Latest news with #Ilott
Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
Umbrellas, sails, awnings and gazebos — how to choose the best sun block for your space
Summertime, and the living is easy. Unless you're overheated and sweaty, desperately trying to sidestep the sun's punishing rays. And punishing they are: According to Melanoma Canada , the leading cause of skin cancer is overexposure to ultraviolet radiation. Extreme heat events , like the 2021 heat dome, are also becoming more common. So, to save your skin and keep your cool while enjoying the great outdoors, you'll need to throw some shade. Following are some suggestions, from an economical sail or patio umbrella to an elaborate (and costlier) pergola or gazebo. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Not only are umbrellas and sails budget-friendly, but they're also portable and adaptable to small spaces, especially balconies. And modern weather-resistant fabrics offer a wide choice of colour and pattern in addition to that most important of considerations, UV protection. While any umbrella shade is better than no shade, some marketing claims that they block up to 98 per cent of UV rays may be more promotional than scientific. The effectiveness of certain colours is also up in the air. Some marketers claim darker colours absorb more rays while lighter colours supposedly reflect more light. 'I don't know if there's any conclusive information on that,' says Stuart Ilott, president at Burnaby-based Wizard Screen Solutions , which also operates Patio Gurus . 'I know that darker materials attract more heat, and you'll feel that sitting underneath. They also feel darker and smaller. A lighter colour material feels more open and airy.' Ilott says all Patio Gurus' umbrella materials are 100 per cent solution-dyed acrylic, which is the most durable and colour fast. 'Vinyl is very limited in colour options, and the material doesn't breathe at all.' Matt Vandenberg, president at Chilliwack-based Vandenberg Landscapes , says darker colours also fade faster. 'Even a high-quality darker fabric is going to go from a black to a charcoal, or a charcoal to a grey, faster than a brown, beige and other lighter colour.' Aside from fabric, Vanessa Rienau, general manager at Livingspace Outdoor, says to consider where you're going to hoist that sail or umbrella: 'Which direction does the sun come from so you can best angle it? How windy is the area? How much space do you want it to cover? Umbrella sizes can range from eight feet to 20 feet and weigh anywhere from 100 pounds to 800 pounds. Do you prefer a square, round, rectangular shape? Also consider furniture, trees, shrubs or other structures that could inhibit the opening and closing of the umbrella. Do you need it to tilt? Also, does it need to be mounted to the ground, requiring pouring of concrete, or will it have a weighted base?' Rienau says a good-quality cantilever umbrella can range from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on the brand, model and size. 'Some high-end umbrellas are designed to last a long time, offering repairable/replaceable parts. Other umbrellas are less expensive, not easily repairable, and designed to be replaced after a few years.' Regardless, she advises caring for any umbrella. Always keep it closed when not in use, especially in high winds. 'Never leave it open in a tilted position, since wind could send it sailing across the yard. If you live near the sea, regularly rinse your umbrella of airborne salt, especially before packing it away for the winter.' Sails are even more versatile — and cheaper. Available in a range of shapes, sizes and styles, from triangles, squares and rectangles of 6.5 x 6.5 up to 10 x 13, shade sails work best in a smaller space, but you could layer multiple sails to cover a larger area. Sails are a little less resistant to weather, however, with heavy rain risking tears and leaks. High-quality material like acrylic or high-density polyester is more durable and offers better UV protection. Cost depends on size and material, but you can expect to pay between $50 to $600, even more to have it installed professionally. If maintained and cleaned regularly, a good sail should last anywhere from five to 15 years. These easy-to-operate (and easy on the budget) options can range anywhere from $130 to $200 and can be up and shady in under 10 minutes. Sized at about 13' x 13', flexible canopies can be adjusted easily for height and will fold down for easy storage. Outdoor curtains block not only harmful UV rays but nosy neighbours' eyes. Available in a range of sizes and materials, from clear vinyl to polyester tarp mesh to light-filtering canvas, these coverings can be hung around decks and patios, gazebos and cabanas. Sizes range from 54' x 96'-plus, and cost anywhere from $25 to $150. Ilott recalls installing an awning for a Surrey homeowner whose patio temperature gauge read 38 C. 'After — 22 degrees, which shows how effective they are at cooling.' Whether manually cranked or motorized, awnings cast a shadow over decks, patios and porches and range in price from $170 to $5,000 depending on size, fabric and make. A good awning is made of UV and water-resistant fabric that resists fading and can even stand up to winds of up to 50 km per hour. Some have wind sensors and will automatically retract in high gusts. 'The material itself has good colour fastness with a fluorocarbon topcoat antifungal treatment,' says Ilott. 'But if your backyard is filled with cedar trees, you'll eventually get some algae growth on the material.' Awnings, umbrellas and sails are generally easy to keep clean, however, using a long soft brush or sponge and a mild soap and warm water solution. These structures are sturdier (and costlier) options made of vertical posts, pillars and beams that either stand alone or attach to a house. They're typically made of wood or metal and are ideal for a larger backyard or garden. A pergola's roof is usually open to allow air flow and partly covers an outdoor space. A gazebo is typically free-standing with a closed roof and can come with built-in benches and tables. They range from $1,000 to $2,000. Neither protect you (or your outdoor furniture) from the elements, dust and dirt. A wood (usually cedar or fir) pergola starts at about $10,000, says Ilott, and doesn't stand up as well over time, needing to be resealed and stained over the years. It's also susceptible to mould and rot. Aluminum pergolas are durable and long-lasting — up to 30 years — and are resistant to rust, warping and cracking. They range from around $1,300 to over $6,000. Vinyl structures are less expensive — anywhere from $950 to over $6,000 — and easier to maintain but more prone to damage from the elements. Vandenberg says a handy homeowner could probably build a wood structure, but metal post and frame is best left to a contractor. He also notes there can be a convoluted permitting process that, depending on your municipality, can be either quick or slow. Ilott says louvered roof systems are becoming more popular, albeit more expensive (ranging from $2,000 for DIY to $35,000 for professional installation). 'They're aluminum so really low maintenance and they can bear the weight of snow, and they have a gutter system for rain. When the sun is out you just tilt the louvres and get full light coming in.' You can't get more natural shade than a broad-leafed tree. There's also the bonus of the beautiful foliage they add to your backyard, not to mention the potential savings on energy bills: B.C. Hydro estimates that shade trees planted on the south or west sides of homes can reduce cooling costs by as much as 35 per cent. But with newer homes being built on smaller acreage, there's precious space for large, stately shade trees. Better options include species that are narrow and vertical. Still, a good deciduous tree can cast a nice shadow. The downside is that they drop their colourful leaves every fall, making for a laborious cleanup. 'But once the leaves come off, light comes during the winter,' says Vandenberg. 'Maple trees with the bigger leaves work well but they also don't get so big that they become a danger to the house in 20 or 30 years.' He says fast-growing trees are another option, but the downside is they continue to be fast-growing. 'After planting, in 10 years it's perfect, but in 20 years it's probably too big and too close to the house and starting to become a hazard. Too often we're taking out a massive tree and it's very costly.' An alternative, he says, is a pergola or arbour that can be covered in fast-growing vines like clematis, wisteria or honeysuckle. 'They're not only shady, but pretty to look at.'
Boston Globe
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Indy 500 runner-up Marcus Ericsson penalized to rear for unapproved car modifications
IndyCar said the modifications made by Andretti Global were to the Energy Management System covers provided by Dallara, the company that provides the chassis for the series. The rulebook states that those parts must be used as supplied. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Ericsson and Kirkwood had to forfeit their prize money and championship points from their original finish, and instead will receive the money and points for their penalized finish. Each of the cars also was fined $100,000 and the competition managers for the teams have been suspended for the upcoming race on the streets of Detroit. Advertisement It was an incredibly costly swing for Andretti as the Indy 500 purse this year was a record $20,283,000, with winner Palou set to receive $3.8 million. Ericsson will receive $610,500 for finishing 31st when he could have earned up to a $1 million in second. Advertisement A dream realized. A legacy fulfilled. You are an — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) Kirkwood initially was credited with a sixth-place finish, but once dropped to 32nd received $607,500. 'We had a great race, we came across the line in sixth,' Kirkwood said. 'We'll go through the [review] process and this team is built on sportsmanship, they are built on integrity and we'll try to do everything right in the future.' The disqualifications changed the podium finishing order, with David Malukas of A.J. Foyt Racing moving up to second and Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren moving up to third. For the Foyt team, combined with Santino Ferrucci's adjusted fifth-place finish, it marked the best Indy 500 finish in 25 years for the team. The No. 90 car of Callum Ilott also failed post-race technical inspection after it failed to meet the minimum endplate height and location specification. Prema Racing was handed the same penalties as Andretti Global, which means rather than 12th, Ilott will be credited with finishing last in 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' 'Oh,' Ilott posted on social media after learning of the penalty. His payout was decreased to $155,300. 'I was at brunch and it was ruined.' Ilott's teammate at Prema, rookie Robert Shwartzman, was named top rookie of the race after becoming the first rookie to win the pole since 1983. Ilott joked he was almost late to the awards ceremony because he was searching for Shwartzman for a loan to pay the IndyCar fine. Prema said in a statement that Ilott's front wing endplate did not meet minimum height and passed technical inspection multiple times. 'The issue didn't lead to any performance gain, the car ended up being non-compliant with the rules at the end of the race, so the team accepts full responsibility,' Prema said. 'The team is currently investigating the root of the problem. We look forward to implementing the needed procedures to ensure improved control and avoid these kinds of issues in the future.' Advertisement Doug Boles, the president of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said at the annual Monday night awards ceremony that Ericsson, Kirkwood, and Ilott were all given the opportunity to skip the event but showed anyway. 'To a man, Marcus, Kyle and Callum, all said 'We would not miss an opportunity to come to the victory banquet for the greatest race on earth,' ' Boles said. 'And that tells you the character of the drivers who are in the cars in the IndyCar Series.' Ericsson, already devastated by his second runner-up finish in the biggest race of the world, said the disqualification was another blow. 'I don't know the details enough, it's so fresh and the team is reviewing it all,' Ericsson said before the awards ceremony. 'It's obviously very harsh penalties, but if that's the rules, then that's the rules. We respect the integrity of the sport.' IndyCar's inspection process came under scrutiny a week before the race, when the Team Penske cars of two-time winner Newgarden and Power were unable to compete in the second round of qualifying, and instead had to start in the final row of the 11-row grid. Newgarden ended up having a fuel pump issue and finished 25th and Power finished 19th, though both of them will move up three spots following the penalties to Andretti Global and Prema Racing. Advertisement 'This is a moment that I think we all can use to move forward because in our most difficult times is when true character is shown,' Boles said. 'As a community, we're going to get stronger. We're going to get better. We're going to show everyone why we had 7 million viewers watch this Indy 500.' Sunday's race averaged averaged 7.05 million viewers on Fox, according to Nielsen. That is the largest audience since 2008, when Scott Dixon's win averaged 7.25 million on ABC, and a 40 percent increase from last year when the race averaged 5.02 million on NBC. The viewer numbers peaked at 8.44 million for the race's conclusion from 4:15-4:30 p.m.. It was also the first time since 2016, the 100th running of the Indy 500, that (AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.)
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Simple (And Slightly Gross) Way To Check Your Gut Health Using Sweetcorn
Is it us or is everyone talking about gut health right now? We recently learned that sourdough bread is better for our guts, that gut health is tied to Alzheimer's disease, and there are specific times of the day that are best to eat to protect your gut health (to name a few). However, with all this news coming at once, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and not understand where to start with your own gut health. How do you even know if yours is that healthy beyond how it feels? Well, according to Nick Ilott, senior researcher and lead bioinformatician at The Oxford Centre for Microbiome Studies, University of Oxford, all you need is a little bit of sweetcorn. I'm sure you know where this is going. First of all, and this may be difficult for some people, to do this test, you can't eat sweetcorn for 7-10 days in something that is called the 'wash-out phase'. Once this time has passed, note down the date and time and eat some sweetcorn. You don't need to have more than a handful of corn for this test to work but if you've been craving some corn on the cob, treat yourself. Ilott explained: 'Because the outer shell of the corn is indigestible, it will pass through your gastrointestinal tract with the rest of the food you've eaten and will eventually be visible in your stool.' Loo-vely. What you then need to do is keep an eye on the next few stools that you pass, and once you do spot a little kernel or two, note down the date and time. 'If you pass the corn in 12 hours or less, your gut is fast. If you don't pass it for around 48 hours of more, then your gut is slow,' explained the expert. 'If you find your gut motility is on either end of the spectrum, there are fortunately things you can do to improve it.' He advises that if your gut is consistently fast, you should visit your doctor for further tests. Studies suggest that the median gut motility time is about 28 hours, and it's considered 'normal' for an individual person's transit time to fall between 10 and 73 hours. If yours falls within this range, you don't have to seek any further advice. However, Ilott urges that if you feel your gut motility time is a little slow but you aren't experiencing symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, lack of appetite or nausea, you should eat more fruit and vegetables to increase your fibre intake, as well as drink more water and exercise. Always Constipated? Here's How To Retrain Your Bowels To Go Every Day This 1 Poop Shape Can Indicate Bowel Health Issues This Is What Your Bowel Movement Frequency Says About Your Overall Health
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
PREMA starts strong in first IndyCar test
PREMA Racing fired the Chevrolet engines in the back of its new and untested cars just days before sending its trucks to California for Tuesday's test at The Thermal Club and Thursday's upcoming visit to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The late start to the new IndyCar Series team's on-track program was far from optimal, but the extra time spent preparing itself was worth it as the European team's first foray into American open-wheel racing was relatively smooth, and significant pace was shown. PREMA's Robert Shwartzman, an early frontrunner for Rookie of The Year honors, visited the top of Thermal's running order on two occasions and ended the day third-fastest, just 0.175s behind Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson, who led the six drivers in attendance. Callum Ilott dealt with new-car gremlins for most of the morning, but rallied in the afternoon to run fourth, 0.247s shy of Ericsson. It was Ilott's second first-day in IndyCar, having welcomed the renamed Juncos Hollinger Racing back to the series in 2021 and now PREMA on its maiden outing in 2025. 'For a first day, it's probably one of the best first days you can get, even with that stuff in the morning,' the Briton told RACER. 'The team's happy, and we've got a lot of things to work on and improve, but that's that part of the checklist. But you know, the first thing being car speed; you don't normally unlock that very, very quickly. And being out first test, there's areas that we should work on and can improve pretty easily. It was pretty impressive to be close like that.' PREMA encountered the expected gremlins that come with a first shakedown, but wasted little time in unlocking some decent speed. Image by PREMA Ilott returns to PREMA after finding great success with the team on the ladder to Formula 1. The blend of team veterans from Europe and IndyCar veterans who joined during the ramp-up process, including Ilott's former and now current race engineer Steve Barker from Juncos Hollinger, has given the program a head start on its new American adventure. 'We've got some people from all different backgrounds, and we've obviously got the core PREMA people helping to direct things,' Ilott said. 'And there's a lot of different voices and different ideas, but at the same time, that's great when you can put it together. Obviously, Steve was my race engineer before, so there's a lot of familiarity there. And I think that that that helps massively just to get working together, and there's less new stuff that you need to establish, right? 'But this team has such a pedigree in Europe, and it's also an adventure for them, because it's probably one of the more technologically advanced cars – even though it's an older chassis, there's more development that you can do compared to what they've run. And PREMA have a great history of rocking up with new equipment (to them) and doing a good job. 'But like I said, there's still a lot of work to do. This was a good first day. We've got a very good core engineering group. The only thing we're missing is time.' Story originally appeared on Racer
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ericsson tops IndyCar Thermal Club test
Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson posted the quickest lap in his No. 28 Honda on Tuesday to top the six-car private IndyCar Series test at The Thermal Club. Ericsson's unofficial best of 1m40.136s edged Andretti teammate Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 Honda (+0.080s), and it was PREMA Racing's Robert Shwartzman who thoroughly impressed on the team's debut outing by going to P1 on two occasions with the No. 83 Chevy before settling for third (+0.175s). 'Last time we were out here in Thermal, we felt like it wasn't maybe our strongest track or weekend,' Ericsson told RACER. 'So it's good to come back here and work through some stuff. We had a good program trying different things on the three different cars, and I think we learned a bunch that should help us when we come back here in March.' PREMA's Callum Ilott in the No. 90 Chevy (+0.247s), who spent most of the morning sitting idle, was fourth and Andretti's Colton Herta in the No. 26 Honda (+0.269s), whose running was curtailed due to a an issue, was fifth. Dale Coyne Racing rookie Jacob Abel was sixth with the No. 51 Honda (+1.451s). 'We had a lot to work for in the morning, which was kind of expected, and you never know what you're going to get with a new car to shake down,' Ilott said. 'But we obviously got some stuff (to deal with) and it took a little bit longer to diagnose, but honestly, we did a good job. Got one lap in just before lunch break and we played a bit of catch up towards the end.' Abel was the busiest driver with 69 laps turned, ahead of Ericsson (60), Shwartzman (54), Herta (53), Kirkwood (52), and Ilott (50), and will have another chance to learn the car when most of the teams head to Sebring in February. 'There's definitely going to be a lot of progress to be made on a lot of different things,' Abel said. 'It was my first day as an IndyCar driver, officially, doing pit stops, hitting the marks, in laps, out laps, all that. I think there was a lot more to our day today to accomplish than just making the car go fast for one lap. We got a lot done. 'We built a pretty good base of communication and it's something I'm pretty happy with. We're just moving forward and working as well as we can with the limited time that we're going to have before we show up at the first race.' Former Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay was spotted at the Thermal test and remains high on the list of drivers who could join Coyne in the No. 18 Honda, which serves as the last open seat in the series. Story originally appeared on Racer
