Counting goes well into Friday morning of historic vote

See later post

Serious 2nd floor fire safely out near Finch and Keele

bowsfield fire

The CBC reports there were no injuries in a three-alarm second-level house fire southeast of Highways 400 and 401. There was an evacuation of next-door homes but the flames were extinguished fairly quickly. The co-ordinates given by TFS were Bowsfield Road and Sentinel Road near Finch Ave. and Keele Street.

Smoke from fire on residential deck visible across City

A fire on a deck on Major Street early Wednesday evening caused a bit of local concern and was a source of curiosity to people who saw the smoke at some distance. The video below was shot by James Beaton, a resident of the area. It appears we are on Major Street looking at the front of the building where the fire started. In the aftermath, no one was hurt, although damage may be extensive.

Bomber the Eagle on Bayview to mark 5-cent cigar night

Bomber the Eagle

Dan from Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control has brought his friend “Bomber” to South Bayview this evening.  Dan and Bomber are here at The Smokin’ Cigar at 1540 Bayview for the “Alec Bradley 5 Cent Cigar Night”, an invite-only event with Alec Bradley cigars (of course), food served by the one and only Andy Elder from Grilltime and entertainment. Hawkeye is a company that provides birds of prey for film & television, commercials and special events.  Nice to meet you Bomber!

Don River Trail unknown trouble call says TPS Calls

overlea map

https://twitter.com/tpscalls/status/745715501825933312

London mayor back to work after “steps to repair damage”

The mayor of London ON Matt Brown is returning to work a week after stepping aside in the wake of admitting a brief “inappropriate personal relationship” with the deputy mayor Maureen Cassidy. Brown says he has taken the initial steps to repair the damage he has done in his personal life. He says he is ready to focus on “the future and on the work that needs to be done to move our community forward.”

london mayor, deputy

Mayor of London Matt Brown and deputy mayor Maureen Cassidy

Rapper tries to copyright “Leafs” — but is it a word?

Snoop Dogg is trying to copyright the name Leafs by Snoop to market marijuana. The Maple Leafs, through the giant multi-amusement firm, has objected. There is no information on just what MLSE is saying in its intervention, but the hockey guys might have the English language on their side. Common modern usage of the word Leaf originated as a short form for the  Toronto Maple Leafs — not leaves, the only plural of the word “leaf” known to English. And it has been that way for a while now.  As first reported by Rick Westhead at TSN, Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr., filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 17 to sell and market a series of marijuana-related products adorned with a seven-pointed gold leaf and Leafs by Snoop emblazoned over them. CBC points out that the most common types of marijuana leaves often has seven points. The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club logo, meanwhile, is a maple leaf with 31 points — a nod to the year Maple Leaf Gardens opened, in 1931.

Barney rescue and why these girls are in fire hats

Alabama teenager Darby Risner was trying to pull a prank by wearing the big purple dinosaur costume when the massive mask got stuck on her head and shoulders. Her friends tried to help her out. But it failed. Naturally they took video and laughed at Darby. When the group was unsuccessful in helping to free her, they had to go with her to the fire station where firefighters removed the Barney mask. It took 45 minutes. For their troubles, the girls were all gifted with faux fire hats by the smoke eaters. That’s a glum looking Darby second from the left.

darby 550

PI accident reported at Laird Dr and Wicksteed Ave

https://twitter.com/tpscalls/status/745581865944358912

Bizarre mass hostage-taking foiled in southern China

Twitter to permit 140-second videos, up from 30

Twitter will this week make an announcement that users may now post video that are 140 seconds in length, up from 30 seconds. That’s the length of a typical television news report.  The company says video Tweets on Twitter have increased by over 50% since the beginning of 2016, showing how important sharing such media has become to users’ daily lives.

Flaky California allows short latte lawsuit to proceed

A federal judge in California will allow the bulk of a lawsuit accusing Starbucks of systematically under-filling lattes to move forward. Two California residents are suing the Seattle-based coffee chain, claiming that Starbucks lattes are only filled to about 75 per cent of the cup’s capacity. The lawsuit says Starbucks instituted a recipe in 2009 to create smaller lattes in order to save money on milk. The news reports do not state legal chapter and verse but it is hard for many lawyers to understand illegality associated with under-filling a cup. Manufacturers downsize all the time. Buyer beware. Anyway, Starbucks says the company believes the lawsuit is “without merit” and it will be prepared to defend itself in court. He says if a customer is unhappy with a beverage, Starbucks will gladly remake it.