June 30, 2023 | Awake & Dreaming

Most Bars & Nightclubs Have To Close At 3 A.M.

Can someone explain why we can’t dance the night away until sunrise? Wouldn’t it be nice to have more events like Montreal’s annual Nuit Blanche? Nightlife in France ends when you emerge from the club at 6 a.m. and you go straight to the nearest bakery for breakfast. Montreal has been testing all-night nightlife on several occasions in 2022 and 2023, but sadly, the regular last call is at 3 a.m.

Weed Is Legal — But Only When Sold By The Government

The fact that cannabis is legal for recreational use in Canada is already mind-blowing when you come from abroad. But what most of us find even more surprising is that only the government-owned SQDC can legally sell pot in Quebec. I can’t picture the Indian government selling weed to its citizens, ever.

You Must Pay Driving License Fees Every Year Before Your Birthday

What a lovely birthday present from the SAAQ! A few weeks before your date of birth, the Crown corporation reminds you to pay fees to keep your driving privilege. Luckily, it only costs $24.75 this year thanks to an “insurance contribution vacation” implemented by the government.

French Words Must Be Bigger Than English Words On Signs

Most of us understand the intention of keeping the French language predominant in Quebec. But Quebec must be one of the few places on Earth to have legislation about font size on signs. The law doesn’t prevent grammar and spelling mistakes on local signs, according to a study by the Office québecois de la langue française (OQLF).

Turning Right At The Red Light Is Permitted Everywhere Except In Montreal

The prohibition applies mostly to Montreal for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. The rest of Quebec allows it. Try not to forget, or you might get in trouble!

I missed this news from 2 days ago. Human remains found in mountains in California have been confirmed to be those of British actor Julian Sands, who went missing on a hike in January. Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles in January 2023. Walkers found the remains on Saturday, police said, and they have now been formally identified. Sands, 65, was best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning film A Room With A View and TV dramas 24 and Smallville. Other notable films he appeared in include The Killing Fields (1984), Warlock (1989), Arachnophobia (1990), Naked Lunch (1991), Boxing Helena (1993), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), The Medallion (2003), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

On television, he portrayed Vladimir Bierko in 24 (2006) and Jor-El in Smallville (2009–2010), and voiced Valmont in Jackie Chan Adventures (2000–2002). Born in Otley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England on 4 January 1958. Sands began his film career appearing in supporting roles in films, including Oxford Blues (1984) and The Killing Fields (1984). He also had a cameo as a Greek soldier in the BBC adaptation of The Box of Delights in 1984. He played Erik, aka the Phantom in the 1998 horror-film version of The Phantom of the Opera. He played the Doci of the Ori in two episodes of Stargate SG-1—in its ninth and tenth seasons (a role he reprised in the film, Stargate: the Ark of Truth). He played a college professor in a Season One episode of The L Word. In 2002, he starred in Stephen King’s Rose Red.

Sands was married to Sarah Harvey, a British journalist and author, from 1984 until 1987. The couple had one son. On 22 September 1990, Sands married Evgenia Citkowitz – an American playwright, author, and journalist who is the daughter of Israel Citkowitz and Lady Caroline Blackwood – after being introduced by John Malkovich, a friend of Sands. The couple had two daughters.^[29] Sands was fiercely protective of his family and rarely spoke about his wife or children in interviews. Sands and his family lived in Los Angeles, California from 2020 until his death.

Sands disappeared on 13 January during bad weather in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains. Air and ground searches were hampered as California was battered by deadly storms, as well as icy conditions and a threat of avalanches.The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said the remains found in the Mount Baldy area at the weekend had been positively identified as the missing actor.