Friday, June 12, 2009

Little Ashes and the sketchy crowd

Went to see the movie Little Ashes tonight which I thought was about the life of Salvador Dali but was actually about 1 year of his life and his relationship with a poet. Worth seeing, but nothing special. Robert Paterson as Salvador, I'm never seen someone from Spain who wasn't tanned before. Also the theatre was in the tattoo district with some sketchy characters.

Previously, I went to the Laurier House, home of former Prime Minister's Wilfred Laurier and Sir William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Tour was $3.90 and I had my own guide which was cool.



Lester B. Pearson's widow gave them all his stuff so they re-created his office in the building, even though he was pretty much unrelated. From the way they made it sound, she put the stuff on the step, rang the bell and ran away.


This is his original bathroom mat with what they assume to be ink stains.


These are King's glasses, notice how he chewed the ends.


When King was alive he kept very detailed diaries. He asked that these be destroyed after his death. So of course the Canadian government published them. In them he talks about moving a table into the closet below to conduct seances and communicate with his mom, Laurier and Abe Lincoln. That was before the air conditioner was there.

Then I went over to the original Ottawa Penitentiary, it`s since been converted to a charming youth hostel. This is a cell, it just has a bed and you can`t talk as it was made to echo sound so the guards would hear you even if you whispered.


I put this photo below here as it says even though the death penalty was abolished in the 60`s in Canada, the death penalty for treason wasn`t removed from Canada until 1998.

This is a chart for how long the rope should be when you`re hanging someone. If the rope is too short the person`s neck won`t break and they choke to death and too long and they could be decapitated.

The tour guide and the noose in the background.

Looking up at the trap door.

The guy fell here.

Only 3 people were hanged they said. What a lot of infrastructure.

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