September 24/2014

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner  

Feature:

A success in cat-vertising

            “When Jean-Marc Richer & Yves Pednault aquired Salon MOOV in September 2010, they were…the unlikeliest of pairings. Ex-oil worker Richer, 43, had recently returned home from Alberta, while Pednault, 49, was a lifelong hairstylist. The 2 were introduced that year at a bar & had quickly developed a rapport.

             .…Armed with their life savings, the pair walked into the salon…& offered to buy it. The owner…sold it to them 6 months later.

             .…Salon MOOV struggled to gain traction, until one day Richler’s girlfriend asked him to look after her cat while she went on vacation. Not wanting the cat to stay home alone, Richler decided to bring it to work. 

            But this wasn’t a typical house cat. It was a Bengal, a hybrid breed that stems from crossing a domestic feline with an Asian leopard cat. The addition of this little jolt of jungle perched in the window changed Salon MOOV’s fortunes almost overnight. Suddenly, crowds of people were stopping to admire the cat.

            Sensing an opportunity, Richer contacted a few breeders & bought a Bengal of his own before eventually becoming a breeder himself. Currently, there are 6 Bengal kittens in a designated space in front of the window with leopard print curtains to match…The kittens are for sale at a price of $1,200 each… 

            According to the owners, revenues doubled during the year the Bengals debuted, & still maintain a healthy 20% annual growth. They also estimate that 80% of their business is a direct result of the Bengals.     
        
            …Richler spends a typical day updating their Facebook page with images of the cats, new hairstyles, & artwork…Customers have the chance to interact with the cats & are encouraged to post their photos online as well

          ‘The atmosphere is very friendly, & the cats just reinforce all that. You see them in the window & it emulates the feeling that’s in here. It’s also nice to watch the reactions of everyone walking by on the street as they get drawn in by the cats,’ said Amelia Carland…who discovered the salon on Facebook… 

          ‘How many people have ever seen baby Bengal cats, let alone in a hair salon?’ Richer asked… ‘We try to create an atmosphere that everyone wants to be in by offering a tri-concept of well-being: a coiffure, zoo therapy, & an art gallery'

            .…Richer let loose his favorite catch phrase, ‘Thank you for stopping by Salon MOOV. You’ve just been cat-vertised!’”

Josh Rubin

The Gazette, Montreal

August 27/2013

 Cute Critter Pic            

Weekly Chuckle

Canadian Links: 

Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/

International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/

Canadian SPCA: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/.../the-canadian-spcala-spca-canadienne/

 

 

September 17/2014

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner  

Feature:

How pale whales keep from getting sunburned

           “VANCOUVER- Some pale whales appear to tan to protect themselves from sunburn…

           An international team of scientists took mitochondrial DNA samples from blue whales, fin whales, & sperm whales to check for genetic damage from ultraviolet rays.

           They found that higher melanin levels in the whale’s skin correlated with lower levels of skin lesions & DNA damage, suggesting melanin protects the ocean mammals from sun damage.

           ‘We found molecular evidence that blue whales increase production of melanin, so this would indicate that they tan’…

           ‘Increasing their pigmentation (tanning) appears to be the way blue whales protect themselves from UV damage.’

           They also found that the ability to modify skin pigment-or tan- may be linked to migration patterns.

           Blue whales are believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived on Earth at up to 30 metres in length with hearts that can weigh as much as a car. They’re found in every ocean in the world, spending summers in polar waters before migrating toward the Equator for winter…

           In contrast, fin whales, the blue whale’s darker-skinned, stay-at-home cousins, showed a reduced ability to change the level of melanin in their skin.  

           Rather, fins maintained higher levels of melanin & had the lowest prevalence of sunburn lesions…

           Other ocean species have been shown to tan…including hammerhead sharks & some fish…”

Dene Moore

THE CANADIAN PRESS

in The Gazette, Montreal

August 31/2013

Cute Critter Pic

   Weekly Chuckle

Canadian Links: 

Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/

International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/

Canadian SPCA: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/.../the-canadian-spcala-spca-canadienne/ 


Memorial

 

September 10/2014

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner 

Feature:

You don’t eat the escargot in this facial treatment

           "…Live snails, hailed as an elixir for youthful, beautiful skin, take center stage in an unusual ‘snail facial’ launching in Tokyo.

           Snails are placed directly onto the faces of reclining clients, leaving trails of slime, a sort of mucus, in their wake.

           The secreted mucus is key to the facial, as it reportedly contains a beauty-boosting cocktail of proteins, antioxidants, & hyaluronic acid that helps skin retain moisture, reduce inflammation, & remove dead skin.

           ‘Snail slime can help the recovery of skin cells on the face, so we expect the snail facial to help heal damaged skin,’ said Yoko Minami, sales manager at Clinical Salon…

           It is currently home to 5 snails, kept in a small clear container where they are fed organic vegetables, including carrots, Japanese ‘komatsuna’ greens, spinach, & Swiss chard.

           Spa staff said the snails were bought from an organic snail breeder in Japan & are fed organically to ensure they are clean & healthy…

           The live snails are…part of a 60 minute treatment called the Celebrity Escargot Course, costing just over $240.

           It starts with faces being washed before the snails are gently placed on the cheeks & forehead & allowed to move around as they please.

           This is followed by a series of massages, masks, & electrical pulse machines using creams infused with snail mucus to ensure that the live secretions fully penetrate the skin…

           …as long ago as 400 BC…snails were first highlighted for medicinal uses, with records of Hippocrates mixing crushed mollusks with sour milk as a treatment for skin inflammation.

           Today, snails appear to be making a comeback in the beauty industry, with a string of international skin products containing snail mucus…

           Over the past 2 years, snail face creams, serums, & masks have surged in popularity in particular in Japan & South Korea…”

Danielle Demetriou

THE LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH

in The Gazette, Montreal

July 20/2013

Cute Critter Pic:

Weekly Chuckle:

Canadian Links: 

Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/

International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/

Canadian SPCA: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/.../the-canadian-spcala-spca-canadienne/