news
Extra, Extra: a Murmuration of Starlings, a Reconsideration of Condos
Every weekday’s end, we collect just about everything you ought to care about or ought not miss.
- About a week ago, we posted a mesmerizing video of a large group of starlings—beautifully named a murmuration—flying in waves and swirls above Yonge-Dundas Square. To learn more about the phenomenon, the Grid chatted with a local ornithologist. Turns out, nobody’s quite sure what’s going on with those group flights: “There’s probably no leader bird, but they’re paying attention to each other. We don’t know what’s going on in their brains, but as far as we do know, they fly around and basically achieve some consensus as to where they’re going to land and when. “
- Condo towers and the glass that falls from them have been popping up in Toronto news frequently—and generally not for good reasons. After a rash of glass breakages this year, the CBC ran an in-depth look at condo design, and whether these tall towers are doomed by their construction. Much doom and gloom later, the Toronto Standard takes another look—and according to their research, the news might not be so grim after all.
- Think our municipal government is defaulting on its responsibilities? Consider this: Toronto’s Public Library collects more fines than Canada’s Environmental Protection Agency.
Like Torontoist? Send us tips, get involved, or follow us through Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.