The South Bayview Bulldog

Leaside native Adam Skelly has opened a lunch restaurant and smoke meat retail business in a refurbished industrial shop at 176 Wicksteed Ave. It’s called Adamson Barbecue. Adamson is a combination of his own name and that of his business partner and friend Alison Hunt. Skelly, a 28-year-old alumnus of Leaside High School, has been cooking and selling meats and sandwiches since 2013 out of his Stock Stack BBQ Food Truck. Now he’s fixed up a space owned by his dad which used to house a welding business to serve food Monday to Friday.  He’s open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. OSO (or sold out) as the sign on his front door says. Adam says he has always had a fascination with the barbecue meat business and proudly shows a Texas flag on the wall of Adamson’s, a symbol of Texas Barbecue, his specialty. The flag was flown over the Texas state house and is signed for authenticity. Following the smoked meat aroma at 176 Wicksteed will lead one to Adam’s prize, a 1967 commercial smoker. The big machine is seldom idle and it was flavouring up a load of brisket and pork when the Bulldog visited. The big smoker is fed by logs of choice oak and sugar maple wood. Take a look at Adamson offerings at the website. The place is on the north side of Wicksteed just west of the railway crossing and across the street from My Self Storage.  (647) 559-2080.

The prime minister has spoken again about the beheading death of Canadian citizen John Ridsdel in the Philippines at the hands of Islamist terrorists who pledge allegiance to ISIS, Al-Qaeda and similar barbaric bodies. Mr. Trudeau made the point that the government does not pay ransom because it supports the continued operations of such terrorists and endangers the lives of Canadians abroad.

WHAT TO DO

The PM didn’t have  much to say on this but the circumstances of such killings and the broader state of the world as well casts a sharp light on a new government eager to return Canada to the long-gone days of peacekeeping. The notion of peacekeeping seems hopelessly naive in a world filled with homicidal extremists bent on establishing a blood-soaked global regime. No one knows what to do about ISIS and the others except to kill them. It is a heavy burden for any leader but lighter perhaps than seeing innocent Canadians slaughtered this way.

The Toronto Card Show will set up at the Amsterdam Brewing Co. on Esandar Drive this Sunday. It will feature an always popular element when NHL greats attend to sign pretty much whatever fans have to place in front of them. The former hockey stars present on May 1, 2016 will be Johnny Bower and Bobby Baun. They will be signing between 12 noon and 2 p.m. Show hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Below we see a happy fan with Bower and Mike Palmeteer at a card show appearance last year. Expect lineups. Johnny Bower archives 

Mike Crawley of the CBC is reporting Tuesday mornng that the Ontario government has subsized wealthy buiyers of wildy expensive Porsche and BMW electric cars (made in Germany) in the name of a savng the planet. Read it and weep. CBC

Cineplex Entertainment has cancelled an Indian Tamil film playing at theatres across Toronto after apparently coordinated attacks with a noxious substance at three of the theatres Friday night. The substance is said to be similar to pepper spray and was released at three separate movie theatres at the same time Friday. This occurred around 7.20 p.m. in Brampton, Mississauga and Scarborough during peak evening viewing. There was also a spray attack at the Scarborough Town Centre theatres on Saturday, April 16, 2016. The film, Theri, was released last month. An Internet synopsis says Theri is “an action film that has a message for society. The film tries to stress the importance of raising our children well and making them responsible citizens of the country. And safety of women is stressed. It is loaded with emotions and action sequences to satisfy all sorts of viewers.” The troubled history of  Tamil peoples in Toronto is said to be largely healed but in recent years violent strains of Tamil Tiger activity rocked the city and saw widespread blackmailing of Tamil families and businesses to support the now ended civil war in Sri Lanka. Trailer shown below is very entertaining even for non-speakers of the language.

The CBC has reported on an extraordinary act of kindness by a faith group, Rhema Christian Ministries. Each year the organizers arrange for women who live in downtown shelters in Toronto to visit Azan’s Hair Salon and Spa on Davenport Rd. Today, for the sixth year, 30 women were pampered and coiffed at the Yorkville spa for free. Manicures, haircuts, and massages were dispensed to the hard-luck ladies after months or in some cases years inside Toronto’s shelter system. The CBC quotes the organizer of Project Beautiful, Judth Meikle, as saying: “We just kind of empower them. We let them know they really are beautiful. And that in spite of the situation and circumstances they have been through, there are a group of people that will love them unconditionally.”

The Crown will not appeal the acquittals in Jian Ghomeshi. The news was released on the for such a  move to be made. A statement said there is no legal basis for an appeal. At theTTC, the sad saga of the failed undertaking by Bombadier to build and deliver streetcars goes on. There are yet further delays forecast in this scandalous story with no very good reasons put froward by the Quebec company for any of it. Mayor Tory says he is dismayed and that would be reasonable. On a happier note, the new green bins designed to leave raccoons hungry will begin appearing on sidewalks within a few days. The first will be delivered to Scarborough.

Evan Solomon is making headway on the long road back. His work at the Bell Canada radio station CFRA NewsTalk Radio in Ottawa has landed him a new position as national affairs specialist. He’ll also host the new syndicated weekend program “Real Talk.”  It would be safe to say the 48-year-old Solomon has a substantial following from his work on the CBC program  “Power & Politics” and on CBC Radio’s “The House”. He was fired after the Toronto Star revealed he had set up lucrative art deals for payment among important people he had met and interviewed for the CBC. Not a capital offense but a failure in judgement inspired it seems by some quick cash. Release 

Two months after U.S. regulators expanded their investigation into Fiat Chrysler vehicles and the frankly odd electronic gearshift (see video) the company has recalled 811,000 model year 2012 to 2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans and model year 2014 to 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs in order to alleviate confusion about when the vehicle’s transmissions are in the “park” position. The video really tells the story but two things jump out. Confusing or not it seems like a huge amount of work to change gears. Call us lazy. Then there’s that unnerving little movement of the gearshift handle after each shift. It looks as if the vehicle has gone into neutral, but of course if hasn’t. Quite odd. FCA has received more than 100 complaints about crashes and injuries resulting from drivers inadvertently leaving their vehicles in gear with the motor running. The carmaker says the recall was initiated to “enhance” warnings and transmission shift strategy after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Fiat Chrysler found some drivers have exited their vehicles without first selecting “PARK.”

This is what teamwork looks like. #YongeCleans #CleanToronto #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/TWtxxJm4ug

— Kristyn Wong-Tam 🇨🇦 (@kristynwongtam) April 23, 2016

The past weekend was an important occasion for volunteer merchants and those who are simply proud of Toronto to get busy cleaning the streets. Here we see the gang from the Downtown Yonge BIA. Great work everyone.  30 volunteers sweep South Bayviewe in the sunshine

An Uber driver was struck by a stray bullet while driving past a fight on Dundas Street West near Euclid Ave. about 12.30 a.m. Monday. He is said to be okay, the bullet causing a slight wound to his arm.

Hush my heart. Drake has announced he will make a 32-date tour of North America this summer stopping in Toronto (6ix) on July 31. Canadian Press is into it.