Town of Lac Megantic reels in onslaught of wreck
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The 6,000 or so people of Lac Megantic in the historic Eastern Townships of Quebec are reeling today. Their small downtown business district is aflame and unknown numbers of their neighbors are unaccounted for after an explosive train wreck that has gripped the attention of the world. One person is confirmed dead. The tanker train carrying thousands of barrels of crude oil went off the tracks and detonated an inferno that is still blazing 12 hour later. As many as 1,000 people are forced out of their their homes in the town, which is about 250 kilometres east of Montreal. Flames and billowing smoke could be seen several hours after the derailment, which involved a 73-car train carrying crude oil. Authorities set up perimeters as firefighters battled to douse the persistent blaze which was still going despite a steady drizzle. Worried residents looked on behind the perimeters amid fears some of their friends and loved ones may have died in bars and in their homes after the derailment, which occurred shortly after 1 a.m. Lac Megantic is a storied corner of Quebec. The town takes it name from the picturesque fresh water lake which sustained colonial life in the area in previous centuries.
Jan Wong ordered to repay settlement from Globe
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Jan Wong has been ordered to pay back a financial settlement she received when she was fired from the Globe and Mail. The reason: Ms Wong violated a confidentiality agreement swearing her to silence on the details of her dismissal when she wrote her book Out of the Blue. An arbitrator issued the order for her to re-pay the undisclosed amount of money. In her book Ms Wong called the settlement “a big pile of money.” which she was given to “go away.” The Globe and Mail says the arbitrator Louisa Davie concluded that the settlement between Ms. Wong and The Globe did not allow her to disclose any of its terms, and that this was “clear and unambiguous.” The Globe says the repayment of the settlement funds will be donated to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Pictured: Phillip Crawley, publisher of the Globe and Mail and Jan Wong. Sunnybrook maintaining a low rate of infection
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This well-researched and written article from the Ottawa Citizen reveals that Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has among the lowest rates of C difficile infection in the province. In a recent 12 month period the 1212-bed teaching institution registered 89 cases compared to 127 cases at Ottawa General Hospital, a much smaller hospital. The story makes it clear that the control of the Clostridium difficile infection is treated with great sophistication and determination at all hospitals in the province. The growing body of science has raised speculation that there may even be sources of the infection’s spores in Eastern Ontario that do not exist elsewhere in Ontario. Ottawa Citizen
Young cricketers gather at R.V. Burgess Park
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The cricket pitch at R.V. Burgess Park in Thorncliffe Park was the scene Thursday of a brief ceremony to congratulate this team of Toronto cricketers who will travel to the United Kingdom this summer. They are heading to the sixth annual Cricket Across the Pond competition in the U-K. Left to right they are Phillip Mowlah-Baksh, Coach, Rizwan Khan, Bilal Khan, Siddhant Shekhar, Neil Ramdath, Sabes Rasanayagam, Darshil Patel, Gayan Ferdinands, Saajan Patel, 0dharshil Munshi, Abraash Khan, Lisa Antezza, Team Manager. The group is sponsored by a number of public spirited organizations but carries the name of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). The lead sponsor is RBC. The team is known as the CIMA Toronto Mayor’s Cricket Team. Those present for the ceremony were John Parker (Ward 26) Karen Stintz (Ward 16) Jonathan Dart, United Kingdom Consul General; Martin Saxton, Chair of CIMA; Zanita DiSalle, RBC Regional Vice-President, Greater Toronto Area; and team supporter Tom Mihalik, owner of Tom’s Place. In recent years the city has built a regulation size cricket pitch at Burgess Park as part of a program to engage young people in the area. Photo courtesy Ranil Mendes
Haircut prices $27, $21 and $17 at Sport Clips
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The Sport Clips haircut shop on South Bayview opens Friday, July 12, 2013. In response to our idle question about prices, Laurie has sent us this: $27 for an MVP (Precision cut, Hot Steamed Towel, Scalp and Shoulder Massage) $21 for a Varsity (Consultation + Precision Cut) $17 for a Jr or Sr Varsity.
Road collapse traps driver in flooding sinkhole
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All are urged to attend 2 Laird OMB on July 15
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Deni Papetti is urging neighbors to make sure they attend the OMB planning meeting Monday July 15, 2013 when the board will make decisions about standing on the application to build at 2 Laird Drive. Those on Malcolm Road and Krawchuck Lane are most affected by the development But they must attend the pre-hearing in order to continue to receive further notices. The OMB meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Ontario Municipal Board, 655 Bay Street, 16th Floor, Toronto. Both Brian Athey of the Leaside Property Owners’ Association, and Deni Papetti have committed to attend.
Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday to run for PCs
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Toronto Deputy Mayor Douglas Holyday will run for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in the by-election in Etobicoke-Lakeshore on Thursday, August 1, 2013. This election and four others in Ontario falls on the day before the beginning of the Civic Holiday weekend. It will be interesting to see if voters actually notice there’s an election. PC Leader Tim Hudak was, he said, “delighted” with Mr. Holyday’s decision. Mr. Holyday, the last mayor of the former City of Etobicoke, placed second as the PC candidate in the old riding of Etobicoke-West during the 1987 provincial election. Hudak said Steve Ryan, who won the Conservative nomination in Etobicoke-Lakeshore last December, was injured at work and will not be able to run in the by-election.
Inventor of computer mouse dead at age 88
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| Douglas Engelbart and his odd mouse contraption |
Douglas Engelbart, the man who invented the computer mouse, has died at the age of 88 in Mountain View California. In the 1950s and 60s, when mainframes took up entire rooms and were fed data on punch cards, Engelbart was envisioning a world in which people used computers to share ideas about solving problems. One of the biggest advances was the mouse, which he developed in the 1960s and patented in 1970. The contraption is made from a block of wood, a couple of gear wheels and a shiny, candy-like red light/button that just begs to be pushed. By December of 1968, Mr. Englebart had cobbled up a three-button mouse suitable for demonstration before a bemused audience at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. The notion of operating the inside of a computer with a tool on the outside was way ahead of its time. The mouse wasn’t commercially available until 1984, with Apple’s new Macintosh. In fact, Engelbart’s invention was so early that he and his colleagues didn’t profit much from it. The mouse patent had a 17-year life span, and in 1987 the technology fell into the public domain – meaning Engelbart couldn’t collect royalties on the mouse when it was in its widest use. At least 1 billion have been sold since the mid-1980s.
Two youths mugged near Bayview and Eglinton
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Toronto Police Service report: Two males ages 17 years report that on July 1, 2013 at approximately 1110 hours, they were in the area of Bayview Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East when they were approached by eight male suspects. The suspects removed property from one of the victims while the second victim was punched in the mouth. The victims made good their escape and the suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the first victim. Minor injuries were sustained by the second victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, white, 18 to 19 years, 6’ to 6’1”, 150 pounds, thin build. Suspect #2: Male, black, 17 years, 6’, 169 to 174 pounds, short black hair, medium build. Suspects #3 to #8: Male. No other description.
Egyptian army forms “technocrat government”
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The generals have taken over in Egypt. They have declared a “transitional technocrat government” will take charge in the country. Tahrir Square has erupted in wild celebrations of flag waving and fireworks. The constitution has been suspended as of today. Abdul Fatah Khalil al-Sisi, head of the Egyptian armed forces delivered a speech on TV.. He says that the army is only responding to the calls of the Egyptian people. The Telegraph.