High court upholds anti-terrorism law

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This quiet corner of the Canada we like to call South Bayview may sleep better tonight after today’s Supreme Court of Canada decision that one cannot legally commit wholesale violence in the name of freedom of expression.  The justices decided 7-0 in the matter. This suggests that in the end they didn’t have a very hard time making up their minds.  CBC<

Whole Foods still set to open at 1860 Bayview

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The new owners of the property at 1860 Bayview say they are readying a program of consultation with the community. Trillium Development Group purchased the site late this year and are working their way through the details of the zoning which were approved for any commercial use of the land. Trillium was able to confirm that Whole Foods is still scheduled to become a tenant at 1860 Bayview. The Austin, Texas-based company will lease the second floor of a two storey complex.  Trillium said talks continue with other prospective tenants.  The matter went to the  Ontario Municipal Board this year which approved a settlement permitting the construction of the  approximately 16 metre retail/commercial building with 193 parking spaces in a two-level underground garage. Neighbourhood improvements, including road widening along Bayview and Broadway Avenues to accommodate traffic concerns, were secured as part of the settlement. . 

Light smoking doubles heart risk in women

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Women who are light smokers – including those who smoke just one cigarette a day – double their chance of sudden death, a large study suggests. The research tracked the health of 101,000 US nurses over three decades. Light-to-moderate smokers were twice as likely to die of sudden heart problems than those who had never smoked. But those who quit smoking saw their risk begin to go back down within years, a journal of the American Heart Association reports  .    BBC

4 Click Video Pick for December 12, 2012

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Our 4-Click Video Pick begins wth Boston piano  prodigy George Li, 17, who this week thrilled an audience on the stage of the Jane Mallett Theatre in Toronto. Here he plays Beethoven’s 4th Piano Symphony with the Symphony ProMusica under Mark Churchill when he was 16. Wonderful. Continuing clockwise, twelve couples in Hong Kong take advantage of the good luck said to be attached to today’s date — 12, 12, 12.  Next, the really remarkably well-preserved remains of a WWII British fighter plane in the Egyptian desert. it was found this summer. The story at CNN. And finally, the flash mob success of all time from the Welland shopping mall in 2010 when local singers entranced residents with the Messiah. This video has been watched a staggering 39 million times according to YouTube.

Auditor General McCarter’s 2012 report

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The Ontario Auditor General’s report  for 2012 released today reads a bit like a history lesson for some. It is a long list of  items which  over the years have become a standard part of of our society. All of them are necessary in various measures. Bureaucracies which make Ontario so complex. The Auditor General ponders whether Crown Attorneys work efficiently given crime levels which are down, whether staff at the Youth Justice Services Program of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services are efficient, whether we can do better educating Aboriginal kids when it is said that only 45% of them in Grade 10 are on track to graduate. Fodder for the most sincere and civic-minded citizen but not much help in the end to making a plan  If you are  inclined, take a look at the original news release from the man himself, Jim McCarter. 

Dollarama fiddles with sign as season slips away

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South Bayview folks look on with bemusement as Dollarama seems to be fiddling away with the small things at their new as yet unopened store at 1531-1533 Bayview. The sign that was installed a few days ago has now been adjusted and looks similar to the first placement. Here a workmen scrambles up a ladder to fasten some letters in place. The adjusted sign still contains the Dollarama $1 logo. That’s nice but inside you will see similar signs promoting products priced from $2.50 to $3. It’s the main reason why analysts say that Dollarama is doing so well. Maybe it should be called Three Dollarama. But let’s just hope the place gets open before the Christmas wrapping crowd has to go over to East York Town Centre to shop.  They’re saying that they got a large shipment of  Yule cards and it would be a shame if they have to put them in  the basement till next year. 

Monkey’s owner reveals “Darwin Archive”

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The owner of a monkey caught wandering outside a Toronto Ikea this weekend says the tiny primate rarely left her side until he was confiscated by authorities — and she wants him back. Yasmin Nakhuda says she initially tried to return the monkey she named Darwin to the breeder who supplied him, but changed her mind after hearing his heartbroken cries. After that, Nakhuda says Darwin was near her at all times, including while she slept and showered. “I know he cannot live without me,” said real estate agent Nakhuda. “And everyone who knows Darwin can vouch for this. He needs his mother like a child needs his mother,” she told CityNews Monday. National Post 

“Skateboard 4” tattoo East York flag on shoulders

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Four skateboarders in East York have cemented their association by getting the flag of the former borough tattooed on their shoulders. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction. But, as reported in Torontoist blog, the old pals, aged 25 to 33, decided this was the way to honour the good times they’ve had as members of Team East York, their skateboarding association. Listen it’s great to do what you want.  Readers of Torontoist gave a mixed review to these ink-under-skin renderings. One said “Good Lord — them’s some ugly tatts.” Reader tat2x said: “Pride in your neighborhood is a good thing. Luckily they got shoulder tattoos so they’ll be easy to cover up when needed. We’ll be standing by with our Ink Armor for anyone that needs to cover up ” The foursome may find favour with the East York Historical Society which is trying to rekindle East York spirit by selling the flags. Small desktop flags are available for $10 and large 3′ x 6′ flags for $95 and we are taking orders for 27″ x 54″ flags price to be determined.  East York Historical Society 

How is it that a monkey is born in Montreal?

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You don’t have to be overly-curious to wonder how a rhesus money gets to be born in Montreal. And we do wonder.  The thrilling events of IKEA Zoologica are merely post script. Because the fun monkey known as Darwin was, according to his former owners  born in Montreal. If that’s true, he had a mother and father there. Let’s just check the Canadian Food Inspection Agency rules.  The government absolutely forbids the entry into Canada of monkeys of any kind for the purposes of keeping them as pets or breeding. There are four ways a rhesus might get by customs legally: for a movie shoot (from the U.S. only); for a zoo or other accredited exhibition (temporary); for research (poor Darwin if that was the plan); in transit (i.e passing through).  He’s a dear little sweetie no doubt but someone should be asking questions in Montreal (or wherever) about how he got born in Canada and then just given away.