An Ideology is not Killed by a Killing

This recent attack on Iran was very unexpected but i think Iranians were tricked for the second time. The same thing happened last summer. Negotiation was going on between the Iranian and American officials and all of a sudden the air strikes happened. So did it this time. I was all distracted by the State of the Union and then the negotiations in Oman and then Switzerland and all of a sudden I heard on the news that the Americans and Israelis were attacked again! That's a dirty trick. 
What was more surprising to me was the fact that the Supreme Leader was not able to dodge Israeli attacks! There's no doubt that the intelligence system of Israel and the US is strong but could he not hide?! Were his security personnel predicting this?! What a bunch of ignorant and incompetent morons who only are able to kill innocent peaceful protesters!

Nevertheless we shall wait to see what this conflict leads to but one thing is certain: You cannot kill an ideology by killing a few people. Early celebration is ignorance. Look at the Taliban: The Americans were in Afghanistan for 20 years. They killed the Taliban's leader. Where is Afghanistan now? Back to the 15th century! Primitive and backward as always! Killing the supreme leader and the military commanders has certainly its effects but it's not the end of the story. 

(Photo: The former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, is shaking hands with one of the American hostages during the siege of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1980)

Cultural Discrepancies (8): Cursing

There's no doubt that cursing exists in every language but the question here, for me, is who curses the most?! I don't know! What I know is some Canadians curse a lot and telling dirty jokes is not off-limit! Funny thing is they say Canadians are very polite! I think they are but perhaps when compared with Americans! It's hard to say unless you have interaction with many nationalities but when I say many nationalities I'm talking about the major ones, of course. Not any shitty, tiny piece of land who calls himself a country! Here, in Canada, you could be at work, in a party, listening to the radio show or watching something on television and people curse like it's a normal activity of the day and tell dirty jokes in front of women, children, elderly, everyone! That's the culture!

What's interesting in Western culture is they use the things that they like the most to offend others! One of the most popular(!) ones is the word co*ksucker! Fellatio is a normal act between two people who have sexual relationship, in many cultures but Westerners used that as a curse although they, even some men(!), are in favour of it, madly! I never understood this! Pig is the animal which is not consumed in many countries, particularly the countries with Muslim majority as it is forbidden to eat. Though I've never heard in any Muslim, Arab or generally Eastern culture using the work pig as an insult! Americans, mostly and Canadians and British, as well, use that word very frequently as insult despite the fact that they love pig! Pork Chop, Bacon, Pulled Pork, Sweet and Sour Pork, are all meals that people consume in the West, and then the poor pig is used as an insult! 

In Asia a few other animals are used as an offensive word: Cow, Donkey, Mule and Sheep, are mainly used to insult someone! Another animal which is frequently used as an insult is dog! I know it will drive Westerners wild as a dog is a member of the family but that is the fact although some countries have changed in the past couple of  decades. Koreans and Filipinos are dog-lovers but when it comes to eating them! They have been changed recently in the past few years as now they think having a dog as a pet is a sign of affluence and being Westernized! In Western Asia Dog-father and Dog-Mother!(!) are both an insult which indicates that the person's parents are dogs or at least one of then is a dog! While dogs are considered loyal and helpful animals to human beings for decades, it is not know why this poor animal is used as a curse word in those cultures. It could be the fact that dogs are considered filthy and dirty in Muslim faith! It makes no sense to Westerners but they use that although having a dog as a pet, these days, as I said about the other side of Asia, is considered a sign of being modern and Westernized! I think debate over the subject could be longer than this. I just wanted to have a hint.

(Photo: Dogs are members of the family in many Western cultures. They even sleep with them in their beds, have their food while the family is sitting for a meal, etc.)

Free Speech is Misunderstood

I got very happy when I heard that the silly clown's show was cancelled. Every time I put the TV on and this guy was talking, he was making fun of someone, using offensive and at the same time absurd language. I wanted to through the television out of the window. I have no problem with someone who disagrees with me. I have zero tolerance for the one who uses humor to attack his opponents and the people he disagree with and this guy was certainly one of them.
People say that Freedom of Speech is ignored. Freedom of Speech is not attacking everyone's idea and ridiculing them. There shall be lines. The same misunderstanding exists in Europe, particularly in France and Denmark. They let thousands of Muslims in and then start making fun of their belief! If this is not stupid, then what is it? You know what they believe in and how important it is to them. You let them enter your country and then you started mocking their religion, drew cartoons about their sacred people and pushed them at the sides of the cities. What would you except? I'm talking to the French government and the French people and their troubles with the Charli Hebdo magazine. This is not freedom of speech. Nor is what the Danish news paper did years ago. There are always lines which shall not be crossed. When you make fun of the president of a country, you make fun of millions of people who voted for him. You can express your disagreement in a more reasonable manner and without being objectionable. If you cross the line, you deserve to be axed. 

(Photo: Two terrorists are seen next to the vehicle with open doors engaging with the police in Paris in 2015, over what Charli Hebdo magazine published and was later considered offensive to French Muslims. I was expecting from the civilized[!] French to understand that first letting a big population of Muslims to the country which has nothing in common with them was wrong! Big first mistake. Secondly ridiculing their religion would result in a catastrophe. Sadly the French are not as smart as what they claim and use Freedom of Speech as an excuse to cross the line which should not have been ever crossed. That resulted in innocent people being killed. The employees of that magazine and deeper gap being created between the original French and Muslim French in the country. The situation is not that bad yet in the US, yet. However violence is used to silence the opposition. Violence and offending people's beliefs are not much different)

Religulous

 This documentary is an amazing one that I don't think you can show it anywhere: It's called Religulous! The word Religulous is amalgamation of the words Religious and Ridiculous! This is a documentary by Bill Maher about different religions and how nonsense they all are! However he reviews the three main religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The other thing is that the film was made in 2008 where the social media was not even introduced and there was not this much religious tension in the world. 

What can I say about it as I don't want to ruin it for you. You have to see it but if you're a Muslim or Jew and even a Christian, you'd most like not like it and some would even be offended. I'm an atheist and I like films like that but I have to conceal it at times because you can get hurt even in Canada!

I remember when I came back, failed from CFLRS, I was sent to this toilet company, a big warehouse and in there a House N - - (!) and I got in to a sort of discussion and he said something to me like God does this or says that and I told him that I didn't believe in God! He didn't like it and was about to preach but I don't remember what happened exactly because it was 2017 but what happened next and I'm not sure if this was the direct result of that or not but maybe it has some impact, I was asked not to go back to work! I said: F- - it! I got a better job just a few months after that. Anyway if you're not religious or have doubts make sure you watch this documentary. 

(Photo: Maher in Vatican where he questions Catholicism!)

Great Acting, horrible Movie: Licorice Pizza

I had a chance to watch Licorice Pizza a couple of days ago and it was a struggle! I switched between the movie and YouTube frequently! It was a great performance by the main characters but the story is so boring and stupid that you would leave the theatre if you had gone to see it in a cinema! 
This is a movie from 2021 and most might have seen it but if you haven't, don't! I'm not going to spoilt it here but just to mention a few thing is that it's a series of completely isolated events mixed by a few well-known historical occurrences, if I may say, in the early 70's including the Oil Embargo led by Saudis and some other insignificant tales(!) mixed up with a romantic relationship between a teenage boy and a woman in her late 20's! 

King Faisal of Saudi Arabia who orchestrated the embargo, on the left. He was later assassinated! but one might ask why this even was in the movie?! I mean there is no mentioning of this fella but the crisis is and the story could go without it!

Both Alana Haim and Cooper (not Copper!) Hoffman, the son of the addicted actor who took his own life a few years ago, have great performances but it does not help, particularly when you see two veteran actors who each have a 15-minute appearance! I'm sure they all get a good salary for their work but at the end neither the audience nor the producer is happy. The funny thing is the movie throws a couple of religious things in the story, for no apparent reason and does not go anywhere! Thanks to heavens that it was released way before this Israeli-Hamas conflict as this was about how Jewism was about! 

(Photo, top: Haim, left and her two sisters in the premier of Barbie. I didn't even know that they were in that movie, not that I have watched it but considering all the dance and girl scenes, it makes sense!) 

The Beautiful Scenes of Ontario

 I I wrote about this crap, multiculturalism, not working a long time ago but in pathetic loser's country, called Canada, where most people do not want to work, there is no other choice but to falsely claim that they are inclusive and welcome everyone just to be able to function! The reality is most of, I repeat, most of the businesses who use these crazy Punjabi or other extremists, are not essential. All these junk food joints and supermarkets, could be easily managed and run without these people. The trucking industry is dominated by these people, simply because Canadians do not think this job is cool! Driving a taxicab and bus has been the foreigner's jobs as far back as history recalls! Those guys all had permanent and steady job, all purchased homes and grew family and these Caucasian guys are still thinking of becoming a Hockey star! Now after decades they have woken and started to complain! 
The funny thing is this recent clash of cultures, isn't even between Canadians and non-Canadians! It's within Indians who are followers of different faiths! I watched the clips and I was filled with joy! They were beating on each other with sticks, throwing punches, kicking cars, uttering threats, you name it. It was quite amusing. But do you know why Hindus are so mad? There are different reasons for that. Here are a couple: 

1) More than 85% of the population of India are Hindus. Sikhs asses would be kicked really badly in there, if they wanted to say nonsense such as independence or other crap. They actually have been kicked a few times. The Government of India raided their temple in 1984 when they first wanted to become important and beat the shit our of them. Operation Blue Star was planned and executed to shut down Sikh extremists and it was successful but later cost the life of the Indian PM, Indra Gandhi. The Sikh terrorists assassinated the poor lady. Now Hindus have realized that the very people who always were a minority and considered inferior, have the upper hand! In addition to that, Sikhs mostly do physical jobs and are in public services including the police, security, corrections, you name it. So they can tell people what to do! That pisses Hindus even more. That was the issue in Brampton! The Police over there have a large number of Sikh people and they are accused of supporting and assisting the people who storm the Hindu temple. One of them is currently suspended.

2) The pathetic, disgusting Government of Canada, has always been the supporter of Sikhs and their evil plans. The PM and MPs always attended their ceremonies, they always praised them and they always admired them so they can get enough votes at the election time! The broken judicial system of Canada, which actually encourages you to keep committing crime, for example if you kill someone, they put you behind the bars for five years and you could be out after only, perhaps, three, on the account of good behaviour(!), acquitted one of the masterminds of the 1985 Air India bombing, they have absorbed many of these people in public service. What more could they ask for?! Have you seen the MP dressing like a Chinese man and go to, for example, a Confucius temple?! Or grow a beard, put a long robe on and go to a mosque! No! I don't know why.

I, for one, truly hope these clashes between Sikhs and Hindus, Arabs and Israelis and other ethnic groups and religious bands, escalates to the point that the streets of this county are unrecognizable from high crime rate countries. That would be the time Canadian people realize that life is not only about Toilet Swift, NHL, Dancing with Assholes and other nonsense they spend the majority of their time. I hope they wake up soon before the streets of Canada become the same as what we saw on the streets of Amsterdam, last week. 

(Photo: Indian Sikhs are armed to the teeth are leaving Harmandir Sahib, also known as Golden Temple in Amritsar, northwestern India. They have succeeded in looking fearsome! Now it's easy to find out what kind of people you're dealing with. Judging is easy!)

The Fornicator

 Fornication is defined as sexual relationship between two unmarried individuals. This is the story of a colleague who has been working for the company for nearly 20 years and now his wife works there as well. No further explanation is required! This is usually the case, especially in small towns and private companies. A short while back I realized there's a young employee in another department with the same family name as his and it was obvious to me that he was his relative. Either his son, young brother or his brother's son. They are not look alike. So my perception was that he looks like his Mom. There was a question for me: Why do they not ever talk to each other. Or at least I have not seen it even once. Then I told myself that they have enough time together at home, if he is his son! Then something else hit me and that was the time that his wife started or I shall say restarted in the company: The boy did not look like his presumably Mom either! I didn't pay much attention until a few days later when I had to go to his work station and it was there when I saw an old picture of the guy with his Dad, probably from the time that he was only 3 or in that age range! That was when I realized that he was his son from another woman who longer is with him! It's not that I was surprised much or anything like that as I had come across something like that but it was interesting after every bit of puzzle is put together. When I work as a Bylaw Officer in a town of British Columbia, I had a fella colleague who had just been married. He had moved from northern Alberta and told me that he had an 18-year-old daughter from an early relationship! Perhaps that was why he had left the little town! Legally there is no problem with something like that in Canada as long as the guy pays for the child, I think and I believe that is until the mother gets married. This is how they have fixed the issue, if we can call it an issue in the old country: Men can have up to 4 wives and have to support them. So, this is for the people who can. Or perhaps I shall say it was like this. These days people can barely afford one wife. So fornication is more common but hidden. I remember I was involved with this horny girl who just had divorced and was looking for someone to cheer her up as well as fill her in! I was quite successful but not so much in the second part, as usual! 

(Photo: I think this picture just wants to point out that fornication is mechanical and emotionless)

The two-faced Possessed

I was watching scenes of Body of Lies, the movie which appears not to be a good one in the eyes of Westerners, the other night and when  it remind me of something. But first let's talk about this " old "(!) movie. It's about terrorism in western Asia or where Westerners would like to call it by a different term! The time when Iraq and Syria was ruled by religious militants and Westerners were targeted repeatedly. They are targeted right now as well and those countries are not peaceful yet but they are calmer than those years, the years after the US-led Invasion of Iraq. 
Since Westerners are not fans of this type of movies, because first this is old(!) one and secondly, it is about terrorism(!) I will talk a little bit about the story with the hope that it's not considered a spoiler. There's this CIA agent who works in Iraq in counter-terrorism operations and it is transferred to the neioghbouring Jordan where in another action meets this local but not-local pretty young girl, played by Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani, and starts friendship with her. The story continues with terrorist kidnapping the girl, which later is realized to be the local intelligent agency setting that up to catch the terrorists! 
This summary, in my opinion, is not considered a spoiler because there's so much into the story but what this movie reminds me of this guy that I used to work with in British Columbia which despite most the time that I conceal the identity of people, I'm naming him here, as he was a two-faced, lying piece of shit. Sameer was a East Indian Muslim fella who worked with me briefly, as I said. When he was with me, he was this pious man with strong ties to his roots, beliefs and religion, saying things that we Muslims, assuming I was one, shall be united and shit. When he was with other, he would change 180° and play the day's game! We had a fat East Asian guy with us, who told us that he had come from California, I think San Francisco and he one day, after a few weeks or maybe a little more than a month got diapered. He told me that Sameer wanted to hang out with him, going to strip clubs in north Surrey! The fat guy's name, if I'm not wrong, was Justin Ha, a short Chinese guy, I think who is born in the US and somehow had ended up in British Columbia on those years. I'm talking about 2008 and 2009. 
What Sameer, whose surname is forgotten has to do with these scenes of Body of Lies is that these Muslim fanatics call this behaviour Takfir Methodology! It means Muslims fanatics do things that they are not allowed to do to appear non-Muslim and do not look suspicious when they want to do their evil things! This, of course, is not what Sameer was doing because it must have been the other way, he should have offered me to go to a strip club with him, if that actually was his intent, not Ha, but because I never understood why he wanted to do that, it reminds me of him. He was an idiot who was being pushed by his father. Once I met his in a rundown building in north Surrey where he claimed he was doing some accounting job. The piece of shit used to call me every day but after we split. I did move on to another job and contacted him he said he was busy! I hope he reads this one day and understand that I know what to-faced piece of shit, possessed by lie and deceit person he is! 

(Photo: DiCaprio and Farahani in a scene of the movie. I think she had a good performance for her first role alongside a major actor)

Capitalism finally digs himself in (4): Greed

 

I've visited Toronto only once since I came to Canada more than 20 years ago and I'm sure I will never, ever go to that city again unless someone takes my corpse there! I know there're people out there who start teasing as soon as they hear something like that but being away from over-population, pollution, unreasonably priced services and goods, traffic and so on were the reasons I came to Canada. Why the hell would I engage myself with that nonsense again! 

With that in mind, Toronto is the dream city of many Canadians and foreigners, to sum, idiots! A filthy stinking toilet which you have to pay over $600,000 for a small 1-bedroom apartment just to say that I live in Toronto!! The only solution, in my mind and I truly with my whole heart I believe, to problems of such is the Third World War! A really nice bombardment on cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City and other similar stinking toilet and wiping out the entire city with every single soul in it! Can you imagine who many problems of the governments and generally human race is resolved? Astronomical numbers! 

But without having an Armageddon some greedy assholes already starting feeling the pain in their butt holes! Who? Many of the wise guys who had plans to be rich and purchased those honey-comb size condominiums in Toilet-to (Toronto!) have already started losing money! There's nothing, in the whole world, more satisfactory to me to see greedy people losing money and suffer mentally! You offer me Ice Cream, Strawberries, T-bone Steak, Wagyu Sandwich, or, check this out, tell me that greedy people are losing hundreds of dollars every month, I take the latter! 

Funny thing is Greed is one of the seven deadly sins in Christianity, the so-called religion that Canadians follow but I bet they are as much Christian as Muslims are Muslim! And don't get me wrong this greed is not solely seen within Caucasian Canadians. Many foreigners, mostly war refugees and other free-loaders immediately become one just after a very short period of time because they don't want to lose this race! 

One example of that is Pika, my friend who currently resides in Texas. He said he was sick for years and was taking anti-depressant medication as a result of losing thousands of dollars! I actually was very happy when I heard that, although he's my long-time friend. Why? Because I remember him leaving his wife for days and day, supposedly doing businesses at different locations and the poor woman was all alone by herself and even suspected that he was cheating on her! What I know about that part is he was cheating with Porn films on her because there were times that he would come to me to see if I can find any for him and in fact there's a very funny story about that which I will tell one day. 

I remember The Mumbling Guy got himself in buying and selling houses a few years ago and even wanted to sell one house that he had purchased in the Ghetto(!) to me which of course I refused. When I asked him nearly one year after that he said that he no longer was in the business. I think he was wise enough not to dig a hole for himself and got out fast. Greed is another aspect of capitalism which eventually drive people to bankruptcy, alcoholism, depression and so much more and I truly hope that all the greedy ones suffer to the last day that they're alive. 

(Photo: Arial view of Downtown Toronto with CN Tower. This truly looks nice and attractive, What most of the people don't see is the dirt behind these shiny buildings)

Not Without My Daughter after 30 years

Not Without my Daughter came out in 1991, from what I've read, and I think it was a few years after that when I was still doing my degree that I watched it with a friend or couple at his home on VHS! I'm referring to the movie not the book. The movie is based on the book of the same name written by an American woman who was held in Iran against her will. American movie were rarely shown in theaters or on TV but this one was different. This movie was banned for showing a cruel and wild image of Iranian society, after the revolution and at the early years of Iran-Iraq War. I remember that the movie's quality was very poor at the time and that was because it had probably been copied several times from different formats and of course my English was not good. So we didn't get much of the story but the images shown, which even now I believe is exaggeration, was ugly and embarrassing!

Even today I wouldn't be able to watch the movie with a foreigner who has never been to Iran! With all the propagation against Iran and its nuclear ambition, no one would believe what I said about the movie! Some of the scenes are truly a joke and a silly but I can understand many of the behaviours that are shown in the movie. The fact that Iran at the time and even to a certain point, now, is a male dominant society, is undeniable. Add on the top of it, the brutal Islamic law which basically deprives women from most of their rights! They might not be, in appearance, as bad as Taliban but they're certainly not much better. 

Women still cannot leave the country without first the permission from either their father or husband. They cannot divorce men. They do not have much rights when it comes to what is left from their parents and what they can inherit. They have to cover themselves from head to toe and even when they are together, where men are not present have to do that! If anything goes to the court, women have no chance of getting what they want. 

A very famous picture taken by Alfred Yaghobzadeh during the first years of Iran-Iraq War shows a very young soldier. The young fella later was reported kIA.

So that's what Betty (Sally Field) learnt after a few months of living in the country and that was when he realized if she doesn't leave soon, she'd be stuck forever. In the meantime I'd like to point at a few things for someone who has recently watched the movie but have never been to the country:

1- Scene 1: Betty and Mahtob (her daughter) get off a cab to walk home and in the background a small herd of sheep and their shepherd is shown! Domesticated animals are never seen in major cities, running around and grazing! You might see them if you go to a small village but never even in a town! 

2- Scene 2: Dr. Mahmmody's uncle, who is a Mulla (Islamic clergy with a sort of turban on the head and robe on the shoulders) is their guest for lunch one day. Everyone is sitting on the floor, around a kind of table-cloth which is food is being served (was common at the time). He is a clean-shaven clergy! Shaving is something close to taboo in many Islamic sects, particularly if you're a clergy! You're an idol! You cannot shave your beards! 

3- Scene 3: Betty, Dr. Mahmoody and the relatives are going back home from shopping where is sort of police car stops next to them and asks Betty, violently to cover her head. The so-called police/soldiers in the film, who are holding a Kalashnikov Assault Rifle, are all clean shaven! Another gaffe that the Israelis (I believe that's who produces the film) made! 

4- Scene 4: The Friday Prayer Scene in University of Tehran is a real joke! Betty is standing in balcony, with a few others and they're looking directly down at the prayers! There's no building, even in the university that you can have that view and I truly don't know what is the reason behind showing something that is not even close to reality! 

5- Scene: Betty is sitting in a vehicle, next to someone who is trying to help her to leave the country when a is scene stopping next to the kids who are playing on the street. The kids are loaded to the pick up and the guy says that they are being taken to the front line of Iran-Iraq war! It's true that young soldier were fighting in the war but they were mostly either volunteers or from small villages. I, personally know 4 students who went to war, all my classmates in grade 10 or 11 and 3 of them got killed. I know very well that no one forced them to go. It was their believes which sent them to the fields. 

Scenes like that are a lot and there are other scenes worse than that. They constantly show armed soldiers walking up and down the streets! Something you would never see anywhere in the entire country! I think their intention was to show a totalitarian society but their approach were wrong. Iran is not such a better place now. It was the chaos of after the revolution and the war in those years. Now it is the economy, the brutality of the regime and sanctions but I think, or perhaps I should say, I hope, people are awake now. Took them 40 years, yes! forty  years to understand that religion is not a way to go with, if they want to manage their country! 

(Photo, top: Sally field, as Betty Mahmoody [Nee, Lover], delivers a magnificent performance in the movie)

Hotel Mumbai

I stayed up a few nights ago and watched an incredibly strong movie: Hotel Mumbai. It's one of the movies which doesn't do well in North America, and most likely Europe, because there's no sex scenes, no drug using or stupid superheros! When a society is sick, then their interests and hobbies are sick and unusual too, like driving big 4x4 vehicles in mud! Destroying the nature, burning fossil fuel for fun(!) and making extra noise is apparently a hobby for some! . A garbage movie such as Reservoir Dogs or From Dusk till Down which has no meaning and is comprised of nothing but coarse language, shooting and killing, apparently is praised a lot in this society(!) while movies such as Seven Years in Tibet, Valkyrie and Foxcatcher are ignored! 

Hotel Mumbai is the true story of the people who stayed at their job and defended their guests and their workplace against brainwashed terrorists who had no motivation but blind hatred which had been given to them by someone who eventually was not apprehended. The movie is directed by an Australian and different actors and actresses have roles in the story including an Iranian lady named Nazanin Bonyadi, a British actor, an British-born Indian actor, a number of Australians and of course a number of Indian actors who by the way provide the best portrait of the terrorists. They show how cold-blooded they were and their world collapsed on them at the end when they realized that so many innocent people had been killed by them and they got nothing! 

If you haven't seen a movie which takes you to the last minute, without any pause, watch Hotel Mumbai but remember that it's a sad and disturbing story, at the same time. People might not be comfortable to watch it to the end but generally it is a superb movie in terms of story-telling, direction, acting, editing and everything else.

The movie showed a few things that some might like that and I wonder what the reaction had been:

1- The Indian police in Mumbai, I'm not sure whether the police force in India is federal or municipal, acted very poorly which led to more people being killed. They basically were not engaged and waited for the Special Forces to be deployed from New Delhi which is more than 1,400 km away! I don't exactly know how those guys got themselves to Mumbai but according to the movie they arrived in helicopters and perhaps army trucks and it took them more than 12 hours since the initial attacked had been commended! Something like that in North America would not have been accepted in the first place. How could a country such as India which has been in three wars with Pakistan in the past, maybe, 50 years or so and is in constant clash with China, lack a strong police force in its major commercial city!? That is beyond my understanding.

2- Dev Patel, the British-born Indian actor performs very well in the movie and portraits a Sikh guy who is a member of the hotel staff. He manages the catastrophic situation very well. The question is how did the Sikh community reacted to his performance and accepted him to be one of them in the movie? Sikh Punjabi people are very fanatic about their images in the public and although he portraits a brave and wise man, I still have difficulty understanding that he had been given permission to be Sikh in the movie!

3- Jason Isaac plays a former Soviet Special Forces officer who had served in Afghanistan and now is the guest of the hotel. He is supposed to meet a couple of escorts and have a party in the suite he had rented but gets trapped in the restaurant amongst a few other and eventually is taken hostage and shot to death. In the last minutes of his role he admits that he was in Afghanistan and tells that to the guy on one of the terrorists' phone, to their boss, that he had f*cked his sister and mother! I don't know how they could put that in the script! The fact is most of the things that the Soviets did in Afghanistan was good. They built roads and bridges and they tried to save the country from fundamentalism, something that the country has just fallen into since Taliban took over again last August and now they're shown as rapists in this movie! The US and its allies, including Pakistan, UAE and others did more harm than good in Afghanistan! 

Amandeep Singh, right and Manoj Mehra in a scene of the movie both show one of the strongest and best  performances that I have seen for years 

4- Zahra Kashani is a guest in the hotel who is played by Iranian-born American actress Nazanin Bonyadi. There's a scene that she's talking with her mom on the phone and when her mom says that she would pray for her, she goes: Pray for what? When did praying ever work? Then in another scene when she is captured within others and they are being executed one by one, by one of the terrorists who had been injured, she begins praying and that basically saves her! The terrorist, despite his direct order from his boss on the phone, leave her alone and goes. Does the movie wants to say that praying works or is it just saying desperate times calls for desperate measures?! 

(Photo: The real Hotel Taj Mahal Palace in the city of Mumbai in India. A group of terrorists who had been trained in Pakistan attacked different spots in the city of Mumbai and at the end whoever was left gathered in the hotel with the aim of killing more people and destroying the hotel. They gained their first goal and killed more innocent people but failed to destroy the hotel as they were raided by Indian Special Forces and were all killed but one) 

Thing will get Worse!

People in North America, the majority of them, either American or Canadian or the liches (the refugees!) or even most of the immigrants are isolated. They mostly don't know what the hell, really, is going on in the other parts of the world because their choices are limited to what the mainstream media feeds them. Look at the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. I bet none of these idiots who think they're supporting Ukrainians because 10% of the population of the Province of Alberta has Ukrainian background, didn't even know where Ukraine was(!) or what is the history of Russian Empire and the area! They are bombed constantly with bullshits of American media such as Concocted Nonsense Network (CNN) or Face-shit-book or other false ones! 

With that being said I'd like to introduce Aziz Nesin, the late Turkish novelist and humorist, to the readers. Nesin, which by the way is his pseudonym, was very popular in Iran when I was young, in junior and Senior high. His short stories still is funnier than any clip you guys see on different social media. He kind of faded out of the society after the so-called Islamic Revolution, gradually at same time that many other form of art were banned! Why? Because he was a secular and he criticized Islam in his writings and for that he was tried a few times. This, rejection and banning by Islamic fanatics intensified when he translated the controversial book of the British author, Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses! I enjoyed hours and hours of reading his stories in my teenage years when there was no Internet and the TV didn't have much to show and there was no VCR or CD/VD Player, let alone digital format of movies in Ultra HD! 

Nesin explains the situation of a guy who works hard and saves enough money to be able to have himself included in a bank's lottery, something which is not common here, in one of his stories. Some banks in countries, in that part of the world, have lotteries once in a while and the more money you have in your account, the higher your chance of winning something valuable like a car. The guy is in trouble after he deposits a big chunk of money because he doesn't have enough to eat(!) or do anything essential in his daily life! I don't remember much about the detail because I read it more than 25 years ago but he goes to the bank and angrily asks for his money! The banker tells him that if he takes all of his money out (which is what he wants) he wouldn't be qualified to be part of the draw. The guy who is so frustrated says that he doesn't care about the draw and wants all his money back! Upon receiving the money, he goes to a luxury hotel in the city and enjoys whatever available for a whole month! 

This is a bit similar to my current situation! Not entirely! What happened is I went to a Toyota dealer yesterday to see if I can finance a new car. I have a Prius AWD-e in mind and that has been there(!) for over a year now. The guy told me that I should pay $2000 as down payment and wait between 6 and 8 months! I don't mind the wait but paying $2000 would be a bit of a problem now! I have that much and even more but I always intend to keep some cash in my accounts in case something comes up, unexpectedly. Beside it was $1000 down payment when I was in the dealership last year. He says it just is for the situation that the customer does not come to pick the vehicle up and it would be difficult for them to sell a car which is ordered specifically for a customer! I told the guy that I would think about it and would contact later. I was worried that my old Corolla halts(!) in the middle of the highway particularly now that it's Check Engine light is on again! Besides the crazy incontrollable price of gasoline has become a pain in the padded ass(!) but today I realized that the light is off while I was going back home, while it was on in the morning! It means it was a system malfunction. The interesting thing is I asked one of the service guys in the dealership about the light and he said I should check the gas cap(!) first and if it didn't go off after a week they charge $80 and up to look at the it! 

The fact that I always keep a few thousand dollars in my accounts is not the only reason that I don't wanna pay that much for down payment. The deadline for depositing to RRSP was just passed a week ago and I had a contribution. Now not much is left. Plus I have other expenses coming up. In a nutshell my situation is quite similar to the Nesin's character in the story I just mention with this difference that I'm not that broke and I won't pull my money out of the bank! 

(Photo: Aziz Nesin the late Turkish writer. Even in Secular Turkey he was not let free!)

Too Much Unhealthy Fat

The company had a barbecue a few days ago. You know the usual: Burger, Hot Dog, Soda, and few side items. I didn't touch any of them! Too much crap that I don't need! Guys were asking me one after another if I had eaten! The answer was the same: I don't eat this kind of food! I have enough problems without eating this shit! There's no religious reason behind that. I believe religion is a law that is supposed to prevent you from derailing in your life. Not that stupid thing of don't eat this and don't eat that. That's a physician's or a dietitian's job! The fact that people don't eat Pork and Beef for religious reasons is stupid to me. I, in fact, eat port for spite! Not that I intend to jeopardize my health to mock or irritate people. I eat Pork once in a while and that's because it has too much damn fat! I bought a Ground Beef-Pork pack from a supermarket last week to make some meatballs. The result was not bad but look at the pot that I cooked in it in the above picture! I slightly took each and every meatball out and there was so much nasty grease left on the bottom! That is why Pork is avoided by me, most of the time not because of a stupid religion! Tenderloin and other lean parts are good of course and does not have more harm than Beef. I, in general don't eat that much any more. So I am not picky for eating a meal in a week. All I care about is a lean, fresh and, if possible, naturally grown meat, which is actually very hard to come by in today's world, in most places, particularly in North America(!) but I know Canada is much better than the US.

(Photo: My pot after cooking Beef-Pork meatball was covered in big lumps of fat!) 

Project IV

This post is about a funny set of events, funny in my view, that was supposed to help my friend M. E., in the old country, for the project that he was working on, or perhaps he still is working on! I'd call it Project IV and in case you wonder what has happened to Project I and Project II, and also Project III, I will write about them in separate posts as they all were with the same person. None has led to any result! 

M. E., my friend from the university days (we used to hang out mostly after we were graduated) told me about Project IV, and that's the name I've given it, nearly two months ago. He said that they were negotiating to fabricate a Cryogenic Tank, or maybe two for a client in the city of Basra in Iraq. For the ones who don't know much about Basra, I will explain this part of the world a little bit. 

Basra or Basrah, is a major city in south of Iraq and close to Persian Gulf. It's a majority Shia city. Shia is one of the two major sects of Islam. Basra was aimed by Iranian forces during the last years of Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) but they were never able to capture the city despite the fact that the majority of Basra people are Shia and it was expected that they rise against Iraqi Army to help Iranians. It is nearly 30 km (19 m) away from Iran-Iraq border. The catastrophic Operation Karbala 4 in December of 1986 was designed to attack southern Iraq, push the Iraqi forces back and hopefully capture that city but the operation was blown before it was started and the incompetent commanders insisted that it should be taken place! Yes! The Iraqi Intelligence, with the aid from Americans and Iranian traitors of MKO had discovered the reediness and preparation of Iranians for the operation and the Iranian commanders were notified of the upcoming disaster. The commanders ordered the volunteer forces of Basij whom many were frogmen, to attack. Many of them were killed and many more were captured alive and executed! No one has ever been charged and prosecuted for that in Iran! 

Iranian volunteer Basiji frogmen participated in Operation Karbala 4 to capture the city of Basra but many were killed and many others were captured alive and executed by Iraqis. This is the remain of one soldier whose hands are, as you can see, tied with barbed wire and executed

But why now after more than 35 years Iranians are getting active in Iraq, the country that they were brutally fighting against?! After Saddam was ousted by Americans in 2003, the country went into a ciaos which still continues. Iran has had the biggest influence in Iraq and that's what the Americans never liked and still don't. And that's why the former president of the US, Donald Tramp ordered Qasim Soleimani to be killed as he was the Iranian commander who did everything for the favour of Iran in Iraq. Other countries have been trying to have their share in Iraq in this situation. For the renovation and reconstruction part, Iranians, mostly have paired with Shia and Turkish and other countries of alike have stepped forward to work with the Sunni. That's why M. E. has been able to enter the negotiation to fabricate a Cryogenic Tank for the city of Basra. My role in this project was to find a company which designs the damn thing. I contacted 7 or 8 company and not one, not even one, stated that they would do that! One idiot, from Saskatchewan, responded to my call after almost a week(!) and stated that they would be happy to help. When I send the information about the project and the specification, with this twist about the location of the project because I knew they'd be freaked out, she said that they were only interested in projects in Canada and North America! I had told them that the project location was somewhere in Persian Gulf and the morons still freaked out! I told her that there was no project in Canada and North America and wished them success! There were companies that they didn't even respond! Their telephone was out of service. I was expecting this in the devastated economy of Alberta and generally Canada but not to that extent. I also contacted a former colleague, an old Caucasian fella, in his 60's, whom I call him Toby here. Toby is an experienced welder and QC Technician who has worked all around the world. He could be as friendly and as pleasant as your closest friend at times and as big as a colossal asshole at another! When I called him to consult on the project, he was very friendly and helpful. He sent me the contact information of at least 5 companies and I appreciated him regardless of the fact that none of them worked. Then I asked him if he would have been interested to go to the job site for the Quality activities, of course when the fabrication is in progress and he stated that he would have been. Then after a few e-mail and call exchanges, he turned to the asshole he is at times! He didn't respond! At the same time M. E. was gone and there was no contact with him for about two weeks! So I wondered if following up with Project IV would be a good idea. The only potential designers for the tank were an Italian company that M. E. had introduced them to me and he knows them from a previous project in the old country and a major fabricator in Canada who was introduced to me by Toby and they indicated that they would only design if they would be given fabrication. 

Location of the city of Basra in south of Iraq. You can see the major Iranian cities close to the border including the city of Khorramshahr, or Khorram-Shahr which was occupied by the Iraqis in the first year of the war. Basra is shown with a big red dot

Now I'm waiting for M. E. to tell me what to do! My main goal of this project has been to, first, learn something, help my friend and then probably have a trip to Iraq! Yes! As much as it might sound crazy I really would like to go to Iraq and particularly Basra to see the city but I have no idea if this ever happen. I will wait for my friend to see what he has done with Project IV so far.

(Photo, top: A Cryogenic Tank is used to store materials, a combination of liquid and gas, mostly liquid in a very low temperature. It looks like a crude oil tank but it is designed and fabricated under a slightly different standard/code, API 620)

Six Days

I knew basically nothing about the siege of Iranian Embassy in London in 1980 before I saw the movie 6 Days last night. Good movie which shows everything about that event in less than 2 hours. What happened almost 41 years ago is a number of filthy Arabs whom their leader was an Iraqi diplomat(!) smuggled guns and ammunition to England and then stormed the embassy in the morning of 30.Apr.1980. 

These people were campaigning for the liberation(!) of Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran and claimed that belong to Arabs! I personally have been to that province. I have been to Ahvaz. We had suppliers there when I used to work for EIED. My first wife is from Ahvaz. So I went there and I actually had a good time. It was a nice city at the time with lots of places to see in and around and good traditional food including an excellent Bison Milk Ice Cream! Unfortunately I have not heard good things about the city lately. Air pollution, poverty as a result of the corrupt government and other issues have made life difficult for the inhabitant of the city. I also have been to Abadan, Khorramshahr, Shush (Susa) just to say that yes there're minority Arabs in that province but not as many as Persians and do they get oppressed? I can't say but I know this for a fact that when I traveled to Ahvaz to talk to the suppliers, and I admit that it was a lousy project at the time(!), many of the counterparts were Iranian Arabs and we didn't have any issues with them. Ali Shamkhani, one of the commanders in Iran-Iraq War is an Iranian Arab as well. So I don't know what more there people want. Their stupidity and silliness has been extended to even these days. They attacked innocent people in Ahvaz in 2018. 

Iranian Arab Commander Shamkhani is seen here in Iran-Iraq War days, on right, next to the former President Hashemi (wearing white turban) and Mohsen Rafigh-doost, the Revolutionary Guards top Commander. Look at the emblem hanging from his shirt pocket.

Back to the movie, there's a negotiator who is in touch with the terrorists through phone and that is Mark Strong, the same guy who has a major role in Body of Lies. He, wisely, was able to get more time from terrorists which made the British Government able to discuss the matter with the then Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher and also gave enough time to SAS team to practice different scenarios of attacking either the embassy building or the bus which were supposed to take the terrorists and their hostages to Heathrow. I didn't want to give the whole story but this is different from watching the movie, meaning you still can enjoy it. SAS (Special Air Service) team eventually gets an opportunity and they go inside and free all but two of the hostages and kill all but one of the terrorists. 

Members of a military band who had participated in a parade, are hiding in a narrow channel during the attack by Arab separatists/ISIS terrorists in Ahvaz, in 2018. The attacked claimed 25 lives

The funny thing is Saddam has the same dream in mind when he attacked Iran a few months after this! He wanted to include the province of Khuzestan! Not to mention going all the way to the capital. Despite the fact that the war was useless and did nothing but destroying two countries in Western Asia (which some stupid call it Middle East!). 

Anyways the movie is highly recommended. Good story, good directing, good actor and good cinematography. Enjoy. 

(Photo, top: SAS team members are trying to enter the embassy by using ropes from the roof. One of them got stuck as seen here and he had to be cut down by his fella comrades. he sustained injuries to his thigh but continued and finished the mission)

Body of Lies, Another Good Movie

There was a load of rumors and bunch of news a few years ago about an Iranian actress who had been banned from acting in the country because she had a role in an American movie. The actress was Golshifteh Farahani and the movie was Body of Lies. I had the chance to see the movie a few days ago and I have to say I was impressed. It's not because an Iranian actress has a role. Her role is actually a minor one and she performs well. The story is interesting and well-written. I, honestly, had difficulty following and had to resort to the plot provided on the web!

I didn't Farahani back in the old country perhaps because she was too young. I guess she earned her fame in late 2000's and mostly when she left Iran and settled down in France. I've read that she has also performed in a Satrapi's movie called Chicken with Plums but I haven't seen it.

The story, without going to the detail, is about the safety in Iraq and Europe after the 2003 US led invasion of Iraq which led to the arrest, trail and execution of Saddam Hussein and an unstable Iraq! So if someone is not interested in such story, better to avoid the movie unless he's a L. DeCaprio and R. Crow fan! 

(Photo: Golshifteh and DeCaprio in a scene of the movie. They're dating in Amman, the capital of Jordan, the western neighbour of Iraq, where Golshifteh lives and works as a nurse. Everyone around is looking at them as it's rare to date a man, particularly a Caucasian in a male-dominated, restricted, Islamic society)

The Second Iraqi Whom I Met

I realized a new employee had been added to the department next to us, a little than two month ago. I always take the first step, maybe not always, but most of the time, when it comes to making new friends. With women I'm shy but with men, for friendship only, I have no issue. So I started talking to this guy by bringing up the place he is from! I had been told that he was from Iraq but wanted to see what he says. I asked him if he was from Tikrit! He said he was from Baghdad and asked me if I knew anyone from that town? I said: Yes. Saddam Hussein! That didn't set him off and later on we spoke a little until we got a chance to get together in a cafe. From what I understand he is an educated guy from a good family. He now drives a car which looks brand new and it's a bit odd for someone who is new to Canada and just lives by himself. It means he has money that is brought from the oil-rich country. 

I learnt interesting things about Iraq that I never knew and was curious about. The country that invaded my country of origin and then we fought for 8 freaking long years, the longest war in the 20th century with no winner at the end and just left two devastated country and billions of dollars wasted and millions killed, wounded and or disappeared. Being a Sunni Muslim and a very religious one too, now he has doubts! some of interesting things that I know from him now include: 

1- While Syria was supporting Iran during the war, Jordan, ruled by King Hussein, was backing Iraq. Both countries received billions of dollars from the supported countries either in shape of crude or cash. According to this new friend, Jordan is now a very nice country with everything they need! Grew from zero to all in 8 years. That's always the nature of war: While there're countries that get devastated, the others benefit, grow and enjoy. 

2- The city of Khorramshahr was captured by Iraqis at the beginning of the war but then was liberated by Iranian forces. The seize took a little more than 13 months and when I asked him why the Iraqi forces were easily defeated and ran away like rabbits he said because they were cowards!

3- Despite his education and this doesn't have anything to do with the war(!), he never worked in his field. He was in crude trade or something like that. Here, even if the job market was good, it would not be easy for him to find a well-paid job.

Iraqi soldiers ran away from the city of Khorromshar in southwestern Iran in May of 1982. They even left their helmets as seen here

I will never know this guy, I'm sure! Despite the things that he has told me, it is still a question for me as how he got a nice care and why he would go to Starbucks and spends $18 on two cups of coffee and two small cookies! People, many of them, are not what they seem. I hope this one is not a dangerous one! I'll write more about him soon.

(Photo: This is a memorial for the soldiers who were killed during the 8-year Iran-Iraq War from the Iraqi side. If you can read Arabic you can see that the name of different countries have been written on the memorial wall including Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan and even a piece of shit land called Mauritania! Not to mention that there are shit-lands, without a doubt! This clearly proves that Iraq was not alone in the war. The Western countries supplied them with all the weapons and the Arab countries with soldiers. On the top reads: There's no room for Ba'ath Party [the party of Saddam Hussein] in today's Iraq! The thing that I hardly believe. Ba'ath Party in today's Iraq is accused of helping, aiding and suppling ISIS which is another topic to cover)

Fatima Restaurant: A Weird Experience

Lazy Ass and I met again a few days ago and this time it was proved to me and his lazy ass that being lazy is not good! I mean he's a nice boy and everything but he, now, has to pay. He's kicked out of his place that his dad has provided to him rent-free and he's really upset. It's not all his fault. It's his father's faults too but what does it matter now? He's out! The good thing is he's allowed to stay at his mom's for a few months, rent-free until he finds a place. 

After his normal complaints about his dad(!) which was more bitter this time(!) we decided to get a bite and he chose to go to Fatima Restaurant, a Pakistani place in, of course, northeastern part of the city. So here we are and the place is, as dirty, filthy, disorganized and dark as I expected! There're booths with chairs putting on the top upside down(!) and tables with pile of dirty dishes on the top! There's only one table occupied but according to Lazy Ass the food is good. So we were about to see. The good thing is service is prompt. As soon as we arrive a tiny East Indian girl approaches us with a couple of menus although I found one on the seat! Looked liked someone didn't like the list and threw it there! I ordered Chicken Curry and Lazy Ass ordered two items that we intended to share all together and split the bill. It looked like that our visit would be not so bad. Then a sign on the opposite wall caught my eyes: Prayer Room! I had never seen such a thing anywhere in the world! I know for a fact that Pakistani people are amongst the most restricted Muslims but you don't have to be so pretentious! If someone prays 7 times a day then he or she makes sure they pray either before or after their meal! There's absolutely no need to go to a restaurant and yell: Oh Allah! I forgot to pray today! Where's the mosque? Where's the prayer room. So it's abnormal and weird but considering I was in a Pakistani restaurant, I understand that. I lived half of my life in a Muslim country and never saw such a thing, not to mention the use of a religiously debatable name (Fatima) for the restaurant! 

So we were waiting and the waitress brought plates, water and other stuff and here comes a group of load fellas who Lazy Ass told me later that they were speaking Bengali. The guy was welcomed by the waitress who happened to be there when they came in and one of them started ordering while walking to a table!! There was another weird thing that I saw in the restaurant but it didn't end there. The food arrived and I noticed that instead of Chicken Curry they have brought me Mutton Curry, it looked like it was or something like that! How could you mess up such a small order?! I mean we were not a group of 8 or 9 with each of us ordering a different meal! So the girl came and took the food and we waited a little while. This time the chef came himself! Again weird! He was dark-skinned short fella with a big belly, wearing a filthy apron and a mask (as a protection from Coronavirus!) and short-sleeved T-shirt which showed a tattoo of him! Lazy Ass had a little chat with him and thanked him. It appeared it was chicken this time! 

The food was not bad but too oily and who knows what type of oil these guys uses but I guess it's okay for one try. The food cost us $16.8 each which was not bad but I could eat twice as much because I had not had lunch. We decided to have dessert somewhere else instead of ordering more especially because he was not very hungry. Would I go there again? I highly doubt it. Unless I'm desperate for East Indian food and there's no other place available. I would rate the restaurant 3 out of 5 and that's because their food is tasty but hygiene and atmosphere sucks big time and even could kill your appetite! Just when we were paying and getting ready to leave there were more customers which is good but a guy of the Bengali group was talking loudly on his phone and it was very rude, disrespectful to the others and annoying!

(Photo: A sign on the wall, a turned-off flat screen TV on the top of it, and a filthy table with a pile of dirty dishes, which sat there for another 15 minutes by the way, these are really not appetizing signs of a restaurant. Are they?!)

The Ignorant Fool's Idea!

There was this short discussion, I'd like to call it discussion, rather than argument because that is what I usually avoid, particularly at work and it was at work, with this ignorant fool refugee, who has been let in Canada like thousands of other by the Government!

He was kind of making fun of me for lack of data plan on my phone! I don't have data simply because I don't believe wasting money on something like that and secondly I don't need it. There's Wi-Fi available almost everywhere these days, including my workplace, supermarkets, cafes, you name it. Even if there's something that I need to check before going home, I can simply turn my phone on and check it out. This guy was going on and on: You live in the 1700's! I don't know what world you live in! You should have come to this world two centuries ago and it's a mistake you're here now!

What do you think my answer was to him? Do you think I even reply to someone who has never read a book, attended a school or training, ever thought about his surrounding and is an ignorant illiterate fool!? No! I won't answer to him particularly because he's religious(!) but here is my answer to people who tell me I am outdated: The religion that you're following is outdated! And that's no problem? What that religion has given to you and how did that help you in your life that I lack without practicing it?! It would have become a heated argument because something quite similar to that happened with a little moderate person from the same background and it was going to go bad but luckily didn't! Having that in mind and my general understanding of the people who has never had any academic or self-thought education, who have never read in their lives and who have never had the ability to understand their surroundings, helped me not to respond and let him vent, particularly because he had told me earlier that he was depressed! My reaction to that just was: 😮!

(Photo: The majority of people has a permanent gesture as such in their lives!)

The Second Car Break-in

I hopped in the car in the morning, as usual, a few days ago and realized something strange. The little compartment in front of the shifter, which has a lid and could be used to connect GPS or similar devices, was open. Another small compartment on the left side of the steering wheel, which is rarely used, was open as well. I keep a Bible in another small compartment on the right side of the wheel and it was on the floor, on the mat! 

What does all that mean? I was sure that I had not left them all open. Did anyone break into the vehicle? I checked almost everything and nothing had been taken. There was a break-in once a few years ago and they took my GPS, flashlight and all of the CDs. 

Today I open the glove box and I realized my hair brush was not there! Did the thieve only take the brush! There were not many valuables in the car but the CDs were not touched! 

My only explanation to this is that the guy found one of the doors open. He got in and wanted to take things and saw the book. All of a sudden he was overwhelmed with his spiritual and religious belief and decided to leave! At the last moment he thought he should take something and went for the hairbrush! There's absolutely no other alternative to this scenario. What do you think?
(Photo: The little compartment at the left side of the driver that I have not used it even once was open. The bastard also took my box of tissue that I haven't even opened it)