will not sit and watch this opportunity slip through their fingers without doing the best that they can to reverse this bleak course we have all embarked upon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I commend Dr. Suzuki, and thank every one of his team members for standing up to the plate for us all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A great salute also goes out to the University of Toronto students’ Union for presenting such an incredible evening filled with real solutions to an age-old problem. It is highly recommended that you attend any lecture that is featured by this astonishing group of talented students.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To learn more about future events hosted by the University of Toronto students’ Union please visit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://utsu.ca/" target="_blogView"&gt;UTSU.CA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6FepCd8aII/AAAAAAAABTk/jZN98juMLT0/s1600-h/DrSuzuki-computerSm.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6FepCd8aII/AAAAAAAABTk/jZN98juMLT0/s400/DrSuzuki-computerSm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161510707073411202" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brief Biography&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;David T. Suzuki PhD, co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;David has consistently received high acclaim for his 30 years of award-winning work in broadcasting, explaining the complexities of science in a compelling, easily understood way. He is well known to millions as the host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular science television series, The Nature of Things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His eight part series, A Planet for the Taking won an award from the United Nations. His eight-part PBS series The Secret of Life was praised internationally, as was his five-part series The Brain for the Discovery Channel. For CBC Radio he founded the long running radio series, Quirks and Quarks and has presented two influential documentary series on the environment, From Naked Ape to Superspecies and It's a Matter of Survival.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;An internationally respected geneticist, David was a full Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from 1969 until his retirement in 2001. He is professor emeritus with UBC's Sustainable Development Research Institute. From 1969 to 1972 he was the recipient of the prestigious E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship Award for the "Outstanding Canadian Research Scientist Under the Age of 35".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He has received numerous awards including the Roger Tory Peterson Award from Harvard University. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, and a member of the Order of British Columbia. He has received 20 honorary doctorates - 13 from Canada, four from the United States and three from Australia. First Nations people have honoured him with six names, formal adoption by two tribes, and made him an honorary member of the Dehcho First Nations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;David was born in Vancouver, BC in 1936. During World War II, at the age of six, he was interned with his family in a camp in BC. After the war, he went to high school in London, Ontario. He graduated with Honours from Amherst College in 1958 and went on to earn his PhD in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The author of 43 books, David Suzuki is recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He lives with his wife, Dr. Tara Cullis, and two daughters in Vancouver.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/FWtBkZSBpX0&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="wmode" value="transparent"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://youtube.com/v/FWtBkZSBpX0&amp;amp;rel=1&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. SUZUKI VISIT &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://davidsuzuki.org/" target="_blogView"&gt;DAVIDSUZUKI.ORG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;TOGETHER WE WILL CHANGE THE CLIMATE IN PARLIAMENT&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.tdfla.ca" target="_blank" title="TORONTO-DANFORTH LIBERALS"&gt;TORONTO-DANFORTH LIBERALS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.elections.ca/res/cir/maps/images/atlas/35094.gif" target="_blank" title="TORONTO-DANFORTH MAP"&gt;TORONTO-DANFORTH MAP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@trifonhaitas.com" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@TRIFONHAITAS.COM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17598349061" target="_blank" title="GREEN PLANET"&gt;GREEN PLANET on facebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors ~ Plato&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8771011167393245952-937757744445168512?l=avcmedia.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/feeds/937757744445168512/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8771011167393245952&amp;postID=937757744445168512' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default/937757744445168512'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8771011167393245952/posts/default/937757744445168512'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://avcmedia.blogspot.com/2006/12/nepmcc-awards-ceremony-at-queens-park_19.html' title='REAL ISSUES &amp; POLITICS'/><author><name>Trifon Haitas</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05374936908175654149</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='24' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TIJtGEUXWCI/AAAAAAAACDQ/ldg4VpR_fqA/S220/Trifon-Haitas-headshot.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsAPjD2c0JY/TVSclvx9nuI/AAAAAAAACI4/GQGEbIFal5A/s72-c/TX001.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771011167393245952.post-1263382131706216026</id><published>2006-12-19T22:28:00.041-05:00</published><updated>2010-12-23T15:00:14.317-05:00</updated><title type='text'>AVC GLOBAL COVERAGE</title><content type='html'>~VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED~&lt;br /&gt;PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:70px; font-size: 11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVCMEDIA ON YOUTUBE"&gt;AVCMEDIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFONHAITAS.COM"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; 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cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2aY_USifI/AAAAAAAAA2c/fcDIrc0CAec/s320/IMGP0339.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047860511456266738" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXEJ1r5SI/AAAAAAAAAOA/U3jLSuNhDdc/s1600-h/IMGP1656.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXEJ1r5SI/AAAAAAAAAOA/U3jLSuNhDdc/s320/IMGP1656.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010068839345153314" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2aZPUSigI/AAAAAAAAA2k/kLHEYVE0C2k/s1600-h/IMGP0371.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2aZPUSigI/AAAAAAAAA2k/kLHEYVE0C2k/s320/IMGP0371.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047860515751234050" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXDZ1r5RI/AAAAAAAAAN4/la8YHHqw9rc/s1600-h/IMGP1665.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXDZ1r5RI/AAAAAAAAAN4/la8YHHqw9rc/s320/IMGP1665.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010068826460251410" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXC51r5QI/AAAAAAAAANw/f2NwkyOFKhc/s1600-h/Vergina7.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXC51r5QI/AAAAAAAAANw/f2NwkyOFKhc/s320/Vergina7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010068817870316802" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2ciPUSihI/AAAAAAAAA2s/34Qrdzq7aTM/s1600-h/IMGP0417.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2ciPUSihI/AAAAAAAAA2s/34Qrdzq7aTM/s320/IMGP0417.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047862869393312274" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RrioIbdsozI/AAAAAAAAA_w/ik721yzBBdg/s1600-h/Papou%26Trifon.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RrioIbdsozI/AAAAAAAAA_w/ik721yzBBdg/s320/Papou%26Trifon.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096007841134453554" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2civUSiiI/AAAAAAAAA20/G3BGvuzUCSo/s1600-h/IMGP0418.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2civUSiiI/AAAAAAAAA20/G3BGvuzUCSo/s320/IMGP0418.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047862877983246882" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXEZ1r5TI/AAAAAAAAAOI/SA2XwYTk7r4/s1600-h/alexander0.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdXEZ1r5TI/AAAAAAAAAOI/SA2XwYTk7r4/s320/alexander0.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010068843640120626" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON ANY TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FOId6B4KdU"target="_blogView"&gt;ATHENS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZLeTTKqDH8"target="_blogView"&gt;ATHENS 2004&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjfVx7DltwI/AAAAAAAAA3k/y0hUIlnUxb0/s1600-h/Acropolis.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjfVx7DltwI/AAAAAAAAA3k/y0hUIlnUxb0/s320/Acropolis.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059747760017094402" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYc1N51r5JI/AAAAAAAAAMU/fSdxYQ1u-jg/s1600-h/Athens249.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYc1N51r5JI/AAAAAAAAAMU/fSdxYQ1u-jg/s320/Athens249.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010031623453533330" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYzL551r6gI/AAAAAAAAAcw/xJKz-rvbMlk/s1600-h/athens.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYzL551r6gI/AAAAAAAAAcw/xJKz-rvbMlk/s320/athens.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011604680995498498" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYcotZ1r42I/AAAAAAAAAIs/wDMQplN6RMw/s1600-h/Athens9.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYcotZ1r42I/AAAAAAAAAIs/wDMQplN6RMw/s320/Athens9.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010017870968251234" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6w82Sc6C_E"target="_blogView"&gt;SUNSET IN ATHENS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYcpw51r4-I/AAAAAAAAAKA/Zz_qsqv8gvo/s1600-h/Athens151.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYcpw51r4-I/AAAAAAAAAKA/Zz_qsqv8gvo/s320/Athens151.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010019030609421282" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYc1NZ1r5HI/AAAAAAAAAME/8iEYuRTK1dU/s1600-h/Athens172.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYc1NZ1r5HI/AAAAAAAAAME/8iEYuRTK1dU/s320/Athens172.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010031614863598706" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGOgy3g-9PM"target="_blogView"&gt;PARTHENON AT NIGHT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdHYZ1r5NI/AAAAAAAAANI/hNPuW2nGI-w/s1600-h/IMGP0593.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdHYZ1r5NI/AAAAAAAAANI/hNPuW2nGI-w/s320/IMGP0593.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010051595051459794" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdHZp1r5OI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Y7jhg1dqTyc/s1600-h/IMGP0582.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdHZp1r5OI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Y7jhg1dqTyc/s320/IMGP0582.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010051616526296290" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdHaJ1r5PI/AAAAAAAAANY/5wTaZfU39R4/s1600-h/IMGP0689.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYdHaJ1r5PI/AAAAAAAAANY/5wTaZfU39R4/s320/IMGP0689.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010051625116230898" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YAvUSiXI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Kb8bXw6EN2Q/s1600-h/IMGP1791.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YAvUSiXI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Kb8bXw6EN2Q/s320/IMGP1791.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047857895821183346" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YBfUSiZI/AAAAAAAAA1s/hR9ovQBkrN0/s1600-h/IMGP0725.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YBfUSiZI/AAAAAAAAA1s/hR9ovQBkrN0/s320/IMGP0725.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047857908706085266" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YA_USiYI/AAAAAAAAA1k/kTBoffeDyqA/s1600-h/IMGP0798.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YA_USiYI/AAAAAAAAA1k/kTBoffeDyqA/s320/IMGP0798.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047857900116150658" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YBvUSiaI/AAAAAAAAA10/1t2R66hwUgY/s1600-h/IMGP0483.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YBvUSiaI/AAAAAAAAA10/1t2R66hwUgY/s320/IMGP0483.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047857913001052578" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YB_USibI/AAAAAAAAA18/z21WV4t40XM/s1600-h/IMGP0495.JPG"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2YB_USibI/AAAAAAAAA18/z21WV4t40XM/s320/IMGP0495.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047857917296019890" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYzJZp1r6fI/AAAAAAAAAck/LGqar3JANRo/s1600-h/Istan379a.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYzJZp1r6fI/AAAAAAAAAck/LGqar3JANRo/s320/Istan379a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011601927921461746" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-4Ev3LWGo"target="_blogView"&gt;AMARA BELLY DANCING&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYzL551r6hI/AAAAAAAAAc4/WEGmSVguebg/s1600-h/Istan378a.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYzL551r6hI/AAAAAAAAAc4/WEGmSVguebg/s320/Istan378a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011604680995498514" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rbr2GsxvM5I/AAAAAAAAAsY/nv6g1iRqgiU/s1600-h/Istan29.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rbr2GsxvM5I/AAAAAAAAAsY/nv6g1iRqgiU/s320/Istan29.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024598929244631954" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rbr2G8xvM6I/AAAAAAAAAsg/PuwRVHEGUYY/s1600-h/Istan28.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rbr2G8xvM6I/AAAAAAAAAsg/PuwRVHEGUYY/s320/Istan28.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024598933539599266" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rbr2HMxvM7I/AAAAAAAAAso/5-_uyuM39L8/s1600-h/Istan17.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; 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LITERATURE GALLERY</title><content type='html'>~VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SwlcRBTbjfI/AAAAAAAAB94/Qv0zfzpZdkA/s1600/east_pediment.jpg"target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 72px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SwlcRBTbjfI/AAAAAAAAB94/Qv0zfzpZdkA/s400/east_pediment.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406954275112455666" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TEAM TODAY&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:70px; font-size: 11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/avcmedia" target="_blank" title="AVCMEDIA ON YOUTUBE"&gt;AVCMEDIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://trifonhaitas.com" target="_blank" title="TRIFONHAITAS.COM"&gt;TRIFON HAITAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" style="width:750px; font-size: 13px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height:1.1em;" align="left"&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:info@avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;INFO@AVCMEDIA.CA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://avcmedia.ca" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/TLnFMfiqTqI/AAAAAAAACGk/Q-yZ5_thTy8/s400/O-AAVCBUSCARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528666835989974690" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZT1751r61I/AAAAAAAAAgw/lnL0rGeE4RA/s1600-h/IMGP1648.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZT1751r61I/AAAAAAAAAgw/lnL0rGeE4RA/s320/IMGP1648.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013902694657289042" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;INDIGENOUS MACEDONIAN ARTWORK&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L5CGF-SI/AAAAAAAABSQ/1zQS5EonyKo/s1600-h/AE7.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L5CGF-SI/AAAAAAAABSQ/1zQS5EonyKo/s320/AE7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155930960340318498" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SEi_g89BdjI/AAAAAAAABY8/P4ApsgVefAQ/s1600-h/140.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SEi_g89BdjI/AAAAAAAABY8/P4ApsgVefAQ/s400/140.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208623541892773426" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L4yGF-PI/AAAAAAAABR4/gls3dqWG_Y8/s1600-h/AE4.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L4yGF-PI/AAAAAAAABR4/gls3dqWG_Y8/s320/AE4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155930956045351154" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R418OiGF-MI/AAAAAAAABRg/oh-kJZSuZ7U/s1600-h/AE1.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R418OiGF-MI/AAAAAAAABRg/oh-kJZSuZ7U/s320/AE1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155913737521461442" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L4iGF-OI/AAAAAAAABRw/uFmcQRaPOSI/s1600-h/AE3.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L4iGF-OI/AAAAAAAABRw/uFmcQRaPOSI/s320/AE3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155930951750383842" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R418OiGF-NI/AAAAAAAABRo/v-rpxVhx3DU/s1600-h/AE2.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R418OiGF-NI/AAAAAAAABRo/v-rpxVhx3DU/s320/AE2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155913737521461458" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L5CGF-QI/AAAAAAAABSA/uPAwkrZdZNc/s1600-h/AE5.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42L5CGF-QI/AAAAAAAABSA/uPAwkrZdZNc/s320/AE5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155930960340318466" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42MwyGF-TI/AAAAAAAABSY/Q6CR5kU5dTc/s1600-h/AE8.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42MwyGF-TI/AAAAAAAABSY/Q6CR5kU5dTc/s320/AE8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155931918118025522" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R4156CGF-LI/AAAAAAAABRY/I0xzv1QzIzw/s1600-h/AE.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R4156CGF-LI/AAAAAAAABRY/I0xzv1QzIzw/s320/AE.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155911186310887602" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42MxCGF-UI/AAAAAAAABSg/FGHzDkdHQmI/s1600-h/AE9.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R42MxCGF-UI/AAAAAAAABSg/FGHzDkdHQmI/s320/AE9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155931922412992834" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Alexander's speech at Opis in 324 BC, otherwise known as Alexander's Oath, given about one year before his death in the presence of 9,000 Greek and Asian officers, has become the beacon of state leaders and international organizations in their route toward the third millennium. The main points which he made in this speech are as follows:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Now that the wars are over, I wish you to find happiness through peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• May all mortals live from now on in harmony, as one nation, for the sake of common prosperity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Consider the world as your country, with common laws, governed by men of merit, regardless of race.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I do not distinguish between Greeks and barbarians, as do the narrow-minded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I am not interested in the country or race of origin of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I only distinguish people according to their virtues.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• To me every virtuous foreigner is Greek and each non-virtuous Greek is worse than a barbarian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• If you are ever faced with differences, do not resort to arms, but resolve them peacefully. If need be, I can act as your arbitrator.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• God should not be viewed as an authoritarian ruler, but as our common father.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• As for myself, I consider all persons, black or white, as equals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I wish you to be my partners and not just members of our commonwealth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• As far as I am able, I shall see to it that all my promises come true.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Regard this oath as a symbol of love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The oath at Opis conveys a message, which originated in Macedonia and has not been emphasized enough. The message, emanating from Alexander's native land, was not to conquer nations or to acquire riches, or even to satisfy rivalrous passions between nations, but to unite all people with the bonds of peace, amalgamation and mutual communication.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=58694994594" target="_blogView"&gt;TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MACEDONIA FOLLOW THIS LINK&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;EUROPEAN ARTWORK&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_-eBMryzI/AAAAAAAAA5c/4hKMaoPSHlk/s1600-h/ILm.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_-eBMryzI/AAAAAAAAA5c/4hKMaoPSHlk/s320/ILm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084562295995747122" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpAIcRMry6I/AAAAAAAAA6U/CgwGE3VGGnI/s1600-h/Ilq.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpAIcRMry6I/AAAAAAAAA6U/CgwGE3VGGnI/s320/Ilq.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084573261047253922" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpARARMry9I/AAAAAAAAA6s/8tCm4ri5hB8/s1600-h/IL18.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpARARMry9I/AAAAAAAAA6s/8tCm4ri5hB8/s320/IL18.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084582675615566802" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpAJfBMry7I/AAAAAAAAA6c/MMqZZEGavAw/s1600-h/IL19a.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpAJfBMry7I/AAAAAAAAA6c/MMqZZEGavAw/s320/IL19a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084574407803521970" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpARBRMry-I/AAAAAAAAA60/Pxfrp8laLnQ/s1600-h/Il21a.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpARBRMry-I/AAAAAAAAA60/Pxfrp8laLnQ/s320/Il21a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084582692795436002" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpAQ_xMry8I/AAAAAAAAA6k/0DhiBoAbf88/s1600-h/IL20.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RpAQ_xMry8I/AAAAAAAAA6k/0DhiBoAbf88/s320/IL20.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084582667025632194" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_w0xMryyI/AAAAAAAAA5U/fOuQv-xqK1U/s1600-h/illiad1.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_w0xMryyI/AAAAAAAAA5U/fOuQv-xqK1U/s320/illiad1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084547293674982178" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HELLENIC LITURATURE~Homer's Iliad&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJarLdsoSI/AAAAAAAAA70/EAH1htvDeNs/s1600-h/The+Iliad17.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJarLdsoSI/AAAAAAAAA70/EAH1htvDeNs/s320/The+Iliad17.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089730226740306210" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJdgLdsoTI/AAAAAAAAA78/l0obekv-Sfg/s1600-h/The+Iliad18.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJdgLdsoTI/AAAAAAAAA78/l0obekv-Sfg/s320/The+Iliad18.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089733336296628530" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJja7dsoUI/AAAAAAAAA8E/Er6h4NlyJVo/s1600-h/The+Iliad19.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJja7dsoUI/AAAAAAAAA8E/Er6h4NlyJVo/s320/The+Iliad19.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089739843172081986" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJk9rdsoVI/AAAAAAAAA8M/2GB-u-Kgp4g/s1600-h/The+Iliad20.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJk9rdsoVI/AAAAAAAAA8M/2GB-u-Kgp4g/s320/The+Iliad20.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089741539684163922" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJk-bdsoWI/AAAAAAAAA8U/9nrrEvGeF9c/s1600-h/The+Iliad21.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJk-bdsoWI/AAAAAAAAA8U/9nrrEvGeF9c/s320/The+Iliad21.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089741552569065826" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJmvrdsoXI/AAAAAAAAA8c/ucmQXM_d7AA/s1600-h/The+Iliad22.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJmvrdsoXI/AAAAAAAAA8c/ucmQXM_d7AA/s320/The+Iliad22.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089743498189250930" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJmwbdsoYI/AAAAAAAAA8k/80KVWZLMzGY/s1600-h/The+Iliad23.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJmwbdsoYI/AAAAAAAAA8k/80KVWZLMzGY/s320/The+Iliad23.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089743511074152834" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJmxbdsoZI/AAAAAAAAA8s/oFLf2n8zd-I/s1600-h/The+Iliad24.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJmxbdsoZI/AAAAAAAAA8s/oFLf2n8zd-I/s320/The+Iliad24.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089743528254022034" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJo4LdsoaI/AAAAAAAAA80/1bk4KSIwaas/s1600-h/The+Iliad25.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJo4LdsoaI/AAAAAAAAA80/1bk4KSIwaas/s320/The+Iliad25.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089745843241394594" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJo47dsobI/AAAAAAAAA88/tlh2IaVY8N8/s1600-h/The+Iliad27.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJo47dsobI/AAAAAAAAA88/tlh2IaVY8N8/s320/The+Iliad27.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089745856126296498" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJo5rdsocI/AAAAAAAAA9E/9WElWBnA8DU/s1600-h/The+Iliad28.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJo5rdsocI/AAAAAAAAA9E/9WElWBnA8DU/s320/The+Iliad28.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089745869011198402" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJsurdsodI/AAAAAAAAA9M/-e37fmExZFA/s1600-h/The+Iliad29.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJsurdsodI/AAAAAAAAA9M/-e37fmExZFA/s320/The+Iliad29.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089750078079148498" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJsvbdsoeI/AAAAAAAAA9U/ELHavZ2jh2w/s1600-h/The+Iliad30.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJsvbdsoeI/AAAAAAAAA9U/ELHavZ2jh2w/s320/The+Iliad30.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089750090964050402" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJur7dsofI/AAAAAAAAA9c/lzdfjpQuyck/s1600-h/The+Iliad31.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJur7dsofI/AAAAAAAAA9c/lzdfjpQuyck/s320/The+Iliad31.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089752229857763826" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJus7dsogI/AAAAAAAAA9k/wQQDpGPJwM0/s1600-h/The+Iliad32.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJus7dsogI/AAAAAAAAA9k/wQQDpGPJwM0/s320/The+Iliad32.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089752247037633026" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJutrdsohI/AAAAAAAAA9s/nmdD-1mbWbw/s1600-h/The+Iliad33.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJutrdsohI/AAAAAAAAA9s/nmdD-1mbWbw/s320/The+Iliad33.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089752259922534930" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJyAbdsoiI/AAAAAAAAA90/_riF2EewJ-E/s1600-h/The+Iliad34.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJyAbdsoiI/AAAAAAAAA90/_riF2EewJ-E/s320/The+Iliad34.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089755880579965474" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJyBbdsojI/AAAAAAAAA98/mDg_VSjOy4c/s1600-h/The+Iliad35.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJyBbdsojI/AAAAAAAAA98/mDg_VSjOy4c/s320/The+Iliad35.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089755897759834674" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJyCLdsokI/AAAAAAAAA-E/54MTYyxW08o/s1600-h/The+Iliad36.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJyCLdsokI/AAAAAAAAA-E/54MTYyxW08o/s320/The+Iliad36.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089755910644736578" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ3ELdsolI/AAAAAAAAA-M/8WR1liyNqL4/s1600-h/The+Iliad37.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ3ELdsolI/AAAAAAAAA-M/8WR1liyNqL4/s320/The+Iliad37.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089761442562613842" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ3FLdsomI/AAAAAAAAA-U/gYMnBGbvhpA/s1600-h/The+Iliad38.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ3FLdsomI/AAAAAAAAA-U/gYMnBGbvhpA/s320/The+Iliad38.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089761459742483042" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ3F7dsonI/AAAAAAAAA-c/660lLGPxto8/s1600-h/The+Iliad40.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ3F7dsonI/AAAAAAAAA-c/660lLGPxto8/s320/The+Iliad40.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089761472627384946" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RrNRYLdsotI/AAAAAAAAA_E/nq3LoXZ0t18/s1600-h/Iliad40.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RrNRYLdsotI/AAAAAAAAA_E/nq3LoXZ0t18/s320/Iliad40.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094505079322223314" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ5xLdsopI/AAAAAAAAA-s/4ZvHc0TbyoU/s1600-h/The+Iliad41.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ5xLdsopI/AAAAAAAAA-s/4ZvHc0TbyoU/s320/The+Iliad41.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089764414679982738" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ5xrdsoqI/AAAAAAAAA-0/clelemB-Is0/s1600-h/The+Iliad42a.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RqJ5xrdsoqI/AAAAAAAAA-0/clelemB-Is0/s320/The+Iliad42a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089764423269917346" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON TITLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1582856683488724931" target="_blogView"&gt;The Iliad Tragedy~Achilles Last Stand&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjKw77DlttI/AAAAAAAAA3M/hC8a_W4s28k/s1600-h/SanzioPlatoAristotle.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjKw77DlttI/AAAAAAAAA3M/hC8a_W4s28k/s320/SanzioPlatoAristotle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058299875002005202" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjKwN7DltsI/AAAAAAAAA3E/bgySafpxv94/s1600-h/FrancescoHayez.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjKwN7DltsI/AAAAAAAAA3E/bgySafpxv94/s320/FrancescoHayez.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058299084728022722" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4DFkIGhOI/AAAAAAAAAjA/UpvcG0dpM_o/s1600-h/450px-Aristoteles_Louvre.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4DFkIGhOI/AAAAAAAAAjA/UpvcG0dpM_o/s320/450px-Aristoteles_Louvre.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016450429069198562" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aristotle&lt;br /&gt;The words of Aristotle are like the wine inside a bottle, the more you drink the more you want.  Now raise your cup to drink with me, and allow the knowledge in our lexicon to enter thee.&lt;br /&gt;~ ΤΣΧ&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leonardo da Vinci&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4GhkIGhQI/AAAAAAAAAjU/mvbozOPZkqI/s1600-h/Vitruvian.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4GhkIGhQI/AAAAAAAAAjU/mvbozOPZkqI/s320/Vitruvian.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016454208640419074" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4I3UIGhUI/AAAAAAAAAkI/-r940UHFOOQ/s1600-h/2scapigl.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4I3UIGhUI/AAAAAAAAAkI/-r940UHFOOQ/s320/2scapigl.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016456781325829442" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4GhkIGhRI/AAAAAAAAAjc/j0g1a3YkFr0/s1600-h/The_Last_Supper_Da_Vinci.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4GhkIGhRI/AAAAAAAAAjc/j0g1a3YkFr0/s320/The_Last_Supper_Da_Vinci.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016454208640419090" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4Gh0IGhSI/AAAAAAAAAjk/pzj55830WVI/s1600-h/1battle1.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZ4Gh0IGhSI/AAAAAAAAAjk/pzj55830WVI/s320/1battle1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016454212935386402" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Artimis&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagLVIIfg3I/AAAAAAAAAqU/Zu-jzKc6YDU/s1600-h/ArtimisTizian_015.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagLVIIfg3I/AAAAAAAAAqU/Zu-jzKc6YDU/s320/ArtimisTizian_015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019274242292679538" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ptolemy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ral6-oIfg6I/AAAAAAAAArA/nijj7m4lbl8/s1600-h/Prise_de_Je%CC%81rusalem.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ral6-oIfg6I/AAAAAAAAArA/nijj7m4lbl8/s320/Prise_de_Je%CC%81rusalem.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019678476024644514" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Demitre&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagLVYIfg4I/AAAAAAAAAqc/QKySm_Nc26o/s1600-h/Cosme%CC%80_Turademitre.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagLVYIfg4I/AAAAAAAAAqc/QKySm_Nc26o/s320/Cosme%CC%80_Turademitre.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019274246587646850" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Poseidon&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagLUYIfg0I/AAAAAAAAAp8/juG8pyPiY7c/s1600-h/Adreadoriaasneptunebyagnolobronzino.jpeg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagLUYIfg0I/AAAAAAAAAp8/juG8pyPiY7c/s320/Adreadoriaasneptunebyagnolobronzino.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019274229407777602" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;MAPS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSoIfgzI/AAAAAAAAApg/eD_gpRUayQ0/s1600-h/GreekIslandsMapOrtelius1570.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSoIfgzI/AAAAAAAAApg/eD_gpRUayQ0/s320/GreekIslandsMapOrtelius1570.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019269801296495410" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSIIfgvI/AAAAAAAAApA/tyL5C-Eyykc/s1600-h/ClassicalBalkans1849.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSIIfgvI/AAAAAAAAApA/tyL5C-Eyykc/s320/ClassicalBalkans1849.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019269792706560754" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSYIfgyI/AAAAAAAAApY/IwlhbRYn-8k/s1600-h/venizelosmap.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSYIfgyI/AAAAAAAAApY/IwlhbRYn-8k/s320/venizelosmap.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019269797001528098" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSYIfgwI/AAAAAAAAApI/51H0bO_Wyq0/s1600-h/Distribution_of_Races_on_the_Balkans_in_1923.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RagHSYIfgwI/AAAAAAAAApI/51H0bO_Wyq0/s320/Distribution_of_Races_on_the_Balkans_in_1923.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019269797001528066" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remnants of the Ottoman Empire&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_upBMrywI/AAAAAAAAA5E/tXGjfaJmBJY/s1600-h/The+Iliad9.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro_upBMrywI/AAAAAAAAA5E/tXGjfaJmBJY/s320/The+Iliad9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084544892788263682" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__jhMry0I/AAAAAAAAA5k/_XOt5i5UXmg/s1600-h/ILk.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__jhMry0I/AAAAAAAAA5k/_XOt5i5UXmg/s320/ILk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084563489996655426" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__jxMry1I/AAAAAAAAA5s/TTbk6Ah_2DI/s1600-h/ILk3.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__jxMry1I/AAAAAAAAA5s/TTbk6Ah_2DI/s320/ILk3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084563494291622738" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__jxMry2I/AAAAAAAAA50/6SBigEv1arc/s1600-h/ILj.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__jxMry2I/AAAAAAAAA50/6SBigEv1arc/s320/ILj.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084563494291622754" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__kBMry3I/AAAAAAAAA58/vDL4ttVLcMs/s1600-h/IL3.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__kBMry3I/AAAAAAAAA58/vDL4ttVLcMs/s320/IL3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084563498586590066" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__kRMry4I/AAAAAAAAA6E/cG6oMSVx50Y/s1600-h/ILk2.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Ro__kRMry4I/AAAAAAAAA6E/cG6oMSVx50Y/s320/ILk2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084563502881557378" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA8cxvNGI/AAAAAAAAAuk/OCKe8tiU7kY/s1600-h/Armedo_Preziosi,_c1851-scanned_constantinopole_(1996)-The_bazaar.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA8cxvNGI/AAAAAAAAAuk/OCKe8tiU7kY/s320/Armedo_Preziosi,_c1851-scanned_constantinopole_(1996)-The_bazaar.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024610847778878562" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsElsxvNHI/AAAAAAAAAvA/82UgytG0rP0/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)--1.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsElsxvNHI/AAAAAAAAAvA/82UgytG0rP0/s320/Constantinople(1878)--1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024614854983365746" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsElsxvNII/AAAAAAAAAvI/V_cJEk4gGK4/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-Armenian_and_Turkish_retailers.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsElsxvNII/AAAAAAAAAvI/V_cJEk4gGK4/s320/Constantinople(1878)-Armenian_and_Turkish_retailers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024614854983365762" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsEl8xvNJI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/F4wTzLQ3Onw/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-bath2.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsEl8xvNJI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/F4wTzLQ3Onw/s320/Constantinople(1878)-bath2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024614859278333074" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsEmcxvNKI/AAAAAAAAAvY/UGgoWrP6Nms/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-baths_1.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsEmcxvNKI/AAAAAAAAAvY/UGgoWrP6Nms/s320/Constantinople(1878)-baths_1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024614867868267682" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsEmsxvNLI/AAAAAAAAAvg/bH0wly8Yyi0/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(7).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsEmsxvNLI/AAAAAAAAAvg/bH0wly8Yyi0/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(7).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024614872163234994" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGacxvNMI/AAAAAAAAAv8/wc5T_tr8vt4/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(24).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGacxvNMI/AAAAAAAAAv8/wc5T_tr8vt4/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(24).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024616860733093058" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGasxvNNI/AAAAAAAAAwE/HejNm2T6dO4/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(36).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGasxvNNI/AAAAAAAAAwE/HejNm2T6dO4/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(36).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024616865028060370" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGbMxvNOI/AAAAAAAAAwM/wJwqO4qGK_Q/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(37).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGbMxvNOI/AAAAAAAAAwM/wJwqO4qGK_Q/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(37).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024616873617994978" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGbMxvNPI/AAAAAAAAAwU/jq46HMTnlKU/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(38).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGbMxvNPI/AAAAAAAAAwU/jq46HMTnlKU/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(38).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024616873617994994" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGbsxvNQI/AAAAAAAAAwc/mP5f5dQDC2w/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(40).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsGbsxvNQI/AAAAAAAAAwc/mP5f5dQDC2w/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(40).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024616882207929602" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH1cxvNRI/AAAAAAAAAw4/SD3Znfiq8IA/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(42).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH1cxvNRI/AAAAAAAAAw4/SD3Znfiq8IA/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(42).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024618424101188882" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH1cxvNSI/AAAAAAAAAxA/Q-x6VQJgpuA/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(43).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH1cxvNSI/AAAAAAAAAxA/Q-x6VQJgpuA/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(43).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024618424101188898" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH1sxvNTI/AAAAAAAAAxI/aR4-xXzSI1U/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(45).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH1sxvNTI/AAAAAAAAAxI/aR4-xXzSI1U/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(45).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024618428396156210" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH18xvNUI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/PrkPZxRuYoM/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(50).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH18xvNUI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/PrkPZxRuYoM/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(50).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024618432691123522" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH2MxvNVI/AAAAAAAAAxY/F-IDbkR8q6I/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(53).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsH2MxvNVI/AAAAAAAAAxY/F-IDbkR8q6I/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(53).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024618436986090834" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI58xvNWI/AAAAAAAAAx0/Q4kOzkLITRM/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(54).png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI58xvNWI/AAAAAAAAAx0/Q4kOzkLITRM/s320/Constantinople(1878)-New_Picture_(54).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024619600922228066" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI58xvNXI/AAAAAAAAAx8/fTvo1DRgCfs/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-On_the_Horn_of_gold_-_in_front_of_the_caffe_shop.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI58xvNXI/AAAAAAAAAx8/fTvo1DRgCfs/s320/Constantinople(1878)-On_the_Horn_of_gold_-_in_front_of_the_caffe_shop.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024619600922228082" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI6MxvNYI/AAAAAAAAAyE/Qjz2nSsllgw/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-On_the_Horn_of_gold_-_in_front_of_the_caffe.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI6MxvNYI/AAAAAAAAAyE/Qjz2nSsllgw/s320/Constantinople(1878)-On_the_Horn_of_gold_-_in_front_of_the_caffe.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024619605217195394" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI6MxvNZI/AAAAAAAAAyM/smrFZhGsnKA/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-park.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI6MxvNZI/AAAAAAAAAyM/smrFZhGsnKA/s320/Constantinople(1878)-park.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024619605217195410" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI6cxvNaI/AAAAAAAAAyU/bHgQqyqHpw8/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-public_typist.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsI6cxvNaI/AAAAAAAAAyU/bHgQqyqHpw8/s320/Constantinople(1878)-public_typist.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024619609512162722" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsJ1MxvNbI/AAAAAAAAAyw/lX4Bgx_6XYI/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-Road_to_pear%3B_-_in_bottom_the_tip_of_the_serraglio.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsJ1MxvNbI/AAAAAAAAAyw/lX4Bgx_6XYI/s320/Constantinople(1878)-Road_to_pear%3B_-_in_bottom_the_tip_of_the_serraglio.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024620618829477298" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsJ1MxvNcI/AAAAAAAAAy4/SIebcoaKKYc/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-The_great_galata_bridge.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsJ1MxvNcI/AAAAAAAAAy4/SIebcoaKKYc/s320/Constantinople(1878)-The_great_galata_bridge.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024620618829477314" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsJ1cxvNdI/AAAAAAAAAzA/Fr1yG1EnU1Y/s1600-h/Constantinople(1878)-Turkish_family.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsJ1cxvNdI/AAAAAAAAAzA/Fr1yG1EnU1Y/s320/Constantinople(1878)-Turkish_family.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024620623124444626" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2K7_USiWI/AAAAAAAAA1U/1ZG4kL4NnXw/s1600-h/missolonghi+by+delacroix,+1826.png" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rg2K7_USiWI/AAAAAAAAA1U/1ZG4kL4NnXw/s320/missolonghi+by+delacroix,+1826.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047843520565643618" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjfRDLDltuI/AAAAAAAAA3U/GGjQSiOnXJU/s1600-h/freedomfighter.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjfRDLDltuI/AAAAAAAAA3U/GGjQSiOnXJU/s320/freedomfighter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059742558811698914" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA78xvNDI/AAAAAAAAAuM/C3Lvdsk-vnU/s1600-h/Dedo+Stavro+Haitas%26Bros.002.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA78xvNDI/AAAAAAAAAuM/C3Lvdsk-vnU/s320/Dedo+Stavro+Haitas%26Bros.002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024610839188943922" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA7sxvNCI/AAAAAAAAAuE/dd0i1i1eJcg/s1600-h/Dedo+Stavro+Haitas001.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA7sxvNCI/AAAAAAAAAuE/dd0i1i1eJcg/s320/Dedo+Stavro+Haitas001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024610834893976610" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA78xvNEI/AAAAAAAAAuU/-n-6spB6lY4/s1600-h/Trifon2yrsold.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RbsA78xvNEI/AAAAAAAAAuU/-n-6spB6lY4/s320/Trifon2yrsold.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024610839188943938" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eordea our Beloved and Sacred Mother Earth&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYgw9p1r5iI/AAAAAAAAARE/sKaA0h8urSE/s1600-h/VSTR.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYgw9p1r5iI/AAAAAAAAARE/sKaA0h8urSE/s320/VSTR.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010308421210859042" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As a community that presented itself to the known world over two thousand years ago, may we always continue to keep our Macedonian heritage strong by promoting our history, our traditions and our Democratic spirit throughout the world.  We owe it to Eordea our Beloved and Sacred Mother Earth, Aristotle the Philosopher of Macedonia, Alexander the Invincible of Pella, Ptolemy I Soter of Eordea, his descendent Cleopatra VII Pharaoh of Alexandria, and all our great Macedonian ancestors for bestowing on to us, such a priceless inheritance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the archaic Koinē language, Eordea literally means ''Mother Earth,'' and is the ancient name given to this particular region of western Macedonia because of the fertility of its soil.  The history of Eordea can be found stretching long before 3000 BCE when the people known as the Aeolians and Arcadians began to inhabit this area.  Remnants of the exploited copper mines during 2700 throughout 1200 BCE reveal the fact that people have continuously inhabited Eordea for thousands of years.  Iron mines have also been exploited in the Eordean region.  Ptelomaida is the capital city in the province of Eordea, located in the prefecture Kozani.  The capitol city Ptelomaida was named after Ptolemy I of Eordea, born around the year 367 BCE, and famously known as a distinguished General of Alexander the Great.  After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Ptolemy is known in antiquity as the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Alexandria in Egypt, which thrived until the death of Cleopatra VII the last reigning Eordean Pharaoh of Egypt. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Most recently within a fifty-year period, due to the industrial development of the Eordean countryside paleontologists and archaeologists have made many discoveries.  In particular the skeletal fossil of a prehistoric mammoth was found, also a prehistoric elephant as well as Stone Age tools were found within the province of Eordea.  This stunning find brings to light an incredible addition to the variety of animal species and human artifacts that have been found in this particular region of western Macedonia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;~ ΤΣΧ&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CLICK ON VIDEO BELOW TO VIEW DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S&lt;br /&gt;&lt;j3&gt;&lt;a href="http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=7972667589302141283&amp;amp;q" target="_blogView"&gt;The Macedonians&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/j3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjfU6LDltvI/AAAAAAAAA3c/VWsiP_u1MfU/s1600-h/Ptolemeos.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RjfU6LDltvI/AAAAAAAAA3c/VWsiP_u1MfU/s320/Ptolemeos.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059746802239387378" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Statute of Ptolemeos in Ptolemaida the capitol of Eordea&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SEnZqZ9KwkI/AAAAAAAABZE/OCTFBX0pJkA/s1600-h/IMGP1656.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SEnZqZ9KwkI/AAAAAAAABZE/OCTFBX0pJkA/s400/IMGP1656.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208933766575866434" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexander the Invincible&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Not even to me does it seem possible that he turned out to be unlike any other human being without divine intervention," wrote the historian Arrian as he completed his book, Alexandri anabasis [Expedition of Alexander].&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Plutarch penned in his Moralia. De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute [Morals. About the Virtue or Fortune of Alexander the Great], "States which never got to know Alexander were as though they had never seen the light of the sun" and "If one were to judge from what Alexander taught and did, he would verify that he was a philosopher."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The American producers who aspire to make a film about the life of Alexander the Great should not ignore these two quotations above by well-known and respected philosophers. Hollywood, due to its influence and authority, but also, as former President Clinton wrote, due to the supremacy and muscle the US exercises on a global level, must not be lured into casual scripts and ignore Alexander's magnificence and the fact that he was born a mortal, lived as a superhuman and died as a god. Alexander's accomplishments and endeavors had a profoundly positive effect in the development of future societies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The mighty Romans were the first people to name Alexander "Great." They deified him and not only considered him a role model, but also embraced his life, as well as the arts and sciences that he spread in the East. It was through the Romans that Greek civilization and culture were transferred and established in the West. Thus western civilization was paved and took roots in the western world. Chateaubriand wrote "If someone was compared to a god, that was Alexander." The preceding quotation is not a casual comment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Alexander's speech at Opis in 324 BC, otherwise known as Alexander's Oath, given about one year before his death in the presence of 9,000 Greek and Asian officers, has become the beacon of state leaders and international organizations in their route toward the third millennium. The main points which he made in this speech are as follows:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Now that the wars are over, I wish you to find happiness through peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• May all mortals live from now on in harmony, as one nation, for the sake of common prosperity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Consider the world as your country, with common laws, governed by men of merit, regardless of race.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I do not distinguish between Greeks and barbarians, as do the narrow-minded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I am not interested in the country or race of origin of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I only distinguish people according to their virtues.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• To me every virtuous foreigner is Greek and each non-virtuous Greek is worse than a barbarian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• If you are ever faced with differences, do not resort to arms, but resolve them peacefully. If need be, I can act as your arbitrator.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• God should not be viewed as an authoritarian ruler, but as our common father.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• As for myself, I consider all persons, black or white, as equals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• I wish you to be my partners and not just members of our commonwealth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• As far as I am able, I shall see to it that all my promises come true.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Regard this oath as a symbol of love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The oath at Opis conveys a message, which originated in Macedonia and has not been emphasized enough. The message, emanating from Alexander's native land, was not to conquer nations or to acquire riches, or even to satisfy rivalrous passions between nations, but to unite all people with the bonds of peace, amalgamation and mutual communication.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Alexander's comments to Diogenes during their brief encounter in Corinth, his policy during his expedition to the East, culminating with the oath at Opis and the historic statement, recorded by Diodorus, that the "enemies were required by the conqueror to be happy," all attest to the fact that Alexander's ambition was to civilize and not to conquer. Professor Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, who is one of the most respected, well-read and broadly accepted statesmen of Greece, writes that Alexander severely penalized those who abused the public treasury or ill-treated the citizens of his commonwealth. Thus, knowledgeable sources and scholars inform us that the young king respected the public treasury while remaining a philanthropist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As Plutarch notes, Alexander expressed the above policy before he initiated his expedition in the East. The recorded occasion was during the time when he met the famous Greek philosopher Diogenes in Corinth. When Alexander asked Diogenes what he would like to have from the Macedonian king, the philosopher answered that the only thing he wished was for Alexander to move, so that he would not obscure the sun. Diogenes' reply did not anger Alexander who said, "If I did not intend to merge the barbarian nations with Greece, and by passing through the continent to bring civilization to it, and then the end of the world and ocean, in order to extend Macedonia that far and spread and convey to all nations Hellenic justice and peace, I wouldn't be content doing nothing and just using power for corporeal pleasures. However, I would be envious of Diogenes' simplicity."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Indeed, throughout his life Alexander never used his authority for pleasures.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When Alexander was leaving Macedonia to undertake his expedition against the Persians, he distributed his property and belongings. Alexander was asked what he would keep for himself and his answer was that he would only keep "hope."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Jews throughout the centuries have been using the name Alexander. This has been in accordance with their high priest's decision that "Alexander's name should remain in eternity." The decision was taken because, when Alexander visited Jerusalem, he exhibited respect towards the high priest and for the Jewish religious worship. It is said that when the Jews of Jerusalem offered Alexander gold and silver, he refused to accept them; the Jewish high priest told Alexander: "We serve only one God who created Heaven and Earth and all visible and invisible things that no human being is able to explain." To this Alexander replied, "As worthy worshippers of the true God, be in peace, for your God is my God and my peace is your peace. I shall not treat you any different from the other nations, since you serve the living God."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A few years ago our ambassador to Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, told me that even today Pakistani school students are learning that the remains of Alexander were placed in a coffin with his hands outside the coffin when he died. The crowd was bearing Alexander's remains around the city, shouting "Alexander's hands were clean when he was born and with clean hands he goes to the other world." Pakistanis even today regard Alexander as their national hero.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Alexander never followed Aristotle's advice that he should treat the Greeks differently than the non-Greeks. By respecting the traditions of the people he conquered, eliminating discrimination and prejudice between conquerors and conquered, Alexander the Great elevated the peoples he conquered from an economic, social and political point of view to a higher echelon. That is the reason why Alexander, still today, is loved and respected by a multitude of nations in the East and West and why various legends of different nationalities claim Alexander as their own. Montesquieu, the great French political philosopher, wrote, "When Alexander was gone, nations became orphans."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Voltaire, according to Pavlos Tzermias, wrote "Alexander changed the nature of Asia, Greece, and Egypt and gave new direction to the world." With his marriage to Roxane, the daughter of Darius, Alexander was the first one to revoke racial discrimination. He reaffirmed his stance about inequity by assigning individuals from within the peoples he conquered to assume responsible governing positions in his commonwealth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Alexander's behavior toward the relatives of Persian King Darius whom he had captured (his mother, wife and children), was admired by all for the respect that he showed to these royal family members. He did not treat the family of his opponent as a conqueror and as a mighty king would treat enslaved subjects. Darius' mother came to love Alexander as her own son, because in treating her with respect, the purity of his youth became evident to her. She refused to abandon him when there was a plot that gave her the opportunity to escape. After Alexander passed away, she went on a hunger fast for five days and committed suicide, as Kanellopoulos writes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Darius, you have been conquered by an enemy whose character is far superior of any other human. . .This enemy is virtuous and brave" -- comforting words to Darius, offered by the manservant of Stateira, the wife of Darius, who had escaped when he saw Darius lamenting after the news he received about his wife's death while she was giving birth to their child.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Droysen, in his book, Geschichte Alexanders des Grossen [The History of Alexander the Great], wrote that when Darius was informed that the Macedonian king showed every respect toward his captive family and that the dead Stateira was buried with all honors fit for a queen, he raised his arms toward the sky saying, "If I return as a conqueror I want to be able to return Alexander's kindness during my family's misfortune, and if we cease ruling may the gods intervene so no other than Alexander should occupy the throne of Persia."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;By liberating various cities in the East which were under bondage, Alexander abolished oligarchy and established democracy. He founded cities, theaters, and gymnasia, built new roads, established common currency and promoted commerce among nations. He mitigated Greek civilization in the East and extremely influenced Arab nations. As Dennis Overbye of the New York Times wrote, the meeting of the two civilizations, Greek and Arabian, became an important historic fact. The Arabs translated Greek literary works into Arabic, which subsequently were passed to Europe during the 12th century AD through Latin, thus establishing the basis for the European Renaissance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Dr. Constantine Romanos, Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department of Aegean University, in his interesting book, The Hellenistic Islam, describes [this period of history]: "the missing Hellenistic legacy of Islam is the missing link of the history of civilization." As Romanos mentions, no research has been done in Greece about this issue; the former Metropolitan of Great Britain, Methodios Fougias, has carried out the only serious attempt. Metropolitan Methodios' remarkable research, combined with the opening of Alexandria's library and the reports of various Egyptian scientists in regards to the great benefits of the legendary ancient library of Alexandria, have helped to gain interest on an international level in the works of Hellenized Islamic philosophers in the Medieval period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As Overbye observed (Kathimerini, 11/04/2001) the scientific work of the Arab philosophers, which was the end result of the success of Alexander the Great, was interrupted by the Crusades, the invasions of the Mongols and the Ottomans. The latter imposed their presence for about five centuries and during that period there was no academic scholarship at all in the area. Overbye wrote that the Ottomans were not interested in sciences and Dr. Romanos observed that they did not identify with Islam.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It is not by chance that Mohammed the Prophet refers in the Koran to the double-horned King (Alexander) as a prophet who has the ability to punish those committing injuries against others and to reward the individuals who carry out good deeds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Buddhists consider Alexander equal to God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;St. Nectarios, in his book, The Ecumenical Synods, writes "Hellenism spread by Alexander paved the way for Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;St. Vassilios the Great does not by chance present Alexander the Great as a role model of self-discipline to young people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Mankind today needs a positive projection of Alexander's deeds and work and this is an ardent aspiration of the UN. This goal could be satisfied by a film supported by true historic veracity, rather than imaginary or profiteering scripts, aiming to humiliate Alexander whom the passing of time has indeed respected. This could result not only in insulting nations conquered by Alexander, but it would also offend the faithful of other great religions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Arrian, in his book The Ascension of Alexander VII, mentions that, according to Aristobulus the historian who accompanied Alexander, the Macedonian king was diligent, fearless, brave, respectful to gods, and self-disciplined in his corporeal pleasures. Arrian adds that it is not of great significance that Alexander committed some errors. He was the only king who was remorseful about his mistakes and this has to do with his gentle nature. According to Aristobulus, the symposia in which Alexander participated did not last long, since Alexander did not drink much.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Plutarch, employing Alexander's journal as a source, wrote in his book Parallel Live. Alexander: "Also in wine he was less self-indulgent than what he was considered. He was of the habit of staying at the symposia talking much, but drinking little." Plutarch adds that he was also temperate in eating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Alexander is honored and will be honored and respected forever by the great religions of the world. [Hollywood-style] scripts, therefore, and other attempts to blemish his personality, are ineffective. Regardless of what has been mentioned above, common sense negates allegations about Alexander's homosexuality or drinking habits. It would have been impossible for Alexander to lead his army in such successful military campaigns, achieved by no one preceding or following him, if these attributes were true.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Film scripts which attempt to portray Alexander the Great as a homosexual are of poor taste and lack seriousness. Plutarch stated in his Moralia. De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute [Morals. About the Virtue or Fortune of Alexander the Great]: "Let us bring up the deeds of those who have generally been identified as philosophers and let us compare their deeds with the deeds of Alexander. Philoxenus, his coast guard commander, wrote to Alexander that he found in Ionia a very handsome boy, one that could be compared to none other in beauty, and that if Alexander wanted the boy, he could send the youth to him. The king replied to him bitterly and in a scolding fashion: 'Horrible man, have you known me up to now guilty of such crimes? How dare you flatter me with such vile pleasures?'"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Other points could be brought to disprove Alexander's homosexuality allegations: Alexander was married to Roxane and had an heir by her; he was also married to the daughter of Darius; a queen of the East had asked Alexander to father a child with her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In this age of loss of direction and human dignity, we search for great men to guide and inspire our youth and to elevate the quality of life. Falsification and degradation of the personalities and statuses of long established heroes of history for political or materialistic gains and minimization of their positive effectiveness is not only offensive to every civilized human being, but is also a crime against humanity itself. In the case of Alexander the Great, nothing undertaken by those who now wish to turn historical facts around, in order to try and belittle him or tarnish his fame with unfounded claims, can affect his grandeur and place in world history.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaFPMUIGhiI/AAAAAAAAAmw/uBDb_KMcrQE/s1600-h/Solon.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaFPMUIGhiI/AAAAAAAAAmw/uBDb_KMcrQE/s320/Solon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017378532847158818" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;SOLON&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Lawmaker of Athens (died 559 B.C.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;by Plutarch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athens, unlike Sparta, was a money-mad commercial city.  The constitution written by Solon mitigated the class struggle between rich and poor, and allowed for the growth of democratic institutions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon was born into a well-to-do family of Athens.   He worked as a merchant in the export-import trade, and he considered himself relatively poor.  He did not worship money, as is evident from these poems of his:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The man whose riches satisfy his greed is not more rich for all those heaps and hoards than some poor man who has enough to feed and clothe his corpse with such as God affords.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I have no use for men who steal and cheat; the fruit of evil poisons those who eat.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Some wicked men are rich, some good men poor, but I would rather trust in what's secure; our virtue sticks with us and makes us strong, but money changes owners all day long.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Poetry was for Solon a way to entertain himself, and he also used poetry to give his ideas easy access to the minds of the Athenians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The seven wise men of Greece were well-known, both to each other and to the general public.  Anacharsis, who was one of these wise men, came to visit Solon in Athens.  When Anacharsis saw Athenian democracy at work, he remarked that it was strange that in Athens wise men spoke and fools decided.  Solon admired this man's ready wit and he entertained Anacharsis as his guest for a long time.  Solon showed Anacharsis some laws that he was drafting for the Athenians.  Anacharsis laughed at Solon for imagining that the dishonesty and greed of the Athenians could be restrained by written laws.  Such laws, said Anacharsis, are like spiderwebs: they catch the weak and poor, but the rich can rip right through them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When Solon went to visit another of the seven wise men, Thales of Miletus, Solon asked why Thales did not get married and have children.  Thales gave no reply, but he hired an actor, who a few days later pretended to have just arrived from Athens.  Solon asked this actor for the latest news, and the actor replied as he had been instructed by Thales.  He said that nothing important had happened, except there was a funeral of some young man who had died while his famous father happened to be away.  "Poor man," said Solon, "but what is his name?"  With every question and answer, Solon got more and more worried, until finally he mentioned his own name.  "That's the man!" said the actor, and Solon went into all of the usual expressions of grief while Thales watched impassively.  After a while, Thales said to Solon: "You asked why I did not marry and have children.  You now see the reason.  Such a loss is too much for even your brave spirit to bear.  But don't worry, it was all nothing but a lie."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Nevertheless, it shows a lack of judgment and courage to avoid having good things because we are afraid of losing them.  Even our virtue, which is by far our most valuable possession, can be lost through sickness or drugs.  The soul has an innate tendency of affection, and when it cannot fix itself on a child it seeks some other object, and grief comes just the same.  When a dog dies, or a horse, smug bachelors collapse in sorrow, but some fathers can bear the loss even of a child without extravagant grief. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It is not affection, but weakness, that brings a man -- unarmed against fortune by reason -- into these endless pains and terrors.  Because they are always worrying about what might go wrong, most are unable to enjoy their present opportunities for happiness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For a long time, the Athenians and the Megarians had been fighting over the island of Salamis.  The Athenians got tired of the war and passed a law that anyone who advocated possession of Salamis would die.  Solon saw that most of the young men wanted to finish the fight, but were afraid to speak out because of this law. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;So Solon pretended to go crazy.  A rumor spread that Solon had made up some crazy poems and was now totally out of his mind.  Then one day he appeared in the marketplace and stood in the speaker's place.  All of the Athenians swarmed to hear the crazy man speak.  Still keeping up the act of insanity, Solon sang a song of over a hundred verses about Salamis.  The poem was so well done that the people forgave him for violating the new law.  Before long, the law was repealed, and the Athenians prosecuted the war with greater vigor than ever before.  Solon, who meanwhile had recovered, was chosen to be the general to lead them in it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Salamis was occupied at the time by the Megarians.  Solon sent a spy there to tell the Megarians of a great opportunity to kidnap the most noble ladies of Athens, who were celebrating a festival at the temple of Venus.  This was true, but what the Megarians failed to realize was that Solon knew that they would be coming. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When he saw their sails coming from Salamis, Solon replaced the women with beardless men dressed in women's clothes.  From a distance, the Megarians could not tell the difference.  They landed and anchored their ships, jumping out into the water in their eagerness to get at the women.  The last thing on their minds was defense, and every one of them was killed.  Then the Athenians sailed to Salamis in the Megarians' ships and took the island by surprise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athens at this time had three factions: the people of the hills, who favored democracy; the people of the plains, who favored oligarchy; and the people of the shore, who favored a mixed sort of government and prevented either of the other two factions from prevailing.  The political turmoil had come to the point where it appeared that the only way any government at all could be established would be for some tyrant to take all power into his own hands.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;   &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Under Athenian law at that time, if a loan went into default, the creditor could seize the debtor and his family and sell them as slaves to get money to pay off the debt.  The cruelty and arrogance of the rich caused the poor to form into gangs to save themselves and rescue those who had been made slaves through usury.   The best men of the city saw Solon as someone who was partial to neither the rich nor the poor, and they asked him to lead.  The rich consented because Solon was wealthy, and the poor consented because he was honest.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon's task was dangerous and difficult because of the greediness of one side and the arrogance of the other.  To placate both sides, Solon said: "Fairness breeds no strife."   To the poor, "fairness" meant equal wealth; and to the rich, "fairness" meant keeping what they owned. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Both rich and poor, therefore, believed for a while that Solon was on their side.  But soon the poor people became disgusted that Solon would not use his power to seize the property of the rich.  Solon's friends advised him that he would be a fool if he did not take advantage of the opportunity that fate had presented.  Now that he had this power, they said, he should make himself a tyrant.  Solon, who was a wise man, replied that tyranny is indeed a very pleasant peak, but there is no way down from it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Unlike Lycurgus, Solon could not change the state from top to bottom, so he worked only on what it was possible to improve without a total revolution.  He only attempted what he thought he could persuade the Athenians to accept, with a little compulsion.  Wherever possible, Solon made use of euphemisms, such as calling taxes "contributions."  With a judicious mixture of sweet with sour, justice with force, he managed to achieve some success.  When afterwards Solon was asked whether he had made the best laws he could for the Athenians, he answered: "The best they were able to receive."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon's first reform was forbidding mortgages on bodies.  Even with the consent of the debtor, the creditor could no longer legally enslave him and his family.  Those who had already become slaves were liberated, and those who had been sold to foreigners returned to Athens as free men.  Solon also ordered that all outstanding debts were forgiven, so all mortgages on land disappeared.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But here Solon was disappointed by his friends.  Shortly before he published his law releasing all mortgages, he told some of his most trusted friends.  They immediately went out and borrowed money to buy land, giving the purchased land as security for repayment of the loan.  When the law was published, they had their land free and clear.  For this, Solon was suspected, but when it came to be known that he himself had lost fifteen talents by his own law, he managed to escape serious damage to his reputation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Neither the rich nor the poor got all they wanted from Solon's reforms.  There was no complete redistribution of wealth as the poor had demanded, and the rich were angry about the loss of the money they were owed.  Both the rich and the poor now hated Solon for not obeying their desires.  Even those who had been friendly to him before now looked at him with grim faces, as an enemy.  But with time and success came forgiveness.  When the Athenians saw the good result of the release of debts, they appointed Solon general reformer of their law.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon repealed the laws of Dracon, which punished even small offenses with death, so it was said that the laws of Dracon (codified 621 B.C.) were written in blood instead of ink.  When someone asked Dracon why he had made his laws so severe, he answered: "We need the death penalty to prevent small crimes, and for bigger ones I can't think of any greater punishment."  Solon reserved the death penalty for murder and manslaughter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon made it a law that anyone who refused to take sides in a revolution would lose all civil rights.  By this law he made sure that the good would resist the bad and not hide hoping to save themselves, or wait until they could see which side will win.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;   &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When Solon was asked once which city he thought was well-governed, he said: "That city where those who have not been injured take up the cause of one who has, and prosecute the case as earnestly as if the wrong had been done to themselves."  Accordingly, he allowed anyone to take up the cause of a poor man who had been injured.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon was willing to allow the rich men to continue to be the officers, but he wanted to allow the poor citizens to participate in the government.  He therefore classed the citizens according to income.  The lowest class, the thetes, were ineligible for election to any office.  However, the thetes were allowed to come into the assembly, and as jurors they decided cases submitted to their vote.  Since Solon's laws were deliberately obscure and ambiguous, the courts had significant powers of interpretation.  What had seemed an insignificant concession to the poor turned out to be a significant privilege.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon created a supreme court, whose members were former archons [annual presidents] of Athens.  Seeing that after the release of debts the people were beginning to be unruly and arrogant, Solon also created a council of four hundred -- one hundred from each of the four tribes in Athens.  This was an additional legislative body, whose powers were limited to debating matters before they were submitted to the people for a vote.  Nothing could be voted on until it had been vetted by the four hundred.  With the supreme court and the council of four hundred as anchors, the turbulence of the people was restrained within safe limits.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;   &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon made it a crime to defame the dead.  As for the living, attacks on character were prohibited in the council-chambers of the city and at certain festivals.  Solon knew that spite is part of human nature, but he established certain places where it was illegal to indulge this weakness.  To suppress it completely would have been impossible. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If the aim is to punish a few, moderately, as an example -- rather than many, severely, to no purpose -- the lawmaker must confine his law to the limits of human nature, and not try to legislate perfection.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many people had come to Athens rather than struggle to scratch a living from the barren land of Attica.  Without something to sell, Athens could not feed itself.  Therefore crafts became essential to the city's prosperity.  Solon made it a law that a son was not bound to relieve his father's old age unless the father had set him up in some craft.  He also made it a law that every man had to report each year how he made his living, and anyone found to be unemployed was punished.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The laws promulgated by Solon were written on boards.  Every one of the leading citizens publicly swore to observe them.  But now Solon was besieged every day by people asking for an interpretation of some provision, or complaining about how a law affected them.  Solon decided that he should leave the Athenians for a while so that they would cease bothering him, and work things out by themselves.  He got permission to leave Athens and took a ship to Egypt (590 B.C.).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The priests of Egypt told Solon the ancient story of the lost continent of Atlantis.  Solon translated the story of Atlantis into Greek verse, thinking that it would be a very good thing for the Greeks to know.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;King Croesus of Sardis, who was at this time the richest man in the world, invited Solon to come and visit him at his palace.   Solon arrived, and upon entering the palace he saw a man magnificently dressed and accompanied by a retinue of slaves and soldiers, so he assumed that this man must be Croesus.  But he turned out to be only a minor official in Croesus' court.  As Solon proceeded through the palace, he saw several other officials just as grand.  Finally Solon was admitted to the king's chamber for the interview, and there was Croesus dressed in his most splendid clothes and jewelry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon was not dazzled by this display of barbaric magnificence, which had awed so many others.  So King Croesus commanded that his treasure houses be opened so that Solon could see how many beautiful clothes he had, and how much gold.  SoŬon politely looked at everything, then came back to the king.  "Well, Solon," said Croesus, "have you ever seen a man who was more fortunate than Croesus?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon replied: "Yes, I have, and that was Tellus, a citizen of Athens.  He was an honest man who left his children well provided for and with good will in the city.  He lived to see grandchildren by his sons.  Then he died gloriously, fighting for his country." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This frank answer enraged Croesus, but Solon pacified him by adding: "Oh mighty king of the Lydians, the gods have given us Greeks only small things, and our wisdom is only of small things and not the business of men as important as you.  We consider how a man's life is so much subject to chance, and how disaster can come to us completely by surprise, so we don't consider any man to be successful until he has died well, with his good fortune intact to the end.  Otherwise, if we should say that a living man is a success, when there is so much that can still happen to him, we would be like soldiers celebrating victory before the battle is over."  After that speech, Solon made his exit and saved his life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He happened to meet Aesop, the author of the famous fables, who also had been invited to the palace of Croesus.  Aesop said: "Either we must not come to mighty men at all, or we must try to please them.  "But Solon replied: Either we must not come to mighty men, or we must tell them the truth."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Afterwards, King Croesus was defeated by King Cyrus of Persia.  Croesus  lost his kingdom and was taken prisoner.  He was tied to a stake, and was about to be burned alive for the amusement of Cyrus, when Croesus cried out Solon's name three times.  Cyrus stopped the proceedings and asked Croesus whether this Solon was a man or one of the gods.  Croesus answered: "He was one of the wise men of Greece, whom I invited to my palace.  Not that I might learn anything, but so that he might witness my good fortune at that time.  The loss of it now is more painful than its enjoyment was pleasant.  My riches were really only words and opinion, and now they have brought me to be burned at the stake.  Solon saw me in my foolish prosperity and foresaw my present misery.  He warned me that I should consider the end of my life, and not boast on slippery ground, since no man is happy until he has died well.  "Cyrus saw the teaching of Solon confirmed by such a notable example.  He released Croesus and kept him at his court as one of his most honored counselors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;     &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;While Solon was gone, the three factions [Hill, Plain, and Shore] began to quarrel again.  Although they kept his laws, each one looked forward to some kind of change that might give an advantage over the others.  Solon was too old to take an active role when he arrived back in Athens, but he met privately with the leaders and tried to calm down the partisan rancor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pisistratus, who led the poor, seemed to be the most willing of all.  Pisistratus was a smooth talker and a master of fraud.  He fooled the poor and even old Solon, who said that if only the worm of ambition could be plucked from the head of Pisistratus there would be no better citizen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;One day, Pisistratus smeared blood over himself and dramatically appeared in the marketplace.  He told the people that their enemies, the rich, had done this to him because he was the friend of the poor.  One of his followers then made a motion to appoint a fifty-man bodyguard to protect this martyr of the people's cause.  Solon saw through this trick, but the poor were determined to gratify Pisistratus, and the rich were afraid to resist him. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Solon told the Athenians that they were indeed shrewd as individuals, but collectively they made one big fool.  And with that parting shot, Solon went away, saying that he was wiser than some and braver than others -- wiser than those who had fallen for the trick, and braver than those who understood what was happening but did not dare to speak out against the coming of a tyrant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;No one questioned Pisistratus as he gathered many more than fifty armed men around him.  No one noticed what Pisistratus was doing until one day he seized the strongholds of the city and made himself tyrant (561 B.C.).  The rich saved their lives by fleeing Athens.  Solon was weak and old, and he had no man willing to stand by him, but he went to the marketplace and scolded the Athenians for being too afraid of Pisistratus and his gang to take back their liberty.  "Before," he said, "you might have more easily stopped this tyranny, but now that it is already in place you can win even more glory by rooting it out." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But the Athenians did nothing, and Solon stayed home and wrote bitter poems.  His friends warned him to get out of Athens, or at least not to anger Pisistratus with his free speech.  They asked him why he thought he was safe to speak so boldly against the tyrant, and Solon answered: "My age."  Pisistratus, however, continued to pay great respect to Solon, and continually consulted him.  He kept most of Solon's laws, and even obeyed them himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Finishing the story of Atlantis proved to be too great a task for Solon in his old age.  Instead, as he wrote:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But now the powers of Beauty, Song, and Wine, which are most men's delights, are also mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYhLyZ1r5sI/AAAAAAAAAS8/eJj6f55zYJI/s1600-h/IDIONI.JPG" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RYhLyZ1r5sI/AAAAAAAAAS8/eJj6f55zYJI/s320/IDIONI.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010337914751280834" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaM8LkIGhmI/AAAAAAAAAng/dyxtmJmbloo/s1600-h/IngresJupiterAndThetis.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaM8LkIGhmI/AAAAAAAAAng/dyxtmJmbloo/s320/IngresJupiterAndThetis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017920579194750562" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;ZEUS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Described by Homer in the Iliad as “The father of the gods and men”, Zeus was the supreme ruler on Mount Olympus and the head of the Pantheon of gods that dwelt there. His most common attribute was the thunderbolt, as he was the god of thunder, rain and clouds. He was also the god of justice. One of the most commonly told myths about Zeus was the one of his rise to the throne.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Before the birth of Zeus, reigned Uranus and his wife Gaea. Uranus and Gaea had twelve children known as the Titans who had been banished into the abyss called Tartarus by their father who was terribly afraid of them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Their mother was appalled by the actions of their father and urged her children to rise up against him. Only Cronus, the youngest of the Titans, was brave enough to oppose Uranus. Gaea set him free and gave him a scythe with which to defeat his father.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A battle ensued and Cronus reigned victorious. Uranus was enraged and cursed Cronus, saying to him that one day he also, would be defeated and deposed by his own children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It was to Cronus that the child Zeus was born. Cronus and his wife/sister, Rhea had together six children.  In an attempt to escape the fulfillment of Uranus’ prophesy, Cronus had taken to swallowing his children right after they were born.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Rhea was appalled by her husband’s actions and when Zeus was born on the Island of Crete, he was entrusted to the care of the Melian nymphs who hid him in a cave on Mount Ida. A goat named Amalthea was given the role of nurse and the native Curetes clashed their weapons against their shields in order to dull Zeus’ cries from reaching the ears of his father.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Cronus, aware of Zeus’ birth, demanded that Rhea give him his latest progeny, so he could be rid of him also. Rhea wrapped a large stone in swaddling clothes and handed it to Cronus, who promptly swallowed it, thinking it to be his son. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When Zeus had grown to a young boy, under the counsel of his mother, he returned home to Mount Olympus and in a short battle did displace his father as was prophesied. Using a potion prepared by Metis, the daughter of Cronus’ brother Oceanus, Cronus was forced to bring up the children he had eaten – Poseidon, Pluto, Hestia, Demeter and Hera.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Zeus, now Ruler Supreme, divided the rule of his kingdom amongst his brothers. Poseidon became the ruler of the seas and Pluto, the ruler of the Underworld.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Along with all his siblings, the stone that had been Zeus’ deliverance also reappeared. Zeus brought this to Delphi, which was preserved as sacred afterwards.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But, peace was not yet restored. A ten-year battle erupted on Mount Olympus, as Zeus fought his father’s siblings, who did not support his theft of the throne. Aware of the strength of the Titans that opposed him, Zeus turned to the Cyclopes who had also been trapped in Tartarus as the Titans once were. He agreed to free them under the condition that they forge him thunderbolts, which became a lasting symbol of the great god Zeus. This done, the battle waged on until the Titans finally conceded. It was thought that this mighty battle was fought in the land of Thessaly, accounting for it’s rough, mountainous terrain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But even with the Titans defeated, still Zeus’ place on the throne was not yet secure. Gaea was angry that her children were defeated and sent two monsters to depose Zeus. After a long struggle, Zeus won the fight and became the father of the gods and ruler supreme on Mount Olympus. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Zeus kept order in his kingdom. He punished those who opposed him or incurred his wrath and rewarded those who pleased him. His punishments could be cruel and unyielding as in the case of Prometheus and his rewards magnificent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But there was also an amorous side to Zeus. Although he was married to his wife/sister Hera, he had many affairs with both gods and mortals and had many children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Zeus’ affair with the Titan Mnemosyne resulted in the birth of nine girls who became known as the Muses, the goddesses of intellectual pursuit. His affair with Demeter, the goddess of the earth produced the goddess Persephone who became the wife of Hades and Goddess of the Underworld. His affair with Themis, another of the Titans ended with the birth of the Horae or the Season and the Fates.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In many of the affairs with mortals, Zeus used subversive means to seduce them. For instance, he appeared to Europa, the princess of Phoenicia as a bull and he carried her off to the Island of Crete where she bore him three children. To princess Danae, he appeared as a shower of gold and to the Spartan queen, Leda, he took the form of a swan. He bore many children from these liaisons creating and securing the foundation of the great Olympian dynasty. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Olympians&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaMlBEIGhlI/AAAAAAAAAnU/ldyszwgJjVg/s1600-h/Olympians.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaMlBEIGhlI/AAAAAAAAAnU/ldyszwgJjVg/s320/Olympians.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017895110038685266" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In contrast to most Greek sites, Olympia is green and lush, amidst groves of trees. Here was the great Sanctuary of Zeus, the Altis, and the setting for the Olympic Games. For over a thousand years, in peace and war, the Greeks assembled here to celebrate this great festival. The simple crown of wild olive was sufficient to immortalize the victor, his family, and his city.  The Greeks referred to the Sanctuary of Zeus as the Altis. The name Altis came from a corruption of the Elean word for grove, alsos . Sanctuaries were centers of religious worship where the Greeks built temples, treasuries, altars, statues, and other structures.  The crowns made of olive leaves came from a wild olive tree in the Altis, which was called the olive of the Beautiful Crown. Olive trees, which supplied the Greeks with olive oil, olives, a cleaning agent for bathing, and a base for perfumes, were an important resource in the rocky and dry Greek environment. A Greek legend credited the hero Herakles (Hercules) with introducing the olive tree to Greece.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Where did the Olympic games come from?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;There are many different stories about the beginning of the Olympics.  One myth says that the guardians of the infant god Zeus held the first footrace, or that Zeus himself started the Games to celebrate his victory over his father Cronus for control of the world. Another tradition states that after the Greek hero Pelops won a chariot race against King Oenomaus to marry Oenomaus's daughter Hippodamia, he established the Games.  Athletic games also were an important part of many religious festivals from early on in ancient Greek culture. In the Iliad, the famous warrior Achilles holds games as part of the funeral services for his best friend Patroclus. The events in them include a chariot race, a footrace, a discus match, boxing and wrestling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Why were they held at Olympia?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Olympia was one of the oldest religious centers in the ancient Greek world. Since athletic contests were one way that the ancient Greeks honored their gods, it was logical to hold a recurring athletic competition at the site of a major temple.  Also, Olympia is convenient geographically to reach by ship, which was a major concern for the Greeks. Athletes and spectators traveled from Greek colonies as far away as modern-day Spain, the Black Sea, or Egypt.  An international truce among the Greeks was declared for the month before the Olympics to allow the athletes to reach Olympia safely. The judges had the authority to fine whole cities and ban their athletes from competition for breaking the truce.  The Spartans once invaded Elis (the territory which included Olympia) after the Olympic truce had been declared. The Eleans demanded a large fine based on the number of soldiers in the advancing army and refused to allow any Spartan competitors during that Olympiad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Were there other contests like the Olympics?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;There were 3 other major games which were held on 2- or 4-year cycles: the Isthmean Games at Corinth, the Pythian Games at Delphi, and the Nemean Games at Nemea. Because it started 200 years before the other competitions, the Olympics remained the most famous athletic contest in the ancient Greek world.  Many athletes competed at several athletic festivals. Inscriptions on victor's statues at Olympia often describe victories in 2, 3, or even all 4 major athletic festivals. Pausanias's description of Olympian architecture includes a list of the more famous victors' statues, and summaries of their inscriptions such as this one:  "Polycles...likewise won a victory with a four-horse chariot, and his statue holds a ribbon in the right hand...as the inscription on him says, [he] also won the chariot-race at Pytho, the Isthmus and Nemea." (Pausanias 6.1.7)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Who could compete in the Olympics?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Olympics were open to any free-born Greek in the world. There were separate mens' and boys' divisions for the events.  The Elean judges divided youths into the boys' or men's divisions based as much on physical size and strength as age.  Women were not allowed to compete in the Games themselves. However, they could enter equestrian events as the owner of a chariot team or an individual horse, and win victories that way. The winner of the first Olympic chariot and pair race is listed as "Belistiche, a woman from the seaboard of Macedonia." (Pausanias 5.8.11)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Were women allowed at the Olympics?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Not only were women not permitted to compete personally; married women were also barred from attending the games, under penalty of death. (Maidens were allowed to attend.)   Pausanias tells the story of Callipateira, who broke this rule to see her son at the Games:  "She, being a widow, disguised herself exactly like a gymnastic trainer, and brought her son to compete at Olympia. Peisirodus, for so her son was called, was victorious, and Callipateira, as she was jumping over the enclosure in which they keep the trainers shut up, bared her person. So her sex was discovered, but they let her go unpunished out of respect for her father, her brothers and her son, all of whom had been victorious at Olympia. But a law was passed that for the future trainers should strip before entering the arena." (Pausanias 5.6.8ff.)  Athletic competitions for women did exist in ancient Greece. The most famous was a maidens' footrace in honor of the goddess Hera, which was held at the Olympic stadium. There were 3 separate races for girls, teenagers, and young women.  The length of their racecourse was shorter than the men's track; 5/6 of a stade (about 160 m.) instead of a full stade (about 192 m.). The winners received olive crowns just like Olympic victors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;How were the athletes trained?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece. Many Greeks believed that developing the body was equally important as improving the mind for overall health. Also, regular exercise was important in a society where men were always needed for military service. Plato's Laws specifically mentions how athletics improved military skills. Greek youth therefore worked out in the wrestling-school (palaestra) whether they were serious Olympic contenders or not.  The palaestra (wrestling-school) was one of the most popular places for Greek men of all ages to socialize. Many accounts of Greek daily life include scenes in these wrestling-schools, such as the opening of Plato's Charmides.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Young men worked with athletic trainers who used long sticks to point out incorrect body positions and other faults. Trainers paid close attention to balancing the types of physical exercise and the athlete's diet. The Greeks also thought that harmonious movement was very important, so athletes often exercised to flute music.  After exercise, they cleaned themselves by rubbing oil over their bodies and scraping the mix of oil, sweat, and dirt off with a special instrument called a strigil.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Ancient competitors were required to train at Olympia for a month before the Games officially started, like modern competitors at the Olympic Village.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What prizes did Olympic victors get?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A victor received a crown made from olive leaves, and was entitled to have a statue of himself set up at Olympia.  Although he did not receive money at the Olympics, the victor was treated much like a modern sports celebrity by his home city. His success increased the fame and reputation of his community in the Greek world. It was common for victors to receive benefits such as having all their meals at public expense or front-row seats at the theater and other public festivals. One city even built a private gym for their Olympic wrestling champion to exercise in.  When an Olympic victor from Crotona re-entered the Games as a native of Syracuse (to impress the ruler of Syracuse) and won both times, the citizens of Crotona were so angry about being robbed of their rightful victories that they tore down the athlete's statue in their city and condemned his house to be a prison.  Who were the Olympic judges? Unlike the modern Olympics, judges did not come from all over the Greek world, but were drawn from Elis, the local region which included Olympia. The number of judges increased to 10 as more events were added to the Olympics.  Even though the judges were all Eleans, local Elean Greeks were still allowed to compete in the Olympics. The Elean people had such a reputation for fairness that an Elean cheating at the Games was a shock to other Greeks. "It is a wonder in any case if a man has so little respect for the god of Olympia as to take or give a bribe in the contests; it is an even greater wonder that one of the Eleans themselves has fallen so low. But it is said that the Elean Damonicus did so fall at the hundred and ninety second Festival. They say that collusion occurred between Polyctor the son of Damonicus and Sosander of Smyrna, of the same name as his father; these were competitors for the wrestling prize of wild-olive. Damonicus, it is alleged, being exceedingly ambitious that his son should win, bribed the father of Sosander. When the transaction became known, the umpires imposed a fine, but instead of imposing it on the sons they directed their anger against the fathers, for that they were the real sinners."  Pausanias (5.21.16ff)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What was the penalty for cheating?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"... it is the custom for athletes, their fathers and their brothers, as well as their trainers, to swear an oath upon slices of boar's flesh that in nothing will they sin against the Olympic games."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The athletes take this further oath also, that for ten successive months they have strictly followed the regulations for training. An oath is also taken by those who examine the boys, or the foals entering for races, that they will decide fairly and without taking bribes, and that they will keep secret what they learn about a candidate, whether accepted or not."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pausanias (5.24.9ff)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Anyone who violated the rules was fined by the judges. The money was used to set up statues of Zeus, the patron god of the Games at Olympia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In addition to using bribes, other offenses included deliberately avoiding the training period at Olympia. One athlete claimed that bad winds kept his ship from arriving in time, but was later proved to have spent the training period traveling around Greece winning prize money in other competitions. Another athlete was so intimidated by his opponents that he left the Games the day before he was to compete, and was fined for cowardice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Where did the marathon come from?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The marathon was never one of the ancient Olympic events, although its origin dates back to another episode in ancient Greek history.  In the 5th century B.C., the Persians invaded Greece, landing at Marathon, a small town about 26 miles from the city of Athens.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Athenian army was seriously outnumbered by the Persian army, so the Athenians sent messengers to cities all over Greece asking for help. The traditional origin of the marathon comes from the story how a herald named Phidippides ran the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory and died on the spot. Phidippides was sent by the Athenians to Sparta to ask for help; a man named Eukles announced the victory to the Athenians and then died.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Later sources confused the story of Phidippides, also called "Philippides," with that of Eukles. Although most ancient authors do not support this legend, the story has persisted and is the basis for the modern-day marathon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The modern Olympic marathon is approximately 26 miles and usually takes over 2 hours for athletes to finish.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Greek city-states and the religious festival:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;One difference between the ancient and modern Olympic Games is that the ancient games were played within the context of a religious festival. The Games were held in honor of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, and a sacrifice of 100 oxen was made to the god on the middle day of the festival. Athletes prayed to the gods for victory, and made gifts of animals, produce, or small cakes, in thanks for their successes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;According to legend, the altar of Zeus stood on a spot struck by a thunderbolt, which had been hurled by the god from his throne high atop Mount Olympus, where the gods assembled. Some coins from Elis had a thunderbolt design on the reverse, in honor of this legend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Over time, the Games flourished, and Olympia became a central site for the worship of Zeus. Individuals and communities donated buildings, statues, altars and other dedications to the god. The most spectacular sight at Olympia was the gold and ivory cult statue of Zeus enthroned, which was made by the sculptor Pheidias and placed inside the temple. The statue was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and stood over 42 feet high. A spiral staircase took visitors to an upper floor of the temple, for a better view of the statue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;People who were not Greek could not compete in the Games, but Greek athletes traveled hundreds of miles, from colonies of the Greek city-states. These colonies were as far away as modern-day Spain, Italy, Libya, Egypt, the Ukraine, and Turkey. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A city-state, called a polis, was a typical Greek settlement, with a fortified city and a defensible citadel at the center of a territory, which might include other villages.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The polis of Attica was made up of Athens and its environs, for example, and the Acropolis was its fortress. The Greek city-states began to establish colonies from the mid-8th century on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;After the 2nd century A.D., the Roman empire brought even more competitors to the Olympic Games, but regional differences always gave the Olympics an international flavor. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;...the glory of the temple persisted...on account both of the festal assembly and of the Olympian Games, in which the prize was a crown and which were regarded as sacred, the greatest games in the world. The temple was adorned by its numerous offerings, which were dedicated there from all parts of Greece.  Strabo, Geography (8.3.30)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Early Buildings:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The earliest building remains at Olympia are a cluster of Bronze Age houses at the base of the Kronos hill. The ruins of one of these houses were preserved by the Greeks as the megaron of Oinomaos, the legendary king. Nearby was established the tumulus of Pelops, who defeated Oinomaos in a chariot race to Isthmia, and, in the same area, the Altar to Zeus was established.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A megaron was the large hall or main room of an early Greek house, with the roof supported by columns, the light entering through the doors, the smoke-hole, and the apertures just under the roof.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A tumulus is a large artificial mound built over a grave.  According to legend, the hero Pelops entered a chariot race with King Oinomaos to compete for the hand of Oinomaos' daughter Hippodamia in marriage. Hippodamia fell in love with Pelops and convinced her father's groom to sabotage the racing chariot by removing the linchpins attaching the wheels. After Oinomaos' chariot was destroyed and he was dragged to his death by his horses, Pelops became king and ruled over the region, which he called the Peloponnese after himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Today, the southern part of the Greek mainland is still called by this name. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The legendary chariot race of Pelops and Oinomaos was commemorated with sculptures which decorated the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, which was built between 470 and 457 B.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The First Temple:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;During the 7th century, one of the very earliest monumental Greek temples was built here, originally a temple to both Zeus and Hera. But later, after the establishment of the great Temple of Zeus, it served Hera alone. In the 7th century, the temple was made of wood, but gradually was replaced in stone. The surviving capitals date to every period, from the late 7th century to Roman times. At the west end of the cella stood the archaic sculptures of Zeus and Hera, and the head of Hera has been recovered in the excavations. Here also was found the famous Hermes, sculpted by Praxiteles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The temple of Hera was built in a system of regular proportions, so that many of the parts related to one another harmoniously. The width-to-length ratio of the temple was 3:8, and the number of pillars seen from the front and back (6) and the number seen from the sides (16) were in the same proportion. Also, the height of the columns was half the width of the temple's internal chamber, the cella. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Of all the treasures donated to the temple and put on display, the most impressive was a cedar chest inlaid with ivory and gold, and covered with five rows of intricate figures and inscriptions. The temple also housed the bronze discus inscribed with the Sacred Truce, and an ivory and gold table where the olive crowns given to the athletic victors were set out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When the writer Pausanias visited the Temple of Hera in the 2nd century A.D., the tour guide told a gruesome story. In his youth, the roof of the temple needed repairs. When the Elean workers were fixing it, they found the corpse of a foot-soldier in the crawl space between the roof and the ceiling. They believed the soldier had crept in after being mortally wounded in a battle to defend the sanctuary, when the Eleans had climbed on the roof of the temple for an advantage in the fight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Olympic truce:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A truce (in Greek, ekecheiria, which literally means "holding of hands") was announced before and during each of the Olympic festivals, to allow visitors to travel safely to Olympia. An inscription describing the truce was written on a bronze discus which was displayed at Olympia. During the truce, wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering Elis or threatening the Games, and legal disputes and the carrying out of death penalties were forbidden.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Elis is in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese, which is the southern peninsula of mainland Greece. Because it receives more rain, Elis has better forests and pastures than the rest of Greece. The region was respected in ancient times as a holy and neutral place because of the sacred grove to Zeus, called the Altis, at Olympia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Olympic truce was faithfully observed, for the most part, although the historian Thucydides recounts that the Lacedaemonians were banned from participating in the Games, after they attacked a fortress in Lepreum, a town in Elis, during the truce. The Lacedaemonians complained that the truce had not yet been announced at the time of their attack. But the Eleans fined them two thousand minae, two for each soldier, as the law required.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A mina was equivalent to 100 drachmas, and one drachma was an average worker's daily wage, or the price of a sheep. Thus, the fine was a heavy one, equal to 200,000 drachmas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Another international truce was enforced during the annual Mysteries, a religious rite held at the major sanctuary site of Eleusis. The truces of Olympia and Eleusis not only allowed worshippers and athletes to travel more safely; they also provided a common basis for peace among the Greeks. Lysistrata, the title character in a comic play by Aristophanes, makes this point when she tries to convince the Athenians and the Spartans to end their war.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In no uncertain terms I must reproach you,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;both sides, and rightly. Don't you share a cup&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;at common altars, for common gods, like brothers,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;at the Olympic games, Thermophylai and Delphi?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I needn't list the many, many others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The world is full of foreigners you could fight,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;but it's Greek men and cities you destroy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aristophanes, Lysistrata (1131)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Context of the Games and the Olympic Spirit:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are also displays of nationalism, commerce and politics. These two opposing elements of the Olympics are not a modern invention. The conflict between the Olympic movement's high ideals and the commercialism or political acts which accompany the Games has been noted since ancient times.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Sotades at the ninety-ninth Festival was victorious in the long race and proclaimed a Cretan, as in fact he was. But at the next Festival he made himself an Ephesian, being bribed to do so by the Ephesian people. For this act he was banished by the Cretans.  Pausanias, Description of Greece (6.18.6)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Excellence and the competitive spirit:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When the Persian military officer Tigranes "heard that the prize was not money but a crown of olive, he could not hold his peace, but cried, Good heavens, Mardonius, what kind of men are these that you have pitted us against? It is not for money they contend but for glory of achievement!"  Herodotus, Histories (8.26.3)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Ancient athletes competed as individuals, not on national teams, as in the modern Games. The emphasis on individual athletic achievement through public competition was related to the Greek ideal of excellence, called arete. Aristocratic men who attained this ideal, through their outstanding words or deeds, won permanent glory and fame. Those who failed to measure up to this code feared public shame and disgrace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Do you think, fellow citizens, that any man would ever have been willing to train for the pancratium or any other of the harder contests in the Olympic games...if the crown were given, not to the best man, but to the man who had successfully intrigued for it? No man would ever have been willing. But as it is, because the reward is rare...and because of the competition and the honor, and the undying fame that victory brings, men are willing to risk their bodies, and at the cost of the most severe discipline to carry the struggle to the end.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aeschines, Against Ctesiphon (179)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Not all athletes lived up to this code of excellence. Those who were discovered cheating were fined, and the money was used to make bronze statues of Zeus, which were erected on the road to the stadium. The statues were inscribed with messages describing the offenses, warning others not to cheat, reminding athletes that victory was won by skill and not by money, and emphasizing the Olympic spirit of piety toward the gods and fair competition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The earliest recorded cheater was Eupolus of Thessaly, who bribed boxers in the 98th Olympiad. Callippus of Athens bought off his competitors in the pentathlon during the 112th festival. Two Egyptian boxers, Didas and Sarapammon, were fined for fixing the outcome of their match at the 226th Olympics. All these men were immortalized as cheaters in the writer Pausanias' 2nd century A.D. guidebook to Greece, in which he describes the statues at Olympia and recounts the men's misdeeds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The ancient athlete: amateur or professional?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athletic training was a basic part of every Greek boy's education, and any boy who excelled in sport might set his sights on competing in the Olympics. The Olympic competition included preliminary matches or heats to select the best athletes for the final competition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Ancient writers tell the stories of athletes who worked at other jobs and did not spend all their time in training. For example, one of Alexander the Great's couriers, Philonides, who was from Chersonesus in Crete, once won the pentathlon, which included discus, javelin, long jump, and wrestling competitions as well as running. However, just as in the modern Olympics, an ancient athlete needed mental dedication, top conditioning, and outstanding athletic ability in order to make the cut.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;...When Hysmon of Elis was still a boy he was attacked by a flux in his muscles, and it was in order that by hard exercise he might be a healthy man free from disease that he practised the pentathlon. So his training was also to make him win famous victories in the games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pausanias, Description of Greece (6.3.9)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Glaucus, the son of Demylus, was a farmer.  "The ploughshare one day fell out of the plough, and he fitted it into its place, using his hand as a hammer; Demylus happened to be a spectator of his son's performance, and thereupon brought him to Olympia to box. There Glaucus, inexperienced in boxing, was wounded... and he was thought to be fainting from the number of his wounds. Then they say that his father called out to him, 'Son, the plough touch.' So he dealt his opponent a more violent blow which... brought him the victory."  Pausanias, Description of Greece (6.10.1)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Self-confidence was also an asset. A Libyan athlete, Eubotas, was so sure of his victory in a running event that he had his victory statue made before the Games were held. When he won, he was able to dedicate his statue on the same day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many athletes employed professional trainers to coach them, and they adhered to training and dietary routines much like athletes today. The Greeks debated the proper training methods. Aristotle wrote that overtraining was to be avoided, claiming that when boys trained too young, it actually sapped them of their strength. He believed that three years after puberty should be spent on other studies before a young man turned to athletic exertions, because physical and intellectual development could not occur at the same time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victorious athletes were professionals in the sense that they lived off the glory of their achievement ever afterwards. Their hometowns might reward them with free meals for the rest of their lives, cash, tax breaks, honorary appointments, or leadership positions in the community. The victors were memorialized in statues and also in victory odes, commissioned from famous poets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Stadium and the Events&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The first Olympic event, and the only event for the first 13 Olympiads, was the foot-race, over a distance of one stade. By Classical times, there were 18 contests, including boxing, wrestling, horse races, and the pentathlon, as well as additional running events.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The stadium at Olympia was originally within the sacred precinct, where spectators could view the races from the hill of Kronos. Gradually, the stadium was pushed farther east, until the late classical period, when it reached its present location outside the precinct. All the embankments are of earth, and only a few stone seats were provided for officials. Connecting the sanctuary and stadium was a vaulted passageway, an early example of the use of vaulting by the Greeks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Ancient Olympic Events&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. Also, the games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Like our Olympics, though, winning athletes were heroes who put their home towns on the map. One young Athenian nobleman defended his political reputation by mentioning how he entered seven chariots in the Olympic chariot-race. This high number of entries made both the aristocrat and Athens look very wealthy and powerful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Boxing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Ancient boxing had fewer rules than the modern sport. Boxers fought without rounds until one man was knocked out, or admitted he had been beaten. Unlike the modern sport, there was no rule against hitting an opponent when he was down.  There were no weight classes within the mens' and boys' divisions; opponents for a match were chosen randomly.  Instead of gloves, ancient boxers wrapped leather thongs (himantes) around their hands and wrists which left their fingers free.  Plato makes fun of boxers' faces, calling them the "folk with the battered ears."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Plato, Gorgias (515e)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Equestrian events&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Chariot racing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;There were both 2-horse chariot and 4-horse chariot races, with separate races for chariots drawn by foals. Another race was between carts drawn by a team of 2 mules. The course was 12 laps around the stadium track (9 miles).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Riding&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The course was 6 laps around the track (4.5 miles), and there were separate races for full-grown horses and foals. Jockeys rode without stirrups. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Only wealthy people could afford to pay for the training, equipment, and feed of both the driver (or jockey) and the horses. As a result, the owner received the olive wreath of victory instead of the driver or jockey.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aristophanes, the comic playwright, describes the troubles of a father whose son has too-expensive tastes in horses:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Creditors are eating me up alive...and all because of this horse-plague!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aristophanes, Clouds (l.240ff)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pankration&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This event was a grueling combination of boxing and wrestling. Punches were allowed, although the fighters did not wrap their hands with the boxing himantes.  Rules outlawed only biting and gouging an opponent's eyes, nose, or mouth with fingernails. Attacks such as kicking an opponent in the belly, which are against the rules in modern sports, were perfectly legal.  Like boxing and wrestling, among others, this event had separate divisions for both men and boys.  The poet Xenophanes describes the pankration as "that new and terrible contest...of all holds"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Xenophanes (2)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pentathlon&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This was a 5-event combination of discus, javelin, jumping, running and wrestling. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aristotle describes a young man's ultimate physical beauty: "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength...This is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aristotle, Rhetoric (1361b)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Discus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The ancient Greeks considered the rhythm and precision of an athlete throwing the discus as important as his strength.  The discus was made of stone, iron, bronze, or lead, and was shaped like a flying saucer. Sizes varied, since the boys' division was not expected to throw the same weight as the mens'. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Javelin&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The javelin was a man-high length of wood, with either a sharpened end or an attached metal point. It had a thong for a hurler's fingers attached to its center of gravity, which increased the precision and distance of a javelin's flight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Jump&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athletes used lead or stone jump weights (halteres) shaped like telephone receivers to increase the length of their jump. The halteres were held in front of the athlete during his ascent, and forcibly thrust behind his back and dropped during his descent to help propel his body further. Jump weights also doubled as weight lifting equipment during training. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Running&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;There were 4 types of races at Olympia. The stadion was the oldest event of the Games. Runners sprinted for 1 stade (192 m.), or the length of the stadium. The other races were a 2-stade race (384 m.), and a long-distance run which ranged from 7 to 24 stades (1,344 m. to 4,608 m.)  And if these races weren't enough, the Greeks had one particularly grueling event which we lack. There was also a 2 to 4-stade (384 m. to 768 m.) race by athletes in armor. This race was especially useful in building the speed and stamina that Greek men needed during their military service. If we remember that the standard hoplite armor (helmet, shield, and greaves)weighed about 50-60 lbs, it is easy to imagine what such an event must have been like.  The Phaiacian nobles entertain the hero Odysseus by competing in athletic games: "A course was marked out for them from the turning point, and they all sped swiftly, raising the dust of the plain, but among them noble Clytoneus was far the best at running...he shot to the front and the others were left behind."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Homer, Odyssey (8.121ff)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Wrestling&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Like the modern sport, an athlete needed to throw his opponent on the ground, landing on a hip, shoulder, or back for a fair fall. 3 throws were necessary to win a match. Biting was not allowed, and genital holds were also illegal. Attacks such as breaking your opponent's fingers were permitted.  In one of Aristophanes's comedies, one character recommends that another rub his neck with lard in preparation for a heated argument with an adversary. The debater replies, "Spoken like a finished wrestling coach."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Aristophanes, Knights (l.490ff)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Did politics ever affect the ancient Games?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Politics were present at the ancient Olympics in many forms. In 365 B.C., the Arcadians and the Pisatans took over the Altis, and they presided over the 104th Olympiad the next year. When the Eleans finally regained control of Olympia, they declared the 104th Games invalid.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Some valuable political deeds were recorded at Olympia. An inscription on a victory statue honored Pantarces of Elis not only for winning in the Olympic horse-races, but also for making peace between the Achaeans and the Eleans, and negotiating the release of both sides' prisoners of war.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;While the Olympic Games were being celebrated, Alexander had it proclaimed in Olympia that all exiles should return to their cities, except those who had been charged with sacrilege or murder. He selected the oldest of his soldiers who were Macedonians and released them from service; there were ten thousand of these. He learned that many of them were in debt, and in a single day he paid their obligations...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Diodorus Siculus, Library (17.109.1-2)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Olympia was also a place for announcing political alliances. Thucydides describes a 100-year military treaty the Athenians, Argives, Mantineans, and Eleans entered into, which was recorded in public inscriptions on stone pillars at the first three cities, and on a bronze pillar at Olympia.  The tyrant of Athens, Pisistratus, exiled Cimon, a wealthy aristocrat, blaming him for a military and political disaster. "While in exile [Cimon] happened to take the Olympic prize in the four-horse chariot...At the next Olympic games he won with the same horses, but permitted Pisistratus to be proclaimed victor, and by resigning the victory to him he came back from exile to his own property under truce."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Herodotus, Histories (6.103.2)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Cultural achievements and the Games&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Olympic festival not only celebrated excellence in athletics. It also provided the occasion for Greeks to produce lasting cultural achievements in architecture, mathematics, sculpture, and poetry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The ancient Greeks were architectural innovators. The temple of Zeus, designed by the architect Libon, was one of the largest Doric temples built in Greece. Libon tried to build the temple in an ideal system of proportions, so that the distance between the columns was harmoniously proportional to their height, and the other architectural elements were sized proportionately as well. The Greek mathematician Euclid expressed this ideal ratio in his Elements, a book on geometry which is said to be the second most popular book of all time, after the Bible. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Greek sculptors developed new poses showing energetic movement, and depicting the muscles and shapes of the body naturally. Many sculptures were of athletes, such as Myron's famous statue of the Discus Thrower (Diskobolos).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;We know the names of some sculptors because ancient authors, including the satirist Lucian, wrote them down:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"When you came in the hall," he said, "didn't you notice a totally gorgeous statue up there, by Demetrios the portraitist?" "Surely you don't mean the discus-thrower," said I, "the one bent over into the throwing-position, with his head turned back to the hand that holds the discus, and the opposite knee slightly flexed, like one who will spring up again after the throw?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Not that one," he said, "that's one of Myron's works, that Diskobolos you speak of..."  Lucian,Philopseudes (18)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The cultural achievement most directly tied to the Olympic games was poetry commissioned in honor of athletic victors. These poems, called Epinicians, were written by the most famous poets of the day, including Pindar, Bacchylides, and Simonides, and they were extremely popular. Proof of this is that the playwright Aristophanes portrays an average, not especially literary Athenian man who asks his son to sing a particular forty-year-old epinician poem composed by Simonides. The poem, and the athlete, live on in people's memories long after the day of victory. The epinician odes were written to immortalize the athletic victors, and they have lasted longer than many of the statues and inscriptions which were made for the same purpose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athletes' Stories:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Like their modern counterparts, ancient athletes had a way of capturing the public's imagination. Several ancient authors such as Pindar, Pausanias, Strabo, and Dio Chrysostom record the noteworthy exploits of some of the best-known Olympic victors of ancient times.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Milo of Kroton&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Wrestler&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Six-time Olympic victor:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Won once in boys' wrestling, 60th Olympiad, 540 BCE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Five-time wrestling champion from 62nd to 66th Olympiad, 532 to 516 BCE.  The most illustrious of athletes...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Strabo, Geography (6.1.12)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It is no great thing to possess strength, whatever kind it is, but to use it as one should. For of what advantage to Milo of Kroton was his enormous strength of body?...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Diodorus Siculus, Historical Library (9.14.1)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;One of the most legendary athletes in the ancient world, Milo of Kroton, wore the victor's crown at Olympia no less than six times. Born in southern Italy, where Greece had many colonies, Milo won the boys' wrestling contest in 540 BCE.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He returned eight years later to win the first of five consecutive wrestling titles, a feat that seems incredible by modern standards. Rarely do modern-day Olympians compete in more than two or three Olympiads over the course of a career. Much like the boxer George Foreman, Milo resisted retirement: By the time of the 67th Olympiad in 512 BCE, Milo was probably forty or more years old but he competed anyhow. The challenger won not by overpowering Milo, but by avoiding the older wrestler and wearing him out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;According to our ancient sources, Milo enjoyed showing off his unrivaled strength. For instance, he would clasp a pomegranate in his hand and have others try to take it away from him. Even though he was holding it so tightly that no one could remove it, he never damaged the fruit. Sometimes, he would stand on a greased iron disk and challenge others to push him off of it. Another of his favorite exhibitions was tying a cord around his forehead, holding his breath, and breaking the cord with his bulging forehead veins. Other times, the wrestler would stand with his right arm at his side, his elbow against him, and hold out his hand with thumb pointed upwards and fingers spread. No one could successfully bend even his little finger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Milo excelled even in warfare. When a neighboring town attacked Kroton, Milo entered the battle wearing his Olympic crowns and dressed like Herakles, in lion's skin and brandishing a club, and led his fellow citizens to victory.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A follower of the famous philosopher Pythagoras, Milo once saved his friends. It happened that the roof of the hall where the Pythagoreans were meeting began to collapse. Milo stood and supported the central pillar until the others escaped to safety and then dashed out, saving himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the end, however, all of this fame and strength did not save Milo from a less than glorious death. Milo was wandering through the forest when he found an old tree trunk with wedges inserted into it. In an attempt to test his strength, Milo placed his hands and, perhaps his feet, into the cleft of the trunk and tried to split apart the wood. He succeeded in loosening the wedges, which fell out, but the trunk closed on his hands, trapping him. There, according to the tale, he fell prey to wild beasts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Theagenes of Thasos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Boxer, Pankratiast &amp;amp; Runner &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victor in boxing in the 75th Olympiad, 480 BCE &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victor in the pankration in the 76th Olympiad, 476 BCE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His ambition was, I think, to rival Achilles by winning a prize for running in the fatherland of the swiftest of those who are called heroes. The total number of crowns that he won was one thousand four hundred. ...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pausanias, Description of Greece (6.11.5)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;At the young age of nine, Theagenes of Thasos became famous throughout Greece. It seems the boy was walking home from school, when he noticed a bronze statue of a god in the marketplace of Thasos. For some, strange reason, but probably out of admiration, Theagenes tore the statue from its base and took it home. This act outraged the citizens, who perceived it as highly disrespectful, and they debated whether or not they should execute the child for his deed. One elder, however, suggested that they have the boy return the statue to its proper place. Theagenes did this, his life was spared, and word of this amazing feat spread across Greece.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;At the 75th Olympiad, Theagenes had designs on winning both the boxing prize and the pankration prize.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;After defeating the boxer Euthymos, Theagenes was too tired to win a second crown for the pankration. Interestingly, the judges fined Theagenes for entering the boxing competition merely to spite Euthymos. Furthermore, Theagenes did not box in the 76th Olympiad. Pausanias implies that this was what we might nowadays call "unsportsmanlike conduct."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In addition to his two Olympic victories, one in boxing and one in the pankration, Theagenes won numerous victories in other games. When he traveled to Phthia, the traditional home of the legendary hero of the Iliad,  "swift-footed" Achilles, Theagenes decided to compete in the footrace. Of course, he won.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Following his death, the people of Thasos memorialized Theagenes with a bronze statue. Allegedly, a man who never won a match against Theagenes came every night to the statue and beat it. One night, the statue came loose, fell on the angry opponent, and killed him. His sons prosecuted the statue for murder, a perfectly reasonable action under Greek law. (The Greeks felt that all murders must be punished, whether or not the murderer was a person, animal, or even an object!) The Thasians dropped the guilty statue of Theagenes into the ocean, presumably settling the matter. Then, in later years, famine and plague struck Thasos, and the people sought the advice of the oracle, who told the islanders to welcome back all exiles. The Thasians followed this command, but the crops still did not grow. Once more, they asked the oracle for assistance. The priestess replied that they had forgotten the great Theagenes. After some fishermen retrieved the statue of the athlete, the people of Thasos repositioned the statue in its original place, and they sacrificed to him as a healing god.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Diagoras of Rhodes&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Boxer&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victor in the 79th Olympiad, 464 BCE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;And now, with the music of flute and lyre alike I have come to land with Diagoras, singing the sea-child of Aphrodite and bride of Helios, Rhodes, so that I may praise this straight-fighting, tremendous man who had himself crowned beside the Alpheus and near Castalia, as a recompense for his boxing... Pindar, Olympian 7,  lines 13-17.  The boxer Diagoras of Rhodes embodied every quality of the noble ancient athlete. Immortalized in one of the most famous odes of the poet Pindar, Diagoras was victorious in not only the Olympic games, but in every other major Greek athlethic festival as well. The extent and number of his triumphs certainly contributed to his fame, but the virtuous character of Diagoras was as important to the ancient Greeks as his success as a boxer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;We know that Diagoras' family was of the noble, ruling class on Rhodes, and the Rhodians claimed that the boxer himself was the son of the god Hermes. Such legends were a common means of explaining how mortal men could perform "super-human" athletic achivements.  In his Ode for Diagoras, Olympian 7,  Pindar praises the boxer as a "fair-fighter" and a "gigantic" man. Diagoras also "walks a straight course on a road that hates arrogance." In addition to his Olympic victory, Diagoras won four times at the Isthmian games, twice at Nemea, and at other games held in his native Rhodes, Athens, and elsewhere throughout the Greek world. We have no exact record of his career, but it is clear that Diagoras was a legend in his own time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Olympia crowned three generations of Diagoras' family, adding to the fame that the boxer won in his own right and no doubt fueling other legends of the immortal ancestry of the Diagoras family. Even baseball's Griffey and Ripken families fall a generation short of imitating the achievements of Diagoras, his sons, and grandsons.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Polydamas of Skotoussa&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pankratiast &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victor in the 93rd Olympiad, 408 BCE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Impelled by an ambition to rival the labors of Herakles... Pausanias, Description of Greece,  6.5.5.  The death of Polydamas...made it clear to all men how precarious it is to have great strength but little sense. ...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Diodorus Siculus, Historical Library (9.14.2)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;We know little about the Olympic victor Polydamas (also spelled "Pulydamas") of Skotoussa, a city in Thessaly. His background, family life, and even the details of his Olympic triumph are mysteries. Aside from the fact that Polydamas' statue was remarkably tall, we have no information on his appearance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Like many modern athletes, Polydamas the pankratiast was as well-known for non-athletic exploits as he was for his prowess in the Olympic games. He was not quite as notorious as baseball's Albert Belle, though. Ancient authors tend to compare his feats to those of the legendary Greek hero Herakles. Polydamas once killed a lion with his bare hands on Mount Olympus in a quest to imitate the labors of Herakles, who slew the Nemean lion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pausanias adds that:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Polydamas ...went among a herd of cattle and seized the biggest and fiercest bull by one of its hind feet, holding fast the hoof in spite of the bull's leaps and struggles, until at last it put forth all its strength and escaped, leaving the hoof in the grasp of Polydamas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In a similar way, Polydamas once stopped a fast-moving chariot and kept it from going forward.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Such exploits reached the ears of the Persians, and the king Dareius sent for Polydamas. There the athlete challenged three Persians, nicknamed the "Immortals" to fight him, three against one, and Polydamas was victorious.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the end, however, Polydamas' strength could not prevent his demise. One summer, Polydamas and his friends were relaxing in a cave when the roof began to crumble down upon them. Believing his immense strength could prevent the cave-in, Polydamas held his hands up to the roof, trying to support it as the rocks crashed down around him. His friends fled the cave and reached safety, but the pankratiast died there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Melankomas of Caria&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Boxer &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victor in the 207th Olympiad, 49 AD&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Now since his was beauty of body, his was courage and a stout heart and, besides, self-control and the good fortune of never having been defeated, what man could be called happier than he? ...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Dio Chrysostom, Discourses (29.16)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The boxer Melankomas was from Caria, a region of what the Greeks called Asia Minor and is now known as Turkey. Born to an outstanding father, Melankomas was known for his handsome body and good looks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This athlete, we are told, had a soul as brave as his body was beautiful. In an effort to prove his courage, Melankomas chose athletics, since this was the most honorable and most strenuous path open to him. Evidently some men believed that the training a soldier must endure is less difficult than that of an athlete, particularly that of a boxer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Amazingly enough, Melankomas was undefeated throughout his career yet he never once hit an opponent or was hit by one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His boxing style was to defend himself from the blows of the other boxer and avoid striking the other man. Invariably, the opponent would grow frustrated and lose his composure. This unique style won Melankomas much admiration for his strength and endurance. He could allegedly fight throughout the whole day, even in the summer, and he refused to strike his opponents even though he knew by doing so he would quickly end the match and secure an easy victory for himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;No doubt his success was due in large part to his rigorous training. Melankomas exercised far more than the other atheletes. Indeed, one story relates that the boxer went for two straight days with his arms up, not once putting them down or resting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Unfortunately, Melankomas died at a young age. Always the eager competitor, the boxer, lying on his deathbed, asked a friend how many days of the athletic meet were left. He would not live to compete again. Even so, his name lives on for his remarkable boxing skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Myths about the Ancient Games:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many of those watching the Olympics in Athens will assume that the modern games are a true reflection of the ancient ones, that the events and ceremonies and the ideology of universal brotherhood and amateurism recall the Olympics of Greece's golden age. A generation ago scholars simply accepted such idealistic notions about who these athletes were and why they competed. Now, we are demythologizing the ancient Olympics, testing and revising ancient literary accounts of how athletes trained, worshiped, competed, won, and celebrated, and how they were motivated, rewarded, and honored. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Held in late summer, the ancient Olympics included various footraces and even a race in armor, but there was no ancient marathon. In chariot races the owners of the horses, not the hired drivers, were declared the victors. Alcibiades, the Athenian politician and general, entered seven chariots in the games of 416 B.C. We do not know if he personally drove any of them but he "won" first, second, and third or fourth place. In A.D. 67 the Roman emperor Nero made a travesty of the games by competing personally in a ten-horse chariot race held in his honor. Even though he fell from his chariot and did not finish the race, Nero was declared the victor. There was a pentathlon--discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, footrace, and wrestling--but no decathlon. Wrestling, boxing, and the pankration, a combination of the two, were known as "heavy" events because, without weight classes or time limits, bigger athletes dominated. In the pankration punching, kicking, choking, finger breaking, and blows to the genitals were allowed; only biting and eye gouging were prohibited. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;By the sixth century athletes were specializing in particular events and hiring coaches. Training was intensive and there were experiments and fads concerning diet, exercise, and sex. Athletes from Kroton in southern Italy believed in the value of a meat diet and saw the consumption of beans as taboo. Milo of Kroton, the greatest Olympic wrestler, reputedly ate 40 pounds of meat and bread at one sitting, washing it down with eight quarts of wine. The basic equipment of an athlete consisted only of an unguent jar (aryballos) of oil and a scraping instrument (strigil) for anointing and cleaning himself, though for various events a competitor might need boxing thongs, jumping weights, discus, or javelin. He had no shoes, no jockstrap, no uniform, and no endorsements. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The prize wreath at Olympia was symbolic, but home cities rewarded Olympic victors substantially with cash bonuses, free meals, and more. In the sixth century Solon legislated rewards equal to more than $300,000 for Athenian Olympic victors. Athletes usually represented their native cities, but Astylos of Kroton, the first known free agent, won races in 488 and 484 for Kroton, then in 480 for Syracuse. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Although they swore a sacred oath to abide by the rules, ancient Olympians sought unfair advantages and sometimes crossed the line. False starting in a race brought whipping. As early as the sixth century the judges at Olympia were establishing rules against cheating in wrestling. By the fourth century bronze statues of Zeus, paid for from fines for lying, bribery and cheating, lined the route to the Olympic stadium. In 388 B.C. the boxer Eupolos of Thessaly bribed his opponents. In A.D. 93 an Alexandrian athlete who arrived late was expelled and fined for lying about being delayed by weather, when in fact he had been delayed by competing in prize games in Ionia. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many aspects of our Olympic Games have been justified by specious ancient antecedents. Until recently we believed competitors had to be amateurs because we believed ancient Greek Olympians were amateurs, but the ancient Olympics had no such rule. A beguiling myth is that the five interlocked Olympic rings were an ancient Greek symbol, but the five rings were invented in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, president of the International Olympic Committee. The custom of lighting the flame at ancient Olympia and relaying the torch to the modern Olympic stadium is a legacy of the 1936 Berlin games, whose organizer, seeking to glamorize them with an ancient aura, staged the first lighting of the Olympic flame, now a hallowed ritual. The first Olympic torches were made by the Krupp Company, better known for providing weapons for two world wars. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Games of the I Olympiad:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The revival of the ancient Olympics attracted athletes from 14 nations, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany and France. On 6 April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years. Winners were awarded a silver medal and a crown of olive branches. The German athlete Karl Schumann finished in the top four in four different events. The people of Athens greeted the Games with great enthusiasm. Their support was rewarded when a Greek shepherd, Spiridon Louis, won the most popular event, the marathon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;14 NOCs (Nations)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;241 athletes (0 women, 241 men)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;43 events &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Athens 1896. Closure Ceremony. The procession of the medal-holders. At the head Louis Spiridon (GRE) 1st in the marathon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Official opening of the Games by:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His Majesty The King George I&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Olympic Oath by:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Official Oath by:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;An Olympic Anthem composed by Spyros Samaras (music) and by Kostis Palamas (lyrics) was first played at the Games of the I Olympiad in Athens. Thereafter, a variety of musical offerings provided the backgrounds to the Opening Ceremonies until 1960, since which time the Samaras/Palamas composition has become the official Olympic Anthem.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Sport breaks down barriers, promotes self-esteem, and can teach life skills and healthy behaviour. Athletes can be an inspiration and role models for the youth of the world. The IOC and the world of sport have their role to play alongside civil society and the world’s governments in building the coordinated effort needed to combat all psychological and physical ailments that exist in todays world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE IDEA:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The tradition of the Olympic Truce dates back to the 9th century BC, in Ancient Greece. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to revive this ancient concept in order to protect the interests of the athletes and sport in general.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The tradition of the “Truce” or “Ekecheiria” was established in ancient Greece in the 9th century BC by the signature of a treaty between three kings. During the Truce period, the athletes, artists and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games and return afterwards to their respective countries. As the opening of the Games approached, the sacred truce was proclaimed and announced by citizens of Elis who travelled throughout Greece to pass on the message.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;ITS RELEVANCE FOR TODAY:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Taking into account the global political reality in which sport and the Olympic Games exist, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to revive the ancient concept of the Olympic Truce with the view to protecting, as far as possible, the interests of the athletes and sport in general, and to contribute to searching for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts around the world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Through this global and symbolic concept, the IOC aims to:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- raise awareness and encourage political leaders to act in favour of peace&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- mobilise youth for the promotion of the Olympic ideals&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- establish contacts between communities in conflict&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- offer humanitarian support in countries at war &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;And more generally:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- to create a window of opportunities for dialogue, reconciliation and the resolution of conflicts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The IOC undertakings for the Olympic Truce extend beyond the period of the Olympic Games and have led to the implementation of a series of activities in favour of peace through its National Olympic Committees. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"The IOC wishes that this peaceful gathering of all Olympic athletes in Salt Lake City will inspire peace in the world"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Dr Jacques Rogge, IOC President, November 2001&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"The Olympic Games are perhaps the greatest symbol of peace on the world stage. This symbol of their peace is something that rings the hearts of families. The Organising Committee (SLOC) is giving its time and resources to host an Olympic Games that would merit the attention of the world." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Mitt Romney, President of the Salt Lake City Organising Committee, May 2001&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;THE SYMBOL:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Olympic Truce is symbolised by the dove of peace with the traditional Olympic flame in the background. In a world that is plagued by wars and animosity, the peace-dove symbol represents one of the IOC's ideals to build a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal. The Olympic flame has brought warm friendship to all the people of the world through sharing and global togetherness. In the symbol, the flame is made up of colourful effervescent elements - reminiscent of festivities experienced in the celebration of the human spirit. These elements represent people of all races coming together for the observance of the Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;TEN YEARS OF INITIATIVE FOR PEACE:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In 1992, the first initiatives were launched by the IOC, in collaboration with the United Nations, allowing athletes of the former Republic of Yugoslavia to participate in the Barcelona Games. In 2000, during the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Games, the South and North Korean delegations paraded in the stadium together under the flag of the Korean peninsula.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;UNITED NATIONS SUPPORT:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The first initiatives were launched by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1992. In order for the project to have a greater impact, the IOC relayed it to the United Nations (UN). Since 1993, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly expressed its support for the IOC by unanimously adopting, every two years, one year before each edition of the Olympic Games, a resolution entitled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal". Through this symbolic resolution, the UN invites its member States to observe the Olympic Truce individually or collectively, and to seek, in conformity with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter, the peaceful settling of all international conflicts through peaceful and diplomatic means, and recognising the importance of the IOC initiatives for human well-being and international understanding. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Olympic ideals are also United Nations ideals: tolerance, equality, fair play and, most of all, peace. Together, the Olympics and the United Nations can be a winning team. But the contest will not be won easily. War, intolerance and deprivation continue to stalk the earth. We must fight back. Just as athletes strive for world records, so must we strive for world peace"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Kofi A. Annan, United Nations Secretary General, September 2000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CHRONOLOGY:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Independent athletes of Yugoslavia, parading in a uniform bearing the Olympic rings1992: the IOC launched an Appeal for the observance of the Olympic Truce and negotiated with the United Nations to allow athletes of the former Republic of Yugoslavia to participate in the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Barcelona.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;APPEAL FOR THE OLYMPIC TRUCE:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A document in support of the appeal was signed by the members of the IOC Executive Board, the Presidents and Secretaries General of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the Association of International Winter Federations (AIWF), the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and representatives of the 169 National Olympic Committees which took part in the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona in 1992.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Appeal for the Olympic Truce.  The International Olympic Committee:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Considering the frequency of conflicts which seriously affect the lives and future of the youth of the world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Faithful to the mission which it has assigned itself, namely to contribute to peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Anxious in this respect to restore the Ancient Greek tradition of EKECHEIRIA” or “Olympic Truce Pledge” Calls on:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- all States (their Heads, governments and assemblies)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;- all international and national organizations; to decide that:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1. During the period from the 7th day before the opening of the Olympic Games until the 7th day after the end of these Games, the “Olympic Truce” shall be observed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2. During the Olympic Truce dedicated, as in Ancient Greece, to the spirit of brotherhood and understanding between peoples, all initiatives shall be taken and all group or individual efforts made to begin and continue to achieve by peaceful means the settlement of conflicts, whether or not of an international nature, with a view to establishing peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;3. During the period, all armed conflicts, and any acts related to, inspired by or akin to such conflicts, shall cease, whatever the reason, cause or means of perpetration thereof.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Done in Barcelona, 21 July 1992&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1993: the first resolution on the observance of the Olympic Truce was adopted by the 48th session of the UN General Assembly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Olympic Truce.  The General Assembly:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Considering the appeal launched by the International Olympic Committee for an Olympic Truce, which was endorsed by 184 Olympic Committees and presented to the Secretary General.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recognizing that the goal of the Olympic Movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding, promoted by friendship, solidarity and fair play.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recognizing also the efforts of the International Olympic Committee to restore the ancient Greek tradition of the Ekecheiria, or “Olympic Truce”, in the interest of contributing to international understanding and the maintenance of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recalling resolution CM/Res.1472 (LVIII), which supports the appeal for an Olympic Truce, adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its fifty-eighth ordinary session, held in Cairo from 21 to 26 June 1993, and endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of that organization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recognizing further the valuable contribution that the appeal launched by the International Olympic Committee for an Olympic Truce could make towards advancing the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1. Commends the International Olympic Committee, the International Sports Federations and the National Olympic Committees for their efforts to mobilize the youth of the world in the cause of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2. Urges Member States to observe the Olympic Truce from the seventh day before the opening and the seventh day following the closing of each of the Olympic Games, in accordance with the appeal launched by the International Olympic Committee.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;3. Notes the idea of the Olympic Truce, as dedicated in ancient Greece to the spirit of fraternity and understanding between peoples, and urges Member States to take the initiative to abide by the Truce, individually and collectively, and to pursue in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations the peaceful settlement of all international conflicts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;4. Calls upon all Member States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in its efforts to promote the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;5. Requests the Secretary General to promote the observance of the Olympic Truce among Member States, drawing the attention of world public opinion to the contribution such a truce would make to the promotion of international understanding and the maintenance of peace and goodwill, and to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in the realization of this objective.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;36th plenary meeting - 25 October 1993&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The IOC delegation upon it's arrival in Sarajevo1994: the year was proclaimed the International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the UN. The appeal for the observance of the Olympic Truce allowed the participation of athletes from the former Republic of Yugoslavia in the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer. An IOC delegation visited Sarajevo, which was at war, to extend its solidarity with the city that hosted the XIV Olympic Winter Games in 1984.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1995: The IOC president attended the UN General Assembly for the first time in history.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1998: The Olympic Truce was taken into consideration by member States during the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano and contributed, to a certain extent, to avoid war in Iraq and to set up a mediation mission by the UN Secretary General, which led to the signature of a memorandum of understanding between the UN and the Iraqi government. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1999: A record number of 180 member States were co-sponsors of the resolution on the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1999 RESOLUTION&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The General Assembly:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recalling its resolution 52/21 of 25 November 1997, in which it decided&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fourth session the item&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;entitled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal" and to consider this item every two years in advance of each Summer and Winter Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recalling also its resolution 48/11 of 25 October 1993, which, inter alia, revived the ancient Greek tradition of ekecheiria or "Olympic Truce", calling for all hostilities to cease during the Olympic Games, thereby mobilizing the youth of the world in the cause of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Taking into account resolution CM/Res.1608 (LXII), adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its sixty-second ordinary session, held in Addis Ababa from 21 to 23 June 1995, and endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of that organization, which supports the appeal for an Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recognizing the valuable contribution that the appeal launched by the International Olympic Committee for an Olympic Truce, with which the National Olympic Committees of the Member States are associated, could make towards advancing the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Reaffirming that the Olympic ideal promotes international understanding, particularly among the youth of the world, through sport and culture in order to advance the harmonious development of humankind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Noting with satisfaction the flying of the United Nations flag at all competition sites of the Olympic Games and the increasing number of joint endeavours of the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations system, for example in the fields of development, humanitarian assistance, of the environment, health promotion, education, eradication of poverty, the fight against AIDS, drug abuse, violence and juvenile delinquency.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Noting also with satisfaction the joint organization by the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of a Conference on Education and Sport for a Culture of Peace in Paris from 5 to 7 July 1999, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 52/13 of 20 November 1997, and their initiation of a programme of action pursuant to Assembly resolution 53/243 of 13 September 1999.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Urges Member States to observe the Olympic Truce during the Games&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;of the XXVII Olympiad, to be held in Sydney (Australia) from 15 September to 1 October 2000, the vision of which, at the dawn of the new millennium, is to be a highly harmonious, athlete-oriented, and environmentally committed Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Also urges Member States to take the initiative to abide by the Olympic&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Truce, individually and collectively, and to pursue, in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the peaceful settlement of all international conflicts through diplomatic&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;solutions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Calls upon all Member States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in its efforts to use the Olympic Truce as an instrument to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict, beyond the Olympic Games period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Reaffirms the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Peace, adopted in its resolution 53/243, and in this context welcomes the decision of the International Olympic Committee to mobilize all international sports organizations and National Olympic Committees of the Member States to undertake concrete action at the local, national, regional and world levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace based on the spirit of the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Welcomes also the setting up by the International Olympic Committee of an International Olympic Forum for Development, a platform of concertation between intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations on issues related to the development of physical education and sport for all, and an International Centre for the Olympic Truce to promote peace and human values through sport and the Olympic ideal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Requests the Secretary General to promote the observance of the Olympic Truce among Member States, drawing the attention of world public opinion to the contribution such a truce would make to the promotion of international understanding and the preservation of peace and goodwill, and to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in the realization of this objective.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-sixth session the item entitled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal" and to consider this item before the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City (United States of America) in 2002.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2000: The United Nations Millennium Summit, held in New York with the participation of more than 150 heads of state and government, adopted a Millennium Declaration that included a paragraph on the observance of the Olympic Truce. During the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, the South and North Korean delegations paraded in the stadium together under the flag of the Korean peninsula.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2001: The 56th UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the Olympic Truce in preparation for the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The General Assembly:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recalling its decision to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-sixth session the item entitled ‘Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal’ and to consider this item every two years in advance of each Summer and Winter Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recalling also its resolution 48/11 of 25 October 1993, which, inter alia, revived the ancient Greek tradition of ekecheiria or ‘Olympic Truce’, with the intent of ensuring the safe passage and participation of athletes and others at the Games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Taking into account the inclusion in the United Nations Millennium Declaration of an appeal for the observance of the Olympic Truce now and in the future, and to support the International Olympic Committee in its efforts to promote peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic ideal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Recognizing that the goal of the Olympic Movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding, promoted by friendship, solidarity and fair play, Recognizing also the valuable contribution that the appeal launched by the International Olympic Committee for an Olympic Truce, with which the National Olympic Committees of the Member States are associated, could make towards advancing the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Nations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Noting with satisfaction the flying of the United Nations flag at all competition sites of the&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Olympic Games, and the joint endeavours of the International Olympic Committee and the United&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Nations system in fields such as development, humanitarian assistance, health promotion, education,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;women, eradication of poverty, the fight against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), drug abuse and juvenile delinquency.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Noting also with satisfaction the organization by the International Olympic Committee, with the cooperation of the United Nations Secretary-General, of round tables on sport for a culture of peace on different continents for countries that have been or are still in a conflict situation, in the framework of the International Year for the Culture of Peace and in accordance with General Assembly resolution 52/13 of 20 November 1997.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Welcoming the setting up by the International Olympic Committee, with the adherence of Member States and intergovernmental organizations, of a World Anti-Doping Agency,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1. Requests Member States to observe, within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, the Olympic Truce during the XIX Olympic Winter Games to be held in Salt Lake City, United States of America, from 8 to 24 February 2002, by ensuring the safe passage and participation of athletes at the Games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2. Welcomes the decision of the International Olympic Committee to mobilize all international sports organizations and that of the National Olympic Committees of the Member States to undertake concrete action at the local, national, regional and world levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace based on the spirit of the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;3. Requests the Secretary-General to promote the observance of the Olympic Truce among Member States, drawing the attention of world public opinion to the contribution such a truce would make to the promotion of international understanding, peace and goodwill, and to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in the realization of this objective.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;4. Welcomes the participation of the President in office of the General Assembly and also the representatives of the Secretary General and the Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in the International Olympic Truce Foundation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;5. Urges the International Olympic Committee to devise a special programme of assistance for the development of physical education and sport for countries affected by conflicts and poverty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-eighth session the item entitled ‘Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal’ and to consider this item before the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, held in Athens, Greece, in 2004.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"The goal of Olympism is to place everywhere sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Fundamental principles, Olympic Charter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In accordance with its commitments to the United Nations and the celebration of the International Year for a Culture of Peace in 2000, the IOC organised six regional round tables.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The aim of these round tables were to exchange views on:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;How to use sport and the Olympic ideal effectively as an instrument to promote a culture of peace and human understanding; and what concrete actions the Olympic Movement should carry out nationally to promote a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;IOC Round tables on sport for a culture of peace 1 and the observance of the Olympic Truce Remarks by the participants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1. The participants paid tribute to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, for sending messages to the six round tables and were grateful to the United Nations representatives for their active participation in the Athens, Nairobi, San José, Lomé, Singapore and Rome round tables.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2. The participants also expressed their sincere thanks to the NOCs of Greece, Kenya, Costa Rica, Togo, Singapore and Italy and the European Olympic Committees, for hosting the round tables and for the excellent organization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;3. The participants of the successive round tables endorsed all the recommendations formulated by the previous ones which demonstrated the unity, aspirations and concern of all the NOCs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;4. The participants recognized that there are over 100 conflicts identified by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research of Uppsala University in Sweden and were pleased by the IOC’s own approach and strategy in dealing with conflict situation issues.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;5. The participants believe in the necessity of auto-evaluating the achievements of the Olympic Movement in disseminating the philosophical and educational principles of Olympism as initiated by Pierre de Coubertin, taking into consideration the society as a whole in which the IOC and the NOCs are evolving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;6. The participants underlined the need to call upon all sports leaders to promote the culture ůf peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce with conviction and determination and to highlight the importance of sport as a component of national unity and rapprochement of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;7. The participants also believe that sport should be considered as a basic element of general education, a way of instilling the moral values of the individual and to emphasize the necessity of guaranteeing access to physical education and sport for all in general in educational institutions and rural areas in particular, as one of the principles of human rights.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;8. The participants also underlined that the Olympic Games are not a competition between nations and a matter of only winning medals but rather a happy gathering of the youth of the world for a competition between individuals and the need for recognition of performances and achievements of all sportswomen and sportsmen without creating a class&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;9. The participants emphasized the need to consolidate the relation between governments and National Olympic Committees and to call upon the Parliaments, political parties and national institutions to protect by law the sport movement from any political exploitation and recognize its independence as a voluntary organization serving the community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;10. The participants believed in the necessity for enlightening politicians by providing them with informative material on sport and Olympism, in order to secure their support for initiatives undertaken by the Olympic Movement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;11. The participants also identifed the passion for football as being one of the sources of political and social conflicts creating violence and underlined the need to constantly promote the spirit of fair-play and tolerance at all levels of the society.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;12. The participants recognized that children aged between 8 and 14 years were involved in some armed conflicts and that they needed medical therapy in order to attract them to the sports field.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;13. The participants recognized the assistance offered by the Military forces for the development of sport and wishes to see them involved in the construction of light sports infrastructure for the benefit of deprived and rural communities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;14. The African participants wished that the Olympafrica Foundation related to Olympic Solidarity be requested to implement its projects prioritarily in countries which have been or are in a conflict situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;15. The participants underlined the necessity for national governments, the International Olympic Committee, the International Sports Federations, the continental confederations, the National Olympic Committees and national federations, to recognize the voluntary services of sports administrators, educators, technicians from the grass roots level through&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;different types of achievement awards.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;16. The participants recommended that a provision referring to humanitarian activities and solidarity assistance between NOCs themselves be added in the Olympic Charter fundamental principles and bye-law to rule 8 dealing with Olympic Solidarity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;17. The participants also recommended the use of television, a programme like Telethon for fundraising purposes to assist the NOCs which were or are still in conflict situation in their effort of reconstructing what was destroyed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;18. The participants recommended that IOC members and NOC officials be strongly involved in the promotion of a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce and ensure that the subject is included in all agenda alongside Olympic education.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;19. The participants recommended that ministries of Education be requested to define a policy for using sports infrastructures after school hours by the students as a preventive measure against juvenile delinquency and by the local community for sport for all programme.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;20. The participants underlined the need to promote community sports activities in neighbourhoods of big cities which are the source of violence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;21. The participants requested that the IOC formulate guidelines to enable NOCs to coopt women to fill positions at all levels of sport structure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;22. The participants requested that the IOC urge the United Nations to recognize sport and Olympism as an educational and a well-being element to the society in general and to the youth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;23. The participants also requested the IOC, the IFs, ANOC, continental NOC associations and continental sports confederations, to facilitate the issuing of visas when necessary for delegates and athletes from developing countries to participate in meetings and IOC Round tables on sport for a culture of peace 3 and the observance of the Olympic Truce competitions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;24. The participants requested the IOC to organize, during the course of this year for a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce, regional fora on this subject in countries which or are still in a conflict situation and the Asia round table suggested Sri Lanka and Cambodia, and Europe recommended.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;25. The participants believe that the officials of the National Olympic Committees should be better know within the Movement and request the IOC to publish a short biography of each NOC’s executive board members every four years, the first being in the year 2001. IOC Round tables on sport for a culture of peace 4 and the observance of the Olympic Truce&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2 ~ Recommendations:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The participants of the six round tables on sport for a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;1. Urge all NOCs to promote a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce according to the IOC request and the United Nations General Assembly resolutions in their respective countries.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;2. Support the IOC initiatives to set up a reflection and coordination committee composed of representatives of the NOCs, the Ministries of Youth and Sport and of Education, the United Nations system, and non governmental organizations, to organize national round tables on sport for a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce, to dedicate the Olympic Day and the Olympic Week on the above mentioned theme.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;3. Request all NOCs to invite their Heads of State and government to deliver a message on sport for a culture of peace and the Olympic Truce on 23 June 2000, Olympic Day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;4. Request the IOC President and the Secretary General of the United Nations to send a joint message to all NOCs on sport and a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;5. Urge the NOC of Greece to associate the observance of the Olympic Truce with each ceremony of the lighting of the Olympic flame in Olympia, in conjunction with the Olympic Games according to the Greek tradition of EKECHEIRIA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;6. Urge the IOC, the NOCs of host countries and the Olympic Games Organizing Committees to initiate a programme of activities on a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce at the Olympic Village and at the Youth Camp in conjunction with the Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;7. Urge the IOC to initiate symbolic activities around the Olympic Games on sport for a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce, such as a walk for peace, race against poverty etc.. in cooperation with the NOCs of host countries, the Olympic Games Organizing Committees with the participation of IOC members, Ifs and NOCs representatives and athletes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;8. Recommend to take advantage of main sports competitions at local, national and international levels to convey goodwill messages on peace, fair play, non-violence, environment protection, the fight against poverty, AIDS, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, and other issues beneficial to the well-being of society in the long-term and sustainable&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;process, by using slogans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;9. Call upon high profile athletes recognized at national, continental and worldwide levels to serve as goodwill ambassadors to promote peace, dialogue, reconciliation and mutual understanding in cooperation with IOC, IFs, NOCs, continental confederations and national federations and to promote Olympism in schools by personal being present;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;IOC Round tables on sport for a culture of peace 5 and the observance of the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;10. Recommend to include in the programme of the International and national Olympic Academies and Olympic Soldiarity seminars and courses, a subject related to the promotion of a culture of peace and the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;11. Urge NOCs to consider sport and education as a main instrument to promote peace, tolerance, dialogue and reconciliation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;12. Produce Olympic education manuals for educational institutions in the national languages.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;13. Recommend to establish cooperation between the IOC, the International Centre for the Olympic Truce, the University of Peace in San José, Costa Rica, and other universities, so that sport for a culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce be included in the curriculum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;14. Urge the IOC and NOCs to initiate a youth camp programme with cultural and sports activities for children and youth (boys and girls) under the age of 18, selected at grass root level, from countries which are or have been in conflict situation and other invited countries from different continents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;15. Urge the IOC and NOCs to develop art contest for children and youth under the age of 18 (boys and girls).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;16. Encourage exchange of coaches and technicians as well as consultation between leaders of NOCs in conflict area and neighbouring countries with the view to promote mutual understanding and cooperation and seek rapprochement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;17. Call upon the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and continental associations to include in the agenda of their general assemblies and seminars topics on the culture of peace and the Olympic Truce, fair play, ethics, women and sport, environment protection, etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;18. Call upon NOCs’ sport for all commissions to be more involved in promoting a culture of peace at grassroots level and in school and universities with the cooperation of Ministries of Education and Community Development.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;19. Call upon the ANOC and continental associations to urge the Olympic Solidarity and other institutions to provide special financial, humanitarian and technical assistance to NOCs whose countries were or are in a conflict situation or were victims of natural disasters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;20. Request the Olympic Solidarity to enable NOCs to also use their budget normally allocated for purchase of sports equipment to buy other essential material for the implementation of their activities and the promotion of the Olympic ideal at national level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;21. Request the assistance of the Olympic Solidarity for the organization of competitions under the banner of peace in countries which were or are still in a conflict situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;22. Call upon the International Federations, recognized organizations, and continental sports confederations to provide special financial and technical assistance to national federations in IOC Round tables on sport for a culture of peace 6 and the observance of the Olympic Truce countries which were or are in conflict situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;23. Call upon all sponsors and sports equipment manufacturers to make special efforts to provide assistance to NOCs in conflict areas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;24. Call upon donor countries to include sport infrastructures in their official development assistance for countries who were in conflict situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;25. Call upon the United Nations special agencies and programmes to effectively support sport development in the framework of social and community projects in favour of youth and rural areas and request UNESCO to promote the culture of peace in educational institutions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;26. Urge NOCs to encourage and assist women who are in general responsible of the household to become the main actors in the education of a culture of peace to their children and neighbourhood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;27. Urge NOCs to support and assist youth and women organisations, and other NGOs which are part of the driving force in promoting peace, dialogue and reconciliation in conflict areas, in their efforts to develop sport, leisure and cultural activities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;28. Request the IOC Medical Commission to organize visits of medical doctors, notably specialists in psychology and trauma, in countries which have been or are in a conflict situation in order to help children and youngsters, to recover from the cruel experiences they have lived, through the auspices of the NOCs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;29. Call upon the IOC, International Sports Federations, National Olympic Committees, National Federations, clubs and sports associations to fight against racial discrimination and violence around sport and promote fair-play and ethical values.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;30. Request the organisation of seminars for sports journalists on a culture of peace, fair play, and non-violence with the view to ensuring their full cooperation and contribution to a preventive education process and to highlight the peace-building efforts of NOCs in conflict areas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;31. Request the IOC to facilitate the task of NOCs in the promotion of Olympism in providing IOC video tapes for use on national television channels, and when available on sports channels.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;32. Call upon the International Federations, continental confederations, NOCs and national federations, to support the organization of international competitions in countries who were in a conflict situation and whose governments can guarantee security.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;33. Call upon municipalities, labour unions, students and youth movements, media owners, and civil society in general, to assist in the promotion of sport for a culture of peace and the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;34. Request the IOC to organize regular visits by its representatives to the NOCs of developing countries in order to be informed of Olympic activities undertaken in the IOC Round tables on sport for a culture of peace 7 and the observance of the Olympic Truce country and to meet government officials.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;35. Request the IOC and the International Centre for the Olympic Truce to propose a mechanism of follow-up of the round tables.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;ACHIEVEMENTS:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The round tables were attended by representatives of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) whose countries have been or still are in a conflict situation, along with delegates from the United Nations system. These round tables led to several activities in favour of peace implemented by National Olympic Committees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Activities of National Olympic Committees for Peace and the Observance of the Olympic Truce On the occasion of the International Year for a Culture of Peace, the IOC also decided to dedicate Olympic Day, celebrated every year on 23 June, to the culture of peace and the observance of the Olympic Truce. Several National Olympic Committees organized activities to promote the culture of peace and observance of the Olympic Truce in their respective countries. Some of the NOC initiatives are listed below.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;ALBANIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Two runs for peace (in Vlora and Tirana, two neighbouring cities embroiled in a political conflict with each other) in collaboration with the Italian Sport For All Union, a few weeks before Olympic Day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Publication of a brochure entitled “For a culture of peace without violence”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;ANGOLA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Symbolic walk for peace, held with the support of various youth associations and the national political authorities. This walk through the streets of the capital brought together some 2,000 people of all ages to illustrate the peace-making and social role which sport can play in bringing communities together and promoting understanding and national unity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;ARGENTINA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• June editorial of the official magazine of the Argentine Olympic Committee, ‘Hera Olímpica’ devoted to the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• The 25 June walk in Buenos Aires and the MERCOSUR congress on women and sport in Mendoza at the beginning of July all took place under the theme of peace and the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Broadcast nationally, before the opening of the Sydney Games, of a message from the President of the Argentine Republic, on the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;AZERBAIJAN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day run devoted to the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;BURUNDI&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Peace walk in the city of Bujumbura.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CAMBODIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• 2.5 km walk for peace in Phnom Penh, parallel to the Olympic Day Run. Accompanied by a band and watched by around 6,000 spectators lining the route, 500 people took part in this walk, which started at the national Olympic stadium.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Round table in Bangui on the theme ‘Sport and the culture of peace’ for which the opening ceremony took place in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, Anicet - Georges Dologuele.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Three symposiums on the themes “The essential role of peace in the development of modern man and the role that sport can play in this endeavour”, “Sport in international leisure” and “A world without violence through the Olympic Ideal”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• An Olympic walk for peace organized in Kinshasa.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;COSTA RICA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Peace walk organized on 9 July 2000, where the participants wore a T-shirt bearing the Olympic Truce logo.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;DOMINICA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day Run devoted to the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;EL SALVADOR&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• A cycle of lectures on “Sport for a culture of peace” over three days as part of the Olympic Week celebrations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;GEORGIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day Run devoted to the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;GUINEA BISSAU&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Walk for peace held in all regions of the country, strongly supported by athletes from the basketball, football, handball, volleyball, wrestling, athletics, tennis, boxing and cycling federations. Some 250 children and teenagers took part in the walk in the capital, Bissau. At the end of the day, tribute was paid to the African wrestling champions in the presence of various personalities from politics and sport, including Deputy Prime Minister Faustino Fudut Imbali, and the Secretary of State for Youth, Culture and Sport, Joaquim Baldé.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;HONG KONG, CHINA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Walk for the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Departure ceremony of the athletes for Sydney, devoted to the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;KOREA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day Run in Seoul, devoted to the culture of peace and the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;LEBANON&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Organization of the third Olympic Week in Beirut on the theme of culture and peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;LITHUANIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Adoption of a resolution on events to celebrate the International Year for a Culture of Peace in November 1999.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• School art competition entitled “Lithuanian athletes building a world in which a peace-loving spirit prevails”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Sports festival entitled “Olympic springtime” in Vilnius and Kaunas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• “Olympic Autumn 2000” sports festival to be held in Siauliai.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Scientific conference on the theme “The Olympic Movement’s contribution to building a peaceful and better world”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;MAURITIUS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Mural commissioned by the National Olympic Academy was unveiled in the ‘Maryse Justin’ athletics stadium in Réduit, which was on the route of the Olympic Day Run. The mural featured doves, an athlete holding the Olympic flame, and the inscription “Education and Sports for a Culture of Peace”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;MAURITANIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Walk for peace, respect of the Olympic Truce and against poverty and the use of substances harmful to the health of athletes and young people, organized on 23 June from the Olympic stadium in Nouakchott, which gathered a large crowd and members of the government and various ministries, sports personalities and athletes. During the walk, the participants carried olive wreaths. Doves were also released by the Minister for Public Office, Labour, Youth and Sport,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Baba Ould Sidi; the National Education Minister, Sghair Ould M’Bareck; the Minister for Trade, the Craft Industry and Tourism, Ahamdy Ould Hamadi; the Secretary of State for Women’s Issues, Mintata Mint Hideid; and the secretaries general of, among others, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Public Office.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Organization of a Physical Education Olympiad for schoolchildren and students in collaboration with the Ministry for Education and Science, on the theme “Sport – a guarantee of peace between nations”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• On 23 June, a message from the President of the Republic, Petru Lucinschi, in which he noted that “The Olympic Movement is the force that strengthens friendship, the force that unifies through its human ideals the most beautiful aspirations, the force that embodies harmony and compatibility, mutual understanding and the hope of nations to have a better life”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;PAKISTAN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Walk for peace organized in Lahore with 2,000 participants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Message from the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Rafique Tarar, in which he wished all the participants “every success in their pursuit of excellence through the sporting spirit”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;PALESTINE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Launch of an appeal to the peace-loving people of Palestine and of the entire world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;RWANDA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Week held in Butare, capital of the southern region of the country, which focused on the culture of peace and combating discrimination and the exclusion of people suffering from AIDS. The messages promoted during this Week were essentially the culture of peace, the fight against AIDS and inclusion of those with the disease: “sport for the culture of peace”; “the NOC of Rwanda calls on all Rwandan athletes to combat discrimination and the exclusion of people with&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;AIDS”; “AIDS: talking about it is not enough; we must act together”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Organization of a conference on Olympism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Organization of sports competitions in tennis, chess, swimming, table tennis, handball, karate, basketball, volleyball, football, athletics and boxing. At the prize-giving ceremony, attended by numerous personalities from politics and sport, the Minister of Territorial Administration, representing the government, recalled that “Sport has another, more social than individual purpose. It unites, overcoming differences and breaking down cultural, ethnic and racial barriers. From this perspective, sport is very useful to our society, which has long been marked by separatist political ideologies. ... This social purpose of sport goes beyond the national context to become a valuable instrument of understanding between peoples. This is why, immediately after the war, when the country was struggling to recover from the agonies of war, we firmly supported the holding of international sports encounters in our country. Because the hoped-for result, namely communion with other peoples, was worth far more than the effort expended. After all, sport is a valuable means of fostering a true culture of peace. This is why we unreservedly support respect for the Olympic Truce, and call on the Rwandan sports movement to promote the culture of peace and fair play. Long live Sport! Long live Peace! Long live understanding between peoples!”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• The joint IOC-UN message was read out by Olympian Tamara Wigley-Brudy, which was thoughtprovoking and highly symbolic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Message from the Minister for culture, youth and sports, Jacinth Henry-Martin, on the occasion of Olympic Day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;SLOVAKIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Three cities of Slovakia, Trencin, Liptovky, Mikulas and Dolny Ohaj welcomed a total of 678 walkers for peace, at the NOC initiative. In Trencin, 62 participants joined their Czech counterparts at the Czech-Slovak border.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;SLOVENIA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Organization of various symbolic activities on the theme of peace and observance of the Olympic Truce, among which the reading of the joint message from the IOC and the United Nations, an IOC public service broadcast entitled “Celebrate Humanity”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Presentation of the “Peace Flag Project” sponsored by the United Nations ‘Cyberschoolbus’, in cooperation with the United Nations Postal Administration and the IOC. This project invites schoolchildren from around the world to design a flag representing their vision of world peace. Young Mateja Prunk, at the age of 12, became the first Slovene artist to see her work reproduced on a United Nations stamp, which was issued on 15 September 2000 to mark the opening of the&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;SUDAN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• The President of the Republic of the Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, issued a decree pardoning everyone who had borne arms, and calling for a cease-fire to enable war victims to return to their homes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day was dedicated to peace, under the theme “No sport without peace”. It took place in one of the country’s poorest communities, Omdurman, where many displaced people live.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• The NOC distributed food to the children of the community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day dedicated to peace, which was organized in September, and included galas of swimming and gymnastics that gathered more than 1,000 young participants, and a cycling race.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;TOGO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Peace walk in Notsé, gathering all the participants at the Olympic Day Run.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• The President of the Republic of Togo, Gnassingbé Eyadema, also the current president of the Organization of African Unity, read a message on the culture of peace and the Olympic Truce to the nation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CHINESE TAIPEI&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day Run devoted to the culture of peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;TURKMENISTAN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Seminars on “Sport as a factor of world culture” and “Observance of the Olympic Truce” were organized for young athletes in the Olympic schools, students and teachers of the National Institute of Sport and Tourism, and athletes in the national Olympic team.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;UGANDA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Walk for peace in Jinja (80 km from Kampala) with 2,000 people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Organization of a 2 km race against poverty, AIDS and drug abuse, in Kampala, which attracted 500 participants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;UNITED STATES OF AMERICA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Signature of a cooperation agreement between the American NOC and the Cuban NOC. The first discussions between the two parties were held during the IOC round table in San José.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;• Olympic Day was celebrated in Colorado Springs (Colorado) where 125 young people joined in a run under the slogan “Peace through sport”, and in San Diego (California), at the Olympic Training Centre, the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, addressed over a thousand people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;VANUATU&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Walk for peace through Port Vila, which included the Head of State, John Bennett Bani; the First Lady, Charity Bani; Prime Minister Barak Tame Sope and his wife Mildred Sope; the speaker of the Parliament; and various government ministers. At the finish line in the capital’s Central Park, the Head of State read out the joint message from the IOC and the United Nations, while in his speech the Prime Minister emphasized the theme of peace and unity. Runners in the Sydney Games Olympic&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Torch Relay also took part in the walk, and a banner carrying a message of peace in pidgin English was produced for the occasion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC TRUCE FOUNDATION&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In July 2000, the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF) was created with a view to promoting peace through sport and the Olympic ideal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;OBJECTIVES:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Kofi Annan during the presentation of the Olympic Truce sculpture in the framework of promoting peace through sport and the Olympic ideal, the IOC established an International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF) in July 2000.  As a non governmental organisation belonging to the Olympic Movement, the IOTF defines its actions around the following objectives:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To promote the Olympic ideals to serve peace, friendship and understanding in the world, and in particular, to promote the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To initiate conflict prevention and resolution through sport, culture and the Olympic ideals, by cooperating with all inter and non-governmental organisations specialised in this field, by developing educational and research programmes, and by launching communications campaigns to promote the Olympic Truce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC TRUCE CENTRE:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To meet these objectives, the IOTF established an International Olympic Truce Centre (IOTC), which is responsible for the implementation of projects related to the global promotion of a culture of peace through sport and the Olympic ideal, in accordance with the principles and policies established by the Foundation. The Centre's main headquarters are located in Athens, Greece, with a liaison office in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a symbolic office in Olympia, Greece.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaM-kEIGhnI/AAAAAAAAAns/dTdiKvDa6vo/s1600-h/Mercurybyhendrickgoltzius.jpeg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaM-kEIGhnI/AAAAAAAAAns/dTdiKvDa6vo/s320/Mercurybyhendrickgoltzius.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017923199124801138" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hermes&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OPEN LETTERS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An Evening with Dr. David Suzuki&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R5_zMSd8aHI/AAAAAAAABTY/k2zLzhxLGUE/s1600-h/Dr.Suzuki%26Trifon.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R5_zMSd8aHI/AAAAAAAABTY/k2zLzhxLGUE/s400/Dr.Suzuki%26Trifon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161111090431289458" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;On the evening of January 18th, 2008 the University of Toronto students’ Union featured a lecture by Dr. David Suzuki, identifying problems and offering solutions for the climate crisis. This was a rare opportunity, as Dr. Suzuki is reducing his carbon footprint by refusing to fly for live audience lectures. He agreed to the University of Toronto students’ Union request, as he was filming his television series The Nature of Things in Toronto during that same week. The lecture addressed the Biosphere Crisis: How did we get here and where are we going?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As the doors opened around 5:30, one could see a line up stretching all around the Convocation Hall of St. George campus at U of T. Excitement filled the air as 1700 people of all ages patiently waited to see Dr. David Suzuki the renowned scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His message about our present biospheric crises was strong and direct; Dr. Suzuki stressed the importance of maintaining a balance amongst all species inhabiting our planet. “Since we are at the top of the food chain, we must respect and manage our resources in a way that it does not disrupt the natural environment that all species depend on” was one of the key messages that he stated.  He also stressed the point that we only have one planet to live on, and if we do not do anything right now to stop the biospheric crisis, we will end up extinct like so many other animals that were not given the opportunity to live through to the present.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He instructed everyone to never forget that we too are animals and as such, we need to realize that we live in a world that is finite.  Our resources are being used up at such a rapid rate that our future generations will not be left with anything to secure their livelihood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Our generation presently has the magnificent opportunity to decide the future fate of mankind. Dr. Suzuki, along with his strong like minded following, will not sit and watch this opportunity slip through their fingers without doing the best that they can to reverse this bleak course we have all embarked upon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I commend Dr. Suzuki, and thank every one of his team members for standing up to the plate for us all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A great salute also goes out to the University of Toronto students’ Union for presenting such an incredible evening filled with real solutions to an age-old problem. It is highly recommended that you attend any lecture that is featured by this astonishing group of talented students.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To learn more about future events hosted by the University of Toronto students’ Union please visit www.utsu.ca&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6FepCd8aII/AAAAAAAABTk/jZN98juMLT0/s1600-h/DrSuzuki-computerSm.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6FepCd8aII/AAAAAAAABTk/jZN98juMLT0/s400/DrSuzuki-computerSm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161510707073411202" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brief Biography&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;David T. Suzuki PhD, co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;David has consistently received high acclaim for his 30 years of award-winning work in broadcasting, explaining the complexities of science in a compelling, easily understood way. He is well known to millions as the host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular science television series, The Nature of Things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His eight part series, A Planet for the Taking won an award from the United Nations. His eight-part PBS series The Secret of Life was praised internationally, as was his five-part series The Brain for the Discovery Channel. For CBC Radio he founded the long running radio series, Quirks and Quarks and has presented two influential documentary series on the environment, From Naked Ape to Superspecies and It's a Matter of Survival.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;An internationally respected geneticist, David was a full Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from 1969 until his retirement in 2001. He is professor emeritus with UBC's Sustainable Development Research Institute. From 1969 to 1972 he was the recipient of the prestigious E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship Award for the "Outstanding Canadian Research Scientist Under the Age of 35".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He has received numerous awards including the Roger Tory Peterson Award from Harvard University. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, and a member of the Order of British Columbia. He has received 20 honorary doctorates - 13 from Canada, four from the United States and three from Australia. First Nations people have honoured him with six names, formal adoption by two tribes, and made him an honorary member of the Dehcho First Nations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;David was born in Vancouver, BC in 1936. During World War II, at the age of six, he was interned with his family in a camp in BC. After the war, he went to high school in London, Ontario. He graduated with Honours from Amherst College in 1958 and went on to earn his PhD in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The author of 43 books, David Suzuki is recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He lives with his wife, Dr. Tara Cullis, and two daughters in Vancouver.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To learn more about Dr. Suzuki please visit www.davidsuzuki.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Filmaker and Artisan Christina Concetta.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This message is to everyone that has not as of yet had the great pleasure of meeting the esteemed writer Christina Concetta.  Not only is Christina a beautiful woman on the outside, her inner beauty is a testament of the rousing heroic Hellenic spirit that surprisingly still exists in today’s world.  Christina’s stunning spirit is straightforward and true in nature; also it is a spirit that she shares extremely well with confidence when she is presenting her ideas in public.  It was a great pleasure meeting Christina whilst I was filming a documentary about various Canadian athletes who participated in the Athens 2004 Olympic games.  If I where not briefed about her outstanding personality and chosen profession before my first meeting with her, I would have mistaken her for an Olympic athlete.  The energy and illuminating aura surrounding Christina was something out of the ordinary.  Listening to her dreams and aspirations was a fresh breath of air.  It truly was an inspiring moment, a type of moment that stays within ones mind and soul throughout a lifetime.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Knowing that Christina has achieved one of her dreams in the film production of OPA is a splendid reality, one that nurtures initiative to all who aspire to create a reality out of the depths of their dreams.  I look forward to viewing the collective artistry of everyone involved in the creation of this particular film endeavor and encourage everyone to see what Christina is capable of doing whatever the initiative may be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Congratulations Christina, I wish you all the success with each and every one of your dreams and anticipate the moment when we may all have the strength to live out our dreams the way in which you do.  Thank you for sharing your invigorating dreams.  I am positive that your consistent efforts in achieving your ambitions are inspiring to us all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Respectfully,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;~ ΤΣΧ&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Open Letter to the Premier of Ontario.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Dear Mr. Premier,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As proven by the events witnessed in Chernobyl, nuclear facilities may cost much more than the billions proposed by your administration.  Are you Mr. Premier McGuinty prepared to live with the legacy of being responsible for promoting nuclear energy facilities when we have the technology and manpower to provide clean energy alternatives?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For the sake of a clean healthy future we, along with your family can be proud of, consider the advice of environmentalists around the world when it concerns the issue of conscientious energy strategies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I am writing to urge you to develop an electricity policy for Ontario that emphasizes energy efficiency, conservation and renewable power rather than wasting more public dollars on under-performing and unreliable nuclear power.  Improving electricity efficiency and productivity will improve our quality of life by reducing harmful air emissions and the impacts of climate change, while also creating a more efficient and prosperous society.  I believe the Ontario Power Authority has badly underestimated the potential to improve electricity efficiency and to move to clean; renewable electricity sources rather than continuing to rely on high cost, high risk nuclear power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As the fastest and lowest-cost effective way of meeting our electricity needs, improving efficiency while developing clean renewable power sources is the best option for ensuring a healthy future for the people of Ontario.  I look forward to hearing how your government will act to make the creation of a “conservation culture” a reality in this province.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Best wishes on the next election.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Regards,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~ ΤΣΧ&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Open Letter to the Editor&lt;br /&gt;The New York Times&lt;br /&gt;New York, NY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dear Editor,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As a citizen of the European Union and Canada, I have grown to consider myself as a citizen of the world first and foremost, having made that statement, I wish to commend you, your staff and the tolerance of most of your reading audience for standing up for Freedom and the Civilized Democratic Right to practice artistic humor and free speech within the borders of the Free Democratic World, something we desperately need since enduring the hard political and environmental climates we have witnessed throughout our planet in the last few years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It was the forerunners of the ancient western world that brought to light the benefits of humor and free speech on stage in the ancient city states of glorious Greece, and because of that age old practice in humor and free speech, we have learned how to become a healthier, stronger and a more respectfully tolerant society than many of our respected communities.  Let us all take a step back, and make a moment to thank all the Pantheon of Gods for encouraging, and blessing us with this gift of humor, laughter and free speech.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;With due respect to all faiths, and for the sake of enlightening my humble ignorance to all the diverse religions in the world, please try and help me in understanding the issue at hand when it involves Muslim law and or tradition, if you do not have the answer then maybe one of our respected readers of (and not limited to) the Muslim persuasion may be kind enough to give us their constructive and positive answers to the questions I am about to ask.  In a free world I expect that we all deserve the right to discus and address issues in an open forum, thus respectfully allowing anyone who wishes to actively participate with civility in mind, the opportunity to do so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When one deals with any Muslim tradition(s) or any written or unwritten Muslim law(s), do these traditions and laws encompass and are inclusive or subject to everyone in the world who is not a Muslim?  Or is it intended only for the people that choose to follow the Muslim doctrine?  Are Christians bound to any Muslim law and or tradition?  Are they free to practice their rights within the laws and or traditions laid out to them by their Christian faith?  I can understand that they are obliged and encouraged to adhere to any law laid out to them by their Christian and or civil community but does that obligation to their Christian community cross borders to encompass every religious community that is practiced throughout each and every sector in the civilized world?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Also, if any individual and or community group think they deserve a certain kind of respect from any other individual and or community, do they not have to earn it like every one else?  I bring forth this question because as I recall, it was not too long ago that a certain sector of the Muslim community in Afghanistan destroyed a 1000-year-old image of the Buddha by placing dynamite on it and blowing it up.  Does the Muslim community not consider this a sacred place and integral part and or parcel designated as an important historical artifact belonging to our human heritage?  Does the Buddhist community not deserve any kind of respect in regards to their ancient artifacts and or beliefs?   When that incident occurred, everyone watched in horror as a part of world history vanished before their eyes and not one Buddhist that I can recall, held a Muslim hostage for ransom or burned a particular flag and or building with people in it.  Are the Buddhists not equally due the expected respect demanded by certain members of the Muslim community?  Do they and or we all not deserve an open apology from that sector of the Muslim community responsible for the desecration of that cultural landmark in Afghanistan?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What about the Armenian and Pondian Christian community in Turkey that witnessed its genocide during the 20th century at the hand of Turkish Muslims?  No respect due to the present day families of those Armenians and Pondians?  Also what about Cyprus after the 1974 invasion of that Internationally recognized sovereign Island nation by the Muslims of mainland Turkey?  Throughout the 37% occupied portion of northern Cyprus, a 9000-year-old cultural heritage is continued to be vandalized, Christian churches like Ayios Mamas that where founded in antiquity have been looted and or destroyed, also like the above-mentioned church, turned into stables for livestock.  Ancient monuments in northern Cyprus are currently left unprotected and priceless works of art have been and are still being illegally removed and sold on the international black market.  Cemeteries in Northern Cyprus were also desecrated and or destroyed.  Christian clergy in Turkey have been and are still being targeted, and even murdered, as is the case of a Catholic priest recently killed right in front of his church.  Did he not have a right to live or hold a Christian congregation in Turkey?  Christian priests are currently being expelled from practicing their religion, schools in the study of Christian religion are permanently being closed and lands belonging to the Christian churches are being confiscated for unfounded reasons.  Does the Christian community living in Turkey not deserve any respect?  Do the 200000 refugees of northern Cyprus who have been forced out of their homes by some 40000 illegal occupation troops and up to the present moment have been replaced by over 120000 illegal Turkish settlers.  Is there not any respect due to these 200000 Cypriot refugees?  Do the families of the 1619 Christian individuals held by Turkish authorities and are still reported as missing from the hostilities of 1974 not deserve any due respect?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Or what about the 500 years of slavery endured in the Balkans by our Christian brethren during the Ottoman Muslim rule?  Maybe we can shed some more light on that issue once we have enlightened ourselves with the present issues of respect due to the Muslim community as it demands.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What about public comments made by certain Muslims to wipe off the face of the earth the Internationally recognized Jewish state of Israel?  Do the Jews in Israel as well not have any right to respect due to them by the our Muslim community?  Please excuse me if my questions seem naive, I ask these questions simply out of my own humble ignorance and welcome any constructive comment from any civil minded reader, so as to make clear in my mind this particular concern held by myself, and also to make it clear in the minds of many other like minded citizens of the Free Democratic World who wish to hear an explanation as to what the meaning of respect is and who is deserving of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;With all due respect to your readers of every denominational faith, and in light of historical fact and documented records, please try and help me and many others grow out of our humble ignorance, I hold the outmost respect for every religious philosophy and wish to know what type of respect is requested and due to our Muslim friends who are burning down sacred flags, monuments, buildings and human lives?  Is this all really happening because of a cartoon depicting a prophet?   If so, then how are all the Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Jews to name a few expected to respond to the hostility that is blatantly facing them by certain members of the Muslim community?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I believe that we ought to remember one important rule of universal law when it comes to the issue of respect.  Before any individual or community can demand any type of respect, first it needs to show that it holds the same requested respect from whomsoever it is seeking it from.  From my own personal experience, respect is due to those who earn it through their actions, not their associations.  Please feel free to practice your earned right to give any constructive comment in regards to my questions and concerns.  I believe it is still your universal free right to do so if you so wish isn’t it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Respectfully, to each and everyone of any and or of no faith at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~ ΤΣΧ&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All Saints&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIYjZ1r6mI/AAAAAAAAAd8/CFGPyK0ltAs/s1600-h/ALL+SAINTS001.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIYjZ1r6mI/AAAAAAAAAd8/CFGPyK0ltAs/s320/ALL+SAINTS001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013096331727333986" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;SAINTS AND ICONS&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A portrait of Christian Saints and their Icons&lt;br /&gt;An anthology by Trifon Haitas&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;FORWARD&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many years have passed since I first asked about the origins of my name, ever since that first step of inquiry; I have been researching about the life and Martyrdom of Saint Tryphon and his community of Saints and Icons.  In doing this research, I wish to share my findings with people interested in researching their Christian name, and the Christian names of their friends and or family members.  Also, because of natural limits to any type of research, I encourage anyone who is interested in the study of theology to read the many documents made available by distinguished authors who have devoted their time and energy to create material that reflects their interpretation of the essence of Christianity.  This document is created so that I may better understand the Christian faith. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;As a humble gesture of appreciation, I dedicate this document to the Democratic freedom and religious tolerance that exists in my priceless country Canada, and to the individuals whose assistance was invaluable in my research of the Christian Orthodox faith.  Their direction, kindness, and understanding have enriched me with insight that I will be grateful for throughout my entire life. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For my beloved wife Mary and our child Stavros&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;My great grandparents Martha and Stavros and Yiannoula and Zesis&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;My grandparents Helen and Trifon and Athena and Markos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;My parents Elephtheria and Stavros, along with my brother Apostolos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;My mother and father in law Kalliopi and Stephanos, along with my brother in law Konstantinos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;My sister Helen and brother in law Ian, my nephew James and niece Nicole&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;My sister and brother in law Lyudmila and Demetre, my nieces Kalliopi and Lidia along with my nephew Stephanos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;With love and affection&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To all the incredible facilities and resources of the Toronto Public Library and its outstanding world-class librarians, and also to everyone who has assisted me in quenching my philosophical thirst, and have lent a hand to nurture and strengthen my understanding of Christianity so that I may in turn reiterate this observation to individuals interested in the study of Christian Saints, Martyrs and their respective Icons.  I thank you all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Luke&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaE3bkIGhhI/AAAAAAAAAmk/dyGhintnVTk/s1600-h/Mabuse_St_Luke.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RaE3bkIGhhI/AAAAAAAAAmk/dyGhintnVTk/s320/Mabuse_St_Luke.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017352406561097234" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A brief history of Iconography&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In Orthodox Christianity, the worship of icons is fundamental.  Literally, the word icon means, “image or picture”, but since the advent of Christianity it has developed to mean images of religious content.  The art of iconography has been developed into an essential tradition due to the fact that a certain type of holiness has been placed on the depiction of saints and religious events.  It is believed that Saint Luke was the very first individual to create an icon.  During the reign of the Byzantine Empire, iconography had taken root and started to flourish during the 6th and 7th century AD.  Since the Byzantine era, iconography has been an integral part in Orthodox churches and also in the homes of their devotees.  It is considered by many art historians that iconography is amongst the world’s oldest artistic customs.  The tradition of iconography continues to produce outstanding works of art to the present era.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The fact that icons have such a representative meaning to the worshipers signifies a permanent traditional fixture in the Orthodox faith.  Since Christ is traditionally considered to be the human form of God, we never see a depiction of the almighty God in the Orthodox religion.  The illumination of heaven is usually symbolized in gold leaf and is placed in the background of a saintly depiction.   The value of an icon depends on the materials used as well as the amount of quality craftsmanship that has been put into creating that particular piece of art.  When depicting two-dimensional or three-dimensional art, wood and oil based paint is usually the material of choice amongst seasoned iconographers.  Their technique requires multiple layers of colour and lacquer to be applied meticulously onto one another in order to endure the worship of the faithful and to guarantee longevity.  In today’s fast paced environment, one will find mass produced photomechanical silkscreen that does not focus on the quality of art, it’s focus is in bringing a low priced edition of an icon to the majority of the Christian population.  Never the less quite a few traditionally skilled iconographers have survived to create exceptional hand carved and or hand painted work of art.  Today many icons are found to depict a western style of art.  Traditionalists believe that the Russian or Byzantine styles are more appealing to the eye however this can be interpreted as a matter of personal opinion and or taste.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the Orthodox Christian faith, the main purpose of icons is to give instruction to the faithful via illustrative example.  Its main purpose is to promote and encourage the Orthodox belief and to unite the faithful in the love of the angels, Christ, along with all the Martyrs and Saints in the Orthodox faith.  Ultimately, iconography offers the Orthodox community a sense of visualization into the kingdom of God and is meant to instill in worshipers a reminder of the eternal presence of God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Julian Calendar&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIoe51r6oI/AAAAAAAAAeU/Bu1nxL3LALA/s1600-h/Mathematical+Treatise.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIoe51r6oI/AAAAAAAAAeU/Bu1nxL3LALA/s320/Mathematical+Treatise.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013113846603967106" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A brief history of the two calendars of Orthodox Christianity&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Orthodox Christian churches follow either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar depending on their allegiance.  The original calendar is the Julian calendar followed mostly by the Eastern European Orthodox Christian worshipers.  Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar in 46 BC, and implemented it the following year in 45 BC.  After arduous consultation with the revered Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes, the Julian calendar was designed to be similar in nature to the tropical year, which follows the sun, as viewed from earth, in its path along the celestial sphere amongst the stars.  This system follows a 365-day cycle and is divided into 12 months.  Every four years in February a leap day is added making an average of approximately 365.25 days for each Julian year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many Orthodox churches used the Julian calendar well into the 20th century until their governments decided that they would align themselves with the Gregorian calendar due to the fact that too many leap days needed to be added to stay synchronized with the astronomical seasons. The astronomical equinoxes and the solstices advance an average of 11 minutes per year against the Julian calendar year thus causing it to gain a day about every 134 years.  It is thought that both the Hellenistic astronomer Hipparchus and Sosigenes where aware of the discrepancy and must have believed it to be of little or no concern.  From the times of the Roman Empire up until 1582 this little unimportant value accumulated to the point forcing Pope Gregory XIII to consider the replacement of the Julian calendar with the more accurate Gregorian calendar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Most catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar when Pope Gregory XIII promulgated it in 1582.  Eventually, the Protestant countries followed suite.  Great Britain made the official change to the Gregorian calendar in 1752.  Sweden officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1753.  Russia eventually decided the Gregorian calendar was to become their standard calendar after the Revolution of 1917.  The government of Greece continued to use the Julian calendar up until their parliament voted to adopt the Gregorian calendar in 1923.  All Eastern European countries adopted the Gregorian calendar on or before 1923 yet most of their national Eastern Orthodox Christian churches did not.  The Gregorian calendar is described as being a mixed calendar combining the features of both pragmatic and theoretical calendars. Mixed calendars usually begin as theoretical calendars, but are adjusted pragmatically when some type of asynchrony becomes apparent; the shift from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar is such an example. The Gregorian calendar is complete, solar, and mixed.  Thus the Gregorian calendar, has become the international standard, and is used almost everywhere in the world for civil purposes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Basil The Great&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZItA51r6sI/%C5%81AAA%C5%81%C5%81%C5%81A%C5%81e%C4%B8/%C5%97z%C5%9Ffv4A%C5%AC%C5%94%C5%A5%C5%B3%C4%AF%C5%B3%C4%B1%C4%B60%C4%B0%C4%AD%C5%A8%C4%AF%C5%8907%C4%B19%C4%B000%C4%B1%C4%B0%C4%B1S0364AC_basil_great.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZItA51r6sI/AAAAAAAAAe8/Wz_fv4AlTes/s320/I0719000101S0364AC_basil_great.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013118828766030530" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZItA51r6rI/AAAAAAAAAe0/zN0SB61ToOo/s1600-h/I0719000101S0364AA_basil_great.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZItA51r6rI/AAAAAAAAAe0/zN0SB61ToOo/s320/I0719000101S0364AA_basil_great.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013118828766030514" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIrfp1r6qI/AAAAAAAAAes/7QFV7G9fCYk/s1600-h/(Basil+the+Great)d24o.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIrfp1r6qI/AAAAAAAAAes/7QFV7G9fCYk/s320/(Basil+the+Great)d24o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013117158023752354" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIzNJ1r6yI/AAAAAAAAAgA/qEsc1qNRXwg/s1600-h/basil_great7.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIzNJ1r6yI/AAAAAAAAAgA/qEsc1qNRXwg/s320/basil_great7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013125636289194786" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZItA51r6tI/AAAAAAAAAfE/Fqqq0YeddaM/s1600-h/I0719000101S0364AD_basil_great.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZItA51r6tI/AAAAAAAAAfE/Fqqq0YeddaM/s320/I0719000101S0364AD_basil_great.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013118828766030546" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Basil The Great commemorated on January the 1st&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It was in Caesarea of Cappadocia, that Saint Basil the Great was born in the year 329 AD.  His parents’ Basil and Emily were renowned for their learned ways and holiness.  Many family members of Saint Basil the Great have attained sainthood.  His grandmother Saint Macrina is commemorated on the 14th of January, his mother Saint Emily on the 19th of July, his elder sister Saint Macrina is commemorated on the 19th of July, his brother Saint Naucratius also attained sainthood along with his other brothers Saint Peter of Sabastia who is commemorated on the 9th of January, and Saint Gregory of Nyssa who is commemorated on the 10th of January.  It was in Constantinople under the sophist Libanius that Saint Basil received his studies before traveling to Athens, where he formed his friendship with the young fellow Cappadocian Saint Gregory later known in the Christian world as Saint Gregory the Theologian.  Saint Basil chose to abandon his worldly career and embraced the ascetical life through the influence of his sister Macrina.  Before Saint Basil arrived to his hermitage to write his famous ascetical homilies near Annesi on the banks of the Iris river in Pontus, he followed the path first taken by his mother and sister Macrina visiting the monks in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia.  Upon the death of the bishop in 370 A.D., Saint Basil was elected to take the throne of the former bishop and entrusted with the church of Christ.  Having no other responsibility than to defend Christian Orthodoxy as the does the successor of the Apostles, Saint Basil chose the life of voluntary poverty and strict asceticism throughout his eight-year tenure as Bishop.  During this appointment to try and preserve his territory from what was believed to be Arian heresy when it was at its strongest influence, Saint Basil whose jurisdiction covered the bastion of Orthodox Christianity in all Capadocia, drew the attention of the Eparch of the east Modestus who was one in mind with the Emperor Valens.  The Emperor and Eparch tried in vain with threats and torture to sway the bishop to their desired confession and where amazed at the fact that after all that tribulation Saint Basil did not succumb to their Arian influence choosing rather to stay true to his Christian faith.  This being the case, Saint Basil proved himself to be a Martyr of volition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Modestus could not believe the fearlessness expressed by Saint Basil in his presence and stated that no one had ever spoken to him in the confident and fearless manner that Saint Basil did.  Saint Basil replied to the Eparch by stating that perhaps he had never met a Bishop before.  The dignity and wisdom of Saint Basil also won over the admiration of the Emperor Valens to the point that when the Emperors’ son succumbed to severe illness Saint Basil was summoned to pray for his recuperation.  Saint Basil gave his word that the Emperors son would be cured if he were baptized in the Christian faith, Emperor Valens agreed and his son was restored back to health until the Emperor had him baptized by Arians which in turn led to the death of his son.  Urged by his counselors, the Emperor Valens was influenced to banish Saint Basil into exile because of his refusal to accept Arians into communion.  Upon reading out the decree and finally signing the edict of banishment, the pen that was used by the Emperor to sign the document was broken in all three attempts.  Overflowing with trepidation, the Emperor Valens tore the document to pieces and freed Saint Basil to practice as he saw fit.  Saint basil made the rest of his life full of continual labors and ascetical practices right up until he departed to heaven on January the 1st in the year 379 A.D.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Out of the intensity of his wisdom and the magnificence of his sophistication, the honour of “the revealer of heavenly things” and “the Great” is bestowed upon Saint Basil.  The Orthodox Church considers Basil a saint and one of the three Holy Hierarchs, which includes Saint Gregory Nazianzus and Saint John Chrysostom.  Saint Basil, Saint Gregory Nazianzus, and Saint Basil’s brother Saint Gregory of Nyssa are known as the Cappadocian Fathers in the Orthodox faith.  The Roman Catholic church also considers Basil as a saint, and as a Doctor of the church.  The Basilian Fathers, also recognized as The Congregation of St. Basil, is an international order of Roman Catholic priests and students studying for the priesthood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the Orthodox tradition, his name was given to Father Christmas and is supposed to visit all good-natured children and bestow gifts upon them every January the 1st, when Saint Basil’s memory is celebrated.  This tradition is unlike the custom of Saint Nicolas who comes to bestow gifts to all good-natured children during the Christmas celebrations.  The most lasting tribute of all his Episcopal work was his care for the poor, which stands as a monumental institute before the gates of Caesarea; this institution was utilized as a poorhouse, a hospital, and a hospice to assist the impoverished. Theological writings of Saint Basil are his De Spiritu Sancto, an educational appeal to scripture and early Christian tradition that wished to promote and prove the divinity of the Holy Spirit.  His Refutation of the Apology of the Impious Eunomius, written in approximately 363 A.D are writings against Eunomius of Cyzicus, the chief advocate of the ancient Greek Christian theologian Arius, who was known to be the founder of the Arian belief that Jesus Christ was the highest created being, however was not divine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Basil the Great must not be confused with Saint Basil the Confessor who lived approximately 400 years later.  Also, he must not be confused with Saint Basil Fool for Christ, A Russian Christian Orthodox saint, after whom Saint Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square in the city of Moscow is named.  Saint Basil of Ostrog, the Serbian Orthodox Christian saint, who built the Ostrog Monastery, which is presently caved in and stands on a very high hill between Danilovgrad and Niksic must also not be confused with Saint Basil the Great.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Seraphim of Sarov&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIzM51r6xI/AAAAAAAAAf4/PvR8GsrgAMA/s1600-h/I0219000719S0696AA_seraphim_sarov.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIzM51r6xI/AAAAAAAAAf4/PvR8GsrgAMA/s320/I0219000719S0696AA_seraphim_sarov.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013125631994227474" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIzM51r6wI/AAAAAAAAAfw/iE1BPpmN97c/s1600-h/I0219000102S0366AB_seraphim_sarov.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIzM51r6wI/AAAAAAAAAfw/iE1BPpmN97c/s320/I0219000102S0366AB_seraphim_sarov.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013125631994227458" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIv-J1r6vI/AAAAAAAAAfo/boAO494bF54/s1600-h/Seraphim+of+Sarov.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/RZIv-J1r6vI/AAAAAAAAAfo/boAO494bF54/s320/Seraphim+of+Sarov.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013122080056273650" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Seraphim of Sarov commemorated on January the 2nd&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Born on July 19th, 1759 and given the name Prokhor Moshnin by his parents, Saint Seraphim is amongst the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Orthodox Church.  He is also considered to be amongst the greatest of the nineteenth century starsty (elder), and Saint Seraphim is acknowledged to be amongst the first if not the very first.   Extending the monastic teachings of contemplation and self-denial to the layperson is what Saint Seraphim is most remembered for.  One of his most revered teachings was that the purpose of Christian life is to acquire the Holy Spirit.  Saint Seraphim was canonized by the Russian Orthodox church in 1903, and is commemorated on August 1st and January 15th, which are the dates of his birth and death according to the Revised Julian Calendar.  The date of his death is his feast day, which the Gregorian calendar celebrates on January 2nd.  Most of what we know about Saint Seraphim today is gathered from what was written by one of his spiritual children Nicholas Motovilov.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Isidore and Agatha Moshnin were the parents of Saint Seraphim.  They lived a middle class lifestyle in Kursk, Russia.  His father was a merchant in the building trade, and Saint Seraphim wanted nothing to do with that type of livelihood.  Having acquired a great sense of spirituality at a young age, Saint Seraphim began a life that was very devout to the Christian faith and Orthodox Church.  According to legend, as a young child, Saint Seraphim was healed by the icon of the Virgin Mary and was blessed with the ability to see angels.  Saint Seraphim joined the Sarov monastery in 1777 as a novice at the tender age of nineteen.  Having been bed-ridden from severe illness from 1780 to 1783, the saint officially took his monastic vows in 1786, and was granted the name Seraphim.  In the Hebrew language Seraphim means “burning” or “fiery”.  Saint Seraphim was said to celebrate mass daily, which was thought to be unusual by many at that time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Seraphim was ordained as a hierodeacon shortly after taking his vows.  Then in 1793, he was ordained once again, this time as a hiermonk, thus becoming the spiritual leader of the Diveyevo convent.  In 1794, he became a hermit and retreated into the forest near the Sarov monastery where he lived a solitary life in a log cabin for twenty-five years.  During this time his feet became so swollen that he had trouble walking.  After seeing how fragile Saint Seraphim was, a band of thieves decided to severely beat him mercilessly whilst he was chopping wood for his hearth.  It is said that Saint Seraphim did not resist the brutality of his tormentors as he was beaten with his own axe handle.  Soon after the thieves believed that the saint was dead, they pillaged the hut looking for money but found nothing more than an icon of the Virgin Mary.  This incident left Saint Seraphim crippled with a hunched back for the rest of his life.  The thieves were caught by local authorities and at their trial, Saint Seraphim pleaded for mercy on the behalf of the perpetrators.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Soon after the trail, Saint Seraphim dedicated a thousand successive nights on a rock continuously praying with outstretched arms raised up towards the open sky above.  Abiding to a spiritual experience relating to the Virgin Mary in 1815, Saint Seraphim began welcoming and admitting pilgrims to his hermitage as confessor.  Due to his apparent healing power and clairvoyance, Saint Seraphim became enormously popular.  Hundreds of pilgrims visited him every day to ask a question and before they could do so, Saint Seraphim would answer their query.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Seraphim was extremely and extraordinarily harsh to himself, and at the same time this gentle man was kind and courteous to others, always greeting his guests with a prostration, a kiss, and exclaiming, “Christ has risen!”.  At the age of seventy three on January 2nd of the year 1833, Saint Seraphim passed away kneeling before an icon of the Virgin Mary with child at the Sarov monastery in Russia.  In 1903 the Russian Christian Orthodox Church voted to have him Canonized for his inspirational lifestyle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Two readings attributed to Saint Seraphim.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Troparion of Saint Seraphim of Sarov:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;From thy youth up thou hast loved Christ, O blessed Saint, and aflame with the desire to work for Him alone thou has contended in unceasing prayer and laboured in the wilderness: and gaining by compunction of heart the love of Christ, thou hast appeared as the chosen of the Mother of God.  Therefore we cry to thee:  Save us by thy prayers, O Father Seraphim.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Kontakion of Saint Seraphim of Sarov:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Having left the beauty of the world and what is corrupt in it, O Saint, thou didst settle in Sarov Monastery.  And having lived there an angelic life, thou wast for many the way to salvation.  Wherefore Christ has glorified thee, O father Seraphim, and has enriched thee with the gift of healing and miracles.  And so we cry to thee:  Rejoice, O Seraphim our righteous father.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Gregory of Nazianzus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQdSd8aMI/AAAAAAAABUI/FYyyzhAaOVU/s1600-h/grigoriy.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQdSd8aMI/AAAAAAAABUI/FYyyzhAaOVU/s400/grigoriy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161846955768047810" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQcid8aKI/AAAAAAAABT4/uEzTPmi1Q7s/s1600-h/Gregor.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQcid8aKI/AAAAAAAABT4/uEzTPmi1Q7s/s400/Gregor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161846942883145890" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQdCd8aLI/AAAAAAAABUA/Xmfn72h3wms/s1600-h/Grigoij.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQdCd8aLI/AAAAAAAABUA/Xmfn72h3wms/s400/Grigoij.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161846951473080498" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQdid8aNI/AAAAAAAABUQ/KqH7BYy2BQs/s1600-h/Paraskeva_Greg.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R6KQdid8aNI/AAAAAAAABUQ/KqH7BYy2BQs/s400/Paraskeva_Greg.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161846960063015122" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Gregory of Nazianzus commemorated on January the 25th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (329 – January 25, 389), also known as Saint Gregory the Theologian or Saint Gregory Nazianzen, was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. As a classically trained speaker and philosopher he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory made a significant impact on the shape of Trinitarian theology among both Greek-speaking and Latin-speaking theologians, and he is remembered as the “Trinitarian Theologian”. Much of his theological work continues to influence modern theologians, especially in regard to the relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity. Along with two brothers, Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa, he is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory is a saint in both Eastern and Western Christianity. In the Roman Catholic Church he is among the Doctors of the Church; in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches he is revered as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs along with Saint Basil the Great and Saint John Chrysostom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory was born in Arianzus, near Nazianzus, in southwest Cappadocia. His parents, Gregory and Nonna, were wealthy land-owners. In AD 325 Nonna converted her husband to Christianity; he was subsequently consecrated bishop of Nazianzus in 328 or 329. The young Saint Gregory and his brother, Caesarius, first studied at home with their uncle Amphylokhios. Saint Gregory went on to study advanced rhetoric and philosophy in Nazianzus, Caesarea, Alexandria and Athens. While at Athens he developed a close friendship with fellow student Saint Basil of Caesarea and also made the acquaintance of Julian, the later emperor who would become known as Julian the Apostate. In Athens Saint Gregory studied under the famous rhetoricians Himerius and Proaeresius. Upon finishing his education, he also taught rhetoric in Athens for a short time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In 361, Saint Gregory returned to Nazianzus and was ordained a presbyter by his father, who wanted him to assist with caring for local Christians. The younger Saint Gregory, who had been considering a monastic existence, resented his father’s decision to force him to choose between priestly services and a solitary existence, calling it an “act of tyranny”. Leaving home after a few days, he met his friend Basil at Annesoi, where the two lived as ascetics. However, Saint Basil urged him to return home to assist his father, which he did for the next year. Arriving at Nazianzus, Saint Gregory found the local Christian community split by theological differences and his father accused of heresy by local monks. Saint Gregory helped to heal the division through a combination of personal diplomacy and oratory.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;By this time Emperor Julian had publicly come out in opposition to Christianity. In response to the emperor’s rejection of the Christian faith, Saint Gregory composed his Invectives Against Julian between 362 and 363. Disparaging the emperor’s morals and intellect, the Invectives assert that Christianity will overcome imperfect rulers such as Julian through love and patience. This process as described by Saint Gregory is the public manifestation of the process of deification (theosis), which leads to a spiritual elevation and mystical union with God. Julian resolved in late 362 to vigorously prosecute Saint Gregory and his other Christian critics; however, the emperor perished the following year during a campaign against the Persians. With the death of the emperor, Saint Gregory and the Eastern churches were no longer under the threat of persecution, as the new emperor Jovian was an avowed Christian and supporter of the church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory spent the next few years combating the Arian heresy, which threatened to divide the region of Cappadocia. In this tense environment Saint Gregory interceded on behalf of his friend Saint Basil with Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (Maritima). The two friends then entered a period of close fraternal cooperation as they participated in a great rhetorical contest of the Caesarean church precipitated by the arrival of accomplished Arian theologians and rhetors. In the subsequent public debates, presided over by agents of the emperor Valens, Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. This success confirmed for both Saint Gregory and Saint Basil that their futures lay in administration of the church. Saint Basil, who had long displayed inclinations to the episcopacy, was elected bishop of the see of Caesarea in Cappadocia in 370.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory was consecrated Bishop of Sasima in 372 by Basil. The ambitions of Saint Gregory’s father to have his son rise in the church hierarchy and the insistence of his friend Basil convinced Saint  Gregory to accept this position despite his reservations. Saint Gregory would later refer to his episcopal ordination as forced upon him by his strong-willed father and Basil.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Following the deaths of his mother and father in 374, Saint Gregory continued to administer the diocese of Nazianzus but refused to be named bishop. Donating most of his inheritance to the needy, he lived an austere existence. At the end of 375 he withdrew to a monastery at Seleukia, living there for three years. Near the end of this period his friend Basil died. Although Saint Gregory’s health did not permit him to attend the funeral, he wrote a heartfelt letter of condolence to Basil’s brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa and composed twelve memorial poems dedicated to the memory of his departed friend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Tryphon the Martyr&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg6Ta3rfSI/AAAAAAAAA7U/Q-dqngMeUck/s1600-h/TRYPHON2.jpeg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg6Ta3rfSI/AAAAAAAAA7U/Q-dqngMeUck/s320/TRYPHON2.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086879884419759394" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg6Tq3rfUI/AAAAAAAAA7k/2b2s0_72QJU/s1600-h/tryphon_martyr3.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg6Tq3rfUI/AAAAAAAAA7k/2b2s0_72QJU/s320/tryphon_martyr3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086879888714726722" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg7C63rfVI/AAAAAAAAA7s/ZChywNY8LAE/s1600-h/tryphon_martyr5.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg7C63rfVI/AAAAAAAAA7s/ZChywNY8LAE/s320/tryphon_martyr5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086880700463545682" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg6Tq3rfTI/AAAAAAAAA7c/ZgW0ilqjFyA/s1600-h/Tryphon.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/Rpg6Tq3rfTI/AAAAAAAAA7c/ZgW0ilqjFyA/s320/Tryphon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086879888714726706" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Tryphon the Martyr commemorated on February the 1st&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Tryphon was born in Lampsakon and raised by a very devout Christian family. From a young age he was blessed with the divine power to cure any type of illness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the year 239 AD, Gordianos was the ruler of the Roman Empire, and even though he was a pagan he was not a Christian persecutor. The Emperor had an only child, a daughter. Many of the noblemen of the city desired to marry her, therefore her father locked her in a palace tower so that people could not see her. This girl became possessed and tortured by a demon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When her parents saw that she could not be cured, they became distressed. They were informed by the demon that he would not leave the girl's body unless Saint Tryphon were present.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Emperor sent messengers to every city and town of the Empire to find Saint Tryphon. He promised a large reward to the one who brought the Saint to Rome. They arrived in Lampsakon, where Saint Tryphon was watching over his geese. Seeing these noblemen, he knew immediately what their task was and said to them that he was Saint Tryphon, the person they were sent to find. At this time Saint Tryphon was 17 years old. They started immediately for their return to Rome. The demon knew of Tryphon's arrival three days prior to its occurrence and started to torment the girl even more than before. When Saint Tryphon arrived in Rome, the demon could not look at the Saint and left the girl. Gordianos welcomed Saint Tryphon as the person who had cured his daughter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To make certain of Tryphon's validity, the Emperor asked him to make the demon appear before them so that he could ask him why he had possessed his daughter. The Saint fasted for six days, after which, he prayed to God to give him the power to perform his task. On the seventh day, the citizens of Rome gathered to see the miracle. After praying to God, Saint Tryphon ordered the demon, in the name of Jesus Christ, to appear in front of them so that they may see the epitome of ugliness and sickness. Suddenly, a large black dog appeared in front of them. Saint Tryphon then asked it why it had possessed the girl. The demon responded by saying that his father, Satan, who is the ruler of evil had sent it to torture the girl. The Saint continued his inquiry by asking, who gave the rulers of the underworld the authority to enter the bodies of the workers of God. He responded by saying that they had no authority to do so, but could only possess people who practised what the demon stood for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The people were amazed when they saw and heard this. Gordianos rewarded the Saint with many gifts. Saint Tryphon was accompanied back to his home and after returning, he continued curing those who came to him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;After the death of Gordianos, the pious Philip became the ruler of the Roman Empire. He ruled only for a short time due to his death in battle. Decius then became ruler in 250 AD. He had no tolerance for Christians. Those who worshipped the idols were rewarded, those who remained Christians were persecuted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The pagans of the Eastern part of the Empire would betray Christians to their ruler, Achilion. A complaint was thus lodged against Saint Tryphon. Achilion sent his envoys to find the Saint and he was taken to Nicaea to stand trial. When the Emperor saw that Saint Tryphon would not deny his beliefs, he ordered his soldiers to hang him on a cross and stab him with their spears. He faced the torture without fear. The Emperor admired this courage and tried to persuade Saint Tryphon to sacrifice to the gods and save himself. Seeing that he could not change the Christian's opinions, Achilion was extremely angered. He ordered that Saint Tryphon be taken down from the cross. Planning to go on a hunting trip, he decided to take Saint Tryphon with him. Saint Tryphon was tied behind a horse so that he would have to keep up with riding soldiers by walking. The Saint suffered greatly. After several days, Achilion returned to Nicaea and Saint Tryphon walked back to the city in the same manner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Again, Achilion tried to persuade Saint Tryphon to change his beliefs and again the Saint stood firm in his convictions. Achilion ordered the Saint's feet bound in chains and he was taken to the centre of the city to be beaten. Afterwards, Saint Tryphon was burned with torches. During his agony, the martyr prayed to Christ not to forsake him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Achilion gave Saint Tryphon his last chance to deny Christ and save himself. If Saint Tryphon refused, the soldiers were to behead him. The Saint looked toward heaven and prayed. So that his death could not be attributed to the tyrant, Saint Tryphon died just before the soldiers beheaded him. Several Christians of Nicaea wanted to bury his body near the city, however, the Saint appeared in their dreams and directed them to bury his body in Lampsakon, where later, many miracles were attributed to him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Tryphon is considered to be the Patron Saint to birds of prey and gardeners.  Many agriculturalists believe that Saint Tryphon is also the protector of fields from pests and insects. Saint Tryphon’s day marks the time of year when the pruning of the vineyard is celebrated.  Orthodox Christians go out to their vineyards on February the 1st, prune all of the vines in their field and pay homage to Saint Tryphon and their vinyard by pouring wine over the vines to ensure a healthy, plentiful and prosperous forthcoming season.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Many churches were dedicated to him, and the Eastern Emperor, Leo VI, the Philosopher (d. 912), delivered a eulogy upon Saint Tryphon. About the year 1005 the monk Theodoric of Fleury wrote an account of him based upon earlier written legends; in Theodoric's story Respicius appears as Saint Tryphon's companion. The relics of both were preserved together with those of a holy virgin named Nympha, at the Hospital of the Holy Ghost in Sassia.  Catholic Christians celebrate Saint Tryphon's day on November the 10th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Charalambos the Hieromartyr&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7HwKJrlmvI/AAAAAAAABUc/pEjIEFWb4uA/s1600-h/Haralambos.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7HwKJrlmvI/AAAAAAAABUc/pEjIEFWb4uA/s400/Haralambos.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166174304758766322" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Charalambos the Hieromartyr commemorated on February the 10th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Charalambos (Greek: Άγιος Χαράλαμπος) (also variously Charalampos, Charalampus, Haralampus, Haralampos or Haralambos) was a Christian bishop in Magnesia, a region of Thessaly, in the diocese of the same name. His name Χαράλαμπος means joyful light in Greek. He lived during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211), when Lucian was Proconsul of Magnesia. It is believed that at the time of his martyrdom in 202, Saint Charalambos was 113 years old.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Charalambos was the Bishop of Magnesia, and spread the Gospel in that region for many years. However, when news of his preaching reached the authorities of the area, the proconsul Lucian and military commander Lucius, the Saint was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to idols.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Despite his advanced age, the bishop was subsequently tortured mercilessly. They lacerated his body with iron hooks, and scraped all the skin from his body. The Saint had only one thing to say to his tormentors: “Thank you, my brethren, for scraping off the old body and renewing my soul for new and eternal life.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Legend maintains that upon witnessing Saint Charalambos’ endurance of these tortures, two soldiers named Porphyrius and Baptus openly confessed their faith in Christ, for which they were immediately beheaded with a sword. Three women who were watching the sufferings of Saint Charalambos also began to glorify Christ, and were quickly martyred as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The legend continues to say that Lucius, enraged, seized the instruments of torture and began to torture Saint Charalambos himself, but suddenly his forearms were cut off as if by a sword. The governor Lucian then spat in the face of the saint, and immediately his head was turned around so that he faced backwards.  Apparently, Lucian and Lucius both prayed for mercy, and were healed by the Saint, and became Christians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;More tortures, the legend says, were wrought upon the Saint after he was brought to Septimius Severus himself. Condemned to death and led to the place of execution, Saint Charalambos raised his arms to heaven and prayed for all men: “Lord, Thou knowest that men are flesh and blood; forgive them their sins and pour out Thy blessing on all.” After praying this, the saint gave up his soul to God even before the executioner had laid his sword to his neck. Tradition says that Severus’ daughter Gallina was so moved by his death, that she was converted and buried Saint Charalambos herself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The skull of Saint Charalambos is kept at the Monastery of Saint Stephen at Meteora. Many miracles are traditionally attributed to the fragments of his relics, which are to be found in many places in Greece and elsewhere. The miracles have made this saint, considered the most aged of all the martyrs, especially dear to the people of Greece. On some Greek islands, bulls are sacrificed on his feast day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;What has prompted the Orthodox Christians throughout the world to display such love and affection for Saint Haralambos? Why has he been so very close to the hearts of all of us for over 1700 years? Perhaps it is because of the fact that no other Priest in the history of Christianity suffered so much in one lifetime for his religious convictions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Today we heard about the life of St. Haralambos. This holy Priest of the Orthodox Faith was horribly tortured, yet through it all, he continued to do the work of the Lord with zeal. From his jail cell, he healed the people that went to visit him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Haralambos fought the same fight we fight today. His battle was a more fierce and bloody one than we fight. He suffered from spikes and chains, we suffer from temptations and mental cruelty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Our suffering is only temporary and our pain will vanish! While it seems that we cannot go on another minute, another hour, or another day, we must never forget that our soul belongs to the Lord, and nothing that any mortal man can do to us can destroy our soul. By holding this truth in our hearts, we can gain the immortal strength that Saint Haralambos possessed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The feast of Saint Charalambos is normally commemorated on February 10th, the exception being when this date falls on the Saturday of the Souls preceding Lent or on Clean Monday (the first day of Lent), in which case the feast is celebrated on February 9th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In Greek hagiography and iconography, Saint Charalambos is regarded as a priest, while Russian sources regard him as a bishop.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Empress Saint Theodora&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7OwkZrlm0I/AAAAAAAABVU/RCeIYCRFXvA/s1600-h/theodora.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7OwkZrlm0I/AAAAAAAABVU/RCeIYCRFXvA/s400/theodora.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166667336939576130" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7Owk5rlm1I/AAAAAAAABVc/LNS0M1uNOTo/s1600-h/theodoraemp.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7Owk5rlm1I/AAAAAAAABVc/LNS0M1uNOTo/s400/theodoraemp.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166667345529510738" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7OwlJrlm2I/AAAAAAAABVk/GgsA50trVBI/s1600-h/Empress_Theodora.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7OwlJrlm2I/AAAAAAAABVk/GgsA50trVBI/s400/Empress_Theodora.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166667349824478050" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7OwlJrlm3I/AAAAAAAABVs/nR0lPCGl4ds/s1600-h/Theodora_mosaik_ravenna.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R7OwlJrlm3I/AAAAAAAABVs/nR0lPCGl4ds/s400/Theodora_mosaik_ravenna.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166667349824478066" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Empress Saint Theodora commemorated on February the 11th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Theodora (Greek Θεοδώρα, c. 815 - after 867) was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus. Originally from Paphlagonia, Theodora was of Armenian aristocratic descent. The names of her parents were preserved in Theophanes Continuatus, the continuation of the chronicle started by Theophanes the Confessor. They were Marinos, a drungarios, and Theoktiste Phlorina. Genealogies attribute Mamikonian ancestry to Marinos; he is an alleged son of Artavizd Mamikonian, who was head of the House in the 770s. Saint Theodora was a sister of Bardas and Petronas. Theophanes also records three sisters: Kalomaria, Sophia and Irene. Irene reportedly married Sergios, brother of Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In 829, Theophilos succeeded to the throne. He was sixteen years old and unmarried. The following year his stepmother, Euphrosyne, proclaimed a bride-show. Potential brides from every theme travelled from their homelands to Constantinople, Saint Theodora among them. The poet Kassia was said to have taken part.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The bride-show took place in May, 830, and Saint Theodora was chosen to become empress, probably by her new mother-in-law. The marriage took place on 5 June 830, in Hagia Sophia. Euphrosyne soon retired to a convent and Saint Theodora remained the only Augusta.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The family of Saint Theodora seems to have followed her to court. Her brothers became officials and her sisters married into the court aristocracy. During her own marriage she bore Theophilus five daughters and two sons, the younger of whom became the future Michael III.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Despite the fact that Theophilus was an iconoclast, Saint Theodora held fast to the veneration of icons which she kept in her chambers in the imperial palace. One story holds that a servant witnessed her venerating her icons and reported her to the emperor. When her husband confronted her about the incident she stated that she had merely been "playing with dolls." Two of her icons are kept at the monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos to this day and are referred to as "Saint Theodora's Dolls". They are displayed annually on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Theodora is said to have intervened to save Lazarus Zographos from further torture under her husband. Whether their opposing religious beliefs strained their relationship is unclear. Theophilus' health however eventually failed and he died on 20 January 842. He was about twenty-nine years old.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Following the death of her husband, Theodora served as regent for her son Michael. She overrode Theophilus' ecclesiastical policy and summoned a council under the patriarch Methodius, in which the veneration, but not worship, of icons (images of Jesus Christ and the saints) was finally restored and the iconoclastic clergy deposed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;She carried on the government with a firm and judicious hand; she replenished the treasury and deterred the Bulgarians from an attempt at invasion. However, it was during her regency that a vigorous persecution of the Paulician 'heresy' commenced.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In order to perpetuate her power she purposely neglected her son's education, and therefore must be held responsible for the voluptuous character which he developed under the influence of his uncle Bardas, who was Saint Theodora's brother and likewise of Mamikonian heritage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Theodora endeavoured in vain to combat Bardas's authority; in 855 she was displaced from her regency at his prompting, and being subsequently convicted of intrigues against him was relegated to a monastery. She died after his assassination at the hands of Basil I, thus witnessing the end of the dynasty she had worked so hard to preserve. She was sainted in recompense for her zeal on behalf of the restoration of icons as objects of veneration. Her feastday is February 11.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Theodora and Theophilus had seven children. Listed here in the order given by Theophanes:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Constantine, co-emperor from c. 833 to c. 835.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Thekla (born c. 831 - after 867). She was named Augusta and her image appears in coinage during the regency of her mother. Later exiled to a monastery by her brother Michael. She was recalled and was a mistress of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Anna (born c. 832). Exiled into a monastery. Never recalled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Anastasia (born c. 833). Exiled into a monastery. Never recalled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Pulcheria (born c. 836). Exiled into a monastery. Never recalled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Maria (born c. 838). Married the Caesar Alexios Mouseles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Her husband was placed in command of Byzantine Sicily but was later accused of conspiring to gain the throne. Forced to retire into a monastery. Maria was not alive in 856 when her sisters were exiled from the court.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Michael III (19 January 840 - 23 September/24 September 867), who succeeded as emperor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Her sacred incorrupt remains are found in Corfu, in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Cave, in the capital city of the island.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Theodore of Amasea&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-se69afnRI/AAAAAAAABWY/H-6ca1uGRGE/s1600-h/Theodore_Tyro.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-se69afnRI/AAAAAAAABWY/H-6ca1uGRGE/s400/Theodore_Tyro.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182269794486820114" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-se7dafnSI/AAAAAAAABWg/Tp5ZRcmcB5k/s1600-h/Saint_Theodore-Russian_Museum-fragment.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-se7dafnSI/AAAAAAAABWg/Tp5ZRcmcB5k/s400/Saint_Theodore-Russian_Museum-fragment.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182269803076754722" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Theodore of Amasea commemorated on February the 17th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Theodore of Amasea (d. 306; Amasenus, now Amasya, Turkey) is one of the Greek military saints of the 4th century, the earlier patron saint of Venice, now outshone there by Saint Mark, but still represented atop one of the two Byzantine columns standing in the Piazzetta of the Piazza San Marco, treading upon the sacred crocodile of Egypt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;According to his hagiography Saint Theodore was a soldier in the legions. He is often named Saint Theodore Tyro ("of Tyre"), according to some sources because for a time he belonged to the Cohors Tyronum; according to others because he was a tyro, or recent recruit. In Western Christianity he is usually called of Amasea from the ancient city in Pontus where he suffered martyrdom. Sometimes he is Saint Theodore Euchaita from the place, Euchais, to which his body had been carried, and where he was held in such veneration that the city came to be frequently spoken of as Theodoropolis. In Eastern Christianity he is more often known as Saint Theodore the Recruit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His martyrdom and feast are dated in the Menologies February 17, 306, under the Emperors Galerius, Maximian and Maximinus. The Eastern Orthodox and Armenians honor him on the first Saturday of Great Lent, while the Roman Martyrology records him on November 9.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the 12th century his body was transferred to Brindisi, and he is there honored as patron; his head is enshrined at Gaeta. There are churches bearing his name at Constantinople, Jerusalem, Damascus, and other places of the former Christian east. An ancient church of San Teodoro, Venice, is said to have been founded by Narses. At the foot of the Palatine in Rome is a very old church, circular in shape and dedicated to San Teodoro, whom the Roman people call San Toto, which was made a collegiate church by Felix IV. The people showed their confidence in the Saint by bringing their sick children to his temple, as to an asclepieion, or healing-temple. His martyrdom is represented in the choir of the cathedral of Chartres by thirty-eight 13th-century stained-glass panels. He is invoked against storms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His encounter with a dragon (represented as a crocodile in his statue in Saint Mark's Square was transferred to the more widely venerated Saint George.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Gregory of Nyssa delivered a panegyric on his feast day and gave several data concerning his life and martyrdom (Patrologia Graeca, XLVI, 741, and Thierry Ruinart, 505). The oldest text of the Martyrium S. Theodori Tironis was published by Delehaye in "Les legendes grecques des saints militaires", but the Bollandists is considered largely interpolated (Anal. XXX, 323).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Theodore is said to have been born in the East (Syria or Armenia are mentioned). He enlisted in the army and was sent with his cohort to winter quarters in Pontus in Anatolia. When the edict against the Christians was issued by the emperors, he was brought before the magistrates at Amasea and ordered to offer sacrifice to the gods. When he refused, the magistrates gave him some time, because of his youth, for reflection. "This he employed in burning the Temple of Cybele", the Catholic Encyclopedia reports. He was quickly taken and burned at the stake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Whatever a modern hearer may think of Saint Theodore's action, it must be comprehendible that the general population looked at Christians as a source of dangerous fanaticism, dangerous to the state, which depended on the good-will of the Great Mother of Anatolia, Cybele. There was a large enough Christian population at Amasea to be governed by a bishop, and Basil of Amasea was martyred in 391, the very year of the Edict of Milan, according to Jerome's interpolation in his Latin version of the church chronicle of Eusebius of Caesarea. Eusebius chronicles persecutions under Licinius as Amasea and other places, though Basil is not apparently mentioned. The fictional Acts of Basil have him drowned in the sea, an unusual martyrdom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Polycarp of Smyrna&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-sjcdafnTI/AAAAAAAABWo/VpmcKN7YwZo/s1600-h/Burghers_michael_saintpolycarp.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-sjcdafnTI/AAAAAAAABWo/VpmcKN7YwZo/s400/Burghers_michael_saintpolycarp.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182274768058948914" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint Polycarp of Smyrna commemorated on February the 23rd&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (ca. 69- ca. 155) was a second century bishop of Smyrna. He died a martyr when he was stabbed after an attempt to burn him at the stake failed. Polycarp is recognized as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;It is recorded that "He had been a disciple of John." This John may be identified with John the Apostle, John the Presbyter, or John the Evangelist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;With Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Polycarp is one of three chief Apostolic Fathers. His sole surviving work is his Letter to the Philippians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Polycarp was a companion of Papias another "hearer of John" as Irenaeus interprets Papias' testimony, and a correspondent of Ignatius of Antioch. Ignatius addressed a letter to him, and mentions him in the letters to the Ephesians and to the Magnesians. Saint Polycarp's famous pupil was Irenaeus, for whom the memory of Saint Polycarp was a link to the apostolic past.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Irenaeus relates how and when he became a Christian and in his letter to Florinus stated that he saw and heard him personally in lower Asia; in particular he heard the account of Saint Polycarp's discussion with John the Evangelist and with others who had seen Jesus. Irenaeus also reports that Saint Polycarp was converted to Christianity by apostles, was consecrated a bishop and communicated with many who had seen Jesus. He repeatedly emphasizes the very great age of Saint Polycarp. The Martyrdom has Saint Polycarp himself indicate his age on the day of his death, with the phrase "Eighty and six years I have served him", which is understood to mean that he was 86 years old, thus indicating that his family had accepted Christianity while he was an infant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Polycarp visited Rome during the time of his fellow Syrian, Anicetus, Bishop of Rome, in the 150s or 160s, and they might have found their customs for observing the Christian Passover differed, Saint Polycarp following the eastern practice of celebrating Passover on the 14th of Nisan, the day of the Jewish Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His sole surviving work is his Letter to the Philippians, a mosaic of references to the Greek Scriptures. It, and an account of The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp that takes the form of a circular letter from the church of Smyrna to the churches of Pontus, form part of the collection of writings termed "The Apostolic Fathers" to emphasize their particular closeness to the apostles in Church traditions. The Martyrdom is considered one of the earliest genuine accounts of a Christian martyrdom, and one of the very few genuine accounts from the actual age of the persecutions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The date of Saint Polycarp's death is in dispute. Eusebius dates it to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, circa 166 – 167. However, a post-Eusebian addition to the Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp dates his death to Saturday, February 23 in the proconsulship of Statius Quadratus—which works out to be 155 or 156. These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with Ignatius and John the Evangelist. However, the addition to the Martyrdom cannot be considered reliable on only its own merits. Further, numerous lines of evidence have been given to place the dating of Saint Polycarp's death to the end of the 160s, perhaps even later. James Ussher, for example, calculated this to 169; William Killen seems to agree with this dating. Some of those evidences include that the Martyrdom uses the singular when referring to the Emperor and Marcus Aurelius only became the sole emperor of Rome in 169 (and beginning in 161); Eusebius and Jerome both state Saint Polycarp died under Marcus Aurelius; this martyrdom took place during a major persecution, which could correspond to the late 160s or the one in 177 with that of Lyons and Vienne . Lightfoot would argue for the earlier date of Saint Polycarp's death, to which others such as Killen would greatly disagree.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Because in the Smyrnaean letter known as the Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp it states that Saint Polycarp was taken on the day of the Sabbath and killed on the Great Sabbath, some believe that this is evidence that the Smyrnaeans under Saint Polycarp observed the seventh day Sabbath.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Historians such as William Cave who have written, "...the Sabbath or Saturday (for so the word sabbatum is constantly used in the writings of the fathers, when speaking of it as it relates to Christians) was held by them in great veneration, and especially in the Eastern parts honoured with all the public solemnities of religion."The observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath by Saint Polycarp would be in harmony with the teachings and practice of Jesus, Paul, and John, his mentor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Some feel that the expression, the Great Sabbath refers to the Christian Passover or another annual holy day. If so, then the martyrdom would have had to occur between one and two months later as Nisan 14 (the date that Saint Polycarp observed Passover) cannot come before the end of March in any year. Other Great Sabbaths (if this is referring to what are commonly considered to be Jewish holy days, though observed by many early professors of Christ) come in the Spring, late summer, or Fall. None occur in the winter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;These conjectures would be at odds with the Biblical evidence that suggests the common practice for Christians was in keeping the first day of the week. The Great Sabbath may be alluded to in John 7:37. This is called the Last Great Day and is a stand-alone annual holy day immediately following the Feast of Tabernacles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Polycarp occupies an important place in the history of the Christian Church. He is among the earliest Christians whose writings survive. It is probable that he knew John the Apostle, the disciple of Jesus. He was an elder of an important congregation in an area where the apostles laboured. And he is from an era whose orthodoxy is widely accepted by Orthodox Churches, Oriental Churches, Seventh Day Church of God groups, Protestants and Catholics alike. All of this makes his writings of great interest.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Polycarp was not a philosopher or theologian. He appears, from surviving accounts, to have been a practical leader and gifted teacher, "a man who was of much greater weight, and a more steadfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics," said Irenaeus, who remembered him from his youth. He lived in an age after the deaths of the apostles, when a variety of interpretations of the sayings of Jesus were being preached. His role was to authenticate orthodox teachings through his reputed connection with the apostle John. Surviving accounts of the bravery of this very old man in the face of death by burning at the stake added credence to his words.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;His martyrdom is of particular importance in understanding the position of the church in the pagan era of the Roman Empire. While the persecution is supported by the local proconsul, the author of the account noted the bloodthirstiness of the crowd in their calls for the death of Saint Polycarp. Additionally, the account also demonstrates the complexity of the Roman government's position toward Christianity, since the Christians are given the opportunity to recant and are not punished immediately as confessed criminals. This rather odd judicial system toward the crime of Christianity would later be derided by Tertullian in his Apology.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint Polycarp was a great transmitter and authenticator of Christian Revelation in a period when the gospels and epistles were just beginning to achieve acceptance. Although his visit to Rome to meet Pope Anicetus was significant and has in the past been used by some in the Roman Catholic Church to buttress papal claims, the documented truth according to Catholic sources is that Saint Polycarp did not accept the authority of the Roman Bishops to change Passover (rather, they agreed to disagree, both believing their practice to be Apostolic) -- nor did some of those who have been suggested to be his spiritual successors, such as Melito of Sardis and Polycrates of Ephesus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The chief sources of information concerning Saint Polycarp are four: the authentic epistles of Ignatius, which include one to Saint Polycarp; Saint Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians; passages in Irenaeus' Adversus Haeresis; and the letter of the Smyrnaeans recounting the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bishop Sophronius of Jerusalem&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5SLtafnUI/AAAAAAAABWw/bWlNRwSqK_4/s1600-h/Sophronius_of_Jerusalem.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5SLtafnUI/AAAAAAAABWw/bWlNRwSqK_4/s400/Sophronius_of_Jerusalem.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183170582272777538" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bishop Sophronius of Jerusalem commemorated on March the 11th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Bishop Sophronius was of Arab descent and was born around 560 AD in Damascus, and died on March 11th, 638 in Jerusalem. Bishop Sophronius was the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 until his death. Before rising to become Patriarch, he was a monk and theologian who was the chief protagonist for orthodox teaching in the doctrinal controversy on the essential nature of Jesus and his volitional acts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A teacher of rhetoric, Bishop Sophronius became an ascetic in Egypt around 580 and then entered the monastery of Saint Theodosius near Bethlehem. Traveling to monastic centres in Asia Minor, Egypt, and Rome, he accompanied the Byzantine chronicler John Moschus, who dedicated to him his celebrated tract titled “The Spiritual Meadow”. On the death of John Moschus in Rome in 619, Bishop Sophronius accompanied the body back to Jerusalem for monastic burial. He traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, and to Constantinople in the year 633 to persuade the respective patriarchs to renounce Monothelitism, a heterodox teaching that espoused a single, divine will in Christ to the exclusion of a human capacity for choice. Bishop Sophronius' extensive writings on this question are all lost.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Although unsuccessful in this mission, Bishop Sophronius was elected patriarch of Jerusalem in 634. Soon after his enthronement he forwarded his noted synodical letter to Pope Honorius I and to the Eastern patriarchs, explaining the orthodox belief in the two natures, human and divine, of Christ, as opposed to Monothelitism, which he viewed as a subtle form of heretical Monophysitism which posited a single divine nature for Christ. Moreover, he composed a Florilegium “Anthology” of some 600 texts from the Greek Church Fathers in favour of the orthodox tenet of Dyotheletism which posits both human and divine wills in Christ. This document also is lost.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In his Christmas sermon of 634, Bishop Sophronius was more concerned with keeping the clergy in line with the Chalcedonian view of god, giving only the most conventional of warnings of the Muslim-Arab advance on Palestine, and commenting that the Arabs already controlled Bethlehem. Bishop Sophronius, who viewed the Muslim control of Palestine as "unwitting representatives of God's inevitable chastisement of weak and wavering Christians", died soon after the fall of Jerusalem to the caliph Umar I in 637, but not before he had negotiated the recognition of civil and religious liberty for Christians in exchange for tribute - an agreement known as the Umari Treaty. The caliph himself came to Jerusalem, and met with the patriarch at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Bishop Sophronius invited Umar to pray there, but Umar declined, fearing to endanger the Church's status as a Christian temple. The reason behind this welcoming reception from Bishop Sophronius was that according to biblical prophecies known to the Christian church in Jerusalem at that time, he learned of a time when a humble but just and powerful man will come riding a donkey. This description matched the Umar at the time of his arrival. The prophecy also conveyed that this powerful man will actually prove to be a protector and an ally to the Christians of Jerusalem.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Beside polemics, Bishop Sophronius' writings included an encomium on the Alexandrian martyrs Cyrus and John in gratitude for an extraordinary cure of his failing vision. He also wrote 23 Anacreontic poems on such themes as the Arab siege of Jerusalem, and on various liturgical celebrations. His Anacreontica poems 19 and 20 seem to be an expression of the longing desire he had of the Holy City, possibly when he was absent from Jerusalem during one of his many journeys. The order of the two poems has to be inverted to establish a correct sequence of the diverse subjects. Arranged in this way, the two poems describe a complete circuit throughout the most important sanctuaries of Jerusalem at the end of the 6th century, described as the golden age of Christianity in the Holy Land. Themes of Anacreonticon 20 include the gates of Jerusalem also known as Solyma, the Anastasis, the Rock of the Cross, the Constantinian Basilica, Mount Sion, the Praetorium, Saint Mary at the Probatica, and Gethsemane. The Mount of Olives, Bethany, and Bethlehem come next in Anacreonticon 19.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The date and the circumstances of the death of Sophronius remain unclear. A neglected Latin text, the passion of the 60 martyrs of Gaza, suggests that he was executed by the Muslim authorities in Jerusalem in early 640 because of his role in persuading 60 Byzantine soldiers captured at Gaza not to convert to Islam in order to save their souls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Archangel Gabriel&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5Vs9afnVI/AAAAAAAABW4/l9AYxn7rwuQ/s1600-h/Gabriel_byzantine.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5Vs9afnVI/AAAAAAAABW4/l9AYxn7rwuQ/s400/Gabriel_byzantine.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183174452038311250" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5YR9afnWI/AAAAAAAABXA/JgKBQJV_5Qk/s1600-h/GabrielAnnunc.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5YR9afnWI/AAAAAAAABXA/JgKBQJV_5Qk/s400/GabrielAnnunc.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183177286716726626" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5YSNafnXI/AAAAAAAABXI/6p40r_oUOr0/s1600-h/GabrielGoldlocks.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/R-5YSNafnXI/AAAAAAAABXI/6p40r_oUOr0/s400/GabrielGoldlocks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183177291011693938" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Archangel Gabriel Commemorated on March 26th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In Abrahamic religions Gabriel (Greek Γαβριήλ ), literally translates to "Master, of God", i.e., a Master, who is "of God"). Gabriel is an angel who is thought to serve as a messenger from God ("angel" literally translates to "messenger" from the Koine Greek; an "arch" angel is a "primary" or "chief" messenger). He first appears in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. He is also referred to as the "Left Hand of God and the embodiment of the Holy Spirit". Christians and Muslims believe him to have foretold the births of John the Baptist and Jesus to Zacharias and the Virgin Mary, and Muslims further believe he was the medium through which God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad. Muslims also believe he sent a message to most, if not all, Prophets revealing their obligation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In Judaic Biblical tradition, Gabriel is sometimes regarded as the angel of death or one of God's messengers. In Islamic tradition, Gabriel is one of God's chief messengers but other above-mentioned titles are not given to him (for example, the angel of death in Islamic tradition is Azrael).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the Christian tradition, Gabriel is known as one of the seven archangels. In Islamic tradition, Gabriel is called the chief of the four favoured angels and the spirit of truth, and in some views Gabriel is regarded to be the same as the Holy Spirit. Gabriel also finds mention in the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, most notably in Bahhá'u'llá’s mystical work The Seven Valleys.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Gabriel is also one of the only angels sometimes portrayed in art and literature as female.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The name Gabriel first appears in the Book of Daniel. The setting of the story is the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish peoples: The Jewish leader Daniel ponders the meanings of several visions he has experienced in exile, when Gabriel appears to him with a message about the "End of Days": "…And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, who called, and said: “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision”. So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was terrified, and fell upon my face; but he said to me: “Understand, son of man; for the vision belongs to the time of the end…"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the Talmud, Gabriel appears as the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib, armed "with a sharpened scythe which has been ready since Creation". The archangel Gabriel is also attributed as the one who showed Joseph the way, the one who prevented Queen Vashti from appearing naked before King Ahasuerus and his guests, and as one of the angels who buried Moses. In Talmud Yoma, however, it is stated that Gabriel once fell into disgrace "for not obeying a command exactly as given, Gabriel remained for a while outside the heavenly Curtain". During this 21 day period, the guardian Angel of Persia, Dobiel, acted as Gabriel's proxy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Talmud described Gabriel as the only angel who can speak Syriac and Chaldee.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Gabriel is also, according to Judaism, the voice that told Noah to gather the animals before the great flood; the invisible force that prevented Abraham from slaying his only begotten son Isaac; the invisible force that wrestled with Jacob; and the voice of the burning bush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel reveals to the Jewish Pharisee and Priest Zechariah that John the Baptist will be born to Zechariah's wife Elizabeth, and visits Elizabeth's cousin Mary to reveal that she will give birth to Jesus. Gabriel's visit to Mary is often called "The Annunciation", an event that is celebrated on March 25th in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. It is also commemorated as the "First Joyful Mystery" of the rosary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;According to later legend, he is also the unidentified angel in the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse of John) who blows the horn announcing the Judgment Day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Book of Enoch places the archangel Gabriel as The Left Hand of God, or seated on the left side of God's throne with Metatron. Gabriel is the ruler of the Cherubim and Seraphim surrounding the throne of the Almighty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;However, people have long thought that he was "God's Right Hand" upon the Earth, as if he switches roles in the transition from Heaven to Earth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;To Anglicans, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians he is St. Gabriel the Archangel, with Michael and Raphael, his feast day is celebrated on September 29th and November 8th for the Eastern Orthodox Christians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Among the Eastern Orthodox, in addition to the September feast, he is also commemorated on March 26th and July 13th. March 26th is the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel and celebrates his role in the Annunciation. July 13th is also known as the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, but celebrates all of appearances and miracles attributed to Gabriel throughout history. The feast was first established on Mount Athos in the ninth century, during the reign of Emperor Basil II and the Empress Constantina Porphyrogenitus and Patriarch Nicholas Chrysoverges, on the occasion of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel in a cell near Karyes where he wrote on a stone tablet with his finger, the hymn to the Theotokos, "It is truly meet..."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the Latter-day Saint theology, Gabriel lived in this mortal life as the patriarch Noah. Gabriel and Noah are regarded as the same individual; Noah being his mortal name and Gabriel being his heavenly name.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The Arabic name for Gabriel is Jibril, Muslims believe Gabriel to have been the angel who revealed theQur’an to the Prophet Muhammad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Gabriel's physical appearance is described in the Hadith:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;So did (God) convey The Inspiration to His slave (Gabriel) and then he (Gabriel) Conveyed (that to Muhammad). The Prophet had seen Gabriel having 600 wings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Gabriel is regarded with the exact same respect by Muslims as all of the Prophets, and upon saying his name or referring to him a Muslim repeats: "upon him be peace". Gabriel's primary tasks are to bring messages from God to His messengers. As in Christianity, Gabriel is said to be the angel that informed Mary (Arabic Maryam) of how she would conceive Jesus (Arabic Isa):&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh angel Jibrael (Gabriel), and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent (God) from you, if you do fear God." (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son." She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?" He said: "So (it will be), your Lord said: “That is easy for Me (God): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (God), and it is a matter (already) decreed, (by God).”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Muslims believe Gabriel to have accompanied Muhammad in his ascension to the heavens, where Muhammad also is said to have met previous messengers of God, and was informed about the Islamic prayer named Bukhari. Muslims also believe that Gabriel descends to Earth on the night of Layat al-Qadr ("The Night of Destiny"), a night in the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Gabriel is sometimes associated with the colour Blue, the direction west and the element of water; his horse is named Haizum. Gabriel is also variously identified as the angel of annunciation, resurrection, mercy, vengeance, death, and revelation. Furthermore, the archangel has also been identified in various sources to be one of the "Seven Archangels who stand in the presence of God"; he is also claimed variously to be a tafsarim (chief angelic prince) of the cherub, virtue, power, archangel, and angel celestial orders. The governor of the Moon and Monday also are ascribed to Gabriel; finally, the archangel Gabriel is also the ruler of Shamayim, the First Heaven.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In the tradition of Hermetic Qabalah, Gabriel is one of the four archangels invoked during the Lesser, Greater and Supreme Rituals of the Pentagram. He appears in the Western Cardinal direction and is the Angel whose mastery is that of Water. The western pentagram is as follows, with the Water Banishing/Invoking and the Enochian "Hcoma" and "Empeh Arsel Gaoil" with the spiritual and elemental pentagrams. The zodiacal sign associated with Gabriel is Cancer, or the sign of the Crab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Working with Planetary magic in the Hermetic tradition, Gabriel is the angelic ruler of the sephira Yesod, which roughly translates to Foundation, the emanation located at the genital region of the Adam Kadmon and thus the Tree of life upon the middle pillar. To invoke Gabriel into the circle it would be proper to cast the hexagram of the moon for example on Monday at 1am, 8am, 3pm or 10pm with the vibration of "Shaddai El Chai". Some form of a lunar tincture would assist in the opening of this hexagram, for example, dew from the morning grass, or moon blood (menstrual blood, which has an ambiguous association with the moon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint John Climacus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SCmZyzKM1VI/AAAAAAAABXU/D_dLzdM2VUg/s1600-h/%C5%9Aw_Jan_Klimak,_Jerzy_i_B%C5%82a%C5%BCej.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SCmZyzKM1VI/AAAAAAAABXU/D_dLzdM2VUg/s400/%C5%9Aw_Jan_Klimak,_Jerzy_i_B%C5%82a%C5%BCej.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199856342781449554" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SCmZzjKM1WI/AAAAAAAABXc/vvSHtOlIGL4/s1600-h/StJohnClimacus.jpg" target="_blogView"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7QYRsXH7ki4/SCmZzjKM1WI/AAAAAAAABXc/vvSHtOlIGL4/s400/StJohnClimacus.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199856355666351458" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saint John Climacus Commemorated on March 30th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint John Climacus (Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος c. 525 – 30 March 606), also known as John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus and John Sinaites, was a 6th century Christian monk at the monastery on Mount Sinai. He is revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic, Oriental Orthodox , Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Saint John Climacus was born in Syria, and came to the monastery and became a novice when he was about 16 years old, taught by monk named Martyrius. After the death of Martyrius, John, wishing to practice greater asceticism, withdrew to a hermitage at the foot of the mountain. In this isolation he lived for some twenty years, constantly studying the lives of the saints and thus becoming one of the most learned doctors of the Church. In 600, when he was about seventy-five years of age, the monks of Sinai persuaded him to put himself at their head. He acquitted himself of his functions as abbot with the greatest wisdom, and his reputa
