The New Horizon

If you watched movies as much as I do, and I admit this is something that losers do(!) you realize almost everything you have seen in movies, somehow reflects in your daily life! I have recently started a new job and it's too early to see how it will be but it has had ups and downs. One thing I can say is the ambiance reminds me of Aline 3! 

Run down and old place where many equipment seem they don't work! Some do. Signs from years ago which no longer apply! Old cranes. Many old cranes! Old people in shabby coveralls! If you must know Alien 3 was filmed in studios in England. The shore scenes were also filmed in that country. To be specific, the opening scene where Ripley is found and a few other ones are filmed in the east cost England where it's called Blast Beach. 

As I said it's too early to say how this place is but based on the salary and benefit, if I can get a better position, I will stay here for 3 to 5 years. I will post more about this new position as I go forward.

(Photo: The beach at Fiorina " Fury " 161, a maximum security prison where Ripley's EEV crash lands at the beginning of the movie. I purposely didn't use any picture of the facility itself in case someone recognizes that. Privacy is the paramount to me!)

The Loopholes

A large percentage of Indians (or as they're called in North America, East Indians or South Asians) are very rude, aggressive, hostile and racist people. No one can deny this. A recent example of that was last week when I went to a supermarket which is owned by a Sikh Punjabi Indian and the majority of the employees and customers are from the same region. I was looking for Wheat, not Wheat Flour. So I approached a young and ugly girl who seemed to be in her early to mid 20s. I asked her, politely, if they carry Wheat and her first reaction was frowning and yelling: What?! 

The ugly, repulsive idiot didn't even bother guiding me where she thought the product was. I forgot about it and left. In case you wonder what store it was, it is the Chalo Freshco supermarket near Saddletowne C-train station. I'm proud to say that I don't live anywhere close but I happen to be in the neighbourhood. So I dropped by to see if I can buy that. 

This is only one example of many that I can introduce about Indians. With that in mind, you can see where I'm getting at. The nation who, the majority of them have attitudes and manners like that, managed to put a suitcase of bombs in an Air India flight in 1985. The bomb detonated and killed innocent people. The Punjabi Sikhs. The very same people who had issues with Hindus last year and the very same people who are claiming Punjab to be a separate country called Khalistan! 

Going back to the Air India bombing, a number of these people were apprehended by the Canadian authorities and put on trail. They were mainly released without being convicted. Why? because there're loopholes in the system. Not only that, the Canadian Judicial System has the reputation of being soft on criminals! People commit an act of crime and they're out on bail! They get parole and violate that! Harper, at the time he was the PM, tried to resolve this issue and the new leader of Conservatives, Pierre Poilievre seems to have the same plans which will be great for Canada. It would change Canada from the Heaven of Criminals to somewhere a bit safer but we have to see the result of  the upcoming election. 

(Photo: Ripudaman Singh Malik was shot several times in July of 2022 near his business in Surrey, British Columbia where a large population of Punjabi Sikhs live. He later died of his injuries in a local hospital at the age of 75. He and Ajaib Singh Bagri were both acquitted of their involvements in the Air India Flight # 182 bombing which resulted in 313 people's death. I cant' say for sure to what extent they were both involved but we all know that lack of evidence could end a charge. An example of that is the trail of Michael Jackson for child abuse. He silenced a few of the accusers by paying them and for a few others no evidence were found! He never was convicted! A documentary came out many years after his death which in it, and I have watched it, it is called Leaving Neverland, a couple of people accused him of sexual acts on them, when they were young boys but what can be done now that he is dead! The accused always try to use the loopholes)

The Geniuses of Hideous-Mart (Wal-Mart!)

Some people are naturally born with lots of talent and are a genius. Where do you think, in Canada, you can see them? Engineering firms, trade schools, universities, government agencies and departments? No. You find them in Wal-Mart or as it actually has to be called Hideous-Mart! Don't worry, it's not difficult to find them in there! They either have navy blue or yellow vests with a big Wal-Mart written on their back, or easier to find, they're wandering around with shopping carts overflowing with junk food! Cookies, potato and corn Chips, Ice Cream, frozen Pizza (or Pitza! I think that's how it shall be written in English! We're not writing in Italian!), flavoured Yogurt, you name it! 

If you want to consider me amongst them, you're wrong. I'm not saying that I'm a genius or anything like that but I'm not so dumb to spend my money or much money for that matter in Wal-Mart. I was there tp buy a sort of less harmful salad dressing and when I realized they didn't have it, got the hell out!

(Photo: Taken from a nearby Hideous-Mart, this is proof who works and who does shopping at this place!) 

The Movies which never get Old

I first saw The Day of the Jackal in the old country many years ago. I remember I discussed that with my elder cousin, from my father's side. It was dubbed and of course a few scenes were removed but it was not too bad. I, then, purchased the DVD many years ago in Canada but don't remember from where. This is one of the movies that will never get old although it's the story of a WWII main figure being assassinated. I watched it a few days ago again for the many times and it still was amazing. 

What I didn't know is the assassination of Charles De Gaulle actually took place in 1963 and The Day of the Jackal which is made based on a novel of the same name by British writer (or novelist) Fredrick Forsyth, has only part of it and the rest is just fiction. 

Olga Georges-Picot as Denise in a scene of The Day of the Jackal 

I think there's a remake of the movie but it never gets even close to the original 1973 version with Edward Fox, Cyril Cusack and Olga Georges-Picot and a few other well-known actors and actresses.  

The sad thing I didn't know is the story of Georges-Picot, the French-Russian actress who played the role of a young woman who helps OAS (Organisation Armee Secrete) to transfer the information to Jackal so he can plan his assassination, accordingly, although he fails at the end. 

Olga Georges-Picot was the daughter of the French ambassador in China at the time that Japan had occupied part of that country. Her mother was Russian and all her relatives, from the father side were prominent people. She lived in different countries as his father was a diplomat, studied acting Paris and appeared in a number of movies but unfortunately committed suicide at the age of 57 in Paris. It's extremely heartbreaking to know a young talented and beautiful actress who took her own life at such a young age. What I read is her family has put a lid on the details of her suicide and even 

The Day of the Jackal is an amazing direction by Fred Zinnemann and of course because the story is very strong. Don't miss it, if you can't get it. 

(Photo, top: C. Cusak as a gunsmith, on left, and E. Fox as the Jackal in a scene of the movie when the custom made sniper rifle is being tried and delivered) 

Prostitution in Canada

Prostitution is illegal in Canada. It is indicated clearly in the Criminal Code of Canada and I will include the related part below later but let me tell you about my experiences(!) with that. Don't me judgmental and angry. I just wanted to tell the stories of more than 20 years ago when I first came to Canada and it used to be a different country, a different society. 

When I came to Calgary, I stayed in Downtown after staying at The Brave's for about six month and mostly hung out in the Downtown area and the majority of time with my buddy, Kevin. P. whom is no longer my friend. We had an argument back in 2005 and we haven't talked for nearly 20 years and never will. 

There's this Tim Horton's at the corner of 5 Ave. and 4 St., SW where we used to hang out, many days. Tim Horton's was a different place at that time. They had cakes. They owned by a Canadian company, you name it. It's turned really bad and I never spend a dime anymore.  I remember one day we were heading that way and it was a little bit and we were new. I approached one of the girls and asked her the address. She was a tall, blonde beautiful girl and answered my question very politely. That aside, just a block or two away to the west, there was this corner that the prostitutes would hang out. When I say that, I always feel bad for the women who have to do that because deep down we all know that no one would want to do that, unless they absolutely have to. It's a difficult topic to cover but I want to point at it, briefly, the question would be, who would want, or has to become a prostitution. I think movie Monster tells us a little bit about that: The girls who were deprived of parents attention and love and grow in poverty. That's one reason. Addiction is another one. Some get hooked on some really drugs and can't quit and have to have a job which pay them a lot and quick. Losing job and lack of support is another reason. I knew someone who resort to a sort of service during Corona-Virus pandemic because she had lost her job and had no one to support her. There might be other reasons.

Let us see what the CCOC says about this issue, in 286.1:

(1) Everyone who, in any place, obtains for consideration, or communicates with anyone for the purpose of obtaining for consideration, the sexual services of a person, is guilty of :

(a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years and a minimum punishment of:

(i) in the case where the offence is committed in a public place, or in any place open to public view, that is or is next to a park or the grounds of a school or religious institution or that is or is next to any other place where persons under the age of 18 can reasonably be expected to be present, (A) for a first offence, a fine of $2,000, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $4,000, or (ii) in any other case, (A) for a first offence, a fine of $1,000, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $2,000; or

(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years less a day, or to both, and to a minimum punishment of, (i) in the case referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (A) for a first offence, a fine of $1,000, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $2,000, or (ii) in any other case,

(A) for a first offence, a fine of $500, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $1,000.

Section (2) of this clause talks about the same offence when it is committed while involving a person under the age of 18. We're going to scape that. 

Everything has become computerized and on the web now! Most of the massage places, where the Chinese stores are located, are a cover for prostitution or services in that range. I remember the previous mayor had a plan to clean the area up but it never materialized and now they are there. This is the oldest career in the history they say and no matter how you push people, they always come back from another side. 

(Photo: The Tim Horton's subject of this post, partially. We used to hang out in her at the time that Canada had not yet been invaded by these many border jumpers and freeloaders!)

Out After 10 Years (24): Car Dealerships in Japan

Japan is one of the main car manufacturers of the world. There's no need to elaborate on that. Everyone knows that, especially in North America where the life of the three main car manufacturers have been in danger since the Japanese (and Korean) car manufacturer's stepped in. I, however, do not like the latter and they are not subject of this post. 

With that in mind, one would think that there must be lost of cars and a lots of traffic in Japan. Wrong! Japan, in fact the cities that I visited last year, have the least amount of traffic and is very quite, peaceful and nice on the streets. That is because of the perfect and reliable public transportation available everywhere. Not to mention the Japanese culture. 

A small van in a Toyota dealership in Tokyo. These are very popular in Japan and many of them are fully electric. I do not think this one is. This vehicles goes for ¥1,874,500 which at the time was equal to CAN $17,683 and now is a little more expensive

I was not able to see all parts of Tokyo due to its size, of course, but didn't see many gas stations. Japan is a main importer of oil products and gasoline shall be expensive there. That could be another reason for not driving a car. Majority of the vehicles are either electric or hybrid. I also didn't see many car dealerships. I saw a few in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki but in comparison to a city like Calgary, there were not many and not as big. All of the dealerships were major Japanese car makers and most of the vehicles on the streets were Japanese but I also saw expensive BMW and Tesla. It would be interesting to know whether there are specific regulations or tariffs for imported cars to Japan. I mean why the hell do you need to import any vehicle to the country which is the third largest automaker of the world and has one of the most, if not the most, convenient and reliable public transportation systems? 

(Photo: Nagasaki is fairly small city compared to Tokyo and much less populated. This Toyota dealership displays a new model of Land Cruiser. It is sold between $80K and $90K, even more, here in Canada. I didn't see the price in there and I barely saw any SUVs or pickup trucks on the streets. Perhaps one only. Driving a pickup truck, if you don't do any business which requires a big box in the back is absolutely stupid, in my opinion and many more! Try to make Americans and Canadians understand!)