The TTC seems to have stayed the same. I expected advancements, but this is not so. They struggle to keep from falling backward on themselves. While most bus drivers are courteous, I have met those who are not. Once there was a detour because of a crime and police had closed the road. This driver did not even announce why he was detouring, so many people asked. He got so mad.

One day on the Yonge subway line I was able to try out the new subway trains. This is one long train that you can walk from one end to the other. Very nice. The schedule has LEDs that light red or green, but have no legend, so I did not know their meaning. Was I to guess? The loudness of these trains was by far much less than the old TTC subways, and much more comfortable. Annoying was the fact that the metal passenger handles on the roof and in the middle of the car squeaked incessantly when passengers and the train moved. This was a new train, and these metal handles were squeaking like rusted objects left out in the rain.

Finding your most efficient TTC route takes some time. The Finch East towards Yonge Street has had construction for the last year. Traffic was down to one lane, slowing the express bus to a crawl. That was the last I used that route.

As I knew before, most TTC commuters sleep. At leat 60% of all commuters close their eyes and try to wish away their commuting experience. Others have ear pieces and listen to music while sleeping. It is annoying to walk behind those that fiddle with their phones and e-toys, who slow down because they need to concentrate on their fiddling. Please, people, step aside and fiddle, and let others walk to their destination.

Electronic toys will be the death of many, I am sure. I saw some guy trip on the sidewalk while texting, and there was no break in the sidewalk. Two people walk into each other, both texting on their devices. It is comical. Darwin candidate?

People are as colourful as usual, with a variety of dress and looks. It is interesting to see them and analyze their dress. Pretty girls everywhere. To fit in and to look normal, seemingly.

I walk and look through my narrow periscope, trying to see the big picture. Maybe the solution is to aggregate these experiences and build up a composite.

You can phone the City of Toronto’s 311 information number to have someone locate your municipal shutoff valve. This is usually on your front lawn, on the side of your house where your water meter is located. Since my grass covered my municipal water shutoff valve, this was not easy and I needed help. The city will dig out the grass covering your shutoff valve as well.

The process for replacing or repairing your main water shutoff valve is pretty simple but a little expensive. These details include:

1. Call a plumbing company the day before and arrange for a plumber to be at your house at 10:30 am. This can be done in advance.
2. The day of the repair, call the City’s 311 information number and request your water be turned off. Tell them that you have booked a plumber for 10:30 am. While the official turnaround time for the city is within 24 hours, they will strive to turn off the water before your plumber arrives. They will provide a reference number, so that if a City worker does not arrive you can call the city back with your number. Today I called the City at 06:00 am to shut off my water, told them about booking my plumber for 10:30 am, and the water technician was at my house at 8:45 am. Someone needs to be home for them to turn off your water. The City of Toronto charges $75CAD to shut off your water. This takes them about 1 minute.
3. The plumber will arrive to change the main water shutoff valve. This valve is under pressure and you certainly do not want this to leak. As well, there is some leakage from the municipal water shutoff valve, and this seepage can make soldering a new valve difficult. Water deep in the pipe turns to steam and prevents a good soldered joint. You might be able to stuff bread in the pipe to prevent this. I had to use a thin polyethylene tube to suction out enough water to replace the valve before it overflowed. This is not a DIY job. Expect to pay around $250 – $300CAD.
4. Once your plumber repairs or replaces your main water shutoff valve, call the City’s 311 info number again to have your water turned on. This will cost you an additional $75CAD, and will take the technician about 1 minute to complete the work. I was told I was lucky today because they arrived at my house 30 minutes after I called. The city will again provide a reference number.
5. Turn on your main water shutoff valve and enjoy your water.

The financial cost at the end of the day was $260CAD for the plumber and $150CAD to the City, for a total of $410CAD.

While the charge from the City seems excessive, we taxpayers must pay more for the water infrastructure that we enjoy daily. In my case my municipal water shutoff valve worked wonderfully, even though it had not moved for near 30 years. The water technician used a tool that was only 1.5′ long. The valve is actually over 4′ deep underground, but there is a 3′ metal rod that stays in the ground and is connected to the shutoff valve. Note that in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto with over 320,000 people, there are only 2 water technicians on staff.

I could not believe that the plumbing company would charge $235 + HST to change one simple water shutoff valve. It certainly became believable when the plumber showed up. My supply pipe, buried in the concrete in my basement, was now a non-standard size. The measured supply diameters were 3/4″, 13/16″ output, 3/4″ threaded output. This connection was soldered. The output of the shutoff valve that goes to the water meter, was a threaded brass pipe. It turns out that the company that made my valve discontinued it many years ago. It took a trip to Home Depot and two trips to the plumbing supply store to get the right fix. This fix took a long time to figure out, but was quickly completed once a solution was found. Alan is a smart guy.

There are some repairs that the average handyman should not do on their own. The risk of flooding is too great to take this risk, so I was willing to call in a professional. I am glad that I did, because in the end it was done properly, and should last another 30 years.

Thanks to Alan Pir of Anta Plumbing (416-231-3331) for a job well done.

Note that the City of Toronto is in the process of replacing all house water meters. Started in 2010 this program will ramp up between 2013 and 2015, Scarborough and most of the City of Toronto included. This water meter replacement will require the home owner to shut off their main water shutoff valve so that the water meter can be replaced. If any homeowner has installed a water shutoff valve after the meter, this will be insufficient. The main water shutoff valve, between the city supply and the City water meter, will need to be serviced.

And because he asked, my Mandarin is quite good. I love this editorial cartoon.

The more the US has access to cheap oil, the more they will waste it. Overall I think the US and therefore the World would benefit by more expensive oil prices. This also applies to us Canadians. While we all talk conservation and environmental protection, I see way too many SUVs and other large vehicles transporting one driver, and a lack of motivation to fund and build mass transit. I hope that gas prices will double and therefore match that of Europe. ]]> http://dontai.com/wp/2011/11/22/hows-your-mandarin-editorial-cartoon/feed/ 0 http://dontai.com/wp/2011/11/08/diy-roofing-asphalt-shingles-advice/ http://dontai.com/wp/2011/11/08/diy-roofing-asphalt-shingles-advice/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:20:14 +0000 dontai http://dontai.com/wp/?p=4001 Let me state the obvious that it is easier to blog than to roof. Roofing is hard work and dangerous. My south exposure roof was looking tattered, with shingles curling and losing a lot of small particulate. As I have not found a steady full-time job and could not afford the +$6,000 CAD fee for a professional roofer, and fearing a roof leak, I decided to DIY a large section of my roof. The roof job is progressing very well, though I have not gotten used to the hard physical labour.

Heed advice on Safety. If you fall off the roof, you will break a leg or arm if you at best. If you have a two story house you might also kill yourself. Gravity is a hard mistress. While I have very good balance, a couple of issues can conspire against you. First and foremost is the heat. Who would have thought that even at a seemingly balmy 22C, it would be too hot to roof. There is no shade on the roof, so you really need a hat. I quickly noticed that roof shingles, particularly white or grey, reflect the sun back to you, further heating you up. I am an IT project manager and business analyst and cannot take this much heat. I admit I am soft and would rather use my brains than brawn. A couple of hours roofing and you can dehydrate very quickly. As this progresses seemingly slowly you really do not notice much, until you find yourself a little dizzy from heat exposure. Alarm bells ring and my inner self orders me off the roof, for fear of falling off. Dizzy and on the roof is a bad situation.

Roofing is also bad for your skin. Asphalt shingles are rough by design and quickly scratches up your skin. I have learned in the past to wear gloves and knee pads. The knee pads are turned 90 degrees to the outside so that when you sit sideways the pads protrude and protect your upper legs and knees. Boots with good grip are mandatory. I use rubber rain boots as these have better grip than my steel toed boots.

Shingles are sold in sets of 21, called a “bundle“. A bundle is quite heavy, around 60 lbs. You need to carry these bundles up the ladder to your roof. I open the bundle and carry up three at a time. Shingles are awkward to carry, scratch your skin and damage your eaves trough if you are careless. The old shingles are simply dropped off your roof to the ground, to be cleaned up later. It would be better to have a large garbage bin.

I bought my shingle bundles from the Depot of Roofing Supplies, 3820 Midland Ave in Scarborough. They seem to serve largely Chinese contractors. One young girl speaks English, but it is much easier speaking to them in Mandarin. Cash will give you a small discount. I would deal with them again. They were honest and easy to work with. They sell Iko brand.

The general theory of using shingles to waterproof your roof is not complex. You put down tar paper first, which is waterproof but fragile. Shingles are placed upper one above lower ones, in a staggered pattern. As water runs downhill, from the upper shingle down to the lower shingle, it is transported to the eaves trough, to the downspout and safely away from the house. Flashing are thin metal pieces used to further strengthen roof stressors, such as where two roof surfaces meet. A concave meeting is called a “valley”, a convex meeting is called a “peak” or “ridge”. Thankfully there are numerous helpful sources on the internet on properly installing flashing. Take care to do your valley flashing well and not puncture the galvalized steel with nails, and the valley will be waterproof.

To remove an individual shingle start removing the nails two rows up, then the nails one row up, then the nails for the shingle. Slowly and carefully remove the shingle. Old shingles will be brittle, so take care when removing nails. I used a small pry bar and a hammer. Professional roofers use a metal tool that looks like a spade. This is fast and applicable if you want to remove the whole roof. To do a section and to keep the roofing felt in good condition you need to remove shingles individually.

Disposal of the old shingles is problematic. I need to take them to the city disposal station, only open to the public between 6-8am or on Mondays. The disposal fee will be about $20. Hauling my old shingles to the dump will finish the job for this year.

I know I am not a roofer. I know the theory of how a roofing system works but the physicality of reroofing is something I would rather leave to someone else. It is best to know your limitations. While I have been repairing the odd broken shingle for about 10 years, this in no way qualifies me for doing the whole job.

Other possible roofing supply companies in Scarborough include: Danforth Roofing Supply and Roofer’s Edge (Warden/Lawrence).

Reshingling of part of my roof went well. I did not fall off. Dirty yes, but it had to be done.

Sucking out the insulation in my attic was traumatic due to cause. The house was much colder at night. Still, I feel better than the cellulose insulation is not gone. Cellulose insulation is a fire hazard and is pretty combustible. Though it will not dramatically burst into flame it will smolder for hours until it reaches wood, which it will set on fire. Why is this type of insulation still being sold I do not know. We replaced our cellulose insulation with blown in fibreglass.

An empty attic space allowed me to repair the vapour barrier. Over 30 years ago, builders were not too particular about ensuring your attic vapour barrier was sealed. There were rips all over, places not sealed. I used sheathing tape, aka Tuck tape, to seal up ajoining sections of vapour barrier, repair ripped sections, and replaced a section. Ideally I wanted to spray foam the vapour barrier, but a quote from Insta-Insulation came in at ~$4,000 (Walltite Eco), way over my budget. Spray foam would have been the best. Steve Maxwell recommends Tiger Foam. I will consider this next time, but they do not have pickup locations in East Toronto.

Vent stacks were not sealed. These were sealed with spray foam. Mice openings were found and also sealed with spray foam. I walked the perimeter of the house and found many small openings, which I sealed with spray foam.

Most annoying of all is that I discovered that my two bathroom fans were venting into the attic. Both fans were venting into a galvanized pipe, which went somewhere and was covered with insulation. Once the insulation was gone it was clear than the original installers simply jammed the galvanized pipe into the eave as best they could and left it like that. Unfortunately they did not cut the soffit plywood and no soffit venting was done. As the home owner some 35 years after the fact, I had to again get up on my roof, remove the eavestrough and fascia, remove the existing aluminum siding used as soffit, find the exhaust pipes, cut the soffit plywood, install 90° elbows, buy and cut vented soffit, merge the vented soffit into the original aluminum siding used as soffit, then reinstall everything back to original. The new vented soffit material needed to be bent in order to seamlessly hook into the old aluminum siding. I also added styrofoam baffles throughout the attic space. I did learn a lot doing this but it was still a lot of work that I did not intend to do. I have the satisfaction now that my fans are venting to the outside. My neighbour confirms that his fans are venting into his attic.

There is more attic venting I can do, but at a cost. I have three soffit vents in my aluminum siding soffit. Only one has the soffit plywood cut and is venting to the outside. The other two are sealed tight. The deception is maddening. The fix would be to remove my downspouts and eavestrough, remove all the fascia, remove the aluminum siding soffit, cut holes into the soffit plywood, add new aluminum soffit vents, then reinstall everything back to original. The problem is that the new aluminum soffit is much longer than the old aluminum siding soffit. Replacing a couple of panels in the middle of a 25′ run and then ensuring that the end pieces seamlessly fit, as original, is quite difficult. Retrofitting this back to original so that it looks like nothing was changed is quite a challenge. While I like challenges, I pick them with care and only when they bias to my benefit.

Crawling around my attic I find a pot light near my front door. It was the original one that came with the house. Rated at 150 watts, there was cellulose insulation all around it. I find out that this fixture is safe provided there is no insulation covering it, but without insulation and vapour barrier, in the winter hot air from the house enters the attic, melts snow from the roof, which then refreezes causing an ice dam. I have been pondering why I have been having small ice dams for over 5 years, and I believe I have found the source.

The original pot light, being 35 years old, was not rated for contact with insulation. I do not think they had this standard back in the day. A new, IC (insulation contact) rated pot light was purchased for $17CAD. A building code rated vapour barrier of thick blue plastic was also purchased for $8CAD. These costs are small. Installation would be more difficult. The old Halo brand pot light was made of thick steel and is well made. The 4 nails holding it to the rafters would not come out, so I had to cut the nails with a dremel. The new Halo brand pot light installed easily, and the electrical 3 wire connection was a very simple push in type. Halo makes some good stuff.

Installation of the pot light vapour barrier was much harder. The vapour barrier looks like a plastic box with the top open. It must be cut and tuck taped into place, around the rafters and pot light. Doing this taping took me about 3 times more time than installing the pot light. Eventually I was done. The insulation guys covered it with pink blown in fiberglass, as it was intended. The pot light is now air tight and insulated. There will be no hot or cold air infiltration from my living space into the attic, thereby eliminating my ice dam problem. I will see this winter.

With all the work I have done this month, the house hardly looks any different. All my work was behind the scenes and hidden. The original builder skipped corners where the home buyer could not see. I suppose this is common in the building industry. A building inspector cannot see every little detail. I do wonder about the integrity of the workers, who skipped steps and cheated the original home owner, and all subsequent home owners. I did learn a lot more about the systems that run my house.

One can only control your own actions. I would never cut corners on a job, even if I knew the owner would not see it. Eventually someone finds out you cheated them, and sooner or later you will be found out. Do the best job you can, because the end result will shine through.

Lights of America LED bulbs 2025LEDE12-65k claim 40 watt bulb equivalent and 30,000 hr life. Real world says 25 watts equivalent and maybe 1,000 hrs. Do not buy this junk.

Browsing through Walmart here in Toronto, Canada, I stumbled upon some LED light bulbs on sale. From a company named “Lights of America”, they have a smaller base for use in a chandelier. Regularly $5.50CAD, they were going for $2.00CAD. Labeled “Made in China”, I hesitated. I could buy them, research them, and if necessary, return them if I was not happy. The results of research were that these LED light bulbs are junk and should be returned. They not only do not live up to brightness claims, but also only last a max of 1,000 of their claimed 30,000 hours of use.

My experience is that light bulbs made in China do not last long, especially the compact florescent ones. LED is a new technology, giving off no heat and is safe to dispose. They also last much longer than CFs. These comparisons, however, assume the bulbs are properly made.

It did not take a long search on Google, after fishing through all the web sites that sell these bulbs, to find some very negative reviews. Intriguingly, the company “Lights of America” was being charged by the US Federal Trade Commission, for fraudulent claims. Their claim that their 1.5 watt bulbs are as bright as a 40 watt incandescent is in dispute. Light output is closer to a 25 watt bulb than 40. More critically, their supposed bulb life of 30,000 hours has been tested to yield an actual figure of no more than 1,000 hours.

In the FTC’s original complaint against Lights of America, Inc. and its two principals, filed in September 2010, the agency charged that since 2008, Lights of America has overstated the light output and life expectancy of its LED bulbs. The agency also charged that Lights of America misled consumers about how the brightness of its LED bulbs compares to traditional incandescent lights.

At the court’s direction, the FTC’s amended complaint details where and when the challenged claims were made, and alleges that specific testing contradicts many of the defendants’ claims. For example, defendants claimed that certain bulbs lasted 30,000 hours, but U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) testing found that they lost as much as 90 percent of their output after only 1,000 hours. The amended complaint also alleges additional facts to show that the individual defendants controlled the company and knew, or should have known, about the practices the FTC is challenging.

Here is the original FTC charge:

The FTC alleges that in many instances, Lights of America’s LED bulbs produced significantly less light, as measured in lumens, than the company claimed in its promotional materials. For example, one bulb was promoted as producing 90 lumens of light output, but Lights of America’s own tests showed it produced only 43 lumens.

Also, in many cases, Lights of America deceptively compared the brightness of its LED light bulbs with incandescent bulbs, the FTC alleges. For example, the firm claimed that one of its LED lantern bulbs could replace a 40-watt incandescent bulb. However, while the typical 40-watt incandescent bulb produces about 400 lumens, the Lights of America LED bulb produced only 74 lumens.

Moreover, the FTC complaint states that in many instances, Lights of America’s LED bulbs would not last as long as the company’s promotional materials said they would. In one case, for example, the firm said that one of its LED recessed bulbs would last 30,000 hours. Independent tests, however, showed that the bulb would not last as long as claimed because it lost 80 percent of its light output after only 1,000 hours.

While I find the use of LEDs very compelling, it is difficult to justify the price of $2.00CAD for the bulb. LEDs are in general expensive to buy, and therefore LED bulbs reflect this. These LED light bulbs use 20 LEDs, which means each LED costs about $0.10CAD each. This is by far much cheaper than buying good quality LEDs individually.

Overwhelmingly the reviews of Light of America LED bulbs is terrible. Junk. The nerds at CandlePowerForums support their junk claim with some meaningful numbers. I do trust that they know what they are doing. PhysicsForums says much the same. Several people have received recall notices from Costco offering refunds. Walmart will only refund bulbs that are not already burned out. The two year warranty from LoA requires you to pay for postage back to California, which is more expensive than the actual bulb. The LoA warranty is bogus.

The Lights of America web site does not even mention these chandelier lights, even though they are sold throughout the US and Canada. The packaging also does not mention lumen ratings. It is all very sneaky and I do not want any part of it. Their web site also makes no mention of their legal troubles with the Federal Trade Commission. Nor is there any resolution or steps taken to help customers.

I am very disappointed in the 40 w equiv. 1.5 Watt LED bulbs I got from Walmart. They put out very little light. More like a 15 watt standard bulb. No where NEAR a 40 watt like they claim.

First off, they last about a month before going out. Walmart was ok about taking those back since I kept the packing and receipt but the ones that failed after 95 days they wouldn’t accept even though the package says if the bulb fails within 2 years take it back to the retailer OR send it back to lights of america. Well, Walmart says the packing can say that but it doesn’t fall within their return policy so they won’t take them back. If you try to get lights of America to replace them the will charge you in shipping the amount of a new bulb so is that really under warranty if they are ripping you like that? After buying 8 bulbs, 7 are already out. 2 of those failed after only an hours use or less (turning on the light about 3 to 4 times at most). I know LED will be the way to go in the future but right now, they don’t put out enough light and don’t last very long due to the manufacturing process. Lights of America should be ashamed. They really have a gimmick going with their 2 year return policy. It is far cheaper and better on the environment using standard bulbs until they get this technology down a little better. Bulbs that last a few clicks of the light switch fill up a land fill faster than the 100 year old bulb technology that last 2 or 3 years

source

Given all the terrible reviews of dim light and short bulb life I think the best thing is to return them and get GE CFs. In the future LED technology will improve and prices will go down. Today you simply buy LED junk.

Chinese made paper shredder, no brand name nor factory, model number WMC6X, irreparable because of this cheaply made plastic gear. While there were many metal parts in this paper shredder, the gears driving these metal parts are plastic? Who decided this? What a waste of resources, not to mention cheating the consumer. Photo 3x macro.

Sure there are many excellent Chinese made products, but they are drowned out by an ocean of cheap quality junk. It irks me madly when I use a product for a short period of time, only to have it break. Usually the product experiences regular wear and tear use, not abuse. When I take it apart to try to fix it, I often find critical components are made of cheap plastic. These components are hidden from the consumer, who only finds out when it breaks for no good reason. These products are giving China a bad name. Such is the case of a paper shredder kindly given to us by a neighbour. Premature breakage of products is a waste of natural resources, cheats consumers and is plain and simple bad for the environment. I hate it.

My neighbour was kind enough to give me her paper shredder. This one was a no brand name, no factory name, Made in China, model number WMC6X. It is slow and could only shred 6 pages at a time, which is Ok for our family. She bought a faster and more expensive model. The Little Weed and I started shredding paper. After a couple minutes the shredder would heat up and shut down. Once cooled down it would resume working. A couple of days goes by and while shredding we hear a thunk and the shredding mechanism refuses to move while the motor is running. I begin to take it apart to find out if the shredder had slipped a belt or something else, such as a paper jam.

What I found was disappointing. The motor’s main axle was connected to the shredder’s transmission and subsequently to the shredding teeth. The shredder’s transmission was completely made of cheap plastic gears. The reason the shredder stopped working was because the first gear directly connected to the motor had destroyed itself, thereby decoupling the motor drive from the rest of the transmission. The shredder was therefore irreparable.

The shredding teeth mechanism was made of metal and was in pristine condition. Who was the smart one that decided the transmission gears should be made of cheap plastic?

All I could think of is what a waste of natural resources. We spend the resources to make this product, ship it across from China to Canada, only to have it fail prematurely due to a couple of cheaply made plastic gears? Now we need to dispose of it? By this method we will pillage Mother Nature and Mother Earth very quickly, short changing our children and grandchildren. Who is the winner here?

Defective paper shredder, no brand name nor factory, model number WMC6X, Made in China, broke because they used cheap plastic gears. What a waste of natural resources.

I am unsure who to blame. Do we, as North American consumers demand and therefore receive products as the cheapest price possible, even if it quickly breaks? Are these paper shredders designed by North American engineers to a price point, rather than a quality standard? Do we blame the Chinese factory for skimping on quality in order to maximize their profit? Either way, these shoddily made products are a waste of money for consumers and a waste of natural resources for the whole Earth. We need to work better and smarter if we want to have a future as bright as our past.

I have traced the model number of this shredder down to the Aurora Office Equipment Company Shanghai, SHANGHAI, E237840, 388 JIANXIN RD, JIADING DISTRICT, 200000 SHANGHAI, CHINA. Please do not buy their products, as they are badly made. Apparently Ace Hardware carries them under the Aurora brand name. This company is connected to the Aurora Group of Taiwan.

Toronto’s suburbs are car oriented. I know this because if you ride a bicycle or walk in Scarborough you have a good chance of getting run over by drivers in a rush to get to wherever. Just yesterday I was riding my bicycle on the road, and a driver drove his vehicle perilously close to me in a threatening way and told me to ride faster because I was slowing him down. Markham is even more car oriented.

Markham built a north-south mini-highway, Highway 69, to the border of Toronto, Steeles Avenue. In 2005 Markham then asked Toronto to extend their mini-highway south to Highway 401. With dissent from local residents, environmental activists and local politicians, this proposal was flatly refused, and rightly so. Local residents feared they would end up with expropriated land and an 8 lane highway through their neighbourhood. The Ontario government refused to force Toronto to build this highway.

The new proposal is slightly different but not all that much better. The mini-highway from Markham (blue dots) will end at Steeles Avenue. Steeles avenue, now a 2 lane road, will expand to six lanes going westbound (red dots). A new 4 lane road will then cut southward into existing farmland to connect up to Morningside Road (pink dots), which now connects to Highway 401.

Morningside Avenue Extension Proposal, 2011, Toronto, Canada. More cars and more traffic for local residents.

I oppose this proposal because not a half kilometer west of this proposal is Highway 48, Markham Road, which is a north-south 8 lane monolith of a highway that connects to Highway 401. Why build yet another north-south 4 lane highway through suburban Toronto to connect to Highway 401 when there is already an existing 8 lane highway doing the same. We do not need more roads to cater to more vehicular traffic.

A more appropriate solution would be to expand Steeles Avenue westbound from Markham’s Highway 9 all the way to Highway 48 or Markham Road. From Steeles Avenue to Highway 401, convert Markham Road into a real highway, increasing speeds from the existing 60 kph zone to an 80 kph zone. Markham Road today is a large highway, largely industrial, with few side streets and traffic lights. It could be easily updated to handle the increased speed limit.

Morningside Road Extension, Aerial Photo, 2011, Toronto, Canada. Prime farmland would be destroyed. The local community would see a huge highway in their backyard.

Sometimes the answer to transportation is not to continue to build more and larger roads. When you already have a huge 8 lane north-south highway not half a kilometer west, and you want to add yet another 4 lane road close by, you know you are addicted to some kind of drug: This drug is the automobile. We need to stop thinking car-centric and start thinking more public transit. Expand the Go train instead. Increase the efficiency of existing roads if you must, but these roads are already at capacity. As Markham and areas north of Toronto expand, commuting by car will become slower and slower. Proposals such as the Morningside Road extension should not be approved. More capacity for cars is not the long term solution to the Greater Toronto Area’s transportation needs.

Map of the Rouge Valley area near Steeles Avenue, which includes Markham Road, Morningside Avenue, the Toronto Zoo, and the Pickering Town Line. The ravine here makes road building problematic. This area will become a national park in the future, so don't develop on it now.

Freshly squeezed orange juice is so much better, and way more expensive, than tetrapacked or frozen

Growing up, orange juice was a valued commodity in our family, in that it was rare on our table. Orange juice was expensive to buy and my family could not afford it on a regular basis. While we were “encouraged” to drink water in actuality we had no choice. For this reason, I provide orange and apple juice to our Little Weeds. To me orange juice is a daily reminder of the importance of the small things in life. In a revelation of sorts I set up a taste test of freshly squeezed vs cartoned orange juice (OJ) for the Little Weeds. It was no surprise that they were able to identify which one was freshly squeezed, and also no surprise which one they preferred. Freshly squeezed orange juice is so much better in taste than cartoned orange juice. You really cannot believe all the marketing and packaging of products, as they can warp your life perspective.

The randomness of life continues. I happened upon a glass juicer on sale at a garage sale here in Scarborough/Toronto, Canada. With no moving parts and all glass construction, this tool screams “old school”. A couple of months before on a whim we purchased a plastic juicer, where the freshly squeezed juice runs down to a cup attached below. It is difficult to wash and just Ok to use. The glass version is much simpler, does the job and is easier to wash. Simple but effective, is this glass juicer, just the way I like it.

The Little Weed could not wait to get home to try it. As we usually have fresh oranges in the house, he was soon happily grinding orange halves into juice. It is hard work. Two oranges, with some effort, yields a delicious cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. The taste and quality simply cannot be matched when compared to any packaged orange juice in the grocery store, no matter how fancy the packaging. The taste is in the tongue, unequivocally, and with certainty.

My lesson to the Little Weeds were many. Firstly, there is value in some of the old ways. Modern is not necessarily better. While cartoned OJ is convenient and available year round, there has always been a better product out there, known to everyone from the beginning of time. Oranges picked off the tree, cut into halves and squeezed will give you a much superior product.

Quality has its costs, one of which is increased effort. In this modern age of convenience, some kids will not make any type of significant effort. If it is too hard, takes too long or takes too much effort, they would rather do without. I suppose there have always been these types of personalities, but this has never and will never be tolerated in this family. The Little Weed takes the time and effort to manually juice two oranges in order to get a cup of OJ because he feels it is worthwhile. I as a parent can spout whatever parental verbiage until my mouth runs dry, and without a positive outcome, but he must convince himself. Freshly squeezed OJ has done this for him. I do help him by washing the oranges and halving them, and cleaning up after, be he does the squeezing.

This is not to say that cartoned OJ does not have its place, as it clearly is popular with our family. Squeezing OJ takes time, which cannot be done in the morning. It is so convenient to open a carton and pour.

There is also a increased cost for fresh OJ. On sale, a 1.8L carton of OJ will cost ~$2.00CAD, or $1.10CAD/L. Our local Chinese grocery store sells a 5lb bag of Florida oranges for $3.00CAD or $0.60CAD per pound. One 5lb bag give us about 12 oranges, or 6 cups of squeezed OJ. One cup of squeezed OJ is about 200ml, so 6 cups gives us 1.2L, or $2.5CAD/L. Freshly squeezed OJ is therefore 2.3 times more expensive than cartoned OJ on sale, and you have to take the time and effort to squeeze it yourself. Cartoned OJ is clearly cheaper to serve. This week the 5 lb bag of oranges has increased to $3.60/bag, or $3CAD/litre. Cartoned or frozen OJ can be bought on sale and stored in a freezer for a long time, decreasing the overall unit cost per litre.

I recall working for a high level executive at a large Canadian bank, Jeff Chisholm, who asked for and received a large pitcher of freshly squeezed OJ each and every morning. At the time I found it excessive, but now I see the wisdom of his ways. That only took me a decade! Some lessons come slowly.

On our last trip to China, I also looked for OJ. They also had tetra pack OJ, but the taste was dreadful. It did not taste like OJ at all. I recall making such a judgmental thought and then reminding myself that I was in China and should be happy to find any non-toxic liquid that might proxy for OJ. I would not trust any packaging in China, so we taste and eat everything with some doubt as to its origins.

Links:
-Not so sweet: Even “100 percent pure” orange juice is artificially flavoured
-Frozen Orange Juice Grades in Canada
-Hating Old South Orange Juice New Packaging
-Purchasing Orange Juice for Your Family

Scarborough Civic Centre
150 Borough Drive
Toronto, ON M1P 4N7
Hours of Operation: 8:30 – 4:30
Information Line: 416-396-7071 Fax: 416-396-5650

Bill Blakes, Manager
Tel.: 416-396-8221
E-mail: bblakes@toronto.ca

I tried calling Bill Blakes, but he does not answer nor pick up his calls. The Information Line took my complaint and said they would dispatch an investigator. Note that it can take up to 70 hrs for an investigator to arrive, but they do eventually arrive.

I often call non-emergency Toronto police. Their number is 416-808-2222, where you can report street lights off, traffic lights that malfunction, broken street signs, or minor fender benders. For major events call 911.

For neighbours parking their vehicles on sidewalks, call the police number at 416-808-2222 and ask for parking enforcement. They will dispatch someone to your area. Parking on the sidewalk blocks access for children, pedestrians and parents with strollers.

The City of Toronto has a three hour limit for street parking on all streets. If you find someone parking in front of your house and this bothers you then you can call, but note that the Parking Authority will ticket ALL the cars on the street and vicinity, not just the one you asked about.

Parking on the sidewalk is illegal. Parking on the space between the sidewalk and the road, called the boulevard, is also technically illegal, but tolerated. If you are nice to your neighbours they will not complain. Home owners do not own the sidewalk or boulevard. These are owned by the City of Toronto.