The CN Tower – An Architectural Triumph

The CN Tower – A Wonder of the Modern World

First Published Date: Aug 8, 2009

Each major city in the world must have at least one tower that stands over the skyline to really give it definition. These towers invariably end up on postcards and other visual media for sale, and as often as not they find their way into the civic logo as well, as a means of identifying the city visually in combination with its name identifying it verbally. The most famous towers can even identify a city without the need to mention its name. People see the Eiffel Tower and they think of Paris. They see the Empire State Building and think New York. More recently, the Burj al-Arab has performed this role for Dubai. In Toronto, a city which embodies the Canadian tradition of having wealth, power and success without needing to shout about it, there is still such a tower – the CN Tower.

In a lot of ways the CN Tower is situated in an ideal place to give Toronto a further boost to its identity. This is due in no small part to the proximity it has to Toronto’s major sports arena, the Rogers Centre. Originally known as the SkyDome, the Rogers Centre was a ground-breaking example of the now common mega-structure, multi-use sporting arena with a level of technological advancement that really makes you draw breath. One of the first stadia in the world to feature a sliding roof, the SkyDome made it possible to play games “outdoors” when the weather suited and “indoors” when necessary. This is now commonplace in sporting arenas, but in 1989 when it opened was huge news.

Any wide-angle view of the SkyDome/Rogers Centre will typically involve the CN Tower, which imprints it on the consciousness of baseball and football fans from all over North America. Completed in 1976, as part of a rash of skyscrapers being built in the city, the CN Tower is as recognizable a part of Toronto as any of the above buildings are to their home cities. In fact, it was the world’s tallest free-standing structure for over thirty years, from the point where it surpassed Moscow’s Ostankino tower in 1975 to the winter of 2007 when it was finally surpassed by the Burj Dubai, still under construction at present.

Unlike many of the world’s most notable towers, the CN Tower was built with a technical purpose in mind rather than office and commercial space or residential properties. It is used primarily for communications, although it does contain a restaurant, a gift shop and other elements that attract tourists as well as providing a meeting-place and a landmark for the people of Toronto. When the similarly-sized Ostankino Tower had a fire in 2000, with the deaths of several people, the response from many was to fear that the same thing could happen in the CN Tower, given the similar heights and ages of the buildings. The fact, though, is that the CN Tower was built much more safely, with fireproof building materials, stringent emergency monitoring and automatically-replenished water reservoirs at the top of the building.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Aug 8, 2009.

The World's Top Happy and Sad Countries

Canada Is One of The Top Happiest Countries

First Published Date : April 28, 2015

The World Happiness Index in an index published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) under the United Nations that measures the well-being and happiness of 158 countries, as they are indicators of a nation’s economic and social development.

Switzerland (7.587) is on top of the list, followed by Iceland (7.561), Denmark (7.527), Norway (7.522), and Canada (7.427). The report assigns scores from zero to ten based on data collected from people. Although Canada is in the fifth position, in terms of score it is close to the other 4 top countries.

Some of the factors the index looks at are income, social support, health, generosity, corruption, and personal freedom. The world’s least happiest countries are Togo (2.839), Burundi (2.839), Syria (3.006), Benin (3.340), and Rwanda (3.465).

The World Happiness Index was first launched in 2102 and an increased number of governments are using this index to research and construct their policies.

More Money Saving Tips

How To Save Money

First Published Date: March 21, 2009

We could all do with a little more cash in our lives. Be it due to rising energy costs, a desire for a big purchase or saving toward a holiday, there is always room for a few extra dollars. There are a few tips and tricks you can try to save yourself a little cash and invest it toward a better future.

To begin with, evaluate your outgoings. Look closely at the price plans you are on for energy and heating, as there might be a better deal available. Check comparison websites and if there is a saving to be made, switch immediately. Some people have reported up to $160 a year saving on energy bills purely because of this.

Next up, look at your home and cell phone bills. Again, there might be a cheaper tariff available. A neat trick is to telephone your current provider and inform them that you’re planning to leave and would like to cancel your contract. At this stage, you will be put through to a department – often going by the name of “Cancellations”, though they are anything but – who will try and woo you and persuade you to stay. They’ll offer deals on your plan that could save you hundreds of dollars a year, just to keep your custom.

Continuing along the same theme, check the interest rate you’re paying on any credit cards you may have. Many people remain with the same provider for years out of habit, never bothering to see if there is a better deal available. Nine times out of ten, there will be – apply for a new card with a better rating, transfer the balance and cut up your old card. Your monthly payments will reduce and you’ll be paying less interest.

With these things in check, you can move on to trying to cut your expenditure. One of the biggest, and often unavoidable, expenses is the price of gasoline. To begin, consult a website such as Gas Buddy, to find the cheapest gas station closest to you. These done, then try to fill up your tank on a Monday. Gas prices traditionally rise over the weekend and dip again at the start of the new week, with Monday being the cheapest. It might only be a small amount, but every little helps.

On more frivolous pursuits such as shopping, savings can also be made. One priceless tip to remember is that eBay is not just for used goods. Many big companies – such as IBM – run eBay stores as a way of clearing old stock. Many brand new items are available on eBay for huge discounts off their original retail price. While online and buying a new purchase, try the many comparison websites – like the aforementioned for credit cards and energy companies – to get the best price.

When it comes to health and beauty, you can also make savings. Most salons charge high prices, but will offer discount rates if a junior treats you or trainee stylist. This may sound risky, and no one wants to end up with bad hair, but a senior stylist will usually oversee the junior and if something does go wrong, they’ll fix it for free. You can also try making your own skin care products – a bottle of branded exfoliating lotion will cost anything up to $25, where a warm bowl filled with sugar and rubbed in firmly with a sponge will have the same effect.

Essentially, there are ways to save money on everything. Utilize the Internet, as it genuinely does offer some spectacular deals if you have the patience to look for them. In the same vein, learn to haggle when in store – many retailers price their items with mark ups that allow for negotiation. 99 times out of 100, you can find a discount on something – all you need is a little clear thinking and a large amount of patience.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Mar 21, 2009.

Lots of Police Check Posts - 16 Hours Overnight Bus Continues | Cairo to Aswan

Overnight Bus to Aswan | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 3 (Part 22) 01D20

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

After a couple of hours, long bus ride fatigue started to kick in. I can never sleep when I am on the move. I noticed most of my tour mates were sleeping comfortably.

It felt like a never-ending, long, dark night. What was annoying was that every hour or so there was a police check post. Our bus had to stop and get approved by the police to pass. I haven’t seen this type of stringent police checking anywhere else. This pointed to Egypt’s large-scale problem with terrorist threats. However, this time-consuming process also in place for tourists’ safety.

At one check post, the police took the armed officer inside and hold the bus for so long that I got worried. I had a bad feeling about this long holdup. After endlessly waiting, the officer came back and the bus started again. Later on, I was told the long wait was a result of an expired bus permit, but it was resolved, and that’s what caused the wait.

We had 3 breaks overnight, usually every 2 hours. The Highway Rest Areas or highway service plazas felt different in Egypt because of their location in the middle of the desert. The first service rest area was big with lots of stores and eating places. As we moved further, the services stops were small with minimal facilities.

I got off at each stop to walked around, used the washroom, and had coffee or tea. One of the 2 armed officers kept a strict eye on me and escorted me when I walked back from the plaza to the bus. Most of the other passengers stayed on the bus and slept.

What do stars look like in the middle of the desert? Coming in the next post!

Real Estate in China

Real Estate Market In China

First Published Date: Aug 15, 2009

There will be few, if any, more important countries to the future of commerce and real estate in the next couple of decades than China. Viewed by many as a “sleeping giant” due to its immense landmass and population, but perceived insularity, there is no doubt that China is set to play a part as it increases its openness and moves ever more towards a market-based economy. The developments of recent years have led to just about every financial expert worth the name signalling their belief that China will become the world’s number one superpower by the middle of this century at the latest. A vital part of this process will be in its real estate sector.

For Western investors, there are still some sticking points when it comes to backing investment in China. Not least of these is the fact that with a population of one billion and a language that is the most prominently spoken as a first language (by numbers – of the billion plus Chinese residents, more than 900 million speak Mandarin as a first language. A third as many speak English as a mother tongue), China has little need to cater directly to foreign investors or incoming migrants. The growing policy of openness is expected to mitigate this somewhat, allowing new investors to feel confident in branching out into China.

From a real estate point of view specifically, China has also had to move from a point where most housing was state controlled to one where it is common for residents to own their own homes.  . It does seem like the country was always ready for this kind of progress and that, aware of the importance of a happy domestic population, the government has moved to give them just that. Although the overwhelming majority of home owners in China are Chinese, the incoming investor need no longer feel that there is an excessive bar to their prospective ownership of real estate property.

There are still some elements that give potential house buyers what they consider to be reasons not to invest. Although a great deal less insular than it was once considered, China is still not the most transparent place in the world for visitors. There is a large level of bureaucracy and seemingly obscure laws (from a Western perspective), but things don’t change overnight. What has happened in China in the last few decades has been more than impressive, so do not bet against things developing quickly in the future. If you are thinking of investing in Chinese real estate, the bargains tend to be outside the city centers but still close to centers of population. It is here, too, that anyone moving to the country and living there for the first time will best be able to acclimatise to the fascinating, unique nation that is China in the present day. Try one of the many Chinese real estate sites on the Internet to find out more.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Aug 15, 2009.