Killing frost forecast for tonight and Monday night

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Unsettled Sunday

After a day of ice pellets and brilliant sunshine, Toronto faces an evening of potential killing frost. Those hardy enough to have planted their gardens had better cover the beds and if possible bring potted plants inside.  Environment Canada says below-zero temperatures will hit the region Sunday night as a cold air mass moves across the area. Windy conditions will mean that ice crystals forming on the ground will only be patchy, but plants could still be harmed as the ground temperature hits the freezing mark late in the evening or by midnight. Tomorrow skies are expected to clear but  Monday night is also expected to bring a severe frost that will kill any plants in the ground outside. Sensitive plants should either be brought indoors or covered up before Sunday evening when the frost is expected to hit. Picture shows the view north on Yonge St. from Davisville Ave. about noon Sunday revealing a sky that is ready to do anything. It had just dumped a three-minute rain and iice torrent. The day has seen brilliant sun and nasty wind whipped rain.

Star Trek re-make and commercial spin-offs

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Some Star Trek fun in the form of a movie trailer (left) and a distinctly Vulcan Audi commercial (right). As to the movie premier, the film shows how the main characters Chris Pine (Capt Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (First Officer Spock) have been defined by the original players for all time right down to their physical appearances. It’s as if William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were characters in real history when they warp-sped their way around the living-room TV tube universe.

Hamburgers to sizzle on South Bayview?

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The word on South Bayview today (Saturday, May 11, 2013) was that there will be fast-food hamburgers for sale sooner rather than later at the now vacant Jus de Vie location.  We’ll see.  But stay tuned.  In the meantime,  it appears that there are also hamburgers in the Bulldog’s backyard. Thank heavens. 

Thundering wall of ice smashes Manitoba town

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Click to see ice damage video

A speeding wall of ice has thundered across Lake Dauphin about 300 kilometres north of Winnipeg and smashed into a community of 20 cottages. Residents are stunned by the surprise occurrence and the damage that has been done. Many can hardly believe that tons of ice could have moved so quickly and arrived without any warning. The Deputy Reeve of Ochre Lake has told the CBC that many people were watching hockey in their living rooms when they felt the house shake and heard their decks splintering into junk. A woman recounts looking outside around dinner and seeing the ice wall coming rapidly at her home. She shouted to her husband to get out and followed him in making an escape. The CBC report linked here says locals recall this type of thing only once before in living memory — that was in the 1960s.  No one was injured in the ice onslaught. See video. 

Volunteers support LePage Shelter Sale Saturday

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The many volunteers who support the Annual Shelter Foundation Garage Sale held by Royal LePage were up well before the birds Saturday morning.They had to unpack and display three PODS full of really excellent donations. These pictures were taken before 8 a.m. at the 1391 Bayview parking lot when there was still an exciting array of goods.  

Execution bid at Yorkdale shows need for CCTV

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The amateur attempt at a mafia-like execution at Yorkdale Mall early this morning should make every citizen ask: Where were the CCTV cameras? And not just that. Where is the mandatory public and private program to require such surveillance in our trendy public places. It may not be true in this case,  but chic commercial places attract no-goods who like to pretend they belong to the gentry. In this case, it is said that a Honda CRV sped into the mall and stopped in front of the JOEY restaurant just after midnight. A guy got out and started firing through the window at a patron inside. One man was hit several times but is said to be in improving condition in Sunnybrook Hospital  This is the second shooting at Yorkdale in two months.  If Yorkdale cares about its customers — if the City cares about its citizens — this matter will go to the top of the agenda.  Business and government should act now and stop worrying about what some people will think. Such cameras are legal and fully within the rules of our open society.   

Food, games and prizes await at Mayfair 2013

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Mayfair 2013 will have a dry is somewhat cloudy day for events in the annual Rosedale Park festivities. Here we see five charming ladies leading off the traditional Saturday morning parade from Mooredale Park at Welland Ave. and Moore Ave. They are beside the great maple tree opposite 144 Hudson Drive. This year Mayfair celebrates cultures, costumes, and food from around the world. In recent times Mayfair festivities have been advanced to Friday evening in a type of preview. Typically this involves trying out and admiring the carnival rides under the lights. Today (Saturday May 11, 2013) however will feature the rituals of food and midway games, bouncy castle, face painting and many things of youthful interest.  Kids who dress up win prizes. 

Cyclists ride will slow Bloor Street traffic

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The Bells On Bloor ride will take place today (Saturday, May 11, 2013) during the mid-day period and will disrupt other traffic along Bloor from Higjh Park over to the Danforth.  This is a cyclists organization which is promoting the creation of cycling lanes along this route. BellsonBloor.org. 

Yonge subway closed Saturday for signal work

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The Yonge subway between Bloor and Union stations is closed today (Saturday May 11, 2013) to permit  signal upgrades. Trains will terminate at Bloor and Union stations. Bus service will operate between Rosedale and King stations. Buses are scheduled to run every three minutes to five minutes. The TTC suggests that riders heading downtown should use the University line south from St. George station.

Awesome sale opens at Leaside United Church

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They call it Awesome and fair-minded shoppers will agree. The annual Leaside United Church Sale opened at 3 p.m. Friday and will be humming until. 7 p.m.  Tomorrow (Saturday May 11, 2013) business continues from 9 a.m. to noon. The fare is excellent and we had a sneak look.  Clockwise from upper left, some lucky lady will grab this finely fashioned leather tote. Wonderful baked goods are here. Frankly, they are likely to be eaten by the time you read this. Those are June’s Buttermilk Scones and jars of Mint Imperials. Yummy. Another choice item is the green Gingham Doll near the jewellery department in the church’s little theatre room. A friendly kangaroo (maybe) is one of many cuddlies and finally an excellent display of bamboo garden furniture with a complementary screen. It’s a grouping that should go quickly. LUC is at  822 Millwood Road and McRae Drive. The Awesome Sale has split-shift hours, a rather unique marketing technique for such events. 

Woman survives Bangladesh collapse after 17 days

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Workers clearing the site of a collapsed building in Bangladesh rescue a woman from the rubble after seeing her wave her hand.Rescuers in Bangladesh have found a survivor in the rubble of a clothing factory that collapsed 17 days ago.The woman, identified only as Reshma, was shown being carried on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance as a rescue worker applied an oxygen mask to her face. She apparently survived essentially unhurt in the basement of the building where she found food stored in a prayer room.

FBI says accused wanted to kill 100,000 people

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     From CBC embeddable video 
The FBI have arrested a Tunisian-born man who has previously lived in Canada as a co-conspirator in the plot to blow up a Toronto to New York VIA train. The FBI alleges the would-be terrorist had even more terrifying ideas to help bring down civil society. The accused is Ahmed Abassi (seen above) and he is implicated with the two foreign-born men already facing charges in Canada. Among the homicidal plans allegedly discussed by Abassi was a scheme to somehow kill thousands of people with bacteria in the air or water. Authorities say the idea never got past the talking stage and in fact was ridiculed by Chiheb Esseghaier, a 30-year-old Tunisian living in Montreal who was recently arrested here. Abassi was arrested in New York on April 22, 2013, the same day as the Canadian  arrests were executed but the matter was sealed by the U.S. federal authorities apparently for investigative reasons.  CBC