BE PREPARED DERRY HERE HE COMES
Last Tuesday was one of those nights when the most unexpected things happened right before my eyes. I’d heard the name Darren Brown, I knew he was an entertainer who did magic tricks and thought reading but that was my only knowledge. So, Tuesday night was a revelation. A packed and excited Grand Opera House, lots of laughter and fun, people seemed to know each other or maybe it was the air of anticipation that made us all friends, all waiting for the Showman to arrive. This he did with some style, a foretaste of what was to come, Blackouts, bursts of lights, loud music and then he appeared, an empty stage with a wall behind which acted as a sort of blackboard where messages to the audience were chalked up.
Sadly at the end of the show Darren Brown appealed to us to keep his secrets to ourselves, not to talk about what he did or how he did it and especially to reviewers not to review in detail.
Suffice to say part one of the two hour show plus interval was interesting, tricks and magic, nothing very new but a mind boggling finale as the stage went dark and the curtain came down,
Part two was something else. This is when his ‘mentalist’ skills were on show, ‘feats of mental power that are not explainable by science, such as telepathy and mind reading’. And wow, what he did was indeed unexplainable and we lapped it up.
Darren Brown has years of experience and he has developed a remarkable rapport with his audience, he’s funny, he’s intriguing, he slim and handsome, beautifully dressed and looking years younger than 51. Despite my scepticism I warmed to him, I was invested in his performance. It was far from what I expected and I’d give him full marks for giving an evening of astonishing entertainment.
And now it’s Derry’s turn to be mystified. See for yourselves at the Millennium Forum Theatre until 30th April 2022.
I’m fascinated by the leaflets coming through the door extolling the virtues of various political parties. Promises, promises but little substance. Plans (not concrete intentions) to create 5000 new tech jobs, ensuring you can see a GP when you need one, it’s time to clean up our dirty air, sort out the ‘protocol’. At end of reading you’re yelling HOW? WHERE’S THE MONEY COMING FROM? WHAT IS THE TIME LINE? We need details not vague double-talk. Instead of running down other parties we need to hear constructive suggestions of working together for the good of the people living in this beautiful country. So far only two party representatives have come to the door but there’s time yet. I hope those who have had their literature delivered by post will take the trouble to present themselves in person to answer some relevant questions. I will be able to tell you if this has happened next week. Don’t hold your breath but do hold onto those leaflets and in future months we’ll see who kept their promises.
Interesting to read of tips on spring cleaning. Cleaning windows for instance should be done on a cloudy day because then you will see all the marks and streaks. We had two lovely dogs staying with us for a few days and they just love sitting at the window watching the world go by and their noses have left smeary little love letters all over the glass. White vinegar and a microfibre cloth and then a good polish will do the trick. I actually use vinegar to clean the screen on my computer but I dilute it a little rather than putting it on neat. Another glass cleaning trick is to use a lemon cut in half and rub on, leave for ten minutes and rise with hot water. Simpler is just the old trick of breathing on the mark and rubbing it with a tissue.
I’ve had the pleasure of dinning at the Ritz on occasions and I never ever thought twice about calories, I just wandered through the menu and selected what I wished and left happy and replete, thankfully at someone else’s expense! But that’s no longer the case. Next time that menu will have the calorie content of its dishes. Beside each one – and the drinks. Catering businesses with 250 employees or more must do this by law. Of course you can chose to ignore these little horrors of information when you’re ordering but I guess if you’re serious about watching your health these can be important. Dear help those who have to go through every dish and work out the figures and adjust all their paperwork. I think we are going to have a terrible surprise when we read menus in future. Showing sugar content will of course be of interest to those with diabetes, others have said calories are units of energy that keep our bodies alive, some say this new idea will cause people to become hyper about their eating habits, never enjoying a meal out again, the suggestion is that, rather than risking an increase in eating disorders, the government would be better employed putting money into education about nutrition and balance in our diet.
A WOMAN TO BE PROUD OF
Maureen Maguire presents the Soroptimist International of GB and Ireland public speaking award to Brianna Armstrong, pupil at Rathmore Grammar School Finaghy.
Ask Maureen Maguire where she got her deep caring for other people needing support and understanding, sadly the answer is not what I expected. 50 years ago, in December1971, she told me there was a knock at the door at the family farm in Curlough in Co. Tyrone and three men forced their way into the house. As two held Maureen her sister, mother and father hostage in the living room, the third went upstairs and shot dead her only brother. Denis Wilson was 31 years old, he was a member of the UDR and he was in bed as he was feeling unwell. It changed the lives of the Wilson family. Maureen’s father died three years later of a broken heart, her mother lived on with hers and Maureen’s future became one of service.
Her professional experience was gained working within NI Health and Social Services before setting up her own consultancy. She has a Master’s Degree in public procurement, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Supply Management and Health Services Management, in addition to being on the board of the Training for Women Network and the NI region of the United Nations Association. As member of Soroptimist International Portadown since 1989. she became President of Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland in 2011 and today Maureen is the first Irish woman to hold the prestigious position of Soroptimist International President 2022-2023 .
Originally a club for business and professional women it was established in California in 1921 to concentrate on welfare work, it developed into an international organisation called Soroptimist, loosely translated as ‘the best for women’ and this is their ethos. Gone is the club atmosphere, the white gloves and handbags, the fancy dinners, the elitism. There are still fundraising events but the atmosphere is more relaxed but all women and girls are working together to support their sisters throughout the world.
It’s broken down into federations, Africa, the Americas, South West Pacific, Europe, GB and Ireland and it is a tremendous honour that a woman from Northern Ireland is the first International President.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR MAUREEN?
Most recently her meetings have been virtual, not quite the same as being in Fiji or South Korea as was planned before lockdown but last Tuesday she was off to Ohio to speak at a conference about the importance of recognising initiatives throughout the world rather than concentrating specifically on the needs within one area.
It’s a powerful organisation with 19 representatives at the United Nations consulting on global development, on improving health and education, reducing inequality, climate change and addressing economic growth amongst many other issues.
Their work is also basic as she pointed out.
“For instance ‘period poverty’ in India where women and girls are often expect to refrain from normal activities such a bathing or cooking or may even be banished from the home during their period, the negative attitudes towards menstruation affects a girl’s self-esteem.” She added: “My own club in Portadown discovered that girls in Northern Ireland were not going to school because of period poverty. We raised much needed funds, purchased pads, tampons, pants and wipes and made up packs for schools in our area.“
Until she took over as International President, Maureen was the Soroptimist representative on the government’s engagement group with acted as an independent voice to the Department of Justice on Human trafficking.
“I was interested in finding out the awareness of the general public to this crime and suggested that we carry out a public questionnaire. The result was that all clubs in NI conducted a survey and we returned 1000 completed questionnaires. This assisted the department in their public awareness campaign. The resultant effect of this was that it was then taken forward and carried out across the other countries in the UK and has since gone wider – Nigeria, Australia and the Caribbean to name a few.”
Maureen has chosen ‘Opening Doors to a Bright Future’ as her presidential headline having heard Malala Yousafzai’s father say of his campaigning daughter ‘I opened the door and watched her fly’,
“I want to open doors to a bright future to benefit the worlds most marginalised girls and women because women need to have skills to earn money for themselves and their families.” To this end Maureen is highlighting five projects during her time as president. An education programme in Cambodia to develop self esteem and business acumen. “A lot of girls aged 10 – 15 drop out of school to work in the fields or in a cement factory; often there’s no transport to school, so we will give these girls intensive education for their future which might even mean going on to university.”
In Pakistan it will be training women to become teachers and computer skills training, Uganda education will include using information technology in rural areas with projects in Europe and America are yet to be announced.
SUPPORT IN ACTION
In Katmandu Maureen watched girls who were living on the streets come together to use the pens, pencils and jotters she had brought for them from Portadown. “One girl tore out three pages and gave to her friend who had already lent her some paper and she wanted to return the kindness. I admit I was so moved I burst into tears.”
I ask about Ukraine.
“At the moment clubs around the boarders are working with refugees coming into their countries, providing essentials and comforts for the families many with only women and children having left their men behind to fight or where possible keep their business going. Another vitally important service is providing translators as people cross the border into a new country, a new way of life and for many a new language.”
As Maureen pointed out to me, one drop of water in a pond can create multiple ripples each making a positive difference and so can each of us. That certainly applies to Maureen Maguire.
www.soroptimistinternational.org/openingdoors/
More thoughts of Ukraine and the people there. Do you notice the reporting is slipping down the news agenda already. Tyson Fury its getting more air time this morning.
