VETS – WHY VETS ARE SO EXPENSIVE ?
Vets check up
So you’ve taken Fluffy to the vet to get a check up, a vaccine boost or maybe for some medication. One look at your bill leaves you gasping for air. What in the world could have cost so much? Take a deep breath, and read on for some important information that might make you think differently about how “expensive” the vets really are.
A vet is a highly trained professional: Anytime you’re seeking the help from a professional, and especially one with a degree or years of schooling, you should expect that those services come with a price tag. Most veterinarians have gone to school for about 7 years studying and training for this career. Those years of schooling add up, and most carry some amount of student debt. Generally they don’t work alone; their highly skilled assistants generally spend 3 years training for their jobs, and they aren’t working for free. A veterinarian and their staff are actually paid comparatively low to other professionals with the same amount of schooling.
The office bills
Your vet has a lot of bills to pay. Besides lights, heat and office space (which entails either a mortgage or monthly rent) they have very specialized equipment that can run them tens of thousands of dollars. An x-ray machine or an ultrasound machine, for example, can cost anywhere between $30,000 to $90,000!! Most vets have loans to pay off this equipment and it takes years of monthly payments before they own it free and clear.
Medications and tests
Part of your vet bill most likely includes the medications you’ve taken home and the tests that the vet performed to determine which type of meds are best suited in the first place. Sometimes the tests can be performed and read right in the office but other times they’ll need to be sent away for a more specialized look.
The job carries its own set of hazards
When was the last time you were scratched or bitten by an angry client? At least when you’re dealing with people, you can generally explain a situation and calm them down. Since we don’t speak an animal’s language, it can be pretty hard to calm Fluffy when he’s excited or scared of an exam or procedure. Sometimes this can lead to a vet or tech being wounded despite taking every precaution possible.
We’re on call 24/7
Sure, the veterinary office states specific hours and you likely won’t find anyone around after they’ve closed. But patients must be checked throughout the evening, and emergencies don’t always happen during office hours. (In fact, Murphy’s Law says that they’ll generally happen when it’s most inconvenient). A vet often takes shifts of evening, weekend or holiday hours so that they don’t miss anyone who needs help.
You may still not like the bill you get handed at the end of your visit, but keep in mind that you’re paying for quality medical care for a very important member of your family. If you are in Mississauga, visit Dr. Alaa Aziz at Aquitaine Animal Hospital, the best Mississauga Vet.
Article Source:
Smooth Air News Report – https://www.smoothair.ca/home/why-vets-are-so-expensive/
Women Should Avoid Licorice While Pregnant, Warns New Study
Avoid Licorice While Pregnant
New research from Finland has confirmed that women should avoid consuming large amounts of licorice (or liquorice) during pregnancy. However the limit for safe consumption is still unknown.The study, which was carried out by the University of Helsinki, the National Institute for Health, Welfare, the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital, looked at 378 children around 13 years of age whose mothers had consumed either “large amounts” or “little/no” licorice during pregnancy.
The study defined a large amount as over 500 mg of glycyrrhizin per week — the main constituent of licorice — and little or no licorice as less than 249 mg glycyrrhizin per week.A total of 500 mg of glycyrrhizin corresponds on average to 250 g of licorice. Glycyrrhizin is already known to cause higher blood pressure and shorter pregnancies, however previous studies have not proven any long-lasting effects on the fetus until now.To look at these long-tern effects participants were asked to complete cognitive reasoning tests carried out by a psychologist.
The team found that those children who were exposed to large amounts of licorice in the womb had lower test results than those who were exposed to smaller amounts or no licorice — a difference equivalent to approximately seven IQ points. In addition children exposed to high levels of licorice also showed lower tests results in tasks measuring memory capacity. Parents also reported that these children showed more ADHD-type problems than others, and in girls puberty also started earlier and advanced further.
In Finland the National Institute for Health and Welfare already places licorice in the ‘not recommended’ category for pregnant women, but states that occasional consumption of small amounts of licorice, such as a portion of licorice ice cream or a few licorice sweets, poses no danger. The researchers now advise that both pregnant women and those planning on becoming pregnant should be made more aware of the harmful effects that glycyrrhizin-containing products — such as licorice and salty licorice — may have on their unborn child.
The results can be found online published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Article Source:
AFP/Relaxnews – https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/02/06/licorice-pregnant_n_14631418.html?ir=Canada+Parents/
STAYING SAFE WHILE SNOWMOBILING
ONTARIO’S SNOWMOBILING
It’s winter in Ontario, and for thousands of people that means it’s snowmobiling season. Snowmobiling is extremely popular in our province, and with over 30,000 km of trails, it’s not hard to understand the appeal.
However, there is a dark side to this pass time, and that is the potential for severe injury and death when safety isn’t taken seriously. The Ontario Provincial Police and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs recently held their jointly-sponsored Ontario Snowmobile Safety Week and shared two sobering statistics:
- There have been seven snowmobile fatalities since the beginning of this season
- Three of those seven victims died as a result of falling through ice
Be sure to also follow these additional snowmobile safety tips from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
A few years ago, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that two-thirds of serious snowmobile injuries occurred in adults ages 20 to 49. In 2014-2015, there were 235 hospitalizations in Ontario due to snowmobile accidents. And Maclean’s magazine reports that “as many as 50 people die in snowmobile accidents annually in Ontario and Quebec alone”.
Don’t be a statistic. If snowmobiling is a passion of yours, play it safe and do it right.
Article Source:
Jan 30, 2017 – https://www.vandykelaw.ca/2017/01/staying-safe-while-snowmobiling/
References: https://www.northernontario.travel/snowmobiling
Ingredients – Why quality ingredients matter for Pizza
Matter of quality Ingredients
Have you ever sat down and watched one of those cooking shows? It’s a great way to get some ideas to shake up you regular cooking routine and bump out of the ruts we all tend to fall into from time to time. Have you noticed the difference between the way a well known chef cooks and the way that most of society tends to cook? One of the biggest differences between a good meal and a poor or mediocre one is the quality of ingredients used. Fresh ingredients tend not only to create a better meal, both taste wise with regards to our health, but can also give us more control over the finished product.
The less processed our food is, the more innovative we can be about adding herbs and spices, and the better off our bodies will be in the long term.
If you can grow your own food, you’re that much further ahead in the game, because you have the ability to step outside and gather produce on a whim, as long as it’s in season. This is the freshest type of food you’ll ever get, and the difference in flavour makes most people forget about all the hard work that goes into a garden at first bite.We’re lucky enough to have access to fresh produce year round, right there in our grocery aisles. So if you’re not a gardener, or if it’s in the dead middle of January with a blanket of snow a foot deep, you can still enjoy cooking with the best of what nature has to offer.
Have you ever taken a good look at the ingredients list on a jar of processed pizza sauce? There are definitely a few recognizable items, but the bulk is “flavour”, sodium, and an unrecognizable list of chemicals that I don’t remember seeing on any good nutrition websites. A homemade sauce takes both time and effort, a blend of produce and herbs, and cooking the whole thing down to thicken it just right. You can certainly taste the difference, and when a sauce is made from fresh ingredients, it adds good fuel to your body instead of only filler.
I don’t know about you, but when I do go out for a meal, and because I cook with so many fresh vs processed ingredients, I expect that my restaurant will do the same. The taste is the proof. With regards to pizza, I want fresh cut mushrooms, good quality pepperoni, a sliced, not canned tomato, and a sauce that’s been lovingly stood over with fresh herbs, not something poured from a jar. The two most noticeable differences in pizza quality are the sauce and the dough.
Handmade pizza dough should be soft in the middle with just the right crisp to the crust. When pizza is made from fresh, wholesome ingredients, it can make the difference between a greasy slice of something instantly regrettable, or a meal that makes you want to savour every last bite. If you want a taste of truly authentic pizza, come to Lily’s Pizza on Lorne Park Rd. in south Mississauga, they have the best pizza in Mississauga.
Article Source:
From Smooth Air News
https://www.smoothair.ca/2017/02/01/why-quality-ingredients-matter-for-pizza/
How do car clutches work?
HOW DOES A CAR CLUTCH WORK?
A Manual Transmission is just that. Rather than an automatic transmission changing gears through fluid pressure, solenoids and computer control, a manual transmission relies on the driver dis-engaging the transmission from the engine to change gears and then matting them back up for power. This is achieved by relieving the pressure on the pressure plate allowing the clutch Disc to separate from the flywheel. This separation allows for internal pressure relief on the transmission gears so that the driver may change gears manually before re-engaging the clutch Disc to the Flywheel to allow torque from the engine to once again drive the manual transmission. The separation and re-engagement is achieved through depressing & releasing the clutch pedal which mechanically drives the clutch master cylinder. The clutch master cylinder provides hydraulics pressure to a slave cylinder at the transmission to mechanically provide the force to relieve and re-engage the clutch plate spring pressure.
Do Clutch Master and Slave Cylinder need maintenance?
Clutch master and slave cylinders do required some maintenance but few and far between. Clutch fluid must be changed to prevent moisture build up and replace worn fluid from radiant heat of the engine over the years. This is to help prevent deterioration of the rubber seals in the cylinders themselves, so that water and oil don’t mix which can cause the hydraulic pressure to be off and is crucial in helping prevent rust from moisture. We have lots of experience repairing clutch systems and we are the only shop I know of that has their own flywheel machine to expedite Clutch Jobs in North Vancouver.
How do I know if my Clutch is worn?
Most people will experience a slow acceleration where the RPM is high and slowly comes down as the vehicle starts to move forward from a stop. This can be experienced even more so when trying to start off from a stop on an incline. Typically, what has happened is that the clutch disc material has worn down to the rivet heads and now the rivet heads are what has the most pressure against the flywheel. With minimal surface area contact between rivets and flywheel, the clutch cannot properly transfer the torque from the engine through to the manual transmission for power.
How to fix my Clutch?
In general, when a clutch is worn out a new clutch kit is required. This typically includes; A pressure plate, a friction disc, a release bearing and a pilot bearing. Flywheels are usually re-useable however, flywheels do need to be machined as the old friction disc will have left its’ mark to some degree. Flywheels can be flat or have a step up or down depending on the specific vehicles’ design. When machining, specifications are down the 0.001 of an inch and will play a large role in the longevity of your new clutch kit. The Transmission needs to be separated from the engine and this can be relatively straight forward with the correct tools and resources yet, this can be sometimes quite daunting depending on the layout of your vehicle; 4×4, AWD or FWD.
If you’re looking to get your clutch checked or replaced, bring your vehicle to us at DeRosa Automotive and you will be in great hands here on the North Shore!
Article Source:
By by Ryan Elm – https://www.derosaauto.ca/car-clutches-work/
Sugar – The sweet lowdown: Is sugar the world’s most ubiquitous drug?
Addictive Drug
The hit. The rush. The crash. The need for another fix. This roller coaster-like experience is one we usually associate with an addictive drug, like heroin or cocaine. But studies have shown that we experience the same range of physiological responses when we consume sugar. Except that this white stuff is legal.
“When one consumes excessive amounts of sugar, it leads to changes in gene expression for opioids that are similar to what you would see when someone is dependent on a drug like morphine,” says Nicole Avena, assistant professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and author of Why Diets Fail (Because You’re Addicted to Sugar).
READ MORE: Two-thirds of packaged foods in Canada are full of added sugar: Canadian study
In 2008, Avena co-authored an animal-based study on sugar dependence by analyzing four components of addiction: bingeing, withdrawal, craving and cross-sensitization. The behaviours that resulted from sugar consumption were then related to the neurochemical changes that happen in the brain with addictive drugs.
Upon consumption, sugar sends a message to the brain that triggers its reward system, which is the same system that surges when we do intensely pleasurable things like have sex or do drugs. Dopamine, which is the main chemical in the reward system, is sent into overdrive every time an addictive substance is consumed, thus causing the person to seek that “high” over and over again.
In a TED-Ed Original, How sugar affects the brain, Avena explains that dopamine is naturally released when we eat. But after eating the same food repeatedly, it starts to level out and we no longer experience the same “high” from eating it. (Apparently, you can get sick of pizza.) This is an evolutionary response to varying our diet to ensure we get a range of vitamins and minerals. However, with over-consumption of sugar, dopamine levels never even out. We simply don’t get sick of eating it.
The subjects of Avena’s study also experienced the classic symptoms of withdrawal normally associated with substance abuse.
“Excessive use of sugar can produce a withdrawal-like state that is characterized by tremors, shakes, anxiety and bodily changes that are similar to opiate withdrawal,” she says. “They’re all characteristics of addiction that have been shown with sugar.”
That’s something that Doreen can attest to. She went to Food Addicts Anonymous 27 years ago (she can’t share her last name as anonymity is an integral part of the program) and says she’s still relying on the tactics they taught her today.
“When I entered the program, the thought of not eating sugar was horrific,” she recalls. “But they said to me, ‘Can you do it for just one day?’ And I took it one day at a time, and still do that today.”
A not-so-sweet past
When we look at history, it comes as little surprise that there are parallels between sugar and other addictive substances. Sugar arrived on European shores from the tropics in the 16th century along with a spate of other now notorious delights, like coffee, chocolate, rum and tobacco. Unfortunately, neither the dopamine response nor the forbidden nature of sugar are the only reasons we crave the sweet stuff. It turns out, we’re actually hardwired to want it.
“The T1R on the tongue that detects sweetness is the most evolutionary receptor we have,” says Robert Lustig, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco and author of the upcoming book The Hacking of the American Mind: Inside the sugar-coated plot to confuse pleasure with happiness (September 2017).
Everyone is born with five taste receptors on the tongue — sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (or savoury) — but our propensity for sweet dates back to ancestral times.
“Nature likes to experiment with mutation, but this taste was conserved all the way through virtually every animal and all humans,” he says. “It’s because sweet was an evolutionary signal that any given foodstuff in the wild was safe to eat. There’s nothing that tastes sweet that’s also acutely poisonous.” But experts would argue that sugar is, in itself, a poison. The most recent Canadian statistics indicate that 20.2 per cent of adults (approximately 5.3 million people) classified as obese in 2014.
And the addiction isn’t just outwardly apparent, either. People blessed with a fast metabolism might be able to eat as much sugar as they want, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t wrecking havoc on their liver. “Sugar is like alcohol, except it doesn’t give you the acute effects drinking does,” Lustig says.
Alcohol is borne from the fermentation of sugar; that’s what wine is. Except with alcohol, the yeast that’s in it takes the first step in metabolizing it, whereas, with sugar, our bodies take that first step. When our systems receive a rush of sugar, it can’t be metabolized, so it passes through the liver and becomes fat. That liver fat is the starting point of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and tooth decay, and has been shown to have links to cancer and dementia.
The sugar cover-up
So, how did we become over-sweetened masses? It all started in the 1960s when sugar interest groups messed around with scientific studies. The New York Times ran an exposé in September detailing how the sugar industry paid off scientists in the 1960s to downplay sugar’s effects on heart disease and instead single out saturated fat as the villain.
The documents were published in JAMA Internal Medicine and show how the Sugar Research Foundation paid three Harvard scientists $6,500 in 1965 (roughly $49,000 today) to conduct research studies on the effects of sugar and fat on heart disease. The foundation’s members then sifted through the studies to find the ones that indicated fat was the greatest health offender and published those in the New England Journal of Medicine. “They were able to derail the discussion about sugar for decades,” Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at U.C.S.F. and an author of the JAMA Internal Medicine paper, said to The New York Times.
To add fuel to the fire, in 1977, the USDA released its first dietary guidelines pointing an accusatory finger at saturated and animal fats. The only problem was that people wouldn’t (or couldn’t) distinguish between healthy fats and saturated fats, so all fats were demonized. It gave birth to the low-fat movement, which opened the floodgates for added sugar. “When you take the fat out of food, it tastes terrible,” Lustig says. “So they had to make it more palatable with added sugar.”
Sweet release
Like any addictive substance, quitting sugar requires a cold turkey approach, but the rapidity of positive effects might make the task a little easier. In a 2015 study published in the journal Obesity, Lustig culled a group of 43 kids with metabolic syndrome (the precursor to diabetes) and replaced all the added sugar in their diets with starch. Pastries and teriyaki mains were replaced with bagels and turkey hot dogs, for example. (It’s important to note that the goal was not weight loss, but to measure the physiological changes from cutting out added sugar.)
READ MORE: New food labels designed to make comparing serving sizes easier, Health Canada says
After 10 days on this new diet, all participants showed improvements in their metabolic rates, including reduced blood pressure, lactate and triglyceride levels. While most participants lost weight, the study’s most interesting finding might just be that in those who did not lose weight, the metabolic changes were still consistent.
Like fats, however, some sugar is fine. We know fruit is loaded with sugar, but because it has such a high fibre content, the fibre acts as a barrier in the intestine and prevents the body from absorbing the sugar. That’s also why juice is the worst way to ensure you’re meeting your daily fruit intake — once you take the fibre out, all you’re left with is sugar.
It’s hard to avoid added sugar, especially considering that two-thirds of all packaged foods in Canada contain added sugar, but there are some supermarket tactics you can employ. “It’s like what health experts have been saying for a long time: shop the perimeter of the supermarket and take time to read labels,” says Quinn Hand, a naturopathic doctor and founder of Q Wellness. It’s also important to educate yourself on the many aliases sugar goes by.
“The hard part is that people don’t know when they read ‘maltodextrin,’ it’s just another name for sugar,” she says. She recognizes that sugar has quietly seeped its way into unassuming foods, like canned tomatoes, but she says that the first step in trying to reduce you and your family’s added sugar intake is to prepare things from scratch. “Education has to come in especially for breakfast foods, because cereal has a lot of added sugar,” she says. “When we talk about breakfast, we want to talk about blood sugar sustaining foods, like eggs or steel-cut oats. High carbohydrate and sugary cereals are not beneficial.”
Kicking sugar is also a question of rethinking its place in modern life. As with most things, it’s about going back to basics. “Once upon a time, sugar was a condiment that you used for coffee and tea,” Lustig says. “Now it’s a diet staple. We need to go back to a previous way of thinking. Bring back the concept of ‘one lump or two?’ and that will help keep our consumption under the disease-causing threshold.”
Article Source:
By Marilisa Racco – National Online Journalist – smart Living – Global News https://globalnews.ca/news/3192486/the-sweet-lowdown-is-sugar-the-worlds-most-ubiquitous-drug/
New pan, old pan, rusty pan, sticky pan — Best practices for using and maintaining cast iron pans
When seasoned the right way, cast iron can be a great non-stick alternative to Teflon, which unlike cast iron, breaks down over time and needs to be tossed. Durable and affordable, cast iron works double duty, going effortlessly from the stovetop into the oven.
The science of seasoning
The surface of a cast iron pan is naturally “pitted” or porous. In order to create a non-stick surface you must season your pan. Seasoning consists of heating a polyunsaturated fat (flaxseed, sunflower, canola) to the smoking point, creating oxidation of the oil. As the oil oxidizes it re-organizes itself into a new plastic-like layer of molecules — thus, a non-stick, well-seasoned pan.
How to season a new cast iron pan
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, wash your pan thoroughly, inside and out, including the handle, with soapy water and dry well.
- Use a clean rag to apply a small amount (about one tablespoon) of oil (flaxseed, sunflower, canola) to the entire pan. Too much oil with result in a sticky surface.
- Place your pan, upside down on a baking sheet set in the middle rack of your oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow your pan to cool completely.
That’s it. Seasoned!
How to fix an old, rusty or sticky cast iron pan
If you have a fixer upper, one that is in need of some TLC, simply add two tablespoons of coarse salt to your pan and use a scouring pad or stiff brush to remove any rust spots or caked on debris. Discard salt and residue and continue as above with seasoning method.
How to maintain a well-seasoned cast iron pan
- Clean it after every use: Wipe it out with a cloth (and coarse salt, if needed) to remove any debris or food particles. Using a little warm water is acceptable, but never soak or submerge your pan in water — rust is the enemy.
- Dry it well: Set cleaned pan on a hot stove until all water has evaporated.
- Reinforce your seasoning: Once your pan is completely dry, carefully rub in a little more oil with a clean rag and turn off heat.
What to cook in your seasoned cast iron pan
Above all, using your pan regularly is the best way to maintain it. To make the perfect steak, sear it first on the stovetop then transfer it into the oven to finish cooking. A standard 12″ skillet is perfect for frying a small batch of fried chicken, given that it holds and maintains heat so well. A deep-dish pizza cooked in cast iron will yield a crust that’s both crispy and golden brown yet airy and chewy. Finally, if you are short on baking dishes, a cast iron skillet can be used to bake cornbread, brownies and even berry crumble.
What to make first? Here’s some inspiration!
Article Source:
By Andrea Buckett · CBC Life – https://www.cbc.ca/life/home/new-pan-old-pan-rusty-pan-sticky-pan-best-practices-for-using-and-maintaining-cast-iron-pans-1.3956381/
Co-sleeping
You’ve probably talked about it with friends and family or maybe you’ve experienced some judgement (no matter which side of the fence you’re on); one thing is for certain, the topic of co-sleeping can turn into a pretty heated discussion. No matter which choice you’ve made; whether putting baby down in their own room early on to sleep or spending your first year waking up next to your child, there are some pros and cons to consider.
Especially if you’re a breastfeeding mom, the idea of co-sleeping can be an intriguing one; in the first couple of months most babies feed very frequently, waking up every couple of hours. Not having to drag yourself out of bed and sluggishly head down the hall each time is an obvious benefit. If your child is right next to you, it’s an easy and much faster transition from waking baby to satisfied baby. The process is a lot quicker, and you and your child get back to sleep sooner than you would otherwise. Neither of you even has to shift from your “lying down” position! There is also an intimacy with co-sleeping that a parent and child don’t experience with separate sleeping quarters. Falling asleep with your arms around each other and a little body snuggled up close can be a heart warming experience and make your child feel safe and secure.
On the flip side, there is a theory that co-sleeping may increase chances of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), which is a big enough fear for any new parent. There is also a chance that your little one may become entangled in blankets or sheets, get caught underneath a pillow, or even get rolled on. Having baby nearby for feeding might seem convenient, but if you or your baby toss and turn through the night, you may keep each other awake and get less sleep than if you bedded down in separate quarters. Even if your baby sleeps soundly, if you’re worried about rolling on top of him, you’re not going to fall into the deep, rejuvenating sleep that you need (now more than ever!) or you may wake frequently just to “check” and make sure your child is ok. Although it might not come up in the first couple of months, sex will definitely have to be put on a back burner as long as junior is snoring away next to you.
If you don’t feel good about putting your child in their own room right away, a good compromise would be to invest in a “co-sleeper” attachment that allows baby to be right next to you with the added security of having their own space you can’t roll into. They can sleep under their own bedding and reduce the risk of being trapped under yours. There is also the favourable idea of having your child sleep in a bassinet or crib next to your bed, reducing the risk of any accidents even further. Yes, you’ll still have to drag your body out of bed, but your child is only a few steps away instead of in a separate room.
5 Reasons Not to Shop Online
We know that online shopping is convenient and available to every connected consumer but is it all it’s cracked up to be? Shopping in your sweats from your couch sounds amazing but not every “virtual store” is created equal and you can quickly fall prey to some very unpleasant realities.
1. Shipping Fees
While it seems convenient and affordable to have a purchase shipped right to your door, you need to pay close attention. Many stores charge the same fee regardless of package size, or a separate fee for each item shipped in a multiple order. Some companies simply jack up the prices for online items. Sounds expensive.
2. Sizing
Sizing is a major issue when shopping online because, you guessed it, you can’t try it on. This is as true for jewellery as it is for other fashion items. If you are spending a significant amount and or surprising someone with that special piece, the last thing you want is for it to not fit or for the hassle of returns or exchanges. Being able to try on ahead is ideal but being helped by an experienced sales person in a reputable shop is next on the list of best outcomes.
3. Not as Advertised
Pictures and descriptions online can be confusing or down right fraudulent. There are plenty of unscrupulous sellers hiding behind a seemingly good product with little integrity or concern for quality or professionalism. We’ve all heard someone with a “not as advertised” story or read about it online. Someone thinks they’re getting an amazing Persian rug only to discover it’s a mouse pad! Check out this link for hilarious pics of online shopping gone wrong.
4. Payment Issues
Have you been at the final stage of your check-out only to wait for slow loading pages, error messages or no indication that your payment went through? The worst! Some click-happy customers can even get double billed by clicking the submit button twice and not realise until their card is charged. Nothing but headaches.
5. User Experience
There is no comparison between the experience of online and IRL shopping (that’s internet speak for “in real life”). The reason is that the former is cold, disconnected and static. Even the most dynamic website with flashing images and virtual sales people in pop-up windows is never going to replace the experience of interacting with a human in a physical space, with sites, sounds and a life unto itself. Retail is increasingly taking a back seat to shopping online which makes it all the more interesting to engage with retailers that are “in it to win it”. To win your business, a bricks and mortar shop needs to offer outstanding customer service; engaging, informed and courteous staff, and one hell of a product. This is Made You Look in a nutshell. If you don’t believe us, just come in and see for yourself!
Don’t forget the enjoyment of strolling through a vibrant neigbourhood, made special by its unique offerings. Choosing to shop online threatens that retail landscape.
Made You Look Jewellery Studio and Gallery was established with a unique vision for creating a community for talented independent jewellery designers to thrive and shine. All of our jewellery is handmade by local Toronto Jewellery Designers, 20 of whom create their work right on site in our large studio. If you’d like a tour or to learn more, please contact us.
Article Source:
By Ellisa – Nov 12, 2017 https://www.madeyoulook.ca/blog/5-reasons-to-not-shop-online/
How the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will transform Toronto
In about five years, Toronto will unveil the largest expansion of the TTC’s rapid transit network since the 1960s. The Crosstown LRT will consist of 25 stops stretching across 19 kilometres of Eglinton Avenue, 10 of which will be underground.
While this massive project won’t open until 2021 (assuming it stays on target), it’s already transforming Toronto in profound ways.
The construction of rapid transit spurs development, whether it’s a heavy rail subway or an LRT, but the placement of a new line is always crucial. In the case of the Eglinton Crosstown, there are already plenty of signs that the route will lead to a huge increase in density along the street after which it’s named.
It’d be overreaching to claim the condo boom in and around Yonge and Eglinton as the direct result of the coming LRT. The area is already so well served by transit thanks to its proximity to the Yonge Line.
When you follow the route away from the core, however, it’s amazing to see how many developments have already been proposed, many of which will be completed shortly after the LRT opens.
As developers look for less expensive land outside of the city’s core, the Crosstown represents an ideal scenario for future growth. Much of this will be concentrated on the east side of the line, as that’s the corridor where huge sites of land are ripe for redevelopment.
When LRVs start running on the Crosstown, they will emerge from the underground portion of the line just east of Laird Avenue to pass through an Eglinton Avenue marked by tall towers and new mixed use communities in place of the mid-century shopping malls and other low density land uses.
At Leslie Street, there’s the On the Park development in the works at the site of the former Four Seasons Inn on the Park. It’ll have 1240 condo units spread over four towers ranging between 28 and 39 storeys. Throw in 943 square metres of commercial space, and you have a whole new community.
One stop further east, there’s an even bigger redevelopment in the works on the former IBM/Celestica lands. This is a 60 acre site now controlled by a consortium of developers (Diamond Corp., Lifetime Developments, and Context Development Inc.).
We don’t know exactly what this will look like when it’s all said and done, but concept drawings show what you might characterize as a brand new neighbourhood here, complete with residential, retail, office space, parks and a community centre.
Continuing along in our brand new Flexity Freedom LRV, we pass by the Don Valley Parkway before arriving at the next redevelopment sites. The sea of parking lots that currently marks this area will be entirely transformed when both Eglinton Square shopping mall and the Golden Mile become vertically oriented mixed use communities.
The plans for Eglinton Square call for 1,640 residential units spread over five buildings ranging from 25 to 40 storeys. There will also be a major retail component preserving the current use of the site as it’s diversified and intensified.
The Golden Mile, on the other hand, is even bigger. A whopping 2,500 residential units are proposed for 11 new buildings, again with a significant retail component at grade. The death of the mid-century shopping mall in Toronto will come at least partially at the hands of light rapid transit.
There are also intensification plans in the works at 1891 and 1966-2050 Eglinton East further to the east. And that’s just the stuff in the works right now. Can you imagine how many more projects might be proposed over the next five years?
Planners often point out that the Bloor-Danforth subway line in Toronto never brought with it the type of intensification that you might expect of a major subway line. Part of the reason for this is that it services so many established low rise Toronto neighbourhoods and was built along a route already populated with two storey buildings.
This will not be the case along Eglinton Avenue, particularly in the east end, where the number redevelopment projects already in the works is positively dizzying.
Article Source:
By Derek Flack https://www.blogto.com/city/2017/01/eglinton-crosstown-lrt-transform-toronto/
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