The South Bayview Bulldog

Nine of 14 Cardinals named today by Pope Francis are from emerging countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar. The pontiff also showed his intention to balance out the huge number of Italian Cardinals with non-European. He appointed only two Italians from small districts and pointedly ignored Venice, a city which has traditionally had a cardinal. Wall Street Journal 

Ad Age Magazine (edited) — Since 2010, Allstate’s Mayhem has distracted drivers on the road with car washes and text messages, terrorized homeowners as a snowstorm and a raccoon in the attic, and served as a reminder that it’s important to have the right insurance when things go wrong. Now, the funny and scary Mayhem is back on the Internet with a new series of spots created by Leo Burnett, which debuted in the U.S. on New Year’s Day. In the ads, Mayhem is a burglar who finds targets on social media based on their travel plans. Here he peddles “Matt and Shannon’s” household stuff in an alarming and destructive way. Describing himself as a “nerd burglar,” he breaks into a couple’s home while they’re away and sells their stuff on the Internet. Ad Age

Fussbudgets like The South Bayview Bulldog hear the new mayor talk about how there will be zero-tolerance of “gridlock” and they get a silly look on their faces. The Bulldog looks silly most of the time with that funny tongue hanging out but both the mayor’s tone and the timeless realities of rush-hour traffic make one wonder how it will work. Never mind that heavy traffic is not “gridlock”. Gridlock is a state of interlocking blockages that are almost never seen on Toronto streets. There is heavy traffic, for sure, but no gridlock. Call us picky but the use of such language is typical of the media and politicians who see a common purpose in making things sound absolutely as bad as possible. Hey, no one likes heavy traffic. But let’s wander out onto Bayview Ave. at 5 p.m.and watch the 100 km/h dash to North York by drivers who look as if they would enjoy climbing up onto the sidewalks if they thought they could get away with that. Do some vehicles get more or less abandoned by drivers to block a lane of northbound traffic every now and then? Yes. Now they are going to be towed faster and pay more, says the mayor. But cars don’t vanish in front of tow trucks like an after school snack. The City-TV website is quoting tow truck drivers about how long it takes to authorize a tow, pick up the vehicle, tow it to the pound and come back.

It appears that a bank robber with a silver gun hit two Uptown bank branches Friday, January 2, 2015.  Police say a silver gun was used first at the TD Canada Trust branch located on Yonge Street near Bedford Park Avenue. Within 15 minutes, there was a holdup at the BMO branch on Avenue Road at Fairlawn Avenue. Police believe the same suspect is responsible for both robberies. A description of the suspect has not yet been provided by police.