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ASM Blood Drive Results

MANCHESTER- On Thursday, December 31st, 2020 ASM hosted its sixth American Red Cross Blood Drive at ASM’s headquarters. Numerous employees, friends, and family members participated in the day-long event. Aetna and ASM have committed to hosting a drive twice a year.

A note from the Red Cross:

Thank you for helping to save lives with the American Red Cross. When you made the commitment to sponsor a blood drive, you helped save lives. Your efforts have helped boost the community blood supply and ensure hospital patients have the lifesaving blood they need.

Your Recent Blood Drive Results: Your blood drive registered 28 donors and collected 25 pints of blood. The donations collected will help 75 hospital patients with blood, plasma and platelets.

Thank you for your gifts of time and support. We truly appreciate your generosity. The patients who have benefited from the blood collected at your blood drive are beyond grateful.

ASM to Host American Red Cross Blood Drive

MANCHESTER- On Monday, October 16th, 2020 Ambulance Service of Manchester will host our fifth American Red Cross Blood Drive at ASM’s headquarters. Employees, friends, family, and community members are welcome to participate. Please click on the link below to register in advance.

ASM Participates in Manchester’s Early Childhood Fair, 2020!

MANCHESTER — On February 22, 2020, ASM’s Kyle Caldwell and Sean Gregg participated in Manchester Youth Service Bureau’s Early Childhood Fair held at Manchester High School. Parents and kids had the opportunity to find out what resources are available for the upcoming year in Manchester. The fair is geared for kids from birth to 8 years old. ASM has participated in this event for nine consecutive years.

Ice Cream Treat

Molly Devanney of Highland Park Market surprised ASM road crews and office staff with ice cream on Thursday. Molly and other staff at Highland Park wanted to show their appreciation for First Responders. The timing was perfect with the temperatures hovering near 90 degrees for most of the week. ASM would like give our sincere thanks to Highland Park Market for all of their support at events held throughout the course of the year.

Inaugural ASM vs Aetna Softball Game

On Sunday, June 9th Aetna and ASM came together to compete in the 2019 “You’re Killing Me Smalls,” softball tournament. On this beautiful sunny day, players, friends and family enjoyed food, drinks and games while the teams battled it out. Highland Park Market graciously donated ice cream for both the players and the spectators. Aetna took the lead,winning the first two games, showing that they came to play. ASM fought back,winning the next two games, setting up a winner take all final game to determine the champion. In the end ASM defeated Aetna 20 – 13 and took the trophy home. The trophy will remain with ASM until next year’s games! All proceeds from the event will be donated to Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Message from ASM’s coach:
I would first like to say thank you. Without the players, fans and management this would never have been possible. We were looking for good weather, we got that for sure. We asked for two good teams and what we got was two great teams. Everyone played their hearts out. I truly appreciate all the thanks received from everyone. A coach is nothing without great players so, I thank you again and I look forward to coaching in the future.

Tim LaChappelle

Stay tuned for kickball, it’s next!

Manchester High School Inaugural EMT Class Graduates 15 Students

In January of 2019, the Ambulance Service of Manchester collaborated with Manchester Fire Department and Manchester High School to inaugurate the first EMT class. The program totaled 200 hours and taught the students the basics of patient assessment, how to treat trauma/medical emergencies, and most importantly, leadership. This program had a total of 80 applicants, which was then reduced to 18 students. The students attended class three days a week for 3 hours in addition to their busy school day. At the end of the program students were qualified to take their State Practical and National Written Competency Exam. After obtaining the EMT certification, graduates will be permitted to apply for jobs or volunteer at local fire departments, ambulance services, hospital emergency rooms, and college rescue squads. The collaboration between the Ambulance Service of Manchester, Manchester Fire Department, and Manchester High School has been outstanding. Together, we are increasing the number of certified EMTs as there is a national shortage of EMS professionals.

A special thanks to Chris Myska, Sean Norton, Andrew Hedberg, Bryan Goulet, Chuck Roode, Greg Derosier, Tim Houle, Dan Heald, Rich Fortier, Mike Karanda and Chris Ferguson for helping with the instruction of these classes.


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Many people believe that lean manufacturing principles only apply to manual assembly applications. But, lean initiatives work equally well with automated assembly systems.

Semi- and fully automated assembly systems come in many formats, ranging from rotary indexing systems to high-speed continuous motion systems to six-axis robots. But, no matter the shape, size or speed, engineers can use lean manufacturing principles to continuously improve the performance and effectiveness of production equipment.

Many people believe that lean manufacturing principles only apply to manual assembly applications. But, lean initiatives work equally well with either automated assembly systems or manual assembly processes. Of course, it’s important to know what level of automation is necessary.

“Any assembly system must be evaluated through the lens of the customer and through the lens of value,” says Jamie Flinchbaugh, a partner at the Lean Learning Center (Novi, MI). “Automation is fine, if it helps reduce waste and maximize value. At the same time, more automation than is necessary is a waste. Too often, automation is bought that is so fast that it runs for 1 hour a day and sits [idle] for 23 hours. That’s not exactly aligned to customer needs.”

“Lean principles are based on the elimination of waste,” adds Sammy Obara, president of Honsha Associates (San Diego). “Automation may hide the waste; automating waste can be as damaging as having [production] done manually.”

No matter where lean thinking is applied, continuous improvement, customer focus, one-piece flow, pull, value and waste elimination all play key roles. Whether it’s used for manual or automated assembly, lean thinking focuses on flow, adding value, and the efficiency of the overall system. Lean principles allow manufacturers to significantly boost throughput, reduce time to market and quickly increase capacity.

Capital equipment expenditure in a lean environment should be justified based on two factors: the amount of manufacturing waste eliminated and the reduction in production lead times. Productivity improvements and labor cost reduction are internal measures that are less important.

“Most elements of lean apply to automated assembly just as much as manual assembly,” says Quarterman Lee, president of Strategos Inc. (Kansas City, MO). “There are some differences, but they are primarily on emphasis rather than principle.”

According to Lee, it’s not always a good idea to use large, complex, high-volume equipment that produces a variety of assemblies and requires many long changeovers. Instead, he suggests breaking the process down into more narrowly designed product families.

“For assembly, product families are related by component commonality,” notes Lee. “That is, the products in a particular family might have 70 percent to 100 percent common components. This reduces changeover and often simplifies the design of feeders and fixtures. It may eliminate the need for some stations that only operate for certain variants of the product.

“This may result in several smaller assembly machines instead of a single, large, complex machine,” explains Lee. “Each machine becomes the focal point for a workcell that might include secondary operations, such as preparation, subassembly, packaging or testing.” Lee suggests designing cells around automated equipment with excess capacity for most secondary operations.

Kaizen and poka yoke can improve the performance and effectiveness of assembly equipment.

Lean Challenges

To continuously improve the performance of assembly systems, engineers must confront several challenges. Lee believes the biggest challenge is integrating machine design with overall workcell design.

“What often happens is that manufacturing engineers issue a specification based on preliminary ideas of what the machine should do, with little thought to such integration,” he explains. “Or, machine builders propose a design with little knowledge of the larger workflow and little experience with lean principles.

“Ideally, the machine designers should know a lot about lean principles and the overall process,” adds Lee. “The two groups should work together as the design moves from a preliminary specification to detail design.”

Without this constant interaction, machine builders and systems integrators may spend extra time, money and effort to incorporate some minor operation that could easily be done manually. As a result, Lee says that operators often end up spending hours every day watching an overly expensive machine do work while they are idle.

Two important lean tools, kaizen and poka yoke, can be used to improve assembly systems. “Kaizen events in various forms apply directly to assembly equipment,” explains Lee. “A major kaizen event can design, rearrange and improve an assembly workcell. Smaller, more focused events can solve particular problems, such as misfeeds.”

However, continuous, incremental improvement may take longer to implement than with manual assembly. Traditionally, a kaizen event lasts 1 week. But, in an automated setting, it’s harder to make constant, everyday improvements. Anything that involves new tooling, reprogramming or moving equipment may have to go on a 30-day action plan.

In a manual assembly process, actions are often implemented on the spot. Moving a rack of parts 2 feet to the left or 3 feet to the right isn’t too difficult. However, reprogramming a robot and retooling a bowl feeder or parts fixture is much harder and takes more time.

“Kaizen involves generating ideas for improvement and testing them in a structured, but quick fashion in order to obtain a benefit and improve the thinking capability of the person engaged in the improvement task,” notes Art Smalley, president of the Art of Lean Inc. (Huntington Beach, CA). He says the simplest way to think about kaizen is by addressing these four questions:

  • What steps or wastes in the process or operation can be eliminated and how?
  • What steps in the process or operation can be combined or done sequentially?
  • What steps in the process or operation can be rearranged for better effect?
  • What steps in the process or operation can be simplified?

“Practicing [this approach] along with the practical method of Plan-Do-Check-Act is what the process entails,” says Smalley, a former Toyota engineer.

When doing kaizen, people should have access to the necessary resources to make improvements and changes to the process, including the equipment. “This may range from buying extremely flexible equipment and tools that just about anyone can modify to having ‘moonshine shops’ that specialize in quick fabrication of just about anything,” explains Flinchbaugh. “Consider the ability to improve when making your initial choices. The best system today will one day be the worst if it is too difficult to improve.”

Poka yoke, or error proofing, can also improve the performance and effectiveness of assembly systems, especially during changeover and setup of equipment. “Error proofing is most effective when you consider changes to both the product and the process,” Flinchbaugh points out.

“And there are many levels of error proofing, ranging from simple warnings that an error was just made, to product configurations that make the error truly impossible to commit,” adds Flinchbaugh. “Consider all levels, as the risk and reward may vary.”

According to Lee, poka yoke has more applications for assembly than for most other production processes. “It may include many ingenious little devices that prevent defects, such as fixtures [or sensors] that do not allow parts to be inserted in the wrong orientation,” he explains. “Most modern assembly machines incorporate many such devices to prevent wrong assembly or detect it when it occurs.”

Poka yoke is much easier to accomplish today with digital controls and vision systems than it was years ago, when everything used relays and microswitches. “In the 1960s, I worked for a major automobile manufacturer,” Lee recalls. “We had many automated machines that required constant operator monitoring. Operators did not do anything until something went wrong, but they had to be there. This kind of situation was the original inspiration for poka yoke and jidoka at Toyota.”

Jidoka refers to building 100 percent quality into the process so that a defect cannot be made. “Poka yoke is really a subset of this bigger equation in the Toyota Production System (TPS),” says Smalley. This includes using gauging to measure and monitor quality, and error-proofing devices to help prevent mistakes.

Assembly is one of the least automated processes at Toyota.

Mistakes to Avoid

Manufacturing engineers typically make several mistakes when applying lean principles to assembly systems. Obara sees several common problems when visiting plants that are trying to automate.

“Engineers tend to accept the latest technology as the latest solution, whereas, actually, automation should be considered the last solution,” he explains. “When you cannot find any other way to improve your system, then automation may be the answer. Automation is less flexible, subject to unexpected breakdowns, [and requires expensive] spare parts and complex maintenance. It demands specific skills to fix, it frequently constrains takt time, and it makes line balancing restrictive.

“There must be a reason why assembly is one of the least automated processes at Toyota,” argues Obara, who spent 3 years studying lean manufacturing principles in Toyota City, Japan, and another 10 years applying it at Toyota Motor Corp. (Nagoya, Japan) plants in Brazil, Venezuela and the United States. “It may be perhaps that they did not need to tap into this last resort. The process is not dangerous, such as metal stamping; the process is not hazardous, such as the welding shop; the process does not need to be free of human contamination, such as the paint room; and the process is not an overburden, such as an axle machining shop.”

In addition, Obara claims that automation is constantly being used in the wrong operations. “I recently visited a manufacturer with a workcell that it thought was maxed out on capacity,” he recalls. “A team was in charge of designing and quoting an automated system for this cell. After a day of measurement and analysis, we found hidden capacity which could improve throughput by more than 80 percent. They dropped the project.

“This is a common finding. However it is equally typical that we find companies thinking they have a process bottleneck when, in reality, if current capacity gets measured against takt, their capacity is so great that it may cause overproduction . . . the worst type of waste.”

Some lean experts claim that manufacturers in Europe and the United States are falling victim to the “implement the tool” mode of TPS. “The books and literature do a good job of explaining standardized work, poka yoke, value-stream mapping, kanban and visual control, and some of the how-to steps,” contends Smalley. “Those are merely techniques, however.

“The real question is back at the starting point where Sakichi and Kiichiro Toyoda, the founders of Toyota, started,” adds Smalley. “How do I build a machine that is more productive, cheaper, flexible and safer to operate? If you can do that, then the answer de facto is a more lean process or machine.”

Flinchbaugh urges manufacturing engineers to remember that every production process has five basic elements: queue, setup, run, wait and move. “The biggest mistake by far is to focus solely on the run step, meaning the one activity where you actually transform the product,” he warns. “We tend to treat as afterthoughts the queue, setup, wait and move aspects of the overall process. This is not just to be left to material management. How we design our overall assembly systems is the dominant impact on the whole process.”

Click "Web Extra" to find a glossary of lean manufacturing terms.A

5 Key Concepts for Assembly Systems

Sammy Obara, president of Honsha Associates (San Diego), says highly automated processes can benefit greatly from these five lean manufacturing concepts:

  • Andon-a highly automated machine will have a high waiting time when someone needs to watch that machine. Waste of waiting can be addressed by using andon systems, which are visual control devices located in a production area, such as lighted overhead displays.
  • Poka-yoke-an automated, very fast process may produce many mistakes very fast. Poka-yoka or error-proofing addresses the waste of correction.
  • Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)-many of the frequent reasons a machine stops come from common root causes. PDCA is simple in concept, but difficult to master.
  • Takt-costly, automatic systems tend to run full-speed to pay off the investment quickly. Producing faster, earlier, means consuming resources faster, earlier. Takt helps eliminate the waste of overproduction.
  • Total productive maintenance (TPM)-the more automated a process is, the more it will suffer from breakdowns and unexpected stops. TPM is critical for an automated process; it is the tool used to improve overall equipment effectiveness.

Lean manufacturing traces its roots to automated textile equipment, such as this loom built by Sakichi Toyoda in 1924.

Old School Automation

The Toyota Production System (TPS), the foundation of every lean manufacturing initiative, is actually rooted in automation. Sakichi and Kiichiro Toyoda, the founders of Toyota Motor Corp. (Nagoya, Japan), made the initial family fortune by manufacturing automatic spinning and weaving machines. Experience with this early company, Toyoda Auto Loom, is where many of the basic principles behind TPS came from.

“Perhaps it is best to look there for inspiration and guiding principles in [the case of modern production equipment],” says Art Smalley, president of the Art of Lean Inc. (Huntington Beach, CA). “The Toyoda men set out to make an automated loom and a factory to build them in. They continuously worked from 1895 to 1922, improving their loom designs year by year. The original loom was a manual wooden model and a copy of a foreign machine. It was essentially a one-woman, one-machine operation.”

After a lot of trial and error, Sakichi Toyoda invented the Type G automatic loom, the world’s first device with a nonstop shuttle-change motion. Full-scale production of the loom started in 1928 and it eventually helped transform the textile industry.

By 1937, a year after the company built its first passenger car, Toyoda was mass-producing 1,000 units per month on a conveyorized assembly line. To address quantity and quality issues, shelves located beside the assembly line were stocked with parts and subassemblies just as they were needed. As a result, a 14-step assembly process was reduced to only seven steps.

“Anywhere from 24 to 36 of these machines could be operated by one person at a time, which is a tremendous leap in terms of productivity,” says Smalley. The looms had several unique features and there were more than 22 technical patents.

Quite a few of these ingenious solutions were based on the concept of jidoka. For instance, they had a built-in auto stop function that shut down the machine if a single thread broke. “This stopped defects from getting downstream and material from being wasted,” explains Smalley.

In addition, the horizontal thread shuttle could be replaced without stopping the machine. “In other words, it had an aspect of zero changeover time built-in,” Smalley points out. “The overall purchase cost was also low enough to the end customer that they [stopped using manual] wooden looms and upgraded to automated ones.”

Try to Avoid These Mistakes

Quarterman Lee, president of Strategos Inc. (Kansas City, MO), says manufacturing engineers frequently make several mistakes when implementing lean assembly systems, including:

  • Over-automation. “This refers to the automation of processes or process operations that could be done just as well manually,” says Lee. “For example, I once saw a robotic insertion machine for printed circuit boards that was actually slower than manual assembly. In addition, the pick location of components was so critical that it required more hand labor to prepare and place the components on fixtures than it would have taken to insert them into the circuit boards.” The automated operation required more labor hours than a simple manual assembly process.
  • Part preparation. Engineers should consider the entire process, including any preparation, inspection, sorting, preplacement or orientation of parts. “This work may be a natural part of a manual assembly process that requires no additional assembly time,” notes Lee. “However, when automated, the manual work can be greater than the actual assembly time saved. I once observed an automated assembly machine for lighting fixtures. Parts for assembly had to be carefully placed on special fixtures. This placement consumed more time and effort than an actual manual assembly process.”
  • Automating a poor process or product. With manual assembly, operators often compensate for poorly designed products or processes. For example, parts may be out of tolerance but operators can still make them fit with special attention. Or certain parts, even within tolerance, may need a selective fit or special attention. “Engineers should not assume that drawing dimensions will always be held unless this has been actually true in practice,” Lee points out. “They should also observe and participate in actual manual production to ensure that operators are not unconsciously performing some task that may turn out to be vital.”
  • Changeover. “When equipment must produce different products or variants, changeover is often an afterthought,” claims Lee. “With lean manufacturing, fast changeover should be designed into the equipment.” According to Lee, saving time on changeover may even be more important than saving time in the production process.
  • Operator integration. This is an area where integration with the overall workcell design and the overall assembly process is vital. “Operator stations should be positioned not only for easy access for the assembly operation performed there, but also easy access to some or all of the other operator positions,” explains Lee. These other positions might include loading, replenishing, monitoring or unjamming production equipment-anything that operators must do whether constant or intermittent. This allows operators to assist each other, keeps them aware of minute-by-minute conditions, and allows them to balance their work. Whenever possible, Lee says assembly lines should be configured in a U-shape. This allows operators to easily move between positions to balance their work. It also promotes better communication and teamwork.

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TalkTalk Optimizes Residential Wi-Fi with ASSIA CloudCheck® Solution

Customer Quality of Experience proactively managed through combination of TalkTalk’s next-generation Wi-Fi Hub and ASSIA’s contextual analytics and machine learning

Redwood City, CA., April, 3, 2019 Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment, Inc. (ASSIA) and TalkTalk have announced the successful deployment of ASSIA CloudCheck® Wi-Fi management solution as part of TalkTalk’s game-changing residential Wi-Fi Hub to improve Quality of Experience (QoE) for customers of the UK telecommunications operator. The CloudCheck cloud-based service measures, manages, diagnoses, and proactively optimizes in-home Wi-Fi networks using contextual analytics and machine learning. As part of their end-to-end Quality of Experience solution, TalkTalk also uses ASSIA’s DSL Expresse® Dynamic Line Management software product to manage and optimize their broadband services. The solution will reach over a million households by the end of the year.

“In-home Wi-Fi performance is increasingly becoming the primary factor in how a residential customer perceives the quality of service provided by their internet service provider,” said Phil Haslam, Chief Network Officer at TalkTalk Plc. “Coupled with advances we have made in recent years analyzing network telemetry data to improve broadband connectivity performance, the ASSIA solution gives us the additional data and visibility we need to understand the various patterns that can affect in-home Wi-Fi performance—and the management and optimization tools to deliver the best experience for our customers.”

“TalkTalk is a trailblazer in seeing the opportunity to deliver customer satisfaction by taking responsibility for the performance of home Wi-Fi.” said David Stevenson, Chief Revenue Officer, ASSIA. “Their commitment to accurately measure broadband and Wi-Fi speeds, diagnose issues, and proactively optimize network performance aligns perfectly with our mission at ASSIA.”

TalkTalk has implemented the complete CloudCheck software platform including CloudCheck TruSpeed® that accurately measures Broadband speeds to comply with the Ofcom VCOP (Voluntary Code of Practice). Today, UK homes equipped with TalkTalk’s Wi-Fi hub are transparently measuring both broadband and Wi-Fi speed performance in order to proactively optimize in-home performance and help customers better understand issues of coverage, device obsolescence, and where necessary, optimize setup to improve customer experience—especially during peak times.

ASSIA’s CloudCheck scoring and data mining capabilities will be released in June 2019 to further enhance TalkTalk’s Customer Service Dashboard which has successfully used network telemetry data to more accurately pin point issues and solutions to poor connectivity. Both ASSIA and TalkTalk are committed to better assess and address major sources of customer quality of experience issues to improve the overall service provided.

About CloudCheck Software

ASSIA’s CloudCheck Wi-Fi management offering is a hardware-agnostic, software-only solution that monitors, manages, and optimizes home Wi-Fi networks for service providers. Its unique layered architecture, composed of a cloud component that provides performance and scale and a smart agent on the CPE, manages the delivery of broadband to the device at scale. The CloudCheck service uses contextual analytics and machine-learning algorithms to evaluate historical and real-time conditions of the Wi-Fi environments and make automatic, usage-based optimizations that are ideal for each node on the network. Status updates, alerts, and recommendations are available to call center agents via APIs or a mobile app that turns field technicians and subscribers into Wi-Fi “experts” that can provide assisted or self-care. The CloudCheck platform seamlessly integrates with other care workflows and can use external data to make better decisions. To learn more visit

About TalkTalk

TalkTalk is the UK’s leading value for money connectivity provider. TalkTalk believes that simple, affordable, reliable, and fair connectivity should be available to everyone. Since entering the market in the early 2000s, TalkTalk has a proud history as an innovative challenger brand. Today, TalkTalk provides landline, broadband, TV and mobile services to over four million customers. TalkTalk operates Britain’s biggest unbundled broadband network, covering 96% of the population, supplying services to consumers through the TalkTalk brand, to businesses through TalkTalk Business, and by wholesaling to resellers. TalkTalk Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

About ASSIA®

ASSIA is a trusted partner with the leading market share of management and optimization software solutions for global broadband and residential access networks. ASSIA’s Expresse® broadband system enables significant operational expense reduction for Internet Service Providers in the areas of subscriber care, of increased customer satisfaction, and of more connections upgrade to higher revenue-generating service tiers. ASSIA’s ClearView® software provides both broadband access and Wi-Fi connection analysis and recommends appropriate steps to resolve problems using language that is easy to understand by call-center agents and field technicians. ASSIA’s CloudCheck® Wi-Fi optimization software enables service providers and enterprises to deliver premium digital experiences over residential Wi-Fi networks. ASSIA has more than 100 million broadband households under contract worldwide. Thanks to the company’s product evolution and contributions to broadband standards, ASSIA is poised to help ISPs across the world as they upgrade their networks with next-generation G.Vector and G.Fast standards. For more information, visit

Expresse®, ClearView®, and CloudCheck®are registered trademarks of ASSIA. “ASSIA” is an acronym for “Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment, Incorporated.”


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Protecting your business from illness or injury

Claire Sutton

By Claire Sutton
Executive Manager, Life Portfolio and New Business

30 October 2018

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If you own a business or farm, it’s likely that you’ve taken out some form of insurance to protect the physical assets and liabilities of your business.

But have you got the right cover in place if you, or a key staff member, can’t work?

General business insurers and life insurance companies like Asteron Life both offer types of business cover, but they do different things and it’s important to know that you’re covered for the biggest risks you face.

Are you protecting the physical or the personal?

Many business insurance policies offer cover for your expenses or loss of profits if a physical event disrupts your business – for example, if a fire or earthquake closes your premises.

But for many small businesses in New Zealand, personal issues – like key member of your team getting sick and needing several months off - can also have a big impact on your finances.

Asteron Life offers a range of cover for more personal issues – death, illness, injury or disability for you or your employees.

Personal business insurance products

Cover you in the event of death, sickness or injury to you or a key member of staff. Can include cover for things like:

  • Supplementing lost business revenue
  • Hiring a replacement contractor to perform the duties that you (or a key person) would do
  • Covering operating costs – e.g. premises, services, equipment expenses, staff and other administration costs

General business insurance products

Cover you in the event of physical damage to your assets, assets of others or injury to others. Can include cover for things like:

  • Repairing or replacing damaged vehicles, contents or premises
  • Lost profits if a physical event disrupts your business operations
  • Legal liability for any damage/injury your business operations cause to others

Make the right choices for protecting your business

Research shows that people and leadership are the top two factors influencing business success, so if you think that the illness, disability or death of you or one of your key personnel could have a significant impact on your revenue, Asteron Life’s business products might be right for you.

With so many insurance products to choose from, it can be hard to decide what the biggest or most important risks facing your business are. So if you’re still not sure, it’s a great idea to talk to an insurance broker or adviser.

The information in this article has been compiled from various sources and is intended to be factual information only. Full details of policy terms and conditions are available from Asteron Life Limited or your financial adviser. For advice on product suitability, please contact your financial adviser. While we take reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate and up-to-date, it is subject to change without notice. Asteron Life Limited and its related companies does/do not accept any responsibility or liability in connection with your use of or reliance on this article.

Keep reading

6 reasons to buy life insurance through an adviser

6 reasons to buy life insurance through an adviser

By Trevor Longbottom

Buying life insurance direct may seem easier in the short term, but here are 6 reasons you should think about talking to an adviser first.

Cocksy's Story

Cocksy's Story

On 6 February 2019, John 'Cocksy' Cocks passed away following a three year battle with terminal cancer. Before he died, he wanted to share his story of how life insurance helped him to make the most of the time he had left.

Insurance for your business if you get sick or hurt | Asteron Life NZ

Insurance for your business if you get sick or hurt | Asteron Life NZ

Keep your business running if you – or a key person – becomes ill or gets seriously hurt. We’ll provide funds to help you stay on track. Learn more


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Astoria Presented at JP Morgan’s Factor Investing Conference

Astoria’s Founder and CIO, John Davi, recently presented at JP Morgan’s Factor Investing Conference.

The title of the panel was ‘Implementation Strategies for Investors.’

John provided insights for evaluating factor-based strategies and discussed how Astoria assesses factor exposures in the context of our portfolio construction process.

We previously highlighted how we utilize factors in our portfolios (click here).

For more information on Astoria’s investment philosophy, click here.

If you are interested in having Astoria speak at an investment conference, please reach out to us jdavi@astoriaadvisors.com or via twitter @AstoriaAdvisors.

Best, John Davi

Founder & CIO of Astoria

For full disclosure, please refer to our website:

Click here for Photo Source


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Bonds Are Having Their Worst Year Since 1994!

Astoria Has Been Warning About the Dangers Of The Bond Market.

  • The Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index is currently having its worst yearly return since 1994 (see chart below).

Yearly Returns of the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Total Return Value Unhedged USD Index

Source: Bloomberg, Astoria Portfolio Advisors. Year to Date returns for 2018 are as of October 18, 2018.

  • To put 2018’s disappointing return into perspective, the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index has registered only 3 negative total return years in the past 40.

  • At Astoria, we are not surprised by this year’s disappointing US bond returns. We have long warned about the challenges that bonds face in an environment where valuations are expensive (hence, no margin of safety), US rates are rising, and US inflation is trending higher. To read our previous blogs on the danger of the bond market, click here, here, and here.

10-Year Real Yields Are Up Nearly 40bps Since Late August 2018

Source: Bloomberg, Astoria Portfolio Advisors

  • Astoria has been particularly vocal about avoiding most traditional US credit and interest rate spread products. Moreover, we have suggested that bonds would no longer provide the downside protection towards equities as they did in the past.

Astoria Isn’t Surprised with the Equity Sell-Off Either.

  • On a broader scale, Astoria isn’t surprised by the equity market selloff. In fact, we wrote an op-ed article on ETFcom titled "Time to De-Risk Your ETF Portfolio" on Sep 13, 2018 (click here) arguing that investors should tactically rotate their ETF portfolios into higher quality assets across asset class. Given that the SPY ETF has fallen 7.3% (peak to trough post our article) and bonds are having their worst year since 1994, Astoria believes we had the right call.

Keep Your Eye On The VVIX. The Volatility of Volatility Index (VVIX) Spiked Higher In October And Remains At Elevated Levels.

Source: Bloomberg, CBOE, Astoria Portfolio Advisors

Don't Rely On Bonds to Hedge Your Equity Risk

  • The Equity Risk Premium is well understood. Equities have outperformed all major asset classes over extended periods of time (i.e. the concept of holding “Stocks for the Long Run”).

  • Astoria has been vocal in suggesting that investors should earn their equity risk premium but in doing so, construct a diversified portfolio, hedge equity risk appropriately, diversify across factor exposures, largely avoid bonds, include inflationary linked assets, and utilize cash to produce attractive risk adjusted returns across varying market cycles.

  • Everyone looks like a hero when the market goes straight up (as it did last year) with no volatility. We would argue that most of the 2012-2017 period exhibited abnormally low volatility along with a momentum driven US market (by definition, QE provided a floor for most financial assets).

  • Astoria argued that 2018 would be quite different. Astoria presented at a Bloomberg Best Ideas conference in Dec 2017 (click here) and went on Bloomberg TV in Dec 2017 (click here) arguing that investors needed to hedge their risk assets in 2018. That was our motto for this year and we continue to believe that is the right strategy.

Most Portfolios That Use Stocks And Bonds Are Likely To Be Disappointed Thus Far in 2018.

  • If 2018 ended today, most multi-asset investors would be disappointed if they relied solely on bonds to hedge their equity risk. At the start of 2018, the consensus equity trades were to be overweight International Markets (EM and then DM in that order) and underweight the US equity market. Meanwhile, SPY (S&P 500) has outperformed ACWX (All Country World ex US ETF) by 15% from December 29, 2017 to October 18, 2018).

  • As bonds have been in a powerful bull market for the past 40 years and have been mostly uncorrelated to stocks, most investors use bonds to hedge their equity risk. When you factor in a traditional model portfolio (60% stocks and 40% bonds) and adjust for the volatility of bonds, 2018 is likely to be tough for investors that weren’t properly diversified.

Bonds Will Continue To Struggle If Inflation Break-evens Continue To March Higher.

Source: Bloomberg, Astoria Portfolio Advisors

Why Do People Use Bonds?

  • It’s simple to understand why investors have gravitated towards bonds the past half a century. As mentioned above, US bonds have consistently produced positive returns. Buying a broad-based US bond portfolio, historically would have given you high income, diversification, and carry.

Illustration only. Source: Astoria Portfolio Advisors

  • Since 2009, investors have poured over $2 trillion into bond funds and ETFs. Unfortunately, most of the historical attributes for bonds have declined significantly in our view.

  • In 2015 & 2016, investors began buying bonds for growth and bought dividend yielding stocks for income and perceived levels of safety. That is the ultimate irony! Bonds are supposed to be a boring, dull, and relatively low risk asset. Certainly, they aren’t designed to provide growth!

  • Meanwhile, stocks are levered instruments, carry debt, and contain asymmetrical risks to the downside. Stocks may appear to be low volatility when US rates fall below 2% but in an era of rising US rates, high dividend yielding stocks are likely to become highly volatile.

  • In a recent Yahoo! Finance interview (click here), we commented that on a per unit of risk basis, cash and ultra-short bond funds are significantly more attractive than high yield bonds or intermediate corporate bonds.

  • Astoria strongly believes that multi asset portfolios should look at other asset classes such as commodities (a play on inflation and provides positive carry), alternatives (systematic HF replication, convertible bonds, gold), and utilize cash to help soften the volatility of one’s portfolio (as opposed to using bonds).

The Days Of Being Outright Long Beta Are Over.

  • Nobody truly knows the direction of US rates. If we knew the forward level of US rates, we would all position our portfolios accordingly.

  • Astoria’s vantage point is that US rates are starting from such a low base and investors aren’t providing themselves with any margin of safety should rates rise higher. Moreover, there are other ways to generate income or to diversify one’s portfolio (this is exactly what Astoria’s ETF Model Portfolios have been doing).

  • Bonds were a great investment when central bonds globally gobbled up $15 trillion in financial assets (a good chunk of which were bonds). Those days are now largely over (with the exception of the BOJ) and Astoria believes that bonds will be securely challenged in an environment where interest rates are trending higher, rising inflation, and expensive valuations.

Everything Works…Until It Doesn’t. Hence, Why Astoria Has Advocated Hedging One’s Portfolio.

  • There is a saying on Wall Street that everything works - until it doesn't. Well, bonds worked great over the past 40 years but we believe the probability of material positive returns for traditional credit and spread products will be challenged in the years to come.

  • In a recent blog (click here), Astoria highlighted that in 2018 there have been a series of events which separately may appear “inconsequential” but packaged together represent an important trend. It started with the collapse of the VIX ETN product suite in Q1 2018. Around the same time, the cryptocurrency space accelerated its decline (most coins are down 50-75% this year). China subsequently began its decline (it is now down 50% since June 2015). The China slowdown along with trade tariffs have put the broader EM equity, currency, and debt space into a bear market.

  • As mentioned above, the bond market is having its worst year since 1994. Some market pundits have argued that there is a bear market brewing and has been rotating around various asset classes. We tend to agree.

  • Does that mean Astoria is bearish? No. We are attracted to assets where there is intrinsic value and especially where we can purchase those assets below intrinsic value. But Astoria continues to advocate alternatives, diversify across factor exposure, and to largely avoid bonds where there is no margin of safety. Remember, markets trade on the margin and the rate of change ultimately drives financial assets.

How Does Astoria Distinguish Itself?

  • In Astoria's Multi-Asset Risk Strategy (MARS) ETF portfolio, we own 64% in stocks (of which we are diversified globally and across factors) and we are hedging our risk via alternatives, gold, non-traditional fixed income products, and cash. We believe products such as SRLN (Senior Loans), CWB (Converts), VTEB (Munis), VMBS (Mortgage Backed), IGSB (Short Term Corporate Bonds: effective duration = 2.7), QAI (Systematic HF replication), and IAU (Gold) offer a more compelling opportunity than traditional bonds.

  • If you are interested in viewing our MARS ETF portfolio or any of the other solutions that Astoria provides (income, strategic, tactical, and long-term asset allocation strategies), click here.

Best, John Davi

Founder & CIO of Astoria

For full disclosure, please refer to our website:

https://www.astoriaadvisors.com/disclaimer Click here for Photo Source


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The sensitive field of medical technology is another case for the use of ATC Armoloy coating

b_300_300_16777215_00_images_stories_Bilder_Content_medizintechnik.jpgInstruments that come into contact with body fluids are especially subject to wear. Scalpels, milling cutters or blades that are ATC coated have a significantly extended life. The field of medical technology is extremely varied, and ATC Armoloy coating is therefore not only used for coating instruments, it is also used for implantable blood pumps and for the rails of MRT tables and pull-out ambulance stretchers.

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Route Factory

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Free of cost Shooting Games – Will you be Missing Out on A few Killer Activities?

If an individual are a fan associated with none of them stop action in addition to a little senseless aggression then free of charge shooting game titles are focused right in you. These game titles are usually often very favorite on the net because they are a good great safe way to acquire out stress and of course the particular games are easy to learn. Essentially you can just possess a lot of entertaining filling out the missions and getting aim at everyone and everyone who features you funny. Free firing games usually have a good big variety of various deadly tools for the particular shooting enthusiast to place to help good use.

Several games are more involved and may require some real earth firing experience although a majority of these video games offer instant faveur to help anyone who can take aim and fire. I have found that there are many free taking pictures games online with a cult like following and episodic match play. Here are a few of my favorites that a person should definitely check away.

Sift Heads World: Sort Brain World comes after the particular heroes of Vinnie, Shorty and even Kiro as many people travel to numerous several locations around the world. These kind of characters have their very own on spin-off editions the fact that are killer games such as well but sort minds world is where the idea all started. the sift heads activities have a new wide variety of weapons available. Fans of that style should check out and about the sift heads for the good healthy dose connected with carnage. Not only can be the video games multi-level yet also there are several inside the sequence that you will absolutely get pleasure from arranging your sites about. There are many different issues and they provide hours of gun slinging entertaining!

Shootem: This is another one of my personal favorite monster games in this type. There are no levels and no particular objective to complete there is just a poor stick number in the wrong location at the wrong time in addition to your job as being the Title implies is to shoot him. There are consequently many different guns and upgrades that this interesting little game can maintain the entertained for time. Individuals who played a great deal of these type regarding activities will notice this great fine detail put directly into some of the more common weapons and I actually am sure you can like the fun futuristic items in this particular game as well.

Sometimes these kinds of games place you behind additional a good gun. You can come across some activities online of which will let you take flight with an armed heli and several that drop anyone powering enemy lines with a high-powered tank. These kind of games will be more sophisticated within that you will generally need to definitely not only be great at free shooting video games yet in addition some strategic concept can be needed to manage the assets well. Games such as Counter-Strike, Army Car owner and even War Mechs fall in this category.

Additional video games that do not really focus on the violence or maybe completing the mission simply because much as many people target on the actual art and even physics involved inside the shooting by itself. All these games are geared with teaching gamers who are directly into the physics elements of gameplay. Some games the fact that fall into this bass speaker category of are activities like Max Damage, Bowman plus Apple Player with the dice.

And finally system this talk of violence you may wonder in the event there are any free of cost kid safe titles? this bubble games are suggested for kids to have some sort of chance at. Young children are not chucked directly into any violent scenarios together with there are no enemies in these bubble games plus you will have no heads rolling as well as blood splattering in order to terrify these younger no cost firing games players. The objective of this particular bass speaker genre is to aim bubbles. There are zero body counts or even casualties on the inside these fun puzzle correlated shooting games so they are fairly safe for children.

เกมยิงปลาฟรีเครดิต shooting games online will be the perfect weapon against feeling of boredom. These easy flash shooting games can become recognizable quickly and the whole lot more complex ones with multiple levels offer hrs connected with enjoyment and adventure. Numerous of the larger no cost taking games will make it possible for you to login and even save your position together with success in the game so that you can commence where you left off in the mission as well as show the rating and achievements off of to players of all these free shooting games via all around the globe.

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ERCP, or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, is an outpatient procedure performed primarily to identify a problem in the bile ducts or pancreas.  Disorders found in the bile ducts, gallbladder and pancreas often result from diet, the environment and heredity.  They can develop into a variety of symptoms or diseases.

ERCP can be used to check for:

  • gallstones, which are trapped in the main bile duct;
  • blockage of the bile duct;
  • yellow jaundice, which turns the skin yellow and the urine dark;
  • undiagnosed upper-abdominal pain;
  • cancer of the bile ducts or pancreas; and
  • pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

If a gallstone is found during the exam, it can often be removed, eliminating the need for major surgery.  If a blockage in the bile duct causes yellow jaundice or pain, it can be relieved using ERCP.

This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

A.  The liver produces bile, which flows through the ducts, passes or fills the gallbladder and then enters the intestine (duodenum) just beyond the stomach.  The pancreas, which is six to eight inches long, sits behind the stomach.  This organ secretes digestive enzymes that flow into the intestine through the same opening as the bile.  Both bile and enzymes are needed to digest food, so it is important to diagnose any problems as quickly as possible.

A.  The actual exam is fairly simple and usually takes 20 to 40 minutes. The doctor will numb your throat with a spray or solution and usually give you a mild sedative.  The endoscope is then gently inserted into the upper esophagus. A thin tube is inserted through the endoscope to the main bile duct entering the duodenum.  Dye is then injected into this bile duct and/or the pancreatic duct and X-rays are taken.  The physician will ask you to lie on your left side and then turn onto your stomach to allow for complete visualization of the ducts.   You will be taken to the recovery area following the procedure.

A. An endoscope is a lighted, flexible tube with a tiny, optically sensitive computer chip at the end. As the physician moves it through the upper gastrointestinal tract, electronic signals are transmitted from the scope to a computer that displays the image on a video screen.  An open channel in the scope allows other instruments to be passed through it to perform biopsies, inject solutions, or place stents.

A.  Before an ERCP, you cannot eat or drink anything for eight hours. Your physician may ask you to stop taking certain medications, such as aspirin, before the procedure. Also, you should have someone drive you to and from the test.

A.  After the procedure, your physician will explain the results.  If the effects of the sedatives are prolonged, the physician may suggest a follow-up appointment to review the results.

A.  You may experience a temporary, mild sore throat. The most common complication of ERCP is called pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, but that only occurs in three to five percent of cases.  Pancreatitis results in abdominal pain and, occasionally, the need for hospitalization.  Another risk is excessive bleeding, especially when electrocautery is used to open a blocked duct.  In rare instances, a perforation or tear in the intestinal wall can occur.  These complications may require hospitalization and, rarely, surgery.


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Atlantic General Hospital Receives Recognition from American Stroke Association

Atlantic General Hospital was recently awarded the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award at the association’s International Stroke Conference 2010. The award recognizes Atlantic General’s commitment and success in implementing a high standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to evidence-based guidelines.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and this award demonstrates Atlantic General’s commitment to being one of the top hospitals in the country for providing aggressive, proven stroke care,” said Colleen Wareing, vice president of patient care services. “We will continue with our focus on providing care that has been shown in the scientific literature to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols.”

To receive the award, Atlantic General needed to achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines–Stroke achievement indicators for at least 12 months consecutive months. In fact, the hospital achieved between 91 and 100 percent on all indicators. Achievement indicators are evidence-based treatments known to result in improved patient outcomes. They include appropriate use of guideline-based care for stroke patients, including clot-busting and anti-clotting medications, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling.

Atlantic General Hospital has developed a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. As a result, the staff is always prepared to provide brain imaging scans and neurologists are on hand to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

“Atlantic General Hospital’s Get With The Guidelines–Stroke recognition is a tribute to the commitment of their staff and healthcare professionals to ensuring quality patient care, using all the available evidence, guidelines and tools,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the Get With The Guidelines National Steering Committee and director of the TeleStroke and Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. “Published scientific studies are providing us with more and more evidence that Get With The Guidelines works. Patients are getting the right care they need when they need it. That’s resulting in improved survival after a stroke diagnosis.

“We committed to providing patients the highest quality care based on the most current and robust scientific research,” said Wareing. “The Get With The Guidelines program is giving our healthcare providers the tools they need to improve the quality of care and long-term outcomes of our stroke patients.”

For providers, the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program offers quality-improvement measures, discharge protocols, standing orders and other measurement tools. Providing hospitals with resources and information that make it easier to follow treatment guidelines has been shown to improve the quality of care provided to stroke patients. This can help save lives and ultimately reduce overall healthcare costs by lowering readmission rates for stroke patients.

For Atlantic General’s patients, Get With The Guidelines–Stroke uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals’ guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke.

Through the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge from Atlantic General, based on patients’ individual risk profiles. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the Get With The Guidelines Patient Management Tool gives healthcare providers access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point-of-care.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for one in every 18 deaths in the United States, and is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
For more information on Get With The Guidelines,


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In 2019, Melissa Harris opened Lickety Split Southern Kitchen & Bar in Hapeville, Georgia bringing her passion for food and serving others to life. Founded on strong family values and comforting Southern hospitality, Lickety Split specializes in Southern cuisine.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

MH: I’ve always had a passion for cooking. I’ve been working in the food industry for about 30 years and ran 7 different restaurants in that time period. I retired back in 2018, but that only lasted for 3 months! My family and friends had always encouraged me to open my own restaurant, and after cooking for 75 people on the Fourth of July one year, I thought: “The next time I do this, I better be compensated!”

Q: What made you want to start Lickety Split?

MH: The constant encouragement from family and friends. In fact, the name “Lickety Split” came from my younger brother. His nickname was “Lickey”, and I used to always cook and do stuff for him. I always told him if I ever opened a restaurant I would name it after him. Since I’m a person who keeps her word, I did it! He thought I would forget, but I never did.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a female business owner?

MH: This might be corny, but as a Leo zodiac sign, I’ve always had it my way and been “the boss” my whole life. My favorite part is being able to be that strong, independent boss. I’ve always been in leadership roles, so I love being able to teach and inspire others.

Q: Do you have any female mentors or figures you find inspirational?

MH: Michelle Obama! Not only is her life story inspiring, but she’s such a positive, compassionate woman who is a role model to all.

My Grandma and Mom were amazing female mentors as well. They really inspired me to get into cooking. They loved to cook and serve and never asked for any help from anyone while doing so; they were selfless.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?

MH: If I could give any advice to an aspiring female entrepreneur, it’s that you gotta believe in yourself first. You have to be confident! We’re all put on this Earth for a purpose and a reason. It might take some longer than others to find that purpose, but it’s there.

Q: What makes Lickety Split unique?

MH: You know, we never closed during the pandemic. I think people just love to eat good food. We really put our own love in it; you can come in and see the open kitchen and just see the hands taking the time to train someone and how we taste all of the food before it ever reaches the table. We’re very hands on with everything we do to give our customers an incredible experience. Nothing comes out of a can - everything is all grown in Georgia. These recipes come from the bottom of my heart.


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Auckland Council The Auckland Plan

Renting in Auckland

The current rental situation

Secure, healthy and affordable housing is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of Aucklanders.

An adequate supply of quality, affordable housing located near jobs and transport links is a core foundation for strong communities, society and the economy.

Auckland's housing landscape has changed in the last 10 years, and more so in the past five years.

Auckland's housing challenges are escalating. Home ownership rates are decreasing and finding affordable housing is moving beyond the reach of many Aucklanders. This has resulted in lengthy travel times to employment, and increased financial stress, overcrowding and homelessness.

Business productivity, competitiveness, economic stability and social cohesion in our communities are all affected by a lack of affordable housing.

With a growing pool of potential tenants, landlords can be selective about who they rent to and what price they charge. This can disadvantage some potential renters already struggling to find secure accommodation.

Renting is no longer a short-term step before home ownership. It is becoming a long-term housing solution for many, and the number of lifelong renters is likely to increase.

Photograph of two storey medium density homes.

Long-term renters increasingly include professionals, higher income earners and families who are unable to transition into home ownership. This will have a significant, and as yet unknown, impact on social and economic outcomes.

Traditionally, financial security in New Zealand has been largely predicated on home ownership.

Lifelong renters do not have the same opportunities, through property, to create wealth for their retirement or for the next generation.

A shortage of rental properties that are suitable for people living with physical disabilities, or that can be modified to suit their needs, such as handrails, level access showers and wider doorways, and the often prohibitive cost of private rentals for people on fixed incomes, will result in higher levels of stress for many older Aucklanders. This will place greater pressure on government for support.

Compared to other countries, renters have less protection and security.  Renting costs can be high, and the quality of housing is often poor.

The New Zealand Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) is the principal act relating to residential tenancies. It defines the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants of residential properties.

Tenancy disputes and mediation are considered by the Tenancy Tribunal, which has legal powers.

There are two main types of residential tenancy in New Zealand:

  • a periodic tenancy - this continues until either landlord or tenant gives written notice to end it
  • a fixed term tenancy - this lasts for a predefined period of time.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 came into force in August 2020 and introduced some broad changes affecting both tenants and landlords including, for example, a 12 month limit on rent increases, enabling tenants to make minor changes to a property, and removing "no cause" 90-day termination notices.

The rental market and the associated policy settings are starting to catch up with changes in Auckland's housing landscape but issues of affordability, security of tenure and housing quality remain.

Households in Auckland spend more of their income on housing than elsewhere in New Zealand (Stats NZ, 2015, p. 19).

Rents are largely unregulated, and high demand means tenants can face regular rent increases with little recourse. The only restriction is that under the RTA rents can only be increased once every 12 months.

High housing costs can mean there is little left over to meet basic needs such as food and heating, particularly for lower-income renters.

The negative trade-offs can include:

  • frequent moves to find cheaper accommodation
  • taking lodgers or overcrowding
  • substantial commute times.

Rates of overcrowding are estimated to be higher in rental accommodation than in owner-occupied housing. There are frequent reports of multiple people sharing a home that was not designed to accommodate large numbers of occupants, particularly in the southern parts of Auckland - see The housing continuum.

Worsening housing affordability also creates pressure for government finances in the form of increased payments to support low income households meet their housing costs.

Security of tenure

By international standards, security of tenure provided by the RTA is weak, short term tenancies are the norm.

Germany, for example, has a well-established rental sector with high levels of legislative protection for tenants, and gives tenants the ability to decorate their home. Indefinite tenancies are the norm and there are few reasons a tenancy can be terminated.

Transience is more common for Auckland renters, affecting their ability to be part of a cohesive community.

At the time of the 2013 Census, 35 per cent of renters had lived in their house for less than one year, compared with 14 per cent who owned their own home (Goodyear & Fabian, 2014).

Seniors and school age children are particularly affected by transience in the rental market. Transience increases the frequency of school moves which impacts on educational attainment.

The 2013 Census recorded 44 per cent (more than 120,000) of Auckland's children living in rental housing. Just over a quarter (28 per cent) of 5 to 9 year olds, and 25 per cent of 10 to 14 year olds in Auckland rented households had moved at least once in the past year.

By contrast, only 12 per cent of 5 to 9 year old children in owner-occupied households, and 10 per cent of 10 to 14 year olds, had moved during the previous year (Goodyear & Fabian, 2014).

For older Aucklanders, moving to new areas without connections can lead to isolation and security concerns.

Housing quality

Poor and deteriorating housing quality is a pandemic issue in New Zealand, particularly for private rental housing.

Tenants are more likely to experience poor quality housing than owner-occupiers.

Data from the 2018 Census showed that more than one in five homes were damp some or all of the time, and for renters, dampness was more than twice as common than for home owners. About one in four homes in Auckland was damp, and more than one in five was affected by mould. Rates of dampness and mould were highest in Mangere, Otahuhu and Otara-Papatoetoe.

New Healthy Home Standards, which aim to make a significant change to the quality of rental homes in New Zealand, became law in 2019. These standards introduce specific and minimum standards for heating, insultation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping in rental properties.

There is an under-supply of good quality rental stock in Auckland, and it often comes at a premium price.

Lower-income renters, facing greater restrictions on their ability to pay, are most affected by quality issues and trade off quality for affordable accommodation.

Housing quality remains a key priority.

Research such as the BRANZ 2015 Housing Condition Survey (White, et al, 2017) articulates the link between a warm, dry home and positive health outcomes, particularly for children - see Healthy homes for more information.

Buckett, N., Jones, M., & Marston, N. (2012) BRANZ 2010 House condition survey: Condition comparison by tenure. BRANZ Study Report SR264. Judgeford: New Zealand: BRANZ Ltd.

Chisholm, E., Howden-Chapman, P. & Fougere, G. (2017) Renting in New Zealand: perspectives from tenant advocates. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online. Vol 12: 1. Available at

Goodyear, R. & Fabian, A. (2014) Housing in Auckland: trends in housing from the census of population and dwellings 1991 to 2013. Wellington: Stats NZ. Available at

Tenancy Services. (2017) Mould and dampness. [accessed 31/10/2017]

Statistics New Zealand. (2015) Inside Auckland 2013 – 15: a profile of people and households in the Auckland region. Wellington: Stats NZ. Available at

Statistics New Zealand (2020). Housing in Aotearoa 2020. Available at

White, V., Jones, M., Cowan, V. & Chun, S. (2017). BRANZ 2015 House condition survey: comparison of house condition by tenure. BRANZ Study Report SR370. Judgeford: New Zealand: BRANZ Ltd.


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Deal with the Dead: A John Deal Mystery, Les Standiford
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Deal with the Dead: A John Deal Mystery

Author: Les Standiford

Series: John Deal Series #6

Narrator: Ron McLarty

Unabridged: 11 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 09/23/2011

Genre: Fiction - Mystery & Detective

Les Standiford is the best-selling author of the famous John Deal suspense series, including Presidential Deal. The quickly paced plot, intriguing characters, and electric dialogue found in Deal With the Dead will please longtime fans and enthrall newcomers. John Deal is attempting to resurrect his late father's failed building firm when he makes an awesome discovery. Now he faces the strong-arm tactics of the same secret organization that ruined his father.

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HEAR: El Trytophan – “Guilt Vacation”

el tryptophan

El Tryptophan

“Guilt Vacation”

Guilt Vacation

This man, El Tryptophan, is different (in an unbelievably great way). Rue is a great-grandson of the artist Alexander Calder, whose experiments with noise and percussion in mobiles helped shape 20th century avant-garde music. Just like Calder, Rue plays with music like his great-grandfather played with shapes and changes music to something new and wonderful.  There is a hint of Eno and Laurie Anderson within his work, but Rue has taken those building stones and made something new.  This is music you must listen to.  I find it very interesting that Rue uses the name, El Tryptophan, because trytophan is an essential animo acid the human body needs to survive but cannot produce itself.  Rue has created music that I need to survive but cannot produce myself.  This is my kind of music.  Like Great-grandfather, like great-grandson, redefining art, weather, sculpture, or music.

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Resourcing Change – PART ONE

21st January , 2021 11am LA / 2PM NY / 7PM UK

Our final pandemic two-part series, Resourcing Change looks at the impact of unexpected and rapid change on society, its impact on supply chains, and our ability to source the things we need.

The pandemic brought panic buying and stress to product supply-chains, but also fantastic examples of thinking differently as people and businesses prepared for the unknown. While panic buying truly helped no one (other than those who already had the resources to survive) it called into question our reliance on complex internationalized import/export product and production supply chains.

Some thinking says local is best and that we must lessen our reliance on complex manufacturing and delivery mechanisms, but: there are some resources that are better grown or built abroad; there are some solutions that just need a change in the way we think to make them more resilient and sustainable; and, there are some applications of technology that could actually increase our collective agility.

What can we learn from our pandemic experience? Can understanding a product’s life cycle from conception, to market, to throwing it away, help to build a more flexible and creative way of dealing with sudden fluctuations in supply and demand? And, surely now is the time, to champion great technological solutions?

Join us to discuss:
  • Is thinking differently all we need, to do better in times of crisis?
  • What did we learn about strengths and weaknesses from our ordeals, and how should we, and will we, adapt and change?
  • How we can build community and business resilience amidst changing patterns and availability.
  • What technology, The Internet of Things(IoT), Blockchain, and others are bringing to the conversation.
  • Register in advance for this event

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PART ONE - Can technology help us build a new world? As we re-imagine how we want to live, and work together post pandemic.

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James Cole: Take care to guard the word of God

James Cole
Faith Columnist

“Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” – 2 Timothy 1:14 NASB

The Rev. James Cole is pastor of Sovereign Grace Community Church in Grovetown.

There are many things in our lives that we guard or protect, things such as our loved ones, our homes and any other things that God has blessed us with that we consider to be dear to us, or “treasures,” if you will. We take many pains and precautions in our own ability to guard these material or physical things that will eventually fade away and be no more, but what about those things that are spiritual and eternal?

The Word of God; the Gospel; the entire revealed truth of Scripture; the very words of God Almighty Himself put on paper under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; nothing could be more precious than that. It is a treasure that will never fade away, never be destroyed and never lead us down a wrong path. Yet sadly, it is not treated this way by some that profess to be Christian.

You see, the Apostle Paul finished his first letter to Timothy with the charge for him to guard the word of God and avoid worldly and empty chatter and opposing arguments of what was falsely called “knowledge.” (See 1 Timothy 6:20-21.) He did this because there were many false teachers claiming to have superior knowledge, when they actually didn’t know much at all. This would be dangerous for anyone who listened to them because eternity is at stake.

Then in the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he reiterates again in the first chapter the need to guard the word of God, then in the last chapter of that same letter he charges Timothy to “preach the word.” He gave Timothy this command because he knew that there would be a time that people wouldn’t want to hear the word of God, but rather would listen to someone who tells them what they want to hear instead.

Welcome to 2021. What Paul had warned Timothy about back then is definitely occurring today. There are many in the church today that don’t really want to hear a lot of Scripture in a sermon. They want to hear whatever makes them feel good about themselves, rather than to hear the truth of the word of God. What is even more sad is there are some pastors who are giving in to those wants. They are watering down the Gospel so it is easier to swallow by those who hear and by doing so, they are taking the power away from the word of God.

The great Puritan Matthew Henry stated, “The Christian doctrine is a trust committed to us … It is committed to us to be preserved pure and entire, and to be transmitted to those who shall come after us, and we must keep it, and not contribute anything to the corrupting of its purity, the weakening of its power, or the diminishing of its perfection.”

All Christians are commanded to guard the word of God, but it is especially true of pastors, since we are the one’s leading His church. It is through the preaching of the word that people are saved, not by funny stories, not by watering it down, not by any other antic that you can come up with. (See Romans 10:17.)

So I challenge you, Christian; I challenge you, fellow pastors; guard the word of God and hold it in high esteem, especially in this culture in which we live. Preach the word of God and nothing else, being obedient to our Lord.

The Rev. James Cole is pastor of Sovereign Grace Community Church in Grovetown.


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Hospital growth continues: Jefferson Hospital’s addition, the Behavior Health Unit, is about 65 percent complete

Carol McLeod
Augusta Chronicle
Jefferson Hospital, Louisville GA

Jefferson Hospital Assistant Administrator Jessica Guy recently said renovations of the north wing of the hospital, which will house the new Behavior Health Unit, is about 65 percent complete.

The area still needs painting and flooring, casework, furniture for patient rooms, offices, nurses’ station, waiting and entrance areas as well as IT-related projects.

Robby Newman, HVAC specialist with Columbia Sheet Metal in Martinez, works in the north wing of Jefferson Hospital. This wing will house the new Behavioral Health Unit.

Parrish Construction of Perry is the contractor for the project, which will be about 11,000-square feet. The 10-bed inpatient behavioral health unit and an intensive outpatient behavioral health program should begin serving patients later this year.

“Our behavioral health services will address the adult population needing behavioral health treatment or medical management resources to assist them in returning to their optimal quality of life. Inpatient services will be short-term, approximately 12-14 days,” Guy said.

CJ Davis, an electrician with Georgia Electrical Associates in Leesburg, works in the north wing of Jefferson Hospital. This wing will house the new Behavioral Health Unit.

Patients who qualify will transition into the intensive outpatient behavioral health program allowing for further treatment.

“Some symptoms are too much for an independent caregiver to manage alone. We can evaluate patients and create a plan of care targeted at an optimum level of improvement for their unique needs,” Guy said.

In such cases, an individual would enter the inpatient hospital and can receive the following:

  • Diagnostic Testing
  • Psychiatric and Physical Assessment
  • Medical Management and Education
  • Individualized Treatment Planning
  • Family Education and support -Basic Life Skill Enhancement
  • 24-hour Nursing and Medical Support
  • Placement Assistance – Individual and Group Therapy – Therapeutic Activities

“Sometimes a helping hand is all that’s needed to get your life back on track. The proper guidance and regular attention of experience professionals can lead to an improved lifestyle as well as better overall health,” Guy said. In these cases, the individual will be treated on an outpatient basis and can receive the following:

  • Confidential Treatment
  • Psychiatric and Psychosocial Assessment
  • Medication Management
  • Group, Individual and Family Therapy
  • Therapeutic Activities
  • A noon meal during the day
  • Coordinating the patient’s care with the individual’s primary care physician
  • 6-12 week program (2-4 days per week)
  • Discharge planning

“Our treatment team is designed to ensure quality patient care for your behavioral health needs,” Guy said, adding the hospital team, in partnership with the individual’s primary care doctor, your team may include the following:

  • Psychiatrist
  • Mid-level Provider
  • Nurses
  • Social Worker

“Our tentative construction completion timeline is set for March,” she said. “The exterior windows, roof and plumbing have been completed. Electrical, HVAC, framing, and drywall have been partially completed and are currently in progress,” Guy said.

Louisville Administrator Ricky Sapp addressed the importance of the hospital and its sustainability.

“The hospital plays a key role in the vitality of our community both from a quality of life aspect as well as a significant positive economic impact,” he said.


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Poetry on the Patio, an intimate, community-based celebration of family, friends and poetic expression is celebrating its 10th season this year. It kicked off its summer schedule on June 16 with a pre-Father’s Day salute to dads.

What started in 2003 as a way to help a family heal after the unexpected death of its patriarch has evolved into one family’s way to help heal a community through spoken word. Since June 2003, Markel Mooney and his family have hosted spoken word artists from far and wide in their backyard gatherings, reminiscent of the way his late father brought people together.

“We wanted to keep the spirits high by doing the things that he did ¡ª bringing people to the backyard,” said Markel Mooney, spoken word artist and founder of Poetry on the Patio. He also goes by Kell-OG.

That first event, Afro-centric Night, took place just a few months after Mooney’s dad died. It was publicized by family members passing out a few fliers around the neighborhood. Mooney expected a few friends and family to show up. He was not prepared for the community’s response.

“That same night Brenda Matthews … showed up and Mama Earth showed up, and a few other poets showed up, and before you know it, we had about 10 poets show up that night. And I was just overwhelmed; I was in awe of the turnout,” Mooney said.

After that first show, the family decided to continue hosting the open mic shows throughout the summer. They are held in the beautifully landscaped backyard of the family home. The centerpiece is the deck that has an uncanny resemblance to a stage, which his dad built. It is where the poets perform.

“The only reason this is done so many things are going on in this area [that] at least one night people can come together,” said Mooney, who has two children, 5-year-old Jaikel and 3-year old Indy. “The best thing about it the best talent in this city is on this side of town.”

The shows are a family affair. Mooney serves as host. His brother, Willie, designs the promotional materials and handles marketing, and his mother and sister are always there to help out. His mother fires up the grill and guests are treated to her renowned jerk chicken and Mac salad at the end of each show.

The shows are so popular that Linda Wilson, who lives next door to the Mooneys, plans her summer Saturday evenings around them.

“The raw talent that comes back here is awesome,” she said. “People come over, sit in my backyard and listen. He has speakers coming from everywhere – Indiana, Markham, South Holland. It’s like ‘wow’ to hear how they can be so expressive about their true life experiences.”

Wilson credits Mooney as one of the community’s unsung heroes. “This young man is very active trying to make some positive impact on the community.”

Poetry on the Patios 2012

  • June 16, Opening night
  • July 14, Ladies night
  • Aug. 11, Fashion/networking night
  • Sept. 8, "Word Life Slammies" poetry slam.
  • For more information: Markel Mooney, 773-372-8522.¡¡


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Cancer? Me? No way.

But yes. Four weeks ago I was diagnosed with cancer, colorectal cancer to be exact. So what kind of cancer is that? I wondered that as well. As soon as I got my diagnosis I wondered how it explained the months of troubling and puzzling symptoms I was suffering.

Colorectal cancer includes the colon and rectal forms of the disease. What’s the difference? I sure as heck found out. The colon actually leads to the rectum. My doctors at Rush University found my polyp, or tumor, located in a kind of borderline area where the rectum ends and the main portion of the colon begins. That’s significant, I learned, because the treatment is different between the two cancers.

They found my tumor after giving me a sigmoidoscopy (SIG-MOYD-OSCOPY). It’s a similar procedure as a colonoscopy, except a sigmoidoscopy looks at part of rather than the entire colon. My polyp was on the larger side, doctors told me, and it was indeed cancerous. Luckily, it was found early, and, according to my doctors, had not spread beyond the rectum. My cancer is an early Stage One form and very treatable.

Age 50 is still the best time to start regular screening, but young folks can get this type of cancer too. And at 39 years old, I never thought about colorectal cancer screening.

So, my next step is surgery to remove some of that 2.5 centimeter area where the tumor was found. The surgery is actually very basic, about three hours and a one-day procedure — I’ll be released that same day with a couple of days rest at home before resuming my everyday life. No chemo and radiation treatment, which would’ve been the case had the cancer spread beyond the rectum. If my cancer was in the colon itself, I would have to have chemo and radiation regardless.

When I had my sigmoidoscopy, my doctor — whom I’ll call Dr. S for reasons I’ll explain later — was able to remove the polyp, which is standard when those tumors are discovered. Polyps, I learned, take years to grow, starting off as small as a pea. And they’re not cancerous in the beginning. As time goes on, and the thing grows, they can become cancerous.

 Mine was a nasty, ugly little thing. I know this because I was awake during the sigmoidoscopy. This is where a little humor, thankfully, seeps into my experience with cancer, which I’ll get into later.

The doctors I’ve been dealing with over the last two months, I have to say, have been helpful and very professional. But they can’t spot everything. And with the amount of patients ERs take, you can’t allow yourself to get caught in a kind of “assembly line” type of medical care.

I had been going back and fourth to various ERs and my primary doctor since December due to these symptoms, which included constipation and diarrhea, as well as bleeding.

I’ve suffered from gastritis — an inflammatory stomach condition — for three years, so all of the doctors kept treating me for that ailment. But we all know our bodies and know when something just isn’t right.

I was put on stomach meds and taken off. I was given this and that kind of hemorrhoid cream. And if one more doctor told me to “eat more fiber to help with the constipation,” I think I would’ve turned homicidal because I’d been eating enough fiber, fruits and “green-leafy foods” than I can stand.

My main reason for sharing my experience and telling my story is to encourage others — especially black folk and in particular African-American men — to stay on top of, and advocate for, your health.

Don’t let anyone — doctors, family members, friends or strangers — make you think “it’s all in your head.” And for black people, especially black men, we need to be even greater advocates for our health. African Americans are dying at a higher rate of cancer than all other ethnic groups various studies have shown over the last several years, even decades.

Advocate for your health no matter what. It’s up to you.

Thankfully, I kept calling and asking Rush U for the colonoscopy. And thankfully, I finally had one, which leads me back to Dr. S.

Some folk are scared off by the procedure because of what it entails. Again, I’m sharing my experience — and all the details — to let you know that, in the end, it’s worth having if it’ll save your life.

Doctors use a flexible tube inserted into the anus during a colonoscopy, as well as a sigmoidoscopy. Colonoscopies typically require sedation. Sigmoidoscopies, however, typically don’t since doctors are only looking at part of the colon — and whoever made that determination needs their ass whupped, but I digress…

…My procedure was going OK— weird, but OK. A camera attached to the tube videoed the inside of my rectum, which was shown on a monitor. I have to admit, it was fascinating to see — kind of freaky, but fascinating.

While inside, the tube can eject a little loop that the doctor can use to lasso the polyp, then burn it as the loop closes around it. Then a little net pops out of the tube and scoops up the severed polyp. The doctors say you don’t feel any of that stuff going on and they’re right — I didn’t.

Well, Dr. S was having a little trouble lassoing mine. He then told me he was going to “switch equipment.” Note to self and others: when doctors say they have to switch equipment, that’s usually a sign that something veeeeery uncomfortable is about it happen — might very well be necessary, but very likely to be uncomfortable as hell.

Dr. S, like so many other cancer docs, have probably done so many of these procedures that it probably slipped his mind to warn me to “get ready for the bigger tube I’m about to jam up your butt!!!!”

Yes, I could have used that warning — maybe something a little more subtle, but a warning nonetheless.

I almost jumped off the damn exam table. And Dr. S’s very kind nurse — bless her heart — kept telling me to, “relax, breathe in and out your mouth.”

 “Oh really!?!” I thought, “Lady, you go breathe in and out of your mouth! Breathing right now is the last thing on my mind!”

But she, Dr. S, and his other assistant were great. And the “bigger equipment,” once inserted, did its job in removing my polyp. He called me the next day with the diagnosis. And so started my journey.

So, if you feel or think you need to have a colonoscopy, get one and go through the procedure. You’ll do fine. Cancer found early can lead to a healthier life. Mine was found early.

So, always advocate, be mindful, and stay positive.

The first in a series of columns about my cancer journey

2 replies on “The ‘Big C’ and your health: you are your own best advocate”