Novak Djokovic, the 20-time Serbian major tennis champion, had his visa cancelled by Australian Border Force officials who rejected his evidence to support a medical exemption from the country’s strict COVID-19 vaccination rules. But how did he get into Australia in the first place? Suspicion grows that somebody got special treatment

Sidney Poitier’s remarkable life and accomplishments

Sidney Poitier has died after a long and full life. In this well-done obituary, Poitier is seen speaking modestly about his enormous showbusiness breakthrough.

Study suggests women more likely to die if surgeon is male

Photo by павел-сорокин on Pexels

A study done at Toronto hospitals has found that women patients may be 30 percent more likely suffer fatal post-operative complications if their surgeon is a man. The reasoning offered is that women surgeons can communicate better with the patient. Or, as mentioned well down in the story, does the 90 percent male dominance of this field make that outcome an inevitable matter of chance?

There was no winner for Saturday’s $32 million 649 jackpot but Friday the $50 million Lotto Max jackpot was won by a ticket holder in Canada’s West. There were also two Maxmillions prizes of $1 million in Saturday’s draw but neither was won. The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw on Jan. 11 will be an estimated $12 million.

Marc Yamaguchi with fellow rain gardener Karen Buck/picture supplied

The Leaside Garden Society will explore the subject of rain gardens at its next virtual meeting on Zoom on March 10 at 7 p.m. A rain garden is an area in the landscape that collects rainwater from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground. The speaker will be Centennial College English Professor Marc Yamaguchi. In 2015, he headed up the East Danforth Rain Gardens Project now called Rain Gardens United. This project and has grown from an initial 11 gardens to 31 today. Leaside Garden Society

Kim Mi-soo

Jagmeet Singh and his wife Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu with new baby daughter

Micheal Melling

Faces in the news this Friday include Korean actress Kim Mi-soo. She has died mysteriously at the age of 30 and her studio, in announcing the news, has asked fans to refrain from “sharing rumors or speculative reports” on the cause. At centre are NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and his wife Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu. They are seen with their new baby girl. At the right is Micheal Melling, a nearly 20-year veteran of CTV News who has been appointed vice-president of that firm’s news department replacing Wendy Freeman. No age is given for Mr. Melling.

Dangerous tangle on Don Valley Parkway at Eglinton Ave

Three people have been injured early Friday in a single-vehicle crash that has closed the southbound Don Valley Parkway at Eglinton Ave. Police say a northbound car struck the centre median and rolled into southbound lanes. Two people were ejected and one is in critical condition.

Dave Fuller, head of wireless

Empire that Ted built

The head of Rogers Communication’s Wireless Division, Dave Fuller, has decided to quit his position in the wake of the Rogers family fight over control of the firm. Some say he was in line for even further advancement at Rogers but he is a great fan of his former boss, Joe Natale. Natale left the firm recently.

New BMW can change colour — sort of

Henry Ford said you could have the Model T in any colour you wanted as long as it was black. Now BMW is bragging about a new electric car that can change colours — as long it’s a shade of gray.

And what on earth is metaverse?

Okay, the metaverse is “a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users”. Do people in this make-believe trance bump into each other?

Bayview Ave @ Pottery Road – Swing Gates (January 2022, Bulldog Photo)

Bayview Ave @ Pottery Road – Swing Gates (Feb 2022, Bulldog Photo)

For many months drivers on the Bayview extension have wondered what function was served by the red gates that now populate the intersections at Pottery Rd., Rosedale Valley Rd. and River St. Their purpose is to slowly merge traffic into a turn-off lane if a detour is needed. The Lower Don Traffic Management System (LDTMS) allows the City to remotely detour vehicles along Bayview Avenue and adjacent streets, preventing them from accessing a flooded zone.

Call me Long tongue/Colin Mcconnell

Here’s a lively guy from the recent outings of nature photographer Colin McConnell.

Environment Canada has issued a strong wind warning. It says gusts of 70 to 80 km/h will whip Toronto during the afternoon or evening. A cold front will sweep through southern Ontario this afternoon.

SUV pounded by falling concrete pieces/City News

Life in North America’s mushrooming tower City brought a deluge of concrete pieces and possibly wet cement pounding down on traffic from a construction site on Yonge St at Cumberland Ave Tuesday evening. The driver of the vehicle shown above escaped with serious injuries and is recovering in hospital.

Scene on O’Connor/Gord Edick Global

Into the house/Doug Gamey Global

1800 block of O’Connor Drive

A tanker truck loaded with fuel slammed into a semi-detached home in the 1800 block of O’Connor Drive late Monday night. Remarkably, no one was hurt and there was no fire. The scene is near Sunrise Ave and it appears the driver, who was southbound from Victoria Park, may have missed the slow bend in O’Connor as it descends from Vic Park.

Many people are commenting on a well-known habitue of Leslieville and area who has no fear of removing packages from porches in daylight and even with the blinds open. Amazon, Amazon. Is this how it’s supposed to work? FB