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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Local businesses get good exposure on Hawaii Five-O - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL Home

Local businesses get good exposure on Hawaii Five-O - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL Home
By Steve Uyehara – bio | email

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - It was the start of another episode. Danno and Chin Ho Kelly were leaning over their car. Danno's mouth was still full, but he still found room to remark, "It's should be illegal it's so good. What the hell is it?" Chin Ho replied, "Coco puffs. Liliha Bakery sells 7,000 of these a day."

It seems every week another local business gets a plug like this on Hawaii Five-0. Take the Battleship Missouri Memorial for instance. It served as the backdrop when Steve McGarett met the governor for the first time in the pilot episode. It's also in the credits at the opening of every show. And it also had its own episode. An ex-Navy Seal took a group of visitors hostage.

Since then, tourists have been pouring in. Last December the Missouri saw 25% more visitors than any other December on record. And just last month they saw 30,000 paid customers.

Michael Carr, the President and COO of the Battleship Missouri Memorial says, "We had a record year in 2010, I think driven by a number of things, the publicity that we got from drydock, the fact that tourism has improved, but I think the Five-0 Effect certainly had a positive impact on the later part of the year."

Carr says the Missouri never paid for the publicity. In fact, Five-0 paid them a site fee and even let the Memorial authorities look over the script before shooting. "The alleged suspect was supposed to come on covered in blood," remarks Carr. "We're like, we don't let people through the gate covered in blood. So they actually had to change it."

Five-0 fans know the character Kamekona as the face of Waiola Shave Ice. But in real life, it's Jerry Lee who's owned the shop for 30-plus years. He still doesn't know why the producers chose to feature his business. "It could be just the name 'Waiola,'" he says. "It's Hawaiian, versus some other Japanese name."

He calculates an additional 20% in shave ice sales since his business' name appeared in the pilot. And he says T-shirt sales are up 30%. He even has a shirt with Kamekona's likeness on it. He has a tough time keeping that one in stock.

Still, there's just one more thing he wants from Kamekona. "I wanna meet badly," he says. "I want to invite him here, have a shave ice, take a picture and we can hang it on the wall here and have the words that say 'founders,' you know? Because I always tell people he's the owner, and I'm the brother."

Kona Brewing Co. has seen a HUGE boost from it's appearance in the show. Steve McGarett is always drinking their beer. In fact, the show's alpha male has been heard asking for the company's signature "Longboard" brew in several episodes. How did that help? Well in the 4th quarter of last year they saw a 60% increase in beer sales.

"It's probably added 10,000 barrels of beer to the sales over the 4th quarter and into the beginning of the 1st quarter," says Mattson Davis, President of Kona Brewing. "It's just been, that's 10,000 on top of the growth we were already experiencing."

But for all the products featured on the show, the biggest product has got to be Hawaii itself.

I asked Steve Spalding, a tourist from Michigan if seeing the sunny beaches and blue skies on TV during the winter made him want to come here. He replied, "Yes! I've been dying to come here. Been watching this show since it started and I've been dying to come."

And when you think about it, the show is still in its first season. Who knows how much stronger the Five-0 Effect will get.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

HAWAII FIVE-0 “Powa Maka Moana” Review

HAWAII FIVE-0 “Powa Maka Moana” Episode 17 – In this episode the team takes on a bunch of pirates. No, I’m not kidding – although these aren’t so much the parrot-on- the-shoulder, argh!-crying and swashbuckling kind. No these are more the kidnap-a-bunch-of-college-students and machine-gun-carrying kind.

The case brings up bad memories for Steve as he has to deal with a lot of freaked-out families and stare into faces wearing the same fear that he had when he got the call that his own father had been kidnapped. This time, Steve vows to get everyone back alive but when one of the parents tries to take things into his own hands and gets his own son killed, things quickly go from bad to worse.

In the end, the team of course foils the kidnapper’s plans of course. It may have been clever of them to pose as an innocent bystander on the boat and her worried fiancé, but this is Five-0 we’re talking about and they have no trouble figuring it out. So while they can’t get back the one life that is lost, the team takes what comfort they can from reuniting those they can with their families.

My favorite bits…

Steve pointing out to Danny that classic cars are temperamental like him. I love Danny but I’m with Steve on this one. Classics totally have their attitudes.

Steve showing Susan various weapons on his phone so she could identify which the pirates were using. Man, you gotta love technology.

Danny saying that, unlike Steve, the kidnappers didn’t care how the check was split up as long as they got their money.

Steve telling Danny that it looked like he was doing Downward Dog. Hmm.I thought he might have been going for Warrior but that’s just me.

Danny asking Steve if he came from Krypton since he thought pushing a car up a hill was good exercise.

Danny asking Steve if Kona had just said he was in a training bra. LOL!

Finding out that Kona was training to be a Sumo wrestler. You know, he could totally kick ass at that.

Danny using the phrase “pirate zombie.” OMG he totally just combined two of my favorite things into one. I smell a Halloween costume idea coming on..

Danny cracking up when Lono suggested that Steve was the rational one. Um, excuse me for a second.. *collapses into hysterical laughter*

Steve coming back in with a grenade and blowing the door off.

Danny not only suggesting that Steve needed help, but offering to pay for it.

Steve promising to get the kids back alive.

The bartender telling Chin that he didn’t need to ID him. Aw, so mean.

Kono catching the dude on an escalator. Nice!

Feeling so bad for Steve when they found the dead kid and had to tell his parents. So awful.

Not being able to feel any anger for the father who didn’t follow Steve’s instructions, after I heard his story.

Aha! I totally suspected it was Susan and her boyfriend. Boy do I love it when I’m right.

Steve’s voice over the radio asking Susan if she really thought he was going to send her in with all that money.

Steve diving on to a moving bus = So. Freaking. Cool.

The look on Steve’s and the rest of the team’s faces while they watched all the families being reunited. Great moment.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Stunts, Alex O'Loughlin & Moi!

The stunts on Hawaii Five-0 are awesome but boy does it take a lot of hard work. I was on set to experience just what goes into creating a stunt sequence. When I got to Liliha street they were just setting up the stunt. The trolley was parked down the street. A ways up was "the car" - the one the stunt double has to launch off of to land inside the moving trolley. Woah. I wouldn't do that!

Justin Sundquist, Alex O'loughlin's stunt double actually got hurt on the first take. The trolley was a little too far away and he caught the railing right in his stomach. On the second take he was a little late and scraped the side of his tricep. Ouch! What's interesting is how they determine who does what. The studio won't let Alex do all of his stunts because the production would get shut down if he gets hurt. So Justin does the big stuff and Alex does as much as he can leading up to it. For this particular stunt that meant running, jumping onto the hood of the car and launching himself into the air - into pads. Alex did that about four times and it was a wrap for the stunt. It's pretty cool to see these types of scenes unfold. You can feel and hear the crew release a sigh of relief when it's done without a hitch and conversely suck in their breath when someone gets hurt.

I can relate to this. I did a stunt for the movie "You May Not Kiss the Bride" about a year ago. They set the jeep I was riding in on fire, sent it careening down a hill and into a tree to blow up. Along the way, I jump out with only a rock along the path of the jeep as my cue to jump. The adrenaline rush was like nothing I've ever felt before. I seriously could have died. You can call it thrill-seeking or stupid, but action shows are nothing without their stunts teams.

Can I punch youA fun extra on my Five-0 shoot was my "fight scene" with the shows star, Alex O'Loughlin. The guy cracks me up. He's funny and light-hearted and humored me with a quick "lesson" on how to do what he calls a "nap." If you ask you shall receive - so I asked if I could punch him. I loved how he totally got into it and produced a quick fight scene for us to perform. He then let me kick him in the head. Kind of. As I brought my leg back he grabbed it and preceded to "dance" with me - calling it the "one-legged waltz." All in all, a great shoot for a great story.

Search: Malika Five 0 stunts to see the story I wrote that aired February 14.

Hawaii Five-0 - Come See Hawaii!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

HAWAII FIVE-0 “E Malama” Review

HAWAII FIVE-0 “E Malama” Season 1 Episode 16 – Everyone spent a lot of time separated in this episode, which I thought was pretty cool. Not only because it allowed us all to see them handling various situations on their own, but also because they still managed to work as a team, even while apart. The phone conversation between McGarrett and Danny was a great example and I loved that they still got in one of their usual heart-to-heart-in-a-car discussions even though they both weren’t in the car.

McGarrett was his usual badass self, going commando (no, not like that, I mean like an actual soldier) and taking out one bad guys in the jungle. Which left Chin to do some badassery of his own, protecting the witness all by himself and not to be left out, Kono figured out who the final assassin is just in the nick of time to save the witness once again.

Finally that left Danny, who was not on the case at all but dealing with his daughter and ex-wife being put in danger by something that his exes new husband had done. There’s nothing quite like a Danny who’s on the rampage protecting his little girl, but I’m impressed that he stayed in control when dealing with Stan. In the end he actually helped the guy out and took all the danger onto himself, bringing the new family back together safely. Divorced or no, that can’t exactly have been easy for him to do.

My favorite bits…

Totally not trusting the bogus cops, even before the Marshal spotted the bullet holes in the uniform on one of them.

Cracking up at Danny’s theory that the person who invented the cell phone must have an ex-wife. You know, that wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Wondering if it was odd that I thought Danny and Rachel’s phone “language” made perfect sense.

Holy cow! Rachel and Grace barely making it out of a carjacking.

Danny’s entire demeanor changing as he heard the message from Rachel.

Seeing how everyone on the team was affected when they heard the news about Rachel and Grace, and the way McGarrett told Danny if he needed anything all he had to do was call.

Echoing Kono’s “good for her” when they saw how hard the witness fought her abductors.

Getting a Lost-esque vibe when Chin asked “where do we start?” as the camera did the massive pan out to the entire island.

Being right there with Danny when he suspected that Stan might be into something shady.

Chin’s remark about McGarrett, that some guys were just born without a fear gene.

Kono spelling out her name to the scumbag’s attorney. Yeah!

Okay I love me some Hero!Danny as much as the next girl but wasn’t it all kinds of wrong for him to go into Rachel’s house without backup?

McGarrett in the makeshift commando makeup and building traps = totally hot.

Wait. Is Danny driving? His own car? *dies of shock*

McGarrett being able to hear Danny’s tone through the phone and talking him down, all while holding up a very heavy looking log.

Not being able to help the laugh that escaped me when the bad guy got hit by McGarrett’s log. Ouch.

Chin using the tracking info McGarrett taught him to get the guy off their trail. Brilliant!

McGarrett handling a collapsed lung in the field with a knife and a piece of bamboo. Nice.

The entire conversation between Danny and Stan in the car. I loved that he spotted that Stan was scared even though he was hiding it.

Danny taking down the commissioner and with barely controlled rage and telling the man exactly what he would do to him if he ever went near his daughter again. I loved when he imprinted his badge number on the guy’s forehead. If that doesn’t send a message, I don’t know what will.

The awesome motorcycle chase through the jungle.

McGarrett telling their backup that they would have no trouble identifying what truck they were in. Yeah, that was an understatement.

Kono vs. Lady Assassin chick fight.

Chin telling Kono that she had the whole ass-kicking thing down. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

My heart melting when Grace said “I love you Danno.” Say it with me – Awwwww.

What did you think of the episode of Hawaii Five-0? Got any favorite bits or least favorite bits of your own? I’d love to hear from you!

review by Daemon's TV
AUTHOR: Mokibobolink

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Hawaii Five-0 - Alex O

Hawaii Five-0 - Alex O

At a shopping mall in the Kahala neighbourhood of Honolulu, Hawaii, there’s a sculpture of actor Jack Lord, who played Detective Steve McGarrett in the original version of the TV series Hawaii Five-0. It’s only a bust, but it reminds Alex O’Loughlin that he has some big bronze shoes to fill every time he passes by.

O’Loughlin, the Australian actor best known for his previous series Moonlight and Three Rivers, and the rom-com The Back-up Plan with Jennifer Lopez, has inherited the memorable role of McGarrett in the modern reboot of the action series, which premieres in Australia this month on Network Ten.

“I’m an Aussie playing one of the most iconic American television characters of all time.It’s a real honour for me,” says the Canberra- born actor, for whom any early reservations about the show’s success or his part in it have vanished amid stellar ratings and an enthusiastic reception in the US, as well as worldwide.

“Sometimes you think something is going to do really well and it doesn’t, or vice versa. But everywhere I go now people want to shake my hand. We can’t shoot the show without having security around,” he says, recalling a recent off – the-set shopping trip where he was mobbed for photos and autographs. “This might turn out to be my biggest break so far,” he acknowledges. “But I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

O’Loughlin, 34, wasn’t even born when the original Five-0 began its 12-year run in 1968, but anyone familiar with the original series can expect a different take — with lots of action, humour and a modern sensibility thrown in for pretty good measure.

The storyline goes as such: back in Hawaii to investigate his father’s murder, Navy SEAL- turned-cop McGarrett is tapped to head an elite police task force, and recruits New Jersey transplant Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan of Entourage), Chin Ho Kelly (Lost’s Daniel Dae Kim), and rookie cop Kono Kalakaua (Battlestar Galactica’s Grace Park), who is Chin’s pretty cousin — with the latter part played in the original by a hefty Hawaiian dude who went by the single-name moniker of Zulu.

But producers knew better than to mess with other touchstones of the show, including familiar Oahu locations, Morton Stevens’ instrumental theme and the classic line, “Book ‘em, Danno!”.

“I try to figure out a new way to do it every time, to change it up,” says O’Loughlin, whose bantering relationship with Caan is central to the show, and carried over off-screen. “We’ve hit it off and become mates,” he says.

Military veteran McGarrett is more of the straight man, though O’Loughlin’s portrayal is less stoic than Lord’s. “There are a lot of areas where he’s seen as black and white — very clear. But there are a lot of layers to this guy. He learned how to defend himself and his honour very quickly and very young in life,” he says. “He doesn’t take any crap. And if you’re in with him, he’ll die to protect you.”

Signing on to Five-0 meant moving from Los Angeles, his home for the past six years, to Oahu, and although he initially felt isolated living in a hotel on the pilot episode, he now has a mountainside house with a great Pacific view, and loves island life.

“When I wake up, I make a cup of coffee and I look out the window — I view the surf report from there,” says O’Loughlin, who, needless to say, has taken up the sport. “I can see about five different breaks from my house, and each night I can see the sunset from my house. It’s an amazing place to live. It has just totally become my home since.”

He nevertheless plans to keep his Los Angeles pad until he receives the official go-ahead about the series’ second season this spring. Interestingly enough, being a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney from the 2002 cohort, O’Loughlin had always planned to head to L.A. “It wasn’t about the bright lights of Hollywood. It was about the pool of talent,” he explains.

Of course, it was by no means an easy task at first. “I was the second-best actor for a lot of jobs, and I lived on a friend’s couch for about nine months,” he recalls candidly.

In fact, in one of those “almost” situations, O’Loughlin lost the role of James Bond in Casino Royale to Daniel Craig. “It was the biggest audition I ever did, and also the biggest audition I didn’t get. And it’s the one everyone brings up,” he sighs, musing, “I think I was a little bit young for the role.”

Nevertheless, he “got to be Bond for a day” at the screen test, and “walked away having learned about myself as an actor with regard to my ambition, and about my achievement,” he says, convinced that when the role he is right for comes his way, he’ll be ready for it.

What he’s still coming to terms with is the invasion of privacy that accompanies fame. He laughs at the absurdity of a rumour that AC/ DC rocker Bon Scott was his father, calling it “benign, not slanderous or harmful to my family or myself, and kind of cool.”

But he’s bothered that the career he’s chosen may impact the people in his life, including a young son in Australia, whom he’s tried to keep out of the press. “I’m very protective of my family, and I don’t ever want this stuff affecting them. Usually I’m okay with it, but sometimes I want to just go home and shut the door. I’m a very private person, and this loss of anonymity is the hardest thing to deal with.”

Now, living in Hawaii, just a nine-hour flight away from Sydney, he’s slightly closer to Australia. “I miss my friends. I miss going out for the Sydney Morning Herald and a really good breakfast,” he admits, but his job keeps him too busy to dwell on that. “It’s a really big, ambitious television show and I’m in a lot of it.

“There’s a lot of action, and the three Cs: comedy, character and crime. For people who like crime-fighting and cop shows, it’s got that. The characters are really well-rounded, and there’s a lot of really funny stuff,” he says, encouraging Aussie audiences to check it out. “I really think this is going to be a show that everyone will enjoy.”

Hawaii Five-0 airs Sundays on Network Ten.

Riding The Waves
One of Alex O’Loughlin’s top tips for Hawaii is a skill he learned on the island: surfing. “I was actually deeply humbled by God yesterday when I went for a surf,” he says. Although he grew up in Australia, a country where surfing is renowned for being a favourite past-time, it wasn’t until Hawaii Five-O that he began taking to the water with a board. “I learned how to surf when I got here,” says O’Loughlin. “It’s the most amazing scene here, almost life-changing. I’m trying to transition into a short boarder at the moment. Some people are telling me it’s a little early for that. So of course, yesterday, I fell.”

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Hawaii Five-0 - Serious and Shirtless

Hawaii Five-0 - 1.16 - E Malama - Promo 2

Hawaii Five-0 - 1.16 - E Malama - Promo 2

Book'em Danno so far


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02 May 2014

Hi, if you are kickin/fishing in our area this weekend check out the Lifesyle show at the Coleman arena...we have a booth there ..offering all kinds of great gear ..Hardy G.Loomis, Fishpond, Airflo....and free samples of big Al's salsa and pesto..mmmmm...crow is higher, viz 8", summit still  has ice probably a week away...Susan

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Portable/mobile Air conditioners

Place your adverts here for items wanted, or items for sale
Brendan Staunton
Posts: 50
Joined: 28 Sep 2015 20:01
Profile: I've forgotten my log in again..

Portable/mobile Air conditioners

Postby Brendan Staunton » 13 Nov 2016 14:37

2 X mobile/portable A/C´s for sale

1 for €50.00, the other €75.00

Both have an exit hose similar to a tumbler drier. The €75.00 one has an attachment to seal the hose going out through a sliding window.

Yes I know it´s winter time. But will they be available when it´s HOT?

Photo available on request.

Bren :algorfa:

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Lisa Barrow Not Another Teen Prom: Naughty Prom redeems your adolescence Not Another Teen Prom: Naughty Prom redeems your adolescence by Lisa Barrow (2014-06-05) ArtBar

Maybe you thought (having escaped high school relatively intact) that polyester jewel-tone dresses and wrist corsages were a thing of the past. Not so! Prom is back—but this time it’s just for the grownups. Naughty Prom requires no date, no stretch limousine and no flask stuffed into your underwear, because the night of dancing, group photos and games happens at ArtBar (119 Gold SW), where the liquor flows in the open and the “cool kids” are everyone who showed up ready for a good time. Thanks to the evening’s “sensuality” theme, any make-out sessions that might crop up during the steamy entertainment will be free of disapproving chaperones. Onstage, Honey Pistol and Siren Rain of fledgling troupe Broken Diamond Burlesque stretch their sexy wings, and Zmeya Dali and Saskia Sharp of the dark and deadly Black Widow Cabal are likely to do something shameless. Vibe on the sounds of Bandwidth No Name, Element37, Rusta Rhymes and more, plus a range of poets unleashing their most erotic verses. When the big dance kicks off at 9pm tomorrow, be there wearing your fancy clothes and poised for your hottest prom ever. Tickets are $5 or $10 (members/non-members) at the door. ArtBar • Fri Jun 6 • 9pm-midnight • $5-$10 • 21+ • View on Alibi calendar
...
Full story: Not Another Teen Prom: Naughty Prom redeems your adolescence #type-0 -106.64852027,35.0831159328
119 Gold Ave SW Albuquerque NM 87102


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Alibi V.15 No.37 • Sept 14-20, 2006

Thin Line

A Week in the Life—It’s that time again. It seems we can only go a couple of months before we are forced (forced, I tell you) to do a little Albuquerque Journal critiquing. It’s just one of those things—like taking the car for a tune-up or buckling down and cleaning the house—when the essentials start to fall apart, you have to pay attention.

Sept. 5: Thy Name Art Petty—We’ve never accused the Journal of being fair or balanced, and an article they ran last Tuesday, “Gov.’s APS Vetoes Hit GOP Harder,” proves why. In a story about Gov. Bill Richardson’s line-item vetoes for proposed projects for Albuquerque Public Schools, the Journal managed to find the angle of real importance: The guv happened to veto more projects proposed by Republicans than he did those proposed by Democrats. Apparently, this is a big freakin’ deal, as the Journal ran the story in the predominant above-the-fold slot on the front page.

The facts? The guv vetoed 58 percent of Republican projects and 22 percent of Democratic projects. The highlighted veto was a Republican request for $750,000 for drainage improvements at Sandia High School. Yet, the article also mentions that last month the governor announced $200,000 to go to Sandia for the same cause and that the big guy approved hundreds of other construction projects for other schools, such as $255,000 in drainage improvements for Alameda Elementary (which happened to be backed by a Democrat). Wow, what a jerk.

I could go on. The story’s a scramble to say something negative about our governor, and it’s a sorry excuse for reporting.

Sept. 6: Wait a Minute …—I also enjoyed the next day’s paper, conveniently following the biased story about the governor. On the front page, above the fold, was a pleasant article about how Mayor Martin Chavez is “Still a Voter’s Favorite.” Never mind the fact that the mayor’s not up for re-election, the Journal just wanted to let us know how much everyone likes him. Also convenient is the fact that the real story about Chavez was relegated to the Metro & NM section, which discusses the mayor banning police and firefighters from participating in an annual charity boxing match. Last year, the Rumble in Rio raised $36,000 to buy local kids 500 bikes for Christmas. Gee, the fluff piece about the mayor’s high approval ratings on the front page couldn’t have anything to do with the negative story about the mayor that ran later in the paper, could it?


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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

In Case You Missed The Panel: JD in the New Economy

Copyright Notice: If you are not reading this at All Education Matters, and unless I've explicitly given an individual or entity permission to publish my work, this post has been illegally appropriated. Please read original content here.

This panel about student loan debt, law school, and employment in the legal field took place on April 7th (I was the moderator), and can be accessed for free here.

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Archive for September 28th, 2017

Growing Milkweed

[ October 29, 2017; 1:30 pm; ] Growing Milkweed

Fox Island County Park

October 29, Sunday  1:30 PM – 3:00  PM

Learn the different types of milkweed and when and where to plant the seeds. Take home seeds to plant in your beds.

Cost: Free w/annual  Pass or $2.00 park admission 7 and older

Pre-register by:10/20  Min: NA  Max. 25

To register or for more information: Email:jormiston at [...]

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[ W. S. Burroughs at rest in the side-yard of his house, 1991, gelatin silver print, printed 1991-1997, image: 22.1 x 33 cm (8 11/16 x 13 in.), sheet: 27.9 x 35.4 cm (11 x 13 15/16 in.) Gift of Gary S. Davis © Copyright 2010 The Allen Ginsberg Estate. All rights reserved.]

Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg opened last weekend at the National Gallery in Washington DC and will be up through September 6. The coverage so far has been very positive. We’ll start off with Clair O’Neill’s NPR Story then over to Art Daily, and then, of course, The Daily Beast. The The Washington Post features a 13-image slide-show with a not-so-sweet review by Philip Kennicott, who seems to be asking: “If Allen wasn’t as good a photographer as Robert Frank, should we take him seriously?”

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

#JuniorContracts - #NotFairNotSafe: We need your support!

by Roshana Mehdian
11/11/2015: Junior Doctor Contracts - Where are we now?
A lot has happened since I last wrote about the threatened imposition of a junior doctors contract in the UK. Opposition has been so widespread that we are being covered in one form or another in the media almost daily. Despite the uproar and the near unanimous condemnation of this contact; our government plans to press on with its implementation.
We are now at a stage where the British Medical Association, our union, is balloting for strike action, with results expected in the coming weeks.
Other developments:
  • A protest rally in London drew 20000 junior doctors and supporters calling for the halting of this contract imposition, this was followed by protests in cities up and down the UK
  • The shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander announced her condemnation of the contract
  • The Conservative party’s own member of parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Health select Committee rejected this contract in its current form
  • Ireland, Wales and Scotland have all rejected the use of this contract for their doctors
  • Letters of support from thousands of consultants and GPs have been written to junior doctors and to the health secretary advising him against this unsafe contract imposition
  • Our Royal Colleges, in an unprecedented step, have written to the health secretary advising him not to impose this contract
  • Press heavily allied to our Health Secretary has now started sensationalist smear campaigns against visible figures in the junior doctor movement including the chair of the BMA and myself
At this time, whilst we ballot, I would ask for your support. Everyone who reads this contract knows it is unsafe and unfair. The voice has been unanimous: ‘STOP!’ they say. Our government won’t listen.

As a female surgeon I followed the #ILookLikeASurgeon campaign with much excitement; what a worthy and relevant cause for a global movement! Women being mothers, daughters, sportswomen, fashionistas, etc... AND being surgeons.
I couldn't have known that just a few weeks later, I would be contacting the organisers of this movement to help me demonstrate that the world stands in solidarity with junior doctors in England, as they face the imposition of a contract that threatens patient safety and is unfair to dedicated professionals. I feel that the values imbued in our campaign against this contract – the primacy of patient care, fair treatment and conditions, and an end to gender discrimination – are relevant globally and not just in the UK.
The government has announced it will impose a draconian contract on all junior doctors (any doctor who is not a consultant or general practitioner) in England from August 2016, in the middle of one of the worst retention and recruitment crisis the country has ever seen. Needless to say, with such poor conditions on offer, physicians will vote with their feet, leaving the system even more understaffed and overstretched. This will have a profoundly deleterious effect of patient safety. Those that are left will have to cover the gaps and work unchecked hours. Tired doctors make mistakes. Patient safety is hit again.
Please watch this video for the story to date.
Why is the contract so bad?
  • It removes the mechanism for safeguarding (monitoring hours and fines for overworking) - to ensure doctors are not too tired or overworked and therefore do not harm patients by being so.
  • It is even more unsociable than the current contract, further disruption to our private lives will not properly be renumerated - Pay rates for Saturday evening are to be classed the same as working Tuesday morning. Who will provide childcare on Sat evening? Do doctors not deserve to be renumerated for working the most unsociable hours? A hit to morale, our ability to pay our mortgages or look after our children and thus a massive hit to recruitment.
  • It is potentially discriminatory - it penalises those who take maternity leave, part time working or researchers; leading to potential financial hardship for women bearing children and discouraging lifesaving research. How can we allow such a step back?
Our union, the British Medical Association, voted to ballot us for industrial action. The government should never have let it come to this, but I'm afraid they only have themselves to blame.
We will fight this - not just for us, but for those on the cutting block next, our nurses, for those across the world facing similar battles, and ultimately for our patients!
I am truly in awe of how, as a profession, we fight through adversity (be it the challenging situations at work, the emotional toll or this latest contract saga) with such resilience. All of us, including our colleagues; nurses, physiotherapists, cleaners, clerks, pharmacists etc...in the healthcare world deserve recognition for what we do, not least a fair and safe contract.
Please stand with us in solidarity this Saturday, October 17th and tweet to make your voice heard!
Sample tweet: "I stand in solidarity with the #ILookLikeASurgeon community and oppose the #NotFairNotSafe #JuniorContract!"
Thanks for reading.
Roshana Mehdian, MBCHB MRCS BMSC PGCEMedEd
Trauma and Orthopaedic Registrar, Concerned Junior Doctor

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Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Ultimate (So Far) History of Allied Leisure/Centuri - Part 8

Today’s post is part 8 of my ongoing history of Allied Leisure/Centuri. It mostly covers Tunnel Hunt and as such is basically a repeat of a post I did earlier. Sorry for that, but I couldn’t leave the game out of my history.

Tunnel Hunt

            While The Pit had a convoluted history, it was nothing compared to July’s Tunnel Hunt. The game, which was actually designed by Atari’s Owen Rubin, started life at Atari as Tube Chase and was Rubin’s first color vector project. Initially he started with an Asteroids vector system and used some Night Driver code to create a simple flying game.

[Owen Rubin] I started the game as a vector graphics project based on the opening landing sequence in the movie Aliens. It did not work in vector, but that took several months to discover. Dave Sherman had an ellipse generator that he thought would be good, so I spent nine months or so and did this great game of flying down tunnels. The tunnels split and merged and you occasionally exited into space where you could fly into one of several other tunnels (worm holes). . .The only way you could slow down was to hit the walls, but that raised the hull temperature. It was a good strategy to bump the wall to hold off a target so that you would not overtake it, especially if your lasers were out. . .  It had a great cabinet. It “wrapped” around you with speakers behind and in front. You stood, not sat, and it blocked out outside noise. The controller was a flight stick for flying with buttons for firing and shields.

The game was play-tested and was ranked a solid #2 or #3 for 10 weeks straight. Atari, however, would not feel comfortable releasing it unless it reached #1 and asked Rubin to make some changes. After Rubin spent another six months working on the game, management decided that it was too expensive.

[Owen Rubin] So we cheapened the hardware to do circles only. This made the split tubes ugly, and the warping of the tunnel effect was lost... It took another four months to make the changes. We field tested it again – #2, solid! They changed the hardware again to make it even cheaper, which allowed only one sorted list of circles and so I had to take out the splits. The game was MUCH simpler now, but still the same basic game play.  [It was] still too expensive, so Dave [Shepperd] did a rectangle generator and I rewrote the game for a square tube. After 3-4 months [we did] another field test – still #2 for another five weeks (at different arcades all the time as well). So after almost two years of screwing around with it, they decided to sell the game to a competitor – something Atari had NEVER done. So, I stated another turn to change the name to Vertigo for Exidy. This was harder than it sounds because I put some VERY elaborate security code in the game to prevent a clone company from being able to copy the game and remove the word Atari from the screen. After all this time, I forgot where it all was. Another three months and they had their game. They field tested it again, but now it was only earning a solid #3. After all, it was OVER two years old and starting to look out of date.
In Exidy’s version, the game was packed into a cockpit cabinet. After building a small test run, however, Exidy decided it didn’t want the game after all (though they did go on to develop another, unrelated, game. In a cockpit cabinet bearing the same name).

[Owen Rubin] About three months later, they rolled the game back into my lab and asked if I could make “just one more change”. This line became a joke because they’d asked this maybe 70 times by now. I changed it AGAIN, this time for Centuri in Florida, and they did build the game. Unfortunately it was now almost three years out of date…The kicker to all this is that after I left Atari, I went immediately to Bally/Sente to work with some old teammates from Atari. When I walked into my new law, there was a Tunnel Hunt with a sign asking if I would make “just one more change”. Of course, they didn’t really want it, but I got a VERY good laugh out of it.

While Centuri did release Tunnel Hunt, it was even less successful than The Pit and netted Centuri just $1.15 million in sales (probably less than 1,000 copies). Centuri’s final release of 1982, September’s The Swimmer (licensed from Tehkan), didn’t do much better, netting the company just $1.49 million (though it might have made more money in 1983).

 Centuri – 1982

            After their “annus mirabilis” of 1981, Centuri failed to reproduce its success in 1982. In fact, they didn’t even come close. Centuri’s revenues for fiscal year 1982 (which ended October 31) fell from $61.5 million to $37.6 million and the company lost $2.9 million. It was déjà vu all over again. Centuri sold just 8,682 video games during the year, resulting in $14.1 million in revenue, but losses from video games were $3.1 million, even greater than losses as a whole. Their biggest “hit”, The Pit, accounted for 21% of video game revenues. With arcade video games in decline, the company began to branch out into other areas. In February, they struck a licensing deal with Atari for home rights to Phoenix, Vanguard, and Challenger (the Phoenix license would be the basis for Atari’s November suit against Imagic over the Demon Attack cartridge). In May they sold $10 million of their convertible notes to a California life insurance company to raise some much-needed cash. The biggest move came In September, when Centuri acquired Outdoor Sports Headquarters Inc., a wholesale distributor of hunting, fishing, camping, marine, and archery equipment with four retail stores in Ohio and Indiana (though the stores accounted for less than 5% of Outdoor Sports’ revenue). In September and October alone, Outdoor Sports generated $20.9 million in revenue (more than video games had for the entire fiscal year) and turned a modest profit of $134,000. In the final two months of the calendar year, Centuri had revenues of $21.2 million and a profit of $72,000 with most of the total coming from Outdoor Sports.
            In response to the decline in their video game business, Centuri also made a number of personnel changes in 1982. In the spring, Ed Miller resigned as president and formed his own company called Telko Properties, which worked with Miami’s Techstar (founded by former Centuri VP Bill Olliges) to secure licenses for their games. A short time later, Centuri brought in another coin-op veteran – Arnold Kaminkow – to replace him. In addition, Centuri laid off a number of workers in their Hialeah plant and shut down their development lab in Bensenville, IL. With the industry crash already underway, things were not looking good for Centuri’s video games, but 1983 would be much different from 1982.
Bonus Pictures
First, a few more undocumented games:
Above photo is from the 1982 AMOA show
Photo above is from June, 1976

The next one is not a photo, but it does confirm the existence of Shadco's Mister Doodle and Naughty (for which I posted an ad earlier). This one's from August, 1982

Anybody ever seen the following? Wonder if you could put a Moppet game in there?

This one's not a video game, but it's interesting anyway:

Finally, a little peek behind the scenes. Here's a Gremlin IC inserter from 1982:

  1. MAME source mentions a "Space Hunter" by "Nihon Game/Culture Brain" and/or Taiyo in 1983, it is possible that Hoffman International is just a US distributor/licensee.

    1. Nice to see something from Culture Brain came over that early. They of course would leave behind a bigger legacy on the NES later on.

  2. "Naughty" is probably "Naughty Mouse" (as they say) from Amenip, 1981 - based on game name and description.

    My other guess is "Shogan" might be "The Shogun" (Omori Electric Co.), 1982 (unemulated)

    1. Yes. Naughty is definitely Naughty Mouse (which appears to be almost the same game as Woodpecker).
      Now we need to find out where they got Mr. Doodle.

  3. er, "Shogan" was from the previous time you mentioned Shadco.


text:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011

my siblings are so precious to me...I am so excited for both of them. I am so proud of them for their endurance and the choices they've made in life.
They are incredible people and i am so blessed to have them in my life!
My brother has worked really hard to get where he's at and he loves it! Also, He has fallen in love with his soon to be wifey! It blows my mind that we will always be kids, the three of us, but still. We grow up SO quickly...oh man, do we ever.
I am so excited that He will be getting back to the states soon! (even though it's not soon ENOUGH!) haha.
My sister just went on her first overseas trip to visit her friends in Ireland, then had the opportunity to visit my brother in Italy. She had a fun trip and didn't run into too many problems so that is nice for her & and for me to hear!
They are such hard workers, they persevere through life and "run the race w/ endurance" it's really amazing to see.
I just love the lives we lead...I am just very proud of the three of us and oh so blessed to have the beautiful siblings i have.

I hope your week is filled with joy and grace.

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Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Our New CD - An Important Announcement...

Last week, we shared important news through our mailing list.
Today, we wanted to bring you all into the loop...

As you know, we've had a very full season of recording, as we create a brand new album of original music. It's been a lot of work, and we're incredibly excited about sharing this new project with you.

This August, however, we faced a difficult time in our family when Gerald's mother,
Sandy Flemming, passed away.

Sandy had battled heath issues for years, but her death very sudden and unexpected. We stopped all recording for several weeks as we prepared for her funeral and spent much needed time with Gerald's Dad and our family.

Many of you heard the news on Facebook
and we are so grateful for your prayers and messages of love.

Needless to say, this put us far behind on our recording. We could have rushed the process, but to be honest, what's happening in the studio has been so exciting, and we're committed to making the best recording possible for you!

For this New CD, we sat down and thought,
"Who would be our dream duets for this album?"

We thought of four amazing Canadian artists whom we admire and love.
In a bold move, we invited each of them to sing on the project, hoping one of them might say Yes.

We can't tell you how humbled we felt when

For this new album, we're thrilled to sing 'duets' with:

Drew Brown - Juno nominee
Ali Matthews - 20 time GMA Covenant Award Winner
Hiram Joseph - Juno nominee
Kevin Pauls - 100 Huntley Street musical host

All four artists gave incredible performances on their songs!

Just before we left home to start our Western Canada Tour, we completed recording all the performances for the album! As we travel, our producer, Andrew Horrocks, is mixing the tracks and adding more instrumental parts. Then, he'll master the album to give it a beautiful, finished sound. While that's happening, we'll have the graphics designed. Then, the CDs will be manufactured and prepared for shipping!

The final CDs will now be available in mid to late November.
We are so grateful for all of your support with this new album!

The only question left is:

Preordering your CD guarantees you get one of the very first copies available.
Also, your preorder helps us with the financial challenges of creating the final parts of the album.

As our THANK YOU for preordering,
we want to give you some FREE GIFTS!

Please visit this page to preorder your CD:

Thank you for all you do to support our Infinitely More ministry!

Saturday, October 07, 2017

Thanksgiving With Strangers

This weekend, we'll do something that has become a bit of a quirky tradition:

We'll spend Thanksgiving with strangers.

The first time we did this was in 2007, during our first year of living in Nashville. October approached, and we realized we would be away from our families for Thanksgiving. We were still new to the city, but everyone there celebrated Thanksgiving in November. We made plans for Skype calls to family and a quiet dinner at home.

The last weekend of September, we attended a songwriter party and met a woman originally from Nova Scotia. As we chatted, she said, "You know, I'm attending a Thanksgiving dinner with some other Canadian friends next week. If you want, I'm happy to get you an invitation."

And that was our first Thanksgiving with strangers.

We gathered, ate heartily, laughed boisterously, and far from our families and country, we shared our blessings.

Once we returned to Canada, our Thanksgiving became a movable feast. For a few years, we celebrated with our immediate family. As we began our fall concert tours, we were blessed to celebrate with our extended family in Newfoundland.

But then a few years ago, our touring schedule changed. Instead of traveling east each fall, we started to travel west. That first tour was an epic feat to plan - four very large provinces with lots of driving and absolutely no friends or family between home and Alberta. We were literally on the road for over a month before we saw a familiar face!

As we got closer to the holiday weekend, I realized that I had completely forgotten about Thanksgiving! We were destined to spend this great day of celebration alone, in a hotel room, searching for a 24-hour roadside stop to feed us... The whole thing just felt too depressing for words...

So, I did what we do in the modern age - I turned to social media!

"Hey everyone! We're going to be alone in Manitoba for Thanksgiving. Does anyone know of a church or community dinner we could attend?"

What happened next was more than we could "ask or imagine" ...

The host of our Winnipeg concert came to me, "I realized you're going to be around for the long weekend. Would you like to stay an extra night and join us for Thanksgiving dinner?"

Amazing. We gathered with almost a dozen people who, a day before, had been complete strangers to us. In a wonderful twist, the host family was from Newfoundland, so the dinner was filled with familiar traditions and delicacies.

Then, I got a note on Facebook. "I have friends with a ministry retreat in Dauphin. They'd love to have you for Thanksgiving!"

So Monday morning, we drove to Dauphin to find a beautiful house on the edge of the lake. Again, we met strangers who welcomed us into their home for a wonderful night of feasting.

In gratitude to the family, we sang a short concert for their guests and, wouldn't you know it, there were Newfoundlanders at that table, too!

As we tour this beautiful country, we continue to marvel at this great truth:

The family of God is a real thing.
In every community, we arrive as strangers,
and yet, we are bonded by a love far greater than ourselves.

So this Thanksgiving, I encourage you to welcome strangers to your table, and to celebrate with those who might be far from home. In this way, let's show the love of God to one another, and truly celebrate the blessings of our "home and native land."

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Hebrews 13:2 ESV

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Scribbles of Harmony...

This summer, everyone in our area is complaining about the non-summery summer weather.

Truth be told, we haven't noticed the weather a bit.
We've been indoors for most of it, either in the studio or rehearsing the songs for when we're in the studio.

Long days, but super creative and satisfying.

Yesterday, we spent the better part of the afternoon creating harmony parts,
so I thought you'd appreciate this little behind-the-scenes glimpse...

Right now, you're thinking, "Um, secret language? Morse code? Just plain messy??"

This, my friends, is harmony!

What you're looking at is the bridge for our song Through The Dark. Gerald wrote it about a year and a half ago, so some of you have already heard this haunting and moving song in our concerts.

Gerald takes the lead on this tune, so when we arrived at the studio, he jumped in the booth and sang his part.

Next, it was my turn. On this song, I sing a few different types of harmony parts. Some are "oohs" that drift under the lyric. Others are various kinds of echoes to enhance the melodic line. Others are straight up harmony lines where I sing the lyrics an interval from Gerald's lead.

When we got to the bridge, I sang my part as I've always sung it. Andrew Horrocks (our amazing producer!) wondered if I might want to switch up a few notes to give the part more presence and impact. So I pulled out my pencil and started to make the little dots and short dashes that you see. They indicate where the notes are different from what I sang before. The up and down nature reflect the same up and down movements you'd see on a piece of sheet music.

The point of these markings isn't to transcribe an actual part onto the page. I learned the part by ear and memorized it as we went along. The dots, dashes, and doodles are there to guide my memory as I'm working through the recording. They trigger my ear and voice to lock into the harmonic groove of the new part.

When it was just one note that changed, I add the arrow or check mark to show the direction of the new note. When the new note was held long with no or few changes, I drew the longer lines, like the ones after "fear."

The "echo" was always part of the song, but because we were adding so many new bits to the part, I wanted to put it in my notes to remind myself of taking a deep breath and showcasing that moment.

We spent a good amount of time creating this part, rehearsing it, and then doing several takes to make sure it wasn't just note perfect, but that I also gave it the right kind of performance and energy.

Making music should never be just about hitting the right notes.
We're there to share a message and an emotion.
Notes are important, but communicating is EVERYTHING!

So, after I laid down the harmony line, Andrew said, "I hear some third harmonies, too."

This is where the circled words come in. Each word with a circle had an additional harmony part added to it. Since they were all higher parts, I didn't have to add a lot of direction for myself, except where I added in the extra long line after "fear."

A few weeks ago, we had a tremendous band come in to record the tracks for this song. Then, Gerald created his guitar part. Now, we've got lead vocal, harmony line, and extra harmony parts created. And the song is still a work in progress. It's only going to get better from here!

It's always amazing to see how a simple guitar-vocal song can build into a vibrant, exciting album track.
Stay tuned to hear what happens next with our new CD...

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Are you excited about our New CD??

You can preorder your copy now!
All preorders include free shipping & bonuses.

If you'd like to give a little extra support,
we've got an awesome thank you gifts for you!

Visit for all the details!

Monday, July 31, 2017

Help Us Make Our New CD!

This week, we launched a new page on our website!

It looks like this:

It’s been three years since we’ve felt called to record. Three years of travelling coast to coast, playing for hundreds of churches, and writing sixty new songs. God has filled the well with both your and our stories. We have listened and transcribed those moments into beautiful new musical acts of worship. And paring those sixty down to twelve was also helped by you. After each performance we took notes…

Did they love “My Soul Is Spoken For”?
Were they singing along on “Crown Him Lord Of All”?
Were they moved by the faith filled challenges in “Where Are You Hiding Today"?

We've partnered with 3-time GMA Producer of the Year, Andy Horrocks. Andy brings his extraordinary heart for worship and his remarkable abilities, as well as a band of world class Christian musicians. We're also thrilled to welcome the voices and creativity of some incredible guest artists to this album! (Stay tuned for announcements about all our guest artists!)

God willing, we are two months away from our CD release date! We're still in the thick of the project, and each day, the vision for the album becomes clearer and more exciting.

In the beginning, we asked you to join us by choosing the songs.

Now, we ask you to come on board again!

As you can imagine, making a CD is far beyond the skills and resources of any two people. We often joke that "It takes a village to raise an album" and it's so true!

We have an amazing team of highly acclaimed, uniquely creative, and deeply spiritual musicians on this project. The "skills" part is well in hand!

We would love to have your help with the "resources" end of things.

Every few years, we self-fund a new CD. Our budgets generally range from $15,000 to $20,000 per album. For that season, not only are we paying all that money out in just a few months, but we're also committing hundreds of hours of our own unpaid time to the process.

Imagine buying a new car every few summers, but in addition to paying for the car in cash, you also need to take the time to build the car yourself.

It's kind of like that.

"Wow," I can hear you say, "That's kind of crazy!"

We get that, and yet, every few years, we do it again.

Because we LOVE what we do and we LOVE you! We love that you continue to show up for our concerts and worship services. We love that you listen to our CDs and give them as gifts. We want to keep creating beautiful and inspiring music for you to enjoy. We are so passionate about these songs and the messages they share - God's unconditional love and grace, walking through this life of faith, and finding light shining in the darkest places.

We have such exciting plans for this CD. We have songs that we want to release to radio. We have songs that are perfect for you to use in your church on Sunday morning. And, of course, we want this to be an inspiring and uplifting album for your CD player and iPod!

Great things happen when we all work together, and this is no exception.

We want you to be part of this new project!
We need your help to get this CD made, so we can get it into the hands of those who need it most.

Would you please consider supporting our CD through our new webpage?

We've securing most of the funding ourselves,
but our goal is to raise $3000 to help bring us over the finish line.

In gratitude for your support, we have lots of wonderful gifts, including copies of the new CD, our own photo calendar, house concerts, and even an espresso maker!

Please visit to read about the project,
and how you can help in this new ministry venture.

Thank you!!

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Book Review: Between Heaven & the Real World, by Steven Curtis Chapman, with Ken Abraham

When you admire a songwriter, you get both excited and apprehensive when you see their name on a book cover. You want to hear what they have to say, but can their style successfully make the leap from 3 minutes to 300 pages?

In the hands of a master storyteller like Steven Curtis Chapman, the answer is a resounding "yes!"

I've long been a fan of Steven's writing, and this book was an absolute pleasure to read. I actually read it while we were on our recent East Coast Tour. I devoured pages in hotel rooms, on ferries, and even in the midst of a freak snowstorm on the May 24th long weekend. Reading about Steven's start in the music business and his approach to songwriting seemed all the more powerful in the midst of our own music making.

But I knew the real story was coming.

In 2008, Steven and Mary Beth Chapman faced a parent's worst nightmare when one of their children accidentally caused the death of one of their other children. We were living in Nashville when this happened, and the whole city reeled from the shock of the tragedy. It was like it happened to a family member. Steven's music had blessed so many of us, and in that season, we all mourned for this beautiful family.

I can't imagine the strength it took to put these particular chapters into print, both for Steven and for the whole family. He tells the story with raw emotion and absolute transparency. I wept through these pages, reliving my own experiences with grief, and marvelling at this story of grace and forgiveness.

There are so many who will enjoy and value this book. It's for fans of Steven Curtis Chapman's music. It's for those who love autobiographies, and for those with an interest in songwriting and the music business. It's a story about falling in love, and building that love into a family. But it's also a testimony about facing the unimaginable, wrestling with the pain, and finding God in the midst of it all.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Viewpoints are all my own.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

What Happened After The Crucifixion, and Why Does It Matter?

Yesterday, Gerald and I led the annual St. Catharines Good Friday Walk. Hundreds of people followed a large wooden cross down the street. At each of the six downtown churches, the minister read a piece of the Good Friday story from Luke. I gave a reflection, and we shared a song.
It was an honour to lead our city in this beautiful event.

Today, I'm posting my final reflection of the walk:

What happened after the crucifixion, and why does it matter?

The crowd gathers at our final stop on the annual St. Catharines Good Friday Walk...

What a change from just a few days ago, when Jesus entered Jerusalem to praises of "Hosanna."
In just a few short hours: an arrest. A public trial. Flogging. A crucifixion.
And now, Jesus is laid in a tomb.

I often think about that time right after the crucifixion. How his friends and followers must have felt. How they gathered and what they talked about. How much they must have cried and just been shocked. Jesus had spoken about his death, but how much had they really understood, and how did it line up with the horrors they had just experienced?

I can only imagine the flood of emotions they must have felt -
grief, anger, fear, shock, disbelief, and maybe even betrayal.
They had given up everything for this cause.
They had left their families and their livelihoods. They’d trusted in Jesus.
How could he bring them to this?

And haven’t we been there? Those moments of shock and despair and grief. Those moments when we turn to God and say, “Where are you? How can you allow this to happen? Why won’t you stop it? I trusted you. Why aren’t you here for me?”

But remember, it's only Friday. Sunday is coming...

God is still at work. On a supernatural level, he is still at work.

It was true that first Good Friday. And it’s true today.

God is still at work. Fighting battles we cannot see or understand. He knows your pain, and cares about everything you’re going through. He will walk with you through it all. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be your rock, your salvation, your peace. He never sleeps. He is relentlessly working all things together for the good of those who love him.

And we can see all of this, at the foot of the cross.

Wait on the Lord. Be strong. Take heart.

Sunday is coming...

Saturday, December 31, 2016

10 Favourite Moments of 2016

What a year!

I'm always surprised when we reach the end of another year.
It's amazing how much we can pack into a mere 12 months!
This week, I've spent some time browsing the many, many, many photos I took this year.

In no particular order, here are 10 of our favourite moments from 2016:

We kicked off the year with a very special family milestone - our 10th wedding anniversary! It's amazing to think about all that has happened in the last decade. If you had told us 10 years ago that we'd now be touring the country with our own music ministry, we would have not-so-discreetly smirked behind your back. We're so thankful for every moment - the challenging and the triumphant. In February, we gathered with family to renew our vows and enjoy an intimate celebration in our new hometown. Just perfect...

2016 marked our first year partnering our ministry with World Vision. In our concerts, we shared the story of our own sponsored child, Keilyn, and it was amazing to see how you responded. There was the woman who found a little boy with the exact same birthday as her grandson, and the man who found a child from the country of his youth. There was the church who decided to share their blessings and sponsor 5 children! And finally, there was the woman who broke our hearts with her powerful story of infertility, but through World Vision, she could finally have the son she always wanted. Each story was unique and beautiful, but the most wonderful thing is knowing how many lives have been changed by your generosity.

After moving 7 times in 9 years, we finally bought a house in our new hometown of St. Catharines! We quickly fell in love with our century home, and we've loved working on projects and seeing our landscape change through the seasons. We've spent countless hours exploring our neighbourhood, our city, and the glorious Niagara region. The most wonderful thing, however, is how much we've been embraced by the local churches. Through worship services, concerts, and the Good Friday Walk, we've truly had a chance to minister to our city.

Touring the East Coast provinces has become one of our favourite parts of the year! This spring, we spent 2 months on the road singing in churches throughout Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and for the first time ever - PEI! And no trip to PEI would be complete without a visit to the beautiful Green Gables. One of the perks of traveling off season - this is one of the biggest tourist sites in Canada, and we practically had the whole place to ourselves!

In the summer, we hosted a visit from our sweet friend, Tara Jackson! We explored the St. Catharines and Toronto areas, and yes, stocked up on Costco-sized maple syrup. Some of the most special times were sitting around the dining room table, with Gerald on guitar and the three of us singing in harmony. Hoping for more of this in 2017... hint, hint....

People sometimes question the idea of "God's timing", but I truly believe it was only through God's timing that we were able to join Advent Cafe this year! Advent Cafe is a weekly contemporary worship service in the coffee lounge of St. George's Anglican Church in St. Catharines. Utilizing a rotating roster of worship leaders, we've been blessed to lead worship once a month for this wonderful group. In the summer, we moved the service outside and worshipped right on the main street. I even had the chance to preach at one of these outdoor services. A new challenge, but I must have done alright because I've been asked to do it again in February!

As we travel, one of our favourite things to discover is culinary delights we could never have at home. In the east, we indulged in fried clams, toutons, fish & brewis, and Jigg's dinner. Traveling west, we tried elk, bison, deer, and birch syrup. Closer to home, we explored the local market scene with fresh produce and homemade grape pie. In this photo, we're enjoying partridgeberry pancakes at the Treasure Box in beautiful Rocky Harbour, NL. So thankful for everyone who hosted us for a meal, and those who birth wonderful little restaurants with local creations.

This fall, we headed west for our 2nd annual Prairies Road Trip concert tour. We sang in churches of all sizes and denominations throughout Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. But at the end of October, we had the pleasure of arriving in British Columbia for our first concerts in that province. This marked the completion of a long held dream - to sing in all 10 provinces! I even blogged about it HERE, as a reminder to all of us to keep pursuing your dreams, no matter how long they may take to come true.

There are few things more special than working with other talented people. This year, we had the chance to make music with some of our very favourite and super talented friends, including a concert with Rhonda Louise, a song session with Sally Meadows, and an inspiring Gaither Homecoming night with our friend & mentor, Allison Speer. In this photo, we're participating in a vocal masterclass with acclaimed singer-songwriter, Mark Masri. A reminder to us all that "iron sharpens iron" ...

If you haven't seen all of Canada yet, please plan a trip for next year! From the majesty of the Rockies to the wild scope of the Atlantic, we live in a pretty glorious country. The more we see, the more we want to see. The natural wonders are amazing, but the best thing is to get off the highway, explore the towns, meet the people, and hear their stories. We are so blessed to live in the "true North, strong and free."

We are so grateful for every moment this year - far too many to capture in one blogpost!

A sincere and generous THANK YOU to each and every person who joined our adventures this year.
For those who invited us into your homes and churches, and those who follow and support us online -
we truly couldn't do any of this without you!

We're looking forward to connecting with you all in 2017!

Last year, we were blessed to become a Stonebridge Guitar artist. On a sunny day this fall, we visited Brickhouse Guitars in Kitchener to record some acoustic videos, featuring our beautiful Stonebridge. Since we're still celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas, here's the Christmas one...

And stay tuned for 2 more videos to come in 2017!

Tonight, Everywhere Is Bethlehem
Written & performed by Allison Lynn & Gerald Flemming