Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets were business in the front and party in the back at an annual military skills competition in the U.S.

“The Canadians have embraced the mullet,” an American cadet from the gold-winning team told the British Forces Broadcasting Service. “We prefer a nice combed head of hair – clean cut – and that’s our secret sauce.”

An April 30 video posted on the broadcasting service’s Forces News Facebook page shows a handful of uniformed Canadians rocking the retro hairstyle, with long locks in the back and hair trimmed shorter on the front, top and sides.

Two Canadian teams participated in the 57th annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., representing the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont., and the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec.

Placing an impressive second and fifth respectively, they competed against 46 teams from 14 other countries on April 26 and 27. The gruelling two-day competition tests officer cadets’ military skills, physical endurance and teamwork, and includes events like rifle marksmanship, swimming in full combat gear, performing combat first aid and navigating 43 kilometres of difficult terrain. Canadians have placed first four times since 2006.

“The Canadian team this year also seem to be powered by mullets, not a tactic adopted by the Americans,” a Forces News correspondent said in her coverage of the event. “Canada thought they and their mullets had done enough, but in the end it was [the United States Military Academy’s black team] who brought it home.”

Mullet Mayhem! 💈 The Canadian team brought their own sense of style to the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at…
Posted by Forces News on Tuesday, April 30, 2024

As part of a bid to attract more troops and diversify its ranks, the Canadian Armed Forces relaxed its dress code in 2022 to allow everything from artificial nails to face tattoos and coloured hair. The changes also mean recruits no longer have to shave their heads for basic training, while hair can be any length as long as it doesn’t cover the face and is tied back if longer than shoulder-length.

“We’ve heard from our members that the existing dress instructions were not inclusive, and did not allow our members to represent their authentic selves while in uniform,” Maj.-Gen. Lise Bourgon said at the time the dress code changes were announced. “Professional skills and competence are not defined by the length or the colour of your hair.”

With Canada’s second-place finish in this challenging competition, Bourgon appears to be right.

The U.S. army, by contrast, requires men to have completely shaved or closely trimmed hair. Only natural hair dyes are permitted, although women are allowed to tie back long hair. The U.S. army also only permits beards for religious reasons, while Canada allows neatly groomed sideburns, beards, moustaches and goatees of any length.

In an April 29 news release, the Canadian teams’ commanders congratulated them for their performance – without a single mention of their winning style in a field of clean-cut competitors.

“The performance of the teams from RMC and RMC Saint-Jean at this international competition attests to the quality of the military training provided at the Canadian Military Colleges,” Canadian Defence Academy commander Maj.-Gen Denis O’Reilly said. “The lessons learned will help them throughout their careers as future leaders and show them as an inspiration to the rest of the military community.”

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The rumours are true: Vegetables aren’t real — that is, in botany, anyway.

While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term for many types of edible plants.

You might think you know what carrots and beets are. Carrots, beets and other vegetables that grow in the ground are actually the true roots of plants. Lettuce and spinach are the leaves, while celery and asparagus are the stems, and greens such as broccoli, artichokes and cauliflowers are immature flowers, according to Steve Reiners, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

As for produce that grows from flowers, such as peppers and tomatoes, the hot-debated crops are botanically classified as fruits, Reiners added. Cucumbers, squash, eggplant and avocados are also classified as fruit due to their anatomy, according to the European Food Information Council.

What is a vegetable?

The term vegetable does not have a set definition when it comes to botany. However, in horticulture, the science of growing garden crops, a vegetable is defined as any herbaceous plant — a fleshy plant that completes its life cycle in a growing season — in which some portion “is eaten either cooked or raw, during the principal part of the meal, and not as like a snack or dessert,” Reiners said.

The legal definition of a vegetable versus a fruit — at least in the United States — was determined during a 19th century U.S. Supreme Court case that concluded that the tomato is a vegetable.

While vegetables are really just the roots, stems and leaves of plants, experts don’t recommend eating just any roots, stems and leaves.

One example is rhubarb. The fleshy stalk is the edible part of the plant, but the leaves are poisonous, Reiners said. Stay safe by eating plants that grocery stores commonly call vegetables. 

“We know (vegetables) are healthy. We know the vitamin content, we know the mineral content,” Reiners said. “We know how much fibre is in all of it.

“We also know that the vegetables that you either grow or you’re purchasing at a farmers market or grocery store are safe to eat,” he said.

Eat your vegetables

By understanding the various parts of vegetables and the nutrients they carry, people can eat well, according to Sherri Stastny, a registered dietitian and a professor in the department of health, nutrition and exercises sciences at North Dakota State University.

A head of broccoli is a great source of nutrients, but the stem of the green, which is more commonly thrown out, is also rich in fibre and nutrients, Stastny said. The regular consumption of flowery produce such as broccoli and cauliflower have been found to be associated with a decrease in the risk of cancer, she added.

“Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer in the United States, and we know that if you eat enough fruits and vegetables, you lower your risk for heart disease — and that goes along with obesity, diabetes and all these other chronic diseases,” Stastny said.

It is important to eat a variety of vegetables since each one will have varying beneficial nutrients, she added. Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale are great sources of certain phytonutrients, natural nutrients from plants that are beneficial to human health, that help to maintain sharp eye vision, while carrots will help to strengthen night vision.

“If you think of the richest, darkest, most colourful vegetables, that’s where you’re going to find those (nutrients),” Stastny said, while potassium-rich vegetables and fruit, such as potatoes, pumpkin and squash, could help to lower and maintain blood pressure.

‘Start them young’

For parents looking to get young kids to eat their fruits and veggies, breaking down the anatomy of the plant, while describing the colours, taste and texture, could be a fun and educational way of introducing nutrient-dense foods to the early explorers.

“Start them young,” Stastny said. “If you introduce children to vegetables at a younger age … they’re more likely to eat vegetables throughout their lifespan and therefore decrease the risk of chronic disease.”

Some people love to wash their car, and for others, it’s their most hated chore. It’s a necessity for car owners, so no matter where you fall on the love-hate spectrum, you want a car wash that’s going to give your car a deep clean that lasts. Automatic car washes are at almost any gas…

  When you take your car to the car wash, there are multiple add-ons available, and one common choice is spray-on wax. It may seem like it doesn’t make a difference, but there are some important benefits. And these benefits go beyond how shiny your will car looks. What Are the Benefits of Waxing Your…

Even when you are lucky enough to start with an empty room, it can be overwhelming to design an interior that you can enjoy for years to come. Following some basic interior design principles, you can transform your space into a relaxing room you will be comfortable and happy with. Decide what your focal point will be and build out from there.  For best results, keep proportion and scale in mind as you decorate as well as these tips!

 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
Who doesn’t love a large, overstuffed chair? But if your room is on the smaller size it may look out of place and make your room seem even smaller than it is. Keep proportion in perspective. Proportion is the ratio between a piece of furniture and the size of a room. Scale is the size of a piece of furniture in relation to the other pieces of furniture in the room. A super large chair will overpower an apartment of loft size sofa or loveseat and create a sense of unbalance in the room.

Have your room humming harmoniously
Creating harmony will enhance how much you will continue to love your finished. Pull the room with a subdued colour palette for a pleasing, harmonious vibe.   together for a pleasing, harmonious look with a subdued color palette. You can also use a single colour for elements that vary in size and shape. Check out our blog on Doing White on White Right! for more tips!

What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?