Forest Hill kids have their Prom

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Thursday May 24, 2012 was a day of excitement for the kids from Forest Hill  Collegiate Institute as their Prom was held at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex at .Exhibition Place  More than 200 graduates, including Matt Kruger and Erin Silver (inset) made this great scene. It was a day of celebrating with pre-Prom  dance parties held beginning at 4 pm.  Nice because parents can go to these. There were also post Prom parties after the dance with hotel rooms booked and monitored by parents.  For safety, llimousines were used as transportation, as they usually are.

$1 Gelato brings hundreds to Mad Italian

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There’s nothing to beat a deal on a summer favorite like Gelato. Sunday afternoon the Mad Italian ran a promotion party featuring Gelato for $1 a cup or cone. A radio station from Hamilton, Vinyl 95.3 played favorites from the 70s and 80s and 90s. That’s their thing. Altogether it was a quite a mob scene and children (inset) were in heaven. 

Sears boss McDonald out front at new stores

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It’s become a cliche to say that Sears Canada has lost its way as a department store. It has a reputation as unfocused and generally uninteresting. The new CEO Calvin McDonald must be under tremendous pressure as he rolls out his answer to those criticisms with a bold LOOK! theme. McDonald is upfront these days, his picture everywhere, the new face of the store as it opens a series of new, smaller stores in places like Newmarket and Hamilton’s Limeridge Mall.  The company feels it can be relevant to suburban and rural consumers in a way that it cannot for downtown shoppers. The Sears release on its new stores notes: Changes in the stores include: wider aisles, less clutter and streamlined merchandise offerings with exciting new brands at everyday low prices. In all the stores, expanded sections include: KidsRoom and BabyRoom, Jessica women’s suit shops, Men’s suit shops with easier by-size shopping and additional fitting services, a new assortment and look for Craftsman outdoor power equipment and a market-leading assortment of major appliances and mattresses.

NDP leader keeps re-mortgaging his home

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Now that he’s somebody, The Ottawa Citizen is poking into NDP leader Thomas Mulcair’s habit of re-mortgaging his home. It may not seem like a lot of money for people with mortgages in the South Bayview area.   Ottawa Citizen

Heading to 371 Eglinton Ave West this week

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Homefront at 1579 Bayview will close at the end of business on Sunday, May 27, 2012. All business will be consolidated at the headquarters store at 371 Eglinton Ave West right across the street from the Eglinton Grand event centre (inset). The owners of Homefront, Trish and Ted Stuebing, have expressed their most sincere thanks to all the many customers and friends who have patronized Homefront over the past 12 years. As residents of this area Trish and Ted consider South Bayview to be their street. They aren’t going away because they will continue to patronize businesses here. Those who would like to visit the Eglinton store will find it directly opposite the Eglinton Grand. There is a Green P Parking on Castle Knock just around the corner, Come in or call us. (416) 488-3189 and toll free Canada/U.S. 1-800-641-4555.   

Alessandro Settimi opens pop-up store

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South Bayviewites who remember Alessandro Settimi and his mom and dad will be pleased to see the family back on the street. It’s only for a short time as the Settimis open a pop-up (temporary) store downstairs next door to Verdi restaurant just north of Belsize Dr.  This is the location used by another entrepreneur this winter to operate a pop up store.  This time the Settimis will be selling Italian fashions, evidently of the casual type. It’s worth a look and a chance to say hello again to these charming people. Alessandro, it will be recalled, is the founder of The Mad Italian Gelato bar at 1581 South Bayview. He sold the business last year. 

Summer of discontent as Ash trees die

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For those who wish to treat their Ash trees against the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle (or EAB) the summer of 2012 is now or never. That’s especially true in the South Bayview  neighborhoods (inset)  where no signs of morbidity have yet been spotted. Elsewhere in the City, trees are dying in large numbers and its too late to save them. Toronto’s Urban Forestry Branch says it has to assume that the City is pretty much fully infected and it’s just a matter of time  before the killer EAB takes down all the Ashes. The treatment is a deep injection of chemicals known as  TreeAzin  But it’s expensive ($250 each for as many as three shots per tree) and it has a mixed reputation as to how it ultimately affects the tree. The City’s website has a lot of information and advice for those concerned about maintaining the shade and beauty of our neighborhoods. Urban Forestry Branch.

Fête des Lumières in Lyon, France

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Here is a genuinely fascinating series of light shows being mounted in Lyon, France at the annual Fête des Lumières

British prepare for possible Greek exodus

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The British have begin to talk about mass immigration as an aspect of a European depression. Home Secretary Theresa May says the government “work is ongoing” to restrict European immigration in the event of a financial collapse. People from throughout the EU, with the exception of new member countries such as Romania and Bulgaria, are able to work anywhere in the single market. It seems possibly that many countries, including Canada, might be targets of hard pressed workers if the job market collapses in places like Greece. The British appear to be concerned that if Greece was forced to leave the euro, it would effectively go bankrupt and millions could lose their jobs and consider looking for work abroad. The Telegraph newspaper says any possible  crisis could spread quickly to other vulnerable countries such as Spain, Ireland and Portugal. 

“Cold Pressed Juicery” gets a sign

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The sign went up at the premises of Jus de Vie Friday morning. Inside, a gang of people appeared to be going through a training process of taking orders, making and serving the product.  Jus de Vie is known, as its sign says, as a Cold Pressed Juicery. It’s at  1627  South Bayview between The Sentry and Whatever Lola Wants. According to those on the scene, Jus de Vie may be open within a week. 

“Most wanted” nabbed at Mt Pleasant and Eg

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A senior member of a global Balkan crime ring who’s been sought by the FBI for three years has been arrested in Toronto. His detention follows a police chase through five countries, officers say. Kujtim “Timmy” Lika, 44, originally of Albania, whose crime spree was aired twice on America’s Most Wanted TV show, was arrested on yesterday outside an apartment in the Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton Aves. area, where he had been hiding, said Det. Rick Mooney, of Toronto Police fugitive squad.  Toronto Sun.

Romanian weatherman fakes a windstorm

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A Romanian TV weatherman has been caught faking a windstorm to juice up his weather report. The reporter was filing a story about heavy winds along the Black Sea coast, which were gusting at more than 60 mph. At least, they were blowing that hard before the weatherman began filing his report. But by the time he went live, the winds had apparently died down. So in an attempt to recreate the stormy conditions, the reporter had a production assistant begin kicking sand in his direction. The reporter then told viewers, “The wind blows with incredible power; there are moments when it is impossible to stand up here. The wind blows the sand at over 60 km per hour. It blew away the beach umbrellas and the tourists had to leave in a hurry.” However, the production assistant is caught in the frame kicking away to create his “special effect”.  And this guy is working for the right station. His boss hasn’t reprimanded the pair. Instead, they released a statement claiming the footage “was not doctored” but that the whole affair was nothing more than “a bad joke made by the cameraman.” No shame.