Robert K Stephen (CSW)

RKS 2023 Wine: A Rescue from the Chilean Stumble? CODE RED

Red wines from Chile commenced 2023 virtually flying high then a very bad spill with a Viña Del Pedregal Kidia Reserve Carménère 2018. Real bad. Then a weak recovery with a Viña Marty Pacha Reserva 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. As Bogart said in Casablanca, “Here’s looking at you, kid.” I am looking at a Vistamar GranContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: A Rescue from the Chilean Stumble? CODE RED”

RKS Health: Drug Company Reps and Commercial Propaganda

“Drug reps exploit doctors’ sense of reciprocal obligation by leaving small gifts and buying meals, which are accepted by 70% of practicing physicians each year. Even a single meal worth no more than twenty dollars provided by a drug company significantly increases doctors’ prescribing of brand-name drugs that are no more effective than drugs ofContinue reading “RKS Health: Drug Company Reps and Commercial Propaganda”

RKS Health: Beware of Drug Companies Clinical Trials!

“First, commercially sponsored clinical trials report favourable conclusions about the sponsor’s drug or device 34 percent more frequently than non-commercially funded trials do. Moreover, when the principal investigator of a published clinical trial has financial ties to the manufacturer of the drug being studied-as is the case in two-thirds of published clinical trials-the odds areContinue reading “RKS Health: Beware of Drug Companies Clinical Trials!”

“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned But Marvellous” : Chapter 33: Attacked by “Cyclops”: The Execution of Two 14 Year Old’s

I was told by Ginevra all involved in the Neapolitan narcotics trade had nicknames as a matter of pride and to assist in obfuscating identification by law enforcement and tax authorities. You remember that notorious American gangster Al Capone who visited the “big house” not for murder but tax evasion! The names were colourful andContinue reading ““The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned But Marvellous” : Chapter 33: Attacked by “Cyclops”: The Execution of Two 14 Year Old’s”

RKS 2023 Wine: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon: Viña Marty Pacha Cabernet Sauvignon

After tasting some excellent Chilean Carménère I recently hit a wall at high-speed facing a disappointing Viña Del Pedregal 2018 Kidia Reserve Carménère which I opined should be returned to sender. One rogue wine will not deter me from pursuing the Chilean path. So switching to a Cabernet Sauvignon from Viña Marty, a Pacha CabernetContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon: Viña Marty Pacha Cabernet Sauvignon”

RKS Health: U.S.A. Big Pharma Where Sales and Marketing Trump Research

“In fact, shaping doctors’ beliefs has become the drug companies’ primary job. To this end, the majority of the largest drug companies spend twice as much on sales and marketing as they do on research and development of the drugs themselves. And a quarter of those spend ten times as much on sales and marketing.Continue reading “RKS Health: U.S.A. Big Pharma Where Sales and Marketing Trump Research”

RKS Poetry: Manhattan Montezuma’s

Manhattan Montezuma’s In from YYZ to EWRnot having breakfast or lunchI desperately needed something to munchoutside Lotte Palace a chili dog from a vendor’s carta botulism mart?hit the spot but not very hotoff to dinner at 57th for a Greek feast90 minutes later unholy grumbling and a multitude of gasknocking down old ladies in myContinue reading “RKS Poetry: Manhattan Montezuma’s”

“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous”: Chapter 32: Scampia, Naples: Down and Dirty in the Cocaine and Heroin Factory and Costco Distribution Centre

Don Lupara and I left the family compound after a hearty breakfast of fruit, smoked ham and Napoli croissants loaded with his wife’s stupendous orange marmalade from oranges from the family orchards in Ischia. With food like this perhaps the “Fat” in “Fat Fox” might have referred to the effects of all the tremendous NeapolitanContinue reading ““The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous”: Chapter 32: Scampia, Naples: Down and Dirty in the Cocaine and Heroin Factory and Costco Distribution Centre”

RKS 2023 Wine: Elvis Presley and a Certain Chilean Carménère : Kidia 2018 Reserve Carménère

From the Maule Valley this D.O. Valle Pencahue Carménère is new to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Follow the lead of Elvis and return to sender! Aromatics: Strawberry, stewed rhubarb, blackberry, charcoal and some raspberry jam. Palate: Moderate tannins initially but augment quickly into a firm grip. Bereft of any real fruit. Almost astringent.Continue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: Elvis Presley and a Certain Chilean Carménère : Kidia 2018 Reserve Carménère”

RKS Health; Skyrocketing Health Costs in the United States and Decreasing Healthy Life Expectancy

“Back in 1980, the United States spent 8.2% of GDP on health-care, virtually the same as the second highest spending country (Germany at 8.1 percent) and just 1.7 percent above the average of ten comparable countries. But as discussed in the introduction, by 2019 American health-care spending had skyrocketed to 17.7 percent of US GDP.Continue reading “RKS Health; Skyrocketing Health Costs in the United States and Decreasing Healthy Life Expectancy”