Rumsey homes use alternative construction

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Five town homes going up at the corner of Millwood Rd. and Rumsey Rd. reveal an alternative form of construction that has had many area residents asking questions. The Towns of  Rumsey are being built by the Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) method. As explained by Don MacDonald of South Hill Homes here in Toronto this concept provides extra solidity to the home plus considerable improvement in heating and acoustical insulation. ICF building features pre-formed interlocking wall sections which create a cavity between them into which concrete is then poured. In the above pictures, we can see concrete being poured into the wall forms extending to the upper floors of the town homes. The concrete cures but the forms stay in place. On the outside they typically receive a layer of bricks to create the finished exterior. Inside, the forms are cut and shaped as needed to accept electrical and plumbing lines. When the utilities are fully installed, the interior walls are finished in the normal fashion and decorated. This alternative method of home construction found its beginning in post-war Europe as a quick way of re-building the vast areas of bombed-out housing. Mr. MacDonald told the South Bayview Bulldog that the Towns of Rumsey will be showing a model home by March or April with homes being sold shortly after that. 

Dale calls Ford’s apology completely inadequate

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Reporter Daniel Dale has flatly rejected the apology made this afternoon by Mayor Ford. The apology was apparently intended to defuse and bring an end to the litigation which has been launched by Mr. Dale following the nasty slur to the  effect that Mr.Dale was a pedophile. The reporter spoke to CP24 an hour or so after the mayor’s rather defensive apology. Dale said he wants a full, abject and complete apology and that what Mr. Ford said is not enough. Dale noted the mayor did not retract nor apologize for the false statement that the reporter was taking pictures of the Ford children. The slur occurred during an interview with Conrad Black on Zoomer TV.  The interview has taken a lot of media and public criticism for the servile and uncritical way in which Black conducted himself. Dale served Ford with a libel notice last week demanding an apology and retraction. Ford read a statement in council today saying he did not mean to insinuate anything about Dale personally. He said he apologizes to Dale if his words caused any harm or offence. During the interview with Black. Ford claimed that Dale was in his backyard in May 2012, “taking pictures of little kids,” and Ford added he didn’t want to say “that word, but you start thinking what this guy is all about.” Ford later responded to reporters questions about the remarks by saying he stood by every word, but said today that it’s “unfortunate” that the word he never said was “ascribed” to him by the media.  There was a strong strain of defensiveness in the mayor’s apology which  is common to his retractions and or explanations. Laymen and perhaps lawyers might find this tone to be a sign that the regret being expressed is not in fact sincere.  Here is the video.

Calgary man gives $40 mln lottery win to charity

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Amazing philanthropy

Garbage by the numbers — “they are very good””

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It’s just worthless garbage but the money saved from privatizing collection west of Yonge Street runs to eight figures. That, plus the politics of trash pickup from Don Peat of the Toronto Sun 

A quick wave means a lot for these littlest fans

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Minnesota Wild’s Charlie Coyle gives this young fan a wave during warmups and inspires this priceless reaction. Video views are  off the meter at Youtube. 

Cold warning, water main breaks — be happy

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The City of Toronto has pulled the emergency cord as the City sinks into abnormally cold weather for the first time this year. The order directs shelters to relax their normal rules to accommodate those seeking a little warmth. It adds some beds to the roster of places for people and extended an urgent outreach hand to those on the streets. On the bright side, this approach has over the years been remarkably effective in saving lives. The cold weather hit Eglinton Ave. E. and Dunfield Ave with a  broken water main vengeance this afternoon. There was also a watermain break at the Lawrence station on the Yonge line closing that stop to commuters. Among the many Tweets beefing about this break was one of a lighter tone from a cheery person named Steph who rattled out this message: “Yay a water main break at Lawrence station. Yay shuttle buses. Yay early morning exams.” To which we add: “Yay Steph’s sardonic good nature.”  

Ontario should explore wine vending machines

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Once again there’s been a public discussion about how wine is sold in Ontario with a word of input from the highest level. This time Premier Wynne says she is prepared to allow the sale of Ontario wines at farmer’s markets. That’s nice. But there will be no Ontario wine sold at corner stores. The government no doubt has concerns about how much money it makes in any private site but also about control of the sale of wine.  Both the government and industry seem silent on the appealing idea of wine dispensing machines. These versatile machines require very little space, are secure and infinitely manageable. They can check a purchaser’s identity and shut down at any specified hour with the spirits safe inside. They can be owned and serviced by the government, if that is necessary, and located essentially anywhere. It seems to represent a modern way to sell wine conveniently, economically and safely. Wine vending machines are in operation all over the world.  It is time that Ontario began to make the sale of its own products more salable in a genuinely convenient and socially suitable way.

53 Div. officer embarks on dog sled adventure

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A local Toronto Police commander will embark on a four-day mid-winter dog sledding adventure next February as part of his on-going efforts to raise money for TPS Victims Services Toronto.  Staff Inspector Heinz Kuck will have an experienced guide as he covers 100 kilometres of frozen terrain in Algonquin Park. Over the past two years, Staff Kuck and his colleagues at 53 Division have paddled the 56-kilometer journey from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Lakeshore Promenade in Mississauga twice, raising $35,000 for VST, which provides crisis response, trauma and support services to victims of crime and sudden tragic circumstances 24 hours daily. Now the veteran of 35 years with police service will try something equally challenging with the help of  guide Jamie Sands of Chocpaw Expeditions. More 

Peter O’Toole dead at age 81 in London

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Peter O’Toole, an Irish bookmaker’s son with a hell-raising streak whose magnetic performance in the 1962 epic film “Lawrence of Arabia” earned him overnight fame and put him on the road to becoming one of his generation’s most accomplished and charismatic actors, died on Saturday in London. He was 81. New York Times 

“Not in Liberal DNA to stop spending”

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Lorrie Goldstein raises ghosts of governments past and finds there is little more than showy politics in the dismissal of three OPG executives for overspending  Lorrie Goldstein 

Outdoor ice rink keepers of Bennington Heights

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The thermometer reads a tolerable minus six degrees, but a stiff west wind is blowing as Kevin Talmage drags a thick, 80-foot-long hose across the snow-dusted turf of Bennington Heights Park at the south end of Leaside. Globe and Mail 

New York Times on Peter O’Toole

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New York Times