Saturday, October 25, 2014

Housing Problems in Regina



 Image result for regina twin towers

Problems
1) Commercial Housing: According to Colliers International, the vacancy rate for downtown commercial units is now 10.5% instead of 1.5% three years ago[i]. However, as far as the writer knows, there is an increasing demand for commercial properties.

2) Affordable Housing: According to an article by Natascia Lypny, the rental rate increases while the vacancy rate increases[ii]. The contract signed in March 2013 between SHC and Deveraux was broken a year later as 48 units would be put into the market at $1200 per unit instead of the planned $326 though SHC had paid 2 million in advance for part of the 48-unit affordable housing project (returned later though refuted by NDP as a zero-interest loan)[iii].

3) General Residential Housing: In July 2014, the listing inventory went up 35% as compared to July 2013, reaching the highest level seen in many years. Yet the average sale price went up 5% to $331,489[iv].

Analysis
Some people may say now is a buyer's market as the price is falling while much more houses have put up a "for sale" sign. However, others will say we can still anticipate a prosperous year with one of the highest economic growth rates and more immigrants coming. Then, who is right? Why do we see conflicting figures? Though there seems more house supply, the price is sustained because there is a positive anticipation with a structural gap at the two ends (commercial and affordable). This situation is deteriorated by malpractice of some developers in the housing industry, which can be corrected through a credit point system in contract selection or awarding and a deposit system to ensure the full fulfillment.

Suggestions
Structural problems (take commerical properties for example, there are huge differences in the location, square footage and furnishings) should be addressed, and government needs to play an active role in ensuring a good market order and that those good players are rewarded instead of bad ones.


[i] There Is a Lack of Commercial Tenants, Sa Sheng Bao, Oct. 11, 2014.
[ii] Natascia Lypny: Alternate Regina Housing Summit Set for 2nd Year, Leader Post, Oct. 4, 2014.
[iii] Affordable Housing Turned to Market Housing, and the Provincial Government Would Not Go to the Court, Sa Sheng Po, Sa Sheng Bao, Sept. 13, 2014.
[iv] Association of Regina Realtors: Sales Steady, Listings up, August 8, 2014.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

The Food Conflicting with Drugs (与药物相克的食物)


 



Some food and medicine will complement each other, while some will restrain each other, and even produce a chemical reaction resulting in harmful substances. Therefore, if you are taking certain medications, be sure to pay attention to your diet.

1, Conflict between Aspirin and Alcohol
Alcohol in the body is first oxidized to acetaldehyde, then to acetic acid, and aspirin would prevent oxidation of acetaldehyde into acetic acid, resulting in accumulation of acetaldehyde, aggravating symptoms such as fever and body aches, as well as easily causing liver damage.

2, Conflict between Berberine and Tea
Tea contains about 10% tannin, easily decomposed into tannic acid among which the berberine alkaloid will precipitate, reducing its efficacy. Therefore, berberine cannot be taken 2 hours before or after drinking tea.

3, Conflict between Ibuprofen and Coffee or Cola
Ibuprofen (Fenbid) may incur gastric irritation, and the caffeine in coffee and the cocaine in cola will stimulate gastric acid secretion, increasing gastric side effects of ibuprofen, and even induce bleeding and gastric perforation.

4, Conflict between an Antibiotic and Milk or Juices
Do not take antibiotics two hours after drinking milk or juices, because milk will reduce antibiotic activity, so that efficacy cannot be fully achieved; while juice (especially of fresh fruits) are rich in acid, which will accelerate the dissolution of antibiotics, not only reducing the efficacy, but also increasing possible side effects.

5, Conflict between Calcium and Spinach
Spinach contains large amounts of potassium oxalate. After electrolytic precipitation the oxalate ions will precipitate calcium ions, interfering with the absorption of calcium, and easily generating calcium oxalate stones. Therfore, do not eat spinach 2 hours before or after serving calcium. Alternatively, boil the spinach before you take it.

6, Conflict between Anti-allergy Medications and Cheese or Meat
Refrain from eating cheese, meat and other foods rich in histidine while taking allergy medications, because histidine may be converted into histamine in the body, and allergy medications suppress the decomposition of histamine, causing histamine accumulation and inducing dizziness, headache, palpitation and other symptoms.

7, Conflict between Diarrhea Medicine and Milk
You cannot serve antidiarrheal with milk because milk not only reduces the efficacy of diarrhea medicine, but also easily aggravates diarrhea as milk contains lactose.

8, Conflict between Diuretics and Bananas or Oranges
When taking diuretics, potassium will be retained in the blood. Therefore, if you take diuretics together with the potassium-rich bananas, oranges, there will be excess potassium accumulation, easily inducing complications of the heart, blood pressure areas.

9, Conflict between Vitamin C and Shrimps
You cannot eat shrimps 2 hours before or after taking Vitamin C, because the copper in shrimps will oxidize Vitamin C, making it ineffective. The pentavalent arsenic in shrimps may easily react with Vitamin C, generating the toxic "trivalent arsenic".

10, Conflict between Antihypertensive Drugs and Grapefruit Juice
One should not drink grapefruit juice when taking antihypertensive, because thenaringenin in grapefruit juice can affect the liver function of an enzyme, and this enzyme is related to the metabolism induced by antihypertensive drugs, likely causing a high drug concentration in the blood and increasing side effects.

                                            (Source: http://www.goinpet.com/fuyao026/)



        有些食物与药一起食用会相辅相成,有些则会相抑相克,甚至会产生化学反应,产生对人体有害的物质,假如你正在服用某种药物,一定要注意你的饮食。

  1、阿司匹林与酒冲突
  酒在体内先被氧化成乙醛,然后成为乙酸,而阿司匹林会妨碍乙醛氧化成乙酸,造成体内乙醛蓄积,加重发热和全身疼痛等症状,还容易引起肝损伤。
  2、黄连素与茶冲突。
  茶水含有约10%的鞣质,在体内易被分解成鞣酸,而鞣酸会沉淀黄连素中的生物碱,降低其药效。因此,服用黄连素前后2小时内不能饮茶。
  3、布洛芬与咖啡、可乐冲突。
  布洛芬(芬必得)对胃黏膜有刺激,咖啡中的咖啡因和可乐中的古柯碱则会刺激胃酸分泌,加重布洛芬对胃黏膜的副作用,甚至诱发胃出血、胃穿孔。
  4、抗生素与牛奶、果汁冲突。
  服用抗生素前后2小时不要饮用牛奶或果汁,因为牛奶会降低抗生素活性,使药效无法充分发挥;而果汁(尤其是新鲜果汁)富含的果酸会加速抗生素溶解,不仅降低药效,还可能增加毒副作用。
  5、钙片与菠菜冲突。
  菠菜含有大量草酸钾,进入体内后电解的草酸根离子会沉淀钙离子,妨碍人体吸收钙,还容易生成草酸钙结石。服钙片前后2小时内不要进食菠菜,或将菠菜先煮一下再食用。
  6、抗过敏药与奶酪、肉制品冲突。
  服用抗过敏药期间忌食奶酪、肉制品等富含组氨酸的食物。因为组氨酸在体内会转化为组织胺,而抗过敏药抑制组织胺分解,造成组织胺蓄积,诱发头晕、头痛、心慌等不适症状。
  7、止泻药与牛奶冲突。
  服止泻药不能饮用牛奶,因为牛奶不仅降低止泻药的药效,其含有的乳糖还容易加重腹泻。
  8、利尿剂与香蕉、橘子冲突。
  服利尿剂期间,钾会在血液中滞留,如果食用富含钾的香蕉、橘子,体内钾蓄积过量,易诱发心脏、血压方面的并发症。
  9、维生素C与虾冲突。
  服用维生素C前后2小时内不能吃虾,因为虾中的铜会氧化维生素C,使其失去药效。虾中的五价砷易与维生素C发生反应,生成具有毒性的“三价砷”。
  10、降压药与西柚汁冲突。
  服降压药时不能饮用西柚汁,因为西柚汁的柚皮素会影响肝脏某种酶的功能,而这种酶和降压药的代谢有关,容易造成血液中药物浓度过高,增加副作用。

                                        (来源:http://www.goinpet.com/fuyao026/)

Sunday, July 13, 2014

New Hikes in Saskatchewan

animated race car

Effective August 31, 2014, 82 per cent of Saskatchewan vehicle owners will see a rate hike, with the average annual increase totalling $44.

While the government didn’t raise your education property taxes, SaskEnergy has been raising rates, SGI has applied to raise rates and SaskTel has raised Internet rates by $5 per month increase. Those increases will contribute to profits that in turn make their way into government coffers. The insurance and Internet rate hike have outstriped any income gains experienced by Saskatchewan ratepayers during the past year.

Make no mistake, this is nothing new in Saskatchewan. The raiding of crown profits has gone on for years and happened under the NDP as well. Ideally, the government would look at reforming the crowns and get away from this practice.

Colin Craig at CTF has called for the Saskatchewan Party government to further open the province’s insurance sector to private companies in a bid to keep prices more affordable, as the best way to keep costs competitive is to have a competitive system
so crown companies like SGI don’t have the monopoly power, pushing them to be more and more efficient.

(Colin Craig: Saskatchewan Budget Highs and Lows, Ottawa Business Journal, March 24, 2014; Marco Vigliotti: Update: Saskatchewan Vehicle Insurance Rates Driven Higher, Metro Regina, June 27, 2014)

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Which Foods Cannot Be Eaten Together (哪些食物相克)?




In daily life, not all foods can be eaten at the same time. "Properly matched food can benefit the body, with that unproperly matched leading to an illness." In other words, food can also be "mutually restraining" sometimes.

Tannic acid and protein should not coexist. If you eat seafood while grapes, hawthorn, pomegranate, persimmon and other fruits, there will be vomiting, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms. These fruits contain tannic acid. When tannic acid encounter seafood protein precipitation will solidify to form indigestible substances. So people should take those fruits more than 4 hours after eating seafood. It is for the same reason that you should not drink tea immediately after eating meat.

Cellulose, oxalic acid and iron are mutually restraining. Animal liver, egg yolk, soybeans are rich in iron, and they should not be eated together with the foor rich in fiber like celery, carrots, and sweet potatoes, nor with the foor rich in oxalic acid like ipomoea , amaranth, and spinach. This is because both cellulose and oxalic acid will affect the body's absorption of iron in these foods.

Protein and sugar are mutually restraining. The lysine in milk and sugar  react at high temperatures, leading to the destruction of amino acids. if is for the same reason that eggs and sugar cannot be boiled together. But tafter bringing the milk to a boil, and cooking the eggs, then adding sugar after they get cooler would not be a problem.

Carotene and acetate should not be together. It is a taboo to put in vinegar while frying carrots, because acetic acid will destroy carotene. Similarly, carotene-rich brassica juncea, spinach, and rape, should not be fried with vinegar.

Oxalic acid should not coexist with calcium and magnesium. Tofu should not be eaten together with spinach. Tofu contains such two substances like magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate, and spinach contains oxalic acid, and when two foods encounter each other, it is easy to generate magnesium oxalate and calcium oxalate. Both white precipitates can not be absorbed by the human body, not only affecting the calcium absorption, but also causing stones.

Some of the combinations which need to be specially noted are:

食物甲
食物乙
共食结果
Food A
Food B
Result after Taking Both
牛奶
巧克力
腹泻
Milk
Chocolate
Diahea
鲤鱼
咸菜
消化道癌
Carp
Pickles
Gastric Cancer
西红柿
白酒
胸闷
Tomatoes
Liquor
Chest Distress
猪肉
豆类
腹胀
Pork
Beans
Bloating
啤酒
烤肉
癌症,消化道疾病
Beer
BBQ Meat
Cancer, Gastric Diseases
豆腐
葱、菠菜
钙流失
Tofu
Green Onion, Spinach
Loss of Calcium


        在日常生活中,并非所有食物都可以同时食用。“搭配得宜能益体,搭配失宜则成疾”。换句话说,食物也有“相克”的时候。

  鞣酸与蛋白质相克。若在吃海鲜的同时吃葡萄、山楂、石榴、柿子等水果,就会出现呕吐、腹胀、腹痛、腹泻等症状。因为在这些水果中含有鞣酸,鞣酸遇到海鲜中的蛋白质,会凝固沉淀,形成不容易消化的物质。因此人们在吃海鲜后,应隔4小时以上再吃这类水果。吃完肉不要马上喝茶也是这个道理。

  纤维素、草酸与铁相克。动物肝类、蛋黄、大豆中均含有丰富的铁质,都不能与含纤维素多的芹菜、萝卜、甘薯同吃,也不宜与含草酸多的蕹菜、苋菜、菠菜同吃。因为纤维素与草酸均会影响人体对上述食物中铁的吸收。

  蛋白质与糖相克。牛奶中的赖氨酸与糖在高温下会产生反应,使氨基酸遭到破坏。鸡蛋与糖不宜同煮也是这个道理。但是把牛奶烧开、鸡蛋煮熟后,晾一会儿再放入糖就不会出现这个问题了。

  胡萝卜素与醋酸相克。炒胡萝卜忌放醋,是因为醋酸会破坏胡萝卜素。同样,富含胡萝卜素的雪里蕻、菠菜、油菜等也不要用醋炒。

  草酸与钙、镁相克。豆腐忌与菠菜同食。豆腐里含有氯化镁、硫酸钙这两种物质,菠菜中则含有草酸,两种食物遇到一起可生成草酸镁和草酸钙。这两种白色的沉淀物不能被人体吸收,不仅影响人体吸收钙质,还容易诱发结石症。

        需要特别注意的组合有:
 
食物甲
食物乙
共食结果
Food A
Food B
Result after Taking Both
牛奶
巧克力
腹泻
Milk
Chocolate
Diahea
鲤鱼
咸菜
消化道癌
Carp
Pickles
Gastric Cancer
西红柿
白酒
胸闷
Tomatoes
Liquor
Chest Distress
猪肉
豆类
腹胀
Pork
Beans
Bloating
啤酒
烤肉
癌症,消化道疾病
Beer
BBQ Meat
Cancer, Gastric Diseases
豆腐
葱、菠菜
钙流失
Tofu
Green Onion, Spinach
Loss of Calcium