Well.ca brings innovation to Canadian e-commerce with unveiling of product subscriptions

Canadian consumers say good-bye to 'oh no' moments with web service that keeps their household shelves stocked with their favourite brands and essentials

TORONTO, August 30, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - After making a big splash with Canada's first Virtual Store, Well.ca is bringing a new level of user experience to its customers, making shopping online easier and more intuitive with product subscriptions.

The Well.ca subscription service allows consumers to subscribe to their favourite products and have them delivered, free, in weekly or monthly intervals. Consumers can stop or edit subscriptions at any time from their profile page which also lets them see all future orders and delivery dates.

"Well.ca is constantly striving to bring the future of shopping to Canada and we think product subscriptions are a big step in that direction," said Ali Asaria, founder and CEO of Well.ca. "With subscriptions and free shipping on every order, Well.ca is the perfect way for busy consumers to make sure they always have their staple kitchen, bath or baby products."

The subscription service is ideal for Canadian shoppers who regularly purchase the same products and allows them to lock in initial special offers from initial purchase for the length of their subscriptions. Data from Well.ca internal sources shows that 25% of customers purchased the same brands and products multiple times each year.

"We are seeing that consumers are really taking advantage of subscriptions to make sure they don't run out of the things they need most," Asaria added. "So far, the most popular subscription items have been personal care products, oral care, vitamins and diapers."

The subscriptions tab can be found front and centre on the newly redesigned Well.ca website which provides a fully optimized experience on any tablet or smartphone. The site also features a full visual refresh that highlights product images and a new floating shopping cart which makes keeping track of purchases easy and efficient.

For more information, or to check out the new features, please visit Well.ca

About Well.ca:

Well.ca is the largest health, baby and beauty e-commerce retailer in Canada with offices in Guelph, Toronto and Waterloo. Founded in 2008 by Ali Asaria, Well.ca carries more than 50,000 health, beauty, personal care and household products and offers free shipping to almost all Canadians. Well.ca focuses on giving customers a simple and hassle-free shopping experience and provides a personalized touch to each package shipped. Well.ca was recognized by Deloitte as one of the Technology Fast 50 Companies to Watch and Ali Asaria was a finalist in Ernst and Young's 2011 Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

Improvisers-in-Residence Bring Music, Movement to Guelph

GUELPH Ontario August 27, 2012 - University of Guelph News Release - This fall, the University of Guelph will welcome Canadian musician Scott Thomson and dance artist and musician Susanna Hood as improvisers-in-residence. Their three-month sojourn will be sponsored by U of G’s Improvisation, Community and Social Practice (ICASP) and by Musagetes, a Guelph-based organization involving artists, cultural mediators and public intellectuals.

The ICASP research project is led by Ajay Heble, an English professor in the School of English and Theatre Studies, and artistic director and founder of the award-winning Guelph Jazz Festival.

“The nature of the residency is different this year,” Heble said. “This time, there is not only music but also dance. And by actually living full-time in Guelph, the improvisers-in-residence will be fully immersed in the environment.”

Thomson and Hood will run workshops, musical dialogue and other performances to foster creative community-building through the arts.

Thomson says his appointment is “both an honour and an enticing challenge.” He spent time studying and working in Guelph between 1994 and 2005.

“It is also a privilege to be able to do this work with my wife and creative partner, Susanna Hood, a singular artist and exceptional performer who is relatively new to Guelph. Together, we hope to cultivate strong links with professional-calibre creative musicians and contemporary dancers in town, and, importantly and excitingly, with amateur dancers and music-makers whom we wish to place at the core of our project.”

The group will develop a multidisciplinary, family-oriented work for presentation in Exhibition Park Oct. 13.

Thomson and Hood will spend seven consecutive weeks in Guelph, allowing them to get to know the community and their local collaborators.

“Collaboration is at the core of the different work that I do as an artist, and it is truly a luxury to be able to do such work over such a relatively extended time frame,” said Thomson.

A trombonist and composer who plays in various musical styles, Thomson helped found the Association of Improvising Musicians Toronto and served as a director until 2009. He is known for a series of site-specific works that he calls “cartographic compositions.”

An accomplished dancer and musician, Hood has spent more than 10 years combining voice and movement in sensual performances. Her choreography, compositions and interdisciplinary collaborations have appeared locally, nationally and internationally, both on stage and in film. She has taught improvisation at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre since 2005.

Hood has sung with Toronto’s Woodshed Orchestra for two years. She recently received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for dance from the Canada Council.

“I am greatly looking forward to sharing the post of co-Improviser-in-Residence in Guelph this fall,” Hood said. “The opportunity to connect in such an integral, extended, and hands-on way with so many facets of this vibrant community is a rare gift. It is a particular treat to share this post with my partner in life and art. I am eager to embark on what we both hope will be a mutually inspiring period of creation, shared learning and play with all who participate.”

She will be connecting with several members of Guelph’s dance community whose work she admires, such as the members of the Fall on Your Feet Collective, The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, and Dance Theatre David Earle. Through these ties, Hood aims to spark new creative collaborations with other professional and amateur dance and music-makers.

“I can’t think of a more fitting pair of improvisers to take on this role and to animate our city with the spirit of creativity.” said Heble. “Scott and Susanna have a brilliant game plan, one that will immerse them in the heart of Guelph’s creative community. Building on the tremendous success of our inaugural improviser-in-residence program in 2011, and on ICASP’s rewarding partnership with Musagetes, I know that this ongoing initiative will play a significant role in setting our community abuzz with the spirit of collaboration, innovation, and improvisation.”

University of Guelph Move-in Day Sept. 1: Expect Excitement, Congestion, Road Closures

GUELPH Ontario August 27, 2012 - University of Guelph News Release -The University of Guelph will welcome more than 4,000 new students into its residences on Sept. 1. Some roads leading to the University will be closed, so people not involved in the annual residence move-in day are encouraged to avoid driving near campus.

Gordon Street will be closed between Stone Road and College Avenue from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to help reduce traffic congestion and make it easier for students to move in. As well, access to South and East Ring roads will be limited to use by new students, along with parking lots P31, P13, P17, P18 and P19. Access to the section of South Ring Road that runs behind the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs building will also be restricted to move-in traffic.

The road closures and detours will be clearly marked to assist people driving in the area.

In addition, Student Housing Services is asking that the parking spaces adjacent to the three South Residences (P13 and P14) and Lennox/Addington (P23, P24) be left available for move-in day.

Students have been assigned a scheduled “move-in” appointment time to help make the process go as smoothly as possible. Students and their families are asked to stick to their assigned times, routes and holding locations until they are directed into residence unloading zones.

Once they arrive at their designated unloading zone, volunteers will be on hand to assist them with the move-in process.

Students and parents looking for more information about move-in day can visit the Student Housing Services website at www.housing.uoguelph.ca.

If you have any questions or concerns about the road closures, call Campus Community Police at 519-824-4120, Ext. 52245.

Social Media in the Workplace: Making the Most of "Social Business" Tools

Randstad Canada discusses social media in the workplace
and its growing popularity with employees and employers alike

TORONTO, August 21, 2012 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - As the use of social media in the workplace continues to become a widespread reality in the corporate world, Randstad Canada, the country's Canadian leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services says today's leading employers must learn how to harness these "social business" tools, if they haven't already.

Lauralee Guthrie, Digital & Social Media Director, Randstad Canada says many employers are making an investment in social media channels.

"Social engagement is critial to business success and like it or not, business is embracing social media in a big way. Recent data from Forrester Research inidcates that the sales of software used to run corporate social networks will grow 61 per cent a year and will likely become a $6.4 billion business by the year 2016," she says.

Reinforcing the importance of social media in the workplace, are the results of a new poll of Canadian business leaders conducted by Queen's School of Business. The data shows four in ten bosses (39%) believe social media is essential to growing their business but they're unsure of taking the leap, while over one third say they (35%) use it often. The results also show that the majority of executives (72%) say they are planning to invest in social media in the coming year.

Organizations that haven't adopted such tools are now in the minority says Guthrie.

"One of the reasons why employers and workers are using social networks in the office is, in large part, because these channels are increasingly becoming a routine part of how work gets done. There are many advantages to being socially "connected" in the workplace. Well-connected employees are more productive, and instant messaging tools and intranets can help to increase the productivity by which they connect and collaborate," she says.

According to Guthrie, Randstad Canada encourages employees to use social media to keep up with company events, recruit talent and gain a deeper understanding of their customers, and network.

"We've found many ways to integrate social media tools into the fabric of our business. From being active on Twitter, to posting fresh content several times a week on our corporate blog, to sharing videos on our YouTube channel, to setting up LinkedIn groups that bring people with similar interests together, to keeping everyone updated via Facebook. We truly believe in the incorporation of social networking technologies," she says.

"Indeed, we not only encourage our employees to help us engage people online, but we also use instant messaging and the intranet as tools employees can use to share and collaborate with each other internally," says Guthrie.

For employers that are concerned about the risk of problems arising from the use of social media in the workplace, training your staff on policies and practices will set clear guidelines and lessen the risk of misuse, says Guthrie.

"There are legitimate work-related purposes to which these channels are being used. Employees should be trained to do more of this, employers should not make it harder. Social media is here to stay, and whether you embrace it or fend it off, your business will be impacted," she adds. "There is a world of conversation and engagement that's happening right now - with or without you."

About Randstad Canada

Randstad Canada is the Canadian leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services. As the only fully integrated staffing company in the country, we understand the recruitment needs and demands of employers and job seekers across all levels and industries. Through our insightful knowledge of local markets, employment trends and global network of recruitment experts, we are shaping the Canadian world of work. Visit randstad.ca

Free Online University-level Courses

Interested in a free, on-line, university-level course of approximately 6 weeks' duration?

“Coursera” is a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. Currently they offer 116 courses covering a wide range of topic areas. Their teaching platform is designed to help students learn the material quickly and effectively.

Here is an opportunity to take university level courses that are taught in a new and unique method at no cost.

Go to www.coursera.org for more information.

Study shows that some 'SuperAgers' can keep the aging process at bay

Cambridge Journals Country of Issue: United States - August 17, 2012 - A group of 80-year-olds tested for brain and memory function have been found to possess the abilities of people decades younger.

Researchers who studied the group have dubbed them ‘SuperAgers’ because of their brain’s ability to keep the aging process at bay. The research team say their findings prove that loss of our little grey cells is not necessarily an unavoidable part of aging. The results may have implications for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study is reported in the current issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, published by Cambridge Journals on behalf of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Carried out in the US by a team from Northwestern University, Chicago, the project compared the brain thickness and memory ability of a group of 12 people in their early eighties with a separate group of their peers and with a group of 50-65 year olds.

The group of twelve SuperAgers were chosen from people who were still living active, healthy lives with no history of neurological or psychiatric problems. MRI scans of brain thickness were combined with memory tests to reveal which brains out of all of those studied were performing best.

In a finding the researchers describe as ‘remarkable’, the SuperAgers emerged from the tests with brain power akin to those in the 50-65 age range and significantly better than their peers in their eighties.

The studies also showed that the brains of the SuperAgers had not atrophied (i.e. the outer layer had not thinned) as they had in their peers and that their brain thickness was actually better than those in the 50-65 age range. The SuperAger brain was found to be of superior thickness in one of the frontal regions of the brain thought to control decision-making, empathy and emotion.

The research team say the SuperAgers had not had unusually good memories when younger and their level of education was also average with only four of the twelve having obtained a college degree.

It is not known if they were born with a brain that is thicker than the norm or whether their brains have simply resisted the ‘normal’ atrophying process. Researcher Emily Rogalski said the study shows that the definition of ‘normal’ aging will have to change:

“These findings are remarkable given the assumption that losing our grey matter is a common part of normal aging. Our SuperAgers prove that keeping your memory and your brain’s thickness is a biological possibility. Now we just have to work out why it happens in some people and not others. Future studies of this phenomenon could help us discover how to prevent age-related memory loss and reduction in brain function and even lead to strategies for avoiding Alzheimer’s.”

For the full article, please go to http://journals.cambridge.org/jinssuperagers.

About the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (JINS)

JINS is the official journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, an organization of over 3,700 international members from a variety of disciplines. The editorial board is comprised of internationally-renowned experts with a broad range of interests. JINS publishes empirically-based articles covering all areas of neuropsychology and the interface of neuropsychology with other areas, such as cognitive neuroscience.

For further information about JINS, go to: http://journals.cambridge.org/JINS

About the International Neuropsychological Society

The International Neuropsychological Society was founded in 1967 and is dedicated to bringing together scientists from all scientific disciplines that contribute to the understanding of the brain. The Society currently has more than 3,700 members throughout the world.

For further information about the International Neuropsychological Society, go to: www.the-ins.org

About Cambridge Journals

Cambridge University Press publishes over 300 peer-reviewed journals, including journals published on behalf of over 100 learned societies, which form the latest in research and discovery across a range of topics. Many of these journals are the leading academic publications in their fields and together they form one of the most valuable and comprehensive collections of research available today.

Across the world, Cambridge Journals are available in print and online – keeping scientists, researchers, and scholars abreast of crucial developments in research.

For further information, go to: http://journals.cambridge.org

University of Guelph Eyes on Weekend Mars Landing, Mars Researchers to be on CTV

GUELPH, Ontario August 03, 2012 - University of Guelph Campus Bulletin

This weekend, University of Guelph researchers will be looking and listening for signs of “life” from another planet.

Guelph researchers helped develop and fine-tune the rover’s alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) intended to measure chemical elements in soil and rock. The Guelph team is led by physics professor Ralf Gellert and includes physics professor Iain Campbell, research associate Nick Boyd, graduate students Glynis Perrett and Scott van Bommel, and post-doc Irina Pradler.

Gellert and Boyd are scheduled to appear on CTV's National News tonight at 11 p.m. talking about the research and scheduled landing. Gellert was also featured today in a story and video in the Globe and Mail about the rover and Mars mission. (Watch the video here).

Gellert and Boyd and other members of the team travelled to California earlier this week to await the scheduled landing on Mars of a rover complete with a Guelph-tested scientific instrument that is Canada’s mission contribution.

Launched last November, the robotic vehicle Curiosity – officially called the Mars Science Laboratory – is expected to touch down at the red planet’s Gale Crater Aug. 5 at 10:31 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time). The descent will involve a parachute and a “sky crane” to lower the rover on a tether to the surface.

Boyd, a research associate in the Department of Physics, will be among international scientists – including U of G researchers -- awaiting signals from the rover and orbiting satellites to confirm a safe landing. Referring to the planned gathering in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, he says,

“There will be a lot of nervous people.”

Team members will spend about three months at the JPL working on Mars time before returning to Guelph (a Mars day is 40 minutes longer than on Earth). Back at U of G, they will run day-to-day APXS operations and analysis from a specially equipped room in the MacNaughton Building.

Scientists hope the instrument will tell us about changes in soil and rock on Mars, and provide clues about the planet’s suitability for life.

Heart Rescue Now

The HeartRescue Project is a collaborative effort to increase sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survival rates.

SCA is among the leading killers of Americans, claiming an estimated 350,000 people each year. More people die of sudden cardiac arrest than breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancer combined. More than 90 percent of people who experience SCA die, representing a national survival rate that has not significantly changed in more than 30 years.

Together, we can save more lives. Learn how you can help.

What to do if you see someone suddenly collapse.

If you see someone collapse suddenly, check if the victim is responsive. If not, remember these three easy steps.

Call 911

Have them send help. Stay on the line and listen for further instructions.

Start Chest Compressions

If the person is not breathing normally, start chest compressions. Push down hard and fast in the center of the chest. Keep your arms straight. Send someone to find an AED.

Use An AED

The AED (automated external defibrillator) is a portable medical device that delivers an electrical shock to restart a person’s heart. It provides voice prompts that tell you exactly what to do and will only administer a shock if needed, so there’s no reason to hesitate.

Medtronic Foundation launches bystander response campaign

The Foundation has produced an interactive, online experience to promote proper and timely bystander response to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).