Saint Olaf’s Church, also known as Church of Jomala, is an impressive medieval stone church that is located in the Municipality of Jomala, next to the village of Prästgården, part of the Autonomous Territory of the Åland Islands, in the Republic of Finland.
Regarded as the oldest surviving church in Finland, it is dedicated to the patron saint of the Åland Islands, Saint Olaf (also written as Saint Olav).
Belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, it dates from about 1260 to 1280, with some extension later added in the 19th century, while the islands were under the rule of the Russian Empire.
From the exterior it can be seen that red granite and limestone has been used for the construction, and there is one spiral tower with a height of about 52 meters (171 feet).
In addition, there is a memorial that commemorates the people who have emigrated from the islands, as well as another memorial that refers to sailors who have lost their lives at sea.
Behind the church, a large medieval cemetery can be found, where there are even graves from the Iron Age.
The interior on other hand has colored wall paintings that date back from the 1280s, and on the Western gable there are scenes from the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
The American artist Thure Bengts, whose ancestors were from Jomala, donated in 1968 a new stained glass window, so that the church would have an even greater spiritual feel for every visitor.
Being the impressive, even though not so grandiose structure on the island, it definitely is something for what the citizens of the Jomala Municipality, as well as the rest of the Åland Islands should be proud of.
Sept. 22 1735 – Robert Walpole becomes the first British “Prime Minister” (actually First Lord of the Treasury) to live at 10 Downing Street.
10 Downing Street, the locale of British prime ministers since 1735, vies with the White House as being the most important political building anywhere in the world in the modern era.
Behind its black door have been taken the most important decisions affecting Britain for the last 275 years.
In the 20th century alone, the First and Second World Wars were directed from within it, as were the key decisions about the end of the empire, the building of the British nuclear bomb, the handling of economic crises from the Great Depression in 1929 to the great recession, and the building up of the welfare state.
Some of the most famous political figures of modern history have lived and worked in Number 10, including Robert Walpole, Pitt the Younger, Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.
Number 10 has 3 overlapping functions. It is the official residence of the British Prime Minister: it is their office, and it is also the place where the Prime Minister entertains guests from Her Majesty The Queen to presidents of the United States and other world leaders.
The Prime Minister hosts countless receptions and events for a whole range of British and overseas guests, with charitable receptions high up the list.
The building is much larger than it appears from its frontage. The hall with the chequered floor immediately behind the front door lets on to a warren of rooms and staircases.
The house in Downing Street was joined to a more spacious and elegant building behind it in the early 18th century.
Number 10 has also spread itself out to the left of the front door, and has taken over much of 12 Downing Street, which is accessed by a corridor that runs through 11 Downing Street – the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Origins And Early Inhabitants
The area around Downing Street was home to ancient Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman settlements, and was already a prestigious centre of government 1,000 years ago.
The Romans first came to Britain under the command of Julius Caesar in 55 BC. Making their capital at Londinium downriver, the Romans chose Thorney Island – a marshy piece of land lying between two branches of the river Tyburn that flowed from Hampstead Heath to the Thames – as the site for their early settlement.
These Roman settlements, and those of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans who supplanted them, were not very successful. The area was prone to plague and its inhabitants were very poor. A charter granted by the Mercian King Offa in the year 785 refers to “the terrible place called Thorney Island”. It took royal patronage to give the area prestige. King Canute (reigned 1017 to 1035) built a palace in the area, and Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042 to 1066) and William the Conqueror (reigned 1066 to 1087) maintained a royal presence there.
The position of Westminster (as the area became known) as the centre of government and the church was solidified following the construction of the great abbey nearby, on Edward’s orders.
The earliest building known to have stood on the site of Downing Street was the Axe brewery owned by the Abbey of Abingdon in the Middle Ages. By the early 1500s, it had fallen into disuse.
Henry VIII (reigned 1509 to 1547) developed Westminster’s importance further by building an extravagant royal residence there.
Whitehall Palace was created when Henry VIII confiscated York House from Cardinal Wolsey in 1530 and extended the complex. Today’s Downing Street is located on the edge of the Palace site.
The huge residence included tennis courts, a tiltyard for jousting, a bowling green, and a cockpit for bird fights. Stretching from St James’s Park to the Thames, it was the official residence of Tudor and Stuart monarchs until it was destroyed by fire in 1698. It made the surrounding real estate some of the most important and valuable in London – and the natural home of power.
The first domestic house known to have been built on the site of Number 10 was a large building leased to Sir Thomas Knyvet in 1581 by Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558 to 1603). He was one of the Queen’s favourites and was an MP for Thetford as well as a justice of the peace for Westminster.
His claim to fame was the arrest of Guy Fawkes for his role in the gunpowder plot of 1605. He was knighted in 1604 by Elizabeth’s successor, King James I (reigned 1603 to 1625), and the house was extended.
After the death of Sir Knyvet and his wife, the house passed to their niece, Elizabeth Hampden, who continued to live there for the next 40 years.
The middle of the 17th century was a period of political upheaval and Mrs Hampden’s family was right in the middle of it. Her son, John Hampden, was one of the MPs who opposed King Charles I (reigned 1625 to 1649), and Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector, was Mrs Hampden’s nephew.
Hampden House, as it was then known, gave Mrs Hampden a prime view of the tumultuous events during the Civil War and the Commonwealth and the early years of the Restoration.
The execution of Charles I in 1649 took place on a scaffold in front of Banqueting House in Whitehall, within earshot of the house. Mrs Hampden was still living there when King Charles II (reigned in Scotland from 1649 to 1685) was restored to the English throne in 1660.
The Parliamentary Commissioners, who took over Crown lands during the time of the Commonwealth, described the house in 1650:
Built part of Bricke and part with Tymber and Flemish qalle and covered with Tyle, consistinge of a Large and spacious hall, wainscoted round, well lighted, and Paved with brick Pavements, two parls wherof one is Wainscoted round from the seelinge to ye floor, one Buttery, one seller, one Large kitchen well paved with stone and well fitted and Joynted and well fitted with dresser boards.
And above stayres in the first story one large and spacious dyneinge Roome, Wainscoted round from the seelinge to the floore, well flored, Lighted and seeled, and fitted with a faire Chimney with a foote pace of paynted Tyle in the same. Also 6 more Roomes and 3 Closetts in the same flore all well lighted and seeled. And in the second story 4 garretts…
The Emergence Of Downing Street
George Downing gave his name to the most famous street in the world. It is unfortunate that he was such an unpleasant man. Able as a diplomat and a government administrator, he was miserly and at times brutal.
However, George Downing was responsible for the street, its name and the building we know today. A former diplomat at The Hague serving the Commonwealth, he changed allegiance with finesse.
He traded enough secrets to gain a royal pardon in March 1660 and, by the Restoration in May 1660, to be rewarded with a knighthood.
Interested in power and money, he saw an opportunity to make his fortune in property. He had already gained the Crown interest in the land around Hampden House, but could not take possession as it was under lease to Knyvet’s descendants.
In 1682 he secured the leases to the property and employed Sir Christopher Wren to design the houses.
Between 1682 and 1684, existing properties were pulled down and in their place a cul-de-sac of 15 to 20 terraced houses was built along the north side of the new street, Downing Street.
In order to maximise profit, the houses were cheaply built, with poor foundations for the boggy ground. Instead of neat brick façades, they had mortar lines drawn on to give the appearance of evenly spaced bricks. In the 20th Century, Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote that Number 10 was:
Shaky and lightly built by the profiteering contractor whose name they bear.
A rather important neighbour complained, however. The new houses were built directly behind a large and impressive house overlooking Horse Guards. Its occupier, the Countess of Lichfield, daughter of Charles II, was less than pleased with the emergence of the unwelcome terrace behind. She complained to her father, who wrote back with advice:
I think that it is a very reasonable thing that other houses should not look into your house without your permission, and this note will be sufficient for Mr Surveyor to build up your wall as high as you please.
The original numbering of the Downing Street houses was completely different from what we see today. The sequence of numbers was haphazard, and the houses tended to be known by the name or title of their occupants.
The current Number 10 started out life as Number 5, and was not renumbered until 1779.
The Downing Street house had several distinguished residents. The Countess of Yarmouth lived at Number 10 between 1688 and 1689, and was followed by Lord Lansdowne from 1692 to 1696 and the Earl of Grantham from 1699 to 1703.
The last private resident of Downing’s terrace was one Mr Chicken. Little is known about him except that he moved out in the early 1730s.
King George II presented both the house on Downing Street and the house overlooking Horse Guards to Sir Robert Walpole, who held the title First Lord of the Treasury and effectively served as the first Prime Minister.
Walpole refused the property as a personal gift. Instead, he asked the king to make it available as an official residence to him and to future First Lords of the Treasury – starting the tradition that continues today. The brass letterbox on the black front door is still engraved with this title.
Walpole took up residence on 22 September 1735, once the townhouse on Downing Street and the house overlooking Horse Guards had been joined together and completely refurbished. Walpole employed architect William Kent – who had already worked on Walpole’s Norfolk home, Houghton Hall – to undertake the work.
Kent carried out extensive work on the 2 houses, connecting them on 2 storeys. The main entrance now faced onto Downing Street rather than towards Horse Guards, and the Downing Street building became a passageway to the main house. At the back of the house, where the Walpoles lived, Kent created grand new rooms suitable for receiving important guests, and built an unusual, 3-sided staircase. It is still one of the most impressive features of the building.
Walpole used the ground floor for business, taking the largest room, on the north-west side of the house, as his study. This is now the Cabinet Room. Upstairs on the first floor, the Walpoles lived in the rooms facing onto Horse Guards Parade.
Lady Walpole used today’s White Drawing Room as her sitting room, and the present day Terracotta Room served as their dining room. The Walpoles were soon entertaining important guests in their smart house, including George II’s wife Queen Caroline, politicians, writers and soldiers. Number 10 became – as it continues to be today – a place for politics and entertainment.
Pelham To Pitt
When Walpole left Downing Street in 1742, it was over 20 years before another First Lord of the Treasury moved in. His successors saw the house as a perk of the job, and Prime Ministers Henry Pelham (1743 to 1754) and the Duke of Newcastle (1757 to 1762) preferred to live in their own residences.
In 1763 George Grenville (1763 to 1765) took up residence but was sacked by King George III in 1765 for imposing stamp duty on the American colonies. The next Prime Minister to move into Downing Street was Lord North (1770 to 1782). He was very fond of the house and often entertained there. Visitors included the writer Samuel Johnson and Thomas Hansard, founder of the parliamentary reporting system that is still in use today. One guest, Clive of India, was so popular that furniture was made for him, which is still present today in the first floor anteroom and Terracotta Room.
During one memorable dinner party held by Lord North on 7 June 1780, civil unrest broke out in the street outside when angry Protestants unhappy with North’s policy towards Roman Catholics rioted all over London, in what became known as the Gordon Riots. The Grenadier Guards held off a large mob, a situation that might have ended with bloodshed had North not gone outside to warn the protestors of the dangers of being shot, following which the crowd dispersed. North’s dinner guests climbed to the top of the house to view the fires burning all over London.
Major improvements were made to the house during North’s time, including the addition of many distinctive features: the black and white chequerboard floor in the entrance hall, the lamp above the front door and the famous lion’s head door knocker.
Following the loss of the American colonies, North resigned and was followed by the Duke of Portland, who was Prime Minister for only 9 months in 1782.
Fall And Rise Of Number 10
At the turn of the 19th century, Downing Street had fallen on hard times. Although Number 10 continued to serve as the Prime Minister’s office, it was not favoured as a home. Most prime ministers preferred to live in their own townhouses.
But by the 1820s, Downing Street had emerged as the centre of government. Prime Minister Viscount Goderich employed the brilliant, quirky architect Sir John Soane, designer of the Bank of England, to make the house more suitable for its high-profile role. Soane created the wood-panelled State Dining Room and the Small Dining Room for elegant entertaining.
But this wasn’t good enough for his successor, Lord Wellington, who only moved in while his own lavish home, Apsley House, was being refurbished. Later leaders such as Lord Melbourne and Viscount Palmerston used Number 10 only as an office and for Cabinet meetings. In 1828, Number 11 became the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s official residence, but the surrounding area was becoming seedier, with brothels and gin parlours multiplying. Things became so bad that by 1839 there were plans to demolish Number 10 and the other buildings on the north side of Downing Street to make way for a remodelled Whitehall.
Security also became an issue. In 1842, Edward Drummond, secretary to Prime Minister Robert Peel (1841—1846), was murdered in Whitehall on his way back to his home in Downing Street by an assassin who mistook him for Peel. The prestige of Downing Street was reduced even further by the building of the magnificent new Foreign Office building at the end of the 1860s. George Gilbert Scott’s creation, with a huge open court and elaborate state rooms, dwarfed Number 10 opposite. It even had its own Cabinet Room in which the Cabinet sometimes met, rather than at Number 10.
By the time Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister, the house was in poor shape. The living quarters had not been used for 30 years and Disraeli described it as “dingy and decaying”. It was time for modernisation.
The late 19th and early 20th century saw 10 Downing Street transformed from a humble terraced house into a grand residence with modern facilities – a home and office fit for the most powerful politician in the country. Disraeli persuaded the state to pay for renovation to the entrance halls and public rooms, though he paid for the refurbishment of the private rooms himself. His own first floor bedroom and dressing room were improved, and a bath with hot and cold water in the First Lord’s Dressing Room was installed for the sum of £150.3s.6d.
When William Gladstone moved into the house for the first time in 1880, he insisted on redecorating, spending £1,555.5s.0d – an enormous sum for the time – on furniture. During his occupancy in 1884, electric lighting was fitted and the first telephones were installed.
The Marquess of Salisbury, who succeeded Gladstone on one occasion, was the last Prime Minister not to live at Number 10. Salisbury never liked the Cabinet Room, describing it as a “cramped close room”. Preferring to work in the larger Cabinet Room in the Foreign Office and live in Arlington Street, he offered Number 10 to his nephew, Arthur Balfour, who would later become Prime Minister himself. Balfour was the first inhabitant of Number 10 to bring a motor car to Downing Street.
Over the years, more and more changes and improvements were made to the house. When Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald first entered the house, he wanted Number 10 to regain some of the grandeur it had during the times of Walpole and Pitt. Missing a proper library (or at least, one containing more than just Hansard reports), MacDonald set about creating one. He started the Prime Minister’s Library, originally housed in the Cabinet Room.
The custom of the Prime Minister and other ministers donating books to the library continues to this day. Central heating was installed in 1937 and work began to convert the labyrinth of rooms in the attic, which had formerly been used by servants, into a flat for the Prime Minister.
Restoration And Modernisation
By the 1950s, the material state of 10 Downing Street had reached crisis point. Bomb damage had worsened existing structural problems: the building was suffering from subsidence, sloping walls, twisting door frames and an enormous annual repair bill.
The Ministry of Works carried out a survey in 1954 into the state of the structure. The report bounced from Winston Churchill (1951 to 1955) to Anthony Eden (1955 to 1957) to Harold Macmillan (1957 to 1963) as one Prime Minister followed the other.
Finally, a committee set up by Macmillan concluded that drastic action was required before the building fell or burnt down.
The committee put forward a range of options, including the complete demolition of Number 10, 11 and 12 and their replacement with a new building. That idea was rejected and it was decided that Number 12 should be rebuilt, and Numbers 10 and 11 should be strengthened and their historic features preserved.
The architect Raymond Erith was selected to supervise the work, which was expected to take 2 years and cost £500,000. It ended up taking a year longer than planned and costing double the original estimate. The foundations proved to be so rotten that concrete underpinning was required on a massive scale.
Number 10 was completely gutted. Walls, floors and even the columns in the Cabinet Room and Pillared Room proved to be rotten and had to be replaced. New features were added too, including a room facing onto Downing Street and a veranda at Number 11 for the Chancellor.
It was also discovered that the familiar exterior façade was not black at all, but yellow. The blackened colour was a product of two centuries of severe pollution. To keep the familiar appearance, the newly cleaned yellow bricks were painted black to match their previous colour. Erith’s work was completed in 1963, but not long afterwards, dry rot became apparent and further repairs had to be undertaken.
Margaret Thatcher (1979 to 1990) appointed architect Quinlan Terry to refurbish the state drawing rooms at the end of the 1980s. Two of the rooms, the White Drawing Room and Terracotta Room, gained ornate plasterwork ceilings. In the White Drawing Room, this included adding the national emblems of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All the building work of the past few decades could have been ruined when a terrorist bomb exploded in 1991.
An IRA mortar bomb was fired from a white transit van in Whitehall and exploded in the garden of Number 10, only a few metres away from where Prime Minister John Major (1990 to 1997) was chairing a Cabinet meeting to discuss the Gulf War.
Although no one was killed, it left a crater in the Number 10 gardens and blew in the windows of neighbouring houses. John Major and some of his staff moved into Admiralty Arch while damage caused by the bomb was repaired.
By 2006, it was clear that the Downing Street complex was no longer able to support the business of the Prime Minister’s Office reliably. Independent surveys established that the building was no longer weather-tight, the heating system was failing, and the information and communications technology (ICT) network was at the limits of its operation. Power outages and water leaks were frequent occurrences and impacted significantly on the day-to-day operation of the Prime Minister’s Office.
In addition to deterioration through age, pressures on the buildings had increased dramatically over recent years, through an increase in occupancy (stable at around 50 for many years) to around 170.
In 2006, Prime Minister Tony Blair (1997 to 2007) authorised a new programme of improvements, with the building remaining operational throughout. Work was launched to address structural failure, renew the infrastructure, improve access and enhance the building’s sustainability.
Structural issues were among the first to be tackled, and a phased exterior repair project was launched to address failing lead guttering, cracking brickwork and other structural issues.
The distinctive black colourwash was also renewed, as it had faded away in many areas to reveal the yellow brickwork beneath. During the course of the works it was discovered that the façade of 11 Downing Street was unstable, and had to be secured using 225 stainless steel pins. All work was carried out in consultation with English Heritage.
Other projects have been undertaken to renew the building’s ageing infrastructure and to replace many of the building’s key services, including heating, fire protection and electrical power distribution. Sustainability is a key feature of the programme and a 10% reduction in carbon emissions was achieved during 2011.
Rainwater harvesting was introduced in 2009, providing a sustainable source of water for the garden. Accessibility for disabled visitors has been significantly improved through the introduction of ramps and modernisation of lifts. Many of the public areas of the building have also been restored, including the front entrance hall, the state and small dining rooms and the study.
An ongoing programme is in place to upgrade facilities to modern standards, and to ensure the preservation of this historic building for years to come.
Installations At Number 10 Timeline
Since 10 Downing Street became the official residence of the premier, the building has performed the dual role of both residence and place of work for Britain’s Prime Ministers.
Number 10 has been upgraded – including new technology – throughout its history, to ensure both an acceptable standard of living for its residents and to keep the Prime Minister at the heart of decision making within government.
Often, the prompt for new technology or an upgrade was the arrival of a new Prime Minister.
Here are some of the more notable developments across 3 centuries of history, from the arrival of hot running water to the first tweet:
Timeline
1877 – hot and cold running water installed. The living quarters were renovated for Benjamin Disraeli – including a bath.
1894 – installation of electric lighting and first telephones. Following Disraeli’s departure William Gladstone redecorated the building and oversaw the installations.
1902 – first motor-car driven onto Downing Street. Arthur Balfour brought the first car and since then, Prime Ministers have looked to select British marques for their official car, with a procession of Wolseleys, Humbers, Rovers, Daimlers and Jaguars sweeping successive Prime Ministers into – and out of – Downing Street.
1937 – first central heating.
1963 – electrical and telephone systems were replaced. 1963 was a major period of renovation for the building.
1982 – the first direct hotline between No10 and Washington was established during Margaret Thatcher’s first term of office.
1982 – first ‘micro-computer’ and microfilm reader installed.
1983 – wider roll-out of computers machines for Number 10 staff following a review of the building’s needs.
1990s – first video conference. John Major used the technology from his study.
1996 – desktop PCs installed at all workstations.
1996 – the launch of the first No10 website.
1998 – internet access became mainstreamed across Number 10 staff desktops.
2002 – dedicated video conferencing suite was installed. This followed the events of 9/11 and allowed the Prime Minister and his team to be in face to face contact with counterparts around the world in an instant.
2005 – a new e-mail account allowed the public to contact the Prime Minister directly.
2008 – Number 10’s very own online TV station – Number10 TV
2008 – Number 10’s first tweet – and there have been over 3,000 since.
1692 Last people hanged for witchcraft (8) in the US, 19 hanged overall, with six other deaths during Salem Witch Trials
1792 French First Republic formed by the National Convention, stripping the French king of his powers
1862 US President Abraham Lincoln issues preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, threatening to free all enslaved people in the rebel southern states if those states fail to re-join the Union by January 1, 1863
1965 India and Pakistan cease-fire goes into effect, ending the Indo-Pakistani War
1980 Iraq invades Iran in an attempt to control the Shatt al-Arab waterway
HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY
TODAY IN FILM & TV
1994 “Friends” TV sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman debuts on NBC, starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer
TODAY IN MUSIC
1869 Richard Wagner’s opera “Das Rheingold” (the 1st piece of his “Ring” cycle) premieres in Munich, Germany
TODAY IN SPORT
1920 Chicago grand jury convenes to investigate charges that 8 White Sox players conspired to fix the 1919 World Series
1735 Robert Walpole becomes the first British “Prime Minister” (actually First Lord of the Treasury) to live at 10 Downing Street
1773 Benjamin Franklin publishes a hoax letter “An Edict by the King of Prussia” in the Public Advertiser, criticising Britain’s colonial policies in the American colonies
FAMOUS WEDDINGS
1794 Physicist Alessandro Volta (49) weds Teresa Peregrini
1854 Future railroad magnate Mark Hopkins Jr. marries Mary Sherwood
1940 “Adventures of Superman” actor George Reeves (26) weds
A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Philips Ekpe, has said that there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that sexual intercourse during the later stages of pregnancy can aid vaginal delivery by inducing labour.
Dr. Ekpe noted that contrary to the widespread assumption by many people that sexual intercourse during the later stages of pregnancy can aid vaginal delivery, there is no scientific evidence to support the notion.
Ekpe, who is a former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, said that many women believe sexual intercourse can induce labour because the human sperm contains prostaglandin, a hormone‐like substance, noting that there are myths that prostaglandin ripens the cervix and helps labour to start.
Speaking in an interview obtained by LN247, Ekpe said, “Some people used to think that because there is a prostaglandin in sperm probably that will help to cause contraction.
“But it has not been proven scientifically. So, it is not really true that having sex towards delivery will aid vaginal delivery.
“Many women are doing that, that it will aid their delivery, but it is not in any medical textbook.”
“It is not recommended that they should have sex so that it will make labour come. No.”
According to him, women can have sex for fun during the last stages of their pregnancy but not because they want to induce labour.
The maternal health expert explained, “Vaginal delivery means that there has to be contractions, the pelvic must be adequate, and the baby has to be lying well.
“Those things are actually done by nature and not by anybody. Women don’t have control over vaginal delivery.
“Our patients do ask us what they need to do to induce labour, but we normally tell them that when it will come, it will come. Nature has made it so”.
Continuing, Ekpe noted, “Even the one that is lying down and not doing anything, when labour comes, and it is obvious she is going to deliver normal, she will deliver normally.”
The gynaecologist urged women to ensure that they register for antenatal early and in good hospitals where there are skilled birth attendants.
In a 2019 study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, titled, ‘Sexual Intercourse for Induction of Spontaneous Onset of Labor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials’, the researchers said sexual intercourse at term does not significantly increase the incidence of spontaneous onset of labour.
The researchers said, “Sexual intercourse during pregnancy is commonly believed to trigger the onset of contractions and, therefore, labour. However, in low-risk pregnancies, there is neither association with preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes, or low birth weight, nor with spontaneous onset of labour at term.
“Sexual intercourse should not be restricted in low-risk term pregnancies.
“Further studies are needed to properly evaluate the impact of orgasm, penetration, condom use, frequency of intercourse and other factors on induction of labour at term.”
A public health expert, Dr. Olushina Ajidahun, has cautioned Nigerians against eating undercooked seafood, particularly crabs, noting that it could lead to deadly worm infestation.
The physician explained that seafood when undercooked can harbour a type of worm known as lung fluke or flatworm that could make the person that consumes it lose blood, especially when coughing.
Speaking with Newsmen, Ajidahun said, “Crabs too can harbour worms. This type of worm causes people to cough out blood
“When it gets into the lungs, it causes the person to be coughing out blood. So sometimes people might think the person has lung cancer or tuberculosis because the person would be coughing out blood and it is common with people who consume poorly cooked seafood.”
According to the American Centre for Disease Control, Paragonimus is a lung fluke (flatworm) that infects the lungs of humans after eating an infected raw or undercooked crab or crayfish. Less frequent, but more serious cases of paragonimiasis occur when the parasite travels to the central nervous system.
Speaking further on the warning signs that could indicate problems after eating undercooked crabs, Ajidahun noted that a very common sign is worm infestation.
Other signs are having swollen stomach, iron deficiency, and anaemia.
He said, “Worms in the stomach can cause a person’s stomach to become swollen. They can cause stomach swelling because the patient will have indigestion and with indigestion, there would be gas and the stomach will be distended
“Also, some of these worms can cause intestinal obstructions, where when the worms grow, they block the intestine so food cannot move and with intestinal obstruction, the person starts vomiting and all that.”
He added that one of the dangers of untreated worms is malnutrition. Explaining, he said, “What these worms do is that they compete with the body’s natural nutrients so they kind of block the body’s mechanism of absorbing normal nutrients, especially in children, the children can become malnourished. They can look as if they are not eating well because their body is not able to absorb their meals because of these worms.
“These worms can also predispose the person to iron deficiency and anaemia and the ones that are notorious for that is the one called hookworm.
“Some tapeworms can cause vitamin B deficiency so some of these worms can cause nutritional deficiency.”
He added that some worm infestations can equally predispose a person to allergic reactions while some others can cause intestinal obstructions. “Where when the worms grow, they block the intestine so food cannot move and with intestinal obstruction, the person starts vomiting,” he said.
He warned against self-medication for worm infestations, noting that a proper medical test was necessary to confirm if a person has worm infestation or not before commencing treatment.
The return of the school year means the return of busy mornings trying to throw lunches together, as well as busy weekend days fitting in all of your planned activities for you and the family. With these hectic schedules, it can be tough to find the best on-the-go snacks for your kids that are delicious and also use high-quality ingredients.
A great way to give your kids a boost of fiber and antioxidants on busy school days is by packing fruit snacks in their lunch. There’s just one problem: some brands of fruit snacks are full of added sugars and concerning additives.
Thankfully, there are plenty of brands dedicated to making healthy fruit snacks that still have a ton of flavor.
“These healthy fruit snacks are made with real fruits and veggies, which help to boost the fiber content to 2 grams for each roll,” says Rachel Fine, RDN registered dietitian and founder of To The Pointe Nutrition.
“These crispy apples are simple in regard to ingredients, which makes them more versatile in snack recipes (like trail mix and yogurt parfaits). The skin is left on during processing, which helps to keep the fiber intact,” says Fine. “Fiber further promotes steadier blood sugar levels (and ultimately, longer-lasting energy).”
It’s also nice to know you can consume this snack without any fat or sodium added. However, there isn’t any protein in this one so you may want to pair with a protein source like Greek yogurt.
“These organic fruit snacks are ideal for little snacks because they are void of synthetic colors and flavors,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD at Balance One Supplements. “They are also made with organic ingredients, use real fruit juice, and are both gluten-free and vegan, making them options for a wider variety of kids.”
One pouch is also low in calories, so parents who want a sweet treat can enjoy this as a low-calorie snack.
“Black Forest makes their fruit snacks without high fructose corn syrup or synthetic colors and flavors, and these snacks are also made with real fruit juice, are non-GMO, and fair trade certified,” says Best. “Because of this, Black Forest’s fruit snacks can give parents and caregivers confidence that they are providing their little ones with a snack that benefits them and others.”
“These fruit bars are triple-layered, organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher,” says Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, author of The First Time Mom’s Pregnancy Cookbook and Fueling Male Fertility. “They are also made with fruit and vegetable juices and purees instead of artificial ingredients.”
These fruit bars are so delicious that you’ll want to snack on one with your kids.
“That’s It bars are made with only fruit, meaning there are no added sugars, preservatives, or artificial ingredients,” says Manaker. “These bars are an easy way to enjoy fruit when on-the-go that is totally delicious too.”
This is an easy way to get your kids to eat their recommended servings of fruit, but if you need some tricks on how to give them enough veggies, try these 6 Ways to Introduce Your Kids to Vegetables.
“RIND snacks are made with real fruit-including the peel! These snacks are a fun way to sneak in some extra fiber and flavonoids in a chewy and convenient way,” says Manaker.
Flavonoids are extremely rich in antioxidants and can help you fight off chronic illnesses as you get older, so it’s never too early to start introducing more to your diet.
Just like the Bare Apple Chips, these banana chips are delicious and a great healthier alternative to other types of sweet treats or chips.
“Bare crunchy banana chips are like fruit snacks made from real fruit. Baked to perfection and with nothing artificial, these fruit snacks are always a winner when something sweet and crunchy is needed,” says Manaker.
These freeze dried snacks from Trader Joe’s are healthier than many types of dried fruit that add in tons of sugar or sodium.
“Freeze dried fruit can be just as nutritious as frozen or fresh, and it has a pretty long shelf life,” says Manaker. “We love adding these into my daughter’s lunchbox instead of fresh berries to avoid the risk of her getting a pile of mush once she opens up her meal.
This Jell-O Simply Good option offers you the same sweet treat but with only real fruit juice and no weird dyes or artificial flavors.
This one is still fairly high in sugars, so it may not be a daily snack. But for a healthier alternative to regular Jell-O, this Simply Good line is a helpful option.
outh Africa will bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, seeking to bring the event to Africa for the first time.
South Africa was also the first African nation to stage the men’s FIFA World Cup, in 2010.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) Executive Committee vowed to bid for the event at its latest meeting.
“The NEC [National Executive Committee] has resolved that we must bid to host the World Cup for women in 2027,” SAFA chief executive Tebogo Motlanthe said.
“We as administration will duly inform FIFA and then start the process of hosting the World Cup.”
The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have already launched a joint bid for the competition and that will be among the South African proposal’s principle rivals.
A Scandinavian bid has been floated, but with Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden together bidding to host the 2025 European Championship the continental tournament could take precedence.
US Soccer has also indicated a desire to bid for either the 2027 or 2031 World Cups.
Next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand is due to be the first with 32 teams.
It will also leave Africa and South America as the only populated continents never to have staged the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
SAFA had been in the running for the 2023 World Cup but pulled out, claiming it wanted to focus on developing the women’s national league.
South Africa’s women’s football team are the reigning continental champions.
US Soccer has also indicated a desire to bid for either the 2027 or 2031 World Cups.
Next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand is due to be the first with 32 teams.
It will also leave Africa and South America as the only populated continents never to have staged the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
SAFA had been in the running for the 2023 World Cup but pulled out, claiming it wanted to focus on developing the women’s national league.
South Africa’s women’s football team are the reigning continental champions.
Arochukwu is a local government located in Abia state in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
On that beautiful and amazing village lies a tourist center called waterfall/79steps by it’s present users.
This waterfall/79steps is an abonded water project and pleasure scour by the British colonist.
According to Nwa maazi Victor the Arochukwu waterfall was not meant for the Arochukwu people but to the egoistic interest of the erecters ; the British colonists.
This water fall was not discovered since after the departure of the British colonists, not untill earlier 2013 when a group of youth corper members discovered it.
The 79 steps can be traced back between 1690 to 1902 when the move to colonize Aro people was made by the British, it is traced back to the period when the British colonist stayed in Arochukwu kingdom in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
Arochukwu waterfall has become a public recreation center, it was located in IBOM village in Arochukwu kingdom in Arochukwu local government area in Abia state.
It’s serves as both tourist center and leisure spot. Since it was discovered Arochukwu people both home and abroad have come to see it as the best suitable place for sight seeing in Arochukwu kingdom.
Some Aro people in Diaspora usually come home during the festive periods like Christmas, Easter celebration, ikeji aro etc majorly because of this waterfall.
Although earlier before now, not up to 19% resident of Arochukwu kingdom knew about this leisure park not until it started trending.
It is one of the major tourist attraction center in the community which attracts visitors both outside and within the community and state, infact it is now the talk of the town.
When it comes to food allergies, anyone can have them and they’re not dependent on family history. In addition, only about 2-3% of children under three years of age are found to have peanut, egg, and milk allergies, according to the Prevent Allergies Organization.
For first-time parents, or even parents who have been around the block a few times, introducing your baby to foods associated with allergens is a scary and overwhelming process. However, introducing these foods early on in life can significantly reduce the risk of developing certain food allergies by up to 80% in infants.
“Babies should be introduced to foods classically thought of as allergens around six months of age, [but] not before four months of age,” says Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., professor of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and the author of The Complete Guide to Food Allergies in Adults and Children “But over the last several years, the recommendations have been quite the opposite,” he explains.
It’s best for allergens to be introduced early on in a child’s life—among the normal foods typically fed to infants—as in some cases, it may even help prevent allergies in the future and/or reveal any severe reactions that are good to catch early on. Dr. Sicherer recommends parents stop, “treating foods possibly thought of as allergens differently than any other food.”
With all of this in mind, we asked the experts how to best help you understand and prepare for the day you start giving your baby foods that could contain allergens. These are the seven tips and tricks to properly, safely, and effectively introduce kids to allergens.
Step one, as we’ve discussed above, is to bring allergen foods into the equation as early as possible. After babies reach the four- to six-month range, you’ll be able to appropriately examine their reactions to food outside of breastfeeding and/or formula. But what foods does this include exactly?
Foods that may cause an allergic reaction or intolerance are those that are or contain milk, egg, wheat, soy/soybeans, peanut, tree nuts, fish (mainly shellfish), and sometimes even sesame seeds. “It’s OK for babies to be introduced to these things that are sort of allergens. And it might be even better to have it among the earlier foods they’re introduced to,” Dr. Sicherer says.
Multiple studies and reviews have found that introducing allergens to infants within the beginning of their first year (4-6 months) combats the development of allergies to food as the child grows up. It’s also possible that if the process is delayed for too long, then there’s a greater chance that a child can become allergic or more sensitive to common allergy-related foods.
“The introduction of peanut, for example, is generally recommended around six months of age, [and] not before four months,” Dr. Sicherer explains. But, he says, “for babies showing signs of allergy, it might actually be given earlier in that four to six months window of time.” Early attempts can allow parents to see any physical discomfort, and allergies can be spotted and then dealt with quickly (and possibly even before they reach a severe level).
This is one of the easiest tips to stick to. Don’t start giving your child any foods they’re not ready to consume yet. While you may be concerned about how your child will react to certain foods, “we have to take into consideration the baby’s ability to eat solids,” Dr. Sicherer explains.
“Some babies are ready for solids and they’re able to take those pureed foods and keep it fine,” he says, “others might dribble it out and not be ready yet.” Once infants begin to wean off of liquids as their only forms of nourishment—which can be past the six-month period in some cases—then it’s officially time to start introducing allergen foods.
Although, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about this first-time experience. You’re definitely not going to want to try giving a baby whole peanuts as their first go-around, because they can and will choke, Dr. Sicherer explains. Along with pieces of nuts, “peanut butter is a choking hazard for babies” he says.
As you feel out when your child becomes ready to take on solid foods, they should be presented in a safe matter. This is going to be foods that are in the form of purees, pastes, sauces, and (for some of the fast learners) tiny pieces that don’t require chewing.
While you’re starting to bring the long list of allergens into your child’s diet, you should be aware of what it looks like when they’re having an allergic reaction to a new food. This is especially crucial since there are both mild and severe reactions when it comes to food allergies.
“The biggest thing that a baby could have that would make you think they might have allergies is if they have skin rashes called eczema or atopic dermatitis,” Dr. Sicherer says. These rashes are itchy and might occur on a baby’s face, arms, legs, chest, and/or back.
While it’s believed that babies who experience eczema in their first few months of life may be more prone to allergy, Dr. Sicherer explains, “it doesn’t mean they are experiencing a food allergy, it just means that they’re someone that might go on to have a food allergy.”
Other common and more subtle allergy symptoms, according to Dr. Sicherer, are often going to be gut-related or visually obvious within a short time period after the baby eats these new foods. These can be anything from having diarrhea or blood in the stool, vomiting, hives, swelling, rashes, or even signs the baby isn’t growing enough.
On the more severe side, you’re going to see an extreme case of eczema or atopic dermatitis, or the child may have trouble breathing, cough or wheeze, or turn pale or blue in the face. However, this is not to sound the alarms! “Those are not going to be common for babies being introduced to these foods first off,” Dr. Sicherer says.
“If the baby doesn’t really show any signs of allergy—no eczema or anything else—there’s no strong reason to expect there’s going to be a problem,” he explains.
According to Main Street Pediatrics, many severe reactions will typically happen about 10-15 minutes after eating the food, but some mild reactions could take a few hours to begin to show up.
Now, if your infant is trying allergen foods for the first time and you are seeing any of these signs (mild or severe), immediately stop! Take a deep breath and treat these reactions or symptoms like you would any other condition—give your child (allergy) medication following the advice of your doctor and visit your doctor for assistance and an evaluation if needed.
Russia will not take part in the draw for qualifying for Euro 2024, UEFA and the country’s football federation confirmed on Tuesday.
The Russian national team and Russian clubs were banned from international competitions earlier this year by UEFA following the invasion of Ukraine.
“All Russian teams are currently suspended following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee of 28 February 2022 which has further been confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022,” European football’s governing body said in a statement.
“Russia is therefore not included in the UEFA European Football Championship 2022-24 qualifying draw.”
Russia saw an appeal against the ban rejected by CAS in July.
“The Union is currently awaiting for the full text of the CAS decision, following the study of which a decision will be made on further steps,” the Russian Football Union said.
Russia were also banned from the upcoming World Cup in Qatar by FIFA.
The team had originally qualified for the European qualifying playoffs.
The Russian women’s side were also kicked out of this year’s Euro in England, with their place taken by Portugal.
The 2024 European Championship will be hosted by Germany, with the qualifying draw set for 9 October in Frankfurt.
Germany’s interior minister has also asked for Belarus to be banned from the tournament due to the country’s backing of Russia.
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