Women, girls airbrushed from Ikea catalogue

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The delicate practice of airbrushing women right out of the picture is well known. Now we have the  Swedish  household goods maker Ikea removing a mom from her own bathroom to suit the way business is done in Saudi Arabia. But there’s more. This was apparently a large scale vanishing according to stories. A whole catalogue of women and girls were airbrushed out of the publication that was distributed in the Arabian oil state. “We are looking into the issue and holding a dialogue with our Saudi franchise holder,” said Ulrika Englesson Sandman, a spokeswoman for Inter Ikea Systems. After the killing of Osuma bin Laden, a Yiddish newspaper airbrushed Hillary Clinton and another official woman out of pictures of the U.S. government team watching the mission unfold by satellite. 

Saturday night at Ballroom on Bayview

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There was a lot of fun Saturday night at Ballroom on Bayview Dance Studio, 1578 Bayview Ave. where the performances included Sue Byford, co-owner of the South Bayview Bulldog, and instructor Steven James doing the Hustle. Nice moves. The studio is owned by Oleg Yedlin  a prominent figure in the world of both social and professional dancing. Oleg’s other studio, OLSI, is where many of the top Canadian Amateur Ballroom dancers train. 

Mirvish’s King West concepts blow the mind

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The pictures now released of the  proposed  80-storey condominium  buildings “as sculpture” are surely breathtaking. They are so unusual they set the nerves a jangle. That goes for the idea of knocking down the Princess of Wales Theatre as well.  Even the prime movers to all this, David Mirvish and architect Frank Gehry, are all over the place as to what we should make of it. Gehry was saying his models are works in progress. You get clobbered for this kind of architecture in the early stages, he mused. Mirvish and Gehry were apparently struggling to stress their Toronto roots, according to the CBC.  That was supposed to make it go down easier, we suppose. There will apparently be an art gallery and a great school in the structures (the Ontario College of Art and Design). “These towers can become a symbol of what Toronto can be,” Mirvish said. “I am not building condominiums. I am building three sculptures for people to live in.” We shall see. CBC.ca

Land Rover with aluminium frame sheds 700 lbs

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Video

If you are feeling flush in the coming months and need a new car, there is always the 2013 Land Rover. Here is a little preview video from the Paris Auto Show, which opened this week. The new Land Rover has lost 700 pounds as a result of a new aluminum frame. The Paris Show is over-shadowed by gloom about the European economy. Sales are down. Will it be reflected in Canadian prices? Not likely. 

Legendary Barbara Ann Scott dead at age 84

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Barbara Ann Scott has died Sunday at the age of 84. Her 1948 gold medal victory in Women’s Figure Skating at the Winter Olympic games in St. Moritz, Switzerland is a Canadian legend. National Post

New partnership for the South Bayview Bulldog

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(Reprise) — A new partnership has been formed to operate the South Bayview Bulldog. Two well-known local business persons, Ted Stuebing,  retailer and journalist, and Susan Byford, real estate broker and businesswoman, have revamped the local news site to accept advertising.

Pumpkin Giveaway Oct 19-21 at Valu Mart

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The Annual Pumpkin Giveaway/Haunted House this weekend will have a different touch — pink pumpkins. They can be purchased for $10 and all proceeds go to breast cancer research. A pink pumpkin on the porch will show support for the cause. There are apparently a limited number available — between 100 and 150. The Pumpkin Giveaway goes off  Friday to Sunday, October 19-21, 2012 at Tremblett’s Valu Mart.  It’s a promotion of real estate broker Patrick Rocca and you need a copy of his real estate letter to get a free (orange) pumpkin. You can call him to get one  at (416) 322-8000. This year the giveaway has a haunted house on Sunday, October 21 between noon and 3 pm.

Sunday E coli warning from Canadian food agency

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has released a special Sunday warning which expands the list of beef voluntarily recalled by XL Foods, of Brooks, Alberta. Their plant was temporarily shut by the agency after contaminated beef products sickened several people. The list ranges from ground beef to roasts and steaks, and includes products from retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Costco Wholesale Corp, and smaller chains. The whole list of products in here and also a list of all retailers which might have carried the beef.. Canadian Food Inspection Agency

McGuinty gets hugs, kisses — who else is there?

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He is perhaps the cleverest political operator in recent times in Ontario. Likable but ruthless. And after his followers voted 85.8% to keep  him on as leader (who else is there?) he gave a speech that tried to turn adversity into advantage.  Last year Dalton McGuinty cancelled a half-built power plant in the middle of the election campaign to get a few votes. Saturday however he told delegates that he is now bigger than base politics. He urged them to be “fearless” in  the face of opposition to his government’s austerity measures because this wasn’t a mere political tactic, this was “the right thing to do.”  Call it Premier Dad’s blood, sweat and tears speech. Politics is such fun,. 

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is out there all night

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The now annual spectacular of downtown Toronto lighted up and changed around is on. In some respects you have to be there to fully appreciate it   The exhibits shown in  the video above are delightful. Art-candy. Another seemed obscure but Museum for the End of the World sort of tickled out sense of bewilderment. The artist searched out more than two hundred schlock movies about the end of the world and then edited them down to five minutes each.. Then there is this tweet from a hapless Blancher sent about 9 p.m. “Traffic is already brutal at Bay and Adelaide, both for cars and pedestrians. The slow parade of taxis show their anger at pedestrians who have overtaken the intersection with a chorus of honks that equals the music at the nearby Fun House. One pedestrian: “I feel like a salmon.””  Torontoist has some nice pictures of things. 

Whitney kids thank Loblaws for apples, water

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It’s never too soon to teach children to say “Thank You” so the big poster on the window at Loblaws Moore and Bayview is good to see. The Grade One kids at Whitney Public School  are thanking the store manager (Chris) for some supplies they needed to participate in the Terry Fox Run. “Thank you for the apples and water,”  it reads in part. “They wer yume.”  Well, a lot of  this stuff you pick up in Grade Two. Then there is the big finish (inset). “Sincerely room 203 at Whitney Public School Grade 1.”  Excellent job guys. 

Great day at Mount Pleasant Harvest Fair

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The Mount Pleasant Village Harvest Fair went off today with a good crowd and many enterprising merchants. The attractions ranged from Shiatsu Therapy to shish kabob and from dog treats to doughnuts. Above Brook stands with her funny-looking antique Steam Whistle Beer truck. Just to be clear, Brook is not an antique or funny-looking. Right, this lady is in the kids dress-up business. Love the hat. .