Thorncliffe Park incident reported

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From the Toronto Police Service major news reports: A 20 year old male reports that on February 17, 2011 at approximately 2200 hours he was sitting in a vehicle in the area of Thorncliffe Park Drive and Overlea Blvd when he was approached by two male suspects. One suspect produced a firearm, held it to the victim’s head and made a demand for his vehicle. The victim did not comply. A struggle ensued, and the suspects fled the scene empty handed in an unknown direction. The victim sustained minor injuries but declined treatment. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, black, long brown hair. Suspect #2: Male, black, short black afro.

Molson, Coors ink $375 M deal with NHL

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I’ll drink to that!

The National Hockey League reached a new seven-year endorsement agreement with SABMiller Plc’s MillerCoors and Molson Coors of Canada, marking the largest corporate sponsorship in league history. The agreement, which begins with the 2011-12 season, is said to be worth $375 million. Financial terms weren’t disclosed by the NHL in a news release announcing the partnership. Molson Canadian will replace Labatt as the official beer of the NHL in both the U.S. and Canada, the NHL said. Coors will share some of the sponsorship in the U.S., according to the league.

Two tower condo rises over Brentcliffe

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A huge two tower condominium with three levels of underground parking is set to rise near the intersection of Eglinton Ave E and Brentcliffe Road. The condominium has an irregular foundation and in pictures posted above you can see the shape as it will look above ground. In the top left photo you can see the Park Lexus dealership and the old Inn on the Park tower in the distance. This is a view which will be had by residents of the north side of the condo. A hammer head crane, designed to rise with each succeeding floor of the condo now towers over the site. These pictures were taken looking north from the end of Aerodrome Crescent. .

Feds investigating Moneris practices

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The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is under orders from Finance Minister Flaherty to look into the practices of Moneris, the retail acquirer owned by the Bank of Montreal and the Royal Bank of Canada. The investigation stems from a complaint by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. CFIB is concerned about how Moneris is notifying thousands of merchants about upcoming changes to the fees it charges for processing credit cards. The CFIB accuses Moneris of leaving retailers in the dark about whether the changes, which come into effect in April, will amount to an increase in their total fees.

Sport Swap post draws great interest

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We’re able to keep track in general terms of how many people take a look at each of our posts and this month, our February 8 mention of the move by the Sports Swap has garnered close to 200 page views in less than two weeks. We’re certainly happy to have passed on some real news and have to think this bodes well for that business at its new location. Oh yes, Sports Swap will be located at 1541B South Bayview, just south of Starbucks and next door to de la Mer.

Double Summer Time will add to jet lag

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The British government is considering a return to a wartime phenomenon, British Double Summer Time. This is a time zone that is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. But the plan also calls for Britain to keep permanent daylight saving time for the rest of year, eliminating Greenwich Time altogether. It is part of the coalition government’s European tourist strategy, which is due to be published this week. Under the scheme, clocks will go forward an hour from Greenwich Mean Time in the winter and a further hour in the summer, leading to lighter summer evenings and darker mornings. Travellers from the Eastern Time Zone (Toronto, New York etc) may not like it. They will have to adjust to a six hour time difference rather than the usual five. Supporters claim Britain’s tourism industry would earn millions extra from the move, as well as saving thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions as people turn their lights on later. Conservative MP Rebecca Harris said it would extend the tourist season and boost the economy by up to £3.5 billion a year. However, opponents insist it will make life more difficult for farmers who rise early as well as children travelling to school.

This tricky Democracy thing

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Every night on the news people who are protesting in the streets of Arabia are called pro-Democracy. Maybe they are. But if you define Democracy at its core as a social and cultural commitment to play by the rules about how power is to be exchanged, well then, maybe these rioters are only looking for a a quick fix to a lousy life. Nothing wrong with that kind of wish, but it doesn’t have anything to do with even a bare capacity to practice Democracy. In China, where there is a widely civilized and educated population, Democracy would appear to have a pretty good chance. The protesters call their mission The Jasmine Revolution. Nice name. But as is usually the case in China, word searches are carefully monitored and this week, all you get for a “Jasmine” search is a bounce back.

A finger lickin part of our culture

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It was unhygienic, rude and gross, but Finger Lickin Good became part of our culture. The slogan is 60 years old now and it’s being replaced by a new slogan So Good. KFC tells the story that Finger Lickin Good was created by accident when franchisee David Harman appeared in the background of a U.S. TV commercial licking his digits. Afterward, a concerned viewer phoned a company manager who said, “Well, it’s finger lickin’ good.” It stuck and over time inspired music and a parody (right) among many other things.