WOMAN: Hi! How can I help you?

MAN: Hi! I’ve just moved into the area. The house I bought is a beautiful old home—maybe built about a century ago—but the tiles have probably been there for a few decades at least!

WOMAN: Ah yes . . . these old houses! Is it the tiles in the bathroom, or the kitchen tiles?

MAN: Well, the ones in the bathroom need work right away—several of them are cracked or broken. The ones in the kitchen just have a very old-fashioned style, so maybe I’ll do those later.

WOMAN: OK. So, it sounds like we know which room to start with then. Do you have the measurements?

MAN: It’s about—well—it’s a small bathroom. Maybe average-sized.

WOMAN: Well, could you come back, maybe tomorrow, with the precise details? Those will help us narrow down our options. We ‘re open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day.

MAN: Hi again! Here are the measurements.

WOMAN: Great! These will help us choose the right sizes and quantities. So, over here, we have wall tiles, and on the other side of the store, we have our selection of floor tiles

MAN: Well, I’d like my whole bathroom to look the same. Why don’t I try these white tiles? They look nice and plain. I could just use them for everything.

WOMAN: Well, those are nice, but many people would be worried about safety. Floor tiles—in the kitchen, and especially in the bathroom—generally have a rough, bumpy texture. You know, so you don’t slip on a wet floor. How about those ones over there?

MAN: Whoa! I don’t like that pattern on the tiles at all!

WOMAN: Right. Well, how about those flowered ones?

MAN: You know, if I’m using these white ones for the wall, probably those ones—below the flowered ones—will be best for the floor. Those will give me a similar look throughout the room.

WOMAN: Hello again! How are the white tiles working out? Are you happy with them?

MAN: They look great so far! I really appreciate your advice. But I seem to have run out.

WOMAN: Oh no! In the middle of your project! That’s too bad.

MAN: Yes. It’s completely my fault—I must have made a mistake when measuring.

WOMAN: OK. I’m just gonna look up the inventory in our database. Hmm . . . it looks like we are out of stock for both. Should I order them from the manufacturer for you?

MAN: Yes, please put in the order. Since I’m here, I’ll take a look at the kitchen tile section

WOMAN: That’s right! You said the kitchen is your next project!

WOMAN: Okay, so you have a bunch of stuff you want to buy, and I have a bunch of stuff I want to buy . . . Shall we just split up and meet back at the food court for lunch? In, say, an hour?

MAN: Actually, I was hoping you might come with me at least to the framing store. You have a much better eye for that kind of thing. I know what sort of poster I want to buy for Michael, but I have no idea what kind of frame it will look good in.

WOMAN: But the person at the store should be able to help you with that.

MAN: “Should” is the key word. I’ve noticed more and more that the people who work in stores don’t have any special expertise about the stuff sold in that store. I tried to buy a pair of shoes the other day, and I swear the person didn’t know a shoelace from a buckle.

WOMAN: You know, you’re right: I had the same experience when I tried to buy a toaster. So okay, I’ll come with you to the framing store, but I’d really like to go to my favourite store first. They have a sale on sweatshirts, and I want to get there before they’re sold out of the colour and size I want.

MAN: Fair enough. But since I’m not thrilled about going into clothing stores, I’ll just wait outside, okay?

WOMAN: No problem. Actually, I think that’s where the fountain is, with all the benches.

MAN: Perfect. After that, I don’t mind splitting up. Will it really take you just an hour? It’s Saturday—this place is crowded

! WOMAN: Good point. Better make it two hours. Maybe by then, the food court won’t be as busy.

MAN: That would be nice. I hate being jostled when I’ve got a full tray of food. And I’m planning to get exactly that at the new Thai restaurant that’s opened up. They have a buffet.

WOMAN: Really? I didn’t know that. Guess who else will be getting a full tray of food!

WOMAN: Good morning. Northwest Hydro. Constance speaking. How can I help you?

MAN: You can help me feel less confused, I hope. I live at 743 Rosemount Avenue, Apartment 5.

WOMAN: OK. One moment please while I bring up your account. Perfect. How can I help you today, sir?

MAN: I’ve been living here almost four months, since December. Yesterday my landlord told me I should’ve phoned you to set up my hydro account and arrange to make payments. Here it is late March. I haven’t received a single hydro bill, and I haven’t paid Northwest Hydro one cent. The electricity bill for this apartment must be three months overdue.

WOMAN: Well . . . actually, it appears that someone’s been paying the costs for you.

MAN: Seriously? Who?

WOMAN: I’m afraid I’m not allowed to disclose that information.

MAN: Was it the last tenant who lived here? I know she moved to Beijing. Didn’t she notify you that she’d moved out and cancelled her hydro account?

WOMAN: I’m afraid I can’t disclose that personal information. But I can tell you that we will register you as responsible for this account, and we’ll send you a hydro bill for a total of $240, covering December 1st through March 31st. Any person or organization who was paying your hydro bill will be reimbursed.

MAN: No problem. I’m responsible for the bill, and I want to pay. I was worried that my electricity would be cut off for nonpayment.

WOMAN: Actually, Northwest Hydro has a policy of not cutting off people’s electricity during the winter months. It’s 20 below zero outside. People . . . well, they depend on us to survive. But . . . if an account goes unpaid for three months in the summer, then we do cut off the power

. MAN: That’s a good policy! Not that I’m the type of person who doesn’t pay my bills, but it’s good to know. , sounds good! Would you be able to show me where I could get all these things?

WOMAN: Well, we’re happy to help

. MAN: Thank goodness it’s winter! I LOVE winter!

Seven-year-old Dustin Sandoval got both a scolding and a hero’s applause earlier this week when his mischievous antics lead him to save another child’s life. Dustin, who loves leaving prank messages on his home answering machine, pocketed his mother’s cellphone without her knowledge, and went to play at the park in their townhouse complex. He intended to make another prank call while his mother was gardening in their yard.

This time, however, Dustin’s antics saved the day. In the park, he saw a child lying on the ground unconscious. Dustin immediately called 911 with his mother’s cellphone, and an ambulance arrived within minutes. Paramedics discovered that the nine-year-old victim, James Soong, had been stung by a bee and needed treatment for anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction. The boy recovered quickly in the hospital.

Dustin’s mother was exasperated to discover her son had taken her phone, and sternly warned him not to do so again. However, she was happy to learn something positive came out of it. James’s father presented Dustin with a cellphone as a thank you for saving his son. Since the incident, Dustin’s mother hasn’t received any more prank calls.

The addition of bike lanes in densely populated urban areas throughout major Canadian cities is on the rise, creating tension between cyclists and car drivers.

Shannon Tulu, an avid biker and campaigner for city cycling in Toronto, says that bike lanes have been absent for too long in city planning. She believes it is the long wait that has created a culture of car drivers that are now irrationally annoyed at having to accommodate for different modes of transport. The municipal government, meanwhile, is hesitant to support cyclists over drivers. And yet, had major bike lanes been around twenty years ago, Tulu suggests, the bike culture would have grown since then, and no one would be batting an eye now. She points to cities such as Amsterdam, where 40% of commuting is done by bike and the infrastructure has been in place for decades.

For Tulu, the main need for bike lanes is safety. Having been in two serious bike accidents in which no bike lane was available, Tulu understands the need for a designated cyclist roadway. Tulu says statistics show that less bike accidents occur when cyclists have their own lane.

Fred Morris is the chair of the Provincial Mountain Biking Association. His passion for cycling does not, however, place him in the same camp as Tulu. On the contrary, Morris counters that while recreational bicycling is wonderful, bikes have no place in city traffic. Five years ago, he was in an accident in which he was cycling in a designated lane. Morris argues bike lanes create the illusion of safety because cyclists assume drivers are looking out for them. He says bike lanes actually increase the chance of car drivers hitting cyclists when they accidentally turn in front of them. Morris criticized cyclists for being aggressive. They don’t want to lose their momentum and come to a full stop at intersections and so they take chances to maintain speed.

Morris agrees with Tulu that if more city bike lanes had been built in Toronto decades ago, things would be much different. More bike lanes then would have meant a much stronger bike culture now, and car drivers would be more accepting and aware. But Morris says it’s much too late to try and add bike lanes into already dense, populated areas. Doing so, he says, will just cause more aggression on both sides.

Tulu disagrees. In a time when cities are trying to reduce fossil fuel emissions and encourage environmentally friendly ways of living, she argues, developing a generation of bicycle commuters is crucial to the health of our cities and our planet.