It's not the way we saw it.

The picture on the left was linked to a Twitter tweet. It raised a lot of concern and anger. These people were clearly not practising social distancing. Complaints were lodged going all the way to the Prime Minister having angry tweets addressed to him

The local paper went out and soon realize the image was an example of photographic foreshortening. The shoppers appear much closer together than they really are. It is an illusion and not reality. (Not quite true, but an in depth discussion takes awhile. When I taught photography I had to take a student to the physics department to get him to understand. Let's not go there.)

The line may not have been as long when the news shooter arrived but he took two images that nicely illustrate how the same line can look quite different depending upon the angle.

Kudos to our local newspaper for nipping this brouhaha in the bud.

A blister beetle or so I believe

It was a big, attractive, dark blue beetle. I took its picture but I didn't touch it. I'm self-isolating and if I can't get close to my grandkids, I'll be damned if I'm going to get close to a bug. Turns out, the expression rather fits when used here. The bug is a blister beetle. Touch it and, you guessed it, you may get a damn blister or two. Ouch!

Seems the little fella excretes a toxic body fluid through its leg joints. Colourless and ordourless, the fatty fluid can cause blisters upon contact with the skin. Be alert as these are often found on flowering plants right across North American. Relatives that look similar but are coloured differently can be found in various places right around the globe.

I'm proud of how good Londoners are at following orders

Last night my wife and I picked up seven bags of groceries without entering the store or making contact with anyone. As we left the lot, we noticed a very loose line-up of people patiently waiting to get into the LCBO (Liquor Board of Ontaro) store. The line wrapped right around the store.

My wife  and I are both amazed at how willing Londoners are to follow the social distancing guidelines. (My picture is not from the LCBO. Unfortunately, I neglected to bring my camera with me to the grocery store. Oops.)

Call in your grocery order and pick up later

A car sits with its rear hatch door open as the owner waits to have his groceries brought from the store to his car. With the fear of catching COVID-19 growing daily, more and more Londoners are taking advantage of the Express service offered at some area grocery stores.

Call the store, give them your order, when your order is ready the store staff will call, pay with your credit or debit card and then drive to the store for pick up. There are reserved parking spots at the front of the store. Use your cell phone to tell the store staff you are there and within minutes your groceries a have been brought out and placed in your trunk.

I wonder if the service will be as popular once the coronavirus has been brought under control.

Coronavirus or not, life goes on

As more and more stuff comes to a grinding halt, it's nice to see something, if only a little flower, popping up out of the winter-damp leaves, opening its petals and blooming for all to see.

The little flower is, of course, a crocus, one of the first flowers to make an appearance each spring. As the cold eases its months-long grip, the cheerful little blossoms begin to erupt -- sometimes while there is still snow lingering on the ground.


In the past, strollers stopped without thought to enjoy these little harbingers of spring but this year folk look for others first. No stopping in groups. Keep six-feet or more of social distancing. 

Sadly, the crocuses will be gone long before the coronavirus has packed its bags and departed.

Won't be back for awhile; self-isolating

The Costco store looks almost empty and it was. Only so many customers are allowed in side at one time. Someone must leave before another person is allowed to enter. Products, like toilet paper, are being carefully rationed.

Note the yellow tape on the floor at the check-out. Shoppers lining up to make their purchases must stop their cart on a yellow line. People are being forced to practise a little social distancing.

My wife and I won't be going back for some time. Probably weeks. Our daughter has agreed to do all our shopping. We are no longer taking our granddaughter daily. We are self-isolating. The biggest wave of infections and death from covid-19 are expected to roll over the province in days. No more than two weeks at most and the viral toll should be hitting its peak. We have our finger crossed.

School is out; hopscotch is in.

School is out and when it will go back in is anyone's guess. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life in London and around the world. This is the biggest hopscotch grid I have ever encountered. But my guess is it is only used by two kids, a brother and sister, living nearby.

Self-isolation is the rule and family units may mix but everyone else is shunned. I'm sure this hopscotch grid would attract lots of children normally but today it attracts next to no one.

Go for a walk and as folk find themselves appearing to be about to come face to face with other walkers, everyone leaves the sidewalk to walk on the grass on either side of the concrete. Oddly enough, people seem to be smiling at strangers more and hellos are passed between strollers regularly. I don't think openly shunning others is a comfortable reaction for most of us but the coronavirus is not about feeling comfortable.

Walkways between homes can lead to a distant street

 

The concrete sidewalk visible in the lower left corner leads to a cascading sidewalk of dozens of steps leading down a long, steep hill to a street well below. These walkways make getting around the neighbourhood on foot much easier. No need to take the long route that cars must follow.

There are a number of homes in the neighbourhood in this style -- large chimney at front. I've always wondered what the livingroom looks like -- assuming the fireplace is in the downstairs livingroom.

Parks are posted

I walked by the neighbourhood park and noticed that it was now posted. Closed until further notice because of COVID-19. How many children would have contacted the coronavirus from the playground equipment. Any? And if one or two had, would they have become sick? Is this really protecting children? (I'm just asking.)

I worked for years at two newspapers and a television station. Once a story like this one gets good, strong legs, one doesn't ask questions. I wondered out loud about the legitimacy of the liberation therapy cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). I was verbally attacked. (People died after having stents put into the veins in their necks, a dangerous, off-label use.) -- I hesitate to ask any pointed questions about the COVID-19 response. I don't need to endure the attacks.

Sweden has taken a different tack and tack is a perfect word. The goals are the same worldwide but the direction taken can be a bit different. Personally, as a 70 something who is a prime candidate for a full-tilt bout with the virus if encountered, I find myself siding with the Swedes.

Protect the aged and those at great risk for whatever reason. This will keep the deaths down and keep hospital rooms available for those who need them. It will also free up much needed equipment like ventilators. And this, of course, will also work to minimize deaths. At least, that is the Swedish approach.

They are also advocating social distancing and other emergency measures. The Swedes are claiming their approach is science-based and not politically-driven. Time will tell.

Social distancing keeps cousin at home

 

Isla and Fiona have been looking forward to the annual week-long visit ot their cousin Victoria. But this year, thanks to COVID-19, there will be no visit. Like so many kids around he province, my granddaughters are trapped spending days with one set of grandparents. Their other grandparents just returned to Canada from a vaction and so are under self-quarantine for 14 days.

The two little girls could not stop thinking about their missing cousin. And so, the other day they talked grandma into making some gluten-free scones in preparation of her visit after the end of the virus-inspired social distancing. Victoria must have gluten-free.

London Gallery once sold interesting art

My wife and I got this piece at the London Art Gallery from a little store run by volunteers. It was a cool store and note I use the past tense.

The volunteers and the administration at the gallery got into an argument and the outcome was the disbanding of the volunteer group and the closing of the shop.

A new shop now occupies the space. It is run by the art gallery administration. The stuff is nowhere near as interesting as the stuff gathered for sale by the volunteers and the new stuff costs a lot more.

We no longer shop at the gallery. A loss for us and for the city.

Shoppers must line up to enter Costco

Shopping at Costco has an extra wrinkle. Shoppers must line up in two well separated rows before being allowed into Costco to shop. And the shoppers must keep about six feet between each other. And carts are all wiped down before putting back into rotation. Only a set number of customers are allowed into the store at one time. A fellow holding a counter keeps track of the number of shoppers entering and exiting the store.
It was very efficient. It didn't take long to gain admittance. The next time I go will be Tuesday morning before nine a.m. Between eight and nine only seniors are allowed into the store to shop. Maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to buy some toilet paper. It was all gone today.

Neighbourhood play equipment now off limits

At this time of year, the neighbourhood play equipment is usually teeming with kids. Not this year.

Coronavirus fears are forcing the kids to keep their distance. Bare metal may become contaminated and this would contaminate the children. The kids might touch their faces and beome infected or they might just bring the virus home on their hands.

Playgrounds are still open but the equipment is off limits. There are no children in the park the serves my neighbourhood. The equipment, the swings, the monkey bar and the other stuff, is the whole reason kids go to the park.

Everyone is wondering how long this will continue.

Interaction without interaction

School has been canceled to slow the transmission of COVID-19. The goal is to keep the kids apart. No interaction, no transmission. Our ten-year-old granddaughter showed me how to interact without physically interacting. She plays a computer game called Animal Jam with other children. She found her cousin was online this morning. Lot's of giggles as two little girls played together but were miles apart.

Children can win trophies for answering questions about animals based on online booklets. Read a page, click on the image and the "page" turns. Finish the booklet, answer the questions and if one gets them all correct, the player wins a trophy.

I wish I knew more but I don't. It seems like innocent fun. One mother spent some time checking it out and it passed her inspection. Me? I do try to keep an eye.

Deer hunting during school suspension

School is suspended during this COVID-19 pandemic and grandparents are taking in grandchildren. It is difficult to break the links to society when one has to babysit. Both our daughters are still working and there is no sign this will stop.

Our granddaughter had a list of things to do today. Near the top of her list was deer hunting. The last time we visited Woodland Cemetery we didn't see even one deer. My wife and I thought possibly the deer had been removed to prevent more damage to the trees and other growth come spring.

But, we were wrong. We counted more than two dozen deer in the cemetery today. We didn't bring anything to feed the deer as the cemetery has posted a sign saying that this is not a good idea. Vistors to the cemetery are requested to refrain from feeding the deer.

As I said is a prior post, Woodland Cemetery is a multi-faith cemetery owned and operated by St. Paul Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral in the downtown core of London. Founded in 1879 on the banks of the Thames River, today the grounds have expanded to almost 100 acres and hold more than 50,000 burials.

It took three families to make this dinner.

It looks like a simple bowl of rotini. Rotini, yes. Simple, no. Pasta is sold-out in every store in the neighbourhood. The shelves are totally bare. Hoarders have bought it all. And vegetables are getting  hard to find as well.

But friendly, supportive neighbours are abundant. The ingredients for tonight's dinner would have been difficult to find at a store but our neighbourhood has pulled together.

I'm proud of them. Good people.

Who needs to hoard when you have Costco?

My toothpaste tube was empty. I had to go to the closet for another. I got down my unopened package from Costco. It had five family size tubes of toothpaste in one package. My granddaughter thought I looked like a hoarder. I'm not. I'm just a Costco member. Now, did I tell you about our toilet paper?

A project to fight social distancing boredom

With three little granddaughters to care for everyday, their parents are all still working, my wife and I are not just fighting the threat presented by coronavirus, we are also fighting the threat of boredom. And with three little girls, 6, 8 and 10, we take both threats seriously.

The photo shows something called Cake Pops. Make a chocolate cake, break the cake into small crumbs and then mix the crumbs with chocolate icing. Roll the mixture into balls and place in the fridge overnight. Thanks to the icing and the cold, the balls hold their shapes quite nicely.

Have the kids slide the chocolate balls onto rolled-paper, lollipop sticks and decorate. They will enjoy doing it and, if done right, it will kill a lot of time. Remember, the kids had to make the balls the first day and then finish the project the second day. That's a fine, time-consuming activity.

Cheers! Stay healthy!

With schools closed, grandparents have kids

Spring-break plus the coronavirus closures means that many grandparents in Ontario are taking care of grandchildren. The kids are getting antsy and spring-break had just started. There is nowhere to go. Essentially, everything is closed.

Oh well, there is still the backyard for entertainment. Hiding behind a chair back and watching the rabbits is always a fun way to spend a little time.

Some folk do not spread COVID-19; no contact with others.

COVID-19 is quickly turning London, Ontario, into a bit of a ghost town. Cinemas have closed as have libraries. Many shops tried operating at reduced hours but found their customers were operating on reduced hours around the clock. The shops have now closed.

But, some people have jobs that do not spread the COVID-19 virus. This city worker works most of the day almost alone. Well, at least at quite distance from other people. But, eventually the city's outside workers will be told to stay home. All workers. There will be almost no exceptions.

Coronavirus forces ski hill to close for season

I have never seen anything like the reaction by government, business and the general population to  the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Tomorrow is the start of springbreak. It is usually one of the biggest, most profitable weeks of the season for the local ski hill. Not this year. One day before the beginning of spring break the ski closed for the season. Why? COVID-19.

The virus is still a question mark. People are concerned and responding with caution.

And speaking of springbreak. It has been lengthened by an additional two weeks by order  of the provincial government.

String, the curse of the kites.

 

No breeze; no worry. Throw the kite in the air and start running. The kite will soar. Of course, it will come down as soon as one stops running. That's the theory. Now, about this string . . . 

Signs of spring

Forget the first robin as the first sign of spring. Try the appearance of bikes and scooters replacing snow shovels and snow blowers. Tonight I took two of my granddaughters to the park. It was cold, it was windy but to them it was spring. Why? No snow.

New Ont. licence plate an urban fiasco

Shot in a dark corner of a parking lot.

The CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, reports "Ontario's new licence plates (are) 'virtually unreadable' at night. . . . A lot of folks agree. I know. Many of my friends have complained about the new provincial plates.

And yet, when I went out to take pictures of the "unreadable" plates, all my images were rather clear. Flash, dark parking lot at night, bright parking lot at night: all pictures in all situations were legible.

I've worked at two newspapers and once was the organizer of an annual photojournalism seminar. I know all too well how newspapers love a good story. I wondered how many journalists  actually went out and inspected the plates in use.

I also wondered how many journalists contacted folk in other regions who have also had to deal with problem plates. And plates can be a problem and not just in Ontario.

The same plate shot with an on-camera flash.

Modern reflective materials can, in the right situation, reflect too much light. The strong resulting glare can obliterate the lettering on a licence plate.

I'm sure the plates have problems and I'm sure 3M is working on a solution. As much as I detest the present provincial government, I don't think they can be faulted.

The Globe and Mail reported, "OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said that the OPP tested the new plates in three different lighting conditions with automated licence plate readers, which are used in Amber Alert child abduction cases. The provincial police force publicly declared last month that there were no visibility problems with the new blue-on-blue plates.

There's a story here but it is not the neat, clean one being reported in some newspapers and on television. As much as I dislike the Premier Doug Ford government, I think we can cut him some slack with this brouhaha. 

The last plates were not all the great either. You do recall the peeling paint issue, right? 


________________________________________________________________
1. Found on the Net: In some states, defective manufacturing of plates has been a problem. New York’s governor last year ordered that state’s DMV to replace peeling laminate on some older plates for free, when it became apparent that defective materials or workmanship was causing a rash of delaminations. A few years ago, Illinois recalled 1.1 million license plates because their reflective coating was bubbling and peeling.

2. One interesting claim I came across, but have been unable to substantiate, is that the new, flat licence plates are more environmentally friendly. The process requires the use of fewer nasty chemicals. Unfortunately, flat surfaces are more prone to glare, one of the problems that have done in the new Ontario plates.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/back-seat-driver/article28724602.html#storylink=cp

Making good licence plates is tough

In the Canadian province of Ontario the present, and very unpopular, provincial government is recalling its recently redesigned licence plate and it is not the one shown. The one shown is the licence plate that the new design replaced. The paint often peeled from the old plate leaving it difficult to read.

The new plate is difficult to read too but especially at night. The reflective glare from the new plate can be so severe under certain circumstances that the reflected light renders the new plate totally unreadable. I'd run a picture except that in each picture I shot the plate was quite legible.

I'll keep trying.

Elvis is timeless

Elvis is timeless. Born in 1935, he was one of the first southern rock and roll artists, he died in 1977. He was only 42. He has now been dead almost the same length of time that he was alive. Yet even my oh-so-young granddaughters recognize a statue or picture of Elvis.

It's hard to find a young person who would recognize Marc Bolan of T. Rex who died in the same year. Or a young person who could identify Ronnie Van Zant of ‎Lynyrd Skynyrd fame who died when the group's plane crashed. But Elvis is recognizable worldwide.

The music of T. Rex and especially that of Lynyrd Skynyrd carries on. Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama still gets lots of airplay. But most of the Elvis Presley songbook is forgotten. Presley was reduced to playing his oldies but goodies while he was still alive. There were never many requests for the songs featured in his movies. songs like "Queenie Wahine's Papaya."

No, it is Elvis himself who carries on. Elvis was truly memorable. He had a remarkable presence.

Angel's Diner in Guelph

My wife and I had to travel an hour east of London to Guelph. While there we stopped for lunch at Angel's Diner. It's a restaurant that brings back memories of the '50s and an era before the advent of the chain restaurants.

It may invoke those memories but in truth Angel's is a small, southwestern Ontario chain. I didn't know this until I got home and went online for more info on the place. I was surprised. I'll have to surprise my wife and take her to Angel's Diner in London.

Wheel rims: creativity on display

When I was a boy, rims similar to this were called mags and often made in the Detroit area where I lived.

Mags are light weight, strong, spoked wheels made from a magnesium alloy. They were expensive and high maintenance.

An aftermarket item, young men quickly discovered that new rims and tires were a quick way to modify a car. To save money, the new rims were often cast rather than forged.

Today, snow tires are the only tires regularly mounted on traditional steel rims. Disgustingly plebian, all too often these winter-use rims are left naked, no wheel covers.

As spring arrives, pay attention and you will notice literally dozens and dozens of different alloy wheel rim designs being remounted for warm weather use. I'm absolutely amazed at the number of different designs. New cars come with alloy wheels and ever make, every model, carries its own unique design.

I believe coming up with a new look is getting tough. The other day I saw an expensive SUV with horrible looking alloy rims. In a word, they were "ugly." But I digress. The point of this post is that the great creativity of the human race is on display in the myriad number of alloy rim designs with each striving to be unique.

Boler Bears at the Byron ski hill

 

Two Boler Bears made an appearance Saturday at the Byron neighbourhood ski hill much to the delight of the young children at the hill with their parents.

Homework posted online

There's a debate surrounding the idea of using home computers for teaching young students in Ontario. Those favouring computers may be winning. My ten-year-old granddaughter does math homework that is posted online.

With teachers throughout the province presently engaging in rotating strikes, the online course material is drawing even more attention than usual. Some of the teachers clearly feel threatened by the growing practice.

Dreamland: A Virtual Reality Arena

The large photo of young woman boxer overlaid with geometric shapes piqued my interest. What exactly was in the building behind the poster? A sign, it looked like it could be the name of the business, said Dreamland VR.

VR? Virtual reality? What exactly is virtual reality boxing? There was nothing on the exterior of the building that made it any clearer. Clearly, I was attempting to venture into a world totally unfamiliar to an old geezer like me.


When I got home, I hit the Web. I found the Dreamland VR site. There I read the boast that it was a 2400 sq. ft., 8 player, wireless arena, the largest in Canada offering full body tracking and 4D effects. The boast was lost on me. I was no closer to understanding what went on behind the Dreamland VR walls.



In just a few days it is spring break. I'm going to have three granddaughters to entertain plus a great niece. I have some stuff planned. Traditional stuff that we have done in the past and I know the little girls are looking forward to doing again. But this VR place has me curious. I'm going back to learn more first hand. If I take the little girls, I  may have more to say about London's state-of-art VR arena.

Caution: Rudolph Crossing

I call it the Rudolph crossing. Someone stuck a red dot on the end of the deer's nose on the yellow warning sign warning motorists that deer may be encountered crossing the road in this area.

The kids think the sign is funny. I think it is visually witty. And the traffic department doesn't seem to care as the red sticker had been stuck to the sign for ages.

Has the fox returned?

I took this photo some time ago. It's a fox strolling through our backyard.

The other day, during a snowfall, we spotted mysterious tracks below our kitchen window. The tracks were quickly buried by fast falling snow. We wondered if the fox was back.

There are usually mouse tracks in our snow but there are none right now. Foxes love mice. Mice aren't so fond of foxes.

We don't all seem to be on the same page.

I admit I don't keep up with what is available when it comes to cell phones. I'm still using a simple flip phone which costs me only $100 annually. And so, I was surprised to see the large Huawei sign in the Bell store.

As most Canadians know, Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, 47, is detained under house arrest in Vancouver on Canada's west coast. Meng is the daughter of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd’s billionaire founder, Ren Zhengfei. Meng was arrested at Vancouver’s airport back in December on a U.S. warrant and is fighting extradition.

While the Trump government has Meng firmly in its sights, Canadians are buying Huawei products and both Great Britain and Germany have announced that Huawei will be allowed to be involved in the introduction of 5G technology.

5G will be part of the urban fabric around the world in the coming years. It is looking as if, despite the best efforts of the U.S., Huawei will play a big role in the worldwide roll out of the new technology.

I asked the staff at the Bell store about Huawei and was told the Huawei phones and pads are among the best that Bell stores carry.

Post a municipal building day

I've always just called this the fire hall. But in researching this municipal building I learned it is also known as the Byron Emergency Operations Centre. Apparently, the City of London Security and Emergency Management Division hosts an annual Emergency Management Open House at the centre.

I simple must find out when the open house is being held this year. I'd enjoy touring the place and I know my granddaughters would love seeing how   firemen live and they do live in the fire station. Being a working firefighter, as opposed to a volunteer firefighter, is a job unlike all others.

The newspaper where I worked used to have a food column where the writer traveled about the city visiting forgotten kitchens. One night we visited a fire hall and documented the firefighters preparing a dinner together. Everything firefighters do is aimed at team building and that includes making meals.

Firefighters are famous for their talents and for their incredible strength. It may surprise you but the men firefighters are often excellent and very imaginative cooks. All the firefighters take turns as head chef and no one wants to bore the team with a "what-again!" dinner. And the women firefighters never call a man for help when a bottle cap is jammed on tight. The ladies are firefighter-strong, as they must be, and they easily twist off tops that most men would find a challenge.

A lingering sign of last night's snow storm

There was a lot of snow last night. Folks up and down the street were up early digging out driveways and sweeping off cars. I cleared my driveway long before the bright sun appeared to complete the job. But one car stood out in the neighbourhood. It was still bearing witness to the now long-gone winter storm. It was the lone car still snow covered with icicles hanging from the bumpers. A lucky soul, my visiting daughter, didn't have to work. She could afford to stay inside, stay warm and enjoy another cup of coffee.

A beautiful home gets its second wind

This neighbourhood was the one in which to live when I first moved to London. That was back in the mid '70s. This home was glorious at that time but its day came and went. It became dated. Stale. And then the present owner gave the place its second wind with a fantastic reno.

New windows, a great new entry with substantial columns, a new garage door and an addition that extends right over the attached garage. The homes looks great with classic appeal but with a freshness that works.

This is not the only home in the area that has an extensive upgrade. The increasing home prices in London are making improving one's home a financially attractive option. Many people are deciding to love it rather than leave it.

If snow closes schools, the strike is off as well

It's snowing in London today and it is forecast to continue through the night. If it does, the school buses may be canceled. If that happens, school may be canceled. And if that happens, then the school strike walkout, slated for tomorrow, may be canceled. Striking on a full snow day hardly inconveniences the school board but it does cost the teachers a day's salary.

Toys R Us Lives on in Canada

Stores are a big part of a successful urban landscape. I feel the small, family owned shops and businesses, like the kind I grew up with as a boy, were a big part of what made a neighbourhood, or even a city, unique. Sadly, most of those shops are gone.

Toys R Us when it folded in the States and United Kingdom was neither small nor family owned but it had been around a long time. The closing of the stores in two of its markets caused a great deal of distress to the thousands of folk who counted on the chain for their livelihood.

Many believe the Toys R Us chain should never have failed. Its hedge fund owners take a lot of the blame whether fairly or not. Before the hedge funds entered the picture, the business had low debt levels—a smart move for a most companies. But not for hedgefunds.

The Atlantic looked at this problem. Private-equity owners often operate a business for a relatively short time before moving on. Low levels of debt present a get-rich-quick opportunity. It allows the private-equity firms to put up very little of their own money in aquiring a retail chain like Toys R Us. Many accuse hedge funds of bleeding the companies they acquire. Many claim the Toys R Us chain was bled financially and left mortally wounded by its private equity owners. And often those owners are not shy about putting their hands in the till to pay themselves exorbitant dividends and large bonuses.

But the Toys R Us story took a surprising turn in Canada. A Canadian billionaire, often referred to as the Canadian Warren Buffett, saw the impending closure as a buying opportunity. He scooped up the 82 stores of the Canadian division for a mere $300 million. Fairfax Financial, led by Prem Watsa, said the purchase was for less than the value of the Toys R Us real estate holdings alone.

Prem Watsa is not known for bleeding the companies he owns. The Canadian workers are hoping their story will have a much happier ending than the one their U.S. counterparts were forced to watch unfold. Toys R Us may not be a small, neighbourhood store, but for my granddaughters it is a big part of their urban landscape.

Some urban problems and solutions are not often discussed

This past January London, Ontario, dumped more than 68 million litres of raw sewage into the Thames River. London's sewage treatment plants were overwhelmed when the runoff from heavy rain in January was too much for the system to handle.

Until I visited Europe and encountered dual-flush toilets, I never concerned my self with how much water I discharge with every flush or how the system handles the discharge. When I was a boy our toilets may have discharged as much as 30 litres of water per flush. In Europe I used toilets that didn't use two litres when discharging a deposit of only water. 

On getting home, I ordered a dual-flush toilet. I had to settle for a 3/6 litre per flush model. It replaced a toilet discharging almost 14 litres per water with every flush. My water bill showed an immediate improvement. That first dual flush model is the best performing toilet in our home.

When we redid our basement, we were unable to get the original dual-flush model. The one we did get is very poor. And it uses 3.5/6 litres and often requires more than one flush. When we redid our ensuite the plumber installed a straight 6 litre per flush unit. He told us all the dual-flush models his store carried often took two flushes when not flushing water and sometimes took even more. In actual use he assured us the model he was selling us was the best for our pocket book and the environment.

I'm disappointed in North American toilet technology. I know dual-flush toilets can work. I have one. And I know they can disappoint. I have one of those, too. Then today I came across the following article: Why America is Losing the Toilet Race and I started dreaming again. The North American john can be better.

Somethings don't photograph well

 

This is a large illuminated piece of active art composed of dozens of individual lights arranged in rows and controlled by a computer. The large screen changes colour and intensity in waves giving it the appearance of an electronic waterfall.

If this were video you might see the rippling waves of water effect. But this is not a video and you can't see the tumbling water effect.

I've shot the entire building and the art simply burns out--overexposed. The camera cannot get a good expose of both the mostly unlit apartment building and the brightly glowing light show.

Somethings are difficult to photograph. Sorry.

The story behind the Ontario Grown sticker

A lot of Londoners look for the Ontario Grown sticker before buying hothouse tomatoes. Why? Because Leamington, the Tomato Capital of Canada is but an hour southwest of London.

But those Londoners must look carefully before putting down their money. Some Canadian greenhouse growers have expanded into Mexico, Spain and the United States. The name of a local grower with a Southwest Ontario address is no longer enough. It must say Ontario Grown.

And, if one thinks buying Canadian means putting Canadians to work, think again. Often it is migrant workers from Mexico picking the Canadian crop.

The Mexican workers are so numerous that a satellite image of the Leamington farm country shows a clearly labeled Mexican Consulate, surrounded by greenhouses, right on the edge of town.

The CBC, the government owned and operated Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, looked into the migrant worker situation in the hothouse industry. I have linked to the posted story:

Mexican workers say they are victims of abuse on Canadian farms. 

Chris Ramsaroop, organizer of Justicia for Migrant Workers, was correct when he told CBC News that Canadians are not sufficiently aware that the Ontario fruits and vegetables they eat are often harvested by workers who come from thousands of kilometres away.

And if you thought greenhouse grown means few if any pesticides are used, you're wrong again. Apparently, pesticides are applied in many greenhouses two or three times a week. Three of the migrant workers interviewed by CBC News reported they are forced to handle vegetables covered with chemicals without being given protective equipment like those workers spraying the pesticides.

Now that I've read the CBC News report, I will not be shunning Mexican grown produce in the future as I have in the past.

Only in North America do asphalt shingles rule

The first time I visited Europe I immediately noticed that roofs were covered with a variety of materials but one was clearly missing: asphalt shingles. It is claimed that 80% of all residential roofs in North America are covered with asphalt shingles. Stats Canada reports some 40 million bundles  of asphalt shingles are produced in Canada annually.

Asphalt shingles were invented by an American, Henry Reynolds of Grand Rapids, Michigan. First used in 1901, asphalt shingles were in general use in many parts of the States by 1911. Cheap to buy and easy and quick to install, asphalt shingles grew quickly in popularity. The one drawback, a relatively short life, was easily overlooked by folk needing a new roof and needing it, as they say, yesterday.

A little over a century later, another drawback is being becoming evident; asphalt shingles consume a lot of space in a city dump. A typical roof can contain from 3-4 tons of roofing material. The Bob Vila site carries an article estimating U.S. landfills receive nearly 20 billion pounds of old asphalt shingles annually. Because of this, more and more asphalt shingles are being recycled into material for making blacktop for roads.

Durable, long-lasting clay tiles, so popular in Europe, are finding it a hard sell in North America. That said, another alternative roofing material, metal, is attracting quite the following with some 750,000 U.S. homeowners choosing metal for their homes in 2015.

In London, asphalt shingles are the clear leader when it comes to a roofing material but metal shingles are quickly gaining ground and solar panels have a lot of adherents.

A bogus facade is hardly heritage

When I moved to London back in the mid '70s, the Talbot Block was a wonderfully intact row of historic buildings. It was possibly the most historically important block in the city. At one point, more than a thousand Londoners held hands to circle the block and loudly protest its proposed destruction. It was to no avail. Essentially, everything was taken down. 

Only a poor imitation of the old hotel's facade remains as the exterior wall of the north-east corner of Budweiser Gardens, a sports and entertainment centre.

The City Hotel goes back to 1865. In 1886 it was extensively remodeled and enlarged. Later the name was changed to the Talbot Inn. 

At one point, one could get a good Mexican dinner there along with a cold draft. At night one could catch some of the best blues musicians on the bar circuit playing next door to the old hotel. 

The facade of the inn barely escaped demolition when the other buildings making up the Talbot Block fell.

Why did the historic streetscape disappear? Why, to make way for a new downtown mall and hotel complex which in the end failed to materialize despite the hasty demolition.

I always thought that more of the old hotel should have been saved and incorporated into the present sports complex. Possibly some rooms could have been retained for out-of-town visitors in London for a London Knights game. 

Retaining but a poor memory of the true facade, blue painted glass in the street-facing windows destroying even the slightest hint of heritage, what remains adds little to the character of downtown.