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Cleft Lip and Palate

Facial clefting is a congenital phenomenon whose explanations have remained elusive since its earliest documented descriptions. With advances in the fields of genetics and an evolving understanding of the embryologic development process, a multifactorial and case specific explanation for clefting has developed.

Cleft lip and palate comes in many varieties and can be caused by several factors. Additionally, it can be associated with various conditions. It may be related to other syndromes and anomalies or may occur as a completely isolated occurrence. There are over 17,000 known genes that contribute to craniofacial development and over 300 known syndromes with associated clefting.

Cleft lip and palate literally occurs in a variety of shapes and sizes, which synergistically determine the functional and aesthetic consequences. Below are some images depicting clefts of the palate immediately before and immediately after repair.

Cleft Palate Before Repair

Cleft Palate After Repair

Additionally an image one year after palate repair shows a strong palate with the ability to function well for speech and swallow.

Palate One Year After Repair

Different widths and lengths of the cleft lip exist. Some of the cleft lips that we deal with consist of a partial cleft that does not go all the way through to the nose while others are significantly bigger and include significant nasal deformity.

Below is an image showing a partial cleft lip deformity before and immediately after surgical repair. Notice that although, the nose is not directly involved with the cleft, there is an obvious asymmetry to the right nostril (the same side as the cleft lip) as compared to the left nostril. This is slightly overcorrected immediately after surgery in anticipation of exact symmetry once all healing forces occur. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is as important to correct the child's nose as it is to correct the more obvious lip deformity.

Partial Cleft Lip Before and After Repair

Orofacial clefting can be divided into one of two categories:

Cleft Lip +/- Palate: occurring at a frequency of about 2 cases per 1,000 births, occurs most typically in the setting of genetic association, although non-mendelian form of inheritance. This means that there seems to be genetic factors, as demonstrated by the higher prevalence in certain races like Asians, Native Americans, and Caucasians as compared to others like African Americans. However, the more stringent rules of genetic predictability do not apply to this malformation.These are 2 distinct entities with different patterns of development.

Isolated Cleft Palate: occurring at a frequency of about 1 case per 1,000 births, does not seem to have a predilection for any race and is found with equivelant frequency in infants of all backgrounds. There is, however, a higher prevalence of this form in females than in males.

Treatment Options

First and foremost, parents of children with clefts of the lip and/or palate should understand that this is not a condition caused by any fault of their own. Although its development is multifactorial, the cleft deformities are a result of improper fusion during embryonic development and this is not a process that can be controlled by expecting parents.

A high quality interdisciplinary approach is required for treatment of the child with cleft lip and palate. This means that a reputable center with a team of different specialists, each of whom can take care of specific needs, is the best option. A comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan should begin early after birth and the child consistently followed thereafter.

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary team consists of a broad variety of specialists that treat everything from the surgical correction of the cleft to the therapy necessary for improved speech and feeding. The schematic below represents a basic timeline of the typical ages for treatment. New York Eye and Ear offers a cleft deformity clinic and a team of professionals with a goal-oriented, patient specific agenda for every baby with a cleft deformity. Not every treatment plan will be identical, because every child gets the individual attention necessary for the highest standards of functional and aesthetic reconstruction.

Each child receives an individualized functional and cosmetic assessment as they are evaluated. From a functional standpoint the following questions need to be answered to determine the appropriate courses of actions:

  1. Is this affecting the child's feeding and growth?
  2. Is this affecting the child's speech and intelligible language development?
  3. Is this affecting the child's hearing?

As far as aesthetic considerations in the child with the cleft lip, the following questions need to be answered to determine the appropriate courses of action:

  1. Is this a unilateral (one sided) or bilateral (two sided) cleft lip
  2. Is this a complete cleft of the entire lip going through the floor of the nose?
  3. Is this a partial cleft lip affecting only some parts of the visible lip
  4. Regardless of the size of the cleft how much of the nasal shape and form is affected, and from how far away is the external nasal asymmetry noticed?

Intervention: Diagnosing clefting and associated anomlies and creating tentative plan of care, including immediate feeding interventions. Identifing whether the child may be a candidate for Naso-Alveolar Molding device (NAM)

10 weeks

Intervention: Cleft lip repair and cleft nose repair. Insertion of ear tubes. This may be delayed to 4-5 months of age in certain situations including the use of NAM.

9mos- 1year

Intervention: Cleft palate repair

3-5 years

Intervention: Speech therapy and adjunctive surgical procedures

10-14 years

Intervention: Bone grafting for Alveolar clefting

14-17 years

Intervention:  Cleft Rhinoplasty for definitive nasal repair when necessary


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Home > Content Library of Ped English Medical Content > Infectious Diseases

HIV Home Care

What is HIV?

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV infection means that the body's immune system may not fight off infections very well. Your child's body may not be able to fight back against illness, even a simple cold. Additional care is needed for a child with HIV in order to help him or her remain healthy.

How can you keep your child with HIV healthy?

One of the best ways to keep your child healthy is to use proper hand washing techniques. Clean hands help keep your child from catching colds and from developing other illnesses. Teach your child to wash his or her hands thoroughly at an early age.

Keeping healthy habits is the best way a child can prevent illness. Other ways you can help your child stay healthy include the following:

  • Nutrition. Make sure your child eats the right foods. This will give your child the energy needed to stay healthy.
    • Give your child three balanced meals a day and healthy snacks. If you have questions about choosing healthy foods for your child, ask your child's doctor or a dietitian.
    • A dietitian can also help if your child has special feeding or eating problems, such as mouth sores, that make eating painful for your child.
  • Skin care. When your child has a cut or sore, the skin is open to germs and can become infected. Taking good care of your child's skin helps prevent infections and may help to keep your child healthy. Consider the following when caring for your child's skin:
    • Prevent injuries, such as cuts and scrapes. If minor injuries occur, clean them and apply antibiotic ointment. Cover them lightly with a bandage to keep them from getting infected. Wear gloves to prevent contact with your child's blood while tending to the wound.
    • Keep the skin clean by washing daily with mild soap and water.
    • Keep dry areas of skin healthy by applying a moisturizing cream daily..
    • Consult your child's doctor right away if you notice a rash or unusual sore or cut, or if a cut is not healing normally. A diaper rash or white patches in your child's mouth may require additional treatment.
    • Consult your child's health care team if you have any special questions or concerns about your child's skin care.
    • Make sure to apply sunscreen and insect repellent on your child whenever he/she is playing outside with uncovered skin.
  • Rest and relaxation. Being tired and stressed can make your child more likely to become sick. Consider the following to make sure your child is receiving the appropriate rest and relaxation his or her body needs:
    • Normal play is important for your child.
    • Plan rest periods and have a regular bedtime for your child.
    • Make sure your child gets at least 8 or more hours of sleep each night.
    • If your child seems worried or upset, consult his or her social worker or a chaplain.
    • If you have special questions about your child's rest and sleep needs, consult his or her health care team.
    • Use caution when allowing your child to have pets, or contact with other people's pets. Children should never be left with animals without supervision. Consult your child's doctor about any pets you have now, and/or before bringing home any new pets.
  • Medications. Consider the following to ensure your child's medication needs are being met:
    • Be sure your child takes any medication his or her doctor has ordered exactly as prescribed. Pill reminder boxes can be very useful.
    • Make sure you understand how much of each medication you should give your child. Do not be afraid to ask questions if this is confusing.
    • Plan ahead for when you need refills. Do not run out of medications. Forgetting or skipping doses of medication can allow the virus to become resistant to your child's medications.
    • Consult your child's doctor regarding the recommended routine immunizations for your child, as well as for other family and household members.
    • If you have questions or problems with your child taking a medication, consult your child's health care team.

How can you prevent the spread of HIV?

HIV may be spread from person-to-person when there is contact with infected blood or body fluids (semen and vaginal fluid).

  • HIV can be spread:
    • Through sex with a person who carries HIV.
    • By sharing drug needles.
    • To babies born to mothers who carry HIV.
    • To babies breastfed by an HIV-infected mother.
    • To people who receive unscreened blood or blood products that contain HIV.
    • By an uninfected person having an open wound or scratch come into contact with the blood or body fluids or feces of an infected person
  • HIV cannot be spread by:
    • Hugging a person with HIV.
    • Swimming in public pools or hot tubs.
    • Sharing a drinking glass.
    • Sharing toilets.
    • Going to school.

How do you care for a child with HIV?

You should use universal precautions for any contact with blood, whether your child is known to be HIV-infected or not. These precautions include the following:

  • Wear latex or vinyl gloves when you need to touch the HIV-infected person's blood and body fluids.
  • Clean up blood and body fluid spills with a mixture of bleach and water. Mix 1/4 cup of bleach with 2 cups of water.
  • Wash clothes soiled with blood and body fluids with soapy water. Bleach or nonchlorine bleach may be used to help get stains out. Items that cannot be washed should be put in a plastic bag and thrown away.
  • Do not share razors or toothbrushes with an HIV-infected person.

If your child has HIV, you can help prevent him or her from spreading HIV by teaching him or her some basic rules, including the following:

  • Instruct your child to wash his or her hands with soap and water after contact with blood and body fluids.
  • Instruct your child to carry a clean handkerchief in case of a nosebleed or cut. Cover the cut tightly with the handkerchief. Do not allow anyone to touch the blood with bare hands.

When should my child see his or her doctor?

Keeping your child's health care appointments is very important. You will also need to know when to bring your child in for care when he or she is getting sick. Your child should see his or her doctor if he or she:

  • Has a fever greater than 100.5 degrees  F by mouth, or 99 degrees F under the arm. If you do not know how to take your child's temperature, consult his or her doctor.
  • Has shortness of breath or a cough.
  • Has a change in bowel movements.
  • Has a skin rash including diaper rash, sores on the skin or in the mouth, or white patches in the mouth.
  • Has behavioral changes.
  • Bleeds or bruises for unknown reasons.
  • Has severe pain.
  • Has ear pain or fluid drainage from the ear.
  • Has been in contact with someone who has a contagious illness (especially chickenpox).

Consult your child's doctor for more information.

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School of Architecture & Design News
Apr 17 2012
SaloneSatellite 2012 in Milan

Students, faculty, and alumni from the School of Architecture and Design are representing NYIT in the SaloneSatellite exhibition, April 17-22 in Milan, Italy. SaloneSatellite is the premier event for emerging designers from around the world to show their work at the Milan Furniture Fair, the largest international design fair. The NYIT exhibition booth displays a desk and chaise lounge (pictured as a simulation in the High Line park in New York City), a multi-screen video display featuring the school's achievements, and a special giveaway for fairgoers—graffiti-inspired bicycle reflectors. Follow the progress of our NYIT team by reading updates from Milan. Traveling to the exhibit are School of Architecture and Design Dean Judith DiMaio; Associate Dean Frank Mruk; Interior Design Chairperson Martha Siegel; Associate Professor Robert Allen; Assistant Professor Charles Matz; students Barbara Schoenenberger, Melanie Li Foo Wing, Liz Cuadrado, and Ashley Sarazen; alumni Adam LoPorto and Robert Gardocki; and Assistant Lisa Mahoney.
Contact Us

School of Architecture and Design

Old Westbury
Education Hall, Room 123
Email Us | Map It

Edward Guiliano Global Center
Email Us | Map It

Abu Dhabi
CERT Technology Park
+971 2 4048 523
Email Us | Map It

Student Profiles
Arifa Uddin
Arifa Uddin Campus: Manhattan
Major: Interior Design, B.F.A.
Class Of: 2015
Asjad Mamoon Dongula
Asjad Mamoon Dongula Campus: Abu Dhabi
Major: Interior Design
Class Of: 2015


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Return to 9/11 Lifestyle Changes May Increase Cardiovascular Risk Overview

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9/11 Lifestyle Changes May Increase Cardiovascular Risk

NewYork-Presbyterian Study and Follow-up Report Show Impact On New Yorkers One Year After Terrorist Event

NEW YORK (Sep 10, 2002)

Research by investigators at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University suggests that the impact of last year's September 11 terrorist attacks may reach beyond the immediate dramatic and devastating effects. The full effects of the tragedy may well be more insidious—adverse lifestyle changes related to the attacks may have long-term adverse effects on cardiovascular risk. Such lifestyle changes include exercising less, and smoking and eating more.

Results of the study, reported in the September 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, suggest that lifestyle habits were substantially altered following the 9/11 attacks, potentially elevating cardiovascular risk. "The data from our study and our follow-up report emphasize that nearly one year after the World Trade Center attacks a large proportion of people still have not recovered from adverse lifestyle changes in the wake of the tragedy. This might have a long-term impact on heart health," explains study author Lori Mosca, MD, MPH, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and director of the Preventive Cardiology Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Studies have shown cardiac event rates increase under acute life stressors, such as war and natural disasters. The mechanism by which psychological stress promotes cardiovascular disease is possibly due to behavior and lifestyle changes, as well as direct pathophysiological effects of stress. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, Dr. Mosca and her colleagues initiated the Post-Disaster Heart Attack Prevention Program, a community outreach effort that provided free heart disease screenings and medical referrals from September 17, 2001 to October 3, 2001. The primary purpose was to identify individuals with a high cardiovascular risk and to educate them about the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

A total of 244 people (45 percent male; 52 percent Caucasian) from the New York metropolitan area were screened and interviewed about their relationship to the World Trade Center event; 18 percent had been present during the attack while 44 percent had family or friends who had been present. Stress symptoms were noted and changes in lifestyle related to the event were recorded as "more," "less," or "unchanged" in relation to questions about eating, sleeping, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and social habits. In addition, cardiovascular disease screenings were performed.

Results showed that even participants who were not physically at the World Trade Center site or who had family or friends directly involved with the terrorist attack experienced lifestyle changes that could adversely affect their cardiovascular risk.

At least one lifestyle change immediately after the World Trade Center attack was reported by 78 percent of the participants; 37 percent of these reported persistent alterations in lifestyle habits at a 4-month follow-up, suggesting that long-term cardiovascular risk may be altered. Immediately following the attack, the average level of distress on a scale of one to ten was 7.2; this decreased to 3.8 at the 4-month follow-up and 3.7 at 1 year. In addition to overall stress, 34 percent of the participants felt anxious and 19 percent had nightmares after the attack; at 4 months, 17 percent still experienced anxiety while 14 percent continued to have nightmares.

Dr. Mosca and her colleagues offered a second screening program for the original study participants and other New Yorkers 11 months after the World Trade Center attack. Results of this follow-up report showed that 75 percent of the participants noted a significant change in lifestyle since the attack. Two-thirds of those who reported behavior changes that would increase cardiovascular risk (such as eating or smoking more or exercising less) still had not returned to normal. In addition, more than two-thirds of the participants were found to have 2 or more major risk factors for cardiovascular disease; only 11 percent were free of risk factors.

"While the World Trade Center attack was an unparalleled tragedy, the one-year anniversary might be seen as an opportunity to reflect on how it has changed our lives and our health habits. It may be a time to redefine priorities, and certainly health should be one of them," Dr. Mosca says. "We are committed to our community outreach efforts and are continuing our screening program to identify individuals with cardiovascular disease or its risk factors and to educate them about prevention."

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Samuel Bromley

Samuel Bromley was born in October 1753. He was a younger son of Albany residents William and Lena Boom Bromley.

In February 1776, he married Maria Spoor at the Albany Dutch church. It appears that the marriage was childless. Maria was dead by July 1826, when Samuel married Mrs. Elizabeth Brown. A newspaper noted that both partners were then seventy-three years old.

Beginning in 1779, his lots in the western part of the second ward were valued on Albany assessment rolls. In 1788, his real and personal property was valued at a total of ten pounds. He also seems to have bought and sold lots located in the western part of Albany and larger tracts in Guilderland.

Beginning in 1790, his household was configured on the second ward census. Over the next three decades, his household appeared on the Albany census. Subsequent city directories identified him as an innkeeper with an address roughly at 130-40 Lion (Washington) Street. A developer's map dated 1794 shows his house and property on the southwestern corner of Lion and Dove Streets. He was last listed in the directory in 1822 at 140 Washington.

Samuel Bromley was dead by June 28, 1828 when his will passed probate.

biography in-progress

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of Samuel Bromley is CAP biography number 5963. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.

first posted: 9/20/06


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NYS Board of Regents Votes to Make Competitive Cheer a Sport

Today, the Board of Regents unanimously (17-0) approved cheerleading to be recognized as a sport in New York State.  The vote follows a recommendation by the P-12 Education Committee yesterday to recognize cheerleading as a sport.

It is the first time competitive cheerleading would be recognized in New York State and will provide the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) an opportunity to officially regulate the sport under its statewide umbrella.  The NYSPHSAA plans to convene its cheerleading committee at the end of May to review the approval and set up a strategy for implementation within its membership.

“This is a great step for the progress of cheerleading and we truly appreciate the help, support and assistance of the New York State Education Department,” said Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director.  “The NYSPHSAA is excited to have competitive cheer recognized as a sport; today’s vote allows our association to implement coaching and safety standards for cheer coaches as well as highlight and promote the incredible athletes who participate in the sport with a championship event.  Our association has been working on this initiative since 2009 and I am pleased to see the goal become a reality.”

Members of the NYSPHSAA staff attended the P-12 Education Committee meeting yesterday, a sub-committee of the Board of Regents, to answer questions or concerns the committee had regarding competitive cheerleading.   In 2009, NYSPHSAA formed an Ad Hoc committee to review all aspects of the activity and how cheerleading would work within the current State Education and NYSPHSAA rules and regulations. In 2013, NYSPHSAA conducted its first competitive cheerleading events with the East and West Regional Invitational Tournaments during the winter season.  Both events were successfully conducted again in 2014 and NYSPHSAA already had plans to continue the events in 2015. Prior to the 2013 Invitational, NYSPHSAA adopted recommendations for competition and safety for coaches and athletes while awaiting the opportunity from the Board of Regents to recognize cheer as a sport.


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Ask Us Anything: Are Most Guys Who Swing in the Lifestyle Well Hung?

Question: Hey guys, love the blog. I was wondering if you would say that you and most guys in the couples you guys swing with are well hung? My girlfriend and I have thought about the lifestyle, but sometimes worry if I would be adequate compared to others. Thanks.

Him: The sizes of the guys range from below average to, on a few occasions, a bit too big for my girlfriend. Would I say most are well hung? No, most are average. My girlfriend enjoys 7 inches or larger. As for myself, I'm 7 inches, which is probably why my girlfriend likes 7 or more inches; it is just something she had probably grown used to over time.  There are guys she has played with that have been five or less inches and she would prefer not to play with them again. It is all about preference, but we've never heard of any girl turning away a guy after seeing his package in the lifestyle, though I suppose it may happen on occasion. Being compared to others is natural, we all have preferences and taste, but I don't think whatever your size is (unless it is something like three inches) is going to hamper your ability to enjoy the lifestyle.

Remember: You can ask us any questions you like anytime anonymously via the form under "Ask Us Anything" on the right hand side of this page or using the form attached to the bottom of this Ask Us Anything Post ;-)

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But during all the time when these losses were occurring, our Government was not making emancipation a specialty, but quite the reverse. Gen. HALLECK's order kept slaves in the West wholly out of our lines, and in the East the policy of our Generals was sufficiently dubious to render the Union camps a doubtful place of refuge to the fleeing contraband.

But, if thirty million dollars' worth of slaves were lost, in one year, under a conservative system of war, what may we expect when the President's new policy is fairly at work? The rebels say they will fight till they "get their rights," and among these rights at present is property in slaves. If they are pleased with the auspicious prospects of the war. as it affects their property as well as independence, then we conclude that so complacent a people never before risked their lives and property on the wager of battle.


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DE KALB, Ill., May 23— Karen Ulane, a Vietnam War combat pilot who was discharged by Eastern Airlines after a sex-change operation in 1980, was killed Monday in the crash of a charter plane. She was 48 years old and lived in Aurora.

Ms. Ulane, known until her surgery as Kenneth Ulane, died in the crash of a twin-propeller DC-3 owned by an air taxi and cargo service in a field near here. Two others aboard were also killed.

Ms. Ulane had the sex-change operation in 1980 after 12 years with Eastern. The airline dismissed her, citing possible safety hazards in stressful situations.

In 1983 Federal District Judge John F. Grady ordered reinstatement and $158,590 in back pay and other expenses, saying the 1964 Federal anti-discrimination law protects transsexuals. An appeals court disagreed and reversed the decision.

Ms. Ulane eventually received a settlement from Eastern that was ''substantially more'' than the amount ordered by Judge Grady, said her attorney, Dean Dickie.

Kenneth Ulane flew combat missions in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968.

Survivors include her mother and a son from a marriage while she was Kenneth Ulane.


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Following is the speech delivered last night by Gov. Mario M. Cuomo at the Democratic National Convention, as transcribed by The New York Times.

I don't want to go overtime. They warned me I might wind up playing the accordion on the Arsenio Hall Show, so let's ---- Tonight, tonight I will have the great privilege and honor of placing before you the name of the next President of the United States of America, Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas.

It seems to me that this is not a matter of our wanting Bill Clinton, it is much, much more than that. We need Bill Clinton because he is our only hope for change from this nation's current disastrous course.

Eight years ago, in San Francisco, some of us tried to convince America that while President Reagan was telling us we were all one "shining city on a hill," there was another city, where people were struggling, many of them living in pain. And we tried to tell America that unless we changed policies -- unless we expanded opportunity -- the deterioration of the other city would spread.

Well we Democrats failed to reach enough Americans with that message, and now the nation has paid an awful price. We cannot afford to fail again. Lives of Pain

The price is too high.

For the first time in their lives, millions of Americans who took for granted the basic right to make a living with one's own hands and mind and heart, have been denied the dignity of earning their own bread.

Today, a 50-year-old father lives nearly in terror at the prospect that if he is laid off now -- as so many people around him have been -- in addition to losing everything else, he'll lose his health insurance, too.

"What if I'm struck by cancer? My God, what about the mortgage? What about my son in college? And my daughter who's graduating high school? How will they get an education? And will they find a job even if they get an education?" How could it have happened? In a country where the executives of companies that fail, the presidents and chairmen of companies that make profits by trading solid American jobs for cheap labor overseas, can make $5 million, $10 million, $15 million a year? How did it happen? How can our middle-class workers be in such terrible jeopardy?

A million children a year leaving school for the mean streets, a million a year surrounded by prostitutes and drug dealers, by violence and degradation of all kinds.

Some of them growing up familiar with the sound of gunfire before they've ever heard an orchestra; becoming young adults, only to be instructed by the powerful evidence of their surroundings, that there is little hope for them -- even in America.

Nearly a whole generation surrendering in despair -- to drugs, to having children while they're still children, to hopelessness. How did it happen, here, in the most powerful nation in the world?

It's a terrible tragedy. Not only for our children, but for all of America.

They are not my children, perhaps. Perhaps they are not your children, either. But Jesse is right: They are our children.

And we should love them. We should, we should love them. That's compassion.

But there's common sense at work here as well, because even if we were hard enough to choose not to love them, we would still need them to be sound and productive, because they are the nation's future. Failed Economic Policy

It would be bad enough if we could believe that all of this unhappiness and failure is the result of a terrible but only a temporary recession.

But this, ladies and gentlemen, is more than a recession. Our economy has been weakened fundamentally by 12 years of conservative Republican supply-side policy, so called.

In fact, in fact supply-side was just another version of the failed Republican dogma of 65 years ago, then called "trickle down," which led to the Great Depression. And it has failed us again!

Think about supply-side. Supply-side operated from the naive Republican assumption that if we fed the wealthiest Americans with huge income tax cuts, they would eventually produce loaves and fishes for everyone. Instead, it made a small group of our wealthiest Americans wealthier than ever and left the rest of the country the crumbs from their tables. Unemployment, bankruptcy, economic stagnation.

Today, today, as we've heard so many times, a $400 billion annual deficit and a $4 trillion national debt hang like great albatrosses around our nation's neck, strangling our economy, menacing our future. Remember, we became a great nation by making things and selling them to others for their marks and their yens. But today, we buy from Japan and Germany and other nations the things we used to make and sell to them -- automobiles and radios and televisions and clothing --giving them our dollars for their goods.

And then at the end of the year, because we spend so much more than we collect in these reduced taxes, we borrow back those dollars, paying billions more of our dollars in interest, increasing our debt -- decreasing our ability to invest in our children, our schools -- perpetuating a mad economic cycle that threatens to spin us totally out of control.


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Health Guide

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis means "inflammation of the liver." It is a disorder in which viruses or other mechanisms produce inflammation in liver cells, resulting in their injury or destruction. The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, occupying the entire upper right quadrant of the abdomen. It performs over 500 vital functions. Some key roles are:

  • The liver processes all of the nutrients the body requires, including proteins, glucose, vitamins, and fats.
  • The liver manufactures bile, the greenish fluid stored in the gallbladder that helps digest fats.
  • One of the liver's major contributions is to render harmless potentially toxic substances, including alcohol, ammonia, nicotine, drugs, and harmful by-products of digestion.

Damage to the liver can impair these and many other processes. Hepatitis varies in severity from a self-limited condition with total recovery to a life-threatening or life-long disease. It can occur from many different causes:

  • In the most common hepatitis cases (viral hepatitis), specific viruses injure liver cells and activate the immune system to fight off the infection. Certain immune factors that cause injury become overproduced.
  • Hepatitis can also result from an autoimmune condition, in which abnormally targeted immune factors attack the body's own liver cells.
  • Inflammation of the liver can also occur from medical problems, drugs, alcoholism, chemicals, and environmental toxins.

All hepatitis viruses can cause an acute (short term) form of liver disease. Some specific hepatitis viruses (B, C, and D), and some non-viral forms of hepatitis, can cause chronic (long term) liver disease. (Hepatitis A and E viruses do not cause chronic disease.) In some cases, acute hepatitis develops into a chronic condition, but chronic hepatitis can also occur on its own. Although chronic hepatitis is generally the more serious condition, patients with either condition can have varying degrees of severity.

Acute Hepatitis. Acute hepatitis can begin suddenly or gradually, but it has a limited course and rarely lasts beyond 1 or 2 months, although it may last up to 6 months. Usually, there is only minimal liver cell damage and evidence of immune system activity. Rarely, acute hepatitis due to hepatitis B can cause severe, even life-threatening, liver damage.

Chronic Hepatitis. If hepatitis does not resolve after 6 months, it is considered chronic. The chronic forms of hepatitis last for prolonged periods. Doctors usually categorize chronic hepatitis by indications of severity:

  • Chronic persistent hepatitis is usually mild and does not progress or progresses slowly, causing limited damage to the liver.
  • Chronic active hepatitis involves progressive and often extensive liver damage and cell injury.

Viral Hepatitis

Most cases of hepatitis are caused by viruses that infect liver cells and begin replicating. They are identified by the letters A through G:

  • Hepatitis A, B, and C are the most common viral forms of hepatitis and are the primary focus of this report.
  • Other hepatitis viruses include hepatitis D and E. Hepatitis D is a serious and uncommon form of hepatitis that can be chronic. It is associated with hepatitis B, as the D virus relies on the B virus to replicate. (Therefore, hepatitis D cannot exist without the B virus also being present.) Hepatitis E, like hepatitis A, is an acute form of hepatitis that is transmitted by contact with contaminated food or water.
  • Researchers are investigating additional viruses that may be implicated in hepatitis unexplained by the currently known viruses.

The name of each type of viral hepatitis condition corresponds to the virus that causes it. For example, hepatitis A is caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B is caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C is caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Scientists do not know exactly how these viruses actually cause hepatitis (inflammation in the liver). As the virus reproduces in the liver, several proteins and enzymes, including many that attach to the surface of the viral protein, are also produced. Some of these may be directly responsible for liver damage. Researchers are investigating elevated levels of specific immune factors, including T cell sub-types, which are found in the livers of patients with hepatitis C or B. T cells are important infection fighters in the immune system that can release powerful inflammatory substances (tumor necrosis factor and interferon gamma) that may be involved in the damage associated with hepatitis B and C.

Non-Viral Forms of Hepatitis

Autoimmune Hepatitis . Autoimmunehepatitis is a rare form of chronic hepatitis. Like other autoimmune disorders, its exact cause is unknown. Autoimmune hepatitis may develop on its own or may be associated with other autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. In autoimmune disorders, a misdirected immune system attacks the body's own cells and organs (in this case the liver.

Alcoholic Hepatitis. About 20% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, usually between the ages of 40 - 60 years. In the body, alcohol breaks down into various chemicals, some of which are very toxic to the liver. After years of drinking, liver damage can be very severe, leading to cirrhosis. Although heavy drinking itself is the major risk factor for alcoholic hepatitis, genetic factors may play a role in increasing a person's risk for alcoholic hepatitis. Women who abuse alcohol are at higher risk for alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis than are men who drink heavily.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects 10 - 24% of the population. It covers several conditions, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NAFLD has features similar to alcoholic hepatitis, particularly a fatty liver, but it occurs in individuals who drink little or no alcohol. Severe obesity and diabetes are the major risk factors for NAFLD as well as complications from NAFLD. NAFLD is usually benign and very slowly progressive. In certain patients, however, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer.

Drug-Induced Hepatitis. Because the liver plays such a major role in metabolizing drugs, hundreds of medications can cause reactions that are similar to those of acute viral hepatitis. Symptoms can appear anytime after starting drug treatment. In most cases, they disappear when the drug is withdrawn, but in rare circumstances they may progress to serious liver disease. Drugs most noted for liver interactions include halothane, isoniazid, methyldopa, phenytoin, valproic acid, and the sulfonamide drugs. Very high doses of acetaminophen (Tylenol) have been known to cause severe liver damage and even death, particularly when used with alcohol.

Toxin-Induced Hepatitis . Certain types of plant and chemical toxins can cause hepatitis. These include toxins found in poisonous mushrooms, and industrial chemicals such as vinyl chloride.

Metabolic-Disorder Associated Hepatitis . Hereditary metabolic disorders, such as hemochromatosis (accumulation of iron in the body) and Wilson’s disease (accumulation of copper in the body) can cause liver inflammation and damage.

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A Reformed Suicide Bomber in the 77th St. Subway Station, Manhattan

By Yiannis Petrohilos in the voice of his alter ego, Mahmoud Aziz, 12/01

Brothers, last night when I went to bed I couldn't sleep because of the excitement of the day that would follow. So as I was lying in my bed I was thinking of everything that we have accomplished the past few years. Suddenly a dark cloud came over me. I remembered that the initial goal of this brotherhood was to spread "True Islam", a religion of love peace and friendship. It seems to me though, that the only thing we have accomplished is to spread terror and a distorted image about our religion. The West have coined expressions like "Islamic terror" and are comparing the Islamic movement with the crusades, which were expeditions in the late 11th century to recover the holy land from the Muslims. They too had a religious goal, but the only thing they accomplished was to reign fear and terror by killing hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Jews. The crusaders went as far as to plunder Constantinople, which was a Christian city and to steal golden objects from the churches.

I started thinking that according to Islam law terrorism is considered cowardly, predatory and a grand sin punishable by death. It prohibits indiscriminate attacks against enemies, Muslims or non-Muslims. In the Quran Allah tells us: "fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for Allah loves not transgressors."

It is well known and deeply regrettable that the government of the United States is often an instrument for the oppression of Muslims, and indeed for the subjection of many other of the world's people.The Iraq sanction has caused 1.5 million people to die because of malnutrition and a lack of medicine. And although the oil-for-food program has allowed to export 2 billion dollars worth of oil every six months, only $1.3 billion can be spent on food and medicine since $700 million have to be given to a compensation fund and toward U.N. expenses. But the U.N. estimates that Iraq needs to spend $2.1 billion every six months just to stop conditions from getting worse.Furthermore during the Yugoslavia bombing the concentration of the bombs were falling in Kosovo when everyone knew that Milosevic was in Belgrade. This caused thousands of Muslim Albanians to become refugees, an addition to previous thousands which had left Kosovo because of the ethnic cleansing performed by the Serbs.

Finally the embargo and attacks on Afghanistan forced 150.000 of our brothers to seek refugee in Pakistan, 100.000 of which were evicted. Having suffered from injustice though does not license anyone to commit injustice. Allah has told us: "My servants, I have made injustice unlawful for Me and unlawful for you, so do not commit injustice against one another." We all know that there is a special place for those who die in the service of God as martyrs. But we must also remember that the first people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the say of Resurrection will be a man who died as a martyr. If someone shoots me because of what I'm saying about God, the Qu'ran says I'm not really dead because I'm with Him. If I'm feeding the poor and calling for justice, I can't be called dead. My soul is alive and God sustains me. But to kill innocent people because their government oppresses my people is unacceptable. It is said in the Qu'ran that whoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all of mankind, and who so ever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Moreover Allah tells us: "And if you do respond to an attack, respond no worse than they did. But if you show patience, that is indeed the best course, for your patience is from God." The people who were killed in Washington and New York and the ones that we are about to kill today are people who loves Jesus, prophet Moses, or even Muslims. This according to the Qu'ran is a sin that, unless forgiven by God brings torment in Hell. On the other hand, we as Muslims cannot afford to ever forget that Jihad means struggle, not holy war. It is about risk, sacrifice and strategy for the common good. It is not about violence. Yes, it has sometimes meant warfare, but only when that could be undertaken with the Prophet's nobility and honor and only when no alternative could exist. With Jihad, violence is not the point. Ours is a struggle of love against hate, of justice against injustice. Nowhere in the Qu'ran or the Hadith do we read that the end justifies the means. In no part of the Qu'ran does God command us to respond to violence with violence. On the contrary, Allah commands us to respond to evil with goodness.

In the Qu'ran we are taught that: "A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else he will become a friend." After that my brothers I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. Today I woke up reborn. And I feel reborn because I realized the error of my ways. It occurred to me that I'm not spreading the word of Allah by killing innocent people. Because Allah speaks of love peace, friendship. My religion is talks of patience and submission. I realized that the only way we can get people to discover the beauty of "True Islam" is to speak to them and educate them about what it is all about. Today is a great day for me, because from today I no longer believe in the power of guns but in the power of my words and my faith. I hope and pray that the Almighty will enlighten you as he did me and that you will join me in my quest to spread His word.

Mahmoud Aziz
The word Jihad literally means, to struggle or strive, to work for something with determination. It does not mean holy war. The Arabic word for war is "Harb" and the word for fighting is "Qital". In the West the word is generally used as "Holy war" a usage that the media have popularized. According to Islam teachings it is unholy to instigate or start war. However, some wars are inevitable and justifiable. One of the highest levels of Jihad is to stand up to a tyrant and speak a word of truth. The goal of physical Jihad is not to have a big war, gain riches or kill people, it is to further the cause of Allah and to create justice on Earth.


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Service Learning Experience for Transfer and Visiting Students

The TransferMation Program is designed to empower and challenge service-minded transfer and visiting students as they participate in NYC service projects, leadership activities and an Alternative Spring Break trip. The program will bring together new and returning transfer students for an opportunity to develop leadership skills through direct service, education and reflection; while encouraging personal growth, social awareness, and active citizenship. The TransferMation program is advised by returning transfer students from the Transfer Student Programs. Contact Victor Velasco for more information or if you have any questions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

TransferMation is open to all students who have transferred to NYU from another college or university. Priority will be given to students who are starting their first semester at NYU Washington Square.

Students will hold weekly planning meetings, host fundraisers throughout the semester, and engage in monthly community service projects. Time commitments will vary depending on each month’s project but students should be prepared to dedicate approximately 10-12 hours a month to the TransferMation program. Participants also travel on an Alternative Spring Break trip. Participants' commitment is for one full academic year.

An Alternative Break is a trip where a group of students engage in volunteer service, typically for a week. The trip focuses on a specific community or social issue, such as poverty, education, hunger, environment and so on. For TransferMation, students will participate in an Alternative Spring Break.  For more information, visit NYU Alternative Breaks.

The Alternative Weekend Break is mandatory and a highlight of the TransferMation experience. The cost of the Alternative Break varies depending on the location. Participants will create and host fundraisers throughout the year to raise finances for the Alternative Break.

The trip is led by two former TransferMation participants and advised by a graduate student from the Student Resource Center.

Applicants will be notified via email by early October.

Spring 2015 | West Virginia

Spring 2014 | Oklahoma

Spring 2013 | Philadelphia, PA

Fall 2012 Group | Philadelphia, PA

Fall 2011 | New Jersey

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Cover Image
close this bookCoordinating Among International Organizations in Complex Emergencies (Draft 1st Edition) (Complex Emergency Training Initiative - Disaster Management Training Programme, 77 p.)
View the document(introduction...)
View the documentACKNOWLEDGMENTS
View the documentACRONYMS
View the documentINTRODUCTION
Open this folder and view contentsPart 1 - Coordination: objectives and best practices for complex emergencies
Open this folder and view contentsPart 2 - Roles, responsibilities and resources
Open this folder and view contentsPart 3 - Coordination mechanisms in the field
View the documentCASE STUDY
View the documentEND NOTES
View the documentANNEX 1: Terms of reference of the Humanitarian Coordinator11
View the documentANNEX 2: References
View the documentEVALUATION

ANNEX 1: Terms of reference of the Humanitarian Coordinator11

11 Taken from the DHA Handbook on Complex Emergencies.

The best description of the work of the DHA representative in-country in a complex emergency (and therefor the overall work of his/her support staff) are the "Terms of Reference of the Humanitarian Coordinator". These terms of reference, approved by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee at the heads of agency level, also apply to the UN Resident Coordinator, when acting as the DHA representative.

These terms of reference include 22 tasks, divided into four main categories:

1) humanitarian assistance coordination mechanisms and agreements
2) assessing and addressing humanitarian needs
3) humanitarian advocacy
4) information dissemination

Humanitarian assistance coordination mechanisms and agreements

1. Convening and serving as the Chair for meetings of the Disaster Management Team (DMT) in-country to deal with matters relating to the complex emergency in question, and providing the necessary secretariat support to the DMT. For purposes of dealing with the complex emergency in question, the regular DMT will usually be expanded to include other relevant entities, such as NGOs involved in related relief efforts.

2. Reaching agreement on the basic division of responsibilities among the UN agencies, in accordance with their respective mandates and capacities, as well as working with the other relief entities to facilitate such agreements within the larger relief community.

3. Developing and maintaining a central registry of locally represented humanitarian assistance agencies and organizations, including information on their respective activities and expertise.

4. Ensuring that effective inter-agency coordination within specific sector areas is undertaken by the relevant agencies, and that coordination of the overall logistics needs of the relief operation is effectively undertaken.

5. Obtaining guidance from the Designated Official regarding the implementation of security procedures in support of humanitarian assistance activities, ensuring that this is effectively communicated to the concerned agencies in the field, and facilitating their coordinated implementation.

6. Acting as a focal point fort discussion within the relief community regarding policy issues of inter-agency concern (e.g. wage levels for local staff, difficulties with customs procedures and policies, government clearances for travel and passes, etc.) and as an interlocutor with the relevant parties (e.g., the host government) for resolution of such matters.

7. Facilitating the provision of key support services for the larger relief community, such as telecommunications, transportation (e.g., via vehicle or light aircraft operation), etc.

8. Ensuring consultation with government and national authorities on matters regarding the planning and implementation of humanitarian assistance

9. Facilitating communications, and ensuring overall coordination, between the UN and other humanitarian aid agencies on the one hand and the relevant components of bilateral military forces and/or those of UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations when such forces are present, including promoting resolution of matters of joint concern to the humanitarian aid agencies

Assessing and addressing humanitarian needs

10. Ensuring the overall coordination of inter-agency, multi-sectoral assessments of needs, including the identification of priority needs, and ensuring that such assessments are quickly initiated, adequately supported and effectively carried out.

11. Coordinating the preparation of an overall humanitarian assistance strategy and Plan of Action of UN agencies, including the establishing of priorities for assistance and agreed collaborative approaches, and coordinating revisions and modifications as required by changing conditions and needs. The preparation and revision of this Plan should be done in close collaboration with the other relevant humanitarian assistance entities, including reflecting their activities and future plans in the Plan.

12. Coordinating the preparation of inter-agency consolidated appeals for humanitarian assistance for the complex emergency in question, including working with the agencies both in-country and at the headquarters level to ensure that the actions described in the IASC Consolidated Appeal Guidelines (currently being finalized) are implemented.

13. Monitoring the provision of resources against such appeals, bringing donor attention to important outstanding gaps, and facilitating inter-agency resource mobilization efforts both in-country as well as at the headquarters level (e.g., via local donor meetings and briefings, convening donor conferences if appropriate, etc.).

14. Monitoring humanitarian needs and identifying specific gaps in the provision of humanitarian assistance. Working with UN and other entities to ensure that such gaps are addressed before they reach the crisis point.

15. Facilitating ongoing strategic planning for the relief effort, including the provision of early warning of major changes in needs or delivery capacities, and contingency planning for such eventualities.

16. Monitoring and facilitating UN humanitarian assistance to special population groups (e.g., internally displaced persons, demobilized soldiers, etc.) to ensure that it is provided in an adequate and timely manner, and coordinating such UN efforts (unless such coordination has been delegated by the Emergency Relief Coordinator to a specific agency).

17. Ensuring that the necessary support is provided to field staff assisting in local coordination of humanitarian assistance and in situation monitoring.

18. Ensuring that effective evaluations of the overall relief efforts, especially the coordination aspects, are undertaken, the lessons to be learned dearly identified, and appropriate follow-up actions taken.

19. Cooperating with entities responsible for planning and implementation of rehabilitation and development activities to ensure that rehabilitation actions begin as soon as they become feasible (which will often be simultaneous with relief efforts), and that relief actions are planned and undertaken with the perspective of their longer-term impacts.

Humanitarian advocacy

20. Serving as focal point for the humanitarian community for ensuring the protection of humanitarian mandates in conflict situations, including by: (a.) seeking acceptance by all parties to the civil conflict in question on the key principles that must underlie UN humanitarian aid efforts (e.g. neutrality, impartiality, access to those in need, accountability to donors for aid provided, etc.); and (b.) promoting, assisting and if necessary, leading negotiations to obtain free, safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance to those in need. (c.) provide information to the Military and Political Department of UN missions assigned to a country to situate the humanitarian mandate in relation to political and military ones.

Information dissemination

21. Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information regarding humanitarian needs and operations to the wider community (e.g., through the production of regular Situation Reports).

22. Ensuring the provision of timely, accurate and relevant information to media, and of briefing information to assist new agencies and NGOs, visiting missions and delegations, etc.


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Nasa's view of Earth: 12/12/12

Photo / NASA / NOAA GOES Project  / Dennis Chesters
Photo / NASA / NOAA GOES Project / Dennis Chesters

A US satellite has captured an image of the Earth on the twelfth hour of the twelfth day of the twelfth month of 2012.

The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration's GOES-15 satellite took the image of the Pacific Ocean at 1200 UTC (Universal Time Coordinate), said Dennis Chesters, project scientist of NASA's GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where the image was created.

New Zealand can be seen in the bottom left of the image, while newborn Tropical Storm Evan can be seen to the north, sitting about 145 nautical miles (268km) west of Pago Pago, American Samoa.

© Copyright 2015, NZME. Publishing Limited

Assembled by: (static) on production apcf04 at 02 Sep 2015 04:23:28 Processing Time: 478ms


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Does your Dog Experience:

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Your dog is itching and scratching all over. He’s losing his hair, has yucky spots on his skin, battles ear infections, and/or smells terrible. He’s gone to the vet several times and received medications like antibiotics or steroids. Afterwards, the dog often gets better for a short period time while on the medications, then after the meds run their course the problem returns a little worse than before.  So it’s back to the vet repeat the process and on it goes. Maybe you’ve even taken him to the dermatologist and had allergy testing done and begun a series of allergy shots. On and on it goes and you are wondering what is going on because these treatments only seem to work for a short time before the symptoms return again.

Well, we want you to know that you have come to the right place! We hear similar stories from customers multiple times every day. It’s time you found the real solution by following Nzymes Healthy Skin Program. Help your dog get back on track the natural way. Do this the and we GUARANTEE that you’ll see the results you want!

The Question

How do I get rid of my dog’s allergies

The Problem

Allergies may not be the problem at all

The medical field defines an ‘allergy’ as “abnormal reaction or over-reaction of the immune system.” Therefore, when a veterinarian sees your dog’s immune system reacting (or being extra sensitive) to foods, treats, grass, trees, etc., they often believe it is food allergies that they are experiencing. Typically a vet will prescribe a special prescription pet food for sensitive dogs and later maybe an antibiotic, steroid, topical medicated cream, or antihistamine to help with the symptoms. The PROBLEM with this approach is that the pet food is generally full of sugar and starchy carbohydrates ingredients that feed sugar to the actual root of the problem, Yeast.

The medications (like antibiotics and steroids) beside their medicinal help, can damage the natural flora of the gut and inhibit the immune system of your pet.  Often this can cause detrimental side effects and a wide variety of symptoms. But what good is any of this if the problem consistently comes back to haunt your pet, causing you more vet visits and medications. Allergy shots and dermatology visits are also often recommended once the medications stop masking the symptoms. And “masking the symptoms” is exactly what these medications do.

If your dog should be experiencing problems that are actually the result of an allergic reaction, not just a vet’s assessment, those kinds of reactions and symptoms should dissipate and go away once the allergens are removed from the equation. In our experience, these kinds of allergic reactions in dogs are rare rather than common.

Actual Allergy Issues

Though there may be situations where Pets may truly be allergic to things they come in contact with, eat or inhale, it is important to understand that this type of problem is rare. This is totally in contrast to a viewpoint within the veterinary community that seems oriented toward the notion that there a large numbers of dogs (or cats) that are prone to be allergic to nearly anything or everything once this basic digestive tract problem pops up it misleading head.

However, here at NZYMES, we have come to have extremely heavy experience related to pets with these “so called” allergy issues on a daily basis since 1999, with 10’s of thousands of serious and challenging cases resolved over those years. Our findings and experience show that these “allergy assumptions” are truly misdirected, and that at the root of these misdiagnosed allergy problems is virtually always a systemic yeast overgrowth issue, which IS resolvable.  Whereas, there is NO real resolution possible where the “keep the allergies in check” treatment approach is in use. NZYMES has researched and developed our Healthy-Skin Program with the help of leading Pet Nutritionists and Veterinary Immune System Specialists over the years. With all those years of research, approach adjustments, and tremendous success in an estimated 60,000+ cases, the facts show us that almost EVERY TIME, the affected pet is actually battling a Systemic Yeast Infection of the digestive tract – which can be reversed, over time, with our nutritionally-focused Healthy-Skin Program.  This is not a cure; it’s actually about re-balancing the gut by pushing and crowding-out the Yeast and rebuilding healthy bacterial colonies to the point that they are back in proper control of the gut environment.

For years we researched and developed our Healthy-Skin Program along with the top Pet Nutritionists and leading Veterinary Immune System Specialists. The only way to effectively manage this yeast problem is to use the right nutrition factors to naturally strengthen the pet’s immune system and digestive tract.  This allows the pet to then to rebuild and recover slowly, at it’s own pace, to resolve what are sometimes overwhelming cleansing symptoms.

Yeast Overgrowth and Leaky Gut Syndrome
Example of a severe yeast overgrowth

One Simple Warning – The Symptoms will get worse before they gets better!

We have experienced such tremendous results with this approach for over a 15 years now, and more success stories come into our mailbox each and every day. Our program has proven to be successful over 90% of the time. But we have to tell you that ‘whats inside has to come out’ and ‘the symptoms will worsen before they get better‘. You need to know what to expect so you can help your pet through 3 to 7 month cleansing process.

This is the approach that we take here at Nzymes. Our Healthy-Skin Program and powerful products combined properly balance pet foods and a set of  5 simple steps to follow will successfully assist your pet in it recovery. We Guarantee It, or your Money Back!

The Answer

The Healthy-Skin Kits (Large or Small) will help with the tough challenge of rebuilding the gut’s ‘friendly bacteria colonies’ and  Candida yeast overgrowth in the GI tract with healthy ‘friendly bacteria colonies’. This digestive imbalance must be ‘mostly’ corrected before your pet’s observed symptoms will significantly subside. However, secondary cleansing will continue for 5-6 months (or more) beyond the disappearance of most symptoms. A Maintenance Program is recommended after the detox to prevent future relapses of this very tough problem.

The NZYMES® Healthy-Skin Kits are designed to offer a low-cost and effective solution to the overall issues while naturally supporting a healthy immune system.

Click Here To Learn The 5 Step Program

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Oak Creek girls bounce back with 61-19 rout of Kenosha Tremper

Jan. 3, 2014

It's a veteran group this Oak Creek girls basketball team, so as coach Steve Hluchnik said: "there was no suicide watch" after the formerly top-ranked Knights dropped their first game of the season last Saturday to unbeaten Pewaukee.

"It was kind of a learning experience," said senior post Tamya Sims. "Better to lose now than to lose later. We focused on our offense and I think we got a lot better this week."

The Knights (4-0 in Southeast play and 8-1 overall) certainly acted like it on Friday, as in their first action since the Pewaukee contest, they roared out to a 9-0 lead on on a good Southeast Conference opponent, Kenosha Tremper and never let the Trojans in the game in a 61-19 rout.

"I think we realized that last week was not the end of the world," said Hluchnik. "We worked hard this week. A little more intense, a little more focused.

"Last week I think we hit only one shot from the perimeter and tonight, I think we shot something like 85 percent in the first half."

A great deal of that effectiveness came from the defense, as the Knights held the Trojans without a point until the 2:39 point of the first quarter as a Katie Settingsgaard 3-pointer made it 12-3 at the end of the period.

The defense was even more pronounced in the second session as the Knights turned over the Trojans (3-1, 6-3) at will throughout the first four minutes. During that time, Sims came out as part of an effective half-court trap and created numerous opportunities for herself and her teammates with several takeways.

She had 10 of her game-high 18 points in that first four minutes as it became 30-3 before Hluchnik subbed in several new people at the four minute mark.

"We felt we attacked the rim and played with a lot more confidence," said Sims. 'We were more aggressive defensively too."

It was 34-9 at the half.

Hluchnik gave the starters one more good burst of activity at the start of the third, and then it was Sims' teammate and fellow post Stephanie Kostowicz's turn, as she scored 12 of her 16 points in a little under 3:30.

Included were an old-fashioned three-point play, a steal and a lay-up and a closing 3-pointer. It was 48-8 with 4:33 left in the third and the running clock was secured for the fourth quarter.

Hluchnik noticed that the Knights were much more efficient offensively this evening.

"Tonight we came off screens strong and ready to shoot," he said. "We shot with confidence. I also thought we used our 1-3-1 (zone defense) well too.

"It was nice to bounce back like this. We worked on a lot of things this week. We didn't have to tell them a lot (after the loss). They're seniors. They know what they have to do."

Fifth-ranked in state Oak Creek also got six points apiece from Jenna Santi, Nicky Widenski and Katie Finn. Finn and Santi had two 3-pointers apiece. The Knights also hit all seven of their free throw attempts this game.

"This was a nice win," said Sims. "That's a good team in our conference that we beat. It'll be nice to get on a regular schedule now. Play two games a week with regular practice.

"The key for us is to keep playing well, stay focused and keep working for our goals."

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Share what you embrace

Opinion: Letters To The Editor

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We appreciate Wednesday Journal's coverage in the May 1 edition of the OPRF Embrace campaign, which is underway. It's an important reminder that although it's easy to spot what's wrong in our community, there is great value in pointing out the many people, organizations and initiatives that embody the many positive reasons why we call Oak Park and River Forest home.

Through our participation in the Community Leadership Program, under the auspices of Dominican University's Brennan School of Business and the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, we are excited to have gotten the dialogue started.

Now, this is where you come in — please take a few minutes and let us know what you embrace about this outstanding little corner of the world. The deadline is Friday, May 10 for submitting 100 words or a photograph (or both) about what you embrace in Oak Park and/or River Forest. Your responses will be included in a video that we create and show at various venues.

Please keep in mind that no nominee is too "small" — we are greater than the sum of our parts, and most of our parts are small in relation to the whole.

We look forward to receiving your submission on our Facebook page ( or through our email at

Tracy Brooker

Vice chair, board of trustees, Fenwick High School

Cristy Harris

Prevail executive director

Jill Moorhead

West Cook YMCA wellness coordinator

Max Williams

Downtown Oak Park executive director

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Oak Park and River Forest emphasize non-criminal response for teen substance abuse

Ordinance allows for civil administration hearings instead of court for minor drug, alcohol offenses

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A collaborative effort among Oak Park and River Forest governments, schools, police and citizen activists has spurred a new law that offers options other than criminal consequences for first-time teenage offenders who get caught smoking, drinking or doing drugs.

An ordinance recently taken up at the Oak Park Village Board allows police the choice to send a case to a civil administrative hearing instead of having the teen face a criminal conviction when it comes to misdemeanor charges. Similar ordinances have already been approved in River Forest and by other local government entities.

"It allow parents and police a tool and gives kids a chance to turn around their lives," said Christine Raino-Ogden, a River Forest mother and member of IMPACT, the grassroots anti-drug and alcohol group behind the cause.

Instead of going to court and having an official record, under the new law teens will appear with their parents in front on an administrative law judge where they would likely face fines, community service, or a youth-based intervention program.

The new law is worth commending, according to parents involved with the cause. It is the result of nearly two years of work by IMPACT. The group hopes the change trickles down into an attitude change about substance possession among teens.

The program, however, raised concerns among Oak Park board members. Some suggested the records could be too public since they would be documented as village paperwork.

Interim Village Attorney Simone Boutet said the records, much like a court document, would be public record and could be obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request. She suspected, however, that such records would seldom be sought out.

In many cases, she said, the civil administrative hearing would be less publicly visible than having teens go in front of a judge.

Also discussed but not made part of this initial push is the concept of a peer-to-peer teen court. But Boutet said that would be a future decision needing board approval.

"You can't just say you want to do it," she said. "It costs money and takes effort. It would be a formal program that needed to be set up."

Instead, this policy involves fines for possessing tobacco, opposed to just purchasing it, and it also prohibits hosting, condoning or failing to take reasonable steps to prevent parties and gatherings that involve underage drinking or illicit drug use.

David Boulanger, Oak Park Township supervisor, said the recently passed ordinance had improved since its introduction earlier this year. Through its Youth Services division, Oak Park and River Forest townships are heavily involved in youth substance abuse discussions. Boulanger said the collaboration with the village and police will help move cases quicker and more smoothly than those that have to face the court system.

"What we're very pleased about is that this moves things in the direction of education and prevention," Boulanger said. "That's what the township youth services is all about."

Trustee Colette Lueck expressed concerns for some aspects of the ordinance, saying the measure could overstep parents control over what their children can and cannot do.

Since she said the regulations in the law are "value judgments," it was important the board decide if it's the role of the local government to impose those rules. Although the board has set rules regulating children and teen behavior in the past, this ordinance, Lueck said, is one of the first instances under which parents are being regulated, too.

Lueck also suggested that she didn't think the ordinance would be as effective as hoped since police aren't able to bust all the problematic parties every week.

"We are only getting the tip of the iceberg," she said.

Regardless, it sends a message, Raino-Odgen said.

She said attitude changes can cause behavioral changes. Previously, she said teens were more focused on consequences than behavior, which didn't solve the issue.

"That reaction sends exactly the wrong message to the children," she said, and explained that parents are prone to defend their children to keep them out of legal trouble. "Children who get caught with possession or using drugs — it will catch their attention and their parents attention. It will underscore that their behavior it harmful and wrong. It can also steer them into early intervention programs that can steer them in the right direction."

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DTK from Oak Park

Posted: June 13th, 2012 9:48 AM

This is absolutely the right way to go. Teens make mistakes, but punishing them inappropriately for first time and minor offenses can make things worse, rather than making them better people when they finally mature. We need to be clear that there behavior was wrong, while sending them on a better path. This approach does that. Congratulations OP & RF.

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Oberlin Alumni Magazine

Spring 2008 Vol. 103 No. 3 OAM Home | Oberlin Online

Taking the Second Amendment to Court

Dennis Henigan ’73, vice president for law and policy at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence

When the Supreme Court decides its potentially most significant gun control case in 70 years this spring, Oberlinians will have played a major part in laying the groundwork.

It was back in the 1930s when the high court last issued a full opinion interpreting the Constitution’s Second Amendment on the right to bear arms. The dispute that has led the justices back into the legal thicket of gun control started in 1976, when Washington, D.C., enacted one of the nation’s most stringent gun laws, a statute that essentially bans city residents from acquiring handguns.

Three decades later, the Supreme Court is considering a challenge to the measure. Last year, a federal appeals court unexpectedly found D.C.’s law in violation of the Second Amendment, which states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

When the capital’s law went on the books, Dennis Henigan ’73 was attending law school and Adrian Fenty ’92 was in elementary school. Both would play key roles when it came time for the issue to gain national prominence. When the appeals court ruled last March, Fenty had just become mayor of D.C. and Henigan was director of the Legal Action Project at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which has litigated many of the gun-control movement’s major cases.

Fenty, a lawyer whose rise to power was chronicled in the winter 2007 issue of this magazine, inherited a case that had been filed against the city before he took office. Timing dictated that it was his job to make the decision on whether to take the case to the high court. His move to seek review by the Supreme Court was not universally hailed by gun-control advocates, who fear that it could lead to a major setback for their movement nationwide.

It might not be surprising that Henigan holds an important public-interest law position—a field widely populated with Oberlin alums. What isn’t so obvious is how Henigan, who lacks a lifelong history of activism on gun issues, became a major player in the movement and has stuck with it for nearly two decades.

It started with an interest in debating. Henigan grew up in northern Virginia, where his father was the debate team coach at nearby George Washington University. Like college football teams that seek out local high school stars, Oberlin, which Henigan says had a “powerhouse college debating program” in the 1960s, spotted Henigan. Then-Oberlin debate coach Daniel Rohrer knew Henigan’s father, and Oberlin debaters like Roger Conner ’69 and Mark Arnold ’70, encouraged Henigan to enroll in the College. He was quickly persuaded, and ended up winning debate tournaments as part of a team with Arnold.

The early 1970s was a time of anti-Vietnam War activism on campus. Henigan became caught up in activities opposing the war and gradually left debating. He became fascinated with the study of philosophy, working with Professor Norman Care and graduating with high honors. To earn that designation, he was required to defend a thesis before three faculty members as if it were a PhD project. “Oberlin taught me how to think, to question my own conclusions constantly and never to be quite satisfied,” Henigan says. “No matter how well you think you’ve thought things through, a good professor will get you to go deeper.”

Henigan thought about continuing his philosophy studies in graduate school, but instead decided to take up law at the University of Virginia, traditionally one of the top U.S. law schools and a much more conservative institution than Oberlin. After graduation, he landed a position in the D.C., office of the national firm Foley & Lardner. One attraction for Henigan was the firm’s commitment to public-interest law. He became involved in housing work and helped create the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, which sent white and black testers to the same places to determine if their policies were discriminatory.

In general, Henigan believed that “the law could be a powerful tool for a progressive society, to attack problems of the less powerful.” In his 11 years at Foley & Lardner, where he became a partner, Henigan lived the two professional lives pursued by many lawyers: doing primarily corporate work, but spending substantial time on public-interest matters. Ultimately, he observed, it “seemed like the public-interest lawyers were having a lot more fun,” and so he sought out full-time opportunities in that field.

Unbeknownst to Henigan, in the late 1980s an organization called Handgun Control, Inc., one of the leading national gun-control advocacy groups, had decided to start a legal arm. Henigan had been sympathetic to the cause but never active in it. He answered the group’s ad in a legal publication and was hired.

The Washington, D.C., Gun Law

June 1976: The D.C. Council, in an effort to curb gun violence, passes a gun-control law that restricts city residents from owning handguns. The law exempts police officers, guards, and gun owners who had registered their handguns before it took effect. Rifles and shotguns, which are not restricted by the law, must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or locked except those in business establishments.

February 2003: Six D.C. residents sue the city, arguing that the gun ban violates their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

March 2004: U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan dismisses the suit, ruling that the Second Amendment was tailored to membership in a militia, not to individuals.

March 2007: In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturns Sullivan’s decision, ruling that while the District can regulate firearms, it cannot prevent people from owning handguns.

May 2007: The full federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., lets the March ruling stand, paving the way for a possible Second Amendment showdown in the Supreme Court. Mayor Fenty must decide whether to bring the case to the high court or to revise D.C.’s handgun laws.

September 2007: Mayor Fenty asks the Supreme Court to uphold the gun ban.

November 2007: The Supreme Court agrees to take the case, now known as District of Columbia v. Heller, weighing the constitutionality of the 31-year ban on handguns. The Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on the Second Amendment in nearly 70 years.

March 18, 2008: The Supreme Court scheduled to hear arguments, with a decision expected by summer recess.

Source: The Washington Post

At the time, some personal-injury lawyers had gone after gun makers the same way they had successfully sued the tobacco industry. Their problem was that unlike cigarettes, which are arguably defective products because of their hidden danger to health, guns are intended to be dangerous. It was difficult for critics to win judicial opinions or jury verdicts holding companies liable for damages.

Henigan viewed the long list of unsuccessful lawsuits as a challenge. “It was a fascinating opportunity to make new law,” he recalls. “I didn’t allow myself to be discouraged.” He viewed the task as comparable to inventing the civil-rights and environmental-law movements: “It was an undefined idea. I wanted to help create legal theories to hold accountable those who were increasing the risk of violence.” In one breakthrough case in 1986, a Maryland court did hold liable a maker of the cheap handgun known as a “Saturday Night Special.” The National Rifle Association worked hard to defeat a state referendum to ban the guns, but it passed anyway. Henigan called the result a turning point in the battle for public support on gun control.

On a federal level, gun-control forces were at a low point during the Republican-dominated 1980s, but things changed dramatically during the administration of President Clinton, whom Henigan calls “the most effective gun control advocate I’ve ever encountered.” In Clinton’s early years came enactment of a federal law prohibiting manufacture of many assault-style weapons, as well as the Brady Law, which required background checks on gun buyers at gun stores. The law was named for former White House press secretary Jim Brady and his wife, Sarah, who was board chair of Handgun Control. In honor of the Bradys, the group renamed itself the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

For his part, Henigan started as a one-man “legal action project” that helped recruit law firms to defend state and local gun-control laws from attack by gun-rights advocates. On the liability front, he abandoned the argument that guns were inherently defective products and instead moved to a “third-party liability” theory to hold companies accountable when their irresponsible conduct enabled dangerous individuals to get guns.

The first major victory came in a 1999 California appeals court ruling that the maker of a semiautomatic pistol known as the TEC-9 could be held liable for a 1993 shooting in which a man entered a San Francisco law firm and killed eight people and himself. Similar cases were later filed on behalf of cities with high crime rates. The litigation’s high-water mark was in 2004, when a total of more than $4 million in damages was paid to victims. That included a $2.5 million settlement in a case brought by victims of the snipers who terrorized the Washington, D.C., area in 2002. The cases were something of a victim of their own success. Gun advocates, with support from the White House, finally were able to counter the lawsuits when Congress enacted a hotly disputed 2005 federal law limiting the gun industry’s liability.

Meanwhile, trouble was brewing on the Second Amendment front. When Henigan joined the movement, there seemed no doubt that the Second Amendment did not block gun-control laws. Gun-control advocates argued that constitutional provision referred to the long-abandoned idea of citizen militias. Still, libertarians and some conservatives kept pushing the theory that modern laws that kept guns out of law-abiding citizens’ hands were inconsistent with the amendment.

Finally, they succeeded in persuading a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule 2-to-1 in March 2007 that the D.C. law ran afoul of the Constitution. Judge Laurence Silberman said the amendment was not intended to apply only to militia members. “The Bill of Rights was almost entirely a declaration of individual rights, and the Second Amendment’s inclusion therein strongly indicates that it, too, was intended to protect personal liberty,” he said.

Because nine other federal appellate courts had ruled the other way, the outcome came as something of a surprise to Henigan and most other legal experts. The ruling posed a dilemma: If Washington, D.C., did not pursue it further, the city would lose a key gun-control law but the ruling would not affect other gun-control measures in states and localities around the nation. Ultimately, Fenty decided to move forward: “Having a handgun, whether in the home or outside it, comes at the expense of those who might be victims,” read the city’s petition to the court. “Whatever right the Second Amendment guarantees, it does not require the District to stand by while its citizens die.”

Henigan consulted with the District’s legal advisers throughout the case but had not actually met the mayor until a press conference was held the day of the D.C. Circuit’s ruling. Introducing himself as a fellow Oberlin alum, Henigan says, “It was a nice Oberlin moment for me.”

In November, the high court announced that it would hear the case this spring. At issue in District of Columbia v. Dick Anthony Heller is whether provisions of the city’s law “violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who want to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes.”

In January, Henigan’s group filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court supporting the District’s appeal. He represented nine other groups in addition to his own, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

In the brief, Henigan and fellow attorneys argue that the “lower court’s insurrectionist view of the militia and the Second Amendment has disturbing implications for public safety and the rule of law.” Citing paramilitary groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the Oklahoma City bombers, Henigan said that the D.C. Circuit ruling “may well limit the government’s power to punish political violence after the fact and surely would curb the government’s power to prevent the stockpiling of weapons….”

With the high court not having fully considered Second Amendment issues in such a long time, many legal analysts believe that the outcome of the case is too close to call. A definition of the Second Amendment as a broad right unrelated to militias could lead to a generation’s worth of legal challenges to other gun control laws. If Washington’s ban is upheld, the gun-control battle will move back primarily to the legislative front. At the Brady Center, Henigan, who was once alone in his work, now supervises 11 employees as vice president for law and policy, where he is in charge of legislative work and litigation.

Whatever happens in the Supreme Court case, Henigan’s reputation among his colleagues seems secure. Says Robert Walker, former president of Handgun Control: “More than just a great legal mind, Denny was a visionary. In setting up and directing the Legal Action Project, he saw its full potential. He is one of the greatest public interest lawyers of our time.”

Ted Gest, who covered the Supreme Court for U.S. News & World Report, now heads Criminal Justice Journalists, a national group affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and John Jay College of Criminal Justice.