How to find the Best Place to Live

10 Best Places to Live in Canada (from Money Sense)
Does your idea of what makes an ideal community mesh with Money Sense Magazine's?
Money Sense Magazine sifted through data from 154 communities, comparing them on 24 factors, ranging from job prospects and home prices to weather and crime rates. You can drill down in their data tables to find out more about the factors that most and see where each of the 154 communities stands in their overall rankings. Is your city  first or  worst?  Agree? Disagree? Here are their top 10 cities for 2009.

1. Victoria B.C.
2. Ottawa , ON
3. Kingston, ON
4. Burlington, ON
5. Vancouver, B.C.
6. Moncton, N.B.
7. Fredericton, N.B.
8. Winnipeg, M.B.
9. Peterborough, ON
10. Brandon, MB

See the slideshow for the  reasons behind their choices.
People's values & needs  differ by life stage.
Canada's 10 Best Places to Retire

1. Victoria BC
2. Kingston ON
3. Ottawa ON
4. Vancouver BC
5. London ON
6. Courtenay BC
7. Vernon BC
8. Cobourg ON
9. Joliette QC
10. Salmon Arm BC

Canada's 10 Best Places to Work

1. Calgary AB
2. Brooks AB
3. Cold Lake AB
4. Grande Prairie AB
5. Edmonton AB
6. Estevan SK
7. Levis QC
8. ? Not Given! Email the authors! Tell them Infonut sent you!
9. Winnipeg MB
10. Red Deer AB
    

Hmmm ..... seems number crunchers Phil Froates & Rob Gerlsbeck fell asleep at the wheel on this one! Send them an email  Make your recommendation for the mystery 8th spot! Remember to tell them that Infonut sent you!

Consumer Reporting Agencies

Seething because you've been ripped off? Getting no satisfaction on your own? Put that anger to good use. File a complaint with the Ripoff Report. Then send  your complaint link to the company.

Although there are some Canadian Companies reported on this site,Ripoff Reports is meant to be used by Americans or for reporting American companies. -(Now to find a Canadian equivalent.)

Have you ever been ripped off? What did you do?

Greenup Your Idling Computers!

Hey ! I thought I shut the computer off! Have you hit "shut down", run out the door, & returned later to find "PC" waiting for you to hit "confirm"? Idling computers at work have long been a bugaboo of mine too.Turning off computers at day's end, results in a half hour or more of firing up the system in the morning. (Definitely not convenient in the morning time crunch, or for a supply teacher unfamiliar with your system.) Progress Thru Processors,now offers a way to Greenup the use of idling computers through Facebook.

Who benefits?-

Three projects currently receive spare computing cycles from Progress Thru Processors: ClimatePrediction.net, a website research project to track and predict changes to the Earth's climate; Rosetta@home, dedicated to finding medical cures for cancer and other diseases; and Africa@home, which is focused on developing strategies to combat malaria in Africa.

Other massive distributed computing projects include Folding@Home, (world's largest disease-fighting project) a complex protein folding and molecular dynamics simulation.and SETI@Home, a project searching vast quantities of space for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Join IT Guru Leo LaPorte's Folding@Home Team. Help find cures for diseases!

How does it Work?

Distributed computing projects focus on using the computing power wasted that by computers left on at the office or home to help speed the process of performing complex calculations.

According to Deborah Conrad, Intel vice president and general manager of its Corporate Marketing Group,. "By simply running an application on your computer, which uses very little incremental resources, you can expand computing resources to researchers working to make the world a better place."

Small Tings Make a Big Difference

I agree with Ms. Conrad,

"In the same spirit as Intel's Small Things Challenge, Progress Thru Processors underscores our belief that small contributions made by individuals can collectively have a far-reaching impact on our world," Intel's Progress Thru Processors project runs in the background when a computer is not being fully utilized, and the company designed the program to not affect performance or any other tasks.

Sign up for Progress Thru Processors at

Facebook.com/ProgressThruProcessors.

Another way you can "Do Something 4 Nothing".! You CAN make a difference!

Technorati Tags: free,green,ecological,info,info4Canda,Facebook,computers,idling,Africa,help,Intel,Deborah Conrad,Progress Thru Processors,Intel's Small Things Challenge,Folding@home,molecular researchSETI@Home,impact,World,cancer research,Rosetta@home,ClimatePrediction.net,Africa@home,work home.save,resources Leo LaPorte

What to Do When the Wolf Calls

Avoiding the phone? When creditors call, adjust your thinking to an attitude of gratitude. The gratitude attitude relaxes you and helps you think more clearly. (It also takes them by surprise.) Thank them sincerely for calling, tell them you have an appointment with a credit counsellor, then get off the phone, and make the appointment. Do not discuss your bills over the phone, unless you yourself have dialled the call!  If you have any rewards accumulated, cash them in. You are entitled to your points, but they disappear if you don't pay your bills.

Three Ways to Keep the Wolf  From the Door

(and off the phone)

1. Consolidation Loan Whenever you can't pay the full amount of a loan, apply for a consolidation loan. With most consolidation loans you have a smaller payment and a lot less interest.
2. Repayment Plan If the consolidation payment is more than you can afford, look into a repayment  plan.  Although lawyers do repayment plans, call United Way or ask the  Salvation Army for a referral to a Social Service agency that deals with debt repayment plans. A debt repayment plan stops the interest & phone calls.You cut up all your credit cards and repay the outstanding balance through the agency,  who charges an amount much less than interest on a consolidation loan. For some people,the idea of living without a credit card  seems impossible, but you can do it. (You also have the perfect excuse for those pesky telemarketing calls.)
3. Bankruptcy Sometimes unexpected things interrupt our lives that make it impossible to pay even negotiated payment plans. When everything is dark, bankruptcy can help you het back on your feet. You'll be in good company too (especially in this economy). You cut up all your credit cards and live on cash for seven years. Bankruptcy stops the interest & phone calls & you only repay a small portion of your debt through a trustee. At the end of seven years you start over with a fresh slate. Think of it as an PhD course in cash economics. Use it as an opportunity to learn about living off the grid, and graduate Cum Laude.

Although a mountain of debt can seem insurmountable, you will survive and get through it. Check out my blogroll at Deals4Canada for strategies that can help you survive. (International Visitors welcome!)

Recall Wong Wing Veg. Egg Roll May have Sesame also Short 4 pcs ON &QC

Sesame Allergy? Avoid 680 gram Wong Wing VEGETABLE Egg Roll packages with UPC Number 0 69459 01104 3 ( production lot code A0219).

MONTREAL, July 31, 2009 - Wong Wing is warning people with sesame allergies not to consume product contained in 680 g Wong Wing VEGETABLE Egg Roll packages with UPC Number 0 69459 01104 3 ( production lot code A0219). The product may contain sesame not declared in the ingredient list on the package.

Check your freezer and return any affected product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. The product can be identified by the UPC Number and the lot code which is embossed on the end panel of the package below the UPC number. Also, the package will contain only six pieces, rather than ten pieces as indicated on the label.

The product was sold in Ontario and Quebec.

There have been no reported allergic reactions associated with the consumption of this product, however, as a precautionary measure, Wong Wing is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace.

Consumption of the affected product could cause a serious or life-threatening reaction in someone with an allergy to sesame. The product is safe to eat by consumers who do not have a sesame allergy.

Wong Wing is working cooperatively with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and retailers to ensure the affected product is removed from the marketplace.

Anyone with concerns or questions about this recall should call the toll free number on the package (1-866-622-2461), or contact the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1- 800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on sesame, one of the nine most common food allergens, visit the CFIA’s Food Allergens web page at:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/sese.shtml

Allergy Alert – Product in Wong Wing vegetable egg roll packages may contain undeclared sesame

Measurement Conversion Tool

Convert units for Mass, Liquid Measure, Dry and Linear Measure

Interactive Online Measurement

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Ohaus Products - Balances and Scales for Precise Weighing

Consumer Alerts

Consumer Alert: Gift Cards

Consumer Alert: BMO Email Scam
Consumer Alert: The Canada Revenue Agency warns Canadians of mail scam

Search the Consumer Beware database to learn about individuals and businesses with compliance issues.

Find out about common scams and how to protect yourself.

Check the Consumer Beware List-Protect Yourself

Before you sign  on the dotted line, check the Consumer Beware List from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.You can enter the name of an individual, or business to search the database or search by category

Ontario Consumer Beware List

Watch for this post for further links to other provinces & territories.

Ontario Gas Prices

A great site to help you find the best gas prices in your area or in Ontario. They also have a handy gadget you can install on your home page that list the current reported prices for up to five of your favourite Ontario destinations.

Want to help fight high  gas prices? Scope out and report all the gas prices you see! Earn participation points, then use them for sweepstakes entries at ontariogasprices.com

Points are collected by active participation in the web site features. Points are awarded in the following manner:

Points Member Activity

150       Post/Update A Gasoline Price

100       Vote In The Weekly Opinion Poll

80         Use The Tell-a-Friend Feature

20         Post a Message In The  Forum

25        Read a Recent News Item

100      Become a Member

Rules To Collecting Points:

Points are awarded to a maximum of 5 times per day, per feature. Exceptions to the above rule: Opinion poll points are awarded to maximum of once per week. Points awarded for using the Tell-A-Friend feature are limited to a total of 1200 points.

How It Works - Ontario Gas Prices