OT: What Is Wrong With Mark Jones From ESPN aka Paul Jones Brother?

[RaptorsJunkie]

The reason the US is better is that you are provided with 10x the opportunity. The vast majority of decent companies in Canada are simply subsidiaries to a US company. All of the good jobs are still US based. The only reason many of these companies set up shop in Canada is for tax implications.

The US is more affordable. Everything is cheaper and I can have a much higher earning potential as a business owner. For anybody that is motivated, you can live a MUCH better lifestyle than in Canada. By better I mean having more money available to you for consumption and having your dollar go further on nearly everything (food, booze, home, entertainment, cars, etc.). Any yes, money is a measure of your success in life.

The US has better climate/weather. In Canada I am stuck inside for half of the year. If I want to experience winter I can spend money on a flight and visit the cold/snow for a few days with the extra money I would have as an american.

I realize that many people are happy living 'average' lives. But for those who want to experience financial success, the US will provide a much better opportunity for that. Flame away.

[teamLeiweke]

The reason the US is better is that you are provided with 10x the opportunity. The vast majority of decent companies in Canada are simply subsidiaries to a US company. All of the good jobs are still US based. The only reason many of these companies set up shop in Canada is for tax implications.

The US is more affordable. Everything is cheaper and I can have a much higher earning potential as a business owner. For anybody that is motivated, you can live a MUCH better lifestyle than in Canada. By better I mean having more money available to you for consumption and having your dollar go further on nearly everything (food, booze, home, entertainment, cars, etc.). Any yes, money is a measure of your success in life.

The US has better climate/weather. In Canada I am stuck inside for half of the year. If I want to experience winter I can spend money on a flight and visit the cold/snow for a few days with the extra money I would have as an american.

I realize that many people are happy living 'average' lives. But for those who want to experience financial success, the US will provide a much better opportunity for that. Flame away.

And why do you think that is? It's because for your extra financial success, millions more people suffer and live in poverty in the states. So enjoy your money you greedy ****. Lol.

[ruckus]

I think its the affluent Toronto media which stirs up the Hamilton narrative, I mean they even beat down large areas in their own City like Scarborough for Political benefit. And in turn this is the image some people believe.

Aside from one stretch along the Hamilton bayfront butchered by industry, and a stretch on Barton st which needs help (all old Cities have this type of street). It's a very big beautiful City with tons of history and parkland. Scarborough is also surprisingly beautiful compared to its image which is formed by focusing on a few small patched over a massive area.

End of the day the GTA is a great place to live full of opportunity & anyone that thinks they are better than someone else because of where they live is completely hollow inside.

I've tried to like Scarborough. I just can't. The sprawl is disgusting. 4 lane roads everywhere. Other than the parkland, no real walkable spaces. If you can point out areas in Scarborough that would change my mind, I'm game.

Well the main issue with "walkable spaces" is the lack of quality transit infrastructure compared to other area of the City. Walkable spaces are created with proper planning which unfortunately isnt happening at the speed & priority it should.

As for beautiful areas:

-The Bluffs is hands down one of the most beautiful areas in the GTA. Completely undervalued, unsigned & unadvertised. That could change a bit as they are building a massive path from one end of Scarborough to the other.

-Rouge "National" Park - should be quite the place in a few years
-Colonol Danforth,Highland Creek (and UTSC's), Port Union, the Guild, Thompson Park,
-The diverse authentic restaurants cant be touched in the 905. If you want a list... Im happy to give it.
-STC needs a lift and the rickety RT needs to dissapear. But it can certainly become a "walkable" thriving satellite business are with better planning. As for now it "Square one lite"

You may not like sprawl but Scarborough if you compare it to the 905 the only difference is the lack of recent priority investment locally to promote it's strength and to change the landscape to a more urban City which is the future. Amalgamation has stalled any priority planning for Scarborough where as area in the 905 are focused to reevaluate, revitalize & to attract business for the future.

If and when transit arrives in Scarborough youll start to see the new developments take shape to help revitalize the areas into "walkable spaces". There is already a proposal on Progress ave (AG Simpson factory) near STC to create a walkable new area so its about to start & the Eglinton LRT transit will also help start changing the lanscape . The value is huge for a massive area that borders one of Canada's most important economic hubs.

Im leaving out a ton & Im sure others know many other great areas. The " bad areas" are minor and transit will help bring revatilaztion as they are small pockets of old Apartments which border main roads. The rest of the Scarborough is nice already doesn't deserve the rap it gets

You asked...

That's awesome. A list of restaurants would be cool.

[2pat]

There's a lot to say on the differences between Toronto versus New York, or Canada and the U.S. in general. Tons to say. The similarities are often overlooked though.

But yea, in general in the big cities, including NY in the U.S., there's a lot more distinctly poor areas, and those distinctly poor areas stretch for far longer. They aren't well hidden at all. You can cross over one street from a suburban dream neighbourhood and instantly land in a completely unkempt neighbourhood that is in "shambles."

A lot of these issues are big city things. The demographics of big cities in the U.S. are very different to the surrounding, and generally far more affluent, smaller cities and suburban life. There has been major demographics shift of higher generally white and higher income-earners away from big cities, while lower-income earners continue to move in, typically lower-income minorities.

There's tons of articles on this displacement, as well as the racial issues and socio-economic ladder issues tied to it, and as well as the increasingly gated neighbourhood system that is being adopted in eastern U.S. cities all the way down south to Louisiana and then all the way west to California. If you google "real estate/neighbourhood segregation in USA" I'm sure you'll find tons of interesting stuff to read with very "eye-popping" graphics.

There's plenty of articles on these subjects from the last decade and even longer. The most common charge against the U.S. is the wage stagnation of the lower and middle class families. Which is probably a symptom of much larger economic system problems in the U.S. but I digress.

Anyway this ain't the thread, eh?

One thing for sure though if you have a ***t ton of money like I said before, NYC has few equals, if any. Not that you couldn't have plenty of "fun" in any big city in North America with a ***t ton of money.

Wage stagnation is a very real problem here as well, maybe even more so, when you consider the insane prices of real estate in cities like Toronto or Vancouver. With the median household income stagnating at around 76k and the average home in the '6' costing north of $1 million, we'd need to be making triple that amount, or just under 210k, for the homes to actually be affordable. This is one of the biggest problems we have in Canada, which results in a society of 'haves' and 'have nots'. Real estate price to income ratios in Toronto and Vancouver are double or triple what they are in comparable cities in the states, with even New York and Los Angeles being much more affordable. It gets even worse when you consider the fact that we're also paying more for pretty much everything else.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/mortgages-and-rates/canadas-old-standards-of-housing-affordability-need-an-update/article27126408/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/business/price-to-income-ratio-in-metro-areas/98/

We're setting ourselves up for a crash of epic proportions. Class Ghettoization is already happening and will only get worse. Those shiny condos will be the slums of the future, and considering the fact that they're so poorly built, the process by which that happens will be much faster than we think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMtjf0rYlQ4

I agree to some extent, but Toronto and Vancouver are different animals when it comes to the housing market in Canada. Toronto and Vancouver are the two most popular immigrant destinations. They take a lot of people in yearly and all these people need housing. Also, there's a ton of foreign investment in real estate in these two cities. Relative to other "big" cities like NY, LA, Paris etc, Toronto real estate is still actually pretty affordable and is a wise investment for a many abroad that need a safe place to store cash.

Detached homes will be a luxury item in the future, in cities like Toronto and Vancouver, like a Ferrari is. Most "normal" people won't be able to afford them.

It becomes a Canadian issue when you realize that Toronto and Vancouver make up nearly a quarter of the population of Canada. The other big cities are pretty bad as well, and the same thing you mentioned about immigrants and newcomers applies to large U.S cities as well.

[curryking3]

Thing with wage stagnation in the U.S. they are dropping from the position of having the richest middle class in the world. A position in which 20 to 25 years ago they were light years ahead of other countries, including Canada in terms of average wage and take home pay. Canada has closed that gap significantly simply because the U.S. wages stopped growing for the last 10 to 15 years. Considering inflation they actually fell.

And the country still has by far the strongest and largest economy in the world. Despite the continued and increasing success of their companies, it's still the same wages for the average American worker. And again with inflation and considering consumer price indices those wages are actually less than 10 to 15 years ago in the U.S.

So it's all in relative terms. Canada never had that top spot, and has had relatively strong wage growth, closer to inflation at least. The gap has significantly narrowed, because the U.S. has made it easy for companies to avoid increasing wages for their workers.

House prices are a separate issue of inflation through increasing and unrelenting demand for homes in the city center and nearby areas. House prices are not a representation of consumer prices or wages which are more closely linked together.

[Shaazzam]

I like Federick's.

[ruckus]

I like Federick's.

The pictures of their food is making me hungry.

https://www.zomato.com/toronto/federick-restaurant-scarborough

I haven't had Hakka in such a long time.

[refshateRaps]

I like Federick's.

The pictures of their food is making me hungry.

https://www.zomato.com/toronto/federick-restaurant-scarborough

I haven't had Hakka in such a long time.

Federicks is good too

My favorites below. There are many others i forgot or don't know. But I can stand by these as all safe bets if you haven't tried.. Sure these joints are not full of fancy signage and expensive cocktails but you cant walk away form these places without a happy stomach. Authentic value to the fullest.

Malaysian: One2snacks
Mexican - Mexico Lindo
Shawarma - Shawarma Empire
Carribean - Twice as nice (Curry is solid, patties not so much), Chris Jerk, Blue water
Patties - Not Just Patties, Patty time, Allwyn's (not really Scarborough but the jerk/beef patty on coco bread sandwich is nice), Fahmee bakery
Roti - Mona's
Seafood - Mermaid Fish & Grill House, honourable mention... Fisherman lobster clubhouse
Italian - Lamanas, Frattelis Village
Japanese - Sushi Ichiban, NiJi

Others can add if they want although this is quite off topic lol

Or you can go to Miami & eat the "Mark Jones D-bag" special - Greasy Pizza with money on top .

[Shaazzam]

Heh, I'm a Thornhill kid so I don't get out that way very often. But some look very, very interesting.

[yodamaster]

There's a lot to say on the differences between Toronto versus New York, or Canada and the U.S. in general. Tons to say. The similarities are often overlooked though.

But yea, in general in the big cities, including NY in the U.S., there's a lot more distinctly poor areas, and those distinctly poor areas stretch for far longer. They aren't well hidden at all. You can cross over one street from a suburban dream neighbourhood and instantly land in a completely unkempt neighbourhood that is in "shambles."

A lot of these issues are big city things. The demographics of big cities in the U.S. are very different to the surrounding, and generally far more affluent, smaller cities and suburban life. There has been major demographics shift of higher generally white and higher income-earners away from big cities, while lower-income earners continue to move in, typically lower-income minorities.

There's tons of articles on this displacement, as well as the racial issues and socio-economic ladder issues tied to it, and as well as the increasingly gated neighbourhood system that is being adopted in eastern U.S. cities all the way down south to Louisiana and then all the way west to California. If you google "real estate/neighbourhood segregation in USA" I'm sure you'll find tons of interesting stuff to read with very "eye-popping" graphics.

There's plenty of articles on these subjects from the last decade and even longer. The most common charge against the U.S. is the wage stagnation of the lower and middle class families. Which is probably a symptom of much larger economic system problems in the U.S. but I digress.

Anyway this ain't the thread, eh?

One thing for sure though if you have a ***t ton of money like I said before, NYC has few equals, if any. Not that you couldn't have plenty of "fun" in any big city in North America with a ***t ton of money.

I can attest to this having lived in NYC long enough to make comparison to downtown toronto (where i lived for 12 years). i didn't have s*** tonne of money in NYC but I worked there for some time living out of lower manhattan hotel with pretty generous per diem and expense account...

NYC isnt exactly a 'city that never sleeps' (especially lower manhattan business district (i.e. around wall street) which clears out and becomes a ghost town by evening) but definitely a place with few equals once you figure out what's where with help of locals, as weird as that sounds for a city that's pretty much a tourist destination #1.
there's whole bunch of people working in NYC who make those who commute from hamilton or even oshawa blush.... some have 4-5 hour commutes each day, so that they can have a piece of green they can raise their kids on... also those who fly in from west coast or central US to work 5 days and fly home for weekend. definitely a grind if you make a living there and LIVE there.

but I can also see NBA agents liking toronto better, seriously, aside from NYC, i can't picture any other city i'd like to live in more than toronto..... mind you NYC has city tax they slap on everyone earning wage on the island.... weather is miserable in both during winter... not to mention toronto has less gridlock (gasp), and better food (yup.. we have so much better ethnic stuff), and nicer people.

[notsla refar]

The reason the US is better is that you are provided with 10x the opportunity.

I've spent time living in both countries. There are pros and cons to each.

While this is 100% true about the US having more opportunity for many people (depending on your profession), Canada is much better in other areas such as health care, public education, and overall average quality of life for its citizens.

I love both countries for different reasons, but if I had to choose a place to settle down and raise a family it would be Canada. That said, I'm actually in the midst of moving back to the US for better job opportunities.

[Badonkadonk]

The reason the US is better is that you are provided with 10x the opportunity. The vast majority of decent companies in Canada are simply subsidiaries to a US company. All of the good jobs are still US based. The only reason many of these companies set up shop in Canada is for tax implications.

The US is more affordable. Everything is cheaper and I can have a much higher earning potential as a business owner. For anybody that is motivated, you can live a MUCH better lifestyle than in Canada. By better I mean having more money available to you for consumption and having your dollar go further on nearly everything (food, booze, home, entertainment, cars, etc.). Any yes, money is a measure of your success in life.

The US has better climate/weather. In Canada I am stuck inside for half of the year. If I want to experience winter I can spend money on a flight and visit the cold/snow for a few days with the extra money I would have as an american.

I realize that many people are happy living 'average' lives. But for those who want to experience financial success, the US will provide a much better opportunity for that. Flame away.

The U.S. may be the best place in the world to get your business off the ground, but if you go by quality of life or happiness, it's well down the list.

Maybe that extreme-capitalist rat race doesn't elicit the same euphoric reaction in everybody that it does in Mark Jones.

One sample (generally Scandinavian countries, Australia, Canada and some others do as well or better than our American friends in these kinds of studies):

http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/HR-V1Ch2_web.pdf

[curryking3]

I like Federick's.

The pictures of their food is making me hungry.

https://www.zomato.com/toronto/federick-restaurant-scarborough

I haven't had Hakka in such a long time.

I've been eating this stuff for god knows how many years

[Shantu]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkJonesESPN/status/730177350013313025[/tweet]

[Shantu]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkJonesESPN/status/212339874240532480[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkJonesESPN/status/366194364847898626[/tweet]


those dates tho...

BUMP! these tweets and those dates get me every time...

The internet never forgets, MARK JONES

[Shantu]

He updated his bio:

"Husband,Dad,Son,proud American,(NOT DUAL)citizen for the last 30 years.I love my country.The President even looks like me.Ok,just a little.Ya dig ? Miami,Fl"

[behzad12]

He updated his bio:

"Husband,Dad,Son,proud American,(NOT DUAL)citizen for the last 30 years.I love my country.The President even looks like me.Ok,just a little.Ya dig ? Miami,Fl"

This guy's full of sh*t. Wasn't he working for TSN in the 90's?

Edit: long time reader, first time poster (I had even forgot my username/password). You can imagine how much this guy pisses me off that I posted for the first time since 2009

[TheRealDeal]

Who? Mark Jones!!

[Oakville_Raptor]

He updated his bio:

"Husband,Dad,Son,proud American,(NOT DUAL)citizen for the last 30 years.I love my country.The President even looks like me.Ok,just a little.Ya dig ? Miami,Fl"

What a complete loser he is...I have a feeling that he's probably not even liked by his colleagues at ESPN. Maybe that's why he acts like a clown on twitter, so that it makes him feel better about himself. Dude needs help.

[edwara19]

We're all "pasty" up here.
So much self-hatred.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkJonesESPN/status/730177350013313025[/tweet]