 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|  |
|  |
|
||
|
Thursday July 2, 2009.
From the Beach Metro News and another great Jon Muldoon pic............ The stage where every man must play a part Thursday June 25, 2009. Our tenacity of purpose in the fight against graffiti vandalism shall not wane, regardless of the loss of support from the Toronto Sun and the Bell, who apparently no longer have the resources to donate the small amount of money to our program to clean their street furniture. Bob Monday June 22, 2009. When Anne Butler and her troupe of Shakespearean Actors say the "show must go on", they aren't kidding. Despite some really inclement and miserable weather, the Merchant of Venice entertained a few hundred people and was very well received. Meanwhile, reports are being received about the amount of graffiti vandalism along Queen Street. Our summer Graffiti Removal Program will be operational in a couple of weeks and, given the decline in funding, we will, as always, try to remove as much as possible. Bob. Wednesday June 17, 2009. Last night was a very busy one. We had a record turn out to our Neighbours Night Out program, which is part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy, or at least was ( you don't hear much about that ), and over 100 people attended our Bard in the Park performance of William Shakespeare's the Merchant of Venice. Another Merchant of Venice performance is scheduled for this evening, but rain seems to be in the offing. Bob. Monday June 1, 2009 Well as you can see, our 2009 Slobberfest was really, well,...slobbery.
Dave Robichaud took some great pics of the Slobberer's, see them here
Tuesday May 26, 2009. 2009 Bard in the Park : The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Performance Dates: Tuesday June 16,-Saturday June 20, 2009-curtain time is 7:00pm.
Saturday June 20th and Sunday June 21, 2009 Matinee's-curtain time is 2:00pm. Directed by Anne Butler Supported by Community Centre 55 Bring a lawn chair and donations are appreciated The Merchant of Venice is an Early Festive Comedy, first written between 1596-97, first performed in 1600. Education is not just filling a pail, it is igniting the imagination. Having a critical faculty is part of developing an educated individual, so please read Bernie Farber's letter, it's important and then you do the thinking. DISCLAIMER See you at the play.
Wednesday May 21, 2009. Glenn and Jean Cochrane , through ECW Press, just released their new book "The Beach...an illustrated history from the Lake to Kingston Road". It's very informative with great pics. You can probably borrow a copy at the Library or at retailers in the community. Wednesday May 13, 2009. From the Beach Metro News.... Six weeks of vandalism to cemetery comes to an end with arrest of five Five youths were arrested by Division 55 police on April 24 after members of the 55 Division Major Crime Unit spotted one of the young offenders setting fire to a memorial wreath in St. John’s Norway Cemetery. The male suspect was in the company of four other young offenders, aged 15 and 16 years old. The suspects were arrested without incident. At the time of the arrest, one of the young males was found to be in possession of a knife and a quantity of marijuana. Further investigation revealed that during the past six weeks, the suspects have been frequenting the cemetery and knocking over grave headstones, smashing windows and security lights at the crematorium building. One youth was charged with Mischief Under, Carry Concealed Weapon, Possession of Marijuana (Under), while all five were charged with Mischief Over. My comment-would love to have them here on a community service order. They'd be cleaning and scrubbing out graffiti vandalism and it seems to me that may be an appropriate disposition. Bob
Thursday May 7, 2009. Some nice police officers from 55 Division came for a visit. We provided them with a DVD copy of the graffiti vandal featured below, and a copy of his tag and a pile of photo's of him, featuring a variety of different poses, like this one. I heard that the police are circulating this picture through the local schools and are confident that they will find this vandal. Dear Vandal: You may want to call me before the police are involved 416.691.1113 ext 225. If you do, we can arrange for you to pay the $50 cost of removing your tag from our building and you can have 10 hours of graffiti removal and avoid the police and a nasty little police record. Have a nice day ;)
Wednesday May 6,2009. Another scribbler hits our building. His scribbler tag is to the right his photo. It's about 2am on a Wednesday-does his parents know where he is? If you know this person call 416 691 1113 ext 225 or call the police 416-808-5500. Please note we will prosecute all graffiti vandals and put a claim against their parents for the costs of clean up, as well, we will insist they are returned to Centre 55 to participate in graffiti vandalism removal.
Monday April 27, 2009 A busy clean-up weekend and I think the following two pics, speak for themselves.
Wednesday April 22, 2009. Rags! We need them. Help us with our grafitti vandalism clean up throughout the summer by dropping off clean rags->97 Main Street. Thanks Bob Monday April 20, 2009. Lots of local clean-ups are scheduled for this weekend. centre 55 ill be working with residents and clubs and associations on Danforth Avenue, Queen Street and with the Toronto Beach Dog Association. The doggers will be working on Saturday April 25, 09 from 10am-12pm at the Leuty Lifeguard Station. If you would like to help, please bring some work gloves and call 416-691-1113 ext 225 for details. Friday April 17, 2009. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we have a winner, or should I say a- loser. We have a referral from the courts of a local graffiti vandal, who is not allowed within a certain distance of the local property he/she vandalized, and we will soon be putting this person to work cleaning up graffiti. Mistakes are wonderful learning opportunities and this person is now in the position to learn something. Fabulous. Have a great weekend! Bob Tuesday April 14, 2009. A very busy weekend...... Obama Watch The book we sent to the White House a few weeks ago, and asked President Obama to sign and return to us for fundraising purposes, is still in Washington. We think we have a chance, otherwise his security would have sent it back to us by now. Or it, as a package, has been x-rayed to dust and there is nothing left to return...we remain optimistic. Easter Parade 2009 1,000's gathered to watch the Beaches Lions Easter Parade on Easter Sunday. Oh and...if you look at the passenger side door of the truck under "55" you will see a dent, in fact there are 4 with deep scratches courtesy of someone too lazy to return their shopping carts.
Meanwhile at Ted Reeve Arena Peter Bernard and friends were playing Hockey For Hamper. They raised over $800 for our kids and probably a few pints after the game! Thanks guys.
Wednesday April 7, 2009. Jason Balgopal who is a member of our board and a lawyer and a graffiti crime fighter, just brought to my attention the real possibility of winning $25,000. Take a look here -we could grab this cash easy if you take a few minutes to vote. Monday April 4, 2009. Here is a superb example of what I call a GAG (Graffiti Attack Group). Jason Balgopal and his group are getting terrific results. Nice to hear this once in awhile. Taken from a recent Letter to Editor of the Beach Metro News-->"...
Community Centre 55 (www.centre55.com) has provided support and programs to the community since 1975. CC55’s commitment to the community through events such as Share-A-Christmas and its famous graffiti removal program are gold-star examples of community commitment." Bob. Friday March 27, 2009. GAGGING and GIGGING There is some real "gagging" and "gigging" going on in the Beach and we need a lot more. Graffiti Attack Groups (GAG) are emerging in local neighbourhoods. Jason Balgopal has a well established and effective program in the Norwood area and Jonathan Newton is setting up in the Southwood area and there are others. If you would like to set up your own local GAG, call us, and we may be able to help you with graffiti vandalism removal products. COURT WATCH: We received a court referral of a young man who was arrested, charged and pleaded guilty to mischief. He was stenciling a sidewalk. He will be removing graffiti vandalism tags with us and participating in a Graffiti Impact Group (GIG). Breakfast on Mars? Be careful what you wish for! Terry and Tom and their staff at the Mars Diner on Queen Street recently had two really mercurial ideas. The first->offer a $2 breakfast of bacon, sausages, eggs and toast as a recession fighting pick-me-up to those who were concerned, stressed and maybe even depressed by the failing economy. The second->use the opportunity as a $2 Breakfast Fundraising Eggstravanaga for Community Centre 55. (We need every penny we can get too. There is a proportional or even exponential negative impact on charities as people's disposable income declines). So Tom gets his suppliers to donate enough food for an anticipated 200 local people, all of whom would pay $2 each for their meal and 100% of the proceeds it would be given to Community Centre 55. Well everything went exactly as planned. Two hundred local people attended. He raised $400 for our charity and then went on to sponsor another 1,499 recession fighting breakfasts! It was a multiple win for all and we would like to thank all of those who came to support his efforts and we look forward to another one next year. Thanks Bob Tuesday March 24, 2009. Misery Loves Company. On a recent trip, I noticed that very few Caribbean island paradises escape the scourge of the graffiti vandal. My guess is that the vandalism is primarily done by tourists because the island kids either are too disciplined to destroy property or simply don't have access to paint and markers because they may prefer to eat rather than scribble on public and private property including palm trees. The good news is there is very little graffiti on these islands and there are indications that people are cleaning or painting it out. More pics to follow..... Welcome the beautiful Caribbean Island of St. Maarten, a diamond capital of the world.
Welcome to Grand Turk. 90% of it was destroyed by Hurricane Ike and as if they need this too.
Monday March 3, 2009. "OBAMA WATCH"- as we await to see if President Obama signs a copy of his book he have sent him, we can advise that we are sure our book has arrived at the Whitehouse and we suspect it is beginning its first round of investigation, x raying and dog sniffing. We believe he will autograph his book and will send it back to us, provided the book can get through the rigors of analysis by security agents, and that is a good thing. Bob Murdoch Monday March 3, 2009. 90% of respondents to our recent poll agreed on the use of supervised young and adult non violent offenders as a resource for cleaning up graffiti vandalism. I will look forward to the day we can release such enormous potential. This morning was opening day of the MARS Diner $2 Breakfast Fundraising Eggstravanaga for Community Centre 55. The place was packed, the food was great and you can grab a $2 breakfast all week from opening to closing and we get the two bucks! Thanks to the Beach Business Improvement Association for their support too. It's a good news story and a bit of a local recession recovery package contrasted with this. Tell them, Centre 55 sent ya->1987 Queen Street East. Bob Murdoch Friday March 6, 09. The folks down El Paso way are getting it right.
Their Anti-Graffiti Task Force's blueprint for new anti-graffiti initiatives include:
Meanwhile over in Athens, the great Acropolis is sporting signs of modern day graffiti vandals...
Thursday March 3, 09. It seems to me that this community has enough social capital, that when they bring to bare, their force of desire and tenacity of purpose on a subject, they could animate a lifeless universe. I met another excellent example of citizenship last night at the Beach Rec Centre. Another person willing to step up and to help with our urban hygiene. Jon and his wife and neighbours will soon be taking to the streets to clean up the scribbling that the local graffiti vandals, hiding under the cover of darkness, do to our private and public properties. Graffiti vandals need to know that Community Centre 55 is serious about this issue and they can expect the following from us: 1. Every graffiti vandal referred to us by the police or the courts or anyone else, will do three things: a) They shall attend a tour of our graffiti trashed community with me, to witness first hand the damage; b) They shall attend and participate in a Victim Impact Meeting c) They will be expected to remove a certain amount of graffiti vandalism from our community. In return they will receive a letter of achievement from us, to provide to the courts, to avoid having a criminal record. Unfortunately we can't help with the $400 per hour lawyer they will need to defend themselves. 2. Any graffiti vandal we catch, will be charged. We will insist that the courts refer the vandal to us. Refer to the above as consequences. 3. We will pursue the vandal's family for the costs of clean up. Graffiti vandals should note that every vandal put through our program, whined and complained that the graffiti removal process was too hard, which is too bad. They should also note that every graffiti vandal put through our program, never came back. That's got to tell you something! Bob Murdoch Monday March 2, 2009. Graffiti vandals were busy again this weekend. Suggesting to me, that it will be another "Summer of the Spray Can". A large property on Gerrard Street was bombed. In fact, this property is under constant attack. The business owner, who is a very good corporate citizen, has been continuously cleaning and painting the scribbling off of his bricks, aluminum and trucks. The phone will soon be ringing-off-the-hook. People will be calling demanding an end to graffiti vandalism and insisting on clean up and the public meetings will begin again. I will be posting, in a few days, things you can do to make a difference in the fight against this vandalism. It starts by realizing that the vandals are local kids. They carry around markers and spray cans in their back packs. Parents should inspect these back packs are on regular basis. In Scarborough, Mr. Tony Loparco is the Crown Attorney, and Justice Otter is the Senior Administrative Judge. Their mailing address is 1911 Eglinton Avenue East Toronto , Ontario, M1L 2L6. Drop them a line and let them know that Graffiti Vandalism is a serious offense and that the courts should be finding ways to hold these offenders responsible and accountable for their destruction, in a way that is immediate and appropriate. Using Extra Judicial Sanctions may include Education, hearing supervised Graffiti Vandalism Impact Statements and removing graffiti vandalism from street furniture and appliances. You can reference our program ( scroll down) as an example . Writing the Chief of Police-William Blair at 40 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2J3 would also help. In other news.... Deanna and Michael K. are both turning 40 this week and have asked that in lieu of gifts, that friends and family please make a donation to a local charity. We just received a nice donation from Sara on behalf of her friends. Thank you very much and happy birthday!. Bob
Thursday February 26, 2009.
91% of respondents to our unscientific poll indicated that President Obama WILL autograph our book. The book is now on its way to the White House. Part of President Obama's presidential paradigm is to Dream and to Hope and take an Opportunity and that Change is necessary and can be done. So we DREAM and really HOPE he will take this OPPORTUNITY to sign his book so we can auction it off and make some major CHANGE for our charity. He certainly has ignited the imagination of young people and who knows, he and we may find the next Prime Minister of Canada in the above photo. Will the book survive the intense scrutiny and examinations giving to it by the President's staff and security? We think that is the most difficult part of the process, but if it gets to his desk, I believe he will sign it. Lets see what happens and save your money. Bob
Tuesday February 24, 2009. Mars Diner at 1987 Queen Street East is holding a week long $2 breakfast for Community Centre 55 from 8am. Please drop in and enjoy a great meal and say hello to Terry and his staff. We really appreciate their support. Thank you very much. Tuesday February 24, 2009. Emails and calls are beginning to arrive here. They are all about the graffiti vandalism that has quietly occurred during the sleepy Winter months. People are now out on the streets and are infuriated again. In my experience this is the 12th year of infuriation and although it seems to be a cycle, it is extremely relevant and important. The frequency, intensity and duration of contacts about graffiti vandalism will escalate as Spring arrives. In our unscientific poll, respondents indicated that the number 1 crime related issue in the Beach is graffiti vandalism. Graffiti vandals need to know that Community Centre 55 is serious about this issue and they can expect the following from us: 1. Every graffiti vandal referred to us by the police or the courts or anyone else, will do three things: a) They shall attend a tour of our graffiti trashed community with me, to witness first hand the damage; b) They shall attend and participate in a Victim Impact Meeting c) They will be expected to remove a certain amount of graffiti vandalism from our community. In return they will receive a letter of achievement from us, to provide to the courts, to avoid having a criminal record. Unfortunately we can't help with the $400 per hour lawyer they will need to defend themselves. 2. Any graffiti vandal we catch, will be charged. We will insist that the courts refer the vandal to us. Refer to the above as consequences. 3. We will pursue the vandal's family for the costs of clean up. Graffiti vandals should note that every vandal put through our program, whined and complained that the graffiti removal process was too hard, which is too bad. They should also note that every graffiti vandal put through our program, never came back. That's got to tell you something! Monday February 16, 2009. Well, its Family Day today. The weather is bright and sunny and makes it a perfect day to stroll along the Boardwalk and to walk and shop. Now that we are out of our houses and onto the streets, we all have the opportunity to receive a premium view of the continued and accumulated neighbourhood devastation brought to you by your local graffiti vandals. Yes, it is mostly, the local kids destroying public and private property. Are we approaching another Season of Filth? I guess it depends. It depends on the amount of City Grant we receive to continue our 11th annual summer tradition of hiring students to clean up the graffiti vandals scribbling. It depends on the police and the courts and their tenacity of purpose to impose extra judicial sanctions against the vandals-regardless of age, and send the vandals to us for supervised graffiti removal and to hear victim impact statements. It depends on By Law enforcement, and it depends on the community. Individuals and communities working together can make a big difference in prevention and apprehension. Call your local Crime Prevention Officer for details. Get organized. Try organizing a neighbourhood clean up and call us for help. I was watching The Amazing Race last night. It is a reality game show in which couples compete for the fastest time around the world for a $1,000,000 prize. The first leg of the race went to Sweden. Guess what Sweden has in common with our Beach Community? Graffiti Vandalism. Although the camera tends to crop the images, if you watch this show you will see that graffiti vandalism is a pandemic. The image was interesting. Beautiful snow capped mountains, lush green vegetation, a breathtaking view of a valley from a very high vista, punctuated with someone's blue graffiti paint. You'd think someone would clean it up! As the Spring approaches, we will predictably receive genuine calls from concerned residents and we will, as always to do our best to be a part of the solution. We will prosecute all graffiti vandals and we may also make a claim against their families for damages. BM. Wednesday February 13, 2009. 71% of respondents to our recent Family Day Survey indicate they will be attending the Beach BIA Day in Kew Gardens. See you there. Tuesday January 27, 2009. Well, I had our first graffiti vandalism call today, from someone in the community whose property was recently vandalized. Spring will be here soon and predictably the phone will be ringing off the hook about this and there will be the usual public meetings. On Saturday we awarded our Bachelor's, Master's and PHDC's of Christmas. It was tons of fun. I always tell the kids, make copies of your degrees, attach them to your resumes and the summer jobs will be coming your way. We haven't missed one yet. BM. Friday January 23, 2009. WOW! " On the success of Shorcan's 11th Annual Charity Day, we are pleased to inform you that, $6,963 has been raised on behalf of Community Centre 55. Kindest Regards. Peter Conroy President Shorcan Brokers Limited." That's about 232 turkeys for needy families next Christmas or almost 50 day camp subsidies for kids whose families otherwise could not afford to give their kids a summer-especially now as many fall victim to the recession. Peter-thank you and Shorcan very much. Bob Monday January 19, 2009. Three really really important events this week-Community Centre opens the TSX on Thursday January 22, our Christmas Convocation is Saturday January 24, 09 at which time we award the Bachelor's, Master's and PhD's of Christmas, oh, and, don't forget the Inauguration of Barack Obama -the 44th President of the United States takes place on Tuesday January 20, 09. President Obama is the first African American to be elected the President of the United States. A Cecil B Demille-type week eh! Tuesday January 13, 2009. The world will be poised, the nation shall hold its breath and all eyes will be locked on to Centre 55 as we open the market at the Toronto Stock Exchange on January 22, 09. I hope we do it well, and don't make any mistakes, we could cause financial empires to crash. Please note-we shall not do any insider training either! The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; abbreviated TSE until 2001) is the largest stock exchange in Canada, the third largest in North America and the seventh largest in the world by market capitalization. Based in Canada's largest city, Toronto, it is owned and operated by TSX Group for the trading of senior equities. A broad range of businesses from Canada, the United States, Europe, and other countries are represented on the exchange. In addition to conventional securities, the exchange lists various exchange-traded funds, split share corporations, income trusts and investment funds. The TSX is a leader in the mining and oil & gas sector. More mining and oil & gas companies are listed on the TSX than any other exchange in the world. All of that at Centre 55's finger tips. Wow! Thursday January 8, 2009. How cool is this.... "I’m pleased to inform you that Community Centre 55 has been selected this year by Shorcan Brokers Limited as recipient charity of Shorcan’s 11th Annual Charity Day.
Charity Day will be held on Thursday January 22, 2009. The day will start off with “the ringing of the opening bell” at the TSX Broadcast Centre, an opportunity for you to visit Shorcan during the day and close with a post-market reception at the TSX Gallery at which time a donation ceremony will take place.. We need all the help we can get and we appreciate this very much. Thanks Peter! Tuesday January 6, 2009. Well, it's a bit early for this, but, as you may know the bricks in this building are approaching the century mark. These bricks have been respected for almost 100 years and I guess to graffiti vandals nothing is sacred. Sometime over the holidays a vandal gave us this. He/she must have got a brand new marker for Christmas. I smudged the scribble to avoid dignifying the criminal. The vandal left his/her footprints in the snow and smiled for the camera! We shall prosecute all graffiti vandals and if necessary & where appropriate, have them or their families pay for the costs of clean-up.
Monday January 5, 2009. FINAL SHARE A CHRISTMAS ANAYLSIS
Thank You. B.M. Friday January 2, 2009 Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand to congratulate and welcome to our faculty our 2008 graduating class-the Bachelors of Christmas, Masters of Christmas and the coveted Philosophiae Doctors of Christmas. Details... On January 24, 2009, we all enter Hamper's cartoon world and award the harding working volunteers who helped to bring relief to those who need and want our help during Christmas. It's a ton of fun! |
