I had lots of fun and got a chance to chat cars with dozens of really knowledgeable folks!   This years importexpo (www.importexpo.ca) was the best ever!!  The weather cooperated and there was a bunch of great exhibitors.

Our friends from Standard Auto Wreckers were there and they had a really important message to share with everyone.  Don’t text and drive!  Take a look below at the car wreck (caused by texting and driving) they had people signing to pledge their support for NOT texting and driving.

I had a chance to check-out youth day celebrations yesterday and what a blast!  103 performers helped pump along the fun for the fifth annual Youth Day festival at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square..“It’s all about youth” said Bricks, who’s been rapping since his teens and says the display of talent at Youth Day is an example of how many young people have used music, dance and art to stay out of trouble.

“How can you rap if you’re (in jail)? It’s about other ways of (using) your time, as opposed to hanging out on the streets.”

Youth need to be seen in a positive light, says Tylaine Duggan, who started Youth Day following a much-reported spate of fatal, gun-related violence in Toronto during the summer of 2005 — dubbed The Summer of the Gun.

It was the same year teenager Jane Creba was gunned down — an innocent bystander caught in an exchange of gunfire while Boxing Day shopping on Yonge St. just steps from where Sunday’s performances took place.

“We were sensationalizing a lot of the (bad) stuff and this is a celebration of positive youth engagement,” said Duggan, 50. “This is a showcase of their art, their achievements.”

Performers, including rappers, hip-hop dancers, choirs, full-piece rock and R&B bands and motivational speakers, were each given several minutes on one of two stages.

The event, which attracted thousands to the bustling intersection, closed Yonge St. between Shuter and Elizabeth Sts.

I swear, every time I open my email I find our friends over at Standard Auto Wreckers doing something new and GREEN!  It is not enough that their entire business model is green but whenever the opportunity arises they always jump in to help.  Well congratulations again on supporting another worthwhile cause!

Keep up the green work!

We got a chance to swing by Standard Auto Wreckers in Scarborough on Sat. afternoon and drop off a couple of old tires that have been on the cottage porch for the last decade!!  A big thanks to David and Ken for taking them off my hands and I even feel good about it because the usual fee is being donated to a great cause.

Here are some cool fact that came along with the media package for this even!

Ontario Tire Stewardship and the Used Tires Program

Fact Sheet

Did you know that…

• Over 12 million tires are sold every year in Ontario
• Over 90 percent of all tires contain non-biodegradable materials such as synthetic rubber, oil, polyester and steel, which could be a burden on our environment if improperly managed
• Recycling  four tires can save the energy equivalent of 18 gallons of gasoline and reduces greenhouse emissions by 146 kg (323 lbs) of CO2 equivalent (Source: Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) )
• Up to four tires can be recycled for free at registered collectors
• Your old, used tires can be turned into new, green products

Love this promo!

Bring your old tires down to 1216 Sewells Road in Scarborough on May 27 & 28 to help those less fortunate in your community.  If you have any questions or need more details please call Standard Auto Wreckers directly at 416-286-8686 or visit their website to learn more about this charity event.

I had a chance to attend the Urban Hero Awards last night in Scarborough and it was a lot of fun!

Below you can see David Gold of Standard Auto Wreckers presenting the award for Environment which is quite suitable considering the auto recycling business is one of the oldest original ‘green’ businesses.

Great job and our best goes out to all the recipients!

I have not been to this location for the past three years because my previous visit did not go well.  Food was cold and portion was very small.  But we had a group of eight for this weekend and the choice was made for me….I do think the location is attractive looking and the host staff was relatively polite.  We waited about 20 minutes for our table to be ready, which is reasonable.  We did get jostled and shot a few dirty looks because we stood around the service bar area.

Let’s just skip to the chase - the food was not good, the pizza was bland with very little cheese, the chicken parmesean was thick, dry and mostly tasteless.  Someone that had salmon said it was good but the rest of the people in our party felt the food was not very flavourful and most meals went only partly eaten.  The bread and Cesar salad were good.  The table service was bad, I am guessing this was because on parties of 8 or more they automatically add in a 15% gratuity.  I had to ask the waitress mulitiple times to bring extra napkins and after the first table check she disappeared for quite a while and we were left with our dirty dishes on the table until one of us got up and specifically asked her to please clear the table and refill a couple of water glasses.

When I brought this to the attention of the manager he was quite rude and held his head up high saying he was the owner?  He did say he would speak to the waitress and further went on to say we did not have to tip  her but he did so in a very rude and condesending manner. I rate this visit as follows: food 3/10, service 3/10, atmosphere 7/10 - overall 4/10 I will be taking another three year break from this location and maybe from Il Fornello entirely.

I attended this year and have actually been collecting tires from relatives and friends, I will be showing up with 12 tires! This years Tire Take Back Event is quickly approaching and one local auto recycling yard, Standard Auto Wreckers is reving things up in preparation of this amazing charitable event!

Standard Auto Wreckers in Toronto, Ontario in partnership with OARA (Ontario Automotive Recyclers Assosciation) will be participating in the collection of used tires in the greater Toronto area.  All tire fees associated with each tire dropped off will be donated by participating members to The Sunshine Foundation of Canada.  OARA will then match the donation made from all tires collected.

Bring your old tires down to 1216 Sewells Road in Scarborough on May 27 & 28 to help those less fortunate in your community.  If you have any questions or need more details please call Standard Auto Wreckers directly at 416-286-8686 or visit their website to learn more about this charity event.

A 30-year-old Quebec tourist was arrested Saturday in Berlin for doing a Nazi salute in front of Germany’s parliament, reports the Berliner Morgenpost.

German police caught the tourist’s friend taking a picture of him doing the Hitler salute, an illegal act in the country, at the Budenstag.

The man was brought in for questioning by police, and his camera’s memory card was seized.

An investigation has been launched for a use of an unconstitutional symbol, the newspaper reported.  Not sure it should carry a jail term but it certainly was in bad taste.

Only in the USA!!