Reaction to Gaza aid ship deaths - Translated

Source: BBC - Reaction to Gaza aid ship deaths

WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN WILLIAM BURTON
"The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained, and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy."

What it means:
Thank God no one's talking about BP today. Those damn bastards better find a way to plug that oil well today. They got one more day now.

BAN KI-MOON, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
I am shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on boats carrying supplies for Gaza. I condemn this violence.

It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation.

What it means:
I am not shocked at all by the killings. Just sad. Israel as we expected. Time for a trip to New York to head this "investigation". I wonder if my wife has to do some shopping while I am there.

OFFICE OF BARONESS ASHTON, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
High Representative Catherine Ashton expresses her deep regret at the news of loss of life and violence and extends her sympathies to families of the dead and wounded. On behalf of the European Union, she demands a full inquiry about the circumstances in which this happened.

She reiterates the European Union's position regarding Gaza - the continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive

What it means:
Israel's blockade is bad. We condemn it. That's all the US will allow us to say.

AMR MOUSSA, ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Arab League's Secretary-General has called for an urgent meeting at the level of representatives to look into this heinous crime committed by Israeli forces against unarmed civilians that left scores of dead and wounded.

The Arab League strongly condemns this terrorist act.

What it means:
We who are without balls can all gather to watch the World Cup together.

WILLIAM HAGUE, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY
I deplore the loss of life during the interception of the Gaza flotilla.

We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way, because of the risks involved. But at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations.

This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza.

What it means:
Arabs, please continue to do your "Islamic banking" with us. See? We criticized Israel, as you asked. We will join you at the World Cup party.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT
The inhuman action of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and preventing the humanitarian aid from reaching Gazans does not show this regime's strength, but is a sign of its weakness, and all this brings this sinister and fake regime closer than ever to its end.

What it means:
It's the Jews.

What it really means:
The inhuman action of the "clerical" regime against the Iranian people and preventing the universal values of freedom from reaching Iranians does not show this regime's strength, but is a sign of its weakness, and all this brings this sinister and fake regime closer than ever to its end.

TONY BLAIR, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL QUARTET
I express deep regret and shock at the tragic loss of life. There obviously has to be a full investigation into what has happened.

What it means:
I still have a job.

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER'S SPOKESMAN
Though our naval servicemen were instructed to exercise maximum restraint, they were attacked. They were attacked with knives, with iron clubs, and also with live fire.

We have unfortunately 10 servicemen injured, one of them very, very seriously. The violence was initiated unfortunately by these activists, and this is regrettable.

What it means:
When I say this is regrettable, I mean this is a Public Relations nightmare. It will be that much harder to get donations for the Holocaust Museum now. Actually, it won't, but you know what I mean.

What it really means:
We don't care about any international law or treaty. And we are right because we said so. If you don't agree you are an anti-Semite.

Washington D.C.

It was a long weekend in Canada - Victoria Day. Since I neither have any knowledge nor desire in celebrating the birth of a monarch who has never set foot in Canada (nor do I think, most Canadians), I will cheer ANY reason for a holiday. So, we suddenly decided to check out the capital of our neighbour to the south. On to Washington D.C.

However, any trip to the US by any Canadian would not be complete without shopping. En route to D.C., we stopped by Grove City Prime Outlets.

With just a short time to spare, shops had to be selected and sacrifices made to maximize shopping time!

Our first stop in Washington next morning was the White House. We made our way to the rear of the building, where, for about 29 years and running, Concepcion Picciotto has been protesting over the atomic bomb.



The White House is indeed a glorious building. Did you know that Canadians (then British) burnt it down completely in the War of 1812? Of course then they got bored and came home.


Here's a view of the White House from the front. Unfortunately this is as close as they would allow us to approach. For tickets to visit the White House you have to reserve one up to 6 months in advance.


One can see the famous Washington Monument from almost any spot in the D.C. area.

Walking to the Monument on the way to the Mall.

A view of the Monument as seen from the World War II Memorial.

The Washington Monument as seen from near the Lincoln Memorial.

The setting of the Mall, with the White House, Monument, the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial reminded me very much of the layout of Paris. You will see further down in the post, from the pictures I took from atop the Monument, that Paris has inspired Washington (as have ancient Greeko-Roman designs) a lot.

Abraham Lincoln's statue at the Lincoln Memorial.

Any visit to D.C. will be incomplete without visiting the Smithsonian museums. Due to time restrictions, we only could pick one and I chose the National Air and Space Museum. On our next visit, inshAllah, I plan to visit the Natural History Museum.

A mirror of the Hubble Telescope on display.

This was the toilet on Skylab space station. If you use your imagination, you can see what the function of the hose and the large hole on the wall was!

The first controllable air craft to fly - Kitty Hawk.

The next day was cloudy and overcast, unlike the previous day which was blazing hot. Even then, the long walk from downtown Mall to the Jefferson Memorial was very tiring - it was really humid. D.C. may have a much more connected subway system than Toronto, but one stupid rule they have is the day pass on the trains do not work on the buses - you have pay a separate fare.

Now, if you have read the The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, you will know that it's set in Washington D.C. The Jefferson Memorial is mentioned in the book as America's Pantheon.

The Jefferson Memorial on the banks of the Tidal Basin.

Next, it was time to visit the Monument (or, as the Lost Symbol refers to it, America's obelisk). For this, you have to line for the (free) timed tickets they distribute. The office opens at 8.30 am but people line up from 7.30! We reached there at a leisurely pace at around 10 (after breakfast) and were very, very lucky to get the last 4 tickets left! As soon as got our tickets, the notice went up - "All tickets for the day are gone".

An epitaph at the entrance of the Monument.

The following images are those of Washington D.C. as seen from the top of the Monument. Now you can see why the city reminded me of Paris. I remember seeing a similar layout from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The Capitol building, as seen from the top of the Monument.

The Lincoln and the WWII Memorials, as seen from the top of the Monument.

The White House, as seen from the top of the Monument.

In the final scenes of the Lost Symbol, Peter Langdon is atop the Monument and while descending, the book describes the commemorative stones placed in the stairwell. This is actually true, as we saw when the elevator taking us back down stopped for a bit for us to see those stones.


Our final visit was to the Capitol. For this, we were lucky enough to get a tour reservation during our stay.


Our tour started at the Capitol Visitor Center, then on to the Crypt, and then to the Capitol Rotunda and finally, to the National Statuary Hall.

The painting "The Apotheosis of Washington" on the Rotunda, which plays a part in the Lost Symbol.

Other famous paintings below the Rotunda of the Capitol Hill.

The Supreme Court of the United States.

Washington D.C. is a city with a lot of history and pomp, and is full of museums, especially for those interested in American history. The highways leading to the city pass through some gorgeous scenery. It's definitely a must do for someone interested in visiting America.

Kick For A Cause

Saturday two weeks from now, I have bravely signed up to play football (soccer to you Americans) once again after many millions of years. It's all for charity - the fund will support Braille equipment for blind school children in Bangladesh. It's organized by a few of my friends, and the flier is shown below.

Kick For A Cause
Charity Soccer Tournament

Join us for a great day of soccer & BBQ and support the
North York football community!

When: Saturday, May 29th 2010 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Where: George S. Henry Academy Soccer Field
(200 Graydon Hall Drive, Toronto, ON, M3A 3A6)

What: 6 vs. 6 outdoor soccer (5 players + goalkeeper)

Cost: $11/person (min: 6 players per team; max: 10 players per team)

The tournament social will include BBQ – burgers, hotdogs and pop – (free for participants) and awards for the winners. Bring your friends and support a great cause!

All teams are guaranteed two 25 minute games

Game officials

Got questions? Email us at nyfutbol@hotmail.com

So, if you are in North York area and are interested in playing a little recreational soccer (and support a good cause while you are at it) please contact the above email. Teams are already being formed and payments are required by May 21^st, 2010.

The iPhone Disease

If you are like me, you probably have a lot of friends (usually of the female variety) who are hooked on to their iPhones, swear by it and at every possible moment try to impress upon you as to how urgently you require an iPhone.

Now I can still have my (very) old phone, and an even older plan, as a result of which I would not pay Robbers Rogers a huge hefty monthly bill in data plans, and can concentrate on paying down my even heftier student loan first. However, this post is not about the telecommunications industry in Canada nor a discussion on where the idea of not being online all the time was viewed as common sense, but of a particular and a very contagious disease.

The iPhone disease.

This disease (it can be classified as a mental illness) manifests itself in many ways. Following are some symptoms.

I Have an App For That

Every normal conversation with an iPhone holder is interrupted with this favourite phrase of theirs. For example,

You: "I want to see how Ironman 2 is."

iPhone User: "Oh wait, I can tell you. I have an App for that. It's called Movie Review For Dummies iMovie."

[5 minutes of caressing the iPhone later]

iPhone User: "it has 3.5 stars ..."

You: "Hmm. I have some time to kill. I wonder where it's playing."

iPhone User: "Oh wait, I can tell you. I have an App for that. It's called Theatre For Dummies iTheatre."

[5 more minutes of caressing the iPhone later]

iPhone User: "it's playing in X, Y and Z. Do you want to book tickets? Coz... I have an App for that as well."

Touching the iPhone

Every iPhone user has to touch the iPhone every 5 minutes or less. It's a built in withdrawal symptom. Try it - talk to an iPhone user for 5 minutes and see if they don't whip out the monstrous brick every 5 minutes or less. You may be having a perfect conversation with them but they will still take it out, check something on it and then remark to you, "Oh isn't that funny? Look what Mike posted!"

Do I care what Mike posted? I was talking to you!

If it's not checking their email, or boasting about an app (see above), it's tweeting. Again, you will be having dinner, and the iPhone user will be tweeting:

"having dinner with @so-and-so. #fun!"

Why do you do this? It would be pathetic if not for the other iPhone user tweeting back:

"@iPhoneUser1 you too? Me too! #goodtimes #fun"

It's all an excuse to touch the iPhone.

Comparing Notes

As soon the iPhone user comes into contact with another iPhone user, there is some sort of signal which allows them to ascertain that the other person also belongs to this not-so-exclusive club. They will instantly both whip out their iPhones (see point above) and start comparing notes.

"Oh, what a nice skin."

"Oh, that's a nice screen filter."

"Oh, do you have this app? You must get this app. It tells you how much battery the other apps are using!"

"Oh really, nice! Btw you MUST get this app. It makes snide remarks about anyone not having phone with a data plan!"

"Oh lovely! But you MUST get this latest app. It automatically calculates how much happiness the iPhone is giving you and transfers an equivalent amount of money to Apple immediately."

"SWEET!"

So, if you and your friends have an iPhone, do check that you do not succumb to this deadly disease. It's very curable, I tell you.

- Posted from my iPhone

This Week in Toronto Through A Cellphone Camera

Spotted outside a Restaurant near Chinatown:


Being a Muslim, I can't verify his claim, but if you are looking for the best pork in the whole of North America, this is where you would go to.

Signs that Walmart is Going Even More Brown:




Yes - they are now selling cricket pads. I think these were around $30.

Because, in Toronto, We Want to be Very Clear



Er, ... FAIL!

Quick!!! In the 1 second it takes me to drive by an empty spot, can you tell me if I am allowed to park here?

Basking Robbins. 31c per scoop:




Do I really need a caption for this? :-D

Letter to South Park Creators

Dear South Park Creators,

Peace be upon those who follow the true path.

Recently, you broadcast an episode where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of Islam was portrayed as a bear. I found that portrayal very offensive.

The bear was fat.

From all accounts, Muhammad was physically a very fit and handsome man; some of his wives - he had more than one - are on record to say he had a six-pack. Unlike, say, 30% of Americans, who are obese, according to National Institutes of Health^[1]. Yet, you portray the average American as a healthy cartoon. So I also find your episode very discriminatory.

Moreover, your cartoon immediately drew comments from some "Muslim" organizations that would otherwise not garner any attention (somewhat like John McCain nowadays - is he still around?). They threatened you with violence. I also find that offensive.

To me, using the Quran to justify terrorism is more offensive than any cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

I also want to understand (and perhaps do a Ph.D - an online ad on your webpage tells me I could stay home and earn my degree in 4 months) why you hate Muhammad so.

Do you mock Muhammad because he preached against child infanticide? I noticed that you seem to kill Kenny McCormick in almost every episode. If you were Muslim you could not do that (even though Muslims have cheaper funeral costs - something to consider).

By the way, Wikipedia says ^[2] Muhammad gave women in Islam rights long denied to women until as late as 1965 - yet South Park hardly has any female characters. You might also want to look into that.

Why am I writing this letter to you? Well, honestly, I hope some webpages like this post and link to it, and perhaps quote the part I so helpfully bolded. It will improve my "ratings".

Is that why you made that episode? It makes sense now, as you were so quick after the threat to put out a modified "censored" episode. Almost like you expected it. It's not easy to produce work that fast. Trust me, I know. They allow facebook at my work place, just like yours.

However, I am honest. Unlike you, because you actually portrayed the Prophet before. And no one seemed to care. That must hurt.

I invite you to study more about the Prophet Muhammad and his religion of Islam. Wikipedia is a start, but if you want more information you have to visit a mosque. Say to them you drew the Prophet Muhammad and you want more information about him.

They will still greet you with "Salaam" or "Peace be upon you".

Regards,

Mezba

References:

1. http://www.professorshouse.com/family/health/percent-obese-americans.aspx
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Islam#Early_reforms_under_Islam

Bloggers in Lego

It's quite amazing when how much time you have on your hand when you are done your studies. So this morning, I stared at my Lego collection - and inspired by Nadia's recent post, an idea began to form.

Here, in no particular order, are some bloggers on my list in Lego.

Organica

Rain or shine, Organica reminds you to be green, and is recently busy with a garden at her local mosque.

Ahmed

Ahmed blogs at GeekiSiddique. His trademarked Perma-grin is enhanced even more as he discovers a giant chocolate!

Liya

Liya and V get ready to set off for their latest travelling adventure around the globe!

Haleem

Haleem (who blogs at Captain Chaos) goes on a bike ride, with the Toronto skyline in the back, accompanied by wife Mona.

Achelois

One of the Queens of the Blogosphere, Achelois combines British humour on life in the Middle East with other topics quite well!

Isheeta

Isheeta goes off on one of her many vacations to Dubai.

Nadia

In sandy Dubai, Nadia is ever ready with her DSLR camera to snap pictures!

Amir

Amir (who blogs at Tweels) in now back in Toronto with his ride.

Aafke

Aafke (of Clouddragon and Aafke Art fame) is shown here with her favourite horse.

Mezba

And finally, you have yours truly, Mezba, with The Wife.

Setup:

The pictures were all taken with a simple point and shoot Canon Cybershot camera (7 MP) in Macro mode and no flash. Here's a setup shot.

I. Am. Done.

I am done.

Wrote the final final exam of my MBA degree today. It was on Advanced Negotiations. Yes, we had a final exam for that course.

Someday, I will write about my (mostly fantastic) experience at Canada's top business school but for now, I feel ... free.

So, if you any of you are looking to hire a person capable of managing multiple complicated projects (hey, I have a wife, a career AND school!), with fantastic writing skills (but of course!), with skills AND experience (I will get you something), sophisticated and smart (not to mention - modest) ... you know how to reach me. :-)

My Wife was Right

My wife, henceforth to be referred to as The Wife, and I were going downtown in the morning. We started to argue over some fact. She refused to say I was right and I too stuck to my guns.

"C'mon, why don't we just Google it?" I told her. "It should be on wikipedia."

"Hmm." The wife thought for a moment. "OK, but I know I am right."

"We will see." I replied.

So since I was driving, she took out her iPhone and started to type. Minutes later, she triumphantly showed me the wiki page.

"LOOK! I am right!"

Hard as it was for me to admit it, she WAS right. Hmmph! I thought I was always right.

.

.

.

Later, I found out how she was right. The Wife had EDITED the wikipedia article.

Dubai vs. Toronto: Part 5 - Dubai or Toronto?

Part 1: The Myths of Dubai
Part 2: The Harsh Truth Facing Immigrants to Canada
Part 3: Living in Toronto
Part 4: The Islamic and Cultural Aspect
Part 5: Dubai or Toronto?

This has been a fun series. However, just a small housekeeping note: What I said throughout has been my experiences and from my perspective (er, it's my blog after all). I accept that other people can have equally valid but completely different perspectives.

In the Love Showdown series of Archie comics, Archie - when asked to choose between Betty and Veronica - ends up choosing Cheryl Blossom. In many ways, Toronto is Betty and Dubai is Veronica, and Archie - well he just got back from New York! :-D

One of the big pluses of Dubai is that crime is generally very low. We never kept our gold in safety deposit boxes in banks, nor did our houses have alarm security systems. Risks of home invasion or robberies were very minute. While the rich Arab students had access to drugs, your average brown student whose father would get upset if the kids got 98% in Maths was relatively secluded from the seedier side of high school teenage life.

Another fact that sounds paradoxical is that since you do not have a vote, since you don't have politics, some things actually run smoother! The government of Dubai did not debate in parliament and hold public meetings for years and wrangle amongst various government departments for funding for a subway system. They needed one, they went ahead and built one. Environmental concerns be damned. So what if Dubai is broke? Your taxes ain't going up. Similarly, their waterfront is a pleasure to visit (just ignore the coral reefs destroyed through all the dredging for the man made islands). Again, you don't have to worry too much about politics - people are mostly concerned about their own lives and the average Joe (or Ahmed) in Dubai leads a fairly comfortable life. I know it sounds a tad selfish but in Dubai, none of my taxes went to pay for people who were not bothered to seek work but were content to mooch off others.

So, why do many of us immigrants refuse to leave Toronto to return to Dubai? How in ten years have we managed to put down roots here that we could never have even after 20 or 40 years in Dubai?

The freedom of speech is, even if it is unapparent, a big factor. Human beings are designed to be free, by default. Even Allah says in the Quran that humans are given free will, something that differentiates us from the angels. Even if most people (like senior brown folk) are not concerned about Canadian politics or world events, it's something they unknowingly value.

Crime may be low in Dubai, but as I walk down the street a policeman (or worse, a local) may look at me the wrong way and I could get in trouble as an expat. The law is fluid there, depending on who is in trouble, and if I am in trouble, I am screwed. Here in Canada, in the general sense and all usual cases, unless I do something wrong, the law can't touch me. There's due process. I have gone to traffic court and testified against the Crown, and the policeman prosecuting me lost the case. I could never imagine this in Dubai. The government tells you to pay a fine, you just do it. And you hope never to get into trouble. Much less with a local.

Another big plus in my opinion is the blue passport. After three years in the country, Canada adopts you as one of her own. The whole citizenship ceremony, from starting with a form to taking the oath in court to obtaining the passport is deeply cherished amongst immigrants. The Canadian citizenship remains a highly valued one in the world and it's relatively easy to get. It's a tie that holds people here. They belong and are free to put down roots.

And put down roots they do. Houses are bought (no 99-year lease nonsense) and businesses are opened (no 51% local share crap) - this even without citizenship. And then, you pay taxes - and then worry about how those taxes get used - and now you are involved into thinking about how the country is run - your right as a citizen. You are now participating in the great Canadian experiment.

For me, personally, given all the plus and minuses, I choose to remain here for my own personal reasons.

For me, all my family and friends are here in Toronto. If I uproot myself to Dubai, it will be tough to go to a place, even if it's not completely foreign, and build a social network from scratch. Plus, I find that Bengalis living in Dubai have a very different mentality and way of thinking compared to Bengalis here.

Plus, there's really nothing to do in Dubai! I am not the type of guy to visit mall after mall - all malls look alike to me. In terms of recreation, I could probably do what I do here - bowling, cricket, ski (er not really in Dubai - sorry!). But sports and recreation facilities are top notch here - not to mention cycling tracks and Ontario probably the best outdoors for fishing, hiking etc.

Moreover, as someone who likes to travel, if I were in Dubai, I would have to fly out to somewhere - here I can go to lots of interesting places by road that are nearby. And every place here is different. You have the great and historical cities of the world - such as Montreal, New York, Washington, all some driving distance away.

Weather - half the year in Dubai it's really too hot to do anything. Here - summer is pleasant for lots of activities - and we have specific winter activities like skiing, curling and skating. I really enjoy the differences in seasons we get here. Now if only we could have the winter we had this year every year ...

In short, and to conclude ...



I really like Toronto. It may not be as glamorous as Manhattan or as fashionable as Paris or as in the news as Dubai - but it's home.

New York, New York

I ♥ N Y.

Or, to be more precise, Manhattan.

There's no other city where I love walking down the streets and seeing the sights as much as New York. Every time I go there, the city has a bustle, a life, and is busy! This Easter we decided to visit New York for 4 nights. Finding a hotel that was not sky high in price was a serious endeavor, Manhattan is one of the most expensive places on the planet! Eventually we found a place in Astoria, about ten minutes by subway from Times Square. Our bus fare was cheap too - $40 return! Don't you love (relatively) inexpensive vacations?

So, one and half hours after our departure on early morning Good Friday we arrived at the Peace Bridge border crossing. It was really busy.

There's a huge Toys R Us (42nd Street) in Times Square, which was my first stop on the night we got there. Being a Lego fan, the USA meant cheaper Legos!

Chrysler Tower and Empire State Building in Legos

There's a vibe about Times Square unlike anything. The public squares in Toronto or London pale by comparison - Times Square is the real thing. At all times, even at midnight, it was really crowded. The fantastic weather must have played its part in that.

From Times Square we walked to 53rd Street and 6th Avenue. This is the location of the famous street cart. We only found out how famous he was when we got there and saw there's a line for the cart! This was street food, at 1 am, and there were people in line!

The lamb/chicken on rice dinner with the white sauce from this cart was just too good. We went back every single day! I also saw Halal carts all around Manhattan - selling the usual ware from kebabs, chicken/lamb meals, gyros, hot dogs etc.

Radio City and Rockefeller Centre

The world's largest store - a Macy's (Dubai missed this title!) was right next to Empire State Building, so one can combine two birds with one stone. Besides, even though the Burj Khalifa is twice the size of Empire State Building, you can only go halfway up the Burj, so being on top of ESB = being at the Burj. However, the long lineups meant I prefer Dubai's timed slot visits (just like Pisa).

View from the 86^th floor of the ESB

A great place to go for walks from downtown Manhattan was the Brooklyn Bridge - we saw lots of couples and families there. Remember Shah Rukh Khan in Kal Ho Na Ho? And how about Miranda and Steve in Sex and the City? This was the location - not to mention the Hispanic lady sitting there selling the cheapest souvenirs in the city!

Brooklyn Bridge

Bronx (and Harlem) are north of Manhattan and even though the area had a seedy reputation in the past, and I still wouldn't walk there in the middle of the night, it's now quite clean and busy. As a rule, I generally found New York to be much safer, cleaner, friendlier and better than the last few times I visited.

Bronx

The Guggenheim Museum is famous for its architecture

Everyone visiting NYC makes a point to visit Ground Zero - which at the moment is just a huge construction site. Nearby though, you can visit the 9/11 Memorial Preview Center.

The skyline as it was on that fateful morning

They show the timeline of the attack

The model of Ground Zero as it will be when all construction is done - the footprints of the original tower will have a fountain memorial with the names of the deceased engraved

We did the usual touristy stuff - the Statue of Liberty (we had tickets to go inside the statue - it was so much fun!), the cruise of New York Harbour, the Grand Central Terminal, the unforgettable Museum of Natural History (where Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. worked with dinosaurs), the Hayden Planetarium show, the Wall Street bull and not to mention shopping!

New York is known as the Big Apple

A view straight up inside the Statue of Liberty

Looking up Lady Liberty's skirt!

My weight on Hally's comet - gotta lost 0.002 lbs!

The Apple Cube on 5th Avenue - this was one trendy shopping district

New York for Canadians have always meant shopping. With generally lower prices south of the border, our dollar being at par with theirs, I am done with retail in Canada. A trip to New York for shopping alone actually pays for itself in savings!

Of course, while my wife bought sunglasses, purses, perfumes and clothes, I was more interested in this.

Lego Prince of Persia set# 7573 "Battle of Alamut"

Since I managed to get this at almost 50% off the price here in Canada - I will classify the trip as a success!

we bought subway passes as soon as we arrived, and used them to go everywhere possible. The New York subway system was great! And it ran 24 hours.

In short - I ♥ N Y. You should visit!