Image is everything. No matter what people tell you, what you wear, what you say, how you say it…it is all processed and critiqued upon whether you like it or not. There’s only one chance to make a good first impression and that first meeting is of utmost importance.

What we’re tackling today is how to meet and greet like a professional in a business setting. I don’t know about you, but I’d say I only encounter a good assertive handshake maybe one out of every ten times. It astonishes me how many people don’t know how to do this properly, which is why image consultant Kimberly Law is lending us a hand and teaching us how to make that first impact count. Check out the video!

If you’d like to learn more about image and etiquette, email me with your ideas and you may just see Kimberly answering your questions in future segments.

To learn more about Kimberly, read on… Get the whole story

Unless you’ve been hibernating this past week, you’re well aware of the controversy surrounding Atlanta Falcons’ star quarterback Michael Vick. For those that need a synopsis, here’s the gist of it:

Vick faces criminal charges, a possible six years in prison and a $350,000 fine for the alleged involvement in a cruel dog fighting operation in his Virginia property. It all began to unravel in April when authorities found 54 pit bulls in Vick’s backyard. He didn’t deny the fact that he owned a kennel operation called “Bad News Kennels,” but eyebrows were raised when he claimed he had no knowledge of a dogfighting ring under his nose.

According to his indictment and some witnesses, for the past six years, Vick and his associates bought and sponsored dogs in a conspiracy that not only involved the hosting of notorious dog fights on his property, but also included the transportation of dogs across state borders for further gambling ventures.

The worst part is how he treated these animals. He would “roll” his dogs, or in other words, put them through test fights to gauge their competitive advantage and if they failed, they were killed (Vick is linked to eight counts) in brutal ways, including hanging, drowning and slamming them to the ground. If the dogs were lucky enough to pass, they would be put on the roster of suicide fights. I won’t even go into conditions they lived in.

All of this was for you guessed it, money. Purses run in the thousands of dollars and there are also side bets. One witness whose dog won a fight against one of Vick’s has told the prosecution that Vick personally paid him $23,000 as a consequence of the loss.

Only 27 and Vick has dug himself a hole that he’s unlikely ever to recover from. You’d think that with a 10-year $130 million contract, he’d have enough money to buy himself some sense, but the once highest profiled and most promising athlete in the world of pro football has seen the end of his short career.

Dog lovers and animal rights activist are in an uproar. A couple in Tampa, Fla have created a t-shirt to help raise funds for animal rights organizations. The t-shirt is black with white lettering, just like the Atlanta Falcons’ team jerseys, and the back has a large number 7 – Vick’s number – along with the word CONVICK, a twist on Vick’s last name.

Juli and Brad Bridges came up with this idea for sports fans and animal lovers. They’re selling the anti-Michael Vick shirts on www.michaelconvick.com for $20. Fifty-percent of the profits from each sale will be donated to animal charities. If you want to express your outrage, this is one clever way to do it.

DABBLER CONTEST DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!

Remember that scene in Moulin Rouge!when Ewan McGregor’s gang have a little too much fun with a fluorescent substance that makes the “Green Fairy” appear and sends them spiraling down the rabbit hole? That’s absinthe, or rather, what the myth surrounding it has led you to believe. Originally a wildly popular drink in Europe, absinthe was banned in the early 20th Century as a result of claims that it posed serious health hazards. Hallucinations, madness, and even death were linked to the mystical substance. This subject has been plagued with controversy and there are many accounts of why it was or wasn’t poisonous and harmful to those who consumed it. You could spend all day trying to dig into its history, but I wouldn’t suggest it as it is incredibly complicated and can become overly scientific very fast. That is not what this piece is about. If you want to learn more, check out THIS editorial.

The point is that the absinthe made today by Pascal Rolland, who revived it in 1999, goes through a distillation process that makes it perfectly safe for consumption, and in fact has gone on to become internationally prized. It was his daily contact with the powerful aromas of absinthe in his cellars that Monsieur Rolland first entertained the idea of using its scent in a perfume.

Knowing that he would need a specialist for the job, Pascal sought the expertise of a renowned “aromatician” from Grasse (the perfume capitol of France), Marc Villaceque. Famous for his skills as a grand nez (a “great nose”), Monsieur Villaceque was seasoned in the practice of cold extraction, heat concentration, and alembic distillation, and was therefore able to attain a pure essence of the absinthe plant.

Into a concoction it went, along with 50 other essences (including cannabis) that made up Absolument Absinthe. The perfume was originally intended for personal use as Pascal is quite particular about what he likes to wear. It was only after pressing requests from his friends and associates that he finally decided to bring his secret alchemy to the public. Now you can also wear the “forbidden” essence of absinthe in what Pascal calls his “Skin Perfume.”

Skin Perfumes are the latest trend in the world of smells. What it means is that the perfume will adapt itself to the scent of one’s particular skin. I really had doubts about this, but I compared the smell of the perfume on me to that of my hubby and it honestly did give off a different scent! The science behind the making of perfumes is truly fascinating. On a man, Absolument gives off a muskier note while on me, it clearly smelled like something made for a woman. I recommend you give it a try, even if it’s just for fun because you’ll be surprised. Go to the perfume counter at Holt Renfrew and test it out with the ribbon that Pascal uses in the video. Don’t spray it into the air to smell the scent because it will be very different from that which will develop on your own skin.

Pascal recommends you apply fragrances on pulse points: Nape (behind the ears), inner elbows, wrists, and behind the knees. Avoid perfuming the triangle that is formed by the solar plexus (breasts) and the shoulders and never layer two different perfumes or change your fragrance during the day.

I took this opportunity to also ask Pascal what the differences were between all the different types of perfumes and this is what I learned: Perfume Extracts are the ones that are extremely expensive because they contain pure essence. Eau the Parfum is diluted but still very concentrated (Absolument is an example with 20% concentration). After those, we get the lighter products such as Eau the Toilette with a concentration of about 5 to 8% and finally Eau Légère, with only about 2 or 3% concentration.

CONTEST DETAILS:

If you’re not curious about this fragrance, then you’re Absolument crazy! The first thing I wanted to do when I read about this absinthe/cannabis mixture was to give it a whiff, so I knew I definitely had to give you guys the opportunity to do the same, so here’s another contest! If you would like to try out Pascal Rolland’s unique perfume Absolument Absinthe in the nifty refillable pocket spray that he shows in the video, send me an EMAIL with the correct answer to this:

According to Pascal Rolland, what is the latest trend in perfumes? Explain.

This is a good one guys (this stuff ain’t cheap!). You have until Wednesday August 1st to send in your submissions for your chance to win. Don’t forget to send your full contact info!

Regular contest rules apply.

DABBLER CONTEST DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!

I wonder if mall retail sales spike when the weather is bad. Do you notice the lack of parking at shopping centres when it’s wet and gloomy outside? The people at Diet Coke must’ve gotten the scoop from the Almighty because they chose this past weekend to descend upon Metropolis at Metrotown with their truckload of freebies.

In case you didn’t know, the calorie-free soft drink is turning 25 this weekend (oh c’mon, this tidbit of info might just win you a game of Trivial Pursuit one day!). In celebration, a team has been dispatched to travel to eight malls across the country to set up ‘Diet Coke Lounges.’ What this really means is a lot of free soda, and what those Coast Capital Savings commercials tell us is true: Research shows that people like things that are free.

The sea of people that swarm those that give out free products may seem intimidating but I was killing time, so I joined in and managed to get up to the stand. Even though the fella behind the counter couldn’t open the cans fast enough to meet the demand (about 4,000 cans a day), he was still able to chat with me.

I found out that the lighter version of the classic Coke was introduced in 1982 when the company recognized a trend towards trimming down and toning up. Since then, you’ve seen a long list of celebrities – from Bill Cosby to Bugs Bunny to Whitney Houston to the entire cast of Friends – promoting the product in TV commercials. Even James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Louis Armstrong have made it to the small screen thanks to some computer wizardry. All in all, over 100 celebrities have appeared in various Diet Coke advertisements, including Wayne Gretzky, Ben Affleck, Demi Moore, Andy Warhol, Paula Abdul and Elton John.

Diet Coke marked the first time the flagship brand name Coca-Cola was ever put on another product after almost 100 years. It very quickly became the largest selling low-calorie soft drink in America and a massive international rollout began – branded as Coca-Cola Light in some countries (it’s amusing how names, bottles, even colours can change depending on the country a product is being marketed to… never quite saw the point). Once it was obvious that people wanted options besides the original, a stream of new diet soft drinks came into the market: The same year saw the introduction of caffeine-free Diet Coke, along with caffeine-free Coca-Cola and caffeine-free TAB; in 1986, Diet Cherry Coke was launched; in 2001, it was Diet Coke with Lemon, followed three years later by Diet Coke with Lime; finally you may remember Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke from a couple of years ago. To be honest, they should have sat back and relaxed after their initial success. Those subsequent creations were a bit of a stretch for me.

I personally opt for Coke Zero (which appeared last year) because it somehow tastes more like the original (I swear it’s true). I can’t verify the validity of this claim, but the magical World Wide Information Super Autobahn informs me that Diet Coke uses the ‘New Coke Formula’ of 1985 while Coke Zero uses the ‘Classic Coke Formula’ (think Futurama’s ‘New Slurm’). If you pay attention to the ads, you’ll notice that Zero with its black can is targeted to the male audience (recall the current commercial with the pilot dreaming that he’s drinking Coke with zero calories and is flying upside down), while Diet Coke in a silver can (originally white) is clearly marked for the women (remember the series of ’11:30 AM Diet Coke Breaks’ with the studly construction worker?). The reasons for this are obvious but intriguing nonetheless.

So if you’re jonesing for a Diet Coke or two, take a look at the tour schedule below and see if the Lounge is coming to your city. If you’re a Coke junkie, this is an easy way to cut back on all the sugar (about 11 teaspoons in one can of regular Coke) without kicking the habit.

Remaining Tour Stops:

July 27 – 29: EDMONTON, AB – Southgate Mall, Centre Court
July 31 – August 5: CALGARY, AB – Chinook Mall, Centre Court
August 10 – 12: VAUGHAN, ON – Vaughan Mills Mall, Old Navy Centre Court
August 17 – 19: MOUNT-ROYAL, QC – Rockland Shopping Centre, Centre Court
August 21 – 26: MONTREAL, QC – Eaton Centre

CONTEST DETAILS:

Don’t feel left out if you’re from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. This news may come a little belated for you guys, but you still have a chance to get your hands on some free schwag! If you’d like to join in the fun, email me and you could win this Diet Coke prize pack worth $155 CDN!

For your chance to win: A pair of long yoga pants, a half-zip top, a yoga mat with carrying bag, an anniversary t-shirt, and a mini retro six-pack of Diet Coke, email me with the correct answer to this:

Name the three celebrities that rose from the grave to be featured in Diet Coke ads (answer is in the article above).

Deadline for submissions is Monday August 6th.

IMPORTANT: This is for Vancouver & Lower Mainland residents only, as you will need to personally pick up your prize. Please send in your full contact info.

Please Note: The size for the pants, top and t-shirt is SMALL. Some (including me) would say it’s actually EXTRA SMALL, so keep that in mind when you enter. Good luck everyone!

Normal contest rules apply.

Last week, Sensei Anthony Britton showed a basic weapon disarming move from a frontal attack. This week, he introduces “Bargaining Position B,” which occurs from the back when you have been accosted by an attacker. When an aggressor is in the negotiating phase (has not yet made a move to harm you), there are a few precious seconds when you have a window of opportunity to disarm him/her to try and get away. Executing this technique requires training. Attempting to disarm an attacker without proper instruction can exacerbate the problem, so be careful and know your limits.

IMPORTANT: Please use extreme caution when practicing these moves. Remember that with the right amount of force, you can severely hurt somebody. These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

Choke holds and how to get out of them. That’s coming next Monday!

This week, Reena’s tip addresses a viewer question:

Original Email:

I have some scratches on the windshield of my truck. What can I do to get rid of them?

Thanking you in advance, Wally

Great question Wally!

Your best bet is to take the windshield into a windshield repair specialist. However, if you want to tackle the problem at home, apply a rubbing compound such as 3M or Sickens with a clean, soft cloth. Crest toothpaste or jeweller’s rouge (polishing cream) is also an option for minor scratches. An automotive car wax such as Turtle Wax or a paste wax is another option, but test everything on an inconspicuous area first so that the window doesn’t become hazy. Keep in mind that these solutions are for small scratches only. Have a great summer!

All solutions are to be used at the risk of the user.

Reena Nerbas is the author of the two National Best Sellers, “Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions & Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets,” available in stores across Canada. Reena is a columnist and Home Economist in a lab coat (and she’s not afraid to use it). She can be heard on CBC radio programs across Canada.

To learn more about Reena, click here.

When Michael Moore makes a movie, you know he’s going to piss people off. In 2002, it was Bowling for Columbine, where he enraged everyone from the National Rifle Association to Lockheed Martin. In 2004, it was Fahrenheit 9/11,which etched him into the bad books of the entire US government. So it comes as no surprise that his new movie Sicko - which deals with the (lack of) health care in the USA - brings out the very worst in lobbyists and politicians.

But instead of putting the spotlight on a serious political issue, the curfuffle surrounding the movie serves as a perfect example of how the political debate in the Divided United States of America is polluted by systematic diversion tactics.

Only days after Sicko’s release, CNN aired a report where renowned Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta highlighted flaws in Moores’ film. The report also featured a political strategist who claimed that the so-called “free” health care Moore asserted was available in other countries was in fact not free but paid for by taxes.

Moore and even Gupta’s fans were infuriated. This led to the filmmaker’s first appearance on CNN since 2004, an appearance which consisted mostly of Moore accusing the news network, Sanjay Gupta and host Wolf Blitzer of being paid by health insurance and pharmaceutical companies to cover up the truth. Moore pointed out that the purported “facts” Gupta had used to poke holes in the movie’s premise were in fact not actual facts, and that it was CNN that was in the wrong. Over two nights, Moore managed to bring CNN to its knees and the network released an unheard of apology admitting its erroneous reporting.

But all this was a diversion: The debate which the film was meant to stir up was drowned out by Moore and Gupta’s squabbling over details and irrelevant numbers. Instead of discussing the core problem - that the USA is the only industrial country in the world without universal health care - they were arguing over exactly how much money Cuba spent per patient and what the average life span of an American is. Although interesting debates in and of themselves, they were completely irrelevant to the main issue and I must say I’m surprised Moore let himself be distracted from his cause by such a blatant diversion tactic.

This isn’t the first time diversion has been used to trivialize or bury a complicated political topic, and it is not going to be the last. The Sicko debate is a text book example of how and why debates over important political issues become loud-mouthed rants over technicalities, forcing the focus away from the policies and toward the people that question them. It has taken over 30 years to lift the debate over Global Warming from squabbling over numbers and models to the core of the problem, and it looks like the lessons learned by lobbyists, politicians and newscasters are now being applied to other political hot potatoes to keep the public from asking the important questions. It’s easier to discredit those that pose a challenge than admit a failed political platform.

This is hardly a revelation but merely serves as a reminder: In the US, free and impartial media is an illusion. The bottom line is that media outlets, even CNN, are corporations that put profit above everything else. Yes, even the truth.

Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you! It may sound like a dream, but it IS possible to go away on your family break and have the best time of your life. Want to know how to avoid all the fights that inevitably happen during road trips or how to deal with unexpected problems or delays? Check out the video!

Dr. Cheryl Fraser is an award-winning clinical psychologist and sex therapist. If she sounds familiar to you, that’s because she was the wildly popular sexpert from The Dr. Cheryl Show on CFUN 1410 AM. I know you’ve missed her on the airwaves, but now she’s back! This segment is just the first of many more to come so check in and check in often!

For the scoop on Dr. Cheryl, read on…

Get the whole story

Movie Review by Perry Pannu:

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
In Theatres Today

Wow, I’m really disappointed in this movie. I was ready for hilarious and revolutionary and refreshing…but it was just ‘sort of’ funny, with one painful cliché after another. Did Adam Sandler and his friends get together, shoot a lot of footage of each other goofing off, and then hire an editor to slap it together and call it a movie? (I’d hate to be that guy/girl). There are storylines that don’t have an ending (like the incident at ‘Career Day’ in school with Kevin James‘ character), and there are storylines that you already know the ending to (thanks to the trailer).

I honestly don’t know who would want to go see this movie. Adam Sandler fans? Kevin James fans? Jessica Biel fans? The gay community? I don’t think any of them would be happy with this movie. Let’s start with the Adam Sandler fans. If you liked him in The Waterboyand Billy Madison, you probably didn’t like him in Punch-Drunk Loveor Spanglish. In Chuck & Larry, he does that slight stupid ‘accent’ or ‘lispy, little kid’ way of talking that made his character in The Waterboy, but he’s a himbo. He has some really good funny lines, but nothing out of the ordinary. To put it plainly, he’s boring.

Kevin James fans would be happy as he’s quite funny. Too bad the movie doesn’t really have a solid storyline. Jessica Biel fans will think she’s hot but that’s about it. I think the gay community would get a headache watching this movie, because they would constantly be rolling their eyes at every gay cliché thrown in; like ‘dropping the soap in the shower,’ ‘owning a Barbra Streisand album’ etc…and the ribbon on top to tie the whole movie together, having Lance Bass in a 10 second cameo (Oops! I spoiled the ending. Just kidding!).

I think you should wait for this movie to air on cable, and watch it ONLY if there aren’t any really good re-runs on. All the funny parts are in the trailer, and you can piece the rest together in your head. I can’t wait until it gets a Razzy nomination!

DABBLER GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!

“Cooking, like sex and dancing, is a pleasure best shared. This is a book about what two people can do with their own four hands, and not a lot of time.” James Barber

Have you ever banned others from the kitchen and have slaved over a stove, following every single ingredient measurement to the milligram and millilitre, only to find yourself with a disappointing meal and a loss of appetite? I have! I’ve thrown away many a dish in frustration and have pretty much given up on cookbooks. This one’s a little different though.

If you know The Urban Peasant, you also know that he doesn’t like to fuss about in the kitchen. He cooks by the pinches and dashes and likes to get his hands into the mix. Just hearing him talk about food can make you salivate and you can rest assured that with a cookbook by him, you won’t need to make a trip to the only ultra trendy market that carries some unpronounceable herb or spice. Cumin is just about as exotic as you’re gonna get!

For many people out there (I’m pointing at my hubby), vegetables don’t really make it onto the dinner menu, so in our featured dish, James Barber offers a quick and easy way to dress up a plate of green beans. I like my sauce a little on the chunkier side so I requested it this way, but if you want a more liquid consistency to your sauce, simply add more olive oil to the mixture. That’s the beauty of real cooking. You add what you want, in the amount that you want, and don’t have to conform to a set of rules and measurements. You’ll find that cooking becomes less of a chore and you might actually want someone else in the kitchen with you!

The new revised edition of Cooking for Two is filled with over 140 recipes from simple appetizers like Garlic Mushrooms to scrumptious desserts like Caramel Apples on Puff Pastry. Throughout the book, you’ll also find useful tips such as how to avoid overcooking fish (fish needs to be cooked between 8 and 9 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part). And in true James Barber fashion, there are also humorous anecdotes, such as how monogamy was born of the common chicken’s egg!

With 14 chapters of recipes, the famous celebrity chef proves that there are no limitations when cooking for two. The book isn’t as stylized as some cookbooks out there but then again, it contains recipes that you can actually make successfully the very first time. I think that’s a fair trade-off!

For the recipe of our featured dish, and to learn how you can win a copy of James Barber’s Cooking for Two, please read on!

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