The Beach Hebrew Institute recently let me take photos of the fourth day of Hanukkah celebrations for Beach Metro Community News. The candlelight and community were delightful.

2013 OFCP Conference

I was at the Ontario Federation of Cerebral Palsy annual conference a few weeks ago, and at the last minute decided to set up a photo booth during the dance. For a lot of participants this weekend is one of the only times they get to catch up with old friends, so it's always a great party. The weekend included discussions about how seldom we see positive representations of disabled people, so I thought I'd add these happy faces to the internet. Rachel, at left, is a paralympic sprinter competing for Canada. To support her training follow this link! http://www.gofundme.com/5h79y

Well, it's been a while. I had a fun assignment the other day, with a bunch of kids happily designing and building their own inventions. My colleague at the Bloor West Villager, Lisa Rainford, did a nice story on it here: http://bit.ly/16hU8Dl. But since most photos were only in the print edition here are a few of my favourites. MakerKids at 2241 Dundas St. West lets children create things with the help of adult volunteers. Go build cool things, kids of Toronto!

David Shizgal, 8, Daniel Benaich, 8, and Clara Scott, 7, check on the progress of the 3-D printer at MakerKids.

AJ, 8, works on the remote-control robot he designed and built.

Parts that control things are among the many supplies available at MakerKids. 

Elliot Scott, 3, clips wires on the way to building his own robot. 

Ariel Berant, 9, saws a plank for his floating aircraft launcher with guidance from Grade 10 volunteer Matthew Seferian. 

Daniel Benaich, 8, successfully solders the wires for his machine, with some help from volunteer Nadim.

It was a slow day, so I was out feature hunting, and found Arie:

Arie Kamp, 87, is a member of the High Park Chess Club, in the park south of Bloor Street. Born in the Netherlands, Kamp has been coming to the club for more than 40 years. For a small fee anyone can become a member and play chess from 2 to 10pm, each day except Wednesdays. (Mary Gaudet/Metroland - Bloor West Villager)