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Tuesday, 29 January 2008
IMNCH: Turai Yar 'Adua commits to saving women and children
Picture of the First Lady Haija Turai Umar Musa Yar'Adua with the Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange
That Nigeria has continued to record high Maternal, Newborn and child death rates is no longer news, that the Federal government has developed an Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) Strategy to strengthen the health system, scale up interventions and maximize impact towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 is also not news.
What is news however is that in recognition of this fact, the first lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hajia Turai Umar Musa Yar'Adua, recently was made the National Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) in Nigeria. This means she will ensure that MNCH issues will remain on the front burner of the Nigerian national agenda and that come 2015, MDGs 4 and 5 would have been achieved, at least to a larger extent.
With over 100 witnesses ranging members of the National Assembly, Wives of Executive State Governors, Federal Ministers and representatives from both the organised private sector and the developmental agencies in Nigeria, at the investiture, the first lady pledged her total commitment to ensuring that the present alarming rates of maternal and child death are reduced and Nigeria is removed from the MNCH critical list. She looks forward to a time Nigeria would be placed side by side with developed counties on issues of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
At the event, the Minister of Health Professor Adenike Grange in her paper 'Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: where are we now?' made urgent calls to action to the first lady to solicit her support in drawing national attention to the consequences of not keeping the promise to meet the health related Millennium Development Goals. To the National Assembly, Grange's call was to expedite action on passing the national health bill and other bills that impact on the lives of vulnerable groups, including women and children. The Minister of Health urged the wives of State Governors to advocate, and mobilize resources for the implementation of laws that promote the well-being of women and children in their states.
The civil society was not left out as Prof. Grange called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Women Organizations for effective advocacy and community mobilization for the implementation of the interventions at different levels of the society as well as to support monitoring and evaluation of these interventions. The organized Private Sector were urged to adopt communities and health facilities and get involved in the management of these facilities, besides providing incentives including accommodation, water, electricity and motivation for staff.
In closing, Prof. Grange shared with the audience her new concept to bridge some of the major gaps identified in MNCH. This idea is to bring Maternity Waiting Homes on board. The Homes are intended for women with major obstetric complications requiring specialist care such as caesarean section (CS), blood transfusion, treatment of infections, use of specialised drugs for pregnancy induced hypertension. The Homes will also be used by women whose homes are in remote and/or inaccessible areas where health facilities are either not available or inaccessible. In the first phase of the project, a Home will be located in 6 yet to be identified pilot Local Government Areas within the six geopolitical zones.
The accumulation of credible evidence of the high level of maternal mortality, the dismal state of maternal health care in Nigeria coupled with the WHO ranking of Nigeria's healthcare system performance as one of the worst in the world in 2002 have served to awaken healthcare and other political officials to action.
With the IMNCH strategy in place, people's expectations is that partnerships will be forged across all walks of life to eliminate the three major delays and ensure: there is adequate information about pregnancy and labour complication signals available for mothers and their partners, adequate access to health facilities including proper citing of facilities, good quality road and communication network and an informed community to ensure adequate community support. Finally, that highly skilled attendants and quality equipment and supplies are provided at the health facilities.
The MDGs and health systems worldwide are watching to see that the first National goodwill ambassador can utilize IMNCH as a tool to make pregnancy safer and cut maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality by half by the year 2014- ten years from now!.
* By Constance Ndubuisi-Enyali
Posted by Development Communications Network at 1/29/2008 03:10:00 pm
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Check out this site… Answer some questions, and they'll narrow down the type of dog that would be right for you!
Archive for August, 2008
What dog is right for you?August 29, 2008
Depue VFW in Barack's Acceptance Video?August 29, 2008
Does this look like the Depue VFW? I know he was there at the boat races in 2004 campaigning for Senate.
These screencaps were taken from the big 10 minute video that played before Barack's acceptance speech last night in Denver. So, if it is Depue… This 15 seconds of video was sent to millions of households around the nation by Network and cable TV news. Click the link below the pictures to view. It's from 4:19 to 4:31.
Recognize any faces? I grabbed this from the Democratic National Convention website. Here is the direct link to the video… You have to download Silverlight and some video player program to get it to play.
*UPDATE: Gary Vicini of Hall HS called this morning and said he saw his friend Mary Jane Marini shaking Barack's hand on TV last night and about fell out of his chair. CONFIRMING THIS IS THE DEPUE VFW!
America's Best RestroomAugust 28, 2008
OK — Black and Green? I'm not sold that this is the "best" bathroom America has to offer.
Really?! Married in a bathroom?
Check out Chicago's Signature Room and Rockford's Brio… both pictures are cooler than the Hermitage Hotel.
I'd like to see a list of the "Worst" bathrooms. What's the first place you think of, when it comes to the worst bathrooms?
Celebrity Baby Naming: Zappa 101August 22, 2008
Gwen Stefani/Gavin Rossdale's newest addition… Little Zuma Nesta Rock, born August 21st. Wow. Celeb's have a lot of pressure on them to outdo each other naming babies. Did Frank Zappa set this standard over 40 years ago?
Frank Zappa's kids are famous themselves now… and have famous names: Meet Frank's kids born in the late 60's early 70's:
Moon Unit Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen.
Thanks Frank… for the music… and especially for setting the bar for all celebrity's kid names.
JC Podcast: Michael LevineAugust 21, 2008
Michael Levine, veteran celebrity PR guy, who represented several A-listers… visits with me. We talk Michael Phelps and Madonna. He sounds tired. I don't think they get up before noon in LA. Which 9:30 central is 7:30 pacific. His book is Guerilla PR 2.0.
Weird PetsAugust 20, 2008
OK — so, your dog can bark "I love you" and your cat knows how turn the TV on…
But, they only have two ears and one head.
Meet Yoda:
Here's a Turtle Found in a contaminated River.Vodpod videos no longer available.
Bad Poetry DayAugust 18, 2008
Not much of a writer? Can't even write bad poetry? Click Below:
I wrote the first line of this poem:
Bigfoot is on the loose
His old lady Bertha said noway!
The juice is loose.
But genital warts save the day
That's gotta be the worst poem EVER. Can you beat it?
BK: Bathe Your WayAugust 13, 2008
I used to do this with my kids… When they were babies. I hope they bleached after that fella.
But… you know, it's nice to see the employees are bathing. I've seen some scary individuals making my burgers.
JC Podcast: Alexa WilkinsonAugust 11, 2008
This up and coming artist stops by the studio for a performance back in February. This is a best-of podcast this week!
Click here for Video of Alexa's performance and interview!
Bono: Retire?August 7, 2008
An online petition is being floated asking for the U2 frontman to retire from public life… The point.com says it's objective is "To get Bono to retire from public life (so he'll stop leading misguided counter-productive philanthropy efforts) ….and, simultaneously…. to make a huge donation to fight AIDS." So far, the petition has raised a total of $1,072. Hmm… seems they've got a ways to go before reaching what Bono has done for AIDS. But, their argument is strong, " RED has spent $40 million more on marketing than it has raised from the sales of RED products. They should have just spent the $100 million from marketing directly on AIDS charities & it would have been far more effective. Essentially its been one huge advertisement for GAP, American Express, and for Bono himself. It begs the question, is the RED campaign really spreading awareness about AIDS, or merely leveraging AIDS to market a new audience of people who want their philanthropy to fit in with their life-style."
Got this in an email from Patty:
Bono, the lead singer of the band, U2, is famous throughout the entertainment industry for being more than just a little self-righteous. At a recent U2 concert in Glasgow, Scotland, he asked the audience for total quiet. Then, in the silence, he started to slowly clap his hands, once every few seconds. Holding the audience in total silence, he said into the microphone, "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies."
A voice with a broad Scottish accent from the front of the crowd pierced the quiet…
"Well, f****n stop doin it then, ya evil basturd!"

subset: commoncrawl


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It is with great sadness we announce the peaceful passing of our wonderful Papa, and Father, Grenny, on February 8th, 2019 at the Rocky Mountain Village. Dad was born in Fernie on January 22nd, 1933. As the 5th child in the boisterous Uphill clan having someone to be a partner in crime was never a problem. Many long-time Fernie residents phoned Grandma Del to tell her to have Grenny come and get his goats out of their gardens! Dad was always a cowboy, he started roping and riding at a very young age and it was a passion that he enjoyed all of his life. He was very proud to be the Western Montana Calf Roping Champion in 1963 and won the calf roping in front of the hometown crowd at the Eureka Rodeo in 1964. Dad shared his love of roping with anyone who had the hankering to give it a try and taught all of us willing how to coil a rope properly, rope a bucket like a champion and tie the wooden calf like Roy Cooper. Roping was even a bigger challenge when he took up heeling at the age of 51 due to him being blind in one eye as a result of Dad having it poked out while clearing the river bottom for the Libby Pondage. Dad never let being blind in one eye stop him from doing anything. Dad loved to raise cattle, Christmas tree, make wreaths, build picture frames, make thousands of feet of moulding and build picnic tables and benches for anyone who needed them. Dad's greatest love was Newgate, and having his family at Newgate, especially his grandchildren. The memories created at the cabin will stay with everyone whoever had the privilege of spending time with him there, and we have a lot of them. Dad loved all animals, but dogs always found a way to wiggle their way into his heart. His last lil dog Buster filled a big void after we lost Mom. Dad loved his brothers and sisters and had a special bond with all of them. Visits with all of the Uphill siblings were always lively. Dad leaves behind his loving children, Son, Howard (Diane), Daughter, Sarann (Darren) and his precious grandchildren, Stephanie (Darren), Mandy (Adam), Kelcee (Patrick), Tyler, and great grandchildren Tyson and Liam. Also left to mourn are his brothers, Bill and Marvin (Annette) and his sister Verna and his brothers-in-law Ben (Vicky), John, and Ivan (Patty) as well as many nieces and nephews. Dad was predeceased by his loving wife May, his parents Howard and Delphine, his brother Jack and sisters Tisha and Marlene.
Donations may be made to:
Rocky Mountain Village Ladies Auxiliary
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Grenny UPHILL January 22 1933 February 8 2019 (age 86)..
cherished memoriesfuneral service
Décès pour la Ville: Fernie, Province: Colombie britanique


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Contact Us and Office Locations
The friendly staff at Children's Health Care welcomes your call and looks forward to serving you. If you have any questions about our pediatric services, please call your preferred office at the number below. Please call us to schedule an appointment.
Location & Phone
Children's Health Care
Newburyport Office – Lower Level
257 Low Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
Phone: (978) 465-7121
Fax: (978) 462-5304
Office Hours:
- Monday – Friday, 8am – 9am for sick walk-ins and calls
- Monday – Friday, 9am – 8pm for scheduled appointments
- Saturday – Sunday and holidays, 8am – 9am
Newburyport Office – Upper Level
257 Low Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
Phone: (978) 388-9880
Fax: (978) 388-4897
Billing Department
Phone: (978) 462-9311
Fax: (978) 499-9097
Office Manager: Katherine Thatcher (978) 465-7121
Office Hours:
- Monday – Friday, 8am – 9am for sick walk-ins and calls
- Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm for scheduled appointments
- Please note: this location is closed weekends and holidays.
Haverhill Office
600 Primrose St.
Haverhill, MA 01830 suite 200
Phone: (978) 373-6557
Fax: (978) 374-5096
Office Hours:
- Monday – Friday, 8am – 9am for sick walk-ins and calls
- Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm for scheduled appointments
- Please note: this location is closed weekends and holidays
In the event of a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911 for emergency medical services immediately. DO NOT WAIT! Inform the emergency room staff that you are a patient of Children's Health Care and they will contact us.
In the event of psychiatric emergency, call the crisis hotline at (978) 521-7777 or proceed to the emergency room for immediate evaluation.
If you have an urgent medical concern and need to talk to our providers after our regular hours, please call our office at (978) 465-7121. A provider is on call 24 hours a day. Your call will be returned promptly.
At Children's Health Care, we accept most major insurance plans. Please contact your insurance company for specifics on your plan, or call our office at (978) 462-9311 to find out if we accept your insurance plan.
If your insurance plan requires you to pay a co-payment, co-insurance, and/or a deductible, you will need to pay at the time of your visit. For your convenience, we accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
Please know that we follow the American Academy of Pediatric guidelines for screening tests. Please verify coverage with your insurance company prior to your visit.
If you have a question related to your bill or insurance, please contact our billing specialists at (978) 462-9311.
If one of our doctors suggests a specialist evaluation or diagnostic testing that requires a referral, we will make every effort to provide this for you as soon as possible. Some referrals require insurance preauthorization and cannot be processed immediately. Insurance guidelines prohibit us from backdating referrals. We require three business days for the processing of routine referrals.
Doctors at Children's Health Care have a hospital affiliation with Anna Jaques Hospital.
Is Your Child Sick?TMLearn more about your child's symptoms and about managing your child's illness. View Library
Children's Health Care Blog
- Children's Health Care's New Website (and Blog!)- Welcome to CHC's new blog! As part of our newly-launched website, this space brings you fresh and relevant information for the care and well being of your child. The website offers a patient portal, online appointment requests, and an award-winning patient education library. We will be writing here about the latest information regarding research and… ...


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Dawnfresh in Uddingston has been rewarded for showing continuous commitment to getting young people into work.
The firm was presented with a Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Award when Youth and Women's Employment Minister Annabelle Ewing paid them a visit.
SDS chairman John McClelland said: "Dawnfresh consistently displays the core values which define our Youth Employer of the Month Award and I congratulate them on receiving the award at this time.
"The company's commitment to young people and the importance it has placed on offering valuable employability training and apprenticeship opportunities is to be commended."
Dawnfresh recruited Modern Apprentices through the food and drink sector's Tasty Jobs initiative, which incorporates SDS's Certificate of Work Readiness employability qualification.
The new recruits include Lewis McMahon and Andrew Plumb from Bothwell, Darren Ball from Uddingston, Steven Hamilton from Carfin, Cameron Payling from Holytown and Kyle Stein from Motherwell.
Ms Ewing said: "Since starting the Awards SDS has recognised the tremendous investment shown by companies from Shetland to the Scottish Borders, in sectors such as life sciences and finance and by organisations of all sizes from global companies to micro businesses.
"The one constant is the value that these great companies place on the contribution they can make to young peoples' training and skills and awareness of the benefits young people can bring to their workplaces."
Dawnfresh employs over 500 people across three processing sites and seven fish farms, supplying products to large supermarkets and specialist independent retailers.
Its international business has grown to annual turnover of £6million with export markets in the USA, Europe, the Middle and Far East.
The company was nominated for the award by SDS's Food and Drink Sector Manager Gerry McBride.
He said: "The company has demonstrated its support for young people from local communities in their different locations across the country.
"Dawnfresh has shown how much importance it places on training and development and I am delighted it has been honoured on the first anniversary of the awards."


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Annual POW/MIA ceremony held at Museum of Aviation
WARNER ROBINS — Most people across the developed world knew or saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in July 1969 within moments of the event.
Retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Bill Robinson found out months later when he saw a depiction of Armstrong's famous "small step" on a pack of candy.
Robinson was incarcerated in North Vietnam's Ho Loa Prison — aka "The Hanoi Hilton" — and prisoners "had no amenities like radio, television, newspapers" and other niceties of freedom, Robinson said.
Robinson was part of a POW/MIA ceremony held Thursday at the Museum of Aviation to honor military members who remain unaccounted for or were imprisoned during wartime. National POW/MIA Recognition Day is Friday. The annual event was attended by more than 200 active duty military, members of the community, veterans and former POWs.
On Sept. 20, 1965, as a 22-year-old enlisted man from Roanoke Rapids, N.C., Robinson was shot down over North Vietnam while on an Air Force mission in a HH-43B Husky helicopter. Robinson and 10 other airmen were almost immediately seized by North Vietnamese Army troops.
He didn't breathe free air again for more than seven years.
The conditions were beyond austere, Robinson said, with hunger overcoming the POWs revulsion toward the twice daily soup that was made of some sort of plant type they didn't want to identify.
A holiday meant a single cup of coffee, which came about twice a year, Robinson said.
"We survived. We survived there because of the sacrifices of those who are still missing in action over there," Robinson said.
Like the moon landing, news did filter into the camp. Once a picture of Robinson's family came through "it had people in it that I didn't recognize."
One turned out to be a fellow prisoners wife, and that led the POWs to believe their families were banding together.
"Morale was high and morale was low at different points throughout the years," Robinson said.
The POWs were abused, witnessed beatings, starved and lost precious family moments, but persevered, Robinson said.
Robinson's actions, and those of all POWs and MIAs are inspiring to soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines still in uniform, said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Michael Johnson, commander of the newly installed Marine Aircraft Group Detachment A at Robins Air Force Base.
"As a helicopter pilot, (Robinson's) story is near and dear to my heart, as I have often contemplated being shot down in combat," Johnson said. "Each time I am fortunate enough to meet a POW, I come away prouder to be an American. ... Our deployments pale to the time these gentleman spent away from their families."
To contact writer Shelby G. Spires, call 744-4494.


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Do you know that disease and death must needs overtake us, no matter what we are doing? What do you wish to be doing when it overtakes you? If you have anything better to be doing when you are so overtaken, get to work on that. ~Epictetus
I have missed writing. In the flurry of changing jobs, preparing for retirement, completing a demanding class, and taking a couple of short trips, I forgot what I want to be doing when I am overtaken. Luckily, Teresa has reminded me: It is writing! Or perhaps writing is the means to the end: living mindfully, being present for life.
So, today, I am grateful for readers. (I have missed you!) I am grateful for writers, especially the Paperwhite Writers and the Stonepile Writers. I am happy to be back at the keyboard.
Epictetus calls us to our important work on earth. What is it that you want to be doing?


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ATF Qualifications & Education Requirements
Education & Experience
An ATF Special Agent may enter at the GL-5, GL-7 or GL-9 pay grade, each with their own set of education and experience prerequisites. To serve at the GL-5 pay grade applicants should possess at least one of the following:
- Possession of a bachelor's degree from a 4 year college; or
- At least 3 years of experience in management with at least one year of experience equivalent to GL-4; or
- Combination of education and experience
To join the ATF at the GL-7 level, candidates should possess at least one of the following:
- One year of post-graduate study in Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice or related field of study; or
- Superior Academic Achievement during baccalaureate education which is defined as
- GPA of 2.95 or higher for all undergraduate courses or the final 2 years; or
- GPA of 3.45 or higher in the major concentration or in the major courses of the final two years; or
- Ranked in the top one third of graduating class; or
- Membership in a national honor society; or
- At least one year of experience equivalent to GL-5 duties which include:
- Basic investigative techniques
- Gathering and analyzing evidence
- Execution of search and arrest warrants
- Interviewing witnesses and suspects
- Testifying in court
- Preparing case reports; or
- Combination of education and experience
The ATF also accepts highly qualified candidates at the GL-9 level if they possess one or more of the following criteria:
- Possession of a Master's degree or 2 years of post-graduate education in Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice or related field of study; or
- Possession of a J.D. or L.L.B. degree; or
- At least one year of work experience at the GL-7 level which includes
- Analyzing raw evidence and writing reports
- Investigating cases and claims of criminal activity
- Conducting surveillance
- Going undercover
- Conducting financial or technology investigations; or
- A combination of education and experience
Possessing any or all of these prerequisites is not a guarantee or admission as a Special Agent at a predetermined pay grade. The competition for these positions is highly competitive and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has the discretion to assign a pay grade of its own choosing.
As one of the most competitive agencies in the federal government, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives accepts only the most highly qualified candidates. In order to guarantee consideration as a candidates should not possess any of the following in their personal or professional profiles:
- Not a U.S. citizen
- Not registered with the Selective Service System
- Younger than 21 or older than 37 (Some veterans may be older than 37)
- Lack of a valid driver's license
- Inability to pass the ATF Special Agent Examination
- Inability to pass the ATF Special Agent Applicant Assessment Test
- Failure to successfully complete the Pre-employment Physical Task Test
- Failure to successfully complete the Panel Interview
- Failure of the ATF Drug Policy
- Failure to pass the medical examination
- Failure to pass a polygraph examination
- Inability to pass a comprehensive background investigation
- Felony or misdemeanor convictions of domestic violence which prevent use of firearms
- Inability to complete Special Agent Basic Training (SABT) and Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP)
ATF Criminal Investigator Description ATF Selection & Training


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It may seem like an impossible thing to discover, however, finding a phone carrier by using only a telephone number is absolutely possible. When you are shipping a valuable product you must choose a carrier with a good reputation for gentle care and speed. Some idiot writing carrier doctrine from that will get a lot of people killed in the future high end combat when it comes. However, a growing number of homeowners are complaining about maintaining their oil furnace. A typical WWII carrier group escort force consisted of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. Air Strike 1 arrives over its target a short while later and gets three rolls again.
Spain also operates one amphibious assault ship as a STOVL aircraft carrier for three ships total in active carrier service; Thailand has one active STOVL carrier but it no longer has any operational STOVL aircraft in inventory. Compare that to current Navy practice, if not theory, concerning carrier groups. One thing I love about Carrier is how it really makes you feel like a commander.
So, we still need to surround the carrier with layers of defenses and, importantly, layers that can extend the detection and engagement ranges and only airborne fighter radars can do that (more Hawkeyes would just get shot down and no one is going to risk that).
There are at least seven different colors worn by flight deck personnel for modern United States Navy carrier air operations Carrier operations of other nations use similar color schemes. A carrier oil, with its viscous body, keeps the essential oil vibrant, allowing the essential oils to exhibit their healing qualities longer. As an example, Global Security website cites the following carrier group composition.
A refrigerant gas is compressed and cooled within the condenser; this gas then goes through the evaporator coil, cooling the air around it; the cool air is then blown out into the room, thus cooling it. In the past Freon was the gas used. By adding 10-15{2bd6f9a857d2281db0ed11f07d65d8fc809418dcb6dd15c0feb8259c417d5c82} essential oil, your carrier will be easy to work with and smell delightful, too. We lost that knowledge and are making no attempt to regain it. It's quite likely that the spacing, arrangement, and, possibly, even the ideal number of carriers has changed as jets have taken over and as air wings have shrunk. Unfortunately, grapeseed oil cannot be produced by cold pressing since a realistic yield of oil cannot be produced without applying heat.


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Last Day of June – the Finn Brothers
After a string of successful albums with Crowded House, Neil Finn teamed up with brother Tim and recorded a relaxed, Indie sounding album in 1995. The two brothers played almost all of the instruments themselves – the only outside contribution is Dave Dobbyn's bassline on 'Kiss The Road in Raratonga'.
There are a bunch of strong songs on the album – it's an overlooked gem in their catalogue, much stronger than the more polished album they recorded in 2004. But this low key Neil Finn song is my favourite from the album, and since it's the last day of June today, it's a good day to listen to it.
I have no idea what the significance of the date is – it's near the midwinter solstice and the Matariki festival in New Zealand. and as we know from Split Enz's 'Haul Away', it's five days after Tim Finn's birthday. But it's one of Neil Finn's prettiest songs, and the simple arrangement with little more than piano and percussion works perfectly in service of it.
Happy Last Day of June everyone!
The firelight plays on me
The choir ignites behind me
The rising voice of discontent
All the guardian angels
You can bang the drum
Look what we've become
I hope there might be one of us
Who calls the tune
Last day of June
The so called third dimension
Hardly deserves a mention
The first and second stages
Have been confused for ages
Knowledge has been lost
How much does it cost
I hope there might be one of us
Who calls the tune
Last of June
Who breaks the news
Last day of June
The city draws it
s breath in
I can almost hear it thinking
There are people within my walls
See their wild disorder
Driving their machines
Swarming like a million bees
I hope there might be one of us
Who calls the tune
Last day of June
Who speaks the truth
Last day of June
Who breaks the news
Last day of June


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The Life Story of John J. Joyce
Well, I was born in South Shields England. My father was an electrician in the shipyards there and my mother actually came from London. And in fact, the church my mother and father were married in was built by my mother's father. He was a carpenter. Evidently work got real bad in the shipyards at that time and so my father came over first. He had a sister in Portland, Maine, but he went to Chicago, and worked as an electrician in Chicago there and he also had some relatives there, I think. I was born January 10th, 1921. My father came to Chicago in 1923. He worked in Chicago for some time and then he came to Maine because he had a sister that lived here. And when he had enough money he sent for my mother, my sister and I. That was in 1925. And we actually landed in Boston and went to Portland from there. I was five years old and my sister was three, and I don't remember too much but I was told we all got seasick quite a bit.
So from there on in anyway, I went to schools here in Portland and I graduated from Portland High in 1938. Right after school I joined the CCC, which was the Civilian Conservation Corporation. This was a program that President Roosevelt started to help get the kids off the street and find some work for them. And what you did, you worked in the woods or you built roads and things like that. And I was stationed in Augusta for about a year, and worked as a tree surgeon. We worked on trees and doing tree surgery work. When you go there, when we first worked there, you get paid 21 dollars a month, just like the army, the army was 21 dollars a month. But they sent that money home and then if your parents wanted to send any back, that was fine. Most of the parents kept it because they needed it. We lived in barracks; we got our three meals a day and all that stuff.
Through that I got a job as a tree surgeon working in Connecticut. And we worked in all these big homes like in Greenwich, CT, where all the wealthy lived. And we worked on their trees and gardens and things like that. And I probably did that for about a year and then came back to Portland and started my electrician apprenticeship, in local 567 here in Portland. I didn't complete that because at that time the war started. Well of course the war started in December of '41. And at that time I was working in the shipyard where they were building these liberty ships, and sending them to England to carry all the war materials and all that to England and Russia. So I was working in there when the war started. And right after that another buddy of mine went down to sign up for the Navy. And at that time you couldn't go in the service if you weren't 21without your parent's approval. And my father wouldn't sign me off because he had spent four years in World War I and he wasn't about to see his son go to war. So I had to wait a few months until I was 21, and in April of 1942 I went into the Navy. Once I went in, it was fine with my parents.
I went to boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, yeah, not too far from Chicago. And from there I went to radio school. And that was a really good deal. They went to the University of Chicago. And lived right there in the dorms, and the students would wait on us in the dinning room and all that stuff. It was a pretty nice time. From then I went into aviation radio school and to school in Memphis, for about six months. I was in radio; I had a choice of staying in radio or going to aviation radio, so I chose to go into aviation radio, and I went to Memphis for that school. And when I graduated from there I went to Florida for flight school, and gunnery school. And so actually my rate at that time would have been aviation radioman, and gunner. And we flew in Torpedo planes. After my training there, my class got sent to Clinton, Oklahoma, of all places, for the Navy. And that was a kind of disappointment. But what it was, it was something new; they were working on droning planes, planes that you could fly by radio. It was just developing. So we were trained in television, to a small extent. We had other people there who were in the Navy but they actually come out of civilian life…people that were well informed in this trade. In other words, most of them were our teachers. So we studied television and that, and after that on that class, I was sent to Travis City, Michigan. And there they had put this equipment in planes. In other words what it was…we had a television transmitter in the nose of the plane. And we had the receiver in the plane. Of course, we didn't have the drones at that time; we had regular planes. So we could operate the drone from the follow up plane. We received the message from the drone and we had a control box just with a little handle, and you could turn left or right, dive or climb, and arm the bomb. You could then fly the drone into the target. And you could do all of this from a little box. So when we did some studying there, then I ended up going to Monterey, California. And we still didn't have the drones, but we had the regular two motor planes with this equipment installed. So we trained there for about six months. The pilot that would take the plane up in the air and at a given signal from me, he would throw the controls over to me. We had an automatic gyro in the plane, and that gyro would fly the plane. And if you start to go to the left, I had my control where I could bring it back and steer it that way. And so that's the way we practiced.
So then in May of '43, we went overseas. And I went over on what was made over as an aircraft carrier, and we put all of our equipment on it, planes and all that. And when we got to where we were going finally in the Pacific…we went to Banika, in the Solomon Islands. And by that time our equipment started to come; these drone planes would come all crated up. Well flew against Japanese airbases on the islands there, and on their transports or any freighter we might run across. And now we did this actually for about four months. And then there was a lot of controversy. They were getting ready at that time for the big invasion in Guam. There was a lot of controversy between the big shots in the army and they navy, what to do with us. Anyway, the top Admiral King, who was in change of the Pacific, finally decided that this wasn't ready for any action at the time, so they disbanded us. They just broke up the whole organization, and sent people to all different places, in other different units in the Pacific. And luckily for me, our outfit got sent back to the states. And I ended up in a base in Florida and I flew in planes there and we did mostly cruising over the Atlantic and that stuff, submarine work and that. And that's where I was when the war ended. And I got discharged in January 1946, so I was just shy of four years in the service.
When I came back, course I went back into the apprenticeship program again, and completed that and became a journeyman wireman. I would have been about 24 or 25 then. Then as a journeyman wireman I worked in all kinds of constructions, in Maine for local contractors and then I went on the road with constructions all over the country. And I did this for pretty near ten years, when I finally come back to my local union and went to work here. I didn't mind traveling around working. I was single so I didn't have a problem with that, and you usually end up with a partner and we would board in different houses. Wherever we were working we would find a boarding house to stay. I did a lot of work in Michigan, and of course Michigan is a lot like Maine anyway, and went to Las Vegas, worked there, worked in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey. So I moved around quite a bit, and worked on a lot of plants, power plants and things like that.
When I came back to Maine I was working here and in 1964 I was elected as business manager for the local union. And I held that job for 12 years. And during that time I was appointed by Governor Curtis onto the Maine Electricians Licensing Board to examine electricians for their licensees. And I was also on the board for the labor department, where we determined the wages on work that was being done by the state. I was involved in politics at that time. At least every Thursday if we had the opportunity we would go down to Augusta and that's when they had the labor hearings, mostly on labor. So we were very involved in that, and with the reps and the senators that worked there. My motivating force was of course for the benefit of the electrical workers and workers on a whole. So we would support any kind of bill that was in favor of labor.
So eventually in 1975 I was appointed from Washington as an international representative. And the international is divided into nine districts throughout the country and in Canada. And so my district was District 2, which is New England. So I serviced local unions within New England. Mostly construction unions and some telephone, but very little. Of course I helped them negotiate their wages and health benefits, and whatever help the local unions needed. And I service three of the paper mills in Maine besides the construction unions. S.D. Warren was one of them, Millinocket was one, and Rumford. I knew a lot of the representatives from all of these local unions and I got to know a lot of the manager, of course, with negotiation. And it was very interesting, and especially with the paper mills, because it wasn't something that I was used to, cause I was used to construction. And so the paper mills and their types of agreements and things were a lot different than constructions. So it was new and interesting, and tough at times. In fact we had a couple of bad strikes, one in Rumford. The people were out for about a year. So, there some tough times for the paper mills. While I was on the international, I also was put on a counsel of the IBEW Construction Contractors called NECA. They set up all kinds of different agreements that they worked amongst each other. One agreement they had was they decided there would be no strikes. If you didn't come to agreements at home then you would go to this counsel, and the counsel is made up of IBEW, International reps. or business managers, and the other side would be the contractors. And they would sit and hear these arguments and make a final and binding decision. And this would be on wages and many other things. So I was on that counsel for two years in Washington. We didn't stay in Washington. They held those for about two or three weeks every year, usually in and around March or April. And all of the contractors came too. And whatever was decided on, that's what they had to live with. I guess that was it. I held that position until 1987, and I retired in September of '87.
Evidently, my father was a big influence in the lives of two of my brothers because he got us into the electricians union. So he was a big influence of where we went. That's how we started our lives anyway, with a trade. I have two brothers and two sisters. I'm the oldest. And then my sister Mildred is next, as the oldest girl. She was married for several years to a hell of a nice guy, Harold Whitmore; he was a great golfer; worked for the post office. And my sister worked for Porteous, Mitchell and Brown, for a good many years in the office. And he died a few years back, and so she's been a widow since then. My next sister was Peggy, and she had five boys and a girl, and her husband worked in the grocery business. And he died young of cancer. He was about fifty. And she went to work for the Sheriff's department, and she was there for about ten years. And she died a couple of years back of cancer. And next is my brother Dick. Richard is an electrician. He's 72 years old now. He has a family of eight. (Laughter) All nice family; all doing well. He's retired and lives in Portland. Mildred lives in Portland, and my sister Peggy lived in Portland. And my youngest brother Bob (chuckles)…he was interesting. He graduated from the University of Maine. And he was into theatre in Maine. He played in many plays. In fact, they traveled to Europe several times and put on their plays. Then he went to the University of Cleveland, and he got his masters degree there. Then he went on over a period of years to get his doctorate degree. He was a professor of speech in the University of Michigan. Course he was a director of plays. He directed all the plays there. In the summertime he would take the crew to go to Europe, and mostly England, and chase down Shakespeare and all that stuff. Or he'd take them to New York to see plays there. He was a very interesting guy. And he traveled a lot. When he was at the university we saw all the plays he was in. He and another friend started the theatre at Monmouth, which had been closed for years. So he and another friend got together, Richard something, who lived in the area…very interesting, and so Bobby wanted to see if he could get it started again. Course the other Richard was the one that did all the fund raising, and as electricians, my brother and I, and three or four other electricians used to go up there at nighttimes, and on Saturdays and Sundays and wired the theatre for him. It was kind of fun. He left after a few years, and it's still up and running. It's good. He had the theatre in him. Bob died a couple of years ago. He just retired. He retired at 65, and about two years later he died of cancer.
As far as my live goes, I didn't get married till I was about 44. And I married a girl that had five children (Chuckles). Her name was Colleen Garrigan. And she lived in Rumford. I met her in Rumford when I was working at the mill. She was a hairdresser. Course I would just see her during the week and come home on weekends. And anyway, after about a year of that, we got married. We lived in Portland. Her children then were…like I said she had five children. The second oldest was Greg and he was just starting at the University of Maine. It was his first year when we got married. And the oldest was Colleen and she was out of school. Then there was Ronnie, Steve and Maureen who were still in high school. So you can guess at their ages…they were all teenagers. Maureen was the youngest. Anyway, we had a very happy marriage for twelve years. And she died of cancer. And I was a bachelor for ten years.
Of course I was going with my present darling in there for ten years. Simone was a part of our group that we went out together, and danced together, and partied together. We had a group of about 6 or 7 couples. Simone was part of that group, so we had known each other for years. And her husband had died a year before Colleen. So after awhile the gang got us together, when they were going out dancing and that, and they said, "Why don't you call up Simone?" So anyway, we started to go together, but I was reluctant at first. And of course she was still working. She had a family at home. She was a nurse at Mercy Hospital. Before she retired she worked there for 44 years, which is a long time. Anyway, the youngest girl got married, and the boy moved out; he was working at different jobs out of state a lot. So when Simone retired, she sold her house to her oldest daughter. And we got married. (Chuckle) Let me see. This coming week we will be married eleven years? (Simone yells from the bedroom, "13!") Thirteen. (Lots of laughter) We married in '91. I was living here, and she moved in with me after we got married. We got married at the Holy Cross Church in South Portland, by Father Knox.
Both of us are Catholic, and active Catholic. Simone is a very active Catholic. She goes to church almost every morning. My father was Catholic and my mother converted for him prior to being married. And like I say, they got married in a Catholic church; one that her father had built, in fact. We were all raised Catholic. The church plays a big part in my life. In fact I drifted away from the church at one time. This is when I was working away. It was about three years. It was Colleen that got me back in the church, because she was a good Catholic, and she got me back into it, so we went to see the priest and got all squared away, and got back into the church again. Originally we weren't married in a Catholic church, because that's when I was out of the church. Anyway, that's when we went to see the priest, and then he married us in the church. And Eddie Welsh and his wife stood up for us. He was a good friend of mine. They stood up for us, and we got married in the church. It wasn't too long after we got married originally. So I've been back in the church and Simone keeps me straight ever since.
I will go back to Colleen's family and her five children. The oldest boy got married and has two children and is living in Connecticut. And Ronnie's married, and Colleen the oldest, she died of cancer. Steve is married; he's a policeman in Auburn, Maine, no children. And the youngest, Maureen, is married, and has two girls. And Simone's family- the oldest girl is Patty, and she's the one that bought the house from her mother and lives in the house where she was born. And she worked for the telephone company for many years. Right now she's out on disability. The boy, Tucker, or Thomas, works for the telephone company, and he's single. And the youngest one Kaykay, Kathy, she's married and has two boys. The oldest, Danny, is thirteen and the youngest, Neil, is nine. I have an interesting family…I've got a big family and I never had any of my own. I've got a bigger family than most people when you put it all together. So, all together, I've been married 25 years.
We had a good and close family growing up. We were very fortunate. A lot of families are not like that anymore. We never argued, and we were always close to each other, ever since we were small. And have been through our lives. Well, this instilled an understanding of family in me. It's been helpful with my two marriages and the children that came along with them. That's just the background I come from and that's what I expect and that's what I got. So I've been very fortunate that way. I never had any of my stepchildren have any problems at all; minor ones maybe, but nothing that amounted to anything. They've all been good. I had nothing to do with it, they were all of age at the time when I was married, but…well, and they're all close.
My father never got back to England, but my mother went back after 50 years. And she had a brother and a sister living when she went back, which was interesting. Then I went back with my sister Millie and her husband. I don't know what year that was. It was just the three of us. And I met what relatives I had there. I had a couple of aunts living, and a couple of cousins living. And they had some children. So I had some first and second cousins, still living and I met all of them. That was interesting. They were poor. England was bad for many years and a lot of people were on what they call "the dole", which we would call welfare. I took them out to a couple of fancy restaurants, but they didn't go for them. I guess it was too much or they felt out of place. After that we ate fish and chips and stuff like that. (Laughter) It may have been in the early 90's when I went. I still have some family there. My cousins had a boy and a girl and they were young then, so they're probably around thirty now.
The Joyce's are in Ireland. I tried to get in touch with some of them, but we couldn't. My brother Bob went over there quite often and he did that too. He was trying to get a family tree and tracing back. He found a lot of things about our family and where they come from and who they were like my mother's people and my father's people and that. My father's people were originally from Ireland, but he was born in England. He went to Ireland to school for a couple of years, with some aunts and uncles that he had there, because I can remember him telling stories about it. My mother was born in London. Their family was very interesting. One of her uncles, I think, was the first one to invent the steam engine. I had some papers on that at one time. I don't know what's become of that. Maybe Millie's got them. Course her father was a contractor; construction. He built a lot of buildings and stuff like that in his time. She had seven children; I know that. Cause she was the seventh of seven. So she said that she had these special psychic abilities because she was the seventh child of a seventh child. She was a quite a woman…she was a lovely lady.
Course it seemed to me that I was very accident-prone. When I was nine, it was wintertime, and we lived up on Munjoy Hill. And course the hills were fun to slide on, up there. So this one particular day or evening, I went piggyback with a kid. In other words, he lay on a sled and I kneeled in back of him. And we went down Waterville Street, which is a steep, steep street and we come down around and we ran right into a car. We ran right under it. And I got a fractured skull out of it. And I don't know how long I was in the hospital, but it was around Christmas time, and we some gifts, and some games and that. And we had beds side by side in the hospital. And this one particular day he said to me he wanted to play some game. And I said, "No, I don't feel like it. I want to sleep for awhile." And he said, "Oh, you're a pain" or something and he just flipped and hit me in the head with the pillow. And I guess not too long later they came in and they found me unconscious, and blue in the face. So anyway, they rushed me upstairs and I had a blood clot in the brain and they had to take a piece of my skull out so they could relieve that blood clot. So I had a close call on that one. And in the meantime they had an ice storm, which in those days it was a terrible one. The lines were all down and the streets were all ice and you couldn't get any transportation. Everything was down. And my mother and father used to walk all the way from the hill everyday all the way down to the hospital, in that ice storm, all the icicles hanging off the trees and the branches broken. And that's a long hike. Cause they didn't have a car anyway, in those days.
Then another time I was down the promenade. I lived on Atlantic Street at the time. So I hopped a ride on a trolley, on the back of a trolley car. And we got up by my street and I jumped off and behind the thing I ran right into a car when it was coming. I saw it coming and I tried to get out of the way and I jumped back, but I guess my leg went up and I hit my leg, and I broke my leg. I was dangerous guy in those days. I gave my parents a run for their money! I really did.
See I lived right on Morning Street when we were kids. We used to go down there all the time, down to the beach. In fact, my mother used to give us a sandwich and we'd go down there and stay there all day. And we always had a whole gang of us, right through high school. We used to hang out down there all the time. Right around the promenade, around the sand there, and we'd play cards and all that stuff. So, yeah, that was a favorite spot. And of course it wasn't polluted in those days. It's not now either. But it was polluted for a good many years. It's too bad. I liked it there. We lived on Munjoy Hill until shortly before I married Colleen, cause that's when we moved out to Deering. Then they tore that house down, the one that we had moved from on the hill; the one that I got married in. In fact, after we got married, Steve lived with us for a while until he lived in the service. Yeah, I enjoyed growing up in Portland. I always missed it when I was on the road. Missed the ocean. In New Jersey we got the beach once in awhile when I worked there, but most of the places, no. I wouldn't want to live anywhere away from the water. I've always been able to see the water, except when we moved to Deering, but from the hill there we could see the water where we lived. When we lived on Morning Street, we used to just go down to the park and sit and watch the boats come and go. It was a nice spot, a good place to grow up. And I managed to grow up even with all the things that happened to me.
So, when we talk about that, the last few years I've been slowed down with different physical problems. But I always expected it. Course, working construction is pretty rough; you're climbing and doing all kids of different things. And I'd get pains in my legs or something and I always used to say to myself, "Geez, if I live long enough, I'm going to be in awful bad shape." (Chuckle) And it was true.
But we're still enjoying life, and we're fortunate enough so we could get a place down in Florida, and we go there for six months every year, from November to May. In fact, we'll be going in just another month; we're going back. And then again with all these hurricanes down there, we've been fortunate that none of them have come and hit us down in Sarasota. It's very fortunate. It's a disaster down there right now, as you well know. I was talking to one of my friends down there the other day and we've had some erosion on the beach and that kind of thing, but beyond that we haven't had any problems, just rain.
We've done a lot of cruises. In fact it's getting to be an average of a couple every year, I guess. In fact, we get so much of that stuff now, cause they all send it. So we're always sitting around saying, "Well, where we gonna go next?" The only thing that's slowed me down…my legs have slowed me down now. So when you go on a cruise it is fine, but when they go ashore to do any touring, then I can't keep up. So that part is sad…I miss that. But I enjoy the cruises anyway. Oh, yeah. If I get bad enough I'll have to get a little motorized cart. Of course, when your aboard, you can get a wheelchair anytime you want to, like if the cabin gets too far away from the dinning hall. So we try to get in the middle of the ship all the time, and that way you're close to the dinning halls and the theatre and that, and so you don't have that much walking. Cause boy, you can walk your legs off on a boarded ship.
My life? Oh, my life has been fine, far as I'm concerned. I've been very fortunate in most everything I've done. I was very fortunate when I got elected as a business manager and then going on to be an International Rep. And that's a little prestige as far as your local unions go, and not only that, it leaves you very secure, as far as pensions go. And they have conventions every once in awhile. Well they have a big one every five years. Districts has one every year, somewhere within New England. And I always get invited. They still invite us. At the convention they get all the retired guys; they put them all in one hotel. And it's nice. And they give you all the other things, the benefits that go with the convention, so it's nice. Oh yeah, I still have good contact with some of them. A couple of my good friends have died since I retired, but I still have several that are close. In fact, we get together every year in February, in Coco Beach. And one of our reps that that work with us, she's a good lady. She's got a beautiful condo there and she has a get together every May. And it's all the reps down there for two of three days. And we go out to dinner and do different things, and have a ball. It's nice. You can see all of Cape Canaveral, and the towers where they go off and it's just down the road, and if fact, you can see the cruise ships from the window when they go by.
This Stag One outfit gets together every year. But I don't think I'll go this year. See we're going down on the 28th. And I think on the 30th, we might be going to Key West, because they have these air boats that go down there. And we wanted to stay overnight and come back the next day. But the hotels, you can't find them, and when you do they're expensive. So both my friends that are going down with us are both retired Army officers, and of course they've got that base down there, where President Truman used to go all the time, that big Naval base down there. And they have barracks in that and they have rooms for non-commissioned offices, and these guys can use them if there are any openings. So I think he's made arrangements this time. He's been trying for three years. I think this year we might be going down. So we'll be going to Key West for two days. And this convention is in Pensacola, Florida, and it's a long eight hours drive, and we've been there once before. And of course this hurricane went through this area, so I don't know how that's going to affect it to start with, but the hurricane went right through there. So we decided we wouldn't do it this year, so we'll skip that one.
Course we just got back from Canada. That's always fun, they're nice people. We've got a nice agent down there in Florida, and she's gotten some good trips for us. She makes sure we get some benefits or something. Given the opportunity we'll see many more interesting places.


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Christine Todd Whitman today submitted her resignation as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, effective June 27.
Whitman said in her letter of resignation to President George W. Bush that she was leaving to spend time with family.
The Associated Press said President Bush will be under pressure to replace Whitman with a nominee who will be acceptable to his GOP supporters without alienating swing voters who tend to be wary of the Republican stance on the environment.
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I love talk radio that discusses information that is really hard to find. If you juggle kids, work, and college you probably do not have time to research a whole lot beyond what mainstream media is telling you. Do not fret John B Wells has your back. If the name sounds familiar it is because he used to be a part of Coast to Coast A.M.
He broke away and started a program of his own.
What is the catch? It costs $5.00 a month but you receive all past content and a refund is available if you cannot stand the content. You simply have to email him letting him know. The shows run regularly throughout the week and you receive 2-3 hours of commercial free content per episode. His dedication and effort shows he puts a lot of time into his show and I have yet to feel disapointed.
So what does he discuss?
– Religion/Spirituality
– Nutrition/Health
– News/Politics
-Conspiracy Theories floating around (He puts logic behind them)
If the program sounds great to you then head on over to caravantomidnight.com !
At the end of the show I always have random new facts and information to throw out during a discussion. I hope you check it out and you enjoy the program as much as I do!


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February 15th: Introduction to Professional Development Seminar for 1st & 2nd Year Doctoral Students Friday, February 15, 2019 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm S100 Starzl Biomedical Science Tower
Intended for doctoral students within the first two years of their studies, this seminar is designed to be a call to action for doctoral students to take ownership of their career planning and professional development in the same way they will be responsible for their scholarly development.
This seminar will highlight the importance of early career planning and professional development to all career options, including careers in academia.
Engaging in career planning and professional development early in one's doctoral studies will provide Pitt graduates a competitive advantage when they are ready to enter the workforce, regardless of their career path.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Career Development, Health Sciences
Director, Center for Postdoctoral Affairs in the Health Sciences
Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs, School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Contact OACD
The Office of Academic Career Development is dedicated to providing professionals in the schools of the health sciences with the tools, resources, and support they need to achieve their full potential as leaders in biomedical research, education, and clinical practice. Read More>


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The Supervisory Committee is comprised of volunteers who are appointed by the Board of Directors to represent Arizona Federal's members. The committee is responsible for ensuring that members' funds and interests are protected at all times. To accomplish this goal, the Supervisory Committee performs several specific duties, including:
The Supervisory Committee works closely with our Compliance and Review Services department, confirming the reliability of controls in place and the consistency of the credit union's protection processes. Along with participating in monthly board meetings and planning sessions, the Supervisory Committee continues to serve members on an individual basis.


text: Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Congratulations To The 2019 Grassroots Honorees! If you've ever wanted to get involved in your local government, this is the place to be! From helping campaigns to working on committees we have opportunities for everyone!Join Us! Wondering when the next meeting is or where our next event will be? Check out our calendar of events!Events Calendar Need to register to vote? Click right here! Need to request a vote by mail form? You can find it here! Donate Today!


text: Project Scosche STI and JP Edition Veloster Featured in Super Street It's always great to see projects featured in print form. Nothing beats turning the pages of one of my favorite mags to see two vehicles I worked on side by side, even if its only the SEMA event coverage. Full articles to come. Stay tuned. Project CarsJohn PangilinanFebruary 7, 2013Hyundai Veloster, JP Edition, Scosche, SEMA, STI, Subaru, Super Street, Turbo Facebook0 Twitter 0 Likes


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45 Derby Street, Cheetham Hill
M8 8HW, United Kingdom
- 411
- 0
- 4500 sq ft
4,500 sq ft (418 sq m)
The property is prominently located in the centre of Derby Street just off the junction with Woolley Street in in the heart of the Cheetham Hill wholesale area approximately 1 mile from the city centre. The main A665 Cheetham Hill Road and A56 Bury New Road are readily accessible via Waterloo Road.
The area is popular with the wholesale fashion and cash and carry community, which is currently in a period of reestablishment, with the influx on new overseas businesses coming into the area.
Refer to Location Map below.
The property is a recently constructed bespoke wholesale/retail showroom and storage facility providing accommodation over three levels. Constructed of a steel frame with solid concrete floors and with brickwork and clad elevation walls, the property provides fully fitted contemporary showroom space at ground floor level with a sales display to Derby Street. The first and second floor are currently used as secure storage accommodation. The rear of the property accommodates ancillary facilities, WC and wide staircase for loading purposes leading off a private car park and loading area accessed off Derby Street.
The disposal will include the vast majority of the fit out. Fuller details on application.
Please contact the Sole Agents; Haughton Warburton on 0161 839 0080.
Floor Areas
The gross floor area extends to 4,500 sq ft with the accommodation split 1,500 sq ft gross over each level.
We are currently awaiting details of the Rates from our client. Further details on request
We understand that all mains services are available. The property is fully alarmed.
The property is held under the terms of a 10 year Full Repairing and Insuring lease commencing 2017. The passing rental is £35,000 per annum, exclusive. The lease has a mutual break clause in 2020. For Further details on application.
Our clients are intending assigning the balance of their lease and with further details on application.
All rents and prices are quoted exclusive of, but may be liable to VAT at the prevailing rate.


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Add to Calendar
A reminder that this Gathering is not like the Conference Conventions of the past, there will be no business conducted nor do we require or limit the number of delegates. Rather, all members of the Region are very much invited and welcomed.
For the agenda we will have a member of the local law enforcement speak to us of the changing issues that our region faces, specifically around homelessness. And we will have a few words from our Bishop and Assistant to the Bishop.


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My NordicTrack Treadmill Review PLUS iFit Tracker Giveaway/
So this one time at
band camp Runner's World Half and Festival weekend... I won a treadmill!
Saayyy wwhhaa???
I know, right?
iFit hosted a competition amongst the bloggers going to Runner's World weekend and I won!
They let me choose a NordicTrack treadmill under $2,000 and the treadmill above retailed for $3,500, but was on sale. YES! Thank you treadmill gods. ;)
So I happy put in my order and
patiently waited. I continuously checked the UPS tracking code and wondered if they were carrying the treadmill on horse and buggy. It felt like ages. Yes I wanted the treadmill to just apparate into my house a la Harry Potter.
Then I got the call: the treadmill would be delivered Monday, November 24 between 8-12 EST. I decided to wait and do my run that day until the treadmill was set up. Oohh it made the day, hours and minutes tick by. Finally at 11:46am the movers called to let me know they were here. Woo!
Now the fun part started - trying to figure out how to get the large box into my basement. The joys of living in a house built in the 1920s.
I let them choose which of the two paths they wanted and quickly got out of their way.
Yeah I totally watched from the window hoping they would be able to get the box through the basement door without too many problems.
After a little finagling they did it. The treadmill - okay the treadmill in a box - was finally in the basement and ready to be assembled. The movers explained that it should take about 30-45 minutes to set up the treadmill.
Okay okay. The wife and I could do that after my Weight Watchers meeting. Ahh I could barely focus all afternoon. I was wicked excited to get home and get to work.
I may or may not have bombarded the wife as soon as she walked through the door so we could get started! :)
There was plenty of packaging material inside the box.
Many layers! Once we freed the treadmill from the packaging, I couldn't contain my giddiness! Ahhh it was really here.
Now as you may remember, the movers said it would take us about 30-45 minutes to set up the treadmill. Well it took us about 20 just to free the thing from the packaging so my hopes of a quick set-up were quickly dwindling.
Plus this sucker is heavy!
But the wife and I were committed. Okay more so me than her, but we were in it for the long haul. Nothing tests a marriage like trying to put something together. :P
We finally had the base in place.
I should've taken a picture of the top of our washing machine covered in manuals, nails, screws and tools. Ha.
The console was heavier than I expected, but was one spectacular piece of equipment.
We blended our best design, technology, features and components into the Commercial 2950 treadmill. High-definition television, a Web-capable touch display, OneTouch™ controls and iFit® technology come together on a console that adjusts up and down for a perfect fit for users of any height. For premier performance, we've added adjustable cushioning, two cooling fans and a wireless heart rate monitor.
NordicTrack put it best. It was one sweet sweet console. :)
You can also personalize they console height at the touch of a button and put the display, controls, heart rate monitor sensors and console fan in the perfect position for your workout. The uprights of the Commercial 2950 adjust up and down to accommodate every user in your household. This is wicked helpful since it will be used by both of my parents, the wife and I - four folks of varying heights.
Attaching it without pinching any of the wires was nerve-wracking. I had panic moments of ruining the fans or the TV before we even turned it on.
I can't say enough how lucky I am to have my wife. Not just because she is awesome, but because she is SUPER handy! :) This treadmill would still be in the box if it wasn't for her.
After two hours - yes you read that right - the treadmill was FINALLY set to go.
It was nearing 9pm, but I was still determined to get my run in on my new toy.
Plus, I wanted to try out all of the cool buttons. ;)
You can get the training you want with built-in workouts designed by a certified personal trainer to help you reach your fitness goals. Choose from calorie, heart rate control, incline and speed workout programs.
As I mentioned we have an old house so the basement ceiling isn't that high, which means I won't be doing many hill repeats on the treadmill unless I want to hit my head on the ceiling. Luckily the wife is shorter than I am so she will have no problem.
The fans on the treadmill are wicked powerful. There are two small ones on the console and a larger fan on the middle bar, which sends a breeze upwards. I have never been on a brand new treadmill so it was a serious treat.
I wanted to keep the first run short since I knew I would have plenty of time to play around with the new toy.
Did you notice how it says "Share My Workout" underneath my stats? Yeah the treadmill is hooked up to the wifi in our house so I can share my workouts right to Facebook if I wanted to. I mean technology, right? :)
Since we don't have cable, we opted to hook the treadmill up to both a DVD player and a little Roku that we have so we could access Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. So we are totally set for entertainment while walking or running on the treadmill.
Additionally, iFit hooked me up with a premium account ($9.99/month), which includes access to google maps, tracking, content library and a workout builder.
Explore the world. No passport necessary.
Workout somewhere new every day from the comfort of your home.
Access workouts powered by Google Maps™ and your iFit® ready fitness equipment will automatically adjust the incline/decline to match the outdoor terrain, while displaying Google Street View images.
I thought this was the coolest feature of the premium account so it was the first one I checked out. I opted to try a 2-mile run through Dublin, Ireland.
The treadmill will actually adjust (rise or fall) in accordance with the street elevation. It is cool to see the treadmill can go to a 3% decline. It was wicked cool to be taking a tour of Dublin, while in Somerville, MA.
I spent a summer in Ireland in college so it was like running down memory lane!
I totally geeked out at how exciting that was. I can't wait to try and map other places around the world. Someone gave me the idea to see if I can run through Disney. I will have to try that soon.
As I mentioned in addition to google maps, you can:
* Track your workouts. All of your workout stats are automatically uploaded to your account and can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
* Select from hundreds of workout programs built by world class trainers. Every workout created is built with a goal in mind, to make sure you are progressing every day.
* Set your own speed, distance, time, incline, decline, and even change up the scenery by adding Street View images to your workout. When you're ready to complete your customized workout, your fitness equipment will automatically adjust to the settings you created.
Now that you are drooling over the NordicTrack treadmill and iFit account features, it is time to get to the giveaway. My friends at iFit are letting me give one lucky blog reader their own iFit tracker.
The iFit Active fitness tracker (value $79) works with its mobile app to track your everyday activity, sleep, and nutrition, while providing you with the tools to live a better and healthier life.
After entering in my basic information and sharing about the Fox that I am, it was time to customize my settings.
My favorite feature is "Move Time." I set my iFit to buzz when I haven't moved for 30 minutes. It is the jolt I need when I am distracted in work on my computer or sucked into a TV marathon after work.
I also love that it is water resistant. I wore it during my pool workout last week and it lived to tell the tale. ;)
Now I do not use the calories portion personally, but it is a great feature for those that do.
So who is ready to win their own iFit tracker?
Here's how to enter:
Giveaway will run from Monday December 8 (10:00am ET) to Monday December 15 (Noon ET)!
Winner will be announced on Monday!


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It never occurred to me, until now, that the majority of the time I am making excuses. As I fight to eliminate my biggest demon, the dreaded excess weight on my body, I realize that I'm consistently making excuses. Listening to the audiobook, "Excuses Begone" in the author Dr. Wayne Dyer's voice is like having a therapy session with someone who understands me far better than my own mother.
Here are the excuses I have made throughout my adulthood pertaining to my weight:
- It's too difficult to lose.
- I'm concerned about loose skin.
- My schedule makes it hard to prepare healthy foods.
- I'm getting older now, who cares?
- My weight is genetic.
- I simply love too eat food!
- I can't afford healthy food.
- I have to cook the other stuff for my family.
- So what! I've always been a big girl.
- I have a food addiction.
- It's my thyroid.
- It's my hernia.
If I think hard enough, I'm sure there are a lot more excuses I've used over the years. Truth is – none of these EXCUSES are valid. It simply comes down to me making a decision. To be continued…


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Spyro Reignited Trilogy Gets A September Release Date
Spyro Reignited Trilogy is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One (and possibly the Nintendo Switch?) September 21, 2018, Activision announced. You can see the full announcement trailer below.
What's Included In The Spyro Reignited Trilogy?
With the recent success of Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy, it seems Activision is trying for another blast from the past with Spyro the Dragon. From what we know so far, the trilogy should include the first three games in the Spyro series which include Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Each game will be remastered to reflect the new improved gaming technology we've come to love.
All three games were originally developed by Insomniac Games, who have also put work into Ratchet and Clank as well as this years Spider-Man for PS4. However, this remastered trilogy is being developed by Toys for Bob, the creators of Activision's Skylanders franchise.
Spyro Reignited: What To Expect
According to Activision, Spyro Reignited Trilogy has been "remade from the ground up with improved environments, updated controls, brand-new lighting and recreated cinematics." It sounds to us like it's much more than a remaster which could mean good things for the trilogy. You can also expect your favourite cast of character from the Spyro series but, with a little bit of a twist. Activision said that characters have been "creatively re-imagined with additional flair" and promises "full analog stick support and smooth camera handing" as well as "a reimagined version of the soundtrack" originally written by composer Stewart Copeland.
Thank you for reading! For more on Spyro The Dragon, keep follow Game Savvy.


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- Dermalogica Skin Care
- Calm Water Gel
Calm Water Gel
Calm Water Gel
A weightless water-gel moisturizer hydrates dry, sensitive skin.
A weightless water-gel moisturizer hydrates dry, sensitive skin.
- Hydrates dry, irritated skin
- Softens, soothes and calms
- Locks in moisture and defends skin against dryness
Apple Fruit Extract and Glycerin: hydrates and softens
Cactus Pear Stem Extract: soothes sensitivity and imparts water-binding properties
Sodium Hyaluronate and Hydrolized Sodium Hyaluronate: locks in moisture.
Aloe Vera Leaf Juice: hydrates and relieves irritation and dryness
94% noticed their skin felt more hydrated, both 8 hours after initial application and cumulatively after 4 weeks of use.


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A prosthetic leg, believed to belong to missing 10 year old Zahra Baker, has been found in a brushy area off of a N.C. road according, to Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins.
The prosthetic that was found appears to be consistent with that of the missing girl who lost her leg to bone cancer at the age of five. It was discovered late Tuesday afternoon off of Christie Road in Caldwell County.
Police are using the leg's serial number to positively identify it as the missing leg in the case. Zahra acquired her prosthesis in Australia where her and her father originate.
The discovery of the leg came right after finding a mattress that is believed to have belonged to Zahra and been thrown out only days before she was reported missing. DNA testing is being done on the mattress.
Meanwhile, authorities have refocused their search on the Hickory home where Zahra lived with her father, Adam Baker, and her stepmother, Elisa Baker. A backhoe and other equipment was brought to the site to dig into the ground around the home. The investigators are using rakes to sift through the dirt that has been dug up, and police dogs are scouring the grounds.
At least one bag of evidence has been removed from inside the home so far. Adkins said that new evidence has led them back to the house to resume the search.
Zahra was reported missing on October 9th, but no one has reported seeing the girl since September 25. On October 12th, the Amber alert was canceled and the investigation was turned into a homicide.
On October 10th, stepmother Elisa Baker was arrested on unrelated charges. She later confessed to writing a fake ransom note and was charged with felony obstruction of justice. She has remained in jail since. On Sunday she began cooperating with police and went with them to several sites on Monday including those near a home she used to occupy.
Father, Adam Baker, was arrested on Monday on unrelated charges. Police had put off arresting him due to his cooperation in the investigation. He spent a short time in jail before being released on bond.
Neighbors and family members have reported that Elisa abused Zahra, but her attorney has vehemently denied the allegations.


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Share Capital
The issued share capital of the company comprises 501,982,913 ordinary shares with a nominal value of 0.1 p each. Each share confers one voting right.
In addition the company also has 87,758,508 deferred shares with a nominal value of 0.9p each. These deferred shares do not confer voting rights.
As of 30th April 2019, 14.09% of the company's shares were not in public hands.
UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers
As an AIM traded UK registered company, Distil PLC is subject to the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers legislation.
Restrictions on Transfer of the Company's Securities
There are no restrictions in the transfer of AIM Securities
This website was last updated on 30th April 2019.


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Mobile Phone Orchestra is an interactive performance created in 2011; as its name suggests, this piece features mobile phones and music. First performed at a festival, the audience of this piece, which amounted to four hundred people, became active participants: they were orchestra members. An exciting way of approaching performing arts, Mobile Phone Orchestra uses music tracks and lights to create different work each time it is staged. The tracks, recordings of sounds collected from various sites around the world, are paired with corresponding lights of different colours. These lights, usually stage lights, then become more than ambience-setting tools: they now function as signs, symbols for the 'orchestra members' to follow and play along; their 'music score', if you will.
The music tracks are disseminated right before the performance begins; members of the audience are encouraged to share the tracks amongst themselves to speed up the preparation process. Ng sees this as integral to this piece; he considers the act of sharing these tracks openings amongst members of the audience: these tracks function not only as music, but also conversation starters. He wishes to ease the audience into the performance: to move them, literally, from the position of spectator to that of participant. Significantly low-technology, this piece relies on the built-in music player available on most phones; the file-sharing, too, can be achieved sans internet connection.
In 2011, Ng Chor Guan decided to begin commuting via the bicycle; this vehicle, commonly considered unsafe and inefficient, has brought Ng closer to the world in which he lives. The sounds, sights and smells to which he is exposed on the bicycle, as opposed to that in an automobile, offers much inspiration and motivation towards the creation of new works. He realizes that by locking oneself in a car, one is isolated from the world, the earth on which we trod. This isolation, he believes, creates misunderstanding and miscommunication; cycling opened him up to a world many left behind for comfort. With Mobile Phone Orchestra, he wishes to share with his audience sounds and music he has seen on his numerous cycling trips; he wishes to inspire conversations and trigger imaginations. The tracks of Mobile Phone Orchestra are also an artist's conservation attempt: they are recordings of a rapidly changing world whose sounds are fleeting and transient. These recordings, transcending time via art, is Ng's way of making sense of the world around him.


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Click on the Join List button at the bottom of the Home page to join Naomi's mailing list and receive her bi-weekly Jerusalem Post column by email!
Naomi Ragen's Jerusalem Post columns
Hidden Saints
(September 24, 1999) - There really are hidden
saints out there.
A New Year's Prayer
(September 10, 1999) - A New Year celebration marred by the sufferings
of others.
The Method
(August 27, 1999) - If you shout loudly enough at the other person,
maybe you'll convince yourself you're right about everything.
Close Encounters
(August 13, 1999) - A secret writer is
Little Lost Girl
(July 30, 1999) - What will happen to
this little girl now?
Kindred Spirits
(July 16, 1999) - Some wonderful women
have had their say, publicy.
The Last Jews of Ethiopia
(July 2, 1999) - A closer look reveals
that things are not quite what they seem to be.
Beautiful Native Flower
(June 18, 1999) - A uniquely Israel
partnership may well hold the key to a disturbing problem.
Who Has the Keys to the Kingdom? (June
4, 1999) - I used to think that only those who wore the right outfits, and
had the proper wigs and beards, had the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Vive la difference! (May 20,
1999) - If only we could say that one truth doesn't have to cancel out the
other, no matter who gets more votes.
The Unraveling Kippah (May 7,
1999) - When did messianic fervor begin to erode reason and human values?
Enough Gravestones (April 23, 1999)
- The time has come to help the living feel the joy of having survived.
Shmuel Eldar (April 9, 1999) -
In memory of the base commander.
A Shiv'a Call (March 26, 1999)
- A disturbing visit to woman who'd just lost her father.
Oh, When? (March 12, 1999) -
When will the military cemeteries of the Middle East grow old?
A Pyrrhic Victory (February15, 1999)
- What exactly was won and lost in Sunday's demonstration against the Supreme Court?
Count Me Out (February 7, 1999)
- Whom do Israel's ultra-Orthodox political parties really represent?
Write to Naomi Ragen at: email@example.com
Copyright © 1999 Naomi Ragen
Last modified: September 23, 1999


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It's already nearing the time to start filling your diary (and children's stockings) with wonderful Christmassy things, and we have the perfect day trip suggestion for you guys to enjoy between the 5th and 10th of November. The Spirit of Christmas Fair is an event The Amazing Blog team loves to explore every year in preparation for Christmas. Located in London's Olympia, this fair is filled with beautiful gifts, boutiques, workshops, foods and so much more to encourage your Christmas creativity. The date is placed perfectly in the calendar to make sure can enjoy some peaceful Christmas shopping without the stress of having to buy everyone's presents in a rush. Keep reading to find out how to win a ticket to the fair.
During the day there are plenty workshops held, tailored to the interests of a variety of shoppers, which means you are bound to find something for you and your friends to enjoy. This year there is the opportunity to learn of the Champagnes and Vineyards of Louis Roederer with Mark Bingley, master of wine at Louis Roederer. There are Flower Arranging Workshops with Phil Hammond, and Festive Beauty experiences with Graziella Vella, Space NK. Cowshed will be making an appearance with their holistic range and treatments. If Cowshed's exciting variety of botanical products is something of interest to you then this year you can purchase the Cowshed gift ticket, which includes entry and some goodies from the collection. You can read about the different ticket offers here.
For those of you with more of an admiration for fine foods than gifts, then The Spirit of Christmas Fair will not disappoint. With an exciting collection of food and drink, the fair brings together a delicious mix of flavours from around the globe. You will find leading Artisans, Independent Producers, Royal Warrant holders and Great Taste Award-Winners, all at the fair to help inspire some fabulously creative Christmas feasts and gifts. Not only does the fair help with Christmassy ideas to prepare you for next month, but there are also restaurants and bars to stop off at whilst you are there. The Mossiman's Winter Restaurant will be at the fair for when your taste buds need a little attention after browsing so many wonderful food stalls. Sit back and take a well deserved break from shopping for other peoples Christmas presents, it's only fair you dine in style if you've been thinking of others all day…
The Luxury Travel Fair takes place between the 7th and 10th of November. It's always good to multitask, with two fairs for the price of one, you have no excuse not to pay a visit. Conde Nast Traveller has bought together a collection of holiday and high end travel experiences for you to discover. There is plenty to do and lots of time to mingle with experts from the travel industry. Leading brands bring incredible destinations and experiences with them to the show, and they are more than happy to chat with and advise you on adventures you'd never even thought of venturing on before.
If you're looking to treat your friends and family with gifts this year that they wouldn't normally find on the high street then take a stroll down to the London Olympia between the 5th and 10th of November. With tickets for adults beginning at £18, and for children (13-16) at £10.50, there's no reason not to. If you think you will need more than one of the days to explore; which you might because there is so much there, then for £29.50 you can buy an unlimited ticket. All tickets and information can be found on their website.
TWO FREE TICKETS TO BE WON FOR THE FAIR. EMAIL US WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS TO BE ENTERED INTO OUR DRAW TOMORROW. WINNERS REVEALED TUESDAY 5TH NOVEMBER. Email firstname.lastname@example.com


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This post is guest-written by Michael Stevenson, Content Operations Team Lead at Bazaarvoice.
Moderating global content requires native speakers. Online translation software and non-native moderators lack the skills to interpret nuances and slang that arise in global online communities every day. Reading content in any language is subjective, but when a non-native speaker attempts to moderate content in a language other than their mother tongue, misunderstandings can lead to disastrous – and in some cases, hilarious – consequences for your online community.
The German word "geil" pops up quite often in our reviews. Online translators define geil as "lecherous"; in modern German speech, however, this word means something very different. Rather than describing a recently purchased clock-radio as "lustful", German reviewers use geil to describe something as "cool" or "popular."
Major failures can ensue when overlooking the importance of cultural context, as relying on non-native speakers often results in cultural misinterpretations. When one beer brewer offered their slogan "Turn It Loose," the phrase translated into Spanish as "Get Diarrhea." And one American fast-food chain found out the hard way that "finger-lickin' good" gets lost in translation. The chain launched an entire campaign in China with the phrase without consulting native Chinese speakers – buckets of chicken everywhere urged customers to "eat your fingers."
Whether its colloquialisms or common phrases, in the realm of content moderation, technology cannot surpass the human eye. To ensure the highest level of quality, hiring only native-speakers of the submitted languages will suffice. Bazaarvoice currently handles content volume from over 20 different languages internally, with a staff comprised completely of native speakers.
We hired the first member of non-English content moderation team, a native Dutch speaker, two years ago. Today, our Dutch team is over a dozen members strong, and so are our other high volume language teams – French, German, Spanish, and Italian. The Content Moderation team at Bazaarvoice – and the company as a whole – is truly international, and eager to understand other cultures to accommodate every language with the sensitivity and respect it deserves.
Bazaarvoice is currently hiring in the following languages to join our moderation team: German, Dutch, French, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Turkish, Finnish, Polish, Russian, Korean, and Belarussian. Native speakers are encouraged to apply!


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Last week we called Fairfax out for running an advertisement for TVNZ as a news item.
The supposed hidden camera prank is now appearing as sponsored content on Facebook.
Last week we called Fairfax out for running an advertisement for TVNZ as a news item.
The supposed hidden camera prank is now appearing as sponsored content on Facebook.
When a TVNZ credited hidden camera video for one of their returning TV series suddenly appears on a news website with a heading "Robyn Malcolm punks house hunters" and the story doesn't contain any author attribution, I can only assume this is a paid advertorial. I'm calling BS on this one…
Last week, Joe Gilfillan, part of Blacksand, TVNZ's creative team that puts together promotions for TV One tweeted: Continue reading »
TVNZ have provided some insight as to why Rhys Darby's new comedy Short Poppies is heading to Netflix before it is screening in New Zealand.
TVNZ originally looked at scheduling Short Poppies for TV ONE in late 2013 and the producers lined up a deal for the show to go on Netflix in 2014 based on that understanding.
We then made a call to hold on to the series until this year so we could play it together with our other comedy commissions Agent Anna and Coverband to create a strong strand of local comedy for TV ONE this year – but by that point the producers had closed their deal with Netflix. Continue reading »
— Guy Williams (@guywilliamsguy) March 19, 2014
I must say, we're pretty excited about 26 new episodes of Jono and Ben at Ten!
NZ On Air is pleased to announce funding for the return of three popular comedy programmes.
Agent Anna is being supported for a second and longer season after the successful first series starring Robyn Malcolm ran on TV One earlier this year. The scripted comedy from Great Southern Television was the highest rating NZ On Air-funded comedy programme for the 2012/2013 financial year. Continue reading »
After seeing yesterday's glowing press release from TVNZ about the ratings for Agent Anna I thought I would pose the question is Agent Anna worth watching to those who, unlike myself, had seen more than the first episode. I had given the show a poor review so, wanting to be fair, I thought I'd see what response you, our readers, had towards the show.
The results of that poll ended up being a little skewed and biased after Robyn Malcolm, posted on Facebook and Twitter:
Fancy voting on this? V cynical poll re Agent Anna I reckon, with comments based on only first episode. If you feel like having a say go for it!! x Continue reading »
This morning TVNZ sent out a press release celebrating the ratings success of Robyn Malcom's new show, Agent Anna. When we reviewed it we found it pretty hard to watch and while we don't appear to be alone, the ratings would suggest that people are still watching it.
So, here is a question for those who have seen more than the first episode. Is it really worth watching?
We sat down to watch the pilot of Agent Anna on the weekend, excited at the prospect of Robyn Malcolm's return to the small screen after her epic performance over six incredible seasons of Outrageous Fortune. TVNZ had pegged the show quite closely to OF in its description as the story of an embattled solo mum who is down on her luck and turns to the world of real estate to reverse her fortunes but it is there that the comparisons end.
Malcolm wanted to play a different type of character to the Westie mum Cheryl West.
Anna (my character) was built on the idea that I wanted to play someone who had no hint of hero about her at all.
And hero Anna most certainly is not. Continue reading »
Every year around this time the TV networks in New Zealand roll out their new season packages, giving us a glimpse as to what lies ahead for the following year. Head of TV One and TV2, Jeff Latch described TVNZ's 2013 new season as offering "a stronger and more exciting range of programmes than ever before". I beg to differ.
In the 50 plus years of television in New Zealand, does he honestly believe that statement? There is no new hit like a Grey's Anatomy or Desperate Housewives so I'm not sure what he's referring to at all.
Latch also believes "the strong local programme line-up, the new and returning News and Current Affairs programming and the extensive showcase of outstanding international content means that TVNZ will continue to deliver the nation's most watched content". But as we know, most watched does not equate to best. Continue reading »


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I'm SO excited to announce that The Sprouting Image has a new business partner, Hadley Beacham! Hadley is a wonderful artist and teacher who recently moved to Washington from New York with her husband and ridiculously cute baby, Laurel. She has her master's in Contemporary Art and her background is in teaching and designing educational programs for various NYC institutions.
We have big things coming up soon including a variety of visual art classes for kids in a bright and kid-friendly studio, after-school workshops for kids ages 8-12, as well as fun art projects for kids and parents to do together.
Head over to the brand new classes page to read more about us and some of our new offerings for families in the Seattle and Bellevue areas!
Make sure you're following along on instagram to stay informed about upcoming events, news, and art giveaways!


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If you've missed a monthly installment and would like to pay manually, please click here for instructions.
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