How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown?

The answer to the simple question in that headline is surprisingly hard to come by. So Slate and the Twitter feed @GunDeaths are collecting data for our crowdsourced interactive. This data is necessarily incomplete. But the more people who are paying attention, the better the data will be. You can help us draw a more complete picture of gun violence in America. If you know about a gun death in your community that isn?t represented here, please tweet @GunDeaths with a citation. (If you?re not on Twitter, you can email slatedata@gmail.com.) And if you?d like to use this data yourself for your own projects, it?s open. You can download it here.

'); theLeftContainer .detach() .addClass('maximized') .prependTo(newMaximizedBox) theMap .detach() .css({ width:theWindow.width(), height:theWindow.height(), right:'0px', position:'fixed', top:'0px' }) .prependTo(newMaximizedBox); $('

minimize

') .appendTo(newMaximizedBox) .click(function(){ minimize(); }) newMaximizedBox .prependTo('body') .css('width',$(window).width()) scrollFncs=[]; m.invalidateSize(); setMap(); } function minimize(){ maximized=false; theLeftContainer.detach() .detach() .removeClass('maximized') .prependTo(theInteractive); theMap .detach() .appendTo('#mapHere') .css({ 'width':400, 'height':400, 'position':'relative' }) $('#btn_minimize') .remove(); theInteractive .show() m.invalidateSize(); $('#maximizedBox').remove(); $('.sl-content-wrapper').show(); setMap(); } $(window) .scroll(function(){ for(var i=scrollFncs.length-1;i>=0;i--){ moveSticky($(this),scrollFncs[i].obj,scrollFncs[i].borders) } }) .resize(function(){ if(maximized){ theMap.css({ 'width':theWindow.width(), 'height':theWindow.height() }) } else{ for(var i=scrollFncs.length-1;i>=0;i--){ var top = scrollFncs[i].obj.offset().top scrollFncs[i].obj.css('position','static'); scrollFncs[i].borders.leftOffset = scrollFncs[i].obj.offset().left; scrollFncs[i].obj.css('position','fixed'); scrollFncs[i].obj.css({'left':scrollFncs[i].borders.leftOffset,'top':top}); moveSticky($(this),scrollFncs[i].obj,scrollFncs[i].borders) } } }) scrollFncs = []; $.fn.stickToTop = function(verticalBound){ var borders = { min:this.offset().top, max:verticalBound-400, leftOffset:this.offset().left, left:this.position().left, minSet:this.position().top } var obj = this; scrollFncs.push({obj:obj,borders:borders}); } function moveSticky(theWindow,obj,borders){ var a = theWindow.scrollTop(); if(a>borders.min && aborders.max){ obj.css({ 'position':'absolute', 'left':borders.left, 'bottom':0, 'top':'auto' }) } } function scrollWin(target,speed,buffer){ theDoc.stop(true,false).animate({ scrollTop: target.offset().top - buffer }, speed); } }); var states = [ {'name':'Alabama', 'abbrev':'AL'}, {'name':'Alaska', 'abbrev':'AK'}, {'name':'Arizona', 'abbrev':'AZ'}, {'name':'Arkansas', 'abbrev':'AR'}, {'name':'California', 'abbrev':'CA'}, {'name':'Colorado', 'abbrev':'CO'}, {'name':'Connecticut', 'abbrev':'CT'}, {'name':'Delaware', 'abbrev':'DE'}, {'name':'Florida', 'abbrev':'FL'}, {'name':'Georgia', 'abbrev':'GA'}, {'name':'Hawaii', 'abbrev':'HI'}, {'name':'Idaho', 'abbrev':'ID'}, {'name':'Illinois', 'abbrev':'IL'}, {'name':'Indiana', 'abbrev':'IN'}, {'name':'Iowa', 'abbrev':'IA'}, {'name':'Kansas', 'abbrev':'KS'}, {'name':'Kentucky', 'abbrev':'KY'}, {'name':'Louisiana', 'abbrev':'LA'}, {'name':'Maine', 'abbrev':'ME'}, {'name':'Maryland', 'abbrev':'MD'}, {'name':'Massachusetts', 'abbrev':'MA'}, {'name':'Michigan', 'abbrev':'MI'}, {'name':'Minnesota', 'abbrev':'MN'}, {'name':'Mississippi', 'abbrev':'MS'}, {'name':'Missouri', 'abbrev':'MO'}, {'name':'Montana', 'abbrev':'MT'}, {'name':'Nebraska', 'abbrev':'NE'}, {'name':'Nevada', 'abbrev':'NV'}, {'name':'New Hampshire', 'abbrev':'NH'}, {'name':'New Jersey', 'abbrev':'NJ'}, {'name':'New Mexico', 'abbrev':'NM'}, {'name':'New York', 'abbrev':'NY'}, {'name':'North Carolina', 'abbrev':'NC'}, {'name':'North Dakota', 'abbrev':'ND'}, {'name':'Ohio', 'abbrev':'OH'}, {'name':'Oklahoma', 'abbrev':'OK'}, {'name':'Oregon', 'abbrev':'OR'}, {'name':'Pennsylvania', 'abbrev':'PA'}, {'name':'Rhode Island', 'abbrev':'RI'}, {'name':'South Carolina', 'abbrev':'SC'}, {'name':'South Dakota', 'abbrev':'SD'}, {'name':'Tennessee', 'abbrev':'TN'}, {'name':'Texas', 'abbrev':'TX'}, {'name':'Utah', 'abbrev':'UT'}, {'name':'Vermont', 'abbrev':'VT'}, {'name':'Virginia', 'abbrev':'VA'}, {'name':'Washington', 'abbrev':'WA'}, {'name':'West Virginia', 'abbrev':'WV'}, {'name':'Wisconsin', 'abbrev':'WI'}, {'name':'Wyoming', 'abbrev':'WY'}, {'name':'D.C.', 'abbrev':'DC'}, {'name':'District of Columbia', 'abbrev':'DC'} ]; function checkState(value,type){ for(var i=states.length-1;i>=0;i--){ if(value.toLowerCase()==states[i][type].toLowerCase()){ return true; } } return false; } function convert_state(name, to) { var output = false; for(var i=states.length-1;i>=0;i--){ if (to=='name') { if (states[i]['abbrev'].toLowerCase() == name.toLowerCase()){ output = states[i]['name']; break; } } else if(to=='abbrev') { if (states[i]['name'].toLowerCase() == name.toLowerCase()){ output = states[i]['abbrev'].toUpperCase(); break; } } } return output; } function parseDate(input) { //input: a string, MM/DD/YYYY or MM/DD/YY. returns a date. var parts = input.match(/(\d+)/g); if(parts!=null && parts.length>0){ if(parts.length==1){ //if month is specified but nothing else var today = new Date(); var todayDate = today.getDate(); var month; if(parts[0]todayDate){ //date is in last month month = today.getMonth(); } parts = [month,parts[0],today.getFullYear()] } else if(parts.length==2){ //if month and date are specified but not year var today = new Date(); var todayMonth = today.getMonth(); var year; if(parts[0]-1todayMonth){ //greater than this month, so last year year = today.getFullYear()-1; } parts.push(year); } else if(parts[2].length==2){ //if year is specified but the millenium is not specified parts[2] = '20'+parts[2]; } var output = new Date(parts[2], parts[0]-1, parts[1]); if(output=='Invalid Date'){ output = new Date(Date.parse(input)); } return output; } return false; } function decodeDate(input){ //receives a YYYY-MM-DD string and returns a date var date = input.split('-'); date= new Date(parseInt(date[0]),parseInt(date[1])-1,date[2]); return date; } if(!Array.indexOf){ Array.prototype.indexOf = function(obj){ for(var i=0; i

Deaths by City Click a circle to filter deaths by location.

maximize

• Any Age Group
• Adult
• Teen
• Child

Matched Deaths: or more since Newtown

Show Methodology

Each victim under 13 years of age is designated "child"; from 13 to 17: "teen"; 18 and older: "adult."

The same icons used to represent male victims is also used to represent victims of unknown gender.

The same icons used to represent adult victims is also used to represent victims of unknown age group.

The yellow and blue backgrounds represent alternating days.

The information is collected by @gunDeaths from news reports about the deaths. The Slate interactives team and @gunDeaths continually manages and revises the data.

The data are not comprehensive because not all gun-related deaths are reported by the news media. For example, suicides often go unreported.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=69ac6522a826ffe41ff70e9f2b4324be

levi johnston 2013 srt viper scott walker recall fisker atlantic social darwinism jamie lynn spears wisconsin recall election

Google Developing A.I. Search Technology For ... - Tom's Hardware

Famed technology inventor Ray Kurzweil working on making intelligent computers understand human language.

Technology inventor Ray Kurzweil, who recently joined Google as its director of engineering, has discussed his "ambitious" project currently in development.

Kurzweil is hoping to utilize Google's astronomical pool of data and resources to develop technology that would see intelligent computers thoroughly understanding human language. The technology would give birth to ultra-intelligent search engines that answer questions before a user asks them.

"There is no more important project than understanding intelligence and recreating it," Kurzweil said. The American inventor is responsible for both commercial speech recognition software and text-to-speech reading machines for the blind, as well as other products/services.

The project at Google is focused on developing a method for computers to understand "natural language". Kurzweil delved into how computers in this day and age are unable to determine the meanings behind words, phrases and sentences.

"It will know at a semantically deep level what you're interest in, not just the topic," he said. "It will know the specific questions and concerns you have. It will be constantly surveying all of the new knowledge that comes out every minute and bringing things to your attention that it thinks you will want."

He added that the technology will answer questions before it's asked, with the function likely be integrated into the "core technology" of devices and computers. Referring to an example, he said someone who was worried about not getting enough of a specific vitamin would see their device, although it wasn't asked directly, acknowledging that concern. Subsequently, after a few weeks it would indicate to the user that new information is available regarding that particular vitamin.

"Privacy is obviously a huge issue, but it is already to Google," he said. "It's already exposed to a lot of private information, and they do a very good job to maintain that. I can tell you from having been there one day that that is a big message." Users are expected to accept the upcoming search technology unprecedented access to their lives as it'll act "like a friend".

Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have expressed their desire to see the search engine giant ultimately becoming artificial intelligence itself. To help achieve that ambitious goal, it created the highly-protected and mysterious 'X lab', managed by Brin himself. There, the firm's leading engineers develop a slew of technology such as Project Glass and driverless cars. It's also rumored to be working on a space elevator.

"One of my favourite things is artificial intelligence, but it has gotten a very bad rap, but my prediction is that when AI happens it's going to be a lot of computation and not so much clever algorithms but just a lot of computation," Larry Page said back in 2007.

"My theory is that if you look at your programming, your DNA, it's about 600 megabytes compressed, so it's smaller than any modern operating system, smaller than Linux or Windows or anything like that, your whole operating system, that includes booting up your brain. So your program algorithms probably aren't that complicated, it's probably more about the overall computation. We have some people at Google who are trying to build artificial intelligence and to do it on a large scale to make search better. Very few [other] people are working on this, and I don't think it's as far off as people think."

While Google invests in the development of advanced A.I., a UK university had warned that computers could take over the world during the next two centuries.

?

_{Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback}

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Google-A.I.-Search-Technology-PCs,20476.html

London 2012 rhythmic gymnastics Meteor Shower August 2012 jessie j jessie j David Boudia David Rakoff Bourne Legacy

This Week's Pet: A Black Cat That Might be Lucky - Palos, IL Patch

Moonglow - you could have paid top dollar from a pet store and purchased a mill pet that could have died 6 weeks later. Yes, animals do get sick. It's unfortunate that kennel cough can be spread from one animal to another, but please do not post anything that would discourage anyone from giving an animal a forever home.

The best suggestion is to have a vet look over the animal in the first week of adoption. If you are not going to continue taking your pet to the vet services at the shelter then bring them to your local vet you do plan on using. The earlier the better. A healthy pet is a happy pet.

Source: http://palos.patch.com/articles/this-week-s-pet-a-black-cat-that-might-be-lucky

Tropical Storm Sandy W S B H c mitt romney

Chelsea star ejected for kicking at ball boy

A ball boy, second right, is ushered away from the sidelines following an incident with Chelsea's Eden Hazard, not pictured, during the English League Cup second leg semi-final soccer match between Chelsea and Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. Hazard was shown the red card following the incident. (AP Photo/PA, Nick Potts) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

A ball boy, second right, is ushered away from the sidelines following an incident with Chelsea's Eden Hazard, not pictured, during the English League Cup second leg semi-final soccer match between Chelsea and Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. Hazard was shown the red card following the incident. (AP Photo/PA, Nick Potts) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

Chelsea's Eden Hazard, right, receives a red card from referee Chris Foy for violent conduct, during their English League Cup second leg semi-final soccer match at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Wales, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. A ball boy was attended to by officials following an incident with Eden Hazard. (AP Photo/PA, Nick Potts) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

A ball boy, third right, lies on the floor following an incident Chelsea's Eden Hazard, not pictured, as referee Chris Foy, centre in black, makes his way over to calm the situation during the English League Cup second leg semi-final soccer match between Chelsea and Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. Hazard received a red card for the incident. (AP Photo/PA, Nick Potts) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

Swansea City and Chelsea players argue after an incident with a ball boy and Chelsea's Eden Hazard, fourth left, during the English League Cup second leg semi-final soccer match at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. Hazard was shown a red card following the incident.(AP Photo/PA, Nick Potts) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

Chelsea's Eden Hazard walks off the field of play dejected after he receives a red card for violent conduct during the English League Cup second leg semi-final soccer match between Chelsea and Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. Hazard was involved in an incident with a ball boy.(AP Photo/PA, Nick Potts) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

LONDON (AP) ? Chelsea star Eden Hazard was ejected from the English League Cup semifinal at Swansea on Wednesday night for kicking a ball boy in the ribs while attempting to retrieve the ball after it rolled off the field.

Hazard and the ball boy apologized to each other after the game, Swansea said in a statement.

"South Wales Police interviewed the 17-year-old ball boy with his father after the game and neither wished to press any charges," Swansea said. "It was an unfortunate incident which both parties regret being involved in."

With Chelsea needing two goals at Swansea's Liberty Stadium to force overtime in the two-game series, the ball bounced off an advertising board behind the goal line in the 79th minute.

The ball boy, wearing a Swansea sweatsuit, slowly walked over to pick it up.

Hazard ran up to reclaim the ball and the teen fell over, stomach toward the ground and the ball under him. The Belgian winger leaned over the teenager, tried to pull the ball free with both hands and then kicked at it under the youth.

After Hazard got the ball free, he picked it up and jogged back onto the field. The ball boy, who has worked for Swansea for six years, rolled onto his back and clutched the right side of his ribs as he was attended to.

Hazard was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Foy.

"Chelsea invited the ball boy into the dressing room after the game to shake hands with Hazard and both parties apologized," Swansea said. "The ball boy was very impressed with the welcome he received from the Chelsea players and as far as both clubs and individuals are concerned the matter is closed."

Hazard was quoted by Chelsea's web site as telling Chelsea TV "the boy put his whole body onto the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball. I apologize. The ball boy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologized and the boy apologized as well, and it is over. Sorry."

The match finished 0-0 and Swansea advanced 2-0 on aggregate, setting up a final against fourth-tier Bradford at Wembley Stadium on Feb. 24. It will be the first major English final in the Swans' 100-year history.

"They both recognize there was a mistake," Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said. "The boy was apologizing for time wasting. Hazard was frustrated and tried to get the ball. He was kicking the ball and getting the ball."

On the club's official Twitter feed, Chelsea said football had "gone mad."

"Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it," Chelsea's tweet read.

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said Hazard would regret his actions.

"The ball boy should have let the ball go, but he was pushed first and then he kicks him," Laudrup said. "As a player when you are behind, your pulse is very high and sometimes you say and do things. You overreact. But there are some things you cannot do."

Hazard is in his first season with Chelsea after joining the English club from Lille for a 32 million pound ($51 million) transfer fee

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-23-Chelsea-Kick%20at%20Ball%20Boy/id-43feb79742fb4fc780480e43c66a5fb3

the village dallas fort worth tornado dallas tornadoes dallas weather nike nfl uniforms ben and jerrys free cone day tornado in dallas texas

Syrian opposition leaders fail to form government

ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leaders said on Monday they had failed to put together a transitional government to run rebel-held areas of the country, a blow to the exiled group trying to present an alternative to President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

Political efforts to resolve the conflict have largely faltered because of the rebels' failure to form a unified front and because world powers are backing opposing sides.

Talks held by representatives of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), a 70-member umbrella group dominated by Islamists and their allies, in Istanbul at the weekend only highlighted divisions in the coalition.

"This is a big blow for the revolution against Bashar al-Assad," said one opposition leader who attended the meeting but did not want to be named because he operates in secret in Syria.

Sources at the negotiations in Turkey said SNC President Moaz Alkhatib had flown to Qatar while the meeting was still in progress to ask for financial aid for a transitional government.

The SNC said in a statement a five-member committee would offer proposals for forming a government within 10 days.

However, the only name put forward at the meeting as a possible transitional prime minister was Riad Hijab, a former Syrian premier.

Veteran opposition campaigner Kamal Labwani, said Hijab - the highest ranking member of Assad's inner circle to defect since the revolt erupted in March 2011 - would be an efficient cabinet chief despite his past in the Assad administration.

"Hijab should be given a chance. After two years of trying it is someone else's turn," Labwani said.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria's increasingly bloody 22-month civil war, at least 600,000 have become refugees and 2.5 million are suffering from hunger.

ISLAMISTS RISE, PATRIOTS ARRIVE

Neither side in the conflict has been able to gain clear military momentum. Rebels have been able to take territory but remain outmatched by the military's air power and organisation.

On Monday, the first of six NATO Patriot missile batteries intended to protect Turkey from a potential Syrian attack arrived from Germany after Ankara asked for NATO's help to bolster security along its 900-km (560-mile) border.

Damascus has called the move "provocative", in part because Turkey's missile request could be seen as a first step toward implementing a no-fly zone over Syrian airspace.

Iran and Russia, which have supported Syria throughout the uprising, have criticized NATO's decision, saying the Patriot deployment would intensify a conflict that most foreign governments have been reluctant to get sucked into.

World powers have become more wary of supporting the insurgents, especially as Islamist fighters, including some with links to al Qaeda, have taken the initiative in the battle against Assad's forces in many areas.

On Sunday, fighters from the prominent Islamist al-Nusra Front clashed with pro-government forces near the Wadi al-Deif military base, a strategic area the rebels have been trying to seize for months, the British-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The increasingly sectarian nature of the conflict has also unnerved potential backers who fear a backlash by Syria's Sunni Muslim majority against Assad's minority Alawite sect - an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

FIGHTING, BLACKOUT IN DAMASCUS

An air strike on the Harran al-Awamid area east of Damascus killed at least nine people on Sunday, the Observatory said.

Rising prices for basic commodities and fuel shortages have made life harder for residents of the capital and some said they spent Sunday night without power as fighting neared the center.

Insurgents control a crescent of suburbs to the east and south of the city and have been advancing slowly toward its heart. Fighting broke out on Sunday just half a mile from the Old City in the capital's center, residents said.

"Inside Damascus' Old City, you can't escape the muffled sounds of shelling and fighter jets and even machineguns fired off nearby," said a resident who visited the area.

It was unclear what caused Sunday's power outage, although state news agency SANA quoted the electricity minister as saying "terrorists", a term Damascus uses for rebels, had attacked a main electricity line. Power returned to some areas on Monday.

The rebels' failure to provide basic services and mounting reports of indiscipline and looting by insurgents have cost them public support in some areas.

The government sent reinforcements to the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Daraya on Monday, the Observatory said. Infantry and personnel carriers arrived on its outskirts which have seen months of artillery and air strikes, it said.

In the northern al-Raqqa province on Sunday night, ten people, including three children and two women, were killed in an air strike on al-Tabaqa, the group said.

(Writing by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-opposition-leaders-fail-form-government-162632697.html

boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live julio cesar chavez jr Topless Kate university of texas UT Austin

Doing Business with Government, Small Business Networking and ...

January 21st, 2013

?

On January 24, 2013 from 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. The Business Centre Nipissing Parry Sound, Nipissing University, Innovation Initiatives Ontario North the Ontario Centres of Excellence in partnership with the Federal and Provincial governments is hosting a business event that will include the following;

?

http://ontario.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/cal/evenement-event-eng.cfm?sid=579

?

Workshop 1; 9 :00 ? 11:45 AM

The Supplier Outreach Network of Ontario (SONO) brings together representatives from the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government to provide assistance to the supplier community / small and medium sized enterprises that are interested in doing business with government.

?

Partners, Programs and Services to be presented:

Public Works and Government Services Canada ? PWGSC Doing Business with the Government of Canada

Ontario Ministry of Government Services ? OMGSDoing Business with the Government of Ontario

Small Business Networking Event; 11:45 am to 3:45 pm

Workshop 2: Innovation Information Forum ? 1:00 ? 4:30 pm

?

The Innovation Information Forum are a series of sessions in a number of Ontario communities that will bring together Government of Canada departments and agencies to present current innovation and commercialization programs. Hear from representatives from federal departments and agencies on how their programs and services support innovation in Canada. It will also include presentations from local innovation partners.

?

Presentations;

Nipissing University ? Technology Transfer and Research Partnerships

Public Works and Government Services Canada ? Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ? Engage Grant

National Research Council of Canada ?Industrial research Assistance Program

Canada Revenue Agency ? Scientific Research & Experimental Development

Federal Economic Development for Northern Ontario ? FedNor Innovation Programs

Canadore College ?ICAMP

Ontario Centres of Excellence ? OCE

?

Please email Matthew@iion.ca to confirm your attendance.

Source: http://iion.ca/doing-business-with-government-small-business-networking-and-innovation-information-forum-2013-event/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=doing-business-with-government-small-business-networking-and-innovation-information-forum-2013-event

annalynne mccord van halen numerology the game george lucas billy the kid neville

Canada's Real Estate Industry Resource - | The Canadian Real ...

Condominiums are one of Canada?s favourite forms of residence, covering from 20 to 25 per cent of housing in all major cities. An astonishing 90 per cent of all new residential constructions in Toronto are condos. Usually, little creativity goes into the overall design of a new condo, but this stereotype has a benefit: anything unusual stands out and draws attention. Like every other real estate market, the condo market is highly competitive ? in part because it?s hard to create a unique, distinctive product, which is the main reason some developers experiment with environmentally friendly green buildings.

Many studies were conducted to evaluate the possibilities and efficiency of green buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council sponsored a 2008 study that showed that green buildings cost on average 2.5 per cent more on construction but are able to return more than ten times that amount over their lifetime by reducing energy and operating costs. Condos are the logical next step of the energy-efficient ?greening? process to combat climate change.

Building green condos means more than just building apartments with solar panels. There are many things to consider regarding the environment at all stages of the building process, such as the diversion of demolition waste from landfills, the use of local materials, and other resource conservation components. The key problem of adopting energy- and resource-efficient solutions lies in split incentives: the builder?s costs are increased while buyers have the advantage of lower operating costs throughout the lifetime of the unit. At first, developers were also worried about losing price-sensitive customers if they added the cost of green features to condos.

So, back in 2005, the Green Condo Loan Program was introduced by the TAF and Tridel. This program offered the financing of new green condos to pay for energy efficiency improvements that lowered energy consumption by 25 per cent in comparison with the Canadian average. Upgrades incorporated highly energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, heat recovery ventilation, and better insulation that would be paid for out of utility savings enjoyed by buyers. The TAF loan enabled purchase prices to be kept competitive, and the loans were rolled over to the condo corporation once owners took possession.

The program was not only successful enough to eventually change the market, creating the new norm for Toronto condos, but on February 1st, 2010 the City also adopted the Green Building Standard. Since then, every new development has to be 25 per cent more efficient than the Canadian average to receive a building permit. Today, new green condos are 35 per cent to 40 per cent more energy-efficient compared to the national building code ? which is a major win not only for developers and buyers but also for the environment.

Source: http://www.realestate-canada.com/2013/01/21/1677/

michigan primary daytona 500 winner cleveland plain dealer barry sanders barry sanders john scott jimmie johnson