G20 Summit in Toronto - Part 6

So finally today, I caught some live G20 action!  There was a big protest on Queen St. and Bay St.  They were protesting for the aboriginal community of Canada that is largely ignored by the government, and live in poverty on their own native land.  Poor education and unemployment are trademarks of Native reserves.

I got in the middle of all the action and took pictures like a true freelance photographer - it was fun!

I saw first hand what a peaceful protest can accomplish - positive media coverage and increased public awareness.

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All G20 Summit Toronto related posts have been moved here.

G20 Summit in Toronto - Part 5

Here are some more pictures from the preparation that is going on in Toronto for the G20 Summit to be held on June 26-27 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.  Most of the preparation seen in the pictures below is to prevent vandalism in the event there are riots.

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G20 Summit in Toronto - Part 4

The other day I was walking on Front St. near Union Station and a local TV news crew interviewed me.  I'm not sure if they showed that on TV.

Along with the police - TV news crew, journalists and photographers can be seen everywhere in Toronto's Financial District these days.

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G20 Summit in Toronto - Part 3

The pre-G20 Summit action has already started.  There have been a few small protests already although I didn't catch any of that action.

Here are some more pictures ahead of the G20 Summit to be held on June 26-27.  Today's pictures fall into three categories that show how each of these are preparing for the Summit:

1) The Government of Canada
2) The City of Toronto
3) Businesses

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G20 Summit in Toronto - Part 2

The intimidation has begun.

There is a huge police presence on the streets of downtown Toronto these days.  The police are well-armed and well-prepared (complete with riot gear).  They are everywhere on the streets and even in vans with dark tinted windows parked on the road side.

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G20 Summit in Toronto - Part 1

Toronto is hosting the G20 Summit this year on the June 26-27 (2010) weekend.  The G20 ("Group of 20") Summit is the "premier forum for international economic cooperation."

At last year's convention in London, England, a historic pledge to inject US$1.1 trillion in the credit markets was announced to restore liquidity.  This year's Summit will probably focus on containing the spread of European debt crisis before it leads the world into yet another recession.

So, seeing as I work in the downtown Toronto core where many protests (by Environmentalist, Socialist, Human Rights groups etc) are anticipated, I'm planning to be citizen photo-journalist for the big event.  Since I have no intention of being part of any protests, my photographs and coverage will be from a third-party point of view.

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All G20 Summit Toronto related posts have been moved here.

Observations from GO Train Commuting: A Satire

I wrote a post on my observations from Myanmar/Burma after traveling all over the country.  I thought I will do something similar for Canada seeing as I live here.  However, I'm limiting myself to what I've observed while commuting to work.  I take the "GO Train" to downtown Toronto everyday to go to the office.  It's a 20 minute ride.  Here's what I have observed 90% of the commuters are doing in the train:

(1)  Checking and replying to e-mails on their BlackBerry.  The invention of BlackBerry is probably the best thing that has happened for the corporate world.  They give their employees a BlackBerry and ensure that they can never fully get away from the office.  Interestingly, having a BlackBerry has become sort of a corporate status symbol - you're a nobody until somebody gives you a BlackBerry.

(2)  Reading.  Most of the men wearing Armani suits are reading the upper-class 'Globe and Mail' newspaper.  They are normally reading the Business section catching up on the latest mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, earnings reports and other World Markets' news.  Most other readers stick to the free newspaper having many career related and "get-away-to-the-Caribbean" articles.  The remaining few readers use the commute time to escape to an imaginary world (i.e. reading a novel).

(3)  Sleeping.  Most people who are not doing any of the above are catching up on their sleep.  Some are probably dreaming about winning the Lotto 649 lottery and escaping from the daily grind and rat race, while others are probably too tired to even dream about escaping.

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So what am I doing?  Starin' out the window like a kid. :)

Sometimes I have a smile on my face and people may wonder why.  That's probably because I'm thinking of the time when I was in a train in Burma that used to "jump" so much that people literally bounced on their hard wooden seats.  Or maybe I'm thinking of the time when I was in a local train in India and it was so crowded that there wasn't even enough space to stand straight.

Sometimes I'm just sleeping peacefully...

PS: My observation sucks.  The above is elementary my dear Watson!