The North American International Auto Show has finished its preview and is now open to the public. The show runs until January 23, 2011. A sign of changing times is seen in the pictures above, where all things electrical are gathered on — where else — Electric Avenue. There are many manufacturers there, not just automakers. One is showing a charge station facility (centre). At right, is the Nissan Leaf.

Merchants on the east side of South Bayview will know that Bell service has, over the years, been spotty. The servicemen are very nice but the phones frequently failed in the face of the ancient wire system. Now with the planned arrival of Shoppers Drug Mart at their new location its “All Hands on Deck” to shape up the service. Trucks, supervisors in groups up and down the utility holes, up and down ladders and of course in and out of the premises at 1605 Bayview where Shoppers will locate. We’re told the furious work resulted in a punctured water pipe yesterday. Messy but as with most things, it was repaired. Anyway, good luck to our hard working service friends at Bell at upgrading the phones.

The Hudson Bay company has provided a nice history of Zeller’s, the store chain which seems destined to disappear from Canadian streets after 80 years of business. Even though there is a plan to keep some Zeller’s stores operating, the writing seems to be on the wall about the end of the chain. Target stores of the U.S. has bought most of the leases and it seems likely the rest will go shortly. In 1931, a Waterloo County boy named Walter P. Zeller (left) bought the 14 Canadian stores of American retailer Schulte-United. And so was Zeller’s born. Zeller called his concept the Store for Thrifty Canadians and even during the depression his plan worked. All during WWII and into the 50s and 60s the Zeller’s concept thrived and Zeller expanded, And Zeller proved to be a good employer with an unknown at the time, a company pension plan and competitive pay..

Okay, here we go again with some stories no doubt destined for — and deserving of — obscurity. How about the president of Toyota Motors, who just amazed reporters at the auto show in Detroit by using two rice balls to promote his cars. One rice ball was sold in a store (bad) the other was lovingly made at home (good). Guess which one was the Toyota rice ball? Then there’s the class action suit launched in Newfoundland by a couple of drivers, both now confined to wheelchairs after their cars collided with moose. You may be sure they think the government is to blame. And with a moose population of 125,000 compared to 480,000 humans, the government should probably tell everyone to slow down. Finally, two gentlemen from University College in London have concluded that Canada should finish last in their little study of freedom of information practices. It was an exclusive field. Just five countries — Australia, Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada. The shame. No word on whether we finished a mere fraction of a point behind the second last (not named by the media). Or whether Canada was so far back that no one could see us. Or if all five were bunched up together. Or, why the world has shrunk to five countries, leaving out places like Brazil, China and Thailand. Just asking.