JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Long before innocent victims of zits were urged to Oxycute them, sufferers of acne, boils and other facial skin eruptions were urged to try quack medicines like Stuart's Calcium Wafers. Besides working their magic on pimples, these wafers were also touted as a remedy for constipation, liver problems, nerve damage, "and all disorders and symptoms arising from impure blood." One group who took issue with the product's claims of "scientifically" treating pimples were health authorities. The "Propaganda for Reform" column ( PDF ) of the June 1, 1918 edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association determined that not only were the manufacturer's claims about the wafers being safe for children and containing no poisonous ingredients were "false and misleading," but that the remedy "did contain a poisonous ingredient, to wit, strychnin ." Source: The Toronto World , March 25, 1910 - JB

So here we are. A billion bucks worth of security that has left many Torontonians unhappy to have a police state thrust upon them for an early summer weekend. A city presented to foreign dignitaries and media with phony lakes. A city with businesses and institutions normally viewed as showcase attractions to outsiders that have been shuttered out of fear of potential riot damage. These elements, and many others surrounding the G20 summit, have prompted severe fits of headscratching. At last check, admissions to local hospitals due to extreme scalp damage have gone up 600% over the past month. Thanks Stephen...heck, you even caused the Eternal Flame of Hope to flame off . *** Curiosity prompted me to walk along King Street last night to see how preparations were going for the G20 summit before the craziness kicked into full gear. Civilians were few amid the packs of police officers. Most of the law enforcement officials I passed were in groups of eight to ten and were either cha

Before reading this post, check out the related article on Torontoist . This ad has proven to be one of the most popular I've posted on the web, with over 2,300 views (and counting) since I uploaded it to Flickr in 2007. An interesting perspective was recently submitted by "Don ITW", who worked in the copier industry: I actually worked on Apeco Rollo Matics. With over 30 years working on copiers they where the absolute worst machine I ever worked on. Last time I saw one was in about 1981. The Apeco office was located on Aimco Blvd in Mississauga, the building was purchased by Savin ( became part of Ricoh) the rollomatics went in the dumpster. They where always blue I never new until I saw this ad that optional colours where available. Funny the colour of the dumpsters was also blue! The building on Aimco was very flashy (sexy) slanted glass front it is consistent with the image in this ad. So much for liberating the humble office worker. I suspect many of my

Another wonderful find from Retrontario : from 1981, Elwy Yost interviews legendary 3-D movie star Dr. Tongue on Saturday Night at the Movies , who happens to look a lot like John Candy. Note how Elwy is totally in the spirit of the thing. For those of you not familiar with the cinematic oeuvre of Dr. Tongue, enjoy one of his first films, Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Wax , as taken from a 1977 ad for Monster Chiller Horror Theatre .

While this giveaway may have helped children discover nature, its lessons didn't sink in for executives at BP. My jaw dropped when I stumbled upon this ad while doing research at the Toronto Reference Library last night. In light of the disaster unleashed by BP in the Gulf of Mexico, this product seems like a sick joke. I may have owned a copy of this album when I was a kid. It resembles one I dimly remember leafing through at my grandparents in Toronto—the cover was green, the "pictures" were stamps you licked and pressed onto the pages with care. Since I wouldn't have touched the album until a decade after today's ad appeared, my guess is either a family member stockpiled stickers for future use or BP felt an educational impulse more than once. Source: The Toronto Telegram , October 29, 1970. - JB

Milk Program at Manning Avenue School, April 27, 1923. City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Subseries 32, Item 711. We know this picture wasn't taken in Riverdale, but it was the most appropriate picture we could find that was taken in Toronto within two decades of today's tale. A tidbit tucked away in a roundup of news from the east side of Toronto in the June 2, 1911 edition of the Evening Telegram : ARE MILKMEN CARELESS? "There's more broken glass around the streets of Riverdale than was ever seen before," said the father of a little girl whose foot had been in contact with part of a broken milk bottle, "and milkmen are the worst offenders, for if they get a broken bottle they rarely carry it to a safe place, but throw it into a vacant lot, or even into the street." Other stories in the roundup included the arrival of two carloads of steel to be used for the Queen Street viaduct, the laying of streetcar track on the Wilton Avenue bridge (now

Maybe it's me, but something in our office drone/rising executive's expression suggests he'd rather have anything other than quiche for lunch. He doesn't care if it's a macrobiotic meal or a fat, juicy hamburger with extra bacon and cheese. He wants something that won't make him a poster boy for 1980s "fresh food" clichés. If I'm wrong, and he can't wait to tear into his coffee, quiche and salad, then perhaps his pdd look betrays thoughts of "has the d@*m picture been taken yet?" For readers having trouble deciphering the green text to the left of the diner, here's what your eyes are failing to register: Free of one big worry. Eating right without wasting time. Where else can you choose from superb salads, quiches, soups and sandwiches and be at your table in minutes? No one has to give up fresh to get fast. Cultures was the healthiest option when the food court opened at Windsor's Devonshire Mall in the 1980s. Mom fr

This column of light is part of a memorial in Ireland Park (behind the Canada Malting silos) that honours those who fled from the famine in Ireland in 1847 to start a new life in Toronto. Of the more than 38,000 Irish who arrived in the city, 1,100 died before the year drew to a close. Ireland Park is one of the eeriest spots in the city at night. Sculptures depicting the emaciated victims of famine become haunted spectres in the dark. The column of light feels like a device from a sci-fi or horror movie that a scientist tests out too soon with tragic results (as in the Cronenberg version of The Fly ). Photo taken June 3, 2010. More photos from this walk from my Flickr stream and from hyfen . - JB

Source: The Mail and Empire , March 20, 1930 A tidbit I found while researching a recent Historicist post. Since the current series of highway route markers was introduced in 1993 "The King's Highway" moniker has gradually vanished from Ontario's roadways, along with many of the highways themselves—thanks Mike Harris! For most of the system's existence, the name has been a misnomer, since Ontario's official head of state has been a queen (sorry QEII). As for Minister of Highways George Stewart Henry , he left the position he had held since 1923 in December to become Premier of Ontario after Howard Ferguson resigned to become Canada's High Commissioner in London. Henry's name lives on in the North York neighbourhood named after his farm . More info : The History of Ontario's King's Highways features a history of route signage in the province. - JB

Photo taken in Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 22, 2010 - JB