“Travels to a Different Time” : 27June1975: Finally in Stockholm: This Country is Too Expensive!

Up early for a barely edible breakfast and hit the highway after yet another gruelling walk. Got a lift quickly with a fat and jolly truck driver from Germany who was driving in Sweden making good money at $120 a day. Finally a series of lifts to get me into Stockholm and found a dive for the absurdly expensive price of $4.50. This country is so expensive I think a job might help build up the cash. In bed exhausted at 11:30. Too tired to eat. My smoking career has ended as I lost my tobacco on the road.

“Travels to a Different Time: 26June1975: Almhütt, Sweden: The Home of IKEA!

A wasp buzzed into my tent at 08:30 and that certainly is more effective than an alarm clock. I whipped out to a nearby store for some bread, sliced meat and milk. I ate, packed up and split. A gruelling walk took me to the highway heading to Stockholm. In a moment a lift from a vegetable salesman in a blue SAAB. He drove fast but well. He told me how bad hitching was in Sweden. Thanks for the encouraging news. He dropped me off at a good spot and then a lift with a beautiful Volvo sports car. It is the P-1800 which is what Simon Templar drives in” The Saint”. A short lift took me to Almhütt at about 16:00 and as it looked like bad rain so decided to take refuge in a youth hostel. I got the last bed in a room with 6 beds. I had a long walk into town and mailed two letters at 45 cents each! And the usual heart attack at the grocery store with hefty Swedish prices. Three times more expensive than in Poland. I bought a litre of milk to drink on the return to the youth hostel. A somewhat strange dinner of scrambled eggs, weird meat, canned mandarins, bread and water. Fresh fruit costs an arm and leg. Met two Swedish freaks and had a wide-ranging discussion including the plastic nature of Swedish society and its conservative politics. Pooped off to bed at 22:30. IKEA opened their first store here in the 1950’s.

RKS Real Life: Bizarre Night at the Opera

Sometimes by default I find myself at the opera as I did last night. It was La Traviata staged by the Canadian Opera Company at the Four Seasons Center in Toronto. It is a beautiful venue.

We meet my former doctor in the lobby prior to the performance. I knew that he occasionally acts as the “house doctor” for patrons who may fall ill. In thirty years of doing this he has seen just about everything. We wished him a quiet night.

La Traviata sputtered onto the first intermission. It picked up steam close to the second intermission. It was actually quite riveting after that. And the torrid and tragic finish came with Violetta dying in Alfredo’s arms both in a heart rendering swan song. With four minutes left we hear shouts “Medic” repeatedly. The audience and the performers can scarcely believe what is happening as the drama now is off the stage! The curtains drop. The lights go on. We depart having a senior dog awaiting us at home due for a walk. A bizarre night at the opera. It is often quite a senior crowd so I suppose one shouldn’t be surprised. But with 4 minutes left! How can the performers start all over again after having built up so much momentum!

“Travels to a Different Time” :25June1975: Ystad, Sweden: Burgers with The Boppers

Up at 07:30 for a hot shower. So good! I needed to ask someone how to use it. You set the temperature and press a button and water shoots out of the shower head for about 40 seconds and stops. You keep pressing the button until you are done. It gives you time to soap up and it must keep energy costs low. For breakfast a can of Polish mackerel I brought over from Poland, bread, apple cake and a litre of cold milk. Very satisfying. I walked into town to an optician to get my lens placed back in my glasses. I also stopped in at tourist information to ask about working in Sweden which can be done if you obtain a work permit. It was a beautiful sunny day pleasantly warm. How sweet it is as Jackie Gleason used to say. I came home and sat in my underwear in the sun until 16:00 and then went to the beach. The water was freezing cold and it is understandable why the Swedes head to Greece and Yugoslavia for the beautiful warm water. There are all sorts of cabins on the beach so this must be a tourist site in July and August. Supper was soup, peas, cucumber and bread. When I finished some bored boppers came over and we finished off my small bottle of rum with some coca cola. Liquor is a staggering price over in Sweden so again another reason to head to Greece and Yugoslavia. Had some burgers with the boppers and asleep by 22:00.

RKS Film: “Beautiful Scars”: Tom Wilson’s Journey

As human beings when our time comes to pass into the other world we will have collected a series of life experiences. They will range from horrific to ecstatic.  Canadian musician Tom Wilson seems to have experienced the complete range. It is the unpleasant ones that leave scars. A scar is a healed wound but for some the wound of a life experience never heals.

Tom Wilson was born a child of the 1950’s and was parented by George and “Bunny” Wilson. George was blinded while serving as a rear gunner in a Lancaster bomber in WW2. George never talked about this terrible experience except when he took to liquor and his anger and bitterness came gushing out. Yes George bore a wound that never healed.

Tom grew up like he was in a “witness protection programme” with no non-family members permitted in the house. Tom looked at neighbours having barbeques and living active lives but that was not the life he led. He was a loner without much of an identity as there were so few people that he could identify with.

He always appreciated the visits of his cousin Janie and her attendance at many key events of Tom’s life. Janie was a Mohawk originally from the Kahnawake reservation just off the island of Montreal.

Tom managed to find something of an identity through music initially folk then punk and then rock finding some success with his band Junk House releasing albums with Sony Canada. Then a rock n roll script of too much booze and drugs. He met and married a waitress at a bar his band was playing at and had two children one of which was Madeline who is featured in the documentary. Not being raised in a “normal” family relationship parenting skills eluded him. It was easier simply to escape playing “on the road”.

Tom started painting in 1997 with his works having an indigenous influence but why? He had frequent dreams of crossing a bridge over water being caried by his uncle who transformed into a turtle. It took Tom years to finally understand this dream.

Then a huge bomb is dropped on him out of the blue that would send anyone reeling. I wish I could tell you what that bomb was but then it wouldn’t be a bomb for you. But you begin to pick up clues along the way and they snap together when the bomb is dropped.

His wife found out about his drugs and extra-curricular affairs and the marriage ended and Tom hit a downward spiral to the extent his band broke up. His Junk House drummer laments the fact he never tried to reign in Tom.

After the bomb is dropped Tom pieces his life together slowly discovering his identity and discovers the deep scar running through Cousin Janie’s life. Tom finally understands his identity and becomes part of a community honestly and with joy. If the scars are beautiful, it is because it signifies Tom’s wounds have healed.

A poignant story is woven by Tom Wilson reminding that while life dishes out many wounds it also may give back the tools to heal. It may also beg a wider question of what scars you have and can they heal? It may also remind Canadians of just another set of atrocities suffered by our First Nation’s people.

The world premiere is on May 2 in theatre and then on May 5. It can be streamed as of May 3rd for 5 days.

Part of the Toronto Hot Docs Festival.

Directed by Métis director Shane Belcourt.

RKS Film Rating 91/100.

“Travels to a Different Time” : 24June1975: Ystad, Sweden: Milk and Cookie Bliss!

Up for last day in Poland. Raced to the washroom to beat the rush and take advantage of the hot water. Went into town but the stores would not be open until 09:00 so I sat on some steps and updated my diary. There were soldiers and police all over the place. The soldiers had machine guns and stopped a few people to look at their identity papers. They gave me dirty looks. They may be here to prevent defection to Sweden. I was at the ferry at 10:00 and whizzed through Polish customs. I bought a bottle of rum and vodka for $3.00 at duty free plus a pouch of Dutch tobacco. The clerk made a mistake in my favour of $1.60. We left at noon and the Baltic is cold and grey looking. At 17:00 had leftover bread, fish and orange juice. We landed exactly on time and I breezed through customs. The land of beautiful blond women! The youth hostel was full so I ended up at a campground. Expensive at $3.00 a night but hot showers and immaculate washrooms with the biggest rolls of toilet paper I have ever seen. The campground is a pleasant surprise. I have stayed in some primitive dumps in Eastern Europe. My eyes bulged when I saw milk! Haven’t had any good milk in close to a month.  What bliss having cold and high-quality milk with cookies. The simple pleasures of life! One of my lenses popped out but I am sure there are good opticians in Sweden. Had a rum and coke and was off to bed at 21:15 happy as a clam with the delicious milk. Saying for the day: “Poland’s national sport is waiting in line”.

“Travels to a Different Time ” : 23June1975: Gdansk and Swinoujście, Poland  

The radio alarm clock blasted me out of bed a 04:00 with some good jazz! I ended up running all the way to the local train station arriving in a sweat just making my train. I slept for a couple of hours on the train and by the time I arrived in Szczecin I was in no mood for exploring it. I had 3 hours to wait for the train to the ferry departure town so I walked around the town. I took the train and it was a horrible milk run like there was a conspiracy I never leave Poland! Stop after stop and wait after wait. I finally ended up in Swinoujście and headed to the campground. The poor Polish lady had to fill out paper after paper to process a foreigner. One form for a receipt, one for bank exchange and one for foreign campers and all this for a $1.20 a night camp stay. So absurd all this fucking bureaucracy. Am I going to topple the Polish government? Why can’t I travel without all this idiotic bureaucracy? I was in a very surly mood with fatigue and impatience. I set up my tent and had something that looked like a pancake but it was so gross I had to spit it out. I then found a stand selling fries and fish and two shitty Polish beers for 65 cents. My goodness that fish was superb, better than in England. When on the Baltic coast eat fish! Walked back to campsite and thought perhaps a saying for the day might be in order. “Bureaucracy soon consumes its creators.”

RKS Wine: Entirely Consistent and Reliable: Trius Red

Year after year Trius Red maintains its consistency and remains an enjoyable quaff. Can it continue on a roll with its 2019?

It is Cabernet Franc with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. While Ontario Cabernet Franc is just about a winner every time Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot can be problematic. Aged 12 months in French oak.

On the nose Cabernet Franc keeps the wine anchored. On the nose black cherry, blackberry, strawberry with a hint of milk chocolate. On the palate moderate tannins with a less than forceful Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon struggling to impart some of their identity. There are notes of cherry, cranberry, rhubarb and guava. Will hold until 2025. I think best consumed with food such as prime rib, loin of pork and summer Greek stuffed eggplant. Short finish.

I said a good quaff but I did not say an outstanding wine. If I can be a rebel I wonder if the elimination of Ontario Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon could make this wine an Ontario icon? The wine reinforces my opinion that Ontario Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon might consider retirement. It has taken me several years to conbfidently make this comment about Ontario Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

(Trius Red The Icon 2019, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Trius Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 303800, $22.75, 750 mL, 13.1%, RKS Wine Rating 87/100).

MEDIA RELEASE

ANNOUNCEMENT – Niagara Falls Fireworks Return for 2022

Canada’s longest running fireworks series will run 7 days a week for 144 consecutive nights from May to October

(Niagara Falls, Canada)  Niagara Falls Tourism announces the highly anticipated return of the internationally renowned Niagara Falls Fireworks program for 2022. Canada’s longest running fireworks series will delight visitors EVERY NIGHT from May 20, 2022 to October 10, 2022 (144 consecutive nights). The spectacular fireworks series set over the Falls offers a stunning show against the backdrop of both the American Falls and Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The majestic Niagara Falls are also illuminated every night of the year, making the destination among the world’s best places to see fireworks displays.

“The return of the Niagara Falls Fireworks builds on an extraordinary lineup of entertainment options for the summer season, continuing to showcase our city’s reputation as Canada’s entertainment capital,” said Janice Thomson, President and CEO of Niagara Falls Tourism. “Visitors can look forward to live music, new attractions and experiences and exciting new culinary options.”

“Fireworks have been thrilling visitors to Niagara Falls for years with breathtaking displays overlooking the world-famous Falls. The nightly shows are yet another reason to spend the night and explore all that Niagara Falls has to offer – day and night,” said Anthony Annunziata, President of Tourism Partnership of Niagara.

QUICK FACTS

  • Dates and Times: Friday, May 20 – Monday, October 10, 2022 at 10:00 pm each night
  • Best Views: The fireworks displays can be enjoyed from multiple vantage points across Niagara Falls. These include outdoor spaces in Niagara Parks, high above at the Skylon Tower and Niagara SkyWheel, and indoors at the many hotels and restaurants with views of the Falls.
  • Cost:  There is no charge to view the fireworks
  • Learn more: https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/fireworks/
  • Media Fireworks Images and Videos here

ONTARIO STAYCATION TAX CREDIT
Enjoy an overnight getaway and take advantage of the Ontario Staycation Tax Credit, where Ontario residents enjoy up to 20% back on accommodation expenses. Learn more here

A picture containing outdoor object, fireworks, light, night Description automatically generated

ABOUT NIAGARA FALLS CANADA

Overlooking the legendary Canadian Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls is a four-season destination renowned for its awe-inspiring natural wonders combined with world-class accommodation, thrilling entertainment and a burgeoning culinary scene. Canada’s #1 leisure travel destination, Niagara Falls is just far enough away to escape with friends and family to make new memories and surround yourself with nature, adventure and history.

ABOUT NIAGARA FALLS TOURISM
Niagara Falls Tourism (NFT) is the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, representing almost 400 member establishments in Niagara Falls, including members throughout the Niagara Region. Welcoming almost 14 million visitors into the destination each year, NFT promotes the tourism and hospitality sector to visitors around the world. Dynamic marketing campaigns and signature events inspire visitors to explore Niagara Falls and support the success of local business. NFT fosters the international reputation of Niagara Falls as a four-season bucket-list destination and Canada’s entertainment capital.  

GENERAL RESOURCES

TEXAS FILMMAKERS AND STORIES TAKE CENTER STAGE AT

EARTHX FILM FESTIVAL 2022, MAY 12-15

Festival Welcomes Directors with Ties to Texas Ben Masters, Raj Patel, John Claiborne Brown, Brandon Holmes, Alejandra Vasquez, and Kathryn Francis 

Festival Showcases Powerful Texas Stories of Nature and Conservation, Climate Change, Oil Drilling vs. Property Rights, Boom and Bust Oil, Fast Fashion and more

Dallas, TX (April 21, 2022) –  EarthX Film Festival 2022 presented by Curiosity turns a spotlight on Texas this year, celebrating the filmmakers and stories from the Lone Star State. From the beauty and diverse ecology found throughout Texas, to the impact of boom and bust oil on small towns, to the hidden cost of fast fashion, the EarthX Film Festival offers an intimate look at issues impacting the State and its citizens.  

TheEarthX Film Festival 2022, held for the first time in the Dallas Arts District from May 12-15, will showcase over 75 feature length and short documentary films that celebrate nature, environment, conservation and outdoor adventure while honoring the heroes working to protect our planet. 

FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES 

DEEP IN THE HEART

Directed by award winning filmmaker Ben Masters, Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of Texas’ diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife found nowhere else. Told through the eyes of wildlife species ranging from the mysterious blind catfish to the elusive mountain lion, the film follows our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and how we affect it. Narrated by beloved Texan, Matthew McConaughey, the film aims to safeguard our remaining wild places and to recognize the importance of Texas’ conservation on a continental scale.

Directed by Ben Masters.

RT: 103 mins

  • Ben Masters is an award winning filmmaker and writer with a focus on wildlife and adventure stories. His films have been distributed on Netflix, National Geographic, STARZ and PBS. Masters has worked with The Wildlife Society, Borderlands Research Institute, YETI, Texas Parks and The Wildlife Foundation. A proud Texan, Masters loves riding a good horse through new country, filming wildlife stories that haven’t been documented before and using movies to help conserve wildlife and wild places.

BATTLE FOR THE HEART OF TEXAS

Landowners and county officials were in the dark when, in September of 2018, Kinder Morgan announced construction of The Permian Highway Pipeline, a 420 mile natural gas pipeline traversing Texas. When the news was announced one thing would become clear: if a private company can exercise the power of eminent domain, private property rights no longer exist in the very state these rights are sacred. Battle for the Heart of Texas explores the tension that arises between individuals, corporations and government — and ultimately how this affects the land itself.

Directed by John Claiborne Brown 

RT: 80 mins

  •  John Claiborne Brown grew up on the Texas-Louisiana border. In 1987, Brown moved to Chicago, working his way through various facets of the film industry before moving back to Central Texas in 2001. Having traveled the world in support of many documentary, commercial and feature film projects for the last 35 years, Brown now lives in Wimberley, TX where he continues his lifelong connection to the Texas Hill Country. EarthX Film Festival 2022 marks his feature documentary directorial debut.

THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPER 

Anita Chitaya has many a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, educate men in gender equality and end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real. Traveling from Malawi to the White House, she meets climate skeptics and despairing farmers. Anita’s journey highlights the power of conversation and compassion in the mission to protect Mother Earth in The Ants and the Grasshopper.

Directed by: Raj Patel, Zak Piper

RT: 74 mins

  • Raj Patel (co-director/producer) is a James Beard Award winning activist and New York Times bestselling writer. Patel has testified about food and hunger to the US, UK and EU governments, and his book on the food system, Stuffed and Starved, has been translated into a dozen languages. Patel is currently a research professor at the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.
  • Zak Piper (co-director/producer) is an Emmy-winning and Producers Guild Award-winning documentary filmmaker most known for producing the critically acclaimed film Life Itself, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (2014) and later won a Critics Choice Award. Piper is currently producing or directing a number of documentary projects in development or production.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS 

WHEN IT’S GOOD, IT’S GOOD

A filmmaker returns to her hometown in West Texas to document the effects of the boom-and-bust nature of the oil industry. Unexpectedly, she documents the political transformation that takes place in her family over five years and two election cycles. An intimate portrait of place, family, memory, politics and economy, When It’s Good, It’s Good centers around life in an oil town called Denver City, Texas.

Director Alejandra Vasquez

RT: 16 mins

  • Alejandra Vasquez is a Mexican-American filmmaker. Raised in West Texas, Vasquez’s film When It’s Good, It’s Good documents her hometown’s relationship to the boom-and-bust cycle of the oil industry. Vasquez co-directed the short films Varsity Oro (2020 Pop-Up Magazine) and Folk Frontera (Independent Lens/PBS, 2022 SXSW), winner of the Grand Jury Award in the Texas Shorts category at SXSW. 

THE MONSTER IN OUR CLOSET 

We are wearing fossil fuels. The fashion industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than France, Germany and the United Kingdom combined. The Monster in Our Closet documents how a determined lawyer, a surfing materials developer and a witty climate reporter work to tackle the problem of plastic in fashion by championing solutions through policy, design and individual action.

Directors: Kathryn Francis, Nicole Gormley

RT: 27 minutes

  • Baylor University alum Kathryn Francis is a documentary director and producer with a background in political science and international education. Francis’ two main goals in life and work are to protect our wild places and to empower marginalized groups and individuals to stand in their power to share their stories. 

Nicole Gormley is a documentary filmmaker with the aim to tell stories that inspire people to rethink their relationship to nature while inspiring them to protect the environment. Using her natural ability to connect with people, Gormley approaches projects from the lens of a shared human experience. 

80º NORTH

80º North follows a group of international artists as they explore the Arctic island chain of Svalbard. Set against dramatic natural backdrops, the artists share their hopes, fears and insights on encountering an environment undergoing radical change.

Director Brandon Holmes

RT: 15 mins

  • Brandon Holmes is a Texas-raised, New York-based filmmaker and photographer. Holmes’ interest in how we relate to the natural world has led him to interview scientists in the American Southwest, Pacific Northwest and artists in the Arctic Circle.

ABOUT EARTHX FILM FESTIVAL 2022 

The 2022 EarthX Film Festival is four days of film, music and interactive environmental programs and events set in the heart of Dallas Arts District, May 12-15. Our mission is to bring awareness of the environmental crisis in order to create sincere action on both an individual and communal scale; to inspire local and global change on how we as humans affect our home planet and our fellow beings. We aim to include Texas, and the Southwest, in the conversation on climate change through compassionate, positive, truthful storytelling.For more information, visit https://earthxfilmfestival.org

ABOUT EARTHX 

EarthX convenes the world’s largest environmental expo, conference, film festival, and television network and is a member of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. Founded in 2011 as Earth Day Dallas by environmentalist and businessman Trammell S. Crow, the Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration, and community-driven sustainable solutions. In 2019, the April event drew over 177,000 attendees, 2,000 environmental leaders, and 750+ exhibitors. In 2020, the April virtual event drew over 570,000 live-stream views and reached 171 countries. EarthxTV is now available as an OTT platform on streaming TV services, mobile devices, and tablets for balanced, inclusive environmental conversations, programs, emerging media & films. Visit www.EarthX.org or follow us @earthxorg on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.