Posts Tagged ‘review’
Monday, April 4th, 2011
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Ibanez basses are difficult to identify. They often have no specific model numbers written on the bass. After heavy use these model markings can wear off, making identification of vintage models difficult. Many sellers using Craigslist and Kijiji will also post poor photos of basses, making ID very difficult. This post will positively identify the Ibanez Roadstar II RB800 electric bass, as well as provide related internet links. There is actually very little information about this Made in Japan, Fugigen factory 1987 model on the internet, so every little bit helps.
Tags: 1987, 4 string, 800, 9v battery, active electronics, bass, black, electric, head, headstock, Ibanez, Id, RB800, review, Roadstar, Smooth Tuner BII, triangle, triangular, truss rod cover, tuner
Posted in hobby, Tech | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
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My friend bought this guitar and, due to lack of time, gave it to me. This acoustic guitar is a low end “Made in China” acoustic dreadnought, purchased here in Toronto, Canada. For the low price of $60CAD, this guitar is surprisingly high quality. It says in tune, sounds very good, is well finished and looks great. The neck is straight and intonation perfect. The action is high but can be somewhat lowered. I do hate the “Rocker” brand name. Whomever chose this name should be shot.
Tags: acoustic, action, Canada, China, dreadnought, guitar, hollogram, label, Musical tools, review, Rocker, soundhole rosette, specs, Toronto, truss rod, varnish
Posted in China, hobby, Kids, Retail | 2 Comments »
Friday, November 26th, 2010
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It is not too often that I feel a North American “off the shelf” health product in Canada is fraudulent. Bending the truth, some may be, but for true lying through your teeth, snake oil-type fraud, no, I have come across few. At a recent trip to my dentist with my little weed I discussed diagnostic aids with my dentist. If there were only some way I could highlight his bad technique I could help him brush better. I recalled in my youth some red tablets that you can chew. My dentist said these “disclosing tablets” are still available, and still used on kids. Newer disclosing solutions were now available from drug stores, much easier to use and fun for kids. I found Listerine Agent Cool Blue at Pharmaplus for $5.50CAD, “tints plaque for better brushing” it says right on the bottle, in glacier mint. I have found this solution to be not only ineffective, but fraudulent. It does not tint sufficiently to actually allow you to see plaque. For helping me improve my son’s brushing technique it is useless. Please do not purchase this product, as it is useless for highlighting plaque.
Listerine, made by Johnston & Johnston Inc. are a reputable brand and company, so I was surprised at the fraudulent nature of their claim. Note that packaging and claims on the bottle in Canada are different from the USA. On the back of the bottle it claims:
“LISTERINE AGENT COOL BLUE Plaque Detecting Rinse is effective in highlighting plaque to improve tooth brushing effectiveness in children.” CANADIAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION
Directions: Children age 6 years and older: Rinse twice daily before brushing showing you where to brush!
While the solution lightly tints the teeth and mouth, it insufficiently tints plaque and food buildup so that you see no difference between teeth that have no buildup and teeth that need to be brushed. If one looks incredibly hard with a magnifying glass, at the right angle of light I can see a shading difference between clean and dirty surfaces of the teeth, but I can do this without the solution as well. After two mouthfuls of rinse the tint is gone, or so light as to be indiscernible.
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 Listerine Agent Cool Blue does not tint sufficiently to identify plaque. It is totally ineffective and fraudulent as a dental diagnostic tool. |
Tags: blue dye, Canadian Dental Association, dental, diagnostics, disclosing solution, dye, GUM Red-cote, Listerine Agent Cool Blue, mouth, plaque, red, review, tablets, tint, tints plaque, tooth brushing
Posted in food, Kids, Learn, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
Mary Ward's front door archway, a nice piece of steel and glass.
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Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School is a high school located in North Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, or TCDSB. These tips are primarily from a parent’s viewpoint and will cover uniform, student attitude, working with teacher adviser (TA) and a little on courses. I hope this helps new grade 9 students.
School Uniform
Tags: arts, bicycle, bus, business, Canada, Catholic Secondary School, drama, elective courses, exams, extra fees, food, Grade 9, Halpern's, Mary Ward, music, MWCSS, review, Scarborough, Teacher Advisor, Tech, Toronto, Toronto District School Board, TTC, uniform
Posted in bicycle, Kids, Nonsense | No Comments »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
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If you know me, you know that we cook almost everything from scratch. This includes pizza. When Delissio pizza went on sale at a local big box grocer, 2 x 900g pizzas for $6CAD, I thought I would give their Deluxe a try. Overall impressions were that they are far inferior to home made pizza, but to my Little Weed an inferior pizza is better than no pizza at all. Of note was the fact that the pizza was so salty. I know salt is cheap, but if this pizza was so tasty why not let the ingredients speak for themselves?
Tags: Canada, daily recommended intake, Delissio, Deluxe, pizza, review, salt, salty
Posted in food, Retail | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
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I have been meaning to get a bike rack for quite a number of years. When the kids were small this was not an issue because they could not ride far anyway, but they are growing. We don’t have a large car, so a bike rack is now a necessity. The Swagman 3 bike hitch bike rack seemed to be the strongest and lightest but well made bike rack I could find. It works very well but the experience of installing it provided some interesting surprises.
Tags: 1.25", bicycle, bike, car, carrier, Class 1 hitch, hitch, MEC, non-foldable, rack, receiver, review, Swagman
Posted in bicycle, Nonsense, Retail | No Comments »
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
This mystery shopping test was done on Friday April 3, 2009, accompanied by my son. It was raining heavily and mad dashes from the car to the store entrance made us soaked. Still, it was +10C, and is expected for spring. Trip review: Price Chopper A, Nofrlls C.
General Notes
Toronto has a varying climate with 4 distinct seasons and significant precipitation. In the winter we can get a snowfall of 20cm in one day. Copious amounts of rain can fall, as is the case today. It has been raining hard today. Toronto is expecting 10-20mm of rain, so much so that you still get very wet running from the car to the store.
Tags: Canada, mystery, No Frills, Nofrills, Price Chopper, review, shop, Toronto
Posted in Retail | No Comments »
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
This is not Chung Hing, but has the same feel. Photo by Don Qua
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While it might seem unfair to compare a local Chinese grocer to the large big box chains, our shopping experience spans both, so I feel I should review both. Chung Hing, or in Mandarin, Zhong Xing, is our local Chinese grocer. While it is an average sized Chinese grocer, it seems to serve our needs well. Trip Review: Chung Hing: A.
___Chung Hing Supermarket, Kennedy/Finch, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Objective: Minced pork, regular weekly shopping.
Tags: Canada, China, chinese, Chung Hing, fruit, meat, Ontario, produce, review, store, supermarket, Toronto
Posted in China, Retail | No Comments »
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
This mystery shopping test was done on Friday March 13, 2009, accompanied by my daughter. She rarely goes with me because she believes, and rightly so, that grocery shopping is boring. I try to impress upon her that without someone doing the shopping we would run out of food and therefore starve because we have no direct conduit to a grocery store built into our house. Trip review: Nofrlls B+, Walmart B
___Nofrills, Kennedy/Finch, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Objective: Sale priced tetrapack apple juice and general weekly shopping.
Tags: battery, cashier, mystery, No Frills, Nofrills, Ontario, review, scanner, shop, shopping, Toronto, Walmart
Posted in Retail | 2 Comments »
