The Fox Runner Newsletter MARCH / APRIL 2016
Volume 1. 16
www.thefoxrunner.com email: thefoxrunner@yahoo.com SERVING THE PARKFARM COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 The Parkfarm Housing Co-operative Housing Newsletter is issued 7 times per year.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, JANUARY/FEBRUARY, MARCH/APRIL, MAY/JUNE, JULY/AUGUST and a SUMMER ISSUE
NEWS FROM THE EDITOR Jay Jamwant
I am pleased that we finally managed to put together this edition of the Newsletter. It was not a matter of my effort or time but it was a lack of contribution of articles that we missed the previous 2 editions. Anyways let’s hope we can move forward from here. This will be my last edition as editor so please look forward to the next edition where your new editor will be introduced. It is a worthwhile opportunity to be able to work with the team and compile this mouthpiece of the co-op every other month. It is not rocket science and nearly every family have a person who can be an editor. It takes a lot of time and effort, though. As part of our residency agreement we ALL signed to participate in co-op activities. Newsletter committee is a good option if you don’t like to be visible in communal activities. I took on the role in the newsletter committee to help make it better, not to make it a full time job. It is time to move on and experience another aspect of community service. I DO NOT subscribe to the notion that if someone is a good worker in an area that they should be stuck there. That’s unfair and will only go so far until they get fedup! We should all make efforts in volunteering at various entities of the co-op, including an opportunity at being a member of the board. I really do feel that any new member of the board should be nominated from someone who shows keen interest in volunteering.….it may encourage more participation. So much for my ranting! Well old man winter has turned the corner. The birds are disturbing my
morning sleep, days getting longer and warmer temps are somewhere in the forecast. Spring is here and the spring cleaning begins. Let’s make this co-op cleaner, tidier and brighter this year. Take time to clean not only in your house but around your house and even in common areas of the community. Let’s all come together and clean up ParkFarm Co-op neighbourhood. Please read inside this issue for another superb article about you and your health by Maria Bates. Catch up with the times with Adrian’s “Something to Think About”. Val, has her calendar for the month and some info from Life Corp. I also added some info from around the town of Richmond Hill. We are looking for new members to join our newsletter team. It is an exciting group, where you can put your creative skills to work. I am still a part of the production team. We need members who can submit articles regarding technology, activities around the town, helpful hints, puzzles and activities or anything creative you can offer. Contact information is at the back of this newsletter and we will be glad to hear from you. We are a family newsletter after all. Please email us at thefoxrunner@yahoo.com See you on cleanup day ….. Best regards,
Jay Jamwant Editor
COOKING WITH JOANNE Here are lunchbox superfoods that are easy to include: (Extracted from the internet by the Editor) By Joanne Murak
Finger Licking good recipes…
STICKY HONEY GARLIC WINGS I will never fry wings again. Sweet and gooey wings… baking these wings are also less fattening!!! Ingredients 24 split chicken wings ¾ cup packed brown sugar 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root 2 ½ cups water 5 tbsp. honey ¼ low salt soy sauce 3 tbsp. corn starch ¾ cup water
Yoghurt – Active live cultures promote a healthy digestion and help ward off viruses and infections by boosting their immunity. Protein, carbohydrate, calcium and B vitamins make yoghurt a great lunchbox filler. Choose wisely though and go for a greek style, low sugar version rather than dairy desserts that are marketed towards children. These don’t offer much benefit at all. Tomatoes – Rich in lycopene, vitamin C, E and beta carotene (all great antioxidants) tomatoes are easy to include on a sandwich, baked in a savoury meal or just cherry tomatoes on their own. Blueberries – A great source of vitamin C, dietary fibre and super high in antioxidants, the blueberry falls into the low G.I. category (which measures how quickly carbs are released into the body as energy) which maintains stable blood sugar levels.
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Arrange wings on a baking sheet, bake until crisp (35 to 40 min) 3. Transfer the wings to a baking dish. 4. Mix together the brown sugar, garlic, ginger, 2 ½ cups water, honey and soy sauce. 5. In a sauce pan over med heat bring ingredients to a boil. Whisk together the 6. cornstarch and ¾ cup water in a small bowl; stir in the sauce mixture until thickened. 7. Pour over the chicken wings to coat. 8. Return wings to oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the chicken is no 9. longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear (15 to 20 min) Serve hot soooo yummy !!!!
Wholegrains – Protein for body building, carbs for energy, fiber for a healthy digestion and essential fats, vitamins and minerals…what a wrap! Wholegrains offer a slow release of energy which is great for kids to sustain their levels throughout the day. Bake low sugar oat cookies, serve wholemeal bread for sandwiches and SunRice rice cakes with honey or avocado as a great pre-sport snack. Eggs – Terrific brain food for children, eggs are high in protein (memory and concentration levels) and lecithin which encourages the speedy transfer of body fats into energy. They are quick, easy and have their own natural casing. Egg on wholemeal, a boiled egg or included in bakes such as a zucchini slice are ways to embrace the egg. Avocado – Full of good fats, avocado’s are full of fibre which helps stabilise blood sugars while vitamin E protects cells against free radicals. Try as an alternative to butter on sandwiches or mash and store in a container as a dip with wholegrain crackers.
Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs INGREDIENTS 1 (2- to 2 1/2-lb) skinless salmon fillet Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper ¼ cup good olive oil 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice ½ cup minced scallions, white and green parts (4 scallions) ½ cup minced fresh dill ½ cup minced fresh parsley ¼ cup dry white wine Lemon wedges, for serving
Sesame bars These delicious sesame bars are great little snacks for the pantry and highly nutritious. They are full of honey, peanut butter and raisins.
ingredients DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. 2. Place the salmon fillet in a glass, ceramic, or stainlesssteel roasting dish and season it generously with salt and pepper. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle the mixture evenly over the salmon. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. 3. In a small bowl, stir together the scallions, dill, and parsley. Scatter the herb mixture over the salmon fillet, turning it so that both sides are generously coated with the green herbs. Pour the wine around the fish fillet. 4. Roast the salmon for 10 to 12 minutes, until almost cooked in the center at the thickest part. The center will be firm with just a line of uncooked salmon in the very center. (I peek by inserting the tip of a small knife.) Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut the salmon crosswise into serving pieces and serve hot with lemon wedges. (Extracted from the internet by the editor)
Read more at http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/roastedsalmon-with-green-herbs/18111/#THhKLHkgkVefYqm3.99
6 tbsp honey 1/3 cup peanut butter 1/2 cups powdered milk 1 cup shredded coconut 1/3 cup chopped raisins 1 cup sesame seeds
directions In a small saucepan, over a low heat, warm the honey and peanut butter until combined. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Add the honey mixture to the rest of the ingredients and combine. Line a slice tin with baking paper and press the mixture in firmly and press with the back of a metal spoon. Refrigerate and when firm, cut into squares.
If You Don’t Smoke...That’s Great! But with more and more smokers outside you should know these:
Important Facts about Second and Third-Hand Smoke Second-hand smoke is what smokers breathe out or the smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe or cigar. No amount of second-hand smoke is safe. Many of us breathe in second-hand smoke in public places, such as around doorways of dwellings and buildings, on patios and walking on the street. When you are near someone who’s smoking, you and everyone else around them are smoking too. Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke take in the same harmful toxic chemicals as smokers. Studies show that even low levels of second-hand smoke exposure can be harmful. Every year, more than 1,100 Canadians who don’t smoke will die from second-hand smoke.
(source: Canadian Cancer Society)
Third-hand Smoke Every time a person smokes, the toxic chemicals from the smoke gets into everything around them, including their clothing, dust, carpets, furniture, curtains, and other objects. The chemicals that stay around after the cigarette is out are referred to as third-hand smoke. The chemicals from third-hand smoke also pollute the air and get into your lungs and body. Second and third-hand smoke is more concentrated inside the small space of a car. This makes it more dangerous. The toxic chemicals remain in the car, even when tobacco is no longer burning.
Important Facts to Remember:
There is NO risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke.
Second-hand smoke exposure can cause disease including lung, throat and voice box (laryngeal) cancers and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke.
Second-hand smoke can make allergies or breathing problems (like asthma) worse. It can also make a non-smoker congested, cause coughing and irritate their skin, eyes, nose and throat.
Second-hand smoke contains thousands of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.
Second-hand smoke is a cause of heart attacks, and research has concluded that even relatively brief exposure could trigger a heart attack or stroke.
Second-hand smoke is especially harmful to children because they breathe faster than adults so they breathe in more of the harmful chemicals from the secondhand smoke. Plus, their immune systems are less developed than adults, so they are more likely to get sick.
During smoke they hand tar and
pregnancy, several chemicals in second-hand can pass into the baby’s blood and affect how develop. When a mother breathes in secondsmoke, some of the toxic chemicals (such as nicotine) pass directly into breast milk.
Approximately 50-75 percent of children have detectable levels of cotinine, (the breakdown product of nicotine), in the blood as a result of breathing in second-hand smoke.
Compared to children of non-smokers, children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to suffer from: coughing and wheezing painful ear infections asthma and other breathing problems bronchitis, croup and pneumonia sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Did You Know…
Second-hand smoke may even harm your child’s ability to read and do math. Children exposed to second-hand smoke tend to do less well in school than children from smoke-free homes.
Third-hand smoke is also harmful to babies. Babies crawl or play on the floor and put things in their mouths. This means they take in more dust than adults, so they’re exposed to more third-hand smoke.
Even your pets are affected by second-hand smoke. Secondhand smoke has been linked to several types of cancer in dogs, cats and birds. Pets are more likely to develop cancer and other health problems when exposed to second-hand smoke.
Third-hand smoke is dangerous for pets too. Dogs and cats lick third-hand smoke from their fur when they groom themselves. Birds also take in these toxic chemicals when they pick through their feathers.
February is HEART HEALTH Month Know the signs of heart attack and stroke Being able to recognize the signs of heart attack and stroke could save your life. Every minute counts during the onset of a heart attack or stroke—the faster you receive medical treatment, the more likely you are to survive and the better your chances of a more complete recovery.
Signs of Heart Attack:
Chest discomfort (uncomfortable chest pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain, burning or heaviness) Discomfort in other areas of the upper body (neck, jaw, shoulder, arms, back) Shortness of breath Sweating Nausea Light-headedness Women often experience the same symptoms as men do, but women and men don’t respond to heart attack signs in the same ways. For women, chest pain may not be the first sign of heart trouble. Women have reported experiencing unusual tiredness, trouble sleeping, problems breathing, indigestion, and anxiety up to a month or so before the heart attack. Women are less likely to believe they’re having a heart attack and are more likely to put off seeking treatment.
If you experience ANY of the warning signs of heart attack or stroke, seek medical attention immediately by calling 9-1-1. The faster you act, the better your chances of survival and recovery.
Signs of Stroke: Remember this important acronym; FAST to recognise the signs of a stoke:
Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise both? Speech – is it slurred or jumbled? Time – to call 911 right away! Act FAST because the quicker you act, the more of the person you save!
We hear “someone had a stroke”, but what does that actually mean? A stroke is the interruption of the blood supply to part of the brain causing damage to the brain tissue.
Test your heart health knowledge with this Healthy Heart Trivia quiz 1. How many kilometers does your blood travel in a day? a. 1000 km b. 1400 km c. 1900 km 2. You can reduce the fat in cooking by substituting canola oil for butter? a. True b. False 3. What increases your risk of heart disease by a whopping 70%? 4. Who will heart disease kill more each year? a. Men b. Women 5. Which risk factors increase your risk of heart disease? a. Smoking b. Drinking alcohol c. A high fat diet d. All of the above 6. Who starts smoking earlier and smokes more? a. Teenage boys b. Teenage girls 7. High blood pressure has no obvious symptoms. a. True b. False 8. What breakfast food is higher in fat? a. An English muffin with egg, ham and cheese b. A large bran muffin
Facts about Teens and Smoking 8 out of teens who try smoking get hooked. Only 5% of teen smokers think they will still be smoking in 5 years, but 5 years later, 80% of them are continuing to smoking. 55% of men and 51% of women who start smoking by age 15 will die before age 70 if they continue to smoke.
9. To burn off the calories from 1 cup of macaroni and cheese, you would have to walk for… a. 45 minutes b. 20 minutes c. 80 minutes 10. What percentage of adults achieve the minimum amount of daily recommended exercise? a. 15% b. 22% More Reasons to Not Skip Breakfast c. 29% Most heart attacks occur between 11. Your heart is about the size of … 7am and noon…possibly because a. A grapefruit the cells that help blood to clot, b. Your fist (called platelets) are stickier then. c. Your foot Eating breakfast makes platelets less sticky and less likely to clump Answers on the next page together and block a vital artery.
Heart Disease - Heart Health More than 1.4 million Canadians have heart disease. It is also one of the leading causes of death in Canada, claiming more than 33,600 lives per year. You can reduce your risk of heart disease by understanding the risk factors that cause it, and making changes to your lifestyle ***Risk Factor You CAN Control*** Smoking increases blood pressure and contributes to the development of blocked arteries, putting you at
higher risk of heart disease. Lack of exercise: People who do not exercise regularly are at greater risk of having heart disease. Unhealthy diet: Risks are greater for people who do not eat enough fruit and vegetables. Eating foods
that contain trans fat & high amounts of saturated fats & sodium can increase the risk of heart disease. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing a wide range of serious diseases and many
other serious health conditions, including heart disease. High blood pressure: Over time, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or a thick heart
muscle (hypertrophy), which can eventually lead to heart failure, a form of heart disease. High cholesterol: Too much bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) can lead to blockage of the arteries, which
raises the risk of heart disease. Diabetes (type 2), increases the risk of heart disease especially if blood sugar levels are poorly controlled. Stress: High levels of stress or prolonged stress may result in high cholesterol, increased blood pressure,
or disturbances in heart rhythm. These conditions increase the risk of developing heart disease.
***Risk Factor You CAN’T Control*** Family history: Your risk of heart disease is higher if any immediate family members (parents, brothers,
sisters, etc.) have had a heart attack, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. Age: Your risk increases with age; especially for men over 45 & women over 55 & are post menopausal. Answers to the Healthy Heart Trivia Quiz 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
c. 1900 km. This is equal to the distance between Toronto, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia. b. Oil and butter both contain the same amount of fat – about 12 grams and 110 calories per tablespoon. Smoking. But the good news is you can cut your risk by 50% within one year of quitting. b. Women. In fact, 42% of women die within 1 year of suffering a stroke compared to 24% of men. d. All of the above. Smoking increases heart disease risk and blood thickness/stickiness. Excessive alcohol consumption increases blood pressure. A diet high in fat is associated with hardening of the arteries. 6. b. Teen girls start smoking earlier than boys and more girls 15 to 19 years old smoke (24% vs 21% in 2001). Also important to note; young women who smoke and are taking birth control pills increase their chances for serious heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. 7. a. True. High blood pressure has no obvious symptoms and sadly a heart attack or a stroke can be the first sign. 8. b. Large bran muffin. A large bran muffin has about 13 grams of fat whereas an English muffin made with egg, ham and cheese has about 11 grams of fat. 9. c. 80 minutes. One cup of macaroni and cheese contains 406 calories. For a person weighing about 145lbs, walking at 3 mph, it would take 80 minutes of walking to expend this amount of energy. 10. a. 15%. According to the results of the Canadian Health Measures Survey released by Statistics Canada in 2011, only 15 percent of adults achieve the minimum amount of daily recommended exercise. 11. b. Your fist. The adult heart is about the size of your fist.
By Adrian Knaud Could Earth be fried by a ‘superflare’ from the sun? By Daniel Clery
Mar. 24, 2016
Solar flares on the sun frequently shower Earth with highenergy particles causing the Aurora Borealis and, occasionally, less-welcome disruptions to power networks and communications. But researchers say that there is a chance—though small—that the sun could one day blast us with a solar flare thousands of times as powerful, potentially frying our atmosphere and obliterating life. Other stars occasionally produce such “superflares,” some up to 10,000 times the power of the largest solar flare ever detected. To see whether these are generated by the same process as happens on the sun—the breaking and reconnection of magnetic fields astronomers studied light from 100,000 stars using China’s Guo Shouiing Telescope. As they report online today in Nature Communications, superflares do seem to be produced by the same process, but they usually occur in stars with much stronger magnetic fields than the sun’s. Still, the researchers found that about 10% of the superflaring stars had magnetic fields similar to or weaker than the sun’s. From evidence in tree rings, the researchers say, it looks like Earth suffered small superflares—10 to 100 times bigger than normal—in 775 C.E. and 993 C.E. We can expect more, they conclude, once per millennium. (As for the chances of an Earth-frying flare, they don’t say.) So, back up your data and stock up on candles.
Hubble unveils monster stars By Daniel Clery
Mar. 17, 2016
The star cluster R136 is already home to the largest known star in the universe, a giant more than 250 times the mass of the sun. Now, astronomers observing the cluster in ultraviolet light using the Hubble Space Telescope have found a total of nine stars with masses of more than 100 suns, the largest collection of very massive stars found to date. This pack of heavyweights—located in the Tarantula Nebula some 170,000 light-years from Earth—burns bright and fast, collectively outshining the sun 30 million times and ejecting every month material equivalent to the mass of Earth. But how they form is a mystery—the current theory of star formation cannot explain how such behemoths could come together from the collapse of a cloud of gas and dust. It has been suggested that they grow through the merger of pairs of binary stars but, as the team explains today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, current understanding of binary mergers cannot explain this number of giants in close proximity.
The team plans to continue observing R136 with Hubble in visible light, searching for binaries that could merge to produce such massive stars. Taken from: Space
Ancient Romans wrote with metallic ink By Andrew Curry
Mar. 21, 2016
By analyzing charred scrolls that were burnt and buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 B.C.E., researchers have determined that the Romans wrote with metallic ink—an innovation thought to have originated several centuries later in the Middle Ages, according to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The eruption buried the nearby town of Herculaneum in a deep layer of superhot ash and instantly charred the papyrus scrolls of a wealthy Roman, preserving the only known complete library from ancient times. But when the scrolls were discovered in the 18th century, they were so brittle that any attempt to unroll and read them risked turning them into ashes. Recently, scientists used a particle accelerator in Grenoble, France—a tool developed for high-energy physics experiments—to x-ray the carbonized scrolls, revealing the letters inside. The new results show not just the shapes of the letters, as seen in the left hand image, but also that they were written with leaded ink, which fluoresces in the right hand image. Archaeologists had thought that the Romans used carbon-based ink from charcoal. If other scrolls from Herculaneum were written with lead-laced ink, knowing exactly what to look for could make the job of scanning and actually reading longer stretches of the carbonized lumps of papyrus easier. Taken From: Archaeology
Morocco turns on what will become the world’s largest solar power plant By Loren Grush (theverge.com) on February 5, 2016
Morocco has turned on its massive solar power plant in the town of Ourrzazate, on the edge of the Saharan desert. The plant already spans thousands of acres and is capable of generating up to 160 megawatts of power. It's already one of the biggest solar power grids in the world, capable of being seen from space. And it's only going to get bigger. The current grid, called Noor I, is just the first phase of a planned project to bring renewable energy to millions living in Morocco. It will soon be followed by expansions, Noor II and Noor III, that will add even more mirrors to the existing plant. Once the project is complete around 2018, the entire grid will cover 6,000 acres. It will be capable of
generating up to 580 megawatts of power, comparable to that of a small nuclear reactor. It's just the first phase of a planned project to bring renewable energy to millions Right now, the solar farm is made up of 500,000 curved mirrors, each standing at about 40 feet tall. These mirrors concentrate the sun's light onto a pipeline filled with fluid, heating it up to 739 degrees Fahrenheit. This fluid is used to heat up a nearby source of water, which turns to steam and spins turbines to create energy. Morocco gets about 3,000 hours of sunlight per year, so there will be plenty of solar energy to harness. But the plant can also keep generating power at night. "The heat from the fluid can be stored in a tank of molten salts," NASA writes. Currently, Noor I can provide solar power to 650,000 locals from dawn until three hours past sunset, according to The Guardian. The finished plant will provide power for 20 hours a day. It's all part of Morocco's plan to get up to 42 percent of its power from renewable energies at home, such as solar, wind, and hydropower. Right now, the country is dependent on imports for 97 percent of its energy consumption. The new plant could lessen that dependence while saving Morocco millions of tons in carbon emissions
Are we are flushing money down the toilet? we are.
It seems
Biogas from human waste, safely obtained under controlled circumstances using innovative technologies, is a potential fuel source great enough in theory to generate electricity for up to 138 million households -- the number of households in Indonesia, Brazil, and Ethiopia combined. A report from UN University's Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health estimates that biogas potentially available from human waste worldwide would have a value of up to US$ 9.5 billion in natural gas equivalent. And the residue, dried and charred, could produce 2 million tonnes of charcoal-equivalent fuel, curbing the destruction of trees. Finally, experts say, the large energy value would prove small relative to that of the global health and environmental benefits that would accrue from the safe treatment of human waste in low-resource settings. "Rather than treating our waste as a major liability, with proper controls in place we can use it in several circumstances to build innovative and sustained financing for development while protecting health and improving our environment in the process," according to the report, "Valuing Human Waste as an Energy Resource." Edgar Dean "Ed" Mitchell Dies at age 85. Feb 4 2016 Edgar Dean "Ed" Mitchell (September 17, 1930 – February 4, 2016) (Capt, USN), was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer and NASA astronaut. As the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 14,
he spent nine hours working on the lunar surface in the Fra Mauro Highlands region, making him the sixth person to walk on the Moon.
Mitchell's Views on UFOs Mitchell publicly expressed his opinions that he is "90 percent sure that many of the thousands of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, recorded since the 1940s, belong to visitors from other planets".[17] Dateline NBC conducted an interview with Mitchell on April 19, 1996, during which he discussed meeting with officials from three countries who claimed to have had personal encounters with extraterrestrials. He offered his opinion that the evidence for such "alien" contact was "very strong" and "classified" by governments, who were covering up visitations and the existence of alien beings' bodies in places such as Roswell, New Mexico. He further claimed that UFOs had provided "sonic engineering secrets" that were helpful to the U.S. government. Mitchell's book, The Way of the Explorer, discusses his journey into mysticism and space. In 2004, he told the St. Petersburg Times that a "cabal of insiders" in the U.S. government were studying recovered alien bodies, and that this group had stopped briefing U.S. Presidents after John F. Kennedy. He said, "We all know that UFOs are real; now the question is where they come from." Edgar Mitchell, February 2009 On July 23, 2008, Edgar Mitchell was interviewed on Kerrang Radio by Nick Margerrison. Mitchell claimed the Roswell crash was real and that aliens have contacted humans several times, but that governments have hidden the truth for 60 years, stating: "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet, and the UFO phenomenon is real." In reply, a spokesman for NASA stated: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover-up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe. Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue." In an interview with Fox News on July 25, 2008, Mitchell clarified that his comments did not involve NASA, but quoted unnamed sources, since deceased, at Roswell who confided to him that the Roswell incident did involve an alien craft. Mitchell also claims to have subsequently received confirmation from an unnamed intelligence officer at the Pentagon. In an interview for AskMen published March 6, 2014, Mitchell said that he had never seen a UFO, that no one had ever threatened him over his claims regarding UFOs, and that any statements about the covering up of UFOs being a worldwide cabal was "just speculation on my part." In 2015, Mitchell made what Huffington Post U.K. characterized as "the astonishing claim that it was aliens, not diplomacy, which prevented the Cold War from descending into the Third World War." In a Mirror Online interview, Mitchell said "White Sands was a testing ground
for atomic weapons – and that's what the extraterrestrials were interested in. They wanted to know about our military capabilities. My own experience talking to people has made it clear the ETs had been attempting to keep us from going to war and help create peace on Earth...."
Thinking of becoming an Uber Driver? Thinking of what would happen in the event of an accident while either driving or being driven in an Uber Car? TORONTO • UberX drivers have a lot to worry about these days: angry taxi drivers, ticket-happy bylaw officers, even whether they’ll be allowed to continue operating in some cities. But perhaps the most pressing concern is one many aren’t even aware of: Their personal auto insurance is unlikely to cover them in the event of accident. Take the case of Tawfiqul Alam, an UberX driver in Toronto who was T-boned by a red-light runner while transporting a passenger on June 9. The accident sent both him and his passenger to hospital and totalled his minivan. But the real shock came later, when Alam went to file a claim with his insurance company and was told that his personal policy was invalid because he was driving passengers for pay. The worst part, according to Alam’s lawyer, was that Uber Technologies Inc. specifically told him not to worry about insurance when he first applied to work for the company. “He asks them specifically about insurance and they say, ‘Don’t worry, we’re a $1-billion company and we have $5million of insurance so you’re fine,’” said Isaac Zisckind, a personal injury lawyer at Diamond & Diamond. “What they did is basically willfully push him into a misrepresentation contract for somebody who’s not educated. Uber should have known — they should have done their research.” The issue is that personal auto insurance policies don’t cover drivers who are transporting passengers for commercial purposes. Taxi drivers are required to get a special kind of commercial insurance that is significantly more expensive than personal insurance, but the vast majority of UberX drivers — Zisckind estimates 95 per cent — don’t have any coverage beyond their personal insurance. “The worst thing you can do is not tell your insurance company (that you’re driving for Uber), because in that situation they have the right to say your policy is void in its entirety and there is no coverage for you,” said Daniel Mirkovic, CEO of Square One Insurance and former head of the British Columbia Automobile Association’s insurance operations.
Uber spokeswoman Susie Heath declined to discuss Alam’s case, but she did acknowledge that Uber only requires its drivers “to carry personal auto insurance.” However, she stressed that every ride on the UberX platform is also backed by $5 million of contingent auto liability insurance covering bodily injury and property damage. “In the event of an accident during an UberX trip, passengers, pedestrians, other drivers, and the community at large can rest assured knowing that ridesharing partners are well covered by commercial auto insurance in addition to any insurance coverage maintained by the driver,” Heath said in an emailed statement. It is not at all clear whether the $5 million of coverage that Uber often cites will cover its own drivers, however. On July 27, Alberta’s Superintendent of Insurance issued a warning that Uber’s supplemental coverage doesn’t meet the requirements of the province’s Insurance Act. “If you’re using Uber, you are at risk. That doesn’t mean in every circumstance a claim will not be paid, but that risk is high,” superintendent Mark Prefontaine told the Edmonton Journal at the time. This is why insurance broker Stefan Tirschler recommends that potential Uber drivers hold off until regulators and insurance companies figure out how to deal with the new generation of ride services. Several insurers say they’re looking into developing new policies for Uber drivers, but nothing is available in Canada yet. “Right now, my advice would be to wait and see what kind of coverage becomes available in the future,” said Tirschler, an account executive at Rogers Insurance, the largest independent brokerage in Alberta. Commercial auto insurance of the kind taxi drivers are required to carry can cost up to five times as much as personal insurance, he said, and may require the driver to obtain a commercial license as well — something very few UberX drivers have. Waterloo, Ont., is the first Canadian city to propose a new bylaw that would require Uber drivers to prove they have commercial auto insurance covering up to $2 million in damages — an expensive prerequisite that may discourage drivers from signing up. Tirschler also warned that Uber drivers who lease their vehicles could find themselves in violation of their contracts, as some leases stipulate that the vehicle can’t be used to transport passengers for pay. “The best way to avoid potentially serious consequences is to get clear answers from the right sources,” he said. Writen By Kristine Owram Financial Post.| August 25, 2015 5:43 PM ET kowram@nationalpost.com Twitter.com/KristineOwram
Langstaff Community Centre 9-4
Oak Ridges Comm Centre 10-3
Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre 7pm – 8.30 pm
Rouge Woods Community Centre 7 pm to 8.30 pm
Oak Ridges Comm Centre 6.30 pm to 8 pm
Charity Barbecue (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
Parkfarm Co-op. Office Hours for: May 2016 Sun
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8 Mother’s Day
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Happy Victoria Day!
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Office Hours: 9:00PM to 4:30PM
Office Hours: 9:00AM to 4:30PM
22 Office Closed 23
Thu
Office Hours: 9:00AM to 4:30PM Garbage & Recycling
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Office Hours: 9:00AM to 4:30PM
15
Wed
Office Hours: 9:00AM to 4:30PM
Dear Co-op Members Re: Life Corp. Food Delivery All Members living in the Co-operative are welcome to join the Parkfarm Co-op food bank. We as your volunteers and Life Corp Group hope you are happy with the food you have been receiving. Please be advised of our pick up times. Thursdays between 3:30pm to 5:00pm. If for some reason these hours are not suitable to you, and want a friend, neighbor, or family member to pick up your order for you, let us know by dropping off a note in the office mailbox. We are always in need of some supplies and donations. When you come by please bring with you, or even donate the following, we would appreciate it. Shopping bags - cloth bags or plastic Bread bags. A donation of any amount Thank you, You’re Volunteers Patty Marles
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