The South Bayview Bulldog

That curious glow of pink from the east as eyes were first opened this morning packed quite a wallop when early risers saw it straight on. More wonderful pictures from the CBC and from Twitter at Toronto Sky

SAILOR’S WARNING?

Of course the old English Channel rhyme that declares Red Sky at Night, Sailor’s Delight, Red  Sky in the Morning, Sailor’s Warning will not be critical to our survival. Fishermen used to count on it to keep them safe. Sadly, however, the pattern is true. There will be rain later Friday.

Toronto detectives have told the National Post that a group of unknown taxi drivers is stealing riders debit cards and cleaning out their bank accounts. The author of the story, Jake  Edmiston, says the larceny has appeared at many banks with the TD alone reporting 65 claims. Complaints are occurring nearly daily, Edmiston reports The fraud relies on tired, busy or  perhaps intoxicated riders who do not pay enough attention to their business with taxi drivers.

DEBIT CARDS STOLEN

Debits cards are taken by the rogue cabbies and replaced with bogus plastic. Detectives say the ring has stolen dozens of bank cards from bleary, late-night riders and emptied their accounts over the past month. One rider complained that $720 was taken from her account after a taxi driver gave her back a card with a different name and number on it.  A bogus point-of-sale machine is employed to swipe data from a customer’s debit or credit card, then in a fast shuffle replaced with a fake card. Detective Beattie is said to believe there is a sophisticated back-end to this scheme with a number of people involved.

VIDEO EXISTS OF A CRIME

He told reporter Edmiston that there is video of a crime taking place. Police have it but are keeping it private for the moment.  Christine Hubbard of Beck Taxi said it is ludicrous to think the scam has anything to do with taxis vs. Uber. “You know what, there is risk when using any kind of payment device,” she said. In fact, it seems reasonable to conclude such dishonesty underlines the need for strict taxi and livery regulations. It is another example of criminal activity in a field — including Uber — that is susceptible to such behaviour.

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The exploits of Kim Jong UN-stable get crazier by the day. Now it is said he was prompted to set off (or try to) a Hydrogen Bomb because officials in China dissed his hand-picked girl band. The Chinese are furious but they look like fools for protecting North Korea for so long only to find their creepy nut-case client has turned on them.

1912 and 1914 Avenue Road at Brooke Avenue

Ward 16 Councillor Christin Carmichael Greb is inviting residents to a community meeting to receive feedback on the revised development proposal for 1912-1914 Avenue Rd. The corner building at Brooke Avenue would be demolished and replaced with a five-storey complex. The matter has been referred to the Ontario Municipal Board and a date of February 24, 2016 has been set for that.  In the meantime however, the Councillor’s meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 6.30 at Armour Heights Community Centre at 2140 Avenue Road. Ms. Carmichael Greb says the developer will make a  brief presentation which will be followed by questions and comments from the public. The development has been opposed by the South Armour Heights residents Association (SAHRA).

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

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

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

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.

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.