Shawn Brady plays himself at McSorley’s

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Thursday night Shawn Brady (left) will play McSorely’s Tavern from 9.30 to closing. It’s billed as an all-request acoustic classic rock show. On this occasion Brady will be himself but he is also well known as “Bono” (right) in the band Elevation Canada, a successful tribute band to U2. Shawn Brady famously once told an interviewer: “I lead a double life. During the day I work in a hospital helping elderly people and directing physiotherapy services, at night I have leather pants on and sing my guts out, it’s quite the contrast.” At McSorely’s he will put on a “one-man acoustic show (which) encompasses the entire History of Rock from the 1960s to the present day.” Sounds like fun.

Sport Swap will open at 1541B in April

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This chilly Wednesday sees the sign up at 1541B South Bayview announcing that Sport Swap, the pre-owned sports equipment business, will open its new store in April. There has been much interest in the Sport Swap move and just when it would happen since the story was first revealed by the South Bayview Bulldog on February 8, 2011. All posts here. We look forward to the opening.

Gerda hood-winked nearly everyone

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Some will remember the titillating tale of Gerda Munsinger, the German femme fatale who ensnared a Canadian cabinet minister, Pierre Sevigny, in a sex scandal in the early 60s. The death yesterday of Bob Reguly recalls how Gerda hood-winked all of Canada into thinking she was dead. Everyone, it seems, except Bob Reguly. As her affairs were being revealed in Canada Munsinger slipped out of the country and landed in Munich. There she and friends constructed an elaborate hoax that she was dead. Much better play dead than face the press, she thought. There were even stories of trips to her grave. But Reguly some how got wind of her deception and tracked her down. His world exclusive for the Toronto Star is legendary. She was born in East Germany and married for a short period to American soldier Michael Munsinger. Gerda came to Canada in 1955, when she was in her mid 20s. She worked in Montreal as a maid, a waitress and as a hostess at the “Chez Paree” nightclub.

Union targets Shoppers Drug postal desks

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The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has set a goal of unionizing the folks you deal with behind the postal counter in hundreds of Canadian drugstores, including Shoppers Drug Mart. According to CUPW, there are more than 2000 such counters across Canada and the number is growing. The “pharmacy post offices” have been part of Canada Post’s divestiture of bricks and mortar post offices. The union says that so far it has organized 211 employees in Montreal and Saskatoon at other pharmacies.

City Council approves arena expansion

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Brooke Biscoe, Chair of the Leaside Arena Expansion Board has sent good news about funding for the expansion plan. Below is an excerpt and Brooke’s full message can seen here.
“City Council gives green light to Arena Expansion Project Great news! When City Council approved the 2011 Capital Budget on Thursday, they gave the official go-ahead to the arena expansion project at Leaside Gardens.
Thank you! This is a major milestone on the long road to our second rink and it’s a good time to pause and thank all those who have worked so hard on the project over the past decade, and particularly in the past eighteen months. Thanks to the members of the expansion committee and to our three primary partner associations – the LSC, LHA and TLGHA – who continue to work closely with us as we move towards the goal. I would like to single out Expansion Committee Chair Paul Mercer for keeping things on track, and Councillor John Parker for bringing people together at City Hall and clearing the road for approval.”

Just asking what G20 protesters were doing

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The Premier has declined to call another “full-scale” inquiry into G20 policing. There’s plenty of inquiring going on already, he said. It would be a treat if someone decided to launch a full scale inquiry into what the G20 demonstraters were all about. Why were people out there? Had habeas corpus been secretly repealed? Had Harper declared himself president for life? What were these demonstrations intended to protest? What was the purpose? At the time, semi-hysterical and self involved people were saying things like “It’s our right to protest” as if this explained why they were there. However while they may not have had to explain to the police why they were out there, the Court of Public Opinion does wish to know, and its judgement will be dismissive in the absence of a reasonable answer.