The bee population needs our help

 

Each year there is a decrease in bees and it may go unnoticed by most. Some may look at that as a good thing but honey bees don’t sting people, wasps and hornets do. Bees are great benefits to humans for various reasons.

Pollination is important because it helps flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables reproduce. Bees are pollinators and do this by moving pollen from one flower to another helping fertilize the plant. If plants aren’t fertilized they wont be able to reproduce which could eventually become a threat to people.

The decline in bee population has been noticed by farmers since 2006. Major reasons behind the loss of bees are the use of pesticides and loss of habitat. According to David Suzuki, the yellow-banded bumblebee and rusty-tinged bumblebee are two bee populations known to be declining in Canada out of 800 native bees.

People can help bees repopulate by planting their own fruits and vegetables as well as planting flowers says bee keeper, Ian Critchell he adds, encouraging your local city council to push forward in action against pesticides being used helps to. Critchell has wrote into the Bee Association of Canada as well as the township in hopes of some sort of change.

Ian Critchell at his farm in Havelock, Ontario. (2016)

Critchell has been beekeeping for 35 years and now farms in Havelock, Ontario. It was just ten years ago he realized the sudden decline in the bee population. Systemic pesticides are the most harmful for the honeybees he says. He has farmed bees at locations that both use pesticides and do not.

“I’ve watched my bees get sprayed with poison, but what can you do?” he says, “you pick up your bees and move them away”.

Just one trip averaged an hour long one bee could pollinate about 1500 flowers Critchell says.

Honey has many uses. It can be an alternate sweetener or be used in vet clinics to help speed up the growth of cells from being used in band aids. Keeping a strong population of bees is necessary and Critchell says, with bees having a short life span of a few months, focusing on the young is most important.

The actions people take in the next few years will affect the bee population and make a great difference according to Suzuki.

 

 

 

 

Best Under 40

 

Job title: Canadian Actress

Why she’s a 2016 Top 40: Jordan Todosey is a Top 40 because she proves that no matter where you’re born you can make your dreams come true and aspire for more. Todosey has made her appearance on many home TVs on popular Canadian shows.

 Video Interview with Jordan

As a young girl Jordan Todosey loved acting out different scenarios she saw on TV. She pretended to be the people in movies and the animals around her home. The love for pretending bloomed early for her when her mom began putting her in commercials, her first for Tropicana orange juice.

Todosey is 21 and though it seems like she’s achieved her dreams to be on TV she still has a lot to look forward to. At the age of eight Todosey appeared on a popular Family Channel TV show Life with Derek.  Nothing has stopped the Oshawa born and raised actress staying true to her passion for performing in front of a camera.

Todosey says once she realized she could make a living out of pretending to be someone else she knew that’s exactly what she wanted to do.

She has earned a Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children’s Youth Program/Series for her role as Adam Torres, the first transgender character in Degrassi. Todosey has also won a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Female Performance in the movie Santa Baby.

Growing up with the love to act created challenges in Todosey’s life as a child. Teachers weren’t able to understand why she wasn’t at Durham Christian Academy or why she was an eight-year-old with a job, she says.

“They didn’t give as much lenience as one would hope,” says Todosey.

But Todosey stuck to her plan and has managed to hit the TV screens of popular Canadian TV shows like Degrassi and Life with Derek. She has also starred alongside actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in The Pacifier for her first big role.

Todosey has never taken an acting class in her life but never gave up on achieving what she wanted to pursue in life.

“Since I first started auditioning all I heard were ‘no’s’, I got used to the ‘no’ before the ‘yes’s’ and it made the ‘yes’ much more exciting,” says Todosey.

She also says she takes away inspiration from a lot of people to help motivate herself as well as finding peace in yoga.

“It’s inspiring seeing my generation, people I went to school with doing the same kind of creative art pieces that I do,” she says.

Todosey says her breakthrough would be making it onto American TV shows and expanding her fame North American-wide.

Four beauty tips and tricks

Thirtyish.me – 4 Essential beauty tips

As a child, I always watched my mother get ready in the morning. I always saw her doing little things for herself to help enhance the way she looked. Fast forward a few years later and I guess that’s where my fascination with makeup comes from. I couldn’t wait to be of age to apply eyeliner and mascara to myself, dye my hair, and wear whatever else makeup I wanted.

If I learned anything throughout my years of wearing makeup it would definitely be that there are so many different (and proper) ways to apply it. Understanding the tools you use to apply your makeup, in the end, will help you achieve the best results.

Beauty Blenders

I had no idea until recently that the colours of beauty blenders represented something and that there was a difference between them all. But through research, I’ve learned there can be various shapes, sizes, and colours and they all specialize in their own thing.

Each beauty blender performs differently just like a makeup brush would. The original pink beauty blender is the most common and is best used for blending out your foundation. Whereas the micro mini green beauty blenders help get the tough to reach places like around the eye and nose area.

What’s most important to remember, and easily forgotten, is to use the beauty blender wet to get the best results. If they aren’t damp, the product sinks through the blender rather than soaking into the sponge as it’s meant to.  Understanding how to use your beauty blender will help you master makeup looks such as “baking”.

Baking

The new trend of baking rises among us but the term “baking,” also known as “cooking” has existed for a number of years amongst the drag community. It uses loose translucent powders to help brighten up the under eye area. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian are strongly known for having the perfect sculpted face and this trend is one way she achieves her signature look.

To bake your face, the steps are simple. All you need is a translucent powder, concealer, and a beauty blender. Start with applying an eye cream to help moisturize your skin and giving it a smooth base. Then apply a medium to heavy coverage concealer. Use a damp beauty blender in stippling motions to blend it out. Next, apply the translucent powder on top of your newly blended concealer still using the damp beauty blender.  Let it sit for five to ten minutes then using a brush, brush off the excess powder.

You will be left with a flawless under the eye finish that won’t crease on you throughout the day.

To continue achieving the perfect sculpted face, a beautiful, glowing highlighter is needed.

When finished with the rest of your makeup and you’re ready to set it, apply your setting spray all over your face. Then use a crème highlighter of your preference, apply it above your cheekbones and blend it out. Next, apply your favourite powder highlighter on top of that and you will be glowing every day of the year!

Lip Scrubs

With winter slowly approaching and the cold seasons coming in, look out for dry, chapped lips. Living in Toronto, Canada where we go through each season definitely takes a beating on everyone’s lips causing them to crack not just during winter, but every season.

I’ve recently been using lip scrubs to help repair my damaged lips. Lip scrubs are awesome because there are many options available to buy in stores such as LUSH but you can also easily make your own DIY scrub at home for cheap!

The main ingredient used in the lip scrubs are sugar. One simple scrub recipe is just mixing together petroleum jelly and the sugar onto your lips and scrubbing till the excess skin falls off. Once you’re done you can lick off any of the remaining sugar. Be sure to apply a very nourishing lip balm afterward.

Coconut Oil

Finally, I’ve saved the best product for last. If you aren’t using coconut oil for something then you are missing out. The benefits of coconut oil are endless and some are shocking. Coconut oil is a natural, multipurpose beauty product and the best part is, it smells great. It can be used to remove makeup, moisturizer, conditioner, teeth whitening and so much more.

Coconut oil can be used as the perfect under eye cream when baking and lip balm to help nourish your lips after using a lip scrub. Lately, I’ve been applying coconut oil to my eyelashes to help them grow and strengthen. After doing this I’ve noticed they are a lot stronger and don’t fall out as easily. Coconut oil can be purchased in large jars, giving you lots to work with, unlike some high-end beauty products that are small but pricey.

Beauty has a strong impact on us all. Each day a new product comes out but sometimes, if you dig deep, old remedies can become new again. I believe at the end of the day, we’re all looking for ways to help improve ourselves in any way possible. All of these tips and tricks have helped me in one way or another and I hope you’re able to take something away.

It’s an upcycling revolution

Opportunities arise in Cannington for all ages at the new Thrift Hub where they’ve introduced an upcycling revolution.

“It’s more than just a thrift store,” says Kim Bouwmeester, Coordinator at the Thrift Hub.

Using your imagination to see the big picture

 

“Hold your breath, make a wish and count to three,” said the homework driven sister, Aimee played by Kristen Gerristen as she wished to have a great imagination like her twin.

Using animals to help build confidence

Service animals have taken on a new challenge by helping more people in different ways. Service animals have a history with helping the blind, PTSD victims, police and, as of recently, the mentally ill.

Making veggie popsicles

 

If you’re looking for an easy way to change up your diet and live a healthier life. Incorporating flaxseeds into your diet is a great start. Flaxseed contains nutrients like omega-3 fats, fibre and protein.

Making a mixed berry coconut popsicle

Blood pudding was crowned the new superfood earlier this year but in 2014, coconuts joined chia seeds, kale and blueberries as the latest health food trend.

How To Make: strawberry chia seed popsicles

Chia seeds were originally grown in Mexico. In the Mayan language “chia” means “strength”.

Using chia seeds in popsicles is a fun and easy way to get nutrition such as vitamin E or Omega-3 fats. This strawberry chia popsicle will supply your body with vitamin E and Omega-3 fats but also fiber, protein and much more.

The art of turning the classroom into a stage

Student Owen Ferguson (left) and head of arts at Henry Street High School, Gillian Maxwell.

Owen Ferguson, a student at Henry Street High School (HSHS) in Whitby, auditioned for a one-act play back in Grade 9. He had started taking drama classes that year. Now in Grade 12, Ferguson continues to audition and participate in drama productions. He says his favourite role so far has been Mercutio, the witty sceptic and foil for Romeo is Shakespeare’s 1597 tragedy Romeo and Juliet.