Hannibal, Simply Grusome

It had been a long time that I wanted to see Hannibal, the sequence to one of the greatest movies of all time, The silence of the lambs. I eventually succeeded and got very disappointed at the same time, last time! I saw the DVD a few times in different stores including HMV, where I normally go for my movie and music shopping and wanted to buy it but hesitated. I'm happy today that I didn't! I wouldn't spend even a Penny on a movie like that although I must have the movie I liked regardless of the number of the time that I have watched it.

The movie starts with a hideous face that I don't even want to remember it. Apparently this is a guy who have mutilated his own face under the influence of what Dr. Hannibal Lecter has given him and his instruction. So the movie is based on this guy (played by Gary Oldman whom cannot be recognized!) trying to lure Dr. Lecter to his place, which is by the way a big palace and Special Agent Clarice Starling trying to finish her mission by arresting Dr. Lecter. 

The problem is there's no Jodi Foster now and Julianne Moore plays Clarice which by the way is awful. I had seen only one movie of Moore prior to this and that was the small role she had in The Fugitive which was fine but here when you compare her to J. Foster, she does not deliver even 1/4 of Foster did in the previous movie. She is very mechanical, cold and emotionless. Even when she's holding a gun it's very uncomfortable! As per Hopkins I have to say that he's more active here in this movie and as smart as the previous one but he eventually is caught by the defaced guy guys(!) and is about to be fed to pigs! 

Another amazing thing that I experienced about this movie is that it's directed by Ridley Scott! I couldn't believe such a bad movie comes out of his hand. The guy has Alien, Blade Runner, Prometheus and Black Hawk Down in his resume but at the same time he has the ridiculous The Martian as well, the movie that I could not stand and didn't even finish it! 

In addition to directing there are a number of good actors such as, as I mention above Gary Oldman, Ray Liotta, Hopkins and a few foreigners but none of them help the movie. This is one few movies that I've watched and they all despised me. I'd better name the other two that I disliked a lot and will never watch:

1. The Revenant.

2. The Martian.

I guess enough has said about this wasteful, disgusting movies. I give 1 out of 5 to this movie.

(Photo: Picture from the final scene of the movie. In fact Julianne Moore beauty was the only pleasing part of this movie, especially when she was in this black dress showing one of his boobs. However her cold, bellow average performance helped the other elements of the movie to have a very bad experience. She is not even comparable to Jodie Foster in the previous movie Silence of the lambs)

A New Hope, finally!

I received an e-mail from CAF finally before Christmas asking me to sign an Enlorment Offer. I was a bit surprised as I expected that to be happening in Jan. or Feb. if happens at all! Was I happy or am I happy now?! I got excited just a little bit but that was not much knowing that Basic Officer Qualification Test is very hard! I was training for a number of month and just a few days after I received the offer, signed it and was accepted by CAF, my Gout problem started again and had not been gone completely so far! Exactly when I needed to continue my exercises to be able to beat that test, this happens! The Captain during the interview told me that if I failed that test, I would be given 90 days to practice and give it another shot but I don't want to be humiliated in front of everyone! There are lots to do before I can be sent to the garrison and fortunately there's enough time to get ready. I only have to recover from this damn Gout Flare as the physician called it when I went to a local clinic in Boxing Day. 

So it's a hope and unlike what Gorge in Seinfeld says(!) I want hope! I need hope. I have two other jobs still lined up for me, one with the Government of British Columbia and one with the Government of Alberta.  They will definitely notify me of the result in January but I will go to the CAF job of course. I only need to recover from this damn attack! 

But why did I chose this title for my post? It is true that it is finally a new hope for me but at the same time yesterday one of the stars of A New Hope, Carrie Fisher died. She was not very old, only 60! As this weblog is not a news-blog and everyone who is interested in the late actress can simply learn everything about her by a little search online (or in the bookshops as she was apparently a best-seller author) I limit the post about her here by adding that A New Hope has always been my favorite Star Wars movie. I never had the chance to see the movie in theater like many Star Wars fans as I was a little kid in those days but read the original book and watched the movie a few times and enjoyed it. I also saw Fisher once in an episode of The Big Bang Theory. She appeared briefly, probably for about 15 sec. and had a line. Unbelievable to see she's gone so soon and so young.

(Photo: Four of the main characters of the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. Needless to say who's who. Everyone knows them!)

Christmas Eve. 2016

After two weeks of extreme cold finally the temperature rose in a way that the coldest in the past 10 days was probably not less than -10 ℃ which is considered warm for Calgary and Alberta in general! Yesterday though a beautiful snow started in the morning and was going down non-stop until when I came home from a small shopping around 20:00.

I tried to talk The Chef into a hike possibly Malagne Canyon or Star Mine Suspension Bridge but our experience in extreme cold last time, has not been so pleasant to him and he kind of hesitated. Furthermore he is in such a bad shit now and in the verge of losing his home. So he cannot quite think of an entertainment! That is in fact his own fucking fault. He bought a house about a year and half ago with this African friend of his and the guy got into some financial problem a few month ago. He had been paying the mortgage since or better to say, according to him, he paid for a few months by himself and nothing has been paid in the past two months. So what he is going to do is not to pay for the third month. So the bank can take over. There's no doubt that he is a fucking idiot! They had three tenants. One in the basement and two in two bedrooms of the house. They all left about a months ago one after another and that is because the house is a fucking dumpster! But seriously who would live in the house that The Chef lives?! Two of them were Africans brought by The Chef's friend and there was a Latino small family of three in the basement!

Partially frozen and snow covered Bow River. The thickness of ice slab is near 35 cm at some spot. This remind me of that stupid movie The Revenant! The guy falls in a frozen river and swims in it for as long as 20 min. What a goof off! Anyone who swam in such water, would be dead in the first 5 min.! I will write about this silly movie later

Anyways I checked the condition of the roads which would take me to those two places and they are all covered in snow or are icy. So I think it would not be such a good idea to go to either hikes particularly Malagne Canyon which is about 5 hours away! The closest place to go and should be nice is Lake Louse and Grotto Canyon. I've been to Grotto Canyon in spring and it can't be as nice as Malagne Canyon and Lake Louise is nice of course but it's too far, I would have to pay for admission and it should be busy. If I go anywhere I will post about it here.

Today though I had a pain in my left foot again but decided to have a walk. So I popped up a pill(!) and went to the Bow River Pathway. It was so much snow that I could barely walk. I guess as much is 15 cm. Most of the pathway had not been plowed but then I saw the small vehicle at the other side of the river when I was leaving. Then I headed to North Glenmore Park. It was cold and there were not many people around. I just went and sit in the nearby McDonald's for a coffee and returned to the vehicle and went home! That was it. Nothing especial or exciting! 

(Photo: One of many cameras installed by Government of Alberta on the major road. You can see what's going on there. This one as you can see shows just a few minutes ago Highway # 2 or QEII north just south of Road 581)

The Best News of 2016

We are approaching to the end of 2016. The year which many, including me, believe has been a very tough year. I have been unemployed the entire freaking year. So have been many others. I lost a few good opportunities which could turn my life around. However just in the last day I heard something that enlightened some hope. I will write about that in a separate post before the end of the year.

However something I read yesterday which I believe is the best news of 2016. You can call me anything you want but I truly enjoyed the news when I heard it: A wealthy, disgusting, blood-sucking pig was shot in front of his multi-million dollar home in Calgary in his fucking Rolls-Royce. 

This nasty, worse-than-cockroach creature which (not who!) sounds from East Indian origin was apparently the president of Strategic Group. I have nothing against East Indians and in fact I will be going to India to enjoy their food, the beautiful places and history one day and as proof I bought a Mix Pickle from an East Indian store in the city and it's very good (Shan brand) but I hate both greedy and cheap people. 

In case you don't know this company, Strategic Group,  owns several buildings in the city which lease them out to companies and such. I know that the day that all these disgusting creatures are shot in the head never comes, unfortunately at least in my time but I hope in a capitalist society that the rich always robs the poor, all of the similar people are killed but not the way that this nasty animal got killed. They should be tortured to death. They should be tortured for months and then die of hunger, thirst and pain worse than concentration camps. The only difference is the people who died in those camps were innocent civilians. These are freaking disgusting creatures which (not who!) deserve to get killed by the way of torture. Seriously. And last thing: I hope they shot him in the head or to be specific in the eye and he suffered much pain when he was dying. At the end, and it's not very important, I would like to add that this pig was subject of multi-million lawsuits which he would probably come out a winner from them as these guys hire wise lawyers and pay them plenty! Sorry man (the greedy lawyer) one of your sources of income is gone!

(Photo: The vehicle of the disgusting pig in front of his fenced property in Calgary. Looks like whoever did this favour got him when he was behind the wheel. Apparently he lost control and hit somewhere or something. Who cares? The important thing is he is ceased to existence! By the way a vehicle like this costs probably around $500,000! It is unbelievable that in the world that is in such a chaos people still think of such extravagant vehicle.I saw one when I was in Munich in BMW Welt. I guess BMW has purchased Rolls-Royce, not that it is important! One of the guys whom I was working with, named Stray Dog, had a good point once. He said the world's situation is similar to 1914 when the WWI started! He asked me whether I thought that would happen soon?! I know there are people in the US who convince that WWIII is inevitable especially after Russia annexed Crimea but it is not that bad. While these are subjects of different posts, which I hopefully write about in near future, we [I and the Stray Dog] never got the chance to discuss this. before I go, I was reading an article in Maclean's about how Iran-Iraq War still is going on and that was interesting. The columnist was saying that what happened to the oil market in 2015 and 2016 is similar to what happened in the mid./late 80's and in both cases the US intended to harm both the Soviet Union [now Russia] and Iran. This could also be another topic. By the way read about this fucking Stray Dog to know him a little bit. He still works for the same company and I was kicked out more than a year ago! Why/ Because a motherfucker countryman of him is a manager in that country!)  

Temp., Part-time Job

I received a call from a lady who coordinates volunteer jobs at, of course a place that I volunteered for a few months. She wanted to know whether I was interested in a temporary part-time job! In fact she said that they had contacted her and I came to her mind! Good! It means that I have done something good. However the position was a shit one and not very attractive but I found it rude to say no to her. I accepted that and then went for a meeting/interview after I received a call from another lady. The interview took place by a manager and a lady. Seemed OK and they called me and asked me to go for a sort of orientation meeting later which lunch was supposed to be served as well.

I went there and there were a few other guys, one from previous years and one new. The lunch, which has been the most pathetic and disgusting launch I've ever seen (I didn't even touch it!) was a number of disgusting Processed Meat-Croissant Sandwiches!!! which had been bought from a supermarket's Deli!! And they wasted time for about half an hour by presenting nonsense childish, stupid things and that was it! The only good thing was that I was given a $100 allowance which I later spent on a pair of nice Columbia shoes! The pair was for $129.93 originally which I guess I paid around $116 and then was reimbursed for $100 later!

Anyways the first day of work came and I was supposed to do a 12:00 to 20:00 shift which sounded tough in a -16 ℃ weather (not considering windchill!) I noticed that our small group considers of 5 Natives, one Caucasian and me! The piece of shit Native guy who apparently have been working full-time in there started showing signs of being a big asshole by saying stuff such as " I'm the boss here " or " I'm the supervisor " and nonsense similar to that. The other guys were fine. One of the was a dick head who just referred everything and everyone to this asshole supervisor-like creature! The Caucasian guy left in the afternoon as he had started early morning.

It got really cold when the sun went down around 16:00 although there was not much wind. I couldn't get myself warm and that was despite a few layers I had put on. Then this asshole walked up to me and said that someone had said to him that I was not polite to him!! That was it. I asked him how could that be?! and he kept telling me that I should not even talk about that and just have to take it!! I asked him if he wants me to come tomorrow and he said since ... (the manager) had hired me, he would not want me not to come(!) meaning if he had hired me, I would have been gone!

I had a hard time deciding that night then I said; Fuck it! I don't need this asshole! I e-mailed the lady who had the interview with me alongside that manager and told her that I had an injured leg. She called me after a few minutes and asked what had happened. I first hesitated to say about the fucking asshole Native but then I told her and she pretended or maybe truly was sympathetic. I asked to consider the e-mail I had sent her as my official resignation note and donate my one day wage to their organization! She accepted and hung up after regular goodbye. The same afternoon another lady, her boss, called! She also wanted to know what had happened. I gave her the same version and she insisted that I should go back! I accepted but the next day I sent another e-mail and indicated that I decided no to go to avoid confrontation. 

I then received an e-mail from one of them. My pay-stub and ROE were attached to that! I knew that would create some trouble for my EI but that was too late. Those assholes not only caused me grief and disturbance but also interfered with my EI which took me about an hour to fix it later in a Service Canada location (I'm hoping it is fixed because I have not seen the next deposit into my account). 

Then I asked The Lady whether she would pick up my cheque from their office, the cheque for my footwear and she said yes. So we drove there one day after of course checking with the lady to make sure it was ready. We went there and the first native guy either didn't recognize me or pretended not to! Then the main guy appeared in front of our car and he goes: Hello ...! I wasn't expecting him to recognize me that fast but he did! The Lady went to the office to pick up the cheque and I remembered that I had forgotten to give her the bag of their stuff! So I went to the main office and handed the damn bag over to their receptionist. At the same moment The Lady called and said that they needed the disgusting stuff! I ran back to the receptionist and wanted to grab the bag of worthless and useless(!) items while the cheque lady showed! I grabbed the cheque and got the hell out of there. It was not a pleasant last meeting tough but it's over (I hope!). I cashed the cheque and spent some of it already! I still have to wait for Service Canada's reaction to one day wage. I hope they don't make a big deal out of it because the guy whom I got on the phone was making a big one! 

So the lessons learnt here is: Never ever take on a cheap job while you are benefiting from full scale EI!
(Photo: This cartoon quite describes the job I had for one day. I hope CARTOONSTOCK does not mine me using their work)

An Exam for a Ministry Position

The job market, they say, is getting better. I've seen positions and applied for a number but hasn't gotten a good response yet. Maybe my chance comes up when everyone else is hired! For that reason and as usual, I apply for jobs outside my field of study, education and experience. There was a job a few weeks ago through the provincial government which sounded good to me. In fact most of government jobs are good. I received an invitation to write a 1-hour examination for that and I accepted, of course. Then I received a telephone call from a lady in that organization asking me if I had any questions! That's wonderful. She then told me that there would be an information session coming up and gave me the number for the location to sign up. I did and went there. There were a number of very polite and nice guys there who explained different things and answered questions. Their Sergeant was a 26-year-old fella. Imagine working under the supervision of someone who is many years younger than you! I have no problem, absolutely no problem with that as long as the person is not an asshole! 

Anyways I headed to the examination venue on the specified date and it was some -21 ℃ but I managed to get myself there on time. To my surprise almost 90% of examinees were sited. The funny thing was that four people were sitting at a small table, something similar to restaurant's booth but smaller! I remember once in B. C. I wrote an exam for a provincial job and we were sitting very close to each other, shoulder to shoulder. I was able to see what the person in front of me was writing but I didn't care. I just wanted to answer the questions and get the hell back to The Lady. It was not a very hard examination but required some attention and knowledge. Would I pass? I don't know and I don't know what the passing mark is but similar to any government job there are 8 major steps and then when you're hired you could be sent to any corner of the province which is completely fine by me. I'm looking for an excuse to leave Calgary! The other funny thing is that there's a 1 year probationary period for this job which again is expected. That of course comes after passing the 14-week training. We'll see. 

Missed an Opportunity by 1 Point!

I wrote this examination for a position which sounded very good to me back in Nov. It was a very long exam. and difficult one too. We started at 08:00 and finished at 16:00(!) of course with a few breaks in between but that didn't help me much. I mentioned that in the previous related post that there was a disgusting, nasty, filthy East Indian who made noises like a hungry donkey! I bet he has passed! I, however, failed miserably! These are the results or the main three section:

1- Sub-exam. 1: Passing mark=54/90(60%). My mark= 53/90!

2- Sub-exam. 2: Passing mark=30/50 (60%). My mark= 29/90!

3- Sub-exam. 3: Passing mark=35/50 (70%). My mark= 33/90!

That's it!
(Photo: A quote randomly selected from the web. This pretty much is true about me)

Falling GPS!

I went to a Tim Horton's with The Lady for a coffee the other day as I intend not to disturb her by taking her to where hobo, drug addict and alcoholic hang out (Some of McDonald's locations to be exact). It was very cold as it is usually these days. I don't mind it much tough. I guess it was around -21 ℃ or something. I had my GPS attached to the windshield because I guess I wanted to double check an address. I parked and we went it and sat for half an hour and so. When we came out I saw the vehicle's 4-way hazards are blinking! I couldn't believe that! Then The Lady tried her door and it was open! Jesus! Then looked at the windshield and the GPS was gone! I couldn't believe it!

I was sure that I had locked all the doors. The Lady said: They can easily open the doors. We quickly concluded that someone had broken into the vehicle and stolen the GPS! I was furious because that would have been the second GPS being stolen, Had the theory been correct! What I did not understand was why would they put the hazards on to get others attention and how did they dare doing something like that right in front of the entrance to the cafe in a busy Downtown location at breakfast time!  

I soon would find the answer to all of questions! Apparently the GPS didn't stick to the windshield due to the extreme cold and fell and when it fell, it hit right on the top of the hazard flasher button and turned it on(!) then fell further down underneath the front right seat(!) and because it was early morning and dark, we first didn't see it! As per the damn door. I guess I had unlocked it when I wanted to move something from the backseat to the trunk and forgot to lock it again! It teaches you not to jump to a result quickly! I still believe people could have stolen the GPS in front of a busy cafe in Downtown, if they knew the door was unlocked. All they had to do was to open the door and grab it and no one would suspect that!

(Photo: A regular suction cap for GPS. I guess the extreme cold wouldn't let this function completely and the GPS would fall after a few minutes. However when the windshield was warm later, by using the heater, the problem was resolved)

Why Do Some People Act Like Donkeys?!

It is said that there are some animals which are smart. There's even a list for that. There are actually many lists on the web and I'm not repeating them here. From Animal Farm by George Orwell which is probably one of the finest stories ever told, in my opinion, we know Pigs and Dogs are smart. From the same story we know Cows, Donkeys and Horses are not so smart. 

With that in mind, I was at a career presentation session the other day and there were a number of us. The employees, whom we would be one of them, if we got the job, after passing probably 11 stages(!) were very polite, very friendly and informative. They would explain different things and they would ask if anyone had a question. We were a small group 8 to 10. Mostly Caucasians including a girl, a descendant of a British Slave(!) and an, I guess from his accent, Eastern European fella. I have lots of experience with that last spicy(!) at the last job of mine. These people, mostly, and don't say I'm racist or I stereotype, have been disgusting! Why? I list a number of attributes and virtues(!) these guys, proudly posses:

1- Aggressive.

2- Repulsive.

3- Rude.

4- Incompetent but very pretentious. 

5- Excellent ass-kissers.

6- Racist (Yes! That is true. Look at what is going on in Russia, Poland and Hungary as well as Bulgaria)

7- Unfriendly.

Orwell from the time he worked for BBC. He is one of my favourite (not favorite!) writers of all times. This post would not be completed without his picture

I guess I have made my point and if you disagree, you will have to prove it to me because the above is what I saw in every single of them. It is just that some posses all and some a few! Having said that we were standing and this fella was explaining and asked if anyone had a question? This idiot, who looked like Sphinx by the way, you know? Just gazing forward. No feeling. Cold. Unfriendly. Ready to jump on you and stab you in the heart, opened his nasty sewer and asked the stupidest question that anyone would have asked: What is the career advancement in this job??!!!!!!

You filthy animal! I believe donkeys in remote villages of central Asia have more wisdom than you! You fucking idiot have at least 5 fucking stages to pass just to get the damn training and you ask about career advancement????!!!!

If I was one of the officers and had the authorities, would contact with the recruiting center right after the presentation and would tell them to cross his name out of the list immediately because I would not want to waste my time on such a dickhead who doesn't even know when he has to ask what question! Just disgusting and stupid! A true example of retard, dumb-ass, shithead! Sorry for my language but I just have very low tolerance for human-like animals like that. I'd prefer to deal with Cows, Horses and Donkeys, instead of them! 

(Photo, top: A scene from animated Animal Farm. The pigs are celebrating in Mr. Jones house) 

Panhandling in Calgary

If you're somewhere in Downtown of a major North American city, shopping, walking or doing whatever, chances that you're left alone and not approached by a panhandler is very slim. I only say about my experiences here and I'm really tired of this but first let's see who these people are. I have no clear statistics but there's no need to say that most of the people who have ever approached me were Aboriginals and then Caucasians occupy the second spot. There were these past two recent encounters that I'd like to mention here:

1) I was sitting in a local Tim Horton's working on my volunteering things. I at times go to this Tim Horton's because unlike McDonald's not that many hobo, drug dealer, Native and former poor prostitute visit it! However it looked to me that I was wrong on that day. I have to add that certain Horton's location is a gathering point for a certain ethnic people, which I have not seen anything wrong from them in the past few times that I visited the location. So I was sitting and a Caucasian young guy in hoody, a black jacket and a backpack, which is a sign of being homeless most of the time(!), steps in. I need to focus on my work but at the same I have to have an eye on the surrounding because I definitely don't want anyone to grab my little computer and bolt out! He garbs a paper and approaches a young guy who is sitting nearby watching something on his little screen. It appears that he demands money because I hear the young fella saying that he had bought the coffee and has no money. He's a young Black guy, tall like a basketball player and maybe 20. Then he turns to me and asks the same fucking stupid question. I feel bad for these people and especially now that its fatally cold, they have to check into libraries, cafes, you name it to survive. I look at him and he's a young fella, well-groomed and probably between 26 and 30, and say nothing for a few seconds. He gazes back at me and demands an answer. I'm sick of these guys. So I tell him: Look at you! You are well-shaven and you look even better than me. You even are wearing a better and newer jacket compare to mine! He's a little surprised that fucking Black guy keeps saying: Relax! relax! I said: You have to know to whom you'er going to! I'm a fucked up guy! He says nothing but I just needed change and leaves.

The other day I was on a LRT platform in frigid cold and a woman approaches me this time! She's Caucasian close to her 30's. She has a brand new runners and brand new jacket but it's obvious that she's cold! She's ugly compare to most of Caucasian girls. This is the words that we exchanged:

Girl: How are you? (looking at me directly)

Me: I'm bad.

Girl: I'm bad too. (I'm checking her out)

Me: Yeah.

Girl: Could you help me with a few dollars?

Me: I was going to ask you the same! 

Girl: Oh! OK. (Walks away!)

Ruined Kebab in -20 ℃!

I and The Chef had been discussing to have a hike for a long time. It probably started 6 weeks ago! I know every time he says that he forgets it the next day or two but I came up with this hike in Drumheller area and he agreed to go this past Sat. I had found this short hike in that area over to this old bridge called Star Mine Suspension Bridge. He originally welcomed the idea but the day we were supposed to go he said that we would not enjoy the hike and we would definitely have a problem with Kabob due to the distance and temperature. We then decided to go to North Glenmore Park beside the reservoir where picnic benches and fire-pits are available. 

So we got everything, Chicken, Charcoal, you name it and he had some cut Beef in his freezer and marinated them all. We headed to the park when it was almost -20℃ but fortunately there was no wind. There was barely anyone in the park but a few cars and a few ones on the foot. We got the stuff out and set up our camp. After numerous efforts the damn charcoal would not ignite. The Chef put the Beef cubes on the skewers and the marinated Chicken pieces directly on the grill of the fire pit. He believed that was a bad brand and low quality charcoal because after hours of blowing and adding branches and paper to the damn pit, it didn't get ignited properly but I also believed that he temperature played a major role in the scenario. Everything is freezing cold including the damn Charcoal and you need to warm them up and then increase the temperature for a long time in order to stay ignited but the extreme cold prevents that. All we got was a heavy smoke which got both of us and of course our damn cloths as well as dust which covered the meat! 

This is when we put the meat on a piece of Aluminium foil covering Charcoal pieces. That helped a lot and I guess if we had done in in the first place, we would not have wasted so much time blowing and burning. However the frigid temperature would have prevented the Charcoal pieces to be hot and fiery! 

The Chef then presented another idea: Why don't we covered Charcoal with Aluminium Foil and put the meat on the top of it. He believed the distance between the hot Charcoal and meat prevented them from being fully cocked. We did that but after a minute he said that he didn't think that was very helpful either because the juice from the meat would extinguish the fire!! 

Anyways it was total disaster but the good thing was there was not anybody around to watch two mindless and careless guys trying to cock meat in -20℃ temperature! We tried a few piece of Chicken and they were not very bad but the Beef had been dried, carbonized(!) and distasteful! I looked at my watch and it was almost 14:30 meaning that we had been fighting with cold and fire almost 2 hours and a half! I suggested to take the rest of the meat home and cock them in the oven. We collect everything and got the hell of there. The Chef was very tired from the week work and had a nap in the car until we got home. All the meat and everything else including the fruit, Ale, bread and water had been frozen solid. I guess I was lucky that I didn't lose any foot finger because although I had worn two layers of gloves, I only had a pair of sock on. I guess the only thing that prevented those to be frozen was moving around. Anyway that was the story and we learnt our lesson that not to try to have Kabob in extreme cold of Alberta!

(Photo, top: A sign in the park warns about the coyotes. Unfortunately we didn't see any)

Real Winter of Alberta

It started to become really cold last Sat. when I went to The Chef's on my Robobike! I had to dismount and walk the bike a few times because of the snow on the ground. The the temperature plunged and got really cold on Mon. when I did a 12:00 to 20:00 shift which will be told later separably. Lat night it was -30℃ with Windchill and I wanted to go for a walk but didn't! I've lost my gloves and I don't think it's a good idea going out without gloves even I put my hands in my pockets because I might have to take them out whatever reason and that we'll be a disaster. It's -19℃ now and almost -28℃ with windchill and it's only 14:33! I would like to see how down the temperature would go in the evening!

One of LRT stations in Downtown Calgary at 08:44 hours shows -16 C. This is the furthest station on the west side called Kerby. The temperature later went deeper and reached -21 C

I will probably go for a walk in the evening because although I exercise a little bit, I need to be more active, although I will have to do the same shift tomorrow which has a different story.
(Photo, top: This is not new to me but I wanted to have it here. The two-layer window of my bedroom is frozen in morning)

American Hustle: Nonsense

There are times that I start watching a movie and then as much as I try, I realize I can't continue. For a while I had not have an issue like that until I came across this movie American Hustle. I found it so fake, unreal and phony. I tried it for the second time with the hope that I overcome my dislike, not that it was a big deal or something but I realized that I could not just sit back and listen to their nonsense, particularly because like many recent movies, it's said that it's based on actual events! 

I'm not even going to point at parts and scenes of the movie, not because it'll be a spoiler alert as I'm sure whoever wanted to see it, had watched it  by now but that's it. Not a movie which attracts me.
(Photo: Amy Adams in a scene of the movie. Images like this and girls like Adams is one of the reasons many went to see the movie and came out disappointed!)

Used Condom in McDonald's

I've criticized McDonald's several times here and everywhere else and I'm still going to a McDonald's most of the time when I want to get a coffee, particularly now that they have reduced their price! The fact is their coffee is much better than other major coffee franchises and their reward program is good. Just before this new price adjustment their prices were higher than Tim Horton's but Tim Horton's is so cheap and phony! They never had a breakfast sandwich until a few years ago. They copied everything from McDonald's! They have no free refill policy and they are so fucking cheap that you see no good newspaper in a Tim Horton's cafe but the nonsense free ones!

Nevertheless I had a very bad experience just a few weeks ago in a location that frequents by homeless although it's not located in Downtown. In fact there's barely any location that is not a hang out for the homeless, Natives and deranged but the closer it is to Downtown the more you see these people and its not that I have a problem with that but some of them become a pain in the ass by soliciting or getting too close and even assaulting.

Anyways I was at this damn location on 17th Ave. and 35 St. SW for a coffee and noticed that people are sleeping underneath a cover at one of the tables. I was not surprised or anything like that as I knew that if I'm drinking a coffee here I have to expect the company of all the ones I named above. However this time it was different, I called upon the manager or supervisor who happened to be a short Filipino girl, similar to many other locations. She, after a while, went to the person which appeared shortly that they were two girls who looked like Aboriginals, sleeping underneath a blanket-like cover! They left shortly after they were awaken and I guess I sat and drank my coffee. I didn't pay much attention to my surrounding after that but I knew that location frequented by Aboriginals. Then when was leaving the location, and I have to say here I always look where I set my foot in(!) I noticed an used condom right in front of the main entrance! Being in McDonald's, you expect everything extraordinary and strange but I certainly didn't expect this! I also didn't expect that the thing had not been noticed and no one had not said anything to the staff unless it had happened just a few seconds before I saw that. Considering I had already talked to the useless so-called supervisor of the location, I decided to leave the issue untouched and get the hell out. I wish I, at least, had taken a photo and sent to the media, their headquarters or someone although I doubt anyone would do anything regarding that. The fact is McDonald's is a hangout for poor, hungry, homeless and all sorts of people of the same kind and that does not mean I have a problem with that. There are people who had unfortunate things in their life and their life was turned upside down. I'm one of them myself, it's just not that bad yet! However it is not acceptable that people get involved in sexual intercourse in a restroom and then throw their used condom on the floor. That is despicable and disgusting.

Bridge of Spies: An Impressive Work

I remember, vaguely, The Six Million Dollar Man, a TV series of late 70's and that is partially because kids at school imitated Lee Majors, the main actor who played Steve Austin a pilots who gets injured seriously and they have to replace a number of his members in the series. There was comics, action figures, you name it and these were shortly before the so-called Islamic Disgusting and Fake Revolution, which it was a plan basically to get rid of the Shah (king) as he had become disrespectful to West! That's another chapter that I'm not going to open here now.

Then I saw this Lee Majors guy in a movie named The True Story of U-2 Spy Incident. He plays Gary Powers whose U-2 plane is shot down over the USSR at the altitude of over 71,000 ft. and is captured by the Soviets. This story is briefly pointed in the movie JFK too. It is said in there that Lee Harvey Oswald, who is the main suspect in the assassination of John F. Kennedy might have given secret information to the Soviets to make them able to the unreachable U-2. I watched part of this movie in the old country and then tried to find it here but then I realized that it was a TV movie and is not available easily. I found a few copies of that on VHS down in the States through eBay and wanted to order one but was afraid to use my credit card due to some electronic fraud I had heard about.

Rudolf Abel, who his real name was a British one and he even was born in England on left was arrested in 1967 in New York on charges such as espionage. On right Mark Rylance a British actor whom I had not seen him in any other movies previously but performs very well and looks like real Abel too

Then I realized that Tom Hanks plays in this new movie of Steven Spielberg about exchanging a Soviet spy with Francis Gary Powers. I immediately remembered a scene of the TV Movie where Lee Majors is standing on the bridge awaiting exchange. So I said that is it. I don't have to get the old movie! But now after watching Bridge of Spies, although I like it, I still think I should get The True Story of U-2 Spy Incident. Bridge of Spies emphasis on an insurance lawyer who not only defends Rudolf Abel, the Soviet spy who is arrested in New York, but also is sent to East Berlin to organize a swap between the Soviets and Americans after Powers' plane is shot down.

Like most American movies, this one is not free from fiction and extra emphasis over American hero who here is not Powers, as I said and is that lawyer. He, although has not practiced criminal law, succeeds in defending Abel in a way that he is sentenced to prison instead of being electrocuted. It also indicated in the movie that Powers is basically was free and back to the US because the lawyer thought Abel could be used for an exchange in near future and surprisingly that happens!

The movie has little on Powers and that's why I still think I should get The True Story of U-2 Spy Incident. I guess I read a few days ago that Gary Jr., Powers' son has approved the movie but didn't read what he said in detail. I contacted him once a few years ago. He has established a museum called The Cold War Museum in Virginia.

This post would not be complete without at least a photo of Francis Gary Powers in his famous flight suit and helmet. I hope I can go to The Cold War Museum one day, meet with his son and have a little chat with him

Anyways regardless of the twists to the story, Bridge of Spies remains a good movie and worth spend time and money on. The British guy who plays Abel is good as well but he has a limited role. As I said the movie is stressed upon the lawyer and even at the end is said that Kennedy sends him to Cuba due to his ability in negotiation in order to discuss the Bay of Pig prisoners of war release and apparently he comes out of that as a winner too. I would give probably 3.5 out of 5 starts to the movie.

(Photo, top: Hanks as Donovan the lawyer who defended Abel is seen here in this scene talking to East German authorities and showing his passport to go to East Berlin and meet with the Soviets in the embassy. It is not said how Donovan learnt German that fast and there's no English sub-title in this scene and one other scene that he speaks German!)

End of Fitbit Flex

I had a problem with my Fitbit Flex about two weeks ago again. This was the second time. The first time they replaced that. I think it was covered by warranty. This time I realized that the piece of shit, pardon my language, doesn't synchronizes. I tried different angles and distances and result was the same. So I contacted them and they provided guidance and although it was not very useful because it was based on a tracker synchronizing with a Smartphone, I eventually managed to have the damn thing synchronized somehow. Then another problem emerged just a week later: It didn't charge! I contacted them again and this time a nut-head told me to use a pin and poke the devise from the hole in the back! I did that killed the tracker! No vital sings after that!

I contacted them and explained what had happened. They offered me a 25% discount to get a new devise! Although I didn't want a new one but I checked their website and realized that the one that I bought almost 2.5 years ago, is not offered any more. I bought a pack of three wristbands from West Edmonton Mall last year because Fitbit Flex does not have a durable wristband and I have used one at the time this whole thing happened, I had the second one on. So basically the one which is left worth some $10. I realized if I get a new one, with that discount and tax, shipping and all shit, it would be around $80 and I'm already losing at least $10 which is useless now. So I'm paying at least $90 for a new device which probably has all the same faults of the old now. So should I buy that or not? I don't think so. Especially now that I'm in this deep shit up to my neck! Would I buy, if I was employed? Probably yes but that still is stupid! When you have money, you're nonthinking of the rainy days! As The Lady said once: If you want to do exercise. Do your exercises! You don't needs any tracker! And she's right! I have been recording every exercise since Jan. of 2015 in an MS Excel sheet. I really don't need to spend more than $100 on such a piece of shit which is not even durable enough to last a year! You go ahead guys! Buy all these fancy stuff and show off! I'm done with it!

(Photo; This image shows how the device of FitbitFlex is taken out for recharge. Fitbit has stopped offering this model. That is one reason that I'm not using the 25% discount offered by them. There will be no use for the spare wristbands I purchased separately last year)

With or Without Tie

I received a surprise telephone call from someone that I would not to say from where he or she called a few days ago. The conversation, after the usual greeting started by mentioning December and I was analyzing in my head as why I had received this call at the same time! When I heard the world December I immediately thought the person did not even know me last December so i must be something in the coming December! This happen all simultaneously while the person was talking! And I realized that it was a temporary part-time job offer for the next month and I kind of sighed but slowly so the person did not hear that on the phone! I have done lots of fuck-ups and when I receive a call like that, I expect a punishment but I barely had done anything wrong, even minor with this person and still did not expect a pleasant thing! 

It is not actually a very pleasant mainly because it might affect my EI benefits negatively. I attended a sort of meeting with two individuals, not the one who called me and I convinced them. That happened the next day. Then they contacted me and indicated that they would hire me. When I discussed the EI issue briefly with one, the person sent useful information and it appears that I might be able to work. I guess I should have considered that for the safety job last summer but it's too late because I turned that down after the first day of training. The problem with that was it was not a paid training and it was too fucking far and too fucking boring! 

Anyways another interesting thing is the main person who actually has signed the offer letter, which I soon has to accept, used to live in the city that I worked and I had multiple issues! Thank heavens that I did not run to him for an argument or some bad encounter! It's a small world! Imagine that you sit at a table waiting for the interviewer to come. He opens the door and there he is: The guy you had a very bad argument with a few years ago and it was so bad that you still can remember it after years! 

Anyways everything was OK and I have received the offer letter. All I have to do is to check with Service Canada to see how I should contact them to report the hours I work as their telephone service does not provide any answer. 

I had a decision to make before going for the meeting. Even one of them said that it would not be a formal interview. Honestly who would interview a person for a 3-week part-time, low-paid job?! Even that job, which was supposed to be for 5 weeks did not have an interview! However I was not sure weather I should wear a tie or not! I eventually at the last minute before heading out wore a tie and noticed that they were looking at that during the meeting! They probably found it weird but it's over now. There's nothing wrong with being neat and well-groomed. 

Sicario (Hitman)

When you are unemployed you have to fill your hours,  sometimes it's not easy especially when all of your friends are gone, each for a reason, or employed. I usually watch more number of movies more than what a normal person does but being out of money has prevented me from going to theaters for a very long time. In fact I guess the last movie I watched in a theater was Black Mass. However Calgary Public Library offers a variety of old and new movies and I have managed to find a number of films that I wanted to watch them for a long time. Of course it's not the same feeling you get but it's better than nothing. It feels your hours!

Sicario (meaning hitman in Mexico they say not sure it has the same meaning in Spanish!) was the one that I recently watched and I was a little surprised by the story. Apparently an FBI agent is asked to volunteer for a joint task near the border with Mexico and when she joins, she realizes they operate at the other side of the border and strongly oppose to that. The story is interesting and is not just firefights with drug dealers. It has its twists but that part which eventually gets intense at the end and other moments of the game, is the climax of the movie, at least for me because I think if you're arresting drug dealers who destroy families, kill people and mutilate their competitors or innocent ones, doesn't matter where you are going. Jurisdiction and shit like that doesn't matter. You need to sweep them but the main character of movie doesn't think like that especially because they mostly either keep her in the dark or ignore her. Recommended movie but I'm not going to rate mostly because no one cares! And rather than that it's not an easy task!

One scene is funny in a way: The main character of the movie, an FBI female agent who is divorced and frustrated due to lack f sex(!), meet a police officer is a bar who happens to be not only his partner's buddy, but also a corrupt cop who links to the very same people that they are trying to dismantle their operation. This meeting, before any penetration happens(!) leads to recognize the bad cop! He empties his jean's pocket to be more comfortable during the foreplay and the FBI woman sees something that triggers her. There are two things here:

1- They condone fucking around with anyone particularly is OK, when they are both divorced! You can have sex with the first person you when your pussy is itching or you have a hard on(!). This is part of the Western culture! 

2- The woman's reaction is very unprofessional which is not expected from a law enforcement officer, especially the one who works for FBI and has such a high morale that opposes to crossing the border to bring a bad gut to the US for interrogation! She could easy finish the sex and enjoy that(!) as that's what the massage is and then simply leave and call her partners to arrest the guy. I think that would have not deteriorate the quality of the story and in turn the movie. In fact she would come out as a heroin who not only satisfied her very basic need but also blew a bad cop's cover and destroyed a network of corrupt police officers in Arizona! I guess for these guys who mix sex with everything that actually could have been a boost to their movie! No matter what kind of American movie you watch, there should be a scene of nudity or sexual act in it. Horror, si-fi, action, war, you name it! They have to show a woman's boobs or a scene of deep kissing or pumping(!) Why didn't they do that this time?!

(Photo; The three major characters of the movie, from left FBI agent, standing in camouflage suit Josh Brolin, the CIA guy and on right the Mexican hitman or sicario. I don't know the sitting guy and I had not seen the woman and the Mexican guy in any movie before. Brolin, though, had been seen in a few movies by previously, including W and No Country for Old Men)

Carbon Tax

Carbon Tax that many Canadians and to be more specific many Albertans are very terrified of that in Alberta is part of the Climate Leadership Plan proposed by the NDP Government. Let's have a look at that as it comes into effect in 2017:

Carbon Tax or by its official and correct term, Carbon Levy (and for those who don't know what Levy exactly Levy mean, it is an imposing tax or collecting by authorities) will be included in the price of all types of fuel which emit greenhouse gases when combusted. This, as I indicted earlier above, will be applied to the fuels in 01-Jan-2017 at the rate of $20/Tonne and will be increased next year. Here's how it will work:

Type of fuel                                                         2016                                     2017

Agriculture used                                                     0                                           0

Gasoline                                                       4.49 Cents/Liter                      2.24 Cents/Liter

Natural Gas                                                    $1.011/GJ                                $ 0.506/GJ

I only mentioned the two most popular fuels used by the families. The other two are not as important and are not listed. Also in the first row I mention that the fuel marked for agricultural use is exempt which is an excellent idea. I guess that would consist of not only agricultural machinery such as combine but also maybe their trucks, pick-ups and similar vehicles which is fair.

Based on the above, for example the price of gasoline which is 86.9 Cents/Liter in Calgary would jump up to 91.39 Cent/Liter, if it remained the same in Jan, the first.

The questions here is why Albertans are making a fuss out of this? It's obvious that no one likes taxes. No one likes to pay more for what he or she is buying. But what if this is for better environment and less pollution? Does anyone care? Apparently not because a bunch of lazy, wimp nuts have already rallied again Carbon Levy in Edmonton! 

These people are spoiled really badly. For decades because of the cheap price of oil and vehicles, they have gotten used to go from point A to point B which is only 15 minutes walk, by car! High School kids go to calls driving a car every day!!! And people wonder why obesity and diabetes the concern of the current generation! When I used to go to U of C in 2002 for an Advanced ESL Level II course, I saw many students being picked up by either their parents or boy/girlfriends!! When I started SAIT in 2002, also I realized that the majority of Caucasian students drove, parked and paid for parking while Calgary Transit has a station called SAIT right at the entrance and is very convenient! 

The fact is if you're too lazy to ride a bike, walk a few blocks or take the public transit, then you'll be worried about Carbon Levy. I already know that when the new tax kicks in, I will reduce my drivings significantly but for The Chef who lives in northeastern part of the city and works near Downtown, the increase will be felt. As well for the people who live in nearby towns such as Airdrie, Okotoks, High River and similar.
The other thing is you were the ones who vote for Notley and her people. Now you are organizing rallies against her? Are you stupid? Brace for impact!

(Photo: A Shell gas station on 14th St. is showing 86.9 Cents for a Liter for regular gasoline. It's not a bad price)

Messed up a not so Difficult Test

I was again given an opportunity to apply for a Federal Government job and I blew it again! It was a job in Atlantic Canada and a good one I believe. An examination session was scheduled and there were only three of us. I don't know if that's the case or not but when I had another opportunity in summer and blew it as well(!) there were only three of us as well. That one, I'm not sure if I have mentioned or not, was very unfair. The easiest examination I had ever written. I was then called and told that I didn't get a certain percentage in one section while did well in all other! 

Anyways I was there and the first part of the exam, I'm not going to reveal the content of course, was all about English comprehension. Although I came short in time but I guess I did average. There's a hope to get the minimum requirement! 

Then there was a break and we wrote the second part which was some mathematics and technical. This part was not hard but I didn't do well! I clearly remember that a very easy question was answered incorrectly by me! I need at least 70% for this. I still am positive to get that percentage or above. The last part was a combination of vocabulary and some letter and number series as well as shapes moving and turning which their samples are available when the applicant is notified that he or she should write the examination. They are also available in the web. This part was the hardest among the three and I am not positive at all! There were vocabulary questions that I had never seen or heard the term! 

I did not have a very good night sleep and there was a nasty East Indian donkey making noises with his nose and asking questions loudly. Careless, rude and stupid in public behaviour similar to majority of East Indians! Because of that and my tiredness I did not have a good focus during the examination but that is not an excuse for failing. Even him was complaining about the hard questions afterwards! I really hate inconsiderate people who act like a fucking jerk in the public without any respect for others. 

This pig, when we finished and leaving the room and asked me if I was from a certain country. I normally have no issue answering that question but I was tired, mad and annoyed by this piece of shit and asked him why he cared! He answered he was just asking. I replied back by saying that I did not answer stupid questions and that was a stupid question! We reached the elevator at the time and were about to get on it. He said nothing and left, pretending going back to the room as he had forgotten something or going to washroom! He, the piece of shit, stinking, animal practically ran away! The other one was a gentleman. A very nice and polite man that we had a nice at the beginning but this East Indian sack of reeking shit annoyed me a lot and I was just looking for an opportunity to pop him(!) but thankfully it never appeared! Disgusting animal. 

Calgary Police Funny Business!

Policing here in Canada is a good business, I believe. Not in the US though, particularly in the past two years which two many shooting have happened. Canada used to be a very peaceful and quite place. It seems that the trouble and violence in the neighbouring US and the whole world has significant affect on the country. I can simply compare Calgary of these days to when I came first:

There were not these many women with table cloths on their head walking with an army of children and beard men around the town, benefiting from the Federal Government. Population was much smaller, There were not high employment as much as 9.5% or more like now, prices were much lower, etc. Don't you think these have all affects on the way people and in turn the police act? A few officers have recently been accused of using excessive force on people who they were arresting. Something that I had never seen in this town. This is in addition to the number of police shootings in the recent months. All of these are fine by me. I certainly believe that in most cases the officers were doing their job. Maybe in a case or two they went over the line. but this thing that I read in the news today made me laugh quickly. See for yourself:

A man is in critical condition after being stabbed in Calgary's downtown core early Thursday morning.It happened in the 1000 block of First Street S.W. around 1:30 a.m.It's not clear what led up to the attack, but there were reports that several people fled the scene.Officers interviewed witnesses at the scene, but many of them were intoxicated and gave conflicting accounts, police say. 

Are you kidding me?! Is that what really happened or is it a joke?! Everyone who is not home at 01:30 AM in downtown is a crook, a homeless or a drunkard! They are all the same shit! And police interviewed them?! Where they making a fool of themselves or they were bored and said: Hey officers! Lets go and have some fun with street people at 01:30 AM? Lets make sure though that they have injected or inhaled or ... swallowed their drugs and they are really loaded!!! I know that police would say: We had to interview the witnesses. They were the only people available there at the time. But comm on! You have to have common sense too. Don't act like third grade kids. Use your head. Respect yourself a human being and a an officer on the force. Don't do something that people doubt your proficiency and sanity!

(Photo; This picture taken from a clip shows CPS officers are struggling a man who is resisting arrest. It is said that they used excessive force. I don't know)

The People Who Are Spoiled Badly

One of the features that Western societies emphasize a lot is public services: roads, urban trains, public transportation, helping the homeless, parks and similar. Many of them are overlooked in Third World although I have to say that there has been significant improvement in that area recently in that part of the world. The problem is when they start a project, they are mostly behind the schedule and over the budget. Facts that are seen at times here as well but maybe not to the same level. The other things is that the projects are studied well here and more importantly public opinion is sought rather than the expert's and authorities'. Something that you never see in those countries or perhaps better to say is seen rarely. All good up to here. I don't have a problem with any of the above although I don't use public service much.

My problem is with spoiling people! The Government of Alberta used to send a reminder letter to all of the residents of this province(!) not to forget renewing their vehicle registration! How stupid is that?! I wonder why the government didn't pay for their registration and then didn't send a letter after that to pay for that?! After years of doing that shit, which cost a lot, this year they decided to stop that. I guess eventually someone sane was in charge! Or maybe they ran out of money. Most likely the second one. A number of people got tickets or probably even got towed for not being registered and they complained! You fucking idiots! That's your responsibility to renew your registration before it is expired! How stupid, lazy and spoiled you are! It's not a freaking credit card statement or utility bill that you have to know how much you have consumed or is there any mistake. You don't even have to check the due date. There's a fixed amount with a specific date to pay! How hard is that to do?! Maybe instead of sitting on your asses in a bar and drinking bear and bullshiting each other you should take care of your household first! 

Something else I noticed in LRT shelters a few years ago. I'm not a frequent user of public transport because I have two reliable vehicles. Besides I don't like them. Unless other countries that I've been to, public transportation here is not comfortable and reasonably priced. Nevertheless I realized that heaters are put in LRT shelters in a number of stations!!! What stupid idiot'd idea was that? In the country which already is struggling with fossil fuel emission problem and soon coal power plants should be shut and replaced with clean energy resources, you put heaters in LRT shelters to attract the poor and homeless? Well fucking passengers have to put more on! This is the stupidest idea I had ever seen anywhere. At times these guys have budget and they don't know what to do with it. So they spend on disgusting shit so next year they can claim more! That what really the reason is. Otherwise I can wait in a shelter for 10 minutes with a regular winter jacket that everyone has here in Alberta and no idiot would need a fucking heater! 

These spoiled and stupid people should understand know that this is not 70's and 80's anymore! truckloads of people are coming to these country and you would not be able to provide free everything service to them. This stupid free health care system of your won't be functioning. It has problems now! Open your eyes and stop pampering people like 3rd grade kids. People need to struggle with different things. That's what makes them stronger and ready for tough times like now. 

(Photo: A heater in a LRT shelter in one of Downtown Calgary stations! This probably is the stupidest thing that someone has ever done in a city)

Safeway's Struggling in Calgary

It was in the news that one of a big Safeway supermarkets in northeast part of the city will be closed soon. I'm sot surprised. With the prices that this supermarket offers, not to mention the kind of food, in that part of the city which is mostly the resident of refugees of Afghan, Arab, African, Sikh, Pakistani and so forth, they should have been closed long time ago! I remember that I shopped at that location maybe once back in 2005 when I shared a townhouse with The Microbe, not far away from there. There's a huge supermarket adjacent to that Safeway which imports foreign food, suitable for some of the nationalities I just named them. Barely anyone but a few Caucasian families who live nearby, shops at that Safeway. 

This is the second Safeway supermarket that is closing in the area. There was another one on 33 St. SE, not too far from this location, that I used to go for shopping almost 10 years ago. It was a small store but had all the merchandise. It's a Rexall pharmacy now. There's a Co-Op supermarket right across the street but I don't remember going to that even once.

The regional managers have to study the neighbourhood and see what the people's eating habit is in there. As well they have to see what the average income of the neighbourhood is. You can't just go and open a supermarket and expect to make money. I'm sure more locations will be closed unless Safeway think of a way to stay competitive. If I can pay less for what I'm buying, why would I pay more?! There are many locations of Safeway close to other supermarkets which when you step in, you realize that not even 0.1 of customers in that supermarket are shopping here! Canada is becoming more like a shithole with a majority of poor refugees or low-income people who prefer to do their shopping either in Wal-Nasty-Mart or The real Canadian Super-Asshole(!) because when you're poor, you basically are looking for something to fill up your stomach. You don't look at the label and whether it is healthy or not. You just look at the price! The cheaper, the better! Unless you're an East Indian! In that case because you're born cheap, you'll die cheap! So if there's an item for $2.25 in one store and a similar one for $2.15 in the other store, they will definitely go for the second one! 

The said two so-called supermarkets have both the disgusting, disgraceful and inhumane customer service you can imagine but they have cheap items and that's what people need today. Here is the list of struggling supermarkets around the city:

1- Safeway in Westbrook Mall. There's a Wal-Nasty-Mart Supercenter adjacent to it. Every time I go in there, there's barely any customer.

2- Safeway in Westhills. There's a Real Canadian Super-Asshole across the street. There's not a time of the day that you go in there and it's not crowded. The said Safeway barely has any customer but old retired Caucasians!

3- Safeway in 36 St. NE. There's a big Wal-Nasty-Mart just across the street. I don't know what Safeway wad thinking when they opened this location in Ghetto!

Safeway however has been successful in inner city locations because these big supermarkets don't have locations there. Examples are 8th Street SW and 10th St. NW locations. These are mainly the residents of young Caucasians who don't know their asses from their elbow! They are already all broke and have no clue of how to spend the little they have. Besides there's no other nearby store. So business is booming. I really don't know what these guys who call themselves marketing manager or whatever similar title, do on their daily routine! Why in the hell would you open and operate a supermarket or a restaurant in a neighbourhood where most of the population is refugees and asylum seekers! These people had never seen half of the stuff that are sold in a today's supermarket in North America before escaping their devastated homeland! They didn't know what a restaurant or for example Pizza is! Another good examples are the Pizza Hut in Falconridge Dr. in northeast where the majority of the population is from Indian sub-continent. They shut it down several years ago and now it's an East Indian or better to say Punjabi-Sikh restaurant. Or The Cheesecake Cafe in on 36 St. in northeast again which is Applebee's now. This one as well was turned to East Indian restaurant as well but didn't last long because there are too many of them in that part of the city now and we'll see how Applebee's is going to do.
(Photo; Safeway at times mails coupons which provides the shopper with Air miles. I regularly check them but rarely use them. However this week I got their egg, lettuce and cheese, all because the prices were reasonable! It's not always like this but they are considering different solutions)

Navy Days

I usually tune in to the news while I'm driving and last week I heard of a display in The Military Museum, called Navy Days. I guess it was a sort of anniversary or something that they displayed Navy items in the museum. I called The Chef and he agreed to accompany me although I later regretted inviting him! The Chef is a nice guy but a pure idiot but that's not the subject of this post!

We were there around 14:00 I guess and as soon as we parked and walked toward the building I saw a gentleman in uniform and asked him about the display. We were looking at a T-72 on the grounds of the museum and he encouraged us to go inside and see the displays. He was very talkative and nice. He asked us were we were from and I said that he said he know a lot of history about Persian Empire. After a few minutes of talking when I told him that I had an application with the Navy he went silent! I think he didn't like the fact that a foreigner and a non-Caucasian might become a member of the Royal Canadian Navy! I wonder how he would have felt, had I told him I would enroll into as an officer! 

I learnt during this display that Canada once had an aircraft career. It was decommissioned in 1970. This airplane, an F2H was part of that career fleet and now on display in the Military Museums. It's called the Last Punch!

Anyways we went our tour by looking around different items. The place was not crowded just a few people. The rest were veterans and a few seemed to be the current crew. The place although small but had so many small items to display, many of them which I had never seen before. There were also very nice items for silent auction including a set of 3-piece German Nazi porcelain from 1939 and 1945. Unfortunately being out of work for more than a year didn't allow me to bid for any and The Chef is clueless of anything. He was looking at everything with lots of shock(!) and would whistle as a sign of wonder! I had to tell him to be quiet, quite often! 

We spent around one hour in there and it was good. As the guy said it in the beginning you would need longer hours and maybe even more than a day to see and read everything in detail. 

(Photo, top: This Churchill's quote sounded very interesting to me! Although Germans efforts to cut the line of supply to Britain was eventually unsuccessful, as seen partially in Das Boot, but caused indisputable  harms to the Allies fleet. This mannequin portraits a German submarine or as they call it themselves Das Boot captain which again reminds me of the wonderful movie of Das Boot)