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Issue No. 178 | June 8, 2011
Feature Stories
- Councillor Peter Milczyn and Heritage Toronto Heritage Roundtable
- Ontario Heritage Conference Review
- Doors Open Gets to Chicago
- CTV: The Speaker bids farewell, and sets the Record Straight on 21 Avenue Road
- Hansard: The Speaker Takes the Last Word
- Globe and Mail: Fort York Archaeological Discovery
- Zeitag: Cool Historical Toronto app
News Action
- Councillor Peter Milczyn and Heritage Toronto Heritage Roundtable
- Help Save the Former Town of Mimico Fire Hall and Police Station
- Ontario Heritage Conference Review
- Doors Open Gets to Chicago
- Honours to Steve and Rollo
- Conservation Review Board Recommends Against City Plans to Move Lansdowne Parks Horticulture Building
- Architectural Record: Preservation in Haiti
- CTV: The Speaker bids farewell, and sets the Record Straight on 21 Avenue Road
- Hansard: The Speaker Takes the Last Word
- Globe and Mail: Dunlap Observatory Fight -- More Rounds
- Globe and Mail: Fort York Archaeological Discovery
- Globe and Mail: Greenberg on the Fort York Bridge
- Torontoist: Fort York Bridge dies
- Billy Wilson's Toronto
- Globa and Mail: Space Invaders
- insideTORONTO.com: Century-old cottage's future unknown
- Zeitag: Cool Historical Toronto app
- Ottawa Citizen: Do not move Horticulture Building, provincial tribunal says
- CambridgeTimes.ca: Designation for house at former Dover Flour
- Ottawa Citizen: Mayor and councillors unfazed by recommendation against moving Horticulture Building at Lansdowne
- Windsor Star: Ambassador Bridge Expansion and Sandwich HCD
- National Post: Review of Ken Greenberg's Walking Home
- The Guardian: Britain's Modern Heritage
- Wall Street Journal: Miller House Museum, Columbus Indiana
- Globe and Mail: New Orleans Competition won by Toronto Design Firm
- New York Review of Books: Rebuilding China's Lost Heritage
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1. Councillor Peter Milczyn and Heritage Toronto Heritage Roundtable
Catherine Nasmith, editor
The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good
This week, Councillor Peter Milczyn - Chair of the Planning and Growth Committee - in partnership with Heritage Toronto, hosted a heritage roundtable.
The public roundtable was a follow-up to the release of Heritage Toronto and the Toronto's Historical Association's publication Heritage Voices, a report on the state of heritage which was drafted from issues brought to attention by the heritage community.
The roundtable was charged with providing recommendations on how to improve heritage management in Toronto including: strengthening the heritage planning policy framework; improving the Inventory of Heritage Properties and designation of heritage properties; improving heritage conservation/preservation through the planning process; organization and structure of heritage preservation in the City of Toronto; and enhancing public engagement and education.
Now that's a tall order, and as you might guess in four hours the panel members barely scratched the surface. I was not able to attend the full discussion, but offer several observations.
There was total agreement that the listing and designation process is hopeless at identifying what is important, and its under-resourcing for the past 30 years cannot easily be overcome. There is little political will to increase staff in heritage preservation services to deal with the problem. To make matters more challenging, staff need information that they can stand behind at an OMB hearing, a nirvana that everyone acknowledges is impossible, even with a significant increase in resources that shows no sign of arriving.
It would seem in the discussion the perfect is the enemy of the good. Even though utilizing community researchers has been wildly successful in bringing large areas of the City forward for protection as Heritage Conservation Districts, city staff express reservations about the potential for collecting or spreading misinformation if community researchers are involved without oversight by heritage professionals.
The parallel is obvious with the stalled new policy for HCD's that HPS has been struggling to finish for several years now, which has prevented any new HCD's from being finished or started since it began. The quest for perfection could leave a very small number of properties protected, and no less frustration in communities and the development industry seeking certainty and speed in the process.
I have collaborated with several communities putting together HCD's, and would say that for the most part the research is excellent. I would gamble on setting up an online data base that won't accept unreferenced data, and let people submit data as they find it. Consultants also regularly find material and keep it in personal files. Imagine what might happen if a student just spent time transferring Robert Hill's excellent research to the City data base of properties. There are many other sources of information online now.
One excellent suggestion came from Michael McLelland, and was supported by ACO Past President, Lloyd Alter. The proposal is to put the onus on the private property owner to demonstrate there is no damage to heritage when they make applications for planning or building permits. They rightly point out that the City has an excellent policy to preserve the City's tree canopy, requiring all applications to produce a tree survey. The emphasis would shift to private consultants to review existing properties and determine if existing buildings had heritage value. Even if there was disagreement among professionals as the property owners' reports come forward, at least we would have information when we need it and set up an expectation that the City intends to identify and conserve heritage resources through the planning process.
Not discussed while I was there, but I can't imagine Lloyd Alter not raising this point, was the idea of conserving built resources as an environmental benefit, irrespective of the formal heritage value of the property.
Surely the City's building stock, whether it is "heritage" or not is an asset worthy of conservation. Most existing buildings have utility. Having the virtually unfettered right to demolish built into the Ontario Building Code ensures that buildings that might become the incubators for tomorrow's entrepreneurs, or provide affordable housing end up in the dumpster. It also skews property values in favour of redevelopment. Slowing the stream of buildings on their way to landfill would force a much more creative approach to the re-use of Toronto's existing building stock as the City intensifies.
There was also a sense that the Preservation Board and staff recommendations were too easily ignored by Council. Paul Bedford asked how this works in New York. He might be interested to learn that in New York, City Council has to appeal Landmark Commission rulings, and the Commission is a highly respected, independent body filled with extraordinary experts who donate their time. Its proceedings are constantly covered by the New York Times. Having said that, in Chicago and San Francisco have their preservation staff in their planning departments, and are quite successful.
A key difference between Canadian and American practice is the lack of financial incentives in Canada. David Crombie emphasized the need to make the development industry a friend of heritage.....that would happen if there were tax subsidies, grants or other incentive programs.....and certainty in the preservation system.
Another issue identified was the need for heritage expertise in other municipal departments. Madeleine McDowell presented a fragment from a terrazo sidewalk that had been ripped up in error by overzealous public works. She said the construction crew were more than contrite, they were horrified to learn of the heritage value they had destroyed. It will be reconstructed but that is never the same. Public Works, TTC, Buildings all deal with heritage issues, and not always well.
Perhaps by the end of the afternoon solutions were found for some of these dilemmas. Cudos to Councillor Milczyn and Heritage Toronto for bringing together an excellent discussion. More is needed.
The report, Heritage Voices, and a detailed agenda can be found on Heritage Toronto's website, www.heritagetoronto.org
2. Help Save the Former Town of Mimico Fire Hall and Police Station
Peggy Moulder
The Town of Mimico's last remaining municipal building is still standing at 13 Superior Avenue. It is the former Fire Hall and Police Station. Both the Town Hall and Public Utilities Building which were on Church Street (now Royal York Road) were demolished long ago. This building is threatened by a condominium development called 11 Superior by Davies-Smith Developments as it does not appear on the proposed site plan.
The Firehall and Police Station was designed in 1929 by James Procter and Redfern Ltd. There is a copy of the plans in the Horwood Collection at the Archives of Ontario. Construction proceeded in the summer of 1929 and was completed by the fall. The building was given its official opening in late September/early October 1929. The total cost was $7,500. The builder was Andrew Crowe, who was a prominent individual in the Town of Mimico. When he was killed by a falling wall in 1932, Mimico Council passed a resolution of sympathy indicating that he was "held in high regard amongst his fellow builders and the townspeople in general". Sometime later a second storey was added to the building.
They should be able to create an amazing project at 11 Superior that will act as a catalyst for rejuvenation in Mimico while at the same time protecting and preserving this important building as part of a win-win situation for both the developer and the community.
What You Can Do
If you would like to support the protection and preservation of the Mimico Fire Hall and Police Station you can:
- write to Councillor Mark Grimes at: firstname.lastname@example.com
- write to Heritage Preservation Services at the City of Toronto at: firstname.lastname@example.com
- write to Davies-Smith Developments at: www.davies-smith.com
A sample letter can be found here: http://www.lakeshoreforum.ca/mimico-fire-hall
The building is historic due to a number of factors:
• It is the last surviving municipal building in the former Town of Mimico
• It is one of the few surviving single-bay Fire Hall buildings left in the Toronto area (and Ontario)
• The builder, Andrew Crowe was a well-known Mimico resident
• The details of its construction are largely well-known
3. Ontario Heritage Conference Review
Lloyd Alter, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Facebook Pages
|Terry O'Reilly at the podium
What a Terrific Heritage Conference in Cobourg!
It certainly opened with a bang, with Mad Man Ad Man Terry O'Reilly of The Age of Persuasion. Riffing on the theme of the conference, Creating the Will, Terry noted how hard it is to change peoples' minds.
One of the most difficult tasks marketing can undertake is to change a perception. People treat perceptions like possessions, and don't give them up easily.
But with a mix of research and intuition, it can be done.
When you try to create the will to preserve buildings it takes time to change people over. it takes patience and fortitude. Persuasion takes time.
Saving Places discussed the three-episode television show on heritage, produced by Andrea Nemtin and starring ACO Past President Chris Borgal; watch the trailers here; I hope that someone picks this series up again.
During the seminar I moderated, Stephen Fai just blew me away with his 3D modelling of Batawa. This isn't your usual model, but "leverages the capabilities of Building Information Management (BIM) software to provide a navigable timeline that chronicles tangible and intangible changes in the past and the future of this Bata company town." More information in a post I wrote for my day job here.
Using Websites To Communicate Your Message: Kayla Jonas writes:
"Riley Ashton presented first on using google maps to create walking tours and maps of important properties in your community. He showed several maps that he created for Cobourg including one with historic photos. Laura Looney followed. She explaining how she used www.webs.com to create the Restoring our Heritage website. My presentation was last and focused on using blog to promote your organization or use them personally to create connections." See it all at Adventures in Heritage.
Editor's Note:
I have taken the liberty of taking the full article from the ACO Facebook page. If you haven't looked at the ACO Facebook pages before, you might want to start. They are constantly updated by so many people and are creating an important online communication venue.
4. Doors Open Gets to Chicago
Catherine Nasmith
|Downtown office buildings from Millenium Park, photo Catherine Nasmith
Much credit is given to Mayor Daley for the beauty of Chicago's waterfront, and he certainly deserves a lot of credit for recent improvements.
So many people come back raving about how beautiful Chicago is…that one worries can it live up to expectations. But it does and then some. I was there with my husband in the middle of May.
If you haven't been lately to the windy city, find a reason. In a couple of hours by plane you can be strolling down beautiful Michigan Avenue, or through the nearly 20 miles of Waterfront Parks. One upcoming reason to get on that plane will be the first Open House Chicago, a program that is based on Doors Open Ontario, and Open House New York. (OHNY also borrowed from Toronto's Doors Open).
We flew into Midway airport and were able to ride the El to within a couple of short Chicago blocks of our hotel. Great introduction.
Right away we were struck by the sheer scale of the city, bigger and better in so many ways--big boulevards, parks, and big buildings to go with them. Chicago has a long history of architectural heroics, and building well has been one of the city's ongoing passions.
The other thing that is so striking coming from Toronto is how incredibly helpful and friendly Chicagoans are, proud of their city and happy to share all they know with visitors. From the first person that showed us how to buy transit tokens, to the person who walked us to our hotel, to everyone at the Chicago Architecture Foundation…our hotel staff, taxi drivers, musicians, bar owners---everyone was incredibly helpful. The fact it was so strikingly different for us made me determined to come home and be a "Chicagoan" in Toronto. Perhaps there is a relationship between beauty in the environment and civility. In Chicago it seems to be bigger than mid-western hospitality.
While much has been made of the parallels between Toronto and Chicago, both waterfront cities, that while Toronto has been talking about developing our waterfront since the 1840's, Chicago has been busy building. On the other hand, Toronto is way ahead in the way we live together, one can't help but notice that there are next to no white people in service jobs in Chicago.
You can bet that Chicago will find a way to make its Open House program bigger and better than anyone else's, because that is what Chicago does best.
We met with Bastiaan Bouma of the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) who is working to get the program off the ground. In addition to opening over 100 buildings, Chicago plans to have small buses moving between sites in various clusters, a system to track visitors, competitions for visiting the most sites, passports to get to the front of the line if booked in advance. The program has an active component to bring a broader audience to architecture than has traditionally been active in the Chicago Architecture Foundation and to introduce Chicagoans to neighbourhoods they might not ordinarily visit.
And they have fantastic plans for publicizing with media sponsors and a great budget to advertise.
My guess would be if there is going to be any issue, it is going to be not enough sites for the crowds the promotion will generate….not a bad problem to have.
Good luck Chicago, you will no doubt succeed big-time.
For more info, take a look.
5. Honours to Steve and Rollo
Catherine Nasmith
|Steve and Rollo .....its not all work!
Recently two of Toronto's most inveterate and valuable heritage figures have been honoured for their lifetime achievements. Stephen Otto was awarded the title Doctor of Sacred Letters by Trinity College at University of Toronto, his alma mater. Rollo Myers has been made an Honourary member of the Ontario Association of Architects, awarded at the Annual General Meeting of the OAA.
Both of their bios are too long to cite here, but they have collaborated on many things since they were both on the Toronto Historical Board in the 80's. Toronto's Walks and Gardens research, the uncovering of the First Parliament Buildings, the founding of the Friends of Fort York in 1994. Stephen Otto has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Fort ever since, and has been instrumental in peopling the various Fort York projects with strong people. Rollo Myers served as governor for Heritage Canada for two terms, and is currently the much loved manager, chief cook and wine steward at the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.
No one can ever thank these two friends enough, but a day in the spotlight is a start for sure.
6. Conservation Review Board Recommends Against City Plans to Move Lansdowne Parks Horticulture Building
Heritage Ottawa Press Release, forwarded by David Fleming
Heritage Ottawa wins its objection to de-designating the heritage building
Ottawa, May 28 2011 – The influential Conservation Review Board has issued a formal Recommendation upholding Heritage Ottawa's position that the City should not move the Horticulture Building in order to make way for parking and a mulitiplex cinema at Lansdowne Park.
In a four-day hearing before the CRB in April, Heritage Ottawa objected to the City's plans to repeal the bylaw that protects the heritage status of the 1914 Horticulture Building. The City of Ottawa intended to lift the designation in order to re-locate the structure elsewhere in Lansdowne Park, allowing private developers full rein to construct a massive cinema and underground parking on the site.
"Based on the evidence heard, the recommendation of the Review Board is not to repeal all or part of Bylaw 8-94," read the ruling of hearing Chair Su Murdoch and Co-chair Stuart Kidd. "The cultural heritage values or interests… are still valid and are best protected in situ."
David Flemming, President of Heritage Ottawa, called the finding a clear recognition that the City has the obligation to respect its own bylaws and commitments to preservation of our past.
"We brought this case on behalf of all the people of Ottawa," he said. "Our intention was never to stand in the way of revitalizing Lansdowne Park – indeed, neglect is the enemy of heritage. Rather, we have consistently worked to enrich the Park by setting these wonderful historic structures at the heart of new development. We hope the City will respect the clear CRB view that the City must conform to the heritage laws and guidelines, and do the right thing."
In synthesizing the arguments brought by the City, Heritage Ottawa and independent objector Jean-Claude Dubé, the Recommendation report identifies two deciding questions: "What is the authentic environment of the Horticulture Building?" On this, the report agrees firmly with Heritage Ottawa's exhaustive evidence and finds that "it is the in situ location of the Horticulture Building at the traditional hub of exhibition and sports activity within Lansdowne Park that is its authentic environment. " It recalls the Heritage Ottawa evidence that "heritage happens in a place."
The Recommendation is more damning of the City's position in discussing "When is it reasonable to repeal a designating bylaw on the grounds of a need for relocation"? Here, the CRB found that the City's reason of repurposing appears to be "transient, project specific and insufficient grounds".
David Flemming said the unequivocal Recommendation was proof of the strength and legitimacy of the Ontario Heritage Act and the standards and guidelines which the City is committed to respect. "The CRB has ruled clearly that the City was in contravention of the spirit and letter of the legislation, not just with the Recommendation, but throughout its review of all the arguments. It is now up to the City to take stock and reconsider its plans."
The Conservation Review Board is a regulatory tribunal that hears disputes on matters relating to the protection of properties considered to hold cultural heritage value or interest as defined by the Ontario Heritage Act. Its finding is a Recommendation only, and City Council will now have to consider whether or not to respect the opinion of the CRB.
The CRB recommendation follows a unanimous vote by the City's Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee, also recommending against the relocation of the Horticulture Building; as well as many submissions by Heritage Ottawa arguing that the revitalization of Lansdowne park should embrace and feature its heritage assets, rather than shoving them out of the way, at significant cost to taxpayers and loss of heritage value.
"Think Byward Market, Distillery District in Toronto, or Granville Island in Vancouver," said Leslie Maitland, a Heritage Ottawa Board Member who was a witness and instrumental in mounting the objection before the CRB.
"With imagination, Ottawa could have a marvelous thriving Lansdowne Park that draws people in with its character and charm. Instead, just as the CRB rules that it would be wrong to move the Horticulture Building, it is announced that a cinema chain plans to move into a hulking great structure more fitting of a suburban mall, right on the same site."
"Now is the time for the City to show leadership and force the developers to accommodate the values of the people of this city, rather than allowing insensitive development to make us all poorer," she added.
Heritage Ottawa is a volunteer organization that works to preserve and promote the city's built heritage. Heritage Ottawa argued its own case before the Conservation Review Board, led by Board Member Linda Hoad. Ken Elder, another Board Member, gave expert evidence as a respected conservation architect, along with Ms Maitland, an architectural historian and consultant on heritage planning.
The Horticulture Building is structurally sound, but the City has allowed it to fall into disuse after its heydays at the centre of activity in Lansdowne Park. It is important, in part, because it reflects the Prairie Style of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
For further information:
Brigid Phillips Janssen, 613-618-3922
7. Architectural Record: Preservation in Haiti
David Sokol
Haiti's Gingerbread Houses Focus of Preservation Efforts
Of the approximately 300,000 buildings in Haiti that were damaged during the January 2010 earthquake, the country's historic gingerbread houses endured the disaster relatively well. In fact, researchers estimate than only 5 percent of these beloved buildings partially or fully collapsed.
As the country slowly rebuilds, lessons could be learned from these charismatic dwellings built more than a century ago. A report released this year by the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Monuments Fund (WMF) states that traditional Haitian construction—particularly braced timber framing and colombage, which features that same framing with masonry infill—withstood seismic loads far better than more recent structures made with rigid Portland cement. These findings were based on an April 2010 survey of approximately 200 gingerbread houses in the Port-au-Prince neighborhoods of Bois Verna, Pacot, and Turgeau. The study was produced with support from the Amsterdam-based Prince Claus Fund and the Haitian organization Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL).
8. CTV: The Speaker bids farewell, and sets the Record Straight on 21 Avenue Road
The Canadian Press
Ontario's chief political referee says goodbye
The Canadian Press
Date: Friday Jun. 3, 2011 12:23 PM ET
TORONTO — If you want to know who's been calling the shots in the Ontario legislature over the past few years, look no further than the footwear.
Below the sombre black robes that mark Speaker Steve Peters' position as Ontario's chief political referee are a pair of purple high tops -- a parting gift from the legislative interns.
It's a cherished addition to the history buff's vast collection of Converse sneakers. But the shoes also offer a glimpse at the down-to-earth personality who put a modern stamp on the job, while staunchly defending the province's oldest democratic traditions.
It's not unusual to see the store clerk turned politician offering spontaneous guided tours of Queen's Park, or playing peacemaker in his lush legislative apartment -- one of the perks of the job -- to the province's warring parties.
Over the weekend you might catch the 48-year-old Peters playing hide-and-go-seek with his young nephew, dodging into ancient elevators whose grinding wheels often give him away.
But after almost four years, Peters is turning in his robes and leaving the cavernous building his family has teasingly dubbed "the castle." The former Liberal cabinet minister from St. Thomas, Ont., is sitting out the Oct. 6 election and retiring from public life.
As he says goodbye to his beloved pink palace, there are a few words of wisdom Peters wants to impart to the next slate of elected politicians.
9. Hansard: The Speaker Takes the Last Word
Speaker pleads for Government to Stop 21 Avenue Road
I want to close with this, and it is the only political comment that I will make from this dais: We have two days left and there is a blight that is going to come over this building. It is an apartment complex that is proposed for Avenue Road and Bloor. If we collectively want to leave a legacy in this place and not destroy the beautiful vista that exists of this building as we travel up University Avenue, let's stop 21 Avenue Road. I don't care about what the developers may think, but we have an opportunity to preserve this vista for future generations. If we don't do it now, that opportunity is lost and that is going to hang over all of us collectively within this House.
Editor's Note:The next day, Ted Arnott, Culture Critic for the Conservative party carried materials prepared by the ACO showing potential damage to the view of the L.A. if the province doesn't intervene and placed them in the Premier's hands, along with a copy of the letter from Lloyd Alter requesting intervention. The government cancelled the last day of sitting, so did not take the opportunity to make a last minute save. Now it becomes an election issue.
10. Globe and Mail: Dunlap Observatory Fight -- More Rounds
Ian Merringer
Richmond Hills battle for green space
For 76 years, the telescope at the David Dunlap Observatory has penetrated the night sky. While it scanned the relatively immutable heavens, ground-level suburban development encroached on all sides, to the point where its surrounding forests and fields are now an isolated patch of green in the heavily subdivided south end of Richmond Hill.
The place where astronomers first confirmed the existence of black holes may now be spiralling toward one of its own. During a meeting last Tuesday that went past midnight and had to be moved to a hotel conference room to accommodate the crush of interested attendees, town council rejected a developer's proposal to build 833 houses on the observatory's 76 hectares of land, meaning the case will be drawn into pre-hearings at the Ontario Municipal Board next week. The sometimes unknowable forces at work within the OMB have many worried about what might get spit out the other side.
At issue is the weight that will be given to the rights of the landowners, Corsica Developments Inc., versus the abilities of local politicians to guide development and protect cultural, natural and recreational sites.
11. Globe and Mail: Fort York Archaeological Discovery
Richard Blackwell
Excavation near Fort York unearths locomotive history
Looking east from the Bathurst Street bridge just south of Front, a mighty wall of new towers looms over the landscape. But just over the edge of the bridge, adjacent to the latest building under construction, is an incongruous site: A vast archaeological dig that has uncovered 150-year-old remains of the Toronto waterfront's once-booming industrial age.
Here, a stone's throw from Fort York, a huge cruciform-shaped building was constructed in 1855 and 1856 to service and repair engines of the Grand Trunk Railway. Only the northeast portion of the foundations survive, but inside the engine house's footprint are the remains of brick ovens where wrought-iron locomotive parts were forged, and a vaulted chamber whose use is still a mystery.
Outside the stone foundation walls, the bases of wooden privies – still rank from use more than a century ago by railway workers – are intact. And portions of Queen's Wharf, a massive wooden dock that for decades jutted far out into Lake Ontario, have also been unearthed.
The dig is on the site of the Library District construction project, a joint venture of Toronto Community Housing Corp. and Context Development. It includes a condominium tower, social housing, and a library and a park. Because there was expected to be some archaeological material under the site, Context set aside time to conduct the required dig before construction begins later this summer.
Historic maps suggested the developers might unearth some parts of the engine house, and preliminary archaeological work performed at the site about five years ago showed evidence of ruins, said archaeologist David Robertson, whose firm, Archaeological Services Inc., is conducting the dig.
12. Globe and Mail: Greenberg on the Fort York Bridge
Ken Greenberg
Requiem for a Bridge
Having survived various onslaughts in the latter decades of the 20th century, Fort York now finds itself relatively intact and at the centre of one of the fastest growing areas in the Toronto. To the south this process is well under way from the Exhibition Grounds and the Armoury to the emerging new Fort York Neighbourhood and the filling in of the west end of the railway lands east of Bathurst. And now the greatest opportunities are yet to come on the north side of the rail corridor from Spadina Avenue and the Wellington Place Neighbourhood to the southern flank of the Niagara Neighbourhood, the Ordinance Triangle and the completion of the southeastern portion of Liberty Village.
This redevelopment is bringing a vastly increased population of residents, employees making excellent use of obsolescent sites in this highly strategic central location. The problem is that the current accumulation of transportation barriers – the bifurcating rail corridors, the elevated Gardiner Expressway, the level crossing at Strachan Avenue and the awkward disconnect at the Bathurst Bridge all make it extremely difficult to move around the area. The proposed Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge would have provided the key to overcoming these barriers facilitating essential east-west and north south links with enormous potential benefits, not least of which speak to the economic health of the city
This bridge would have supplied the missing keystone of a much larger open space network connecting these neighbourhoods to each other and to the Lake Ontario waterfront. Fort York, with its large landscape preserving vestiges of historic Garrison Creek and recall of the original Lake Ontario shoreline plus the steps under way to extend new "green fingers" from it to the east under the historic Bathurst Railway Bridge, to the south through the new June Callwood Park holds the key to overcoming the barriers that have isolated and fragmented these lands for many decades. Add to this the completion of the multi-modal trail that will follow the rail corridor, the elimination of the Strachan Avenue level crossing and the new Portland Pedestrian Bridge and together these new ingredients would have added up to a great deal more than the sum of their parts. Think of the power of the High Line in New York, the Simone de Beauvoir Bridge over the Seine in Paris linking the new Tolbiac and Bercy Neighbourhoods, the new bridges which will cross the Bow River in Calgary connecting the Bridges Neighbourhood and the new East Village or our own Humber Cycle and Pedestrian Bridge, a wonderfully well-used landmark which performs a similar vital role linking South Etobicoke and the Western Beaches across the Humber River and tying together the river valley and waterfront trail systems.
13. Torontoist: Fort York Bridge dies
Bid to Save Fort York Bridge Fails
Rendering from the environmental assessment of the proposed bridge.
Three weeks ago, the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee unexpectedly voted to send a long-planned, already approved, already budgeted-for pedestrian-cyclists bridge back to the drawing board, due to concerns about the roughly $23-million price tag. The double-helix bridge was slated to be built on the site of Fort York, currently undergoing revitalization in anticipation of War of 1812 bicentenary celebrations next year. The bridge was intended to be finished in time for that celebration—crucially, arrangements had been made with Metrolinx, which operates the nearby rail line, to accommodate construction—and to also service a growing condo boom that will see thousands of new residents moving into that area over the coming years.
Drawing immediate and strong criticism from many residents and from Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), in whose ward the bridge would be located, campaigns immediately sprung up to help save the bridge. Layton presented approximately 2,500 petition signatures and letters, all in support of sticking with the original construction plan.
Today, council considered whether to reverse the Public Works committee decision and proceed with bridge construction as originally planned. Due to vagaries of council procedure, in order to have this item debated at today's council meeting, Layton needed not just a majority vote, but the support of two-thirds of his colleagues. This threshold was not met.
In some cases, sending the bridge back to staff for re-examination would be a setback, but not a severe one—it might sometimes mean a delay of a few months, but not a fundamental threat. In this case, however, because of plans Metrolinx has for those tracks, finding another window for construction will be extremely difficult (the earliest would be 2015) and thus the Public Works Committee vote has the practical effect of delaying the bridge for years, if not squelching it completely.
Editor's Note:First Hand Notes from Elizabeth Quance: David Grant and I were there for the entire debate on the motion to seize the item. It lasted for well over an hour. Councillors were only allowed to address reasons why the motion should be seized, not the merits of the bridge itself. There were a number of Councillors who might have been prepared to support the motion but the members of the Executive Committee were under orders from the mayor to vote against it. Gloria Lindsey-Luby supported the motion and gave an impassioned speech on the importance of Fort York and of the project. The Mayor spent most of the meeting ignoring the debate, chewing gum and signing autographs for some students who had come to support a motion favouring referring the merits of allowing street hockey. He spent about twenty minutes with the students, turning his back on Council and pointedly ignoring Mike Layton, who was speaking at the time. In all, a shabby display.
14. Billy Wilson's Toronto
Hello, I am Billy Wilson and I have been working on a project that documents the diverse amount of architecture in Toronto. I have studied Toronto and planned things for months. I just came back from Toronto with nearly 5,000 images that I shot in the three full days that I was there. I am currently finishing them and publishing them online, so I am constantly putting up more. If you are interested you can find them here; I plan on continuing this project in the future.
15. Globa and Mail: Space Invaders
Ian Merringer
This week, Richmond Hill town council rejected a landowner's proposal to build 833 house around the Dunlop Observatory.
For 76 years, the telescope at the David Dunlap Observatory has penetrated the night sky. While it scanned the relatively immutable heavens, ground-level suburban development encroached on all sides, to the point where its surrounding forests and fields are now an isolated patch of green in the heavily subdivided south end of Richmond Hill.
The place where astronomers first confirmed the existence of black holes may now be spiralling toward one of its own. During a meeting last Tuesday that went past midnight and had to be moved to a hotel conference room to accommodate the crush of interested attendees, town council rejected a developer's proposal to build 833 houses on the observatory's 76 hectares of land, meaning the case will be drawn into pre-hearings at the Ontario Municipal Board next week. The sometimes unknowable forces at work within the OMB have many worried about what might get spit out the other side.
At issue is the weight that will be given to the rights of the landowners, Corsica Developments Inc., versus the abilities of local politicians to guide development and protect cultural, natural and recreational sites.
16. insideTORONTO.com: Century-old cottage's future unknown
In that nomination, Harrison noted that the Gardener's Cottage in question, built in the Queen Anne style, was designed by Henry Sproatt and built in 1899 as his only solo project
Etobicoke York Community Council (EYCC) this week decided to defer until May a decision on whether or not to permit the demolition of what neighbours have called an 'enchanting tumbledown cottage' on Lake Shore Boulevard West.
An application to tear down the Gardener's Cottage on the old Lynne Lodge Estate at 2669-2673 Lake Shore Blvd. W. was first received by the city in January, with its owner stating their intention to demolish the one-storey single family dwelling before it becomes a safety hazard.
The owner stated through representatives that they are not in a situation to repair or restore the building to its former state, as the building is currently home to nothing but animals and mold, its roof is falling in, and its exterior is rotting. There are currently no plans to rebuild on the site.
Etobicoke-Lakeshore Councillor Mark Grimes said he was shocked at the application, as he didn't even know the cottage existed, hidden as it is by 10-storey apartment buildings. He moved to defer any decision on the demolition application until the May 25 meeting of EYCC, to give city staff more time to investigate the potential heritage value of the building.
17. Zeitag: Cool Historical Toronto app
forwarded by Margie Zeidler
An I phone app which maps out the city and links to historic photographs in various locations. Most are from the Toronto Archives.
A fun way to stroll Toronto.....
18. Ottawa Citizen: Do not move Horticulture Building, provincial tribunal says
Meghan Hurley
OTTAWA The provincial tribunal charged with hearing disputes on matters related to heritage says the city should not move the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park to make way for a parking lot. The previous city council approved the designs for the first stage of the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park, which include moving the Horticulture Building, in November. The city is undertaking the redevelopment in partnership with a group of Ottawa businessmen who are partners in the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. As part of the redevelopment, OSEG has promised to bring a CFL team to Ottawa. Heritage Ottawa, a volunteer group that advocates preserving heritage buildings and historic landscapes in Ottawa, challenged the citys decision to repeal the bylaw that protects the heritage status of the building, at the Conservation Review Board, a body established under the Ontario Heritage Act.
19. CambridgeTimes.ca: Designation for house at former Dover Flour
Ray Martin
This house meets five criteria for designation when only two are needed. We have a duty to designate it.
Former offices of Waterloo Region's oldest continuing business could soon be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
In a 5 to 3 vote, council backed the recommendation of its municipal heritage advisory committee (MHAC) and opted to designate the red brick house at 126 King St. W.
Council took the action despite pleas from representatives for P&H Mill Group, owners of the former Dover Flour Mill, to defer the designation to give them more time and flexibility in dealing with a series of concerns caused by Waterloo Region's plans to revamp King Street. In addition, Grand River Conservation Authority has issues with the fish found in the sluiceway running beneath the mill established in 1806.
20. Ottawa Citizen: Mayor and councillors unfazed by recommendation against moving Horticulture Building at Lansdowne
Joanne Chianello
OTTAWA — Mayor Jim Watson is still in favour of the moving the Horticulture Building in a redeveloped Lansdowne Park, even after a provincial heritage board recommended against relocating the historic Prairie-style building.
"I'm supportive of the plan, so I'm prepared to vote to move it," said Watson Monday in an interview.
"While I respect the decision of the Conservation (Review) Board, at the end of the day it will be the elected officials who make the decision."
Watson added that he "wouldn't vote to do anything that would harm the building, but I have confidence that the move is both justifiable and doable, and will make for a better-integrated site.
21. Windsor Star: Ambassador Bridge Expansion and Sandwich HCD
Dave Battagello
Bylaw foes engaged in 'fantasy'
Opponents of a bylaw that prevents demolition of abandoned homes near the Ambassador Bridge are engaged in "innuendo, speculation and fantasy," a Superior Court civil trial was told Thursday.
"I heard 2½ days of submission and all I heard were strange conspiracy theories totally unsupported by the facts," said lawyer Christopher Williams, who is representing the City of Windsor. "If you are making serious allegations against a municipal corporation you have to do more than just connect the dots."
Editor's Note:Nice to see the Windsor Council fighting to protect an HCD in Sandwich, but if you look at the side articles you will also see that a citizens group has formed to argue for demolition. Messy, painful, heritage preservation is not for the faint of heart.
22. National Post: Review of Ken Greenberg's Walking Home
Shawn Micaleff
"City" is no longer a bad word. If you've paid attention to how popular culture has treated cities during the latter half of the 20th century, you've noticed that by the 1970s, the city was a code word for decay, danger and filth. Think of all those paranoid films from the era, like the Death Wish and Dirty Harry series, or the original Taking of Pelham 123: There was a perp hiding around every rotten corner. Good people didn't live in the city anymore, those folks left for the suburbs. It's a wonder they didn't move Sesame Street out to a cul-de-sac.
23. The Guardian: Britain's Modern Heritage
Rowan Moore, forwarded by Tamara Anson-Cartwright
How Britain is failing its modernist masterpieces
Preston bus station is a masterpiece of 1960s architecture, but faces demolition, to be replaced by a generic shopping complex. Photograph: Alamy
Sir John Nash's Regent Street, Sir John Soane's Bank of England, the Euston Arch, the art deco Firestone factory and Preston bus station: all, except one, are buildings demolished in the name of efficiency and progress that were said to have outlived their useful purpose, to be impractical and expensive to maintain, and whose loss was regretted forever after.
The exception is Preston bus station, which still stands, just, pending erasure by a huge retail development indistinguishable from huge retail developments elsewhere, which is presented as absolutely essential to the future health and happiness of Preston. Locals and experts alike have urged the preservation of the bus station, but the relevant ministers in this government and the last have turned them down.
You might think that Preston bus station does not belong in this august company – after all, an amusingly dull image of it featured in Martin Parr's anthology of Boring Postcards – but you would be wrong. It is precisely like the old tyre factory or Soane's out-of-date bank, in that it is a great work about to be destroyed just before its period comes to be fully appreciated and just when the functional justification for its existence seems weakest.
With its impossibly long horizontal lines, its surprisingly voluptuous curves, its generous waiting areas, it embodies the spirit of its 1960s age, but it faces the same fate as Preston's Gilbert Scott town hall, long ago lost when out of fashion.
24. Wall Street Journal: Miller House Museum, Columbus Indiana
Julie V. Iovine, forwarded by Tony Coombes
The Miller House, Reborn
It is very curious that a comparatively small, single-story, flat-roofed house with a carport illustrates the apogee of the American Century when power, confidence and an undiluted faith in progress reigned.
That house, completed in 1957, was the home of J. Irwin Miller, an industrialist (he was the power behind the rise of Cummins Engine Co.) who put his hometown of Columbus on the map through his patronage of modern architecture. It was designed by three men of exceptional talent, each at the height of his own powers—architect Eero Saarinen, landscape designer Dan Kiley, and textile designer and architect Alexander Girard. It is not only a landmark of modern architecture but also a fine example, possibly the finest, of a kind of modernist design with which too few are familiar, one that is warm, livable and majestic as it flows together with the landscape.
25. Globe and Mail: New Orleans Competition won by Toronto Design Firm
Dave Battagello,
Toronto team designs architectural shot heard round the world
It could have been called "Clam House."
Also considered were "C-Section," "Shade House," and "PHNOSS," which stands for "Passive House New Orleans Shotgun Style."
Today, despite the agreed-upon and somewhat pedestrian moniker of "Low Cost/Low Energy House," this design by local good guys Sustainable.TO can also be called No. 1 with a Bullet. Announced last month, the young firm—with the experienced "green" hands of principal Paul Dowsett at the helm—was awarded first place in an international competition hosted by websites DesignByMany.com and ArchDaily.com....
Editor's Note:take a look, very clever, simple design.
26. New York Review of Books: Rebuilding China's Lost Heritage
Ian Johnson, forwarded by Margie Zeidler, Max Allen
China's Glorious New Past
I first went to Datong in 1984 and was immediately taken by this gritty city in China's northern Shanxi Province. Along with half a dozen classmates from Peking University, I traveled eight hours on an overnight train, arriving in a place that felt even more old-fashioned than Beijing was at the time. It was one of those cities that seemed to exist in a world of black and white: the streets and buildings were covered with soot and grime from nearby coal mines, while outside town, farmers toiled on the bleached soil of the Loess Plateau, creviced and exhausted after millennia of human demands.
But Datong was also blessed with cultural treasures that glinted like dusty diamonds. Just outside our dilapidated state-run hotel were the city's two awe-inspiring Buddhist temples: Huayansi and Shanhuasi. Housing beautiful Buddhist statues and paintings from the twelfth century that had escaped destruction, they were small, perfect buildings set amid the crumbling and chaotic old city, whose massive walls were still partly intact. The Yungang Grottoes, just out of town, were even more remarkable. The caves contain Buddhist sculptures from the fifth and sixth centuries. At the time, the grottoes had a tiny gift shop offering only black and white postcards. One, a bust of an ecstatic disciple of Sakyamuni, sat on my desk for years.
I've been in China long enough to know the futility of nostalgia for old cities, but I was still shocked when I recently made a trip back for the first time in ten years. Datong is now booming, thanks to the region's rich coal reserves, which have created a class of coal barons as wealthy and crass as any character on the TV show "Dallas." As with most Chinese cities, Datong is in the grips of rampant real estate speculation, with poor people evicted from their homes in the old city, which is being torn down for new developments. (This is a topic I explore in the context of recent books on the destruction of Beijing in new piece for the NYR.) Datong is famous for a noodle known as daoxiaomian—in traditional restaurants, cooks deftly shave strips off a big block of dough, shooting the noodles directly into a pot of boiling water. My favorite restaurant had of course been leveled, and the only option was a faceless fast food chain that went by the invented English name Eastwheat.


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beef stewFrom capedread 11 years ago
- 30 ml oil shopping list
- 500 g beef, cubed shopping list
- 6 tomatoes, grated shopping list
- 250 ml coconut, milk shopping list
- chopped dhania / coriander shopping list
- chillies, chopped shopping list
- salt to taste shopping list
How to make it
- Heat oil and brown the beef. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently until meat is cooked - about 45 minutes.
People Who Like This Dish 3
- tazoncaffeine Manchester, NH
- jakartainflames Jakarta, Indonesia
- capedread Peterborough. Cambridgeshire, GB
- Show up here?Review or Bookmark it! ✔
Reviews & Comments 1
- tazoncaffeine ate it and said... Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
The Cookcapedread Peterborough. Cambridgeshire, GB
The Rating1 people
unusual in my part of the world, but very good and will make this again! Thank you!tazoncaffeine in Manchester loved it

subset: commoncrawl


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Najeeb Jung meets Modi
New Delhi: A day after he resigned, Delhi's Lt Governor Najeeb Jung met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
What transpired between the two was not immediately clear but informed sources said Jung briefed Modi about the reasons behind his resignation.
Jung quit on Thursday citing no reason. He said he would return to academics.


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Looking to rent a wedding dress? Contact our friends at Simply Elegant Bridal Rentals in Richmond, Utah.
Rent a gorgeous prom dress for an affordable price!
Homestead website templates
Create a website today
Welcome to Gown Town
About Us
Gown Town is a prom dress rental/sales and consignment shop in North Logan, Utah, serving the Cache Valley and surrounding areas. At Gown Town we are dedicated to helping you find the perfect dress for your next formal or semi-formal event—Quinceañera,
prom, pageants, homecoming, concerts/recitals, a military ball, or cruise. Most of our dresses are acquired through consignment, which provides a great way to repurpose your prom dresses and make some extra money.
Our Dresses
We invite you to come visit us at Gown Town and browse our great selection of dresses ranging in size from 0-28 in many colors and styles and all at affordable prices. Whether you are looking for a short or long dress, a full ball gown or a sleek and elegant formal dress, Gown Town has the dress for you! We also have a great selection of modest dresses, bolero jackets, and even offer alterations to make the prom dress you select modest if needed. You can see pictures of a sampling of the dresses available for rent on the
Rent OR Consign
page. View our
Location and Hours
, and come see all the beautiful, affordable prom dresses for yourself!
Don't Forget the Accessories
We also have a selection of hoop skirts, boleros/shrugs, clutch purses, hair bling, and jewelry. By renting your accessories along with your dress you can save on accessory costs too, making your prom dress rental a fabulous overall value!
With Gown Town, it is inexpensive to put together a complete outfit for prom or any other formal event. Whether for Quinceañera, homecoming
, pageants, or any other black tie event, come in to Gown Town to see our diverse and ever-growing selection of formal and semi-formal dresses. You are sure to find your perfect prom dress!


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If you have your own website , web blog , or any blog and you are earning more than tax limit in India . I am providing you the full tutorial of accounting treatment of web publishing profession . For this I am making income and expenditure account ( In vertical form ) which is accepted by Income tax department.
Income and Expenditure Account of Swami Vivekanand Online Publishing Institute ( For Example ) As on 31st March 2009
- Earning from web publishing ( there is no need to mention AdSense publishing or any other source XXXXX
- E-buy earning XXXXX
- Donation by youre online visitors XXXXX
- Earning from direct space give for advertisement XXXXX
- Link sharing Income XXXXX
- Earning from direct Sale on your website XXXXX
- Earning from selling the brand of blog or website XXXXX
- Earning from e-news letters XXXXX
- Earning from other printing newspaper or journal for publishing in their printing press XXXXX
- Earning from selling of Image of your site XXXXX
- Other earnings XXXXX
Total Earning from web publishing profession XXXXX
Less Expenses and Losses of web publishing
- Internet -broadband rent / Charges XXXXX
- Salaries of employees XXXXX
- Electricity bill XXXXX
- Depreciation of Computer /Laptop XXXXX
- Depreciation of your own building or rent of building XXXXX
- Repair of computer XXXXX
- Website domain hire charges XXXXX
- Web designing expenses XXXXX
- Image purchasing cost XXXXX
- Link sharing expenses XXXXX
- Advertisement of website XXXXX
- Bank Charges for transfer of your earning in your bank account XXXXX
- Travelling Expenses for getting latest news for your website XXXXX
- Hire expenses for getting news or article from others XXXXX
- Hire expenses of brand logo XXXX
- Cost of goods sold online XXXXX
- Stationery expenses XXXXX
- Office Expenses XXXXX
- Advertising Expenses XXXXX
- Other related expenses XXXXX
Net Income from web publishing XXXXX
taxable under the head of business and profession income
You must keep different proof , like photo copy of earning cheques , bill of Internet rent , or electricity and bank statement when you have to return of income tax for web publishing work


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These wraps are so amazing! No thirty ingredient tortillas needed to make this delicious wholesome lunch. You can wrap just about anything in chard. I particularly love rainbow chard because it is so beautiful. You can find bunches of rainbow chard with colors that vary from bright magenta to yellow. Chard also has a very mild flavor compared to other greens. It is great for wraps because it isn't overly bitter.
This wrap is filled with seasoned chickpeas. The first time I tried making it there was one major problem. As soon as you took a bite a few of the chickpeas would fall out. All you need to do is smash them a bit and it's a lot easier to eat.
Chard wraps are a very nourishing meal. They are made completely from vegetables and chickpeas. With a few added seasonings and the tahini sauce, they are extremely flavorful. I also included how to make my favorite quick pickled red onion. The radish adds kick, the carrot adds crunch, and the pickled red onion adds acidity and complexity of flavor. You can use any vegetables you have on hand to top your wrap. Include whatever you like and be creative!
Rainbow chard leaves wrapped around a mix of seasoned chickpeas, carrots, radish, tomato, and pickled red onions, finished with a simple tahini sauce.
- 2 large rainbow chard leaves
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- pickled red onion (see notes for directions)
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (one large lemon)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Add drained chickpeas, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a skillet over medium heat. Stir until chickpeas are coated with the seasonings. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Using a fork, gently smash the chickpeas until they are mostly broken up but a few whole beans remain.
Mix together the tahini sauce ingredients. If the sauce seems too thick, add water 1 tsp at a time.
Cut the stems off of the chard leaves. Use a vegetable peeler or small knife to trim down the tough stem on the back of each leaf.
Assemble wraps. Start with the chard leaf. Place a generous amount of chickpeas in the center of the leaf, leaving 1-2 inches on each side to wrap. Next add the carrots, radish slices, tomato, and pickled red onion. Finish with a drizzle of tahini sauce. Fold the narrow top of the leaf down, then fold the sides in and enjoy!
To make the pickled red onion bring 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, and 1 tsp agave nectar to a boil. Slice a small red onion as thin as possible (this works best with a mandoline slicer). Place red onion in a cup or jar and pour the hot liquid over it. Be sure the onion is all fully immersed. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, share it with your family and friends on social media. Let me know in the comments section if you tried the recipe. Subscribe below to receive a new vegan recipe to your inbox each week. Thanks for reading!


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If you are looking for your copies of your tax statements, you can find them at burnettcounty.com under county treasurer and property tax search. It will take you to the online public access to Novus-Wisconsin. You will need to select either Real Estate on the Left. One way you can search by your name. The click on the Tax Bill tab.
The Town of Oakland Treasurer, Lynda Weber will be available at...
the LARSEN FAMILY PUBLIC LIBRARY in the Village of Webster,
on the following dates & times to accept your tax payments person...
Tuesday January 16, 2018 from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday January 19, 2018 from 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM.
Saturday January 20, 2018 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM.
If you have any quesitons, you may reach her at (715) 733-0896
You can mail in your payment in full or first 1/2 payment as directed on your Tax Statement to Lynda at PO Box 616 Webster WI 54893. She will be reciepting through January 31, 2018.
If you also plan on getting your dog license at one of the above dates, You will need a separate check and please bring a current rabies vaccination certificate. One cannot give you a license without it.
If need to make a payment for outstanding Real Estate Taxes you must contact Burnett County Treasureroffice at (715) 349-2187 for the current amount and any interest that you may owe to date.
If you need to make a payment of Personal Property, you will need to contact our Town treasurer, Lynda Weber for your amount and any interest that you may owe to date.
If you need a Dog License, please include a separate check made out to the Town of Oakland, have your form filled out (copy was in with your taxes if you licensed a dog last year) send with your current Rabies Certificate from your Vet, to our Town Treasurer, Lynda Weber.
You may also get these on the dates above listed above, in person.


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Alaskan Aircraft Engines, Inc
2425 Merrill Field Drive
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-272-3581 Phone
Hours of Operation:
Mon. - Fri. 8:00 - 5:00
Engine Removal and Installation
Engine installation is the key to a trouble free engine and the longevity of the engine. Don't skimp on engine installations and remember you get what you pay for.
Engine installations and removals are scheduled on an "as time allows" basis and may not always be available. Most of our installs are usually performed by the same person who built your engine.
Specializing in engine overhaul since 1977
Call us at 907-272-3581


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All about my activities, thoughts, inspiration, ideas, and everything that happened around me
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
ODF Shirt
Just now, i received a package from FedEx Express. I was surprised, since i never ordered anything via Internet. It was signed by Red Hat Inc, which means it must be something related with Open Source. I opened the box (it was very tight and quite hard to open, meaning they really care about the shipping's security and prevent tampering of the box) and i found a Shirt that has ODF Alliance text on the back.
I remember some times ago, i browsed Red Hat Magazine and i found out about this campaign: Spread the word, share this ODF artwork. Red Hat graphic designers made an ODF logo and they wanted people to spread it out by giving shirt to the first 100 senders (it's not available anymore) and (lucky me) i'm one of them, so i received the shirt today (i don't know when did they send it). Thanks for the shirt. Fits on me
1 comment:
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More Videos
Streaming is available in most browsers, and in the WWDC app.
Learn about the latest improvements to Map Kit, including end-to-end directions and customized map view callouts. Find out how you can snapshot maps in various ways to optimize your content or use maps in new ways. And now, Map Kit is also available for OS X, so you explore how to enhance your Mac apps with maps.
Looking for something specific? Enter a topic above and jump straight to the good stuff.
An error occurred when submitting your query. Please check your Internet connection and try again.


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I am a 3d animator/video editor and video compositor. My hobby is creating 3D CGI videos etc... However I have become doing a lot of paid/unpaid work by doing 3D comics. Basically a normal comic but using CGI instead of pen/hand drawn pictures. I have been a big fan of x-com and originally had the first game when it was released on the amiga. I was at the time a young teenager and i killed weeks at a time on that and i still play it now (except i cant get it working on vista x64bit even with the patches) I find that x-com and terror from the deep were so immersive and had such a huge replayability factor that they really could wipe the floor with these modern games. The kids today may argue that the clunky pixellated graphics of x-com wont stand up to games like modern warfare 2, however while modern day games take years to make, i will still be developing laser weapons in x-com while you have played, completed and returned Modern warfare 2. Graphics and flashy up to date gimmiks of games really dont hold a torch to a classic (nearly 20 year old) low graphic type game like x-com.
now on topic
I am in the middle of a paid project at the moment but i may decide in the near future to devote my time to creating a 3D comic based on the original x-com. I want to put a storyline into why x-com was formed, who works there, the "suits" in charge, have characters for the scientists and engineers so they aren't just numbers like the game shows and the new naieve soldiers called in to work for them. I planned to have the story start here at 2010 and continue on to the year 2012 the alleged date of the end of the world. Dos anyone think it sounds like a good idea and without selling or causing a copyright issue would anyone who has links to the creators or current owners be interested in endorsing/buying the rights to the comic?
Now in case you are thinking im just a silly teenager (im not) who has a half assed idea with a crappy result, then why not read one of my 3D comics and you can see the type of quality you can expect from my work
Download and view (pdf format)
http://video-fx-univ.....nflic new.pdf
there is violence and profanity so beware
Edited by Sgt Jones, 12 April 2010 - 03:59 PM.


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Simon Reeve embarks on the second leg of his epic four-part journey around the Mediterranean. Setting off from a snowy mountain ski resort in Cyprus, Simon finds an island and a capital city still deeply divided between Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south. Simon joins the UN troops who patrol the line that separates the two sides, one of the world's longest running peacekeeping missions.
Costa Georgiadis and Sophie Thomson visit neighbours who grow food together, Tino Carnevale shares tips on fern care, Jane Edmanson visits the Kevin Heinze community garden and Millie Ross tastes some edible succulents.
Tino Carnevale starts a patch at his new home, Jane Edmanson reveals the secrets of planting a floral clock, Sophie Thomson shares her favourite vertical veggies and we meet a conservationist growing plants for cassowaries.
For almost 30 years Gardening Australia has provided practical, trustworthy and credible gardening advice to inspire and entertain. Join Costa Georgiadis and the team as they traverse the country unearthing the best gardens.
We remember Peter Cundall's emotional trip to a memorial garden, Jane Edmanson visits an urban meadow, Josh Byrne explores WA's wildflowers, and Sophie Thomson frames pictures of succulents.
Costa Georgiadis visits a traditional Italian family farm, Millie Ross builds a strawberry tower, Sophie Thomson shares tips for seedling care and Clarence Slockee visits a school with gardening on the curriculum.
For almost 30 years Gardening Australia has provided practical, trustworthy and credible gardening advice to inspire and entertain. Join Costa Georgiadis and the team as they traverse the country unearthing the best gardens.
Gordon Ramsay travels down the Mekong River in Laos, South-East Asia, on an adventure in search of culinary inspiration.
Costa Georgiadis joins a school's celebration of a 30-year commitment to the local landscape, Millie Ross builds a blooming letterbox, Josh Byrne meets a teenage bee keeper and we visit a tulip farm bursting with blooms.
Chef Gordon Ramsay travels to the Island of Maui to explore the secrets of Hawaiian cuisine along the rugged Hana coastline.
Millie Ross harnesses the power of a hot compost, Sophie Thomson gets espalier tips from an expert, Jane Edmanson revisits a stunning native garden and we meet a landscape designer with an iconic style.
The rainy season has arrived in Borneo, and the only way to keep the orangutans parasite-free is a monthly worming injection.
Baby Chiquita is quite the diva. At just three years old, she's capable of throwing tantrums worthy of top prima donnas.
Deep in Morocco's Middle Atlas Mountains, chef Ramsay embarks on an epic adventure to unlock the secrets of the Berber cuisine.
Chef Ramsay travels to the remote corners of New Zealand's South Island on an adventure to discover the secrets of Maori cuisine.
In this episode, over-confident five-year-olds Lumi and Kacy get everyone worried sick when they disappear from the centre for almost a week.
Clarence Slockee visits a state park managed for its cultural value, Tino Carnevale learns some top care tips for Begonia's, Millie Ross meets a man who crafts his own gardening tools and Sophie Thomson makes seed tape.
Gelison arrived at Sepilok at just one year old, and was traumatised from losing his mother. While settling in better, his skiving antics and bully-boy tactics are pushing limits.
This feature is only available for subscribers. Please contact your EnhanceTV administrator or email firstname.lastname@example.com


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Taking an engineering approach to biology
Victoria Hsiao '10
Scientist 1 Strain Engineering at Amyris
I decided to go to grad school before doing my Fulbright! As a E:BioE major at Olin, I felt that I would really need a PhD to do higher level research. So I applied for both a Fulbright research grant and for grad school in bioengineering during the fall of my senior year. When I was offered the opportunity to do a Fulbright, I asked Caltech if I could defer a year and they said it wasn't a problem at all. My year as a Fulbright fellow gave me the break that I needed after graduating, gave me the chance to travel throughout Asia and really prepared me for the lifestyle of a graduate student.
Victoria went ot Taiwan in June 2010 on a Fulbright scholarship to study at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, where she worked on a tissue engineering research project in the biomedical enginerering department. She researched ways of mechanically stimulating cells to grow into ligaments, such as those that are commonly torn in the knee during exercise.
Since I was working on my own project in an academic lab, my Fulbright experience allowed me to start my actual graduate program with a lot more maturity and foresight than if I had jumped in after my senior year.
"Thanks to the Fulbright, I was able to collaborate iwth talented researchers from halfway across the world, to reconnect with my culturela heritage and to share my experiences abroad iwth everyone int he community. I am tremendously grateful for this opportunity."
Today Victoria worls as Scientist 1 at Strain Engineering at Amyris.
Victoria chronicled her Fulbright adventure via her blog Ten in Taipei: an american's guide to Taiwan and provides an update on her studies at Caltech via a recent Post-Graduate-Planning blog post: Studying Synthetic Biology at Caltech.


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What Stores Sell Ear Candles?
Fans of ear candles believe that using them has helped improve their overall health in addition to simply removing excess earwax. If you're interested in trying these candles or looking for new places to purchase them, you can find them at stores both locally and online.
Buying Ear Candles Online
Online shopping makes it easy to purchase products, since you don't have to leave your home or office to pick them up. Ear candles are sold by a wide variety of candle makers, and you can often find them on sale for very reasonable prices. Here are a few online retailers that carry ear candles.
- Amazon - Amazon has a changing selection of ear candles made by various distributors, thanks to their marketplace format. If you find that you like a particular vendor, you can often search for that seller's website to see if the prices might be cheaper by purchasing direct.
- Missouri Scents - Missouri Scents sells scented ear candles, and you can choose from pure beeswax, paraffin, or a soy/beeswax blend. They also offer daily specials.
- Colonial Ear Candles - This site offers only one type of ear candle, which contains beeswax only on the outside, and the inside is pure fabric. They sell candles individually or in bulk at wholesale discounts.
- Bee Pollen Buzz - Bee Pollen Buzz offers a wide range of beeswax products including ear candles. You can purchase a small package of as little as two candles, or order them in larger bulk sizes.
What Stores Sell Ear Candles Locally?
If you'd rather see and feel your ear candles before committing to a purchase, it's best to look for a local retailer. Products like these used to be difficult to find, but since they have become more popular there are many stores that carry them. Be sure to check:
- Health food stores such as Whole Foods
- Holistic or natural healing outlets
- Nutritional shops like GNC
- Local artisans or candle makers
Some massage therapists and other alternative medical professionals also carry ear candles. The benefit of finding these offices is that you can often include ear candling as part of your therapy or massage treatment.
How to Choose Ear Candles
There are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing ear candles, whether you're making your purchase online or in person. This is especially true if this is the first time you'll be buying and using the product.
Ear Candle Ingredients
One of the most important things to know about ear candles is what they are made of. A variety of different waxes can be used to make them, including soy, paraffin, beeswax, or a blend of waxes. The fabric used to line the inside of the candle should be a natural one, such as pure cotton or linen.
If you prefer to use products made from natural ingredients or have an allergy to certain products, it's imperative to know what your ear candles are made from before buying them.
Included Information and Instructions
Ear candles should always come with a set of detailed instructions for use. You'll also want to know how to clean up after ear candling, and what to do if something should go wrong. One other thing to look for is the manufacturer's contact information, in case you have problems or want to order more candles.
Read all of the included instructions very carefully before attempting to use any ear candles.
Shipping Charges
If you're placing an order for ear candles online, make a note of the shipping charges. Many sellers ship internationally, but the cost for international customers can really add up and take away from the convenience of online ordering. Compare the total price, including shipping, to the cost of purchasing locally - you made decide that it's worth making a quick trip out to pick up your ear candles in person.
Safe Ear Candling
Once you've learned what stores sell ear candles and decided on where to buy them, make sure that you are well informed on their use and possible side effects. Accidents can happen any time candles are used, and this is especially true when the candles are resting inside your ear. If possible, use your new ear candles with a buddy just in case something goes wrong.


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Shaili Shah
Can anyone share an ideal baby food chart for a 7 month baby
Get tried & tested tips & home remedies from verified Moms!
Baby food home mead healthy powder
Hello..mujhe 17novmber Ko period start hokr ,4th day normally clear ho gya.bt 26november Ko phir se bleeding hone lgi.mera one year baby h.pl help me.
Hi mam my baby is 8 months old should I give him cow milk.
Meri beti 7 and half month ki ho gayi hai but abhi bhi woh crawling ni start kari bus palti marti hai pet se pit or pit se pet ke bal
Can I give septilin and glyzifer NM both my 4year old son. My child is anemic. Haemoglobin is 11.6. and frequently suffering from cough and cold
Q. Looking forward to reviews of creams/lotions which are good for dry skin of toddlers.
मेरा बच्चा 8महीने का है उसका mundan संस्कार दिसंबर के महीने मैं करवाना चाहते हैं kya उचित है
Can we introduce chikoo /sapota to 7months old baby? If yes, how should we give it? Direct pulp or should we boil it
Hi moma which baby product uou use on your baby dry skin.


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Aug 22, 2013
Following Malaysia Airlines' famous move to ban all babies from first class in 2011, another airline has created child-free zones on their planes.
Huffington Post reports that Scoot, a budget Singapore-based airline, will enact "ScootinSilence," where passengers can be upgraded to a 41-seat cabin of the plane (rows 21 to 25) where children under the age of 12 are banned for roughly $14USD.
What's more, the child-free cabin will have more legroom than the rest of the airplane. Check out the plane's floorplan here
Of the move, Campbell Wilson, the airline's CEO, said, "No offense to our young guests or those traveling with them – you still have the rest of the aircraft."
AirAsia X also introduced a quiet zone earlier this year.
iTravelTree doesn't understand why more airlines don't take steps to point out the need to brief parents on pressure equalisation so the child doesn't start the flight with an ear ache? That would remove many of the problems of sharing flights with young passengers. Meanwhile, more leg-room plus peace and quiet for $14 more: that sounds like a deal, Scoot.
4 Comments
If You can afford the cost of the ticket, you should be able to sit in the front of the bus. Airlines at first class provide first class ear-plugs and headphones. Wear Them if you don't want to hear the babies…
Having travelled sitting with families and sitting apart, I would grab the option of sitting apart immediately and pay the extra. It's not just the noise but also the seat kicking, running up and down the aisle and fighting with their siblings. Some parents are not very considerate of other travellers and airlines seem unable to do much about it. Yes, information on ear equalisation would help parents but that's not going to stop the child behind me constantly kicking my seat.
It's not just children that are inconsiderate. I've been on several flights recently surrounded by 'adults' playing games on their devices without headphones. And it's not just budget airlines either – had a drunk girl sitting behind me this week on a very small Qantaslink plane, talking loudly to anyone who would listen (over the poor sod next to her who was bravely pretending to sleep). I say we set Ms Manners on them!
Perhaps all these noisy people could be 'evicted' from a 'quiet' zone and leave the rest of us in peace?


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AMANDA Waegeli had been hearing voices since she was a teenager, so when she went into hospital to have her seventh child, she was comforted to have the Virgin Mary speak to her.
But after she went into cardiac arrest on the operating table and had three blood transfusions, literally dying for a few short moments, things turned darker.
"After a few weeks in intensive care, I was physically fine, but mentally distorted," she told news.com.au. "The voices were loud and confusing, in a negative way. It was hard for me to discern what was real. They said it had been a mistake, I was supposed to die."
Amanda was put into psychiatric care, dosed with heavy medication and given electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). She was diagnosed with post-partum psychosis, and later, clinical depression and bipolar disorder.
"The longer you're in the system, the more diagnoses you get," she said. "Despite being compliant, I wasn't getting much relief, I was just hampered by side-effects."
Eventually, Amanda heard about the Hearing Voices Network, a global support group that operates in 25 countries and was established in Australia 10 years ago. The network takes a radically different approach to that of traditional mental health services, encouraging people to listen to their voices instead of trying to block them out.
See full article here


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Hi Darlings,
Today's post it's really important to me because one of the reasons why I started Blushy Darling is to talk about products that I love that people don't know. Most of the times when I find hidden gems I want to share them and now with this blog I have a place to do that!
That being said today I'm going to talk about 6 products that I ABSOLUTELY love that I think are amazing and you NEED in your life but they aren't really known in the beauty community.
I also would love your feedback on this post because I want to know YOUR hidden gems, comment down below and let me know!
Oh My Gosh! I need to start with this product because is my personal favourite, you have no idea how much I've used it, to the point that my packaging it's destroyed (I know it doesn't seem like from the picture but I swear it is).
You have twelve different tiny shades that you can mix or use on their own. On my face, as highlighter, I either use the first row going vertically (If I want something more warm tone) or I use the first two rows horizontally (for something cooler toned). And don't think I don't use the darker shades: they are stunning as eyeshadow (or if you have a darker complexion than me you can totally use them as a highlighter).
Honestly, the swatch doesn't give it justice because it's a more subtle highlighter but you can see on the picture at the beginning, where I used it on my inner corners and on the high points of my face, how luminous it can be.
Physicians Formula is more up there in price than the average drugstore but it's still quite affordable, I don't know the exact price but I think something around 15 bucks. You can't go wrong!
Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation
Ok now I am kind of ashamed to show you this product because it looks so bitten up and abused but honestly I use it so much, it's always in my purse, so it's kind of normal that it looks bad, I'm actually surprised it doesn't look even worse.
Anyway, this is a powder foundation from Too Faced and I really like it especially in Summer since I want to wear as little make up as possible. This is really lightweight yet it covers what I need to cover and somehow it minimizes my pores. It makes my skin looks and feels like a rose petal, there's not a better way to describe it!
I know it has seen better days but that kind of shows you how much I love it. I'm almost out of mine and I'm going to repurchase it as soon as it runs out. This is a staple for me whenever I don't want a heavy foundation. Did I mention that it smells DIVINE?
It comes with a mirror and a sponge for touch-ups on the go.
This retails for 34$ on toofaced.com
For some reason, people don't really talk about this palette but I think it's amazing! The first row has all shimmery shadows and the second one is all matt that, in my eyes, makes it one of the most versatile palettes in the beauty industry. I used it in my Everyday Summer Glow Make Up Tutorial.
I really like the shimmer shades because they are very pigmented and unique shades. They have lots of reflexes like nothing I have seen before. They have a bit of fall down but nothing you can't wipe off (you can do your eyes, clean and then do your base, which is something I tent to do anyway, so it doesn't bother me at all).
The mattes, on the other hand, are incredibly buttery and again so pigmented. They are some of the best matt shadows in the world, they are very creamy and not chalky at all. Love them.
The palette it's available on Sephora.com for 52$ it comes with a double-ended brush (that I actually really like) and a mini eyeshadow primer.
This is a true hidden gem, as I said in my Make Up Monday, I got it on a whim when all the H&M make up line came out a few years ago and I've been using it ever since. Honestly, I can't believe it still hasn't dried out! It feels the same as the day I bought it.
It's a cream to powder formula, the shade I have is a GORGEOUS light brown with a golden shin. It reminds me MAC Groundwork Paint Pot (one of my fav) but this is, I don't want to say shimmery because it's not shimmery, shiny it's the right word and of course it's a fraction of the price.
It's very pigmented, easy and quick to apply, it lasts for ages, doesn't crease. Works wonderfully as a base and I love it on its own.
It's available on hm.com for 5$!!
The best liquid lipstick I have ever tried. One of these was in my friend Julia's Summer Must Haves and as I said in that post, I love them as well. They are very easy to use, they are really long lasting, not patchy, not really drying although they are completely matt and they stay on for EVER.
The shade range it's amazing and one of the ones I have it's actually a repurchase! I've completely finished the first I bought. I have three shades here, I'm wearing the middle one in the cover picture.
The wand it's very easy and precise to use and they smell divine but not overpowering.
The shades I have are 06 Nude: a classy dark mauvy nude (Kylie Jenner's style) this is the one I've repurchased. Then I have 08 Sangria Passion: a nice dirty red, there's no better way to describe it, it's not a true red is more light and muted, it's one that I wear when I want red lips but I don't want to commit to a red. Last one it's shade 29 Marsala Orgasm: This is a true nude with a warmer undertone but nothing too warm, it's actually quite neutral.
Available on wycon.com for less than 7 bucks
Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balm
I've never heard anyone talking about this lip balm and I'm so surprised because it's incredible and another purse staple for me. It's quite sheer but it still lasts a long time because it stains your lips so once the balminess it's gone you still have a pink tint.
I love this shade, it's a nice rose colour perfect for everyday, I do have other colours: a red and a more brownish nude, but I couldn't find the red and I'm pretty sure I gave the nude to one of my friends so I can't show them to you but they all perform the same.
It smells really nice and it makes your lips super juicy. I was going to wear it for the cover picture but the day I shot it I was really feeling the red. Don't worry, you are going to see this on someday cause I wear it all the time.
It's also quite affordable around 10 bucks, you LITERALLY CAN'T GO WRONG!
- Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips
- Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation
- Smashbox Full Exposure Palette
- H&M Colour Essence Eye Cream
- Wycon Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick
- Max Factor Colour Intensifying Lip Balm
I really hope you guys enjoyed it, don't forget to like, comment and share to let me know all your thoughts. Please subscribe to my social media and to the newsletter: all the links are in the sidebar.


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Well folks, episode three is over and in this writer's opinion there is a little potential peeking through the cracks. The guys are relaxing a little in their roles and even the studio audience managed a brief chuckle, although I still whince when Charlie introduces The Stig... they need a new copywriter for that one.
The challenge was entertaining, however as in previous weeks, you're left wondering what the actual challenge was, as there seems to be an absence of any scoring system or properly defined goal.
The Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black Series review was the best one yet, Steve does seem to be the most natural in front of the camera and his energy is infectious.
Charlie still has plenty of awkward arm action going on and Warren couldn't find the grunt in a turbo-diesel BMW X6 which seems odd - maybe it was a 'Friday' car.
BUT, I think it has come a long way in just three short episodes. Give them another season and it could very well turn into a hit show, which would be kinda cool.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.


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Fabulously Frightening Eye Makeup That Will Turn You Into the Ultimate Queen of Halloween
Posted on Oct 28, 2016
It's time to get creative! And Halloween certainly can awake an inspiration and allow you to be creative in more than one field. Amazing costumes, traditional Halloween pranks, original makeup - you can show your many talents! When it's about makeup, everyone will do zombies so you can come up with fantastic ideas for eye makeup and do something different and original. Enjoy these beautiful works and create your own!


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While one soccer team on one side of the border is enjoying nothing but success, another on the other side appears to be living a period of nothing but failure. So different have been the start of the 2011 seasons for the UTEP Miners and CF Indios.
UTEP has started has its season with a 3 game winning streak while CF Indios has lost its last 3 games.
UTEP Head Coach, Kevin Cross, appears to have a solid handle on his team. He knows the style of play that he wants his team to play and appears to be well on way to achieving it. The adjustments that he has made have yielded him positive results. Not only that, but despite the final outcomes of games, the Miners are practicing an attractive style of soccer.
On the other hand, CF Indios Head Coach, Cesar Vega Perrone appears that he can't find his way out of a tent with a flashlight. Lost isn't even the word to describe his actions. The Indios lack an identifiable soccer system on the field of play. Perrone has elected to go with various formations, and started 24 of the 28 players on the roster in the first 5 games of the season.
How in the hell can you have any continuity when that is the case???
Up next for the Miners they will their first road tests of the season at Stephen F. Austin on Friday and against Texas State on Sunday. It will be interesting to see how the Miners handle the road trip to central Texas. Best of luck ladies.
The Indios get a break this weekend and will have an exhibition game against first division Toluca at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium due to the FIFA Match Dates that will take place on Friday and Sunday.
Despite that there is still plenty of work pending for the Tribe. They need to improve against Toluca, despite it only being an exhibition. After all, the seat while it may not be hot, its definitely getting warm for Perrone.


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Fearless Muckraking Since 1993
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007), Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge and Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009). His latest book is Empire of Chaos. He may be reached at email@example.com.


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The 10 Best GPS Watches
This wiki has been updated 24 times since it was first published in February of 2015. Having a GPS on your wrist can come in handy, regardless of whether you're disoriented and want to get back to camp safely or if you just want to know how much farther you have to go on your run. These watches are filled with a host of other features as well, including heart rate monitors, pedometers, and even Bluetooth capability, so you'll have to really try if you want to get lost. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki. Skip to the best gps watch on Amazon.
GPS Watch Versus A Smart Phone
Taking a smartphone along for swimming laps is an impossibility, but not only can many GPS watches be worn when swimming, some even count strokes and laps.
Most smartphone users struggle with battery life when just performing daily activities, like making phone calls and browsing the web.
With the prevalence of smartphones, some may think there is no need for a GPS watch, but they actually offer many benefits over using a smartphone for fitness tracking. The four biggest benefits are accuracy, battery life, durability, and size.
It's no secret that fitness tracking apps on smartphones are often wildly inaccurate. A recent study by the University of Toronto concluded that smartphone fitness tracking apps are "neither valid nor consistent in measuring step counts". This is because many of the sensors in smartphones are substandard when compared to dedicated fitness tracking devices.
Most smartphone users struggle with battery life when just performing daily activities, like making phone calls and browsing the web. Battery life is even more of an issue when using GPS fitness apps. Some estimates state that the average battery life for a smartphone using a GPS fitness app is approximately three to four hours. So unless one has the time to recharge the phone for a couple of hours after exercising, they will most likely be left with a dead phone for the rest of the day.
When it comes to durability and size, GPS watches are the hands down winner. Getting caught in the rain while running with a smartphone can be disastrous, but many GPS watches are waterproof, and nearly all are water resistant. Taking a smartphone along for swimming laps is an impossibility, but not only can many GPS watches be worn when swimming, some even count strokes and laps. For those who find the large size of a smartphone inconvenient to carry when running, a GPS watch offers a compact solution.
Choosing The Right GPS Watch
The most common uses for GPS watches are running and hiking, but many people also find them beneficial for swimming, skiing, kayaking, and cycling. One who intends to use their watch for running has different needs than one who will be taking their GPS watch swimming and kayaking. If you are on the fence about what you will be using your watch for the most, it is best to buy one that has more features than you think you need, to cover all of your bases.
The more data tracking features you get, the more you pay, so determine which features are most vital to you.
For those who want to take their watch on extreme excursions and during water-based activities, it is important to look for one with a durable and waterproof case. There are some models designed specifically with triathlons in mind that can can switch quickly from one sport to another.
Battery life for GPS watches runs the gambit from 5 hours to over 50. The more features and sensors it has, the shorter the battery life generally is, but there are some very high end models packed with features that still get an impressive battery life. One should also take into account the screen size. Some may find that a smaller watch is more comfortable when running, but others may find the small screen inconvenient when trying to read exercise data.
Different watches also offer varying levels of data tracking capabilities. Some may only track speed and distance, while others track heart rate, elevation, calories, vertical speed, temperature and more. The more data tracking features you get, the more you pay, so determine which features are most vital to you. For somebody who often runs indoors, a built-in accelerometer and indoor run option are necessary, while outdoor runners may find them extraneous. Swimmers will want a GPS watch that counts swim strokes and laps.
Take the time to closely examine all of the additional features of the watch you are considering and compare it with other options. Some offer onscreen maps, beep or vibration alerts, programmable interval workouts, off-the-shelf training programs, and feedback on running form.
History Of GPS
GPS is a network of satellites that orbit the Earth which are capable of sending and receiving signals to and from anyone with a GPS device, no matter where on Earth they are located. It was initially created with military applications in mind, but has since been opened up to consumer use.
In the mid 1990s, the 24 satellite Navstar system replaced Timation and is the system currently in use.
The United States was motivated to create the GPS system during the Cold War after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. After Sputnik was launched, the United States set their mind to launching their own satellite, and by 1960 they launched Transit, a five satellite system that allowed U.S. Navy ships to take a reading on their position once every hour.
A decade later, the Timation satellite system was launched to replace Transit. Timation satellites had more accurate atomic clocks, which made them able to more accurately determine a GPS receiver's location on Earth. In the seven years between 1978 and 1985, 11 new satellites were launched into the Timation system.
Under the Reagan Administration, the United States decided to open the GPS system up to commercial and consumer use after the Soviet Union shot down a Korean passenger jet who strayed too close to their borders. Until then, commercial flights had no way of accurately determining their exact location.
In the mid 1990s, the 24 satellite Navstar system replaced Timation and is the system currently in use. Currently a 30 satellite GPS system known as Galileo is being created by the European Union, of which 14 satellites are already in orbit.
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