Cody Winter Fair Dec. 9

DPS kids learning about sugar

Santa’s Streetcar in the Beach /Andrea Freeman Twitter

Rites of Passage at Woodgreen marks ten years /East York Mirror Twitter

Prasanna Bukka at the Maurice Cody Parent Site has kindly written to remind us of the Cody Winter Fair Saturday, December 9 from 10 until 3 at the school. Old favorites like the Home Depot Build It Room and Aunt Edna’s Shopping Emporium will be there again this year. Upper right we see Davisville Junior Public School pupils at a show-and-tell about sugar. Everything in balance as we learn how it affects the body and brain. Centre right, best use of a streetcar ever as Motorman Chris Perrin (left) and his pals plan Santa’s Streetcar gift collection set for Saturday, November 25 in the Beach. Read about it here in the East York Chronicle. Bottom right, the happy faces of the Rites of Passage gang working to empower African Youth at @WoodgreenDotOrg as they mark ten years of this selfless labour. Thank you people.

Smart signal installed Friday/CTV Twitter

Toronto traffic-light crews are installing new signals which sense and adjust to the flow of vehicles. The work began Friday at Yonge St. and Yonge Boulevard where Mayor Tory was present early in the day.  The job will take a few weeks to finish and see the lights installed at 22 intersections for a pilot period. As reported by CTV, the new lights can sense real-time traffic data through the use of video-analysis. They can also communicate and automatically synchronize with other smart signals in their vicinity. The City is testing two different technologies as part of its pilot project. Smart signals manufactured under the name InSync will be installed at 10 intersections on Yonge between Yonge Boulevard and Castlefield Avenue while smart signals manufactured under the name SCATS will be used at 12 intersections on Sheppard Ave. between Neilson Rd. and Meadowvale Rd.

It’s as plain as black and white. There are three events here that are worth doing Friday. Below are some easy Black Friday cooking ideas from Lisa Barton of Today’s Menu.

Clutch me close//Prada blush clutch now in new arrivals

Miu Miu leather and crystal sneakers

Jimmy Choo espadrille wedge

Toronto-based online luxury consignment business Leef Luxury is celebrating its first year in business. Leef Luxury is a new advertiser in The Bulldog and it has much to celebrate. “We built this business on the idea of sustainable style” says Roula Panagiotopoulos founder of Leef Luxury.  In today’s world of consumption it’s a good feeling that the item you purchased didn’t contribute to waste. “And we’ve taken a different approach to getting pieces, Roula professes.” The anniversary is being marked with Leef’s Really Big Sale.  It began Thursday, November 22 and is on until Cyber Monday, November 27. Whether you’re in the market to  purchase or thinking of consigning some of your luxury accessories, contact Leef Luxury.   

Robin Pilkey

Helpful or intimidating?

Miriam Imran

The question above puts a point on the decision by the Toronto District School Board to end the School Resource Officer program (SRO). In the aftermath, TDSB chair Robin Pilkey is saying that some students felt that they were being watched “that they were being intimidated, that they were being targeted in their schools.” A student, Mariam Imran on the other hand offers this: “I thought they make you feel safer. Anything goes wrong you can go to her and she’ll help you out. I don’t like that they removed them.” These sentiments are echoing around the City following the end of SRO. The vote was 18 to 3 to end the program, a hearty endorsement of Ms. Pilkey’s position. But many don’t get it. The mayor is said to wonder why adjustments could not be made in the program for those who felt uncomfortable. And the elusory nature of the complaint from a small group (10 to 12 percent) of students seems to reveal the TDSB as an upside-down place. If there is palpable intimidation it should be discernible. But no such complaint is present. CBC

Boom concrete pump

Trucks on Belsize

And Bayview

Beside lane to Millwood

They poured the concrete basement of 433 Belsize Thursday. It’s the last house on the street before Bayview Ave. It took four cement mixers to fill the forms of the little home. The trucks were lined up along Belize and around the corner into Bayview. Or as the song Cement Mixer goes:

First you get some gravel
Pour it in the vout
To mix a mess o’ mortar
You add cement and water
See the mellow-roony come out
Slurp, slurp, slurp

Frank Alberts/Leaside Community

Garage aftermath on Windmill Rd./Bulldog photo

Windmills Rd./Bulldog photo

Fire which burned undetected for a while has gutted a bungalow garage on the Bennington Heights cul-de-sac of Windmill Rd. No one was injured. Seen above left is a shot taken by Frank Alberts and posted to Leaside Community from Moore Ave. showing smoke seeping out of the garage.

The prime minister was mobbed by members of the Liberal party attending “community visit” by Mr. Trudeau and Liberal candidate Jean Yip at Bridlewood Mal. There is a Dec. 11 byelection in Scarborough-Agincourt to fill the seat left vacant after MP Arnold Chan died in September. When Trudeau arrived at Bridlewood mall around 5 p.m., hundreds of people started reaching for the prime minister’s hand as he was led into a crowd of people to head for the food court. Less than two minutes later, his security detail started guiding the prime minister back towards the mall’s entrance as he continued shaking hands with those around him. The occurrence has led to talk Thursday about safety planning.

Researchers at the University of Southampton have concluded that as many four cups of coffee a day do a person more good than harm. They gathered observational data on the impact of coffee on all aspects of the human body and published the results in the British Medical Journal Tuesday. Those who drink three or four cups of coffee every day could significantly reduce the chances of early death, a study suggests. A review of more than 200 studies found coffee consumption was “more often associated with benefit than harm,” adding even people who drank as many as seven cups of coffee were likely to be safe. They warned people should not start drinking coffee, or increasing their intake, for health reasons. Too much coffee for women during pregnancy could also be harmful, the study said. The study found that compared to non-coffee drinkers, those who consumed three cups of coffee each day appeared to reduce their risk of being diagnosed with heart problems. Drinking coffee was also linked to a lower risk of diabetes, liver disease, dementia and some cancers.

Those heading downtown Saturday are reminded of road closures related to the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square. The following streets will be closed from 4 to 11:30 p.m.

• Bay Street from Dundas Street to Richmond Street West (local traffic only from Dundas Street to Hagerman Street and controlled access point for Albert Street and James Street)
• Queen Street West from University Avenue to Yonge Street
• York Street from Queen Street West to Richmond Street West
• Elizabeth Street from Foster Place to Hagerman Street
• Hagerman Street from Elizabeth Street to Bay Street

Cavalcade of Lights

Quite a show

Happening Saturday

Please check each of these worthwhile events taking place in the next few days. A couple are Friday. The posters are interactive. Click, read and go there — Bulldog ed.

There is a lively discussion ongoing at Leaside Community about the proposed variances being asked for at 39 Divadale Drive where a new build is underway. Barbara Ann Mason says there are 11 variations requested to do with height and width. She feels it sets a bad precedent particularly on “venting/chimney encroachments.” The Committee of Adjustment meeting is Thursday, December 7 in the council chamber at North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge St.