Filière 13

On Tuesday, August 31, 2010, I went to see the movie Filière 13.

The movie is directed by Patrick Huard, who is a French Canadian actor. His first attempt at directing was 3 P'tits Cochons, which was a hit last summer or two summers ago.

The story is about three cops whose lives get intertwined. One cop Thomas, played by Claude Legault, has constant headaches. He gets different tests and surgeries to figure out why he has constant headaches. Another cop, Jean-François, played by Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, is afraid of public speaking. However, he discovers that when he plays characters, he's fine. The third cop, Benoît, is having marriage troubles. He never talks to his wife that's leaving and never resolves the problems. So, he kind of stalks her and chases after her.

The film is about each of them kind of coming to terms with their situation and then overcoming their faults... It is also about trying to crack this big crime. They stumble across a guy who was questioned for the Gomery inquiry and got off the hook, but now they see him paying huge sums of money.

A clever film where the main characters have more depth, so the actors have more opportunities to show off their acting skills. But, because of that, the film is not as well written. It is still good, but not as good as Patrick Huard's first film.

Piché: Entre Ciel et la Terre

On Tuesday, August 24, 2010, I went to see the movie Piché: Entre Ciel et la Terre.

This is a Quebecois film featuring Michel Côté. This movie is about a pilot, Robert Piché and his life. It is not an autobiographical account of his life, but a movie based on incidents in his life.

Robert Piché is a pilot that flies for Air Transat and who saved over 300 people from a crash in 2001. However, upon covering his heroic act, his sordid past of having smuggled drugs and spending seven years in jail came to light.

The story is about his struggle with detox, his experiences in jail, his early life experiences and his experiences as a pilot.

A good film, but at times confusing because it was not done in a chronological order.

If we don't start going green now...

I stumbled across this article about energy prices in Ontario. Here's the link.

This article talks about how Hydro companies in Ontario have submitted proposals for cost increases and how Ontarians are going to be screwed for their energy prices and it was because of the Green Energy Act.

All these comments are coming from Mr. Tom Adams, a Toronto based consultant and a former executive director of Energy Probe.

Mr. Adams says, "You are going to get screwed, and it's going to be painful [...] We're talking about hundreds of dollars a year out of your pocketbook that didn't need to happen. I'm livid about it. People should be outraged."

It's people like Mr. Adams who have such short term visions. For me, I like to look at the global picture.

Green energy: Solar, wind and alternative energy sources. This helps reduce pollution, global warming, etc.

Versus: Paying less but continuing adding to our already warm enough planet.

I don't know about you, but I would rather pay more for energy if it means that the planet will suffer less and that we can continue to live there.

Mr. Adams, what good is your money if there is no Earth for you to live on?!!

I think that if enough people started to partake in greener sources of energy, that would create a market for competition and then prices for these types of energy would have to decrease. Or at least I hope that would be the case. Perhaps if more government officials partook in green energy initiatives, they can legislate to keep the costs down. This technology has been around for a bit now... I think it's about time that we start using it. Granted of course, I would also like it if the prices were a bit lower. All of us could use a bit of extra money in our pockets. But, if it came down to the ultimate choice of money in my pocket versus having a planet? I think I would choose the latter.

A bumper sticker that I saw on a car once really spoke to me and the idiocy of Mr. Tom Adams. After googling the statement, I discovered it is an Native American proverb.

"Only when the last tree has been cut down; Only when the last river has been poisoned; Only when the last fish has been caught; Only then will you/we find that money cannot be eaten."

Mr. Adams, enjoy eating your billions and millions of money. You should start looking at recipes on how to cook bills and coins... Or start funding Stephen Hawking's projects on colonizing other planets.

A little bit of flexibility please (aka Be careful what you say)

Do not go to the chain of bars called the Sports Station. The owner of that bar does not know the meaning of flexibility and therefore does not deserve any of your money. I'd much rather see the bar/pub fold than step foot into it again.

I am speaking of the one at the corner of Ste. Catherine West and Du Fort.

This evening, I headed downtown to get some dinner at my new found Chinese restaurant. I don't know if I will be going to the place often, since my favourite U & Me has mysteriously shut down. On my way to the restaurant, I bumped into some friends of mine, who were sitting on the sidewalk terrace of this particular Sports Station Pub at the corner.

I didn't really feel like pub fare in terms of dinner, so I decided what I would do is order my dinner to go and then partake in the pub's food (in terms of a snack) and then chat with my friends. I ordered an Italian poutine without cheese.

As I was waiting for my order, I became really hungry and therefore started to eat my take out order. I was then informed by the waitress that I cannot eat this here.

I can understand if I decided just to sit down on your sidewalk terrace, order nothing and then eat my food, then I totally understand that. However, if I made the effort to actually buy something from your establishment, then I believe that a little bit of flexibility is in order.

I would not have stopped at this location if it were not for my friends. My original plan was to go to the restaurant close by and eat there. I decided to stop because my friends were there and I decided to get a snack at this establishment.

So, since I could not eat my dinner at the sidewalk terrace/patio of this location of the Sports Station Bar/Pub, I decided to respect the rule by leaving the establishment and eating my food elsewhere - and canceling my order.

The waitress tried to give me this reasoning about how "She cannot cancel the order."

Tough bananas. If you are going to uphold the rule of me not being able to eat "outside food" even on your sidewalk terrace/patio, then you better be ready to fork out the money that I would have paid for the snack if you can't cancel the order, because I am going to respect the rule and not eat my dinner at your establishment.

Money that would have been made if people had been flexible: $5.29 (let's say for an Italian poutine without cheese) + tax + tip, so let's say about $7, possibly $8

Money that has been made because I chose to respect the rule of the establishment and therefore canceling my order: -$8.

Actually, it would be -$8 plus the business that they normally would have made with me but now they have lost since I will not set foot back into this establishment ever again.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

On Tuesday, August 17, 2010, I went to see the movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice featuring Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel. Nicolas Cage has been in his fair share of movies, while Jay Baruchel is the local NDG (Montreal) boy who starred in Trotsky and The Rules of Attraction.

The movie starts off with a history of magic, Merlin and Morganians. Morgana was a powerful magician who could cast spells without the use of a ring. She was bent on enslaving mankind by raising previous Morganians.

Veronica, one of Merlin's apprentices traps Morgana into her own body and Belthazar traps both of them in a nesting doll. We also learn that Merlin dies and entrusts Belthazar to find The Prime Merlinian.

So Belthazar's quest is to find the Prime Merlinian. Dave, played by Jay Baruchel, stumbles into an antiques store and meets Belthazar. When Belthazar presents him Merlin's Dragon Ring, it takes shape and forms into a ring.

What happens next? You'll have to see it to find out for your self. It was a fun movie. A bit of animated violence (it is a good wizard versus bad wizard movie), but not too bad. I also like how they pay tribute to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in Fantasia or Fantasia 2000.

Where's my "You, off my planet wand?!!"

On my way back from my meal in Chinatown today, I was walking home and the traffic lights were working. However, there were also two police officers in the area and they were directing traffic.

When I did my driver's license test, even though the traffic lights are working, if the police officers at the intersection directing traffic, you listen to the police officers. I also believe that this includes pedestrians.

While I am waiting patiently for my turn to cross, there was an idiot driver who saw the light and honked his horn. When the car in front didn't move, because that driver knew that you are supposed to follow the police officer's instructions and not the light, he honked louder, longer... This driver finally got cussed out by the police officer.

If I had a "You, off my planet wand" that driver would have been zapped into purgatory. When this driver did his test, didn't he know that when a police officer is at an intersection, you listen to him or her? I'm surprised that he didn't go and suspend this guy's license right off the bat! Clearly he doesn't know this fundamental rule.

On another note, I bumped into a former student of mine (Sec V girl at Sacred Heart) at the metro. She said hi to me and chatted for a bit. I guess she's not one of the ones that wrote bad comments on ratemyteachers.com

Fired for Being Heterosexual? What the...

Found this gem on the Yahoo website.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100812/world/us_college_discrimination

Dr. Csaba Marosan, 53, was recently let go at a US college. He is now saying that it is becuase he is Hungarian, heterosexual and man. He claims that his bosses favoured gay men.

Dr. Marosan: There is no such thing as reverse discrimination. You cannot discriminate against a group of people in the majority. That's not how discrimination works.

If he had said that he was discriminated against for being Hungarian, I might believe that, but for being heterosexual? Come on.

Promotions are not necessarily just based upon qualifications, Dr. Marosan. In this day and age, it's about a wide variety of factors, not just what's on paper. I've been trying to get a job in a CEGEP for two years now. I haven't gotten it. You don't see me going to file a complaint about the CEGEPs being discriminatory because I am not being hired and they are favouring students who finished degrees recently and have less teaching experience than me.

Please. Dr. Carosan, you are in the top of the power chain: Heterosexual. You cannot possibly be discriminated against for that. Then blaming other minorities for your non promotion, that is just wrong. I can think of several reasons why you were not promoted:

1) For using sexually explicit language in class;
2) Relationship with fellow employees - calling two colleagues "Merry Men";
3) The equivalent of adult whining: When things don't go your way, you blame others.

And he stated in the article, "I didn't want to mention preferential treatment of homosexuals because I didn't want to be labelled homophobic."

But by stating that in your complaint, are you not demonstrating that you are as such?

Why are you so afraid of your credentials, Dr. Carosan? If you are so great and there has been no qualms with your teaching, then you would be able to land a job at any other college, no problems! Why waste your energy with a complaint when your experience and expertise can definitely land you a job somewhere else? Maybe even in Hawaii?

Fired for being heterosexual? Please. That would not fly anywhere, except if you were a dancer in a nude bar geared towards straight women.

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

On Tuesday, August 10, 2010, I went to see the movie: Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.

This movie is about Kitty Galore, a former agent for MEOWS, who has turned rogue after an unfortunate mishap in a cosmetic factory. Now, she wants to build a device that sends out a frequency that only dogs can hear, driving them wild so that humans would have to return them to the pound... Then she would be able to enslave human kind, since she is the leader of the cats.

So, the movie is about field agents trying to put a stop to Kitty Galore's plans.

Do they succeed? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.

The movie is available in 3D or 2D. You don't have to see it in 3D... I personally don't like movies that are in 3D, so you could see it in 2D...

McNuggets in the Morning and the meaning of No...

Stumbled across this gem. This is a video clip.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?rn=222562&cl=21327720&ch=&src=canadanews

The story revolves around a woman who wanted to order McNuggets in the morning and then when told that McNuggets are not part of the morning menu, she proceeds to attack the employee through the drive through window and then actually damages the window.

There are a few lessons that need to be learnt from this:

First of all, lady, you need you sign up for some anger management lessons. If you cannot accept in a calm fashion that McNuggets are not part of the breakfast menu, you need help. You won't be able to hold down any job if you get angry over little things like that.

Second of all, after your anger management lessons, you need to apply to work for the STM (Société de Transport de Montréal). Since almost none of the drivers are capable of telling time, you'd fit right now... It's clearly stated on the menu at McDonald's that McNuggets is an item that is available after 11:00 a.m., since you cannot tell time, you will fit right in with the STM. Also, if you have a bad day and beat a passenger nearly to death because he/she denies you their McNuggets (i.e. you have a moment of weakness and you forget your anger management techniques), it's not your fault anyway.

Thirdly, lady, you need to learn about flexibility... So at 6:00 a.m. or whatever time it was in the morning, you cannot get your McNuggets to clog your arteries... Big deal... McDonald's offers a huge variety of other methods to clog your arteries... A sausage and Egg McMuffin, plus two hash browns and a coffee loaded with cream and sugar will do just the trick. In fact, it might get you there faster than your order of McNuggets. Don't feel like you can get there fast enough - get two Sausage and Egg McMuffins.

I'm also surprised that the anger that this woman experienced didn't cause to her blow a gasket... She looked pretty angry there in that video... That blood pressure should have been pretty high there...

Things to Rent?!!

I came across this article on www.ca.msn.com

http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=25103222

This article talks about eight things that you should rent instead of buy, because it'll save money in the long run.

Though I do agree with many of the items here mentioned in this article, there are a few things that I do not agree with.

The first one is DVDs...

If they are talking about rental versus a new DVD, that I can understand. However, when you are comparing used DVDs with rentals, it's actually cheaper 90% of the time to buy the DVD used and then give it to someone else rather than renting it. Of course, you have to wait a bit before it gets to this price, but there are so many copies of certain movies that it eventually makes it to the $2.50 or $4.99 bin, which are the same price if not better than rentals.

The second one is toys...

I understand the appeal of renting a toy (or several toys) until your children get tired of them and then you return them. True... However, how can one rob their children of their childhood memories? I necessarily play with my childhood toys anymore, but I still have them as my childhood memories. I recall things like, "Oh yeah, I remember the time when this this and that..." How can you rob your children of their childhood memories? That's just wrong.

The last one is coffins...

Though the idea is tempting... Since when you bury a loved one, the wood just decomposes and it ends up not being nice anyway, why not just rent a nice one to put your loved one in for the service and then for burial put him/her in a cheaper one? How can you disrespect your loved ones like that? I think that loved ones that have passed on is not something you mess with, especially going cheaply for their coffin. Granted of course, I don't necessarily think you need some really extravagant and lavish funeral for them... But not so cheap either, but really now? You cannot rent a coffin for them. They deserve their own well made one...

It's amazing what some people will stoop to to save a bit of money.

California Girls vs. California Gurls?

I just came across this gem on yahoo.ca:

http://new.ca.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/244580/katy-perry-faces-demand-to-pay-beach-boys-for-california-gurls/

So, it appears that money hungry people that wrote songs for The Beach Boys are coming after Katy Perry for her single California Gurls. They claim that since Snoop Dogg, a guest on her song said, "I wish they could all be California gurls", that's one line too many and therefore, they deserve the right to her royalties.

Last time I checked, the definition of plagiarism is: The presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement (Concordia University's definition of plagarism)

One sentence: "I wish they could all be California gurls" in my opinion hardly qualifies as work. It is a sentence, like any other. Just like "Good morning" or "Hello, how do you do?". Just because you happened to have used it in a song, doesn't mean that you can scream foul and throw the word plagiarism around.

If Katy Perry had used many parts of the song, I would be on the plagiarism side, or borrowing some melodies without saying you're sampling (like Girlfriend and Avril Lavigne)

Take for example the sentence: "Every morning, I brush my teeth."

The two words, "every morning" are found in Sugar Ray's song: Every Morning.

Now, let's say for some reason, I recorded a clip of me saying that. Or for some weird reason, singing it to a scale or triads. Then for some bizarre reason, this sold 11 million copies in three weeks of me saying it, Sugar Ray can come after me? Or the writers of the Sugar Ray song can come after me and demand royalties? This sounds ludicrous to me.

In my opinion, the writers of the Beach Boys song are just greedy and want more money. They've written many Beach Boys song and each time a Beach Boys song is played, they get money. Beach Boys songs are still played, last time I checked.

So, for me, this is a classic case of greed rearing its ugly head.

I'm all about integrity, but for something like this, I have to stand on Katy's side.

I hate Microsoft, part II

I hate hate hate hate the new Hotmail beta. If I log in, it logs me automatically into MSN Messenger - when I don't want it to, because I am either already logged in, or I am at work and don't want to be on Messenger.

I have been hunting for an off feature. It doesn't exist... Either that, or it's so difficult to get at, it'll take someone who's got a Post-doc in Computer Science to figure it out. It is not user-friendly.

Yet another reason why I hate Microsoft. I already hate Windows Vista and Windows 7. And now, I get to hate hotmail. Yay!