South Bayview Bulldog Admin

Pop-up fashion shop to open on South Bayview

There is pop-up shop news from South Bayview. A place called Where Did You Get That? will open at 1517 Bayview just north of Millwood. Ave. It will sell all new goods including labels such as Bella Dahl, Nation, Velvet, Graham and Spencer by Velvet, Pete, Portolano Cashmere Ponchos, hats and gloves, Love This Life, Chan Luu and more. Sounds like fun. The shop will open Wed. Oct 23 to Sun. Oct 27 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

Port Authority chair leans toward island jets

The Toronto Port Authority chairman appears to be leaning in favour of jets at the Island Airport. Mark McQueen has said that jets would be okay if they were — well — okay. He said Porter should not be permitted to exceed the current noise regulations nor create a “negative impact on the environment”.  Mr. McQueen openly criticized opponents of the jet proposals saying they were using “fairy-tale suggestions” to describe the impact. The port authority is one of three parties to the agreement that prevents jets at the airport. The other parties are the federal government and the city. Mr. McQueen also warned that Transport Canada might order a 50-metre extension at each end of the island airport’s runway for safety reasons, regardless of the Porter Airline proposal. “We expect that as early as 36 months from now, Transport Canada will require every major commercial airport, including Billy Bishop, to install an extended (runway end safety area),” said Mr. McQueen. He was speaking at a luncheon speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.  

Fletcher is walking tall on South Bayview

Nearly four years ago in the winter of 2010 The South Bayview Bulldog made an acquaintance on the wide sidewalks of our high street. Fletcher the Great Dane has grown and now walks taller than ever when he’s out with his friend. Here he is Monday showing a medley of faces — sniffing (of course) inquisitive, mellow and inclined to take a nap.  

“Summerhill altercation” or simply stupid?

Correct to a fault where the police are concerned, the Town Crier’s Shawn Star has opined that the “altercation” between police and a guy who shot up a Parliament street barber shop has escaped the scrutiny of the Special Investigations Unit. (SIU)  Hoo boy. Why in the name of crime and punishment would the SIU be in the middle of this capture? The assassin jackass escaped with his life after he and a buddy burst into the hair-cutting place and started shooting. First they plugged the wrong man (nice) and then led cops on an alarming chase through midtown. One of the two was captured when their car crashed at Yonge and Roxborough. The “altercation” assailant was finally cornered in a Summerhill yard. From all reports he fought like a tiger to escape and the police had to beat him into submission. Any complaints so far?  Okay, so it was an “altercation” in the cutest sense of the word. Most of us would say it was the righteous nailing of a very dangerous dude. So the headline Altercation escapes SIU scrutiny recalls Chicago reporters turned playwrights Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Their memorable character  Walter Burns, editor of the Chicago Examiner, had a way with headlines. “Stooge of Stalin or simply stupid?” he bellowed at the re-write desk.  We think “Summerhill altercation” is simply stupid.  But we also acknowledge that it isn’t the Town Crier’s fault that the SUI had to even answer the phone on this one.  

3 Elephants adapting to new life in California

Three Toronto elephants have arrived at the PAWS animal sanctuary near Sacramento.  Iringa, Thika and Toka arrived at Performing Animals Welfare Society Sanctuary just before 6 p.m. local time. Reports from the sanctuary say the great creatures are adapting well.

Thanksgiving weekend break-in on Astley Avenue

Toronto Police Service report:  A resident of Astley Avenue (between Governors’ Rd. and Douglas Dr.)  reports that between 3. p.m.  October 12, 2013 and 1.21 p.m. October 14, 2013, entry was gained into the premises by forcing a door. Removed was a quantity of jewellery, clothing and a laptop computer.

Rick Rayman, 67, a Bayview Avenue Iron Man

Rick Rayman

Thousands of runners surged through Toronto’s streets Sunday achieving countless personal records. Beside these “personal best” stories were athletic luminaries like Dereessa Chimsa, 26, of Ethiopia, fastest runner in the marathon. Others, like Lanni Marchant of London, Ont., and Krista DuChene of Brantford, broke a 28-year-old record at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (CBC).  But the most remarkable local story belongs to 67-year-old dentist Rick Rayman. For almost 35 years Dr. Rayman pursued his daily running habit without missing a day. (North York Mirror)  His running lifestyle began on Dec. 10, 1978 and the York Mills Road and Bayview Avenue man has never wavered in his commitment. When he started, Dr. Rayman was looking for a way to maintain his fitness after his children were born. He started running two to three miles a day, eventually increasing to five. In June 1978, he entered his first 20-kilometre race near the Toronto Zoo. Two months later, he entered his first marathon, and kept on going. Today, the admirable Dr Rayman, as pictured in this great thundering image from his own album, took part once again in the Scotiabank run. “It’s my 300th (marathon) and such a good event,” Rayman told Fannie Sunshine of the North York Mirror.  “It’s a special day for me. It’s a phenomenal marathon, my second favourite, New York being the first.”

Elephants to be at PAWS sanctuary imminently

Toronto’s elephants no longer, Iringa, Thika and Toka are scheduled to arrive at the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in California at about this hour (5 p.m. ET). It appears the trip went as scheduled and the animals are said to be well and, as far as we know, happy. 

Love or hate self-driving cars? Thinking hate

We speak for effect, of course. The South Bayview Bulldog is an Amor de Cosmos of all species and that includes cars. But apart from the very elderly and the smart phone stupidos, we can’t imagine anyone who really wants that car to tell them where to go. Yes, a little help with parking would be nice for some (unstated gender noun here) we know. But really, a self driving car?  Japan Times 

Titanic bandmaster’s violin fetches $1.5 million

The gripping catastrophe that was the sinking of the Titanic continues to fascinate us even as the actual event fades more than a century into history. So great was the human loss that the stories are seemingly endless. This is about the bandmaster of the Titanic, Wallace Hartley, who with his colleagues continued to play as a solace to doomed passengers. Hartley and his fellow musicians died with those still aboard when the ship broke in two and disappeared. Now the violin that Hartley was playing that night in 1912 has been auctioned off in London for the equivalent of $1.5 million. At the left is the actual bidding. At right, an excellent story from CBS done before the auction in which the story is told in full, including how the violin survived, and how the instrument’s authenticity was established. 

Jet noise group TANG meets with Minister Raitt

The Toronto Aviation Noise Group (TANG) is reporting to members and the general public today in mail about a meeting the executive had with the Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt. The meeting was also attended by members of the federal air navigation body, NAV Canada, and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. Also present was Don Valley West MPP John Carmichael.   The meeting was run by Minister Raitt and was designed as a briefing for her. TANG was able to present both in person, and in a package of briefing material for the Minister and others in attendance, the core issues related to the aircraft noise problem in our communities. This problem was created by the rerouted and concentrated landing path to Pearson routed over our neighbourhoods (includes South Bayview) in February 2012. TANG also included in the package a range of solutions which are in use in other jurisdictions. They were given “a good hearing” by the Minister and had the sense that she understood the issue and was sympathetic to the problem with which residents are living.  The TANG mail says however that there has been no undertaking. Residents of South Bayview began to notice increased noise at all hours when traffic in and out of Pearson Airport was re-routed.

Downtown largely closed to cars for marathon

There are multiple road closures throughout the City and especially downtown for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The practical effect for many will be the simple closure of the downtown area.  CP24