The South Bayview Bulldog

Police have released a video picture of a woman they suspect may have been involved in the malicious damage to coats at several Toronto businesses. On December 10, 2012, we posted news about damage to fur trimmed coats running to $45,000  at the Sporting Life store at 2665 Yonge Street (between Blythwood Rd. and Sheldrake Blvd.)  On December 21, 2012, an attack occurred on fur-trimmed coats at Holt Renfrew  The woman (inset) was captured on video at HR. Several other shops have also complained about someone  smearing fur garments with petroleum jelly. Police say they believe these incidents are connected. The Vaseline or similar jelly renders the garment unusable. Police said the suspect walks into the store and pretends to browse. She surreptitiously dips her hand into a jar of jelly hidden in her bag and touches the garments. The damage goes unnoticed until the next customer handles the merchandise. “She’s not wiping a ton of the stuff on the jackets,”  Toronto Police Staff- Sgt. Shawn Meloche told the Toronto Star.. “But it’s enough to completely ruin the product.”

Interest in the OB/Gyne Style video produced by maternity staff at Sunnybrook Hospital has spread around the world.  The international publication Sing Tao Daily has picked up the story. It recounts how the Toronto organization Empower Birth has complained that the video is offensive. OB/Gyne Style is a take-off of Psy’s Gangnam Style mega-hit and was first posted on the hospital’s YouTube channel but has since been pulled down. Others, however, have re-posted the video saying that it is all in good fun and that to repress it is an attack on free speech.  Sing Tao is read throughout the Far East including South Korea where there are many Mandarin speakers. Comment of readers both on YouTube and in the Toronto Star, which broke the story, has been running largely in favour of the video. A comment from Steve_YYZ ran as follows: “You can’t make everybody happy….. But it seems that all it takes is ONE person without a sense of humour to complain and the hospital bends over backwards to take the video down. I mean, geez…. 90,000 views and one noted complaint mentioned in this article. Truly we’re now living in a pablum, tasteless world where life is expected to be plain vanilla only.” Video is three posts down.

This is the final day for the Stuff A Bin drive at Tremblett’s Valu Mart on Bayview Ave. The  idea is that public spirited shoppers make a contribution of food and toys to help make this Christmas a happy one for those with less than us. You’ll find helpful volunteers like the lady inset ready to give you a Daily Bread collection bag. While getting your own things, pick up a few extra items and fill the bag. On leaving, you place the bag in the large storage bin provided by All-Canadian Storage, one of the sponsors of the drive.  It’s the first annual Stuff A Bin collection of food and toys for needy folks in our area.. All food collected will be donated to the local food bank and the toys will be distributed by local firefighters. See you at Tremblett’s.

Argo Defensive Back Matt Black came home to Northern Secondary School and he had quite a prize to show everyone. It gave new meaning to the term Show and Tell.  At a convocation this week the hugely popular Black was able to hang out in style with his former coaches and teachers while thrilling every member of the student body. The powerful role-model embodied by the 27-year-old Toronto native was never more evident as kids lined up after the school assembly to have their pictures taken with Black, and the Grey Cup of course. There is a video on the Argonaut site showing some of the activity.

Writer Joe Warmington says in the Toronto Sun that there appears to be a project on the drawing board to create a replica of the celebrated monkey which has become more than a one-day wonder of a story. It would be a kind of Darwin doll, if you please. Mr. Warmington made the revelation when he said that his sister, Dana Kingstone, is working on a children’s book on Darwin and has been talking with some business people about producing an actual stuffed monkey Darwin, complete with a shearling coat, special tooth brush accessory and even a Santa suit. Prototypes (inset) have been made and there is an effort to meet with those who might find benefit in the idea.  Toronto Sun