And the water is so good, only 15 minutes walking from Andrei’s place!
Category Archives: USA
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is one of the most touristic attractions in Canada. Tourist means someone who buys a 200$ tour to see the falls, or who has a car. If not, you are NOTHING, can you hear, NOTHING !The public bus has the terminal station at Niagara Falls. But it stops on the highway, and the recorded voice says that’s this is the closest stop to go to the main points of interest. We mimic one another, the bus empties and a line of people starts walking in the grass, next to highway. We are like illegal immigrants, our stalker just left us and we are in the middle of nowhere. I wonder how is it during the winter.
Luis, a Columbian joins us. After walking half of km, we get to a cross to a street. There is no sign to tell where to go, but thanks to his GPS, we know that we should take that street. Another 1 km, in a desolated street, abandoned small shops, restaurants.
Finally we get to the light, the Cartoon kitsch of chain commerce: horror house, kitsch tour, big mac, big krak. They succeeded to kill all the small independent one, and now they are shinning.
We pass this petty world and I forget anything when I see the big volume of falling water.
We walk on an overcrowded tight side walk, because there are 4 car lanes, for the drive-in admirers of nature. Maybe one day, they’ll build a bridge which allows cars to get washed from the waterfalls.
There are a lot of signs for Casinos. This is a Russian way of living: either you get rich during one night in a Casino, or you get a basket and let you flow on the descending lake.
We pass to the American side. Even the point view is not so good as the Canadian side, it’s more impressive because they preserved a park. And there are less people. Maybe because Buffalo is much smaller than Toronto, or because it’s too long walk. I was surprised to see so many overweight people.
When we came back to the Canadian border, there was a long waiting line: we had to pass an interview. I wonder, what was thinking this customs officer of someone who comes with a pair of sandals and a camera, who already was in Canada:
‘ I must live in a country which has a big waterfall’
‘I crossed the ocean to jump from the bridge over Niagara, but I couldn’t, now I want to reborn here, in Canada’
‘I love poutine‘ (the most ‘quebecois’ dish)
Cutting the story, waiting more than 30 minutes, we were almost about to miss our bus for Toronto, after 50 minutes walking the to bus terminal. What an excitement to be in the bus, and to pass so close the center, but no stop. And to try to see the bus stop where we had got out.
american voting system
the American voting system is pretty weird for a model democracy.
1. the companies are juridical persons, so they have the right to be sponsor in the political campaign for a congressman
2. the elected congressman has a moral debt and after his mandate expires, he might join the company as a consultant, or to work in the lobby for that company.
this system is called hotel rotative door: on the same door you enter as a senator and you exit lobby consultant, from which you can enter senator
3. US is divided in electoral districts. Each district will be represented by a single person, who is the winner of elections. So in a district, 49% people might not be represented. The weirdest thing is that each 10 years, the map of electoral districts is changed discretionary.
Lets say that the polls over 3 districts say A – 60%, B 40%. If one district is designed to host A-100%, in the other 2, B will win the elections. So in the end, for that region, the power is distributed A-33%, B 66%
I hope that I misunderstood, but what is natural is simple, so then, why it needs to be so complicated ?
Times Squares
In the 80’s, coming from a country where the lights were turned off during the evening to make some economies, I guess it was very impressive to see publicity with lights. In the 90’s to see animated ones. But in these days, when with less of a salary you can have your plasma tv, Times Square reminds me about cruel time, that empires come and go. When I came from NY in 2006, my image was a carpet over a hole. I was doing shopping at a very cheap Chinese shop underground Empire State Building. Now I find Times Square a little dusty and old.
Among all these characters, I wonder where is Super Man.
This is the first time in one month and a half when it’s raining
Can you find us in this huge selfie ?
The adds go up into the sky.
The Chinese news agency got one of the best places for adds.
Why I am so pessimistic ?
Salem, où sont les sorcières?
Notre escapade à Salem a été particulièrement mouvementée, non pas parce que nous avons été inquiétés par les sorcières, ou du moins leurs pâles copies, tout droit sorties d’un film série B, mais parce que la tante de Dan testait pour la première fois sa voiture électrique à la limite de son autonomie…
Salem est une petite ville sur la côte, fleurie d’immenses maisons ou manoirs –mansion, ayant appartenu à des commerçants ou des capitaines de bateau, comme celle de la famille Ropes:
La plus ancienne maison (en dur) des USA date de 1651: la Pickering House, habitée par une seule et même famille depuis lors. Plusieurs habitants nous abordent dans la rue pour nous dire qu’ils sont très heureux que l’on visite leur ville! 
Jusqu’au XIXè siècle, c’était un des ports les plus importants de la côte américaine, faisant transiter principalement thé, soie, épices de l’Asie et sucre de l’Amérique Latine .
The House with Seven Gables (1668), connue pour être hantée, a inspiré le roman de Nathaniel Hawthorne, publié en 1851. Mais le temps ne nous a pas donné le temps de nous frotter à la malédiction qui planerait sur cette maison… 
Pour la petite histoire, nous avons fait le baptême de la Nissan Leaf d’Ela, la tante de Dan, sur un long trajet (+/-120kms). Nous avions déjà fait une paire de kms avant, donc nous sommes allés nous perdre dans un coin paumé non loin de Salem pour recharger un tant soit peu la voiture chez un concessionnaire Nissan. En repartant vers Sudbury, le niveau de la batterie indiquait le nombre de kms suffisant pour arriver. Mais nous avions oublié le dénivelé de la route, des dizaines de petites collines ont obligé Ela à appuyer sur le champignon… l’écran a commencé à afficher “no enough battery to reach your destination”… 22 kms d’autonomie pour 23 kms jusqu’à la maison. Nous avons commencé un petit jeu, à parier si on arriverait dans 15 min ou demain… L’adrénaline a commencé à monter: 15 kms pour 14, 9 pour 10 jusqu’à que……………l’écran n’affiche plus l’autonomie!! Nous avons retenu notre respiration comme si cela nous aiderait à arriver à la maison plus vite … et … finalement, nous avons gagné notre pari!! Arrivés à la maison, une énorme salade de quinoa et légumes nous attendait sagement.
