South Bayview Bulldog Admin

Sleuth quietly gone from South Bayview

With volunteers assisting, a long-time symbol of our street moved away Sunday. Sleuth of Baker Street went quickly and quietly. It will open in a few days at its new location on Millwood Rd, but with new shorter hours. Sleuth will be open only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

That was the Fukushima that was

Nine days after the earthquake and tsunami that caused a crisis at the Fukushima nuclear complex in Japan, the headlines are reduced to this: Misguided millions all over the world have over-dosed on iodine pills. The World Health Organization is concerned. Then we have the G-7 intervening to stabilize currencies around the world. Would this ordinarily helpful attempt be cause for another paralyzing and destructive demonstration against the G-7? One could never guess. And finally, in the current Fukushima news, a slew of headlines to the effect that, well, the Japanese seem to have done a pretty good job in an awful situation and it looks like we’re all going to be okay. Oh. Gee. That’s good. You mean all the hysterical hand-wringing about The End! wasn’t necessary? Or sensible? Evidently, friends. And you knew all along that you didn’t have to be indifferent to the problems of the Japanese to also know that you were getting a load of news orchestrated primarily to terrify you. Thanks to our friends in television for that.

Super moon snaps from last night

Here are a couple of nice super moon pictures courtesy of a Flikr site based in San Francisco

Super moon pictures here

Some very nice pictures of the super moon on a thumnails page.

“First time” seminar at RBC South Bayview

The Royal Bank (RBC) at Bayview and Belsize will have what is being called a “First time home buyers seminar”. It will be run by Luciano Guarino (inset) who is known to the bank as a Mobile Mortgage Specialist. The date is Thursday March 24, 2011 from 6.30 to 7.30 pm at the branch. Attendance is by RSVP by Monday, March 21, 2011. You can call at 416-974-8894 or 416-974-7932 Mr. Guarino will no doubt be looking for new business but it may be a good chance to get a few tips on how to construct your home-buying and mortgage plans.

Water service repairs block Millwood

The long-suffering residents of MiIllwood Road on the Leaside side are living through yet another disruption. Rabcon Contractors are working their way east on Millwood, replacing connections to residences. And it’s going to be a few more weeks. Rabcon incidentally is the water and sewer main contractor contracted by the City to makes these repairs. Their website says they work extensively with Toronto Water on sewer and water main construction, sewer and water connection services and on various specialized construction projects.

Scots Terrier is Conrad (em) Black

This wriggly fellow is one-year-old Conrad Black (no comment). He was visiting along sunny South Bayview today when we snapped these pictures.

Baby scared/delighted by mom’s nose

What. You don’t think this is important? More than four million people have watched it. Canadian mom writes: “My five-and-a-half-month old son Emerson isn’t sure what to think when I blow my nose. Sometimes he’s terrified, then he can’t stop laughing.”

“Supermoon” will occur Saturday night

A wonderful astronomical event will occur tomorrow night as the full moon coincides with the so-called lunar perigee. The two events will create a moon that will appear to loom larger and brighter than usual. Astronomers call it extreme supermoon. Sounds like martial arts. But chances are you will like this show. The little diagram above is very helpful in understanding the phenomenon. Click on it a couple of times to make it much larger. The event typically causes greater than usual high and low tides. Lunar perigees were previously visible in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005 but not with full moons.

Kate’s see through dress goes for $104,860

The see-through dress worn by Kate Middleton to a charity way back in 2002 has been sold at auction in London for $104,860. (65,000 pounds). She and William, students at the time, both attended the charity. The gauzy barely-there dress with a blue trim was bought by an unidentified buyer. The auction price, which excludes a 20 percent buyers’ premium, was originally expected to reach only 8,000 pounds. Some commentators (the beasts) maintain that the dress played a role in sparking the royal romance that started shortly after the event.

Parking pestilence does have rules

The pestilence of parking tickets seems to be with us for good, but there are rules. The Toronto Police Service has established a few directives for parking officers. In regular legal hours (i.e not rush hour) officers are supposed to permit a five minute grace period. If anyone gets a ticket within less than five minutes after the expiry time, call the TPS. We’re told the ticket will be annulled. The number is (416) 808-2222. It continues to be true that unless the parking officer has actually slapped the ticket on your windshield, or handed it to you, no proper service has occurred. In other words, if you can drive away before the ticket is served, you will not be responsible for it. Shockingly, certain anti-due process types at City Hall under the old regime wanted to eliminate this right in law and declare you guilty regardless. Thank Heavens that hasn’t happened yet. As to rush hour, there’s a five minute grace period starting at the beginning of the rush (4 pm) but after that you’re going to get a ticket the second the parking guy sees your car.

Four nice days ahead on South Bayview

There are four nice days coming up for South Bayview if you believe the weather fiercest Temperatures will get as high as 13 today under variably cloudy skies. A high of ten is forecast for Friday under sunny skies. Saturday and Sunday look great with partial sunshine and slightly cooler temps.