The South Bayview Bulldog

Some 88 people have been injured but there were no reports of fatalities in the collapse of part of the ornate plaster ceiling of the famous Apollo Theatre in central London. As many as seven are in hospital with serious injuries. There is said to have been about 700 people in the theatre at about 8.30 p.m. local time watching a performance of  The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime. Witnesses said a chunk of ceiling about 10 feet by 10 feet came crashing down on patrons underneath it. There was apparently little warning. One witness said some people had reported an odd creaking noise. A thunderstorm struck London about an hour before the incident but there is no known connection with the collapse. Witnesses said that after the immediate shock people behaved in a fairly orderly way. A London bus was used to accommodate theatre-goers and move them to hospitals to be checked. Shocked patrons were said to have shown little panic. Martin Bostock was in the audience with his family, and said “complete chaos” erupted in the theatre. “At first we thought it was part of the show,” he told Sky News. “Then I got hit on the head.” . Special search and rescue teams remain on the scene, along with ambulances and police. Pictures: Upper inset, theatre-goers in bus, centre inset, injured outside Apollo, lower inset, file picture of ornate ceiling taken this year. 

Crane operator Adam Jastrzebski says he is calling it quits. The 68-year-old construction worker spoke from his hospital bed today as he recovered from the burns and trauma caused by his harrowing escape during yesterday’s raging fire in Kingston. Jastrzebski, 68, was stranded atop his crane at the centre of the massive fire and was “severely burned” before a military helicopter was able to navigate smoke and flames to airlift him to safety. Mr. Jastrzebski is said to have been burned on  his hands, legs, back and buttocks. His employer, Aram Malek of Canadian Professional Crane Inc., said  “He’s in severe pain right now in the hospital and they’re giving him morphine.” He added, “I’m just surprised no one got hurt more than that because the fire was enormous.” Firefighters from neighbouring communities had to be called in to help Kingston crews battle the flames which had engulfed an apartment building that was under construction. A crowd watched from the streets as the crane operator got out of his cab, crept along the boom of the crane to its very edge and waited to be rescued by a team from CFB Trenton. 

Deepak Chopra

The head of Canada Post Deepak Chopra has said that seniors have told the corporation they want more exercise and fresh air. This was his answer to an MP’s question about how the elderly will be especially hard hit by the cancellation of home mail delivery. The answer has enraged many people and prompted one Ottawa website to headline the story:  HOW STOOPID  IS THIS GUY? 

This thrillingly graphic series of pictures has travelled by Twitter to the world (and the Bulldog) from Kingston where a craneman has been plucked from the end of his crane. Upper right, air force rescue officer descends to the stranded man. Top right, he hooks safety line of some type on the worker. Now move to lower left for the lift-off which continues lower right the short distance to chopper heaven.  Also see below.

Reporter Daniel Dale has flatly rejected the apology made this afternoon by Mayor Ford. The apology was apparently intended to defuse and bring an end to the litigation which has been launched by Mr. Dale following the nasty slur to the  effect that Mr.Dale was a pedophile. The reporter spoke to CP24 an hour or so after the mayor’s rather defensive apology. Dale said he wants a full, abject and complete apology and that what Mr. Ford said is not enough. Dale noted the mayor did not retract nor apologize for the false statement that the reporter was taking pictures of the Ford children. The slur occurred during an interview with Conrad Black on Zoomer TV.  The interview has taken a lot of media and public criticism for the servile and uncritical way in which Black conducted himself. Dale served Ford with a libel notice last week demanding an apology and retraction. Ford read a statement in council today saying he did not mean to insinuate anything about Dale personally. He said he apologizes to Dale if his words caused any harm or offence. During the interview with Black. Ford claimed that Dale was in his backyard in May 2012, “taking pictures of little kids,” and Ford added he didn’t want to say “that word, but you start thinking what this guy is all about.” Ford later responded to reporters questions about the remarks by saying he stood by every word, but said today that it’s “unfortunate” that the word he never said was “ascribed” to him by the media.  There was a strong strain of defensiveness in the mayor’s apology which  is common to his retractions and or explanations. Laymen and perhaps lawyers might find this tone to be a sign that the regret being expressed is not in fact sincere.  Here is the video.