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    In DC, A New Trophy Building Offers Luxury Office Space While Catering To The Community – Bisnow

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The entrance at 2100 L

    After a decade of planning, construction and anticipation, a trophy office building in the heart of downtown D.C. is finally ready to welcome tenants into its amenity-filled spaces.

    2100 Lis a 10-story, 190K SF trophy building with a grand two-story lobby, 20K SF floor plates, 8K SF of retail space, floor-to-ceiling glass windows with unparalleled views of the D.C. skyline, and little touches everywhere that celebrate the culture, artistry and history of the neighborhood.

    Along with its spacious office layouts and high ceilings, the building offers a rooftop lounge with an adjacent catering kitchen, a rooftop terrace, a spa-quality fitness center, a penthouse conference center and ample parking. There is also an art gallery and a small parkthat offers unique spaces to meet clients and hold meetings.

    The buildings north-facing facade features an installation from artist Jan Hendrix. Partnering with Zahner, a company that creates images through laser-cut metal panels, Hendrix designed a pattern similar to the cell structure of the trees you can find throughout D.C. The facade reflects light, creating a shimmering effect outside and inside the building.

    The lobby of 2100 L

    The building receivedLEED Platinumcertification in October, which was a goal for the 2100 L team from the very beginning. The buildings sustainable features include a direct outdoor air HVAC system, which helps boost indoor air quality and create a safer, more efficient environment for tenants, which is particularly important with air quality at the top of everyones mind.

    Akridge, Corporate Office Properties Trust and the Argos Group,the team behind 2100 L,each said that when they embarked on this project they knew they wanted to create something that wouldnt just benefit the retail and office tenants that would call the building home but the community as a whole.

    Now, thanks to their efforts, the community not only has a luxurious new office building to attract more companies to the area, but a local historical school has a new facade as well.

    More than a decade ago, Akridge, COPT and the Argos Group settled on the Thaddeus Stevens campus as the perfect spot for 2100 L. The city agreed, as long as the development team agreed to two points: the school, which was one of the first public schools in D.C. forBlack students, was to remain a school, and its historic facade needed a renovation.

    The team was happy to agree, and it turned out that when it came to finding ways to make a positive impact on the community, the facade renovation was just the beginning.

    The landscaped terrace at 2100 L

    The Thaddeus Stevens School is an incredibly important landmark for the community, and we wanted to make sure to respect and celebrate that, Akridge Senior Vice President of Development David Toney said. Quickly, though, what started out as a collaboration between the 2100 L team and city officials turned into a broader collaboration with the community as a whole.

    Beyond the school renovation, the team behind 2100 L has worked with local community groups to devise ways to benefit residents through art and education.

    The team has endowed a scholarship program for D.C. public and charter school children, a program to teach children about real estate development and construction. There is also a commemorative art piece in the pocket park between the school and 2100 L that honors Thaddeus Stevens, anaugmented realityexhibit in the office lobby that highlights the history of the school and an art gallery on the buildings ground floor featuring works byBlack artists.

    We didnt want this to be just a run-of-the-mill real estate transaction, Toney said. We connected with community leaders to establish initiatives that could really make a difference.

    The Veil at 2100 L

    Global law firm Morrison & Foersterhas pre-leasedapproximately 56% of the office building.

    The western end of the Golden Triangle Business Innovation District, where 2100 L Street is located, has always been the heart of D.C.s office market, with 43 blocks of arts, culture and entertainment venues alongside restaurants and shops to support the citys employees. The new office building is steps from four Metro stations and just 15 minutes fromRonald Reagan Washington National Airport.

    The office market may be facing a challenge right now, but there will always be a market for quality, sustainable office space in the D.C. central business district," Toney said. "Thats what weve created with 2100 L.

    This feature was produced in collaboration between the Bisnow Branded Content Studio andAkridge and COPT. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

    See the rest here:
    In DC, A New Trophy Building Offers Luxury Office Space While Catering To The Community - Bisnow

    Festivities on foot: Take a walking tour of holiday windows – Buffalo News

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    DeFlyer and cousin Don Vidler have co-owned the store for 35 years, creating displays in only hours that are as comprehensive as the products sold inside. Windows include quaint ceramic snowmen, Santa statues, light-up presents and holiday lawn signs.

    The community also took the reins on a window with an Aurora Historical Society theme, using festive crochet blankets, sewn pillows and poinsettia-patterned tablecloth, lined up top with a map of historic East Aurora.

    There are elves hard at work in the display windows outside of Fisher-Price on Girard Avenue, just off Main Street in East Aurora. (When you pass Vidlers on your right, hang a right on Riley Street.)

    A dozen or so 2-foot-high antique figurines sport red and green plaid and white beards, working away at making toys for Santas sleigh and surrounded by sawdust, paint cans, Christmas trees and Rudolph.

    Fisher-Price senior electrician Matt Alice starts assembling the circa-1920s and '30 displays every September and is ready to go by Thanksgiving.

    It gives everyone hope. They see the lights, make sure that the holiday is coming, Alice said. Theres so much going on in our world today, that maybe something a little stable thats been going on for years, put up in the same fashion, something to cling onto.

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    Festivities on foot: Take a walking tour of holiday windows - Buffalo News

    Will the Biden administration really look like America? – Politico

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    As candidates, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris promised an administration that looks like America. But theyre facing increasing pressure from interest groups that worry Biden and Harris wont follow through and deliver a historically diverse Cabinet and staff.

    In 2020, the bar for diversity has been raised well beyond the seven women and 10 nonwhite officials in President Barack Obamas first Cabinet, write POLITICOs Megan Cassella, Laura Barrn-Lpez and Alice Miranda Ollstein. So far, Bidens core White House team, including his chief of staff and key advisers, will be mostly white and male, and its not clear how many of his top picks for his Cabinet will be women or people of color though the Biden-Harris team says the administrations diversity will be clear once the transition process is complete.

    Biden has announced several historic picks, including the first female Treasury Secretary nominee, Janet Yellen; Avril Haines, who would be the first female director of national intelligence; and Neera Tanden, who would be the first woman of color to lead the Office of Management and Budget. This week, Biden also announced the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. But while the transition team touted the announcement, a debate has bubbled up about how groundbreaking the move really is. Some observers have pointed out that women have held prominent positions on President Donald Trumps communications team as well. Others worry not enough women will end up in higher-level decision-making roles, like Cabinet positions.

    The push for diversity and the limited number of top-tier slots is creating conflict. For example, the United States has never had a female Defense secretary, and many women in national security have strongly come out in favor of Michle Flournoy, a former Defense Department official in the Clinton and Obama administrations. At the same time, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been pressing Biden to appoint the first Black Defense secretary.

    We asked a group of women how pioneering the Biden-Harris picks so far have actually been and what kinds of choices Biden would have to make to have a truly diverse administration. Here are some highlights:

    The importance of visibility: Joe Biden is an older white man and will draw upon the social networks that he has to make decisions about his Cabinet positions and other appointments. To a certain extent, then, we should expect his cabinet picks to be reflective of this reality. I do, however, think it is important that women like Karine Jean-Pierre and Symone Sanders [two new members of the senior communications team] are in those positions because we have not seen Black women on our televisions and in our homes delivering important missives from the White House to the public on a regular basis. I think its also going to improve the ability of Black and other minority-serving news outlets to have access to the executive office. Niambi Michele Carter, associate professor of political science at Howard University and author of American While Black: African Americans, Immigration, and the Limits of Citizenship

    The incoming Biden-Harris administration knows that personnel is policy, that having women, people of color and LGBTQ people at the table improves not just our government but also its policies for the people the administration serves. I am encouraged by the early announcements including two queer women of color among the historic all-female White House communications senior staff and I hope to see more women and marginalized people in top-tier positions so we can repair the damage of the last administrations havoc on our rights. Jennifer Fiore, senior vice president for communications and marketing at the Human Rights Campaign

    The pressure is really on President-Elect Biden I think because as a nation we are more aware of the need for diversity than ever. He already smashed a formerly impenetrable glass ceiling by naming Kamala Harris his vice president, but most Americans want more than that. The all-female communications staff is good, but it is also a bit stereotypical that women excel in that field. ... If the Biden-Harris administration is to make good on its promise to appoint a cabinet that looks like America it must be considering qualified candidates of Native American ancestry, LGBTQ and non-binary individuals. I think that the criticism of a too-white Cabinet is positive because the administration is not complete yet, and it signals that there will be dissatisfaction until it is more diverse still. Nichola Gutgold, professor of communication arts and sciences at Pennsylvania State University and author of Still Paving the Way for Madam President

    Bidens victory would not have been possible without the efforts of people of color, especially women of color, in key states. It is important that he acknowledge that these underrepresented communities are heard by appointing people whose backgrounds and actions show an understanding of and care for how policy issues affect these groups and affirming that they deserve to be descriptively represented in how our government leads and functions. Christabel Cruz, director of NEW Leadership at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University

    MORE TRANSITION NEWS -- What a Joe Biden Cabinet Pick Might Mean for Native Americansand Democrats, via POLITICO Magazine ... The California Air Quality Guru Who Taught Business to Love the Environment, via POLITICO Magazine ... Biden unveils diverse economic team as challenges to economy grow, via POLITICO ... The quiet frontrunner: How Biden landed on Yellen for Treasury secretary, via POLITICO

    -- Inside the unlikely return of Jen Psaki, via POLITICO ... The Mastermind Behind Bidens No-Drama Approach to Trump, via The Atlantic ... Harris taps Tina Flournoy as chief of staff, via POLITICO ... New candidates for Agriculture secretary emerge as Biden faces pushback on Heitkamp, via POLITICO

    Happy Friday, and welcome back to Women Rule. Today is National Cookie Day! Many thanks to Elizabeth Ralph, who is off today but contributed items to the newsletter. Send tips and feedback to [emailprotected].

    MARK YOUR CALENDARS -- Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m. for the Women Rule event Powering Forward: The Year Ahead. Well talk to the women who have provided steady leadership and vision during a tumultuous year from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to Black Lives Matter founder Alicia Garza and discuss how they are looking to set the course in Washington, corporate America and activism in 2021. Register and see the awesome lineup here.

    NEW WOMEN RULE PODCAST -- This week on the podcast, Anna talks to Elizabeth and POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown about the strange year weve all lived through from the presidential election to the global pandemic the year ahead and what all of it means for women. Listen here.

    WOMEN AT THE TABLE -- Nasdaq proposes listing standards for boardroom diversity, by Kellie Mejdrich: Nasdaq has proposed new listing standards to require greater diversity on public company boards of directors and more disclosures related to the subject, according to an SEC filing on Tuesday by the stock exchange. After a phase-in period, the proposal would eventually require most companies listed with Nasdaq to have at least two board directors who self-identify as having diverse backgrounds: one female, another either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+, the exchange said in a news release.

    Nasdaq's move comes amid pressure from investors and advocates for more information on companies related to environmental, social, and governance issues. The exchange said in its proposal that was part of why it is seeking the changes. Nasdaq believes that the heightened focus on corporate board diversity by companies, investors, corporate governance organizations, and legislators demonstrates that investor confidence is enhanced when boardrooms are comprised of more than one demographic group, the exchange wrote. Nasdaq has also observed recent calls from SEC commissioners and investors for companies to provide more transparency regarding board diversity. ...

    Companies that cannot meet the new board member and reporting standards will face potential delisting, although that consequence can be avoided if they disclose why they aren't meeting the diversity objectives or if they nominate additional diverse candidates to their board to satisfy the requirements. POLITICO

    PANDEMIC LATEST -- Vaccines are on the way. What does that mean for pregnant people? by Chelsea Cirruzzo: Jaely Turner describes herself as covid-conscious and pro-vaccine. She and her young son are up-to-date on all of their shots. Turner wants to keep it that way. But, as the United States inches closer to making a coronavirus vaccine available to the public, Turner says she wont be rushing out the door to get it for herself. Thats because the Virginia-based doula is 10 weeks pregnant. I just have concerns about the safety of the vaccine long term and especially for myself as a pregnant and soon-to-be nursing woman, she says. I just am unsure of what the implications would be for me. And until she gets answers to her questions, she says, I feel inclined to wait it out until Im done nursing. ...

    None of the three companies that say theyve developed effective coronavirus vaccines enrolled pregnant or breastfeeding people in their clinical trials. And that means initial guidance on who should get vaccinated likely wont include pregnant people, public health experts say. Pregnant people have long been typically left out of major vaccine trials because of concerns that the women and their fetuses might face increased risk. That protocol has come into question in recent years as experts increasingly make the argument that leaving them out of trials puts them at greater risk. The Lily

    -- Pregnant health care workers a question for early Covid-19 immunization, via The 19th

    ON THE HILL -- Incoming GOP congresswoman to take aim at AOC with conservative squad, by Evan Semones: An incoming congresswoman on Sunday promised a conservative answer to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs socialist squad after a record number of Republican women were elected to serve in the House. Rep-elect Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) floated the idea during an interview on CNNs State of the Union, saying a natural alliance is occurring among members of the new freshman class of Republicans.

    I think what youre going to see is a group of individuals who are going to serve as a counterbalance to the values of the socialist squad, Malliotakis told CNNs Dana Bash. We dont believe we should be dismantling the economy. We dont believe we should be destroying free market principles. We dont believe in Green New Deal. We dont believe in packing the courts. POLITICO

    -- "House Democrats elect DeLauro as next House Appropriations chair," via POLITICO ... McMorris Rodgers will make history as first woman at top of Energy and Commerce, via POLITICO

    PHOTO OF THE WEEK: President-elect Joe Biden formally announced former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his pick to become the next Treasury secretary at the Queen Theater on Dec. 1, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to lead the department. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

    IN HEALTH -- Eight months into the pandemic, this womens health clinic in rural Texas struggles to meet demand for care, by Shannon Najmabadi: Women come from more than one hundred miles away to Building 35 in a red brick public housing project in rural Brown County, a housing unit turned health clinic where virtually every item, even the beige exam tables, is donated. The clinic is walk-in only no appointments a better bet for patients with unreliable transportation or unpredictable schedules. Without federal funds, Midway Family Planning in Central Texas would have shut its doors long ago, its director says, as state budget cuts dried up family planning dollars from the Gulf Coast to the Texas Panhandle. Instead, the nonprofit clinic has endured as a small health care lifeline, where low-income and uninsured Texans far from busy cities with many doctors can get free or low-cost contraceptives, cancer screenings and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

    This is what womens health care looks like in the rural heart of Texas, a state routinely ranked among the worst nationwide in health care access and where three-quarters of counties lack enough medical professionals. Lawmakers have increased funding for womens health in recent years, but there remain large swaths of the state where medical professionals are scarce and reliable internet is spotty and the gap between these health care have-nots and their urban counterparts has widened during the coronavirus pandemic.

    From the rural Panhandle to the U.S.-Mexico border, financial pressures and safety concerns have shuttered doctors offices, inundated health departments and pushed people living on slim margins into ever more precarious living situations. Some clinics have seen their office visits plummet, leaving experts to wonder if women are missing opportunities to catch potential health problems before they need serious treatment. Elsewhere, safety net providers like Midway have scrambled to see patients traveling further to get time-sensitive care, like birth control. The Texas Tribune

    AROUND THE WORLD -- Because Shes a Girl: Lockdown Exposes Gender Gap in U.K. Sports, via The New York Times ... In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020. And women have been impacted most, via CNN ... Saudi Arabia has dragged its imprisoned female activists back into court. How will Biden respond? via The Washington Post

    WOMEN AT WORK -- Black women dont get much startup funding. These founders are trying to change that, by Jazmin Goodwin: Although Black women are the fastest-growing group of female entrepreneurs in the United States, theyve long been slighted by startup investors and significantly under-funded. But in spite of the obstacles they face, these founders are forging ahead and continuing to thrive in their businesses. In fact, the number of Black women who have raised over $1 million in funding has more than doubled since 2018, according to ProjectDiane, a biennial report released Wednesday. The report, which tracks publicly-announced funding of Black and Latinx women-founded businesses, is compiled by digitalundivided, a nonprofit focused on supporting entrepreneurial women of color. It uses data from Crunchbase and Pitchbook to track crowdfunding, angel, seed and venture round investments. Its possible the data doesn't include some founders who are not listed in those databases or didn't disclose funding publicly.

    According to ProjectDiane, at the start of 2018, just 34 Black women had raised $1 million or more in outside investments for their businesses. But now, in data tracked through August 2020, more than 90 Black women have hit or exceeded that level. The numbers of Latinx women who've reached that milestone also grew quickly, although they remain incredibly underrepresented in VC circles, too. Still, its an impressive upswing that could signal a shift in a startup landscape largely dominated by White men.

    This milestone comes amid a backdrop of protests against systemic racism and an unprecedented push to support and buy from Black-owned businesses. Founders and advocates are hoping to build upon that momentum, but also wonder if the support being shown to Black-owned businesses, let alone those founded by Black women, is here to stay. CNN Business

    -- Group Seeking Equality for Women in Tech Raises $11 Million, via The New York Times ... Has Anything Changed for Black Women at Work? via Harvard Business Review

    HISTORY DEPT. -- In 1968, IBM fired Lynn Conway for being transgender. She finally got an apology, by Sydney Page: When Lynn Conway started her career as a computer scientist at IBM in 1964, she quickly became known within the company for her raw talent, working on a team to produce technologies that would shape how advanced computers operate. But Conway was riddled with anxiety and depression as she tried to shield her transgender identity while living as a man. At the time, she was 30 years old and married with two children. Four years later, Conway decided to begin her medical gender affirmation journey. When IBMs corporate management team heard of Conways intentions, the chief executive at the time, Thomas J. Watson Jr., quietly fired her.

    Conway, now 82, says she was crushed but that she ultimately understood. You cant change what happened, and in fact, if you look at what happened from all perspectives, it pretty much was the only thing that could have happened, said Conway. When you connect the dots, you see it as a sign of the times. Fifty-two years later, IBM has formally apologized to Conway. IBM is a very different company than it was back then, said Conway from her home in Michigan, where she lives with her husband, Charles Rogers, who is also a professional engineer.

    Last month, the company invited Conway to attend a virtual meeting with its employees. I wanted to say to you here today, Lynn, for that experience in our company 52 years ago and all the hardships that followed, I am truly sorry, said Diane Gherson, IBMs senior vice president of human resources, at the event. Were here today not only to celebrate you as a world-renowned innovator and IBM alum, but also to learn from you; and by doing so, create a more inclusive workplace and society, she continued. Conway says the apology and decades-delayed acknowledgment of her work was freeing, and that it provided her with a long-sought sense of closure. The Lily

    NEW RULES -- I stopped trying to control my body: the women who gave up grooming in 2020, via The Guardian

    BOOK CLUB -- Why Cant Women Be Serial Killers, Too? by Amy Silverberg: Chelsea G. Summerss debut, A Certain Hunger, opens in a hotel bar not unlike other hotel bars. They all look the same, Dorothy, a middle-aged food critic and our antiheroine, tells us. Hotel bars smell like class privilege, desperation and hope. Anti might be too weak of a prefix to describe this heroine: Shes more of an outright villain, a red-haired seductress in leagues culinary, homicidal traditionally dominated by men. As a woman psychopath, the white tiger of human psychological deviance, Dorothy says, I am a wonder, and I relish your awe.

    The man who approaches Dorothy in this particular hotel bar meets a violent and frankly grotesque end, and what follows is one of the most uniquely fun and campily gory books in my recent memory. Its apt that Dorothy once worked at a magazine called Noir, because A Certain Hunger has the voice of a hard-boiled detective novel, as if metaphor-happy Raymond Chandler handed the reins over to the sexed-up femme fatale and really let her fly.

    Is the voice inviting? Sure, as inviting as a kidnapper holding a knife to your throat and threatening, Dont move until Ive finished my story. The descriptions of violence and gourmet cuisine are so visceral that I felt alternatingly hungry and sick to my stomach. The writer Janet Fitch says the authors ultimate goal is to give readers a pleasurable inner conflict, wanting to turn the pages faster while also lingering on each beautifully written sentence. With Summerss writing, I kept rereading sentences only as a double take, whispering to myself, Man, this lady is screwed up which is, Id argue, its own kind of pleasure. The New York Times

    IN CULTURE -- Why These Women Are Crossing the Country By Motorcycle, via Cond Nast Traveler ... The Dangerous Blind Spot of The Undoing, via The Atlantic ... My Life in Different Decades, via The New Yorker ... Big Mouths Missy Finds Her Voice, via Vulture

    VIDEO -- Congress is running out of time to do its job

    WISDOM OF THE WEEK -- Iris Wilbur Glick, Vice President of Public Policy & External Affairs at the Greater Louisville Inc., The Metro Chamber of Commerce and Women in Government Relations 2020 Excellence in Advocacy for a Women Serving Women Campaign awardee: I often think of how I would handle a situation or take on a challenge if I could park any fears to the side. Over time, that perspective has strengthened my self-confidence in my abilities and helped me seize important opportunities for growth and advancement. What I have learned is that kind of assurance, paired with an eagerness for taking initiative, is necessary to reach the next level, especially since the kind of leadership roles I have sought were not achieved by me waiting to be told what to do. Connect with Iris here.

    The rest is here:
    Will the Biden administration really look like America? - Politico

    Highway 17, Huron Central Railway discussed as part of northern transportation plan – SooToday

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    'We continue to advocate, theres a lot of discussions being had,' said Ross Romano during today's announcement with Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney

    No less than four Ontario government cabinet ministers, including Sault MPP and Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano, announced a Transportation Plan for Northern Ontario via Zoom Thursday.

    What could be described as awork in progress, the plan includes more than 60 actions, including improvements to rest areas, expanding bus service and going ahead with highway widening projects on Highways 17 and 11, along with actions to make further progress on plans for passenger rail service in northern Ontario.

    Four-laning, or even widening, of Highway 17 east and north of the city is something Sault and area residents have wanted for years, and though some progress has been made, more is needed.

    So does the plan include that?

    That is a conversation certainly thats been had, and continues to be had. Wherever we can, we want to do anything in our power to support making our highways and roads safer, Romano said, replying to SooToday.

    We continue to advocate, theres a lot of discussions being had.

    Romano was joined Thursday by Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation; Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines; and Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

    Today is about a plan, replied Rickford, speaking to SooToday as a follow up to Romanos comment.

    Part of the problem weve had across northern Ontario for the previous 15 years is...frankly, weve had a highway, when it comes to twinning, thats been built by ad hocery, driven by political ideology or some interest in the prospects of politics. Its high time we just got a plan. And that plan has been put in place so that we can start to make sense to the people of northern Ontario that this highway, particularly 11 and 17, is a safe highway, and the most pressing and most substantial parts of it are twinned.

    I dont think theres any question that if you give this government an opportunity over the next decade, well see to it that significant parts of this road (is twinned), and Ive often felt the entire stretch at some point needs to be twinned. Nobody disputes that. You take a look at the map of across Canada, its the only section of the country where there is no twinned highway, so were going to continue to make sure that this is guided by plans, guided by safety sequencing, Rickford said.

    It (the plan announced Thursday) will evolve as we do more consultation, as we gather more feedback and questions like yours (regarding Highway 17 four-laning) are exactly to the point. Thisll be an opportunity to feed those kinds of needs into future action items in the plan, said Mulroney, also in reply to SooToday.

    Another element of the northern transportation plan that will be coming after todays announcement is were going to be putting together a task force of local transportation experts, Indigenous leaders, municipal leaders who can speak directly to the needs that theyre seeing on the ground that they need to be reflected in future versions of this plan.

    Its a living document, Mulroney said.

    As for parent company Genesee & Wyomings plans to stop Huron Central Railways short line freight rail operations eight days from now, Mulroney was asked by reporters what plans the province has to invest in rail infrastructure to keep the HCR running between the Sault and Sudbury, its operations crucial to local industries such as Algoma Steel.

    In September, Genesee & Wyoming stated it needs $44 million from the senior levels of government to upgrade the line, Dec. 18 being the last day of business for the line if that financial aid doesnt come through (with a local stakeholder committee working to keep the lines operations alive).

    Im well aware of the challenges theyre facing, Mulroney said, stating she and Romano had met with HCR pre-pandemic.

    Were continuing through MTO and my office to discuss the challenges theyre facing and Im trying to understand how we can support them...I know theres a tight timeline so were continuing to monitor the situation. We are aware this has important implications for Ross riding and for the region.

    Obviously, short line rail in northern Ontario is critical, its important, this is critical infrastructure and we want to make sure that we keep our short line rail operators and we make sure they're competitive, Romano said, adding the provinces plan includes sustaining short line rail operations in northern Ontario.

    Romano drew attention to recent provincial Connecting Links funding which led to Black Road widening and work performed on Trunk Road.

    There wasnt even a sidewalk on the side of the road (Black Road) and youre walking along a single lane of traffic with transports buzzing by you that are traveling across this country, and for that link we were able to secure three million dollars, the maximum allowable amount under Connecting Links funding for the Black Road expansion...and then we got three million dollars for the Trunk Road expansion, Romano said, thanking Mulroney and her Ministry for those investments.

    Right now the focal point in terms of the current here and now announcements is that six million dollars worth of Connecting Links funding that youve seen over the last few years, Romano said.

    Go here to read the rest:
    Highway 17, Huron Central Railway discussed as part of northern transportation plan - SooToday

    Not Everybody Can be a Cheerleader – Splice Today

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Were all fundamentally the same. We want quiet enjoyment, mobility, access to technology, an education that wont turn us into indentured servants, and the opportunity to find a job that isnt overly dreadful. We want to live reasonably well in the time we have. And were not afraid to work hard to earn that living. But we also want serious men and women in power making good decisions. We want to feel theres still a semblance of justice and decorum in the country and that were being represented. We all generally agree on this no matter our ethnicity or our politics, but even Democrats dont agree on Joe Biden.

    Were facing social entropy, an economic prison, federal dysfunction, continued pandemic, people chosen not for their skill but for their capacity to be inoffensive, and endless identity strife. Biden didnt create these things, but he rode them to power. And his transition choices are making us wonder whether theyre firmly on the docket for the next four years. We wonder whether hes deliberately and unnecessarilytrolling the rightand mollifying the left with his cabinet picks instead of choosing people who will do the best job possible.

    It seems like Bidens still campaigning at full velocity, not for the presidency but for influence over an increasingly divisive Democratic party no longer united by the threat of a second Trump Administration. And no matter who comes out on top in that struggle, we worry that the country will not be governed well (or at all) and that most Americans will continue to suffer. At this point, those of us who voted for Biden have to answer a hard question. Our real vote was actually not Trump. But what did we votefor? Whatever it is, were about to get it.

    We knew this would happen. It always does when threats external to the polis are finally neutralized and the aristocrats turn back to their internecine rivalries and power games. Its a pattern that unfolds in every political culture to the extent that its almost a given. Only, in our present situation, the nobles, at least on the left, are ideologically-driven identity groups, each convinced that their time has now come and that Biden owes them royal favors.

    They might be right. But the president-elect has no doubt already discovered that one cant be all things to all people all the time. Hes inevitably making some happy, while others feel rejected and betrayed. As a philosophy student once said to me in Prague, In Europe, weve always known: not everyone can be a cheerleader. Not everyone gets picked for the squad. Not everyone gets paid (or paid off) for ones efforts. Not everyone gets appointed consul, even if Incitatus just got the job. Some kids end up going home, dying their hair black, and practicing viola on game nights. Others have to wait until they can try out again. Still others wind up unjustly short-changed forever, whether they have it coming it or not. It all depends. Ask Alexander Vindman. Then ask Michael Cohen. Then ask Michael Flynn.

    But the American people knowjust as Biden must knowthe extent to which social inequality and ethnicity play into every political decision such that the issue of racism remains influential in the United States. For all of Trumps offensive campaign race-baiting, Biden has been the primary beneficiary. The political and social divisions in America have recently made a lot of people money and put others in the poorhousea new mode of class mobility that giveth livelihoods and taketh them away, depending on who gets called out and by whom. One could look at that and reasonably argue that those forces would inevitably elevate any Democratic candidate following a Republican administration like Trumps. But not without incurring certain political obligations.

    Playing on social perceptions of race and class will probably keep benefitting people until the country calms down and focuses on other ways of making itself miserable. TheOverton Windowkeeps shifting. In four years, well still be screaming about race. But whos making money off that screaming and whether theyre doing it from under a bridge, from Capitol Hill, or from a podium in a newly built University of California lecture hall remains an open question.

    No one seriously doubts the fact that race and class have always been conflated in the American political imagination, but issues of racial identity have become so fraught in recent years, especially during Trumps tenure, that we often see politicians speak of one in terms of the other. For example, Marco Rubiorecently describedBidens cabinet picks as people who went to Ivy League schools, have strong resumes, attend all the right conferences & will be polite & orderly caretakers of Americas decline." He doesnt mention the transition teams intense focus on the skin color of potential nominees, but theres a strong anti-political-correctness subtext to his language verging on a dog whistle.

    At a recent press conference, Biden promised significant diversity in high profile positions, while refusing to give specifics or names. Still, regarding the positions of secretary of state, treasury secretary, defense secretary, and attorney general, CNNquotesan anonymous source familiar with the transition discussions admitting that They're absolutely not going to have the top four Cabinet positions be white. Absolutely not. That would be anathema.

    Many Republicans must feel less than delighted about admissions like this. But as the same CNN article notes, The bar to meet both the ideological and diversity goals is high. And Biden's concerns about plucking too many Democratic members from the Housenow that his party has a more narrow majorityhave complicated the conundrum. Its no doubt very difficult to placate the implacable, especially when theyve got a political hook in you and feel that they were instrumental in your rise to power. Itll be entertaining to watch what happens. Itll be less entertaining to see it happen in a way that results in further national disintegration.

    Originally posted here:
    Not Everybody Can be a Cheerleader - Splice Today

    Mother killed in crash one month after 12-year-old son gunned down – Yahoo News

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    National Review

    Attorney General William Barr has known about investigations into Hunter Bidens business and financial dealings since at least spring, but tried to conceal the investigations from the public during the presidential election, according to a new report.One investigation surfaced this week after federal investigators served Hunter Biden with a subpoena seeking financial information in connection with a criminal tax investigation by the U.S. attorneys office in Delaware, according to the Wall Street Journal.Federal prosecutors in Manhattan also scrutinized Bidens business and financial dealings in connection with a broader international financial investigation that has been ongoing for a year, according to the Journal. While Biden is implicated in that investigation, he was not a specific target for criminal prosecution.Neither investigation implicates President-elect Joe Biden."I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs," Hunter Biden said in a statement Wednesday. "I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors."Barr did not budge under pressure from Congressional Republicans who pressed him for more information into the investigations. Investigators worked to keep the cases out of the public eye ahead of the November election, in line with Justice Department guidelines, concerned about the impact their work could have on its outcome, sources told the Journal.Trump on Thursday criticized the Fake News Media, the FBI and the DOJ in a tweet, asking why they did not report the Biden matter BEFORE the Election.In the weeks before the election, a number of Republicans issued calls to investigate Hunter Biden, particularly after a Republican Senate investigation in September released a report on the younger Bidens finances and overseas business interests.Ranking member of the House Judiciary panel Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) wrote to Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray asking what the FBI had done to investigate the explosive report.A number of Republicans in Congress pressed Barr on October 19 to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and his father, demanding that Barr issue a response within five days.Investigators began looking into Hunter Biden following reports of suspicious activity filed by a bank that handled foreign transactions related to him, according to the Journal.Biden previously sat on the board of Ukranian gas company Burisma Holdings, where he made $50,000 per month for his work until April 2019. He also served as an advisor to China CEFC Energy Co. to the companys dealings in Europe and the Middle East.in 2017 he was a shareholder in a venture with the Chinese company while it looked to gain a foothold in the U.S.. That joint venture never took off, but the Senate Republican report found that an entity linked to CEFC paid Biden's law firm millions of dollars for legal and advisory work.The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office began investigating CEFC's activity as part of a corruption case that resulted in the conviction of a former Hong Kong official in 2018. The official was charged with bribing African officials for CEFC's benefit. The company was not charged.President-elect Biden said in a statement Wednesday after news of the tax investigation broke that he is proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.

    View post:
    Mother killed in crash one month after 12-year-old son gunned down - Yahoo News

    What to do with the 4th pick in a fantasy basketball draft – Yahoo! Voices

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    GlobeNewswire

    2020 SIM Connect Live - Powered by HMG Strategy Join the top CIOs and technology executives from around the world as we explore the CIO's role in fostering radical business innovation and cultural change on the road to 2021 and beyond. WESTPORT, Conn., Dec. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HMG Strategy, the world's 1 digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world, will host the 2020 SIM Connect Live conference for the first time ever on December 15. With 40 chapters across the U.S. and around the world, the Society for Information Management (SIM) is the worlds premier networking organization for IT leaders. The event has already generated more than 500 registrants from around the world with technology executives continuing to flood in to join the event. Click here to learn more about the event and to register.HMG Strategy has produced more than 100 digital events since March, bringing together the worlds most distinguished and innovative technology leaders to discuss the most pressing leadership, strategic, cultural, technological and career challenges facing technology executives now and into the future.HMG Strategy President and CEO Hunter Muller and SIM International CEO Mark Taylor will lead an engaging discussion throughout the event on matters critical to enterprise success and career ascent. Topics technology leaders will be discussing at the event include fostering radical business innovation and cultural change across the organization, preparing your company to grow and thrive into 2021 and beyond, and how to cultivate digital innovation securely.We are incredibly excited for the opportunity to host the 2020 SIM Connect Live conference, said Hunter Muller, President and CEO of HMG Strategy. We work closely with SIM leaders from all over the U.S. every day and their experiences provide invaluable insight into the top leadership challenges that technology executives are facing and the future of the industry. This is a cant-miss event.Notable technology executives speaking at the 2020 SIM Connect Live conference on December 15 include: * Julia Anderson, Global CIO, Smithfield Foods * Dr. David Bray, Inaugural Director, Global GeoTech Center & Commission, Atlantic Council * Wayne Bulmahn, Chief Information Officer/Security Officer, UNITE HERE HEALTH * Chris Gates, Group CIO and SVP Hosting Services, Allstate * Melissa Hohauser, SVP, IT Director, Servicing and Ops, TCF Bank * Jeanette Horan, Experienced Board Member and Strategic Advisor * Rodney Kenyon, GVP, Global Oracle Applications Support, Rimini Street * Susan Malisch, VP & CIO, Loyola University Chicago * Quintin McGrath, Senior Managing Director, Technology Management & Enablement, Global Technology Services, Deloitte * Mark Polansky, Senior Partner, Technology Officers Practice, Korn Ferry * John Repko, EVP & CIO, AIG * Rafael A. Sanchez, CIO, Feld Entertainment, Inc. * Marcus Session, President, SIM Tampa Bay; VP of IT Services, Tampa International Airport * Scott Strickland, EVP & CIO, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts * Mark Taylor, CEO, Society for Information Management Valued partners for the 2020 SIM Connect Live on December 12 will include Appian, Aryaka, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, Globant, Obsidian, PagerDuty, Rimini Street, the Society for Information Management, Sonatype, Tessian, and Tanium.To learn more about 2020 SIM Connect Live and to register for the event, click here.To learn more about HMG Strategys upcoming CIO & CISO summits, click here.UPCOMING WEBINARS & DIGITAL ROUNDTABLESHMG Strategy has also received exceptional interest in its webinars through the strength of the 400,000+ technology executives in its community and the quality of the content it delivers. HMG Strategy has scheduled multiple 30-to-60-minute webinars over the next few months with an arsenal of innovative technology companies such as Citrix, Darktrace, HCL Technologies, Ivanti, Moveworks, Nutanix, Okta, OutSystems, PagerDuty, RangeForce, RingCentral, UiPath, Zoom, Zscaler, and Zylo.On December 16th, HMG Strategy will host two separate webinars powered by Zoom. The first, Forward Thinking on the Future Digital Workplace, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, will focus on how CIOs and technology executives must focus on what the future of work will look like and how they can best position their companies and team members to remain engaged and productive for the long haul.To learn more about this webinar and to register for the event, click here.At 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT that same day, HMG Strategy will also host a webinar powered by Zoom entitled Protecting the Hybrid Enterprise. In this event, which is tailored for CISOs and security leaders, top security executives will share the steps theyre taking to protect the enterprise as their organizations shift to hybrid work models. These issues include security associated with remote staff bringing unsecured personal devices into the office as well as securing data properly as employees repeatedly transition between in-office and remote workspaces.To learn more about this webinar and to register for the event, click here.Click here to view HMG Strategys complete calendar of upcoming and on-demand webinars.Connecting Enterprise Technology Buyers with the Right VendorsIn the absence of large, national conferences or trade shows, CIOs and technology executives are seeking new ways to connect with their peers and find new business partners to help them drive innovation that can enable their companies to survive and grow.Meanwhile, sales and marketing professionals at enterprise technology companies are looking for successful ways to engage with senior technology leaders and target accounts. HMG Strategy has harmonized these interests by creating the HMG Marketplace.HMG Strategys high-powered Marketplace transforms the time-consuming request-for-information (RFI) process for CIOs and other technology buyers. Now, technology buyers can indicate the types of technologies and services theyre currently interested in and be matched with a prospective provider to make the connection.The HMG Marketplace essentially serves as a reference center to connect the right technology buyers with the right technology providers at the right time, said Hunter Muller, President and CEO of HMG Strategy. By filling out a short needs assessment survey, CIO, CTOs and other technology executives are connected with executive leaders and subject matter experts from technology companies to have focused, relevant discussions.Charter members that are actively participating in the HMG Marketplace include Appian, Aryaka, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, Globant, Ivanti, Obsidian Security, PagerDuty, Slack, Sonatype, Tanium and Tessian.Its challenging for all of us that we cant all be together at these events, says Nicole Eagan, Chief Strategy & AI Officer at Darktrace. But the next best thing is being able to connect through the Marketplace. Were committed that you wont be meeting with a salesperson youll be meeting with myself and the Darktrace executive team. Youve got CIOs and CISOs who will attend these meetings and we would love the opportunity to catch up and strategize together.How it WorksAfter attending an HMG Strategy Executive Leadership Summit, an attendee is redirected to the HMG Marketplace, where they are prompted to fill out a short needs analysis survey to indicate their current technology needs. From there, an HMG Strategy customer relationship specialist evaluates the survey information and schedules a meeting between the technology buyer and the most suitable technology partner in the Marketplace based on the buyers interests.While in the Marketplace, the technology buyer is presented with a menu of options to choose from, including an option to view customer testimonials for that vendor and the business problem that was addressed. Sponsor partners receive highly qualified leads because of the strength of relationships inherent in the HMG network combined with the specific technology or service interest indicated by the buyer.The HMG Marketplace offers multiple benefits to both technology buyers and vendors: * Precision matching of buyer needs with vendor capabilities -- Enterprise buyers can fill out a short needs analysis survey that is used by HMG Strategys Customer Relationship Management team to identify the vendor thats best suited to address their requirements. * Accelerates the sales process for both buyers and sellers - Buyers and sellers quickly identify one another through the needs analysis process and associated reference materials * Ensures Quality Discussions CIOs, CTOs, CISOs and other technology buyers are qualified based on their true interest and by a set of characteristics (size, industry, types of technology/service interests, spend parameters, etc.). Buyers are paired with technology suppliers based on their domains and areas of expertise to avoid wasting time * Drives Higher Conversion and Close Rates for Providers The HMG Marketplace accelerates high-quality deal flow in challenging times and enables technology providers to lower their customer acquisition costsTo learn more about the HMG Marketplace and explore the digital assets that are available there, click here.About HMG StrategyHMG Strategy is the world's leading digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world. Our regional and virtual CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Series, authored books and Digital Resource Center deliver unique, peer-driven research from CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and technology executives on leadership, innovation, transformation and career ascent. HMG Strategy also produces the HMG Security Innovation Accelerator Panel, a new webinar series thats designed to connect enterprise CISOs and security leaders with the most innovative cybersecurity companies from across the world.The HMG Strategy global network consists of over 400,000 senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders.To learn more about the 7 Pillars of Trust for HMG Strategy's unique business model, click here.HMG Strategy: Your 1 Trusted Digital Platform Connecting Technology Executives to Reimagine the Enterprise and Reshape the Business World.A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/17779d3e-a481-401f-a61f-464e73eeb43f CONTACT: Tom Hoffman 203-221-2702 TomHoffman@hmgstrategy.com

    Here is the original post:
    What to do with the 4th pick in a fantasy basketball draft - Yahoo! Voices

    Herman: 40 years of painting holiday decorations on windows – Austin American-Statesman

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Ken Herman|Austin American-Statesman

    An email with a good opening line is sure to capture my attention. Heres a recent one:

    Howdy Herman. This is the bull sperm muralist with another idea for an article.

    I like a good mural. And Im always looking for good ideas to write about. And, though Im not an expert, I have reason to believe bull sperm somehow is important in the bovine cycle of life.

    The electronic missive came from Tom Besson, an artist I wrote about in 2017 when he completed a fabulous mural celebrating the history of Elgin Breeding Service, a Central Texas business that collects and sells frozen bull semen.

    Thats right. Frozen bull semen. You got a problem with that? You think you can get frozen bull semen via Amazon? I typed in frozen bull semen and the first four results were for a masters thesis about Norwegian Red Bull semen, flea pills for dogs, an energy drink and a box of staples.

    But Besson didnt want to talk about frozen bull semen. Pity. He wanted to talk about the festive holiday season.

    My family and I have a 40-plus-year history of painting Christmas windows at Austins car dealers, Besson, who also goes by Snap P, told me. It started in the mid-70s when many car dealers were in downtown Austin and no one had to beg that we keep Austin weird because that was its natural state.

    Weird, yes. And often unbound by traditional notions of taste and standards. Oh, Snap P, please do regale us with tales of car dealer holiday art of yesteryear.

    The bean counters had not yet overtaken the world and the sales managers had a free hand, he said, recalling a downtown dealership that was OK with Bessons interpretation of a band of hippies dancing around a bonfire whose flames became a 20-foot-tall dancing naked woman.

    Yes, that says festive holiday season. To somebody.

    At a truck dealer, Besson, 69, once painted a New Years artwork featuring an outgoing-year grim reaper that was so scary they had to call me to change it because the grade-school kids on the bus started crying when they rode by.

    Yes, what says festive holiday season more than crying kids on a school bus?

    Thats all in the past, Besson said as he fondly recalled the last of the halcyon days of hippie Austin and cheap rent.

    I recently caught up with him as he, with wife Beth Rolingson and son Pascha, were doing the windows at Leif Johnson Ford on East Koenig Lane. Fairly standard holiday fare was going up there, but Besson fondly remembered when lots of unstandard holiday fare went up on the windows.

    It just depended on the personality of the sales manager and general manager, he said. Back in the old days, those people had more freedom to do what they wanted. Austin was a weird city. They accepted strange things.

    Maybe even expected them, especially when Besson was hired. From his website bio: My work is born of some strange marriage of Paganism and Roman Catholicism, substituting the juxtaposition of evil and good with the mundane and the inspirational.

    Reality, it says, comes with such limitations.

    So true.

    Besson says he generally doesnt get specific painting orders from his customers. Wife Beth immediately recalled that the problem with Christmas windows sometimes is Christmas. As youve perhaps heard, the word has become somewhat controversial. Besson told me that last year they had to scrape Merry Christmas off the window of a customer who didnt think it was a good idea.

    You also can go wrong by excluding Christmas.

    Someone came up to us telling us she was offended by our message, Besson reports. We had painted Happy Holidays and she said we were taking Christ out of Christmas. I gave her a little history of Christianity usurping the pagan holidays but this failed to appease her.

    Surprising.

    Images also cause controversy. Rolingson recalled a window on which they painted gnomes headed to a bonfire and carrying lit torches.

    So,Besson said, youve got these torches in their hands and youve got this 10-foot figure and the people say, What in the hell are those torches for? Thats not very Christmasy. So you think, Damn, I dont want to have to scrape that stuff off. So, quickly, theyre holding bells!

    Some customers offer general instructions on whether they prefer religious or secular.

    I tell them, Well, if I put anything religious up there its so damn pagan nobody will recognize it anyway, Besson said.

    Later that day, he sent me another email, this one devoid of frozen bull semen references. I read it anyway.

    Do we do what we want or ask the client what they want? Besson wrote. For the most part we do what we want but across the years we have learned what we will be asked to scrape off and repaint.

    A few years back, he painted what he called a beautiful winter scene with snow cranes on a winter lake on the windows of a Japanese vehicle dealership.

    We were told it wouldn't do as it looked too Japanese, he said. It was scraped and repainted into the more mundane, resisting a mischievous notion to replace it with a Pearl Harbor scene. That would have been wrong.

    Though it wasn't a Christmas window, Besson told me of another painting, one of our saddest scrape and repaints was a kneeling 10-foot Jimi Hendrix with his guitar aflame and with the hand of God passing him a joint from the heavens.

    This years whimsical, yet pandemic-appropriate offerings include one on a medical facility showing a stethoscope-wielding nurse/angel.

    Despite having to learn to live with periodic rejection, Besson enjoys window art.

    Like most artists, I enjoy working at a large scale but find that large-scale work is hard to sell and very hard to store, he told me. Window work, which lies somewhere between art and cartooning, allows me to draw big and get paid for it. And the whole family gets to color for a living, at least for awhile.

    And, because some things and people in Austin still are weird, sometimes the family gets to color outside the lines. No bull.

    More here:
    Herman: 40 years of painting holiday decorations on windows - Austin American-Statesman

    49 cases of fallen windows reported in first 11 months of 2020 but no injuries: BCA – The Straits Times

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    SINGAPORE - There were 49 cases of fallen windows across Singapore from January to November this year, but no one was injured, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Friday (Dec 11).

    The majority of them, 32 cases, involved casement windows, while 16 were fallen sliding windows, and one case of louvre windows.

    "There were no injuries from the cases reported," said the BCA in a press release.

    The agency said investigations showed that the key causes of fallen casement windows included windows that were found fitted with aluminium rivets which had corroded.

    "Corrosion compromises the strength of the rivets, rendering it unable to hold the casement window panels firmly in place," said BCA.

    Since 2004, BCA has been issuing retrofitting orders requiring home owners to replace all aluminium rivets with stainless steel ones.

    Home owners can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed up to six monthsfor failing to carry out the replacements.

    For sliding windows, a key cause is the lack of proper safety stoppers and angle strips to keep the window panels within the tracks, said BCA.

    "Sliding window panels without these safety features in place detached and fell when homeowners applied excessive outward force in opening or closing the windows," BCA explained.

    It added that home owners should ensure that the safety features are in place, and also replace any worn-out ones.

    If a window falls due to lack of maintenance, home owners can be fined up to $10,000, jailed up to one year, or both, said the agency.

    Since 2006, 378 people have been fined and 92 people were prosecuted for fallen windows, said BCA.

    BCA's facade engineering and technology department director, Mr Lee Chee Weye, said: "Over the past few years, the number of fallen window cases we see yearly remains at about 50 cases. While there has not been an increase in numbers, there has also not been any improvement.

    "The risk of injury from falling windows is high and is not a trivial matter. All home owners and occupants can play a part to mitigate this risk by checking and maintaining their windows regularly. Together, we can keep our community safe."

    BCA added thathome owners can prevent falling windows by checking and maintaining their windows at least once every six months.

    For casement windows, check that fasteners are not rusty or loose, and clean and oil the joints or moving parts. All aluminium rivets should also be changed to stainless steel ones by an approved window contractor.

    For sliding windows, check that safety stoppers and angle strips are in their proper places, and change those that are worn out. The tracks also have to be cleaned so that window panels can slide smoothly.

    Read the original:
    49 cases of fallen windows reported in first 11 months of 2020 but no injuries: BCA - The Straits Times

    Tankless toilets save even more water than low-flow toilets – Calgary Herald

    - December 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Following the eco-efficient low-flow toilet comes the commode a la mode, the tankless toilet. A space-saving bathroom fixture that uses even less water than its two-button flush predecessor.

    Unlike traditional toilets that rely on gravity to get the job done, tankless models have a valve that brings water from the supply line in at a higher pressure. This also means the bowl refills quickly between flushes. Used in commercial settings for decades, the modern esthetics and water-saving properties of tankless loos are now becoming popular in single and multi-family applications.

    Homeowners flush with cash can also consider the aptly named performance toilet, a multi-functional privy that starts at the $1,000 mark. These high-tech toilets have heated seats, dryer and bidet functionality, complete with hands-free flushing. Some will even freshen the air.

    Another innovation is the Sanicompact, by toilet maker Saniflo, which not only saves space and water, it also doesnt require a hole in the floor. No flange to leak, no bolts to rust, no concrete or tile floor to break. It requires a connection to existing plumbing and an electrical outlet, preferably a ground fault circuit interrupter plug.

    An ideal solution for renovations, basement developments or anywhere a convenience is required, the tankless Sanicompact is a self-contained macerating toilet. Contents are liquefied and pumped to the nearest stack, sewer line or septic system, whether its above, below or horizontal to the toilets location, to a maximum distance of 25 feet.

    Theyre easy to install and can save the average household as much as 52,000 litres of water a year. The Sanicompact is available at major home improvement stores in Canada.

    See the article here:
    Tankless toilets save even more water than low-flow toilets - Calgary Herald

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