Get a free cd from Vassar College that discusses risks and evidence suggesting role of the environmental factors in breast cancer. It also discusses how reproductive history, inherited factors, and lifestyle can increase or decrease the risk of Breast Cancer.

Only if it will be of use to you, get the free “Environmental Risks and Breast Cancer” CD here.

In this week’s Sobeys Ontario Flyer the Sobeys Spring Water – 35x500ml – is on sale for $3.49 (limit 3 per person).

Read the full Sobeys flyer here.

Best Buy has the Creative MuVo V100 1GB MP3 Player – White on sale for $59.99 (regular price $99.99).

You can
1) get this offer in-store (it’s in this week’s Best Buy flyer) or
2) order online and pick it up from store or
3) order online and have it delivered to your address (I think Best Buy charges for shipping now).

Creative produces brilliant, high quality and nice looking mp3 players. Adding mp3 files to this player is way more flexible than iPod’s proprietary iTunes. You just plug it into your computer, drag and drop! Non of iPod’s annoying restrictions or limitations. You can also use this mp3 player as a USB flash key to store your documents and other non-music files.

Only major drawback is the lack of a radio (FM tuner). I don’t understand why iPods and Creative mp3 players don’t have FM tuners. Maybe listening to the radio isn’t cool anymore? jeez.

I strongly recommend this deal.

Get this Creative MuVo V100 1GB MP3 Player deal here.

Loads of free stuff for Canadians are posted daily in the forum.
Visit the freebies forum here.

note: I will post this message every now and then for new visitors.

Do you have a son, daughter, sibling, nephew, niece, cousin or friend, born in 2006, 2005 or 2004? If you do, they could win SmartCanucks’s Cutest Baby Contest and receive a FREE gift!

Details coming up next week!

Landior left a comment on my Disappointing Dior post describing her unpleasant experience at The Bay in Kingston. I always felt that The Bay in Kingston is very unwelcoming, from the second you pass by the cosmetics section to the second you check out.

I believe that as customers (or even just as humans!) we have the right to be treated in a respectable manner. Some sales people just have this bad attitude for no comprehensible reason. Bad attitude, rudeness, carelessness and racism should not be tolerated.

I’ve therefore created a new category called “Praises and Complaints” where Canucks can share their good or bad shopping experiences. You can email me your story ( my email is boo at smartcanucks dot ca) and I will publish it on here as is as long as it’s written for a family-friendly environment (i.e. no cussing). If you’re complaining please feel free to name the specific store where you had your bad experience. If you’re praising please feel free to name the store or even person.

I just want to make it clear that I’m not saying all sales personnel are nasty. In fact, I’ve met some wonderful people who deserve all the appreciation and respect. We want to make sure that it is these courteous people who get recognized, rewarded and promoted 🙂

Here is Landior’s comment about the Bay in Kingston, Ontario:

Dear Boo Radley,

I am the person who came a couple days earlier! I came with my sister, and we were so excited. We had printed off the coupons, but when we went to redeem them the Dior lady said that the offer was only valid in Ottawa, and that they should say that on the coupon. The Dior rep was pleasant, but I generally find the staff at The Bay in Kingston to be EXTREMELY rude. A couple of years ago, the manager of the women’s clothing department nearly brought me to tears. The dept had held a swimsuit for me, because they could not find the price. They took down my number and said they would call, but they never did. I was fine with that, I figured that they had lost my number, and those things happen from time to time. So this time, I found the swimsuit, and explained that I had attempted to purchase it a couple of weeks ago when they were 50% off. I explained that they had recorded my information and the promotion that was on at that time. As soon as I said 50% off, she cut me off, and in a raised voice told me that it was impossible because that sale had never occurred and that I “got [my] information wrong” or that I was lying! She never attempted to look for the record of my having attempted to purchase the item, and her tone, body language…every aspect of her behaviour was very rude. I almost burst into tears; she had treated me like dirt. I walked away at first, but then I went back to the counter and put down the items that I was going to purchase (my entire family has supported The Bay for as long as we can remember) and I explained to her that I had planned on buying those items, but after the way she treated me I would not purchase anything that day, and would think twice before shopping there again. She just muttered, “whatever”.

Now, I have worked in retail, and I would always try to serve my customers to the best of my ability. I always tried to score them a deal, and help them coordinate outfits, etc. I made sure I showed them sale merchandise and informed them about freebies/promos/contests. I have had bad days, but I would never dream of taking it out on my customers.

The Bay in Kingston is known for having terrible customer service (understaffed + rude staff). I know that there have also been several reports of racism Apparently a racial slur was used by one sales associate, and black customers received no help (only suspicious looks).

Dana, at Lancome is great about freebies, and she does a great job on makeup, but beware the lady with the British accent–she doesn’t seem to like the freebie idea.

Again, I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you too. I hope that future freebies work out much better for you! Take care, and happy hunting!

The Canadian National Exhibition starts today (August 18th, 2006) 🙂 🙂
I managed to find some amazingly good ticket prices. To get the lower prices please follow the instructions below:

Either:
Go directly to the corporate ticket purchase site here.
or
Go to CNE’s main website here then click on “Get Tickets” then click on “Buy Online” then scroll to the bottom and click on “Click here to enter your access code and buy your tickets online”

Once you’ve reached the Corporate/Group Tickets Online page enter the following code:

SC2006CNE

You can then purchase tickets for:

Fun Pass (All Ages) Admission Only: $7.00 (reg price $12.00)
Magic Pass (All Ages) Admission Plus Rides: $25.00 (reg price $39.00)

You will also get:
– Express Entry
– 15% off official CNE merchandise! (for purchases of $20+)
– Opening Weekend Comeback Special
Visit opening weekend of the CNE and come back for free any other day of the 2006 CNE. (Free return visit does not include rides.)

I can almost guarantee that these are the lowest prices you can get for the CNE 🙂

Some general information about CNE:

2006 CNE Dates: August 18 to September 4, 2006.

Hours of Operation:
Gates: 10am to 10pm
Midway: 11am to midnight (weekdays) & 10am to midnight (weekends)

Buildings: 10am to 10pm,
KIDS’ WORLD: 10am to 8pm,
CASINO: noon to 6am (daily)

Regular Gate Prices: General Admission=$12; Children (13 yrs. & under) and Seniors (60 yrs. plus)=$8; Babes in Arms (2 years and under)=FREE. On-site unlimited ride Midway Pass=$27 plus admission.

Enjoy your Canadian National Exhibition visit and let us know if you make use of these ticket prices 🙂

French manicure looks great but getting it done professionally is not always the most practical (and economic) way. There’s nothing better than doing it at home. After all, why pay for a manicure when you can do it yourself!

When giving yourself a French manicure, place adhesive tape under the white tip of your nail (so the tape will cover the entire area under the tip). Then place the white nail polish to the uncovered tip. Using the tape will give a straight square look. Once the white polish dries, remove the tape and apply a coat of the transparent or pale-pink polish over the entire nail to complete the look. I do that and they look professionally done. Using adhesive tape is a lot cheaper than getting it done professionally or buying the kit. It’s also quite simple!

I got the tape idea from a friend of mine who’s obsessed with french maicure 😉

This coupon is valid in IKEA Etobicoke only. You’ll need to print this full sized coupon.

Thanks caliente for this awesome Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Points Southwestern Ontario deal 🙂

This weekend LESS is MORE

Saturday, August 19th & Sunday, August 20th ONLY!
SAVE 25%* of your points when you redeem this Saturday or Sunday

22,500 points = $55 OFF (reduced from 30,000 points)
30,000 points = $75 OFF (reduced from 40,000 points)
56,250 points = $150 OFF (reduced from 75,000 points)

Offer is only available in these following locations: Amherstburg, Aylmer, Belle River, Blenheim, Bolton, Brantford, Bright’s Grove, Cambridge, Chatman, Corunna, Dorchester, Dundas, Elmira, Elora, Essex, Exeter, Fergus, Fonthill, Fort Erie, Georgetown, Grand Bend, Grimsby, Guelph, Hamilton, Harrow, Ingersoll, Kingsville, Kitchener, Lasalle, Leamington, Listowel, London, Milton, Niagara Falls, Niagara On The Lake, Norwich, Petrolia, Port Colborne, Ridgetown, Sarnia, St. Catharines, St. Thomas, Stratford, Strathroy, Tecumseh, Tilbury, Tillsonburg, Wallaceburg, Waterloo, Welland, Windsor and Woodstock.

Staples Canada Teacher Appreciation Days 2006 August 17th & 24th.

Make  sure you have your school board issued I.D. to prove that you’re a teacher.

Exclusive deals for teachers! Get 10% off all in-store purchases*, double your Dividend$ Rewards and receive a FREE GIFT.
*some exclusions apply see in-store for details

*Excludes computers, gift cards, Canada Post products and services, and taxes. Qualifying purchase amount will reflect the sales amount after coupon redemption.

While quantities last, teachers will receive a FREE gift bag that features a SANDYLION Sticker Apple and Crayola Mini Stampers.

If you would like to try out a new interactive virtual tour of Costa Rica on CD-ROM, the  Institute for Spanish Language Sudies has what you’re looking for. Get your free Virtual Tour of Costa Rica CD here.

This photo of Costa Rica reminds me of the island in LOST. I know LOST is shot in Hawaii but I couldn’t resist mentioning the similarity 🙂

I got the “Choose to know” Bracelet in the mail today 🙂 So for those of you who missed my previous post here it is again:

The Choose to Know Campaign seeks to empower women to protect themselves from cervical cancer by ‘choosing to know’ their HPV status. HPV (human papillomavirus) is the primary cause of cervical cancer. By getting an HPV test along with a Pap, women age 30 and older (the highest-risk group) can know with virtually 100 percent certainty whether they are free from risk – or need to be examined more closely to make sure abnormal cells are caught early.

Women across the country are showing their support in the fight to eliminate cervical cancer by wearing their bracelets and passing information along to friends and family to help loved ones protect themselves.

Get your free bracelet here

Here’s an interesting article from Chatelaine:

 Ah, love… It’s a magical thing. Well, sort of. Turns out long-term romance may not be the stuff of fate, soulmates or the stars after all. Relationship researchers say marriage is a science, and argue that they can predict – with a surprising degree of accuracy – whose love affairs will keep burning and whose will fizzle out.

We’ve identified some fundamentals for mastering the science of love.

Young love is for the birds

You married your high-school sweetheart: beware. According to Anne-Marie Ambert, an associate professor of sociology at York University in Toronto, many young people get married for the wrong reasons – such as pregnancy or over-the-top lust. “What’s the hurry? You change so much from ages 17 to 30, you might end up quite different.”

Women are from Venus, men are into Hockey

You like to knit, he hates sweaters. He loves Don Cherry, you’d rather watch a movie on cable. “If people choose someone different from them in terms of education, religion, occupation or attitudes about children, they’re in trouble right away,” says Alan Booth, a professor of sociology at Penn State University in University Park, Pa.

Brawling for love

“Conflict is just as important as love in an intimate relationship,” says John Wright, a couples therapist and psychology professor at the University of Montreal. “The challenge is to have fights that are as constructive as possible.”

Positives attract

Negative emotions such as anger and hostility that get much worse over time can send a couple toward divorce in just five years, says a study of 600 couples by relationship expert John Gottman at the University of Washington in Seattle. Being irritable and saying mean things can set up a grim atmosphere in a marriage – one nobody wants to stay in.

Divorce? Never heard of it

Married people who think about divorce are nine times more likely to actually do it, Penn State’s Booth discovered in one of his marriage studies. “We’ve gradually moved away from an attitude of ‘What can I do for my marriage?’ to ‘What can my marriage do for me?'” he says. “It’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Children of divorced parents are also more likely to get divorced themselves.

Talk to me baby

Couples who don’t talk or listen to each other today are at risk for divorce down the road. According to Rebecca Cobb, a clinical psychologist

Let’s not live together

According to the 1995 Canadian General Social Survey, 63 per cent of couples who lived together before marriage split up.

You can’t always get what you want

Interested in having the perfect marriage with the perfect mate (gorgeous, attentive, fabulous-smelling, rich and talented)? Marriage experts say rigid expectations are a major risk factor for divorce. “We’re so used to the Hollywood thing, the idea that marriage should be heaven,” says Ambert.

I found the following article regarding laser eye surgeries so it might be useful as this topic was on the “laser eye treatment” post in the forum!

With the multitude of corrective eye surgeries on the market, you should take a closer look at what’s best for you, not at the price tag. While many factors are involved in choosing the appropriate procedure, this handy information, provided with the help of Dr. David Rootman, an associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto, should help.Keep in mind that most health-insurance plans don’t cover the following surgeries, because they are considered cosmetic. Prices vary by surgeon, clinic, location and, in some cases, even which day of the week you’re having the procedure. Some centres offer lower prices mid-week – but don’t be a bargain hunter. They may be advertising cut-rate prices just to get you in the door, before suggesting costly add-ons.

 

» PRK: photo-refractive keratectomy

How? The outer layer of the cornea is removed and then the remaining layer is reshaped with a laser to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. You’ll wear soft contact lenses for a few days post-op to promote healing.

Ideal if: You have a low to moderate degree of correction and are hesitant to have a blade cut your eye (see LASIK)

Side effects: Your vision will be blurred, you may have the sensation of sand in your eyes over-night and you’ll also be sensitive to light for a few days.

Cost: $800 to $2,000 per eye

 

» LASIK: laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis

How? Anaesthetic drops are put in your eyes, and then a sharp bladed device called a microkeratome cuts a flap in the cornea. The surgeon folds the flap back (a “hinge” is left at one end) and a laser removes corneal tissue and reshapes it
Ideal if: You don’t mind the blade and don’t want too many uncomfortable side effects.
Side effects: Fewer side effects than PRK, but there is a very rare chance of serious complications that may require a corneal transplant.

Cost: $2,000 to $3,000 per eye

 

» Epi-LASIK

How? This procedure is a variation of PRK. A blunt plastic blade is used to separate the outer layer of the cornea from the eye. A laser removes corneal tissue and reshapes it.
Ideal if: You have dry eyes (the laser won’t damage the corneal nerves that stimulate tears).

Side effects: Similar to PRK

Cost: Up to $2,000 per eye

 

» IntraLase LASIK

How? LASIK that uses a laser (instead of a blade) to cut the flap of the cornea. This technology is still fairly new and more expensive than LASIK, so you might find some surgeons haven’t yet adopted it.

Ideal if: You have thinner corneas and are concerned about the safety of LASIK.

Side effects: You may have eye irritation for less than a day post-op. IntraLase is generally considered to be safer, more precise and more accurate than lasik and Epi-LASIK.

Cost: Up to $3,000 per eye

 

» Wavefront guided LASIK

How? The deluxe version of LASIK. A computer map of the eye is used to perform a very customized reshaping of the cornea. Aside from correcting your vision, it may also correct minor aberrations (such as glare and night-vision problems).

Ideal if: Aside from improving your vision, you want to correct minor aberrations.

Side effects: Sensitivity to light and blurred vision for the first day or so.

Cost: Up to $3,000 per eye