 |
| Ungainly but serviceable |
NASA has announced a multi-billion dollar contract to build the Space Taxi, a 21st-Century generation vehicle to get astronauts back and forth from the international space station. The craft will be built mainly by Boeing with the assistance of Space X, a closely-held private aerospace firm. The Space Taxi program will mean that the U.S. no longer has to rely on the Russians to shuttle crews back and forth in space. It is an arrangement born in the chummy aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, But it is an arrangement that has soured. Vladimir Putin is seen to be a kind stealth conqueror of his neighbors and the Americans are close to humiliation that they have to seek his permission for their space efforts. For those who think about money, that’s what this is all about. Even as the Americans retired their obsolete Space Shuttles they were hurting to find money to build new ones. It was among the most painful examples of how the mighty U.S. has been unable to do the great things expected of it. Reuters
Ipsos is reading a rock-solid winning lead for John Tory into the results of its latest poll on who is ahead in the Toronto mayoralty. It shows Mr. Tory lengthening his lead over previous recent surveys. He now sits with 43% of the support as recorded by Ipsos. There has been a levelling out among the other two candidates, leaving them both more or less as also-rans. Olivia Chow and Doug Ford are 14 and 15 points behind Mr. Tory at 29% and 28% support respectively. Ipsos CEO Darrel Bricker is quoted as saying that Doug Ford’s candidacy is not likely to have an impact on Mr. Tory’s lead.
 |
| Gung-Gung swing |
IKEA has issued an urgent recall of the Gung-Gung children’s swing. There are no reports of injury in Canada but there are reports of two injuries overseas. About 300 of the swings were sold in July and August in Canada. IKEA is urging customers who have purchased the swing to remove it immediately and return it to any store where they will receive a full refund. The recall notice says only “incidents have occurred where the fittings in the suspension have broken”. The company said there have been four reports of the swings breaking — in Germany, Austria and Canada. In Austria an eight-year-old broke his leg in a fall. The swing is made of polyester fabric and hangs from a plastic suspension fitting attached to a steel hook. “It was tested and met all the applicable safety regulations,” Ikea spokeswoman Daniel Rogosic told AFP, adding that the company was investigating the cause of the fault.
Readers have been touched and upset by the appearance on Bayview Ave. of a woman who is apparently in need of help. Some have put their own name on her medical condition but we are not physicians. We do know that as she sat in a wheelchair at the corner of Bayview and Belsize Drive that she was visited by police who had been called by a member of the public. On the back of the chair and also scrawled on a suitcase and leather satchel, barely coherent and disturbing statements. “Shunning Outside — Better than Alone in my apartment” are the words of one scribbled series of complaints. “With chest pains and vomiting, crippled with bruises — overnight — Police controlling my phone — emails, barred at buildings, targeted….” The comments go on. This was the sight at about 3.30 p.m. on September 15, 2014. Was it a case for the city’s street outreach? What we do know is that Toronto police were called by citizens and that they talked to the woman. There is no other information available from the police at this time. 
