Curious Snowy Owl gives highway traffic camera a fly-by

snow-owl This thrilling picture of a Snowy Owl in flight has been captured by a Transport Quebec traffic camera along Montreal’s Highway 40. The image is a capture from a video in which the great bird can hardly be seen because of its speed. It was tweeted by employees at the highway department today (Thursday, January 7, 2015). The CBC quotes Barbara Frei, the director of the McGill Bird Observatory, that this young female was probably looking for a place to perch. The snowy owl is a large, white owl of the typical owl family. Snowy Owls are native to Arctic regions in North America and Eurasia. Younger snowy owls start with darker plumage, which turns lighter as they get old

“

Red Mulberry health food store on Sutherland to close

They’re showing a closing sign at Red Mulberry, the little health food store at the corner of Sutherland Drive and McRae Drive.

Former Tori & Cates Bayview storefront still for lease

The former Tori and Cates Cupcakes storefront is still for lease. Updated 

Bike falls off front of TTC bus, causes report of cyclist hit

Toronto Police Operations was told a cyclist had been struck at Eglinton Ave. East and Mt. Pleasant Rd. Thursday morning but the only casualty it seems was the bicycle that fell of the bus rack on the front of the vehicle. It is a happy clarification but a possibly a costly ride for the cyclist. Traffic was heavily backed up on both streets.

JOANNA LAVOIE: East-enders vexed by “Leslieville Hum”

An excellent story has appeared in the Beach Mirror by well-known local reporter Joanna Lavoie about a mysterious, pulsating hum that is said to be bothering some east-end residents. It has been named The Leslieville Hum and Ms. Lavoie’s extensive investigation has produced many first-hand accounts of its distracting impact on life in Leslieville, Riverdale and the Beach. No one seems to know where it comes from and the Councillors for Wards 30 and 32 say they have no idea where it originates.

Toronto Zoo releases video of polar bear cub feeding

Here is another little insight into life at the Toronto Zoo with this video released to the CBC showing a 2-month-old polar bear cub feeding. She does this six times a day.  At 2.8 kilograms she is quite  a lot of fun to watch.

CES: Washer warns you if you leave phone in clothes

The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegan has not disappointed for 2016 — and certainly not in the  realm of things that make you wonder whether you need such creations. The combination clothes washer and drier (in one unit) will warn you somehow if you leave your phone in your clothes. We hate it when that happens. And what about the car that comes with a drone that permits you take a selfie at the wheel?  Ye gods and little fishes. Then there is HDR television. That would be High Dynamic Range. It is said to make television brighter and easier to view, cleaning up dark spots automatically sort of like a colour-adjusted photo.

Shoeless karate boy, 6, loses parents at Rolph and Southvale

For a few brief minutes around dinner time Wednesday police and residents were searching for the parents of a 6-year-old who was out on the street at Rolph Rd and Southvale Drive in his karate outfit and bare feet. It did not take long to find his home as police tweeted “all in order” from TPS Operations. Proving again that 6-year-old karate kids can usually find their way home.

MAYOR: Mt. Pleasant and St. Clair a corner in need of a fix

hot-2

There seems to be something for everybody in John Tory’s 2016 traffic congestion program. Along with a lengthy news release on what he is going to do, the mayor issued a map pinpointing what he and traffic planners call hotspot intersections. South Bayview is included courtesy of Mt. Pleasant Rd. and St Clair Ave E. Why it’s on the list of ten hotspot corners when others (like Victoria Park Ave and O’Connor Drive) are not, is unclear. One reason traffic backs up on St. Clair is because during the evening rush it is forbidden to enter Moore Park unless you live there. The people who do know how to sneak in and out down at Inglewood (or Kringlewood) Drive. But how one makes the corner better is anyone’s guess. The mayor has an easy way of speaking. The CBC quoted his honour as declaring that new traffic lights will produce “more green lights when the lights should be green and fewer red lights when the lights shouldn’t be red” Could be good. There is a dizzying amount of information in the City’s news release and much other information in the CBC report.

Premier appears in radio ads for byelection yet to be called

Premier Wynne (Don Valley West) is appearing in radio ads in the riding of Whitby-Oshwa which hasn’t been called yet. The deadline for the call is imminent however the Premier is stressing things like the end of the use of coal to generate power. The CBC says she raises the spectre that other parties might bring it back. No metion of the debt apparently. CBC

Mac’s in Sunnybrook Plaza closing for good January 14

macsMac’s in the Sunnybrook Plaza is closing. The convulsion in neighborhood life caused by construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and by the ripple effect of development, is causing many changes and this is just one. The Mac’s has less than a year left on its lease and the chain’s owner, Couche Tarde of Montreal, must figure there is no point in hanging in for whatever life is left in the old retail plaza. The owner of Sunnybrook, Rio.Can, intends to redevelop the corner and its mega-project two tower proposal (19 and 13 floors) is now at the Ontario Municipal Board. This means there will probably be construction at this location in as little as 18 months. Many locals will be sorry to see Mac’s go. Bob and Judy Arsenault were saying it is a handy stop for them when they step out of their nearby condominium. The official closing date is Thursday, January 14, 2016.  We can look forward to increasing vacancies at the old Sunnybrook, a  neighborhood landmark built in 1952 and said to be the first strip mall in Canada.  Residents launch informed attack on Sunnybrook Plaza plan

Apple silent on brutal out-of-nowhere Wi-Fi Assist fees

 

A San Francisco teenager has received $2,021.07 phone bill because of a of iOS 9’s Wi-Fi Assist feature, which automatically switches phones to use cellular service when the owner is in an area with a weak Wi-Fi signal. Ashton Finegold made the unpleasant discovery that his bedroom was such a place, which meant that while he thought he was connected to his home Wi-Fi setup, his iPhone actually clocked up 144,000 MB of cellular data.