The South Bayview Bulldog

A wicked ball of fire rolled along power lines in Lachine, a suburb of Montreal, on Friday during the wind and lightning storm that swept Ontario and Quebec. Captures from cell phone video show the ominous spectacle as it rolled past the home of Huw Griffiths. Griffiths got his camera going as he saw a light getting brighter and moving closer to his house (left). The flaming mass rolled into sight incinerating lines and equipment as it went by. Right, it slips out of sight beyond the window frame. The video can be seen below. It appears to be the result of a lightning bolt strike on cables which unleashed a power surge. This is the type of fiery phenomenon that insurance experts concluded caused the fire on South Bayview on October 14, 2011. The fireball is believed to have travelled from a transformer outside Leaside Cleaners directly into the premises. The blaze destroyed that business and heavily damaged others.

Coco Ma

Leaside piano prodigy Coco Ma, with her dad Jimmy, is spending a week at the Munich Music Camp for young people being run by Lang Lang, the international piano artist. Coco, 13, is one of just 12 students who were chosen for the all-expenses paid honour out of some 300 applicants worldwide. It is an exiting time for Coco but like many talented children she seems to have a maturity that surpasses her years. “I’m a little excited,” she confessed and then added, “a little nervousness is enough.” The opportunity to learn from Lang will be a mind-expanding experience for Coco. He is a 31-year-old Chinese expatriate who now lives in New York. Lang traces his first interest in classical music to an occurrence at the age of two. He watched a Tom and Jerry cartoon titled The Cat Concerto that featured as its music the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt.  Below is a promotional video which was intended to seek applicants. 

While the City waits to catch the first minutes of Mayor Ford’s radio program tomorrow at 1 p.m., it is noticeable to residents of South Bayview that John Parker (Ward 26) has been among the most visible of council members from this area commenting on the (now) two-day aftermath of Chief Blair’s ground-moving news conference. Mr. Parker has made what seems to be an appearance a day on CP24 and the station’s video cycling pattern has made the councillor a common sight. Shelley Carroll (Ward 33) from the other side of the valley (Don Valley East) made an appearance Friday raising cranky comments that she was getting ready to run for mayor. But her remarks were temperate and thoughtful. So have been Mr Parker’s but his assessment of the Mayor’s status seems to have hardened hour by hour. Today, as he spoke on CP24, the Don Valley West member concluded that the mayor has “neutralized himself” and suggested he will be of no further consequence at City Hall.  Not unreasonable but pointed. Some might wonder where local representatives like Karen Stintz, Jaye Robinson, Josh Matlow and Kristyn Wong-Tam are this weekend. Their absence says something about them as it does about CP24.  Any or all of these notable local politicians would be welcome on the all-news station, but they would get there faster if they made themselves available.  No doubt they like their weekends. Ms Stintz is the most prominent for reasons known.  Her appearance in the past with Mr. Parker at events in his ward have suggested to some that they are in effect comrades-in-arms as she prepares to campaign for mayor. This weekend Mr. Parker looks as much like the TTC chair’s point man as anyone on council.