Research says that if you text a lot, you’re not nice

Researchers at the University of Winnipeg have concluded that if you text a lot, you may not be a very nice person. Two psychology professors, Paul Trapnell and Lisa Sinclair, say a three-year study of 2,300 students makes them think this is true. “The values and traits most closely associated with texting frequency are surprisingly consistent with (scientific) conjecture that new information and social-media technologies may be displacing and discouraging reflective thought,” Trapnell said.  It has to do with a replacement by texting of “important moral aesthetic, and spiritual goals, and greater importance on wealth and image.”  Text more than 100 times a day and you’re 30 per cent less likely “to feel strongly that leading an ethical, principled life was important,” the data told Trapnell and Sinclair. “Higher texting frequency was also consistently associated with higher levels of ethnic prejudice,” said the study. This awful news does not extend to reading The South Bayview Bulldog however. 

“Blackmail” wireless ad makes some feel uneasy

We keep our eye on the epic advertising contest between Rogers and Bell in their campaign to persuade young users that each has the fastest wireless service. One such entry ran all winter. It features three turning 20 or so kids, two guys and actor Kendra Timmins. As everyone who owns a television set will know, the guy with the Rogers service effectively blackmails his friend into running around outside in the winter conditions dressed only in his underwear. Some call it bullying. The phone guy’s hammer in  this apparently amusing humiliation of his friend is his super fast Rogers wireless service with which he will purchase tickets to a concert — maybe. “What’s it worth to you?” he smirks at his friend.  Merely an edit away we see the hapless guy outside in his underpants. The ad has now shown up on YouTube where a number of comments tear a strip off Rogers for this celebration of how to deal with your buddies. “This commercial promotes bullying and black mail. Way to go Rogers!” says one. The comment below it says: “I came here to post the same exact thing.” A third comment says: “This commercial is appalling. Basically, buying a Blackberry z10 will turn you into  (censored). Sweet.”  All of this is important since this portrayal originates not among giggling high school students like those who apparently harassed Rehteah Parsons.  The giggling geniuses behind this scenario are ad executives. Otherwise responsible people at Rogers must have liked it too. It ran for months. But it’s not funny. It’s sad just by itself and as a tip off to the deeply-seated tendency among us to celebrate pushing  people around for fun, it’s pathetic. 

Blue breaks out over Bayview and Millwood

Jaime Stein to climb Mount Kilimajaro in August

Jaime Stein

A Mt Pleasant and Eglinton area man, Jaime Stein, will be part of an ambitious project by public spirited Canadians to climb Mount Kilimajaro this August to raise funds for a Canadian National Cord Blood Bank. Mr. Stein is profiled in InsideToronto.com  A cord blood bank categorizes and saves newborn cord blood as a rich source of  stem cells to permit more effective transfusions for those suffering from a long list of illnesses. The Kilimajaro project is sponsored by Canadian Blood Services and has a catchy social media name for the climb – #Climb4Cord. Mr,Stein is inviting those interested to train with him. He is quoted in InsideToronto as saying: “I lost my dad to leukemia in 2006 and at the time, he was waiting to get a bone marrow transplant. (The National Public Cord Blood Bank) is a way to help Canadians and save lives. There are at least 1,000 people waiting for a stem cell transplant and that’s 1,000 people too many.” Canada is currently the only G8 country without a national public umbilical cord bank. Mr.Stein is a digital media marketing strategist with expertise in social media and content marketing. He has experience leading social media strategy for two national brands. He recently earned an MBA with a focus in Marketing and Strategy from the Rotman School of Management where he was selected valedictorian by the students of the Morning MBA Class of 2011. He is the former radio voice of the Toronto Argonauts and currently lives with his wife and two sons.   With information from Blogs about Climb4cord.  Also Canadian Blood Services. 

Dollarama dividend jumps 27 percent a share

As expected, Dollarama Inc. has notched up another record quarter. In fact Dollarama jumped its dividend more than 25 percent to 14 cents a share. And as we reckoned yesterday Dollarama is doing more than fine on Bayview Ave. with its nice little store at 1531-33.  It will also soon open a humongous one at Yorkdale in the months to come.  But who needs Yorkdale, right?  

B to B Maternity has opened at 1621 Bayview

The pre-owned baby clothes shop at 1621 Bayview has opened. The  owner is Kirsten Torokvei. Kirsten knows South Bayview well having lived here previously in recent years. 1621 is the former Oddjects location.

DVP closure is a chance to enjoy the valley

A local man, Rudy Limeback, has written to the The South Bayview Bulldog to remind readers that the closure of the Don Valley Parkway this weekend represents an opportunity to enjoy the valley without a lot of traffic roaring by. Mr. Limeback is a naturalist and hiker who frequently writes about his local walks on his website. Here is a feature he did during the Don Valley closure last year. Rudy.ca

Vescada Salon’s “comfortable atmosphere”

Frank Perri opened Vascada Salon at 1661 Bayview in 2004 and since then he and his talented staff of stylists and hair cutters haven’t looked back. “We try to maintain an unpretentious and comfortable atmospshere. A downtown, uptown feeling,” said Frank as he moved between clients this week. From the bustling business and sizable clientele base it appears he’s succeeded. Frank is proud of his associates and the environmentally friendly line of Aveda products sold at Vescada. The salon is open Tuesday to Saturday on South Bayview, just north of Fleming Crescent (Manor Road on the west side of Bayview). Vescada specializes in both ladies and mens’ hair cutting. Left to right at Vescada: Rachel, Kryssy, Gemma, Frank, Emma and Carole. 

DVP closure will see more traffic on Bayview

The closure for spring maintenance of the Don Valley Parkway will see the usual Saturday-Sunday influx of traffic onto Bayview Ave.  The entire Don Valley Parkway from Hwy. 401 to the Gardiner Expressway will be closed from 2 a.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday for its annual maintenance. During the shutdown, crews will clean and repair catch basins, fill-in potholes, repaint signs and markings, and perform other essential roadway chores including the maintenance of 17 closed-circuit television traffic cameras. 

Japanese Big 4 car makers issue airbag recall

Among all the Japanese products we know and use the Takata airbag is largely unknown. But for millions of owners of major Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the Takata airbag is right there in front of them every day. Now Takata, the world second largest supplier of airbags and seat belts, and these car makers, have recalled some 3.4 million vehicles around the world because of concerns that some of the airbags might catch fire or cause injury. Engineers say the airbag for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator. As a result, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured by metal fragments shooting up toward the windshield or down into the passenger foot well. So far there have been no reports of such injuries occurring. Takata said it learned of the problem from an automaker it did not identify in October 2011 after an airbag deployment in Japan. It learned of a Honda accident in Puerto Rico the following month, according to documents filed with U.S. safety regulators. From February 2012 through June last year, Takata could not reproduce the problem in testing, but that autumn the supplier was alerted to three additional incidents – two in Puerto Rico and one in Maryland – according to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By October 2012, Takata concluded it was possible that the propellant in certain wafers made at its plant in Moses Lake, Washington, might be inadequately compressed, which could lead to the rupture, according to NHTSA documents. By March this year, it also discovered that some wafers used in inflators made at a plant in Monclova, Mexico, for a year ending in late October 2002 may have been exposed to excess moisture, which could lead to a rupture, according to the NHTSA documents. Takata is aware of only six cases where an inflator ruptured in vehicles in the field – four in the United States and two in Japan – as well as six cases in salvage yards in Japan, according to NHTSA documents.

We got a buck that says Dollarama likes it here

Those who wondered how on earth a lowly dollar store could make a go of it on Bayview Ave. may have by now revised their view. Three months in since Dollarama opened, it seems that the company is doing a lot of business on our upscale high street, thank you. You don’t have to go inside the store at 1531-33 Bayview  to see just how brisk things are. It’s evident through the front windows that the cash-out aisle (cash or debit only) is seldom empty. The space that for so many years housed Shoppers Drug Mart seems like a good fit for Dollarama. At its new location in the old Bayview Playhouse building,  Shoppers has moved even more heavily into name-brand cosmetics. It has added groceries and other household products. Perhaps unwisely, the dispensary was placed on the second level. Down at the low end of things it seems possible that Shoppers will have noticed the presence of Dollarama in such things a cheap bath soap and toiletries, paper goods and candies. The company’s quarterly earning will be released tomorrow (Friday,April 12, 2013) and they are expected to show a strong performance. One estimate suggests that Dollarama will report earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $118.6-million in its fiscal third quarter, up 21.4 per cent from a year ago, with earnings per share rising to $1.01 from 84 cents.

RBC chief apologizes for “insensitive” outsourcing

RBC CEO Gord Nixon
The Royal Bank’s President and CEO Gord Nixon has apologized  to employees affected by a decision to outsource jobs. The story, originating in a CBC program called Go Public — has embarrassed the bank and caused the government to investigate the bank’s outsourcing methods. Today Mr Nixon said he was sorry.  “First, I want to apologize to the employees affected by this outsourcing arrangement as we should have been more sensitive and helpful to them. All will be offered comparable job opportunities within the bank,” he wrote.  “Second, we are reviewing our supplier arrangements and policies with a continued focus on Canadian jobs and prosperity, balancing our desire to be both a successful business and a leading corporate citizen.” In February, 45 of the bank’s personnel were informed that they would be replaced by outsourced workers, after the bank contracted a number of technological services to California based outsourcing giant iGate. According to an RBC employee, personnel were given 90 days’ notice.