Young cricketers gather at R.V. Burgess Park

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The cricket pitch at R.V. Burgess Park in Thorncliffe Park was the scene Thursday of a brief ceremony to congratulate this team of Toronto cricketers who will travel to the United Kingdom this summer. They are heading to the sixth annual Cricket Across the Pond  competition in the U-K.  Left to right they are Phillip Mowlah-Baksh, Coach, Rizwan Khan, Bilal Khan, Siddhant Shekhar, Neil Ramdath, Sabes Rasanayagam, Darshil Patel, Gayan Ferdinands, Saajan Patel, 0dharshil Munshi, Abraash Khan, Lisa Antezza, Team Manager.  The group is sponsored by a number of public spirited organizations but carries the name of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).  The lead sponsor is RBC. The team is known as the CIMA Toronto Mayor’s Cricket Team.  Those present for the ceremony were John Parker (Ward 26) Karen Stintz (Ward 16) Jonathan Dart, United Kingdom Consul General; Martin Saxton, Chair of  CIMA; Zanita DiSalle, RBC Regional Vice-President, Greater Toronto Area; and team supporter Tom Mihalik, owner of Tom’s Place.  In recent years the city has built a regulation size cricket pitch at Burgess Park as part of a program to engage young people in the area. Photo courtesy Ranil Mendes

All are urged to attend 2 Laird OMB on July 15

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Deni Papetti is urging neighbors to make sure they attend the OMB planning meeting Monday July 15, 2013 when the board will  make decisions about standing on the application to build at 2 Laird Drive. Those on Malcolm Road and Krawchuck Lane are most affected by the development  But they must attend the pre-hearing in order to continue to receive further notices. The OMB meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Ontario Municipal Board, 655 Bay Street, 16th Floor, Toronto. Both Brian Athey of the Leaside Property Owners’ Association, and Deni Papetti have committed to attend.

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday to run for PCs

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Toronto Deputy Mayor Douglas Holyday will run for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in the by-election in Etobicoke-Lakeshore on Thursday, August 1, 2013. This election and four others in Ontario falls on the day before the beginning of the Civic Holiday weekend. It will be interesting to see if voters actually notice there’s an election.  PC Leader Tim Hudak was, he said, “delighted” with Mr. Holyday’s decision. Mr. Holyday, the last mayor of the former City of Etobicoke, placed second as the PC candidate in the old riding of Etobicoke-West during the 1987 provincial election. Hudak said Steve Ryan, who won the Conservative nomination in Etobicoke-Lakeshore last December, was injured at work and will not be able to run in the by-election.

Brits seek “persons of interest” in Maddie case

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Madelaine McCann

In an astonishing turn of events, the London Metropolitan Police say they are investigating the disappearance of Madelaine McCann with the prospect that the little girl is still alive five years after she vanished. Scotland Yard says it has  “new evidence and new witnesses” in the case leading to  38 “persons of interest” who include 12 British nationals, are from five European countries – Portugal, the UK and three unnamed others. Detectives say they need to find out more information and collect evidence on them and are not anticipating any immediate arrests. The police say their careful review of the child’s disappearance has revealed there is no conclusive evidence that she is dead. They will not say what the motive or circumstances of a possible abduction might be, or why so many people might be key to the matter. Madelaine was almost four years old when she disappeared while on vacation in Portugal with her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann.  BBC

Inventor of computer mouse dead at age 88

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Douglas Engelbart and his odd mouse contraption
Douglas Engelbart,  the man who invented the computer mouse, has died at the age of 88 in Mountain View California. In the 1950s and 60s, when mainframes took up entire rooms and were fed data on punch cards, Engelbart was envisioning a world in which people used computers to share ideas about solving problems.  One of the biggest advances was the mouse, which he developed in the 1960s and patented in 1970. The contraption is made from a block of wood, a couple of gear wheels and a shiny, candy-like red light/button that just begs to be pushed. By December of 1968, Mr. Englebart had cobbled up a three-button mouse suitable for demonstration before a bemused audience at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco.  The notion of operating the inside of a computer with a tool on the outside was way ahead of its time. The mouse wasn’t commercially available until 1984, with Apple’s new Macintosh. In fact, Engelbart’s invention was so early that he and his colleagues didn’t profit much from it. The mouse patent had a 17-year life span, and in 1987 the technology fell into the public domain – meaning Engelbart couldn’t collect royalties on the mouse when it was in its widest use. At least 1 billion have been sold since the mid-1980s.

Two youths mugged near Bayview and Eglinton

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Toronto Police Service report: Two males ages 17 years report that on July 1, 2013 at approximately 1110 hours, they were in the area of Bayview Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East when they were approached by eight male suspects. The suspects removed property from one of the victims while the second victim was punched in the mouth. The victims made good their escape and the suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the first victim. Minor injuries were sustained by the second victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, white, 18 to 19 years, 6’ to 6’1”, 150 pounds, thin build. Suspect #2: Male, black, 17 years, 6’, 169 to 174 pounds, short black hair, medium build. Suspects #3 to #8: Male. No other description.  

Egyptian army forms “technocrat government”

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The generals have taken over in Egypt. They have declared a  “transitional technocrat government” will take charge in the country. Tahrir Square has erupted in wild celebrations of flag waving and fireworks. The constitution has been suspended as of today. Abdul Fatah Khalil al-Sisi, head of the Egyptian armed forces  delivered a speech on TV.. He says that the army is only responding to the calls of the Egyptian people. The Telegraph. 

60 year old subway signals stall trains 90 minutes

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Brad Ross TTC

Yonge subway commuters had what the TTC is calling an “horrendous” passage into downtown Wednesday with some riders being delayed for up to 90 minutes. Brad Ross was on television and elsewhere apologizing “unreservedly” for the delay.  He said the 60-year-old signal system in the subway tunnel at Bloor Street failed in the “fail-safe mode.” This means all lights were red, a measure which stops all trains and thus prevents rear-end collisions. To clear this mess the TCC had flag men in the tunnel controlling the movement of trains manually, Mr Ross explained. But by about 3 pm. the signal system was said to to be repaired and trains were travelling more or less normally. Mr. Ross predicted a normal home bound rush.

Child care firm purchases Leaside Town Hall

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Leaside’s old Town Hall has been purchased by ABC Academy Child Care, the South Bayview Bulldog has learned. Sale of the heritage building was known but the name of its new owners was not. Not until the dynamic child care firm contacted the Bulldog with the news. The company will open a child car centre in the Town Hall building at 235 McRae Drive at Randolph Rd. The location will not be operational until the fall of 2014 because the transaction to purchase the building from the design firm of  Kelley McTernan Lavoie will not close until May 4, 2014. The new owners appreciate both the suitability of the old Town Hall itself and the central location. It will be easy for parents to drop off and pick up children at the wide parking lanes on McRae. At present, ABC Academy has two operating locations. One is the former commercial site at 1432 Bayview Ave. at Balliol Street across from St. Cuthburt’s Anglican Church. This building was renovated a couple of years ago by ABC  Academy and it has been turned into a solid, good-looking asset to the community. The original ABC Academy is on Melrose Ave. near Yonge Street.  Also at present, the company is renovating premises at 1923-1925 Queen Street E in the Beach. This location will be operational in Fall 2013. Wendy Arnold List, president of ABC Academy told the South Bayview Bulldog that she is particularly excited about the McRae Drive building. She says ABC Academy is a premium daycare service for children 3 months to 4 years of age.  “We focus on readiness for kindergarten, healthy lifestyle choices and instilling the importance of philanthropy and community in the little ones under our care. We are very excited to have purchased such a beautiful building and look forward to welcoming kids there in September 2014.” said Ms List.