Norovirus found in Humber College students: Toronto Public Health
Toronto health officials have confirmed the presence of norovirus at Humber College after over 200 students reported falling ill with flu-like symptoms.
“We have received laboratory results confirming norovirus in the specimens collected from two ill students at Humber College as a result of this outbreak,” Dr. Michael Finkelstein, the City of Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, told Global News Monday.
“The specimens from the students are consistent with the signs and symptoms that we’ve been seeing from ill students – nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,” he said, adding the symptoms disappeared after one or two days.
Paramedics were called to the college’s north campus, located near Highway 27 and Finch Avenue West in Etobicoke, Thursday evening after several students complained of symptoms ranging from vomiting to abdominal pain. Approximately 30 students were taken to hospital and several patients were treated at the scene.
Toronto Public Health staff are continuing their investigation into the outbreak, Finkelstein said. He said specimen testing is ongoing and staff continue to speak with students.
Finkelstein said norovirus is easily transmitted between people. He encouraged those at Humber College to frequently wash their hands and disinfect common areas at home such as washrooms to potentially avoid spreading any illness.
He said there is no evidence at this point to suggest the contamination came from food.
On the weekend, Humber College officials said they were working with Toronto Public Health to mitigate the spread of the illness.
“We’ve implemented a series of response protocols including significant cleaning efforts that meet all of the standards set out by Toronto Public Health,” Jen McMillen, Dean of Students with Humber College, said.
Article Source:
By Nick Westoll and Erica Vella –Global News – https://globalnews.ca/news/3200011/norovirus-found-in-2-humber-college-students-toronto-public-health/
Amazon and Google fight crucial battle over voice recognition
The retail giant has a threatening lead over its rival with the Echo and Alexa, as questions remain over how the search engine can turn voice technology into revenue.
Amazon and Google always thrive in the fourth quarter as people get out their wallets for Christmas. Both companies – or in Google’s case, its parent group, Alphabet – are therefore expected to announce booming revenues in their fourth-quarter results over the next fortnight, with Alphabet going first on Thursday and Amazon the following week. But analysts are already looking beyond the simple question of how many cardboard boxes Amazon filled and how many searches Google answered. They’re wondering which company will win the battle to control your home.
That battle is being fought by two carafe-sized cylinders from the respective companies. One is Amazon’s Echo, with its voice-operated “personal assistant”, Alexa; the other is Google Home, which responds to the phrase “OK Google”. Both are internet-connected, home-based devices which can be command to do things: give the weather forecast; play music; read out news headlines; update shopping lists; and control “smart” devices in the home such as light bulbs or power points. In theory, if a device can be linked to it, the Echo can control or monitor it, and keep you informed. And simply by saying “Alexa, add sugar to the shopping list”, users can keep up to date on house supplies and even purchase them directly.
Amazon is in the lead, having launched the Echo in November 2014, two years before Google Home came out. Though Amazon has not – and does not – release sales figures for any individual item, investment bank Morgan Stanley estimates that 11m Echos had been sold by the end of November 2016; other estimates suggest a further 7m have been sold since. About 700,000 were estimated to have been sold in the UK and Germany, the only countries outside the US where it is available.
The Morgan Stanley estimate would put an Echo in more than 8% of US households. This is a significant figure, especially compared with the best estimates for Google Home, which put its sales at less than a million since its launch in October 2016.
Why should Google care about Amazon? Because voice is seen as the next big field for computer interaction, and the home is a far better environment for voice detection than the great outdoors. Research company Gartner reckons that by 2018, 30% of all interactions with devices will be voice-based, because people can speak up to four times faster than they can type, and the technology behind voice interaction is improving all the time.
The risk to Google is that at the moment, almost everyone starting a general search at home begins at Google’s home page on a PC or phone. That leads to a results page topped by text adverts – which help generate about 90% of Google’s revenue, and probably more of its profits. But if people begin searching or ordering goods via an Echo, bypassing Google, that ad revenue will fall.
And Google has cause to be uncomfortable. The shift from desktop to mobile saw the average number of searches per person fall as people moved to dedicated apps; Google responded by adding more ads to both desktop and search pages, juicing revenues. A shift that cut out the desktop in favour of voice-oriented search, or no search at all, would imperil its lucrative revenue stream.
Amazon is copying one feature of Google’s success in smartphones: it is offering methods to connect and control smart devices via the Echo for free, rather as Google’s Android software was offered as a free platform for smartphones. There are signs it is paying off: Wynn hotels in Las Vegas announced in December that it would be adding Echos to all 5,000 rooms, for functions such as playing music and controlling curtains and blinds. That gained some notice, as much as anything because the life cycle of such hotels implies they will be there for a decade or so.
Similarly, at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), also in Las Vegas, commentators were struck by how many devices incorporated Alexa. And Amazon is even stealing into Google’s territory: some phones sold in the US from China’s Huawei, which uses Android, will incorporate Alexa rather than Google’s Assistant programme.
Google’s natural reaction is to have its own voice-driven home system, in Home. But that poses a difficulty, illustrated by the problems it claims to solve. At the device’s launch, one presenter from the company explained how it could speak the answer to questions such as “how do you get wine stains out of a rug?” Most people would pose that question on a PC or mobile, and the results page would offer a series of paid-for ads. On Home, you just get the answer – without ads.
What analysts wonder is: how can Home bridge that revenue gap? So far, Google hasn’t explained. Even if it can fend off the Echo, it may not be able to defend its core business.
By contrast, the Echo’s benefit to Amazon is much clearer: it can make online shopping (at Amazon) a breeze, play music from Amazon’s paid-for subscription service, and generally act as a passive block on your using rival shopping sites – rather as Google cemented its dominance by being the default search engine on multiple browsers in the mid-2000s.
Richard Windsor of Edison Investment Research suggests that time is running out for Google: “It has to act quickly, as Amazon is on the brink of becoming the industry standard for controlling smart home devices.
“At CES, everyone was integrating with Echo, with Google Home and AppleHomeKit barely present.”
Indeed, where are Apple and Microsoft, which also have their own voice-driven assistants in the form of Siri and Cortana? Although both can be used in the home – Siri on the iPhone or iPad, and to play content on the Apple TV set-top box, and Cortana on the Xbox games console – neither seems to be intent on the “home assistant” market.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s vice-president of marketing, seemed to suggest recently that Apple wouldn’t follow Amazon and Google into offering a voice-only device: “Having my iPhone with me as the thing I speak to is better than something stuck in my kitchen or on a wall somewhere.” He also emphasised the importance of a visual display: “We still like to take pictures and we need to look at them, and a disembodied voice is not going to show me what the picture is.”
Even so, there are persistent rumours that Apple has prototyped an Echo-like device in secret but is undecided on whether to release it. The company hasn’t commented. It could be ready to unveil something – or may never do so. Microsoft, meanwhile, is in more homes than the Echo via the Xbox, but isn’t trying to make itself a listening device linked to a shop.
So, will we all be burbling away to thin air in a few years, asking how long our commute will take while our smartphones sit unused in the kitchen? Perhaps – though Ken Sena, a senior analyst at investment bank Evercore ISI, suggests that home-based voice assistants will never be used as widely as smartphones. According to Sena, they are not such a must-have.
Yet, they were a hot Christmas present – and voice interaction is still in its early days, perhaps comparable to the smartphone market in 2005, when BlackBerry, Palm and Microsoft dominated. Or, it could be like the smartphone market now, effectively dominated by Google and Apple. But which?
Alexa, can you see into the future?
Article Source:
By Charles Arthur https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/22/home-battleground-amazon-google-voice-technology/
In awe of Åre, the Swedish ski resort now reached by budget flights
One of the more curious visual illusions you can experience goes like this. Stand at the top of a hill covered in snow. You are wearing warm, well-designed clothes and superb boots. See how the gentle slope ambles slowly down through the trees? See the tranquil winter scenery? Now, strap on these skis. Whoa! How did that happen? That gentle hill is now a vertical wall of savage ice, edged by timber death traps.
Never felt that? Perhaps you are one of those fortunate souls whose parents put them on skis from the age of three, forever ensuring perfect balance and confidence. That’s not me.
“I’ve only been downhill skiing once before,” I keep telling my instructor. “In 1978.”
Adam nods encouragingly and gives me a tip. “Keep looking up. Like you’re driving a car. Look ahead.”
“It was a school trip,” I say, looking down at my boots to avoid the vertical death trap illusion. “There was one very pretty girl and our Italian instructor spent the whole week making us boys look stupid for her benefit – and his.”
“Notice how skis have changed,” says Adam. “Aren’t they easier to manoeuvre?”
I have to admit they are.
“And the boots are much better, too, aren’t they?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Look up,” says Adam. “And then let’s try a turn.”
To my immense surprise I don’t fall and I do turn. The slope ahead somehow seems less steep. Now there is a second strange illusion: every time Adam speaks, the slope gets gentler. Weird. The day goes by quickly and we finish by tackling a red run, which leaves me feeling immensely pleased with myself.
Åre, in Sweden’s Jämtland region, is hardly a familiar name to most British people. One reason for this is that there have been no direct flights there from the UK until now: easyjet started flying to Åre-Östersund from Gatwick last month. Another reason is that we were pronouncing it incorrectly – it sounds more like “aura”.
It is Sweden’s largest downhill ski area and regularly hosts major competitions. It’s also a small town, with a community feel. I know that because Adam keeps introducing me to his mates. One of them sweeps down to us while chatting on his mobile.
“Kevin, this is Reine Barkered.”
Reine looks like a cool dude on skis. It turns out he was World Freeride champion in 2012. Freeriding involves skiing down genuinely vertical surfaces – no illusions – leaping off cliffs and so on. Åre is the sort of town where you bump into such folk.
In fact, when my day of skiing is over, it proves to be a seriously friendly place, with some great restaurants and bars. I particularly like Werséns in the main square because it serves reindeer and lingonberry pizza. In other places they would call that “Arctic-Italian fusion cuisine”, but Åre doesn’t really do pretentious. Upmarket, yes, but not pretentious.
There’s even a thrift store, Mountain Recycle, selling secondhand ski gear, and plenty of cheap eating options (including a Thai fast food caravan close to the chocolate factory).
I devote my second day to seeing what else, apart from skiing, the area can offer. I head off with Rikard from activity company Explore Åre to hike through the snowy forest and see reindeer that have just been brought down from the mountains by Habbe, a Sami herder. He shows me how to lasso a reindeer and subdue it, but I fail in all my attempts to copy him. Nearby is Trillevallen, one of a number of smaller ski resorts. It’s well out in the sticks, but suits those who want a more down-home Scandinavian ski experience, and is a bit cheaper (an adult lift pass is around £30 a day instead of £37 in Åre).
On our drive back we stop at a new charcuterie opened by local chef Magnus Nilsson, an acknowledged genius with food and author of the Nordic Cookbook. His restaurant, Fäviken, just outside Åre, is currently ranked 41st in the world, but the set menu costs £267 a head. I’m about to say, “Thanks, I’ll stick with the Thai caravan,” when Rikard points out that Magnus sells hotdogs for £5 from a kiosk in town, so you don’t have to be an investment banker to enjoy his cooking.
Back in Åre, Rikard and I do a bit of ice sculpture in the square (it’s a regular gig, where he sets up a block and invites people to have a go). It proves to be a rather nifty way of meeting locals who like to stop and pass the time, despite the temperature of -10C.
Much of the talk is of hunting. Jämtland, this region, is renowned for it. They find it hard to comprehend that I don’t hunt. “Not even ptarmigan?” asks one incredulous passerby. In a land that disappears under snow for half the year, the walking larder that is a moose is something of an obsession.
That probably explains why I don’t see any moose – only their tracks – when I go snowshoeing that night through the forest. Neither do we see the aurora borealis (never book a northern lights expedition during full moon), but I enjoy the trek a lot and listening to hunting tales told by my guide, Gunnar.
Next morning I’m back up the hill with Adam in time to catch the dawn over frozen Åre lake, a magical moment. Then we ski down to a cafe for fika, which is often inadequately translated as “coffee and cake” but has connotations of warmth and indolence. Suits me. I’m exhausted.
Adam tells me he used to work in banking in Stockholm, but gave it up for skiing. Does he miss anything of that life? He racks his brains for a very long time and several cakes. “You know, I used to find balance sheets really fascinating.”
He shakes his head. I think he is experiencing the banking version of the vertical death trap illusion. Outside on the snowy mountain slopes, skiers are carving long lazy curves. He smiles. “I will never go back.”
• The trip was provided by Visit Sweden. EasyJet flies from Gatwick to Åre-Östersund once a week from £25 one-way and based on two people on the same booking. Åre lift passes can be bought online from Ski Star, from €44 a day for adults, €34 for 8–15-year-olds and over-65s. Doubles at the Ǻregården Hotel cost around £140 B&B. For more information visit aresweden.com. Gatwick airport accommodation was provided by Holiday Extras, which also arranges lounge access, transfers and car parking
Article Source:
By: Kevin Rushby https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jan/22/skiing-are-sweden-budget-flight-beginners/
Sea levels could rise by six to nine metres over time, new study warns
Sea surface temperatures today are strikingly similar to those during the last interglacial period, when sea levels were six to nine metres above their present height, according to research.
The findings provide compelling evidence that Greenland and Antarctica’s continental ice sheets are highly sensitive to slight increases in ocean temperatures, and raise the prospect of sea levels continuing to rise for many centuries.
Previous research had shown that sea levels rose by several metres during the last interglacial (LIG), between 129,000 to 116,000 years ago, but until now the picture of how sea temperatures had varied over the same period had remained patchy.
The latest research, based on marine sediment core records from 83 sites, concludes that sea temperatures towards the end of the LIG were comparable to those seen today.
Rob DeConto, a climate scientist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who was not involved in the research said: “This tells us that the big ice sheets are really sensitive to just a little bit of warming. That’s a really powerful message.”
During the LIG, the Earth’s climate warmed due to a shift in the tilt of the planet, which led to average temperatures around 2C warmer than today. The hippopotamus was found as far north as the river Thames and forests reached well into the Arctic Circle.
Scientists view the period as an important reference for how the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere might respond to the current warming trend in the future.
The study, published in the journal Science, compared records from 83 marine sediment core sites to data from 1870-1889 (pre-industrial times) and 1995-2014.
Records of both the local surface temperatures and global sea levels are locked into the layers of sediment. Surface-feeding plankton act as natural thermometers as the ratio of magnesium to calcium accumulated in their shells depends on the water temperature. Another plankton species acts as a gauge for the extent of continental ice shelves. The ratio of two different forms of oxygen (O16 and O18) is different in continental ice sheets and seawater, so by tracking these ratios in the plankton, scientists can work out how much ice there was at a given point in time.
The analysis found that, at the onset of the LIG 129,000 years ago, the global ocean sea surface temperatures were similar to the 1870-1889 average. By 125,000 years ago, these had increased by 0.5C, reaching a temperature indistinguishable from the 1995-2014 average.
Sea levels respond directly to global temperatures, both through the melting of ice shelves and through the expansion of water as it warms. However, the process happens slowly, so the full extent of sea level rises may only become apparent hundreds or thousands of years into the future.
Professor Andrew Watson, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter, said: “The good news is that with luck it will continue to rise slowly, so that we have time to adapt, but the bad news is that eventually all our present coastal city locations will be inundated.”
A crucial unknown is the rate at which the ice sheets will melt in the future, and the latest findings do not have a direct bearing on this question, according to Jeremy Hoffman, a climate scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia and the paper’s lead author.
During the LIG, warming occurred over more than 10,000 years, meaning that changes to the global ice sheets could happen in parallel. The current warming trend has occurred over decades, and it is not clear how far behind the melting of ice will lag.
Louise Sime, head of palaeoclimate research at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “The rates of ice sheet loss are really difficult to predict. Estimates are anything from 200 to 7,000 years.”
The Science paper also highlights apparent deficits in most climate models, which fail to replicate the warming of the oceans seen in the sediment cores when they are applied to this period.
“This refined picture really clearly identifies that the modelling experiments do not create enough warming during the last interglacial,” said Hoffman.
One explanation is that the models are underestimating feedback mechanisms in the Earth’s system, such as the reduction of sunlight that is reflected back as ice melts, leading to an underestimation of how quickly ocean temperatures ramp up.
“We think there might be some process missing that we’re just not capturing,” said Hoffman. “If we’re missing something from this period of the Earth’s history, what might we be missing from future projections?”
Article Source:
By Hannah Devlin – Science correspondent https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/19/sea-levels-could-rise-by-six-to-nine-metres-over-time-new-study-warns
Top Tips For Winter Skincare
My skin has been acting really weird lately. Dry skin and red puffiness under my eyes, and stubborn combination skin patches. It must be the change of the seasons.
To find out all the top tips on how you can prepare your skin for winter, I spoke with Tracy Feehan, Vice President Marketing at Beiersdorf. Tracy provided some great tips on how you can keep your skin looking fresh and lovely all winter long.
What are the top tips for keeping your body and face moisturized this season?
Dry skin can happen anytime of the year, but is even more common in the colder seasons. Our skin gets parched when the temperature starts to cool down, and as we spend more time in centrally heated air and wearing woolen clothing.
Prevention is always better than cure. Start incorporating a moisturizing routine before your skin gets too dry. Protect by applying face creams and body lotions to strengthen the skin’s barrier against the cold. There’s no rule to how much moisturizer each person should use, simply use enough until your skin feels comfortable.
For those concerned about the sticky feel body lotions might leave, in-shower body lotions are a convenient way to moisturize the skin. Designed to be used on wet skin after your usual shower product (think of it as a skin conditioner), it leaves skin feeling smooth and hydrated — no need to apply body lotion afterwards.
The skin’s repair mechanisms are especially active at night when we are asleep. Take advantage of this time and always moisturize both face and body before you go to bed. Massage your skin to improve the skin’s circulation which also helps you sleep more soundly.
Are there any tips or handy tricks to keep your skin feeling amazing this season?
Keep showers short and under 10 minutes. The longer and hotter the shower, the more moisture is lost from your skin. Taking a lukewarm shower, at approximately 32 degrees Celsius will help prevent stripping your skin of its natural oils.
Any other tips?
As it gets colder, give preference to products that contain ingredients known for moisturizing qualities like almond oil, Shea butter or vitamin E to keep your skin feeling soothed and soft during fall/winter time.
Here are a few of my own tips too:
Keep hydrated — With increasing wind and less humidity in the air, skin loses moisture easily. Use products that help to restore the barrier of the skin (essentially, you want to create a barrier between the skin and the outside world). Try a primer that releases moisture into the skin up to 24 hours later and prevents moisture loss throughout the day. The end result is that your makeup looks better, longer.
Power up with masks — In the fall, we experience weather inconsistencies. Sometimes, we may still get warmer days, sun-filled days, along with windy and rainy, even snow days. Replenishing the skin, controlling the oil and nourishing the skin, are all necessary for optimal skin health. Using a mask weekly is a simple way to ensure that you can cover these concerns in as little as 7 to 10 minutes.
Off with the skin! Exfoliate. In the winter, it is paramount that one exfoliates regularly. This removes dry skin cells and flakes from the skin. This reveals a healthier glow.
How often should we exfoliate in the winter?
Exfoliation in cooler months is necessary to keep the skin looking radiant. If using a mechanical exfoliate (scrub), I recommend exfoliating two to three times a week.
I love all these skincare tips for the colder months. I am going to use these helpful tips as I continue to expand by beauty routine this winter!
Article Source:
By : Sacha Devoretz – Lifestyle and Luxury Travel Blogger
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sacha-devoretz/top-tips-for-winter-skincare_b_12791244.html/
How A ‘Family’ Hike Brought My Kids To Tears
This holiday season, my kids and I spent some time with my parents in Arizona, along with one of my brothers, his wife and their baby. We had a great time, and it was amazing to see my youngest brother all grown up with a family of his own.
Yet as the days went on, I began to notice a pattern. My brother and his wife helped equally with their son. They bathed him together, changed him together, put him to bed and read him stories together. They even sat outside his door in the middle of the night when the baby cried, willing him back to sleep.
I am proud of their partnership, but it also made me a little wistful. I’ve been divorced since my kids were two and three. I doubt my boys can remember a time when both their parents read them stories together. When both their parents lived under the same roof.
Now, if they’re seeing one of us, it means they have to call the other. It’s been a very ordinary part of their childhood for a long time, but suddenly, seeing my nephew, it struck me that life has been perhaps a tiny bit unfair to my kids.
“We must have looked like a family as we clambered to the end of the trail and back, talking and even laughing with the kids along the way.”
I don’t want to dwell on the past or on my divorce. I only want to look ahead. I’m grateful that things worked out as they did, even though it’s been hard. I hope my kids will be resilient because of this. I hope they will realize how strong they are. How lucky they still are to have two parents who love them very much, even if their parents no longer love one another.
My ex and I try very hard to co-parent successfully. It’s what actually brought us together for a hike while I was in Arizona. He had come down to spend a few days with the boys at a hotel, and since my kids were set on hiking a mountain called Pinnacle Peak, we agreed to go together — the four of us — so we could properly supervise them on the rocky climb.
We must have looked like a family as we clambered to the end of the trail and back, talking and even laughing with the kids along the way. Other hikers stopped us and asked if we wanted our photo taken. It would have been too awkward.
“No thanks,” we both replied.
We continued on our way.
My boys periodically express hope their father and I will get back together. What kid wouldn’t want both parents to tuck them into bed at night? I always kindly explain it’s not going to happen. Perhaps it was the hike, or the sight of their aunt and uncle tending to their cousin, but it all became too much. Their emotions came to the forefront at the Barnes and Noble Valentine’s Day display.
“Will you buy daddy this card?” one of my boys asked hopefully, holding up a glittery card with hearts.
“I’m sorry sweetheart, but you don’t do that when you’re divorced,” I explained. I crouched down, knowing they would need a hug by the end of wherever this conversation was headed.
“Do you still love daddy?” the other asked.
“No, once you get divorced you don’t love each other in the same way,” I said. I tried to be clear and matter of fact about it. “I will always be grateful to daddy for giving me you, but mommy and daddy aren’t going to get married again.”
The tears came, hot and pure. Then came my hug. “But boys, a parent’s love for their kids never changes. We will always love you no matter what.”
I told them how lucky they were and how strong. They dried their tears and put the Valentine’s card back in its place. I held their hands in the back seat of the car on the way home. Sometimes, it’s all you can do. Sometimes, it’s just what they need.
Article Source:
Erin Silver – Writer, Blogger & at-home cook working on a book.
10 Recipes Inspired By Classic Children’s Books
Few memories from childhood conjure up warmer emotions than bedtime stories and your favourite foods. So we’ve paired them up to help you enjoy story time and snacks at the same time.
Whether they’re your kids or your grandkids, who can resist cuddling up with a great story and delicious snacks with your favourite little person? It’s the perfect opportunity to step away from electronics and dig in to some old-fashioned story time and some homemade goodness.
1. Goodnight Moon: Oatmeal Cookie and Marshmallow Moon Pies
If Goodnight Moon is as popular in your house as it is in ours, you and your little readers will love these Oatmeal Cookie and Marshmallow Moon Pies. Super easy (yet impressive) to make, these delicious Moon Pies have creamy, finger-licking marshmallow filling sandwiched between two chewy oatmeal cookies.
2. Winnie the Pooh: Healthy Honey-Baked Granola
Who doesn’t love Winnie the Pooh and his insatiable appetite for honey? Grab your favourite bear tale and enjoy it with this nourishing, crisp-baked goodness. This clustered granola is overflowing with golden almonds and plump dried fruit.
3. Harold & the Purple Crayon: Blueberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie
Ok we admit it. We have fallen asleep during story time more times than we care to admit. So we spent many a morning finishing a book over breakfast. And this quick-to-prepare, protein- and fruit-packed Blueberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie is the perfect choice to pair with this favourite book.
4. Charlie & The Chocolate Factory: Skittles Rainbow Layer Cake
If the crazy candy concoctions in this beloved children’s novel doesn’t put your sweet-tooth into overdrive, this Skittles Rainbow Layer Cake surely will. It’s got four sweet layers of brightly coloured cake coated in creamy vanilla icing and decorated with skittles candy. While this cake is jaw-droppingly impressive, it’s also surprisingly simple to make.
5. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Sweet & Sour Pineapple Meatballs
No story will make you hungrier than this one. So it’s important to dig in to a good meal before attempting to make it through. And what could be a more perfect meal than these Sweet & Sour Pineapple Meatballs? Supremely saucy, they are best paired with a mountain of rice.
6. Charlotte’s Web: Chocolate Spider Cake Pops
If you have a fear of spiders, this pairing is for you. You’ve never met sweeter spiders than Charlotte – the heroine of this children’s classic, and our moist and delicious Chocolate Spider Cake Pops. Rolled in a melted chocolate coating and coated in sprinkles, they are finished with candy eyes and black liquorice limbs to make the perfect treat.
7. Curious George: Chocolate Monkey Bread
Are you ready to get down to some monkey business? Then crack open your favourite Curious George book (there are so many to choose from), and grab a piece of this sweet and sticky Chocolate Monkey Bread. Not only is each bun dipped in butter and rolled in a chocolate chip mixture, but it’s also coated and baked in a brown sugar glaze. This is one recipe guaranteed to bring the house down.
8. Goldilocks & the 3 Bears: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
We know this book so well, we could recite it by heart. And it always gets us in the mood to eat some porridge. So we put a twist on the classic recipe and made this Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. It’s healthy and hearty, yet so good you could eat it for dessert!
9. James and the Giant Peach: Peach Crumb Cake with Crumble Topping
This story is big on fun so we’ve paired it with a snack that is big on flavour. Not only is this Peach Crumb Cake delicious and foolproof, it’s also perfect in any season (no fresh peaches required)! The moist vanilla-flavoured cake is dotted with juicy peach slices and topped with a sweet crumb topping.
10. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: Brownie-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie
If you need proof that it’s what’s inside that counts, you’ll find it in this story and in these delicious cookies. Stuffed with a moist and fudgy brownie, these are the perfect snack to munch on while you read.
Article Source:
BiteMeMore.com – Cook book authors, tastemakers and influencers
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/bitememorecom/10-recipes-inspired-by-kids-books_b_14252678.html/
Our Children Are Listening To Leaders Who Bully
In 2016, as our children watched, bullying became legitimate. What we accept without dissent, what we allow to be framed as normal, alters according to our level of desensitization. Over the past year or so we have become increasingly desensitized to bullying behaviour.
Children are sponges. They watched and listened. Groups of people reveled in the abusive behaviour of one person on TV. They saw some in that large group chiming in with their own forms of bullying; taking misogyny, racism, name calling to new levels of revulsion. Shock and awe would be descriptors for some of the public behaviour we all witnessed over the past year.
Would we have allowed our child’s classroom teacher to behave this way?
Telling lies has become the new normal for 2017. Without hardly raising an eyebrow, each new week provides more fodder for the acceptance of lying becoming the new truth. Media outlets laboured over the decision to use the word lie in their news reporting last year and ultimately decided there was no other option. A lie is a lie.
All of that has energized bullies and given them validity and an effective platform.
How do we sound credible to our children with the “don’t do as I do — do as I say” parenting line? We don’t. I wonder how the adult children of those powerful, bullying people react to that notion. Do they ever look at their parent and say enough is enough? Or do they take notes?
Why did these loud mouth bullies with power not consider that all children, including their own, were listening to them? Parents were left with the distressing task of explaining the more scandalous news bytes.
This conundrum has not gone unnoticed and our children have witnessed all the ugliness. They are quick studies. If adults do it, at one level that is covert permission to behave in the same way. Our new normal sanctions bullies to survive and thrive everywhere including your child’s peer group.
There have been and will always be bullies in your child’s life in some form. But vigilance is needed more than ever to mitigate their effect. Potential bullies will have constant reminders of how to lie and intimidate. They will be saturated with daily examples of vitriolic and vehement cyberbullying. Why was so much time and effort spent on anti -bullying programming to end up here?
What can you do as a parent to alleviate this bully effect in your child’s life?
Be aware of your child’s peer group. All bullies have similar markers. As a society we’ve spent a year doing post graduate work — being schooled in the fine art of bullying.
Bullying is attention seeking behaviour. If we needed any new affirmation of that point, then look at the way those powerful bullies crow, swagger, bluster and gloat.
Bullies are name callers. When the juvenile act of name calling is thrown around by leaders in public office, then it is a license to use the same language. How do you explain to a child it is OK for an adult with considerable power to use denigrating language but not OK for them?
Answer the ‘why’ in that question for your child.
Bullies are often loud. They use being loud as a method of intimidation. They also have ‘staying power’ with that loudness. They will be the last person standing shouting at others. Bullies are thin skinned. If you want loud, suggest their ideas might be flawed.
They invade personal space, mentally and physically, which is another form of intimidation.
They lie with impunity and ignore anybody who dares challenge them on those lies. They scare others with those lies. They might threaten and intimidate your child into submission with acts they have no intention carrying out.
They gather like-minded people around them, pitting one against the other. People who may not have the chutzpah to be the leader are quite happy to be a follower, and bask in the glow of the bully.
They are masters at being a chameleon. Think of a friend of your child’s who made a positive first impression. They have assurance, conversation skills, and as a parent you are charmed. Remember, charm is a bully’s middle name. With the flip of a switch, they go from charm to harm. As a parent be mindful of that possibility.
When criticized, bullies blame others. Externalizing the blame is the term and bullies know full well how to shine the blame spotlight on others. It is more than just blaming others, it is about absolving themselves of any wrong doing. Bullies refuse to accept responsibility for their actions and they dismiss it out of the narrative.
For years we have advised our children about the bystander effect. Bystanders are just that — people who stand by and let bullies have their power. However, standing up to a bully is the only way to diminish their power. And stand up we must. Children learn what they live.
Article Source:
By Linda Simpson – writer, poet, guidance education advocate, loving Mum and Gramma https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/linda-simpson/kids-imitating-bullies_b_14221286.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-parents/
It’s Time For The Federal Government To Show Real Leadership On Autism
As a parent of a child diagnosed with autism over a decade ago, I have watched the provincial and federal policy debates about autism with great interest — and even greater disappointment.
Although I used to believe that one of the things that made Canada a great country was its publicly-funded health-care system, my son’s diagnosis opened my eyes to discrimination under medicare. There is no cure for autism, but we’ve had solid peer-reviewed evidence for decades that Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) based on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) can have a dramatic impact on the development of kids with autism.
Unfortunately, the treatment is not covered by medicare across the country.
In most provinces, IBI/ABA is not offered by ministries of health to those who need it, when they need and for as long as they need it. Programs, when they are available, are typically offered by ministries of social services instead and are extremely limited in their scope. They are also plagued by unconscionable wait lists — often years long.
My family spent over $40,000 on such therapy in the private sector in the first year while waiting for government provided treatment for our son. This was not sustainable for us nor is it for most Canadian families.
More recently, when I inquired about placing our son in a group home facility in Ontario, I was told that he could not be placed on a list until he’s 18 — and the average waiting period is a decade-long. Such dramatic waits for care facilities for adults with autism is replicated across the country.
So what kind of national leadership has the federal government demonstrated on this file? Not much so far. Recently they’ve been invited to embrace a new proposal.
In November, an expert working group on autism created by the previous federal government presented their final report to Health Minister Philpott. A proposed business plan for a Canadian Autism Partnership (CAP) and a request for support, to the tune of $19 million over five years, was put forth. Minister Philpott now has to determine whether to proceed with this “autism partnership model.”
Unfortunately, CAP falls far short of offering autism families across the country any relief.
CAP gives an overview of their proposed structure (board of directors, national director, 11 employees, advisory council), a mission (address issues related to autism using a shared leadership approach), and a process (consultations, issue identification, agenda setting, problem-solving, mobilization, evaluation, measurement, monitoring) — but that’s about it. In other words, the CAP proposal involves the creation of another bureaucracy.
Those involved with the working group and their supporters may be excited about the prospects of a new bureaucracy, but many in the autism community — myself included — are shaking their heads in disbelief.
The last thing autism families need is more bureaucracy. What we need instead from the federal government is real leadership on autism — and we need it now.
The CAP proposal raises numerous concerns and risks. First, the plan does not mention specific gaps in policy or issues that need to be addressed on a priority basis, and it does not give concrete examples of how such issues could be resolved with the new model or when.
Second, we already have a public health agency and a federal department of health. Are these institutions and their provincial counterparts not adequate enough to conduct consultations, collaboration, problem-identification and political decision-making? The creation of a new bureaucracy will likely render the possibility of any concrete action to resolve policy and program gaps across the country even more remote.
Third, the CAP model does not actually provide the partnership with any authority to make changes to public policy, and it certainly won’t have the resources or legislative power to make meaningful decisions which will entail consequences on the ground.
Instead of a new bureaucratic structure, Minister Philpott should consider instead how the federal government can demonstrate leadership, exercise influence, and put some money on the table to negotiate an accord with the provinces that would address three recurring issues as priorities for autism families: the lack of health-care (medicare) coverage for autism treatment (ABA/IBI); the lack of ABI/IBI in the school systems and the lack of appropriate housing accommodation for autistic adults.
Where there is a political will to do something, there is a way.
Article Source:
By Andrew Kavchak https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/andrew-kavchak/federal-leadership-autism_b_14105808.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-parents/
McDonald’s Canada Warns Its Menu Is No Longer Nut-Free
By The Canadian Press
TORONTO — McDonald’s Canada has started serving its first food containing peanuts or tree nuts not in an individual, sealed package, a move critics say reverses its long-standing position as a safe place for people with food allergies.
The company introduced a Skor McFlurry that contains chopped almonds in the pieces of chocolate bar used to make the frozen treat.
McDonald’s said in a statement on its website that this means all of its other products may contain or come in contact with peanuts, tree nuts or other allergens. Prior to this, the company only served individually packaged peanuts and tree nuts.
People with food allergies can have an anaphylactic reaction when they come in contact with a food they can’t consume. Anaphylaxis, which may be fatal, can cause hives, swelling of the tongue, breathing troubles, shock and other problems.
McDonald’s prior policy made it “kind of a go-to place” for many families that have to accommodate a member’s nut allergy when dining out, said Beatrice Povolo, the director of advocacy for Food Allergy Canada, a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of people with food allergies.
Now, it’s unclear whether individuals with any food allergies — about 2.5 million Canadians, according to the organization — will be able to eat at the restaurant, she said, because of the company’s “overarching statement” that encompasses all other allergens.
That’s disappointing, she said, as one of the biggest challenges for this population and their families is accessing safe meal options while dining out.
Jyoti Parmar has two kids with severe food allergies: a 13-year-old son who can’t eat peanuts, tree nuts or soy; and a seven-year-old daughter who can’t eat dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. She and her husband co-founded the Walk for Andrea, in memory of Andrea Mariano, who died in 2015 after an anaphylactic reaction while eating out during her first year in university.
Due to her kids’ dietary restrictions, Parmar’s family can’t eat at McDonald’s. But, up until now, Parmar said it’s been an option for many other parents she knows who have children with nut allergies.
“They are really upset because that was their go to,” she said.
McDonald’s said the Skor McFlurry is the first of more products to come that will contain non-packaged peanuts or tree nuts as an ingredient.
The company said in a statement it is informing guests of the change “so they can make an informed decision as to whether or not its Canadian restaurants are still suitable environments for them.” It declined to comment further on the issue.
2.5 million Canadians with allergies
Food Allergy Canada is encouraging Canadians with food allergies to tell McDonald’s what the new policy means to them and their families.
Povolo said it’s important to remember that McDonald’s isn’t just alienating the 2.5 million Canadians with food allergies, but also their families and friends who are looking for safe options when dining out with them.
There’s little empathy for people with food allergies, said Parmar, and it can be easier for companies to serve nut products and not deal with the food allergies that exist.
“And, when McDonald’s does it, it’s very easy for other companies to just go the same route.”
Article Source:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/17/mcdonalds-canada-nuts_n_14229294.html?ir=Canada+Living/
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