What Multi Services is Talking About

2012-02-07T19:03:00.001-08:00

Improving your MemoryTips and techniques to help you remember......you know, that thing... I forgot. Having problems forgetting appointments, to-dos, errands, feeding your children and pets, picking up after yourself, getting out of bed... not to mention forgetting birthdays, and even anniversaries? If you are like many people, you will often find yourself forgetting something. In an age of computers, PDA’s, and many other devices- this my be ok for some folks, unless you forget where you put those devices. Others may want to increase their ability to memorize things - luckily there are a few creative ways you can improve your long and short term memory. Use your Senses & Be Aware Practice creating vivid images/concepts in your head - using all of your senses. Analyze your surroundings by sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Being aware all of your senses will give your mind more ways to associate (and thus remember) when it is time to recall something.This is like form of meditation -- which is good for your brain in a variety of ways. (see our article: Interesting Ways to Improve Your Brain for more info). Practice this tip of simply being more aware of your surroundings everyday and you will find your general memory greatly improved. Humor & VulgarityIf you need to memorize something specific try using humor or vulgarity as a memory aid. Make a nasty or funny limerick about somethingthat needs to be remembered and you'll have a hard time forgetting. (Great tip for students). Don't worry, be MindfulThere has been a lot said about the power of positive thinking. Recently, a huge bandwagon of new-age positive thought = positive outcome theories have been on tips of everyone's tongue from Oprah to your local convenience store clerk. Just do a google search for "Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" if you aren't in the cult loop. Negative thoughts fog our minds, but clearing out the negative and focusing on the positive also improves memory & concentration. Stress is a big brain buster, so minimize stress and negative thoughts to keep your wits. Apt Quote: “What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in the ground underneath a giant boulder you can't move, with no hope of rescue. Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely, consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.”See the Future Have trouble remembering to-dos, appointments, meetings, deadlines, birthdays and other future events? Here is the secret: When you know you have an upcoming event you don't want to forget, picture yourself at the event. What are you doing,who is there, what does it smell like? Imagine the event...even better: imagine yourself taking the steps that lead to the event. For example... let's say tommorrow you have to call the someone. Picture yourself in your home/office, picture yourself picking up thephone, imagine dialing the number and talking to the person of the other end. Associate Association is among one of the easiest and most used tools in learning. This is the process of taking the information you wish to memorize,and linking it mentally to something else that is natural to you. When learning something new, try to associate the new concept with one to which you are already familiar.Couple association with being aware using all of your senses and you will have a higher rate of successful recall. Chunky like your mom Chunking information is a great mnemonic method to remember multiple items. Many people naturally use chunking to remember phone numbers: Instead of thinking "17342876642" we chunk it as 1-734-287-6642. The concept of chunking comes from a famous 1956 paper by George A. Miller: The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information. If you are a sucker for classic works in the history of psychology (I know, who isn't?) you can read the whole original paper here. Write it Down We generally think of "writing things down" as a means to NOT have to remember something. The paper does the work for -- we just need to remember where we put that piece of paper... But, writing things down has another effect: you clear your mind and take away the stress of "having to remember", and by doing so youactually have more room in your noggin for remembering stuff. I know that explanation wasn't scientific, but it works. To-do lists are championed by business gurus and soccer moms alike. Try writing everything down for a week or two and see how muchthis improves your memory & focus. A great digital tool for "writing things down" is provided by a website called Nozbe.com -- I recommend it for clearing your head and also organizing your thoughts. __________________________________________________________________________Memory and Concentration Games on Blifaloo.com:Memory 3 Memorize color patterns to test your short term memory.Music MemoryTest your memory while training your musical ear with this game.Balls & Boxes Memory GameUse your memory and put the balls back into their original boxes.Classic Memory GameOld-school card matching memory game.

2011-12-14T21:10:00.001-08:00

Become a Whirlwind Cleaner NowMULTI SERVICES shows you how the right products and a few insider tips from the experts can make every cleaning job easier and quicker.Keep a cleaning carry-all (available at dollar stores or hardware stores) or a simple plastic bucket pre-packed with cleaning supplies to take from room to room. Ensure you have the right products on hand for the cleaning jobs you face around your home. We suggest this selection:Power Cream Degreaser for tough grease, sticky residue and burnt-on food.Power Cream Lime & Grime to make easy work of limescale and soapscum buildup.Bathroom Spray for shower doors, walls, shower cutrains, tape and tiles.Thick Bleach for toilet bowls, tubs and sinks.Multi-Surface Cleaner for glass, mirrors, counter tops, sealed wood furnishings and sealed granite.Gel with Baking Soda for stovetops, sinks, faucets, chrome fixtures and stainless steel appliances.Cream Cleanser for countertops, pots and pans, casserole dishes and BBQ grills.In addition to these cleaning products, the whirlwind housekeeper also keeps some secret tools on hand, including:Snuggle Fabric Softener SheetsQ-tips Cotton Swabs 2 to 3 small spongesa dry clotha small brusha discarded tooth brushlatex glovesWhere to Start - Where to FinishStart in the kitchen. Clean your laminate counter tops, around your cook-top rings, food-spattered backsplashes, the fridge door and the sink. Moisten a damp sponge. Do your cabinet doors, drawer pulls, light switches and the telephone next. Check the shelves and door slots in your fridge, too. Peek in the microwave. Is the lunch-time pizza welded to the roof? Here's a trick: Half fill a cup with water and add a squirt of Cream Cleanser. Place in the microwave and run on high for 60 seconds. Wipe clean with a damp sponge. Wipe down the kitchen table and chairs. Then clean the floors last with diluted Vim Floors.Move on to the bathroom. Spray the shower walls and bath tub with Bathroom Cleaner. Leave it while you wipe down the counter and sink with Vim Gel with Baking Soda. Use the tooth brush in your carry-all to scour around the drain hole. A Q-Tip Cotton Swab dipped in Vim Gel will make quick work of grunge around the taps. Wipe all surfaces with clear water. Return to the shower and tub. Turn on the shower and watch the cleaner and the scum disappear down the drain. Apply Vim Thick Bleach to the toilet, let sit and flush. Voila.And finally the rest of the house. While moving from room to room, keep a look out for finger marks on doors and door frames and for sticky door handles. Clean with All Purpose Spray. Is the picture on your TV or computer screen looking foggy? See it brighten before your eyes when you gently dust the surface using a Snuggle Fabric Softener sheet.

Halloween in Canada

2011-10-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Halloween is celebrated in Canada on or around October 31. It is a day to mark the single night in the year when, according to old Celtic beliefs, spirits and the dead can cross over into the world of the living. Some people hold parties and children may trick-or-treat in their neighborhood.

Black cats are part of the Halloween superstitions.Some people put a lot of effort into decorating their homes, yards and drives. They may even construct life-size replica graveyards or dungeons and invite people from the neighborhood to view their creations or hold a themed party. Other people may organize fancy dress parties for adults or children. Popular activities at parties include watching horror films and trying to make fellow guests jump in fright.Many children go out to play trick-or-treat. They dress up as ghosts, witches, skeletons or other characters and visit homes in their neighborhood. They ring doorbells and, when someone answers, they call out "trick-or-treat". This means that they hope to receive a gift of candy or other snacks and that they are threatening to play a trick if they do not get anything. Usually, they receive a treat and tricks are rarely carried out.There are special types of food associated with Halloween. These include candies in packets decorated with symbols of Halloween, toffee apples made by coating real apples with a boiled sugar solution, roasted corn, popcorn and pumpkin pie or bread. Halloween beer, which is made by adding pumpkin and spices to the mash before fermenting it, is also available in specialist stores.Children also take part in a long-standing Canadian tradition of "Trick-or-Treat for Unicef". Pumpkin-carving contests, pumpkin art tours, a reading marathon, and symbolic Walks for Water are just a few examples of the educational and fundraising activities schools and children develop to help provide thousands of children developing countries with basic quality education.Public lifeOctober 31 is not a public holiday. Schools, organizations, businesses, stores and post offices are open as usual. Some organizations may arrange Halloween parties, but these do not usually disrupt normal affairs. Public transport services run on their regular timetables. If people are driving around the neighborhood in the late afternoon or evening, it is important to be particularly aware of children, especially those wearing dark costumes, who may be unfamiliar with traffic conditions.BackgroundHalloween has Celtic origins. In pre-Christian times, many people believed that spirits from the underworld and ghosts of dead people could visit the world of the living on the night of October 31. These spirits could harm the living or take them back to the underworld. To avoid this, people started dressing up as ghosts and spirits if they left their homes on October 31. They hoped that this would confuse the ghosts and spirits.Halloween was also a time, when spirits might give messages to people. In some areas, it was traditional for unmarried girls to poor molten lead into water. The shape that the lead took when it hardened was seen as a clue to the professions of their future husbands. Halloween traditions were brought to Canada by Irish and Scottish immigrants. Halloween is now celebrated in a range of other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.SymbolsThere is a wide range of Halloween symbols. Symbols include animals, such as black cats, bats and spiders, and figures, such as ghosts, skeletons, witches and wizards. Pumpkins, graveyards, cobwebs, haunted houses and the colors green, orange, grey and black are also associated with Halloween. These symbols are used to decorate homes and party venues and are seen on costumes, gift paper, cards, cookies, cakes and candy.

The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving

2011-10-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving in Canada falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. Because of the longstanding traditions of the holiday, the celebration often extends to the weekend that falls closest to the day it is celebrated.

The Order of Good Cheer, 1606 by Charles William Jefferys, (1925).The origins of the first Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving celebration was not for harvest, but for homecoming. He had safely returned from an unsuccessful search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin. In the year 1578, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving the long journey.[3] Years later, the tradition of a feast would continue as more settlers began to arrive to the Canadian colonies.[4]

Oven roasted turkeyThe origins of Canadian Thanksgiving can also be traced to the French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century, who also took to celebrating their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing their food with the indigenous peoples of the area.[5] Champlain had also proposed for the creation of the Order of Good Cheer in 1606.[6]As many more settlers arrived in Canada, more celebrations of good harvest became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish and Germans, would also add their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the U.S. aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey) were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.[5]

2011-10-01T16:48:00.001-07:00

The meaning of AutumnAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Southern Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their respective seasons, but temperature lag (caused by the thermal latency of the ground and sea) means that seasons appear later than dates calculated from a purely astronomical perspective. The actual lag varies with region. Some cultures regard the autumnal equinox as "mid-autumn", others with a longer lag treat it as the start of autumn.[1] Meteorologists (and most of the temperate countries in the southern hemisphere)[2] use a definition based on months, with autumn being September, October and November in the northern hemisphere,[3] and March, April and May in the southern hemisphere.In North America, autumn is usually considered to start with the September equinox.[4] In traditional East Asian solar term, autumn starts on or around 8 August and ends on about 7 November. In Ireland, the autumn months according to the national meteorological service, Met Éireann, are September, October and November.[5] However, according to the Irish Calendar which is based on ancient Celtic traditions, autumn lasts throughout the months of August, September, and October, or possibly a few days later, depending on tradition. In Australia, autumn officially begins on March 1st and ends May 31st[6] According to United States unofficial tradition, autumn runs from the day after Labor Day (i.e. the Tuesday following the first Monday of September) through Thanksgiving (i.e. the fourth Thursday in November), after which the holiday season that demarcates the unofficial beginning of winter begins.Where does the word come fromThe word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalised to the original Latin word autumnus.[7] There are rare examples of its use as early as the 12th century, but it became common by the 16th century.Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season, as it is common in other West Germanic languages to this day (cf. Dutch herfst and German Herbst). However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write,the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.[8][9]The alternative word fall for the season traces its origins to old Germanic languages. The exact derivation is unclear, the Old English fiæll or feallan and the Old Norse fall all being possible candidates. However, these words all have the meaning "to fall from a height" and are clearly derived either from a common root or from each other. The term came to denote the season in 16th century England, a contraction of Middle English expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".[10]

2011-09-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Cleaning Tips Ideas by other people1. I spray Febreeze on my vacuum roller brushes when I vacuum, makes the whole carpet smell fresh.Submitted by Carol L.2. I use a lot of waxed paper to cover counters for dirty jobs... I hate scrubbing flour that has gotten wet and hardened!Submitted by Marcia S.3. The bathroom will be much easier to clean after a steamy bath or shower. The steam will help loosen the dirt.4. To get copper clean use orange koolaid.Submitted by Ruth G.5. Apply a good paste wax to shower tiles and buff with a dry cloth to deter water spots.6. Alcohol on a rag cleans keyboards great!Submitted by Rhonda W.7. Rubbing alcohol takes off the sticky stuff left from scotch tape.Submitted by Becky S.8. Use fabric softener sheets to collect dust off blinds.Submitted by Mary B.9. Avon's Skin So Soft gets off the adhesive gunk off windows & mirrors. (no, I don't sell Avon.)Submitted by Ruth S.10. When dusting, start at the top and work your way to the bottom. Vacuum last.........................Continued in next blog post.............................Thank you for being a loyal reader of Multi Services Blog MULTI SERVICESResidential & Commercial CleaningProfessional Cleaners without the Professional Price416-782-3417 www.multiservices-janitorial.comDerrick & Kerry

2011-09-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

Cleaning: Tips to De-Scum Your BathroomProbably the busiest spot in your house, the bathroom is also the place almost every guest visits. So if you start sweating whenever someone asks, "Do you mind if I freshen up/use the toilet/secretly judge your cleaning skills?" just relax. These tricks will get the room looking freshly scrubbed in 15 minutes or less.1. In the bag. To start, hang a plastic sack on the doorknob for tossing the cleaning cloths you're about to use and emptying the waste¬basket — the easiest insta-tidy trick.2. First, flush. Next, grab some bleach. Pour a cup into the bowl; brush around the sides and under the rim. Then move on to the next task for five minutes.3. Quick shine. While the bleach is working, fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar (or better yet, keep a bottle stored nearby for just this occasion). Spritz onto paper towels or a microfiber cloth, and zero in on those telltale soap drips and toothpaste spatters on faucets, mirrors, countertops, and in the sink — a definite dirty-bathroom giveaway. Optional (and only if you really care what your visitors think): Give spotty shower doors the same spray treatment.4. Wipe control. Flip over one of those same vinegar wipes and run it across the back of your dusty toilet tank, then over, under, and around the seat. Flush the bleach that's been sitting in the bowl, toss the wipe into your doorknob bag, and move on.5. Towel trick. Instead of scooping up all the used bath towels, just put out fresh hand towels — those are the only ones short-term guests use anyway. Leave the others on the bar; just straighten them. If you have linen spray, mist the towels. If you don't, a light body spray or perfume will do the job.6. Exit strategy. Now it's time for the floor. Shake out your rug or bath mat to fluff it up so it looks recently vacuumed. Next, with a dampened paper towel, swoosh the corners of the room, where most of the hair and dust collects. And don't forget to take the plastic bag with you when you leave!

3 Minutes lost

2011-09-07T11:52:00.001-07:00

Daytime continues to be longer than nighttime until after September equinox, which is always between September 22-24, the beginning of autumn. The word “equinox” means “equal night” and refers to when the sun crosses the equator. Days are shortened by three minutes per day, resulting in a half hour per week.

Fall brings an onslaught of allergies

2011-09-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Autumn is the favorite time of the year for many of us. Colorful foliage abounds. Humidity drops. We open our windows to let in the breeze and spend long hours outdoors hiking or raking up the falling leaves. Unfortunately, unseen allergens lurk in the crisp, fry air and all those leaves. Pollen allergies affect nearly 10 percent of our population, approximately 62 million people. They are the fifth ranking chronic disease and cost business and our health care system nearly $8 billion annually. There’s no reason to dread the arrival of autumn, however, if we reduce exposure to pollens and molds, this lessening our symptoms of sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, dry throat, congestion and runny noses, all of which can impair our ability to perform well at school or work. Ragweed pollen is one of the most common reasons for fall allergies. But pollen from other plants, trees, and grass can also trigger symptoms, as can mold. Tips for managing fall allergies: *Leave both house and car windows shut *Remove clothing worn outdoors after raking, hiking or mowing *Remove shoes at the door and go barefoot in the house or wear slippers. *Shower or rinse off exposed skin after being outdoors. *Use a saline nasal wash to remove allergens . *Use a dehumidifier to decrease indoor humidity. *Clean visible mold in showers with diluted bleach solution *Wear a face mask and goggles when doing yard work *Use an antihistamine to reduce or eliminate the effects of histamine. *Drink plenty of water; rehydration effectively eliminates toxins.

What is the difference between a maid and a cleaner?

2011-08-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between a maid and a cleaner?

A maid and a cleaner do the same job - cleaning. A maid may also do some ironing and maybe cooking as well. Is that the main difference between the two jobs?

The term "maid" is almost never used; they are called "housekeepers." In a hotel or hospital, the department is called "housekeeping." This is different from the older definition of housekeepers, who were respected professionals who tended to all the details of a domestic establishment but didn't scrub the floors themselves.

A housekeeper (or maid) works at least a half-day a week on a regular basis for the same employers. She knows the family's ways and in long-term relationships may have a lot of regard and affection for them, and they for her. Some people are lucky enough to have a "live-in housekeeper." A housekeeper not only cleans but also as you say may iron, care for children, cook, whatever arrangements she (or I suppose he) has come to with her/his employer.

A cleaning service (which oddly enough might call itself "Merry Maids" or "Maid Brigade," to name just a couple) cleans your house, but you don't have the same person or persons every week, and they certainly don't do anything that's not on the bulleted list of your contract with them.

But this is one difference from MULTI SERVICES and other cleaning companies, we like to give our clients weather home or office, the same cleaner every time so they are more comfortable and never have to worry about things changing. We also like to do the little extra things free of charge as long as it’s kept reasonable. They also get to know the client’s specific needs and wants kind of like the maid services.

MULTI SERVICES offers a wider variety of services, such as indoor window cleaning or outdoor if on the main floor, balcony cleaning (weather it’s just a little dirty or if it has animal feces on it), stripping and waxing services, organizing and much more.

We like to give our estimates free of charge. Some can be made over the phone or through e-mail and some need a personal visit for a more accurate number, depending on the service being provided.

For more information give us a call or check out our website and submit your information for a free estimate.

416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com
www.mymultiservices.com

Thank you for reading and have a great day

MULTI SERVICES
Residential & Commercial Cleaning
Professional Cleaners without the Professional Price

Multi Services is supporting drug free program for kids

2011-08-20T19:19:00.001-07:00

Multi Services is supporting drug free program for kids

You can find us listed in the September issue of “Drug facts for young people “magazine on http://drugfactsforyoungpeople.com

Fathers day through History

2011-06-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

1910
Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, organizes the first Father's Day celebration on June 19, her own father's birthday. The mayor of Spokane and the governor of Washington state officially support the event. Dodd's father, a farmer and Civil War veteran, had been a single father to six young children after the death of his wife.

1924
President Calvin Coolidge publicly supports plans for a national Father's Day.

1926
The National Father's Day Committee meets for the first time in New York City.

1956
The observance of Father's Day is recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress.

1966
President Lyndon Johnson proclaims Father's Day to be an official national holiday.

1972
President Richard Nixon signs into law a permanent U.S. Father's Day to be observed on the third Sunday of June.

1999
Father's Day is the fifth most popular card-sending holiday, with an estimated $95 million in card sales. Not just fathers but husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons, and sons-in-law are among the honorees.

2001
Only days before Father's Day an estimated 53% of Americans do not know what they will buy for the holiday. If they are like last year's consumers, 60% will buy cards, while the most popular gifts will be apparel (41%), dinner (38%), sporting goods (22%), home improvement merchandise (18%), electronics (17%), and gardening tools (12%).

2004
In 2004, there were an estimated 98,000 "stay-at-home" dads. These are married fathers with children under 15 years old who have remained out of the labor force for more than one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home.

2008
There were an estimated 159,000 "stay-at-home" dads in 2008. These are married fathers with children under 15 years old who have remained out of the labor force for more than one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home.

Read more: Father's Day Timeline — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/fathersdayhist.html#ixzz1OLURrPfw

Posted by Multi Services
Professional Cleaners without the Professional Price
Get free estimate 416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

Where Victoria Day Originated from

2011-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

The birthday of the monarch was a day for celebration in Canada long before Confederation, with the first legislation regarding the event being in 1845 passed by the parliament of the Province of Canada to officially recognize May 24 as the Queen's birthday.[1] It was noted that on that date in 1854, the 35th birthday of Queen Victoria, some 5,000 residents of Canada West gathered in front of Government House (near present day King and Simcoe Streets in Toronto) to "give cheers to their queen."[2] On May 24, 1866, the town of Omemee, also in Canada West, mounted a day-long fête to mark the occasion, including a gun salute at midnight, pre-dawn serenades, picnics, athletic competitions, a display of illuminations, and a torch-light procession.[3]

King George VI in Ottawa, Ontario, on his official birthday, Victoria Day 1939

Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, May 24 was by imperial decree made Empire Day throughout the British Empire, while, in Canada, it became officially known as Victoria Day,[1] a date to remember the late queen, who was deemed the "Mother of Confederation".[4] Over the ensuing decades, the official date in Canada of the reigning sovereign's birthday changed through various royal proclamations: for Edward VII it continued by yearly proclamation to be observed on May 24, but was June 3 for George V, June 23 for Edward VIII (their actual birthdays), and various days between May 20 and June 14 through George VI's reign as king of Canada. The first official birthday of Elizabeth II, whose actual birthday is April 21,[5] was the last to be celebrated in June; the haphazard format was abandoned in 1952, when the Governor-General-in-Council moved Empire Day to the Monday before May 25, and Elizabeth's official birthday in Canada was by regular vice-regal proclamations made to fall on this same date every year between 1953 and 1957, when the link was made permanent.[1] The following year, Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day and in 1977 it was moved to the second Monday in March, leaving the Monday before May 24 solely as Victoria Day.

Mother’s Day

2011-05-06T19:14:00.001-07:00

Mother’s Day

Hands that reach out, always helping and sharing- A mother is caring!

Eyes that reflect every joy that you find, Arms to encircle, but never to bind, A talent for making the most out of living-A mother is giving!

A voice that can soothe or inspire or delight, A smile that keeps shining when things don't go right, An angel God sends us from Heaven above- A mother is nothing but caring, giving and love.

Mother’s day is coming up real quick and we all know this is a big day.

So this Mothers day why don't you give your mom a day off and have someone do all the cleaning for her, while she relaxes and does whatever she wants.
Our professional team will leave the house smelling fresh and comfortable.

What We'll Do For You.

We will do a full spring clean for your home.
We clean base boards, behind furniture, get rid of any hidden dust and cobwebs, windows anything you want cleaned

Make Your Mother Smile and show her your love on this day.

So why not call now for your for your Mother’s day discount
416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

We’re fully Licensed, Trained Certified and are Safety Certified, Bonded & Insured
Our company has been a BBB Accredited business since December 2009.

GETTING SPRING CLEAN

2011-05-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

GETTING SPRING CLEAN
And keeping things fresh

The changing or seasons can be a great time to de-clutter the house and get everything in order for a spring and summer full of camping, outdoor sports and other family activities. The return of spring for many also means spring cleaning – and while it can seem daunting to get spring clean successful:

PLAN AHEAD
Start by walking around your house and taking a look at what needs to be cleaned. Check out often overlooked surfaces like window sills and baseboards. Knowing what needs to be done makes it easier to start.

SURVEY YOUR CLOSET:
Before you head to the mall for a new spring wardrobe, take a survey of your closet and the clothes you have in storage. Take the time to try things on, keeping what can still be worn and donating what you don’t want anymore. Taking inventory of your closet will make it easy to choose what items will need to be purchased and will avoid unnecessary purchases, saving you money. Having a neat and organized closet will also allow you to see what clothes you have, so that your favourite pieces don’t get lost.

THINK BIG PICTURE
Sping cleaning is a great time to tackle large surfaces and appliances in your house like the windows or the back of the fridge. To keep surfaces clean choose naturally derived products low in chemicals. Made from plant based, biodegradable cleaning ingredients Green Works products are at least 95 percent naturally derived and are great choice for gentle yet effective cleaning.

HAVE FUN:
Spring cleaning is a great time to get the whole family involved in cleaning the house and getting ready for the new season. Involving the kids in task like sorting their clothes or cleaning out under the bed is a great way to have them be a part of the cleaning process.

CONNECT WITH OTHERS:
Finding other people living green, either in your community or online, is a great way to exchange information and ask questions. Check out already existing communities like the Green Works Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greenworkscanada for great tips and advice.

The History of Easter

2011-04-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

The exact origins of this religious feast day's name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Easter is really an entire season of the Christian church year, as opposed to a single-day observance. Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, is a time of reflection and penance and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the wilderness before starting his ministry, a time in which Christians believe he survived various temptations by the devil. The day before Lent, known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, is a last hurrah of food and fun before the fasting begins. The week preceding Easter is called Holy Week and includes Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus' last supper with his disciples; Good Friday, which honors the day of his crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, which focuses on the transition between the crucifixion and resurrection. The 50-day period following Easter Sunday is called Eastertide and includes a celebration of Jesus' ascension into heaven.

In addition to Easter's religious significance, it also has a commercial side, as evidenced by the mounds of jelly beans and marshmallow chicks that appear in stores each spring. As with Christmas, over the centuries various folk customs and pagan traditions, including Easter eggs, bunnies, baskets and candy, have become a standard part of this holy holiday.

Did You Know?
Over 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made each year

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Efortless Office Cleaning Ideas

2011-04-10T10:49:00.001-07:00

Efortless Office Cleaning Ideas
A clean and ordered work environment is basic to encourage output. How would your clients react if they walked into your business to find piles of files and papers in all quarters, soiled carpets and disorganised desks?

If I entered into such an environment, I would turn back and leave straight away and I bet you would too. With that mindset I'll share with you some effortless to administer office cleaning tips to assist keep your business twinkling clean at all time, be it a town office or a home office.

Generally city business units are cleaned by specialist authentic cleaning companies but there are certain things that can be done to help improve the cleanliness of these work places.

This initial tip might sound obsolete but you would be alarmed how many office blocks still haven't applied it to their work environment. Reduce paper clutter by bringing in a digital filing system.

Its likely your corporation already has a network, and thats a positive opening point. Next comes a complete reconstruct of the networks file structure. This will take some time and choosy consideration. A general rule-of-thumb is that an effective digital file system - when segmented - reflects exactly how the business is organised and leaves room for future modification and likely change.

Create a cleaning and organisation inspection group, the idea here is to designate two or three employees, depending on the amount of your workforce, to go around the office inspecting tables and drawers.

This examination team should report directly to the office controller or to you. They should give out warnings for those who don't keep their workstation organised and then issue penalties. That way you will provoke your team to keep their desks and drawers organised at all times.

For home office workers you will have to be your own inspectors, even though you might not get any person visiting your study. Keep in mind what was said in the beginning of this item - A clean and organised workplace boosts productivity.

Incite recycling by adding recycling bins in your office's canteen and around the office. Choose a day of the week to do a "paper recycling day". You can use the cleaning and organization inspection team to go around the office asking for people to get rid of aged paper work that cannot be filed.

Premium help

As my last piece of advice, I would advise you seek professional help to enhance even further the cleanliness and hygiene of your office. Take on an office cleaning company and get them to do the dirty work for you.

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Cooking with Type ii Diabetes: Exposing the Common Myths

2011-03-19T12:58:00.001-07:00

Maintaining a healthy diet is vital to our general health and wellbeing. Eating the right foods help us combat illness, reduce stress, and provide assistance to prevent serious disease. However, for those with type 2 diabetes, making healthy food choices can be both frustrating and confusing. Because diabetes type II is a serious disease, debunking the next myths may actually help to save the lives of numerous.

Myth 1: Diabetes is due to consuming too much sugar.
Though the cause is not totally understood, diabetes is considered to be the result of genetics and lifestyle factors. With diabetes, the body is unable to properly convert food into glucose, which uses insulin to provide the cells with energy. Being overweight can make type II diabetes more likely to occur.

Myth 2: Diabetics can't eat sweets.
Consuming a piece of cake will not cause a medical emergency. Although sugars might be empty calories and cause weight gain if eaten in considerable amounts, when eaten in moderation, sweets can be a part of a healthy diet, especially when joined with exercise.

Myth 3: Diabetics must consume special diabetic foods.
A balanced and healthy diet for those with type II diabetes is quite similar to a healthy diet for anyone - limit the fats, use salt and sugar moderately, and consume wholegrain foods. Lean protein, vegetable, and fruit also help complete a balanced diet. Many foods marketed as "diabetic" foods still usually raise glucose levels in the blood.

Myth 4: Carbohydrates are dangerous for diabetics.
Starches are a significant part of a balanced diet. Carbs may have a significant effect on blood glucose levels, so they should be consumed in moderation. Carbs contain essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber, so eradicating them from the diet is not a healthy idea.

Myth 5: Fruit might be consumed freely because it's healthy and natural.
Although fruit is chocked filled with nutrients, consuming too much of it, especially simultaneously can prove problematic. Also, dried fruits like dates may be high in fat and full of calories. Fruits like these should only be eaten sparingly.

Now that the myths concerning the diet for those with type II diabetes have been exposed, diabetics and non-diabetics alike can make wise decisions regarding food. Combined with proper medical care and exercise, food can continue to certainly be a necessary tool to maintain our bodies healthy.

About Emma Wood blogs for diabetic recipes , her personal blog site she uses to help diabetic patients to eat healthy.

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Cleaning Tips Using Vinegar

2011-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

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Equity and Human Rights

2011-02-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Find more information

Image: World War II opened opportunities for work in defence industries for women, including Black women like these munitions workers. Once the war was over, however, jobs largely returned to white male veterans (courtesy National Film Board of Canada and Library and Archives Canada/no. e000761869).

Black immigrants from around the world have been attracted to Canada by the promise of freedom-to live, work, worship, study, maintain cultural traditions, and be involved in the daily activities of one's community. However, there were barriers to their participation that they did not create. The colour of their skin immediately indicated that they were enslaved people, or the descendants of enslaved people, and the negative attitudes of ordinary people as well as those in high office have affected how well Black people have been able to achieve the dream of equality and freedom, or equity.
While Canada did not have legal segregation, there were always "understandings" about which neighbourhoods Black people could live in, or where they could worship. Most professional organizations, sports, schools, unions, and trade associations would not admit Black people; stores would not hire them; restaurants, theatres, and skating rinks did not permit African-Canadians; and hotels would not rent rooms to African-Canadians no matter how famous they were. The 1850 law that created separate Catholic schools also facilitated the creation of separate Black schools; the last one closed in the 1960s. Are you free if your ambitions are unattainable because of restrictions placed on you by power holders (eg. landlords, teachers, employers, realtors, government officials) due only to the colour of your skin?

Harriet Tubman

2011-02-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Harriet Tubman

Image: Harriet Tubman (courtesy Library of Congress/LC-USZ62-7816)
Born an enslaved African in Maryland, Harriet Araminta "Minty" Ross spent her entire childhood working without payment for the benefit of her owners. Preferring the work in the fields, she was able to learn about following geographical directions and about helpful plants from her father and her brothers. These survival skills came in handy when Tubman later realized that the only way she could gain her freedom was to run away. She did follow someone who was making his way to freedom, only to suffer a serious head injury. Despite suffering from seizures and sleep attacks brought on by the injury, Minty later married John Tubman, a free Black man. Her enslavement did not end upon her union to Tubman, so she tried to convince her husband to run north with her, where they could both live in freedom, but he would not go.

When her owner fell ill, Harriet Tubman was in a difficult position; often, to settle debts, owners would sell their slaves and reduce their holdings. Tubman fled north, making her way to Philadelphia, where she learned about the connections of the Underground Railroad. Returning to Maryland, she sought to free her family and friends; so began her rescue missions as a "conductor." Initially, she and her charges were safe in the northern US, but with a change in the laws, she had to go to Canada. Tubman then began and ended her rescues at St. Catharines; she lived there for eight years. Later acting as a nurse and a spy for the Union forces, Tubman spent her last days in Auburn, New York.

The Underground Railroad: Harriet Tubman
Scroll down to pages 49 and 50 for descriptions of properties in the US associated with Harriet Tubman. The Underground Railroad, from Google Books.

Thanks for reading

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The Forgotten Stories

2011-02-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Image: Black soldiers have had a long history of defending Canada. The Volunteer Military Company from Victoria, BC, active between 1860 and 1864, served during the American Civil War (photograph by Charles Gentile, courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-022626).

What are the forgotten stories of African-Canadian history? There are several, and their absence has led to many misconceptions about the role of Black people in the development of Canada.

One fact is that the first African arrival took place over 400 years ago with interpreter Mathieu da Costa. Since that time, Black people have been constantly coming into Canada helping to build it. Another is the idea that Black people have not "paid their dues," have not served in any military defense of Canada, that Black people are not pulling their weight or taking the level of responsibility that they should as good citizens of Canada.

However, the reality is that African-Canadians have volunteered in every case for active duty, and persisted even when they were not wanted. In order to help defend Canada, separate Black units were created, the first one, on the initiative of African-Canadian Richard Pierpoint. Black people have consistently defended the interests of Canada, or the British controlled territory of Canada from the time of the American Revolutionary War through to the Mackenzie Rebellions and the present.

Whether they were born in Canada, or newcomers supporting the direction that Canada was taking, African-Canadians have been ongoing defenders of this nation, allowing us all to experience the freedoms that we have today.

Thanks for reading

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February is Black History Month

2011-02-14T15:58:00.000-08:00

MULTI SERVICES is presenting some of the introductions to Black History Month

The First is Enslavement

Enslavement

Image: A typical slave auction in the New World. Although these slaves appear to be sold together as a family, this typically was not the case. In fact, many families were broken up and never reunited (watercolour by Henry Byam Martin, courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-115001).

Enslavement was forced on Africans in many places, including the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, South America, and Canada. From the 1400s to the 1800s, slavery primarily relied on the capture and free labour of Black or African peoples. They were forced to be slaves, could expect to remain slaves for life, and any children they had could expect to be slaves for life.

The African continent is home to many ethnic groups who built civilizations and competed with each other for trade. When Europeans looked for ways to open the New World in the west, the demand for captured Africans workers increased dramatically. Kidnapping trips to the interior removed many Africans from their homes. The demand was high for labourers in places like the islands off Africa's west coast, South American mines, and plantations of the Caribbean and North America. Owning slaves was also a sign of wealth in Europe and the various colonies, even the Middle East and China.

Slave "castles" housed the captured Africans until slave ships arrived to collect them. Africans from diverse societies, with different languages and religions, were shackled together. Purchasers from Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Britain, and France selected the healthiest and strongest men, women, and children who could survive the crossing to the New World. The death rate en route typically was 40%. As many as 20 million Black people were taken from Africa during this time. This African Holocaust devastated societies within Africa and crippled African identity elsewhere.

Washing Machine Cleaning Tips

2011-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Do you have a front load washer and its starting to get a little smelly. Well we found some cleaning tips that will help you fix that problem.

Front Loading Washing Machine
In Europe, almost all home washing machines are front loading, and this type of machine is becoming more and more popular in other places. Because they use a tumbling action, they can get clothes cleaner with less water, a double whammy any household could benefit from.

I have noticed though that a front loader gets dirty over time and can even start to stink rather badly if action is not taken. The top drawers where you place detergent and other additives can accumulate scum and a layer of hardened lint may cloud the transaparent door. Humidity can develop into black mold inside the rubber door seal and create a possible source of bad odors.

All of these problems are easily taken care of, even if you have been putting off cleaning your machine for a while.

Cleaning Washing Machine Front Loader
Step 1. Begin by removing the detergent and additive drawer. You may need to consult the owner's manual to see how to do this correctly - don't force it. This can either be washed in hot water in the sink or placed in the top rack of the dishwasher and washed there. You may need to use a toothbrush to get into the nooks and crannies.
Step 2. Using a warm, damp cleaning cloth, and possibly a little all purpose spray on cleaner, wipe out the cavity into which the drawer fits. You may need to use a toothbrush and warm water to get down into the crevices here.
Step 3. Once again, using a warm damp cloth, thoroughly wipe out the inside of the rubber door seal. I advise against using any harsh cleaning products in this area, as the rubber could be damaged. Wipe all around the door itself as well, both inside and out.
Step 4. Return the drawer to its place and fill the appropriate partition with a cup of bleach. Run the empty washing machine on the hottest cycle. The bleach will flush through the system and eliminate all bad odors. I usually run a load of white towels after doing this, just to be sure that all traces of bleach have been eliminated from the system. However, this is probably not necessary. Learn more about cleaning with bleach.
Step 5. Wipe the top and sides of your washing machine occasionally with a soft, damp cloth. Keeping it dust and debris free, as well as dry, will prolong the finish on these parts.

Or just watch this video
http://www.house-cleaning-howtos.com/cleaning-washing-machine.html

Thanks for reading

From Your neighborhood Proffessional Cleaning Company

MULTI SERVICES
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The History of Valentines day

2011-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

The History of Valentines day

Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day.

The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago.

It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine's Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine's Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine's Day.

The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.

It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.

The story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.

The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch's orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested.

While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius' blind daughter.

When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.

Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius' daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend's imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.

Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine's Day.

But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine's Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine", credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day. In Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are related:

"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate."

By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one loved. This tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It was not until the 1840s that Valentine's Day greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine's Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap". It was when Howland began Valentine's cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.

Today, Valentine's Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are "valentine"s. The "valentines", as Valentine's Day cards are better known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.

There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.

5 STEPS TO REFRESH YOUR HOME

2011-01-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

5 STEPS TO REFRESH YOUR HOME

1. De-Clutter
We all have too much stuff, things that accumulate over time. Newspapers and magazines that you “have to save for the article..” kids toys, books, knickknacks… And all that clutter makes you both look and feel unorganized.
If you must keep your periodicals, keep them in one place and vow to yourself that in a month’s time you will get rid of it. If you haven’t gone back to it by then, you probably never will. Give your books and toys a home. A dedicated shelf, cabinet or decorative box will work nicely. Remove any items that aren’t pertinent to the room. i.e. kids backpacks in the living room.

2. Re-Access
As for all those knick-knacks and floral arrangements; well time to re-assess. If you’ve had that floral arrangement in that same corner for more then a couple years, perhaps it’s time to get rid of it. Same goes for those little figurines, candles or pictures. Your home will it look cleaner, and you’ll feel better.
Ask yourself these questions: What shape is your furniture in? Are there rips, stains that need repair? Or mix-matched pieces that don’t belong? Is the scale of the furniture appropriate for the room? Do the pictures coordinate? The accessories? Choose at least on big piece from the room and remove it, how does it make you feel? Do you miss it? Are there any other pieces you can live without? Do some things need replacing?

3. Clean
A good deep cleaning goes a long way in making your room feel better. Move the sofa, vacuum behind it, get those dust bunnies in the corners, wash the windows, need I talk about cobwebs?
A fresh coat of paint will do wonders too. When was the last time you painted? Are there knicks and dents in the walls? Spend a weekend, spackle and paint. A new color will make your room feel brand new.

4. Re-Arrange
The quickest way to give a new look to a room is to re-arrange it. Do you have a conversation area? What is the room’s purpose? TV, reading, games…eliminate items that don’t go with its purpose and you will improve its functionality.

5. Re-Accessorize
You don’t have to get new furniture to improve the look of your room, you can simply re-accessorize. A new rug, pillows or pictures can change the whole look of a room. Re-think the lighting. Adding a new shade or painting a lamp base can give it a whole new appeal.
Today’s homes are clean, uncluttered and streamlined, yours can be too

If you have any questions or need help call MULTI SERVICES Residential & Commercial cleaning 416-782-3417 www.multiservices-janitorial.com

Five-Step Bathroom Refresher

2011-01-22T18:01:00.000-08:00

With the beginning of a new year comes a fresh start, making it a great time to give your bathroom a thorough top to bottom cleaning. Whether you’re moving into a new home and need to give your new bathroom a refresher, or you just need to revive a familiar space, following our step-by-step tips will help you get a deep clean and a fresh start.

Step-By-Step Cleaning
We start and end each day in the bathroom, so it’s important to maintain a space that’s clean and positive. Follow these five steps to clean your bathroom, and if you’re ringing in the year by moving into a new home, skip to step two since your new bathroom won’t require decluttering.

Step 1: Remove Clutter for Easier Cleaning
• Declutter: Remove all items from the bathroom, including hair products, makeup, soap dispensers and anything that might get in the way of cleaning a surface.
• Toss: As you’re removing items from your bathroom, don’t hesitate to toss anything out that isn’t being used. If something hasn’t been used within the past six months, it can likely be thrown away.
• Sort: When removing items from drawers or cabinets, sort each space’s contents into separate containers so they can easily be returned to their original location. Filing boxes, shoe boxes, reusable grocery bags or brown paper bags can all be used to sort.

Step 2: Clean Your Bathtub or Shower Stall
• Walls: Clean the walls of your bathtub or shower with a solution that doesn’t leave behind the overwhelming smell of bleach. Mr. Clean® Bath Cleaner with Febreze® Freshness is great for the task since it cleans 2x more soap scum per swipe compared to the leading bleach all-purpose cleaner while leaving behind a fresh scent, like Febreze Meadows & Rain.
• Tub or Tile Floor: As tubs and tile flooring experience wear over time, discoloration slowly occurs—often so gradually that it’s hard to notice any change. Reach for Mr. Clean® Magic Eraser® Bath Scrubber to clean 3x more soap scum per swipe*.
• Shower Curtain or Glass Doors: Don’t forget to polish off your shower or bathtub by cleaning your shower curtain, liner or glass doors. Mr. Clean Bath Cleaner with Febreze Freshness works great for removing soap scum so you can move on to your next task in no time.

Step 3: Clean Your Toilet
• Wipe Down: Start by putting on a pair of rubber gloves, then spray your toilet, seat included, with Mr. Clean Bath Cleaner with Febreze Freshness. Make sure you also spray around the base and rear of the toilet before you wipe down with paper towels.
• Clean the Bowl: Use a liquid toilet bowl cleaner to line the inner rim of your toilet bowl, allowing the cleaning agents to run down the inside of the bowl. Scrub away grime with a brush, then flush.

Step 4: Clean Your Mirrors, Countertops & Sink
• Mirrors First: Use Mr. Clean® Multi-Surfaces Spray Cleaner with Febreze® Freshness to give mirrors a streak-free shine while leaving behind the fresh scent of Febreze Lavender Vanilla & Comfort.
• Counter & Sink: Clean your bathroom counter and sink with a solution that can effectively power through soap scum. Mr. Clean Bath Cleaner with Febreze Freshness makes a great companion and can be used for both counters and sinks, so you only have to use one solution.

Step 5: Finishing Touches
• Floor: To finish your cleaning job, use Mr. Clean Multi-Surfaces Liquid with Febreze Freshness to clean dirt and eliminate odours on linoleum or tile floors. Cleaning with a scent like Febreze Meadows & Rain, your bathroom will smell as fresh as it looks.
• Re-Stock: Once you’ve allowed all of the bathroom surfaces to dry, return your items to their original locations, or place items in their new location if you’re just moving in. If you’re in need of more space, consider using some of our bathroom storage solutions.
For more information on smart cleaning solutions that keep bathroom clean-up simple, visit mrclean.ca.

About Multi Services Residential & Commercial Cleaning

2010-12-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

The True Meaning of Christmas

2010-12-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas[3] or Christmas Day[4][5] is a holiday observed generally on December 25[6] to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity.[7][8] The date is not known to be the actual birthday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived,[9] the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar,[10] or one of various ancient winter festivals.[9][11] Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.[12]

Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians,[1][13] and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several similar mythological figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.[14]

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Etymology

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[8] "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ, and it, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century.[15] Hence, Xmas is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Christmas.

Celebration

Further information: Christmas worldwide

Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in most countries of the world, even in many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian countries, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan and Korea, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations and Christmas trees. Notable countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include People's Republic of China, (excepting Hong Kong and Macao), Japan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Thailand, Nepal, Iran, Turkey and North Korea.

Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures. For many Christians, participating in a religious service plays an important part in the recognition of the season. Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance. In many Catholic countries, the people hold religious processions or parades in the days preceding Christmas. In other countries, secular processions or parades featuring Santa Claus and other seasonal figures are often held. Family reunions and the exchange of gifts are a widespread feature of the season. Gift giving takes place on Christmas Day in most countries. Others practise gift giving on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day, and January 6, Epiphany.

The Nativity by Charles-François Poerson, 1667.

Date of celebration

For many centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born.[16] In the early 18th century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations. Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the winter solstice,[10] which the Romans called bruma and celebrated on December 25.[17] In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church.[11] According to Judeo-Christian tradition, creation as described in the Genesis creation narrative occurred on the date of the spring equinox, i.e. March 25 on the Roman calendar. This date is now celebrated as Annunciation and as the anniversary of Incarnation.[18] In 1889, Louis Duchesne suggested that the date of Christmas was calculated as nine months after Annunciation, the traditional date of the conception of Jesus.[19]

The December 25 date may have been selected by the church in Rome in the early 4th century. At this time, a church calendar was created and other holidays were also placed on solar dates: "It is cosmic symbolism...which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the winter solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the summer solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception. While they were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas," according to modern scholar S.E. Hijmans.[20]

However, today, whether or not the birth date of Jesus is on December 25 is not considered to be an important issue in mainstream Christian denominations;[21][22][23] rather, the belief that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.[21][22][23]

Starving Children Eat Bugs to Survive!

2010-12-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Starving Children Eat Bugs to Survive!

Globalization Will NOT End World Hunger

This is an excerpt from Anita Roddick's book "Take it Personally."

"The globalization of agriculture fails to address the world's hunger crisis. In fact it makes it worse. During the past two decades, the total amount of food in the, world has increased, but so has hunger.

The main problem is that globalization of food production pushes small, self reliant farmers off their lands and replaces them with large chemical and machine-intensive corporate farms. It does not emphasize food for hungry local communities. Instead, it encourages exports resulting in monocultures - a single crop grown over thousands of acres. These crops are usually luxury items cultivated for export and are notoriously vulnerable to insect blights and bad weather, and cause soil infertility.

Starving children searching for insects to eat in Sudan

From 'Take it Personally' Anita Roddick.

Global biotechnology companies claim they have the answer to world hunger. But biotech production does nothing to solve local hunger problems. Does anyone believe that the invention of biotech plants whose seeds are sterile - forcing farmers to buy new seeds every year - has anything to do with stopping hunger? The biotech industry's goal is not to feed the hungry, only to feed itself."

A recent United Nations study confirms that the world already has enough food. The problem is one of distribution. Global trade rules put food production and distribution in the hands of agribusiness giants, supplanting the traditional system of local production for local consumption.

The world is producing the wrong kind of food, by a process that leaves millions of people landless, homeless, cashless, and unable to feed themselves.

Is it any wonder that there is huge resentment against the west?

END

________________________________________

Eating Mud Cookies to Survive

Researchers have found that the average American family throws away 1.28 pounds of food per day, for an annual total of 470 pounds per household, or 14 percent of all food brought into the house.

________________________________________

The Reason Why You Shouldn't Give Money to Big Charities

I am disgusted with America's charities, who pay their executives 6-digit salaries. Children International asks for donations of $22 per child to provide food, medical, education and other needs. Yet, their CEO was paid $347,381 in 2007! It is appalling to me that an organization that stresses how far a mere $22 will go per month, pays their CEO $347,381 a year! That's just plain wrong in my opinion. Anything can be justified, but that doesn't necessarily make it proper or ethical.

The Salvation Army isn't quite as bad, they only paid their CEO $175,050 in 2004. No doubt, they have all kinds of excuses to justify such outrageous salaries; but no one needs that kind of salary, and it is certainly unbecoming of a so-called “charitable organization.” I realize that top executives are often paid high salaries for their fund-raising abilities and expertise; yet, it's just inconsistent with all the plethora of ads we see begging for our donations, which might mean “life or death to some child.” If that's the case, just think how many more children's lives could be saved if the CEO's of these fat cat charities were to give back 80% of their salary, God forbid, and actually have to live on $75,000 a year! My, oh my, how would they survive?

What gets me is that a charitable organization can actually pay their CEO $375,000 a year and still be rated by the BBB as a great company. Not in my book! The BBB is a joke in America! Many companies who support the BBB are given preferential treatment. In my opinion, you can't trust information from the BBB, nor from America's big charities.

Red Cross and United Way are even worse. The top CEO at Red Cross pulled down a $651,957 salary in 2003! According to Forbes, United Way's top executive made $629,950 in 2004! Why do people support these fat cat charities?

A lot of people give money to charities to boost their public image, feel good about themselves or to find a tax write-off. It is a sore evil in America. While an estimated 18,000 children continue to starve to death daily throughout the world, and others eat bugs to survive, America's biggest charities continue to pay their top executives outrageous salaries. It is a false balance in God's eyes. Few people realize these days that America's charities have become lucrative businesses.

My advice to people is to find some poor person and give the money directly to them. There are many poor people today, and others who have lost their jobs, or are homeless, and you can be a blessing to them directly. And best of all, you know that 100% of the money is going to charity, and not helping to pay someone's $600,000 salary! Really, it is insane to pay someone that kind of money in a so-called “charity.”

Who do you think will appreciate your money more... some fat cat charity or a struggling family who has no income?

If you DO decide to support any charity, demand a financial report of where the donations are being spent. This way you can see first hand where your money is going, and can make sure that you're not buying someone a mansion in the suburbs. Don't accept a vague summary, kindly ask for specifics. If they don't disclose such information, give elsewhere. Honestly, too many people are abusing the system today, living extravagantly on donations, because people don't think.

I just can't in good conscience drop my money into a Santa Claus's bucket at Christmas time, when I know the top dog at the Salvation Army is getting paid $175,000 a year!

I cringe when I hear ads telling people how much their $22 a month can do to better a poor child's life, knowing that the CEO of that charity got paid $347,381 in 2007! Yet, so many people sit at home, staring at some picture of a child they're supporting for $22 a month, failing to realize that the CEO of that company makes 15-TIMES what the average American family gets paid annually. No CEO of a charitable organization ought to be paid more than $47,381 a year, which leaves $300,000 remaining from this guy's salary. For $22 per month, $300,000 can help an additional 1,136 poor children! Yet, the charity appeals to the American public, from families who are struggling financially to live on $30,000 a year, to give $22 per month. The whole charity scene in America is enough to make one want to go vomit.

Please stop giving to big charities and start giving money directly to the poor.

Furthermore, most of those big charities don't share the Gospel with the people being helped. Even the Salvation Army is more Army than Salvation these days. When you give money directly to the poor, you can witness to them concerning Jesus Christ, or give them a Gospel of John. Just think how much further your money can go by giving it directly to the poor. I am a firm believer in helping the poor, but not through some fat cat organization that keeps back $600,000 a year for it's CEO. That's crazy!

Frizz or formaldehyde? Trendy 'do poses a hairy dilemma

2010-11-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

Frizz or formaldehyde? Trendy 'do poses a hairy dilemma

Testing finds compound in Brazilian Blowout (but it sure makes hair look fabulous)

Nathan Weber / for msnbc.com

Jennifer Dooley's hair was transformed from frizz-prone to perfectly smooth and straight when she underwent a Brazilian Blowout two months ago. The product is labeled "formaldehyde-free" but recent tests conducted in Oregon and Canada suggest otherwise.

By Diane Mapes

“Suffer for beauty” has been taken to a whole new level with recent controversy surrounding a trendy hair treatment called the Brazilian Blowout.

The product, used in pricey salons, turns frizzy, unmanageable locks into the luxurious pin-straight looks made popular by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The catch? Tests conducted by the state of Oregon earlier this month determined that the product contains unsafe levels of formaldehyde — as in, embalming fluid — a known carcinogen.

But that’s not deterring some from the pursuit of fabulous wash-and-wear locks.

“Chemicals are a way of life now,” says Stefeny Anderson, a 36-year-old event planner from Renton, Wash., who got her first Brazilian Blowout two weeks ago in an effort to tame “corkscrew curls” that frizz at the slightest hint of rain (a given in Washington state). “It’s not like you’re putting it in your hair every day.”

Introduced at salons a few years ago, the Brazilian Blowout costs about $250. But after the two-hour treatment — which involves coating the hair with the chemical, then flat-ironing it — coarse, kinky hair becomes soft, smooth and straight for two to three months. Sort of an anti-perm, the Brazilian Blowout has been touted as more effective and less time-consuming than other hair-straightening methods such as conventional relaxers, Japanese thermal processing or other keratin-based treatments (there are several available), although concerns have been raised about the product’s possible formaldehyde content in the past, when Allure magazine did an exposé.

These concerns soon dissipated, though, once the company reformulated the products and began distributing bottles labeled “formaldehyde-free.”

Formaldehyde-and-seek

Earlier this month, though, Oregon Health & Science University issued two public alerts after tests performed by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found up to 10.6 percent formaldehyde in the product (.2 percent formaldehyde is considered safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel).

Brazilian Blowout disputes the finding. "We have no formaldehyde in our formula," spokesperson Dana Supnick said.

In other tests a couple of weeks ago, Canada's health department found up to 12 percent formaldehyde and warned people to stop using it, citing consumer complaints of “burning eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulties, and one report of hair loss associated with use of the product.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen with research suggesting an association between formaldehyde exposure in workers and several cancers including nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia. Short-term exposure is no picnic, either; adverse effects include watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation.

Health complaints from stylists who’ve performed the Brazilian Blowout on clients have prompted at least one class action lawsuit against the manufacturer. The FDA has also announced it’s received “a number of inquiries from consumers and salon professionals concerning the safety of this product” and are currently looking into the issue.

Godsend or health gamble?

Despite these hair-raising headlines, the Brazilian Blowout has proved to be such a godsend for those with frizzy, unmanageable hair that health-conscious women are left in a tangled dilemma.

Courtesy of Jennifer Dooley

Jennifer Dooley says surviving this year's annual Jimmy Buffet concert without frizz is the true test of the Brazilian Blowout. On the left, she's at last year's show, with "curly hair as big as the stadium he played in." At this summer's show (right), Dooley's hair stayed sleek through the encore.

“I keep debating with myself,” says Jennifer Dooley, a 31-year-old hospital public affairs officer from Romeoville, Ill., who got a Brazilian Blowout two months ago. Dooley says her new stick-straight hair requires no maintenance whatsoever, as opposed to her kinky curls which made her hair look like a “football helmet” in Chicago’s humidity.

Dooley says the true test of the Brazilian Blowout came at the end of the summer, when her formerly frizzy hair withstood eight hours of tailgating in 100-degree heat at a Jimmy Buffet concert. At last year's concert, she ended the night with "curly hair as big as the stadium he played in."

“I’d probably be doing infomercials for it if there weren’t so many concerns about it right now,” she says. She goes to a reputable salon and trusts her stylist so says when the solution was touted as “formaldehyde-free” she decided to give it a try. “But it does make you think, ‘What did they really do to my hair to make it do that?’ I know how curly it is. I’ll think twice before I’ll do it, but I wouldn’t say no to doing it again.”

Others, like Anderson, believe the formaldehyde issue has been blown out of proportion.

“I think people tend to freak out about things and don’t know all the details and then all of the sudden, something gets banned,” she says. “It’s totally worth it. I love the way my hair looks.”

Video: Sesame Street's 'I love my hair' video goes viral

Better safe than sorry?

Despite customer demand, Vasken Demirjian, owner of the Vasken Demirjian Salon in White Plains, N.Y., stopped offering the treatment.

“I pulled it off the menu the second I found out about the test in Oregon,” he says. “I’ll probably lose some clients but I could care less at this stage. The whole thing is alarming.”

Alarming, but perhaps not totally unexpected.

“One of my stylists said it made her eyes water when she was using it so she started wearing a mask,” he says. “When I saw her wearing that mask, I asked myself, ‘Does that look good? No.’”

Remembrance Day

2010-11-11T05:36:00.000-08:00

Canadians in the Great Wars

In World War I, Canadians fought in historic battles such as the battles of Ypres, Passchendaele, and Vimy Ridge, and Canada’s “Hundred Days” offensive which ended the War on November 11, 1918. Canadian soldiers became known around the world as an elite force, and were nicknamed “storm troopers” by those who feared them.

In World War I (1914-18), World War II (1939-45) and the Korean War (1950-53), more than 1,500,000 young men and women bravely served overseas. More than 100,000 of these soldiers never returned home.

If you would like to learn more about the role Canadians have played in major wars, visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website at:

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/ or the Royal Canadian Legion website at http://www.legion.ca/

What is Remembrance Day?

The signing of Armistice occurred at 11am on November 11, 1918, marking the official end of World War I. On November 11th by remembering the soldiers lost in World War I. Since then, we pause for a moment of silence on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month , promising to never forget.

Why Do We Wear The Poppy?

While stationed near Ypres, Belgium in April of 1915, a Canadian soldier, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, wrote the famous poem, In Flanders Fields.

Those who read the poem were inspired to wear poppies in memory of the soldiers lost during the war. The poppy has since became a national symbol of remembrance for Canadians.

Where Can I attend a Remembrance Day Ceremony?

Sunrise Ceremony – 7:30am, Prospect Cemetery, 1450 St. Clair Avenue West (St. Clair Avenue & Lansdowne Avenue)

York Civic Centre – 10:45am, York Memorial Collegiate, 2690 Eglinton Avenue West

Toronto City Hall – 10:30am, Cenotaph, 60 Queen Street West

North York Civic Centre – 10:45am, George Weston Recital hall at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge street

For updates on times and locations, visit http://www.toronto.ca/lestweforget/remembrance-city.htm or contact Mike Colle’s office at 416-781-2395

The History of Rememberance Day

2010-11-09T16:54:00.000-08:00

MULTI SERVICES REMEMBERS

The Royal Canadian Legion suggests that poppies be worn on the left lapel, or as close to the heart as possible.[39] In Canada, the poppy is the official symbol of remembrance worn during the two weeks prior to November 11, after having been adopted in 1921.

The Canadian poppies consist of two pieces of moulded plastic covered with flocking with a pin to attach them to clothing. The head portion of the pin is bent at an angle in a simple unusual design that requires a unique machine at manufacturing. Originally the poppies were manufactured with a black centre ever since their original design in 1922. From 1980 to 2002 the centres were changed to green to represent the green hills of Flanders. Current designs are black only; this reversion caused notable confusion and controversy to those unfamiliar with the original design.[40]

An older poppy design, in use until c. 1970, involved three pieces: red, then a black piece in the current style but made of felt, then a small circle of green felt in the very centre.

Until 1996, poppies were made by disabled veterans in Canada, but they have since been made by a private contractor.[41]

In 2007, sticker versions of the poppy were developed for children, the elderly, and health care and food industry workers. The stickers were not designed to replace the lapel pin poppies, but merely to allow those who could not normally wear one to do so safely.[42]

Start with Trust

2010-11-06T10:20:00.001-07:00

Start with Trust
MULTI SERVICES
Residential & Commercial Cleaning Service

Professional Cleaners without the Professional Price

We’re fully Licensed, Trained Certified and are Safety Certified, Bonded & Insured

Our company has been a BBB Accredited business since December 2009. This means it supports BBB's services to the public and meets the BBB Accreditation standards.

We welcome all homes, businesses and establishments:

At Multi Services we understand that your satisfaction means a job well done.

Call for a Free Estimate Today

416-782-3417

Dirty Places#3 Your Salt and Pepper Shaker

2010-10-30T12:38:00.001-07:00

Dirty Places#3 Your Salt and Pepper Shaker

Could one of the dirtiest places in your home be right on the table where you eat?

Unfortunately, yes, according to a 2008 study by researchers at the University of Virginia. In the study, researchers asked 30 adults who were beginning to show signs of a cold, to name 10 places they’d touched in their homes over the previous 18 hours. The researchers then tested those areas for cold viruses. The tests found viruses on 41% of the surfaces tested, and every one of the salt and pepper shakers tested were positive for cold viruses.

Quick fix to banish bacteria:

When you wipe the kitchen table after eating, wipe off the salt and pepper shaker too. But your best protection against spreading or picking up germs when you reach for seasonings is to wash your hands -- before and after.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The summer has passed us and winter is here and it's time for cleaning

So get your homes looking SHINY and CLEAN for winter

Your NEEDS come first

We listen to you and respond to your needs

We’re Fully Licensed, Trained Certified and are Safety Certified, Insured & Bonded

Our company has been a BBB Accredited business since December 2009

Guarantee

We guarantee our work and stand behind our promises.

MULTI SERVICES

Residential & Commercial Cleaning

CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE

416-782-3417

www.multiservices-janitorial.com

2181 Avenue Rd North York ON M5M 4B8

Hiring for a professional cleaning service

2010-10-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hiring for a professional cleaning service is perceived as lavishness by most people. This is because hiring for a cleaning service to do the cleaning in your workplace or just in your home would partake a portion in your budget allocated for regular bills. Although you might hesitate to hire a cleaning service because of the added expenses, your will see the benefits when you get one. This is particularly so when you are moving in to a new house.

When you have decided to finally hire a professional cleaning service, you can choose from the basic or regular cleaning to cleaning anything that needs to be cleaned. The services that you will get depends on how much is your budget and what would you like to be cleaned.

Deciding on whether you want to hire a professional cleaning service or doing the task yourself can be tough especially when you do not want shell out additional cost. Ask about other people’s experiences in hiring a cleaning service and you will know that you too can experience the benefits. Most importantly, you can have the convenience of doing other more relevant and urgent things for you than cleaning. This is absolutely the case to many working mothers who do not have time to spare for house cleaning. And this is also the case in many companies who do not want to allocate budget on a single employee who will do only the cleaning.

There are many benefits which you can get from hiring a professional cleaner do your home or office cleaning.

In many families who are moving in to a new house and moved out from their old house, getting a cleaning service is the most practical and convenient way to clean the house. It is required that when you leave your old home or apartment the family moving out should do the cleaning for the benefit of the next occupants. When moving out of an old house, your mind is already preoccupied of the tasks waiting for you in your new home. Rather than getting involved in the house cleaning, which may really be exhausting for you, grab the convenience of having someone do it. On that way, you can focus on doing other more important things.

This applies the same when moving in a new house left unclean by the previous occupants. This can be disappointing and you would not like to add more stress to the feeling by cleaning it up yourself. Get a cleaning company do the labor for you so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your new home!

Services offered by cleaning companies may vary. The services that you want from one company may not offered by another. Some cleaning professionals do only certain services and they stick to it. This is why you need to look into the services of more than company so you can choose the best. Think about the services that you need and start looking for which company can give you exactly what you need.

Although the cleaning services you want done may be provided by a particular company, some of the things you want may not be done. It is then important that you make a list of what exactly are the things you want to be cleaned and how precisely you want the work to be done. Have your cleaners be guided by this list so you can be comfortable to anticipate a quality output.

You may personally conduct an interview with the cleaning company. Ask questions which you think are relevant in how capable they are in providing quality services. You have the right to ask all possible questions that should be asked so you can have a secure feeling that you entrusted your home to a credible and trustworthy cleaning company. An interview is necessary for you to be able to get a feel of how the company executes its job and how can it satisfy your expectations as a client. By getting the best company, you will be happy that you really exerted effort in finding one.

Be assured of only quality cleaning service

For busy people especially to parents who do not have time to spare for house cleaning because of a very demanding schedule at work, cleaning gets too little attention. Time is very important for these types of people and cleaning would take the back seat in their list of priorities.

In many places that are required to be clean as frequent as possible such as places for entertainment like auditorium and theaters, industrial places, work areas, and other public facilities such as the toilet, getting someone to clean is given due importance. To these places that are frequently used by many people, cleaning should be done at a high quality level. Professional cleaners can do this. No ordinary person can clean such wide and frequently used areas with expected efficiency in a short time. Cleaning companies have the solution to this consistent problem. They offer far more practical answer that is your money’s worth. Companies offering professional cleaning also have high criterion on a clean place. The cleaning services offered range from industrial to residential cleaning.

Commercial cleaning can be practical because it is charged at reasonable fees and is done with high efficiency such that it can be accomplished in a short period of time. Cleaning companies will send you a rational number of cleaners at a sensible price quotation. You can be assured that they are trained to work under pressure and to execute their duties at a professional level. Their quality service is aided by high-end and expensive cleaning materials and equipment that are not feasible for you to purchase for your own use.

Professional cleaners are very careful in cleaning areas that normally require sanitation and most proper handling. You can also be assured that their mission is to satisfy your expectations and to be cautious in handling your valuables or damages will be on the company. Responsibility is what these cleaning experts carry out along with quality cleaning service.

Finding the right cleaner

2010-10-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Finding the right cleaner isn't the easiest job in the world and you're bound to have questions. Well, you've come to the right place for answers! Below you'll find a few of the frequently asked questions that we receive here at MULTI SERVICES. If you have a question that isn't on the list, feel free to give us a call!

Questions & Answers

Are you bonded and Insured?
Yes, we believe anyone working in your home should be covered. Our insurance is covered up $1,000,000. A copy of our insurance is available upon request.

Do you screen your employees?
Yes, we carefully screen all of our employees and check references. We also do a police check. All of our employees are covered under our insurance and worker's comp. Also, all of our employees must go through training before becoming a professional cleaner. They also must speak and read English and have a good professional manner and wear our Multi services uniform for cleaning.

Is your Service guaranteed?
Yes, satisfaction guaranteed, what’s your guarantee?
We have a stellar track record; however, if you are dissatisfied with your cleaning you are given a 24 hour period to contact us and have that particular area re-cleaned at no cost to you. A note will also be made on your file so that we know to pay particular attention to it next tim

Are your cleaning jobs checked?
Yes, (In home cleaning we go over with the customer and in the professional office we have customer service who call the clients to check if their satisfied with their clean. We also send our supervisor to periodically check the cleaning for quality control

How do you accept payment?
We accept cash, cheque or money order. Cheques accepted by regular customers only and they can pay once a month. Your cleaner will provide you with a written receipt after payment. Commercial clients can be invoiced once a month.
For one time cleans payment is due at the end of the service.

How many cleaners do you send?
After we estimate it, which is a free quote. We send two or more cleaners for your home or office cleaning. For regular cleaning, we do our best to send the same cleaner for your preferred day and time

Benefits of hiring a professional cleaning company!
y Hiring for a professional cleaning service is perceived as lavishness by most people. This is because hiring for a cleaning service to do the cleaning in your workplace or just in your home would partake a portion in your budget allocated for regular bills. Although you might hesitate to hire a cleaning service because of the added expenses, your will see the benefits when you get one. This is particularly so when you are moving in to a new house.

What is the risk of hiring a private cleaning lady?
Your homeowner's insurance should cover if she is injured in your home. Same for theft and if she damages your property, but you'd have a deductible and they would attempt to go after her for damages she caused. If she has no business liability insurance, she'd end up in some serious financial trouble. But that's a risk you take.

Do you Have References?
Yes, we will bring references upon request.

What kind of services do you offer?
We specialize in provisions of the following areas and welcome all homes, business and establishments.
Professional office buildings such as Banks, call centers, offices, design companies, art stores, Medical Buildings such as Hospital, doctor & dental surgeries, foot doctors, medical clinic, chiropractic, optometrist, learning facilities such as college, schools, child care centers).
Contract cleaning houses, apartments and move in & out clean ups, one time cleaning, commercial stores, supermarket, cinema theatre, memorial hall and churches. Construction renovation cleanups, new home and office clean ups, spring cleaning, emergency services, windows and much, much more

Is Multi Services Licensed?
Yes, we are fully licensed to work in Ontario

How do you Determine rates?
We first view the property, determine the size and amount of work needed to be completed, consider clients budget and determine what we believe to be fair on both ends of the deal

Do I have to home when you clean?
No, you may either give us a copy of your key, which we keep safe in a file or can leave an entrance open. Which ever makes you more comfortable?

Why does a one time or first time house cleaning take longer?
It always takes longer because the cleaners will do a thorough cleaning for when going in the next time they will keep up and improve the clean

I've never had cleaning services, how do I start?
We first come in and view the property, we sit and go over what needs to be done, set up dates and time, and sign a contract together.

How do I get ready for the cleaners?
Clutter is the #1 thing that slows us down, so we ask our clients to have the newspapers, toys, laundry, and scattered items to be picked up, dishes out of the way before we come, so that we can start immediately when we get there.

What days do you work?
Our office is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00am to 8:00pm but our cleaners will work till needed.

What time will you arrive?
We set up a time to your preferences or will come in after office hours so we are out of the way.

Do you send a team or an individual to clean?
We always send a team, depending on the size of your property or amount of work to be done.
Can I leave a note for the team?
Yes, we always welcome any input the client has.

What if I am unhappy with the clean?
We always go over the clean with the client, if something is not clean, we will be happy to do it over.

What if I forget the team is coming to clean my house/office?
There is a $20 fee if our cleaner is unable to gain access to your home/office at no fault of ours

Do you offer cleaning specials, discounts or coupons?
Yes, we have specials for seniors and single parents; we have offers for our current clients and also hand out coupons for anyone interested.

Can I get a gift certificate?
Yes, if requested we will print and hand out a certificates with no problem.

Do you use our supplies or yours?
Mostly we use the customer’s supplies as the customer prefers their cleaning products for a specific scent or we can supply all the materials for an additional $5 flat rate. If you would like to supply your own materials and are not sure what to have on hand, we can e-mail you a list of suggested products and materials. Really, all you need is the basics and we can achieve wonders from that!

Please call if you have any more questions and we would be happy to answer all your questions.

416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

The history of toothbrush and toothpaste

2010-10-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Toothbrush

Natural bristle brushes were invented by the ancient Chinese who made toothbrushes with bristles from the necks of cold climate pigs.
French dentists were the first Europeans to promote the use of toothbrushes in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. William Addis of Clerkenwald, England, created the first mass-produced toothbrush. The first American to patent a toothbrush was H. N. Wadsworth and many American Companies began to mass-produce toothbrushes after 1885. The Pro-phy-lac-tic brush made by the Florence Manufacturing Company of Massachusetts is one example of an early American made toothbrush. The Florence Manufacturing Company was also the first to sell toothbrushes packaged in boxes. In 1938, DuPont manufactured the first nylon bristle toothbrushes.
Hard to believe, but most Americans did not brush their teeth until Army soldiers brought their enforced habits of tooth brushing back home after World War II.
The first real electric toothbrush was produced in 1939, and developed in Switzerland. In 1960, Squibb marketed the first American electrical toothbrush in the United States called the Broxodent. General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush in 1961. Introduced in 1987, Interplak was the first rotary action electrical toothbrush for home use.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste was used as long ago as 500 BC in both China and India; however, modern toothpastes were developed in the 1800s. In 1824, a dentist named Peabody was the first person to add soap to toothpaste. John Harris first added chalk as an ingredient to toothpaste in the 1850s. In 1873, Colgate mass-produced the first toothpaste in a jar. In 1892, Dr. Washington Sheffield of Connecticut manufactured toothpaste into a collapsible tube. Sheffield's toothpaste was called Dr. Sheffield's Creme Dentifrice. In 1896, Colgate Dental Cream was packaged in collapsible tubes imitating Sheffield. Advancements in synthetic detergents made after WW II allowed for the replacement of the soap used in toothpaste with emulsifying agents such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Ricinoleate. A few years later, Colgate started to add fluoride to toothpaste.

www.multiservices-janitorial.com

Dirty Places # 2: Your Toothbrush

2010-10-20T07:47:00.003-07:00

Dirty Places # 2: Your Toothbrush
You put it in your mouth twice a day, but do you ever think of all the germs lurking on it? “You rinse it off after using it and put it away damp,” says Abruzzo. “Bacteria like the moist area and grow on it.”
If the germs from your own mouth weren’t enough to contaminate your toothbrush, the germs from your toilet certainly are. Research in the 1970s by Charles P. Gerba, PhD, of the University of Arizona Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, found that flushing the toilet sends a spray of bacteria- and virus-contaminated water droplets into air. These germs, he found, can float around in the bathroom for at least two hours after each flush before landing on surfaces -- including your toothbrush.
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
Abruzzo recommends placing your toothbrush where it can air out and dry between uses -- but not too close to the toilet. Also, replace your toothbrush often, particularly after you’ve been sick, and close your toilet lid before flushing.
Or
So now you know the facts
Hire a cleaner to clean your house and your washroom twice a month
Call now for a Free Estimate 416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

Dirty Places: The Kitchen Sink

2010-10-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Dirty Places: The Kitchen Sink
Although the mere thought of retrieving anything from your toilet bowl may be enough to make you sick, your toilet may be cleaner than your kitchen sink, says Eileen Abruzzo, director of infection control at Long Island College Hospital of Brooklyn, New York. Food particles from plates left to soak or rinsed from dishes on their way to the dishwasher can serve as a breeding ground for illness-causing bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. They can get on your hands or spread to foods.
Although most people take steps to disinfect their toilet bowls, few give their kitchen sink the same consideration, Abruzzo tells WebMD. “They rinse their sinks with water and assume they are clean -- but they’re not.”
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
To sanitize your sink and prevent the spread of bacteria, Abruzzo recommends washing it with a solution of bleach and water once a day and then letting the solution run down the drain. Remember to remove the drain plug and clean it, too, she says. Then wash your hands.
Or
Hire a cleaning service to clean your house twice a month to clean all those dirty places.
Call now for a Free Estimate 416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

Thanksgiving history

2010-10-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Thanksgiving (disambiguation).

Thanksgiving Day

Observed by Canada, United States

Type National

Date 2nd Monday in October (Canada)
4th Thursday in November (U.S.)
2010 date October 11, 2010 (Canada);
November 25, 2010 (U.S.)
2011 date October 10, 2011 (Canada);
November 24, 2011 (U.S.)

Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States, Canada and increasingly so in Australia. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.[1]

Origins

The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving was not for harvest but homecoming. He had safely returned from a search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving the long journey.[2] French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 1600s also took to celebrating their successful harvests. They even shared their food with the indigenous people of the area as well as setting up what became known as the "Order of Good Cheer."[3] As many more settlers arrived in Canada, more celebrations of good harvest became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish, Germans would also add their own harvest traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the American aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey) were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.[3]

The traditional origin point for Thanksgiving in the United States is the celebration that occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. The Plymouth celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States. This Thanksgiving, modeled after celebrations that were commonplace in contemporary Europe, is generally regarded as America's first. Author and teacher Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon of the University of Florida have argued that the earliest attested "thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.[4][5] According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, there may have been an influence of the annual services of thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, which the Pilgrims witnessed during their stay in Leiden.[6]

Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th Century, when it was typically held on November 6th. After the end of World War I, Thanksgiving Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies were usually held during the same week. To avoid the two holidays from clashing with one another, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on it's present date.[3] Thanksgiving in the United States had typically been observed on different dates throughout history; by the beginning of the 20th century, the final Thursday in November had become the standard day of Thanksgiving in most U.S. states. It would not be until December 26th, 1941 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after pushing to move the date earlier to give the country an economic boost, signed a bill into law making Thanksgiving a national holiday fixed to its current date.[7] Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Observance

Canada
Main article: Thanksgiving (Canada)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day (Canadian French: Jour de l'Action de grâce), occurring on the second Monday in October, is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. Although the original act of Parliament references God and the holiday is celebrated in churches, the holiday is also celebrated in a secular manner.
Grenada
In Grenada there is a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day celebrated on October 25th. Even though it bears the same name, and is celebrated around the same time as the American and Canadian versions of Thanksgiving, it is unrelated with either. Instead the holiday marks the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the island in 1983 in response to the deposition and execution of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.[8]
Netherlands
Many of the Pilgrims who would end up at the Plymouth Plantation had resided in the city of Leiden from 1609-1620, many of whom had recorded their birth, marriages and deaths at the Pieterskerk church.[9] To commemorate this, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the morning of the American Thanksgiving Day in the Pieterskerk, a Gothic church in Leiden, to commemorate the hospitality the Pilgrims received in Leiden on their way to the New World.[10]
United States
Main article: Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, currently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863. Thanksgiving was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God.[1]
Australia
Thanksgiving Day in Australia, celebrated on the 29th of May is increasingly becoming an annual tradition by the younger Middle to Upper Class in Australia. The day is dedicated to saying "thanks" to current and former Australian troops for serving Australia and is also to pledge thanks giving to the God.

Hydro worker dies in storm accident

2010-09-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

A 27-year-old hydro worker in Port Elgin, Ont., was electrocuted Tuesday night while working on a repair as severe thunderstorms swept southern and central Ontario.

Saugeen Shores police said the Westario Power employee was working at a hydro station when he was involved in an accident just before midnight.

Reports from the scene suggest the worker was hit with 2,400 volts of electricity.

He was taken to Southampton Hospital with a chest wound and third-degree burns to the right side of his body and pronounced dead a short time later.

The Ministry of Labour and the coroner's office are investigating the death.

In the Toronto area, the storm snapped hydro poles, felled tree branches and caused some problems in areas where traffic lights malfunctioned.
Mayfield Road in Brampton was closed for safety reasons after a number of power poles came down.

By early Wednesday morning, power had been restored in most parts of the city, except for a neighbourhood stretching from Bayview Avenue in the west, Don Mills Road in the east and from Finch Avenue in the south to Steeles Avenue in the north.

Toronto Hydro emergency repair crews have been sent, but there is no estimated time for when power will be fully restored.
There are also isolated outages across Peel, Newmarket, Aurora and as far east as Peterborough.

Also Tuesday, two people were injured when a severe storm knocked down trees and left much of the Huntsville region without power.
A woman was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries, and a man suffered serious injuries, after a tree fell on their car in Port Sydney.

Ontario Provincial police said the storm hit quickly, downing trees and hydro wires and leaving the detachment operating on generator power.
Hydro One has restored power to a few of the 33,000 customers affected, but some won't get their electricity back until Wednesday afternoon.
Environment Canada said a line of thunderstorms hit the region with wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour and heavy downpours.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/09/22/toronto-storm.html?ref=rss#ixzz10OshyqzX

Eating Abroad With Diabetes

2010-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Eating Abroad With Diabetes

By The Adventure Worthy Team on July 27th, 2009

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to use blood glucose, also known as blood sugar. Glucose is necessary to the body as it is what fuels the cells of tissue and muscles. Actually, it’s the body’s main source of energy. When people are diabetic this means they have too much glucose in the blood, which can lead to serious problems with their health. Both type 1 and 2 diabetes is chronic and needs constant attention.

The common symptoms associated with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can include increased thirst, extreme hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent urination and frequent infections that often affect the skin, gums, bladder or vagina.
Typically, diabetes type 1 affects children and adolescents, although it can develop at any age. Type 2 diabetes is the more common type and is often preventable. This type can affect anyone at any age.

Diabetes, depending on the type, normally require blood sugar levels to be checked and either oral medication or insulin to be taken. It’s also very important, no matter if the individual has type 1 or 2 that they exercise regularly, manage their weight and eat a healthy diet. Diabetics are not put on a certain diabetes diet, as there is none. What diet they do need to follow is one of foods that are highly nutritious and low in calories and fat along with avoiding sweets and reducing animal products.

When traveling abroad, diabetics don’t have to worry about eating if they stay focused on eating healthy foods. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are foods that are low in fat and calories and if choosing a good variety of these, there is no need to feel deprived from enjoying delicious well rounded meals. Eating at buffets can allow the individual to enjoy a number of foods that are low in fats and calories and highly nutritious. Carrying around cheese crackers or peanut butter crackers can help keep glucose levels stable or carrying small boxes of raisins can help provide a good snack, especially when it’s hard to find a place to get something nutritious to eat.

Travelers with diabetes must check their blood sugar often as the stress of traveling and the change in normal routines can cause problems with glucose levels.
Having saltine crackers kept close by can come in handy if getting proper food is difficult and blood sugar levels act up. Saltines can stabilize the levels and not disturb the appetite. Also carry extra test strips and test often as many countries abroad have hidden sugars or carbs added to their foods that could cause a problem with blood sugar.

No matter where the travel designation may be, there are healthy nutritious meals that are offered all around the world. Thai food mainly consists of vegetables with lean meats. Asking for extra helpings of vegetables and brown rice can provide a highly nutritious meal. Japanese food such as sushi is a very good choice of food for diabetics, although ask for it without rice added. Visiting Italy can be more difficult when it comes to eating foods low in calories since pasta is their main diet. There are restaurants there that do include healthy choices on their menus such as salads or mozzarella cheese with grilled vegetables. If going to China, although they cook with plenty of vegetables, they also tend to use MSG and fats that are not healthy. Choosing a Chinese dish that has chicken with low sodium can be a healthy meal or when visiting Mexico and dining at a Mexican restaurant choose beans and perhaps fajitas that are loaded with vegetables, but avoid to many tortillas.

If the diabetic feels like their food choices are too limited for eating properly while vacationing abroad, a good option would be to find a fresh market that sells a good selection of vegetables and fruits and find a place to grill along with some fresh chicken or fish with fresh fruit for dessert. This is an ideal meal and can be fun to do while vacationing. Or make some sandwiches that consist of turkey, chicken, tuna or lean roast beef, which can easily be made in a hotel room or outdoors at a picnic area.

Foods that should be avoided whether at home or traveling abroad are foods high in saturated fats such as butter, cheese and fatty meats. Also avoid salty snacks and use different spices to replace the flavoring of salt when cooking. Eat plenty of foods high in fiber such as whole wheat breads, vegetables and high-fiber cereals and try not to miss meals. When dining out while abroad try to choose restaurants that have a wide selection of dishes to choose from. If portions are large, eat half and take the other half back to the hotel if there is a refrigerator there. And when eating at a restaurant, ask the server about the ingredients and the cooking methods.

Battling bedbugs a big business

2010-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

“It’s not like you can pick up a spray tank and start spraying, but there are companies that cut corners” michael goldman, structural pest management association of ontario

They are the scourge of urban dwellers and suburbanites alike. A blood-sucking pest that lives, loves, breeds — and most disturbingly feeds — in our beds.

For most people the mere mention of a bedbug causes involuntary scratching and an overwhelming urge to put as much distance as possible from any potential infestation.

But for those who deal in pest removal, bedbugs are a highly lucrative business opportunity — one that has soared as the bedbug scare spreads.

Michael Goldman, education co-ordinator for the Structural Pest Management Association of Ontario, said in the past two years work being done by Ontario pest control companies has doubled. But industry growth is controlled because companies must be licensed through the provincial environment ministry, he said.

“It’s not like you can pick up a spray tank and start spraying, but there are companies that cut corners,” he said, estimating there are hundreds of individual licence owners in Ontario.

His company, Purity Pest Control Ltd., charges about $385 to treat a bachelor apartment with inspection, removal and chemical applications. It costs $400 to $600 for a one bedroom apartment; a four-bedroom home costs up to $1,500.

More about Bed Bugs

How to avoid the dreaded scourge of the bedbug

Are you bugged by bed bugs?

5 Tips For a Less Stressful Moving House Experience

2010-09-04T20:01:00.001-07:00

Today’s guest post comes from Authority Blogger Chris Garrett, who opened the door and promptly got pounced upon! No, truly, I felt the poor hard-working man really needed a friendly space in which to offload a bit of stress from his family’s recent move to a new house. And perhaps we can all learn from Chris’ tips for a “moving experience”… ~ Jen
5 Tips For a Less Stressful Moving House Experience
We just moved house and while the new place is wonderful, the moving experience itself was not.
Here are my top 5 tips for a more relaxed move:
1. Make sure you have backup plans —
If you leave anything to chance you can pretty much be sure it will go wrong in all the worst ways. As well as moving house we had a cat with a broken leg and a small child with a sickness bug to contend with. On top of all that I work from home but couldn’t because our old line was disconnected early while the new line was fitted with a fault. Make sure you have plan B, C and for good measure Z

2. Use professional movers OR over-recruit on the help —
We had three hours to move and only two able-bodied men to do the lifting. Somehow we did it but the stress would have been half with double the time or double the people. Even better a professional crew who just knew how to do everything efficiently.
3. Do not throw every bit of clutter away; some of it might come in handy —
Portable televisions, old style telephones, camping equipment. You name it. We threw out and gave to charity perfectly good rugs only to find a lot of our flooring won’t be fitted for two weeks.
4. Plan your day as best you can —
You don’t want people tripping over each other. We had a guy trying to fit satellite television while another gang was trying to lay carpet, not good!
5. Keep essentials close —
A lot of stress can be saved if you can lay your hand on what you need without hunting for it. Everything from milk and kettle through to power tools. Don’t throw everything into boxes without at least marking what it is, where it should go and how.
This was our third house but we had made all the same mistakes as before. I’m ashamed to say one of my professional skills is supposedly project management! I hope you can learn the lessons it took us so many mishaps to finally grasp.
Do you have any house moving tips to make the whole thing less stressful?
Please share in the comments …

What are some tips for reducing moving stress?

2010-09-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Planning ahead is the key to lowering the stress of moving day.
Moving is the third most stressful life event, following death and divorce according to the Employee Relocation Council. Moving disrupts your normal routine and generates feelings of uncertainty as you enter uncharted waters. The following suggestions may help make the move less stressful - and save you from needing a bottle of aspirin on the big day.

Prior to the Move
Be Prepared - Advance planning and organization will make your move go smoother. Keep all documents related to your move in one, easily accessible location. Use a folder, notebook, or even a daily planner to keep track of important phone numbers and documents. Referrals for new physicians, maps of your new town and contact information for old friends are just a few more things that you may want to stash in your organizer.
Make a schedule of appointments to turn on and off your electricity, gas, water, cable and other fundamentals for your home. This is also a good time to do some online research on your new community. Make notes about restaurants and other places in the area.
Label each box with the name of the corresponding room. You can write directly on the box or to make it even easier, print out large computer labels and stick them to the box.

Fill out the United States Postal Service change of address form six to eight weeks prior to your move to make sure you receive your mail when you relocate. The form can be found at www.usps.com/moversguide/welcome.htm. And make sure you let the IRS know, too. A change of address form (Form No. 8822) is available on their Web site (www.irs.gov).

On Move-In Day
Try to keep children occupied. Have coloring books or other toys readily available to fill the children's time while the movers are bringing items into the home. Ask if your new neighbors have children that your children can play with during this time or if they know of a babysitter that would be available to help out.
If you have a pet, put he/she in an isolated room with food, water and bedding. Post a note reminding everybody to keep the door shut; otherwise, your pet could get injured or even lost.
Begin by opening boxes that you will need first, such as ones that contain necessities like paper towels, trash bags and light bulbs. The easiest way to recognize these boxes is to mark them with a bright colored sticker or a special notation that makes them stand out from the rest. Take care of the bathroom and bedrooms first, and then move on to the kitchen and other living spaces. Keep a trash bag in every room, so packing materials can be discarded as you go.
Trying to fix a meal while still unpacking causes undue stress. Take this chance to find a new and different place to eat, or if you are feeling homesick, find an old favorite and enjoy a meal. If you don't feel like going out, check your new telephone directory for restaurants that will deliver or look back to the list you made from Internet research before you moved.
After Move-In
Time, effort and courage will help you integrate yourself into your new community. Remember - it's a gradual process, but your patience will be rewarded in the long run. Go for a drive, walk or bicycle ride to learn your way around and meet your new neighbors and see your new town.
Look for clubs that match your interests. Running, reading, sewing...there are unlimited possibilities of organizations that can help you meet people in your new community. Check the local library or grocery store bulletin boards for notices of meetings. Don't forget that children's sports leagues, churches, and other parts of your life in your old community will still be available in your new one.
Make sure you have "me time" everyday. Take a moment for yourself to figure out what you need to feel better during this emotional time. And, try not to sweat the small stuff. Remember that it is OK to miss the way things were, but take time to appreciate the new things in your life. Staying positive and keeping an optimistic attitude will help you adjust to your new home more quickly.

How does cross-country moving differ from a cross-town moving?

Often you will find people want to move themselves, when its just a cross-town, they think it will be cheaper and easier that way, when it is something that is cross-country, its much more orchestrated event and it helps to have a professional mover come in and pretty much take care of things for you so you can relax and you can focus on things like finding your new home, learning about you new community things like that. We do offer services locally and they really not that pricey, they are not that expensive, but often a lot of people think they can do it themselves when it's in their own hometown and they don't have the other things to focus on.

Home Cleaning Services

2010-08-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Home Cleaning Services

There is really no substitute for thorough home cleaning on a regular schedule. Why? Because it's the most efficient way to ensure all the cleaning duties in your home get done instead of just the standard fare. If you can add one extra cleaning chore a week to your regular vacuuming and dusting regimen (say, wiping down the ceiling fans, cleaning the baseboards, or wiping down the sinks), you'll be amazed at how much cleaner your home feels.
Sounds Easy Enough, Right?

The catch, of course, is making the time and sticking to the routine. With today's busy schedules, most homeowners simply can't keep up. There's taking the kids to soccer practice, surprise visits from friends and family, those late evenings spent catching up at the office. Eventually something's got to give, and cleaning is an easy thing to put off. The trouble is that once you get off of your routine it gets tougher and tougher to catch up again. That's why many homeowners look into home cleaning services to take care of their cleaning needs.

Is it Really Worth It?
Some homeowners have doubts about whether hiring someone to clean their house is worth the money. The answer is: absolutely. For starters, good cleaning companies come into your home on a regular schedule with a set cleaning routine, guaranteeing you a spotless residence. Nothing gets neglected and no chore gets skipped. Besides that, home cleaning services know tricks and strategies that the average homeowner doesn't, meaning your house will be actually be cleaner than if you stuck to your guns and did it yourself. Finally, think about all the other things you'd rather be doing instead of scrubbing the toilet. Whether it's running errands, getting some work done, or simply putting up your feet, you're not just paying for cleaning services, you're buying a little extra time for yourself.

Get some time back! Use this link to hire a local, prescreened
House Cleaning Service

Your Home Will Thank You, Too
Of course, while the personal benefits are convincing in and of themselves, hiring someone to perform home cleaning services for you is an investment in your home as well. The most important factor in keeping household surfaces and materials looking and functioning like new is regular cleaning, pure and simple. Be it keeping your bathroom tile shiny, your carpet soft and plush, or your furniture looking beautiful, regular cleaning is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Whether you're looking for weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly cleanings, or just a good once over, hiring a cleaning service is an excellent investment for both you and your home.

Bring out the Shears for better blooms

2010-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

- Flowers in your backyard garden are ephemeral - They vanish without a trace at the end of each season - Doesn't mean you shouldn't prune

Pruning can help make more flowers, make the plants bushier or increase the size of individual flow ers.
So grab your hand shears and sharpen your thumb nail for a stroll among the flowers.
Start with a pinch, for bushiness
Pinching out the tips of growing stems stops, at least temporarily, their growth, in so doing coaxing growth of side shoots. The result Bushier plants. Even though plants such as lavat-era, marigold and zinnia are naturally bushy, pinch ing out the tips of their stems makes them more so. Don't carry pinching to excess, though, because it does delay flowering; pinching is something you want to do mostly at the be ginning of the growing sea son. And plants with more side shoots will have more-— but smaller — flowers.

A pinch might make bigger Flowers
Just as pinching the tips of stems makes bushier plants with more but small er flowers, limiting the number of stems or flowers has the opposite effect. This is how you grow "football" mums and "dinnerplate" dahlias. Create a plant with fewer but larger flowers by pinching off side shoots, pinching off flower buds forming along a stem, or re ducing the number of stems sprouting from ground level

Deadhead for more flowers
— called deadheading — is yet another way pruning gets the best out of your flower plants. Deadheading does double duty, keeping plants tidy and preventing seed formation. Seed for mation can drain enough energy from a plant to slow or stop flowering.
Deadheading is especial ly effective at keeping an nuals energetic because all they live for is to flower enough to set some seeds. Then these plants slow down or die, all in one season.
Pruning flowers at the right time and in the right circumstances can mean either bigger blooms for bushier plants.

Cut the spent flowers
Cutting individual, spent flowers from mounded plants bear ing small flowers would be much too tedious. Deadhead alyssum, nasturtium, petunias and other such plants by shear ing the whole plant back with either grass or hedge shears after a flush of bloom. Give mound ed perennials like basket-of-gold, cottage pink, edging candytuft and spike speedwell similar treatment. All these plants will look ragged for a while, but soon cover shorn stems and leaves with new growth and flow ers.

Deadheading also keeps plants tidy by preventing unwanted self-seeding.

2010-07-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hints and Tips On Cleaning
Helpful Hints
House cleaning is not at the top of most peoples list of fine things to do but if you let your mind wonder too much, you'll spend even more time cleaning.
Focus on what your doing, make every move counts, and you'll finish more quickly.
Household organizing and cleaning can be done quicker than you think.

Get help.
If there are others living and breathing in the house with you, who are most certainly contributing to the mess, get them to help. My favourite is to assign task to each child for a week at a time, and rotate tasks. Don't forget to throw in deep cleaning items, like the mess under the sink, or spraying dowm and wiping the trash compactor

Dust first, vacuum last. Start dusting from the top of the highest shelves, the tops of cabinets. These tend to be less dusty than lower shelves. Even if you dust quickly, you'll be moving the dust down to a lower level, usually the floor, where it is easily vacuumed away.

Use the right product for the job. Use natural cleaning products if possible. We don't use fancy cleaning product that but it's important to use good quality, heavy duty cleaning products that do a great job. This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money either. We use a solution of vinegar and water to damp mop linolium or vinyl floors. It works great.
____________________________________________________________________________

Helpful Tips

Stinky Sink?
The sink, for whatever reason, can stink.
After you make sure nothing too terrible is hidden in there (last night's dinner, perhaps?) you can use this trick to make it smell as fresh as can be:

1. Pour 1/2 box of baking soda down the drain
2. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar
3. Cover drain tightly for 5 minutes
4. Run the cold water to clear out
5. Easy and effective, there you go
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For Business and Offices Heres some helpfull hints

Learn now to prevent one of the most common workplace accidents before you end up paying out in huge claims!

Make sure workers are wearing proper footwear for their work area. If necessary, provide them with the correct footwear.

Use mats and rugs where spills of liquids are likely. Make sure the edges are beveled to prevent tripping and the mat has slip resistant backing.

Make sure stairs are in good working order. Handrails are secure and step edges are easy to see. Avoid using colorful carpet patterns on indoor stairs. Outdoor stairs must be slip resistant and should have striping on each step.

Buy the right flooring for the right work situation. Different flooring has different slip resistance. Ask about slip resistance when buying.
____________________________________________________________________________
RESTROOM CLEANING TIP

The speed at which a restroom gets cleaned is so important because it is a big part of any routine cleaning. You don't want anyone spending any more time getting it done than they have to, yet you still want to do a very good job of it........

Toilet bowl ring removal
The earlier you attack this problem, the easier it will be to remove the ring. A thorough cleaning with a commercial acid-based bowl cleaner may do the trick. If the bowl cleaner doesn't work, try using a green, nylon-backed scrub sponge along with the acid. For an old ring, use a pumice stone. Wet the stone with the water in the bowl and rub it on the ringKeep the stone wet the entire time you're scrubbing. Pumice stones should only be used on vitreous china toilets - never on colored, enamel or plastic fixtures. Once you've gotten rid of a ring, weekly cleanings should keep it from coming back
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150 Tips and Tricks on Cleaning

Cleaning is the most time consuming job in house keeping. Worse of all, some stains are hard to clean out. Even if you are spending all your efforts or energy, you may not clean them probably. So how to combat with all those difficulties and save your time on these cleaning tasks? Do It Yourself.com has some (well over 150) tips, tricks and how-to on cleaning stains, items and rooms. Just love the site and those information – the best ones in my opinion maybe the Chewing Gum Removal Tips (I tried it and it works nicely), How to Clean Soy Stains, Lipstick Stain Removal, Kitchen Cleaning Tips etc…Keeping a clean home is a key part to having a happy home. Cleaning a home can be a painstaking and exhaustive process

visit our site
http://www.multiservices-janitorial.com

About Multi Services Video

2010-06-17T15:26:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

About Multi Services Video

View more videos from multiservices123.

Airborne Allergens Avoidance Tips

2010-06-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

POLLEN AVOIDANCE MEASURES:
1. Close windows during pollen season; use air conditioning in car.
2. Remove shoes and clothing when coming indoors.
3. Do not dry clothes outside during the pollen season.
4. Avoid being outside in the morning if possible or on windy days.
5. Use antihistamine before exposure.
6. If very symptomatic when coming from outside take a shower and wash hair.
7. Rinse nose with salted water many times during the day if you are exposed to pollens.

DUST MITE ELIMINATION MEASURES:
1. Wash bedding in hot water once a week.
2. Get new pillow once a year or cover pillow with a dust mite proof cover.*
3. Get dust mite proof mattress cover.*
4. Get vinyl cover for box spring.
5. Keep humidity between 30-45% (get dehumidifier).
6. Keep only new washable teddies on the bed.
7. Keep no dust collectors in bedroom.
8. Use double bag or HEPA filter on vacuum or use central vacuum.
9. Remove carpets especially in patient's bedroom.
10. Get vinyl or leather covered furniture in house and car.
* can be ordered through www.quorumallergy.com or 1-800-501-5115. Look for "allergen barrier" listed on the packaging and a zipper all around the cover.

PET HAIR ELIMINATION MEASURES:
1. Keep pet outdoors.
2. If not possible to keep pet outdoors, keep pet confined to one room. At least keep pet out of patient's bedroom.
3. Wash pet once a week with Allerpet or with warm water on a cloth; a shower or going in the rain is also very good.
4. Cover pillow and mattress with impermeable dust mite covers.
5. Use HEPA filter in bedroom and family room, and on vacuum or use central vacuum system.
6. Wipe surfaces with damp cloth
7. Non-carpeted floors prevent accumulation of pet hair.

What is allergy?

2010-06-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

What is allergy?
Allergies occur when the immune system becomes unusually sensitive and overreacts to common substances that are normally harmless, such as pollens, molds, dust or food. Genetic tendency plays a role since allergies tend to run in families. Allergy develops when exposure to certain substances leads to sensitivity. These substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens.

The immune system produces various antibodies. The antibody that is involved in allergic reactions is called IgE. During an allergic reaction allergens come into contact with special cells called "mast cells" that are found in the lining of the nose, lungs, skin and intestinal tract. The IgE antibodies that are attached to these cells cause the release of many chemicals, including histamine, which results in inflammation and symptoms of allergy.

Depending on the individual and the particular allergen, allergy symptoms can occur in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, the skin, digestive system and other organs. Each individual is different. For example in the case of cat allergy, one person might have symptoms affecting the nose while another might have wheezing in the chest.

Some allergies develop after a long period of exposure while others often seem to develop after a relatively short exposure. Some are life-long while others may subside over time. Once sensitization occurs, avoidance of allergens is the best way to prevent symptoms.

Dust, Pet and Mold Allergies
Our multipage brochure about several common allergies.
Atopic Dermatitis - Eczema
by Dr. Liliane Gendreau-Reid, MD, FRCPC Pediatrics; FRCPC Clinical Immunology & Allergy; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics UBC, Victoria, BC
Eosinophilic Esophagitis
by Dr. Harold Kim, Allergist, Kitchener, Ontario
Cosmetic Allergies — Is Soap Really Good for You?The first of a series of articles designed to help AAIA members better understand cosmetic allergies. [read more...]
Allergic Rhinitis
by Dr. Harold Kim, Kitchener, Ontario
Learn the link:
Managing your asthma and your seasonal allergies. [read more...]
Rhinitis: The Facts
by Liliane Gendreau-Reid, MD, Victoria, BC
Airborne Allergens Avoidance Tips
by Liliane Gendreau-Reid, MD, Victoria, BC
Hives (Urticaria)
Hives are a common occurrence, affecting up to 25% of the population at least once in their lives. They can be short term, lasting only a few days to six weeks, but they can be chronic and last for months or years. [read more...]
Allergy Season — It can affect your thinking !!!
by George Luciuk, MD, FRCPC
Does Allergy Protect Against Cancer?
by Dr. Susan Waserman, MD, FRCP, Hamilton, Ontario
Drug Allergy: How You Can Help Your Allergist Make the Diagnosis
by Amin S. Kanani, MDCM, FRCPC
The Positive Side of Being Allergic
by Robin Bayley, Victoria, British Columbia
Are you allergic to cats?
from an article by Thomas A E Platts-Mills, Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center, University VA Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA
Scents in the Workplace
Individuals who are affected by allergic rhinitis and asthma may find that strong scents trigger their symptoms. [read more...]
The Hygiene Hypothesis
At the CSACI Annual Scientific Meeting held in Ottawa in October 2004, there was an interesting debate on the Hygiene Hypothesis by two experts in the field of allergy. These are some of the main arguments. Reported by Mary Allen. [read more...]
Tips to reduce mold exposure
Ten things you can do. [read more...]

Benefits When You Hire a Professional Cleaning Service

2010-05-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Most people think that seeking and having professional cleaning service to handle the cleaning task for their house is a luxury and not worth spending for especially nowadays that the money is hard to earn. Yes, It may be costly but if you are going to compare the benefits when you employ a cleaning company, you will find out that benefits can outweigh the cost. This service will handle the entire cleaning job that you are tired of doing.

Although many people are still in doubt if a cleaning service is worth spending for, there are numerous advantages when a home owner hires a cleaning services provider.
Enhance Health and Sanitation
Normally, germs most likely breed in the place that is full of mess - dirty. Now, with the help of cleaning service, you don't have to worry about these matters. Cleaning your house will be handled by cleaning service providers. The cleaning task that you don't like to do will be done by cleaning service for you. If the sanitation and cleanliness inside of your house will be maintained, this, of course, will improve the health aspect of your family.

Make a Good Reflection
Since our home is a reflection of us, we want it to be clean and well-maintained. Although you may have hard time maintaining the cleanliness of your house, but you need to think about what people or your visitors would think about you if they happen to see a cluttered and messy house of yours. But that's not a problem anymore since professional cleaning service is there to help you ease those burdens. You can be assured anytime that a guest or a friend visits you as your house will reflect fine on you.

Protect your Home Investment
Our home can lose its value as investment if it is messy and untidy. Since our house serves as our investment, we have to protect it. With the help of professional cleaning company, we will be able to keep the value of our house by maintaining its tidiness.

Save your Precious Time
Hiring a cleaning service is beneficial for a busy person. Yes, you may be busy and no time cleaning the house because you have more other things to do. But you still want to maintain the cleanliness of your home without having your precious time to suffer. Hiring a cleaning company will be such a great help for you then. They will take care all the cleaning job for you therefore you can have more time to do what you want or need to do.

Professional cleaning company can be beneficial to any of us. If you are a person that has no time cleaning your house, you can have a cleaning maids come to your house at weekly schedule. They can also be helpful if you happen to move out or move in from one place to another. You don't have to spend your time cleaning your new place by yourself as professional cleaning service is always there for a help.
No time to clean your house because you are busy with your work, providing for your family, or studying for the coming exams

Improving your Memory

2010-05-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Tips and techniques to help you remember...

...you know, that thing... I forgot.
Having problems forgetting appointments, to-dos, errands, feeding your children and pets, picking up after yourself, getting out of bed... not to mention forgetting birthdays, and even anniversaries?
If you are like many people, you will often find yourself forgetting something. In an age of computers, PDA’s, and many other devices - this my be ok for some folks, unless you forget where you put those devices. Others may want to increase their ability to memorize things - luckily there are a few creative ways you can improve your long and short term memory.

Use your Senses & Be Aware
Practice creating vivid images/concepts in your head - using all of your senses. Analyze your surroundings by sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Being aware all of your senses will give your mind more ways to associate (and thus remember) when it is time to recall something.
This is like form of meditation -- which is good for your brain in a variety of ways. (see our article: Interesting Ways to Improve Your Brain for more info).
Practice this tip of simply being more aware of your surroundings everyday and you will find your general memory greatly improved.

Humor & Vulgarity
If you need to memorize something specific try using humor or vulgarity as a memory aid. Make a nasty or funny limerick about something that needs to be remembered and you'll have a hard time forgetting. (Great tip for students).

Don't worry, be Mindful
There has been a lot said about the power of positive thinking. Recently, a huge bandwagon of new-age positive thought = positive outcome theories have been on tips of everyone's tongue from Oprah to your local convenience store clerk. Just do a google search for "Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" if you aren't in the cult loop.
Negative thoughts fog our minds, but clearing out the negative and focusing on the positive also improves memory & concentration.
Stress is a big brain buster, so minimize stress and negative thoughts to keep your wits.
Apt Quote: “What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in the ground underneath a giant boulder you can't move, with no hope of rescue. Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely, consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.”

See the Future
Have trouble remembering to-dos, appointments, meetings, deadlines, birthdays and other future events?
Here is the secret: When you know you have an upcoming event you don't want to forget, picture yourself at the event. What are you doing, who is there, what does it smell like? Imagine the event...even better: imagine yourself taking the steps that lead to the event.
For example... let's say tommorrow you have to call the someone. Picture yourself in your home/office, picture yourself picking up the phone, imagine dialing the number and talking to the person of the other end.

Associate
Association is among one of the easiest and most used tools in learning. This is the process of taking the information you wish to memorize, and linking it mentally to something else that is natural to you. When learning something new, try to associate the new concept with one to which you are already familiar.
Couple association with being aware using all of your senses and you will have a higher rate of successful recall.

Chunky like your mom
Chunking information is a great mnemonic method to remember multiple items. Many people naturally use chunking to remember phone numbers: Instead of thinking "17342876642" we chunk it as 1-734-287-6642.
The concept of chunking comes from a famous 1956 paper by George A. Miller: The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information. If you are a sucker for classic works in the history of psychology (I know, who isn't?) you can read the whole original paper here.

Write it Down
We generally think of "writing things down" as a means to NOT have to remember something. The paper does the work for -- we just need to remember where we put that piece of paper...
But, writing things down has another effect: you clear your mind and take away the stress of "having to remember", and by doing so you actually have more room in your noggin for remembering stuff. I know that explanation wasn't scientific, but it works.
To-do lists are championed by business gurus and soccer moms alike. Try writing everything down for a week or two and see how much this improves your memory & focus. A great digital tool for "writing things down" is provided by a website called Nozbe.com -- I recommend it for clearing your head and also organizing your thoughts.

Memory and Concentration Games on Blifaloo.com:

Memory 3
Memorize color patterns to test your short term memory.

Music Memory
Test your memory while training your musical ear with this game.

Balls & Boxes Memory Game
Use your memory and put the balls back into their original boxes.

Classic Memory Game
Old-school card matching memory game.

About our cleaning company

2010-05-06T01:56:00.001-07:00

The Truth About Cleaning Business Franchises

2010-03-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

Janitorial services franchise companies, are not in the cleaning business, but rather in the business of selling franchises to would-be entrepreneurs.
This is how franchises work. for Example: there are two companies, the family owned business and the franchiser both bidding on a typical 5 day a week 2.25 hr per day office cleaning account. The family owned company places a normal bid of $755.00 per month for the account. The franchiser sales person bids lower in order to win the account. He places $631.00 per month for it. The customer not aware of what is going on likes the very low price and decides to sign with the franchiser. Now after signing, that contract will be sold to one of the franchisee for $1893.00 3 times the worth of the account. They have to pay it off in 3 months; they will actually clean that account for 3 months for free in order to pay for it. After the account is paid for, then the franchiser takes 20% per month off the top for franchise fee ($157.75.) plus $50 for insurance per month for each account. So now the franchisee gets $473.35 per month for that account...The franchiser sales person has now made $1893.00 on the account, plus $144.65 per month as long as they have the account. So the head franchiser makes there money on quantity and re-sell of accounts not quality. What happens in almost all cases the franchisee that has purchased the account starts to realize he is not making much money on the account so he calculates it to see how much he is really getting. $473.35 per month divided into 4.33 = $109.31 per week, divided into 5 days = $21.86 per day, dividing that into normal cleaning time 2.25 hours = $9.71 per hour. after he deducts his cost for materials, equipment, etc. He realizes he is only making $9.00 per hour. Now he can not afford to hire labor unless he makes some changes. For labor its going to cost $8.00 per hour but after taxes, workman comp, etc, etc, the total hourly cost for labor will be $10.00 per hour. So now he needs a solution.
The Solution: What happens he cuts back on material, supplies, etc? Maybe even water down the chemicals to stretch it out, cuts the cleaning time in half say from 2.25 down to 1.25 hours. After all is done, he can know afford to have an employee and still make his 5 to 10% profit.
Now the problem, the customer has now become a victim. The customer is being short change; the cleaning supplies have been cut and the cleaning time is being cut in half, leading to very extreme poor quality cleaning. Now the customer has to complain to the head franchiser, The sales Rep promises they will take care of it. Again no changes and the customer now needs to complain many more times, they explain that the building is in poor condition, there customers and employees are also complaining about the poor cleaning quality in there building. Now the sales rep for the franchisee needs to solve the problem in order to save the account. He or she takes the account from the franchisee and re-sells it to another franchisee making another $1893.00 on that same account, totaling $3786.00. Now the problems will just starts all over again but with the new franchisee, as they start the same process the last one did, usually it will continue till the customer has had enough and decides to switch companies. But in some situations the customer could be locked into a three year contract. If there is for instance 2 years left on the contract, they will need to pay the two years left in the contract in one large sum in order to be released from it, costing the customer an additional $15,144.00 in the end the franchiser has made over $18,930.00 on that one account.According to industry information, the typical legally-operated cleaning company profits between 5% to 10% after all costs and overhead are paid. Some very large corporate operations function on as little as 2-3%, but these are the exception in the industry. Franchises and/ or others who operate unethically or illegally typically under price their services since they don't have to actually suffer the direct consequences of their pricing strategy - instead making their money "off the top". It's the poor franchisee or illegal subcontractor who suffers trying to make a reasonable wage from the predicament. If a franchiser has taken any where from 15 to 20% off the Top, It is most likely the franchisee would not succeed. In the end, they and the customer have become victims of the franchiser.

9 Russian neo-Nazis get up to 23 years in prison

2010-02-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

MOSCOW -- Nine young men who formed a neo-Nazi group and killed six non-Slavs were sentenced to prison Thursday, as Russia officials battle a surge in racist assaults, hate crimes and xenophobia.

The Moscow City Court said in a statement that 12 mostly underage neo-Nazis who called themselves "White Wolves" were charged with committing 11 murders and one assault since April 2007. A jury found nine of them guilty of six murders and one assault.

The group was formed on Adolf Hitler's birthday to "exterminate" non-Russians and was active until early 2009, when its members were arrested.

They preyed on Central Asians and other non-Slavs with dark skin or Asian features kicking and stabbing them to death. During the attacks, which were often videotaped to be posted online, they chanted "Russia for Russians!"

Russia has experienced a surge of racist assaults, xenophobia and neo-Nazism in the years since the Soviet collapse. Amid the ongoing economic meltdown, nationalist groups are lashing out at labor migrants from ex-Soviet Central Asia and Russia's poor North Caucasus, accusing them of stealing jobs from ethnic Russians.

In December 2008, a group of mostly underage neo-Nazis was sentenced to prison for murdering 19 people. They also posted videos of their attacks online with detailed instructions on how to kill "underpeople."

Authorities have recently cracked down on the most radical groups, and the number of hate crimes fell last year.

The Sova rights groups said 71 people were killed and 333 wounded in racially motivated attacks last year, down from 110 killed and 487 wounded in 2008.

But human rights advocates say ultranationalists are increasingly resorting to bombings and arson against police and government officials, whom they accuse of condoning the influx of illegal migrants.

Last November, a neo-Nazi group claimed responsibility for the bombing of an express train that killed 27 people earlier that month, and several ultranationalists have been accused of plotting to blow up police stations, conscription offices and a restaurant.

Ultranationalist groups have also stepped up attacks on human rights activists and anti-racist youth groups.

Last October, two members of a radical nationalist group were charged with the Jan. 2009 killing of human rights advocate Stanislav Markelov and a journalist.

Last November, the leader of an anti-racist youth group was gunned down near his Moscow apartment in what his supporters said was an ultranationalist attack.

2010-01-26T16:11:00.001-08:00

More On Pedestrian Fatalities

2010-01-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

Police concerned after latest pedestrian death

A 76-year-old woman was hit while carrying a bag of chicken breasts across Rutherford Road near Highway 400 yesterday afternoon. The driver of the van was uninjured and remained at the scene.

York Region police Sgt. Steve Kempster said he was “concerned by the busy start to the year” for pedestrian fatalities.

“Sometimes it’s the fault of the pedestrian and sometimes it is the driver,” he said as officers collected the woman’s groceries from the road. “You’re always going to lose against a vehicle.”

York police were still investigating the Rutherford Road collision last night, but didn’t believe charges were likely.

Kempster, of the traffic reconstruction unit, said the 76-year-old woman began crossing the six lanes of Rutherford Road when traffic was stopped, but the light turned green before she finished. Cars idling in the two left lanes waited for her to finish, but an approaching van in the third lane didn’t see her, Kempster said.

“We can’t tell you when she entered the crosswalk or how long it took her,” Kempster said, adding witnesses to the accident should contact police. “We don’t know what transpired, maybe she dropped to pick something up in the middle.”

Kempster said the 29-year-old driver of the van was shaken.

Bonnie MacDonald, who crosses Rutherford Road everyday, said it is difficult to cross in time, especially with cars coming off Highway 400.

“I usually have to hustle and I’m not a slow walker,” she said. “They need to reprogram it.”

Coun. Bill Saundercook, co-chair of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee, believes walk signs give enough time for seniors to cross streets. “I think what needs to be looked into is whether vehicle operators are making pedestrians nervous by trying to take turns too quickly,” he said.
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Woman struck and killed in west end; GTA's 10th such death in 8 days

Another pedestrian has been struck and killed by a vehicle on a Toronto street - the Greater Toronto Area's 10th pedestrian fatality in eight days.

The latest incident happened early today in the city's northwest end, near Dufferin Street south of Eglinton Avenue.

Police say the woman was trying cut across the road when the driver of a minivan hit her while trying to swerve out of the way.

The unidentified woman was pronounced dead due to severe head injuries.

Const. Hugh Smith says the driver had just come over the crest of a hill in the pre-dawn darkness and spotted the woman on the road and tried to take evasive action.

The female driver, who is a doctor, tried to perform CPR on the pedestrian, but to no avail.
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Deadly Combo

Pedestrians, drivers both to blame for deaths: cops

A rash of pedestrian fatalities in the Toronto area had experts sounding the alarm Wednesday about the deadly combination of reckless drivers and aloof pedestrians competing for space on crowded city streets.

"They're blinded with their hoods. They've got their earphones on. They've blocked out any awareness," Toronto police Const. Hugh Smith said about pedestrians, who are often tuned into their MP3 players instead of traffic signals.

But drivers weren't off the hook either.

"We've made it our secondary comfort zone," said Smith, as he described the laid-back behaviour of many motorists who play loud music, eat in their cars and think they can multi-task while driving.

The number of pedestrians killed by cars has become a cause for concern for police. On Wednesday morning, another person died after being struck by a vehicle. It was the 10th pedestrian fatality in eight days in the Greater Toronto Area.

The latest death happened in the city's northwest end. A woman was trying to cut across a road when she was hit by a minivan.

Police said such accidents can be caused by hurried people scurrying out onto the street against a light, and aggressive drivers speeding along, unaware of their surroundings.

In 2009, the total number of fatalities in car accidents in the city was 48. But 31 of those deaths involved pedestrians and 19 of those were senior citizens.

"What the unsettling part is, is that our pedestrian numbers went up," explained Smith.

In 2008, there were 54 vehicle fatalities in total, while 27 pedestrians were struck and killed. While the numbers seem close, Smith said it is in fact "a noticeable spike."

Smith said the mild winter has given motorists a false sense of security as they whip around on the roads.

During rush hour, people on city sidewalks also have a herd mentality and move in masses across the street without bothering to check if they have the right of way.

"We have aggressive drivers, but we also have aggressive pedestrians. We have pedestrians who will not wait for a fresh light," he said.

Ward Vanlaar, a research scientist for the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, said a 2009 report completed by the organization on vulnerable road users showed a reason for concern.

Vanlaar said the current number of fatalities in Toronto for this year may not indicate a statistical trend, but national data shows there has been a significant number of pedestrians killed by vehicles.

"There's really a lot of pedestrians dying in road crashes," said Vanlaar. "In Canada in 2006, there were 374 pedestrian fatalities accounting for 12.9 per cent of all road user fatalities," he said, referring to the most recent data.

A public opinion poll conducted by the organization showed Canadians are lax when it comes to pedestrians and their safety.

"Canadians are not overly concerned about pedestrians and cyclists behaving unsafe on the road," said Vanlaar.

According to the poll, Canadians considered jaywalking the second least risky behaviour for road users, despite its often fatal consequences.

While pedestrians and drivers may squabble over who's following the rules of the road, Vanlaar said it's little consolation for someone who is dealing with a tragedy.

"Discussing the fact whether you were right or not is not really relevant when you're the most vulnerable road user, because you may be right, but if you were dead and right it doesn't make a difference."

Brian Patterson from The Ontario Safety League said along with mutual respect between drivers and pedestrians, he would also like to see better driver education.

"You could have Canada's worst driver as your teacher," said Patterson, adding that only 20 per cent of motorists have attended a driving school.

Traffic Deaths for the beginning of the Year

2010-01-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Keep Eyes on the Road: Cops

Police urge caution after deadly week on the road

Drivers in the GTA need to snap out of cruise control and use their eyes instead of relying on the gadgets in their cars, police are saying in the wake of a rash of accidents in the past week that killed pedestrians.

“What’s happened in just a few days shows us what’s going on, and we really do not want to continue in this path,” said Const. Hugh Smith, of traffic services.

Thursday morning, a 25-year-old woman was pronounced dead at Steeles Avenue West and Hurontario Road in Brampton after a transit bus hit her.

Tuesday in Vaughan, Steven Seixeiro, 17, was hit by a semi-trailer turning the corner at Rutherford Road and Keele Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hours later, Vaughan resident Nouhad-Nicolas Al-Kassouf, 80, was struck by a car while crossing at Roncesvalles Avenue and Dundas Street West. Her head hit the pavement. She died in hospital Wednesday morning.

But Smith said the death of 28-year-old mother Marites Mendoza Tuesday “scared everybody.”

Mendoza was pushing her seven-week-old son in a stroller when a car allegedly ran a red light and hit her while she was crossing Martin Grove Road at Eglinton Avenue West. Mendoza managed to push her baby out of harm’s way, but was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Highlighted Below are more on the victims in this article.
______________________________________________________________________________

Woman struck and killed by Brampton Transit bus
A woman is dead after she was struck and killed by a bus in Brampton Thursday morning.
Police say the pedestrian was hit while crossing the bus loop off Steeles Avenue, just west of Hurontario Street at about 6:30 a.m.
Nobody aboard the transit bus was injured and a major accident reconstruction unit was called to investigate, police say.
___________________________________________

'Great kid' among four pedestrians killed or injured

Steven Seixeiro was a studious and ambitious student en route to Vaughan's St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School when the 17-year-old became the first of four pedestrians to be killed or seriously injured in a day that kept traffic officers busy across the GTA.
The Grade 12 student was changing buses at Rutherford Rd. and Keele St. around 9 a.m. As he crossed Keele, a semi-trailer came up from behind and ran him over as it made a right turn. Seixeiro was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Tuesday evening, Seixeiro's family remembered him for his sociable, peaceful demeanour, as well as his love of computers.
"He just got along with everybody, he was never an argumentative kind of guy," said his sister, Jennifer, 24. "He was doing really well in school – the teacher gave him a certificate of excellence."
His godfather, Fernando Abade, said the computer-savvy teen often used Twitter, and was also interested in music and played the guitar.
He said Seixeiro considered taking computer engineering at university.
"He was a great kid, always stayed out of trouble," said Abade, adding his godson never missed school.
Police closed the intersection at Rutherford and Keele for about six hours as they reconstructed the crash and gathered evidence. Detectives are still trying to figure out who had the right of way.
Officers have not decided whether to charge the driver of the truck, a 29-year-old Brantford man.
Within a few hours, a 28-year-old woman had been killed crossing the street in Etobicoke and an 80-year-old woman suffered serious head injuries after she was hit by a car at Roncesvalles Ave. and Dundas St. W. Another elderly woman suffered a broken leg when she was struck at Cedar Dr. and Eglinton Ave. E.
Const. Hugh Smith, a Toronto traffic officer, speculated that the unusual number of serious accidents on Tuesday may be related to the nice weather. "Here you finally have a nice, sunnier day, when it's okay to go for a walk," he said.
__________________________________________
Woman, 80, dies from injuries after car hits her

An 80-year-old woman who was hit by a car in Roncesvalles Village Tuesday has died in hospital, becoming the third injured pedestrian to die in the GTA in just over 24 hours.
Nouhad-Nicolas Al-Kassouf, a resident of Vaughan, was walking west across the y-shaped intersection of Roncesvalles Ave. and Dundas St. W. shortly after 1 p.m. with her 42-year-old son, Najou Kassouf.
A southbound van rounded the corner to head east onto Dundas and hit the pair, police said. The elderly woman was thrown to the ground, where she hit her head and lost consciousness.
Her son hurt his wrist and his back. Both were taken to hospital.
Najou was treated and released. Nouhad-Nicolas was stabilized and kept breathing as she was treated, raising initial hopes that she might recover, but she died Wednesday morning shortly before 11 a.m.
The van that hit the pair had a green arrow and the right of way at the time of the crash, police said.
The spot where the woman was hit is a popular route for people to cross the intersection, but a sign clearly warns pedestrians against it, telling them to take a lengthier route to the south that involves using two separate crosswalks, said Const. Hugh Smith, a Toronto traffic officer.
He said it was unlikely that the driver of the van, a 20-year-old man, would be charged.
The woman was one of three pedestrians to be killed on streets in the GTA Tuesday.
Around 9 a.m., Steven Seixeiro, 17, was on his way to school in Vaughan when he was hit by a semi-trailer turning the corner at Rutherford Rd. and Keele St. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Around 1 p.m., Marites Mendoza, 31, was crossing Martin Grove Rd. at Eglinton Ave. W., pushing her 7-week-old son in a stroller in front of her, when a Toyota Camry allegedly ran a red light and hit her.
She died at the scene. Police have not said whether they will charge the driver of the Camry, an 83-year-old woman.
______________________________________________

No criminal charge for elderly motorist who allegedly ran down mother pushing stroller: police

Posted: January 15, 2010, 12:11 PM by Rob Roberts
By Alana Power, National Post

The 83-year-old motorist who allegedly killed a mother pushing her baby in a stroller Tuesday is not likely to face criminal charges, Toronto police said today.

Edith Lucille Jones was driving north on Martin Grove Rd. when she ran a red light at Eglinton Avenue West, dragging Marites Mendoza, 31, under her car. Ms. Mendoza is presumed to have pushed the stroller out of harm’s way, saving her infant son.

That son, and reportedly a second Mendoza child, are now in the custody of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.

Const. Hugh Smith said charges will likely be laid under the Highway Traffic Act, possibly failing to stop at a red light, or careless driving. Ms. Jones faces a fine and up to six demerit points on her licence.

“We have to look at all the circumstances,” said Const. Smith. “What we know we have is failing to stop at a red light. It may go dangerous in the next week, but that is not the information that I have.”

While not criminal, these charges should not be taken lightly, said Const. Smith, of Traffic Services: “Careless is quite a hard charge for driving.’’

For the charges to be criminal, police would have to prove intent, he said. Investigators are still talking to witnesses who were driving through the intersection when the accident occurred and speaking with a Crown prosecutor.

Want more info follow the link

28 murder victims - 28 killers at large

2010-01-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Below is a List of the murders that the killers have not been found for 2009
reported by the toronto sun.
________________________________________________________________________

Toronto Police are still on the hunt after a bloody year left 62 people slain in the city
By IAN ROBERTSON, TORONTO SUN
Last Updated: 3rd January 2010, 4:48am

Of Toronto's 62 murders of 2009, there are 28 slayings left unsolved. The victims are:

Jan. 4: Evelyn Alfaro Mendez, 34
Mendez was shot in the head in an SUV on Talwood Dr. after driving three cousins home to Toronto and visiting her boyfriend, before heading to a nightclub she never reached.
Detectives, who hoped her partying with girlfriends and dancing at Latino clubs might provide clues, said the Malton mother of three had no ties to the Leslie St. and Lawrence Ave. E. residential area where she died. The second victim of 2009 was found in the still-running vehicle that was registered to another person.

Jan. 16: Kevin Boateng, 18
With no witnesses, motive or crime scene, the ex-Bishop Marrocco-Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School student's stabbing remains a mystery.
"Kasa," who had brushes with police but no criminal record, died in hospital two days after flagging down a passerby just before midnight, then collapsing on Davenport Rd., east of Old Weston Rd. Detectives believe he was attacked nearby.

Jan. 20: Basil 'Bizzy' Bryan, 23
The second 2009 victim of deadly violence in 12 Division was shot twice in the back at Keele St. and Avon Dr., south of Eglinton Ave. W.
A father for eight months, he and a pal went for a meal around 10 p.m. and were filmed walking by a business security camera as a lone gunman opened fire. Det.-Sgt. Savas Kyriacou said the "ambush" left the quiet young man dead and his friend luckily ducking then running before the killer strolled away.

Feb. 1: Jahmelle Grant, 26
Silent witnesses who saw Grant shot in an alleged Weston Rd.-Lawrence Ave. W. area booze can packed with patrons have frustrated homicide officers and left relatives angry.
A father of one who had brushes with the law but whose family denied he had gang ties, Grant was driven to a hospital by friends. They refused to talk to investigators.

Feb. 22: Peter Joel 'Bugz' Bowen, 20
The award-winning city track-and-field and cross-country competitor was shot by two gunmen in the lobby of the Driftwood Ave. apartment building where he lived with his family.
Police said Bowen was with two friends when bullets riddled a hallway and steel doors as he ran for his life, collapsing just outside the Jane-Finch area building. Rough remarks suggested he and the shooter had clashed before.

Feb. 28: Kaser Kerry St. Louis, 24
St. Louis was shot dead, then run over outside the Little Ochie Bar and Restaurant on Kennedy Rd. north of Lawrence Ave. E.
Police released two video surveillance segments related to a wild melee inside that spilled outdoors and ended with two other men wounded. Detectives say witnesses remain silent.

April 22: Omar Leyson Waite, 29
The Gators member in Toronto's gang-plagued northwest died one day after being shot several times near rush-hour traffic at a Jane St. and Eglinton Ave. W. bus stop.
Waite had a lengthy record for assault, weapons and violence, and died two days after a rival Generals gang member was gunned down in an alley.

May 1: Jarvis St. Remy, 18
The high school student and aspiring engineer was heading home for his midnight curfew when a gunman left him dying in a Dundas St. W. bus stop west of Scarlett Rd.
Described by relatives and friends as reserved, studious and devoted to family, he died in hospital. Since her first-born's death, his mom Clemee Joseph has made repeated appeals for youths to avoid violence.

May 11: Adrian Johnston, 14
The youngest of this year's unresolved murder victims was gunned down on a Scarlett Rd.-St. Clair Ave. area hydro field one day after Mother's Day.
In August, his mom was joined in a vigil by 30 people on the field for what should have been her son's 15th birthday, saying "the sick individual who took Adrian from us is still walking the streets -- Adrian is not able to do that." Stephanie Johnston also lamented the lack of calls to police by people she was certain know who killed the Runnymede Collegiate Institute student.

June 7: Ayoob Abdulgadir Aden, 16
Well-known and liked in a Dixon Rd.-Kipling Ave. neighbourhood complex, the teen was visiting an aunt there when he was stabbed -- the last male in the shattered world of his grieving mom and three sisters.
Responding to a neighbour's call, police found him in the lobby of the building where he was with two friends in an apartment when an argument erupted with a fourth person. His two wounded friends survived, but the young teen -- whose father vanished and brother died during strife 17 years ago in Africa -- died a day later.

July 10: Kristian 'Kristy' Thanapalan, 22
Six men and a woman drinking and passing a volleyball in Glamorgan Park on Antrim Cres. in Scarborough got into an argument when one of the victim's friends threw the ball at a car after cricket players began speeding from a parking lot.
An hour later, up to 35 men with bottles and bats swarmed Thanapalan and his pals, whose female friend was sleeping in a car. The aspiring York University student died from a blow to the back of his head and several friends suffered bruises and cuts. Police have narrowed their search for the killer after interviewing his friends, but are still trying to crack their "group mentality."

July 19: Tevon Mitchell, 18
The year's first fatal victim of a drive-by shooting died outside a packed upscale Scarborough mansion while attending a birthday party.
Known as "T-Pain" or "Tevo," he was found on the driveway of the Rouge Hills Dr. home near Port Union Rd. and Lawrence Ave. E. just before 2 a.m. A West Hill Collegiate Institute student, Mitchell was among more than 80 guests inside and outside before the shots were fired and two cars drove off.

Aug. 1: Wesler 'Tyson' Fabien, 25
The Ottawa resident and a Montreal pal were shot around 4:30 a.m. outside the Howard Johnson on Avenue Rd. after a night of partying with friends in the Entertainment District.
The lone gunman waited in their hotel parking lot as they parked their silver Range Rover, then ran off after triggering his gun several times. Fabien died in hospital, his friend survived.

Aug. 10: Tevane Sean Anthony Lennon, 34
The furniture store worker was cycling home with groceries when he was confronted near Melody Park by a gunman outside a car occupied by at least two people on Sultan Pool Dr., near Martin Grove Rd. and Finch Ave. W., just before 11 p.m.
Lennon begged for mercy before the shooter fired more than a dozen bullets. The father of a three-year-old was gunned down near where another man survived being shot July 31 in crime-plagued Jamestown.

Sept. 2: Jamie 'J' Hull, 30
The drifter was reportedly shot close-up in the back in the courtyard of an eastside housing complex.
Investigators said they did not know why he was in the Blake St. complex, near Danforth and Pape Aves., where he once lived, but confirmed Hull was being sought for threatening to shoot a woman and her family. A man was seen running away.

Sept. 5: Kamal 'Tall-up' Hercules, 21
After spending the evening with friends, the first of two Labour Day weekend murder victims was shot outside a Rabba Fine Foods store at Sherbourne and Front Sts.
A month later, following "great co-operation" from area residents, police released surveillance photos of a potential witness to the 3:45 a.m. shooting. Hercules had no criminal history and no apparent beefs with anyone, a detective said.

Sept. 7: Sheldon Henry, 23
Hit by multiple slugs in a North York housing complex, the well-known drug dealer had a lengthy criminal record for sexual assaults, weapons and drug offences, and boasted on Facebook of his profitable exploits.
The father of two was left slumped in a doorway outside a lowrise Field Sparrow Way building northwest of Leslie St. and Finch Ave. E. Witnesses reported hearing an argument and people running from the complex, where he lived until June but regularly returned to do business.

Oct. 10: Bernard Christian Derro, 19
The teenager was one of seven people shot over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Derro, the only one killed, was found in the lobby of his Parkdale building on Jameson Ave., south of King St. W., around 11:30 p.m. Police suspect a shooter got into a first-floor apartment by a balcony, argued, then opened fire, leaving a second man wounded.

Oct. 18: Christopher Skinner, 27
Newmarket lawyer Warren Skinner and his wife, Ellen, last month offered a $25,000 reward raised by relatives, friends and colleagues, and made a desperate bid for help to find the driver who deliberately ran down their son.
Toronto Police are still seeking occupants of an SUV who confronted him at Adelaide and Victoria Sts., perhaps for touching the vehicle as it passed. He was walking home from sister Taryn's birthday party in the Entertainment District around 3 a.m. when at least two men knocked him down, then drove over him.

Nov. 2: Theodoros Tiku, 27
Known as "Freshie" on the streets and to police who watched his exploits as a youth in Regent Park, Tiku was shot repeatedly in the head by a suspected rival gang member on Gough Ave., near Pape and Danforth Aves.
The Silent Soldiers gang leader's bodyguard was on the wrong side of the Don River, on turf occupied by the breakaway Point Blank Souljahs. Det. Mike Carbone said Tiku appeared to have been targeted by his killer.

Nov. 11: Robert Flagiello, 18
Family and friends will have no trouble remembering last Remembrance Day, when the teenager was hit by a stray bullet fired by a man in the middle of a west-end street.
Gunfire erupted after Flagiello left an Oakwood Ave.-Vaughan Rd. area recording studio around 8:30 p.m. and an uncle said the rapper --who had just moved back into the area to help his single mom raise his two brothers -- collapsed after getting friends safely inside. Five men arrested in a nearby barbershop were later released.

Nov. 17: Alexander Rodney Rundle, 28
Known as Alex, the 7th homicide victim of November was shot several times in the chest during a violent Etobicoke home invasion in the Kipling Ave.-Dixon Rd. area.
Around 7:30 p.m., three masked gunmen burst into the 129 Wincott Dr. bungalow, where four people lived, including Rundle and his father Bill, owner of Rundle's Contracting where his son worked. Another tenant, whose name wasn't released, escaped with a minor wound, wearing only his underwear.

Nov. 22: Shane Kelter, 32
Assassinated by a gunman near an upscale Toronto condo, the Independent Soldiers gangster from Vancouver was sought by police in California, where he was indicted in 2008 as a kingpin on conspiracy, money-laundering and drug charges along with two other Toronto men and three other Canadians.
Kelter and Vancouver friends spent the night at an Exhibition Place club and had just left their limousine to visit a friend's condo when a gunman approached, opened fire, dropped his handgun and ran off. The motive for his shooting on St. Joseph St. remains unknown, but abandoning such a weapon is a gangland hitman-style trademark.

Nov. 22: Alton Reid, 35
The Malvern Crew member formerly with the Versace Crew died one day after being shot in the head in a gang-related attack during a birthday party at the Atlanta Banquet Hall.
About 200 people were in the Ellesmere Rd. hall when bullets from at least two guns fired by men who bought tickets to the party felled him and left four "innocent bystanders" with lesser injuries, Det. Paul Worden said. The Pickering father of one was acquitted after his arrest during a 2004 police sweep of the Malvern Crew, but had a 2003 record for possessing a gun.

Dec. 3: Aeon 'Gates' Grant, 19
An apparent ambush left the teen with a fatal head wound and three "friends" injured after being targeted by a gunman in a stairwell of a North York public housing highrise where Toronto Police later focused on a crackhouse for possible clues.
Det.-Sgt. Gary Giroux called the shooting just before midnight on the 15th floor of 30 Falstaff Ave., near Jane St. and Hwy. 401, a "very focused attack on these individuals," who were left with nowhere to escape. Of the three survivors who ran off, two 17-year-olds were found in a nearby plaza and a 25-year-old walked into a hospital.

Dec. 7: Laura Rios-Gleggro, 45
The shooting of the Colombia-born businesswoman and mother of three, who for 20 years ran a shipping business between Canada, Ecuador and her homeland, was all-the-more chilling since she was slain while tending to her little daughter.
Emma, 2, was unhurt in the backseat of her mom's truck when the owner of Rios Envios was ambushed around 8:45 p.m. by a waiting gunman outside her Weston apartment building north of Lawrence Ave. In a letter on colombiaenlondon.com, she said two Colombians in November 2008 offered to develop a computer program for her firm but she lost $10,000 in the venture and customers were ripped off after her client and business database was stolen.

Dec. 9: Tafari 'Tuff' Spear, 30
A gangster arrested in 2003 during a police sweep of the Tretheway Gangsta Killers died in a hail of bullets that left a suspected rival street gang member wounded, police say.
The shooter and 50 patrons in the Classic Cocktails bar on Wilson Ave. fled after the shooting, and Det.-Sgt. Wayne Banks said only a handful of people bothered to contact police later. Uncertain if Spear was targeted for his gang links, Banks was particularly keen to talk to three women who were with the victim when he was shot.

Dec. 29: Kenneth Mark, 29
Captured on surveillance videos, a gunman and his lookout are sought after Toronto's last murder victim of the year was shot in the back of the head around 10 p.m. while heading home in the Gilmour Ave.-Dundas St. W. area with a pizza slice after his Wal-Mart shift.
The 6-foot-5 "gentle giant" was an activist who worked with police to protect the Junction area from violence. Shot with a pellet gun in 2008 after asking two men not to bring firearms near a playground, friends believe he was targeted for standing up to thugs and Det. Hank Idsinga said police believe the killers mapped out Mark's nightly routine.

Cancer Fighting Dogs

2009-10-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Dogs Can Help Fight two of the most deadly types of cancer- breast and lung cancer - detecting it in exhaled breath.

A study conducted at the Pine Street Foundation, a non-profit cancer education and research group in San Anselmo, Calif., had such good results that a new research related with ovarian cancer, is currently being done. methodology is similar asw are the breeds used.
Nicholas Brofman, executive director of the Pine Street Foundation, alerts: "should your best friend display a persistent animated behaviour around a person, we do recommend medical follow-up.

Here Boffman, answers questions about his studies:

Q: How were the reactions to your study in the medical community?

A: The medical community is always looking for ways to improve your accuracy and find methods that can detect cancer at its earliest stages. Other researchers around the world are now working on the early detection of disease through scent and biological biomarketers.

Q: After your successful studies, should we worry if our pets insist on smelling our neck or breath?

A: Numerous anecdotal reports have been published and televised documenting individual cases in which dogs began to display persistent animated behaviour around specific body locations on their owners. These behaviours, on subsequent medical evaluation proved to be accurate, and in some cases life- saving. Early warning signs of cancers such as those of the breast and skin (melanoma) Therefore, should your dog display such behaviour around a person we do recommend medical follow-up.

Q: Do you think your studies can lead to a future scent detection system in clinical practice, alongside mammograms, for instance?

A: Our research will lead to the development of new diagnostic tools that can be used along currently accepted screening methods, such as mammogram and CT scans.

Q: Will dogs one day detect cancer even earlier than standard screening test?

A: The specificity and the sensitivity of the dogs involved in our 2006 study exceeded several currently accepted screening methods.

2009-10-27T12:16:00.001-07:00

For information on ways to decrease one's chances of contracting swine influenza, see influenza prevention.

2009-10-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

For the 2009 outbreak, see 2009 flu pandemic

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu, and pig flu) is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus (SIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs.[2] As of 2009, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.

Swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human influenza, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection. The meat of an infected animal poses no risk of infection when properly cooked.

During the mid-20th century, identification of influenza subtypes became possible, allowing accurate diagnosis of transmission to humans. Since then, only 50 such transmissions have been confirmed. These strains of swine flu rarely pass from human to human. Symptoms of zoonotic swine flu in humans are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

Classification
Of the three genera of influenza viruses that cause human flu, two also cause influenza in pigs, with influenza A being common in pigs and influenza C being rare.[3] Influenza B has not been reported in pigs. Within influenza A and influenza C, the strains found in pigs and humans are largely distinct, although due to reassortment there have been transfers of genes among strains crossing swine, avian, and human species boundaries.

Influenza C
Influenza C viruses infect both humans and pigs, but do not infect birds.[4] Transmission between pigs and humans have occurred in the past.[5] For example, influenza C caused small outbreaks of a mild form of influenza amongst children in Japan[6] and California.[6] Due to its limited host range and the lack of genetic diversity in influenza C, this form of influenza does not cause pandemics in humans.[7]

Influenza A
Swine influenza is known to be caused by influenza A subtypes H1N1,[8] H1N2,[8] H2N3,[9] H3N1,[10] and H3N2.[8] In pigs, three influenza A virus subtypes (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) are the most common strains worldwide.[11] In the United States, the H1N1 subtype was exclusively prevalent among swine populations before 1998; however, since late August 1998, H3N2 subtypes have been isolated from pigs. As of 2004, H3N2 virus isolates in US swine and turkey stocks were triple reassortants, containing genes from human (HA, NA, and PB1), swine (NS, NP, and M), and avian (PB2 and PA) lineages.[12]

Surveillance
Although there is no formal national surveillance system in the United States to determine what viruses are circulating in pigs,[13] there is an informal surveillance network in the United States that is part of a world surveillance network.
Veterinary medical pathologist, Tracey McNamara, set up a national disease surveillance system in zoos because the zoos do active disease surveillance and many of the exotic animals housed there have broad susceptibilities. Many species fall below the radar of any federal agencies (including dogs, cats, pet prairie dogs, zoo animals, and urban wildlife), even though they may be important in the early detection of human disease outbreaks.

History
Swine influenza was first proposed to be a disease related to human influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic, when pigs became sick at the same time as humans.[16] The first identification of an influenza virus as a cause of disease in pigs occurred about ten years later, in 1930.[17] For the following 60 years, swine influenza strains were almost exclusively H1N1. Then, between 1997 and 2002, new strains of three different subtypes and five different genotypes emerged as causes of influenza among pigs in North America. In 1997-1998, H3N2 strains emerged. These strains, which include genes derived by reassortment from human, swine and avian viruses, have become a major cause of swine influenza in North America. Reassortment between H1N1 and H3N2 produced H1N2. In 1999 in Canada, a strain of H4N6 crossed the species barrier from birds to pigs, but was contained on a single farm.[17]

The H1N1 form of swine flu is one of the descendants of the strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic.[18][19] As well as persisting in pigs, the descendants of the 1918 virus have also circulated in humans through the 20th century, contributing to the normal seasonal epidemics of influenza.[19] However, direct transmission from pigs to humans is rare, with only 12 cases in the U.S. since 2005.[20] Nevertheless, the retention of influenza strains in pigs after these strains have disappeared from the human population might make pigs a reservoir where influenza viruses could persist, later emerging to reinfect humans once human immunity to these strains has waned.[21]

Swine flu has been reported numerous times as a zoonosis in humans, usually with limited distribution, rarely with a widespread distribution. Outbreaks in swine are common and cause significant economic losses in industry, primarily by causing stunting and extended time to market. For example, this disease costs the British meat industry about 65 million every year.[22]

1918 pandemic in humans
The 1918 flu pandemic in humans was associated with H1N1 and influenza appearing in pigs;[19] this may reflect a zoonosis either from swine to humans, or from humans to swine. Although it is not certain in which direction the virus was transferred, some evidence suggests that, in this case, pigs caught the disease from humans.[16] For instance, swine influenza was only noted as a new disease of pigs in 1918, after the first large outbreaks of influenza amongst people.[16] Although a recent phylogenetic analysis of more recent strains of influenza in humans, birds, and swine suggests that the 1918 outbreak in humans followed a reassortment event within a mammal,[23] the exact origin of the 1918 strain remains elusive.[24] It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 million people were killed worldwide.[19][25]
1976 U.S. outbreak

Main article: 1976 swine flu outbreak
On February 5, 1976, in the United States an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. He died the next day and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that the cause of death was a new strain of swine flu. The strain, a variant of H1N1, is known as A/New Jersey/1976 (H1N1). It was detected only from January 19 to February 9 and did not spread beyond Fort Dix.[26]
This new strain appeared to be closely related to the strain involved in the 1918 flu pandemic. Moreover, the ensuing increased surveillance uncovered another strain in circulation in the U.S.: A/Victoria/75 (H3N2) spread simultaneously, also caused illness, and persisted until March.[26] Alarmed public-health officials decided action must be taken to head off another major pandemic, and urged President Gerald Ford that every person in the U.S. be vaccinated for the disease.[27]

The vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems.[28] On October 1, 1976, the immunization program began. That same day, three senior citizens died soon after receiving their swine flu shots and there was a media outcry linking the deaths to the
immunizations, despite the lack of positive proof. According to science writer Patrick Di Justo, however, by the time the truth was known that the deaths were not proven to be related to the vaccine it was too late. "The government had long feared mass panic about swine flu now they feared mass panic about the swine flu vaccinations." This became a strong setback to the program.[29]

There were reports of Guillain-Barr syndrome, a paralyzing neuromuscular disorder, affecting some people who had received swine flu immunizations. This syndrome is a rare side-effect of modern influenza vaccines, with an incidence of about one case per million vaccinations.[30] As a result, Di Justo writes that "the public refused to trust a government-operated health program that killed old people and crippled young people." In total, 48,161,019 Americans, or just over 22% of the population, had been immunized by the time the National Influenza Immunization Program (NIIP) was effectively halted on December 16, 1976.[31] [32]

Overall, there were 1098 cases of Guillain-Barr Syndrome (GBS) recorded nationwide by CDC surveillance, 532 of which were linked to the NIIP vaccination, resulting in death from severe pulmonary complications for 25 people, which, according to Dr. P. Haber, were probably caused by an immunopathological reaction to the 1976 vaccine. Other influenza vaccines have not been linked to GBS, though caution is advised for certain individuals, particularly those with a history of GBS. [33] [34][35] Still, as observed by a participant in the immunization program, the vaccine killed more Americans than the disease did.[36]
1988 zoonosis

In September 1988, a swine flu virus killed one woman and infected others. 32-year old Barbara Ann Wieners was eight months pregnant when she and her husband, Ed, became ill after visiting the hog barn at a county fair in Walworth County, Wisconsin. Barbara died eight days later, after developing pneumonia.[37] The only pathogen identified was an H1N1 strain of swine influenza virus.[38] Doctors were able to induce labor and deliver a healthy daughter before she died. Her husband recovered from his symptoms.

Influenza-like illness (ILI) was reportedly widespread among the pigs exhibited at the fair. 76% of 25 swine exhibitors aged 9 to 19 tested positive for antibody to SIV, but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggested between one and three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection. However, there was no community outbreak.[39][40]

1998 US outbreak in swine
In 1998, swine flu was found in pigs in four U.S. states. Within a year, it had spread through pig populations across the United States. Scientists found that this virus had originated in pigs as a recombinant form of flu strains from birds and humans. This outbreak confirmed that pigs can serve as a crucible where novel influenza viruses emerge as a result of the reassortment of genes from different strains.[41][42][43]

2007 Philippine outbreak in swine
Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (April 2009)

On August 20, 2007 Department of Agriculture officers investigated the outbreak (epizootic) of swine flu in Nueva Ecija and Central Luzon, Philippines. The mortality rate is less than 10% for swine flu, unless there are complications like hog cholera. On July 27, 2007, the Philippine National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) raised a hog cholera "red alert" warning over Metro Manila and 5 regions of Luzon after the disease spread to backyard pig farms in Bulacan and Pampanga, even if these tested negative for the swine flu virus.[44][45]
2009 outbreak in humans

Main article: 2009 flu pandemic
The H1N1 viral strain implicated in the 2009 flu pandemic among humans often is called "swine flu" because initial testing showed many of the genes in the virus were similar to influenza viruses normally occurring in North American swine.[46] But further research has shown that the outbreak is due to a new strain of H1N1 not previously reported in pigs.

In late April, Margaret Chan, the World Health Organization's director-general, declared a "public health emergency of international concern" under the rules of the WHO's new International Health Regulations when the first cases of the H1N1 virus were reported in the United States.[47] [48] Following the outbreak, on May 2, 2009, it was reported in pigs at a farm in Alberta, Canada, with a link to the outbreak in Mexico. The pigs are suspected to have caught this new strain of virus from a farm worker who recently returned from Mexico, then showed symptoms of an influenza-like illness.[49] These are probable cases, pending confirmation by laboratory testing.

The new strain was initially described as an apparent reassortment of at least four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, including one strain endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in swine.[46] Subsequent analysis suggested it was a reassortment of just two strains, both found in swine.[50] Although initial reports identified the new strain as swine influenza (i.e., a zoonosis originating in swine), its origin is unknown. Several countries took precautionary measures to reduce the chances for a global pandemic of the disease.[51] The 2009 swine flu has been compared to other similar types of influenza virus in terms of mortality: "in the US it appears that for every 1000 people who get infected, about 40 people need admission to hospital and about one person dies".[52]. There are fears that swine flu will become a major global pandemic in the winter months, with many countries planning major vaccination campaigns. [53]

Transmission

Transmission between pigs
Influenza is quite common in pigs, with about half of breeding pigs having been exposed to the virus in the US.[54] Antibodies to the virus are also common in pigs in other countries.[54]
The main route of transmission is through direct contact between infected and uninfected animals.[11] These close contacts are particularly common during animal transport. Intensive farming may also increase the risk of transmission, as the pigs are raised in very close proximity to each other.[55][56] The direct transfer of the virus probably occurs either by pigs touching noses, or through dried mucus. Airborne transmission through the aerosols produced by pigs coughing or sneezing are also an important means of infection.[11] The virus usually spreads quickly through a herd, infecting all the pigs within just a few days.[2] Transmission may also occur through wild animals, such as wild boar, which can spread the disease between farms.[57]

Transmission to humans
People who work with poultry and swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at increased risk of zoonotic infection with influenza virus endemic in these animals, and constitute a population of human hosts in which zoonosis and reassortment can co-occur.[58] Vaccination of these workers against influenza and surveillance for new influenza strains among this population may therefore be an important public health measure.[59] Transmission of influenza from swine to humans who work with swine was documented in a small surveillance study performed in 2004 at the University of Iowa.[60] This study among others forms the basis of a recommendation that people whose jobs involve handling poultry and swine be the focus of increased public health surveillance.[58] Other professions at particular risk of infection are veterinarians and meat processing workers, although the risk of infection for both of these groups is lower than that of farm workers.[61]
Interaction with avian H5N1 in pigs

Pigs are unusual as they can be infected with influenza strains that usually infect three different species: pigs, birds and humans.[62] This makes pigs a host where influenza viruses might exchange genes, producing new and dangerous strains.[62] Avian influenza virus H3N2 is endemic in pigs in China and has been detected in pigs in Vietnam, increasing fears of the emergence of new variant strains.[63] H3N2 evolved from H2N2 by antigenic shift.[64] In August 2004, researchers in China found H5N1 in pigs.[65]

These H5N1 infections may be quite common: in a survey of 10 apparently healthy pigs housed near poultry farms in West Java, where avian flu had broken out, five of the pig samples contained the H5N1 virus. The Indonesian government has since found similar results in the same region. Additional tests of 150 pigs outside the area were negative.[66][67]

In humans
Main symptoms of swine flu in humans[68]Direct transmission of a swine flu virus from pigs to humans is occasionally possible (called zoonotic swine flu). In all, 50 cases are known to have occurred since the first report in medical literature in 1958, which have resulted in a total of six deaths.[69] Of these six people, one was pregnant, one had leukemia, one had Hodgkin disease and two were known to be previously healthy.[69] Despite these apparently low numbers of infections, the true rate of infection may be higher, since most cases only cause a very mild disease, and will probably never be reported or diagnosed.[69]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in humans the symptoms of the 2009 "swine flu" H1N1 virus are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. The 2009 outbreak has shown an increased percentage of patients reporting diarrhea and vomiting.[70] The 2009 H1N1 virus is not zoonotic swine flu, as it is not transmitted from pigs to humans, but from person to person.

Because these symptoms are not specific to swine flu, a differential diagnosis of probable swine flu requires not only symptoms but also a high likelihood of swine flu due to the person's recent history. For example, during the 2009 swine flu outbreak in the United States, CDC advised physicians to "consider swine influenza infection in the differential diagnosis of patients with acute febrile respiratory illness who have either been in contact with persons with confirmed swine flu, or who were in one of the five U.S. states that have reported swine flu cases or in Mexico during the 7 days preceding their illness onset."[71] A diagnosis of confirmed swine flu requires laboratory testing of a respiratory sample (a simple nose and throat swab).[71]
The most common cause of death is respiratory failure. Other causes of death are pneumonia (leading to sepsis)[72], high fever (leading to neurological problems), dehydration (from excessive vomiting and diarrhea) and electrolyte imbalance. Fatalities are more likely in young children and the elderly.

Diagnosis
Thermal scanning of passengers arriving at Singapore Changi airport. This section requires expansion.
Different medical kits are available for diagnosis of swine flu.[73]
The two major tests that are being used are the nasopharyngeal (or back of the throat) swab for viral culture, the gold standard, and the indirect evidence test by detection of antibodies to novel H1N1 with PCR studies.

Prevention
Prevention of swine influenza has three components: prevention in swine, prevention of transmission to humans, and prevention of its spread among humans.

Prevention in swine
Methods of preventing the spread of influenza among swine include facility management, herd management, and vaccination (ATCvet code: QI09AA03). Because much of the illness and death associated with swine flu involves secondary infection by other pathogens, control strategies that rely on vaccination may be insufficient.

Control of swine influenza by vaccination has become more difficult in recent decades, as the evolution of the virus has resulted in inconsistent responses to traditional vaccines. Standard commercial swine flu vaccines are effective in controlling the infection when the virus strains match enough to have significant cross-protection, and custom (autogenous) vaccines made from the specific viruses isolated are created and used in the more difficult cases.[74][75] Present vaccination strategies for SIV control and prevention in swine farms typically include the use of one of several bivalent SIV vaccines commercially available in the United States. Of the 97 recent H3N2 isolates examined, only 41 isolates had strong serologic cross-reactions with antiserum to three commercial SIV vaccines. Since the protective ability of influenza vaccines depends primarily on the closeness of the match between the vaccine virus and the epidemic virus, the presence of nonreactive H3N2 SIV variants suggests that current commercial vaccines might not effectively protect pigs from infection with a majority of H3N2 viruses.[76][77] The United States Department of Agriculture researchers say that while pig vaccination keeps pigs from getting sick, it does not block infection or shedding of the virus.[78]

Facility management includes using disinfectants and ambient temperature to control virus in the environment. The virus is unlikely to survive outside living cells for more than two weeks, except in cold (but above freezing) conditions, and it is readily inactivated by disinfectants.[2] Herd management includes not adding pigs carrying influenza to herds that have not been exposed to the virus. The virus survives in healthy carrier pigs for up to 3 months and can be recovered from them between outbreaks. Carrier pigs are usually responsible for the introduction of SIV into previously uninfected herds and countries, so new animals should be quarantined.[54] After an outbreak, as immunity in exposed pigs wanes, new outbreaks of the same strain can occur.[2]

Prevention in humans
Prevention of pig to human transmission
Swine can be infected by both avian and human influenza strains of influenza, and therefore are hosts where the antigenic shifts can occur that create new influenza strains.
The transmission from swine to human is believed to occur mainly in swine farms where farmers are in close contact with live pigs. Although strains of swine influenza are usually not able to infect humans this may occasionally happen, so farmers and veterinarians are encouraged to use a face mask when dealing with infected animals. The use of vaccines on swine to prevent their infection is a major method of limiting swine to human transmission. Risk factors that may contribute to swine-to-human transmission include smoking and not wearing gloves when working with sick animals.[79]

Prevention of human to human transmission
Influenza spreads between humans through coughing or sneezing and people touching something with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth.[80] Swine flu cannot be spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food.[80] The swine flu in humans is most contagious during the first five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can remain contagious for up to ten days. Diagnosis can be made by sending a specimen, collected during the first five days for analysis.[81]

Recommendations to prevent spread of the virus among humans include using standard infection control against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public.[82] Chance of transmission is also reduced by disinfecting household surfaces, which can be done effectively with a diluted chlorine bleach solution.[83]

Experts agree that hand-washing can help prevent viral infections, including ordinary influenza and the swine flu virus. Also avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with hands prevents flu. [3] Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows small droplets containing the virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria. Anyone with flu-like symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work or public transportation and should contact a doctor for advice.

Social distancing is another tactic. It means staying away from other people who might be infected and can include avoiding large gatherings, spreading out a little at work, or perhaps staying home and lying low if an infection is spreading in a community. Public health and other responsible authorities have action plans which may request or require social distancing actions depending on the severity of the outbreak.

Vaccination
Vaccines are available for different kinds of swine flu. Although the current trivalent influenza vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against the new 2009 H1N1 strain,[84] vaccines against the new strain are being developed and could be ready as early as November 2009.[85]

Treatment

In swine
As swine influenza is rarely fatal to pigs, little treatment beyond rest and supportive care is required.[54] Instead veterinary efforts are focused on preventing the spread of the virus throughout the farm, or to other farms.[11] Vaccination and animal management techniques are most important in these efforts. Antibiotics are also used to treat this disease, which although they have no effect against the influenza virus, do help prevent bacterial pneumonia and other secondary infections in influenza-weakened herds.[54]

In humans
If a person becomes sick with swine flu, antiviral drugs can make the illness milder and make the patient feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms). Beside antivirals, supportive care at home or in hospital, focuses on controlling fevers, relieving pain and maintaining fluid balance, as well as identifying and treating any secondary infections or other medical problems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses; however, the majority of people infected with the virus make a full recovery without requiring medical attention or antiviral drugs.[86] The virus isolates in the 2009 outbreak have been found resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.[87]

In the U.S., on April 27, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorizations to make available Relenza and Tamiflu antiviral drugs to treat the swine influenza virus in cases for which they are currently unapproved. The agency issued these EUAs to allow treatment of patients younger than the current approval allows and to allow the widespread distribution of the drugs, including by non-licensed volunteers.[88]

Bing

2009-08-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Bing

This is What Spring Cleaning Means

2009-08-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning

Spring cleaning is the process of thoroughly cleaning a house from top to
bottom once the weather has lost its winter chill. In the past, inadequate heating in homes and small living spaces often meant that certain types of cleaning had to wait for spring. For example, pioneers who used straw tick mattresses, tended to wait till spring to refill these, so that they could use fresh dry hay for filling. Before modern dryers, washing drapes or comforters was complicated by cold weather and tight living quarters. Those in cold climes and had no other choice but to wait for warm weather to hang laundry outdoors to dry.

There are several suggested origins for spring cleaning based on religious practices. One of these is traced to the Jewish celebration of Pesach or Passover, which occurs in March or April each year. Prior to the celebration, the home is usually completely cleaned, and people also get rid of any leavened bread, called chametz, which are forbidden foods during the Passover days. Even crumbs of chametz or a few leftover specks of leftover grains from forbidden flours need to be removed from the home, and typically, Jewish families hunt for any possible chametz crumbs the night before Passover begins.

Another origin for spring cleaning is dated to the Persian New Year celebration, called Nouroz, which occurs at the onset of spring. Traditionally, Persian women clean everything in the house right before Nouroz begins, including floors, drapery, furniture, and ceilings. This is called khooneh takouni which translates to “shaking the house.” Twice a year in Saudi Arabia, a thorough cleaning of the Ka’aba is conducted too, which may relate to the khooneh takouni practice.

Later in history, many Eastern Orthodox Churches conducted a week long spring cleaning right before or during the first week of Lent. Other Christians may also use this time to clean the house from floor to roof. Obviously, anyone of any religion, inspired by warmer weather may want to take the time to get a house in order after the winter months.

Spring cleaning origins probably most date back to prehistory, and represent the time when it was easiest to conduct a good cleaning of living spaces. Extra light allowed people additional time to truly see the messy state of their caves, huts, or teepees. Warmer weather also meant that people could get things thoroughly dry. In agrarian societies, spring cleaning usually coincided with the beginning of planting. It could be an ideal time to organize seeds and get the home ready for the busy months ahead.

Some groups also conducted a winter cleaning right before the dreary cold of winter sets in. This is often the last opportunity to clean things like quilts, mattresses and furniture before cold weather makes it challenging to dry wet clothing. Today many Americans may also conduct a spring cleaning or organizing of their tax materials before the federal tax deadline of April 15th. If receipts or tax documents have been scattered through the house, people may want to organize and clean the home at the same time they organize and file their taxes.

Could you have swine flu?

2009-08-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

Could you have swine flu?

Health agency looking to get better read on how many infected
The province’s public health agency will launch a major study Friday to get a clearer picture of how many Ontarians have already had Influenza A (H1N1), also known as swine flu, and is recruiting 3,000 volunteers willing to give blood samples.
“It will give us a sense of how widespread H1N1 has been in Ontario,” explained Dr. Michael Gardam, director of infectious disease prevention at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion.
About 4,000 Ontarians have tested positive for the swine flu virus through lab tests. But it’s believed this number is just the tip of the iceberg because most people with influenza symptoms do not visit a doctor.
Some people who have contracted H1N1 wouldn’t have even known it because they had no symptoms, said Mount Sinai microbiologist Dr. Allison McGeer.
The results will give public health officials an indication of how many people might get sick in the fall.
--> -->
Cases of swine flu among US soldiers in Iraq climb to 67, Iraqi official says
BAGHDAD - There have been 67 confirmed cases of swine flu among American troops in Iraq with dozens more suspected, Iraqi officials said Wednesday, making U.S. soldiers the single largest group in the country to come down with the virus.
American soldiers account for more than two-thirds of Iraq's 96 swine flu cases, according to figures released by the Iraqi Health Ministry, as it presented steps being taken to control the spread of the virus that last week claimed its first fatality in Iraq.
In addition to the soldiers, 23 Iraqis and six foreigners have been diagnosed with the virus, said Dr. Amer al-Khuzai, the deputy health minister. A 21-year-old woman, described in poor health, died in the southern holy city of Najaf where she had been visiting revered Shiite shrines.
All American soldiers diagnosed with swine flu have either recovered or are undergoing treatment, he said, adding that there have been no fatalities among U.S. forces.
The U.S. military confirmed the 67 cases, an increase from the 51 it reported earlier this week. It also said 71 suspected cases were in isolation.
"None have been significantly ill. None have required hospitalization or evacuation," Col. Michael D. Eisenhauer, chief of clinical operations in Iraq, told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday.
Swine flu cases have been diagnosed at six American bases in Iraq, he said.
The military has been giving the ministry weekly updates on the number of cases found on their bases in Iraq, Eisenhauer said in another email to AP this week. "There has not been a sudden outbreak," Eisenhauer said, explaining that the cases have appeared over the last three months since the military began screening for the virus.
In May, 18 soldiers on their way to Iraq were diagnosed with swine flu while in Kuwait, leading to an agreement between Iraq and the U.S. military to share information about the number of confirmed cases.
Troops heading to and from Afghanistan and Iraq are now also screened.
In Afghanistan, 14 U.S. personnel were diagnosed with and treated for swine flu in June at Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. base north of Kabul. In the western Afghan city of Herat, 22 Spanish soldiers were quarantined with suspected cases in July.
The Iraqi Health Ministry said the higher prevalence of the flu in U.S. troops than Iraqis was likely a combination of factors, such as their close living quarters and their travels.
"We think they have this many cases because they come through different countries to come here. They come from the United States. They come from Europe," al-Khuzai said.
Health officials caught 10 cases of swine flu at Baghdad's International Airport during the now routine screenings of arriving travellers, said Dr. Sabah Karkukly, who oversees the ministry's swine flu program.
Two more cases were found in the southern city of Najaf, while three others were appeared in Karbala.

The cases in the south raise concern about Iraq's ability to control the virus' spread among millions of Shiites who regularly visit the shrines in Najaf and Karbala.

Al-Khuzai cautioned Iraqis to avoid crowded places, including religious sites, where the virus can easily be transmitted.
Iraq's Cabinet on Wednesday banned trips to Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, during which millions of pilgrims will mingle at the holy sites there.
Iraq also has joined other countries in preventing children, the elderly and the chronically ill from the annual hajj pilgrimage in late November.
The World Health Organization, as of July 31, had tallied more than 162,000 swine flu cases worldwide. It counted at least 1,154 deaths, with more than 1,000 reported in the Americas, according to its Web site.
The Health Ministry also launched a public health campaign using posters, leaflets, television advertisements and radio spots to educate Iraqis about how to prevent transmission of the virus and what to do if they catch swine flu.
Iraq's Cabinet also approved the purchase of $100 million worth of the anti-viral medicine Tamiflu, which is enough for a quarter of Iraq's population, Karkukly said.

H1N1 Virus Updates

2009-08-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ottawa reports 4th death related to H1N1 but no more information released

OTTAWA - A fourth person in Ottawa has died after contracting the H1N1 virus.

Ottawa Public Health is releasing no information about the person, only saying the victim had chronic medical conditions.

There have been 361 confirmed cases of H1N1, also known as swine flu, in Ottawa, with 69 people admitted to hospital.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said as of Tuesday that 62 people with the virus had died across the country.

___________________________________________________________

UPDATE: Canadian swine flu total up to 51

Canada's caseload of the virulent flu strain known as H1N1 reached 51 on Friday as British Columbia and Nova Scotia together reported 10 new cases of the disease described as a "medical condition" by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

B.C.'s four new cases involved one youngster, one teenager and two adults - all in the province's Lower Mainland, all mild and all involving people who were either recently in Mexico or in contact with people who were, said Premier Gordon Campbell.

While neither the status nor the number of cases in Canada should be considered cause for alarm, the level of worry surrounding a virus that's fuelling fears of a global pandemic is perfectly justified, Campbell told a news conference.

"We expect, and our experts expect, that the number of cases will continue to rise," Campbell said of the province's caseload, which is currently at 15.

"Unfortunately, we may see some deaths. We have deaths from flu every year. It's important for us to recognize that and it's important for us to recognize that, again, there is no reason we can't deal with this constructively and positively if we all pay attention to it."

Much the same warning came from health officials in Nova Scotia, which is where Canada's first cases of H1N1 came to light last weekend, all of them from a private school where a group of students had recently returned from a school trip to Mexico.

Indeed, all the new cases are students from the King's Edgehill private school in Windsor, N.S., said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief public health officer.

"At this point we're not seeing severe cases such as have been experienced in Mexico," Strang said. The province's total caseload is now 14, he added.

"We do expect to see new cases and we anticipate more in the coming days. As with normal flu, once the number of cases does increase, it is normal to see more severe cases and potentially even some deaths."

Ontario reported four more mild cases, all in the Toronto area, bringing the province's total to 12.

In Alberta, two more mild cases involving two women from Calgary, one a recent returnee from Mexico and the other from Tennessee, brought the total number in the province to eight, said Dr. Andre Corriveau, the province's chief medical officer of health.

Corriveau said health officials have heard that some businesses in Alberta are requiring any staff who have recently visited Mexico to see a doctor before they return to work, a step he described as unnecessary.

"We are appealing to people to be reasonable - not to clog our health-care system unnecessarily."

On Friday, the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton said it was asking parishes to make changes to help prevent the spread of infection.

Priests have been asked to stop distributing consecrated wine from the common cup and to encourage parishioners who usually receive communion wafers on their tongue to receive it in their hands instead.

"It is important to note that the Phase 5 WHO alert does not mean a life-threatening health situation in the Archdiocese and that the steps being recommended are precautionary," Archbishop Richard Smith said in his letter to priests.

An official with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said it was not immediately clear how many of the other 14 Archdiocese across the country are taking similar measures.
At an event in Edgeley, Sask., Harper said he's confident that Canadians, while taking the necessary precautions and eyeing developments with a sense of concern, are not getting carried away.

"My sense is the public is, like ourselves, concerned, but I don't sense a panic," Harper said. "I sense the public is listening very carefully to various advisories and warnings they are getting and responding appropriately and that's what we encourage."

Harper, who was asked about the World Health Organization's decision Thursday to begin referring to the virus by its formal name rather than the more colloquial "swine flu," glanced over his shoulder at an aide for confirmation of the new designation.

"This is obviously a medical condition so it makes sense to refer to it that way and I gather that's a standard that the World Health Organization is now trying to encourage," Harper said.
"The health risks here are to humans; that's the concern ... It is not the health of the hog industry in any way that is at stake here, so we will encourage that terminology."

Strang said all of the Nova Scotia students who had swine flu were now better, after spending at least seven days in isolation, and are no longer infectious.

One of the six students who became infected with swine flu was actually on the trip to Mexico, while the other five caught it after the students came back to Canada. Fifteen students at the school are still in isolation, he added.

Dr. Ken Buchholz, senior physician adviser with Nova Scotia's Department of Health. said there hasn't been a significant increase in the number of people going to emergency departments around the province.

"At this point, the (flu) cases have been mild, and nobody has been hospitalized."

____________________________________________________________

Should Canada share H1N1 antivirals?

As Canada expects to have enough antiviral drugs for everyone who needs them during an H1N1 pandemic, ethicists ask whether we should consider giving some away to the rest of the world.
The Canadian pandemic plan includes a national stockpile of antiviral drugs that provincial and territorial governments plan to increase to 55 million doses to handle the increased demand for the medication due to the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus.

“We’re actually in good shape on antivirals thanks to the foresight of the public health agency,” said Dr. Peter Singer, a bioethicist and director of the McLaughlin-Rothman Centre at the University of Toronto. “That is a good time to reflect on just how lucky we are in relationship to other countries around the world, particularly on the antiviral issue, and maybe a time to begin to reflect on what we can do to help.”

The Public Health Agency of Canada has not yet decided whether to donate any part of its antiviral stockpile to developing countries who are not as well prepared, and said it is waiting for the World Health Organization to officially ask for help.

__________________________________________________________

Pandemic H1N1 vaccine development 'on track,' WHO vaccine head says

Development of swine flu vaccine is "on track" and some countries may begin administering the vaccine as early as September, the head of the World Health Organization's initiative for vaccine research said Thursday.

Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny said manufacturers have made small batches of the pandemic vaccine and are starting clinical trials to determine that the vaccine is safe and produces a protective response.

Kieny said clinical trials are already started in Australia, China, the United States, Germany and Britain and more will come on line in coming days.
Kieny declined to offer an updated prediction of how much swine flu vaccine will be available, saying at this point too much is unknown. Earlier the WHO had estimated that in a best case scenario, as many as 94 million doses a week could roll off production lines when manufacturing plants are fully engaged in making the vaccine.

"I would really like to avoid to make any projection right now," Kieny said, noting that initially the vaccine yield manufacturers were getting was substantially lower than they get when they make seasonal flu vaccine.

A new, better yielding seed strain has been developed, and shipping to manufacturers started Wednesday. The lab that made it, Britain's National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, says the new seed strain produces a yield on a par with that of seasonal flu vaccine production.

That will have to be confirmed by the manufacturers before revised production estimates could be calculated, Kieny suggested. "We need to see what are the real yields."
As well, she said, results from early clinical trials that show what dose size and number of doses each person needs will allow the WHO to make a better estimate of how much vaccine will be available.

It's one thing to have batches of vaccine made and another to be able to administer the product to people, Kieny warned, saying regulatory agencies in various countries must first license the vaccines.

Kieny gave a rundown of the fast-tracking systems various regulatory agencies have put in place, systems that have been devised in recent years in response to the realization that regulators would need to move swiftly when a pandemic starts.

She stressed that the fast-tracking won't undermine the safety of the vaccines being produced.
But countries using vaccine will need to be vigilant to look for and investigate any reports of adverse events linked to receipt of the vaccine, Kieny said.

The WHO realizes some such reports are inevitable. And while some may be real, others could be what are known as temporal associations - problems that seem like they may have been caused by the vaccine because they occurred after the person got a flu shot but which in reality would have happened regardless.

Kieny said countries will need to rapidly investigate any signals of problems related to the vaccine and communicate any findings quickly to the public.

2009-06-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

The History of Father's Day
It would be interesting to know how Father's Day came into practice and celebrated worldwide with an equal sincerity and respect as any other significant holidays. Here's a short history on the holiday, and meaning of the different colors of roses to be worn that Day. You may even refer the page to others to share the information by clicking on the link given below.
About 4,000 years ago a young boy named Elmusu wished his Babylonian father good health and a long life by carving a Father's Day message on a card made out of clay. No one knows what happened to Elmesu or his father, but the tradition of having a special day honoring fathers has continued through the years in countries across the world.
The Countries, where the Catholic Church were of significant influence on the culture of the society, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day (March 19). However, a more secular celebration which is not associated with any religion is followed in recent times to highlight the increased diversity among people from all over the globe coexisting together in one place.
Father's Day is celebrated popularly on 3rd Sunday in June in many parts of the world. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. President Nixon, in 1972, established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born as a token of love and gratitude that a daughter cherishes for her beloved father. Roses are the Father's Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day

Spiritual Origin of Mothers Day

The majority of countries that celebrate Mother's Day do so on the second Sunday of May. On this day, it is commom for Mothers to be lavished with presents and special attention from their families, friends and loved ones. But it hasn't always been this way.

Only recently dubbed "Mother's Day," the highly traditional practice of honouring of Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites typically had strong symbolic and spiritual overtones; societies tended to celebrate Goddesses and symbols rather than actual Mothers. In fact , the personal, human touch to Mother's Day is a relatively new phenomenon. The maternal objects of adoration ranged from mythological female deities to the Christian Church itself. Only in the Past few centuries did celebrations of Motherhood develope a decidedly human focus.

Mom is Special

Mom deserves this time now after all the years she loved and nurtured you.

Her's a poem for all the mothers out there.

Mother

A picture memory brings to me;

I look across the years and see

Myself beside my mothers knee.

I feel her gentle hand restrain

My selfish moods, and know again

A child's blind sense of wrong and pain.

But wiser now

a man gray grown,

My childhood's needs are better known.

My mother's shastening love I own

All About Painters

2009-04-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Why don't professional painters put the tarp on the floor to protect the floor from paint dropping on it.

It has come to our attention that most painters don't put down a tarp to protect the floor, leaving paint drops and smudges all over the floor.

As cleaners we have to scrape and scrub, which takes a long time all because they won't clean up after them selves .

Owners of properties when hiring painters should request them to use floor coverings to protect their floors because the paint doesn't all com up.

We need to get this message out to people who hire painters.

The fact is not that it takes us more time, but that it's costing the client more money and that the floor won't look as good as it should.

Multi Services
Residential & Commercial Cleaning
Free Estimates
416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

Here are some kitchen cleaning tips

2009-04-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Non-Toxic Tricks

3 Dishwashing Formulas
For each of the following recipes, fill a 22 oz. plastic bottle with castile soap diluted with water. Add the essential oils. Shake the bottle before each use. Use as you normally would use dishwashing detergant, except that you need less than 1/2 cup of vinegar to the sink and for baked-on foods, soak with hot water and baking soda

Formula 1
Liquid castile soap
15 drops lemon essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

Formula 2
Liquid castile soap
10 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops rosemary essential oil
4 drops grape fruit seed exract

Formula 3
Liquid castile soap
10 drops orange essential oil
5 drops grape fuite seed extract
5 drops tea tree oil

Lime and mineral deposits
For lime and mineral deposits on the kitchen sink faucet, soak a paper towel in vinegar, wrap it around the faucet for one hour. The vinegar breaks down the mineral scale, you can wipe it off and polish the chrome.

Heavy grease
Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your sink- full of water to help to cut grease.

For more helpful tips and hints please visit our website

Multi Services
Residential & Commercial Cleaning
FREE Estimate
416-782-3417
www.multiservices-janitorial.com

SPRING CLEANING

2009-04-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

SPRING CLEANING

Do you know what "Spring Cleaning" really Means?

I am 45 years old, and I would be willing to bet that most people my age and younger either don't know what the term "Spring Cleaning" really means or have never even heard of it, ut in the not to distant past it was a yearly ritual in most homes.

With the arrival of spring , our moms, grandmothers, aunts - basically all the women in the family - would take everything outside of the house (and all the stuff was taken outside) and then bring everything back in. At the very least, they woulld move everything outside of a room and do te same thing one room at a time untill the entire house and everything in ti was clean.

And I mean clean. They would clean walls, baseboards, electrical outlets, light switch faceplates, light fixtures, floors - everything - and nothing was moved back into the room untill it was also cleaned thoroughly. Because the house was closed up throughout the winter allowing the germs and bacteria to proliferate, a thorough cleaning was done in the spring. Airing out the house as it was being cleaned was also part of the cleaning process, and important part as well.

Spring Cleaning actually helps keep us healthy. Do you know what causes odours in the home most of the time? It is germs and bacteria which can't really be eliminated by air fresheners and deodorizers but only by genuine cleaning.

I have worked as a housekeeper, and one thing I noticed was that people have a lot of stuff cluttering up their space, making it impossible to do a good clean. Not only clutter but in fact everything in your house is a potential haven for germs. So the more stuff, the more germs unless you can keep all those things clean of course.

It's probably not feasible for most people to move everything outside in order to sring clean the way it was done in the past. But I can tell you from experience the cleaner our homes are, the healthier we are mentally as well as physically. If you want to do spring cleaning, consider doing the following:

* Get rid of excess stuff

* Clean the bathroom regularly. Pay particular attention to the toilet, especially the outside of the bowl and the floor around it.

* Don't wait until you can see dirt to acknowledge it's existence - germs cannot be seen with the naked eye.

* If you have children no matter what age, their "stuff" and their rooms are the places where the most germ will be lurking. Clean them reugularly.

* Everyone should always wash their hands after using the toilet and wahing up for dinner isn't some quaint custom from the past - it's a necessary step in preventing the passing of germs

* If you have carpets, consider getting rid of them. As far as I'm concerned, carpets should never have been invented - they are nothing but haven for dust dirt and germs.

Once a year, even if you don't think it's necessary, clean your entire house from top to bottom as best as you can. if this isn't possible, hire someone to do it for you. Make sure that all furniture gets cleaned, as well as toys, electronics - anything that people touch a lot.

I know, I know - it might sound extreme. Talk to your grandparents or older family members. They'll tell you it's just good sense. And good sense never goes out of style.

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