The South Bayview Bulldog

Here’s why you hate the news. A story from the University of Warwick (hmm) has prompted the bulletin that “people living in some of the world’s happiest countries — including Canada — are disproportionately more likely to commit suicide.” Don’t get it? Well naturally, in due course it’s explained that high expectations and the pressure of striving to succeed do, in fact, cause some people to kill themselves. Very unfortunate, but not very newsworthy and frankly, not related to happiness. It was a cheap thrill of a headline however. Look, it could just as easily be argued that happy countries — with their disproportionately high standards of living — prevent people from suffering. But the news from Warwick World is that the glass is definitely not full. It isn’t even half empty. The glass is to be used to cut your wrists.

As a political partisan, the Soudan Ave vandal certainly has a thing against cars. Unlike misguided workers who steal their opponents lawn signs and hide them in the garage, this guy seems to have been a fairly indiscriminate wrecker of vehicles. He even took out the tires of a car bearing a Utah plate. Police have been careful not to say the crimes are politically motivated. No doubt supporters of the Liberal, Ms Bennett, had their cars damaged. But a walk along Soudan will prove just how popular this long-time MP really is in that neighborhood. In the stretch from Bayview to Hoyle, there do not appear to be signs for any other candidate. We think a profiler might say that this perp had spent the first couple of hours of the night in a bar. Then, without realizing just how early it was (10 pm.) took off on his rampage. But of course no one said that vandals, politically inspired or otherwise, are necessarily smart. Take your choice.

Advance polls here in South Bayview-land and across Canada were very busy today. Waits of 30 minutes were experienced at the polls at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School on Garfield Ave in Moore Park. Similar lineups occurred at Trace Manes Community Centre. The National Post says longer waits were in evidence across the country in tweets. It says “Twitter was abuzz Friday afternoon with voters alternatively applauding and lamenting snaking queues in cities such as Hamilton, Guelph, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver.” One voter tweeted, “Couldn’t even get near my advance polling station this afternoon. I hope an indication of interest and of election day voting.”

There is an article here quoting Laurie Oehy of The Academy of Culinary Arts and Susan Follett of the Country Store. They and others comment on the impact on South Bayview of the retail development along Laird Drive. Ms. Oehy is said to believe that box stores do not directly affect independent retailers while Ms Follett says, according to the article, that it has an impact on the number of people who walk the street. Curiously, the writer does not review the impact of ticketing. In the absence of choice, shoppers might put up with parking tickets. The city has declared open season on motorists. Free parking at the new developments may prove a tipping point for some parkers. Equally however many shoppers continue to say that they can not find personal service and genuine care in the boxes. Such service is the standard on South Bayview.