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Articles by John Barber
High-entropy design of transition metal oxide semiconductors with ultra-low thermal conductivity
Abstract Metal oxides are used in a broad array of technological applications. However, only a small subset of oxide materials are semiconducting, which limits the range of chemical compositions available for engineering. Here we demonstrate a strategy for driving insulating metal oxides into a semiconducting state with ultra-low thermal conductivity (less than 1 W/m/K) by introducing configurational entropy.
Nouvelles Aventures 1 | Bande Dessinée (2019) | SciFi-Universe
Dossiers associés Un ensemble d'articles réunissant des théories et spéculations sur divers aspects de la nouvelle trilogie Star Wars qui regroupe les épisodes 7 à 9. Les premiers articles concerneront les nouveaux personnages du Réveil de la Force. Quand le marketing et les partenariats autour de Star Wars envahissent la planète à tous les niveaux.
Starscream | Sci-Fi Jubilee
Posted in All, Image Comics ≈ 4 Comments Transformers #14 Review Review by Paul Bowler. The interlude in the war between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth takes a chilling turn in Transformers #14 as the fate of Starscream is revealed! Following his crushing defeat at the hands of Soundwave, Starscream fell into a ravine and was left for dead.
Local structure maturation in high entropy oxide (Mg,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn)1‐x(Cr,Mn)xO thin films
1 INTRODUCTION The emergence of high entropy oxides (HEOs) in materials science has opened the possibilities of novel ceramics design with a high tunability space.
Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga - Iron Man 2: The Art of the Movie
By John Barber , Adi Granov , Ryan Meinerding Buy US/Canada Buy UK/Rest of World Buy Australia/New Zealand The 2nd of the 24 Marvel Cinematic Universe Infinity Saga film titles being published as a complete set. Behind every g… US/Canada $40.00 UK/Rest of World £29.99 The 2nd of the 24 Marvel Cinematic Universe Infinity Saga film titles being published as a complete set. Behind every great Iron Man stands a dedicated group of artists – and now, their secrets are revealed.
Transformers | Sci-Fi Jubilee
Posted in All, Image Comics ≈ 4 Comments Transformers #1 Review by Paul Bowler Transformers #1 heralds a brand-new era for the robots in disguise. While the fate of Cybertron remains a mystery, Optimus Prime, his fellow Autobots, and their Decepticon enemies awaken on their crash-landed spaceship to find themselves stranded on planet Earth.
CHH Engraving Inc
I was born and brought up, the youngest of four sons, in Westerly, Rhode Island, a mile and a half from the beaches of Weekapaug. I graduated from Alfred University, in western New York State (where there were two seasons – the snowy season and the fourth of July) with a degree in Political Science and a teaching certificate. Teaching, at least in a school setting, never happened.
Native plants are focus of June 3 sale
Native plants, like this milkweed, are beneficial to the native pollinators with which they co-evolved. This spring, a sale of native plants for your backyard will take place practically in your own backyard. On Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Heights residents can venture just a short distance to purchase plants at a sale that will bring four far-flung nurseries to Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, 3031 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights.
Sustainability - The Heights Observer
This spring, a sale of native plants for your backyard will take place practically in your own backyard. On Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Heights residents can venture just a short distance to purchase plants at a sale that will bring four far-flung nurseries to Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, 3031 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights. The sale is presented by the Friends of Heights Parks and its popular sidekick, the Heights Native Pollinator Path (HNPP).
Dark Horse Comics | Sci-Fi Jubilee
Dark Horse Comics Posted in All, Dark Horse Comics ≈ 12 Comments Hellboy and the B.P.R.D 1957 Fearful Symmetry #1 Review by Paul Bowler Hellboy is called over to India to investigate a state of bizarre animal attacks in Hellboy and the B.P.R.D 1957 Fearful Symmetry, but what he finds there ends up being far more mysterious than he could’ve ever expected.
Hey Pandas, What Is Something You Could Talk About For Days And Never Get Bored Of?
This can be hobbies, shows, movies, obsessions, history, food, etc! Have fun with it!! #1 Breaking Bad. Steely Dan music. 1890s NYC street gangs. Report #2 MUSIC!!! punk music, gothic music, Japanese all girl heavy rock/metal band, BAND MAID!!!, Kawaiicore, dark idol groups, BAND MAID again, followed by BAND MAID!!, why noone seems to remember "fields of the nephilim"? , why does the radio at work play so much c**p?
Opinion | Ghosts, guns and solving the mystery of my grandfather’s death on the Oak Ridges Moraine
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Sun., Jan. 31, 2021timer8 min. read I don’t believe in ghosts, which is one reason why I remember my long-dead grandfather’s first visitation so vividly. I was skiing on the Oak Ridges Moraine, at a spot where my favourite wooded trail opens out to show the whole broad urban plain to the south and the blue infinity of the great lake beyond.
Shopping in St. Jacobs: an enjoyable day trip out of the city
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Fri., Oct. 9, 2020timer3 min. read In the early 19th century, Old Order Mennonites from Pennsylvania purchased the land that became St. Jacobs. Mohawk chief Joseph Brant had previously sold the land to speculators to raise money for the Six Nations. The village began to grow when a dam on the Conestogo River was built to provide water power for saw and woollen mills.
Hike Happy Valley Forest or cycle to the Humber Valley in Toronto-area day trips
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Fri., Sept. 11, 2020timer3 min. read September is a great time to get outdoors in the GTA. Here are some suggestions for a day out of the house, but be sure to check ahead with the appropriate websites for any special conditions due to COVID-19. Happy Valley Forest The faster the suburban frontier approaches, the more remarkable the Happy Valley Forest becomes, still largely undisturbed after two centuries of wanton cutting all around it.
Hike Happy Valley Forest or cycle to the Humber Valley in Toronto-area day trips
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Fri., Sept. 11, 2020timer3 min. read September is a great time to get outdoors in the GTA. Here are some suggestions for a day out of the house, but be sure to check ahead with the appropriate websites for any special conditions due to COVID-19. Happy Valley Forest The faster the suburban frontier approaches, the more remarkable the Happy Valley Forest becomes, still largely undisturbed after two centuries of wanton cutting all around it.
Niagara Freedom Trail highlights little-known part of Black history
ADVERTISEMENT By John BarberSpecial to the Star Tue., July 14, 2020timer3 min. read The Niagara Freedom Trail brings an almost forgotten history — the role of Niagara as a major terminus of the fabled Underground Railroad — vividly to life. Historians estimate that as many as 40,000 people found freedom on the west bank of the Niagara River, escaping from slavery in the American South and fleeing to Canada.
Niagara Freedom Trail highlights little-known part of Black history
ADVERTISEMENT By John BarberSpecial to the Star Tue., July 14, 2020timer3 min. read The Niagara Freedom Trail brings an almost forgotten history — the role of Niagara as a major terminus of the fabled Underground Railroad — vividly to life. Historians estimate that as many as 40,000 people found freedom on the west bank of the Niagara River, escaping from slavery in the American South and fleeing to Canada.
Explore the Kolapore Uplands and Ravenna in southern Ontario
For those who want backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, Kolapore offers some challenging trails and nearby Ravenna also offers hiking, climbing and wine tasting in the more temperate months. Skiing the Kolapore Trails The Kolapore Uplands are a vest-pocket wilderness with a 50-kilometre trail system maintained for the exclusive use of skiers who want to make their own tracks. Not for beginners, these trails are narrow, un-groomed and often steep.
Explore the Kolapore Uplands and Ravenna in southern Ontario
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Sat., Feb. 15, 2020timer2 min. read For those who want backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, Kolapore offers some challenging trails and nearby Ravenna also offers hiking, climbing and wine tasting in the more temperate months. Skiing the Kolapore Trails The Kolapore Uplands are a vest-pocket wilderness with a 50-kilometre trail system maintained for the exclusive use of skiers who want to make their own tracks.
Explore the Kolapore Uplands and Ravenna in southern Ontario
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‘Day Trips Around Toronto’ takes you to a winter wonderland
Some of the best cross-country ski terrain anywhere outside Norway can be found on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment, which are Toronto’s natural borderlands. What you can’t find so easily anymore is enough snow to make skiing possible. However, the freeze-thaw cycles that have replaced the old snowy winters have created other opportunities for winter fun outdoors. For much of the winter, local lakes and ponds are glassy smooth.
‘Day Trips Around Toronto’ takes you to a winter wonderland
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Fri., Jan. 10, 2020timer2 min. read Some of the best cross-country ski terrain anywhere outside Norway can be found on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment, which are Toronto’s natural borderlands. What you can’t find so easily anymore is enough snow to make skiing possible. However, the freeze-thaw cycles that have replaced the old snowy winters have created other opportunities for winter fun outdoors.
‘Day Trips Around Toronto’ takes you to a winter wonderland
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The Simcoe Snowbelt is a reliable destination for easy family fun
By John BarberSpecial to the Star Thu., Dec. 5, 2019timer2 min. read During the winter months, Georgian Bay can be counted on to create an old-fashioned, deep-snow winter all along its lee shore just an hour’s drive north of Toronto. It’s no Whistler, but the Simcoe Snowbelt is a reliable destination for easy family fun. Here’s some of the best places to visit: Mount St. Louis Moonstone claims pre-eminence among local ski and snowboard resorts.
John Barber reviews ‘Andropov’ by Zhores Medvedev, ‘Andropov in Power’ by Jonathan Steele and Eric Abraham, ‘Life in Russia’ by Michael Binyon, ‘The Soviet Union after Brezhnev’ edited by Martin McCauley and ‘Yuri Andropov’ by Vladimir Solovyov and Elena
John Barber Andropov by Zhores Medvedev Blackwell, 227 pp, £7.50, June 1983, ISBN 0 631 13401 8 Andropov in Power: From Komsomol to Kremlin by Jonathan Steele and Eric Abraham Martin Robertson, 216 pp, £9.95, November 1983, ISBN 0 85520 641 1 Life in Russia by Michael Binyon Hamish Hamilton, 286 pp, £9.95, November 1983, ISBN 0 241 10982 5 The Soviet Union after Brezhnev edited by Martin McCauley Heinemann, 160 pp, £14.50, November 1983, ISBN 0 8419 0918 0 Yuri Andropov: A Secret Passage into...
Indigenous pot superstore drives profound transformation on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Tim Barnhart has a problem that few Indigenous entrepreneurs before him have ever experienced. With annual sales of more than $20 million at Legacy 420, his cannabis superstore on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario, Barnhart has no difficulty meeting an annual $3.7-million payroll.
Opinion | Is Canada’s ‘dairy cartel” really milking the system?
I never used to pay much attention to the price of milk. It was always on the list, and you paid what you paid. But now I keep a close eye on it. Alerted by the current debate over supply-management in Canadian agriculture, I figured the best place to discover the evil deeds of the so-called “dairy cartel” was on the shelves of my local grocery store. This week, a four-litre bag of 2% milk is going for $4.99.
Orillia’s Champlain monument is a controversial landmark. Now, restoration aims to change our views | The Star
Restoration was the reason for the removal, according to Parks Canada, the famous monument’s current owner. But only reconciliation can bring it back, and that is by far the tougher job. As the restored bronzes wait in storage, Orillia is quietly pioneering a new process to redress artistic offences against Canada’s First Nations constructively — not by “destroying history,” but by getting it right.
Opinion | Processing, processing — a way forward for local democracy
Years ago there was a dispute in the neighbourhood. Some people wanted a one-way system to deter through-traffic, while others bitterly opposed any change. The ward councillor, the late Dan Leckie, twisted irresolutely in the midst of it, dodging action while calling for more meetings and study. The one-wayers lost patience with the dithering and angrily demanded an answer. But Leckie demurred.
10 day trips to take around Toronto this summer
10 day trips to take around Toronto this summer 10 day trips to take around Toronto this summer In his new book, Day Trips Around Toronto, former Globe and Mail columnist John Barber gives urban dwellers a reason to escape the chaos of the city and discover scenic places nearby. His guide lists 50 destinations and covers areas within two hours of Toronto.
Eight founders who are challenging the notion that tech is a man’s world
They range in ages, backgrounds and level of experience. They’re based in different parts of the country. Their companies span industries from cleantech and health to education and enterprise software. But these eight female founders have one thing in common: the relentless pursuit of success in science and tech. She recalls being “incredibly nervous” before appearing on TV’s Dragon’s Den in search of funding.
Opinion | Should Ontario sell the rest of Hydro One? Yes.
One of the smartest things the outgoing provincial government did was to sell half of Hydro One, the monopoly utility that distributes electricity throughout Ontario. Too smart, in fact, as the province’s recent revolt against competence proved. A policy that made so much technocratic sense — transferring assets frozen as built infrastructure into infrastructure that needs building — proved fatally susceptible to emotional misrepresentation.
John Barber reviews ‘Socialism, Peace and Democracy’ by Mikhail Gorbachev, ‘Gorbachev’ by Zhores Medvedev, ‘The Sixth Continent’ by Mark Frankland, ‘Shadows and Whispers’ by Dusko Doder, ‘Pravda’ by Angus Roxburgh and ‘Utopia in Power’ by Michel Heller an
Of the various words which Gorbachev has used to describe his reforms, there can be no doubt which has had the most impact. Though perestroika (‘reconstruction’) conveys the intended transformation of the system, it is a vague concept to which all subscribe in theory but whose practical implications few understand. Economic akseleratsiya and political demokratizatsiya remain worthy but as yet unrealised goals.
Opinion | Kathleen Wynne’s government the best we’ve had since the Davis years
I come not only to praise Kathleen Wynne, but also to bury her. The auspices for her government are so dire that a eulogy today hardly seems premature. Writing it now lets us imagine what settled opinion in the future, freed from the toxic fog of the current campaign, might make of Wynne and her six-year premiership. Certainly four years of Premier Doug Ford will be more than enough to clear the air.
Opinion | Kathleen Wynne’s government the best we’ve had since the Davis years
I come not only to praise Kathleen Wynne, but also to bury her. The auspices for her government are so dire that a eulogy today hardly seems premature. Writing it now lets us imagine what settled opinion in the future, freed from the toxic fog of the current campaign, might make of Wynne and her six-year premiership. Certainly four years of Premier Doug Ford will be more than enough to clear the air.
Opinion | Kathleen Wynne was the premier we didn’t deserve
By John BarberOpinion Thu., May 17, 2018timer3 min. read updateArticle was updated May. 16, 2018 I come not only to praise Kathleen Wynne, but also to bury her. The auspices for her government are so dire that a eulogy today hardly seems premature. Writing it now lets us imagine what settled opinion in the future, freed from the toxic fog of the current campaign, might make of Wynne and her six-year premiership. Certainly four years of Premier Doug Ford will be more than enough to clear the air.
Opinion | Doug Ford’s Greenbelt tightening a gift to his opponents
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford may earn applause when he promises to rip wind turbines out of the ground and abolish sex ed. But vowing to pave the Greenbelt is a folly his opponents should cheer. By taking aim at the Liberal government’s single most popular legacy in the suburban ridings most crucial to electoral victory, Ford can only wound himself.
New technologies lead Edison-era electricity grid into the future
The company’s biggest customer base is Germany, where the high cost of power has inspired a world-leading shift to rooftop solar generation — and where being able to store that power for when you need it most can cut reliance on the grid by 80 per cent. Eguana is also focusing on another solar hot spot, Hawaii, where it has partnered with the state’s largest solar installer to supply the batteries all new systems now require.
Greening the fleet: Driving efficiency in the heavy transportation sector
EnerMotion’s biggest challenge in attracting investors was its ambition to build “a box, a physical product,” rather than software, according to MacDonnell. In a world where new apps from Silicon Valley can make instant millionaires, manufacturing in Ontario is not the sexiest proposition for investors.
Remaining (Pharmaco)Vigilant Post-Brexit
On June 23, 2016, the UK narrowly voted to leave the European Union. Since then, the country’s two major political parties – Labour and the Conservatives – have accepted the result as a binding commitment and have pledged to deliver Brexit. On March 29 this year, the government triggered Article 50, starting a clock that will stop ticking at midnight on March 28, 2019.
How schoolchildren are learning to solve the world's problems | Toronto Star
At the Future Design School, disrupting the tenets of traditional classroom education is a thriving new business model. Now a year old, FDS develops programs to transmit the gospel of entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the elementary- and secondary-school systems. “We’re focused on empowering the next generation to solve the world’s most pressing problems,” explains FDS director of education Sandra Nagy. It’s no small ambition, but neither is the opportunity any small thing.
Liberals' pot policy is a big fog
Since accepting the job of Canada's pot czar six months ago, former Toronto police chief Bill Blair has fairly billowed with obfuscation, writes John Barber. And wouldn't you know it, the big fog has a name: Since accepting the job of Canada's pot czar six months ago, former Toronto police chief Bill Blair has fairly billowed with obfuscation, taking every possible pro- and anti-pot position in his tireless efforts to avoid action.
RBC Taylor Prize short list stacked with ‘searingly honest’ personal tales
From a memoir about divorce and depression to a tale of turning 60 and a story of a father and son reconciling, this year’s RBC Taylor Prize short list is stacked with deeply personal tales that further solidify a growing trend in non-fiction. “I think we’ve entered a new era — the Oprah era,” jury member Joseph Kertes said after the finalists for the $25,000 non-fiction prize were revealed Wednesday.
The case against In Flanders Fields
In The Great War and Modern Memory, his celebrated study of the traumatized literature that sprang from the horrors of trench warfare, U.S. soldier-critic Paul Fussell paused to “break a butterfly on the wheel” — his victim being the most famous of all Canadian poems, the very one that schoolchildren solemnly recite every November, that is engraved on the $10 bill and countless monuments across the country, that has given us a symbol as sacred as the maple leaf, and is entrusted like no other...
The unfulfilled promise of the Toronto islands
Ah, foolish me — imagining I could visit the beckoning, beautiful Toronto islands on a weekend afternoon to lounge on a hot beach by the cool waters of our great lake. The islands are such a blessing in the sweltering city, so close you can see them shimmering in the heat from the top of the building. Such are the dreams that so often trump experience, which, if consulted, would have told me that the lineup for an island-bound ferry was going to be at least two hours long.
The monumental cultural cluelessness of modern Conservatives
Prime Minister Stephen Harper might have sacrificed a majority victory in the 2008 election when he campaigned in defence of a $45-million cut in arts funding, famously denouncing Canadian artists and their patrons as “a bunch of people at, you know, a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough.” Quebecers especially were annoyed.
Unspoken rules for successful city cycling
Now that the cycling season is upon us and new two-wheelers are wobbling unsteadily all about the city, it’s time to review some of the basic rules of the road to ensure that all cyclists can enjoy a safe and fulfilling experience while riding the streets of Toronto. For reasons that can only be guessed at, most guides to safe cycling neglect to mention these fundamental practices.
Federal budget’s transit promises a sop to the gullible
Bless Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard)’s boyish enthusiasm.
Thank you, Doug Ford, for your mayoral run so far
On behalf of all bike-riding pinkos, I’d like to thank for blurting out the nasty truths our own champion is far too cautious to utter. Not that we blame her: Attempting class warfare would be suicidal for any leftist in Toronto today. Olivia Chow has wisely buttoned her lip. But Doug Ford’s righteous rage at the enduring power of the Family Compact and its current figurehead is undeniable. It is populism at its finest.
No one to blame for Rob Ford but ourselves
A newspaper column I wrote five years ago recently enjoyed a brief second life on the Internet thanks to its protagonist, Rob Ford. Not Mayor Rob Ford, but the inexcusable buffoon who preceded him, Councillor Rob Ford. The headline read, “It’s so awful you can’t look away.” The news at that time was his arrest for domestic assault, but even then there was a long chronicle of hideous misbehaviour to flesh out the bottom of the story.
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