tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76002582024-03-16T14:52:42.522-04:00a bengali in TOThe personal, official blog of author Mezbauddin Mahtabmezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.comBlogger873125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-23164926945098277582024-01-03T12:53:00.006-05:002024-01-03T12:53:59.389-05:00On Indian Immigrants Leaving Canada For Good<p>I have been watching a few videos of people who returned to (mostly) India after staying in Canada as PR for some time. Also watched a couple of videos of people who went to Dubai. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbC5b6wQ12LVinlKjUUd4YrnRcf6d2_qXVixzuudGUiz_FZk2Lo4wfV1WzxpDGaFz02TX2Bbi9IRIW4nl-tCJG3e8NeKt8l1F1k8_5DXDxaObe-WoyVLiTq0qQR5vAoWDazs8JmaDMGYM_8BUHhS-8KveEJ-DPAvqA3vXOriDYyjvd2bTEiLAnw/s900/leavingCanada-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="900" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbC5b6wQ12LVinlKjUUd4YrnRcf6d2_qXVixzuudGUiz_FZk2Lo4wfV1WzxpDGaFz02TX2Bbi9IRIW4nl-tCJG3e8NeKt8l1F1k8_5DXDxaObe-WoyVLiTq0qQR5vAoWDazs8JmaDMGYM_8BUHhS-8KveEJ-DPAvqA3vXOriDYyjvd2bTEiLAnw/s320/leavingCanada-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Pretty much all of them had mostly good things to say about Canada:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>great summer weather</li><li>everyone is punctual, nice</li><li>law and order is good</li><li>no corruption. School admission no hassle, etc.</li></ul><p></p><p>Then, when they delve into why they left, it is usually:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>feeling lonely</li><li>need a car, distances are vast</li><li>no food options when you go outside (I mean one lady complained of salad as only veg option in a "Canadian" restaurant)</li><li>drugs (weed) legal for everyone, effect on kids</li></ul><p>But the most common reasons seem to be:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>you need to do everything yourself (no "jugad"), such as plumbing, assembling furniture</li><li>fear of not getting proper healthcare</li><li>rising costs</li></ul><p></p><p>I feel many people today, <b>especially Indian families</b>, are not prepared to do the initial struggle that immigrants used to (and still) do in Canada. Whoever you are, from wherever you are, you will HAVE to struggle in Canada for the first 2-3 years. Your education and experience are not recognized, you will not have a car and need to take public transit, and you won't have a good job. Kids will be in school, extra curricular activities are expensive and so on.</p><p>This is also the <b>worst time to immigrate to Canada</b>. Things in India, for example, for upper class Hindu families are generally good. Why WOULD you immigrate to Canada if you are well settled in India with a good job? Canada is also going though one of the worst and most incompetent governments in their history. The federal deficit has given fuel to inflation (already a worldwide problem) making it worse in Canada. Lots of people have been brought into the country on dubious student visas, leading to severe housing problem in the country. </p><p>Previously immigrants struggled because the payout was great - citizenship that is amongst the most powerful in the world, and living standard that is one of the highest in the world. Those things are still true, but there are enormous challenges such as declining standard of healthcare, declining quality of education in high schools. Previously governments used to give tax credits for kids extra curricular activities - those are gone now under current government, who is funding their own expensive programs. But these are temporary challenges.</p><p><b>The truth remains that Canada is still a great place to live - but perhaps this is not the right moment to immigrate for many people who are well settled in their home countries</b>. Also, if you are not prepared to struggle, or you want to be lazy, don't come here. As simple as that.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-38054285280259707982023-07-20T10:07:00.002-04:002023-07-20T10:07:19.642-04:00Cost of a Desi Wedding in GTA<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">I am detailing some of the costs associated for a typical desi wedding in the GTA. This is a pretty standard wedding ceremony, not elaborate. You can, of course, pay more for a more extravagant ceremony.</span></p><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Girl:</span></span></span></div><ol class="x1e56ztr x1xmf6yo x1xfsgkm x3yw8vx" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; padding-left: 32px;"><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Wedding Lehenga - $3000-$4000 (times two if there is a separate <i>walimah </i>function apart from the <i>nikah</i> reception)</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Dress for the <i>nikah</i> / <i>akht</i> - $1500</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Dress for <i>halud</i> / <i>mayoon</i> / <i>haldi</i> - $1500</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Makeup - $600 (times three for each occasion, and this is lower end)</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Henna artist - $200 - $600</span></div></li></ol><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"></span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Boy:</span></span></span></div><ol class="x1e56ztr x1xmf6yo x1xfsgkm x3yw8vx" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; padding-left: 32px;"><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Wedding <i>sherwani</i> - $500 - $1000</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><i>Nikah</i> <i>sherwani</i> - $500</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><i>Halud Kurta</i> - $200 - $500</span></div></li></ol><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"></span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Other costs:</span></span></span></div><ol class="x1e56ztr x1xmf6yo x1xfsgkm x3yw8vx" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; padding-left: 32px;"><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Photography / Video: $3000 - $5000</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Hall rental (main function) - $60-$75/plate (so around $6000-$7500 for 100 people), times two if there is separate <i>walimah</i></span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Hall rental (<i>holud</i>) - $2500 (including food that is catered)</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><i>Nikah</i> (mosque) - $500 (including city's marriage license, imam fees, etc.)</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Dates/small gift box for <i>nikah</i> - $5/10 per person.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Wedding cake - $800 - $1000 (for roughly 200 people)</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Backdrop decorator design - $1000</span></div></li></ol><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"></span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">These are basic costs. I am leaving aside other costs such as renting a car / limo for the <i>ruksati</i>, bridal showers, bachelor / bachelorette parties, gate <i>dhora </i>/ <i>juta churi</i>, etc.</span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">The question is, which one would you realistically eliminate? Most people, when they want to get married, they want a nice hall, a nice dress, photography and a good cake. </span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKkS2Tc9saKALbDI_B7lW1sF2oZ01e-V5liMmxHDZTdWlj5wcSOduu29Myv-dnfgupqu9tOWWt-3pI6mRyTC1taLKrFs34nOSLY0IbsODBy14IsDzhZGefxB5knPszI-IOfdj_LVmNeDJ-lzpl97IUGN9HRHeHfnfMcZQu_uvdsltU54oO14C3A/s360/pngtree-indian-wedding-with-red-yarn-figures-png-image_3211952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKkS2Tc9saKALbDI_B7lW1sF2oZ01e-V5liMmxHDZTdWlj5wcSOduu29Myv-dnfgupqu9tOWWt-3pI6mRyTC1taLKrFs34nOSLY0IbsODBy14IsDzhZGefxB5knPszI-IOfdj_LVmNeDJ-lzpl97IUGN9HRHeHfnfMcZQu_uvdsltU54oO14C3A/s320/pngtree-indian-wedding-with-red-yarn-figures-png-image_3211952.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-41492479497254654042023-06-18T03:28:00.002-04:002023-06-18T03:29:19.424-04:00A Visit to Point Pelee National Park<p>Point Pelee National Park is a unique national park located roughly just under 4 hours of drive south from Toronto. The first long weekend of the summer, the May 24 weekend, was showing a beautiful forecast, so we decided to visit this park. </p><p>There is something unique about the park as well, which I will get to later. We started early in the morning, and thus reached Point Pelee around noon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuzIUFMUSHbMwn-XIpEhLOSxNGWoUkGtKCGJ1t-Kd-zlrd9cEclciR9r2cv3BNmzx0Ukl_TJMOZNg92xh6NwkbPmheIaO10SK5AsHm0DIVJdjQlD_8IZTEnc6Tg1NUtxniBwvvaBWjBkuO_YNfL7kqGhwmb4AehB6o6vpJSjqV4Ti-iE8Oro/s900/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-06-18%20at%202.55.14%20AM%20(1)-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuzIUFMUSHbMwn-XIpEhLOSxNGWoUkGtKCGJ1t-Kd-zlrd9cEclciR9r2cv3BNmzx0Ukl_TJMOZNg92xh6NwkbPmheIaO10SK5AsHm0DIVJdjQlD_8IZTEnc6Tg1NUtxniBwvvaBWjBkuO_YNfL7kqGhwmb4AehB6o6vpJSjqV4Ti-iE8Oro/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-06-18%20at%202.55.14%20AM%20(1)-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>To get to Point Pelee, once you take the exit from 401 highway, you go through lots of small roads. Some of them have very low speed limits, such as 40. But soon, we were at the entrance of the park.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ0WbTzBTsh03E6y5FufDKKNxFK3Xio3w7CjnNsCTxRaTzXWl9c4bVuZ0Xk0gK4NIYrAnkdfPEI-rdaQSHnVy-qCtyJNk15lFOaxJJxifaojKtWWBMq95P-EzsO2QQnRcdtPCyyH2DHgpUG-vnWCzoL0M2EnPs184gPMUZ2D1VW0Gdp2fTdg/s900/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-06-18%20at%202.55.14%20AM%20(3)-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ0WbTzBTsh03E6y5FufDKKNxFK3Xio3w7CjnNsCTxRaTzXWl9c4bVuZ0Xk0gK4NIYrAnkdfPEI-rdaQSHnVy-qCtyJNk15lFOaxJJxifaojKtWWBMq95P-EzsO2QQnRcdtPCyyH2DHgpUG-vnWCzoL0M2EnPs184gPMUZ2D1VW0Gdp2fTdg/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-06-18%20at%202.55.14%20AM%20(3)-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Boy it was busy! We had completely disregarded the fact that it was a long weekend, and a beautiful weather to boot, and so there was a long line up of cars to get in. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofh4AdtHWay_9wVKDBAE98Xoa917cgZUAEp7jDo4LOYVVco8TaZq3UsMEDhBMuYbr1MBPkSD1N-m67Z9VW46oWCECADtntwSmGt52L4MPpjSOjB-1TtoM3sxPuL3xcTQC3AYg48xWZ0WwzXGpvnQmohKa0NNd2lqGvfWN44KYqxY5OHxtFUg/s900/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-06-18%20at%202.55.15%20AM-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofh4AdtHWay_9wVKDBAE98Xoa917cgZUAEp7jDo4LOYVVco8TaZq3UsMEDhBMuYbr1MBPkSD1N-m67Z9VW46oWCECADtntwSmGt52L4MPpjSOjB-1TtoM3sxPuL3xcTQC3AYg48xWZ0WwzXGpvnQmohKa0NNd2lqGvfWN44KYqxY5OHxtFUg/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-06-18%20at%202.55.15%20AM-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>No worries, we did get in, and once we were in, we were told that the "Tip" parking was full now, so we would have to come back in a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is where I would give the most important advice applicable almost to any sightseeing - get there early. We really should have been there around 9 or 10 am. That way, we would have gone straight to the Tip, and got the morning hours light as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>No worries, we headed to the March Boardwalk. The marsh is about 70% of the park.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9JmLukBUEx4bOD28Kq-MgqL5J47BAXfwgM8QwI0Tl9qkVP7dce8kiFPiQKBBs_eHNQezEBJrR_3K5uUrK-fnSDQzv6xTgaI8h9QOFIJySdYbS5o8vuLKfxkD04MLeTshIfyyJbK4CEAk40AOHDpf6kJXZ2XEoW6QqY6hIeA9NfNVCYEVvTM/s900/20230521_131034-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9JmLukBUEx4bOD28Kq-MgqL5J47BAXfwgM8QwI0Tl9qkVP7dce8kiFPiQKBBs_eHNQezEBJrR_3K5uUrK-fnSDQzv6xTgaI8h9QOFIJySdYbS5o8vuLKfxkD04MLeTshIfyyJbK4CEAk40AOHDpf6kJXZ2XEoW6QqY6hIeA9NfNVCYEVvTM/s320/20230521_131034-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Due to its southernly location and the moderating effects of Lake Erie, the climate in the park is slightly warmer than the rest of Canada, and many species of birds, rare in rest of Canada, are found here.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBf3K_yrTbfayaY6IpRsAcOiThrygpF0laiiHPO95n7vsbshwnEFpbKsRV6SEswxlxJen0Eq7N7pMRug5SFFbOeYX41TVNSnttET615MZ0lywRklMfm7pXLF3trWaKRQ34wyDP1m33HWnq8OGKRT3g-A_h6_prjg9mE1NONtllnAgbnx8nTE/s900/20230521_131547-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBf3K_yrTbfayaY6IpRsAcOiThrygpF0laiiHPO95n7vsbshwnEFpbKsRV6SEswxlxJen0Eq7N7pMRug5SFFbOeYX41TVNSnttET615MZ0lywRklMfm7pXLF3trWaKRQ34wyDP1m33HWnq8OGKRT3g-A_h6_prjg9mE1NONtllnAgbnx8nTE/s320/20230521_131547-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It really is a bird watcher's paradise. People come here with binoculars and expensive cameras to photograph the nearly 360 species of migratory birds that has been recorded in the park. There's a huge diversity in the flora and fauna recorded in this park.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMqCyRXQ8sD2grq4k9UZOqBkr9c4JAOE8EEZsj6eRgHbJFTZv7kZnlgBp7XgDlN8ARIIR6v3HNoMXtqIyVAhn8iJTlb_L983yrZMQxwjXHLcLMdve4XPyX3IdxEC81ECUyWgzQG85bwaqn8Xez7SKaghN3tWNwzr0zz59vrStUrC5NzHSaZw/s900/20230521_131654-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMqCyRXQ8sD2grq4k9UZOqBkr9c4JAOE8EEZsj6eRgHbJFTZv7kZnlgBp7XgDlN8ARIIR6v3HNoMXtqIyVAhn8iJTlb_L983yrZMQxwjXHLcLMdve4XPyX3IdxEC81ECUyWgzQG85bwaqn8Xez7SKaghN3tWNwzr0zz59vrStUrC5NzHSaZw/s320/20230521_131654-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>You can walk along the marsh on the boardwalk, and if you walk leisurely, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery, you can spend easily up to an hour here. We walked the whole circle on the boardwalk, which I recommend to any one.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2k63705GkpapEZs6OaVz_a8vko1-Tpvg0xnGQ7fAbej-7RqAgFmn5DR5_h1DeMJ3Mh8l9559tHX-X7ys35Aj1-kxN6NSYBjDYJFczZamJz4rkv1gNoaEZMFliJHTE_DZm3ZLELnxI5otkd6YvV48N3WH2hTd_nx-1jc9i29wvSQTSlSurcM/s900/20230521_131820-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2k63705GkpapEZs6OaVz_a8vko1-Tpvg0xnGQ7fAbej-7RqAgFmn5DR5_h1DeMJ3Mh8l9559tHX-X7ys35Aj1-kxN6NSYBjDYJFczZamJz4rkv1gNoaEZMFliJHTE_DZm3ZLELnxI5otkd6YvV48N3WH2hTd_nx-1jc9i29wvSQTSlSurcM/s320/20230521_131820-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>You can even rent canoes or kayaks (or use your own).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ273QjfsAG4pnEMVrWDpZtnV2IsyXSOgR8rJzKOcch0HK9LZi-3O8hfu-2n8AS0ITN_4ysoY5FM7YwITNJfrk0cOfxB9ViZstOmho-jWkf2DSX_wFXAv3Z7t9ysuwx_EA_CCq4wuV6LE1ipa7nHvHI5MNESloldDS5lUmqT_cy98b9ielRE/s900/20230521_132753-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ273QjfsAG4pnEMVrWDpZtnV2IsyXSOgR8rJzKOcch0HK9LZi-3O8hfu-2n8AS0ITN_4ysoY5FM7YwITNJfrk0cOfxB9ViZstOmho-jWkf2DSX_wFXAv3Z7t9ysuwx_EA_CCq4wuV6LE1ipa7nHvHI5MNESloldDS5lUmqT_cy98b9ielRE/s320/20230521_132753-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The kids really enjoyed the walk. The weather was hot, but not hot to be uncomfortable. There were lots of wildlife to see, and we saw this crane hiding in the bushes.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m0qd2vrsbJKnZhQfg15nzp3i6_ycrTcHr6eEINiIchjL7GNO7HrOc7cSwZR9f-UxZ0N51E1HHzlaMnwO8Ue3aZAnq9L0rpgSAWFwYKVcikwfA3R2Q-JxcbfrcRixV8Q_Cu6xUikSVYdK6RQfiajsvE6lQ1mGEJYSrRvdat1uIBpSqlFtMfE/s900/20230521_133038-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m0qd2vrsbJKnZhQfg15nzp3i6_ycrTcHr6eEINiIchjL7GNO7HrOc7cSwZR9f-UxZ0N51E1HHzlaMnwO8Ue3aZAnq9L0rpgSAWFwYKVcikwfA3R2Q-JxcbfrcRixV8Q_Cu6xUikSVYdK6RQfiajsvE6lQ1mGEJYSrRvdat1uIBpSqlFtMfE/s320/20230521_133038-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was now time to visit the "Tip". This time we were lucky to be allowed in to park at the Visitors' Centre (it was still very, very busy). After you park there, you take a shuttle to go to the Tip.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSR8WPmA_ec6RPRwL4J_bP3eIRGi6sjZX2w4xonVf0KoEzPaj6Bs7AC5wLMROG3j1M3el1iY9e-C9XxFs74SIyO9gpmAv7SDsV1gdslhfae9oatJ57JmHdoqtNoZJ7s1oqUtN9mBqHQDk5bobpnKXNIhmtYtONDC4dVk4-D0NPRM1qppbBhg/s900/20230521_145834-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSR8WPmA_ec6RPRwL4J_bP3eIRGi6sjZX2w4xonVf0KoEzPaj6Bs7AC5wLMROG3j1M3el1iY9e-C9XxFs74SIyO9gpmAv7SDsV1gdslhfae9oatJ57JmHdoqtNoZJ7s1oqUtN9mBqHQDk5bobpnKXNIhmtYtONDC4dVk4-D0NPRM1qppbBhg/s320/20230521_145834-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And what is the Tip? Well ... read on to find out.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfbw9IVMcv7pWRLulJJBWcTfjW4DpdsBiyUTrGP9dL_cC4kDlPzKF2Qwq2RlYLr5eDp4nt4zpZ6ufOJQQKEu5s-BVC6CXpFmLiASR2RD2Qz5PqTh1JgNCzEBABNynQ9TY7kucSi_1mnwMmfTxa8Jm2R8DkDWhAw9TFjQRN4QuEHsYQrXzapY/s900/20230521_150128-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfbw9IVMcv7pWRLulJJBWcTfjW4DpdsBiyUTrGP9dL_cC4kDlPzKF2Qwq2RlYLr5eDp4nt4zpZ6ufOJQQKEu5s-BVC6CXpFmLiASR2RD2Qz5PqTh1JgNCzEBABNynQ9TY7kucSi_1mnwMmfTxa8Jm2R8DkDWhAw9TFjQRN4QuEHsYQrXzapY/s320/20230521_150128-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Point Pelee National Park forms the southernmost point in mainland Canada (its latitude is the same as that of Rome, Italy and Barcelona, Spain.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2dGGs-YhOdL2iWEl3CKsMMNyhcpFzXBDx9vPBWQnJnbZ38SKH1RNmEVF9MXlIHoxK6Ju70fY87VBZA6QoKS01aZgMMM4IYhZUdWP5COJ2_1l8FRNYr-WzQIMpkN1kXWC5Hb3mPcF0zCK8m75jZUTw-Wf4Vl3P0HyPxBN63Pvr3zu1OWdux0/s900/20230521_150233(0)1-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2dGGs-YhOdL2iWEl3CKsMMNyhcpFzXBDx9vPBWQnJnbZ38SKH1RNmEVF9MXlIHoxK6Ju70fY87VBZA6QoKS01aZgMMM4IYhZUdWP5COJ2_1l8FRNYr-WzQIMpkN1kXWC5Hb3mPcF0zCK8m75jZUTw-Wf4Vl3P0HyPxBN63Pvr3zu1OWdux0/s320/20230521_150233(0)1-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf07AV8lDejOo9lL30BHOL2MDWr07ggma9yuJv9eUXYXCQHrmHdlEpyIkCvYJ3JzPc8BWiTj22377Lwn6hqWO1NpjNVXDqbUpp5hH9IPDtooNxXytTW0uc6v8g3pXz--RT_dBWYzcx_gibAMzQvEenaCk7anyvkR-x4G_7bofpKX5LYpR9xew/s900/20230521_150233(0)-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf07AV8lDejOo9lL30BHOL2MDWr07ggma9yuJv9eUXYXCQHrmHdlEpyIkCvYJ3JzPc8BWiTj22377Lwn6hqWO1NpjNVXDqbUpp5hH9IPDtooNxXytTW0uc6v8g3pXz--RT_dBWYzcx_gibAMzQvEenaCk7anyvkR-x4G_7bofpKX5LYpR9xew/s320/20230521_150233(0)-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After the shuttle dropped us off, in 5 minutes, we were at the Tip. This is why this spot is so unique. When you are standing here, there is NO ONE in mainland Canada who is more south than you. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkmVDsCpvmjHWtLROvqELc-Ty9Gs-FI35ZzSg4uYG8E-T55bNCa-63h_lBk_HGLL2zsmqXExk40k_xIjh1a73q99ZoNm4chK23agJpHErpaEZvtEfwwtbRBmax4OItT00ee4577AQ1X1MVYccGKbpKtAyp26PT6LXR4f_293IcTNvW_zALK4/s900/20230521_151225-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkmVDsCpvmjHWtLROvqELc-Ty9Gs-FI35ZzSg4uYG8E-T55bNCa-63h_lBk_HGLL2zsmqXExk40k_xIjh1a73q99ZoNm4chK23agJpHErpaEZvtEfwwtbRBmax4OItT00ee4577AQ1X1MVYccGKbpKtAyp26PT6LXR4f_293IcTNvW_zALK4/s320/20230521_151225-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Everybody standing patiently in line to take the picture at THE TIP. This is it ... once you stand there, you know that you are the most southerly person in Canada.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMftX7ClwqmRtksVnTvFfMmTEflJYGL7dZmyo3PXqS16uyC9fSetBypcRYEs94QtwhkdeLnuD5eowjcC21BshHmJKv1ZZcYyQ6ZtIiTsvPSMXYVx3ngRDitM-tFM3JxVg6A2jbzqcwNmGH37fKayF6FBsrAKO3mwgHuiimeQF8IN22BZqSmOs/s900/20230521_152122-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMftX7ClwqmRtksVnTvFfMmTEflJYGL7dZmyo3PXqS16uyC9fSetBypcRYEs94QtwhkdeLnuD5eowjcC21BshHmJKv1ZZcYyQ6ZtIiTsvPSMXYVx3ngRDitM-tFM3JxVg6A2jbzqcwNmGH37fKayF6FBsrAKO3mwgHuiimeQF8IN22BZqSmOs/s320/20230521_152122-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here we are. The wait time wasn't bad ... perhaps about ten minutes in the line. Usually there is no line ... but as I said ... this was the long weekend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyx5_k5eVdtrhZ21yILdThzK1lzCpJPI4_pT7vG94pmBdg3vxo9Dkz6w59E1tbOUupjCzZv5xZipej5idbYDzFm61C7X0MVPhzQlgNCMIG3Tj3zEE0aFGPIa5_HECOMJR3zzZJEDUDLbPbEfEZTTYAKB-PgywGJoXg3BCGtQfviO1DWUp24U/s900/20230521_154720-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyx5_k5eVdtrhZ21yILdThzK1lzCpJPI4_pT7vG94pmBdg3vxo9Dkz6w59E1tbOUupjCzZv5xZipej5idbYDzFm61C7X0MVPhzQlgNCMIG3Tj3zEE0aFGPIa5_HECOMJR3zzZJEDUDLbPbEfEZTTYAKB-PgywGJoXg3BCGtQfviO1DWUp24U/s320/20230521_154720-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This beach is really not for swimming, due to the very strong currents. In fact, you are not allowed to swim in the waters. Most people, after taking their picture, just spend some time here on the beach relaxing, or playing in the sand. There are other spots in the park where you can go for a swim. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s4qPxnoRow3Porq_OnlxRgJxjj6c2vmXQA7kMwxv9FI3EcnVSceiabajrD71_9BTybLevHZLqoeKydilmOCWhlElccGwQyDtlhmg2Qfr0VnNA_I1aShxsCNZNBkOHhimqY_GnCqyAZzq8SQ4LeZ8-722aDOVhCRLRdJXZ1DsUrX0F9AyNoM/s900/20230521_155021-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s4qPxnoRow3Porq_OnlxRgJxjj6c2vmXQA7kMwxv9FI3EcnVSceiabajrD71_9BTybLevHZLqoeKydilmOCWhlElccGwQyDtlhmg2Qfr0VnNA_I1aShxsCNZNBkOHhimqY_GnCqyAZzq8SQ4LeZ8-722aDOVhCRLRdJXZ1DsUrX0F9AyNoM/s320/20230521_155021-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a picture showing the four corners of Canada. As you can see, Point Pelee is the "south" corner.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZ7AgzSg0waLW4D4BPKcrL-a6w7MXL5W5KZXEqhAUae2VzQYQuaws2miVirVdNVQlU0b7JWWCiKWcKvUnJYoZLkWIL7oHnhyiGjWvEnNcIMUiGEHNmAVYd4KPEGo3ZRHD_awYWBuceijh3VCseQbaJJWwGRPsUq1qzJde25SAxqdTNZbi6kg/s900/20230521_163110-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZ7AgzSg0waLW4D4BPKcrL-a6w7MXL5W5KZXEqhAUae2VzQYQuaws2miVirVdNVQlU0b7JWWCiKWcKvUnJYoZLkWIL7oHnhyiGjWvEnNcIMUiGEHNmAVYd4KPEGo3ZRHD_awYWBuceijh3VCseQbaJJWwGRPsUq1qzJde25SAxqdTNZbi6kg/s320/20230521_163110-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>On the way back to Toronto, we had to stop in London, Ontario. Whenever we are in London, we have to visit the Mandi Guys. This dish of theirs, chicken leg mandi, is one of my favourite dishes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFk9cAv31kwg08BW8uCjxXwH7sjKN_N19FjSqO5leTRw0dla7C8Q5EvNrqAupxm5bk7eT9x972rPs-DYc4qcGBxuMy6stvd6llon3NAvQtitjVWoYBu0RscW3kRC-H9FrnozCfoObagZ2LOmtlrAJFxWvOz5tJa6yvzsfAID9ttFkDVv_WpKg/s900/20230520_214805-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFk9cAv31kwg08BW8uCjxXwH7sjKN_N19FjSqO5leTRw0dla7C8Q5EvNrqAupxm5bk7eT9x972rPs-DYc4qcGBxuMy6stvd6llon3NAvQtitjVWoYBu0RscW3kRC-H9FrnozCfoObagZ2LOmtlrAJFxWvOz5tJa6yvzsfAID9ttFkDVv_WpKg/s320/20230520_214805-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><p>Overall, it was a fun visit to Point Pelee National Park. There's activities for the kids. It's not too far, and if you are up for it, you can do it in a day (although it is better to split it into two days, and use London as a pitstop for the night on the way back). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GCQoXowjfec" width="320" youtube-src-id="GCQoXowjfec"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-16651252098908801442023-06-12T09:48:00.008-04:002023-06-12T09:48:56.309-04:00Paul Bernardo's Shift To Lower Security Prison<p>Anyone who has lived in Scarborough, Ontario in the 1990s knows the name Paul Bernardo. His name symbolizes pure evil. He raped and murdered several women, often brutally. What was even more despicable was that his wife Karla Homolka helped him rape and murder her own younger sister. </p><p><br /></p><p>I arrived as a young man in Canada just after the trials in 1995. I can still tell you how fresh the news was in everyone's mind then, and had continued to remain in public consciousness even after nearly three decades. It was a shame that Bernardo's conviction happened as a result of a plea bargain with Karla Homolka - she was released from prison in 2005.</p><p><br /></p><p>The recent news that Bernardo is being moved to a lower security prison is shocking on so many levels. I am from that minority of Canadians that thinks death penalty should be there for murderers, but even under today's law, this is a shocking lapse of common sense. This guy should rot in a high security prison for the rest of his life. </p><p><br /></p><p>What is very telling is that the ladies who are relatives and friends of the victims decided to approach the Leader of the Opposition for help. They could have gone to our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who actually HAS the power to move Bernardo back to high security prison, but they chose the Leader of the Opposition. The private member's bill, even though it's an Opposition Bill, has a high likelyhood of not passing. Even with all Opposition support, it cannot become law if Trudeau chooses to ignore it (as he did for the China interference motions). It shows to me that these ladies, and indeed many ordinary Canadians, have no faith in Trudeau especially when it comes to law and order. It is not just his famous incompetency, but Trudeau's ideology. This is a man whose bail reform releases violent criminals back into society where they commit crimes, again and again.</p><p><br /></p><p>What this press interview (first part of announcement is in French, English begins at 4:25).</p><p><br /></p><p>Link to Pierre Poilievre Presser: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/dWi0Hbos3bE?feature=share">https://www.youtube.com/live/dWi0Hbos3bE?feature=share</a></p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-78467804090265693742023-02-08T16:18:00.005-05:002023-02-08T16:18:28.259-05:00Why Islamic Mortgages Are More Expensive<p>As many of my friends may know, I have done a lot of digging (and writing) on Islamic mortgage options available to potential homebuyers who want to avoid interest. At one time, it could be said that most are scams, but that is no longer true. There are some options available nowadays, but of course there are big problems with all of them. Not all are 100% Islamic (sadly), but some are better than others.</p><p>I am writing this post to explain why when you go to an "Islamic" mortgage, you actually end up paying more. There are two main reasons for this.</p><p><b>Reason one:</b> the Islamic "bank" is actually borrowing the money themselves from a credit union or a bank. This is far more common than you think, and of course the "Islamic bank" has to really pay interest on that loan. They in turn collect that from you the home buyer, but call it profit margin. And since it's usually 0.5% more than the interest rate they themselves pay, it's really profit for the Islamic bank also.</p><p>Essentially they are the middleman and you are paying them. So you have to ask yourself, how Islamic is all this really? You are not paying interest, the "Islamic bank" is neither collecting nor paying interest (allegedly), but somehow that underlying credit union or bank is still getting interest. Who is fooling who?</p><p><b>Reason two:</b> The Islamic bank has rich investors (usually from abroad like Malaysia, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia), and has to offer them better investment rates than the bank bonds. </p><p>So for example you can right now buy a Gov of Canada GIC bond and get rate of 5%. It's risk free and in 5 years you get your principal back as well. So why would these investors not buy a bond, but loan to a poor Muslim such as you or me to buy a home? So they get a better return than the bond, of course. </p><p>And since you cannot make money off a loan, this whole house transaction is structured as a business partnership (shares in the house and all that). Ultimately you end up paying a profit margin of around 7-8% because these investors want to beat the bond market. </p><p>It would be simple if the Islamic bank just bought and sold the house to you, right? Take this example: say this investor buys a house at $500 K and sells to a Muslim family at 650K the day later. Guaranteed profit, but of course the average family will take years to pay back. Say 10 years for our example. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NqMQt9CucljtIW28CXj7cRcrRPI-3VZ5ksyvt_5MBYOBM8AOocXrPecKAsc_8DxwZgEuqPmmspEE41zUMU16r5oWyiBedJpvapK0H2UHv2s2RNrsQ8fDMmzXZ1isSdWh5JCUC-j-JvL9SvCCHcFCH6OC7YNRbOZYuA4c6pJwTF7ndXBRGyg/s774/roi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="774" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NqMQt9CucljtIW28CXj7cRcrRPI-3VZ5ksyvt_5MBYOBM8AOocXrPecKAsc_8DxwZgEuqPmmspEE41zUMU16r5oWyiBedJpvapK0H2UHv2s2RNrsQ8fDMmzXZ1isSdWh5JCUC-j-JvL9SvCCHcFCH6OC7YNRbOZYuA4c6pJwTF7ndXBRGyg/s320/roi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The rate of return is actually 30%. But over the 10 years it's less than 3% rate of return. The investor will say, I will just buy the bond.</p><p>Hence the Islamic bank will have to entice them with a better rate. No one will buy a $500K house for $1 million, so they have to do all that shares business nonsense to structure it in a "halal" way.</p><p>In the end, none of these loans are truly 100% halal - some are just more Islamic than others. Remember, all of them renegotiate the loan very 5 years ... this is a big problem from an Islamic <i>fiqh</i> point of view. The problem is that they are trying to square a round hole - make money off a loan.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-36747059505237849362023-01-26T14:42:00.002-05:002023-01-26T18:42:47.913-05:00An Interview on CBC The National<p>Last week I was interviewed for the television by the CBC - Canada's national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for a news segment on the bank interest rate decision (a rate hike). The story was aired on Wednesday January 25, 2023, the same day the Bank of Canada raised interest rates by 25 basis points.</p><p><b>You can watch / listen to / read about the story, including my quotes, here:</b> </p><p>The National (YouTube): <a href="https://youtu.be/J-GSccTUKow">Bank of Canada hikes interest rates again</a></p><p>Digital Article: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bank-of-canada-january-rate-decision-1.6725283">Bank of Canada raises rates yet again</a></p><p>CBC Radio: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-8-cbc-news-the-world-at-six">The World At Six With Susan Bonner</a></p><p><b>How It Came To Be:</b></p><p>I follow a few CBC reporters on Twitter, and during the first and second rate hikes in 2022, one of them tweeted that she would love to connect with Canadians who are seeing their mortgage payments go up. I replied to that, and she followed up with a conversation. Later on, I spoke with someone from CBC Radio. The reporter ultimately decided not to go ahead with the story, but she kept my information on record for the future.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38_mtibfiqUHg_zO74ivAcQAYPw18jlUTTM2gTuzwoAAjurSZImNdyArq42AoZJpWRaaNim-RMs1RQEwPDdvD7-OkhOlyGW8cMGqpPqxvLHdWLb0T3MbnovyAT2LVdgnhH_flxCt7CWqu9NtNW9-lIhiQfSb8PbSPebdBQCbRWngmsbYM-wE/s900/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-01-20%20at%2012.52.01%20PM%20(2)-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38_mtibfiqUHg_zO74ivAcQAYPw18jlUTTM2gTuzwoAAjurSZImNdyArq42AoZJpWRaaNim-RMs1RQEwPDdvD7-OkhOlyGW8cMGqpPqxvLHdWLb0T3MbnovyAT2LVdgnhH_flxCt7CWqu9NtNW9-lIhiQfSb8PbSPebdBQCbRWngmsbYM-wE/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-01-20%20at%2012.52.01%20PM%20(2)-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Now I had been against these rate hikes ever since the interest rate crossed 3%, as I viewed them as excessive and not needed (simply because the source of inflation was not excess demand but supply side issues and domestic corporate concentration and profiteering). I had written on it extensively on Facebook and other social media.<p></p><p><b>The Experience:</b></p><p>About two weeks ago, I got a call from another reporter, who wanted to follow up with me after so long. This was going to be for The National, and this is when CBC made an appointment to come to my house and record the interview. It was a very interesting experience.</p><p>I was asked to share the story of my mortgage, and how the rising rates were affecting our family. I was asked why I decided on a variable mortgage earlier, and how I am planning to keep up with the ever rising payments. I spoke at length of my criticism of the Bank of Canada and their decisions. I also pointed out what the government headed by Prime Minister Trudeau did wrong - and they acted too late and did too little.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoFDUZVI5HTsyHMfvpQdxAK6L75wh3EVR-LrIQ5LWBp4LbLkrmn71fEw-8kgme-OQ4stCV9sIX4yJZu3vV4tCthC5STJRh6v1xO7ykDKq4OA1YPbZgp1V3E7kYxBfTmX6UOIsEy-tTYUnK-KFXZKhkRz131HBh-5_ZgbgWVE_apKRr8Ys6JM/s900/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-01-20%20at%2012.52.01%20PM-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoFDUZVI5HTsyHMfvpQdxAK6L75wh3EVR-LrIQ5LWBp4LbLkrmn71fEw-8kgme-OQ4stCV9sIX4yJZu3vV4tCthC5STJRh6v1xO7ykDKq4OA1YPbZgp1V3E7kYxBfTmX6UOIsEy-tTYUnK-KFXZKhkRz131HBh-5_ZgbgWVE_apKRr8Ys6JM/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-01-20%20at%2012.52.01%20PM-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Overall, the CBC crew spent close to 90 minutes at my place. The whole news segment was just over 2 minutes long, and in those 2 minutes they probably aired 15-30 seconds of the footage they recorded with me, as they also interviewed other people for the story. Yet, for those 30 seconds, it was a 90 minute work, including set up.</p><p>Both the field reporter and the cameraman were extremely nice and professional. They knew I had never done any TV interview, so they knew how to put me at ease, and gave clear directions. It also provided a very interesting behind the scenes look at how those news clips are shot. </p><p>In one of the scenes, I showed them my bank statements, and showed how the payments had gone up so quickly, so fast. That clip was shot three times with three different cameras (basically I had to say the same thing thrice).</p><p>Overall, it was a good experience, and I asked the reporter why they are interviewing me (and people like me). They replied that we know what the Bank of Canada will do and say; we want to share the stories of average Canadians who are going through this crisis and carry their voice. She also lamented the fact that while many, many people write to complain, once CBC asks them for their story on camera, many of them back away.</p><div><br /></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-79669144040023798202023-01-11T12:49:00.008-05:002023-01-11T12:50:17.968-05:00 As a Muslim, can I even justify voting for the Trudeau Liberals?<p style="text-align: left;">Let me wind the clock back twenty three years ago. We all know the horrific events that happened on that fateful day in September, and how four planes with criminals on board destroyed the lives of many people. GW Bush was the President of USA, and Chretien was PM of Canada. Chretien was a Liberal, and Bush a Republican.</p><p>Those of you who are too young to remember the times are lucky. We lived through a time where our faith was maligned every day, where charlatans like Tarek Fatah took advantage to ridicule the Islamic faith for money, and where sellouts were prevalent, helping foster a climate of Islamophobia, racism and extreme hatred. Laws would come out every other day targeting Muslims, and the very existence of Islam in North America was a question.</p><p>We survived. It wasn't easy. I remember the times USA started to discriminate against Canadians entering USA who were Muslim. It was Chretien who stood up to the Americans and gave them a stern warning. I remember the NDP leader in parliament saying Osama, Omar were all Canadian names as well. The Conservatives were conspicuous by their absence. In fact, Stephen Harper relished the environment. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfawnBZQCY9frxwGjvoXsCYMtLLgTZKVSGaieM-MV__w5weZBNHFufgsB6OVvBI73ZmeiuMjtAvXjYwblPmnuTBtUzq2EFsApkxtpwJ_205f0NQa3KMxnbG4ZjTqAfiUQ42USSpFQw-ROjW1rJ0bPOPvCfnvSf_l5TnnbB9zBZjmMoAGML5TU/s640/harper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="640" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfawnBZQCY9frxwGjvoXsCYMtLLgTZKVSGaieM-MV__w5weZBNHFufgsB6OVvBI73ZmeiuMjtAvXjYwblPmnuTBtUzq2EFsApkxtpwJ_205f0NQa3KMxnbG4ZjTqAfiUQ42USSpFQw-ROjW1rJ0bPOPvCfnvSf_l5TnnbB9zBZjmMoAGML5TU/s320/harper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><p>As the drumbeats for the war in Iraq started to intensify, it took all the diplomatic skills and integrity of Chretien to say 'No'. Britain couldn't do it, and Tony Blair became Bush's poodle. France said No, and were roundly punished by USA diplomatically. Canada said No, but somehow maneuvered around the diplomatic fallout by committing more troops in Afghanistan. We escaped Iraq, but I cannot forget Stephen Harper. He was the Leader of the Opposition, and was so angry we were not in Iraq that he took out an ad in Wall Street Journal, writing against Canada's decision. </p></div><p>Times changed, and soon Stephen Harper became the PM. He did not change, however. In a famous interview with CBC, he said the greatest danger to Canada was "Islamicism". He scapegoated Muslims, and I have written about his Islamophobia here in an article - The <a href="https://mezba.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-racism-of-stephen-harper.html">Racism of Stephen Harper Conservatives</a>. </p><p>Harper led the country economically very well, particularly through the 2007-2009 crisis. However, when he finally got his majority, his true self came out. Who can forget the Niqab ban, the Second Class Citizenship rule, the Barbaric Practices phone line. Canadians had enough.</p><p>The election of Justin Trudeau in 2015 wasn't only a remedy to Harper, it was badly needed. Canada was slipping truly into a horrible place, and Trudeau and his sunny ways managed to course correct - a lot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpm6HLibz42PadGhsmt2FGh5MbVPbb_w9zF4kFycvxUNozclLIx4N76xAuW3SMcOBWJn7cZMbwtkhC4ogb5FFHdQl2X9Uqi-9cA3LuFT_veOBzYzLAShC2DyOV5D8l27DYhS_GohH65XNbu1rexhVgpjCCLHbSdB3HX7rAbeuPXf-WjvH54Q/s800/trudeaucap-800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="800" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpm6HLibz42PadGhsmt2FGh5MbVPbb_w9zF4kFycvxUNozclLIx4N76xAuW3SMcOBWJn7cZMbwtkhC4ogb5FFHdQl2X9Uqi-9cA3LuFT_veOBzYzLAShC2DyOV5D8l27DYhS_GohH65XNbu1rexhVgpjCCLHbSdB3HX7rAbeuPXf-WjvH54Q/s320/trudeaucap-800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>There was a very uneasy alliance between the political left in Canada (and USA), and the Muslim community. For the majority of Muslims are actually conservative (small c) in their values, but do not vote for the right because of Islamophobia and racism. It is still true in the USA, even though a third of Muslims there voted for Trump in 2020. This is an uneasy alliance because the main values that the left supports - LGBTQ, reduced role of marriage, gay marriage, trans sexuality, legalization of drugs, assisted suicide, extreme feminism, political correctness, cancel culture, ridiculous government benefits and large government programs, high taxes - these all run counter to Muslims and their values. Yet Muslims keep voting for the left in large numbers due to the main reason - Racism and Islamophobia by the right. It's an existential crisis versus a crisis of values.</p><p>Trudeau understood it well. On the election night of 2015, as he gave his winning speech, he spoke of the Muslim girl whose mother had asked him about Hijab (now we know the child was actually a boy). On becoming the Prime Minister, he did all the right things. He set the right tone, especially after the horrific Quebec massacre. He promoted diversity and spoke against racism and hatred. "Sunny ways", as he said, was dominating Canada. </p><p>Yet, somewhere, those other uneasy alliances also started to creep up. For so long, Liberals had carefully walked the centre (which is why they are the West's most successful political party). Under Trudeau, the Liberals took a hard turn to the left.</p><p>Weed has been legalized all over Canada. It is now hard to walk in any major park in a city and not come across the foul smell of marijuana. It is everywhere, along with an opioid and drug crisis that seems to wreck urban centres, such as Vancouver.</p><p>Crime is out of control, especially post pandemic. Car thefts, random stabbings, house break ins, armed robbery all seem to be on the rise, along with gang violence. Many blame the Liberal's soft on crime approach, and especially their reformed bail laws, which let many violent criminals out of jail soon - only to re-offend. The right traditionally favours a tough on crime attitude (indeed many say Harper became PM because of the Boxing Day shooting in Toronto in 2005). </p><p>LGBTQ propaganda is not just everywhere , it is in our schools and shoved down the throats of our impressionable children. It is no longer just OK to be tolerant and accept different values; we now have to renounce our own opinions and feelings about the issue. Trudeau passed the horrible Bill C16 which has led to teachers in Oakville who were born male wear giant prosthetic breasts, dress as a female and teach children, with the school board unable to intervene. Teachers are teaching rainbow coalitions to children as young as Grade 4, and in Ontario the Premier Wynne was booted after she tried to teach masturbation to kids as young as 6 years old. In British Columbia, a father has been prevented by the court from interfering with his twelve year old child's decision to undertake surgery to change gender. Puberty blocking drags and castration (called gender change surgery) are now prevalent. Trudeau even made a guest appearance on a drag queen show on TV.</p><p>Hard core extreme feminism is pushed everywhere, not least in the cabinet. You cannot write against it for fear of employment, as even licensing bodies are threatening your freedom of speech. And if you get past that, it is the government's bill C11 which is going to censure you. We should have gotten a glimpse when Trudeau forbid anyone from his own party from having any beliefs of abortion that ran counter to the main feminist view. That was an early sign which we all ignored.</p><p>It is no longer possible to have a single income family in Canada. Previously, a husband could work and earn and provide for his family while the mother took care of raising the children. This was the traditional model in Canada for a long time. Under Trudeau, his policies along with rising inflation has killed that ideal. Right now, you HAVE to work, and your spouse HAS to work, because simply there is no other option.</p><p>Trudeau is bringing millions of new immigrants to Canada without any plan. There is already lots of pressure on housing, on health care, on schools and on jobs. How can we accommodate the millions of new people while the ones here are already suffering?</p><p>As a Muslim, you may have been saved from racism by the Liberals, but they are attacking every aspect of your way of life. Your morals, the value of marriage, the reliability of good old traditional social values that made society work, the value of hard work, the value of your dollar - everything is under threat by Trudeau and his minions. </p><p>So, the question is, can we still vote for the Liberals?</p><p>I will be voting for a man who has turned a blind eye to his own ministers giving their friends lucrative government contracts - in effect stealing from the public purse. He himself blew $30,000 on a luxury hotel in London for 5 nights. I will be voting for a man who comes after my children, my values, my religion, my speech, my worship and my wallet - every chance he gets. How can I justify voting for him?</p><p>It will all depend on the Opposition. If the Conservatives can get their act together, and show us that they have learned from 2015, and they do not intend to resurrect the racism and xenophobia, they may have a chance. After all, most of their values closely align with not only Muslims, but many immigrants.</p><p>The ball is in your court, Pierre Poilievre. </p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-36764277552495747832022-11-04T11:36:00.006-04:002022-11-04T12:31:34.314-04:00How to win elections, Justin Trudeau style<p> </p><h4 class="x1heor9g x1qlqyl8 x1pd3egz x1a2a7pz xod5an3" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Short answer:</span></span><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;"> </span><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">give lots of people money and create vote banks. Also,</span><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;"> </span><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">he has a nice smile</span></span><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">.</span></h4><div><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vnRchmONK3jX0tNbOxeqf5iBnJ-b-sc2sjjeXfFMuRk_NWGrIHfDxjZ4d0Ic-Qv6AaSVwEe0rYVu1207_mEIVrSURldPMFjAM_gY4yY0T-Gv6YmZJo-WqhbSfr5mM0x-cCfbNp6AkbqpUN4ue8kNR8_RKzU0XTSinw05K6L9iUtjsjGSE7c/s800/trudeaucap-800.jpg" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="800" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vnRchmONK3jX0tNbOxeqf5iBnJ-b-sc2sjjeXfFMuRk_NWGrIHfDxjZ4d0Ic-Qv6AaSVwEe0rYVu1207_mEIVrSURldPMFjAM_gY4yY0T-Gv6YmZJo-WqhbSfr5mM0x-cCfbNp6AkbqpUN4ue8kNR8_RKzU0XTSinw05K6L9iUtjsjGSE7c/s320/trudeaucap-800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">In our community (Bangladeshi Canadians / South Asians), possibly 90% people here will vote Liberal. Think of why Liberals will win again (especially your vote):</span></div><ul class="x1e56ztr x1xmf6yo x1xfsgkm xtaz4m5" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px;"><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Make us dependent on government - Create conditions by poor economic planning, such that we will have record inflation (worst in 40 years), so that there is no choice <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">but to hope for a handout</span></span> from the government, rather than through hard work</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Empower a minority through laws such as Bill C16 and censor opposition through Bill C11 such that you cannot talk against said minority, who will consistently vote Liberal. Remember the teacher who wore prosthetic boobs, and all the weed smoked all the time at all the parks in Canada? They will all vote Liberal.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Keep immigrants and minorities weak.</span></span> This is very important. You cannot empower minorities and immigrants too much. Otherwise they become middle class and start to vote conservative. You must let them always be dependent on government for handouts.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Gut the middle class.</span></span> This too is important. Middle class people are swing voters who do not have party loyalty. In Canada, the rich people control most of the wealth and government, so they don't care who wins. The poor (and the lazy) and the disadvantaged tend to vote Liberal . So it is to the Liberal party's advantage that middle class is gutted - hence you see all the wealth transfers and the inflationary spending and the big government programs designed to take YOUR money and give to the struggling class.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Final point - <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">spread fear</span></span>. Harper was a bad guy, we all know that. He has tarnished the Conservative image so much, and now Trudeau has a bonus in Doug Ford. All he has to do is point the finger at them, and scare people who ignore his other faults.</span></div></li></ul><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Tell me. You, the middle class, will never see a penny of the GST rebate. You will not avail the dental program, unless you commit fraud (which is being encouraged by the lax measures put in place). You will not get a place in the $10 daycare for your child. Yet, you will pay for ALL of these. As well, you will pay the banks and the rich people for your mortgage as your rates go up and up.</span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Now, think of all of these, and what you ignore simply because Trudeau is a pretty face:</span></div><ul class="x1e56ztr x1xmf6yo x1xfsgkm xtaz4m5" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px;"><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">convicted</span></span> SEVERAL times of ethical violations.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM to have admitted to GROPING a woman.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM caught in blackface, multiple times.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM who interfered in a LEGAL matter, and then FIRED the Attorney General (who was an Aboriginal Woman) because she wasn't as corrupt as him.</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM who used the death of a Queen to stay in a $6000/ night hotel , get drunk and sing at the bar and party on your money</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM to have created the LARGEST asset bubble in history, ANYWHERE in the world</span></div></li><li><div class="x1e56ztr" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">only PM to have presided over the largest rate hikes in the last 31 years.</span></div></li></ul><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Now, cost of everything has gone up, value of your money has gone down, your paycheque buys less -- in other words, you are rapidly being pushed out of the middle class.</span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">And you will still vote for him because he says some nice things. Even as he outlaws your religious practices and curbs your right to teach your religion to your kids the way you want. All because of a smile.</span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">This is how Justin will win.</span></div><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-7839932777353594212022-09-29T13:54:00.003-04:002022-09-29T13:57:25.200-04:00Let's Talk About Bill 21<p> Let's talk about Bill 21.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8QXORAVYLP6z8GLr3eGWOIZaFYtDfhDBqx44sX0zVsxRQiwbGILuOn4NQlD8UlfC-U1KQHTPm9CSbyxT8fVk46MIgOpwdDSdCxXcgSRY8O3qZtgm8GY0wONlNXaI_rQCv3wrUiTUQuOPFdf8vNaTPnM9Nszv7RnTW58Cqzc2NLjsVfj0ZVQ/s400/queen_hijab-400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8QXORAVYLP6z8GLr3eGWOIZaFYtDfhDBqx44sX0zVsxRQiwbGILuOn4NQlD8UlfC-U1KQHTPm9CSbyxT8fVk46MIgOpwdDSdCxXcgSRY8O3qZtgm8GY0wONlNXaI_rQCv3wrUiTUQuOPFdf8vNaTPnM9Nszv7RnTW58Cqzc2NLjsVfj0ZVQ/s320/queen_hijab-400.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br /><div><br />This writer has several female relatives who wear the hijab. One of them is working in a hospital where she takes care of the most serious Covid infected patients (something she did from the start of the pandemic). Another works for the Covid response team that is in charge of identifying and dealing with flareups and infection spread. A third one works for the ministry of finance while a fourth is a teacher.<br /><br />All of these strong women are not only saving lives, they are helping Canada be a better place. Yet none of them are allowed to work in one province of Canada - Quebec. Just because of what they wear.<br /><br />Today, we see protests in Iran where a woman was killed (and others are getting killed), all because the government wanted to control what this lady was wearing. Our government, PM Justin Trudeau, was quick to announce new sanctions on Iran. Our leader of the opposition, Pierre Poilievre, was quick to denounce Iran. MPs from both parties were quick to participate in the protests in Canada.<br /><br />Yet, what is our position on Bill 21? A province in our own country, possibly the most racist province of all, does not allow women to work while wearing the hijab. Justin Trudeau has been the Liberal Prime Minister for the last 7 years, and other than "keeping the door open", has not done anything. Erin O Toole, the last leader of the Opposition, did not allow his MPs to criticize this bill, despite many Conservatives wanting to.<br /><br />It is time for a new direction. I hope the new leader of the Conservative party takes a more active role in opposing Bill 21 (and opposing Quebec in this). There is only so much the federal party can do in a provincial jurisdiction, but they do have some forceful tools in their toolkit. It is time to use them.<br /><br />And it is also time to take action against other countries that try to regulate women's clothing. India is on its way there, and France already is there. If we are not having sanctions against these countries, why do we have sanctions against Iran?<br /><br />But first, let's solve our own issue first. Time to deal with Quebec. </div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-2918807756360294582022-09-11T16:11:00.002-04:002022-09-11T16:11:20.305-04:00Sudbury - Day 3 - A Railroad Museum & Return to Toronto<p><a href="http://mezba.blogspot.com/2022/09/sudbury-day-2-dynamic-earth-and-onaping.html"><i>Continued from Day 2 ...</i></a></p><p>It was a Sunday, and it was time to return home. But there was one thing we wanted to visit before heading back towards Toronto. </p><p><b>Northern Ontario Railroad Museum & Heritage Centre</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nD71PnOpdyDcdGAMiTbIEY8VCuj6g0mMcR47841aMwJXU_CNjsCUvtxJn_IoXAxPllG1fQfM-XRE44d2Xg-waPAzd4QBFnKGl4Iz2Ya7xTbSj5NC7EWQA9G_ZVDu1kZCEzRTfszP1j1QmTkPR2i7UoePWVtx2tZSVkXTunLEZ7Uyokw7B-8/s900/abeer_IMG_1478-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nD71PnOpdyDcdGAMiTbIEY8VCuj6g0mMcR47841aMwJXU_CNjsCUvtxJn_IoXAxPllG1fQfM-XRE44d2Xg-waPAzd4QBFnKGl4Iz2Ya7xTbSj5NC7EWQA9G_ZVDu1kZCEzRTfszP1j1QmTkPR2i7UoePWVtx2tZSVkXTunLEZ7Uyokw7B-8/s320/abeer_IMG_1478-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>This small railroad museum is half an hour north of the city of Greater Sudbury. The Victorian style house, built in 1916, is now home to a number of exhibits that pay tribute to the region’s rich lumber, mining and railroading heritage. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YknnW-E7NaO0if84PEPEHgnpnowBJSSvG3pnWBjL93Uy_ay6gi9X_21ynYCLtgvT-PxWLa_HKWubfNLHpNF5Bw0zWstdcQhe36txgoMfuKwjfHFIXW6XVNHzBqzM1WHHIzsLvIvurdkAbALhtTYydPnvCYmKxyvo1s4_3_gs3esS-cwKlM0/s900/20220717_122835-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YknnW-E7NaO0if84PEPEHgnpnowBJSSvG3pnWBjL93Uy_ay6gi9X_21ynYCLtgvT-PxWLa_HKWubfNLHpNF5Bw0zWstdcQhe36txgoMfuKwjfHFIXW6XVNHzBqzM1WHHIzsLvIvurdkAbALhtTYydPnvCYmKxyvo1s4_3_gs3esS-cwKlM0/s320/20220717_122835-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The building also houses the museum’s gift shop, washroom facilities and quaint tea room serving hot and cold refreshments during the summer months.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxI56W_bOWkOFBQC9aZVoAt_7K-CO5YK9zY9rYN3sMXPISk1lLeRzqOPnGO47mW5d_QsLElxKHkIyKnJr75_H2BFJvEcozJCrKvqgwkw2VQxo-fpENtoErbKGLhYCyUU2jZCLBPpV7tZDpSzHlw-E1CLdQmNxQGDtVk_NiUjwH__eDWfLKsU/s900/20220717_123024-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxI56W_bOWkOFBQC9aZVoAt_7K-CO5YK9zY9rYN3sMXPISk1lLeRzqOPnGO47mW5d_QsLElxKHkIyKnJr75_H2BFJvEcozJCrKvqgwkw2VQxo-fpENtoErbKGLhYCyUU2jZCLBPpV7tZDpSzHlw-E1CLdQmNxQGDtVk_NiUjwH__eDWfLKsU/s320/20220717_123024-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The house had quite a good collection of antiques. It is also remarkable to think that a typewriter, which I had seen in offices while growing up, is now classified as an 'antique'.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAuEXEcJGIUU5GB0Klh9HAOKsAkiiXUwtBTGscVh4REL1F9ii2NLECrW5uSR0YsQeeUa8y9hCzMZEOVY6JyISLuWHYg6ux6C1Bv7Mq-9lLM2Krc8YXeFZnC4yyqD4t2-upiIfybua8CrCCMk_GWhthgmEJLOTLQh0J8zDRtqHxHW9HtGTEXQ/s900/20220717_123317-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAuEXEcJGIUU5GB0Klh9HAOKsAkiiXUwtBTGscVh4REL1F9ii2NLECrW5uSR0YsQeeUa8y9hCzMZEOVY6JyISLuWHYg6ux6C1Bv7Mq-9lLM2Krc8YXeFZnC4yyqD4t2-upiIfybua8CrCCMk_GWhthgmEJLOTLQh0J8zDRtqHxHW9HtGTEXQ/s320/20220717_123317-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0w7bRbs567KIsWGHNKRs0MW9nG-1VC1TEijKf0_0g6wbOCGIkHmMAoKPNYVcpUQ-OElsneun66feXtfVU-yV7XkLfv3QQC6LLczFUtJQ4vbk-jrXoWAfjo_iHzx-jo0EjfO_ljllmyQCZeKlGbzAWEFeWP4R693nvIw7xfET1xugsELMy_8/s900/20220717_123538-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0w7bRbs567KIsWGHNKRs0MW9nG-1VC1TEijKf0_0g6wbOCGIkHmMAoKPNYVcpUQ-OElsneun66feXtfVU-yV7XkLfv3QQC6LLczFUtJQ4vbk-jrXoWAfjo_iHzx-jo0EjfO_ljllmyQCZeKlGbzAWEFeWP4R693nvIw7xfET1xugsELMy_8/s320/20220717_123538-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVzqfWhAXk47KtBb1n4OBxIrlvjl6OoRhBCEDBRITVCbKAOAHp9oc_W75zlau5IWcMpfMxQEIrBkUiG_oQMcCHqzISbwML47BZF0Mm9ltATSa2aWS5EIa8lFFVjrG883vuZqOymQG2bnOnlz60qS0EjKyh0j-Bnv_FGi1phgJwEA2UAlXpdk/s900/20220717_123606-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVzqfWhAXk47KtBb1n4OBxIrlvjl6OoRhBCEDBRITVCbKAOAHp9oc_W75zlau5IWcMpfMxQEIrBkUiG_oQMcCHqzISbwML47BZF0Mm9ltATSa2aWS5EIa8lFFVjrG883vuZqOymQG2bnOnlz60qS0EjKyh0j-Bnv_FGi1phgJwEA2UAlXpdk/s320/20220717_123606-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As of the time of this writing, the museum is only open during the summer season, so do plan your trip ahead. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm6TBySmd2zOuF9dYKCc2KRYWkiBkqi9INdHUfYB_YXCh30rYENTBr6077972mRINapU6O-pez9m2lx0xWzuqvEnkIlM6ua6h2vhWdvvwgeafKFK90WOpAQbUsgV4yzPTr8xHfX8g7xvUO9T10yqX-vq4FlA94bfYjm5IDCCKfHSNt_qWDyg/s900/20220717_123828-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm6TBySmd2zOuF9dYKCc2KRYWkiBkqi9INdHUfYB_YXCh30rYENTBr6077972mRINapU6O-pez9m2lx0xWzuqvEnkIlM6ua6h2vhWdvvwgeafKFK90WOpAQbUsgV4yzPTr8xHfX8g7xvUO9T10yqX-vq4FlA94bfYjm5IDCCKfHSNt_qWDyg/s320/20220717_123828-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, we saw the sign "Do not touch the exhibits" only too late. No more on that :-)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4HjnKiuVwaVFIv2az6i7jd74JdFmzEa-Kf7WkMk9vGhML1fp9if4Rex4f3ps-TlUmvgBlEcsPo_rcMN5fHpxPz6mxm6RfIHjIGkKo8Afop9OLgRdhx6u9bCFXzCaxPyNAueDzaYkf7C-SxWCeG8gb5evKaG2v8q3EIVVVYRVzXXHPCwxj1c/s900/20220717_124801-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4HjnKiuVwaVFIv2az6i7jd74JdFmzEa-Kf7WkMk9vGhML1fp9if4Rex4f3ps-TlUmvgBlEcsPo_rcMN5fHpxPz6mxm6RfIHjIGkKo8Afop9OLgRdhx6u9bCFXzCaxPyNAueDzaYkf7C-SxWCeG8gb5evKaG2v8q3EIVVVYRVzXXHPCwxj1c/s320/20220717_124801-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Once you go outside the Victorian house, you can see the rolling stock, as well as homes of the train engineers and other personell.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzv0HtYZMJpuzKbgqgRxE8qZOfCWOdpeOrTcbCDu9Qp5LiecCujNGk5exhJfRlkx4NvD19hWzNcSGwAMgGApifwd52iSErVYr6_7JDSobj4JhfeA1LiYejd_si5Ozp9Eibhpy9RPg_m_q_fJ1Wk61qsT4N7-EuVbSC_vRJpityVamT-_QWH4/s900/20220717_124901-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzv0HtYZMJpuzKbgqgRxE8qZOfCWOdpeOrTcbCDu9Qp5LiecCujNGk5exhJfRlkx4NvD19hWzNcSGwAMgGApifwd52iSErVYr6_7JDSobj4JhfeA1LiYejd_si5Ozp9Eibhpy9RPg_m_q_fJ1Wk61qsT4N7-EuVbSC_vRJpityVamT-_QWH4/s320/20220717_124901-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The sheds and other exhibits showed the tools used in that era, as well spare parts, etc.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw7j-WFmiNnWJJUaJwNFtqn6r0lKB0f1s-jha8pkGFIERqh18BsRVeyeOPgL-9pJQmg75zt244mNE4ka0zP-_qt08Eg6OcX6goTmVRbTPYdBqvqf4H4HS0iB2Te8K_Yvq3zPIJTOe0ZrkO464PQPuXhBji2cOK6YD52vui1GNQygBa70RF_A/s900/20220717_124919-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw7j-WFmiNnWJJUaJwNFtqn6r0lKB0f1s-jha8pkGFIERqh18BsRVeyeOPgL-9pJQmg75zt244mNE4ka0zP-_qt08Eg6OcX6goTmVRbTPYdBqvqf4H4HS0iB2Te8K_Yvq3zPIJTOe0ZrkO464PQPuXhBji2cOK6YD52vui1GNQygBa70RF_A/s320/20220717_124919-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqofQVQ_iI-ydSlIwJNPkZxEET3yme5Xd6qK4eUzGkyMvWlq0mnshIiyLOZFWkfoSb1z7otkYn-1gqRYZXi6ta26nJw6pdxPd8kX_3Lg9UvqzFXZ8AL5of3_6C7Y0-DSuJsFykbvJsDM3vpsLYfX8HSKl_Zxi7LTyS3htzZaJhStGbTiEhTdY/s900/20220717_124958-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqofQVQ_iI-ydSlIwJNPkZxEET3yme5Xd6qK4eUzGkyMvWlq0mnshIiyLOZFWkfoSb1z7otkYn-1gqRYZXi6ta26nJw6pdxPd8kX_3Lg9UvqzFXZ8AL5of3_6C7Y0-DSuJsFykbvJsDM3vpsLYfX8HSKl_Zxi7LTyS3htzZaJhStGbTiEhTdY/s320/20220717_124958-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCmqt9JHp1STsuWoArhxsqgkm2SPOTlsvMzpgka11GRlWAfElnK_56PZ7SOb9MaORTjp4fC-f7JcUg0QkPBjI_cYDaW2qAiDtMcxSFtt8h3ngteMUtYlRDS-hDD1W4JtBazwyWcwMCwUNnXQvQ5I1QfIqgG9poWY_FklTCgPtMsyWhn4srl0/s900/20220717_125331-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCmqt9JHp1STsuWoArhxsqgkm2SPOTlsvMzpgka11GRlWAfElnK_56PZ7SOb9MaORTjp4fC-f7JcUg0QkPBjI_cYDaW2qAiDtMcxSFtt8h3ngteMUtYlRDS-hDD1W4JtBazwyWcwMCwUNnXQvQ5I1QfIqgG9poWY_FklTCgPtMsyWhn4srl0/s320/20220717_125331-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>You can get inside some of the trains outside, and see how it was furnished back in the day.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGCEm_lBS40UteMVZWDRMjDybAs_1b3b9ZFE4dJnaXuqrjj61RdkwQnczIjWGOIIhzfSRF621F0cd34Tgvdes3PLxKnj1H7UPcJk0lRqIg4WUfOq_Bkq3QVFckRomsLLnWmUefAVlQKUE-TRUuU6SZ3A0nBVB1eihxJZza34aahk-fkG0xOs/s900/20220717_125336-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGCEm_lBS40UteMVZWDRMjDybAs_1b3b9ZFE4dJnaXuqrjj61RdkwQnczIjWGOIIhzfSRF621F0cd34Tgvdes3PLxKnj1H7UPcJk0lRqIg4WUfOq_Bkq3QVFckRomsLLnWmUefAVlQKUE-TRUuU6SZ3A0nBVB1eihxJZza34aahk-fkG0xOs/s320/20220717_125336-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm5CCGDyJdBfgmikLCijr7xWI-AtMMeF6aPpohBC-uodIcB3kyRjaAXBdC7NlFFoNTL8uTs5ZvqOsgudJnldsCru4qgc6ykPu7qvhk-Rrij-ILD1CuNQL92Eto6BQH8qGJ6T5UMu5AULBBAAqjMzML7Sk4ZKoYyza69IpuEfzAmuIdUhhZ4c/s900/20220717_125448-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm5CCGDyJdBfgmikLCijr7xWI-AtMMeF6aPpohBC-uodIcB3kyRjaAXBdC7NlFFoNTL8uTs5ZvqOsgudJnldsCru4qgc6ykPu7qvhk-Rrij-ILD1CuNQL92Eto6BQH8qGJ6T5UMu5AULBBAAqjMzML7Sk4ZKoYyza69IpuEfzAmuIdUhhZ4c/s320/20220717_125448-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYkK4HNdhLkXu0ZqriDnwWJNg_FHMyzfX-vr9L34ik5Q6PzFDlb6TWOTD3PUyPGfGEF25JuPWngctOqcBuULwjpBh46zwgbsT3NCRYi4NAR6qIIQM3MHe1q-TH4Mn3TsLQi_IdHGhcJafapN8RR4fg5hcGe-w3JytXFwuxq-OcyASOgxZKxI/s900/20220717_125645-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYkK4HNdhLkXu0ZqriDnwWJNg_FHMyzfX-vr9L34ik5Q6PzFDlb6TWOTD3PUyPGfGEF25JuPWngctOqcBuULwjpBh46zwgbsT3NCRYi4NAR6qIIQM3MHe1q-TH4Mn3TsLQi_IdHGhcJafapN8RR4fg5hcGe-w3JytXFwuxq-OcyASOgxZKxI/s320/20220717_125645-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, you can also do your own <i>Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge</i> photoshoot here.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDtc0FWLyRUbl5derb7pvu5ayTS9js9iUtv0EAz_dF3nQNV2ytfbWaBeS4b_MhcZHDXblHRWfRDVT8tFcBT4-B57Ci4uHTwNqGsUeZ_lTt97b2Xcczbm-9nVsZMZXFOxdzwSFJEdDk0NpLUv2TXJ476HkIfDLvObLQUXSnmtK0vkkFZz9Loo/s900/20220717_125938-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDtc0FWLyRUbl5derb7pvu5ayTS9js9iUtv0EAz_dF3nQNV2ytfbWaBeS4b_MhcZHDXblHRWfRDVT8tFcBT4-B57Ci4uHTwNqGsUeZ_lTt97b2Xcczbm-9nVsZMZXFOxdzwSFJEdDk0NpLUv2TXJ476HkIfDLvObLQUXSnmtK0vkkFZz9Loo/s320/20220717_125938-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nX5ftPVPBA8UgruGfhTNRgEdqIsX1zWIk8uFCKs9amA18uRV70jgTILplBMraG1dRFSywf3NYQLsmmqogsKB0QEHtCY4RxBh4s5DJtTbHMbZejc5oJs3yVRTOUypsX7qxhXOw2NJ5Zezq1uVJGU54iAJwjakAnaJbxv8kS8_slzl1kAHwbE/s900/20220717_125943-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nX5ftPVPBA8UgruGfhTNRgEdqIsX1zWIk8uFCKs9amA18uRV70jgTILplBMraG1dRFSywf3NYQLsmmqogsKB0QEHtCY4RxBh4s5DJtTbHMbZejc5oJs3yVRTOUypsX7qxhXOw2NJ5Zezq1uVJGU54iAJwjakAnaJbxv8kS8_slzl1kAHwbE/s320/20220717_125943-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the most interesting exhibits was the teaching car. I wonder if that was ever a real thing.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LHWMXxFBUPEbORlwf_Fe0XZ6qBkh3vHPBvYl7utBL9iAPVCNGWbru7pJ53XANZB4z4dtAwiareV6OeUgAGKkPUinPGNxhjWWbisoRl2uY5FCTobf2AafI-Z2DBCJoRuGaWQ5ZvvzNNzGQN-aBewRoFbJWrv-zjAFgKPaEjqDEZYJ6jMlqoQ/s900/20220717_130037-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LHWMXxFBUPEbORlwf_Fe0XZ6qBkh3vHPBvYl7utBL9iAPVCNGWbru7pJ53XANZB4z4dtAwiareV6OeUgAGKkPUinPGNxhjWWbisoRl2uY5FCTobf2AafI-Z2DBCJoRuGaWQ5ZvvzNNzGQN-aBewRoFbJWrv-zjAFgKPaEjqDEZYJ6jMlqoQ/s320/20220717_130037-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmUHG6NEI4pKJyKg5JQf3hGEgzT5CKiVfCnQn3FjEve2ZBvXBnR-CqAjxLp7-liXpmWBvMNtyQdk_oQ1vKKgZhaPObSH0We46zZZnK9CQLw259ac8AbdhCI0auM2mZ09ekl744HoFgmGZ_Jl0zkxJNIMVzA8c4ttK-uh8Shj7DW1LkTr0Ajo/s900/20220717_130210-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmUHG6NEI4pKJyKg5JQf3hGEgzT5CKiVfCnQn3FjEve2ZBvXBnR-CqAjxLp7-liXpmWBvMNtyQdk_oQ1vKKgZhaPObSH0We46zZZnK9CQLw259ac8AbdhCI0auM2mZ09ekl744HoFgmGZ_Jl0zkxJNIMVzA8c4ttK-uh8Shj7DW1LkTr0Ajo/s320/20220717_130210-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9Yr2trqtF-o4kG99YGoF-Hg5Gv6AuGPjT-aFVPTGYM1t_tmHG4OKgfBSyeof15BPSpvLc4Yp_GqCSnlq4Gpy_b5Yu46uCRAJeoLxjGLwI2HwG172m_06cqSdk9ES7X1xX7XHAGMLi6EPtcCTENXnJXp3hSRLRjvS2Sh9JRGkIlajH_hmcRM/s900/20220717_130725-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9Yr2trqtF-o4kG99YGoF-Hg5Gv6AuGPjT-aFVPTGYM1t_tmHG4OKgfBSyeof15BPSpvLc4Yp_GqCSnlq4Gpy_b5Yu46uCRAJeoLxjGLwI2HwG172m_06cqSdk9ES7X1xX7XHAGMLi6EPtcCTENXnJXp3hSRLRjvS2Sh9JRGkIlajH_hmcRM/s320/20220717_130725-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroAjOVHo95-NGO59naN9EwKqG_uhQ57Egd1KtTuuzlbGQZ_wm2eI76uprGbBJfHCTZ7xgyhYTtq1-7UbsurPTfAWKLx4dNVYYP6383OBk6DReybwWCkY9pONx3cBc9JonmP8rZQjnZxtTKmbQiJ150oWrNZ_pJug9Xq7sjGKYR5S5Wf3t1PY/s900/20220717_131059-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroAjOVHo95-NGO59naN9EwKqG_uhQ57Egd1KtTuuzlbGQZ_wm2eI76uprGbBJfHCTZ7xgyhYTtq1-7UbsurPTfAWKLx4dNVYYP6383OBk6DReybwWCkY9pONx3cBc9JonmP8rZQjnZxtTKmbQiJ150oWrNZ_pJug9Xq7sjGKYR5S5Wf3t1PY/s320/20220717_131059-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DN3YAQn484z9sZHScy34Qs4QfiSAUnKvXN1p3X3-ba9IWJTpIvZwQnbvsqhYqE5ytJZD3LbblmH6MRIoAeczsMQW5XlnIFydUe45JvaWQ5lqqWGnQ68i4rs3FBW5Qxu97vOE8Fn_CTinFWgJxieJ6HsOpuaw-AedsA_9tEggCGbi6Ui4Nts/s900/abeer_IMG_1488-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DN3YAQn484z9sZHScy34Qs4QfiSAUnKvXN1p3X3-ba9IWJTpIvZwQnbvsqhYqE5ytJZD3LbblmH6MRIoAeczsMQW5XlnIFydUe45JvaWQ5lqqWGnQ68i4rs3FBW5Qxu97vOE8Fn_CTinFWgJxieJ6HsOpuaw-AedsA_9tEggCGbi6Ui4Nts/s320/abeer_IMG_1488-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwG-DbkJRcQqo9q5LImklEXny8bEo6Vpo2xTe91Sin9cUV8tGTxfIyzY2ho8tl4Qm0Gz3nUGBjs_KGEFqJOZHgRQ3MGqjhtcd-ZdH7MGRUvoMGTujMZZ7HVVa-davZ27JMG_hR1vydBYcHUelYiWLVi8aDRVDkqAitolZXTHqAUjPzxXlVadI/s900/abeer_IMG_1493-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwG-DbkJRcQqo9q5LImklEXny8bEo6Vpo2xTe91Sin9cUV8tGTxfIyzY2ho8tl4Qm0Gz3nUGBjs_KGEFqJOZHgRQ3MGqjhtcd-ZdH7MGRUvoMGTujMZZ7HVVa-davZ27JMG_hR1vydBYcHUelYiWLVi8aDRVDkqAitolZXTHqAUjPzxXlVadI/s320/abeer_IMG_1493-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity06Dwl6OmR20MlffO_t2cnBCGgjaDuddORhQndPx7MV51I7XnC89nufzun7QshjXqjrVtTQ12hFD705GiTGdbGoSZ2WihOhtfSVKgGD46lkUSyNvmdjtE03OtDtnhsTrkJTvaFztO_-So9crYyUK_pytbdUgX--zwQwJ52SY0G2BIsYKyoE/s900/abeer_IMG_1502-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity06Dwl6OmR20MlffO_t2cnBCGgjaDuddORhQndPx7MV51I7XnC89nufzun7QshjXqjrVtTQ12hFD705GiTGdbGoSZ2WihOhtfSVKgGD46lkUSyNvmdjtE03OtDtnhsTrkJTvaFztO_-So9crYyUK_pytbdUgX--zwQwJ52SY0G2BIsYKyoE/s320/abeer_IMG_1502-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Prescott Park, named for the former mayor of Capreol Harold Prescott, holds the museum's outdoor locomotive and rolling stock exhibits, as well as the museum's G-Scale model train outdoor layout and children's play structure. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoTUcA4cEKqWhw2jd8R0wmkjeat-btbomJgucQuJ1meFqcHnQYbpiwEbxZjtVLdbNMDnVv5-mVpnAM2wuHCEhWNQdXj7vujSbhjfjRXAY7HjS5BsJbTutv4VfvaOog0UrHaOLuK-rMkha95gQf5ewOPYSboqKOU21z4pix286uEBmEZ6OFB4/s900/abeer_IMG_1509-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="900" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoTUcA4cEKqWhw2jd8R0wmkjeat-btbomJgucQuJ1meFqcHnQYbpiwEbxZjtVLdbNMDnVv5-mVpnAM2wuHCEhWNQdXj7vujSbhjfjRXAY7HjS5BsJbTutv4VfvaOog0UrHaOLuK-rMkha95gQf5ewOPYSboqKOU21z4pix286uEBmEZ6OFB4/s320/abeer_IMG_1509-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This is also home to the Garden of Life, a garden exhibit dedicated to the awareness and celebration of organ donation in Ontario, in association with the Trillium Gift of Life Network. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSFXKRturdLOyJ_H9j6PKaq1rYsuHJE4B67hmbhAFZn76fdPBuhp36B5_R_Snqf7Hxksl41Ob15ZvYyDEUt8gHiATIjtYiJX8kXBkrA8y_QMaUyrkZ9GYuL78P5ZkwS_Yo3bJGPnp1JB6AgZjT4Oj6B1kLbcb46j8U-iZoRfhZiMOC4pv5V4/s900/abeer_IMG_1511-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSFXKRturdLOyJ_H9j6PKaq1rYsuHJE4B67hmbhAFZn76fdPBuhp36B5_R_Snqf7Hxksl41Ob15ZvYyDEUt8gHiATIjtYiJX8kXBkrA8y_QMaUyrkZ9GYuL78P5ZkwS_Yo3bJGPnp1JB6AgZjT4Oj6B1kLbcb46j8U-iZoRfhZiMOC4pv5V4/s320/abeer_IMG_1511-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The park is home to lush gardens and a very unique collection of rolling stock. There are picnic tables on site for visitors wishing to bring their own lunch</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAvOl4HZi6MoC8WwieMk_FFJuTCIHYPru_lSJ3E3Btl6rF1kYeoxnk4J9_vFaho4kOqw8pQPrs2ZCsyTGwWZxf1Ukh1IM35kmW8GMgOUUnSQ0vJ0moouEZx77OTjbxu2ZpWL4cdTvUQg8P5VbFtXjbOWX-vdBpotos5c4e-yZ8z-hlkUG3Eg/s900/abeer_IMG_1512-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="900" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAvOl4HZi6MoC8WwieMk_FFJuTCIHYPru_lSJ3E3Btl6rF1kYeoxnk4J9_vFaho4kOqw8pQPrs2ZCsyTGwWZxf1Ukh1IM35kmW8GMgOUUnSQ0vJ0moouEZx77OTjbxu2ZpWL4cdTvUQg8P5VbFtXjbOWX-vdBpotos5c4e-yZ8z-hlkUG3Eg/s320/abeer_IMG_1512-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBGcuJ3bXsWh3D3XdI05FKYEOfFsB69n6Y7Ag-pMHs7nyVDZfb2copXi0twx9SS85jiMG70dNHuLrBvGZQWz7Vg7fP55lGpKE9I10Fy92SPRljOLQOQuGRs8-qouSMZmyuFcSMKt2zZYJWBrdm_QnucZR2XKcxtUK9dNpCVgDXvkZcWYm6iU/s900/sbeer_IMG_1499-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBGcuJ3bXsWh3D3XdI05FKYEOfFsB69n6Y7Ag-pMHs7nyVDZfb2copXi0twx9SS85jiMG70dNHuLrBvGZQWz7Vg7fP55lGpKE9I10Fy92SPRljOLQOQuGRs8-qouSMZmyuFcSMKt2zZYJWBrdm_QnucZR2XKcxtUK9dNpCVgDXvkZcWYm6iU/s320/sbeer_IMG_1499-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Overall, this was a great place for a quick 2 hour visit, and well worth the detour. It was not too expensive, and kids will love it. From here, back to Toronto, is about a 4.5 hour drive.</p><p>Overall, it was a great visit to Sudbury, which is not too far from the Greater Toronto Area (about 4 hrs drive). </p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-31728668496196694662022-09-06T12:50:00.000-04:002022-09-06T12:50:05.640-04:00Sudbury - Day 2 - Dynamic Earth and Onaping Falls<p><a href="http://mezba.blogspot.com/2022/08/parry-sound-and-sudbury-day-1-thirty.html"><i>Continued from Day 1 ...</i></a></p><p>After having spent time in Parry Sound, we drove on to Sudbury, an hour and half drive north. Not too many know, but Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population. By land area, it is the largest city in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada.</p><p>Sudbury was once a major lumber center and a world leader in nickel mining. Mining and related industries dominated the economy for much of the 20th century. It is that mining history that we will take a look at, as we visit Big Nickel, and Dynamic Earth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-TCUwSdZ7RhmiM58yzqwwazIer6DWT1uCnjA9lPBfnszkAbqWWGx1a3ET4AT7dgshMcXnmaUDg62fzoIs4i4UYOZkm01UhpU8xJ6r99t6PTA6xihBQ13cFaKZLQx3o_2VHX3VJAB3BKGTknp7tksaMekID5ftlB7sNpYSyFcoBv354mNBIc/s900/20220716_135350-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-TCUwSdZ7RhmiM58yzqwwazIer6DWT1uCnjA9lPBfnszkAbqWWGx1a3ET4AT7dgshMcXnmaUDg62fzoIs4i4UYOZkm01UhpU8xJ6r99t6PTA6xihBQ13cFaKZLQx3o_2VHX3VJAB3BKGTknp7tksaMekID5ftlB7sNpYSyFcoBv354mNBIc/s320/20220716_135350-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b>Big Nickel</b> is a nine-metre (30 ft) replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel, located at the grounds of the Dynamic Earth science museum. It is the world's largest depiction of a coin.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgePO_BGOCf2e-LZzgc52WC3wYe4vimPXrMiSmSsSwJsZE5TTIyydWkwJoNcXVoRxqQvqvoeBAMv1zY_proOOT3p01Mz7e6lutA77aaSxHoW3RKa2x4M428bV9zBPliHaySSo1rJA9oF2Ita8WtoL6kKJfd2bVqMZFRAInjlXZ-y0kjiRPuY/s900/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-07-18%20at%202.03.36%20PM-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgePO_BGOCf2e-LZzgc52WC3wYe4vimPXrMiSmSsSwJsZE5TTIyydWkwJoNcXVoRxqQvqvoeBAMv1zY_proOOT3p01Mz7e6lutA77aaSxHoW3RKa2x4M428bV9zBPliHaySSo1rJA9oF2Ita8WtoL6kKJfd2bVqMZFRAInjlXZ-y0kjiRPuY/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-07-18%20at%202.03.36%20PM-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It was now time to visit <b>Dynamic Earth</b>.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbenbc0RngNV-GDNtZH-L8H5JPOzy6oCCXJHYKkWQLc3-zW7tYnxIZZ8buNzpN6IGN0zp1CfT66QclpnVdAx_iu_UVf51HzIKb1EZ3DxMnS90-GIGJWjL77DswKymesPAW_zytwaqZppTgViwK5Yik5ZWbUngVcwyBk1DD7yZiws5u3szVss/s900/20220716_113000-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbenbc0RngNV-GDNtZH-L8H5JPOzy6oCCXJHYKkWQLc3-zW7tYnxIZZ8buNzpN6IGN0zp1CfT66QclpnVdAx_iu_UVf51HzIKb1EZ3DxMnS90-GIGJWjL77DswKymesPAW_zytwaqZppTgViwK5Yik5ZWbUngVcwyBk1DD7yZiws5u3szVss/s320/20220716_113000-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Dynamic Earth is an interactive science museum in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is a MUST VISIT if you are in Sudbury.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did you know there are 4,800 kilometres of mines beneath and surrounding this city. That’s enough tunnel to stretch from Quebec City to Victoria.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0A58_C7D7oRsnxM-Ac-THtM-mF6e_fkgv1JimHz_B7KeTW9F5EoLa3J89VpX9kP7TT666CEwoGZgtrg-cyreQPiYDR7gp8AszFcmyqfuEqeLeewz1AS2zPMHhZdnGCdOa6nu6kNs3sKRoioak2l9ztfnwkcWg6olru-nWSVCp-B8LKRdFPI0/s900/20220716_113720-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0A58_C7D7oRsnxM-Ac-THtM-mF6e_fkgv1JimHz_B7KeTW9F5EoLa3J89VpX9kP7TT666CEwoGZgtrg-cyreQPiYDR7gp8AszFcmyqfuEqeLeewz1AS2zPMHhZdnGCdOa6nu6kNs3sKRoioak2l9ztfnwkcWg6olru-nWSVCp-B8LKRdFPI0/s320/20220716_113720-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Owned-and-operated by Science North, Dynamic Earth is an earth sciences museum which builds on the city's mining heritage, focusing principally on geology and mining history exhibitions. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>One of the problems of the website</b> (as of time of writing of this article) is that you cannot book English language tours reliably. So your best bet is to visit the museum when it opens to get tickets for a tour. Definitely take the tour including the mine visit.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3GZ9wu5d3j18cTxEvCMQUfxO9rHh2WrhAVWUqGpJtRLPiBY_Ra6tHICt-CvXZ_g0V6A-q4ZqLmCbOtPtDu4zhRw8ovDpncGAHYDDD_ep43t3DRYTWDER1BMjql7CGwIBwkT83E4Xe-UGBtadwA8aVGH45jGDulIciExB3Bj9rdkWPl11PaQ/s900/20220716_113941-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3GZ9wu5d3j18cTxEvCMQUfxO9rHh2WrhAVWUqGpJtRLPiBY_Ra6tHICt-CvXZ_g0V6A-q4ZqLmCbOtPtDu4zhRw8ovDpncGAHYDDD_ep43t3DRYTWDER1BMjql7CGwIBwkT83E4Xe-UGBtadwA8aVGH45jGDulIciExB3Bj9rdkWPl11PaQ/s320/20220716_113941-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The tour starts with a seven-story elevator ride descending to a cavern. The mine's temperature are averages at 13°C (55°F) all year long. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaAW2ywnCX2Y7iltWPpT4TjBM1lnM_qbC6AEEFD49bu2O5IzDfXUSN6i0mzRXnoSn7jsoomSqOd2Z955jmovP47GXUWayIHJdIl7AAESdIZ1uCoGdxZg7zh9q6ZL2zImOFrrzcj9ai74rSY-kG5yiQ7AxsrIs7HmpsmIs5YAnnyNACrKH7sM/s900/20220716_115452-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaAW2ywnCX2Y7iltWPpT4TjBM1lnM_qbC6AEEFD49bu2O5IzDfXUSN6i0mzRXnoSn7jsoomSqOd2Z955jmovP47GXUWayIHJdIl7AAESdIZ1uCoGdxZg7zh9q6ZL2zImOFrrzcj9ai74rSY-kG5yiQ7AxsrIs7HmpsmIs5YAnnyNACrKH7sM/s320/20220716_115452-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Then the tour goes through a demonstration mine to showcase the evolution of mining from turn-of-the-century to modern day. Here, we see various uniforms of miners (based on their roles), hung to dry near the lamps. In the early twentieth century, miners had to pay for most of their own equipment, and clothes, and these needed to be washed and dried every day.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0efpWXHaFLK8bwF1B8AWimx1BuWyH36sb8VfZEJjkNRSB7MjNJhkIY4eO2HPKxvj9neiCWyFTdVt4VCm8SQlUtD7QSijQJHJGYWkjPeVp8Ff0CnomYkCWLAvQaE8Zl9jRTT_hdR3q9y-Z7xKQtYEb20JwCYi2QbgJ7cJ9K46gQdOhTeOtS-A/s900/20220716_120418-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0efpWXHaFLK8bwF1B8AWimx1BuWyH36sb8VfZEJjkNRSB7MjNJhkIY4eO2HPKxvj9neiCWyFTdVt4VCm8SQlUtD7QSijQJHJGYWkjPeVp8Ff0CnomYkCWLAvQaE8Zl9jRTT_hdR3q9y-Z7xKQtYEb20JwCYi2QbgJ7cJ9K46gQdOhTeOtS-A/s320/20220716_120418-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As you step into the underground chamber, you need to select and put on hard hats (helmets). There's children sizes as well. I don't remember if you can take a stroller here, but I don't think it is advisable. If you have to carry a toddler, you shouldn't really be doing this tour. But with children who can walk, and especially who knows a bit about mining (perhaps from the game Minecraft), this is a must do.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2fSb7KoCASpzqbgysqPF06aKcLXZLzpLk8HapKfbUPEvqLhLjf0frAIXczz1d0g-kz_vD2YHAnV9KybV7hgR_A9onPZTfmH4jyvtKsrNOJ4FMXFWDu3-mpLjONhnd2PFgqLginfCw3isgNNK4mNjp2QKxX4XZIZLBzneMuR8Ce2Ob1p88PA/s900/20220716_120542-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2fSb7KoCASpzqbgysqPF06aKcLXZLzpLk8HapKfbUPEvqLhLjf0frAIXczz1d0g-kz_vD2YHAnV9KybV7hgR_A9onPZTfmH4jyvtKsrNOJ4FMXFWDu3-mpLjONhnd2PFgqLginfCw3isgNNK4mNjp2QKxX4XZIZLBzneMuR8Ce2Ob1p88PA/s320/20220716_120542-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut44Xz7XvbfqDM7Ou67XLMNubtiAckd-iTeoM42xYnf-CEy4d339MG83rSRkv1yP7RTVJqZCG1eHYxv5TqYienpnMjcdFxveWmCntxN-WT1Qi-l0Oh6pbUgSTUkzZwe1GUfzK3v3wq77CsaSIBaUVINrJBsFP8E4D0aHmR3159b1vcwFo7fk/s900/20220716_121037-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut44Xz7XvbfqDM7Ou67XLMNubtiAckd-iTeoM42xYnf-CEy4d339MG83rSRkv1yP7RTVJqZCG1eHYxv5TqYienpnMjcdFxveWmCntxN-WT1Qi-l0Oh6pbUgSTUkzZwe1GUfzK3v3wq77CsaSIBaUVINrJBsFP8E4D0aHmR3159b1vcwFo7fk/s320/20220716_121037-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Does it get cold inside? Slightly. We went on a hot summer's day (it was 32C outside), but underground was a cool 15C. We were fine in the beginning, but by the end of the tour (about an hour long), we began to wish we had brought a slight jacket for the kids.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOmrudbnCVDPyhHoAnsI-Z6xD7mm50C6K_elJcQLYGtyXaDBDAIFd8JXqNVlzRps5UWTZWwEZSve5VG-fIfZBjTtN4Bi_aNe7K0YhFHDg2EbEWZp7MmkgVhILrQ_DkzHbzGvHgqeH2hJqcIwSYOsB10gpC17WXtMOnh7yYS7bdtX7keb93rQ/s900/20220716_121129-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOmrudbnCVDPyhHoAnsI-Z6xD7mm50C6K_elJcQLYGtyXaDBDAIFd8JXqNVlzRps5UWTZWwEZSve5VG-fIfZBjTtN4Bi_aNe7K0YhFHDg2EbEWZp7MmkgVhILrQ_DkzHbzGvHgqeH2hJqcIwSYOsB10gpC17WXtMOnh7yYS7bdtX7keb93rQ/s320/20220716_121129-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Flipflops are also not a good idea. I normally wear sandals in the summer, but took care to wear sneakers, and boy was I glad. It IS a mine, just not a working one (thankfully lol). </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvjam4hBXKmfB6dAbjmF_fvQZuhsqyIZgFmzERoEj-dwTxrw02HqhKycpyldDioQNBfV484XmFFBy1ChC6WdJ4qPMUtAjVjrEGvsPwtE7nD8s99M7_nFT648zwh3sU2tm-qFTj1GNNxFfQUIdGdeTDsLdnD594nxjA8ZbDijF-Lofc-CSbyU/s900/20220716_121422-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvjam4hBXKmfB6dAbjmF_fvQZuhsqyIZgFmzERoEj-dwTxrw02HqhKycpyldDioQNBfV484XmFFBy1ChC6WdJ4qPMUtAjVjrEGvsPwtE7nD8s99M7_nFT648zwh3sU2tm-qFTj1GNNxFfQUIdGdeTDsLdnD594nxjA8ZbDijF-Lofc-CSbyU/s320/20220716_121422-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The tour guides keep it highly entertaining. It is also amazing to hear of how little was done in terms of safety a hundred years ago. Children as young as 10 or 12 used to work in the mines, sometimes preferred because they could climb into small pipes to dislodge rocks and boulders. And if they didn't get out of the way in time ... too bad. You read about such stories in Charles Dickens, and here you see examples of it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n58UetTICQOCVYIUV_BnNSE9tkNHyMCBOLnK5lNRRwxl7KMcTCsC7oVnoEpKyWGR4ZJK3_QjE9I23xiYhAtBkjENfa-L7zYtJEnVETXAqO0VNty9SZOn3vqmAvHwtJ_o0kl2q2MvuBHHV-sdKNwBYwQf4YJxqzuSWXEYZIID7H-qvtMwok8/s900/20220716_121924-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n58UetTICQOCVYIUV_BnNSE9tkNHyMCBOLnK5lNRRwxl7KMcTCsC7oVnoEpKyWGR4ZJK3_QjE9I23xiYhAtBkjENfa-L7zYtJEnVETXAqO0VNty9SZOn3vqmAvHwtJ_o0kl2q2MvuBHHV-sdKNwBYwQf4YJxqzuSWXEYZIID7H-qvtMwok8/s320/20220716_121924-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FqjKbhbysAfzqnajXvcmduZd9GD98mCaxrn2Mn3er4QNADMZbHqnW2Y6XFY401fTYfBrtUC8AegJ7Cd8sF6CHPGlcAUSN-rm3xdo0yR4ERQ_IQTzwslnrBh4yJJ3U0Ezv8saGw8PLa5spSHP1Jr1SBoNnZQHiMPfCXoh-rBBLZrJTRXSKTg/s900/20220716_122605-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FqjKbhbysAfzqnajXvcmduZd9GD98mCaxrn2Mn3er4QNADMZbHqnW2Y6XFY401fTYfBrtUC8AegJ7Cd8sF6CHPGlcAUSN-rm3xdo0yR4ERQ_IQTzwslnrBh4yJJ3U0Ezv8saGw8PLa5spSHP1Jr1SBoNnZQHiMPfCXoh-rBBLZrJTRXSKTg/s320/20220716_122605-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The tour explains how standard slowly shifted as time went on, and more and more safety measures were put in place. There was also a (simulated) explosion showing how mines used explosives. The kids loved that experience (and so did the adults).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkRWFzvSlLFxRJzjYyfDqPDzO7hHxuffVOsaBzDGJ3OdQJWum06Z5yjffKN3MhejeuvSdGY30YaALN2Qw7u2LKkP2Q9p02d5X4XVx4Pnfau8A19AknTZQhQD_EAmcKnbaoltBb_AhClsqGrhB_u5z2c7cdDHRS1v1s-TgOWzo4qw9Xf8LeMQ/s900/20220716_123808-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkRWFzvSlLFxRJzjYyfDqPDzO7hHxuffVOsaBzDGJ3OdQJWum06Z5yjffKN3MhejeuvSdGY30YaALN2Qw7u2LKkP2Q9p02d5X4XVx4Pnfau8A19AknTZQhQD_EAmcKnbaoltBb_AhClsqGrhB_u5z2c7cdDHRS1v1s-TgOWzo4qw9Xf8LeMQ/s320/20220716_123808-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGz_xqrI6wOE35MiCzfo_CTsX-vvbBMoEHNZR2ZBDHtTTxFGgCX9_Cx-Gslu0JpeGXrfTRhIoqU2CIclLC5YopN54zBzr6lLP0Uxtyx420ubuIkJqDgMrwBCIpM8XmoMHefWq-sxIOK4Gxv2pp_0CaTrWo4dMVNOUBtU4sJQqFuuqeTTiZZo/s900/20220716_124901-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGz_xqrI6wOE35MiCzfo_CTsX-vvbBMoEHNZR2ZBDHtTTxFGgCX9_Cx-Gslu0JpeGXrfTRhIoqU2CIclLC5YopN54zBzr6lLP0Uxtyx420ubuIkJqDgMrwBCIpM8XmoMHefWq-sxIOK4Gxv2pp_0CaTrWo4dMVNOUBtU4sJQqFuuqeTTiZZo/s320/20220716_124901-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We also visited a Refuge Chamber (also known as Refuge Stations). These are sealed, secure, accessible rooms that preserve life through the monitoring and management of essential gas levels for underground mining. If something happens in a mine, such as a collapse, or power outage, you need to rush to these rooms. The guide told us about the Chilean miners, and how they stayed in one such room during their ordeal. </div><div><br /></div><div>She also assured us this was the deepest working Canada post letter box.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOQqlQ2vzKtbj__8LVGae2vM2AOdxgO-HJ-e79nc863uQ-Xny_SxC9Tg0aj1L6cNaSC3Xm17vgEP_tqUYHXrgn7qKG-iOy2m_0wiV7vs0yHix5qysNEx5ycedWc7qFIpbVqto5sOseFC748cZ1sxMzWN1LuUi2arNRkY6gJf1B5FHwelGWm8/s900/abeer_IMG_1367-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOQqlQ2vzKtbj__8LVGae2vM2AOdxgO-HJ-e79nc863uQ-Xny_SxC9Tg0aj1L6cNaSC3Xm17vgEP_tqUYHXrgn7qKG-iOy2m_0wiV7vs0yHix5qysNEx5ycedWc7qFIpbVqto5sOseFC748cZ1sxMzWN1LuUi2arNRkY6gJf1B5FHwelGWm8/s320/abeer_IMG_1367-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>Overall, this was a highly educating, entertaining and somewhat different type of museum tour than what you normally are used to. I would highly recommend Dynamic Earth and the mine tour to anyone visiting Sudbury.</div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, it was time to visit <b>Onaping Falls</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6_amMe5DFVv6nlcagkbQGxjtVWF_FnftSetHWTjp_NvCeIbkVGMo7_1ujxbkvmQ46EWiBGGt0BrkyhEJEs5vjFPK2pE2edzLx6n4q_l9wJEbcaN8qXPlDFNqma5mUM8K4vP7zKnRsziUwuu8mHAOVRvvi9Ainp6m-7UqnoY7bKWS5PgbZaY/s900/20220716_174013-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6_amMe5DFVv6nlcagkbQGxjtVWF_FnftSetHWTjp_NvCeIbkVGMo7_1ujxbkvmQ46EWiBGGt0BrkyhEJEs5vjFPK2pE2edzLx6n4q_l9wJEbcaN8qXPlDFNqma5mUM8K4vP7zKnRsziUwuu8mHAOVRvvi9Ainp6m-7UqnoY7bKWS5PgbZaY/s320/20220716_174013-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Onaping Falls is the name of a small town about 30 minutes drive from Sudbury, and the main attraction there is the eponymous Onaping Falls.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N9G0eqh0XP82bvLs8Tzui4b4k7LS-7K2OW5udV6qYt5QyNAqEdoHbziG4ArJvYBQeGvjtdgclhlYa5Q_yThtm8hPl5Tk9MQA_b5KwqLJAwkSJ5LlkxCJgkvhT3oVbszwz0OUC1r8H0ysV718eQs8dzyFhbgteugboLVBuM7RbzpMGwC4CEA/s900/20220716_174711-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N9G0eqh0XP82bvLs8Tzui4b4k7LS-7K2OW5udV6qYt5QyNAqEdoHbziG4ArJvYBQeGvjtdgclhlYa5Q_yThtm8hPl5Tk9MQA_b5KwqLJAwkSJ5LlkxCJgkvhT3oVbszwz0OUC1r8H0ysV718eQs8dzyFhbgteugboLVBuM7RbzpMGwC4CEA/s320/20220716_174711-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If you are with family that includes kids and seniors, you want to drive to the AY Jackson visitor centre site. You can park the car there, and take in the beautiful sight of the falls.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mN4Hdm36FzDCZ_FSnEQurMJbf22BgfxwGKty02ELLT5qE8oUJBkZX2l4BSlBLRRQI_db7Ba6expijXlFwfCCp_VO5kvwEbi9yl7jhfIqbOaKx52ofsJqkA5W5HGwNIXMVsmGVDSeGpGage_UZgd9ly8u8WoFTsqXj7W2Yxz1uenlYU8DVps/s900/20220716_180610-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mN4Hdm36FzDCZ_FSnEQurMJbf22BgfxwGKty02ELLT5qE8oUJBkZX2l4BSlBLRRQI_db7Ba6expijXlFwfCCp_VO5kvwEbi9yl7jhfIqbOaKx52ofsJqkA5W5HGwNIXMVsmGVDSeGpGage_UZgd9ly8u8WoFTsqXj7W2Yxz1uenlYU8DVps/s320/20220716_180610-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, some people still trying to express themselves with spray paint. Hopefully the officials can deter them and clean up.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9kQ7IYEjjtSFUoWWxknUcIUrlJ79TloH754d5dZ6sz3izGazvftUYOxoKk3M9gOD7TNNXmg5NtVJsnqeR_wTvjQQ2s2JTewJf4qr1j82mTGJazkzYhIbf-0u6QkPVUqpZg5HyJgkloaLXppTLNt0DjkfrOJcFK8qv2Wi47qbKvV982ZXQYk/s900/20220716_180739-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9kQ7IYEjjtSFUoWWxknUcIUrlJ79TloH754d5dZ6sz3izGazvftUYOxoKk3M9gOD7TNNXmg5NtVJsnqeR_wTvjQQ2s2JTewJf4qr1j82mTGJazkzYhIbf-0u6QkPVUqpZg5HyJgkloaLXppTLNt0DjkfrOJcFK8qv2Wi47qbKvV982ZXQYk/s320/20220716_180739-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>If you want the best views and a good hike park down the road at alt parking and walk up the sand hill.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aEz8Kl4WD1_NufhoYhVUitub8olJXP4etkAELqodzk6AFfa1FVlPur3lQQ9PSBheiF59rnwvnxk6vkl8qwshKguQEqmCeOiDLJTw-kJ010tYpUINuJr00JJrlFYwWq9PBWIfIWP9u5lYrnyi-ignMSEp5L4uYGSWUo-b__zotzr_xtg3Bgs/s900/20220716_180758-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aEz8Kl4WD1_NufhoYhVUitub8olJXP4etkAELqodzk6AFfa1FVlPur3lQQ9PSBheiF59rnwvnxk6vkl8qwshKguQEqmCeOiDLJTw-kJ010tYpUINuJr00JJrlFYwWq9PBWIfIWP9u5lYrnyi-ignMSEp5L4uYGSWUo-b__zotzr_xtg3Bgs/s320/20220716_180758-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Alternatively, there is a 5 minute (or less) walk and you will see the falls from a distance. The first lookout is stroller-friendly, after which there's a lot of rocks if you wish to continue.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoiXPh0MtOGXTeekRg4Yeu0KWeRenhfLRSa6IlTb9PZ7zSNwrDuXot1PazGA2vFZI983Ia31Kj1eEwBesHft8PVrD40nOicmg16by_OY8gYimTni7-4WpHHdPqF_wTyn37747B7mVkiZsolMHzglccpsF1ODFzZGlcSqfDuKahtQSgn3tpk4/s900/20220716_181320-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoiXPh0MtOGXTeekRg4Yeu0KWeRenhfLRSa6IlTb9PZ7zSNwrDuXot1PazGA2vFZI983Ia31Kj1eEwBesHft8PVrD40nOicmg16by_OY8gYimTni7-4WpHHdPqF_wTyn37747B7mVkiZsolMHzglccpsF1ODFzZGlcSqfDuKahtQSgn3tpk4/s320/20220716_181320-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1hdnKLuKrUPqdtk99-Rby19pnW_DuVBanDieXgEtFZTEmj4V8mi0PkKAghL62mP-nQihaAohGjk4-eluKkIDcqWb8o-vjDkkr5PdItr6ug8jHbvGtB803aJkgTfgczBJYLNFMa0hh99M_FCEk-ESTIxUGqrg8-suY9L4KoZSfAx6l3tZ06I/s900/abeer_IMG_1467-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1hdnKLuKrUPqdtk99-Rby19pnW_DuVBanDieXgEtFZTEmj4V8mi0PkKAghL62mP-nQihaAohGjk4-eluKkIDcqWb8o-vjDkkr5PdItr6ug8jHbvGtB803aJkgTfgczBJYLNFMa0hh99M_FCEk-ESTIxUGqrg8-suY9L4KoZSfAx6l3tZ06I/s320/abeer_IMG_1467-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Onaping Falls is the place you can spend a couple of hours easily. I am told it's even better in the Fall when the trees get full colors in middle of October, and with no mosquitos to boot. Just walk up to any convenient place and watch.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvabyT2yfWdyOZgptmU3vMDaxvD-pHEahQbCe5UJkb4xT63Fn7LXE-5mbO0huaIXQCcBinKXG3WgTz5HoaVGsPQqENmY9F2jf2y1QJt3MmuSIkGnb_xSOKnBgJlNAcCUoHsegY6mCgOv457RTQBgob_2VKMT8XXVAfoU0U7n9lVbgXYz2Osc/s900/abeer_IMG_1468-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="900" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvabyT2yfWdyOZgptmU3vMDaxvD-pHEahQbCe5UJkb4xT63Fn7LXE-5mbO0huaIXQCcBinKXG3WgTz5HoaVGsPQqENmY9F2jf2y1QJt3MmuSIkGnb_xSOKnBgJlNAcCUoHsegY6mCgOv457RTQBgob_2VKMT8XXVAfoU0U7n9lVbgXYz2Osc/s320/abeer_IMG_1468-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>We would head back to Toronto tomorrow. There's a couple of other places in Sudbury, especially for the evening, if you want to roam about. Bell Park is one. For us, we were still giddy about visiting a real mine.</div><div><p><br /></p></div></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-49351654014387039742022-08-29T10:22:00.003-04:002022-08-29T10:36:21.045-04:00Parry Sound and Sudbury - Day 1 - The Thirty Thousand Islands Cruise<p>Parry Sound is a town in Ontario, Canada, approximately 2 and half hours away. We had a weekend to ourselves, and decided to visit Parry Sound, and then the mining town of Sudbury.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2A1NxcJdmPtbMYM822fj5x56l_tSvHKOTRgsEHOFRv9ZrC7GXhfmu97bCyTzhlC4dv2r4f_PyNJH-MmZEfqUjD6Y6gYmyHa9lAGwpWVsQNNp0QQlkH62jLNNFWs6zjRDtXAWpefSAWoo0zLvLGaKI6biLMdfckdo3VY-i91n5x-0kCl8ElA/s900/20220715_161204-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2A1NxcJdmPtbMYM822fj5x56l_tSvHKOTRgsEHOFRv9ZrC7GXhfmu97bCyTzhlC4dv2r4f_PyNJH-MmZEfqUjD6Y6gYmyHa9lAGwpWVsQNNp0QQlkH62jLNNFWs6zjRDtXAWpefSAWoo0zLvLGaKI6biLMdfckdo3VY-i91n5x-0kCl8ElA/s320/20220715_161204-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Parry Sound is the birthplace of hockey legend Bobby Orr, the namesake of the local community centre and the town's own Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. It also sits on the glorious Georgian Bay, which is the northeastern arm of Lake Huron, in Ontario, and home to 30,000 islands. We booked a cruise that was similar to the <a href="http://mezba.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-cruise-to-thousand-islands.html">Thousand Islands cruise in Kingston</a>. </p><p>Leaving Toronto early in the morning, we got to the cruise by around 1030 am, which was perfect weather. The cruise was departing in half an hour, so we had enough time to park, freshen up and then board the ship.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvH9vpvsU1DqgPYAbg_Nc3ixRpY7eLOWH7Z9ULE-Sqv_Sf_y8_XndiKwrG9mM0ogNn5GN413_kQO7Vd3lVJAhievO8WD6wBRGVd6QieyTL5tlkPk3EAcBpecalgOPKM3wAJY1a3fQOvLcPq1uKhF_Mcvl9jVI5GNnMQz-vxJgOI8ndP0cZsc4/s900/abeer_IMG_1326-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvH9vpvsU1DqgPYAbg_Nc3ixRpY7eLOWH7Z9ULE-Sqv_Sf_y8_XndiKwrG9mM0ogNn5GN413_kQO7Vd3lVJAhievO8WD6wBRGVd6QieyTL5tlkPk3EAcBpecalgOPKM3wAJY1a3fQOvLcPq1uKhF_Mcvl9jVI5GNnMQz-vxJgOI8ndP0cZsc4/s320/abeer_IMG_1326-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It was crisp summer weather. Blue skies, hint of clouds, and perfect hot temperature for a cruise. The town itself was buzzing, and it is easy to see why Parry Sound is so popular a destination for water sports. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGnDnWDkyUEn4NQ08Akth_oosMUKZth5jrbJe9GdQgi6ghv42_ak3nRJ29vbM397CZfL0Np35YqzXhQ_OAhYYr58PgIy3NFlDPqPJt8BNHe3Ura1yrzLiSHgs6dJlLA17kwnE2f6juq_bRHZhPsNRKRs9Cw_IKxNEwvOFNOoI6v34YxOUzPo/s900/20220715_123947-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGnDnWDkyUEn4NQ08Akth_oosMUKZth5jrbJe9GdQgi6ghv42_ak3nRJ29vbM397CZfL0Np35YqzXhQ_OAhYYr58PgIy3NFlDPqPJt8BNHe3Ura1yrzLiSHgs6dJlLA17kwnE2f6juq_bRHZhPsNRKRs9Cw_IKxNEwvOFNOoI6v34YxOUzPo/s320/20220715_123947-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0_RusNAnI2TQ3Xx5fc_vpjZOsYZUUpy9PjCtzMwm13aPAj09KVwOo0J_zBzQzLTr7eY2_Z26PSD_w0n4G_sc9pju_9Qr2eOV9oor22pmx9WIrTIjSOo-TXSYPP4zTw2UWnw9HHk2yg8OZJvi1MTquADcI1q9OmF3KgQAsKbNHOfP8OtpHd8/s900/20220715_131220-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0_RusNAnI2TQ3Xx5fc_vpjZOsYZUUpy9PjCtzMwm13aPAj09KVwOo0J_zBzQzLTr7eY2_Z26PSD_w0n4G_sc9pju_9Qr2eOV9oor22pmx9WIrTIjSOo-TXSYPP4zTw2UWnw9HHk2yg8OZJvi1MTquADcI1q9OmF3KgQAsKbNHOfP8OtpHd8/s320/20220715_131220-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Wasauksing Swing Bridge is a bridge that has vehicular traffic, but also swings open to allow passage of boats.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2IRfzc3pYVn1VkaQ94iM2aUAWyK2BrPZCg9JikuNx6n54BBx6OqBiy5CcHmdnxEnZjuxx8iRUY9f7LVGsWQdZdAP9vDOJpOUfs0R4tmP8ax3_dzr4x6Ubd4ccc_U3uj6iutsYEZ7Rg44N_CWQ7CCEeas_B2kuK5XPc0TAYwKlxwXgBnQIcA/s900/20220715_131513-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2IRfzc3pYVn1VkaQ94iM2aUAWyK2BrPZCg9JikuNx6n54BBx6OqBiy5CcHmdnxEnZjuxx8iRUY9f7LVGsWQdZdAP9vDOJpOUfs0R4tmP8ax3_dzr4x6Ubd4ccc_U3uj6iutsYEZ7Rg44N_CWQ7CCEeas_B2kuK5XPc0TAYwKlxwXgBnQIcA/s320/20220715_131513-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was a three hour cruise that we booked. As I said, it is very similar to the <a href="http://mezba.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-cruise-to-thousand-islands.html">Thousand Islands Cruise in Kingston</a>. If I had to choose between the two, though - I would choose the Kingston cruise, as there is a little more variety, as well as the castle.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf09Rpdech9R5oiur8r1-9h7KLkqTcWWdEY6axvPA2PXp3-_Kd9XW1kr5flGJ0hkMTwXEgsJLz_NMaXGC05wSo8JKBOw1YkAq_Rvne3QromCh4y_15TXWOe1XV1URNDh3xKFhjb-DvV_95wexNkY9FSGa4JMxxqs8cK8XraZM3vfnrEndbLB4/s900/20220715_132213-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf09Rpdech9R5oiur8r1-9h7KLkqTcWWdEY6axvPA2PXp3-_Kd9XW1kr5flGJ0hkMTwXEgsJLz_NMaXGC05wSo8JKBOw1YkAq_Rvne3QromCh4y_15TXWOe1XV1URNDh3xKFhjb-DvV_95wexNkY9FSGa4JMxxqs8cK8XraZM3vfnrEndbLB4/s320/20220715_132213-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzpdbTzU5MjpJxOnov8dbIfwfsKnaDL_h9xLlh203VGtXZAhdQBdwMLD6Y-WBgsk5xt_xhiyrliMAdAF_SlUqwe0Z4nmy-_035ttw_O8_9_wx2mp_TDWSn0EbWq_BR770BdfAD6ilVEy9dDpktOP6rEVsnhbFCUExdRFEoNBbNV1NLUt2NxE/s900/20220715_132400-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzpdbTzU5MjpJxOnov8dbIfwfsKnaDL_h9xLlh203VGtXZAhdQBdwMLD6Y-WBgsk5xt_xhiyrliMAdAF_SlUqwe0Z4nmy-_035ttw_O8_9_wx2mp_TDWSn0EbWq_BR770BdfAD6ilVEy9dDpktOP6rEVsnhbFCUExdRFEoNBbNV1NLUt2NxE/s320/20220715_132400-900.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The audio narration on board was nice, and kept you suitably informed about various points of interest, such as this place where huge birds of prey would nest.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsg1CteJgCErxoNR0I0YgYFeKlLufnOuKTskQUFLZ-v3C6pyKLypCpWcPVjkrv8qsCe53B-uY8M6kc9FZIZGel--yCV_H7Sd5OgNh16K4vcpjlKr1PYoKXXHVmNq1ajoWrpDjunNbjS3K3XUptrPeTilLTZ7WoxP88MYZQQmb_Mq0SqKtPrc/s900/20220715_141030-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsg1CteJgCErxoNR0I0YgYFeKlLufnOuKTskQUFLZ-v3C6pyKLypCpWcPVjkrv8qsCe53B-uY8M6kc9FZIZGel--yCV_H7Sd5OgNh16K4vcpjlKr1PYoKXXHVmNq1ajoWrpDjunNbjS3K3XUptrPeTilLTZ7WoxP88MYZQQmb_Mq0SqKtPrc/s320/20220715_141030-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfHJDRi7TS3DaXk5Kitp_O9HIYfHYRySpD30wMVJ9gHolttE312j6Hiz7oM1oT7DwwqjRk4uv7EbMaQEFnnhyTTrkcFPgkJuU6CXnN5Vd5e-pyRvx2o90qeI7KHp6aFkQxwCJZNFOViUIj5no47t5Tpf8vx-iMtTCbLlDCQqWV3gdBHU9BbM/s900/20220715_142623-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfHJDRi7TS3DaXk5Kitp_O9HIYfHYRySpD30wMVJ9gHolttE312j6Hiz7oM1oT7DwwqjRk4uv7EbMaQEFnnhyTTrkcFPgkJuU6CXnN5Vd5e-pyRvx2o90qeI7KHp6aFkQxwCJZNFOViUIj5no47t5Tpf8vx-iMtTCbLlDCQqWV3gdBHU9BbM/s320/20220715_142623-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, it was a lovely day for a cruise. Since it's three hours, remember to take some cards or games to keep yourself entertained after the half way mark, as things will get monotonous. And food! There is an onboard restaurant, but nothing beats a picnic on a boat.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAb3m_L-UXK1IjjGqE791p2LLzg0QkzvQoP1ir_FlijLXvKj-g1S6CRy_YSuw5cbr1tfHcYpmbk8kBGCFFKjC_lES0UQhnTj27jbpJenoBOdctG_b9yXJzw_TTvDbZLkLP3rcoAFzw958eObbmrFCIhkoe53HFFc6tlvmkNHHU-IIqN1nNmk/s900/20220715_153141-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAb3m_L-UXK1IjjGqE791p2LLzg0QkzvQoP1ir_FlijLXvKj-g1S6CRy_YSuw5cbr1tfHcYpmbk8kBGCFFKjC_lES0UQhnTj27jbpJenoBOdctG_b9yXJzw_TTvDbZLkLP3rcoAFzw958eObbmrFCIhkoe53HFFc6tlvmkNHHU-IIqN1nNmk/s320/20220715_153141-900.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The cruise also takes you past <a href="https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/killarney">Killarney Provincial Park</a> - a fantastic park home to beautiful campgrounds and beaches. We even saw some people dive off this "cliff" !</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-EgMpXJcAItCCVo-GZvACxQKIrfb3_prLR3lNtVXyevH1QFWa9nPM40Sckb2JtMoLXKLNPhtML_sWTKtVtdyU8V8h9pdrYROImgifcWvL8Yzr8m9XTU2eF6t4-Jv9_Yigf5Bg4hM6FnO9lqTG99Kw6t4NO2nxLM2spFGCRN4ooH0q1FvH0k/s900/20220715_153218-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-EgMpXJcAItCCVo-GZvACxQKIrfb3_prLR3lNtVXyevH1QFWa9nPM40Sckb2JtMoLXKLNPhtML_sWTKtVtdyU8V8h9pdrYROImgifcWvL8Yzr8m9XTU2eF6t4-Jv9_Yigf5Bg4hM6FnO9lqTG99Kw6t4NO2nxLM2spFGCRN4ooH0q1FvH0k/s320/20220715_153218-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qEZPN1lhGPvDTI6Zv0bp69NS1JvnRPL1PrIB5yB6aSIue3FPr0cNSR1tXKSpkbADZUnBKDpGOhxYv2VvBqoPgiTR_MCsjk7p24Orh4cqBhj_mOsPT9W-NVa6G5F26nMDqM3JG2l1924uNhWMvHI8BlKFSkItz-tnJhJib4IS154hw3hq1XQ/s900/20220715_155743-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qEZPN1lhGPvDTI6Zv0bp69NS1JvnRPL1PrIB5yB6aSIue3FPr0cNSR1tXKSpkbADZUnBKDpGOhxYv2VvBqoPgiTR_MCsjk7p24Orh4cqBhj_mOsPT9W-NVa6G5F26nMDqM3JG2l1924uNhWMvHI8BlKFSkItz-tnJhJib4IS154hw3hq1XQ/s320/20220715_155743-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There is a small seaplane airport (seaport?) in the marina, so after your cruise is over, you can stay on the docks and watch the planes "land" or take off.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-llWEW2iUm9s4dhtRCRrUDDTSyWXvdtjavfqFK5a5cAMFXg62FogaYnJQQ__ZkeVCOeDwpDPozL9ltdKXRer4qTQcWvHoPJD4HFJmd3WlubOeuhvuGjVkDAUHyEN7ShrQWwLRIH7VeoRT1KqI5_-cmQRrHbEu3sLk16r8yylZbmflbfHhuWg/s900/abeer_IMG_1276-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-llWEW2iUm9s4dhtRCRrUDDTSyWXvdtjavfqFK5a5cAMFXg62FogaYnJQQ__ZkeVCOeDwpDPozL9ltdKXRer4qTQcWvHoPJD4HFJmd3WlubOeuhvuGjVkDAUHyEN7ShrQWwLRIH7VeoRT1KqI5_-cmQRrHbEu3sLk16r8yylZbmflbfHhuWg/s320/abeer_IMG_1276-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Overall it was a lovely day, and after a late lunch, it was on to Sudbury, another hour and half away.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-28489038054401921182022-08-03T23:39:00.002-04:002022-08-03T23:39:33.901-04:00Sunflower Farm, Markham<p>In a little farm in Markham, Ontario, just north of Toronto, we found a gem.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSam1Fru78tRCTqXzVQg896ouL90kzI5xPkdXFqEXCVFhWK5e9jNUllDY8y8eLPQ3O9Bf2LXNGD5Pk0tr34kRaZiH1lgDKJkU990Al1hUR6ZbbLShhG0dSRNbXpAbh_cUJaACBtmane2ibovgw2V-nbBq8FCE-Sw2pNwqczklruA-n23PLIE/s900/20220731_142131-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSam1Fru78tRCTqXzVQg896ouL90kzI5xPkdXFqEXCVFhWK5e9jNUllDY8y8eLPQ3O9Bf2LXNGD5Pk0tr34kRaZiH1lgDKJkU990Al1hUR6ZbbLShhG0dSRNbXpAbh_cUJaACBtmane2ibovgw2V-nbBq8FCE-Sw2pNwqczklruA-n23PLIE/s320/20220731_142131-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This is Sunflower Fields of Markham. Their website is <a href="https://sunflowerfieldsofmarkham.ca/">https://sunflowerfieldsofmarkham.ca/</a> and contact number is (416) 859-6159 .</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1UP29s9hJxMo-qHUgTW5Ti0z1z5mrpWT0znva94Mrpl2ftk6_Kg9edBDJ3bTmLjh_FWHmqsH2WPi0ux84GvytIXnhGILZ6IGfkl8zasxfScIPN1AbsO249GU6PhFiTeXUq9R2ye-MRephhm4m4FIu-vfFYIx3U2oqnSJbgSQu1gWf_HnYio/s900/20220731_142520-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1UP29s9hJxMo-qHUgTW5Ti0z1z5mrpWT0znva94Mrpl2ftk6_Kg9edBDJ3bTmLjh_FWHmqsH2WPi0ux84GvytIXnhGILZ6IGfkl8zasxfScIPN1AbsO249GU6PhFiTeXUq9R2ye-MRephhm4m4FIu-vfFYIx3U2oqnSJbgSQu1gWf_HnYio/s320/20220731_142520-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The farm's sunflower fields were massive. There were many rows of these tall flowers, and almost all of them in perfect health. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMaXCjiEhIwWfa3oo4Zp12_NYtlRi-TtlDl8pH7UtZWrflu2OrF0ejxeDBlxhktllMMcHRi0ednSTIfnuUr_Lo14kx9B5HkxSz73iVITalyvgxXFISg-7tEpglsXrNdEcUv4SLDuXoSE3BQVLEwH_jQ0mqb9kvCyS16mR1UmGF733M4z0Jo4/s900/20220731_143141-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMaXCjiEhIwWfa3oo4Zp12_NYtlRi-TtlDl8pH7UtZWrflu2OrF0ejxeDBlxhktllMMcHRi0ednSTIfnuUr_Lo14kx9B5HkxSz73iVITalyvgxXFISg-7tEpglsXrNdEcUv4SLDuXoSE3BQVLEwH_jQ0mqb9kvCyS16mR1UmGF733M4z0Jo4/s320/20220731_143141-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It was the beginning of the season, I guess, so the flowers were perky and upright. We also visited around 2 pm, so the sun was nice and high, and the weather clear, with blue skies and some clouds to make it a great weather for taking pictures.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu9WciTvzDE2Nt3uODiVJR9dhQdZra60NGUNxaduvbGU2U4FBdUW20NR28JVyRbH6lmhjFfqvsZr3y1s98asx7VZ8nW5Ul7Xrnd15OfsCs4KylQMi8bEArfR_dBLpkZ_BU0zvjuNid4AXPQryp6358IC8zF1W9wo3uHM4i4Kdgv7yNohU3OI/s900/20220731_143538-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu9WciTvzDE2Nt3uODiVJR9dhQdZra60NGUNxaduvbGU2U4FBdUW20NR28JVyRbH6lmhjFfqvsZr3y1s98asx7VZ8nW5Ul7Xrnd15OfsCs4KylQMi8bEArfR_dBLpkZ_BU0zvjuNid4AXPQryp6358IC8zF1W9wo3uHM4i4Kdgv7yNohU3OI/s320/20220731_143538-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The farm had a few props such as a couple of swings, an old tractor, and a hoe (I am guessing it's a hoe - no, not <i>that</i> kind of hoe).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis47zIei3jzoNKUrgGQePYo-wDjMenGbrwJpCFTrQmRo0jP7S2gjxq-QrIl9HPar_pyPTz4Sldqc-MTq70VNKjE51EP05r21JBCySIAEEfhMM9VTTJImf3lRomveCDGRBlLKoOVqb6W0quhgI3F9C0pgx8BOD05d7tfULwB7vED_hKfWlG-JI/s900/20220731_144604-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis47zIei3jzoNKUrgGQePYo-wDjMenGbrwJpCFTrQmRo0jP7S2gjxq-QrIl9HPar_pyPTz4Sldqc-MTq70VNKjE51EP05r21JBCySIAEEfhMM9VTTJImf3lRomveCDGRBlLKoOVqb6W0quhgI3F9C0pgx8BOD05d7tfULwB7vED_hKfWlG-JI/s320/20220731_144604-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Even though we visited on a long weekend, I didn't find it quite crowded, and we were able to take pictures in peace. Usually in some of these farms, there's quite a few instagrammers, and you really get tired of waiting as they take thousands of shots to get the perfect one.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ36OoZDz7jZCefLKWWeenJejfwVcWOPosh-w0Hu765vbPT8vJYrCsIlTeU2yKgnuJip1wDl4OXgj4DSMaUQTnjwiqt8cw_uUu-v7zpVuP4a5ExeOJ-DJPkUCOXrM6ti28aXdNUqmoWe3wc7z7-Q5TbxsQnqCeN-wsqQnW0Yjg9UoQjnTnkMY/s900/20220731_145454-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ36OoZDz7jZCefLKWWeenJejfwVcWOPosh-w0Hu765vbPT8vJYrCsIlTeU2yKgnuJip1wDl4OXgj4DSMaUQTnjwiqt8cw_uUu-v7zpVuP4a5ExeOJ-DJPkUCOXrM6ti28aXdNUqmoWe3wc7z7-Q5TbxsQnqCeN-wsqQnW0Yjg9UoQjnTnkMY/s320/20220731_145454-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There were also quite a lot of haystacks placed here and there, so you can sit and take pictures. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yzXABQh6riq1R8BXb5UlcXY_RaRvK9gUsvMNRR-Qg4gAqEs3AsjolD4eERLC4aGsFb83V71Iq1z_6ao0np5KeNF6Kbvsc5VCuPY-qIcau8CyKsowI0-ZTNU6j8TTFN13SgW4L4YqS3WCQbujRewJ-12Ypg5nzVSMuC6mJLHFqKe3gtRTd_o/s900/20220731_151237-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yzXABQh6riq1R8BXb5UlcXY_RaRvK9gUsvMNRR-Qg4gAqEs3AsjolD4eERLC4aGsFb83V71Iq1z_6ao0np5KeNF6Kbvsc5VCuPY-qIcau8CyKsowI0-ZTNU6j8TTFN13SgW4L4YqS3WCQbujRewJ-12Ypg5nzVSMuC6mJLHFqKe3gtRTd_o/s320/20220731_151237-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Overall, there are many sunflower farm in and around the GTA nowadays - with social media being what it is. This is one of the better ones, as it's close to the east end of the city, not too far, and not too crowded. They need to put a few wagons in there as props, and it will be perfect.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-78985308841589333842022-07-24T01:57:00.004-04:002022-07-24T01:57:39.821-04:00TD Festival of South Asia, 2022<p> The <a href="http://festivalofsouthasia.ca/">TD Festival of South Asia</a> is a free street festival in Gerrard India Bazaar celebrating South Asian (OK mostly Indian) culture, food, entertainment and heritage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCZmeJDoPPJ1trrwvYhNjMwaC3SRIwaEh9Yni8McYp0olznVFlsQ7NJS7gcgX5lQtUC_wnYN-Gwy3kfmlpg90qlCBApI8Ew2072Ghi2YLzamslgL-JBZeAsgztewEPNNT20WPtvvOQGDXWOxs6HtdGsLNDlJLMfiON10LOnw8cV86ctOR6G4/s900/20220723_143607-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCZmeJDoPPJ1trrwvYhNjMwaC3SRIwaEh9Yni8McYp0olznVFlsQ7NJS7gcgX5lQtUC_wnYN-Gwy3kfmlpg90qlCBApI8Ew2072Ghi2YLzamslgL-JBZeAsgztewEPNNT20WPtvvOQGDXWOxs6HtdGsLNDlJLMfiON10LOnw8cV86ctOR6G4/s320/20220723_143607-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>They close off Gerrard street for the Indian section, and even the streetcars are rerouted. It is more or less an excuse for many of the businesses here to display their wares in the street. Gerrard street (the India Bazaar section) was known back in the day (late 90s, early 2000s) as <i>the</i> South Asian place in Toronto. That distinction, of course, has been lost over the decades as the South Asian diaspora spread far and wide, and now no one really needs to go Gerrard any more for their <i>desi</i> stuff.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV5Bq3gZusDr29290VCJ9z4wW_PJOxf8CAzG4CKRF_Bs9-CIIZzjdY0S852rx6kMI-vbdQaENTaJ5YRb5P6tgqX4oNbKAcy6VAsK_bozsC7jOD13rnEu44TVU4SHUYLUxHm-LlAF6UQE8dRwfrq2wPokVc4EesnC1slYLamn1epJgfdfJAAU/s900/20220723_143624-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV5Bq3gZusDr29290VCJ9z4wW_PJOxf8CAzG4CKRF_Bs9-CIIZzjdY0S852rx6kMI-vbdQaENTaJ5YRb5P6tgqX4oNbKAcy6VAsK_bozsC7jOD13rnEu44TVU4SHUYLUxHm-LlAF6UQE8dRwfrq2wPokVc4EesnC1slYLamn1epJgfdfJAAU/s320/20220723_143624-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The food choices were many. There were multiple stalls selling appetizers such as samosas or cane juice or mango lassi, as well as regulars such as chaat, bhelpuri and so on. The line ups weren't that long in the afternoon, and the prices reasonable.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KjSLx46Dhskd_CLmM_Z6f8kdKLipFXyrGeBUQaSbzsS_PXjzEm9U5iZEeO7HoDR6dxfVKNEHXH1IK1VZ6kafDiz89Up3KB4vzot2Gq4aWXPOzk6gy1NSoeFH0gc7FELV6x4m29zGVWCucbswN60ZwGYGvNaJFhXKx1apQd9sPqqyAI9y3MQ/s900/20220723_144324-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KjSLx46Dhskd_CLmM_Z6f8kdKLipFXyrGeBUQaSbzsS_PXjzEm9U5iZEeO7HoDR6dxfVKNEHXH1IK1VZ6kafDiz89Up3KB4vzot2Gq4aWXPOzk6gy1NSoeFH0gc7FELV6x4m29zGVWCucbswN60ZwGYGvNaJFhXKx1apQd9sPqqyAI9y3MQ/s320/20220723_144324-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The eastern section of the plaza contained more diverse choices such as street BBQ-ed <i>tandoori</i> chicken (check out the red colour!) as well as <i>cholay batoore</i> and others.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizWoDu6b_tE7b-Ceg-W5WGl46GvfIkW7K6KMoJDA1lEtPhsGNU8A2y96WLsP584yR7RuNI4xtz7yVpuPk1OMhUuiAZerxfntniNLdLc81ljT9Lz7xrzMo2J64xVfvk4WoC_tCal6oL891zSeuGtqy3OmdGXp-u7da7_nn-1N49bmrrprDVZQ/s900/20220723_144356-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizWoDu6b_tE7b-Ceg-W5WGl46GvfIkW7K6KMoJDA1lEtPhsGNU8A2y96WLsP584yR7RuNI4xtz7yVpuPk1OMhUuiAZerxfntniNLdLc81ljT9Lz7xrzMo2J64xVfvk4WoC_tCal6oL891zSeuGtqy3OmdGXp-u7da7_nn-1N49bmrrprDVZQ/s320/20220723_144356-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq86weK2F4_mwEvTyvyZACCz6eCEJgO6Cg9aPCib-SeU3SRvYOcR1BUuVMnfbieNvQ9Z7Dk_zq8InWFl_q5T8Wb1hZuN-M66vqMIna7HcAD2SjPzEgTydCnfUUNqqbiROKWz_Y6gDmbnckkmFa1NjwxMqKvbHuIJzgPifNE31UikylLnXw4XQ/s900/20220723_144418-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq86weK2F4_mwEvTyvyZACCz6eCEJgO6Cg9aPCib-SeU3SRvYOcR1BUuVMnfbieNvQ9Z7Dk_zq8InWFl_q5T8Wb1hZuN-M66vqMIna7HcAD2SjPzEgTydCnfUUNqqbiROKWz_Y6gDmbnckkmFa1NjwxMqKvbHuIJzgPifNE31UikylLnXw4XQ/s320/20220723_144418-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WkQisdqCHMxoMH8LVWJX8Fc11IFUs6aVUMAKlENTOsK6GTuTGzdjQNdjhARj1ytoHwxO_OmvIeMjpzzUQrT1-mKHdNglInI5L80D5AkFrcnEwavWFUs3Xnka71QagM2D4F-TRIaFvhfvhFqz6sl-dq4gZ5vhv-q5uwVB8g3Y-_eu5VUuwko/s900/20220723_144433-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WkQisdqCHMxoMH8LVWJX8Fc11IFUs6aVUMAKlENTOsK6GTuTGzdjQNdjhARj1ytoHwxO_OmvIeMjpzzUQrT1-mKHdNglInI5L80D5AkFrcnEwavWFUs3Xnka71QagM2D4F-TRIaFvhfvhFqz6sl-dq4gZ5vhv-q5uwVB8g3Y-_eu5VUuwko/s320/20220723_144433-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course it cannot be a festival without performances, and to their credit, the organizers had some set of dancers or performers every so often. And they were not just Indian - I saw Nepalese, Bengali amongst others. So at least in that aspect, it covered the whole South Asian flavour. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Ks0eDDyw2JokR_bxnByZxl3pWAXvtEhzDDncqwAyc1a-G7HeIUMVykJ8_UlSWpncRXJxoF2fRfAjcGiC2L65n2PkEJiOnnd2_dhSlBtt6gI8dKd8NvU22VwyiWmvmmJhTM_M56ebeZgFPgJK21nNgl-gai75kRqCSasFuVezG-zbjl2pKg/s900/20220723_144630-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Ks0eDDyw2JokR_bxnByZxl3pWAXvtEhzDDncqwAyc1a-G7HeIUMVykJ8_UlSWpncRXJxoF2fRfAjcGiC2L65n2PkEJiOnnd2_dhSlBtt6gI8dKd8NvU22VwyiWmvmmJhTM_M56ebeZgFPgJK21nNgl-gai75kRqCSasFuVezG-zbjl2pKg/s320/20220723_144630-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I heard there was another festival in Mississauga, which is rapidly becoming another South Asian centre, along with Brampton. However with it comes to Gerrard, it is the OG, and many of us have fond memories of our early days in Canada coming down here to get a taste of South Asia in Toronto.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eQ5BrRLvKF-nH1tTAd8EiMZSOhNANZSqmsJPoiQ4ZLPTahvR12UKgJhpTdxNfIugJmSd5YN-pvVymkpykwItPmNOHwXwExM_fK5qBH7K5OTCuOnXPk2CEYampyVxZQjFQ7o_A1KkL6ZOYPNFO2HIeQ7EOydQ56VmdoBVy5xDya_Sf2b3lqk/s900/20220723_153506-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eQ5BrRLvKF-nH1tTAd8EiMZSOhNANZSqmsJPoiQ4ZLPTahvR12UKgJhpTdxNfIugJmSd5YN-pvVymkpykwItPmNOHwXwExM_fK5qBH7K5OTCuOnXPk2CEYampyVxZQjFQ7o_A1KkL6ZOYPNFO2HIeQ7EOydQ56VmdoBVy5xDya_Sf2b3lqk/s320/20220723_153506-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The weather was clear and sunny, and not too hot, which was perfect. You could walk around, see the whole set of bazaars and stalls, while getting tasty bites to eat.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqbHtUgZR-6TeK0f4mlBapwfG7ZwP0ZuOxNWpBLEfpuK8fB4yVoAMwt1M5pLe0m_F58pIxZ3ZYQRubOPRx1lpsOQ5yOpcXKkqwlI3IdzUWyubmq8WvT7gR46NecF1kzRnOqFoB0w4aVOeWmvhT3AAf5juTFaTgAI-rXsOsUvs2abl8bwtCFs/s900/20220723_165427-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqbHtUgZR-6TeK0f4mlBapwfG7ZwP0ZuOxNWpBLEfpuK8fB4yVoAMwt1M5pLe0m_F58pIxZ3ZYQRubOPRx1lpsOQ5yOpcXKkqwlI3IdzUWyubmq8WvT7gR46NecF1kzRnOqFoB0w4aVOeWmvhT3AAf5juTFaTgAI-rXsOsUvs2abl8bwtCFs/s320/20220723_165427-900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>As for parking, you have to park on the surrounding streets. On some of them you can only park on one side of the street (depending on the date) and there are also time restrictions (you can only park for an hour), so do pay attention. I wish there was a Green P location nearby that was easily accessible. However, it was a fun festival to attend.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-85144505950603466502022-07-23T12:13:00.000-04:002022-07-23T12:13:10.643-04:00Taste of the Middle East, Toronto, 2022<p>The <a href="https://www.tasteofthemiddleeast.ca/">Taste of the Middle East</a> is a festival that celebrates Arabic music, culture, food, arts and heritage. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mhk0bwZo60A" width="320" youtube-src-id="Mhk0bwZo60A"></iframe></div><p>This year the festival was held downtown Toronto, at Nathan Phillips Square.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIk-kXmFP0Pxs4X5Amr9b1aiiyLV7hmbfjJjys-9lFqGHUtkFHTTa8tqLRxQ1mncd6-Ysv-QTvqIcHYZPilXog6fipeKT4tZXUbO0QNbmY0iXhHwMRHq6rgyyQIShfhK3ZnpLrzTDz-6dLbZYwkTwjbxHFu7cOqaei5mw5GQfZNh-mHM_RPVY/s900/20220722_192555-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIk-kXmFP0Pxs4X5Amr9b1aiiyLV7hmbfjJjys-9lFqGHUtkFHTTa8tqLRxQ1mncd6-Ysv-QTvqIcHYZPilXog6fipeKT4tZXUbO0QNbmY0iXhHwMRHq6rgyyQIShfhK3ZnpLrzTDz-6dLbZYwkTwjbxHFu7cOqaei5mw5GQfZNh-mHM_RPVY/s320/20220722_192555-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was a brilliant sunny day. I visited on Friday, the first day of the festival. It runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Apparently there are bigger things planned on Sunday.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTJKDN8LxPxOA_NcZxTkkEpgdAuVwDTdPrJVfc_iI7NfQ-kxskb6cRMRFMsbDxRJf74wieG_AjhgzYHimWzlxR4CAZrcHBOXmnalAcs6bnQTWmmXOXpoqiBDT9GZwR1zbbOlnxBCiDIewgSPhEbp_4v_ctyGSOFCDZosjf1QYRny_o7oWlH8/s900/20220722_192726-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTJKDN8LxPxOA_NcZxTkkEpgdAuVwDTdPrJVfc_iI7NfQ-kxskb6cRMRFMsbDxRJf74wieG_AjhgzYHimWzlxR4CAZrcHBOXmnalAcs6bnQTWmmXOXpoqiBDT9GZwR1zbbOlnxBCiDIewgSPhEbp_4v_ctyGSOFCDZosjf1QYRny_o7oWlH8/s320/20220722_192726-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Along with the sponsor tents, there were lots of other tents of various merchants. Here is Huda, a religious organization, right next to the telecommunications giant Telus.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_V777JkJyI4_m6AfwnSzBeB6QHNUyb8uvc8unMr-P9Lr8fMyAo-IrI0JQba2Ex9sd_rA5gJ8P0FwmZLtCW_oTzBkfUernBecLly_jnQWMEIYjFAekMVnndmSDXrOzjBR4Kha9EFmARoWTIgqFrkhRBpYfmYo5sGQzpE90lfouI8NGoHhGTY/s900/20220722_193741-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_V777JkJyI4_m6AfwnSzBeB6QHNUyb8uvc8unMr-P9Lr8fMyAo-IrI0JQba2Ex9sd_rA5gJ8P0FwmZLtCW_oTzBkfUernBecLly_jnQWMEIYjFAekMVnndmSDXrOzjBR4Kha9EFmARoWTIgqFrkhRBpYfmYo5sGQzpE90lfouI8NGoHhGTY/s320/20220722_193741-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the picture above, City Hall is to the background. Nathan Phillips Square has the advantage of having a huge Green P parking lot right underneath. I got in around 7 pm and got parking easily. It only cost $6.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfuXw2kA64vHJZV8VPj0aJBK10DFS1sXxBkasmQQ6lRMh0OvKOGocXtmmoO8BWU_5A_Y3pbjYrkRbByLE2-Jzg7fwZysOyoHB_b20s5F6lwIveDR1meK3UvAqfm2rqptzBiCxquMck2r_jRNgRsjGjU-wNmDf83IxTU8n9HM-GwhYKcGNMpU/s900/20220722_193748-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfuXw2kA64vHJZV8VPj0aJBK10DFS1sXxBkasmQQ6lRMh0OvKOGocXtmmoO8BWU_5A_Y3pbjYrkRbByLE2-Jzg7fwZysOyoHB_b20s5F6lwIveDR1meK3UvAqfm2rqptzBiCxquMck2r_jRNgRsjGjU-wNmDf83IxTU8n9HM-GwhYKcGNMpU/s320/20220722_193748-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Lots and lots of stalls, and lots and lots of people. It was great to see the huge diversity that makes Toronto one of the best cities in the world to live in. Everyone came to experience Arabic culture, not just Arabs (or Muslims).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss7-8kqcUWWkj9izpvv7f_W3KJs33cWZYIEtIPs7In4bhs9z5OpY01br9fG5h8nPFCItiESrrJVCEA1NLcEDagQ6ANmtPSXoTjP6CCZQxZILWKlhRs33xYnjKFRM6T_cryRT3sSoqNi9fPrzKCCCVZzpQ87nBT54N33CkgBClE1rmHioivdY/s900/20220722_193902-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss7-8kqcUWWkj9izpvv7f_W3KJs33cWZYIEtIPs7In4bhs9z5OpY01br9fG5h8nPFCItiESrrJVCEA1NLcEDagQ6ANmtPSXoTjP6CCZQxZILWKlhRs33xYnjKFRM6T_cryRT3sSoqNi9fPrzKCCCVZzpQ87nBT54N33CkgBClE1rmHioivdY/s320/20220722_193902-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>People also have the misconception that Arabic culture is just limited to Muslims and Islam, which is not true. There's a lot of Christians in the Arab world. Some of the Arab world also have other cultures that are non Arab, for example Berbers.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RkNJukV5h8O4CwMIbsgn4q8XOQPO2iAnKxD8xQt32JyqqGMWnqxAmRpoqF3CCTGRYU5-X9RXpOijDrZ6VzWJfa_X-ApilYcUN7JsF9fX4u6MezUYbO6zipDWt7UT9qIEOZsVi5QsraFQelQXJdJQOC28DSRldyB-wauLGplESO767GH7grQ/s900/20220722_193913-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RkNJukV5h8O4CwMIbsgn4q8XOQPO2iAnKxD8xQt32JyqqGMWnqxAmRpoqF3CCTGRYU5-X9RXpOijDrZ6VzWJfa_X-ApilYcUN7JsF9fX4u6MezUYbO6zipDWt7UT9qIEOZsVi5QsraFQelQXJdJQOC28DSRldyB-wauLGplESO767GH7grQ/s320/20220722_193913-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As the evening went on, it became busier and busier, as more people started to drop by. The stage also started to have some shows and performances.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Zhy3mdLHNGuR2Ag6GdcADQG2TKKZWn_gT79_4itHNMXIijEfiJ8sJvf4v3DDFUv964aNHQigJwSr7K5ROG1AvGo4CNtO5Fq7GlKd3J4giYqgfoBEcE5ozWSaErUH3gSESpZxOoYGNbjGL69BcDWvjhTkfaolDWf2jl-IDVErWqBWdWP7frw/s900/20220722_193920-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Zhy3mdLHNGuR2Ag6GdcADQG2TKKZWn_gT79_4itHNMXIijEfiJ8sJvf4v3DDFUv964aNHQigJwSr7K5ROG1AvGo4CNtO5Fq7GlKd3J4giYqgfoBEcE5ozWSaErUH3gSESpZxOoYGNbjGL69BcDWvjhTkfaolDWf2jl-IDVErWqBWdWP7frw/s320/20220722_193920-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The one complaint I would have is that the food selection was not that big, and as expected from a festival - it was expensive. A pineapple juice drink was $13. A pastry was $8. Osmows shawarma platter was $13. I guess inflation hits everyone.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Sg0nrwuHtaN-9B_Ryo0h6OQVECUdA7-WrhaXfksVCvsNSPNVa-t6lNCNZFsqrry3Ai0OJh3kWWp6FeGSCJuhtLXxvTs0FESXmdS7U5a879VdEd1R9s03EHMq5JZQnXxl0weB9TFUrPBjIMCbCTOBjz-ICm_PHpldaUnhRNzOPTN38afGtz4/s900/20220722_194851-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Sg0nrwuHtaN-9B_Ryo0h6OQVECUdA7-WrhaXfksVCvsNSPNVa-t6lNCNZFsqrry3Ai0OJh3kWWp6FeGSCJuhtLXxvTs0FESXmdS7U5a879VdEd1R9s03EHMq5JZQnXxl0weB9TFUrPBjIMCbCTOBjz-ICm_PHpldaUnhRNzOPTN38afGtz4/s320/20220722_194851-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It's a great festival, particularly the musical big names at the end of the night. If you are in Toronto, it's definitely worth checking out, especially when parking is not a problem.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-21994282539502304832022-07-19T10:19:00.004-04:002022-07-19T10:27:22.854-04:00 5 Ways How Early Islamic Empires Dealt With Inflation<p><i>TLDR version: Promote business, trade, production of goods and competition</i></p><p><i>Long version:</i></p><p>In a way, today's inflation is one of the signs of the Hour. </p><p><i>" ... the increase of wealth to such an extent that even if one is given one hundred Dinars, he will not be satisfied ..."</i> Said our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and it certainly applies today.</p><p>It is well known that Islam bans interest, and early Islamic empires (in fact, generally up to the Ottomans in the 14th century) faithfully followed this doctrine. There were no small kingdoms - the Ummayyad Empire was the largest empire in history at the time of its existence, stretching from Spain to the borders of India. With such complex trade routes, variety of products and constant warfare, inflation was always a possibility. How did these governments deal with inflation, when there is no interest rate to raise?</p><p>What causes inflation? Inflation is caused either by having surplus means of payments (including higher quantity of money in a society) or shortage of general supply. In other words, it deals with supply and demand, but in a general matter that touches all goods and services in economy.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNYjq2Lg7ItAkL8N-DCWoMWTRGFQkYLd0TCB2rCsbBFFk2RtabAPUH6-Dz84-Ap6v5kNOk6BViPSixjYw2ASv3f3VIioDSmxnAgN0mSNtPAt8AxkGCq0PjrDnsmOqDTFUV3HiLdc7BbYN8g_Fg9atZCy9A2pzv43OBkuvBLDk1UCvKcepMhs4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNYjq2Lg7ItAkL8N-DCWoMWTRGFQkYLd0TCB2rCsbBFFk2RtabAPUH6-Dz84-Ap6v5kNOk6BViPSixjYw2ASv3f3VIioDSmxnAgN0mSNtPAt8AxkGCq0PjrDnsmOqDTFUV3HiLdc7BbYN8g_Fg9atZCy9A2pzv43OBkuvBLDk1UCvKcepMhs4" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>This is how Islamic governments dealt with inflation:</b></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">1. No price fixing.</h4><p>Inflation happened during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). During the second year of Hijrah, prices rose and people wanted him to fix the prices. He refused [1].</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">2. Emphasize trade, and zero interest</h4><p><i>“Whereas Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba (interet) ”(excerpt from; Surah Baqarah, 2-275).</i></p><p>Trading is real economic activity. In light of the above verse, Allah is emphasizing on trading or productivity, while Riba or interest has been made forbidden. Islamic governments encouraged trade, facilitated trade, and reduced barriers to entry for trade. As per Islamic philosophy, the use of ‘interest’, only helps rich or capitalists to multiply and control the wealth, which has specifically been referred in; Al-Quran 3-130.</p><p>No interest also meant far less credit available for investors for risky ventures that could result in big losses.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">3. Preventing monopolies and hoarding</h4><p>Monopolies, by their nature, lead to lack of competition through inhibiting innovation and quality, generally causing harm by driving prices upwards through restricting supply and leading to injustice. The Prophet Muhammad pbuh clearly criticised this [2]. He prohibited hoarding (one person buying up all the supplies to drive up demand).</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">4. Zakat and Awqaf</h4><p>All Muslims (and their incorporated businesses in today's world) will have to pay zakat. Roughly this is 2.5% of all the savings (separate calculations are there for farm stock and cattle and gold/silver). Thus there was a natural incentive not to store money, but invest in business. </p><p>Zakat being applied on the sale price acts to disincentivize artificially pushing prices up as a natural consequence, since increased prices of stock held would mean an increase in the amount of money required to pay the zakat.</p><p>Awqāf (Arabic for endowments, singular waqf) are a special kind of philanthropic deed in perpetuity, involving the donation of a sustainable asset that can produce a financial return or benefit, which then serves specific beneficiaries. The beauty of awqāf is its unrestricted nature vis-a-vis zakāh. Since awqāf utilise capital investment and then distribute the income/produce generated for social benefit, they can be set up to provide for the basic needs of people.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">5. Government action on protectionism, and on supply and demand</h4><p>While the Islamic government could not fix prices (and does not have any interest rate to manipulate), they would act both to protect the domestic economy as well as take action when there is a shortage of certain goods in the market. For example, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) created a separate market place for the nascent Muslim community in his very first year, enabling them to trade with each other without relying on other communities. He also prohibited a local city dweller from acting as an agent for a visitor, so cutting down the middleman.</p><p>Similarly, in the famine year, which was called Ramadha (ashes) year, when famine occurred only in Hijaz due to food shortage in that year and thus food prices increased, Caliph ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab did not fix the prices of the foodstuffs. Rather he ordered supplies of foodstuffs from Egypt and ash-Sham to be sent to the Hijaz; thus prices dropped without the need for pricing.</p><p>It should also be noted that early Islamic empires (especially the Rashidun Caliphate) had a type of minimum wage (established under Caliph Umar where if the salary given to a slave was less than what he needed to live, the master would be punished for any crime committed by the slave to satisfy his hunger ), a type of guaranteed income (Caliph Abu Bakr would give essentials such as grain, blankets etc. to citizens), as well as a stipend for some notable members of the community.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">In conclusion:</h4><p>Under an Islamic economy, goods and services would be subject to natural market conditions, being driven by supply and demand in their purest sense, without interest-based credit distorting every level of the supply chain. Whilst Islam promotes a laissez-faire approach to market regulation, placing no prohibition on growth or price controls, it balances this with intervention by protecting the fundamentals required to live (such as staple foods and by extension utilities) under extreme circumstances to protect the consumer from being taken advantage of.</p><p><b>References:</b></p><p>1. </p><p>Imam Ahmad narrated from Anas who said: “Prices increased at the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), so they said, O Messenger of Allah, we wish would you price (fix the prices). He (pbuh) said: “Indeed Allah is the Creator, the holder (Qabidh), the Open-handed (Basit), the Provider (Raziq), the Pricer (who fixes prices); and I wish I will meet Allah and nobody demands (complains) of me for unjust act I did against him, neither in blood or property.”</p><p><a href="https://systemofislam.com/index.php/14-the-prohibited-methods-of-increasing-ownership/14-6-price-fixing.html">https://systemofislam.com/index.php/14-the-prohibited-methods-of-increasing-ownership/14-6-price-fixing.html</a></p><p>Also Abu Dawud narrated from Abu Huraira, He said, “A man came and said, O Messenger of Allah, fix prices. He (pbuh) said: “Rather Allah reduces and increases.” </p><p>2. </p><p>“Whoever withholds food [in order to raise its price] has certainly erred!"</p><p>“Whoever strives to increase the cost [of products] for Muslims, Allah, the Exalted, will seat him in the centre of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection."</p><p>“What an evil person is the one who withholds! If Allah causes the prices to drop, he would be saddened, and if He causes them to climb, he would be excited."</p><p><a href="https://iceurope.org/10-ways-to-manage-the-current-inflation-crisis-an-islamic-perspective/">https://iceurope.org/10-ways-to-manage-the-current-inflation-crisis-an-islamic-perspective/</a></p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-82450641035545322392022-07-06T12:04:00.001-04:002022-07-06T12:04:14.108-04:00Conservative Party of Canada - Great at Scoring Own Goals<p> The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is great at scoring own goals.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS-tl_zsQMS-NpQt89Wkm-61h0fAD3Wzi0ZBaiIUT_gHKctLTcdIRnI-srlfqxY-3M1qrQ6WLQ6SDgrwm-94gLz4WZavVFzxh_TxL5Kjjpc3Jr0MOs_6sYG9aaEHPrLubVMqYwZreU7S5vaB_KDDCiHuldmkt6XJa_72U1so-QADHkqZLitk/s900/patrickbrown-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS-tl_zsQMS-NpQt89Wkm-61h0fAD3Wzi0ZBaiIUT_gHKctLTcdIRnI-srlfqxY-3M1qrQ6WLQ6SDgrwm-94gLz4WZavVFzxh_TxL5Kjjpc3Jr0MOs_6sYG9aaEHPrLubVMqYwZreU7S5vaB_KDDCiHuldmkt6XJa_72U1so-QADHkqZLitk/s320/patrickbrown-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In the 2019 General Election, the Prime Minister of Canada was caught with pictures of him in blackface. He had just been found guilty of two ethics violations. He had interfered with a criminal prosecution of a Canadian company by the Attorney General. Under all circumstances this should have been a slam dunk for the CPC.</p><p>Instead, their leader lied about being an insurance salesman and an American, and could not give a straight answer, pun intended, on whether he would attend the Pride parade. </p><p>Today: when you have such an inept government in Ottawa, winning an election should be easy. After all, the government is so inept that their solution to the passport chaos is buying chairs. Instead, the CPC shows its fantastic skill at scoring an own goal. </p><p>Again.</p><p>The disqualification of Patrick Brown from the Conservative leadership race is unprecedented in Canadian politics. It is stunning and has made the front-page news everywhere. Any neutral Canadian will see this as a problem of the CPC itself.</p><p>Patrick Brown wasn't just any CPC candidate. He had signed 150,000 new members who had paid $15 to join the party (remember, Justin Trudeau had 100,000 when he won the Liberal leadership, and those weren't paid members either). Brown was one of the front runner in the race. Honestly, after the first ballot, it was going to be either him or Jean Charest that would have won the race.</p><p>By disqualifying him, the party establishment appear to have rigged the race to favour Pierre Poilievre. And to do so without giving any reasons? That's just bad politics, bad options - not to mention a hit job.</p><p>We can legitimately ask - What <i>exact </i>crime did Brown’s campaign do? What <i>specific</i> rule did they break? Were they given a proper hearing, as they allege they weren't? Brown's statement says they weren't given a full opportunity to defend themselves. And to complete the joke, the CPC isn't issuing any more comments.</p><p>For now.</p><p>Trudea 1. CPC -1.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-71201955725449655182022-05-27T09:38:00.003-04:002022-05-27T09:38:42.465-04:00How to Improve Healthcare in Canada<p>I have been thinking of how people's lives in Canada can be easier. This is my take on healthcare.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoo-qUMz5RgAszmj36mO3Iwo3boA48ydOYGfg_incd8UmFbsCeJyiAyRPDfJikTHA1hNr8WJWiMglz1K79AVUvVfiSfWvWK08CUZEVH7c5V33G_JjEw1QbZUOBrLOQXFwTyEHNJE5CxJ0okGaZ-Z8IJ0LxNnhNy9ODLYVvjCcww6--1pXyGM/s900/nurse-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoo-qUMz5RgAszmj36mO3Iwo3boA48ydOYGfg_incd8UmFbsCeJyiAyRPDfJikTHA1hNr8WJWiMglz1K79AVUvVfiSfWvWK08CUZEVH7c5V33G_JjEw1QbZUOBrLOQXFwTyEHNJE5CxJ0okGaZ-Z8IJ0LxNnhNy9ODLYVvjCcww6--1pXyGM/s320/nurse-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>1) Every hospital should also have a 24 hour walk in clinic, staffed by 2 doctors. So all non-emergency cases go there instead of crowding the emergency.</p><p>2) Emergency receptionist nurse should have authority to order x-rays or exams when you check in. I broke my leg playing badminton, had to wait 3 hours to see a doctor who said go get x-ray, another 1 hour for x-ray, came back to see the doctor who said yes, it's broken. Here's crutches and some Tylenol.</p><p>3) After hour access to test, x-ray etc. So you don't wait 3 months for MRI but 3 days. Rather than spend millions in Ukraine, give every hospital in Canada 3 MRIs .</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-21144181555278748502022-05-09T13:59:00.000-04:002022-05-09T13:59:37.484-04:00How as Premier Doug Ford Affected Your Personal Life?<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">How has Premier Ford of Ontario impacted you? This is how his government has impacted me:</span></p><ul class="bi6gxh9e aov4n071 fjf4s8hc mf5omzu7" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px;"><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">saved me $120/year on license sticker renewal</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">cancelled tolls on 412 and 418, giving me more choices</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">cut Toronto's city council in half, thus reducing the number of useless politicians</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">rolled back 2015 sex ed curriculum which had lessons addressing same-sex relationships, gender identity and masturbation</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">cancelled Cap and Trade, and Energy Green Act, which is saving me tax on gas I pay at the pump</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">halted opening of safe injection sites, which means there won't be junkies loitering in my neighborhood</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">lowered the hydro rate for me, which meant my utility bills are lower</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">rolled back Pharmacare (OHIP+), which meant my kids' medicines were no longer free, but I get most of it paid through my work insurance; if I didn't have that it would continue to be free</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Scrapped the Drive Clean Program so I don't have to take my car to a useless emissions test that has nothing to do with the environment anyways</span></div></li><li><div class="bi6gxh9e" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Froze hiring in public sector and limited the wage raise to 1%, which affects my profession in a time of global record inflation</span></div></li></ul><div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr-44VG_e8wsgJp336gXDBl22FwWh7jcLrTUg1YiwxbR5ZN4zaImrTFKaUIhkvrSwN8W7fnI9OJhe55gGCCxeq5T89t7zFUXaj8TXkFboWipmPq4Ra-jMgwFgpqnrOFHINdj4zgzGdiVdxDACeam6mN-RHaopQzvqLaUyzvop-msGywCDa2E/s700/009-700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr-44VG_e8wsgJp336gXDBl22FwWh7jcLrTUg1YiwxbR5ZN4zaImrTFKaUIhkvrSwN8W7fnI9OJhe55gGCCxeq5T89t7zFUXaj8TXkFboWipmPq4Ra-jMgwFgpqnrOFHINdj4zgzGdiVdxDACeam6mN-RHaopQzvqLaUyzvop-msGywCDa2E/s320/009-700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-31792179433907816002022-05-04T13:53:00.003-04:002022-05-04T13:53:24.085-04:00The Difference between Christian and Muslim Stances on Abortion<p>Since there appears to be a lot of discussion on abortion in recently, in light of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/under-pressure-abortion-leak-exposes-us-supreme-courts-disunity-2022-05-03/">the leak of US Supreme Court opinion on overturning Roe v Wade</a>, a lot of people are saying the US is going to be a "<i>sharia law</i>" country. Comedians such as Trevor Noah made this joke, while a lot of Muslims are posting links to Ben Shapiro and using the same arguments that the Republican right uses in USA. What I wanted to emphasize is that US pro-life arguments come from their understanding of Christianity, which is different from the Muslim point of view, so using some of the Republican arguments is a non-starter.</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Christianity believes life begins at conception. Thus their stance on abortion is tied to this belief. Abortion in Christianity is murder, plain and simple. If you are a believing Christian, you cannot reconcile support for abortion on a theological level, because you ARE killing a life.<br /><br /></li><li>Muslims believe by and large that the soul enters the fetus at 120 days after conception (majority opinion). Some minority scholars believe in 40 days. So almost unanimously, before 120 days the fetus is just a growing body of cells and tissue. Yes, it has the potential of becoming a living thing, but it is not LIFE yet.<br /><br /></li><li>Regardless, the Muslim stance on abortion is NOT based on when life begins, unlike Christianity (which is what Ben Shapiro, who coincidentally is a Jew, believes).<br /><br /></li><li>Can you terminate a pregnancy AFTER the first trimester (i.e. after 120 days, when it is now a living soul)? The unanimous verdict is that without a valid reason, <b>NO</b>. This is different from Christianity, which is a NO regardless of reason. In Islam, the life of the mother is held to be <b><i>more valuable</i></b> than the life of the fetus. Hence if the life of the mother is at risk, abortion <b>at ANY MOMENT</b> can be justified. The greater the concrete reason, the more lenient the verdict. It should be noted that nowadays, with modern science, you do not have to abort as we have lots of success with premature births.<br /><br /></li><li>What about before 120 days (i.e. the first trimester)? There is a <b><i>valid difference of opinion</i></b>. Some Hanafi scholars are very lenient, saying you don't need ANY valid reason. Other scholars from other madhabs are split on this. You can read more about it in the sources I will provide at the end of this article. Again, this is vastly different from Christianity, which is NO ABORTION AT ALL UNDER ANY CONDITIONS because it is MURDER. It is important to understand this distinction.</li></ol><div>So if you are speaking from an Islamic point of view, and someone asks you what is the correct summary of Islamic position on abortion, this would be the correct answer:</div><div><br /></div><p></p><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>In Islam, life begins at some point AFTER conception (120 days).<br /><br /></li><li>There is <b><i>valid difference of opinion</i></b> on the permissibility of abortion in the first trimester if done WITHOUT ANY VALID REASON.<br /><br /></li><li>There is unanimous consent that abortion is NOT ALLOWED after the first trimester UNLESS there is compelling valid reasons tied to the health of the mother.<br /><br /></li><li>At any point, the life of the mother is superior to the life of the fetus.<br /><br /></li><li>As a general point of note, abortion is not something that is the recommended option. Exceptional circumstances require specific judgements.</li></ol><div><div>Thus you can see that the Shariah is actually more flexible, and more accommodating to concerns of society, the woman, the man, the family, the marital unit, the future child and keeps a good balance overall.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What about "my body, my choice" ?</i></div><div><br /></div><div>In Islam, we are slaves of Allah. We submit to Him (hence the name Muslim). We do what He has commanded. We have the choice not to follow His rules, but then we will answer for it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What about "only a woman should speak on abortion" ?</i></div><div><br /></div><div>That is not the Islamic point of view. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope this post can shed a light on some of the discussion where many people are bringing religious perspectives. Even if as a Muslim you believe in the strictest option in the first trimester, know that valid scholarly difference of opinion on this exists.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sources:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://muslimmatters.org/2019/05/21/what-does-sharia-really-say-about-abortion-in-islam/">What Does Sharia Really Say About Abortion in Islam</a><br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://yaqeeninstitute.ca/omar-suleiman/islam-and-the-abortion-debate-infographic/">Islam and the Abortion Debate (Infographic)</a><br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://yaqeeninstitute.ca/omar-suleiman/islam-and-the-abortion-debate">Islam and the Abortion Debate (Article)</a></li></ol></div>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-32296127856614874582022-04-20T22:15:00.009-04:002022-04-20T22:15:59.865-04:00Why Ford is Going to Win the Ontario Election<h2 style="text-align: left;">Why Ford is going to win the Ontario election</h2><p>Ontario's Premier Doug Ford is one of the best from all retail politicians in Canada. Remember how he used his own car and shovel to help dig out drivers caught during the snowstorm? It made the news, and got all the attention. It played to Ford's image - a man of the people. Liberals hate him, but he knows how to do politics. Here are four reasons why he should handily win the election:</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">1. Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister of Canada</h3><p>Ontario is a smart province. The people of this province want different parties in power in Ottawa and Queen's Park. With the Liberals winning federally, Ontario would want a Conservative in charge of their province. Besides, if Pierre Poilievre succeeds in winning the leadership of the federal Conservatives, and turns hard right, this just plays into Ford's image as a centrist (which he is). Ontario loves their moderates.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">2. The NDP and the Liberals are fighting for second place</h3><p>Ford's opponents are acting as if he has already won. Do you even know the leader of Ontario's Liberals? Or recognize his face? And the leader of NDP has lost more elections than she can count. Their ideas seem all over the place as well. Liberals blamed Ford for not shutting down the province early on during the pandemic, and then held a rally. NDP, despite being on the left, supported the people not getting vaccinated as a "Charter right". Their criticism was seen as criticism for criticism's sake, and not as valid opposition. When you are seeing "doing politics as usual" you are going to lose.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">3. The pandemic handling</h3><p>Ford has certainly done some mistakes (I have called him out on this many times). He famously told people in March 2020 to go for Spring break and "have a good time". He was late in getting the province ready for the vaccination drive. He was late in many of the restrictions that would come into play. Yet, despite those mistakes, which every government made, he generally handled the pandemic well. Almost 90% of the province is vaccinated. Ontario had strict lockdowns, and strict vaccine mandates. Ontario kept the mask mandates the longest. Ford generally listened to the science and to the experts, even if it went against his own instincts. </p><p>The right was angry at him for the restrictions and lockdowns, and left angry at the lockdowns and restrictions not coming down fast enough. When both extremes are mad at you, you are probably doing something right. Ford also rightly called out Justin Trudeau and the federal government for their lax security and screening (or rather, NO SECURITY and SCREENING) at the border. The 2021 autumn wave of the virus was purely due to open borders - a federal fault - that Ford rightly called out. His government, despite being Conservative, handled the pandemic with smartness and caution.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">4. Keeping his promises</h3><p>Ford kept most of his promises. He got shovels in the ground on Ontario's notorious on again off again public transit projects. The Crosstown is going to open soon, the Ontario Line and the Scarborough extension is well on their way, along with LRTs in other cities. He has removed the tolls on highways 412 and 418. He kept his promises to reform the education curriculum, be it sex ed or Maths. He has kept public spending in check (too much, in fact). In his battle against the teachers, the people generally support him. </p><p>All in all, everything looks rosy for Ford. Yet, he has challenges in his second term. Healthcare in this province is at a breaking point. It is almost non-functional, except the bare basics. Education is going to be a rocky battle, as he has to take care of bigger classes, lower tax base, and a teachers' union that is in the mood for a fight. Other public unions are coming up for negotiations. Ontario is facing a housing crisis - with buyers facing high house prices, rising interest rates and higher mortgages, not to mention higher property taxes and utility costs. All these add up in higher rents, which harm renters. And the LTB is a pure disaster.</p><p>So... much fun awaits. For now, all roads lead to Ford.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-2506293962342776502022-04-16T06:45:00.002-04:002022-04-16T06:49:52.139-04:00How To Buy A House Without Interest<p>The simple answer is that you need to come up with the whole chunk of money. If your house costs $1.4m, you need $1.4m plus the other closing costs (such as taxes, lawyers, etc.) and then of course, you can buy the house without paying a single cent in interest. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgTnGb9kToFCZ6DoFFG-VVTPTIO57sUKJTs-EFmnX1GmsLYGQEd9CUaB9mZgM6CwMKDlzHdjez4jhLrwjOW_YJH4t8_Dw1JiVeQs7175p2vYuiz1tEr8kyPPn8b7WvKHM4dYob6T02hwifE_AX05GiaH9TnjSAaxnubhPQidrn-7gw9XkKi0/s900/modern_seatonwhitevale_fallingbrook_main-900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgTnGb9kToFCZ6DoFFG-VVTPTIO57sUKJTs-EFmnX1GmsLYGQEd9CUaB9mZgM6CwMKDlzHdjez4jhLrwjOW_YJH4t8_Dw1JiVeQs7175p2vYuiz1tEr8kyPPn8b7WvKHM4dYob6T02hwifE_AX05GiaH9TnjSAaxnubhPQidrn-7gw9XkKi0/s320/modern_seatonwhitevale_fallingbrook_main-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(image courtesy: Mattamy Homes)</i></div><p>However, for the average person, such a big amount is not possible (and hence mortgages). So here are some schemes that can allow you to have some big returns, without going into interest, so that you can start to save and / or utilize the real estate market, without getting into interest. Please do your own due diligence, and treat these ideas as entertainment only. If they work, and you are able to finally buy a house of your own without interest, please remember me and my family in your prayers.</p><p><b>1. Partnership</b></p><p>Find 20 people, each of whom can pay $25,000. That gives you half a million dollars. As of 2022, this can be enough to buy a property in many places. In Toronto, you may be able to find a small condo. The further away you go, the bigger this property becomes. In provinces such as Nova Scotia, you can buy a big house for that money. Even in places like Edmonton, or some areas of Calgary, you can find a decent property for this. Of course, you need to buy in a place where you can put it on rent, and someone can be there to manage the rental property.</p><p>Now put it on rent. Assuming it earns around $2000/month, and property tax is say $5000/ year, and budgeting another $5000 for miscellaneous expenses, that gives each of the 20 investing partners a monthly revenue of $58/month. If the rent is $3000/month, that gives a revenue of $108.33/month. So you can be making rental income of $700 - $1300 per year.</p><p>Now assume your saving is $100,000 instead of $25,000. So you can do 4 such partnerships. Now you have the potential to earn around $4000 per year. But that is not the main purpose of these partnerships. The goal is to eventually sell the property. So say, in 4 years, the price of the property has gone up by $200,000. That is $10,000 for each partner. </p><p>If you have invested in 4 such properties, you are now reaping a pure profit of $40,000 - all interest free, along with the rental revenue stream of those years ($1300 * 4 * 4 = $20,800), giving you roughly <b>$60,000</b>.</p><p><b><u>Cons:</u></b> Obviously, this comes with ALL THE drawbacks and risks of partnership. There can be personality conflicts, trust issues, management issues, conflicts about vision, and so on. Thus you need a good lawyer to handle these issues upfront, and someone strong enough (in personality and integrity) to manage the whole venture. There are risks of renting a property (especially in Ontario). It's a business, so obviously it can be a loss (although with property, the chance is less if you do your homework). </p><p>Moreover, the MORE partners there are, the less is your initial investment, but this also lessens your profit, and increases the risk. Inversely, if the number of partners is less, this increases your initial investment, but also increases your profit, while reducing the risks.</p><p>Ultimately, this allows you to participate in the benefits of the real estate without interest.</p><p><b>2. Assignment Sale</b></p><p>In this venture, you don't need a partner, but you need a capital of around $100,000 to $200,000 - depending on the city and the builder. Your goal is to buy a new property from a builder, but one that won't be complete for another 2-3 years, and has the potential to rise significantly in value. In Ontario, the Durham region right now has that potential. There are tons of builders who are ready to sell plans on paper, and will start building soon.</p><p>Find a reputable builder, such as John Boddy Homes, Mattamy Homes etc., and buy a property. What you will need is an initial deposit, followed by subsequent payments every couple of months, so that in six months you will be paying them around $150,000. What you get is an assignment - a contract that will allow you to buy the property once it's finished at an agreed upon price (say $750,000). You have already paid $150,000 - so you will need to pay the remainder - $600,000 - on closing in 3 years.</p><p>Now you wait. Remember, so far you have not taken any interest, nor any mortgage. You are paying NOTHING per month. A year passes. Perhaps another 6 months. You still have another year and half to go.</p><p>This is where you (or your realtor) start looking for people to buy this assignment from you. The value of this property may have gone up by $100,000 (real example from 2020-2021 in Durham). It has the potential to go up another $50,000 by the time the property closes. So in effect, you will be paying $750,000 total for a property that as soon as you get it, will be worth $900,000. </p><p>You now have two choices. You can close on the property, and then sell it - but that would mean interest and going into mortgage. What you want to do is sell the assignment before you get the property. So someone will buy the assignment from you for say $250,000. In other word, they will pay you $250,000, and then <i>assumes the contract with the builder as is</i>, and will pay the builder $600,000 on closing (as your original assignment). </p><p>So from the new buyer's perspective, they are getting a $900,000 property at $850,000. From your perspective, you have now made a profit of <b>$100,000</b> (your initial deposit was $150,000 and you have sold this assignment for $250,000). </p><p><b><u>Cons:</u></b> Obviously, you are depending on the property going up significantly in value so that an assignment sale becomes profitable for all. If no sale goes through, you will have to end up closing the sale. There are also realtor fees and lawyer fees to consider, as well as the fact that some builders do not allow sale of assignments, or charge a fee to transfer an assignment (this fee can vary, and I have seen figures of $7000 for this). </p><p><b>3. Leveraging Income Differential </b></p><p>In this venture, you will be earning in a place where property is expensive, and cost of living is high, and so your remuneration is high. However, you will be buying a property in a place where it is cheap, but has the potential to go up significantly. </p><p>So for example, let us say you are earning $150,000 per year in Toronto, but you are looking to buy a house in Saskatchewan where in certain cities, a whole house is available for $100,000 - $200,000. A year's (or two's) worth of total income savings (such as your spouse's) is enough to buy a property in many places in Canada. I know people who are living in Toronto but have bought places in Halifax or Edmonton, where it's still cheap (as of 2022). </p><p>And then, you collect the rental income in the interim, as you wait for the property to appreciate in value. And once the property significantly appreciates, you can sell it off, and repeat the whole cycle again.</p><p>For some people, they do this internationally. Earning income in Canada, but buying property in Bangladesh, where the Dhaka market has gone crazy in the last decade. Others live in Canada but buy properties in USA, such as Florida, where they can use it for AirBnB or as holiday rentals.</p><p><b><u>Cons:</u></b> Obviously the biggest drawback is that you need someone to manage the property where you buy it, as you do not live there, which can have its costs. You also need to find an area where the property is cheap enough so you can buy it without paying interest (as that is our main qualification criteria).For some people, they can combine this with the first idea. An example is a condo in Calgary, which can be bought by 3 people (rather than 20) together. Again, this comes with the risks of partnership, and also chances of property depreciation.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b></p><p>All these ideas are obviously business ideas, which always has the potential for loss. They come with other risks of real estate, such as potential for market crash, bad tenants, etc. The revenue stream may not be as rosy as depicted (especially in these uncertain times). None of them will give you $1.5m in a year. At the end of it, in hot markets such as Toronto, you can never save enough from normal streams to buy a house outright, since the rate of real estate increase is far higher. </p><p>However, these ventures allow you to buy property and participate in the benefits and profits of real estate, without potentially paying a single cent in interest.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-85786969566107151112022-03-07T18:08:00.004-05:002022-03-07T18:08:55.752-05:00The Ridiculous Social Message of Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat<p>Let's talk about this new Pakistani serial that is taking the desi world by storm.</p><p><i>Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat</i></p><p>It is a story of two sisters who get married in strange circumstances. The marriage episode (or circumstance) itself is the ultimate in cringe worthiness but let's skip past that to the premise of the story. I will come back to it, I promise.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLWC7kQgV6MclyddxYC-jhkSHlhAhbztjZsapCD6clmHAgUWsEH4YlYj6kc3fdz-EbfA4EQkzpDz-5vg_CheT5Oq2f0URCeG9bcF6CrOA6fkgCwlrsHEeVWTTCgx-Kcz1yHUgmRvTbAwMlNl0VB-eKmZYBZh1i_MafSTSil-36ZpxuAP6kI9Y=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLWC7kQgV6MclyddxYC-jhkSHlhAhbztjZsapCD6clmHAgUWsEH4YlYj6kc3fdz-EbfA4EQkzpDz-5vg_CheT5Oq2f0URCeG9bcF6CrOA6fkgCwlrsHEeVWTTCgx-Kcz1yHUgmRvTbAwMlNl0VB-eKmZYBZh1i_MafSTSil-36ZpxuAP6kI9Y=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>THE GOOD STUFF</b></p><p>First, let's talk of the two good things about this serial. The acting is good, and there IS something in the direction of the story that makes you want to watch the next episode ... <i>just</i> to see what happens. That is good in any TV drama where it can capture and hook an audience (sadly lacking in <i>The Fame Game</i> or <i>How I Met Your Father</i>). Now let's come to the ridiculousness.</p><p>The story is of two sisters - the "good" sister and the "bad" sister. Now why is the good sister good? Because she serves her in laws, tolerates all their insults, goes to office and earns, and then comes home and does ALL the domestic chores, and all the times remains silent at any injustice done to her. And why is the bad sister bad? She is stubborn, and does not speak to elders with respect, does not tolerate any insults tactfully, and is too lazy to do any housework. Oh, and she is 20 years old.</p><p><b>THE BAD STUFF: ALL WOMEN ARE EVIL</b></p><p>The show is very popular amongst women, which is surprising when you think that ALMOST EVERY woman portrayed on the drama is shown as a scheming villain, except the main character and her mother. EVERY WOMAN is bad. Almost EVERY GUY is good. One has to ask, is this realistic?</p><p>I know Pakistan is a conservative country that likes to promote joint families, but if reality is that in every joint family all the elderly women are villains who make the life of the new wife hell, then why is the young girl who wants to live on her own shown as a bad girl? And how does this show purport to promote family values when your mother-in-law, aunt, cousin etc. are all evil, all the time?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSuRCwAhzfhwMJQkrFcla0cFpRI9grJ37i1DAGI70kxPpByVKzsEwAr5yX48nBWbtdoAjI8sMT9CeNleEV95ZkWEx5Ek2iJbQMeq3HK05EEC0mVx5nVCZ1BgrG0p5KqtF95RV55pO0mA58JZfvcYrWp4ubsdsAmtSkCC9xXgDZht6EcJ8oDSQ=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="900" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSuRCwAhzfhwMJQkrFcla0cFpRI9grJ37i1DAGI70kxPpByVKzsEwAr5yX48nBWbtdoAjI8sMT9CeNleEV95ZkWEx5Ek2iJbQMeq3HK05EEC0mVx5nVCZ1BgrG0p5KqtF95RV55pO0mA58JZfvcYrWp4ubsdsAmtSkCC9xXgDZht6EcJ8oDSQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>THE BAD STUFF: JOINT FAMILY IS IDEAL AND ANYTHING ELSE IS EVIL</b></p><p>This is particularly nauseating. Granted, it's a <i>desi</i> show, so they are likely to toll the virtues of a joint family. But the talk of having your own household is treated as toxic (whereas the family itself is shown to be the ultimate toxic one, but you have to "tolerate" it like the 'good' girl). Even Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s own daughters lived in their own household with their husbands, but this is shown as something only the 'bad' girl wants. How hard is it to show reality, that different families have different needs?</p><p><b>THE BAD STUFF: THE MARRIAGE EPISODE</b></p><p>This is really stupid. I told you I will come back to the marriage episode. The elder sister is supposed to be married to Yaser, who, by the way, has the hots for his fiancée's younger sister. On the day of the marriage, the 'good' sister meets with an incident and is unable to get to the venue on time. As you watch this, you ask yourself, DOES NO ONE HAVE A PHONE? Not even the police, the ambulance or the hospital, to alert the parents? And then this lady - who by the way was robbed at gun point - is branded characterless for showing up late to her own reception. And again, everyone seems OK with this! Even the parents of the girl, while not wondering where she is, decides it is better for the younger sister to get married in place of the older sister, because "log kya kahenge" or what will people think. </p><p>Again, she was robbed at gun point and is late, but somehow this is a big disaster and the young sister must save the day. And of course, Yaser is behind himself with glee, telling his new younger wife that God stepped in to make him marry her…..essentially saying that God had the older sister attacked to please Yaser. But hey - the men are supposed to be religious here, and the women the villain. </p><p>We are not done. As the older sister appears, the family keeps worrying about her reputation and her "dagh" (mark). WHAT MARK? WHAT REPUTATION? SHE WAS ROBBED!!! So she has to get married immediately to the first available guy, because, you know, who else will marry her!! I don't know ... someone who has a bit of sense? But because she is the 'good' girl, she has to tolerate this.</p><p><b>A GUILTY PLEASURE</b></p><p>I accept that drama always get a bit exaggerated because you know drama. But this over the top ridiculousness. My post is not just about how ridiculous it is, but how it is pretending what is pathetic behaviour (forced marriage , tolerating toxic abuse , age old fashioned thinking) as good, progressive and religious. This show, while remaining a guilty pleasure, certainly does not deserve to be called a good show.</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-37594151560232392312022-03-02T09:28:00.000-05:002022-03-02T09:28:12.514-05:00Condemning the Illegal Invasion of Ukraine <p>In 2003 the US invaded Iraq - a sovereign nation under a dictator - using the "weapons of mass destruction" excuse. At that time, many of us denounced that invasion and condemned their war. Canada did not join "the coalition of the willing". It was Jean Chretien's greatest moment. Ironically, the Conservatives were wetting their pants trying to get Canada to join this illegal war. Stephen Harper, then the leader of the Opposition, wrote a letter in the Wall Street Journal of how wrong Canada was in abstaining from this war. History proved Canada - and the Liberals - correct.</p><p>In 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine - a sovereign democratic nation - using the excuse of "denazification and threats posed to Russia by Ukraine". But this time, some people who said US invasion of Iraq was bad are suddenly cheering for Russia and saying it is all NATO's fault.</p><p>While living here in Canada enjoying NATO protection.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhajKh0ovAkUr5MMLVyVkoYrIMeoAJjybrseextcb0xX5rL--Zw7_ZQwC2gPOzzngEgtyLA9NdCcO6ePXqXWkFLmfW2dsSfPwPFv9kFimKaZ0_KwiqGaHyO3fOG11hxXHXF8UL5IZ8bOfZPe4Oi_R73eecC2jWpA0lGPsXWiOxQTOBRWPIRVks=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhajKh0ovAkUr5MMLVyVkoYrIMeoAJjybrseextcb0xX5rL--Zw7_ZQwC2gPOzzngEgtyLA9NdCcO6ePXqXWkFLmfW2dsSfPwPFv9kFimKaZ0_KwiqGaHyO3fOG11hxXHXF8UL5IZ8bOfZPe4Oi_R73eecC2jWpA0lGPsXWiOxQTOBRWPIRVks=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>You can't have it two ways. If tomorrow India feels threatened by Bangladesh's increasing closeness to China, and buying of Chinese weaponry (Bangladesh is on a course to vastly modernize her army), then will you support India invading Bangladesh and bombing Dhaka, just because they "feel threatened"?</p><p>The law - even international law - doesn't work like that. An illegal invasion is an illegal invasion, doesn't matter who does it to whom. The fact that Ukraine may have supported Israel, or sold weapons to Myanmar, or some people there right now are being racist towards Africans in Ukraine - all of that doesn't matter. The fact that sovereign nations are freely choosing to join NATO does not matter. </p><p>This is an illegal invasion by Russia, and as a person living in the West I do not want to see a Russian dominated world (or a Chinese dominated world). And in this case, the West is right. </p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7600258.post-18542145131481161452021-11-15T09:18:00.002-05:002021-11-15T09:18:39.580-05:003 Key People When Buying a House<p>This is post is mostly geared to first time homebuyers (or more precisely, those looking to be first time homebuyers). You have looked at the market, you are worried about the way prices are going up, you have some savings that you can put towards a down payment, and now you are thinking of buying a house. Who are three most important people that will help you with this?</p><p><b>1. Your mortgage agent / finance person</b></p><p>Contrary to most assumptions, the first person you should consult is your finance person. You can start by contacting your bank, and speak to a mortgage specialist. They will take all your numbers (your salary, your spouse's salary, your savings and the down payment amount etc.) and then tell you how much loan they can sanction you for. This will give you a rough idea of the price you can look at. After this, look for a trusted mortgage agent. I advise almost NEVER to go through a bank's agent as they can only give you rates from their bank, whereas a mortgage agent can compare and contrast and give you the best deal from multiple sources. They may often have means to qualify you for a higher price.</p><p>A word of caution: like any industry there are some people who do shady business. Never falsify papers or your income etc. to try and qualify for a higher loan.</p><p><b>2. Your realtor</b></p><p>When you are buying a property, your realtor becomes very important. The higher a selling price of a house is, the higher the commission of the realtor. Hence there is actually a conflict of interest - your realtor when you are buying should be trying to get you the lowest price, but if the price is higher it is actually better for him or her. So it becomes very important to seek a realtor whom you trust, especially in a market like today. Talk to your realtor about your budget (you have the numbers from the bank), what you are looking for, and where. Your realtor should be able to give you an idea of what you will find. You may have to compromise on certain things, but again this is where a trusted realtor becomes very important.</p><p>A way to gauge a good realtor is word of mouth. If your friends have used a realtor's services and have highly recommended the person, that's a good sign. Another sign is how the predictions of the realtor match the result. For example you see a property, and then your realtor should be able to give you a narrow range of what this property will go for. After that, if you are not putting an offer on that property, watch it (you can use House Sigma app, for example). When it finally sells, see the price it went for and compare with what your realtor said. Whatever questions you need to ask about the whole process, your realtor should be able to answer it.</p><p><b>3. The lawyer</b></p><p>When you have put an offer on a house and it is accepted, it is time to get the mortgage paperwork done (this is where your finance person / mortgage agent comes in). Once the paperwork and mortgage is secured, the next (and final) important person is the lawyer.</p><p>He or she will be in charge of making sure the property legally becomes yours. About two three weeks before the closing date, they become active. They will exchange paperwork with the lawyer from the seller's side, have meetings with you where they walk you through all the paperwork, have you sign what is needed and explain what's going on. The lawyer is very important because they have to properly transfer over every title deed to you. Not only for the house, but they have to ensure all other things with the property, such as hot water unit rental if it's there, or title insurance, or other conditions, etc. are all taken care of. The bank will be sending the cheque to your lawyer, and you will also be giving (wiring) the deposit to your lawyer. It will be held in trust until all the closing is done. Once again, you need someone who is good, capable and experienced to be taking care of every little detail. Some properties, for example, have two PINs instead of one (this is a legal term). Both should be transferred over to your name. So look for a good lawyer (again, word of mouth very important). Your realtor may also be able to suggest one for you.</p><p>Hopefully this post will help you know what to look for when you search for these three people. I have left out lots of other folks such as the cleaning crew, movers etc. as that all happens after closing. Good luck!</p>mezbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450639860657867772noreply@blogger.com0