Many performers pose at intermission

The Leaside United Church Talent Show presented a wide array of performers to a large and happy audience Friday night. The acts ranged from musical to dramatic to tale-telling to a kaleidoscopic light show. Admission and concession receipts will be donated to the Thorncliffe Children’s Day Camp. Below are the performers and their acts, 23 in all. Bob Lister was MC.

1.Yellow (Coldplay)
Song performed by Markus Weintz-Lawford. Piano accompaniment by Ashley Braga
2 Pawsitively Pets
Special demonstration by the animals from Pawsitively Pets and Hila
3 May Name is John Wellington Wells (Gilbert and Sullivan) Song performed by Jonathan Ingram. Piano accompaniment by Tyler Versluis
4. Dummer Sister
Performed by Christine McDonald, Ann Fraser, Ian Fraser
5. Gonna (Mike Russell)
Guitar performed by Mike Russell
6. The Captain Geography Show
Performed by Konstantinos Sardelis
7. Swalla (Jason Derulo and Nicki Manaj)
Dance performed by Perlina Vaz
8. I’m Yours and Ripetide (Maria Montessori School)
Songs and Ukeles performed by Matilda, Sheila, Lily, Alexandria, Naora, Audrey, Lianne.
9. Rippling Watercolours (Brian Balmages)
Clarinet performed by Paige Lawford
10. Sesame Street Medley
Song and guitar performed by Greg K.
(Children please join Greg at front of the church).
11. How To Find An Elephant (Kate Banks)
Storytime by Jane Hawkins
(Children are invited to stay at front for story time)
12. Wakawaka by Presteign African Drummers
Performed by Jonah, Dimitri, Zago, Maria, Konstantinos, Alice, Halle, Smaro, Julia and Ms. Guercio

Large crowd

Children’s drum band

13. Medley:
Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree and Bie Mir Bist Du Schon (Andrews Sisters)
Ain’t She Sweet and Yes Sir, That’s My Baby
(Banjo performed by Sally Carroll, better known as “Banjo Gal”
14. Homeward Bound (Jay Althouse)
Song peerformed by Chris Norman
Piano accompaniment by Matthew Boutda
15. When We Were Young (Adele)
Song performed by Daniella Coelho
16. Two Toys
Poem performed by Luke Gregory
17. Don’t Wait (Linda Berry-Robinson)
Song performed by Linda Berry-Robinson
18. Martha’s Out Dancing (James Brand)
Song and guitar performed by James Brand
19. “Alex” and Seniors (Saturday Night Live Adaption)
Skit performed by Jane Hawkins, Ross Lawford, Tanyss Malabar, June Malabar, Mavis and Bryan Piper, Emily Gordon
20. Leaving on a Jet Place (Joni Mitchell)
Song and guitar performed ny Brenda French and Doug McKenzie
21. On the Street Where you Live (My Fair Lady)
You Don’t Know Me (ray Charles)
Song performed by Geoff Tupling
22. Colourform Kaleidoscope Light Show with Music
Performed by Michele and John Petick
23 Toccata (J.S. Bach)
Organ pereformed by Alison Jane and Assistant

Poor England. Its MPs know they don’t want anything to do with Theresa May’s many tortured efforts to get them to agree to Brexit, or not. But the honourable members cannot agree on anything else. Then City News asks if construction is making Eglinton Ave. unsafe. Really guys? Can the Pope speak Spanish? Below that the chilling story of a lunatic “swatter.” These are the jerks who phone 911 and pretend to be part of an unfolding catastrophe. Lastly, the Sydney Zoo has presented the world with three Sumatran tiger cubs, among the rarest in the world.

Before the storm

Who knew?

The incident at Soudan and Forman Aves. which saw a woman lose it with a stop-sign cheater has prompted Mayor Tory to call for a redesign of streets and sidewalks. He told CTV: “This is a perfect example of a place where we need to redesign the streets so as to properly move the sidewalks out and otherwise try to manage the traffic going through what is a residential neighbourhood. I think it is just another lesson of how much work we have to do in order to make the City more pedestrian friendly.” The mayor also said that while there is no evidence that the vehicle involved was speeding, it is clear that “adequate attention” was not being paid by the driver.

Flings self onto car

Second driver is okay driving around stroller

In fact, there’s no question the driver blew through a stop sign without the slightest effort to come to a complete halt as the Highway Traffic Act requires. Ward 11 Councillor Mike Layton tweeted that the raging behaviour of the mother was something any parent would probably feel. “If I was put in her place, I don’t know what I’d do, but it wouldn’t be done quietly. What I do know, driver should have stopped, second driver should not have proceeded and any of the drivers should have gotten out to make sure the parent and child were okay,” he wrote. The incident occurred in Ward 15, held by Jaye Robinson. The video has more than 26,000 views at midday Friday and 145 comments. The mom does not fare well with those commenting. Video with language caution.

• Mom loses it with stop-sign cheater at Soudan and Forman
• Residents sound alarm after traffic confrontation

Veteran CBC Queen’s Park reporter and insider Mike Crawley writes Friday that there is an argument to made be for the Ford government approach to subways. Crawley says the financial advantage of provincial ownership of subways is Ontario’s power to amortize the capital cost, something the City cannot do. Under this financing model, when the province carries the subway construction cost on its books, the taxpayer’s transit dollar would in theory go further. Mike Crawley

• Ford government will fight for Windsor auto jobs after Fiat announces cuts
• Ontario set to expand beer and wine sales to corner stores, big box stores and more grocery stores

There’s much anticipation as Leaside United Church prepares to raise the curtain tonight (Friday) on its first talent show. Jane Hawkins writes that there are 23 acts of all ages. Wow. Doors open at 6.15 p.m. with show starting at 7. There is a cash bar. It is a fundraiser for Thorncliffe Children’s Day Camp. Leaside United Church is at 822 Millwood Rd

Bagal bread/Alek Krautmann@alekkrautmann

St. Louis PBJ sandwich/Have@HaverOfOpinions

St. Louis pizza/Patrick@hags819

A US man, Alek Krautmann of Washington, has been assailed on social media after he posted a photo of so-called “bagel bread” he and his friends gobbled up. They liked it. Bagel bread is a bagel sliced on its side into bite sized chunks. For some reason Krautmann named it St. Louis-style bagel bread. Outraged people across the country posted food parodies such as a St. Louis jam and peanut butter sandwich with the gooey stuff on the outside. Patrick tweeted St. Louis pizza apparently made of crackers. The moral seems to be eat your food the way you like but do it in secret.

Mark Poweska, who currently serves as BC Hydro’s executive vice president of operations, has been appointed president and CEO of Hydro One starting in May, the utility announced Thursday. The company says Poweska was chosen after an international search and will replace acting president and CEO Paul Dobson. The hiring comes after former Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt retired following the election of the Progressive Conservative government last spring. BNN Bloomberg

Mark Poweska will be new Hydro One president and CEO/BC Hydro

Ziggy/Bella Rouge Salon

Steel goes down/Crosstown LRT

Benches on South Bayview/Bayview Leaside BIA

Jazz at Northlea United

BIA badge/Bayview Leaside BIA

#CleanTorontoTogether – taking place on April 26, 27 and 28, 2019

Upper left we find Ziggy, the 11-month old friend of Green Canoe Cafe owner Ryan Horwood. Ziggy may eat out back at the Millwood Rd. breakfast and lunch restaurant but he probably can’t order Portuguese custard tarts like you can. Upper right in this Friday summary of local scenes, those are real steel tracks now being put down in the Eglinton Crosstown guideway at Victoria Park Ave. TTC rails towards the Rouge River. Amazing. Below that a couple more of the sleek new benches installed all up and down South Bayview Ave. Thursday night. They’ll be nice in June. Then some worthwhile reminders of jazz at Northlea United and the coming push to clean up Toronto for Spring. Get in there.

Police have issued an alert about an incident Tuesday about 4:15 p.m. when a jogger approached a girl, 16, from behind and then stopped in front of her. This occurred at or near Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Lawrence Ave. He is said to have looked at the girl “up and down” without speaking. He then began to follow her. Somehow this all came to the attention of adults on the street who confronted the man. He left the area. He is described in the alert as black, late 20 to 30 years old, slim build, 5’10” to 6’0″, short black hair or shaved head. He was wearing a bright yellow jacket, black jogging pants with white stripes along the sides.

Jogger who raised concern

Woman assails driver trying to cheat stop sign at Soudan and Forman

Video has been posted of an incident at the four-way stop corner of Soudan and Forman Aves. in recent days. A driver pulls an old cheat by doing a two-for-one going south on Forman. A woman pushing a baby carriage east on Soudan becomes profane and very angry. Language caution. It cannot be said that the woman was nearly hit, at least not until she tried to stop the car with her body. No doubt she had a point. The driver was running the sign because he was not prepared to wait, as he is required to do, to let her cross. In her anger, the mom leaves the baby carriage and gets in front of the car which seems dangerous. Video. Thanks to Jane Auster, Writer-Editor Jane Widerman Communications Inc.

The old comedian’s joke seems to apply to Quebec Premier Francois Legault Thursday as his government has introduced a bill to forbid public workers in “positions of authority” from wearing religious symbols such as a Moslem hijab, Jewish kippa or Sikh turban. News stories are unclear about whether the religious symbols ban extends to a crucifix or cross in the form of a necklace. Nor is there a full list of just who in authority is included in the ban but it seems certain to include the police and military and senior government employees. There is a grandfathered prohibition of the ban for teachers and principals. Those now wearing such symbols may continue to do so but new hires will be subject to the ban. Legault has also ordered that a 1936 crucifix over the speaker’s chair in the National Assembly be removed. The act invokes the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This places the ban beyond the reach of an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.