Chlorine in Your Daily Shower

I hadn't really thought about chlorine in water very much. Then I moved to Thorold where the water in our area had a distinct taste of chlorine. So I switched to bottled reverse osmosis water for our drinking and cooking needs. Good start, right?

Well...there's more.

This new article from The Water Superstore brings together some of the research that's been done linking chlorine to health issues such as cancer, bronchitis and asthma. Click on the link below for the full read.

http://www.niagarahealthguide.com/niagara-healthcare-articles/your-daily-shower-chlorine-exposure.asp

Having a shower? Definitely read this article. Personally, I picked up a shower chlorine filter. The water definitely smells a lot better now and I feel better knowing I'm not inhaling chlorine.

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Press Release

Power Two You Productions is Wrappin’ it Up for Charities/Non-profits & Organizations across Niagara

September 28th. 2009

WRAP it UP! – 2009 is in search of unique vendors

Power Two You Productions, in its 4th.year of hosting, “WRAP it UP!” - Niagara’s Only Christmas Shopping Extravaganza and is inviting all unique vendors to register for their 4th. Annual “WRAP it UP”, Niagara’s ONLY Christmas Shopping Extravaganza in support of The Hope Centre, W.A.R.M. & The Niagara Chapter Native Women.

Event happens Sunday December 6th. At Four Points by Sheraton and features over 50+ unique vendors from across Southern Ontario – featuring gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list including; unique attire, jewellery, gift baskets, home décor, fashion & beauty, health & wellness, photography and many food vendors.

Advance tickets are on sale now for admission to event at $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 and are in support of The Hope Centre, The Niagara Chapter Native Women. and W.A.R.M. With over 50+ door prizes and 1 Grande Prize – value at $300+ ( for advance ticket holders only) featuring a one night stay at Four Points, breakfast and all the things needed to make a perfect evening. Advance tickets are already 50% sold out.


For complete vendor registration and ticket information please check out the website www.WrapItUpNiagara.com or contact:
Donna Panetta at 905-714-1642/ fndpanetta@hotmail.com or
Carrie Matthews 905-735-9798/ knowit@niagara.com for further information.

Leadership - IdeaShare Niagara

I just came back from IdeaShare, which is a monthly meeting focused on developing and mentoring leadership in business people.

Attendance was down from the usual, which is interesting to me.

We're in / just coming out of a recession. Business has its challenges. We all need to get / hone our business edge, which often means getting stimulated, motivated and educated - and IdeaShare helps do this and more.

Still, attendance was down.

Are businesspeople in Niagara not interested in being leaders? Are they content to be sheep? The people who attend IdeaShare regularly say they wouldn't miss it. I'm part of that crowd - I learn something new every time and I enjoy sharing what I know.

If you're interested in attending an IdeaShare meeting, they're on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. RSVP to me at info@theniagaraguide.com if you want to come.

Today we discussed how leadership pervades every aspect of our lives, from raising children to running corporations. If you're not focusing on leadership, where exactly are you going?

Hope to see you at IdeaShare.

What you can use for home renovation tax credits...

The team at Aqueduct Water (two locations - Welland & Fonthill) informed me that most water purification, filtration, softening and recycling systems are eligible for the home renovation tax credit the Ontario government is supposedly providing homeowners.

Aqueduct Water sells a full range of reverse osmosis systems, water softeners, the BRAC Greywater recycling system and the Aquacore Ultra Filtration system.

They currently have a 5-stage reverse osmosis system on sale for $399 - including installation AND taxes.

If you were looking for another reason to get better water or save water in your home, the tax credit sounds like a pretty good one to me.

Aqueduct Water - http://www.aqueductwater.com - in Welland and Fonthill.

Bye Bye Barter Group Inc...

If you didn't know, Barter Group Inc. was one of Niagara's barter organizations. They ceased operations at the end of August and their members were given the option of moving to Barter Network Limited, based in Toronto.

Dirk Wiens will still be a local broker for Niagara businesses interested in getting started in barter. Barter Network Limited's owner Patti Fallus is a big fan of Niagara and intends to make her way down to visit former BGI members and learn how she can promote their businesses to the rest of the BNL members in the GTA and Ontario.

Personally I'm excited by the move because I think it gives people much more opportunity to trade. There seem to be more members in BNL and the variety of services is good - likely better than through BGI, although much of the new variety of services is outside Niagara. I'm originally from Toronto so this isn't so bad...

According to Patti, BNL members did an astonishing $55 million in barter last year. That's quite a lot in my opinion, and I'm glad to be a part of it. Thank you Dirk for making what promises to be a good change for your barter members.

So, farwell Barter Group Inc., welcome Barter Network Limited.

Fine Kettle O' Fish

I have to admit, I've been a huge fish & chips fan. Now I'm a slightly smaller fish & chips fan : )

However, I also have to admit I'd never been to the Fine Kettle O' Fish for fish & chips. There used to be two locations - one in St. Catharines in an odd location on Hartzel Road and the other location is in Niagara Falls on Portage Rd.

I didn't notice when the St. Catharines location closed down. I hadn't heard very positive things about the place. I also didn't notice the Niagara Falls location had changed ownership in 2008. It was just another restaurant to me.

I suppose familiarity breeds complacency. Fine Kettle O' Fish has always been around - to my knowledge anyway. It's celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. I had a chance to sit down with the new owners Malcolm and Doris - delightful people - who took the opportunity to share a few things I didn't know about them and the restaurant.

• There are three parts to their business - restaurant, banquet & party facilities and a fish market.
• The business was family-owned for the past 23 years. They are not related to the original owners and took over in 2008.
• Malcolm and Doris met while Malcolm was working for the United Nations in Africa. Together they managed one of the top resorts in Ghana, a country on the west coast of Africa known as the "Gold Coast" in earlier days.
  
• Malcolm was raised in Queenston before his globetrotting days. Doris is Ghanaian.
• The Fine Kettle O' Fish has one of the largest selections of seafood dishes in Niagara, despite being known primarily for fish & chips.

On my last visit I was treated to their Haddock & chips. Actually, I passed on the chips and had a salad instead (thank Sandra Alvarez for that . . .) but I have to say that the Haddock was really well done. The portions were generous and the batter was light and crisp. A very enjoyable fish & chip experience (without the chips).

You'll be able to find out more about the Fine Kettle O' Fish soon through The Niagara Guide. Malcolm and Doris have made a lot of changes at the restaurant. If you've visited before, you'll notice the difference! If you're a first-timer, you're likely to become a repeat customer.

Welcome to The Water Superstore!

I'm pleased to announce The Water Superstore is now online in The Niagara Guide.

The Water Superstore carries a wide range of water products, from reverse osmosis sytems, water softeners, ultraviolet purification systems as well as the more mundane stuff like pumps and water coolers.

They also carry a line of far infrared saunas. Why? Because their mission is to help you live well - and that means being healthy.

Check them out today!

http://www.shoppingniagara.com/water-superstore

Garrison Little Theatre - The Perils of Persephone

Just got back from Garrison Little Theatre's production of The Perils of Persephone. I like community theatre - it's entertaining, less expensive than professional productions and at dinner theatres like GLT, you often meet interesting people during the dinner.

If you haven't been to a Garrison Little Theatre dinner theatre production, you're probably missing out on one of the better entertainment values in Niagara. I know - some of you will gripe that it's all the way in Fort Erie - but so what? It's closer than Toronto and it's fun!

A couple of points - the food has been the same since about the second production 20+ years ago. Maria's Catering at the Italo Canadian Hall in Fort Erie has been pumping out the same combination for years and it's been working. This time around though they improved the service by putting the food out faster and not busing the tables after dessert and coffee was served. This allowed the show to start somewhere between 20~30 minutes earlier than usual so we were on our way just after 10:30 at night - still time to hit the casino!

As for the production, it was fun. This comedy lampooned Ontario's politicians and spin doctors which always make for good targets. Garrison Little Theatre's lineup for the 2009/2010 season features three comedys so will make for enjoyable entertainment.

Not everyone will be a fan of community theatre, but to borrow a phrase from the nice folks who make Alexander Keith's beer - "Those who like it, like it a lot".