Inglewood Drive celebrates its Parade of Santas

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Families on Inglewood Drive in Moore Park gathered Friday evening (December 19, 2014) to celebrate the season and admire their handiwork in the form of 45 giant Santa Claus statues towering above them on lawns down both sides of the street. The 12-foot fan-inflated electric polyethylene symbols of the season are marking their second year as Inglewood’s Parade of Santas. It began in 2013 when resident Amy Westin went looking for a Christmas statement for the front of the home she shares with her husband Tom and their three children, Violet, Sienna and Mattias. She struck on one of the enormous and (maybe in a nice way) “grotesque” Santa Claus statues at Canadian Tire. Up it went to much family excitement. Oh yeah, and a lot of work too. These things are ungainly as all get-out and easily blown over. They really need to be tethered on four sides and anchored as well. How did the idea of a whole street-full of Santas spread? It wasn’t a case of keeping up with the Westins, exactly, that caused the craze to capture people all along Inglewood Drive.  Neighbour Yousry Bissada asked Amy if she and Tom would mind if he got one too. He liked it, you see. Go for it, said the Westins. A neighborhood gathering much like last night’s offered an opportunity for residents to focus on the Santa mammoths as a group. By the end of the evening, several people were determined to have one of their own. Word spread and as the orders were registered at CTC, a funny thing happened. The company ran out of Santas. Head office got word and soon a large re-supply arrived. CTC recognized a good promotion and (as the video below recounts) arrived on the street with 23 more complimentary Santas. The South Bayview Bulldog covets Moore Park as its own turf and our story brought the Toronto Star and others to record the Santa parade. Oak-lined Inglewood Drive soon rivaled the north pole in the national media as a second home for St. Nick. In these fun photos by Bulldog co-publisher Sue Byford we see Friday night scenes from top to bottom: The Westin family l-r Violet, Sienna, Amy, Tom and Mattias, street scenes at the party looking east  

Here is your vague Christmas weather guess

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Let’s see. Maybe there’ll be some rain, it will be cold and there’s an outside chance of some snow. Horrors. Put it all together and the media spell it Santabomb. We’ll catch you after the real weather bombs drop. Get ready. Globe and Mail 

Suspects in arson fires September 7 downtown

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Toronto Police have released these images of three men wanted for arson fires in cars and garages on Sunday, September 7, 2014. These fires were at  Frederick Street and The Esplanade and in a Green P lot on Church Street. Police say the trio is responsible for all events. One of them is described as possibly white, in his late teens to early 20s, with a beard and tattoos on the inside of both his forearms and top of left hand (right). 

Never Grow Up to open at 1725 Bayview Ave.

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The Oakville-based children’s store Never Grow Up will open at 1725 Bayview Ave. in the premises which for many years housed Newsome Photography. Never Grow Up,  which is owned by Lauren John, sells clothes for babies and toddlers. The Oakville store opened in May 2013. Website 

Potent “Netflix effect” seen in baby naming

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The annual accounting of what we’re naming our babies has been unearthed by the Toronto Star. There was a time when children were necessarily named after their dads (Hiram the III and stuff like that) or royalty. In many ways English kids were lucky to have the anonymity offered by names like George or Edward. Movies changed  much of that and today it is Netflix, HBO and other entertainment spinners causing us to name kids after stars. 

Timeless bond between man and dog in Amazon

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A team of Swedish extreme adventurers on a 10-day race through the Amazon rain forest has adopted a stray dog who started following them around after they fed him. It is a story that is as old as humanity reminding us of our timeless link with dogs. 

Thug beats up and robs 101-year-old army veteran

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CBC 

Liberals paid $10,000 to have computers wiped

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According to news reports, the OPP says the Ontario Liberals paid $10,000 to wipe clean the computers of the political staff of the party. The police say they were told this by the spouse of a senior advisor in the office of former premier Dalton McGuinty. The spouse is Peter Faist, a name previously known, and his work was paid for he said by the Liberal Caucus, which is funded by taxpayers. The revelations come in newly released information about an OPP search warrant. “Mr. Faist was under the impression that Cabinet Office was aware of his presence and the work requested of him,” the warrant says. Faist told investigators that his spouse, Laura Miller, asked him to wipe “personal data” off about 20 computers used by senior staff in the premier’s office, the warrant says. Facebook photo shows Laura Miller and Peter Faist.

Oriole Park PS crossing guard in annual honours

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A Toronto crossing guard – Peter Atienza – has been honoured as one of Canada’s best in the annual awards presented by Parachute Canada and the delivery firm FedEx. Mr. Atienza has been a crossing guard for 16 years. He is seen with PC Wai Lau of 53 Division who is in charge of crossing guard matters. The video report above is preceded by a commercial.

2 died: 90-days for driver who stopped for ducks

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Sentencing has been handed down in this case which was widely-followed here in Ontario and in Quebec where it occurred. Quebec Superior Court has found that motorist  Emma Czornobaj will serve 90 days in jail on weekends for causing two deaths after stopping on the highway to rescue ducklings. The 26-year-old woman from the Montreal suburb of Chateauguay will also be prohibited from driving for 10 years and must perform 240 hours of community service. Czornobaj’s lawyer said she plans to appeal the driving ban. This is an excellent CBC summary of details in this unusual case in which a person’s driving skills speak of a strange absence of an awareness of danger. In July, Czornobaj was convicted of two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death in the 2010 deaths of André Roy, 50, and his 16-year-old daughter, Jessie.  

Gallagher’s boyfriend “not thrilled” — Really?

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As posed by the South Bayview Bulldog in the post below “Would you travel with a man you had never met?”  You can vote on this social (and personal) dilemma of the day by picking one of three choices offered: 1. Sure, I’m not scared 2. Maybe if I liked him a little or 3. No Way Jose. But as it turns out, there are other questions out there. In a comment to People magazine Elizabeth Gallagher, the 23-year-old stand-in lady from Cole Harbour with the right name, admits that her boyfriend is “not too thrilled” she is heading off around the world for weeks with Jordan Axani, 28, of Toronto. Really Elizabeth? What a poop he must be. Dump him this instant. For his part, Mr. Axani is evidently looking forward to his fantasy trip with Ms. Gallagher (No. 2) but he has not said what caused the end of his relationship with the first Ms. Gallagher. Yes, its complicated. The second Ms. Gallagher had to have the same name as the first so the pre-paid tickets were valid. Fun eh? Of course, it’s nobody’s business what happened to Mr. Axani’s relationship except perhaps for the second Ms. Gallagher. And maybe she already knows. It seems  like such an obvious question. If so, she isn’t telling. Does one have to be especially old-fashioned to find these details important? 

Couche-Tard (Mac’s) buys U.S. corner stores

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New York Times