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A great place to work
'Feels Like Family'
Although we have sales of over £2.4 billion and employ more than 23,000 people, our staff agree that working for Iceland feels like being part of a family. We believe that the key to success in retailing is looking after our customers properly, and that starts with looking after each other. While we naturally expect our employees to stand on their own two feet, they can also expect to be treated with respect by their colleagues, and to be part of a team where everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves and help out when support is required.
Everyone at Iceland is on first name terms with each other, and we share a strong sense of pride and common purpose. The 2012 Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For survey ranked Iceland Britain's Best Big Company to Work For "by dint of having the happiest workers in the country. Iceland is second to none when it comes to staff Wellbeing, work relationships expressed in our survey factors My Team and My Manager, good Leadership and a Fair Deal. People don't just like working for Iceland. They love it (79%). The 2013 survey again ranked Iceland Number One for employees feeling that they have a Fair Deal (76%) and for Wellbeing (69%) while 77% feel that there is a strong sense of family in their teams and 83% that their colleagues are fun to work with.
Our Chief Executive Malcolm Walker was named the UK's Best Leader of a big company in 2012, achieving top scores across a range of measures, with 81% of staff expressing a great deal of faith in him and 75% finding him inspirational. He was also runner up in the Best Leader category in 2013. Staff in 2012 agreed that Iceland was run on strong values (80%) and that senior managers truly live those values (80%, the best result in the survey). Continuing confidence in the leadership skills of the senior management team was reflected in a 77% positive rating in 2013.
The Best Companies results mirror the findings of our most recent Straight Talk staff survey, in March 2012, in which 93% of our retail employees told us that they are proud to work for Iceland, 90% feel a strong sense of belonging in the company, 93% enjoy the work they do, 95% consider that their manager treats them fairly and with respect, and 94% would recommend Iceland as a good place to work. These outstanding results were based on a response rate of 97%. All measures showed improvement on the already high scores recorded in our last survey in September 2011 – and place us in the top quartile of companies in the External Benchmark for Employee Opinion which includes businesses such as Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose as well as Pets at Home, Matalan and New Look.
Keeping it Simple
The key to the revival in Iceland's fortunes since 2005 has been simplification: refocusing on our traditional strengths in innovative, value-for-money frozen food and making life simple for our customers through round sum pricing. The same principles have been applied to the way we work, ensuring a clear focus on the things that really matter like service and quality. We give our employees clear objectives and expectations, with 98% of the respondents to our most recent staff survey telling us that they are clear about what they are expected to achieve in their jobs. At the same time, we also allow more freedom for individual initiative than most other retailers, as we believe that it is ultimately this sort of personal touch that can make all the difference to our customers.
Our March 2012 Straight Talk staff survey showed that 98% of our retail staff believe that their stores are serious about service and 99% feel confident that they can deliver high standards of service to our customers. We communicate with each other openly, honestly and directly, doing our utmost to avoid jargon and 'management speak'. This was again reflected in our staff survey findings, with 91% of our employees rating their manager as a good communicator and a good leader, and 92% believing that their manager listens to ideas and shows an interestin their views.
Speed, Energy and Enthusiasm
Iceland moves like a speedboat among the supertankers of UK food retailing. We're always keen to keep moving forward and to make the most of every opportunity. That makes for a lively and fast-paced working environment, in an organisation that is open to new ideas and suggestions and willing to try them out. Our managers are never afraid to take decisions, and are keen to get things done. Our stores are supported by a lean head office team that is totally focused on retailing and believes in action, not bureaucracy.
Something for Everyone
Iceland is a successful and growing business, and to maintain our momentum we want to help all our people to fulfil their ambitions and realise their potential. We take pride in our training and development, and our March 2012 Straight Talk retail staff survey showed that 94% of our employees considered that they had all the training they needed to do their job well. In addition to paying close attention to the results of these regular surveys, we conduct individual performance reviews designed to identify strengths, ambition and potential, and we are strongly committed to providing opportunities for those who wish to develop their careers within Iceland. Over 60% of our store managers have attained their positions through internal promotion.
Jan Baker joined Iceland in 1986 when the company took over her original employer, Orchard Foods. After a career break to have her two children she returned to Iceland as an assistant manager in 1991 and was promoted to store manager in 1992. She is now the Area Manager for Iceland's stores in South London.
I began working for Orchard Foods back in the early 1980s and joined Iceland when they took us over as part of their expansion into the south of England. They made me store manager at Rainham in 1992, after which I managed the Sittingbourne store for nine years and then moved to Sheerness.
In 2008 the Sheerness team won £10,000 and a Mini car for being Iceland's best performing store and in 2009 I was delighted to be named Iceland's Store Manager of the Year. In the same year Sheerness also won the store of the year title in Retail Bulletin's People in Retail Awards. I am really proud of everything we have achieved – and even prouder of the fact that I received 100% positive feedback from my staff in Iceland's annual staff survey in 2010.
I absolutely love working for Iceland – I would and do recommend it to anyone, and I can't imagine a better company to work for. They give you the autonomy to achieve results, so in many ways it is like running your own business, but they also give you real support and ensure that you are properly recognised and rewarded for what you do.
I also like the fact that Iceland genuinely believe in a proper work-life balance – I came back to work when my kids were still young and they gave me the flexibility I needed to bring them up as a working mum. Family commitments were no bar to promotion, either. Another real strength of the company is that it does not matter what age you are – Iceland put me through a 12 month development programme in 2009, and I don't think many other retailers would be prepared to invest in that for anyone beyond their 30s.
I love going to work every single day. I have been with Iceland a long time now but I am still passionate about what I do and the results we get. I have been an 'area trainer manager' for about 12 years now, helping to train people in my area from junior staff right up to store managers, and from September 2010 I was on secondment as acting Area Manager for our stores in Kent. I really enjoyed the experience and was delighted by my promotion toa permanent position as Area Manager for South London in October 2011.
Richard Broadbent began working for Iceland in 1988, aged 18, in a part-time job in his local store while he was an A-level student. In September 2012 he was promoted to become Iceland's Head of Stores, after serving as Southern Divisional Retail Controller since December 2010, prior to which he was the Regional Manager responsible for the company's stores in London and East Anglia.
I suppose I fell into working for Iceland, to be honest. I started doing Saturday and occasional evening shifts in the Cleveleys store while I was at college doing my A-levels, and found that I really enjoyed it. I got a buzz out of the work and thought that the people were really good. When I left college, with no fixed idea as to what to do next, someone suggested that I should apply to become a trainee manager. I looked at a few other companies, but I liked what I saw at Iceland and went for it.
As a trainee manager I worked in stores along the Fylde coast and in Cumbria, then became a store manager. That took me around North Wales, Lancashire and Manchester. About nine years ago I was promoted to become an area manager and worked in Yorkshire and Humberside and the North West. Then I was asked to go to London on a six-month assignment, and I've been there ever since. I was promoted to the job of Regional Manager after Malcolm came back into the business in 2005 – and I was promoted into the job of Divisional Retail Controller for the South in February 2011.
I feel that I've been very lucky in my career. Although I've been with the same company all my life, it's been like working for several different businesses because my job has changed so often. I've never done anything for long enough for there to be any danger of it becoming boring.
On top of which, this is a hundred miles an hour business; it's changing all the time and no two days are the same. It's a really exciting, fast-paced place to work and the fact that we are opening so many new stores creates lots of additional opportunities to progress.
Obviously it's hard for me to describe what makes Iceland different, given that I have never worked anywhere else, but from talking to people in other companies I think the key thing is that Iceland feels like one big family. It's got a very informal atmosphere where you really feel that anybody can say anything to anyone else, and that you do have the ability to make a difference because people will listen to your views.
I was ambitious when I joined – I had my sights set on becoming an area manager – and I've been supported all the way by the people I worked with. I firmly believe that anyone joining the business today can go as far as they want: there is simply bags of opportunity. You don't need to have high academic qualifications, just masses of common sense. If you're good with people and prepared to put the effort in and demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment, there is no reason why you couldn't become an area manager within five or six years - or a Regional Manager 10 to 15 years down the line.
Richard Hindes joined Bejam in 1985, aged 16, as a part-time assistant in the Great Yarmouth store. He joined the business full-time in 1987 and, following Bejam's takeover by Iceland in 1989, became an Iceland store manager in 1997. He is now Manager of the Gorleston-on-Sea store in Norfolk.
I started off working as a Saturday lad, collecting trolleys and so on, while I was doing A-levels. I had no thought of making it a career – I wanted to go to university and get into computer programming. But the Area Manager Paul Holdsworth told me that the company had a great talent scheme and he pointed out that I could be better off financially by getting onto that.
So I did, and worked my way up around the East Anglia stores, becoming a store manager in Cambridge in 1997. After that I worked as an Area Training Manager for a time, and was also heavily involved in the store refit programme for a couple of years before I came to Gorleston-on-Sea as Manager in 2007.
The most exciting part of my career for me has been the last three years. I was aware that I was not performing particularly well as a manager – through no-one's fault but my own – but Iceland has put the right processes and support in place to enable people in my positionto change their behaviour and develop the right skills to do the job well.
I have been helped to develop successfully as a manager through Iceland's Capability Framework, which focuses on four things: driving for results, a winning team, energy and engagement, and think customer. That's all about building a sense of belonging in a winning team and taking collective decisions, ultimately for the benefit of the customer.
Following this Framework has been really exciting for me and my whole front line team and means that we are developing real talent internally – so much so that our whole succession plan is now internal, rather than looking to recruit from outside the business.
One of the things that makes Iceland A Great Place to Work is that the company provides you with the Framework, but gives you real autonomy to deliver.
I have also benefited greatly from Talking Shop, our communications forum in store, which enables me to communicate frankly with the store team and take on board their issues, ideas and suggestions. This is supplemented by Straight Talk, our twice-yearly feedback on how people feel about working for the company. This is a fantastic tool, enabling us to react and make adjustments very quickly in response to any concerns.
All this has helped me to become a high achieving manager, winning Manager of the Year for our area in 2009and for the whole of the London and East Anglia Region in 2010, based on the Straight Talk results. Our store also won the regional Christmas incentive in 2010, based on our mystery shop results. That was the culmination of the work we had done together through the year on training and development, listening to feedback, and the whole team pulling together because they wanted to do a great job for me and, more importantly, for our customers.
Iceland today really is a very progressive, people-focused business and there is a structured pathway for people to follow all the way up through the company. There are proper rewards and recognition, and support for any individual who wants to get on. If you have the drive and capability to do it, no-one will hold you back and the world really is your oyster.
As for me, I am currently doing a project for the Region on developing fast-track senior supervisors, as well as running the store, and hope that I may be able to have a wider influence in developing and engaging teams in either an area management or HR role in the future.
Steve Hughes joined Iceland in March 2008, as a home delivery driver in the Wavertree Road, Liverpool store. He is now a Home Delivery Driver at the Breck Road, Liverpool store and Iceland's area Talking Shop representative.
I joined Iceland because they were offering a job in my local area as a driver, which is what I have always done sinceI was 17, and I wanted a change after seven years driving buses. I also had a couple of friends who worked for Iceland, and they told me that it was a decent companyand a secure place to join. But I like to make my own mind up and I soon saw that it was a very staff-oriented company. They genuinely care about their staff: they really do.
I've got a much better work-life balance than I had in my previous job, where I was working 12 hours a day. Iceland is also a very flexible employer. Obviously you have to work your contracted hours, but if there's a problem at home you need to deal with, you can just have a word with your manager and it has never been an issue.
I absolutely love my job – and that's down to the customers. Maybe you have to see it to believe it. In the store there are times when the odd customer can give you the impression that they are in a bit of a rush and just want to get their stuff and go, but delivering to them in their own houses is a totally different experience. They're at home, they're relaxed, and the vast majority of them have time for a laugh and a joke. It's a pleasure to deal with them.
Having done my job for a good while I have really got to know my customers and I'm on first name terms with most of them. For some, particularly the older ones, I'm more than a Home Delivery Driver and I try to help them out as much as I can. Sometimes that just means making time for a bit of a chat, but I've also done a variety of odd jobs including changing lightbulbs and topping up one lady's pay-as-you-go mobile phone.
Within a couple of weeks of joining the company I was asked if I would like to be the Talking Shop representative for my store, and I am now the Area Aepresentative. Talking Shop is a brilliant idea that gives every member of staff someone to talk to about any ideas, questions or issues they may have, whether about Iceland or in their personal lives. Each store has a representative, elected by their store colleagues. Obviously it has to be someone who is approachable, and is prepared to find out the answers and offer advice. We've then got the back-up of the Iceland HR Team and the Retail Trust to deal with more serious problems. As the area representative, my job is to visit all the other store representatives and find out what is going on, and make sure that it is all working smoothly.
Iceland sells good stuff – I shop here myself – and I've got a real passion for the company: I'm here for keeps or as long as they'll have me. Now that I've been here for a while, and particularly having had my Talking Shop experience, what I'd really like to do next is get involved in an HR or training role. I'm a people person and I really feel that I have something I could offer.
Richard Love joined Iceland in 1999, aged 28, as a home delivery driver in the Caernarfon store. After a successful period as a member of the refit support team working on Iceland'sstore opening programme, he is now a Senior Supervisor in the Phwllheli store:
I applied for a job as a home delivery driver after being made redundant by my previous employer, because it sounded really interesting and different: no-one else was doing anything along those lines. I did it for five or six years and absolutely loved every minute of it: I really enjoyed the interaction with the customers. Particularly in a rural area like North Wales you get to know your customers really well, and there is an element of trust because they invite you into their homes. It's like being the postman or the milkman – you're a well-known figure in the community, and I was proud to be a representative of the company.
To be honest, I only moved on from the job because I was worried about the future of home delivery after Malcolm left the company, when the focus moved elsewhere, and I thought I would be more secure working in a store. So I took the opportunity to become a chilled supervisor and then a customer service supervisor, again in the Caernarfon store. I was delighted when Malcolm came back and refocused on home delivery and made it as important as ever. It's a big part of what makes Iceland different.In my last role I was helping to support the huge roll-out of new stores in 2009 and 2010. We were recruiting a lot of new people and they needed support from an experienced team until they found their feet. Naturally it was a particular pleasure for me to support and coach the home delivery side.
It was a great job because I got to see a lot of new people, and every team I met was full of enthusiasm to be going into a new store. It was brilliant to be able to help them hone their skills so that they could be fully independent.
Iceland has been a really fantastic employer, and I simply could not conceive of working for anyone else now. It feels like a family, not a corporation. We work hard, we play hard and we have a lot of fun together – and that spirit is all down to Malcolm Walker, the guy who founded the business. I am just so grateful we got him back.
John Mackie joined Bejam in 1985, aged 15, as a part-time stock lad in its Leamington Spa store. Following the takeover of Bejam by Iceland in 1989 he became the company's youngest store manager and is now based at head office in Deeside as Director of Delivered Sales (E-Commerce), a position he assumed in September 2012 after six years as Supply Chain Director, responsible for the flow of all Iceland's products from its suppliers to the stores.
I knew that I didn't want to go into further education so I went into Bejam straight from school and quickly became a stock supervisor. I joined their management trainee scheme just before the Iceland takeover and became a deputy manager in Reading in 1988, then worked on a number of new stores as a refit and training manager before I became the company's youngest store manager at Coalville in Leicestershire. I was just shy of 21.
As a manager, I moved around a number of stores in Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Then in 1997, shortly after my daughter was born, I stopped and took stock of my career. I had never known anything else but I knew that retailing was in my blood and that Iceland was a fantastic business which had developed and supported me every step of the way, so I took the decision to stay with them and move into head office. Initially I became a Supply Planner as part of a team leading the introduction of sales-based ordering, initially with a pilot of just three stores. By 2000 we had rolled it out across the whole company.
"After that I became a Supply Manager, handling one product area, then after 18 months I was promoted to Category Supply Manager in charge of grocery. I did that job for three years then became Head of Product Supply, covering frozen, chilled and grocery, before I was promoted to Supply Chain Director in 2006. In this role I was in charge of the flow of all our products through our distribution system from the suppliers to our stores, making me responsible for stockholding and availability to our end customers. Iceland's distribution is handled through four centres in Warrington, Livingston, Swindon and Enfield, which are managed on our behalf by DHL. I headed the team of 25 people that pushed the buttons to make things happen.
I love my job. I am very much a perfectionist and I love the way the business operates. The executive board sets the direction – what we call Due North – as a trading board we then have the autonomy to deliver the results. I can't think of many other businesses where you could achieve the sort of career progression I have done, from joining as a stock lad at 15 to being on the operating board by 36. Yes, I have worked very hard but I have been supported every step of the way. I think that Iceland is very different from most other businesses, and that is why it has been so successful.
I am even more enthusiastic now than when I started – I wake up every morning eager to come to work. I am well rewarded, but I am not grafting for that. It is simply a fantastic place to work. Everyone in the company is very enthusiastic and we have a great top management team, which has taken us from the brink of bankruptcy to probably the most successful retailer in Britain over the last eight years. I wouldn't mind having a go at running the whole business myself one day; I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
The Bottom Line
At Iceland, we have built our success on giving more: better value to our customers, and better rewards to our staff. In October 2011 our 22,000 front line staff shared in an industry-beating and inflation-busting £14.6 million pay award, which delivered store staff an average pay increase of 6.3% and a maximum possible increase of 45.5%, while home delivery drivers received an average increase of 13.1% and a maximum possible increase of 22.1%. Over the first six years after Malcolm Walker and his senior team returned to the business in 2005, Iceland increased its hourly pay rate for store staff by 33.7% and for home delivery drivers by 49.8%, making the Iceland team among the very best paid on the British high street.
The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For survey underlines that Iceland delivers good pay and conditions, in addition to a friendly work environment and high levels of job satisfaction. Our overall Fair Deal ranking of 80% in 2012 and 76% in 2013 was simply the best in the UK. In 2012 the Sunday Times noted that our "employees are far happier with their pay and benefits than anyone else on the list", with a satisfaction rating of 81%, beating even the bankers at Goldman Sachs. This top ranking was maintained in 2013 when the Sunday Times reported "Iceland employees are the happiest in our survey about their pay relative to people in similar jobs elsewhere (76%)." In 2012 "the 23,000-plus employees, most of whom work part-time, are the least stressed of any workers on the list and they have more fun with colleagues than staff at any other firm, returning top positive scores of 86% and 85% in our survey", giving us the UK's number one ranking for employee Wellbeing. This position was also maintained in 2013, when the Sunday Times reported that "employees work flexible hours and say work does not interfere with their responsibilities at home or the balance between their work and home life (two more top ratings of 74% and 73%)."
Fringe Benefits
- All Iceland employees benefit from access to Talking Rewards, a 'no catch' money-saving website powered by Reward Gateway. This offers discounted shopping with cashback and discounted shopping vouchers with over 1,700 participating retailers including some of the biggest and best-known names in the UK. The scheme offers many exclusive deals and provides opportunities for shopping online and by phone as well as on the high street, allowing our staff to make valuable savings on their insurance, broadband, mobiles, days out and holidays, as well as on their regular food, clothing and household purchases. The success of the scheme can be judged from the fact that members of the Iceland team have spent over £2.5 million through Talking Rewards since it was set up in 2008.
- We encourage our employees to shop in our stores and so they also enjoy a staff discount card, issued twice a year, offering a 10% saving on their purchases in Iceland.
- Iceland is committed to a healthy work-life balance for all of its staff and our childcare scheme is a great extension to that. Our employees benefit from saving money on childcare costs by taking advantage of childcare vouchers via a salary sacrifice scheme.
- It is not unusual for individuals to encounter problems at certain points in their lives and Retail Trustworks in partnership with Iceland to provide support and assistance to working or retired people in the retail industry. The support can range from an employee wellbeing service, financial assistance, scholarships and bursaries. The services provided by Retail Trust are free to our Iceland employees.
Simply the Best Place to Eat
The 500-strong team at head office in Deeside benefits from one of the best staff restaurants anywhere: the Roxy, given a £400,000 makeover in 2005 and run by former top restaurant chef Mike Truelove. It offers a mouth-watering daily selection of at least two different hot dishes and freshly griddled fish, plus well-stocked pasta and salad bars. The prices, too, are truly exceptional, with lunch costing between £2.00 and £2.50 for a main course, including a wide choice of vegetables or salads to accompany it. The Roxy also serves breakfast and has an all-day Costa Coffee bar. Fresh fruit is provided free at the The Roxy and staff who over-indulge in Mike's excellent hand-cut chips can work off their excesses through free membership of a local gym.
Mike Truelove says
I've been at Iceland for seven years now. When Malcolm came back I was running the Crabwall Manor Hotel near Chester and he rang me up and said 'My staff restaurant needs sorting out.' It had been outsourced to contract caterers who used the cheapest possible produce, and the staff hated it. My brief from Malcolm was simple: 'I want it to be the best staff restaurant in Britain, one that is worth a Michelin star.' When I worked at the Box Tree in Ilkley I was the only English chef in the country to have two Michelin stars, so I knew how to go about it.
I started by sourcing good quality ingredients and putting some skill back in the kitchen; there is no convenience food here. That put some pride back in to people's work. I have the most brilliant team: I inherited them when I arrived and kept them all, and I've given them chances to broaden their skills so that they can all have a go at different things like cooking on the griddle or serving at the Costa as well as working on the till. I multi-task, too. I started my career in the kitchen and I still cook on the hotplate every day.
My team are a fantastic bunch of people and they really love working here; we always come out on top in the Iceland staff satisfaction surveys. One of the best things about Iceland is that it is structured to train and develop staff, which is not something I'd ever really come across in the catering trade. Here we have one-to-ones and appraisals and there is no place to hide; it's one of the really good things I have learnt here.Image of fruit in The Roxy
As for the prices, you would be paying a minimum of three times as much to get food of the same quality anywhere else. We just cover the cost of the ingredients and the company chips in for the wages and other overheads. Malcolm started giving away free fruit as a perk after the head office conference in 2008, and it was costing us £300 – 400 a week. So he came back to me after a year and told me to put even more out: he said 'I want it be like a harvest festival'. Now we're spending nearly double that. Those struggling to get through their five a day can always pick up a fruit smoothie at the Costa.
From my own point of view I think Iceland really is a great place to work. The hours are civilised and the people are brilliant. They are really grateful for what they have got. They treat you like part of the team and it's so nice to be appreciated. We serve around 350 lunches a day and I have had to deal with precisely two complaints in three years: one from someone who thought they had been overcharged for their salad, and one that our bananas were on the small side. Other than that it's all been positive feedback!
View a sample menu from the Roxy.
The Best Conferences
Iceland is a fun place to work, and we like our people to be able to get together, let their hair down and enjoy themselves as well as learning more about the business and their colleagues.
Store Managers' Conferences
2005 Iceland emerged from The Dark Ages with a store managers' conference at the ICC, Birmingham. Star of the show was Iceland's founder and newly returned Chief Executive Malcolm Walker, who gave a candid sofa interview about the Iceland story from the day he opened the first store in 1970 to the point where he was thrown out of the company in 2001, and his vision for the future. The evening's entertainment took the form of a Bavarian Christmas dinner complete with pitchers of beer, an Oompah band, ice rink, carousel and Christmas village.
2006 Back at the ICC we planned to base our conference around writing a story called "Winning: The Iceland Way". We had a 22-foot high mechanical book on stage along with a Ferrari intended as the prize for our best performing store manager. But the night before the conference the set caught fire, causing some £500,000 worth of damage. There could be no better illustration of the Iceland spirit of rolling our sleeves up and helping out than in the way we managed to salvage most of the set and wheel it round to the borrowed Birmingham Symphony Hall, where the conference went ahead as planned. The evening concluded with entertainment inspired by Cirque du Soleil.
2007 We took 900 people to Disneyland Paris in two chartered planes, where our managers were entertained by Iceland's directors performing a Christmas pantomime and set a team challenge to perform in the theme park (where their enterprising decision to wear fancy dress proved too much for the management's Gallic sense of humour). The evening was spent on the rides of another theme park and dancing to a band.
2008 We held our conference nearer to home in Liverpool, holding a fashion show of Christmas products with lots of razzmatazz provided by cheerleaders and acrobats. We offered a BMW Convertible as the prize for our best performing store manager, along with a wide range of cash incentives for the best performing store in each region. The evening was a black tie awards gala dinner – The Iceland Oscars – hosted by Kate Thornton and supported by the Manchester Camerata Orchestra with entertainment including an opera singer, dancers and pyrotechnics, and concluding a live performance by Girls Aloud.
2009 At the end of his speech to the 2008 conference, Malcolm Walker told the managers that, if Christmas was good, the 2009 conference would be taking place in Florida.
So, in celebration of a fourth amazing year of double digit like-for-like sales growth, in September 2009 Iceland chartered jets to fly almost 800 store, regional and area managers across the Atlantic to spend five days at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The conference itself took no longer than usual, giving our managers ample free time to explore the Disney theme parks and other nearby attractions including Universal Studios, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Center. Highlights of the visit included an exclusive performance of the Lion King, evening events offering private access to many of the theme park rides, and a spectacular fireworks display.
Managers also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the staff areas under the Disney theme parks to give them an insight into Disney's remarkable staff culture, incredible attention to detail and total dedication to customer service. Helping our managers to understand this world class approach was one reason for our £4 million investment in what was agreed by all to be our best conference ever; though our principal aim was simply to give our key people a great time in recognition of everything they have done to achieve the astonishing transformation of the business over the last four years.
2010 For the 2010 retail conference Iceland returned to the ICC in Birmingham, where we brought together a record 1,650 people, including not just our store managers but service champions for each store chosen by their colleagues. As well as revealing the highlights of our Christmas range (in 3D) and the incentives for our best-performing stores, we laid on a fashion show for the new uniforms designed by our staff. In the evening, the Band of the Life Guards led a fancy dress parade to Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, where we celebrated Iceland's 40th anniversary at a huge street party. Entertainment was provided by iconic tribute acts from each of the last four decades, Marc Almond, the legendary Peter Kay and X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. We also presented a giant cheque to our Charity of the Year, Help for Heroes, and enjoyed all the fun of an indoor fair.
2011 The 2011 retail conference was again held at the ICC in Birmingham and featured a host of innovations including a keynote address by retail guru Mary Portas, a lunch menu made up entirely of Iceland's own new Christmas range, and constant audience feedback throughout the day through SpotMe handheld technology. The Christmas incentive was new, too, with reward opportunities open to all stores and a top prize of a "live like a millionaire" trip to Monaco by private jet; though there was also the traditional giveaway of a car, with an unusual twist. The conference ended with a Riverdance routine performed by all Iceland's area and regional managers as the introduction to next year's conference venue in Dublin.
The traditional post-conference event took place in a spectacular 'winter wonderland', complete with giant snow-globe, ice-skittles game, and a sumptuous dinner and dance. Entertainment was provided by the face of Iceland, Stacey Solomon, who was celebrating her 22nd birthday that day, Shaun Ryder and comedian Vernon Kay, who doubled as host for the Regional Manager competition quiz & on-stage DJ for the late night disco.
2012 In October 2012, we took over 1,000 store managers, area managers and the Iceland Retail field team to Dublin to see for themselves how the Irish bring the craic to life and deliver an unforgettable customer experience to their visitors!
Delegates were welcomed to Dublin by store colleague volunteers who bought an Olympic spirit to this year's conference. Conference opened with welcome speeches and some very frank views from Malcolm before everyone was transported to the Guinness Store House for a true Dublin experience.
Over the three days, the Retail team were introduced to Iceland's family of investors, listened to the challenges ahead and the importance of allowing our colleagues' personalities to bring service to life in our stores and saw the launch of the 2012 Christmas incentive - a trip like no other to New York!
The evening's entertainment did not disappoint with the party literally lighting up the Dublin Convention Centre. Entertainment involved colleagues from stores who were transformed from store to star and everyone danced 'til late and onto Temple Bar!
Head Office Conferences
2007 We decided to hold our first head office conference in 2007, but the event planned for Chester Racecourse had to be relocated at short notice as a result of flooding. So, in another fine example of the Iceland gift for pulling together and improvisation, we managed to turn the old grocery warehouse behind our head office into a venue suitable for 600 people, with a full rock and roll style stage. The daytime conference was followed by a funfair in the head office car park and dancing to a live performance by the Sugababes.
2008 This year the grocery warehouse wasn't available so a huge marquee was erected in the head office car park. The daytime conference included a game of Family Fortunes with all the directors, and the playback of video clips from a Big Brother-style video diary room which had been set up in the Roxy restaurant for the previous week. In the evening a quiz night hosted by Gabby Logan and Phil Tufnell saw the head office departments competing with each other for free Christmas party tickets.
2009 Some might have thought that Iceland was skimping on the head office conference when they saw the simple marquee erected in the car park for the afternoon presentations by Chief Executive Malcolm Walker and Managing Director Andy Pritchard. But any such thoughts were blown away when the 550 guests reached their evening's entertainment in the grounds of Malcolm Walker's own house. In fact, the conference budget was bigger than ever before. Even this could not guarantee good weather and, in the finest tradition of English outdoor events, it rained. But the head office team were still able to enjoy walking around the beautiful gardens to the music of a jazz band, keeping up their energy levels with refreshments from numerous bars and a barbecue. Then it was into the warmth of a gigantic marquee for an evening of fine food, music and dancing, including a performance by Abba tribute singers the Fabba Girls, with the night rounded off by a fantastic musical firework display.
2010 The 2010 Deeside Live conference was held in the head office itself, with colour co-ordinated cheerleaders leading staff to five different meeting rooms around the building. Here everyone was linked together electronically for a combination of a live Question Time and Iceland's Got Talent in the form of a series of hilarious videos – written, directed and produced by each department.
The traditional evening celebration took place in November in Liverpool, where the head office team marked Iceland's fantastic 40 years at an extravagant black tie Decadance dinner show featuring over 40 dancers and cabaret performers lead by Jason Donovan.
2011 The 2011 conference for head office staff was held at Chester Racecourse in December and featured presentations on Iceland's innovations in both products and customer service, together with the presentation of awards to high achievers in every department.
In the evening the head office team celebrated at Iceland's traditional Christmas party, featuring dinner, live entertainment from Stacey Solomon and The Overtones, dancing and all the fun of a snow globe and bucking rodeo reindeer.
Interested in joining our winning team?
Click here to see the opportunities currently available on the Iceland careers website.


text:
Wrestling Forum : WWE, TNA, Indy Wrestling, Lucha Underground, Women of Wrestling Forums (http://www.wrestlingforum.com/forumindex.php)
- Rants (http://www.wrestlingforum.com/rants/)
- - What I have learned from rants? (http://www.wrestlingforum.com/rants/637148-what-i-have-learned-rants.html)
What I have learned from rants?
Since coming into rants I learned a few things and to elaborate I learned not to try to be funny or to try to fit in with the crowd. Everybody knows what happened with me and Samantha but most of you who were involved in the conflict only knew a few details of what actually happened. Everything started when I pmed her to ask for her number to try and verify if she was a girl or just a guy behind a computer pretending to be a female. I went to her facebook page and seen it in plain view so I wrote the number down real fast and before calling her I decided to message her on facebook. We talked for awhile and she told me she had a boyfriend( ex boyfriend which I found out after he messaged me), I told her I respect that and that we can be friends for awhile. The question of the phone sex came up after a discussion about online relationships, and she went crazy on me and started calling me a creep for even mentioning phone sex so I hung the phone up, and being pissed off as I was, I called and hung up a few times until I gave up. I apologized for the incident and any damage I might have done to her while trying to expose her to the rest of the forum. She of course accepted the apology and we were able to move on. So with that out in the open I would like to focus on the sole purpose of this rant.
I joined this forum a little more then two months ago, and in that time I have noticed that this section is the wild frontier of the wrestling forum. People are allowed to do what they want here making it pretty lawless, which is why I like it here. But I have learned that if you are the loner type, you will be engulfed in a fire of insults, and those who are weak will be shunned & pushed out the door fast. Everyone in this section has a pack mentality(Except a few who don't) and if you aren't accepted as one of them you will become an easy target. In the two months I've been here I have insulted quite a few people, and have even posted random images/gifs/videos in order to get the other posters to laugh(which I have done a few times), I have also taken in my fairshare of insults as well but took it as it was and moved on. The most important thing I have learned is not to try to fit in, this is the biggest mistake I have made so far, for the most part it's hard because you might see everyone talking and you might want to jump in, but don't do it because most people here will act like you are cool and act like they've accepted you but in reality they will turn against you in days time.
Example of the pack mentality:(not in order)
As you can see from the example everyone( even people I thought I repected ) jumped on my case. I don't have a problem with anyone defending Samantha but what I have a problem with is people who jumped in to the discussion all the sudden, proving my point of the pack mentality everyone has around here. They did this to me and they did it to samantha, and I am guilty of this as well, but I will not be doing this anymore knowing the shit storm that will happen because of it. I made myself look like a dick insulting Samantha and I regret it because Samantha is actually pretty cool. As for the ones who called me a creep, you should all look in the mirror because you guys have exploited people like Bad Blood( Someone who has a learning disabilities ) to the point of chasing him out of the forum.
Now this is just a few examples of how you twats exploited Bad Blood. He may have been the worse fucking troll ever and may have only been here to hype his youtube channel up but he didn't deserve the treatment he got from you all and the truth is that he couldn't defend himself so that makes it even worse and that makes you all look like a bunch of assholes. I'm not making this thread to expose anyone one but I'm pointing out how fucked up some of you are. I feel that after yesterday this shit needed to be said, and like I said I am just as guilty as everyone of you, but I wish we can stop this gang mentality in this section as that would make things more enjoyable and make our time here better. Alot of you may not agree with anything I said but that's ok because I'm not going to take any of this serious anymore. Anyways, I'm glad I got this shit off my chest, this shit has been bugging me for awhile.
Re: What I have learned from rants?
Don't turn your back on the wolf pack, you might end up in a body bag.
Re: What I have learned from rants?
People in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones.
Re: What I have learned from rants?
Re: What I have learned from rants?
Stoned people shouldn't throw houses at glass
Re: What I have learned from rants?
You haven't REALLY learned a damn thing.
Re: What I have learned from rants?
Translation: Another Rant on Rants, for the little things in life. Featuring phone sex.
Also, please split your paragraphs more.
Re: What I have learned from rants?
Sometime dude you just have to dance
Re: What I have learned from rants?
No we aren't just as guilty. We were making fun of someone in RANTS. You were personally harassing a girl on her facebook and calling her without her consent. Yes, she was silly for posting up her number but a normal person would have asked if it was alright to call. Stop justifying what you did. Accept that what you did was wrong and learn from your mistake(s)
Re: What I have learned from rants?
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Power Wheels Barbie Jammin' Jeep by Fisher-Price
Gear up for music-filled driving adventure in the Barbie™ Jammin' Jeep® Wrangler! This Jeep looks just like the real thing with the added fun of a pretty pink and blue exterior! Realistic details encourage grown-up role play—like a steering wheel, a pretend radio with 6 jammin' tunes, working doors that really open and close and a rear storage area to stow gear. Plenty of safety features are built right in – a steel frame for sturdiness, choice of two forward speeds parents can control, Power Lock® brakes, and wide tires for good gripping on both hard surfaces and grass. Includes 12-volt battery and charger. Requires 3 AA batteries (not included) for radio.
This Power Wheels toy is covered by a limited 1-year "Bumper-to-Bumper" warranty.
• Doors open and close for easy in & out
• Operates with real steering wheel and a foot pedal
• Pretend radio with 6 jammin' tunes
• Roomy rear storage area
• Drives two speeds forward (2.5 and 5 mph max.) and one speed reverse (2.5mph)
• Higher speed lock-out for beginners – Parent-controlled
• Power Lock® Brake System
• Drives on hard surfaces and grass
• Includes 12-volt battery and charger
• Requires 3 AA batteries for pretend radio
• Rides two safely.
Max. 130 lbs. (59 kg) 3+ YRS
Specifications & Dimensions
Product Documentation
Owner's Manual - English (Warranty)
Product Warranty - English


text:
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tri-County Blue Star Mothers mailed 83 boxes filled with Girl Scout Cookies weighing 2,322.2 pounds on April 9.
The cookies were packed at Deer Park Baptist Church and were mailed from the Ladson Post Office. Many of these cookies are on the way to Afghanistan, Korea, Italy, and several Battleships.
Tri-County Blue Star Mothers are a non-profit group that depends on donations in order to support U.S. Troops overseas as well as Veterans here at home.
The mailing address is TCBSM PO Box 342 Goose Creek SC 29445 and the website is www.tricobluestars.org
© 2016 The Journal Scene an Evening Post Industries company. All Rights Reserved.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Parental Consent Form.


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USA Limousine Service | Affordable Limo Rental USA, USA
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text:
Concurrent 3D modeling and automation of a semiautomatic assembly line
Alonso Chivite, Jorge
Permanent address of the item is: http://URN.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-200907101422
There are no files associated with this item.
Publication type: Diplomityö
Issue date: 2008-02-06
University: Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto
Faculty: Automaatio-, kone- ja materiaalitekniikan tiedekunta
Department: Tuotantotekniikan laitos
Capability to offer the customer what is needed has become an essential quality for enterprises in order to survive in such a more and more competitive environment as today. With computers arrival, automation, design, management all production technologies have been strongly improved, becoming faster and much more accurate than years before, so that manufacturing science can now reach renewed objectives. Computer-Integrated Manufacturing is leading to factories in which human work focuses only on inspection and management tasks, while costs are reduced, production rates increase, and meanings of seconds and money are merging. In the above frame, stopping production for renewing machinery according to each particular change on market´s requirements is completely inadmissible for the modern enterprise: Versatile manufacturing processes are highly recommended solutions. Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) have been born with the purpose. FMS are modern machinery that collect the demanded flexibility features of nowadays market life. Devices are now divided into sub-modules that can be easy and quickly reprogrammed for obtaining a new product, or even replaced by another modules of the same kind with purpose of a rapid reconfiguration. The present work was an example of how an existing FMS can be modelled and improved in a graphical environment.
Comment: TTY:n kirjastossa laadittu tiivistelmä


text:
Panasonic Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc™ Home Theater SC-BTT195
Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc 8482 Home Theater System Makes Hollywood Proud Turn your home into everyone's favorite hangout with this Panasonic Full HD 3D Blu-Ray Disc 8482 Home Theater system from Sears. Friends and family will rave about the lifelike 3D, which enables images to leap off the screen with enhanced depth, texture and luster. It even offers 2D-3D Conversion, so you can see all your favorite 2D DVDs and Blu-Ray discs in more engaging 3D. Even video-on-demand movies will play in the same cinematic picture quality you'd expect from the theater. A true total package, this Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc 8482 Home Theater system offers everything you need to enjoy a better home viewing experience-Just hook up to your TV and enjoy! Expect impressive theater-like sound thanks to Panasonic's state-of-the-art Cinema Surround and an Anti-Jitter Digital Amplifier, which work together to create pure, brilliant sound. This family-friendly system also lets you register up to four users, so everyone can enjoy their favorite setting, while smart home networking features allow you to share videos, music, photos and more!
- This Panasonic Full HD 3D Blu-Ray Disc 8482 Home Theater system delivers life-like 3D thanks to the advanced image technologies of the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory
- Adaptive Chroma Processing technology precisely processes pixels to bring you more faithful color reproduction
- 2D-3D Conversion enables you to enjoy your prized DVD/Blu-Ray collection in stunning 3D
- Cinematic playback lets you view video-on-demand movies and a wide array of other content via an HDMI cable
- State-of-the-art Cinema Surround gives you that 3D surround sound feeling with additional depth
- Anti-Jitter Digital Amplifier further enhances audio clarity by reducing jitter and distortion
- Smart home networking lets you share and enjoy videos (AVCHD, WMV), music (MP3, WMA) and photos (JPEG)
- Register up to four users-the whole family can save and access their favorite settings


text:
Not to rest. But to begin the rest of its season.
Saturday's 44-14 win over Central Michigan was a soul-freeing moment for the Broncos.
"I think for me it was kind of like ... getting the Chips off our shoulders," WMU junior quarterback Alex Carder said Sunday night. "It was just kind of always there. There was always an elephant in the room, knowing we hadn't beaten them in so long. Now that we have it taken care of it for this year, we're all about the MAC, we're all about winning games and trying to win out. That's our goal."
The challenge for the Broncos (2-1, 1-0 MAC) is that CMU offered them motivation most opponents can't. There's no bitterness toward Illinois or Connecticut or Bowling Green. There's no losing streak or memories of heartache.
"What I hope is that our kids, they realize the time and effort they put into that game," said WMU coach Bill Cubit, who considered last week among the best weeks of preparation any of his teams have ever put together. "That's what it takes to win these types of games. Our goal is to approach every game like we did last week. It's hard."
Other than the actual victory, Cubit said the most important aspect of the CMU experience was what evolved during the days before the game — the leadership by example that emerged from a surprising number of players.
"That was really encouraging," Cubit said.
Carder sees this week as the beginning of the rest of their football lives, which couldn't start until last week happened.
"I think we just use it as kind of a jumping off point," said Carder, who passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns against the Chippewas. "The first two games were kind of odd, with the first one not completing and the other one wasn't the cleanest game we've ever played.
It'll be answered to some degree this Saturday at No. 24-ranked Illinois (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Big Ten Network). The Illini are 3-0, coming off a win over Arizona State Saturday night, and it's unlikely they've forgotten their 23-17 loss to the Broncos in 2008.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it, just going down there, their stadium and their atmosphere," Carder said. "I'm interested to see how this week goes and how we prepare and just making sure we take the same approach we had for the Central game and do that in every game we play this year. If we do that, I think we can really make a lot of noise."
Contact Graham Couch at email@example.com. Follow him at twitter.com/broncosinsider


text:
New faces for West Indies
Keep up to date with all that's new around the world - read match reports and more from every international played
West Indies have named an inexperienced squad for the two Twenty20 internationals in England next month.
With the two matches at the Kia Oval set to clash with the Champions League Twenty20, the Windies selectors have overlooked Dwayne and Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Ravi Rampaul.
Star batsman Chris Gayle has also been omitted as he remains out of favour following a spat with the West Indies Cricket Board after he missed the limited-overs series against Pakistan earlier this year.
Bravo and Pollard are due to play for their IPL franchises - defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians respectively - while the remaining four players will appear for Trinidad & Tobago.
In their absence the Windies have called on four uncapped players: Miles Bascombe, Johnson Charles, Nkruma Bonner and Derwin Christian.
The floodlit Twenty20 internationals against England are scheduled for September 23 and 25.
West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Christopher Barnwell, Miles Bascombe, Devendra Bishoo, Nkruma Bonner, Johnson Charles, Derwin Christian (wicketkeeper), Fidel Edwards, Danza Hyatt, Ashley Nurse, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie, Dwayne Smith.


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on February 20, 2011 - 12:01 AM
"I'm on my way to Canada / That cold and distant land / The dire effects of slavery / I can no longer stand / Farewell old master / Don't come after me / I'm on my way to Canada / Where coloured men are free."
So began the journey for some of the estimated 35,000 men, women and children escaping the scourge of slavery in the United States. With a hymn.
"As they sung some laughed, and some cried, and some clapped hands, or shook hands rejoicingly with each other, as if they had fairly gained the other side of the river," wrote Harriet Beecher Stowe in "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Josiah Henson was one who gained the other side of the river -- the Niagara River -- landing in Fort Erie, Ont. (Henson has in some quarters been called the inspiration for Stowe's Uncle Tom, but Robin Winks, author of "The Blacks in Canada," makes clear that Stowe and Henson never met nor communicated until after "Uncle Tom" was published.)
As Henson wrote in "The Autobiography of the Reverend Josiah Henson," his arrival in Canada was joyous.
"I threw myself on the ground, rolled in the sand, seized handfuls of it and kissed them, and danced around, till in the eyes of several who were present, I passed for a madman
"Still I could not control myself. I hugged and kissed my wife and children, and until the first exuberant burst of feeling was over, went on as before."
Today, Freedom Park, on the Niagara Parkway in Fort Erie, commemorates a significant crossing area where, largely between 1840 and 1860, Henson and many others arrived in Canada and where Linda Jones of Divercities Tours begins a trip along Niagara's Freedom Trail.
Follow the North Star, runaway slaves were urged, referring to both Canada and Polaris, the star that always points north. And so Jones leads the tour north, to Bertie Hall, 657 Niagara Parkway, a stop on the Underground Railroad. All stops on the trail are marked by plaques bearing a "running man" symbol.
The Fort Erie landmark was built in 1830 by William Forsyth Sr., whose sons, Brock and Nelson, were abolitionists. While few records were kept on this movement, which was neither underground nor an actual railroad, it is known that the Forsyths smuggled both cargo and humans, reportedly through a tunnel leading from the river to the home's basement.
As runaway slaves rarely felt comfortable so close to the border, fearing bounty hunters who were known to cross into Canada under the auspices of the Fugitive Slave Act, Bertie Hall served as a safe house until they could move farther from the border. Though the interior of the home is closed to visitors at this time, Bertie Hall is noteworthy and merits a visit.
From there Jones leads the tour onward to Fort Erie's so-called Coloured Cemetery, where some who settled in the town's "Little Africa" were laid to rest. Up to 200 former slaves lived in the area, working on farms, as Josiah Henson did before moving to Dresden, Ont., and Miller's Creek shipyard, now the site of the Niagara Parks Commission Marina.
The tour then heads to Niagara Falls and the Nathaniel Dett Memorial Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church. The chapel, on Peer Street, is named in honor of Dett, a successful black composer and at one time the church's organist. The chapel was built in 1836; in 1890, it was rolled on logs to its current location, and in 2000 it was named a National Historic Site.
Here visitors are greeted by Wilma Morrison, a passionate advocate of area black history and the Niagara Freedom Trail. Morrison's cause has received prominent attention. On Jan. 27, she received the Order of Ontario from Lt. Gov. David C. Olney.
At the chapel, Morrison shows the film "A Proud Past, A Promising Future," the first African-Canadian historical film, produced by the Ontario Black History Society. Morrison then tells of what happened to people who crossed the border to freedom, about the church's founding and its role as a spiritual home for escaped slaves. Afterward, all are invited to visit an adjacent house for a look at historic pictures and the opportunity to purchase pertinent literature.
In Niagara-on-the-Lake, Jones takes the tour to a site called the "Negro Burial Ground," perhaps significant more for its terminology, as only two headstones remain and who lies there is mostly a mystery. The Niagara Historical Society Museum has items pertaining to local black history, and it published the book "Slavery and Freedom in Niagara."
Divercities' Niagara Freedom Trail tour then visits the William Steward Homestead at 507 Butler St. Typical of an early settler's Niagara-on-the-Lake home, it stands with many original details still intact.
The trail ends in St. Catharines, where the St. Catharines Museum at the Welland Canal Centre tells the black freedom seekers' story in an award-winning exhibit, "Follow the North Star." Here we learn of Harriet Tubman and Anthony Burns. Tubman, perhaps the Underground Railroad's most prolific conductor, lived nearby, and Burns, prosecuted in 1854 in Boston under the Fugitive Slave Act, eventually settled in St. Catharines, becoming pastor at Zion Baptist Church. He is buried nearby, at Victoria Lawn Cemetery.
The St. Catharines Public Library is home to the Norval Johnson Heritage Library, named for a strong supporter of the Nathaniel Dett Chapel. The collection contains more than 1,500 books and newspaper files relating to black history, fiction, as well as the Underground Railroad, and is marked by the "running man."
St. Catharines is also home to the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church. Built in 1855, the Salem church was an important center of abolitionist and Underground Railroad activity. The church is home to the Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural Services, and in 2010 a sculpture by Frank Rekrut honoring the courageous freedom fighter was unveiled, with the following inscription: "I wouldn't trust Uncle Sam with my people no longer. I brought them all clear off to Canada." The monument, placed alongside the church, to no surprise, faces the North Star.
>If you go:
Divercities Tours, (289) 241-0424; www.divercities.org.
St. Catharines Museum at the Welland Canal Centre, 1932 Welland Canal Parkway, St. Catharines; (905) 984-8880, www.stcatharineslock3museum.ca; open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; winter weekends, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Niagara Historical Society Museum, 43 Castlereagh St., Niagara-on-the-Lake; (905) 468-3912; www.niagarahistorical.museum. Winter hours, 1 to 5 p.m. daily; summer, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.St. Catharines Public Library, 54 Church St., St. Catharines; (905) 688-6103; www.stcatharines.library.on.ca.; open Tuesday through Sunday.


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text:
Regularly Purchased Together
Browse Venom
Hi-capacity NiMH batteies
Standard AA size
Four AA batteries
Installation in device
Length: 50.4mm (1.986")
Diameter: 14.0mm (.555")
Voltage: 1.2V per cell
Charge time: 14-16 hours at 240mAh
Use a Linear Charger or a wall charger rated for NiMH cells, for
these batteries.
Charge at .5A for extended life, or at 1A for improved performance.
updt jxs 8/29/05


text:
The 65,000 square foot elegant clubhouse is the showpiece of this magnificent private club nestled in the gated community of Boulder Ridge. A nature-filled sanctuary of privileged privacy, serenity, and security combine with homes of unparalleled quality to create this truly landmark community.
Surrounding the clubhouse, 27 holes of championship golf await you with over 7,000 yards of lush fairways and immaculate greens set amidst rolling terrain. After a challenging round, our elegantly appointed locker rooms with separate lounges and massage facilities welcome golf members and their guests.
Tennis courts, a fitness center and a swimming pool offer a full range of activities for members, their families and guests to enjoy.
Membership at Boulder Ridge affords you the privilege of private country club dining. With our elegant, well appointed facilities, award-winning chef and attentive service, we are dedicated to providing the utmost quality service that will exceed all of your expectations.
For unforgettable gatherings, members and non-members are invited to celebrate that special occasion at Boulder Ridge Country Club. From an unforgettable wedding to a warm family gathering, your important social occasions will take center stage. Our elegant and comfortable banquet and meeting facilities can accommodate groups up to 400 people. And our professional meeting planners will handle all the details to assure a successful and memorable event.


text:
- Employer
- Roslan & Campion Public Relations
- Location
- New York
- Posted
- Jan 10, 2013
- Closes
- Feb 09, 2013
- Contact
- Mr. Hiring Manager
- Category
- PR & Communications
- Duration
- Part Time
Job Requirements or Qualifications NYC public relations firm is seeking a publicist to work on a part-time basis, 3-4 days per week. Potential for full-time position. Strong writing and communication skills, knowledge of media a must. Seeking ambitious, detail-oriented self-starters with strong work ethic. Tech-savvy, college grads with prior PR experience preferred. Applicants must live in the NYC Metro area. Please e-mail resume with cover letter and writing sample(s) to firstname.lastname@example.com PHONE CALLS.


text:
on May 6, 2013 - 12:01 AM
My mom has been gone for almost 14 years, but I can still hear her voice clear as day whenever I pull my hair up into a bun.
"Oh, wear your hair down! You have such beautiful hair!"
Back then, I would have heaved a sigh and squealed, "Mom!" with the same mixture of annoyance and impatience used by every teenage girl on the planet. And then I would have put my hair up.
If I had it to do over, I would thank her for the compliment, tolerate the flyaways and leave my hair tumbling over my shoulders.
In anticipation of Mother's Day, I was planning to put together a gift guide filled with inexpensive gift ideas for moms.
But then I realized there is no better gift to give your mom (and yourself) than to humor her. And it's free!
My inbox has been flooded with public relations pitches from companies anticipating gift guide stories, hoping to get their products mentioned in print. (That's not how product mentions end up in my column, by the way. Trust me, I need no help coming up with things I love and that I think are worth spending money on).
Companies pushing products for moms almost always have a common theme: indulgence.
Indulge your mom with our gourmet chocolates. Indulge your mom with our luxurious massages. Indulge your mom with our glamorous jewelry.
It makes sense. "Mom" is the world's most stressful occupation.
But do you know what kind of indulgence your mother really wants? The kind where you agree with everything she says and do whatever she wants.
Come on, it's only for one day. And really, are her requests that outrageous?
She wants you to stand up straight? Good posture makes you more attractive anyway!
She wants you to try that new restaurant with the rubbery steak and six pages of early bird specials? Big whoop! Order the salad – it's impossible to screw up.
She wants you to tuck in your shirt? What's the big deal?
She wants you to show the ladies at work that dance move you used to do when you were little? So what! You've done worse for less.
She wants you to settle down and give her some grandchildren already? OK, that one may be a little much. But you get the idea.
So wear that ugly shirt she gave you for your birthday – the one she says brings out the color in your eyes. Go to church with her. Let her show you off to her friends. Do whatever she has been nagging you to do and that you've been avoiding.
I promise, you'll be glad you did.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com or call MoneySmart at 849-4612. Follow me at www.Facebook.com/DiscountDiva


text:
In the spotlight: Australian Dietary Guidelines target added sugar
By Ben Cooper | 27 February 2013
While the emphasis on physical activity included in the recently published Australian Dietary Guidelines has been welcomed by food industry advocates, the inclusion of a recommendation to limit foods containing added sugars was less enthusiastically received. Ben Cooper reports.
One of the defining features of the revised Australian Dietary Guidelines, published by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) last week, is that they are not purely dietary. Much to the approval of the food industry, a strong emphasis has been placed on the importance of physical activity.
This is the first revision of the guidelines, a joint initiative between the NHMRC and the Department of Health and Ageing, since 2003. Finalised after two consultations last year, the guidelines are now grouped into five overall recommendations and the first of these is: "To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs."
Dr Geoffrey Annison, deputy chief executive of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), says the AFGC is "extremely supportive" of the emphasis placed on physical activity which "makes a lot of sense".
He continues: "You can maintain healthy weight by reducing energy in or increasing energy out and there's a role for both". However, he also points to the added benefits of physical activity relating to hyper-tension, bone health and a number of other conditions.
Coincidentally, the AFGC, which represents Australia's A$110bn food and grocery sector, has recently launched its own multi-partner healthy living initiative called the Healthier Australia Commitment (HAC), which also emphasises the combination of a balanced diet and active lifestyle. Annison says the HAC is "very much in harmony" with the new guidelines.
It was a coincidence that the HAC was launched more less at the same time as the Australian Dietary Guidelines were published, Annison adds, but a fortuitous one given that the "message behind the Dietary Guidelines and the Healthier Australia Commitment reinforce each other".
In the obesity debate across many countries it is common for the food industry to emphasise physical activity over the identification of problematic foods, so it is no surprise to see the AFGC take exactly that line.
"I think it's generally accepted that all foods can be incorporated into a healthy diet in the same way that they can be incorporated into an unhealthy diet," Annison says. "We are not subscribers to the view that there are bad food and good foods, just bad diets and good diets."
However, campaigners such as Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC), are sceptical of this stance. "It is in the interest of industry to focus on physical activity and to downplay the role of poor diet and overconsumption of processed foods," she tells just-food.
Martin points out that the majority of the information in the guidelines pertains to diet and the 'calories in' side of the dietary health equation. "These are guidelines about diet, not physical activity, and I thought that the vast majority of the information in the guidelines was related to this."
This is certainly true. While the opening guideline emphasises the importance of physical activity, the second and third, which are by far the most extensive and detailed of the five guidelines, focus on what people should and should not be eating.
They recommend that people should "enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods" from five food groups every day, namely vegetables, legumes and beans; fruit; grains (mostly wholegrain or high-fibre; lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds; milk, yoghurt, cheese or their alternatives; and drink plenty of water.
The fourth and fifth recommendations pertain to breastfeeding and food safety, preparation and storage but it is the third guideline, which advises Australians to "limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol", which has caused the most debate.
The food industry is unhappy at the inclusion of added sugars in this list. Dr Annison suggests that while there are proven links between the consumption of substances such as saturated fat, sodium and alcohol and negative health impacts, the same links have not been proven specifically for added sugar.
"When it comes to added sugars there is no plausible biological mechanism as to why added sugars need to be singled out from any other sugar or indeed any other carbohydrate, so the level of evidence behind it is simply not as great," he says.
Sugar, Annison believes, should therefore be treated like any other carbohydrate. "Sugar is simply another carbohydrate. It definitely has an energy content and people should definitely be careful about the amount that they eat but there's no unique attribute about sugar or added sugar, there's no unique chemical attribute, there's no unique biological activity which of itself makes it potentially more obesogenic than any other energy-containing component in the diet and this is where it's misleading in that sense.
"However, campaigners support the inclusion of food containing added sugars in the list of foods to limit.
"All previous Australian Dietary Guidelines have recommended restricting added sugars," says Martin. "However the literature review for these guidelines found strengthened evidence on the relationship between consuming sugar sweetened beverages and increased risk of weight gain in adults and children."
Annison, however, suggests that the correlation between the consumption of carbonated soft drinks and obesity is "tenuous at best".
Martin continues: "The evidence around sugar sweetened beverages and the link with overweight and obesity in adults and children is very robust and this is reflected in the level of evidence assigned to this statement in the guidelines, which are based on the scientific literature."
While Annison believes there is "a good chance" that the next review of the guidelines might see the removal of added sugars from the list on the basis of ongoing research, Martin certainly does not. "Evidence is likely to continue to build in support of this recommendation," she says.
What all stakeholders agree upon, however, is that ten years was a long time to wait for a review of the guidelines. "I think it's probably appropriate to look at the Dietary Guidelines a bit more often than once every ten years," says Annison. "Every ten years is probably a bit too long."
"The process took a long time," Martin adds. In the US, the comparable Dietary Guidelines for Americans are reviewed every five years.
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Chromo Inc.® 7″ -Tablet PC Android 4.1.3 Capacitive 5 Point Multi-Touch Screen – Pink [New Model September 2013]
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$49.99 $49.99 as at 09:06 UTC. (Details)
7″ capacitive Screen Tablet Android 4.0 1.2GHz 512MB
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Webcam: 1.3MP Front Camera
Wireless: Wifi 802.11b/g/n
3G: Supporting External 3G Modem
G-sensor: Support
Bluetooth: No
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Battery: 2200mAh Li-ion Battery
Working Time: 2-3hours
Power Device: AC Adapter Input 100/240V
Device Specifications
Color: Pink
Dimensions: 7 x 0.25 x 4.75 inches
Net Weight: 275g
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Email: Gmail, POP3/SMTP/IMAP4
Video: AVI, MP4, FLV, 3GP, MKV, WMV etc.
Audio: MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, WAV FLAC etc.
Picture: JPG/BMP/PNG/GIF
E-Book: PDF, TXT etc.
1 x Micro USB
1 x TF Card Slot
1 x DC Jack
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What's in the box?
1 x Tablet PC
1 x Charger
1 x User's Manual
1 x Micro USB Cable
This is a Chromo Inc.® branded product. Seller1on1 is the sole distributor of Chromo Inc.® products. Thanks for shopping with us.
Runs on the latest Android 4.1.3 Jelly Bean OS which brings tons of new features to your T1 Tablet. Install all of your favorite apps from the Google Play Store (included). Ability to side-load apps from SD card if you prefer.None found.No tags for this post.


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Stock :Folding/Collaspible
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A 42-year-old worker is in critical condition in hospital after he was crushed by a forklift.
A spokesperson for the workers' health and safety board (CSST) says the vehicle was being loaded onto a the back of a truck when it suddenly fell off the ramp sideways and onto the worker below.
The accident happened this afternoon in the parking lot of an industrial supply business located at 165 Montee de Liesse in St. Laurent.
The man was pinned under the vehicle for about 20 minutes before firefighters freed him.
The CSST is now investigating.
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