Casa Loma one of Toronto’s great misfortunes

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It is widely acknowledged to be an ugly white elephant. It was a useless burden on the community in the beginning and it has defeated every well-intentioned effort over the decades to find any worthwhile existence for it.  Casa Loma is truly one of Toronto ‘s great misfortunes. Maybe Councillors Josh Matlow and Joe Mihevc   have struck on a use that will make us want to go there. Make it as valuable as the lands it sits on. But their plan to put  a municipal museum in there seems like more of the same. Listen.  God bless them for trying. But it’s quite  a stretch to think that a museum is going to inspire I Love Casa Loma bumper stickers. Why not go for broke?  Can we find a sheik who would like to disassemble Casa Loma and pay us to take it block by block back to Arabia?   What a break that would be.  Beyond that, this Philistine Bulldog would demolish the fearsome “castle.”  Put a few of its better parts in a  museum and use the land properly.

Massive wedding brawl in Philly caught on video

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A report from The City of Brotherly Love.   In Philadelphia, a wedding brawl with three arrests and a fatal heart attack was simply another wild story. But around the country, the must-see video, shot by a teen celebrating a birthday, seems to be reinforcing old stereotypes that the City That Threw Snowballs at Santa Claus (way back in 1968) could still use some anger management training. Philly.com

Councillor Wong-Tam’s “car-free” Toronto

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 Here is a breathless story about how Toronto can be “car-free”. You will love it. Just leave the old Highlander in the driveway and  use it for storage. “Car-free” is the inspiration of Kristyn Wong-Tam. Councillor Ward 27. It appears the story’s writer, John Lorinc is also fully on board. You may be guessing that this is about local road closures and such. Street parties, that type of thing. Not a bit. These visionaries see miles and miles of roads closed in the name of “livable streets”  This quote in particular sets off the South Bayview  baloney-detector: “But closing or partially closing longer networks of arterials to cars on a more regular basis would require the city and the TTC to develop alternate routes and ensure the public and local merchants know what’s planned”  Oh yes, don’t forget to tell the public.  Globe and Mail

David Blaine “electrified” stunt in New York

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Illusionist David Blaine has spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at New York’s Pier 54 executing an elabroate stunt. Fun to watch perhaps but as commentators have pointed out (and the video gets wrong) Blaine has not been electrocuted. That would be news. The voltage is running through his suit, not him. In fact, writers at the tech webiste BetaBeat point out the Blaine has ripped off early 20th Century inventor Nikola Tesla who did much the same thing without the promotional tool of the Internet of course. BetaBeat

What a KISS! She lies about rape to win $10,000

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Rogers Media station KISS 92.5 has this program in which three people compete for a $10,000 prize. Each tells a story which is designed to compel the other two to give over the dough. Does the concept worry you?   Toronto Star

Matlow raises issue of jet noise at City Council

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Councillor Matlow (Ward 22)  is among those attempting to draw attention to noise from incoming jetliners over central North Toronto neighbrohoods. It’s apparent however that the noise is not something that can be greatly dminished without quieter aircraft, which would be quite an accomplishment. Toronto Sun

Chavez rolls to victory with 54.42% of vote

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Venezuela’s socialist President Hugo Chavez won re-election on Sunday, quashing the opposition’s best chance at unseating him in 14 years and cementing himself as a dominant figure in modern Latin American history. The 58-year-old Chavez took 54.42 percent of the vote, with 90 percent of the ballots counted, to 44.97 percent for the young opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, official results showed. Chavez’s victory would extend his rule of the OPEC member state to two decades, though he is recovering from cancer and the possibility of a recurrence hangs over his political future.

LV 2013 launches checks on four escalators

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Vikdeo here
Paris Fashion Week haas ended and among the many flamboyant shows was the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2013. Designer Marc Jacobs explored symmetry and mirrors as he unveiled the collection at the Louvre in Paris. The set consisted of four large escalators with yellow striped steps and models stepped out onto the catwalk in pairs, wearing similar patterns with identical styling. Jeanne Bekker liked it

Toronto church excursion hit by bus rollover

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Report from KABC-TV on rollover of Toronto-New York excursion bus: More than 23 people were hurt Saturday when a charter bus carrying 57 passengers from Canada overturned on a highway exit ramp in northern New Jersey. The coach bus from Toronto-based AVM Max 200 Charter Services Inc. overturned around 7:30 a.m. when exiting interstate 80 in Wayne. According to authorities, the Brooklyn bound bus, chartered by the Grenada Toronto Community Network, landed on its side at the bottom of an embankment injuring 23 people on board. Eight of the victims are in critical condition with non-life-threatening injuries. At least 12 passengers on the bus were members of the Toronto Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, Passengers say people were piled on top of each other on the floor of the bus. “I was laying on the floor,” said passenger Leona Broones. “Someone was on top of me. Someone had to pull me up off the floor.” It’s not clear what caused the bus to flip over. However, the driver allegedly told state police he had been cut off by another vehicle. The accident backed up traffic in the area for hours while law enforcement officials Also, Toronto Star

Modular addition at Field Ave. and McRae Dr.

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One of the more interesting local home additions and renovations is this corner structure at Field Ave and McRae Drive, across the street from Trace Manes Park. What was a modest but good-looking centre hall home is getting an addition on the west side. This project is from a company called Modular Home Additions, which as the name suggests, specializes in additions, bump ups or new homes that are fabricated off site. They say you can have an addition in just three days although we must say  that seems to suggest there are a few things not mentioned. All in all, however, it seems that when the matching brickwork is done and new windows cleaned up, this will be a very nice home.     

Ghoulish Giveaway on Bayview October 13, 2012

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As usual, Tremblett’s Valu Mart will be a focus of fun in the lead up to Halloween. This year the Annual Leaside Ghoulish Giveaway will move into the grocery store’s parking lot with a range of activities like pumpkin carving, face painting, candy floss and a barbecue provided by Tremblett’s. A popular feature of the Ghoulish Giveaway is a family portrait taken on the scene. That’s next Saturday, October 13, 2012 between 11 am. and 2 pm. at 1500 Bayview Avenue.The sponsors are Tremblett’s, Real Estate Broker Charlene Kalia and the Royal Bank. 

Condo towers built for a bull market thats over

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Bloomberg News