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Food

Another Reason Why Coffee is Good For You!

January 15, 2012

Coffee drinking has been linked with a reduced risk of diabetes, and now Chinese researchers think they may know why.

Studies said that people who drink four or more cups of coffee daily have a 50 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Another reason to love your coffee!

How does it lower your chance of diabetes?

”We found three major coffee compounds can reverse this toxic process and may explain why coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes,” says researcher Kun Huang, PhD, a professor of biological pharmacy at the Huazhong University of Science & Technology.

The study results show that decaf coffee works, too, to reduce the risk. In patients who already have diabetes, decaf is better for them than regular coffee.

“We expect that decaffeinated coffee has at least equal or even higher beneficial effect compared to the regular caffeinated types,” Huang says.

The National Basic Research Program of China, the Natural Science Foundation of China, and other non-industry sources funded the research.

News

Mom Wars Still Going On?

January 14, 2012

“Stay at home moms are lazy?”

Oh come on!

I can’t believe this so-called “mommy war” is still going on. Stay at home, work at home, working moms, part-time working moms – can’t we all just get along?

Seriously! Why has Anderson Cooper resurrected this so-called mom war between stay-at-home moms and working moms?

Some women can’t afford to stay home; some women don’t want to. Period. It’s our own, individual choice and no one has the right to judge. Everyone does what is best for their family and frankly, that’s nobody else’s business.

Watch the video and let me know what you think!

Featured

My Ford Experience: NAIAS and Design Camp

January 13, 2012

As I mentioned already, the folks over at Ford Canada invited me and 149 other bloggers to attend the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2012 in Detroit. We were also invited to Ford’s Design Fantasy Camp where we were given a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at how they design their cars. See Part One of my trip here.

First, we attended Ford’s press conference which unveiled the super sleek new 2013 Fusion. What an event! Talk about over-the-top press conference – it was held in the Joe Louis Arena. Bill Ford was there to begin the press conference.

Ford NAIAS, ford fusion 2013, ford naias press conference, bill ford — William Clay “Bill” Ford Jr., the great-grandson of Henry Ford

Derrick Kuzack, Group VP, Global Product Development, then introduced the new 2013 Ford Fusion in a dramatic reveal.

ford naias press conference, — The new 2013 Ford Fusion

After the press conference, the online media checked out Ford at NAIAS 2012 and had the opportunity to chat with several of Ford’s executives about the new Fusion as well as other vehicles and new technology, and ask them questions.

The new Fusion seems to offer the best fuel economy and smart technology for the right price. It features four-cylinders instead of V-6 engines, and is adding a plugin hybrid version, gas-electric regular hybrid and EcoBoost versions.

The new Fusion is equipped with an array of technologies, such as Active park assist which helps identify and steer you into a suitable parking space; SYNC® system which allows for voice-activated calling; Blind Spot Information System and Lane Keeping Assist provide for greater confidence behind the wheel; and Collision Alert Assist.

I found the lane-keeping assist to be an interesting feature; vibrations on the steering wheel will give you warnings when change lanes and you can set the level of vibration.

Another great feature is the MyKey system which allows parents to keep an eye on their teenagers when they’re driving by allowing owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume. MyKey also encourages safety-belt use, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 mph.

It was fun to see our tweets on the big screen!

Bloggers then got an amazing exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the way Ford creates and designs their vehicles, at their Ford Design Camp.

I took a tour of Ford’s clay modeling studios and witnessed how Ford makes vehicles entirely out of clay! They begin with smaller table-top clay models and then make full, life-size models. The best part was actually playing with the clay that top Ford designers use and helping to sculpt a model. Hands-on amazing! We weren’t allowed to take photos of this, understandably.

The HMI Simulator demonstration was also super cool. They use the same type of digital motion technology as is used on films like Avatar, Lord of the Rings and Shrek to design vehicles that are more comfortable to drive.

We also got a change to see the technology and tools Ford uses to help craft its vehicles. One demonstration was the driving simulation where the driver can experience the front panel and driving features.

Ford showed us some of the sustainable materials they are using to make materials, including soybeans and coconuts! They are currently in production on soy-based seat cushions and backs.

By using renewable and recycled materials in place of petroleum based materials, Ford is helping to improve sustainability of vehicles.

Renewed and recycled materials — Ford has green innovations

We also got the inside scoop into the design process and the baseline engineering in early design of Ford’s vehicles. They begin with sketches on a 2D plane in a 3D world; then build a wire frame and then surface. After the design, engineers review with visualization tools. The computer generated images are hardly discernible from real photography!

ford design sketching — Ford design process

All in all, I came out of my Detroit trip understanding the process of how vehicles are designed and made and the complex process from inception to completion.

I was so inspired by the amazing people I met, both from Ford and of course, the wonderful bloggers from across the globe.

Stay tuned for my next post on the people I met at NAIAS and other fab cars I saw!

Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations during the press event. I was not compensated in any other manner for my time or posts. Opinions posted are completely my own.

Entertainment

Best 15 Movies of 2011

January 12, 2012

by Shannon Lintott

Last year I made a Best Movies of 2010 list and seeing how 2011 delivered some amazing films, I just had to do it again!

Whether they had more hype than others, were under rated or received bad reviews, these movies all earned their title as best in my books for one reason or another. So what were the best movies of 2011?

Without further ado, here is my list of the Best 15 Movies of 2011.

Attack the Block (Sci-fi/Action/Comedy)

Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker and Alex Esmail

Director: Joe Cornish

Amazing indie British Sci-fi/comedy like you’ve never seen it before. This movie is REALLY good. I mean it. It’s hilarious, the aliens are really cool, the story actually works and you wont even notice the fact that it was made on the low budget. I loved watching these kids go around kicking butt and I was happily surprised to see a genuienly good sci-fi/action/comedy.

Beginners (Drama/Comedy/Romance)

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Mélanie Laurent

Director: Mike Millis

This little movie came out of no where and stole my heart. I was crying and then laughing my face off. I loved the story and feel in love with the actors that made it come to life. Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer are wonderful. This movie snuck in there and I keep hearing little blurbs about it now and again which is good because this film deserves to be recognized.

Drive (Crime/Drama)

Starring: Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Ryan Gosling is such a good actor. If that wasn’t reason alone then the action and general feel to this movie should give you reason to watch it. It was cool. I hate to say that but it’s true.

Fast Five (Action/Crime)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson

Director: Justin Lin

Action. This movie is a pure action flick. There are one liners that will make you face palm but compared to all the other Fast & the Furious movies this script works. Raw action with fight scenes between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson is action gold and makes this my favourite of the fast & the Furious films.

Fright Night (Horror/Comedy)

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant

Director: Craig Gillespie

Why is this film on my list? Because this was my favoruite horror/comedy of the year. Not only is David Tennant and Anton Yelchin two of my favourite actors but I love the original and wondered if they were going to butcher it or not. They didn’t, they made it fresh and new and I loved every minute of this movie.

Ford Thinks Outside the Box, Especially When it Comes to Social Media

January 12, 2012

The folks over at Ford Canada invited me and 149 other bloggers to attend the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and Ford Fantasy Camp in Detroit. It was the largest sponsored press event which included new media that I’ve ever heard of and experienced first-hand.

At NAIAS, Ford unveiled the smart, sleek and sexy 2013 Fusion which earned AutoWeek’s Best in Show. I was honoured to be a part of the two-day whirlwind that undoubtedly inspired all of the bloggers who came from all around the world.

There is so much to say about this trip that I have to write several posts to cover all of it. But I do have to begin by saying that Ford really thinks outside the box, especially when it comes to their new media/social media campaigns. They really see the value of online media as influencers and as such, included bloggers in their press event, covering their entire trips to attend.

It makes sense because Ford sees itself as a technology company, not just an auto company.

Ford is also proud of “being different.” And that, they definitely are. Ford is forward thinking in social media, and it paid off.

Scott Monty, head of Ford’s Social Media, shared some mind-blowing statistics at the end of Day One; about 70 per cent of the information shared on social media about NAIAS, came from us, the 150 bloggers that first day. We collectively reached 5 million people. Amazing.

Global Design and Chief Creative Officer J Mays said it best. At the end of our stay, he thanked us all, acknowledging that we had asked more thought-provoking questions than traditional auto media.

So there you go – social media works.

We stayed at The Henry hotel in Dearborn, Michigan, a gorgeous hotel close to the Henry Ford Museum and Ford Motor Company offices.

Our first evening, we visited the Henry Ford Museum, the ultimate place to explore what Americans past and present have imagined and invented, where ideas and innovations come to life. Walking the almost-empty museum and parts of the museum not yet open to the public, I was in awe. You can’t help but think on a different scale and the feeling of surrealism is overwhelming when you’re entrenched in history. With 40-foot ceilings and nine acres, as you walk through the museum, you almost feel like you are reliving history through the remarkable collection.

Seeing John F. Kennedy’s car before your eyes, seeing the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on display, stepping into the bus that Rosa Parks rode in, you couldn’t help but feel emotional as witness to major world changing events in American history.

henry ford museum, — The Henry Ford Museum

Stay Tuned for my next posts on the Ford NAIAS press conference and the Ford Fantasy Camp!

Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations during the press event. I was not compensated in any other manner for my time or posts. Opinions posted are completely my own.

lifestyle

All New Ford Fusion Debuts at International Auto Show

January 11, 2012

The 2013 Ford Fusion made a grand splash this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Ford unveiled the smart, sleek and sexy new Fusion that will definitely change the midsize sedan.

From its innovation design to its enhanced craftsmanship, the all new Ford Fusion seems to offer the best fuel economy and smart technology for the right price.

The new Fusion will go four-cylinder instead of V-6 engines, and is adding a plugin hybrid version, gas-electric regular hybrid and EcoBoost versions.

“In the near term the biggest impact we can have is in improving the fuel economy of the biggest volume of our vehicles. That’s why we have Eco Boost,” said John Viera, Ford’s global director of sustainability.

Ford seems to be making leaps in terms of contributing to reducing global CO2 emissions. The company is already using renewable and recycled materials in place of petroleum based materials to improve sustainability of vehicles. By using greener materials, the company is also taking into consideration the carbon footprint of whole cycle of product creation.

The new Fusion is equipped with an array of technologies, such as Active park assist which helps identify and steer you into a suitable parking space; SYNC® system which allows for voice-activated calling; Blind Spot Information System and Lane Keeping Assist provide for greater confidence behind the wheel.

“It will be our most aggressive year for global product introductions in our history,” Alan Mulally, chief executive of Ford Motor Co., said of his company during the press conference at Detroit’s Joe Louis arena on Monday.

Featured

Update a Closet Space: Make a Room into a Closet

January 8, 2012

by Dee Brun

This past year I was so blessed to have moved into my dream home. She is an amazing 1932 beauty, full of character – gourmet kitchen, beautiful grounds… What more could a girl want?

She could want her closet back, that’s what she could want!

You see I moved from a fairly new home, 5,000 square feet with more closet space than Lindsay Lohan has arrests. I had so many closets in my old home, most of the shelves in them were empty.

However with finding and old character home in the perfect neighborhood comes sacrifice. A sacrifice of SPACE… We still have the same amount of living space, however my closet space has been drastically reduced to say the least.

Now that it is a New Year I feel the need to declutter and get re-organized for the year ahead. So I took a shot of tequila and decided to tackle the closet.

This was the space I had in my old closet…

And…this is the space I now have…

Can you say… “Shrinkage Factor?”

When we came to see the house for the showing, the lovely woman who lived here before had one of the bedrooms turned into a divine changing room. Rows and rows of clothes, shelf upon shelf of shoes, it was FABOOSH.

However since I need all the bedrooms for my four children and leaving one behind was not an option… it was a brief thought…but never an option. I had to make do with what I had…and what I had was a HUGE space, basically entirely unused in the form of a wine cellar in my basement.

It was time to think outside the bottle. Here I had all this space that I barely used. It did store some of my extra booze and glassware but was quickly becoming a place to store, well, crap. In a house without a closet space, every corner must be used to its full potential.

So with a hammer, some nails and a wee bit of demolition…

I ended up with a truly useful space and made myself a ton of new closet room!

By just getting the handbags out of my bedroom closet, I feel like I have so much more space. This is turn means I just may need to go shopping!

Amazing what a few nails and a hammer can do, a place for everything and everything in its place.

I also still have tons of space for my wine, booze and glassware.

I am sure the lovely man who paid a small fortune to have this wine cellar installed may not approve of my D.I.Y. But a girls gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

Now I know not everyone has an extra wine cellar just lying empty in their basement.

The whole point of this D.I.Y was to get you to look at your home and its spaces in a different way. Just because the extra space that you may have is not in the bedroom, it doesn’t mean it can’t be used as extra closet space. Your shoes and handbags deserve a nice home…with room to grow of course.

Cheers!

D.I.Y Daiquiri

2 ounces Vodka

2 ounces orange juice pulp free

1 ounce Mango juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

1 cup ice

Coarse sugar

Add all ingredients to a blender with ice and blend until smooth. Served in a glass rimmed with sugar and garnish with fresh fruit.

Dee Brun aka CocktailDeeva is the author Libations of Life, A Girls Guide to Life One Cocktail at a Time, resident Cocktail’ista on CBC’s The Steven and Chris Show; home entertaining columnist at Toronto Star Yourhome.ca; Home Entertaining Guru, writer, humorist, wife, mother of 4, TV Junkie, shoe-aholic and borderline George Clooney stalker.

Entertainment

Beyoncé and Jay-Z Welcome Baby Girl!

January 8, 2012

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have welcomed their first child – a baby girl!

The 30-year-old singer gave birth to Ivy Blue Carter, E! Online reports.

Beyoncé gave birth via scheduled caesarean section at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City Saturday night.

Sources close to the hospital told the Daily News that Beyoncé checked into New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital under a fake name, “Ingrid Jackson”.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé reportedly rented out the entire fourth floor of the hospital for $1.3 million to have a private delivery! If this is true, all I can say is – wow… that money could go to something a little more useful, like helping people?

That aside, congrats to the couple.

Featured

Deep Dish Chocolate Toffee Oatmeal Cookies (and a Sundae!)

January 6, 2012

by Amanda Goetz

The holidays may be over, but I am still craving comfort food. Maybe it’s from the trauma of having the kids home from school for two weeks, or the fear of the impending Visa card bill.

In any case, I can’t stop thinking about soft, chewy, warm from the oven cookies. Especially oatmeal cookies. I decided to throw in some toffee bits and chocolate chips that I had left over from my holiday baking and the result was ah-maze-ing!

These cookies can be made like regular cookies, dropped by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet, or if you’d like something extra special, try making them “deep dish” and cook them in a muffin tin! Top with a little ice cream and hot caramel sauce and you’ve got a real treat for the family.

Deep Dish Chocolate Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup toffee bits

1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

In a large bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until combined.

Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and add the eggs one at a time mixing in between to combine.

Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt and stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.

Add the oats, toffee bits and chocolate chips and incorporate.

Add about 1/4 cup of cookie dough to each cup in a well greased muffin tin.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cookies are light brown and set.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Cookie Sundaes

Place a warm cookie in the bottom of a bowl or on a plate.

Mix 2 tbsp Maple Syrup into 1/4 cup store-bought Caramel Sauce and microwave for 30 seconds to heat.

Top the cookie with a scoop of your favourite ice cream (vanilla and maple walnut are my faves) and pour the hot maple caramel sauce over top.

Amanda Goetz is a WAHM to 3 kids under the age of 5. Her love of cooking was fostered when she was a preschooler helping her grandma in the kitchen. After a year long stint as a sous chef, she left the industry to continue cooking as a hobby before the stress and politics of a professional kitchen killed her love of cooking. Now she creates delicious dinners and delectable desserts for her family and friends and blogs about it at The Best Mom on the Block.

Food

International Delight Iced Coffee Review

January 6, 2012

I love coffee… I do I do!

Hot coffee, cold coffee, lattes, espresso, cappuccino, iced coffee, you name it – I’m there!

So when I had an opportunity to try out International Delight #IcedCoffee from Collective Bias #CBias in three different flavors, I said ~ bring it on!

International Delight Iced Coffee comes in three flavours, Mocha, Vanilla and Original.

What I like is that the coffees are made with skim milk which is good for the waistline. One cup (240ml) has 150 calories and 2.5g of fat, which is really good compared to other coffee drinks that are full fat.

The coffee drinks are made with 100% premium Arabica coffee too which makes my taste buds happy.

The original had a really nice taste and the coffee flavour came through nicely. It’s a nice cold coffee, similar to iced coffees you’d buy at the coffee shop.

I found the mocha to taste a little bit like chocolate milk! I thought it had a nice flavour, as well as the vanilla. I enjoyed trying all three flavours.

My husband also tried the coffees and said they were “thick, rich and creamy.” He thought the original and vanilla had a bit of an aftertaste but he liked the mocha flavour the absolute best.

Now if only I could be somewhere hot right now, preferably on a beach, sipping on one of these coffees…

International Delight’s Iced Coffees will be available in Walmart stores dairy section on January 15th, 2012. For more information you may visit their Facebook Page.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias, however all opinions are my own.