The Bulldog

Random strip search, sex-switch surgery and find my girl

At left is Jill Knapp. She seems to have been the victim of an entirely random strip search by Canada Border Security. Unfortunately, this report fails to raise or guess at what, if any, cause for suspicion authorities might have had to think Jill was carrying drugs. At centre is Janet MacBeth, a transgender woman who has been operated on at Women’s College Hospital to surgically change her organs. It’s called gender reassignment surgery, and it’s just what you think it is. Finally, Macy Smith, 17, is awfully glad her mom insisted she put the Find My Friends app on her phone. It seems to have saved Macy’s life.

Red spray-paint graffiti in Leaside makes recent appearance

A growing thread Wednesday sees Facebook members discussing and anguishing a bit over vulgar graffiti in red spray paint seen locally. One woman is quite practical with advice that she has found it easy and effective to use “graffiti removal spray” from Home Depot.

Stolen cab, home invasion mark odd rampage in East York

Tuesday morning quarterbacks analyze Monday rally flaws

Well, yes, of course, if only we had foreseen that someone in a crowd of two million excited basketball fans might have a gun, then we would have been prepared right? Listen, it would be bigger news if nothing had gone wrong. The City is enormously lucky it wasn’t worse. This rally, while necessary, had danger written all over it. There was nothing anyone could do about that short of cancelling the rally.




Marathon underpass fix, sidewalk detours snarl east Leaside

The cheery Hydro One lady at upper left might as well be saying “Relax, this could take forever.” That’s because it has been well over a month since the utility wonks closed the westbound lanes of the old Millwood underpass and started digging. They’re apparently searching for something. An answer to our inquiries is pending. Meanwhile, the summer onslaught of sidewalk construction is causing things like detours off of Southvale.

PAUL HICKEY AND LISA BARTON

Upper right are friends Paul Hickey and Lisa Barton of Today’s Menu who remind customers to pop in at the 852 Millwood store. Saturday, June 29 is the last day before their summer break. The store reopens on Tuesday, July 9. Centre right is a wonderful Citroen CV 2 dressed up for a wedding on Roxborough St. West. At left is a shot of an adjustment in the placement of the sign at Verdi Tuesday. It’s been moved higher. Below that is the UPS store in the Sunnybrook Plaza. Sneaky Bulldog sources say it will be down by Eglinton and Laird come September, maybe sooner. You wanted to know, right? Finally, that thing they just hung at the corner of Millwood and Bayview is a Scout Video Collection Unit which says it’s collecting traffic data. But is it? Be careful who you take to McSorley’s.

Google calendar down worldwide about two hours Tuesday

Google Calendar was down for about two hours for users around the world but was available again in Toronto at about 12.30 p.m. Tuesday. Trying to access the calendar generated a 404 error message or a buffering attempt to open. Twitter was deluged with desperate people worried about missing business meetings, appointments, dates and bill payments. Google dashboard

Many bomb threats made against Toronto campuses: TPS

Twitter accounts say that bomb threats have shut down and caused evacuations at the Ontario School of Art and Design (OCAD) and at parts of Ryerson University. Police are saying that threats were made to ten campuses at four schools. George Brown College and Humber College are also named. The threats are clearly coordinated and similar in nature, police say.

Liberal decision-day on oil self-sufficiency or fear of spills

This is the day the federal government is supposed to make a decision to build the Trans Mountain Pipeline (which is owned by you) or not. Despite concerns for the economy, there is widespread support for the project. Most Canadians say the failure of the country to sell its oil and achieve oil self-sufficiency is a crisis.

Stunning new post from area photographer Colin Mcconnell

Area photographer Colin Mcconnell has made another post to Facebook of superb wildlife scenes taken along the eastern shoreline. As he says: “Nature is nice.” And nicely captured, we add. Mcconnell is also on Instagram.

Pilots-eye view of Snowbirds City Hall salute to Raptors

Geri was a brat, Pauley ups the stakes and mourning Gloria

Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) says she was a brat for breaking up the Spice Girls 21 years ago. But she went on to a stunning solo career before re-joining SG and is said to have made a huge fortune along the way. At centre is Pauley Perrette, formerly of the popular crime drama NCIS, who says she left the program because she’s afraid of Mark Harmon. Now she is upping her attacks on Harmon. Finally at the right, Gloria Vanderbilt, heiress, socialite, businesswoman and Anderson Cooper’s mom, has died at age 95. She lived quite a life.

Other news Monday includes pipeline hope, mortgage help

The federal government is expected to approve construction of the now publicly owned Trans Mountain Pipeline, a decision that will be greatly applauded by those concerned about the economy. The federal government is also set to start a program to help new buyers pay for their first home. It will start on Labour Day, shortly before the October general election. The plan will pick up five percent of a mortgage on existing homes for households that earn under $120,000 a year, on a mortgage of no more than $480,000. And Airbus has stepped up the pressure on arch-rival Boeing on the opening day of the Paris airshow by launching a new long-range small passenger jet and announcing $15bn (£12bn) worth of orders. It is called the A321XLR and is a long-haul version of the A321neo that competes with Boeing’s grounded 737 Max.