You can’t miss them if you visit Thailand; they’re everywhere, in Bangkok and the countryside. Travelers are surprised to see them in front of so many buildings: homes, hotels and office and government buildings. Why are they there? Because Thai people believe in good and evil spirits.

By constructing a little house that they install close to the main building, Thais purify the land and ensure that the occupants of the new building will live in peace. In other words, they sign a form of spiritual pact with evil spirits to keep them away.

[caption id="attachment_560" align="aligncenter" width="426"]Maison Esprits Thailande ISTOCKPHOTO inusite iStockphoto LP[/caption]

Thais often turn to astrologists to determine the exact location of the spirit house. Or they may turn to a Brahmin, called a “phram” in Thai, a priest who dresses entirely in white.

Most of the time, spirit houses are positioned so that you have to look up to see them. The little houses are built near the main door, facing north or, even better, south. The shadow of the building they protect should never fall on the spirit house.

Spirit houses are mass produced, often in concrete. Their shape should never evoke anything negative. A long house wouldn’t be wise for example, because it calls to mind a coffin. A t-shape is also out, because it looks like a vulture in flight. The little houses often resemble miniature temples. [……]

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[caption id="attachment_528" align="alignright" width="360"]finance_juin_2013 iStockphoto[/caption]

The concept of diversification is a crucial element to consider when investing. It is rooted in the very principle that investors should avoid putting all their eggs in one basket.

 

But why should the notion of diversification remain limited to investing? Why not adapt it to mortgages, the largest debt each of us will probably acquire in our lifetime?

 

To meet the needs and preferences of its clientele, National Bank offers the Made-to-Measure mortgage[1]. This solution allows you to divide your loan amount among several layers, depending on your profile, your financial goals, as well as your financing needs and preferences.

[……]

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Is your bathroom begging for a makeover? You dream about new ceramic walls, but the idea of long and tedious work turns you off. If that’s the case, we’ve got good news for you.

There are panels that look like real tile but that are easy to install, so they’re good for anyone—even DIYers! Except for moldings, no additional material needs to be purchased. A utility knife can cut the panels if adjustments are necessary. Easy as pie!

[caption id="attachment_526" align="aligncenter" width="522"]renovation_juin_2013 Dumaplast. All rights reserved.[/caption]

In addition, the walls on which you install the panels don’t require any special preparation—no cleaning, plastering or sanding. To top it all off, there’s no mortar and trowel. The joints already cut in the material simplify assembly of the panels, which is done by sliding the pieces together. The panels can also be assembled from any side. And they look like real tile![……]

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[caption id="attachment_529" align="alignleft" width="226"]decoration_sec_juin_2013 iStockphoto[/caption]

Stained glass is an assembly of pieces of glass joined by lead strips. Coloured glass was already used at the time of the Egyptians and Romans. However, it’s in the Middle Ages that stained glass began to play a major role in decorative art.

Are you one of those people who love to gaze at stained glass windows when you visit churches? Does their sweet serenity soothe your spirit? Did you know that you can use stained glass to enhance your home decor? Tiffany lamps, as lovely as they are, are not the only possibility—not anymore.

Stained glass design can be contemporary, country, ultra modern or even contemplative. A full range of colours is available, from pastel to dark to outright garish. The effect will be soothing or stimulating, depending on the colours chosen.[……]

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It’s often said that the walls have ears. In Sibiu, Romania, the roofs have eyes. The effect is so striking that a paranoid person could panic while strolling the medieval city streets. ‘Why are the roofs watching me?!’ they’d think.

[caption id="attachment_527" align="aligncenter" width="427"]inusite_juin_2013 iStockphoto[/caption]

Look closely at the photo. Do you see that the roof is sleepy? Its eyelids are heavy; they’re going to close any minute now. Too much bad weather perhaps? Centuries of heavy rain, beating sun, freezing and thawing—it’s a lot for a roof to handle. And that’s not counting the weight of hundreds of years of history.[……]

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[caption id="attachment_490" align="alignleft" width="382"]Vague Eau ISTOCKPHOTO art-de-vivre source: iStockphoto[/caption]

Fresh water is a precious resource. Even though Canada seems to have ample supplies, it accounts for only 7% of the planet’s renewable fresh water reserves. And just because those reserves are renewable, it doesn’t mean they’ll last forever. If we want our children, grandchildren and future generations to be able to benefit from this natural wealth, each of us has to do our share.

 

At home, there are many actions you can take to reduce how much water you use.

 

Indoors

The bathroom is the place in the home where the most water is used. Taking showers or baths and flushing toilets account for 65% of our consumption. It’s easy to cut down the quantity of water used in the bathroom by following these tips:[……]

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[caption id="attachment_493" align="alignleft" width="350"]Chambre d’ambre Murs WIKIPEDIA inusite Amber Room by Jeanyvan (Wikipedia Commons)[/caption]

We laughed at Indiana Jones at the time. It’s only a movie, we said, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. Treasure hunters no longer exist. Archeologists searching for the Ark of the Covenant are pure fiction.

First off, it’s true that some archeologists still hope to get hold of the Ark of the Covenant—unless it was destroyed. They look for it without lassos or guns, but they still look for it.

Second, treasure hunters do indeed exist. And one of the most coveted treasures is the Amber Room. Why? Because six tonnes of rare amber covered the walls. What’s more, the amber panels were backed by gold leaf and mirrors.

Let’s travel back to the time of the Russian tsars. In 1701, a Prussian king ordered construction of the room for the Charlottenberg Palace. In 1716, as a political move, he gave it as a gift to Tsar Peter the Great, who decided to increase the splendor of the room with additional work. Finished in 1755, the Amber Room was moved from the winter palace to the summer palace, near Saint Petersburg.[……]

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