Police check “substance” at Danforth PO

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Police say they may be close to clearing the scene on Danforth Ave. where they have been looking into a suspicious substance found at a Canada Post distribution centre. The office is at  684 Danforth Ave.  Around 8 a.m, a package containing the suspicious substance was discovered by a worker in the building. Traffic is being diverted between Jones and Pape. .

Tetra pak heiress dies in cocaine squalor

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One of the world’s wealthiest women has been revealed as a hopeless drug addict who spent her final days at her exclusive London mansion in what is being called absolute squalor. Eva Rausing apparently led a double life as she and her husband mixed with European royalty and counted Prince Charles among her acquaintances. She was found dead at the age of 48  after her husband was arrested for drug offences. He may have lived with her body for days.  Eva Rausing and her husband, Hans Kristian Rausing, 49, an heir to the Tetra Pak packaging fortune, enjoyed a life of leisure and luxury in the world’s most exclusive circles.  National Post.

House prices still going up in Toronto

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Further strong increases in Toronto helped push up the prices of new homes in Canada by 0.3 percent in May, a month before the government announced it was tightening mortgage rules, according to Statistics Canada data released on Thursday. The Toronto-Oshawa area posted a 0.5 percent increase on a monthly basis and 5.5 percent on the year. The annual increase for all of Canada was 2.4 percent, slightly down from 2.5 percent the month before. Reuters

Civilized parking — top up the meter by phone

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Vancouver  top up meters

Some nine months ago we posted word that there was an experiment at hand to see if motorists in a  number of Canadian cities might be able to use a system which would let them top up their parking meters remotely by smartphone. In fact, this system has been operating successfully in Vancouver since 2006. Of course, Vancouver meters have a public clock that shows the time remaining. Unlike Toronto meters, they do not issue parking slips. Nonetheless, the top-up application should be adjustable to Toronto meters. Our post in September 2011 said the idea was mentioned by Councillor Karen Stintz. Although she has not yet replied to mail from The South Bayview Bulldog on this topic, our post at the time attributed this explanation to her:  Drivers would pre-register, phone the number on the meter, and buy more time by redialing the number. If a parking officer wanted to issue a ticket he would have to check the electronic time clock to see if the driver was overdue.  Toronto has what many taxpayers feel is a rapacious tax collection system posing as parking control. We call it “gotcha” parking and indeed that is what it is. This system would be an opportunity for  City Council to prove that it really has the best interest of taxpayers at heart and is not just intent on picking their pockets.  Vancouver Sun

Children, children, please don’t be so silly

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However inept (or not) Stephen Harper may have been for calling Calgary Canada’s greatest city, the response of Thomas Mulcair and Bob Rae is truly absurd. It’s hard to believe they are so desperate for whatever minuscule political advantage that may be at issue here to begin carping about such an off hand remark. At least Bob Rae, who is known to have a sense of humour, made his complaint sound like that of a true hometowner (Toronto)  But Mr. Mulcair is not to be believed. “I want to work hard for all Canadian cities,” said Mr. Mulcair, an Ottawa-born Montrealer who grumped: ” ‘I’m better than you’ is not the best way to get results.”  Somebody, get this man a McHappy Meal. 

Discovery of 100 year old baseball cards

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An amazing story of some 700 baseball cards packed away for more than 100 years in an attic has thrilled hobbyists and fans alike. Karl Kissner, of Defiance, Ohio,  found the box of cards in the attic of the home occupied by his grandfather at the turn of the century. Somehow the cards were placed away in storage and remained there during the lives of two of his relatives. Only this year, when the home was being cleared after their death, was the discovery made. The 1910 baseball cards depict such figures as Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner. The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. Up to now, the few known to exist were in so-so condition at best, with faded images and worn edges. But the ones from the attic in the town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colours are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.It appears that Kissner’s grandfather, a butcher, was provided the cards by a supplier to be given away to customers. “It’s like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic,” Kissner said.The cards will be auctioned later this year and may fetch as much as $3 million by some estimates. 

Modest Birnie tells CP24 he was never a very good player

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As scheduled, a large gathering of friends and teammates were on hand this lovely summer evening to honour Howie Birnie at Howard Talbot Park. The congratulations to Howie as he nears his 75th birthday were well in order. Howie Birnie has dedicated much of his life to the improvement and maintenance of baseball in Leaside and elsewhere. Howie was interviewed by CP24 in which he modestly observed that he was never a very good baseball player. This may be true but as those who know him, and as the previous post shows, Howie Birnie was one smart baseball manager. Knowledge is power.   Previous post.

Celebrity chef Anthony Seldak dead at age 29

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Cooking fans are shocked tonight at the untimely death of 29-year-old celebrity chef Anthony Seldak. Seldak was found dead in his West Vancouver apartment. Cause of death so far is said to be an undiagnosed medical condition. Seldak was a dynamic young man who burst onto the cooking scene in 2007. Sedlak won a silver medal representing Canada at the World Junior Chef Challenge in New Zealand and the Food Network’s Superstar Chef Challenge at age 23, before hosting his own show for four seasons. Trish Magwood, one of Sedlak’s fellow judges on “Family Cook Off,” said she first encountered him the day before they began filming last summer Magwood said she expected to be met by the baby faced host from “The Main.””When he shot ‘The Main,’ we would joke that he was 12 when he did it — they had him in a cardigan,” said Magwood.

Renault Wind has front, not rear, engine

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Internet review: The Renault Wind  Roadster is a quirky looking car giving the impression of a rear engine. But the two seater Wind actually has its engine at the front. This will make room for sizable 270 litre trunk area which can be generous enough to consider several bags or enough holiday luggage for 2. Inside Wind,  there’s no room for anything more behind this seats. The doorway pockets are, well, pocket sized and also the glovebox and seat are pretty pint sized. Furthermore, I (reviewer unknown) had a challenge with fitting my size 11 to the pedals since they’re very firmly spaced. Ed– So many small convertibles have fallen to the axe we wanted to be sure we showed you one that was still in production. We.re not sire how many are imported.

Feds put new limit on levering your home

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Homes in and around South Bayview are worth plenty. And now the federal government is concerned that many of us are levering these desirable houses a little too much. They have made  new rules, in effect today, which limit home equity loans up to a maximum of 80% of a property’s value — down from 85%. The maximum amortization period also drops to 25 years from 30 years — giving borrowers less time to repay the debt in full.