The South Bayview Bulldog

Canada’s women’s hockey team has won Olympic gold for the fourth time in a row. And they did it by nearly scaring the country to death. Team Canada fell behind the U.S. team and were trailing 2-0 after two periods. Their skin-of-the-teeth come back began with Brianne Jenner potting a goal shortly into the third. Then in the closing seconds of regulation time it was Marie-Philip Poulin from Quebec City tying the game. That brought about sudden death overtime. Minutes into OT it was Poulin again who beat the overwhelmed U.S. goaler during a power play. Things had appeared dark for Canada and this victory, honestly won and deserved, will nonetheless be a bitter loss for the accomplished U.S.team.  Twitter  Globe and Mail 

A 79 year old woman has reported that on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at about 5.15 p.m. she was in the area of Yonge Street and Church Street when she was approached from behind by two men. The suspects removed a purse containing a quantity of cash and identification from the victim’s hand and then fled the scene eastbound on Church Street. No injuries were sustained by the victim. There is a lesson for older people and those who care about them that there are people ready to target them even in busy and well lit places in midtown.   

An innovative idea to help promote interest in heart health is underway at Sunnybrook Health Sciences centre on Bayview Ave. CBC and @Sunnybrook 

Ward 9 member of council Maria Augimeri has been elected chair of the TTC by a vote of 23 to 21.  The close division of votes between Ms. Augimeri and Ward 15’s  Josh Colle was not an open book to at least some observers. It may have as much to do with favors, grudges, vote trading and friendship as it does with policy. An example: George Mammoliti said before the vote that he would never support Mr. Colle because he came recommended by the outgoing chair, Karen Stintz. Mr. Mammoliti clearly felt slighted because, in his view, Ms. Stintz had not explained transit matters adequately in his ward. In any case, Ms Augimeri may endear herself to many voters for taking a fresh look at the role of buses in the transit mix. Her remarks to the Globe and Mail suggest she believes that this staple of transportation should be enhanced to run more frequently and in greater numbers. “People feel like sardines and, hopefully, if we can get the buses running better, that’s a one-up on what we’ve done for decades, and that is centre on subways versus LRT and the sexier forms of transit,” she told the Globe. “People ignore the buses and the streetcars, so we want to put more emphasis on those.”  Here is council’s vote break down.   

The petite lady all bundled up in coat and toque is shoveling the snow. Does she live at that house? Isn’t she the school crossing guard?  Until you know what goes on around the corner of Manor Road and Cleveland Street you may be a bit mystified by Elizabeth. “There are some people in the neighbourhood who go above and beyond the proverbial call of duty,” says resident Helen Godfrey. Helen tipped off The South Bayview Bulldog to the good deeds of the energetic Maurice Cody crossing guard. As Helen told us, and we confirmed with with our eyes, Elizabeth “hates to stand around and do nothing. So while waiting for the kids to return from lunch, she fills the time by clearing the four corners of snow and ice. They are pristine, no snow banks to climb over, no ice to skid on, no slush to mush through! Many thanks Elizabeth.”   Thanks and high praise are certainly in order for this positive lady who has served at Cody for some time. In fact, when we dropped by, Elizabeth had moved up the street a short distance and was clearing the walk of an elderly resident. Give this woman the local hero medal.

High Noon? Only on the clock we think  Team Canada hits the ice at twelve Eastern (Wednesday, February 19, 2014) to face Latvia in a whistle stop game on its way to a gold medal showdown with the USA.  But as many are saying in the hockey ether, let’s not get cocky. It seems unlikely in the extreme that Canada (goal differential +9 to Latvia’s -5) could possibly mess this up. Eleventh-seeded Latvia beat sixth-seeded Switzerland 3-1 for its first victory of the tournament. One wag, Brandon writing on Twitter, feared the worst: “If Canada loses to Latvia tomorrow the hockey world will end. Seriously. There will be no more hockey after that upset. Big bang in reverse.” Others were feeling more optimistic. CBC Olympics mocked up a red and white graphic called The Price is Right — a nod to the Canadian goalie Carey Price, the 27-year-old net-minder for the Montreal Canadiens.  A great irony for some is that Team Latvia will be coached by a Canadian and former NHLer Ted Nolan. Much conversation at Twitter. 

It doesn’t lie

Toronto police will soon implement a sensible pilot project to test lapel (or vest) cameras on officers working with the public. This move follows a recent recommendation that police adopt the so-called “body-worn” video cams. It’s not known how many officers or in what divisions the cameras will be tested. Many departments in the U.S. use the cameras and the results have been almost uniformly good.  In addition to providing raw evidence of what happened in a criminal matter, the cameras appear to have a modifying effect on the behaviour of both police and the public. In some Americans cities the use of force by police has declined and complaints against the police have dropped by as much as 90 per cent. Deputy Chief Peter Sloly told the Toronto Star, “There are a lot of different variables that are part of this. It’s not just clipping a camera onto an officer’s lapel. There’s policy issues, there’s IT issues, there’s budget issues.” The cameras come in varying levels of quality. Some departments have cameras costing as little as $100, but the quality and stability is marginal. Others can cost between $500 and $1,000.   

What’s funny?  Slapstick comics knew they were sure to get a laugh by falling down.  Depending on your sense of humour, it can be fun to watch teenagers fall on a slick little patch of ice as they leave school. A video, since pulled down from YouTube, recorded a father, waiting for his daughter, records some six minutes of kids falling, sliding, standing around while other kids fall, going back to the ice, falling again and somehow finally walking away. Through it all, the man with the video absolutely relishes each bounce. He chuckles and guffaws and adds sound effects. When his daughter joins him in the car his play by play becomes even more elaborate. “Okay…watch this kid, I guarantee ya he’s gonna drill it….Ohhhh!.  Altogether it is a faceted study in human nature. The sheer enjoyment of the father, teenagers oblivious to what’s beneath their feet, others (mostly girls) who can figure out the potential for falling, the lure of the ice (mostly boys) that makes them return to the patch.