Mr. Monopoly poses on a life-sized game board at the unveiling of the new Monopoly: Canada Edition. (Hasbro Canada/Canadian Press)
The hottest place to own property in Canada these days is in Chatham-Kent, Ont., -- at least if you're playing Monopoly.
The classic board game has redrawn boundaries and renamed streets for its new Canadian edition, in time for Canada Day.
Canadians decided which cities landed prime real estate on the 75th anniversary edition by voting in an online poll.
More than one million votes were cast in a six-week period, narrowing a pre-determined field of candidate cities from 65 to 20, with two extra spots reserved for wild card communities.
The coveted Boardwalk spot goes to Chatham-Kent, population approximately 110,000, located in southwestern Ontario. Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., took the second most expensive location of Park Place. Read more.
If you had the chance to design a Monopoly board based on a Canadian town or city, which one would you pick? What neighbourhoods and streets would you include?
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)
A publicity image from the film Shrek Forever After, featuring Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, left, and Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz. (Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks Animation/Associated Press)
Is a giant, green ogre affecting your child's eating habits?
A new study suggests putting cartoon images like Shrek, Dora the Explorer or Scooby Doo on packaged children's snacks has a strong influence on a child's perception of how the food tastes.
The research from Yale University tested the perceptions of 40 pre-school and Grade 1 children when sampling a selection of graham crackers, gummy fruit snacks and carrots.
North American retailers spend $1.6 billion US every year vying for the attention of picky eaters and their parents. Slapping a recognizable face on snack packages is often the best way to grab their attention. But do these loveable characters promote unhealthy eating?
The authors wrote in the journal Pediatrics that "the majority of children selected the food sample with a licensed character on it for their snack, but the effects were weaker for carrots than for gummy fruit snacks and graham crackers."
A non-profit group in the U.S. also questioned fast food mascots like Ronald McDonald, wondering whether these symbols were equally accountable for poor health choices in children.
"Ronald McDonald is a Pied Piper drawing youngsters all over the world to food that is high in fat, sodium and calories," said Alfred David Klinger, a retired Chicago physician who volunteers with Corporate Accountability International.
Do you think cartoon characters and mascots should be banned from food products marketed at children? Do they promote unhealthy eating?
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)
The social networking site Facebook login webpage is seen on a computer screen. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
Privacy concerns don't seem to have scared Canadians off Facebook.
Canada passed the 16 million users mark in May, according to research firm Inside Network. More than 912,000 Canadians signed up for the social networking site last month, a six per cent increase in membership.
Inside Network says an estimated 47.9 per cent of Canadians are on Facebook, making them some of the heaviest users of the site in the world.
Overall, Canada is the fourth largest market on Facebook, on a per-capita basis, behind Iceland, Norway and Hong Kong. About 59.6 per cent of Iceland's population have a Facebook profile.
But among larger countries with at least 10 million citizens, Canada is No. 1.
Why do you think so many Canadians have embraced Facebook. Does it have something to do with the size of our country or the speed of internet connections? Take our poll.
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)
A manned mission to Mars may be decades away, but an international team of researchers will try to experience what one might be like by locking themselves up in a windowless capsule for a year-and-half -- the time needed for a round trip to the red planet.
The all-male crew of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese won't endure weightlessness, but from Thursday they will live for 520 days in the spartan conditions of a mock spaceship and follow a harsh regimen of experiments and exercise.
The main task of the Mars-500 experiment is to study the effects of long isolation to help a real space crew of the future cope better with stress and fatigue.
"When everybody interacts with the same people in the same space, habits and behaviour become apparent very quickly. These habits may irritate and cause indignation -- and even fits of aggression," said Mikhail Baryshev, a psychotherapist connected to the program.
The researchers will communicate with the outside world via internet, delayed and occasionally disrupted to imitate the effects of space travel. They will eat canned food similar to that currently offered to astronauts on the International Space Station and take a shower once every 10 days -- mimicking space conditions. The crew will have two days off in a week, except when emergencies are simulated.
Are the effects of the economic downturn on restaurants continuing to be felt by wait staff? A recent report by the Toronto Star suggests some Ontario servers are losing a percentage of their tips to management. While part of the deduction may be a result of a minimum wage increase in the province, some restaurant workers are suggesting the house is taking more than its fair share.
Many servers pool tips with other restaurant staff, but payouts to the management are not as common. Some staff say the practice is not often reported, in an effort to avoid stirring up trouble.
Are restaurants merely recovering costs or draining the staff's wallets? Are you a server who has had to share tips with management? Share your story.
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)
Mr. Monopoly poses on a life-sized game board at the unveiling of the new Monopoly: Canada Edition. (Hasbro Canada/Canadian Press)The hottest place to own property in Canada these days is in Chatham-Kent, Ont., -- at least if you're playing Monopoly.The... Continue reading this post
A publicity image from the film Shrek Forever After, featuring Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, left, and Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz. (Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks Animation/Associated Press) Is a giant, green ogre affecting your child's eating habits? A new study... Continue reading this post
The social networking site Facebook login webpage is seen on a computer screen. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)The Canadian Press Privacy concerns don't seem to have scared Canadians off Facebook.Canada passed the 16 million users mark in May, according to research firm... Continue reading this post
A publicity image from the film Shrek Forever After, featuring Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, left, and Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz. (Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks Animation/Associated Press) 
The social networking site Facebook login webpage is seen on a computer screen. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
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