Trip to NV at Trump's Time (8): Las Vegas is Safe

The United States has changed a lot in the past decade or so. Homelessness and drug addiction is a problem in everywhere and not just the major cities, although some of the main cities are considered dangerous in a way that led the President to deploy the National Guard despite the fact the city authorities didn't like it. The last city that I traveled to before this recent Nevada trip was Austin and it seemed peaceful and clean but perhaps the areas that I had been to and I didn't spend much time driving around. 
Las Vegas, like most American cities, has homeless, drug-addict and criminals but they're pushed back from the main entertainment area to the other neighbourhoods. I watched a clip a few months ago which was referring to them living in a sort of underground area of the city. I guess what the authorities wanted to do is to make the city safe so the people can come and spend their money. The presence of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police was quite obvious on the boulevard and I've already written about their reaction to what seemed to be a threat to the public safety.  

I've read, several times, the Government of Canada Travel Advisory about different cities and countries around the world but never felt they could be applicable to Las Vegas at least until now. The other thing is since there are not many restrictions in the city, the police would not intervene, until something serious happens. For example you can have alcoholic beverages in public, something which is considered unlawful in other jurisdictions. For that, a homeless man who is sitting on the side of a sidewalk and drinking beer would not be a target for the police. With that said while I'm sure I will have trips to the US in the near future, there will not be many major cities that I will visit. My goal would mostly be national parks and mountains but for that I need to use the major airports of course. 

The only time I felt a little uncomfortable was the time that I wanted to gas up the rental before returning it. I drove to a Chevron outside the boulevard area. Before going in to pay, as I was using cash, I saw a Black fella coming out of the building, talking to a couple who were sitting on the curb. When I got closer, I realized the poor homeless couple were about to leave, simply listening to the Black fella. I was confident that there would be no issue inside considering the way that the gas station attendant has dealt with those two. I handed him a $50 bill and told him I needed $30 worth of gasoline. He seemed to hesitate to give me my $20. He took two $10 bills and put them back in and then said that he had made a mistake. Did something on his machine and it got opened and he handed me the bills. That was when I realized that I had made a mistake which had not ended badly: If you use a card, there's barely anything they can do. If you use cash, they can always deny the amount you have handed them. For example he could've simply said I had given him $40 and would return me a $10. In that case there would be no easy solution to that but I narrowly skipped an issue.

In the end, Las Vegas is a safe place and the fact that less visitors have been coming to the city in the past few years, has nothing to do with public safety. It has other reasons which are not the subject of this post. I'm sure I will visit Nevada again but I'm not sure I will be in Vegas again. I have seen enough! 

(Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police had a heavy presence in the boulevard during the Labour Day long weekend)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (7): I Love Nevada Desert!

 A vast majority of the State of Nevada is desert but this area is not a barren land. There is so much into it. First of all the state has used portions of the land to generate electricity using solar panels. The new area that I saw on a recent trip was the road to Valley of Fire State Park. A good portion of the land is covered with panels and the area is fenced. Why miles and miles of the area is not used for the same reason, I can't answer. Secondly there are lots of mines across the state. In fact the company I work for just received an order of a sort of piece of machinery, that we are expert on, for a mining project in that state. Driving across the desert is such a relaxing experience! I didn't have a very good vehicle and it was quite hot at the time but still enjoyed my drive and might do that again, to reach other destinations, perhaps Reno and Carson City or any other major town. For someone who is into brothels, you can drive to one in a small town and stay there. 

The White Sand Dune or Amargosa Valley Sand Dunes is what I would like to see in my next trip to Nevada, if I'm going again. The dunes are seen almost in the middle of the picture with the mountains in the background

The desert also gives good opportunities for photography, if you know how to use a camera. There are also lots of opportunities for hiking. You just need to know where to go and when to go it. Not to mention to have proper gear, food and water. I have had other road trips across the US and I enjoyed them all. I have driven around the State of Arizona and I have crossed the State of Texas from east to west and back. I'm looking for another opportunity to do something similar in the US again and also hopefully Europe, also the latter would be a nit more difficult because many European countries do not have the great highway system the US has. Even Canada does not. There are still places in Canada which I would like to drive to but I have to be careful with the damn trucks. 

(Photo: A shot showing part of the desert close to the city of Las Vegas when flying out of Harry Reid. This is looking west with US 95 visibly seen)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (6): Caesars Palace Hotel

I would like to clarify here that I'm neither a gambler nor a drinker or smoker and the only reason I selected Las Vegas for my recent trip was that I needed to use that as a hob to do my hike. The plan was a total failure with lost of waste which was due to lack of confidence and poor planning but still have to tell the story of staying at Caesars Palace hotel where people think is the ultimate hotel experience. It is not! 
After my miserable attempt to hike Boundary Peak, I drove nearly 5 hours to get to Vegas but I had to plan carefully because the hotel does not let you in before 16:00! I parked the rental in their lot which later was known to be a mistake(!) and went in to register. The process was fast as the hotel had not yet reached the crazy Labour Day peak! I was given a room on level 14 with a view of the pools which are located in the back of the property. It was a very large and nice room and clean too. However it had issues. 
I realized that when I was going to sleep. The bed was awful. The side of the bed was completely damaged. It was like that the side because of being used repeatedly has used its firmness and I felt like I was sleeping on a steep cliff! I don't know if hotels can fix mattresses or not bad that was very inconvenient. 
The other issue, which is not as important but you see in most or perhaps or perhaps I shall say I have seen in most Vegas hotels is their snack/drink trap program! They put a collection of snacks and drinks in a box and you are charged if you use them. It's fine but I've heard that the prices are extraordinarily high. I didn't even bother scanning the QR code to find out but I know how it is. You will be penalized if you replace the items, as well, meaning if you, for instance, use a chocolate bar and then purchase one and put it where the original one was, you would be charged on the card you have provided at the time of registration. They claim they have a motion sensor which I believe is bologna but I didn't risk the US$ 75 penalty! 

View from my room on the 14th floor shows the back of the property and one of the other towers of the hotel. 

The lighting in the room was not sufficient either. I don't think anyone goes to Vegas to stay in a hotel at night but still you need proper lighting when you get in. The bathroom is awesome with shower, hot tub and double faucets but I didn't use the tub, of course. Elevators are old and one was out-of-service at the time without any sign. The door had just been left open! I don't think any of these hotels would want to replace their elevators. I didn't eat at the hotel but there were lines at some restaurants and some others You could be seated shortly after arrival. It is not a 5-star or even a 4-star hotel and it gets very crowded, unless you go during the week. The pools are nice. I think there are as many as three but they're, of course, not for swimming. They're for wading and sun bathing. Overall Caesars Palace is not my kind of hotel but it doesn't mean that I hate it. It's located at a very busy spot and there're lots of lowlife miserable people who try to show off(!) but that's me. You could stay there as long as you want and you might even enjoy it. For me the bed issue was the biggest one. 

(Photo, top: The main entrance to the hotel where you have one of the main restaurants/bars on your left and the registration desk in front of you. This is a very rare glimpse! I think I took it around 07:30 or something otherwise you'd see all sorts of losers with their phones taking pictures for their social media profiles!)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (5): What happened in Vegas on Sun. Night?

Labour Day long weekend is a crazy time in Las Vegas. There are so many people that some services would not be available unless you have booked them much earlier. However most of the action is in the boulevard. You go two blocks away, everything is normal. I was not aware of this much crowd. However, I had booked everything in advance. The crowd was overwhelming at points but again, it was only on the boulevard, I would imagine. People were out in heat and talking pictures or going to business such as bars and restaurants. I was not much far away from my hotel. I had done a small purchase from a CSV and I was at the corner of the boulevard and Flamingo Road, on the overpass pedestrian going back to the hotel when I heard sirens blaring and all of a sudden saw people are running toward me! I stopped and saw that security forces has somebody on the ground and are pointing their service guns at him! I stopped. More police vehicles were coming to the scene and access to the hotel was blocked. 

I had to go north and turn to Caesars Palace Dr. to get to the hotel but everything was normal later. I read on the news that there were acts of violence and brawls but I personally didn't see anything. The only thing I saw was the guy on the ground, surrounded by the cops. After all I'm not surprised if there were assholes beating on each other because who else goes to Las Vegas anyways?! Rather than a bunch of families who want to take pictures with water fountains and statues(!), cheapskates, drunkards, gambling addicts, the other people who go there are young couples who tend to enjoy their youth and of course there always be fights between this group! For me, I'm sure I will go to Nevada again but I won't go to Las Vegas unless my brother wants to and I will take him. He told me he wanted to see Madame Tussaud's, the main one in London, a few years ago and I haven't had time to take him. Besides no one is comfortable sitting on a plane for 10 hours. So I thought I might take him to this one nearby in Las Vegas and then take him to other places and perhaps have a nice meal in Hell's Kitchen as well but I will have to talk to him about it, first to see if he likes that. I personally have no issue going to London. Nevertheless that would be the only reason for me for going back to Las Vegas and that would definitely not be during a major holiday!

(Photo: Multiple police vehicles are seen on Flamingo Road. It seems they have responded to something. I took this from the pedestrian overpass on the northeastern corner of the intersection. A suspect was on the ground just less than 50 m. from me with the officers pointing their guns at him)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (4): Drinking Water in Las Vegas

Most of the things you need during a Las Vegas Trip are expensive and people try to cut all the possible corners during such a trip. Something that I never understood, at first: If you can't afford a trip why the hell start in the first place?! The answer came to me quickly: Where do you think all these photos people take with their phones are going? Social media profiles! I saw people who were taking pictures from the hotel lobby's ceiling!
For me the only issue, at first was water. Not many people drink water when they go to Las Vegas. They go to Las Vegas because they don't drink water! There're so many different alcoholic beverages! I never bought $7 or $20 bottles of water but I paid nearly $4 for one until I checked the net and realized that the water in the city of Las Vegas is totally safe to drink. So if you're at a hotel all you need to do is turn a tap on and fill up your glass and if you need ice, every hotel provides that for free. 

A Pack six water bottle is sold for US$ 8.99 in a local store on Las Vegas Boulevard and it's not drinkable yet. You need to keep it in the fridge for quite a while and I don't know if many hotels have refrigerators or not. I don't think mine had

I'm not being a cheapskate. I'm saying the hotels hike the price of everything to compensate for the slow season and selling a bottle of water for an unjustified price pushed me and many more toward the local businesses within walking distance. I paid US $35 for parking my rental in Caesar Palace parking! Am I allowed to walk for 10 min. to a CVS Pharmacy to get a bottle of water or a chocolate bar for a reasonable price?! I will mention about the hotel in a separate post. 

(Photo: Disgusting cheapskate in Wal-Mart and Salvation Army attire carrying a case of Soda Pops in Caesar Palace Hotel. His daily lunch would not cost more than McDonald's and supermarket frozen meals. I really hope he sees this picture so later he has something to discuss with the ugly animal who is with him!)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (3): Boundary Peak Attempt

Sleeping in Mizpah Hotel was not too bad but I didn't have enough stimulation the morning I woke up! I made myself a cup of coffee in the room before checking out and headed west. I took US 95, a major highway in Nevada which although goes from south (Las Vegas and before) to north (Reno and beyond), runs from east to west when you exit Tonopah and aim for Boundary Peak. 

It was a bit scary but not a kind of fear that a coward feels. A fear that someone who is alone and suspects they will be in a hole, feels. I continued on US 95 until I reached US 6 which continues to the west and then turns south. This time the number of vehicles on the road decreased even more! 

I drove until I reached Queen Canyon Road, a gravel narrow pass which takes you to an abandoned mine. It took painfully long. Both because I was by myself and it was hot. I started going up. Nissan Kicks is a sort of small SUV which does not have much clearance and it was then where I realized that I had made a mistake! I had selected the wrong time of the year and going there alone was a very hick risk especially when you drive a tiny little car. If the vehicle breaks down or you get injured the chances you come out alive are next to zero! One might ask why there's a road there? The answer can be seen at the end of the very same road: There used to be an active mine there. We saw the mine the last time I was there with Alphonse a few years ago. This time, though, I didn't even make it to the mine entrance! I was terrified that something might happen to the damn car and that would be the start of a very miserable day!

I don't know how far I was from the sort of parking area in front of one of the entrances to the mine but I found somewhere that I could turn and headed back. 

I know this is so stupid and idiotic but there was a huge risk involved and that would not have been even because of the climb! I felt very bad but while I was going back to Las Vegas, I planned for another trip, hopefully next year, to do the hike but this time from the California side. Here's one plan:

1) Fly to Sacramento.

2) Drive to Hawthorne, NV. It's longer than driving from Las Vegas to Tonopah but the drive will be a new one for me and I won't get bored.

3) Drive to Queen Canyon Road.

4) Do the hike.

5) Buy a reliable Satellite Phone, obviously before the trip starts! In case something happens you can contact an emergency, unless the incident is so bad that you can't use the phone! 

This hike would be perfect, if combined with a trip to Japan because there're flights from San Francisco but I think my next year long trip plan is set for Europe, not Japan. So unless there's another opportunity to make the trip to northern California happen, the hike cannot be done.

(Photo: Boundary Peak, the third one from right, not seen the tallest, from the intersection of US 6 and Queen Canyon Road)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (2): Valley of Fire State Park

I walked to an Enterprise location in Flamingo from MGM Grand and rented a small SUV, if I can call that vehicle. A Nissan Kicks. I drove it back. Went up. Got my stuff, checked out and drove north. My destination was Valley of Fire State Park.

You need to understand when the term park is used, it does not necessarily mean a place with lots of trees, shrubs and grass, especially in NV. The other thing is visiting NV in early Sep. is not such a good idea for outdoor enthusiasts! I'm sitting in a hotel room (I'll write what hotel it is later) and turned the AC off and it's not too bad while outside is 100 ℉ (38 ℃). Roaming around a park in such a temperature would not be very pleasant after a night of complete awaken! Admission to the park is $15 and surprisingly there were people there in the heat but while the park offers good hikes, not in extreme heat of course, most of people get out of their vehicle, take a few pictures, go back in and that would repeat until they cover every corner. 

What you should not do is combining it with another plan of the day. Something I did and I realized later that it was a mistake! The park is located northeast of Las Vegas and Tonopah, my next destination is located at the almost northwestern side of the city. So I had to basically drive back to the Las Vegas area and then take a highway to the north and drive 3 freaking hours in heat! That became very tiring.

A Small herd of goats got the attention of the park's visitors. Here you see two of them going on the top of this big rock. I don't know how these poor animals survive in this hot and dry condition.

The interesting thing about this state park (remember it's not a national park so the related pass would not be helpful here) is its visitor center. I got a big bottle of water for only $2, even cheaper than most stores in the city. If you're there, make sure you make a purchase. 

I have to say that for someone who has been to several parks and areas in the States with the same geology nature, I was not so impressed but still enjoyed it and would have injured, had I made it part of a one day trip and a had done a full hike. I believe the entire State of Nevada is the valley of file in late Aug./early Sep. but the park would be such a great place to visit in cooler months. I also didn't go to the end of a road which starts from the visitor center and leads to sand dunes. That shall be considered.

(Photo: The terrain and geology of the park reminds me of other places I've visited including the ones in Arizona and Utah) 

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (1): MGM Grand

I had another miserable failure! I'm sure there're people who like to laugh. Make sure you read this to the end! Here you go: I had to cancel my second consecutive year's trip to Japan and since the airlines do not refund, I got some penalty for cancellation and some refund. I used part of the refund and booked a flight to Harry Reid with the hope that I can do the Boundary Peak hike. 

Bad Idea! 
Everything went well as far as the flight and passing the US Custom and Border Protection in YYC, as I wrote, earlier. I got a cab to MGM Grand and checked in easily. The hotel's check-in was easy and the price was what I had thought and read. The room: Not too satisfactory. These hotels in Las Vegas charge excessively and have ridiculous rules. No wonder why the visits are dropping every year, in the fast few years. They have a section in the room like a snack bar where they stock some snacks and drinks. They are very overpriced and according to a sign, touching and switching would result in a fine! I heard bottles of water would go as high as $20! I had no intention to even check the prices but down in the lobby a small bottle of water goes as much as $7! The same bottle could be purchased from a local shop for as low as $3! 

This kind of service is not new to me. You'd be surprised to say that I saw this first almost 30 years ago when I and A. J. traveled to Damascus. We stayed at a 2 or maximum 3-star hotel and they had a fridge full of snacks and beverages. We were hungry or thirsty at night and instead of going out, we'd simply get everything we wanted and then the next day on our way back to the hotel we would restock! 

Then also when we were staying at Conrad with Alphonse a few years ago, we saw the same thing. I really don't know why the hotels do that. I think people are mostly able to resist them but I could be wrong.
I think these hotels try to charge as much as they can, for everything, as their season is limited. Nothing, basically, nothing, is included. You only pay for the room, which in this case was not too impressive. The hotel is old and there's noise from the gamblers and drunkard all night long! I know I was at the wrong place at the wrong time but the hotel, obviously, does as little as possible. What do they do? They offer you ear plugs! 😄😄. 

As someone who has to use ear plugs for almost half of the time at work, every day, I'm not going to wear them when I'm on vacation too! So I barely slept that night! Probably half an hour! Unless you're a night owl who goes to bed at 04:00, I wouldn't recommend MGM Grand. Someone who prepares to hit the sack at that time is either dead tired or too drunk to understand what's happening. They would be okay with the hotel and their features! That's probably the whole Las Vegas business work! 

(Photo: The view from my MGM Grand hotel window. You can see the Strat Tower)

The Future of the Travel Industry

They say do not say the details of your daily lives as criminals monitor people's actions to find an opportunity to benefit from them but I'm writing from YVR after clearing from US Customs and Border Protection. The whole section has been changed, physically, from the last time I was flying to the US from YVR which I don't know when it was. The entire process took a little more than 1 minute. No issues at all. What was very annoying and frustrating was the online check-in with Air Canada, when I got home, after work, yesterday. I had not slept well the night before and the work was as tiring as almost every day is. I was very hungry too. I made a sandwich and after the first bite I realized the check-in process has become lengthier and they need more information and I made a mistake that cost me more than $36! I have a big backpack which I have taken to the cabin as a carry-on. I've taken it to Germany, the US, you name it. I thought they would not allow that in. So I check that in for the amount mentioned above! I was tired the entire afternoon and finally finished the process. I set up the alarm clock for 04:30 to be able to get everything done before leaving. Time was spent to get some gasoline and then fetch something from home. Then I drove to the airport and parked and walked to the gate. That was when I realized I was late! I thought I'd not be able to make it on time, just like last year that I missed my WestJet flight but luckily everything went well and I was able to reach the gate shortly, perhaps 5 minute, prior to the boarding for my zone. I then realized that I had baggage check-in. The funny thing is the lady told me she would check it in for me because I had a small briefcase of laptop and technically I'm not allowed to have two. She said she would do it for free and ignored that I told her that I had already paid!

The other thing I realized is I have nearly 5 hours of layover! It's insane! Right? I don't know if they changed the flight because I can't remember the time indicated when I booked. On the way to YVR they didn't even have coffee onboard! So I thought I shall have one as soon as I pass the security booths. Here we have the same issue that you see in almost every airport and YVR could be the worst: A large cup of coffee and not a great quality for $4.20, not that I'm excessively surprised! I, however, will ask this question: What would happen to the future of the travel industry with all the prices going up with no cap! There were small sandwiches for $16 and by the look of them you could say that they have been made at least the day before, if not before that. What does the business do? They will donate it to the food banks or toss them. It's just the amount of money that the airports charge for allowing businesses to operate. Add to that the increasing cost of labour. I have another 3 hours to spend before boarding. Perhaps I shall take a break and then do some studies since I have time. Unlike what they were saying there was nothing concerning at the time of the trip from American authorities. We will see what happens when I land there and spend a little time.

(Photo: The control tower and Air Canada hanger shortly before the taxi starts)

Memory Altering Drug

I was listening to the news sometime back in 2019(!) and I was going to post this but there has been a 6-year delay! I heard that a memory altering drug is now available! It immediately reminded me of the great movie that I have seen: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Although I don't remember much of the story but it was about erasing memory, something that I really am interested in!

Bad memories come to mind frequently especially when you're lonely which is the case with me when I'm not at work. I don't have much social work because the handful of friends I have are either too far away or married and busy with their own lives. I try to keep myself busy with my home chores but that's not enough. I waste a tremendous amount of time on the net watching clips or reading things but then again when I have nothing to do, sometimes, not all the times I must insist, bad memories come to mind. The good thing is many times good memories come as well. Therefore if the medicine is erasing everything, it's not all for benefit! Once I read that taking pictures diminishes the capability of the brain to remember the memories but it does not seem to be valid, especially if that is all I have to resort to when I am on that drug. Is it?

(Photo: Jim C. and Kate W., are holding the kids who played them in the scenes of the movie)

An Uneducated Rube becomes the President

When it comes to politics, many leaders of the nations are ridiculed because of their appearance, their background and their behaviours. Look at the number of criticism, ridicule and curse that is directed at Trump everyday both by Americans and others.

The filthy and nasty sewer rat that I hate the most, in the entire world is the Ukrainian clown, the pet of the West. The animal who forgot who he was and where he came from. The ignoramus ugly rat who thinks turning his back to his origin and barking stupid English phrases give him a lift! 

Destruction in a capital's neighbourhood 

This is what you have after more than 3 years now: Towns turned to rubble. Soldiers fleeing. People are dead. This, I'm sure seems like a dream many and are happy! The ones who are going to benefit from millions of dollars of arms sale. The hungry Ukrainian villagers who never had any comfort in their lives and now live in modern European, American and Canadian cities, receiving thousands of dollars of aid every year!  

(Photo: A banner hung next to the American flag, pointing at the Western pet from Ukraine!) 

A Huge Help

One of the most annoying and dissatisfying experiences as a car owner is when you need a service or repair, especially these past few years. For me the Oil Change has always been the problem. I tried many different service providers but mostly have been to the dealerships simply because I thought I could trust them but the wait and the cost has been too much: Nearly $120! 

This, somehow, was discussed during work and one colleague suggested to help. I thought he was joking but he was serious. So one day after work we went and bought what we needed. We then went to his home where he had a couple of ramps. The process is easy unless you need to change the filter as well for which you need to purchase a special wrench. The other issue would be recycling the old oil but it seems many mechanic shops and recycling centers accept that. I don't exactly know because he did another favour and kept the old oil for later recycling!

The entire process does not take more than 20 minutes even for the least experienced and someone who is not a jack of all trades. He, I believe, is! There was a problem though that made us all and especially him, baffled: The engine uses more than 4 L but we only drained less than 2!! 

I checked the level the next two days and it was sufficient. The colour also indicated that it was freshly added oil. What added more to the already strange situation is that neither Oil Level or Check Engine lights went on! I will check again tomorrow just to make sure everything is normal and then I will have to plan for the next time an oil change is needed. I'm not going to take it to any of these fraudulent service providers. 

(Photo: Using a jack does not seem to be a very safe practice but some do. I plan not to!)

The Cockroaches of the Neighbourhood

I got into an agreement with one of the major banks to semi-possess a small property, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 5 years ago. It was a good time to buy. There were many properties available, not many buyers and I did have a job. Now five years later I'm looking to move to a bigger place in a better neighbourhood. Not easy. Prices are very high. If you're looking for a nice place, and not in a major city, don't look at anything less than $500 K! It would not be so hard for couples, if they both make reasonably well. It's hard for single people like me. One source of income and I've already cut down on many costs, as much as I could. But why would I want to move to a different place? The answer is simple: If I can reach the age of retirement, I don't want to live in this small place. I, also, would not like to live with all these cockroaches around me! They're very annoying, particularly during the summer when you need to leave the windows open. The last reason, which is as important as the other two is the lack of privacy! The neighbours eyeball you all the time, particularly if you're a foreign single in a house. My plan is to buy a house with two doors, at each end, just like our old and good house in the old country so all my coming and goings are not spied on! Here's what I have in this little sad street:

1) Fat Slop and Skinny B-tch: Interesting couple in the neighbourhood. They used to sit on folding chairs in their driveway and talk sometime until midnight, last summer. One week they had some guests, lowlife drunkard animals, just like themselves, of course and they sat outside and talked until 04:00! The next day I confronted the slop and asked him to quiet down. He complained. There's barely a day that I get home or leave home and I don'y smell Marijuana. How much of this crap can you smoke? What percentage of your income is spent on this? One thing I like about this couple is the way they cough! It's almost non-stop and they respond to one another! It means when he coughs, she responds with a cough and when she coughs, he approves with his own! Despite all the above, I must say that these are not bad people. They're just idiots who, most likely, never had good directions in their lives and ended up like this. I think either of them has kids from their previous relationships, like many Canadians do. This summer they never showed outside. Not even once. The woman sometimes waters the lawn or the vases. The man can only be heard by his coughing, from time to time! Much better for me! These couple are so inconsiderate and stupid that sometime I can hear their TV on the street!

2) Grandpa and Grandma, the big losers. We all know that most of the elderly are forgotten by their children here in Canada. Most of them are put in home care and never are visited. When I lived in White Rock with my ex-wife, we lived in a tiny apartment in Fir St. Now that I think of that type of living, I'm more thankful of my current situation. Nevertheless, there was this old lady next to us whom we never met but we knew she lived there. Her son would visit her once a week. The poor woman was all alone by herself in the small apartment and one day she passed. The son gave us some of her belongings that he had no intention to take and we accepted: Bed, TV Stand and a few more things, I guess. I distinctly remember these two because we used both and the TV stand or table is used to this date by my own Mom! 

These couple here spend most of their times inside the house and if the weather permits they, mostly the man, spend their time in their little front yard and the back yard that I can't see: Mowing the lawn, building little things, cleaning, you name it. I only saw they were visited by a bunch of people and that was during COVID-19 when people would go to their relatives to say Happy Birthday or something. The woman comes out and starts yelling hellos and having conversations with different neighbours! Sometimes she stands in the middle of the street! The man is too old to do that. He walks, or perhaps I shall say, slags and tries to find someone to talk to! It's interesting that the woman, at times, smokes at that age. 

3) The South Indian family: There's a family of four. I can tell from the colour of their skins. They're usually well-behaved, unless most of (East) Indians but considering their origin, stupid things happens being done by them at time. One of them was at my door one day! I think the boy was playing with his friends and had to hide or something! I told him he couldn't do that. He left and never saw him doing it. When there's one of these Indian festivals, usually people gather in their house or they cook and go to the other people's house. One night they were very loud and I asked them to go back in front of their house and yell! There's usually not much of a problem with these people. 

CAF peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia. Photo courtesy of Government of Canada

4) The other Indian family: There's another family of four with much younger kids. These guys, obviously, are from a different part of India which has some hostility towards the above family! I've never seen these two even say hello to each other but considering the status of Indian society, I don't think it's odd! There's a huge gap within different ethnic groups and people of different backgrounds in India. Remember the Balkan War when Yugoslavia was torn apart? One of my trainers when I was in CFLRS told us that he had not seen so much brutality and hostility anywhere else. Indian people hate each other so much with this difference that they have no guts to get really violent! It's not that they don't attack each other or they don't burn other people's houses and businesses. It's just the fact that they haven't gone that violent except the Sikhs whose stories have been told a few times. 

This guy is a true asshole and a bully. He drives in fast and makes noises. His kids scream and yell on the street and cry! What can I expect? Lowlife rubes have been given the opportunity to live in Canada and they do everything to do so. 

There're other neighbours in this little community, of course, but they're mostly okay. I, nevertheless, am planning to move out and get a bigger place but first I have to see what happens to my mortgage. I'd like to move to a better and bigger place so I can stay there as long as I'm alive. At least that's the plan. Whether it can be materialized or not is another question. 
(Photo: No! This is not my neighbourhood but it'd nice. Would it not?)

Capitalism finally digs himself in (5): The Issue with Canola

There are a few undeniably good facts about the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. I am not for them and am aware of their crimes to the people of the country and the region but can't close my eyes to some of the good plans they had and unfortunately didn't materialize. 

I remember working for this company called Takestan Industrial Group as a Q. C. Supervisor, we had a sort of a little crazy boss (I hope he reads this) who once asked me to an office of the Ministry of Commerce. The company was using Pressure Gauges and since the Government had implemented the " Use the domestically made product in your Manufacturing " policy, he wanted to bribe(!) some officials to be able to import pressure gauges. Stupid idea. He handed me a paper, I think, and a small box of key chains with the company logo, as the bribe(!) and asked me to go see this specific person in the office and give him the purchase request. I was a young guy and new to the job in those days, not knowing that he probably had already paid the guy a considerable amount as no one is so cheap to do anything for a bunch of cheap and ugly key chains! Nevertheless, when I went there, and I don't remember what happened as it was nearly 30 years ago, I hesitated, at first and didn't give, at the end, the ridiculous key chains! Not to mention that at that young age I knew both purchasing foreign made products and bribery are not good deeds and I was proud of myself that I didn't do the stupid and unethical things he had asked me to do. The guy was a crook and had done many other evil things. I would like just to give an example to some people who blame the Government for everything in their lives. He once said, in response to a customer's complaint regarding the delay in receiving the products that he had ordered, that he had used all the money he had received from them on a trip to Malaysia! 

All in all what I wanted to say is that the " Use domestically made products in your Manufacturing " policy which was introduced by the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran nearly 30 years was a very good policy which intended to help and encourage people but I do not think it was successful considering all the crooks who had money and were in business. Now the same people complain about the same Government and want to topple it! The issue is mainly in you and you don't see it. The Government was going to boost manufacturing and increase employment, something that Trump, now after 30 years has decided to do by introducing the " Buy American " policy. 

Why am I telling this story? It's because the " Use domestically made products in your Manufacturing " policy is a great plan. An example of that in a capitalist society is that Canada has introduced 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, way before even any of those vehicles even come in. China in retaliation has introduced a 75% tariff on Canadian Canola right at the time that we had a great season here in Alberta and the crop is ready to be harvested and this is after, at least, two years of lack of enough moisture. Who suffers now? The poor farmer who finally sees a good year! Had the Canadian market's door not been open like a public toilet, to let every garbage in, in the first place, and for decades now, this issue would not have been considered at all and farmers could simply focus on their work rather than being stressed as how to deal with this crap now.

(Photo: A small Canola field and silos in front)

Washington Bullets and Trump

I used to follow a couple of professional sports: NBA and NHL. Not anymore. Don't have much time and interest. I remember that the basketball team in Washington D. C., used to be called Washington Bullets and then they decided to change the name and their reason was that it somehow shows the violence that the city has in. 

I was reminded of that just a couple of days ago when Trump decided to deploy the National Guard to the city to overcome homelessness, crime and gang violence. I personally don't think it's a bad idea although it has pissed off some officials in that District and some of the members of the public. I think Trump knows that if he really wants to clean the US, he needs to deploy the National Guard and the US Army to many major cities and towns in the country and with the stupid attitude that people and politicians have, mostly, he would face lots of criticism and attacks. As I wrote earlier, Western culture has sympathy and support for criminals, homeless and gang members! Is that because some have someone from the three named groups as members of their family, relatives and friends?! There're no doubt that the majority of the homeless people has had some entanglement with the law in their lives: assault, DUI, B&E, shoplifting, you name it. 

My vehicle was broken into twice when I used to live in Downtown Calgary. They took everything they could get their hands on: GPS, CDs, flashlight and some other things that I don't remember. This is okay to average Canadian and American public! Were these not the same people who poured into the streets and wanted the police to be defunded?! 

The very same people now are angry that someone is trying to put an end to the filth and grim that is about to devour the country! I don't know what's real intent it and it's not important. What's important is the level of the stupidity and arrogance that some, or perhaps I should say many, suffer from in West! 

(Photo: Washington's NBA team logo before it was changed to Wizards)

An Adventerous Purchase

This past weekend I decided to get some fresh Garlic. I had planned that since the spring of last year and never had the chance to do so. I found a farm near the town of Innisfail. I called them to make sure they're open. I wrote the address on a piece of paper and headed to the town. My experience with my old Garmin GPS has never been good and I don't have data on my phone! So either a paper map or notes! Everything is straightforward until Innisfail but when I got there I had several issues! 
First I was not able to find the road that leads to the farm. Then I went to a McDonald's and connected my phone to the web and got the address but the stupid Google Maps made me to do a loop, for absolutely no sane reason and then took me to someone else's property where I was told that the farm actually was at the other side of the river where we were talking near it! I turned around and went all the way back, looking at the notes and roads signs I was finally able to reach there. Now bear in mind that I drove an old sedan and many roads are not paved! It's possible in summer but next to impossible if there's rain or impossible totally in winter. 

This Highlander was gazing at me, wondering what the hell I was about to. I didn't get close as these animals are very sensitive to strangers. I've been to different parts Canada and this was the first time seeing this type of cow

The Garlic is really expensive and I haven't tried them yet but a few cloves which were given to me as samples. They didn't have that sharpness and heat. Since I got to bunches, I hope at least one of them has, if not both. The good thing is I was able to get Red Onions and Fingerling Potatoes, freshly taken out of the ground before my eyes! The potatoes were great! I made some Salad Olivier (It's called Russian Salad as well) and enjoyed it last night. I had left a little. The Garlic's price was shockingly very high: $12 per Pound(!) but I bought two bunches as I had driven all the way there for those! The good thing the other vegetable's prices were acceptable so I didn't mind much but next time I will probably negotiate before I go. I also need to give these ones a try to see how they taste. If they're not strong enough, I won't go there anymore. They also had a sort of cattle but nothing was ready to buy meaning nothing had been recently slaughtered. The cattle they grow is called Scottish Highlander. I didn't know Scotland even have cows! Nevertheless I will wait for the message from Garlic Goodness to go get some.

(Photo, top: The farm is located in a very lovely, quite and beautiful area. This was seen at the side of the road)

The Sloppy Fella

Do you remember I had a post about how Canadians might like you? If you don't, please refer to the link and read it. If you don't have time I give you a short version of that here: Canadians, most of them, the majority of them, don't like to see you driving a modern, shiny, new car, dressed nicely and well-groomed and in a nutshell, to look better than them. 
With that in mind I met this guy at my new job a few months ago and we talked about different things. You know how Canadians are. They like to chit chat while they don't really care. It's a gesture of being nice. I don't mind it. I go along. He, somehow saw my wristwatch one day and said that he liked it. I told him that I had purchased it in Tokyo and then when the conversation continued, he was told that I had been to different cities in Japan. He clearly didn't like it and he added that he had a watch collection. 
Another day we were talking and I told him my recent visit to a car dealership, as our usual casual conversation before we started the work. This time he jumped in and was clearly upset! He said: To buy a Rolls-Royce?! I ignored him and we went to work. 
He, in addition to disliking foreigners, whom he thought had done things that he had never been able to do or never possessed(!) he was a sloppy fella. What I mean by that is he was standing still and I had to point at the issues and then he would react very enthusiastically!  It was like this every time we worked together until finally one day, last week, I was told that he had been asked to leave by his employer and would be replaced by another guy. The guy whom is anticipated to replace him is short pretentious asshole whom I had to deal with twice and the last one was not so pleasant! He, despite the fact that I explained I was covering for someone else and the issue was originated by them, gave me a lecture! We'll see how I can handle this shorty! 

(Photo: Sloppy inspector is the nastiest creature ever. It reminds me of the dump[!] that I currently reside in. Yes it is a dump with lots of cockroaches around! I will have a post for that but the reason why I call it dump is the cheap material and poor workmanship used to build this house as well as the nasty city inspector and their stupid check-list that resulted in the acceptance of the place for habitation)  

Finally Someone is Doing Something!

I was sort of surprised and at the same time happy today when I heard that eventually someone in Canada and to be specifically in Alberta showing some gut fighting and pushing aggressive assholes back! This time its about telling the Tow Truck guys what it would mean, if they act aggressively and are total assholes! 

My only experience with tow trucks goes back at least 17 years ago when I worked as a Bylaw Enforcement Officer in a city in the Province of British Columbia. As an officer working for the municipality I was enforcing the bylaw regarding pets, household, parking, businesses, you name it. When we saw in violation of any parking bylaw with a certain number of outstanding citations (or tickets) we would call tow trucks. They would come and would take the car away and the owner would only be able to get the vehicle back when the related charges were paid. Stories about the vehicles that I have then towed during the 2-year period that I worked that job are interesting and a plenty but there's no place for them here. The interesting thing is my vehicles has been towed twice! Once in Calgary and years before I had that job and once in British Columbia, I think it was in Surrey, just a few months after I was out of that job! 

This story, here repeatedly happening in Calgary and probably in Toronto, as well is interesting. Apparently when there's an incidents the tow truck companies compete to get the fish! So they would rush to the scene and force the drivers to use their services! Now the new rule is that these pathetic losers cannot be within 200 m of the incident and if found intimidating the drivers to use their service, would be fined $1000! 

This is a great start for a society which by being soft and flexible on aggressive, belligerent and fraudulent individuals and businesses, had made the reputation of The Heaven for Criminals for itself! Imagine how nice of a society it would have been, had all the assholes been treated like this. Car dealerships who force you to get the products or services you do not need or ask, Supermarkets that sell you low quality fake food items for actual ones, restaurants that use cheap ingredients and over charge you, drivers who over speed during the morning commute and honk  at you, you name it! 

(Photo: Tow trucks are a necessity in any city especially in Calgary and the area where you be stuck at the side of a highway or city road because of a mechanical malfunction or storm. However, like every other business, there are always people who want to take advantage of a situation and win everything just for themselves) 

What could be Canada's Number 1 Export?

There was a talk on CBC 1 a few days ago, this week, about repairing and fixing things. This craft died decades ago in North America! I remember my aunt and her husband coming back from New York, where their daughter lives and would tell us stories about appliances they had seen on the sidewalk! Two factors have combined to bring the art of crafting back, fully, hopefully:

1) Everything is expensive and easily broken and people prefer them fixed rather than tossing it and buying a new one or if they can't afford, they go for a used one.

2) The amount of garbage that the world produces on a daily basis is getting out of control. This definitely would help a little. 

We all know about the cost of living and the recent increases. There was one unreasonable kick after the COVID-19 pandemic and now the tariffs are said to be the cause of prices of many items going up. We might discuss that as a separate post but garbage is a real problem in the world. Countries of the Indian sub-continents are notorious for pollution and garbage. African countries are not much better. I don't know much about Europe and South America but here in Canada recycling is not taken seriously by the majority. It has resulted in generating an uncontrollable, huge amount of garbage. What have the so-called authorities done? They have decided to ship it abroad!
What's funny is where the destination is: The Philippines! If you search the net for pictures of this series of islands there're a few things that you see the most:

1) Young Filipina gals in short shorts and tight top sitting at a corner of a street with garbage scattered everywhere!

2) Blown up village by typhoon and storm!

Yes. The Philippines has nothing but cheap labour, lots of garbage, because people don't care to pick it up and the government thinks of nothing but filling their accounts, and dealing with seasonal storms! No offence to the people though. Now you add lots of more garbage to that! What happens is there is a huge demonstration on the streets! Why? Not because people dislike garbage or aren't fond of it. It's simply because they have nothing to do and now there's an opportunity! Why the hell don't they pour into the streets?! That's what they did a few years ago when they realized Canadian garbage has landed on their island! I don't know if their opposition resulted in anything that was in the news! 
Japan, on the other hand, and despite the fact that they generate lots of garbage, is one of the cleanest countries that I've been to. Don't ask me how they do that as I only witnessed its collection. I don't know how they get rid of them! 

By the way that was the first and last time that Canada could send containers of garbage to a foreign land and despite the fact that they had claimed that the container had recyclable items, Filipino authorities ruled to send them back but it was not accepted and finally buried there, somewhere!

(Photo: Filipinos took to the streets to show their displeasure about Canadian garbage. Many of them dream of coming to Canada to work and many are)

The Heckler Saw it

One movie that was referred to by the recruits when I was at the CFLRS back in early 2017 was Hacksaw Ridge. I had not seen the movie but I think what the recruits were asking, mostly, was whether the movie was real or not! I finally saw it this past weekend. There's no doubt that the film is based on the event surrounding Private Desmond Doss service, a Virginian volunteer and there's no doubt that Hollywood has added parts to make the story more marketable. Movies such as Saving Private Ryan, American Sniper and similar has always been praised greatly by American and even Canadian audience regardless of the accuracy and aim! When it was revealed that this guy, Chris Kyle, whom the movie American Sniper is made based on what he had done in Iraq, was a hoax, not many people paid attention to it. They didn't want to see the hero they have made in their minds being faded away and drain down the toilet bowl! 

The Heckler Saw it, is the name that I've given to the movie that Mel Gibson has directed based on the story of the young American fella who, despite volunteering, refused to garb a rifle and kill the enemy, at the time the Japanese. As a heckler I would taunt the the audience and ridicule the movie, at some scenes, if I could, because it was so stupidly fake and unreal that anyone with a brain in their skull would know! I am certain that Private Doss did his best and saved many of his comrades' lives but turning the battle ground to a propaganda scene and exaggerating events does nothing but degrading what a hero has done. However, this is what Hollywood does most of the time to make more money. Soldiers who get shot and their blood splashes out like jet stream, machine guns that never run out of ammunition, Japanese solders coming out of their hideout holding white flags, training officer who tries to copy R. Lee Emery's great performance in Full Metal Jacket and rookie actors with poor performances are some of the issues seen in this movie, not to mention the excessive and unnecessary graphic in different scenes. Nevertheless Garfield's performance is not bad. 

Is this a movie that I would watch again or recommend? No one cares what I but I wouldn't! The Australian girl's (Palmer) performance at the beginning is natural as she's very pretty. The rest is average and mechanical. No disrespect to her or any other actors in the movie. 

Apart from the story, what I wanted to add is that Americans have fought many nations throughout the history: Germans, Italians, Japanese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans, you name it! They have been all over the world, wanting something from each nation but I think despite their last humiliations in Afghanistan, which by the way caused by that pile of horse manure, Biden, no nation ever kicked the American's asses harder than the Japanese and if it was not because of the Atomic Bombs, it is hard to say that Americans could stop the Japanese.

(Photo: Private Doss, as a Medic, dragging a wounded soldier to safety in a scene of the movie about the Battle of Okinawa)

Is this an End to another Separatist Group?

 

There are lots of people who live around the world and call themselves Kurd. These people originate from the area where the following counties have their borders with each other or one: Iran, Iraq and Turkey. This area is called The Cradle of Civilization. Some stupid and disgusting Westerners, mainly from Britain at the beginning and then from the US call the area Middle East, obviously to degrade the people, their culture and generally their being. Now you go to the news to see what happens to the different communities of major cities in the US! They also encouraged these people, Kurds, to fight other people of the region! Something that Westerners have been doing for decades: Divide and Conquer! They started the Iran-Iraq War in late 1980 and destroyed the two of the biggest economies and strongest countries in the region. Before that, long before that they ripped India and created three countries out of it! 

Kurds have been fighting for an independent state since WWI and surely there're countries who benefit from that. Just explained above why! There were and still are different groups, parties and factions in the area. sometime they fought against each other simply for the power! One of the major parties which was started in the eastern part of Turkey, where a majority of Kurdish people live, was PKK or Kurdish Worker's Party. These people led by Abdullah Ujalan fought against the Turkish government for years. Ujalan was finally arrested outside Turkey and brought in for trial. He was sentenced to death first but then was reduced to life in prison and he was sent to an island off the coast of the country. That was the late 1990s. The funny thing is he only escaped death because Turkey just had abolished capital punishment as one of the requirements to join the European Union! The silliest and most stupid thing in the history of politics: Turkey, the residue of the Ottoman Empire, who fought Christians for decade and eventually captured Constantinople and renamed it to Istanbul, now was begging Christian Europeans to be accepted amongst them! Despite their constant begging for decades and kissing every European politician's ass, the Turkish Muslims are not yet accepted by the Christian of the European Union! I'm getting off the subject but it was necessary to mention that and it also is necessary to mention that Turkey is the only non-European, non-North American and non-Christian country member of NATO! So the question is how Turkey, who has been struggling economically within the last few years and has a very high inflation rate, is able to meet the 2% GPD contribution to NATO and Canada cannot!???!! This must be the subject of another post.

Ujalan finally after years of being the only prisoner in the island of Marmara Sea announced the dismantling of PKK and the members have given up their weapons. This means more peace for the region. Some other Kurds in northern Iraq have autonomy in their region but the ones in Iran still are fighting the central government. Syria also has a population of Kurds and I don't know what has happened to them under the new regime after Assad left the country for Russia. Peace might not sound good to the countries who always seek destruction and war for others because that is how they benefit. That is how they sell their weapons and that is how they bid on rebuilding projects!  

There's a population of Kurds in Canada, like everywhere else, I'd assume. There's a big community of them in Germany and that country had a big population of Turks and these two groups have been seen clashing on the street of major German cities while Kurds were holding PKK and Ujalan banners and pictures. I wonder what they are doing now that PPK is no more!

(Photo: Ujalan is seen here in an undisclosed location with Kurdish guerrillas, in the early 1990s) 

I'm a Dreamer (but Most of my dreams have Turned into a Nightmare)!

I've never used this personal website or weblog as a news site and sometimes I like about the news that interest me so I can come back to them years later to see what I was doing then! 

I made a bad and irrational decision in 2016 to join CAF. I wasted the entire year leaving on EI (I know it's so stupid!) with the hope that I can make the career of my life with the RCN. Wrong! It was tougher than I had thought. At least for me who is a very impatient person. So I decided to leave. When my comrades were asking me what was new. I used to name one of the most famous Ozzy O.'s songs: Mama I'm coming home! It was a 5 months of most of waste but rather than the money I made (The CAF pays you during your training, as an officer-in-training it was significant back in the day!), I also learnt what I was not good at! Nevertheless those days are long gone and I'm on a straight but bumpy road and I know I'm doing until my retirement day but that Ozzy's song has remained one of my all time favorite as well as his " Dreamer ". I'm a dreamer as well, just like Ozzy! The only difference is that most dreams have turned into a nightmare! 

I never dreamed about a big house or a luxury car, a beautiful wife or lots of money. I grew up in a household that everything was available to me and when I left home and came to Canada shortly after that, most of the time, I lived the way I wanted because I always lived modestly and knew my limits. My only dream has always been travelling to the countries I wanted and scrambling the mountains I like. These are the things that not everyone can do. Even the richest! I believe I still have time and I'm hoping that I can make it to a few countries that I always wanted to visit and hike up the mountains I wanted. I'm not going to talk about political dreams at all! That's up to artists such as Lennon and Osborne! Nevertheless losing another music icon is sad, especially in this day and age that there are many posers around(!) but everyone's going. For me British bands have always been my favorites: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Def Leopard, Dire Straits, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Coldplay, and of course Black Sabbath and Ozzy. I listed Ozzy's band as the last one, not to be disrespectful. Just because I like other bands' style better and no doubt that the two above singles of Ozzy's are amongst my all time favorites. 

(Photo: Ozzy and his family in Emmy Awards in 2002. I think it has something to do with " The Osborne " show which I remember watching from time to time on CTV, back to the time that it was peaceful and I had an easier life and a television set! Photo courtesy of Reuters)

Who Opposes the Deportation of Border-jumpers?

The expulsion of border jumpers and foreign invasive entities (FIE) from the US who mostly enter from Mexico has been the hot topic since that piece of crap, Biden was in the office. Trump tried to expedite that by giving more power to Federal authorities which has resulted in some clashes, mostly, of course, in the southern parts of the country, to name California. The state administration didn't like the Federal intervening! But why?

There are different numbers for FEIs who have entered the US in the past recent years. It ranges from 7 to 11 million! Most of these people get involved in the jobs that Americans won't do. Why? There are two reasons:

1) The multi-million dollar businesses do not want to pay a decent wage that people can have a basic living with that or can't! 

2) Many people are just too lazy to do many of the jobs that refugees would do!

 
Now if ICE can successfully clean up half of the US infected states, the millionaires will have to pay a reasonable wage to the people who legally live and seek a job and they. I don't think they would like it! 

 
Trump is a businessman himself but I don't think many of his employees are from refugees. His hotels and real estate businesses and others, which I'm not familiar with, do hire, I would imagine, mostly legal immigrants and Americans. Some other businesses such as cheap food establishments (disgusting, nasty, vomit-like fast foods, the love of Americans and Canadians!), construction, agriculture (fruit and crop picking), food processing (meat packing plants, chicken farms, fish hatcheries), mostly use refugees and foreign contract workers. Those are the ones who are worried. Cargill Meat Solutions, where I worked when I came to Canada, at the time, had more than 90% of its employees from war refugees, Punjabi cheap labour Indians, Filipinos, Latinos, Africans and Vietnamese. There were a few Caucasian fellas, mostly in the rolls of lead hand and supervisor and a few labourers as well. For Canada, at the time it was easy to get those people. Nowadays, or perhaps I shall say in the past 10 years or so, they contract them out of the Philippines. I quit that job in 2006 while I should have quit much earlier but I got comfortable until I realized what the F---? I shall get myself out of this hole and I did. However knowing the US is about 10 times more populous than Canada, the labour shortage is a bigger issue over there. 

(Photo: CBP, Customs and Border Protection, an organization of Homeland security has the responsibility of guarding the US borders)

Cultural Discrepancies (6): Sympathy for Criminals (Thanks Constable Stothard for your Service)

One of the cultural values which was shocking to me, when I first came to Canada, and I'm still baffled by that, to this day, is the Canadian society's sympathy and support for criminals. I have to go through the Criminal Code of Canada which I was good at, at least at parts of it, when I was in the CBSA College, to find examples of the law being soft on criminals but from what I've read and witnessed from generally the public and the Government, I have to say that both encourage crime and individuals aren't ashamed of committing a crime or supporting the ones who commit one! Quite interesting! Ha? I guess the American society is the same. Perhaps even worse! Remember the Insurance guy who was shot in New York City? Many people praised the shooter! And why has he done it? It looks like that his insurance claim was denied or some issue of that nature! The funnier thing is the time that they were demanding the police to be defunded! In the US! In some cities, there's police and people kill each other in daylight! Imagine what would happen, if there was no police? It would be worse than Iraq and Afghanistan at the time the US troops where there. Way worse! 

I think this mentality comes from the concept of everyone deserves a second chance. I don't disagree with that but it would depend who that person is. The person who kills an innocent bystander, because he is under the influence of substances and alcohol, shall not be given the second chance. Stories of criminals who go to jail after killing someone, coming out after a few years and then again take someone's life, are countless. 

The other funny thing is everyone knows that a person who is convicted of a crime and goes to the jail, has very little chance of going back to normal life after finishing his term. They cannot, most of the time, get a decent job. Let alone being accepted by the society and at times by the family, friends and the community. There are only a few jobs that the employers do not check the background of the person. What are those? Dishwasher, construction worker, cleaner, perhaps. These jobs don't pay much resulting, the majority of the time, in the person going back to the same business which resulted in being imprisoned. 

When I say the system is a joke and has nothing but support and sympathy for the criminals, the statement is not exaggeration. A good example of that is the trail of Constable Craig Stothard  of the CPS. The officer and a few more responded to a report regarding intoxicated driver in a the ghetto of Calgary. The officer had to discharge his firearm, resulting in the death of the two culprit. Now he has been charged with second degree murder! How could the police do their job while they're so restricted! Shall we let the drunkards, drug-addicts, drug-dealer, wife-beaters and terrorists roam freely the street?! Shame on you the Alberta Serious Incidents Response Team. You all shall be put behind the bars for the rest of your pathetic and useless lives and served one meal a day and order to do hard labour until you die from starvation and fatigue! You're just useless. 

(Photo: This fella was in jail for drug related charges in, I think, Manitoba, and now he is out, he not only asks for help but also threats the society that if he does not receive the assistance he is requesting, he will go back to his drug dealing old job! His appearance which is quite common within Canadians tells you a lot about his character, his family, his bringing up and his attitude: Cheap and fake jewelry worn like a dog collar[I still don't understand what this means! Someone shall have him under control, perhaps!], tattoos [Oh sorry Canadians! I forgot that it's a value within you! You starve and go to Toilet-Donald's to graze but you spend $400 to desecrate your body!], cheap big-ass ring on the middle finger[!], shaved head, gas station sun glasses, and of course, the inevitable and unavoidable big-ass SUV to make sure you pay at least $100 a week for simply going to the grocery store and coming back home)