http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
George Petelo Fa'apoi.
SIA KO VEIONGO R.F.C. 1966
George in front of the coach.
A distinquished George now.
On Wednesday mornings, I go to Mt Albert Baptist Church. The kids in school ask me why I go there. I tell them, I teach big people to learn English. I tell them there mums and dads can go and learn English and about New Zealand Culture. I tell them about George. He is the best example to an immigrant to New Zealand.
Mālō e lelei - hello
I always greet George "Mālō e lelei" because these are the only Tongan words I know. My students in Pt Chevalier school taught me to say that and assured me that it is enough when I greet a Tongan person.
This is George Petelo Fa'apoi. He is 78 and comes to Mt Albert Baptist Church ESOL classes as a senior student. He is a very regular attendant and is such an inspiration. I don't teach him, so I regard him as a friend. He is what the proverbial phrase, tall, dark and handsome man and soft spoken that any woman, me inclusive, would want for her boy friend.
In his younger days, he had traveled the world with the Tongan Shipping agency and had been to Borneo. George's extensive CV was high lighted when he was the security guard on duty during the French bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. He was the first eye witness and he ran to the police station.
George is one of the few surviving Tongan rugby players that first played against the Maori All Black in 1966.
Now as a retiree, he doesn't twiddle his thumbs. He attended numerous courses including alcoholism seminars, Pacific Islands sexual abuse counseling course, interpreting in English and Tongan, to help his people.
George read the Tongan news at 104.6 FM at carrington. At 6am-8am, from Monday to Thursday.
At Jonah Lumu's funeral, George will be reading the news.
Instead he volunteers with the Friendly Islands Wardens Incorporated, and with 7 ex policemen. He provides security for Auckland City, Balmoral area, Sandringham and Avondale area. George is the manager. He is a friendly grand pa to many of the Polynesian kids.
He is one of the initiators of the Pasifika Festival Celebration in Western Springs. He holds a stall with his wife. Their stall won the best dressed stall in Tonga village in 2010. Such is the dedication and passion for his culture.
After more than 40 years in New Zealand, he can show the kids a thing or two. Life doesn't need to be a useless bum as is the stereotyping prejudiced ideas perceived of immigrant people from the islands.
George lives with his wife, has two children, and seven grand children, (6 boys and a girl). He attends church service every Sunday, and is an encouragement to those who know him. He is held with the highest regard among the Tongan community.
ABC Wed: Letter T
A tidy toilet, the most important little room in the house and in the office and shopping mall.
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
FSO: comfort food
Comfort Food [Friday My Town Shoot Out Link-Up]
The nights are long and cold. What comfort food keeps you going. What comfort food is your town known for?
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) day.
Today is World COPD Day. It is so timely for me to talk about "breathing" or rather in inabiliity to breathe. Many of you know that my baby Andrew died from a syndrome that made him hard to breathe. His anniversary is 22 November.
My two surviving daughters had childhood asthma. They had their asthma puff, but sometimes they don't work. Many a time, we had to rush them in the middle of the night to the hospital, where they were given immediate service with the nebuliser.
Who is better than this self proclaimed ambassador for COPD than me?
What Is COPD?
The disease affecting an estimated 15% of New Zealanders over 45 years old, you might know someone affected and be interested in these statistics which have released.
COPD to become third leading cause
of death by 2030
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is set to
become the third leading cause of death worldwide in the next 15 years[1], and New
Zealand currently has the second highest hospitalisation rate for the disease
in the OECD[2].
Figures on deaths as a result of COPD show the disease
affects an estimated 15% of New Zealanders over 45 years old[3].
It is the fourth leading cause of death behind cancer,
heart disease and stroke[4], and our
rate of hospitalisations is second only to Ireland in the OECD.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the
disease is growing in impact, with predictions that it will become the third
leading cause of death worldwide by 2030[5].
COPD is a progressive, obstructive lung disease
characterised by chronic poor airflow. Symptoms include frequent breathlessness
and coughing and once established causes irreparable lung damage. It is
treatable but not curable.
However, COPD often goes undiagnosed, as signs and
symptoms of the disease only appear later in the disease course.
New Zealand experts are calling for earlier diagnosis in
order to provide better quality of life for those living with COPD, as well as
reducing the cost of the disease for the public health system.
GP Dr Jim Lello, who is currently reviewing the primary care
records of a sample 325,000 patients in GP services around New Zealand who are
treated for lung disease, says many people put off visiting the doctor because
the symptoms of the disease are relatively common.
“Shortness of
breath, a cough and sputum are all common and people are used to them, so it’s
only when they get more severe or consistently affect someone’s life that they
become noticeable,” says Dr Lello.
“There is a lot of wishing and hoping on the part of
patients that it will go away, but it does creep up on people over the years.”
Dr Lello says it’s important for GPs to carry out the
correct assessments for patients at high risk. “COPD is a primary care illness,
GPs are the ones seeing it in the community most often, and so we are working
to encourage more GPs to train their staff in spirometry testing, which is an
accurate test of lung function, and to use questionnaire assessment tools as
well.”
The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) online self-assessment test
can be administered by a GP, or patients can do it themselves to get a score of
how lung function is affecting their everyday life, he says.
“If it shows that it is negatively affecting you, then
it’s important to visit your GP to discuss those results and start a dialogue
about the potential treatments that we can prescribe to help alleviate
symptoms, including medication and pulmonary exercises,” says Dr Lello.
University of Auckland Associate Professor Rob Young, a
specialist physician and clinical researcher, says early detection is crucial
as treatments can slow the deterioration of lung function when damage is
minimal if patients quit smoking and seek help early enough.
“We estimate that up to 70% of patients with COPD could be
unrecognised or undiagnosed, which is why it’s important that families get
involved and encourage family members who smoke to go to their GP for lung
function tests,” says Dr Young.
The importance of identifying COPD is made even more
important with the discovery that smokers with this disease are three to four
times more likely to get lung cancer, according to research by Dr Young.
“What we now know is that if you are a current or former
smoker and have developed COPD, your risk of lung cancer is much higher, so the
earlier you can quit smoking and start dealing with the disease, the more you
can reduce your risk.”
For Māori, that message is even more important, says Dr
Young, with the Māori population at higher risk of COPD and an even greater
risk of lung cancer. “Studies show that Māori develop these diseases 5-10 years
earlier and at much lower smoking levels than non-Māori, so detecting COPD
early becomes even more essential.”
Asthma NZ Executive Director Linda Thompson says an early
diagnosis of COPD can markedly improve a patient’s quality of life.
“They can be supported to give up smoking, encouraged to
participate in regular exercise, and be commenced on appropriate medication,
which includes annual free flu vaccinations and other vaccinations if
appropriate.”
Thompson says an important part of that diagnosis is
spirometry, a ‘gold standard’ test which can detect loss of lung function even
before the patient is aware of damage, but which needs specialist training to
administer. The test is available at Asthma NZ sites around New Zealand.
“Protocols in general practice also need to be developed
in-line with the global guidelines (GOLD) to ensure clients have the best
possible health outcomes,” she adds. “The CAT score measures patient symptoms,
exacerbations and quality of life and is dependent on the perception of the
patient. Treatment and management is determined by symptoms, quality of life
and spirometry measurements.”
New Zealand faces costs of $59.6 million per annum in COPD-related
hospital admission costs alone[6]. This is without
taking into account loss of productivity and absenteeism, or ongoing support
costs.
A study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal in January
this year found that “hospital admissions for COPD are costly and are
overrepresented in high risk groups including rural, elderly, socioeconomically
deprived, and Māori and Pacific peoples.”
“Effective interventions that are targeted to high risk groups
are required to improve equity and reduce the burden of COPD[7].”
An awareness campaign to highlight the symptoms and risk
factors will take place in New Zealand on World COPD Day, 18 November, 2015
(today).
-Ends-
Written
on behalf of GSK by Impact PR. For more information or images, please contact
Mark Devlin mark@impactpr.co.nz (021 50 90
60) or Fleur Revell-Devlin fleur@impactpr.co.nz (021 509
600)
GSK – one of the world’s
leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed
to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel
better and live longer. We deliver the highest quality medicines, vaccines and
over-the-counter healthcare products and contribute to Australia’s economy
through new approaches to agriculture and manufacturing, and by investing in
local research and development. For further information please visit www.gsk.com.au or www.gsk.com
[1]
WHO Chronic Respiratory Diseases Fact Page. Available from: http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/en/ (Accessed October 2015)
[2]
OECD Health Data 2011.
[3]
Asthma Foundation. COPD in
New Zealand. 2012. Available from: www.asthmafoundation.org.nz (Accessed
October 2015)
[4]
MOH. Mortality and Demographic Data 2009. Wellington 2014; Available from:
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/mortality-and-demographic-data-2009 (Accessed October 2015)
[5]
WHO Chronic Respiratory Diseases Fact Page. Available from: http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/en/ (Accessed October 2015)
[6]
Milne RJ, Beasley R. Hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease in New Zealand. New Zealand
Medical Journal. 2015;128(140):2010-2019.
[7]
Milne RJ, Beasley R. Hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease in New Zealand. New Zealand
Medical Journal. 2015;128(140):2010-2019.
http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/
http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/
Make a Difference this Christmas at Farmers for Hospice NZ
Designed by Kiwi artists Michel Tuffery and Letitia Lam, the limited edition glass baubles are delicately handpainted and feature two unique designs that showcase native New Zealand flowers.
Paki Paki to Farmers:
“We are proud to tell our customers that when they purchase Hospice Baubles, the full amount is donated to Hospice New Zealand, to support their services to remain free of charge in our community.”
Exclusive to Farmers, Hospice Baubles are sold in-store only (RRP $10) and are available from now until December 24, 2015.
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Sunday, November 15, 2015
Yellow: Plunket and me
Today, I got a phone call from Anika from Plunket. She was calling to raise funds for Plunket's work with the children of New Zealand. I worked with Plunket myself and through my church's Christmas in the park. I promised her I will write for them.
Our church Mt Albert Baptist Church decided to give the profits to Plunket. I was very happy because I benefited in a big way from Plunket when I was a young Mother.
I was organising my ESOL student volunteers to hand out the goodie-bags when I overheard this lady saying that she is a Plunket lady. I went up to her and asked if she worked at Plunket Landscape Road, and she said yes. I asked if she worked there for a long time, and she said yes. As long as twenty years ago. She said yes.
I hugged her. In my heart, she is symbolic of all the good people who helped me when Andrew was alive. I told her that I was that mother whose baby died. It sort of completed my cycle just as I am writing my book and revisiting that horrible time.
The Plunket Nurse said her name is Jane and asked if I remembered the other nurse. I didn't remember their names or faces, but I remember their kind deeds. They took care of me and my children. Jane said she came to Plunket Landscape Road in 1990, and had heard of me. Of course, I was still going to Plunket in 1990 for my second daughter's excema problem and seeing Dr. Rowley.
Thank you Plunket. You are the “bestiest” as my ESOL kids tell me all the time.
I’ve signed up as an online collector for Plunket's 2012 Appeal.
Plunket’s Appeal raises vital funds for a wide variety of services , such as parenting education courses, car seat safety schemes, education in schools, toy libraries and many other valuable resources and programmes.
In the 80s, I was a young mum 3 times. I had no family in New Zealand. Plunket was family to me. Plunket's care was epitomised when I was sick when I was pregnant with Andrew and after he had died. I could never repay what Plunket did for me. I tried by collecting door to door, I tried by writing about Plunket. I wrote in detail about Plunket's help in my book and in my other posts.
Diary of a bereaved Mother http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/
http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/christmas-in-rocket-park-2010-and.html
http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2009/06/plunket-society.html
These services rely on community support to keep going. Your support will assist Plunket to give every New Zealand child the best start in life.
I’ve signed up as an online collector for Plunket's 2012 Appeal.
Plunket’s Appeal raises vital funds for a wide variety of services , such as parenting education courses, car seat safety schemes, education in schools, toy libraries and many other valuable resources and programmes.
In the 80s, I was a young mum 3 times. I had no family in New Zealand. Plunket was family to me. Plunket's care was epitomised when I was sick when I was pregnant with Andrew and after he had died. I could never repay what Plunket did for me. I tried by collecting door to door, I tried by writing about Plunket. I wrote in detail about Plunket's help in my book and in my other posts.
Diary of a bereaved Mother http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/
http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/christmas-in-rocket-park-2010-and.html
http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2009/06/plunket-society.html
These services rely on community support to keep going. Your support will assist Plunket to give every New Zealand child the best start in life.
http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/
http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
ABC Wednesday: Letter R
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Sunday, November 1, 2015
free range v battery chicken
A free ranged mother hen.
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/
When I was young, we lived in suburbia, Mum and Dad always kept some chicken and ducks. We had mostly free ranged ducks and chicken. But we also had about twenty caged hens for laying eggs.
I was in charge of feeding the chickens and ducks for many years. So I know about battery chicken and animal cruelty. Chickens have weird personality. If one chicken gets pecked, the others will peck her too.
One Sunday, I watched a program on TV. There is a group of SAFE activists going round the country to expose egg farmers. There are some "bad" eggs among the farmers.
My friend Rachel Yang snapped this photo at Spencer Hotel in Takapuna in Auckland. Rachel is my facebook friend. We both belong to the Auckland University Chinese Alumni.
The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) in February released a draft welfare code for hens which would phase out the use of existing cages for the nation's 2.88 million battery hens, which each lay about 25 dozen eggs a year.
New "enriched cages", which feature a nest box, perch and a scratch pad, have been proposed.
The proposed colony systems would require 750cu cm per bird. A piece of A4 paper is equivalent to 623sq cm.
Would you pay a lot more for a free ranged egg?
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