The South Bayview Bulldog

Reuters says Nestle, of Switzerland, will pay Starbucks $7.15 billion in cash for the rights to sell the coffee chain’s products around the world, tying a premium brand to Nestle’s global distribution muscle. The deal on Monday for a business with $2 billion in sales reinforces Nestle’s position as the world’s biggest coffee company tries to fortify its place atop a fast-changing market.

BUFFETT CALLS BITCOIN RAT POISON

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday said buyers of bitcoin, which he has characterized as “rat poison squared,” thrive on the hope they’ll find other people who will pay more for it. Likening bitcoin demand to the tulip bulb mania in 17th century Netherlands, Buffett, the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, said the mystique behind the cryptocurrency has caused its price to surge. After Buffett’s comments, the price of a bitcoin was at $9,348.26, down $322.98, or just over 3.3 per cent.

TSX UP MONDAY

Canada’s main stock index climbed to a more than 13-week high on Monday, as the energy sector got a boost from higher oil prices and talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement entered a crucial week. At 11:27 a.m. ET, the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 103.05 points, or 0.65 per cent, to 15,832.45.

Three Points Where Two Lines Meet at Vaughan Rd. and Bathurst St.

It’s unfortunate when local folks don’t recognize art as art. But that seems to be the case for many people near Vaughan Rd. and Bathurst St. two days after the triumphant dedication of Three Points Where Two Lines Meet. The name seems to have local geographic relevance but to some, as reported by Claire Floody of the Star, it’s just a load of aluminum left at this busy corner. Floody has been browsing a private neighbourhood Facebook group where reaction ranges from “wasteful distraction” to “ugh”. Toronto Star

Scattered blackouts in Leaside. Large yellow area centres on Fleming Crescent

Near East York where isolated homes remain in the dark

The enormous job of getting to the thousands of localized blackouts in Toronto is becoming clear more than 48 hours after Friday’s windstorm. Just in Leaside and near East York there are thousands remaining in the dark. Hydro workers are working night and day to get power back to homes. One large area of darkness centres on Fleming Crescent which was hit by both a falling tree and snapped wires all along the street. Similarly in Davisville Village, power remains out, according to the map, at Belsize Drive and Mt.Pleasant Rd., even though the utility pole that caused the outage has now been taken away.

Ads portray reporter working for Ford Nation

Nazi in Quebec?

Kathleen Collection

It seems well beneath the attention of most people, but Ontario’s Liberals claim the public is being misled by political ads portraying a reporter who works for “Ford Nation.” It might confuse some but the alleged deception seems to be a bit of a stretch. The complaint has gone to Elections Ontario. It is part of the ruling party’s efforts to discredit the PC Party by focussing on the leader, Doug Ford. He’s a contentious figure who has never served in the Legislature. Liberals have also tried to link Ford to an unknown extremist in Quebec. Ford laughed it off saying he’s never heard of the man. In more serious matters, he quickly reversed his position last week after saying he would open some of the Toronto Green Belt to development. That seemed like a blunder worthy of Tim Hudak’s bizarre promise to lay off 100,000 civil servants. Still, public sentiment toward the Liberals seems more deeply alienated that ever before. PC advertising has had a comical but cutting edge in such attacks as The Kathleen Wynne Collection. It is puckish compilation of misdeeds and fiscal horrors ranging from the gas plant scandal to the provincial debt. The election is June 7. Fasten your seat belt.

Surveys in both the US and Canada suggest that grocery shoppers have compelling reasons to go to the store and see what they’re buying first-hand rather taking what shows up at the door. It seems obvious if you’re among the 75 to 80 percent of people who say they’re not much interested in online shopping. Things like seeing the quality and variety of what’s available and being reminded about things that aren’t on your list. People are busy but many seem ready to make time for the food they eat. There’s also the delivery cost. Overall, the experience of shopping may be more interesting than other chores. How like grocery computer wonks to forget that shopping is frequently social. A story in Food Drive says that grocers are likely to be squeezed into a combination of brick-and-mortar stores and online options with speedy delivery.

Robert Joseph Walker, 48, is dead from stab wounds when Saturday evening events led to a Sunday morning fight in an apartment at Queen St.E. and Victoria Park Ave. Police are looking for several people and appealing for  help from anyone who knows what happened. The disturbance leading to death occurred in the second floor hallway of the building shown below in a photo taken by Kate Walker of 680 News.

Centreville Amusement Park has re-opened with high hopes for a much better — and dryer — season of 2018. Brandon Rowe of City News was there. The wondrous 111-year-old carousel is still in place after the City of  Carmel, Indiana failed to follow through on an offer to purchase the ride. Take a virtual spin in the video at the right with kids from 2010 to the haunting melody of Me and My Shadow.

There were no big winning tickets for the Lotto 649 jackpot or the Friday night’s Lotto Max draw this weekend. However, the 649 guaranteed $1 million prize went to a ticket holder in Ontario.

Green dots show clusters of homes or maybe just one

Sutherland Drive

Across South Bayview and the whole of the City individual residents are without power while their neighbors’ homes are brightly lit. It is a Toronto phenomenon when winds strike at our large tree cover. Some trees lose branches or just fall entirely. Usually they drop across the wires carrying power into one or two homes. The photo above shot today on Sutherland Drive is typical of Leaside.  A homeowner and his neighbors discuss how the old tree on his property fell across the wires into both homes. They are probably still waiting for hard-pressed Toronto Hydro crews to get there. Hydro has chosen the colour green to show the fewest number of customers affected. It can mean just one. Someone called it the green measles. Map

Firewood pole

Top-heavy looking

Sweeping up

Assorted wires

Toronto Hydro arrived at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Belsize Drive late Saturday afternoon and took down the old utility pole that gave way in Friday’s wind. It was an top-heavy looking thing with apparatus not frequently seen on a pole. There is a similar one across the street on the northeast corner. The downed pole is now firewood and at dinnertime workers, who have been on the job for 14 hours, were taking down dangling wires. It is not clear when power will return to places like Belize Public House. It may be Sunday. .

Councillor Josh Matlow’s newsletter dated May 4 takes note of  meetings related to developments in Ward 22. Among them are the Times Group proposal for 1951 Yonge St. on May 10, 98 Eglinton Ave. E. on May 16 and 808 Mt. Pleasant (the Best Western proposed redevelopment) on May 17. Find details here.