Toronto Shopping

If you've ever been to Toronto you'll know that the city is a huge multicultural mix with great shopping opportunities throughout. Toronto is one of those cities where you can spend days just shopping, and with great reason, it is Canada's biggest city and the shopping center of Ontario. My experience with Toronto was that it is definitely a great place for shopping, you can go store-to-store with amazing boutiques and great deals on downtown streets, but you also need a plan of action or you'll be exhausted. I have outlined 3 of the places I had the best experiences of shopping in Toronto.

Toronto Eaton Centre

1. First, it wouldn't be shopping in Toronto if you didn't visit the Toronto Eaton Centre. The Eaton Centre is a huge shopping mall with absolutely amazing deals on designer clothes, great food, electronics and everything else you need. It is also, believe it or not, Toronto's top tourist attraction with over 1 million visitors every week! You can get here through the Dundas or Queen subway stations and it is a shopping trip you will absolutely love. It is a very busy mall right in downtown Toronto, but you will find so many great deals it's hard to resist coming here. It also forms part of the Toronto PATH underground network, which is great fun for tourists and locals alike. I bought some great clothes at amazing deals from stores here.

2. Next, when Toronto shopping, make sure to visit Chinatown on Spadina. Chinatown is a testament to Toronto's unique multiculturalism, where you feel like you've stepped into another country from one block to another. In Chinatown you can experience great stores with fantastic Chinese culture, taste delicious Chinese recipes, and of course buy lots of neat things at great bargain prices. In Toronto's Chinatown you can shop for clothes, paintings, lamps, antiques, jewelry and much more. I would go just to experience the food because the food I ate there is simply delicious! Definitely a unique place in Toronto and highly recommended.

3. Thirdly, Toronto shopping wouldn't feel right until you visit the popular Kensington Market. This is the place to buy cheap stuff at great bargains and sales. You can find clothes, suits, decorations, great food, furniture, souvenirs and more great savings in this extremely popular shopping region. It really feels like a Toronto market experience and I enjoyed simply walking through and browsing the great variety of things on display, the rich culture and the essence of a wonderful Toronto shopping district. This place is a wonderful experience.

Toronto - A True Global City

As the second largest country in the world, Canada is a colossal land mass stretching from the Atlantic Ocean on the east, up to the Artic Ocean in the north and all the way round to the Pacific Ocean in the west. But whilst it is indeed a massive country that spans across a myriad of terrains and climates, it actually has one of the lowest population densities in the world, with only around 3.5 inhabitants per square kilometre, compared with 246 per square kilometre in the UK.

However, it would be difficult to tell this in a place such as Toronto, the largest city in Canada, and the fifth most populous municipality in the whole of North America. As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is generally considered to be a 'global city', playing a major part in the world's economic system. And like any modern metropolis, Toronto's skyline is a sea of skyscrapers and tall buildings; in particular the CN Tower taking centre stage.

Toronto

At over half a kilometre tall, the CN Tower is the world's second-tallest freestanding structure and the tallest tower in the western hemisphere. It also has the world's highest man-made observatory, affording spectacular views across the city below. And for those who would like to make a night of it, a fantastic revolving restaurant is located a little over half-way up the tower, offering market-fresh cuisine and a vast selection of fine wine.

It's impossible to speak of Toronto without mentioning its famous entertainment district and its claim of being the third largest theatre-centre in the English speaking world; with a plethora of plays, musicals and operas being staged throughout the year. Furthermore, only a short walk away from the city's main railway station is the district's ideal central location, with a number of activities available in the form of dining and drinking, to shopping and live sports. In addition, Toronto is home to six professional major-league sports teams in baseball, hockey, basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse, whilst the city's two main state-of-the-art sport stadiums, the SkyDome and the Air Canada Centre, are located only a few blocks from each other in Toronto's entertainment district.

But for those who wish to explore the history of Canada's national pastime, Toronto is also home to the Hockey Hall of Fame, hosting exhibits of legendary players and NHL teams. The MCI Great Hall, one of the fifteen exhibit areas, contains portraits and biographical information about every person who has been admitted to the hall of fame.

In terms of accessibility to this popular destination, direct flights to Toronto take a little under eight hours from London if flying from the UK, with Lester B. Pearson International Airport handling over an estimated thirty million passengers in 2006 alone, making it one of the busiest airports in the world. And this accessibility can only help to cement Toronto's place as a major modern metropolis, and true 'global city' of the world.

The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author and is intended purely for information and interest purposes only. It should not be used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any links are included for information purposes only.

Toronto Used Farm System, Not Free Agency, To Build Its Talented Lineup

During a recent broadcast of the critical Blue Jays series against the Yankees, one of the commentators mentioned that neutral fans should be rooting for New York. He then explained that people still disliked the Yankees because of their reputation for using big money to buy players rather than develop them through their farm system.

The broadcaster went on to explain how the roles were now switched, alleging that Toronto's roster was filled with more "bought" players than New York's. While it was true that during the George Steinbrenner days the Yankees acquired the most expensive free agents, that has not been the case in the last five years.

To illustrate his claim, the commentator pointed out that only two of the Blue Jays starters, center fielder Kevin Pillar and second baseman Ryan Goins, came through the Toronto system. The rest, he explained, were not products of the minor league affiliates of the Blue Jays.

The implication was that Toronto, like the Yankees of the 90s and 00s, simply bought their players instead of developing them. That assertion is erroneous, however, when one makes a closer inspection of the Blue Jays lineup.

The sluggers in Toronto's lineup, unlike those of the 90s Yankees, were not purchased as free agents. They were acquired through trades for primarily minor leaguers, meaning that the Blue Jays have indeed greatly benefited from their farm system.

Jose Bautista came over from the Pirates in exchange for prospect Robinson Diaz way back in 2008. That same year, Edwin Encarnacion was acquired from the Reds for oft-injured All-Star third baseman Scott Rolen. Third baseman Josh Donaldson, the likely American League Most Valuable Player, was acquired from Oakland last winter for Brett Lawrie and three prospects.

Even beyond the trio previously mentioned, most of the Toronto lineup was also set up through trades. Outfielder Ben Revere was acquired in August from the Phillies for two prospects. First baseman Justin Smoak was selected off waivers from the Seattle Mariners last winter. Shortstop Troy Tulowitski was acquired from the Rockies at this year's trade deadline for Jose Reyes.

Overall, catcher Russell Martin was the only Toronto player in the starting lineup who was acquired through free agency. Compare that amount to the number of not just the 90s Yankees, but also the current New York lineup. On the field wearing pinstripes were three players acquired through free agency, first baseman Mark Teixiera, right fielder Carlos Beltran, and second baseman Stephen Drew.

To accuse the Blue Jays of buying players rather than using their farm system would be completely unfounded. The talented roster they currently have may not be products of the Toronto system, but most of them were acquired in exchange for its prospects.
By Doug Poe

Who Really Owns The World?

The correct and accurate answer is that the governments of the respective countries are not in control. The politicians are not in control. The armed forces of the respective countries are not in control. Then who is? It is the elite that rules and controls the world. Someone was right when they said that it is the money which makes the world go round. And indeed, who has the most money has more power over us.

The super elite and the mega rich segments of the society are the ones who control what we see, what we hear and what we do. They are the ones who control the mainstream media, the mega corporations, the financial institutions and subsequently the governments and the politicians. And through these institutions, especially the financial ones, they yield considerable amount of control and power.

It is through them that our politicians are able to spend millions on their campaigns. It is through that we get to know what is happening around the world. It is through them that we start hating a particular segment of the society and start promoting and supporting another segment.

As a matter of fact, there are a total of 147 mega corporations which control forty percent of the global economy. This means that almost one percent of the total corporations are able to control almost half of the world's economy. Some of these mega corporations include Barclays, JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley etc.

The World Bank, IMF and all the central banks literally control the creation and movement of the money worldwide. We all know what central banks are. They control the financial and the banking systems of their respective countries. Each country has one. Ever heard of Bank for International Settlements (BIS)? It is no ordinary bank. It is the central bank of all the central banks combined. Its branches are located in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Mexico City. This bank is not accountable to any single entity, organisation or person on this universe. It is immune to all laws. It guides, controls and directs the 58 central banks that belong to it. After every two months, the central bankers of the world meet up to decide how the economy of the globe would fare in future. And who found BIS? Who owns it? Yes, you guessed it right!! The super elite owns it.

So, next time something happens in your country, do not fall into the trap thinking the politicians were behind it. Politicians are merely puppets, doing and obeying what their masters say.