Rolling Stones triumph: “Night of Living Dead”

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Mick looked ready for more, Keith looked in need of a warm malt drink: Glastonbury’s night of the living dead as Rolling Stones rock the festival — Mailonline

The Rolling Stones were wildly successful as they played the original British baby-boom festival at Glastonbury for the first time Saturday night. The Twitter joke about the aging hipsters was that the last time they wowed a English country gig was at Stonehenge in 2300 BC. The Mailonline devilishly called their performance The Night of the Living Dead, a reference to the age of the pushing 70s Mick Jagger and his getting-on-in-years band mates.

All 19 elite firefighters perish in galloping wildfire

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They are all gone. All 19 members of the a specially trained “hotshot” crew who were trying to stop a galloping wildfire  threatening the town of Yarnell, Arizona have died. The men had  apparently been digging a fire line to try and halt the spread of the fire but found themselves trapped. They were forced to deploy their fire shelters – tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames and heat – but were nevertheless consumed by the blaze. It is the worst loss of life among firefighters battling a wildfire in the U.S. in decades

Happy Canada Day and Happy Cycling

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Patriotic cyclists of all kinds are seen on Overlea Blvd Monday morning as part of  the East York Canada Day Parade. Events go on all day at Stan Wadlow Park on Cosburn Ave. Previous post

D-word leaves many straight people uneasy

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Dykes on bikes. Dykes wearing spikes. Dykes with tykes — Toronto Star, June 30, 2013

It is, of course, none of any straight person’s business. But we must believe that well-meaning individuals of same sex preference will recognize that the celebration of the word Dyke makes many people quite uneasy.  “It’s as if the NAACP decided to insert the N-word into its title,” one woman has said.  “I just wish they didn’t have to use it.”  Sure, it’s only a word. And words can mean anything. Language changes. Especially English. For nearly a century however the word Dyke has been the most loathsome epithet that can be thrown at a woman of same sex preference. It is little wonder that attempts at its rehabilitation have left conscientious and well-meaning persons feeling as if they are acclimatizing to space. The most potent thrust toward the adoption of the word Dyke came from the motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes when it tried to apply for a trademark on the name.  The U.S. Trademark Office denied the application on the grounds that Dyke  was an offensive word.  In 2005, according to a Wikipedia posting, a prolonged court battle involving testimony on the word’s changing role in the Lesbian community, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board permitted the group to register its name. The word continues to be used as a slur, notwithstanding its elevation to polite usage by some.  It seems likely that Dyke will  lead a double life for some time, used with both meanings by members of the community to which it refers and by society in general.  In the meantime, many will  find it hard to think of Toronto’s numerous dignified and accomplished same-sex women as Dykes. 

July 1 parade starts at East York Town Centre

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A long standing and entertaining Canada Day parade from East York Town Centre, 45 Overlea Blvd will  go off  tomorrow (Monday, July 1, 2013). It winds its way to Stan Wadlow Park on Cosburn Ave. First up at 9.30 a.m. is a motorcade of  antique cars. This event will pay tribute to Gordon Hazzlett, author of several antique car books. Mr. Hazzlett was a long-standing member of the parade organizing committee who died earlier this year. At 10 a.m., the parade will pass Dieppe Park, 455 Cosburn Ave., where local groups will join in. As the parade passes the East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave., the East York Legion and pipe bands will join, along with military vehicles. Guests can get a view of the parade from the reviewing stand in front of the fire station on Woodbine Avenue, just north of Mortimer Avenue. As usual there are other family events on hand at Wadlow Park. Sounds like fun. 

Talk host fired for telling listeners to go elsewhere

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NewsTalk Unemployed

The egocentric business of  radio talk host encourages performers to push the limits. And, unless its an elaborate publicity stunt, it seems Alberta’s self-styled King of Talk Radio, Dave Rutherford, has gone too far. Rutherford has been fired from NewsTalk 770 in Southern Alberta for ripping a strip off the station’s owner, Corus Entertainment, for shutting down during the Calgary flooding. According to the National Post, NewsTalk 770 was one of  several Corus stations evacuated from its downtown headquarters as the Bow River started to rise on Friday. In the meantime, the station broadcast an Edmonton news feed, while still putting Calgary music stations on the air. The arrangement caused Mr Rutherford to launch a searing attack on his employer. “It is with profound disappointment that I have to tell you that Corus in Calgary has decided to direct resources in places other than information radio,”  the National Post quotes Mr. Rutherford as saying. “I would completely understand if you went elsewhere for your information.” The next day, says Mr Rutherford, he was kicked off the air but never really given a full explanation. His complaint that he was never told why seems a little arch. Anyone could tell him why, poor boy. This said, the South Bayview Bulldog thinks that Corus might have been smart to explain itself and give Rutherford another chance.  

Canada gives refuge to persecuted Christian girl

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Reports Saturday say that Rimsha Masih, the Christian girl of Pakistani nationality who faced blasphemy charges in 2012, has successfully sought political asylum in Canada. A Pakistan TV outlet Geo TV says the Down Syndrome child has reached Canada. Her age is given variously as 12 and 14. The family is said to have made the journey to Canada arriving at a location in Toronto, according to Peter Bhatti, who runs a Christian organization that is helping them settle in Canada.  Bhatti says that Rimsha, her parents and her brother and sister had to leave Pakistan in order to have safe, secure lives, the CBC said.  Mr.Bhatti also said the girl and her family are “”thriving”” in their new Toronto home. Rimsha’s case became an international crusade to have her released when she was charged last year, because she was said to have  burned pages of the Holy Quran. The court had granted her bail and later blasphemy charges were dropped for want of evidence. Witnesses had told the judge that the cleric had given false evidence and framed the girl. For its part, the Immigration Department would not confirm  that Rimsha is in the country. A lawyer who represented Rimsha in Pakistan said that the girl and her family left Islamabad for Canada on March 14, 2013. He said the family had been forced to keep on the move for fear of the type of attack suffered by Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani woman who was hunted down by the Taliban and shot while on a school bus. Malala is now recovering from her wounds in the United Kingdom.

Yoga studio hinted for Millwood storefront

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There is a “rented” sign on the little shop in the strip mall at Sutherland Drive and Millwood Road . Word along the mall has it that an enterprising person wishes to open a yoga studio  Incidentally, the stores at 899 Millwood are set in a magnificent blossoming of the White Lilac trees along the boulevard courtesy of the current tropical weather (picture). The fragrance is slightly intoxicating. It’s a fitting welcome to the new tenant and good news for residents who have seen the unit that formerly used to house Anna’s Spa papered over for at least a year.

Bill Murray shreds script of Ghostbuster III

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It seems Bill Murray (centre) is not interested in  a re-make of the 1980s comedy classic Ghostbusters. Murray, who is pushing 64, was sent a script for a second re-make of the movie. He is said to have shredded the document and sent it back to co-star and (we think) friend Dan Ackroyd (left). His note read:  “No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts!” It has long been reported that Murray was lukewarm about re-making the inventive franchise. Nonetheless, there is an expectation that a whole new cast of younger players could yet get the call. It is clear however that Mr. Stay-Puft (right)  the emblematic mascot of Stay-Puft Marshmallows, will play himself. Normally Mr.Stay-Puft is a happy chap but he was able to assume a very memorable menacing role in the climax of the original Ghostbusters.  

Pride Week a time of sober satisfaction for most

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The Rainbow Flag may well have made its first official appearance on South Bayview as Scotiabank has adorned its branch with the colourful pennants. For most people here the hard-won advances in equality and fairness for which the flag stands will be cause for sober satisfaction more than a call to party. The importance of the pride that comes with knowledge of one’s acceptance in  a community is easily understood. The pride  rallying cry is  well-rooted in North American culture.  Many will remember the importance it had for Black people in the 1960s. For those who have been privileged to feel this security of place all of their lives the exhortation to the party may seem a little unnecessary. “What does Pride mean to you?” is the insistent query. Well relax. The question is rhetorical. We need not worry about making a pedestrian response such as “my chess game” or “I make a good pot roast.” Remember instead that millions of people are celebrating the exercise of life-sustaining principles which have been denied them for a very long time.         

30-minute GO trains — or a cap on the HST?

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As Premier Kath hinted a few months ago, the province is going to turn the GO Lakeshore into something like a rapid transit route. The minister, Glen Murray, announced today (Friday, June 28, 2013) that the trains will soon be running every 30 minutes instead of hourly.  How will we pay for this? The minister says it’s all okay — taxes will pay for it. Of course, the Liberals at Queen’s Park are still nursing the idea of a 14 per cent HST. We all know how well that was received in Ottawa. So, what do we really want? Really need? GO trains every 30 minutes or a cap on the sales tax? We suspect we will be hearing abut it

Proposal to convert Don Valley Hotel to condos

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Allied Don Valley Hotel Inc has applied to convert the business at 175 Wynford Road into a condominium. Allied Don Valley also wants to build two new buildings soaring 30 and 34 storeys to accommodate another 671 units. There will be a community meeting at a date to set before the plan is further considered.