South Bayview Bulldog Admin

Sat in house for 40 years, vase sells for £3 million

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Mailonline: A Chinese porcelain vase once knocked over by the family cat fetched just over £3 million (C$4,770,000) at auction in London yesterday. That’s one hundred and twenty three times times more than expected. The 300-year-old blue and white vase, not dissimilar to the one which famously sold for £53 million two years ago, was bought by an unnamed Chinese telephone bidder based in Hong Kong. The price escalated after a fierce eight-way, ten-minute bidding battle at the North Yorkshire salerooms of Tennants Auctioneers. The owner of the antique Chinese vase had no idea of its value, and it was only discovered by Tennants, during a routine house call to value the contents. The 40cm high bottle-shaped vase, bearing the mark of 18th century Emperor Yongzheng, was conservatively estimated at £20,000-£30,000. But word quickly spread around the antiques world and collectors and dealers from China were prominent in the crowded saleroom as the bidding quickly soared.

Sunnybrook top spot for tickets in Toronto

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A survey has shown that Sunnybrook Hospital parking lots are the top happy hunting ground for parking enforcement officers. Over a nearly five year period there were 48,379 tickets issued in the lots, or about 29 a day. (Is this the guy who runs down South Bayview slapping tickets on windshields?) The survey found that other heavily ticketed places were Seneca College and Centennial College.  The survey was done by Toronto Star data guru Matthew Cole.

COBS gingerbread scone debuts on Bayview

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Whenever COBS comes up with another of its insanely delicious new creations, we remember that this Australian bread giant chose South Bayview for its very first store in Ontario. What can we say except that perhaps we are worth it. This all comes to mind as COBS hands out free samples of its new gingerbread scone. We just went to Cobs on Bayview for a loaf of bread. Now we’re hooked on this delicate confection at least until the next COBS original goes into free giveaway. Seriously, they’re worth buying with real money. Oh Lord, look at that icing

Big Movember skate at Air Canada Centre

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There’s a big skating opportunity tomorrow morning at Air  Canada Centre as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and Movember Canada invites the public onto tjhe big ice between  9 a.m. and 11 a.m. for a MOpen Skate in benefit of Movember.  Those attending will be able to skate during one of two one-hour blocks of open ice time and organizer s are requesting a $10 to Movember Men’s Health   Only 250 permitted on the ice at a time. 

Santa Claus parade marks 107 years this Sunday

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As best we can tell, the crowd pleasing Santa Claus Parade will mark its 107th year this Sunday. As usual, more than half a million people are expected to line the route from Christe Pits on Bloor Street West, down Avenue Road and University Avenue, then east on Wellington Street to St. Lawrence Hall.  It begins at 12.30. Thought you might enjoy these flashes into the past, a reminder of how this happy occasion has endured. History

New trolley car dreaming courtesy TTC

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The TTC released this very nicely done montage-video yesterday to celebrate the arrival of its new low-floor streetcars at the Hillcrest Yard on Bathurst Street. You may have seen Karen Stintz, Ward 16, and TTC Chair, quite ecstatic about them on TV There’s a lot of work to be done before these Bombardier-made cars roll the rails of Toronto. The closest they will get to South Bayview is Yonge and St. Clair. Unless they truck them up South Bayview you will never see these long smooth trolleys in front of McSorely’s, say. But they are easy to access, we’re told, and air conditioned too. As they say at the Saloon, two out of three ain’t bad.    Read about them  National Post

Convenience stores sue City over plastic bags ban

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The plastic bag ban is going to be tested in court as an association of Ontario Convenience stores and the Toronto Taxpayers Coalition take legal action against it. The Ontario Convenience Stores Association began action yesterday. It  complains that the ban was approved without consultation — which is surely true. City council must still approve the ban, which is to take effect on Jan. 1, 2013, after the city’s public works and infrastructure committee adopted the proposed bylaw on Wednesday. Association spokesman Dave Bryans calls the proposed bylaw “invalid” and says it was rushed forward with essentially no consultation with the businesses it will harm members. Bryans says the ability to provide consumers with reliable, strong and cost-effective bags to carry their purchases home is a vital part of convenience stores’ ability to meet consumer demand. The Taxpayers Coalition is also preparing action.

U.S. is crumbling as power grids, bridges fail

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The stress of Hurricane Sandy has brought into stark relief the crumbling nature of the physical structure of the U.S. Bridges and electrical grids are collapsing. Here’s a breakdown of the cost, and a startling grand total. (November 15, 2012) Very well done “Decoder” Reuters video

Sunnybrook jogger gives finger in K-Wing incident

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The police have been consulted about an incident in which a man was photographed near Sunnybrook Hospital’s Veterans K-Wing. Witnesses say he is a jogger and that among other things, he ran through small flags decorating the lawn as part of the Remembrance Day events. Did he? A small incident but galling it seems to some. A picture was taken by Gerry Samson, who was present with his wife and was offended by the jogger’s behaviour. When a woman asked the jogger to stop kicking the flags, he is said to have given her the finger and replied: “Stop me if you can.”  Toronto Sun

Leaside lawyer disbarred by Ontario Law Society

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Lawyer Michael Ingram,  69, of Leaside, has been disbarred by the Law society of Upper Canada. The governing body of lawyers in Toronto called Mr. Ingram’s conduct in taking $3 million of clients’ money, most of it bound for charity, egregious. The Law Society says it revoked the licence for professional misconduct after finding that Mr. Ingram misappropriated money from client trust funds, including taking $101,000 from a client and giving it to his own brother to buy real estate. That real estate purchase was also funded with $182,000 that Ingram took from a charity he helped oversee, the law society said. The discipline panel found that Ingram had been siphoning money from trust accounts and doling it out to other people, including his brother and his wife, then shifting money around between various other accounts to try to replace the funds. It began in October 2005 and ended in May 2008, amounting to $3.1 million in unauthorized transfers, the law society said in its decision late last month. The Canadian Press   Previous post.

Hostess in U.S. seeks bankruptcy protection

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Hostess Brands in the U.S. says it will seek bankruptcy protection with permission to liquidate if striking workers do not return to work by the end of today. The crisis once again places the future of such iconic brands as Wonder Bread and Twinkies in jeopardy n the U.S. It’s believed that the names are held separately in Canada.  The baking company says it is shutting down plants in Seattle, St. Louis and Cincinnati at the cost of 627 jobs due to the strike. 

Discount pop-up at former Liv location

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A discount retailer called Brands 4 Less has taken the large space at 418 Eglinton Ave West recently vacated by Liv. It will be a pop up location until the owner finds a more permanent tenant. The store is filling up now with women’s clothing, children’s clothes and toys, DVDs and a variety of other goods. This building has long been a challenge for retailers who have leased it because of its size. No 418 is located a few doors west of the Eglinton Grand Event Centre.