While delivering his federal budget on March 29, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced production of the penny would end this month. Despite reaching a production peak of nearly 1.3 billion in 2006, a 2007 survey showed only 37% of Canadian used pennies.(Photo: Kayla Chobotiuk) RELATED From the editors: Iceland, the loonie's all yours The Canadian one-cent piece, commonly known as the penny, was born in 1858. Minted alongside five-, 10- and 20-cent pieces, it was among the first series of coins produced by the then-province of Canada, which for years had fought to distance itself from the sterling monetary system in use throughout the British empire. A decimal system was adopted to put Canada’s currency in line with the U.S. dollar. The first penny was composed of nearly 100% copper. The original coin’s L. C. Wyon design—with a bust of Queen Victoria, the reigning British monarch, on one side, and an arrangement of maple leaves on the reverse—was not radically different from today’s penny. The maple leaf twig designed by G. E. Kruger-Gray on the current penny was introduced in1937, and has appeared every year since, with the exception of 1967, when it was replaced with a rock dove designed by artist Alex Colville as part of a centennial series of coins. The penny’s cost has been an issue nearly since the year it was first produced. Due to its lack of physical heft, the first Canadian penny proved so unpopular that by 1859 the coin was being sold at a 20% discount to encourage consumers to circulate them, and was not minted again until 1876. In 1920, the increasing price of copper forced a decrease in the penny’s size from roughly that of today’s quarter to its current familiar form. Copper prices were responsible for another major change in 1997,when the penny’s composition was switched to 98.4%zinc with a copper plating. Three years later it was changed again, to its current composition of94% steel, 1.5% nickel and an increased copper plating of 4.5%. As its buying power lessened with time (a penny in 1858 could buy a loaf of bread), Canadians became reluctant to carry pennies, hoarding them in jars and leaving them in convenience store take-a-penny trays. With those pennies effectively out of circulation, the Royal Canadian Mint was forced to produce an average25 pennies per Canadian per year. Despite reaching a production peak of nearly 1.3 billion in2006, a 2007 survey showed only37% of Canadian used pennies. While delivering his federal budget on March 29, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced production of the penny would end this month. In the end, the penny was collateral damage in the battle of inflation, its manufacturing cost rising to 1.6¢. In a world where even penny candy now costs more than a nickel, the copper coin became a nuisance. The Mint refused to grant the coin the dignity of becoming a low circulated collectible like its cousin the half-dollar and announced it will begin withdrawing them from circulation in the fall, though the one-cent piece will remain legal tender and retain its value indefinitely. The penny is survived by the quarter, dime and nickel, though rumours already have begun to circulate that the latter’s days may be numbered as well. PrintText: A A More Sharing Services

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FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 01:18 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 01:24 PM EDT

Giving up our vegetarian ways and choosing to include meat into our diet is what helped humankind successfully populate the planet, according to a new study.

When early humans started eating meat and hunting, the higher quality diet meant women would wean their children earlier and give birth to more children and quicker, say researchers at Lund University in Sweden.

What's more, hunting required people to step up their communication skills, plan and use tools. These new developments required bigger brains, which our robust new diets helped us develop, according to the study, which compared 70 mammalian species and found clear patterns.

"This has been known for a long time. However, no one has previously shown the strong connection between meat-eating and the duration of breastfeeding, which is a crucial piece of the puzzle in this context. Eating meat enabled the breastfeeding periods and thereby the time between births, to be shortened. This must have had a crucial impact on human evolution," says Elia Psouni of Lund University in a press release.

The researchers reject another dominant theory - that breastfeeding duration is a social thing, and that new moms cut it short because of time constraints and family size.

The team created a mathematical model using data on brain size and diet of 70 mammals and found all species stop breastfeeding when their brains have reached a particular stage of development, which carnivores reach more quickly.

"That humans seem to be so similar to other animals can of course be taken as provocative. We like to think that culture makes us different as a species. But when it comes to breastfeeding and weaning, no social or cultural explanations are needed; for our species as a whole it is a question of simple biology. Social and cultural factors surely influence the variation between humans," Psouni said.

The death of Levon Helm, drummer and singer for influential 70s rock group The Band, is a significant loss for the rock n’ roll community. But in the many decades that have passed since The Band’s heyday, Helm’s cultural significance is not as widely acknowledged as it once was. It is with that in mind that we present to you five essential — and maybe little-known — facts about the legendary Levon Helm.

1. He played backup for Dylan
In 1964 and 1965, when Dylan decided he wanted to go electric, he recruited The Hawks — an early incarnation of The Band that included Helm, along with Ronnie Hawkins and future Band members Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel — as his band. So disenchanted was Helm with the negative reception Dylan received on the tour that he took a two-year hiatus from music after it was over.

2. He didn’t much like The Last Waltz
Martin Scorsese’s portrait of The Band may be one of the most widely celebrated concert films of all time, but Helm was not a fan, suggesting in his 1993 biography This Wheel’s on Fire that Scorsese and Robertson conspired to make Robertson look like the leading man, with the rest of the Band merely his supporting players. He pointed out that Hudson and Manuel received little screen time, while also claiming that nobody in The Band — aside from Robertson — received any money from the film’s VHS and DVD sales.

3. He didn’t much like Robbie Robertson, either.
For the reasons listed above.

4. He paid for his cancer treatments by hosting the Midnight Ramble
If you already know about the Midnight Ramble — occasional concerts Helm put on at his home in Woodstock that featured performers as varied and lauded as Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Hot Tuna, Kris Kristofferson and Jimmy Vivino (of Conan fame) — you might not know that their original purpose was to help Helm pay for his cancer treatments. Helm was first diagnosed with throat cancer in the ’90s, and underwent a laryngectomy and radiation treatment. He was unable to sing until 2004; The Midnight Ramble toured for much of the 2000s.

http://youtu.be/5lXOuZgm_eY

Over the course of 10 years, 23 Bachelors and Bachelorettes have looked for love on ABC's hit reality franchise – each one of whom was white. And that, a lawsuit alleges, is no accident.

"This is a civil rights issue," attorney George Barrett said Wednesday in Nashville after filing a class-action lawsuit in federal court.

"ABC has engaged in conduct deliberately excluding persons of color."

Nathaniel Claybrooks, 39, and Christopher Johnson, 26, both African-American former college football players, answered an open casting call for The Bachelor in Nashville last August. They claim they were rushed through the audition process dismissively while observing white applicants treated with greater attention.

"I never even had a chance," says Claybrooks.

"In every job opportunity, you are looking to at least have a chance to compete for that job," addss Johnson. "Whenever you feel you are treated unfair or unjust, you are going to speak out."

The lawsuit alleges that ABC "knowingly, intentionally and as a matter of corporate policy refused to cast people of color in the role of the Bachelor and Bachelorette."

Warner Horizon Television, which produces the shows, calls the lawsuit "baseless and without merit."

"In fact, we have had various participants of color throughout the series' history, and the producers have been consistently – and publicly – vocal about seeking diverse candidates for both programs," says the statement. "As always, we continue to seek out participants of color for both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

I was hit with the lucky stick twice this week when two of my favorite ladies, Charmaine at My Best Friend Craig and Laura at Elegant Nest gave me the Liebster Blog award! Woot woot!




The Liebster Blog award is given to a blog on the rise. It is a great way to shine a light on those that are making their way in the blog world, and I am truly honored for the privilege. 


This is probably as close to a Grammy as I'll ever get, so let me take this opportunity to thank my fans, my family for supporting me and of course God. (why do musicians always thank God in their speeches?) In all seriousness though I have a great respect for Charmaine and Laura and it means a lot that they even thought of me. 


With this honor, I get to pass on the love to five of my favorite blogs.


Colleen at Lemon Drop Dreams
Emily at Lucite and Lavender
Meg at Nutmeg & Company
Erin at Out on a Limb


Now with this award comes great responsibility my friends. Please continue the tradition by doing the following:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you. Its important to represent!
2. Post the award on your blog for all to see!3. Give the award to 5 of your favorite bloggers (ideally with approximately 200 followers or less).4. Leave a comment on your chosen 5 blogs to let them know that they have been given the Liebster award.



Now for the 'cord' portion of this post - I'm off to a friends house today to sew some piping (cording). You know what that means - yes, the blasted couch is almost done! Here is a sneak peek.
Make sure to check in next week for the big reveal! 

The more I see garden stools, the more I want one. They have been around forever, and I'm a sucker for a good classic.

Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers via Boxwood Terrace

With all the fresh colors and finishes though, maybe mixing up the traditional is the way to go.

Wisteria

Red Nook

Wisteria

Neiman Marcus

Do you have a garden stool? Know a great place for a budget friendly option?

COLORS !!! Is the way I like to treat myself every day. I'm wearing again my favorite pair of Marc Jacobs sandals, this time with casual jeans, colorful bracelets, striped top and my orange Benetton cardigan sweater.

                                                                     Cardigan: Benetton/ similar style here and here
                                                                     Jeans: Levis/ similar style here
                                                                     Bag: vintage/ a great version here and here
                                                                     Bracelets: Forever 21/ similar here and here
                                                                     Blouse: vintage
                                                                     Sandals: Marc by Marc Jacobs/ another great version here
                                                                     Belt: Express
                                                                     Sunglasses: Betsey Johnson/ similar here

It's here! It's here!

I've got my Starbucks and my Domino. I anticipate being deep in Domino bliss for much of the afternoon.
Can't wait to talk about favorite pages, pictures etc. Did you rush out to get it first thing this AM? Or am I the only Domino dork?

Back in town after a wonderful trip to Portland, where I spent time with extraordinary people, visited beautiful places and took tones of photos. You will see them soon here :)
Today's post focuses on the Marni bracelet that I wore with peach -blue outfit. All that  before I leave the city ;(I still have in draft a few more posts that I want to show you in the feature). Just stay tuned!



                                                                     Jeans: Levis/ similar style here and here
                                                                     Sweater: thrifted/ another great version here and here
                                                                     Ankle boots: Zara
                                                                     Bag: French Connection/ another great style here
                                                                     Sunglasses: Marc Jacobs/ similar style here
                                                                     Bangle bracelet: Marni/ another great version here and here