It is October which means things are getting spooky out there.

• Maybe this one is just me, but on my computer(s) Google maps has updated to have a green default colour on maps when zoomed out.

• I think the spatial and perception impacts are interesting. There are different shades of green for heavily forested areas and/or parkland but overall it given a perception that things are greener than they appear.
• My eye is drawn to HWY 77 coming north of Leamington where a quick glace at this map would have you believe that they area is relatively green – maybe with farm fields when in fact it is largely developed and covered in acres of greenhouses.
  • To a degree this is almost greenwashing the map face. When you zoom in it does remove the “greenery” to more accurate satellite determine greenspaces at a glance it make things greener than they are.

Scenes from Baku after a single village was announced captured. Guess there's no public appetite in Azerbaijani for ending this war anytime soon. https://t.co/AXk6f0Dgvm

— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) October 3, 2020

• Another week, and little talk on the little war in West Asia. This is a direct consequence of the US willful ignorance under Trump means that the role of world policeman that has been held for three decades is largely over.
  • As for Canada, despite the rhetoric in the Throne Speech exposing our values abroad, we have largely been silience on this conflict beyond expressing concern and not really picking a side.
  • Also that Canadian technology is being used in Turkish drones to help target artillery fire is…..
• More concerning is the alliance network that is emerging as Turkey and Pakistan back Azerbaijan while Russia supports Armenia. These countries were already entangled in Syria and Libya and there is evidence the fighters from those conflicts are being transfer to this conflict.
• Episode 2 of Mean, Median & Moose Podcast – Property, Portals and Poultry is available.
• Maybe Russia is grumpy because there is no ice in Siberia?

Unprecedented conditions continue in the Siberian #Arctic with no sea ice freeze-up quite yet… pic.twitter.com/s3JEfYOFb0

— Zack Labe (@ZLabe) October 3, 2020

• The pandemic has hit some post-secondary institutions hard, University of Alberta is planning over 1000 full time position reductions over the next 3 years.
• Also in the category of because 2020, a new version of Smallpox has emerged in Alaska.
• The City of Halifax passed regulations that any bidder on tenders or contractors will be required to pay a living wage to their employees moving forward. In Halifax a living wage $21.40 per hour and will ensure those building and contracting for the City are able to live sustainably in the region.
  • Windsor’s living wage is $15.15 per hour making it one of the lowest wage communities in Ontario and Canada. Probably not something you want to champion.
  • CORRECTION (Thanks Erica!): Back in March just as we were all getting locked down the WECHU released an updated calculation of $15.52 that I missed. This remains the lowest in Ontario based on Living Wage Ontario, which Windsor-Essex isn’t a member of.
• Obviously there is an election tomorrow (Monday Oct 5th) if you live in Ward 7 please go vote!

• Monday October 5th will be the 200th day since the first confirmed COVID case in Essex County! Which was when I started tracking in the chart above.
• A reminder, my magic date was October 19th for new lockdowns… Just saying…