[caption id="attachment_11113" align="alignleft" width="320"]Siège de la télévision d'État CCTV à Pékin appelé aussi Le pantalon. Photo: iStockphoto Siège de la télévision d’État CCTV à Pékin appelé aussi Le pantalon. Photo: iStockphoto[/caption]

Imagine the scene: Stephen Harper stands in the House of Commons and asks Canadians to put a halt to constructing buildings with weird shapes. Too much is too much, he says.
This is not likely to happen for two reasons: Stephen Harper is not a dictator and Canada is a rather conservative country when it comes to architecture. The streets aren’t filled with grotesquely shaped buildings.
In any case, it would be delirious. Such a scene is impossible. What leader would dare do it? And which country in the world can boast having a surplus of strange architectural buildings on its territory?
We have the answer: China.
It happened in mid-October. According to the Agence France-Presse, Chinese President Xi Jinping took advantage of a speech in front of a delegation of artists to request that the multiplication of weird constructions in China come to an end.[……]

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AD

Most major hardware stores carry a product that can be used to cover surfaces to give them a granite effect. This epoxy based product is called StoneEffect and it comes in several colours.

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This product helps owners who want to redo their kitchen counter without spending a fortune.[……]

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Turquoise has very few takers in decoration. Yes, we are delighted by the turquoise waters of the Pacific islands, we contemplate the turquoise of the sky, we sigh in envy when we see a turquoise pearl, our eyes widen in front of turquoise satin sheets.

So where does this reluctance come from?[……]

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Not sure? Take some time to revisit your financial goals. If your mortgage is coming up for renewal, now may be the time to switch to BMO.

How do I go about switching my mortgage?

The process is simple. Three months before your mortgage matures, contact a BMO Mortgage Specialist to review your mortgage options. A BMO Mortgage Specialist will help you reassess your financial goals and find ways to better manage your total household debt, taking advantage of the accessibility and flexibility of BMO mortgage financing.

Before you consider the available options…

The one thing we can be sure of in our lives is change. Before switching, it’s wise to re-evaluate your financial situation so that your decisions are based on your current circumstances. For example, are you making more money now than when you initially purchased your home? Or are you on a tighter budget?[……]

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You’re walking by the sea, under the sun with your feet in the turquoise water. A warm wind musses your hair. You look up, and in the distance, between the trees, you see ten strange shapes that remind you of giant screens, or blowing sales, or wicker seatbacks, or roosters. They are very high, up to 30 metres. And you wonder “What is that?”

When you look at the site, through the window you see ten strange forms lining a centre aisle, empty inside, but with a sloped surface at the bottom. It looks like ten giant baseball gloves catching the sun and the wind. And you wonder “What is that?”

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It’s a cultural centre. Maybe the only one in the Pacific islands. Nothing like the one in Gatineau, Gaspé or Châteauguay. This is New Caledonia, in the heart of the Pacific, on the other side of the planet. That means a different culture, different architecture and, most of all, a different climate.[……]

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Over the last few winters, a small crack has appeared in a corner of your house’s foundation.

You tell yourself that it’s tiny and therefore harmless. And you move on to other things.

That’s a big mistake because you find yourself faced with a structural problem that will affect the stability of your house. This will affect the resale value.

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Where does this crack come from? Why is the foundation of the house cracking? Can you do anything about it?

The freeze and thaw cycle is often the primary cause. Depending on the region of Quebec you’re building is located in, the depth of the foundation walls varies. When you do work around the walls, you have to always keep in mind to protect them against freezing.

Once a crack is visible, how do you prevent it from degrading?[……]

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The bedroom is a unique room to decorate. It is the only one where parents, friends and strangers do not have access. These people go through the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom, but not the bedroom. That leaves us free to decorate it any way we like, from the outlandish to the classic.

You feel like redoing your bedroom décor? The possibilities are endless.

The classical style is always easy to defend. Simple and discreet, with an abundance of glass, moulding to modify the volumes, sometimes old-fashioned wallpaper. A few knickknacks, maybe a vase on each side of the bed. A bookshelf topped by a bouquet of flowers. White and cream are often colours that evoke intimacy. Grey as well.

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Step it up a notch and you have a sumptuous bedroom. Turquoise, violet and purple offer an ambience of royalty. Mouldings provide a rich look. Velour or quilts as bed linen complete the majestic effect conveyed by the bedroom, to which this couch or padded headboard, velour curtains and canopy bed are added.[……]

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