Ethanol fireplaces have become increasingly popular. They are essentially large “fondue” stoves that can be installed on a wall or in the centre of a room and require no chimney. They have been in use for over 10 years in Europe and are generally safe. However, the lack of mandatory safety standards for fireplaces and fuel quality is a concern for both fire risk and indoor air quality in homes.

What is ethanol?
Ethanol used as a fireplace fuel is denatured ethyl alcohol with approximately 3% methanol added. In America, ethanol is mainly made from corn, but elsewhere in the world other sources such as rye or potatoes are used to make it. Technically, it is vodka, to which methanol (also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) is added, making the mixture undrinkable and toxic to drink.

An air quality problem?
The combustion of ethanol generates small amounts of water vapour, carbon monoxide (CO) and methanol residues. Generally speaking, if you only have one fire a day, the amount of water and pollutants released into the air is negligible and has no impact on the health of occupants.

However, if an ethanol fireplace is used on a regular basis (three fires per day) or if it has a high heat capacity, it could reduce the air quality of the room where it is located, especially if it is an enclosed room that is not ventilated by a central forced-air heating or mechanical ventilation system such as an HRV. For rooms less than 200 square feet, which are not ventilated, it is recommended that the room door be left open when the fireplace is in use.

Unfortunately, there is no minimum quality standard for ethanol for heating purposes. Fuel cans do not indicate the respective percentages of ethanol and methanol. Some manufacturers may therefore increase the percentage of methanol and further pollute indoor air quality.

hanging fireplaces

Fire risks?
Ethanol fireplaces do not pose a high risk of fire, but in case of an accident, the consequences can be dramatic. Many insurance companies and municipalities require homes with ethanol fireplaces to be equipped with a carbon monoxide detector and a portable fire extinguisher.

Eco-friendly fireplaces?
The use of crop fields, fertilisers and pesticides to produce ethanol for export can be disastrous from an ecological and humanitarian point of view. However, the occasional use of a fireplace fuelled by locally produced ethanol can replace polluting wood-burning fireplaces in urban condominiums and become a much greener and healthier solution for urban air quality.

For or against?
A small fire costs a minimum of £1 per hour, so it is not an economical heating source. But if you want a fireplace for occasional use and to provide a source of heat in case of power failure, the ethanol fireplace seems to me to be a relatively healthy, ecological and safe solution. Some municipalities now require the installation of ULC-certified fireplaces. Consult your municipality and your insurance company before purchasing your fireplace.

A The pellet stove must be plugged into a 120v outlet to operate the feed screw, the igniter and two fans: one to push the heated air into the house and the other to exhaust the combustion gases outside. It typically consumes 300 Wh, which is quite large. In the event of a power failure, it should be connected to batteries that will last 6 to 12 hours, but preferably to a generator to increase the autonomy of the system.

Bath bombs are rounded, soft but strong balls of material designed to dissolve and bubble when they come into contact with water. The bombs are placed in bathtubs after being filled with water, similar to bubble baths. As they dissolve, bath bombs can add fragrances, colours, oils, cleaning agents or other materials to the bath water.

Bombs are usually made of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), citric acid or another organic acid, cornstarch and magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts). All of these ingredients combine to create the fizzing and dissolving effects for which the cans are known. The bombs can also contain materials such as food colouring, glitter, herbs or dried flowers for extra effect.

The time taken for bath bombs to dissolve can vary depending on the manufacturer and the size of the bombs. In general, however, you can expect a bath bomb to dissolve within two minutes. Crackling and fizzing sounds will occur as the bombs disintegrate, during which time the remaining bomb material will be dispensed.

Bathers may enjoy a burst of bubbles from this product. These bubbles can stick to a bather’s hair and skin and provide a source of entertainment for the bather. Although bombs can be fun, they could also have therapeutic uses.

If the bombs contain essential oils and cleansing agents, they can help a bather in even a small therapeutic sense. Sea salt, generally considered a very beneficial cleansing agent, can give the bather’s body a deep cleansing. If a bather wishes to be energised, she may choose a spray containing mint. If the bather wants to use the product for relaxation, she can choose to use a bath bomb with lavender ingredients. Similarly, products with sweet almond oil moisturise the skin, and those with avocado oil or wheat germ oil have soothing and healing properties.

rainbow bath bomb

Bath bombs can be interesting gifts. They are usually given to people who could benefit from a relaxing and cocooning bath experience. Bombs can also be useful for parents who want to make bath time more appealing to children. Bombs could also be appreciated by those who like to include natural ingredients in their skin care regime, as the ingredients in a bath bomb are generally much safer and more effective than the synthetic ingredients found in many other bath products.

Increase your sales by building a website that is as attractive as it is easy to use.

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These days, you can start your own online business at an affordable cost. It’s no wonder that sales on e-commerce sites are increasing year on year. In the retail sector, e-commerce accounted for $3.53 trillion in global sales in 2019, and this figure is expected to reach $6.54 trillion by 2022.

Clearly, online spending is massive. And if you’re a new e-commerce business owner, you’re probably wondering how you can reach these customers. With so many aspects of your website and online shop to manage, however, it can seem difficult to decide where to focus your attention, but there’s no need to worry.

The design of your e-commerce website is a good place to start. What you need is an attractive and simple site that customers can use easily. And, of course, it needs to make the buying process easy.

How to create an effective e-commerce site
Some e-commerce websites are successful for a number of reasons. For a start, they are all designed to ensure ease of use.

User experience
Cross-platform adaptability
Layout and visual design of the site
The most effective sites are clear, easy to understand and easy to use. And the first step towards this goal is to keep the design simple and uncluttered.

Tip 1: Keep it simple
While it’s tempting to add lots of features or interactive graphics to a site, they can overwhelm your customers with information and turn them off.

When it comes to e-commerce web design, simplicity is the key. No one wants to have to click through five pages, deal with a million pop-up windows or search for a non-existent navigation menu. Design mistakes lead to lost customers, and therefore lost sales.

Approach your design as if you were the end user. Would you be frustrated visiting your site? Do you find everything you need in one or two clicks? Are the menus and buttons clearly identifiable and readable? These are all things you should consider when designing your shop.

Minimalism is one of the hottest design trends of 2020, and it’s no accident. Elements such as large fonts, product-centric layouts and generous use of white space are visually appealing, and offer customers the opportunity to rest their eyes tired from other busier sites.

Other elements contribute to a simple design:

Easily understandable content
Simple, readable fonts
Unified colour palettes
Clearly identifiable navigation elements
Easily accessible product categories
Clearly present and describe your product to the customer, and tell them how to buy it.

Tip 2: Use images and colour to your advantage
Large, quality images are a great way to promote your products on a simple website design. Let the pictures speak for themselves. They catch customers’ attention and make them want to know more.

Images increase the conversion rate, sometimes by as much as 40%, so it is essential that you put them forward. Customers want to know what they are buying and see it from every possible angle before they decide. Sharp, professional photos of your product build trust.

Using colour psychology in your e-commerce website design can also encourage customers to take action. From the colour of your background to the colour of a button, every choice can generate conversions.

Certain colours evoke specific emotions in people, whether they are aware of it or not. In some cultures, blue can increase feelings of confidence. Red can indicate energy, passion and danger. Colours can also evoke the characteristics of your brand.

Tone: think about the tone you imagine for your brand, it can be whimsical, serious or totally offbeat.
Value: colours such as elegant black and shimmering gold can convey a sense of luxury.
Time period: some colours give a vintage or futuristic feel.
The combination of colours and images can inspire emotion and motivate a person to take action. It is possible to increase the click-through rate up to 34% just with a red button.

website design glasgow

On the raw screen of the videoconference, Sandrine Devillard drops her predictions without a fuss, but without any tongues wagging either.

In general, in North America and Europe, the apparel sector has not been doing well for a while, explains the senior associate director at McKinsey in Montreal. It was just getting its strength back before the virus hit.

Of course, some companies did well in 2020, despite everything, and are generating profits. Notably the strongest ones in online commerce. But together they represent only 20% of the sector.

The rest?

The other 80%?

It pulls all the profit statistics down.

McKinsey calls these companies ‘value destroyers’.

According to a report entitled The State of Fashion 2021, published by the consultancy firm and The Business of Fashion magazine, profits for the industry as a whole will fall by 93% in 2020 because of these struggling players, whereas they had risen by 4% in 2019.

So, from a general perspective, 2020 has been a catastrophic year in apparel. And the bankruptcies, closures and other recourse to the law protecting against creditors that we have seen while the pandemic refused to lose its breath are only the beginning of a downward spiral that will continue.

In addition, according to McKinsey’s consumer research, Canadians are not in spending mode when it comes to clothing. No outings, no restaurants, no parties with friends or family, telecommuting… The ball gown and the suit and tie are on pause.

The word gloom barely begins to describe the state of affairs.

But the picture painted by the analyst is not entirely bleak.

Apparel, unlike electronics in particular, is not controlled by the web giants or even the giants at all. Between them, Amazon, Target and Walmart have barely 20% of the market, although there was 6% growth during the early 2020 lock-in.

So there is room for other companies. Smaller, nimble companies that will be able to use digital technology to compete with the big guys and will be ready to move into the future, head first, to meet the many challenges that mark this sector in transition.

Made in Canada Jackets

The pandemic has created a surge of solidarity within the industry,” she says, “to ask for help and support together. It also accelerated the digitisation of sales and the organisation of delivery structures. Companies have been forced to fast-track the development of their online business. A lot of things have been shaken up. And this was not necessarily bad.

But if the crisis has awakened a certain economic nationalism and, above all, the realisation among the population that a certain self-sufficiency is important in terms of both food and clothing production – for the health sector in particular – the battle for local purchasing and for the health of this sector is not won in advance. Yet it employs 83,000 people, more than the aeronautics industry.

Many people are starting to hear about the latest cannabinoid trend – delta 8 THC. Believe it or not, scientists have known about delta 8 THC since the 1970s. Leo E. Hollister M.D. and H. K. Gillespie B.A. wrote about the effects of delta 8 THC in humans in their 1973 paper, “Delta-8″ and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; Comparison in Man by Oral and Intravenous Administration.”

They write and explain that delta-8 THC has similar but slightly less potent effects than delta-9 THC, which is the main intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis (with trace amounts in hemp):

Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has activity in man similar to that of its double bond isomer, delta-9-THC. Its potency relative to the other isomer, as judged after oral and intravenous administration, is 2:3.

“Delta-8 and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; Comparison in man by oral and intravenous administration”.

delta 8 thc florida

What should consumers know about Delta 8 THC?
There are some basic things consumers should know about DELTA 8 THC, but they should also be aware of what is not known about delta 8 THC. The cannabinoid is not well studied, especially in humans, and is being marketed as a new cure-all that will also get you high. As the saying goes, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

Overview of Delta 8 THC
Delta 8 THC is a psychoactive intoxicant that can
The effects of THC delta 8 THC are believed to be similar to the effects of CBD and THC
It is primarily of interest as an alternative to delta 9 THC for use in seriously ill people who have not responded to conventional treatments and for eye conditions
Use of THC from Delta 8 may result in drug test failure
There are delta 8 THC side effects similar to CBD side effects and THC side effects
THC cannabinoid delta 8 is unregulated and has no proven medicinal benefits
A lagoon has allowed delta 8 THC to be manufactured from CBD; The DEA recently ruled to close this loophole, but manufacturers are suing to keep this high-risk, high-reward product on the market.
Beware of hemp flower that has been sprayed with cannabinoids to improve potency
Delta 8 THC has been associated with cases of lung injury from THC vaping, although the damage was largely attributed to the use of vitamin E as a thinning agent
CBD does not naturally convert to delta 8 THC
What are the effects of Delta 8 THC?
Delta 8 THC has slightly less potent psychoactive effects than delta 9 THC. It is also believed to have the ability to relieve anxiety and inflammation (like many other cannabinoids). To be clear, delta 8 THC will get you high, is not regulated when sourced from hemp or CBD, has no validated medicinal effects, and is synthesised in a lab through multiple chemical processes.

The only reason it is currently available on the market is because of a legal loophole that is being exploited. The most likely reason for producing and marketing delta 8 THC is likely to be linked to the oversupply of CBD that is not selling well because demand has fallen.

On 21 August 2020, the DEA proposed rules to clarify that Delta 8 THC converted from CBD is a controlled substance. The ruling is being challenged by the CBD industry, so time will tell if this obviously psychoactive substance will be federally restricted like all other forms of THC above 0.3%.

Personal Perspectives on the THC effects of Delta 8
As a cannabis writer, regulatory consultant, and scientist, I have used delta 8 THC, in the form of fresh delta 8 THC extract from a lab trial. It was very unremarkable to me as a very experienced cannabis user. The quality of the effects was not as good as using a normal THC product or normal CBD product.

None of these products (delta-8, delta-9 and CBD) are regulated or approved for medical use, so using them is a risk to one degree or another. The idea of making DELTA 8 THC available to the public seems to me personally dangerous and irresponsible. I am extremely sceptical of delta 8 THC products, and I hope other consumers are too.

If I were asked if delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol was worth a try, I would say unequivocally “No”.

Jane’s cbd vape cartridges are in stock now and will not cause questionable psychoactive effects like delta-8-THC cartridges!
Is Delta 8 THC Legal?
Delta 8 THC use results in intoxication, so how is it legal for people to sell online? To be clear, delta 8 THC marijuana is a controlled substance and is federally illegal under the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC – 802(16)(B)). However, manufacturers have found a loophole because the term “marijuana” does not include hemp. The DEA clarified that delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol in any non-natural form is a Schedule I drug, but is now facing challenges from the CBD industry.

Delta 8 THC cannot be found in significant quantities in hemp, but CBD extracted from hemp can be chemically converted to delta 8 THC very easily and cheaply. With market interest in CBD waning, this new product falls somewhere between legal hemp and CBD, illegal cannabis, and shady synthetic marijuana products.

Will Plain Jane carry Delta 8 THC?
No, Plain Jane has no plans to carry delta 8 THC. Our mission is not to help people get high and we are not fighting to sell our cbd and hemp products. Plain Jane’s mission is to make affordable, high quality CBD and hemp products widely available. We are still a small company, but we have had great growth and success since our humble beginnings. As with the murky water around edibles, Plain Jane has no interest in marketing products that are not clearly legal or useful to customers. Keeping up with hemp and CBD laws is enough to keep us busy!

Final thoughts on Delta 8 THC
I bring my personal voice to this article mainly out of necessity, in most cases, there is enough published research to write about a topic without injecting my own experiences and perspectives. That is not the case with delta 8 THC and it saddens me that I cannot provide more peer-reviewed information on the new cannabinoid product. Instead, I will leave this question to you if you are considering trying delta 8 THC:

If you want to get intoxicated, why not do it with an existing substance with known effects? And if you are looking for cannabis benefits without intoxication, why not just try CBD oil or hemp flower?

Before you buy or try delta 8 THC, ask yourself if this product really makes any sense. The only real market from my perspective seems to be those desperate to get stoned in a state with no legal marijuana and no connections to the black market, or those who are too young to be legally buying products like this in the first place. Perhaps in the future information will come to light that will change this perspective. At present, delta 8 THC seems to be mainly a new way to get rid of excess CBD stock.