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.