There’s nothing like a list of rankings in which Toronto has a stake to start the twaddle rolling in the Queen City. After the Englishmen at the Economist magazine ranked English-speaking cities first, third, fourth (Toronto) and fifth among 140 livable cities, the experts were un-caged to comment. In Toronto the tedious Christopher Hume was moaning about everything from transit to affordability to the apparently multiplying number of “priority neighborhoods” Okay, but do people who live in such places even know they are cast in this unsavoury light? The Anglo prejudices of those chappies at the Economist notwithstanding, Toronto is a nice place because of the people who founded it, and whose polite and tolerant culture prevails for the most part to this day. All are welcome and somehow those who came later really get that, because they like it here. It’s common knowledge in the affluent realms of Beijing that you send your precious sons and daughters to Toronto not Chicago. Perhaps it is a low blow to point out that Damascus (for heavens sake) was last on the list and Mogadishu somehow or other got left out. Hey, we didn’t compile the list. Previous post
Kim’s former girlfriend executed says report
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A bloody series of executions in North Korea is being reported by papers in South Korea and Hong Kong. One of the dead is said to be the former girlfriend of the little dictator Kim Jung un. The executed were members of three of North Korea’s most popular music bands, the Unhasu Orchestra, the Wangjaesan Light Music Band and the Moranbong Band. The slaughter of the singer, Hyon Song Wol (left) was supposedly triggered by the making of a pornographic video of band members which some of them were said to be selling. Analysts in Japan say however that regardless of whether such a video exists, it cannot be the reason for such a harsh reaction. Some think that there is a scent of politics or revenge in the air. Kim Jung un’s wife, Ri Sol ju (right) used to be a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra. So far as anyone knows, she is doing fine. An expert on North Korean affairs believes the reported machine-gun executions were done for “political reasons.” “If these people had only made pornographic videos, then it is simply not believable that their punishment was execution,” Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo’s Waseda University and an authority on North Korean affairs, told The Daily Telegraph. “They could have been made to disappear into the prison system there instead. “There is a political reason behind this,” he said, suggesting that the groups may have been leaning towards a rival faction in Pyongyang’s shadowy political world. “Or, as Kim’s wife once belonged to the same group, it is possible that these executions are more about Kim’s wife,” Professor Shigemura added. The nickname Kim Jung Unstable is there for reason, it seems.
Mr. Levitt gets “attractive offer” on a new Ferrari
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Toronto lawyer Howard A. Levitt (inset) is a man who knows an exciting car and a good deal. After his $192,000 silver-gray beauty was submerged in the Simcoe Street underpass, the local dealership offered him what has been called “a very attractive offer” on a new one. Same colour and everything. It was one of the most tweeted pictures to come out of the great July downpour — that’s the one that stranded a GO train. Mr. Levitt had to abandon his car because he was scheduled to appear in court in Ottawa. Wisely, he chose to catch his flight rather than try to get his car out of the soup. Previous post
Timeless flashback asks how to pick the real Constable Hall?
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It was August 2013 and a genial policeman was helping people through the bomb-damage mess of sidewalk reconstruction on South Bayview. The Bulldog wrote this:
The west side of Bayview Ave is still a mess with sidewalk repairs but hapless pedestrians can at least take a moment to talk with Constable John Hall (left) who is safely getting people on their way. There would be no trouble picking the real PC Hall if he were in a lineup with Hulk Hogan. But, the Toronto copper does have one of the better Hogan style mustaches we’ve seen. Of course, PC Hall has to keep his face hair more conservative than the flamboyant wrestler showman. Say hello to the affable PC John and tell him you admire his HH mustache.
Toronto ranks fourth among 140 in livable cities
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Count them down — Melbourne, Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. They are the top five cities judged most livable in the whole darn world. It is a judgement call to re-define all judgment calls but at the end, one would have to say that the Economist (magazine) Intelligence Unit has picked some nice places. Note how few are in Europe. And how many are in Canada. And that none is in the U.S. The annual survey of 140 cities uses more than 30 factors to determine a city’s livability with a score out of 100. Vancouver scored 97.3 with high scores in areas such as health care, education ,culture and environment. Cities are also scored on political and social stability, crime rates and the standard of infrastructure, including public transport. Vancouver held the No. 1 spot for nearly a decade but lost marks this time for crime rates, availability of quality housing and congested road networks. Anyway, there’s Toronto at number four all sweaty about “gridlock” and “what-the-hell-has-the-mayor-done-now?” Still a good place to live, especially a little patch just west of the Don River called by carefree scribblers South Bayview.
Premier Kath last smoked pot in about 1978
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The Premier says she smoked pot 35 years ago. That was the last time she did that, the 60-year-old leader of the Ontario Liberal Party said today (Wednesday, August 28). Unlike her federal counterperson, Justin Trudeau, the Don Valley West (Leaside and East York) MPP said only that the country needs a “good debate” about the legal status of the weed. So, no toke shops yet on Millwood Road it seems.
The Sentry to close on Bayview this week
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The Sentry, a fixture at 1633 South Baview for 17 years, will close this week. The owner says sadly that he will retire from retailing on the street. The Sentry sold models toys and catered to crafts and hobbyists.
Cyclist struck on misty Kennedy Rd. north of Eg
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A man on a bicycle was struck and injured by a car on Kennedy Rd. north of Eglinton Ave. E. this misty morning. The accident happened, according to police, when the man was crossing from east to west at Kingsdown Drive/Stratton Avenue about 5:50 a.m. A driver was southbound in the poor visibility when the collision occurred. Reports from the scene say the cyclist is apparently in stable condition in Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Car renewal fees jump from $82 to $108 by 2015
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Car licenses and drivers fees are increasing beginning September 1. And they will continue to go up over a two-year period. On Sunday, the present car registration will jump from $82 to $90 and then again in 2015 up to $108. The cost of renewing a drivers license will jump from $75 to $80. The increases are stiff and there is much grumbling but then we spend a lot in Ontario. These recommendations come from the so-called select report of Don Drummond, the retired economist hired by Dalton McGuinty to scare Ontarians and soften them up for fiscal restraint. The first thing Drummond recommended — and government instantly rejected — was the repeal of all-day kindergarten. Billions spent, billions in taxes. It’s all related.
Fired 80-year-old employees get $1.16 million
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Employee relations expert Sheryl Smolkin tells of an award to a couple in their 80s who were fired from their Hamilton-area welding firm by the new owner, even though they had an agreement to continue to work there. Both were active and in good health,. The court awarded the couple $1.16 million in severance awards. Sheryl Smolkin
Rain floods Simcoe Street, strands taxi and riders
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The heavy rain Tuesday night caught a Beck Taxi driver and his passengers off guard when the vehicle conked out in the deep water on Lower Simcoe Street. Firefighters arrived and (upper left) woman passenger wraps arm around welcome rescuer. Water was said to be as much as a metre deep at one point. Upper right, the slosh to dry sidewalk through quite foul-smelling sewer water. Lower left, an interview with CP24. Lower right, now Beck Taxi has to get its water-logged jitney back to Thorncliffe Park. At one point water filled the taxi up to the passengers knees as they sat in the back seat. This is the second time this summer the underpass has flooded.
79 Thorncliffe cited as “most complained about”
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The apartment building at 79 Thorncliffe Park Drive is the most complained about apartment in the city, according to the Toronto Star. The reported 59 official complaints cite such things at cockroaches, mice and water leaks, it is said. In fairness to the landlord, it should be noted that 79 Thonrclife is the address of two large high-rise buildings, not one. Toronto Star