Like advertising executives who were actually quite well used during the COVID plague the message was quite clearly backed by Big Pharma that now is suddenly vague more and more jabs needed to stop the wave 97% effectiveness has faded for so many to meet their grave Yet another mutation evading Big Pharma praised for being all knowing but our faith in your never-ending series of vaccine shots is slowing it is becoming rather evident you do not know what you are doing For you we should be class action suing but you clever profit seeking bastards have negotiated non liability clauses for your weakling injections that have done nothing more than increased profit seeking erections
Yes, we try two Malivoire wines that are sold out. Is this a winery owner’s dream? Is it a wine writer’s despair his readers can’t try what he is writing about? Well “sold out” is “sold out” and neither I or you can do anything about that! But if you like what you read there are ways I can advise you later how not to lose out. By the way Malivoire is an Ontario winery in the Niagara region and on a good day is about a 90-minute drive from Toronto. Four different highways for me.
From the Malivoire Demo Series we try a sold out 2020 Analog blend of Cabernet Franc and Gamay. When done well Ontario can produce both Gamays and Cabernet Francs that are world class. In my opinion they are Ontario’s biggest red wine strength. And blend two possible superstars together the chances are something spectacular will result.
The ferment is indeed innovative as the Cabernet Franc was co-fermented with Gamay that has undergone carbonic maceration in concrete then aged in ceramic and older oak barrels.
73% Cabernet Franc and 27% Gamay. The Gamay was taken from the Foxcroft site and Cabernet Franc from the Homestead Property
We uncork the Analog and what do we get on the aromatic side? We get a luscious laser beam of red fruit generous and very fresh and pure. Cherry, strawberry and raspberry. The winery is certified sustainable but the purity presented on the nose reminds me more of an organic wine. The tannins creep up on you so there are some but in modest amounts. The oak is equally modest. The palate is also gentle with discrete Niagara cherries, with strawberry and raspberry lurking in the background like an understudy at a play ready to jump in at any minute when the star’s voice begins to crack. In a sense it is French on the palate and very Niagara on the nose.
There is enough tannin in this wine to justify ageing until 2025.
I am one to prefer a Pinot Noir with a duck confit but this will do just as nicely and it is a great sipper. This gentle wine deserves to be served with a gentle food so in addition to the duck confit I would suggest also farm raised Irish organic salmon. Although I prefer wild salmon I think it might overpower this gentle giant. No spicy foods or beef please! For vegheads I think a homemade pizza topped with Pasta a la Norma sauce and crumbled feta cheese would do the trick.
In short this is a gentle giant and it deserved to sell out! And I am sorry you could not get a chance to try it. The label makes a statement, “This series of rare demos is imbued with our winemaker’s intent to explore investigate and experiment”. Well Malivoire this was a successful experiment. If I could make a wish list to Santa Claus, I would say let’s ramp up production. I have been a very good boy this year. I hope Santa can come down my chimney so I can leave out a glass of this wine for him. Forget the cookies and milk as Santa may have a cholesterol issue!.
(Malivoire Demo Series 2020 Analog Cabernet Franc and Gamay, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, $27.95, 750 mL, 13% SOLD OUT Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 93/100).
The Malivoire 2020 Gamay “Le Coeur” was a Platinum Winner at the 2020 Wine Align National Wine Awards. A scant 40 cases of six were released this week and sold out in twenty minutes. I am not swayed by medals and awards but when Martin Malivoire tells me this is a very good wine I listen!
Well, no sense in dilly dallying so let’s get to business.
A concentrated nose of black cherries, raspberries, a bit of milk chocolate and Portuguese Obidos cherry liqueur. On the palate this is a Gamy shifting into second gear with a hot engine. There is power and heft to it that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a feisty little bugger with lots of swagger. It borders on being juicy. Although one often expects a blueberry on the palate with a good Cabernet Sauvignon you get it with Le Coeur along with cherry pie. Hauntingly delicious. A long finish that fades slowly.
Whole cluster fermentation a la carbonic maceration for one week followed by daily bucket overs to encourage natural fermentation. Bottled unfiltered after a short stint in old French oak. The wine has the tenacious heart of a Scottie and a West Highland Terrier, the former tough enough to take on a badger and the latter to deal with foxes.
I think this will age nicely over the next three years. Do not decant and serve slightly chilled as you should do with all Gamays.
The wine highlights that Ontario Gamay is to be taken very seriously. The label says “Le Coeur” holds a special place in our winemaker’s heart. Capiche!!!
(Malivoire Le Coeur 2020 Gamay, VQA Beamsville Bench, $29.95 (Sold Out), 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 94/100).
Check out their website https://malivoire.com/ and when you do click on “Stay Connected”: so you will be notified of special releases.
Effective immediately, Canada is imposing sanctions against Belarusian officials and entities in response to gross and systematic human rights violations that have been committed in Belarus.
The Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations impose on listed persons a prohibition on any transaction (effectively, an asset freeze) by prohibiting persons in Canada, and Canadians outside of Canada, from engaging in any activity related to any property of these listed persons or providing financial or related services to them. The individuals listed in the schedule to the regulations are also rendered inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The specific prohibitions are set out in the regulations.
The names of the individuals and entities that have been added to the schedule of these regulations are the following:
“At the core of DBT is the dynamic balance between opposing therapeutic goals: acceptance of oneself and one’s situation in life, on the one hand, and embracing change toward a better life, on the other. That is what ‘dialectics’ means: the balancing of opposites and the coming to a synthesis of two opposites. This focus on pursuing change strategies balanced by acceptance strategies is unique to DBT.
The role of DBT skills is to give clients practical ways of, first, accepting the problems they have and then, second, solving the problems they have. Each person will have a different set of problems, so each will need a different set of skills to solve them.”
“Building a Life Worth Living” Marsha M. Linehan, Random House
Enemies of the mutant movement were frequently and erroneously referred to as Marxists and communists. The truth was that the mutants were severe critics of the failure of Soviet Marxism and its imperialistic tendencies which were just as bad as the United States. At the 1976 Soviet Writer’s Union Congress several writers frustrated with government censorship suggested they throw their hat in with the mutants. Earlier the Soviet leadership had toyed with mutantism being a force that would transition into communism but facing mutant criticism they quickly changed their tune calling the mutants “degenerate hooligans”.
Five of these Soviet dissident writers sent a joint letter to the International Mutant Herald a letter of support. The mutants had incurred the wrath of the Soviet leadership when they debunked the myth of the proletariat as a revolutionary force. Perhaps in 1915-17 in Russia they were a revolutionary force but this was decreasingly so in the modern Soviet Union as the proles wanted cars, cash and quite frankly the bourgeoisie lifestyle. Who cared about revolution when you saw that beautiful television in the store or the big chunk of prize beef at the party member’s “Special Store”?
Worker’s Councils that once were powerhouses of the 1917 revolution were now controlled by Party bureaucrats. Union men were some of the biggest conformists around. They clapped at their meagre gains hoping they might one day buy a colour television. Until then it was cheap “Victory Vodka”.
While the Vietnam War had raged Canadian and American unions were silent as the military industrial complex was a huge employer in North America. War meant jobs and a steady paycheque. They had the nerve to call themselves progressive while benefitting from their employer’s exploitation of their working class “brothers” in lesser developed nations. While the North American proletarian had lost their sons in an imperialist Vietnamese war they were thrown a few extra tidbits to maintain their happiness. The “foreign” proles were not brothers but rather a threat to domestic jobs.
The sad shape of the Canadian working class was hammered home to Squid and fellow mutants after the creation of the Canadian Anti Integration Board. Under the guise of controlling inflation the goal of the AIB was to ensure high profits for the bosses and low wages for the workers to “control inflation”. The mutants were puzzled why Canadian workers never mounted a general strike to combat it. Before the legislation creating the AIB had been passed unionized workers had been making tremendous gains hopeful they could slip through the back door and become members of the middle class. Their bosses were upset with the diminishing of their profits and called upon their in-pocket politicians in Ottawa to stop inflation by squashing union pay increases. The bosses had done a decent job of increasing prices for consumer goods to wipe out gains the unionized working class had made.
Gomperist bureaucrats in the union power structure trembled in fear of being overturned by militant rank and file union members but managed somehow to placate the militants as good Canadian citizens should. Democracy was safe again! As far as the mutants saw matters the solution was the overthrow of the existing system. At present the union movement was simply to maintain an equilibrium and support for the system. A steam valve of control. The unions really never made any substantial gains but just enough to keep the one-sided system in equilibrium. The union hierarchies really saw no need to overthrow the system. What point was there in organizing 70% of non-unionized workers to split the pie further? And those new immigrants could hardly speak English and ate too much garlic so you couldn’t even get close and talk to them. Who wanted to organize the unorganized when the attitude was “Hell no. I ain’t going nowhere. Why should I miss Hockey Night in Canada? “Obviously a minor sacrifice in comfort was too much for the union fat cats.
You’ll be tempted to say Reggie is but a celebrity dog so what does he know about COVID! By saying that you insult me and my intellect. You may want to listen to me and you might get a fresh perspective. Obviously as a dog I have not been to medical school but as a street dog don’t discount my smarts and knowledge about you humans. Here is what I think.
LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT: Given the lack of vaccinations in the Third World thanks to the North American and European hoarding of COVID vaccines there will be waves of COVID mutations heading to those countries that are vaccine hogs. The selfishness and smugness of the vaccinated elite may come back to bite them. Historically plagues do disappear but viruses never die. They sleep or are weakened by herd immunity. Accept at best you might be able to manage them but eradication? I think not.
HOSPITAL SYSTEMS CAN’T HANDLE THE LOAD: Your hospitals are hanging by a thread in the developed world and when the next mutation of the virus comes there may be no room for the infected. You humans failed to keep hospitals properly managed and funded. I watched a documentary on the CBC about COVID in Quebec and do you know there are only 1,300 intensive care beds in Quebec and only 350 of them can be occupied by COVID patients
THERE ARE MORE THAN COVID VICTIMS: COVID is a selfish pig as it, encouraged by the paranoia and short-sightedness of you humans, devours medical resources delaying diagnostic tests and many surgeries causing huge backloads. But in those numbers look at the human suffering of those caught in the BIG WAIT.
THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO: You will have an arsenal of effective vaccinations which will be fairly distributed globally to contain the virus. You’ll regain your lives under minimal constraints.
THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO: You will be living in a depressed, divided and pessimistic world facing continual waves of mutated virus strikes. The developed world will undergo continual waves of vaccinations and God help the poor countries of the world! But developed world beware that a mutation may arise that can’t be managed by vaccines.
WHAT ABOUT THE LONG HAULERS?: These are humans that have “recovered” from the COVID virus but have been temporarily or permanently affected by it. You humans at best know some of the effects of the virus but not all and do not understand why these long-haul effects are caused. You do not have the skills and resources to assist in recovery of the Long Haulers. Get moving!
YOU KNEW A PLAGUE WAS COMING: You had experience in Canada with SARS in 1993 and yet you failed to prepare for subsequent viral attacks. Instead you practiced for physical disasters and “contingency plans” for such events which became a hot and beloved topic. You knew about the Spanish flu. You also knew about the Russian flu which started in Uzbekistan in May 1889 and by November was in St. Petersburg then spread like lightning by ship and train travel. In 6 weeks Western Europe was blanketed with the virus and by January 1890 it was in New York where at one point 1,200 died a week there. Then it spread to New Zealand. And these were the days where there was no airplane travel! The Russian flu lasted 4 years killing 1 million when the world at that time had five times less population that it does now!
YOU HAVE BEEN SOLD A BILL OF GOODS ON THE VACCINE: I remember certain drug companies were saying their vaccines were 96% effective in preventing infection. Yet on this cold December day in Toronto of the 1,200 new cases about half of the new cases were amongst those that were vaccinated twice. You humans have been taken for a ride by Big Pharma. Isn’t it interesting that multiple vaccines are being given? It seems obvious the manufacturers of the vaccine have no interest in creating a one-time vaccine as brilliant as the politico medico elite claims they are. Do I smell profit motive? And you know we dogs have an excellent sense of smell! The anti-viral molnupirvar developed by Merck when approved will be approximately $900 a dose! There are lots of juicy bones for Big Pharma in this plague.
YOUR RIGHTS AS HUMANS HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY YOUR OWN GOVERNMENTS: I recall when Bob was downstairs working on his novels and screenplays he had the radio playing and it was a non stop barrage of “public health” advertisements. Bob said they have crossed the line into the world of propaganda helped by their “medical teams”. How convenient to blame a violation of civil liberties on a third party such as your medical team! At certain points you humans were subject to lockdowns that prevented freedom of assembly. Rat Fink hot lines for informants were established and COVID police fined and threatened. Anyone who refused to be vaccinated with experimental vaccines were reviled as “anti vaxxers”. You blindly obedient and subservient Canadians were led down the garden path failing to realize how your rights were being jeopardized. And you support vaccine passports the ultimate weapon against freedom of association and the right to make a living! Wake up people.
THE FIFTH ESTATE AS AN ALLY OR LACKIE: I watch many newscasts and am surprised how many are mouthpieces of the “public health messages”. Get your vaccine. Naughty anti-vaxxers tied into some Trump conspiracy. No presentation of criticism of the politico medico teams. In fact the medicos are given free reign to spread their “public health message” and the so called independent and critical media have lost their bite. Just look at all the Big Pharma ads on CNN. Why bite the hand that feeds you?
THE EXPLOITATION OF THE FRONT-LINE WORKER: I applaud the work and sacrifices made by the front-line health workers, truck drivers, grocery store clerks and those poor folks that don’t have the luxury of WFH (Working From Home). Some are given a little extra pay. The health care front line workers are deified by politicians and the media but when it comes to pay increases for those who want respect as opposed to hero status good luck. They are political fodder conveniently exploited by the politicians, hospital administrators and the media with angelic music and homilies creating demi-gods as good entertainment. The only payout awarded to these poor sacrificial lambs are job cuts as elective surgery revenue isn’t there because of COVID hogging the medical systems’ attention.
MY LAST WORD IS THAT THERE IS HOPE FOR THE NEXT PLAGUE: COVID has highlighted the dysfunctionalities of a broken and ill prepared medical system. There are lessons to be learnt humans and that is a big housekeeping is required in the medical system that is perpetually on the verge of collapse and may collapse yet.
Why is it we dogs don’t contract COVID? When I pray every night to Allah I ask that question but I never receive an answer. I can only thank my god that we are spared. You humans who many consider themselves as above all creatures of the Earth should take a moment and wonder if a greater power than yourselves is sending you a message.
Locally here in Toronto on a particular channel are a continuous slew of Harlequin Films celebrating Christmas. Everything is perfect. True love blossoms at the end. For some it may be so cute. For lovers of serious cinema it may be flotsam.
“Twas the Night” is no sickly-sweet Christmas film. But does it have the roots to be one of those elusive Christmas films? It might be on the edge of the precipice of being a classic? How much “It’s a Wonderful Life” can anyone withstand!
Holly (Nicole Pringle) and Nick (David Steven Perez) are engaged and about to be married and they have invited their parents to their home for Christmas.
Holly has been caught in a bad mood dissing a charitable Santa by a television crew and is seen as a “nasty bitch” in town which is somewhere in New York State.
She realizes her bad mood and apologizes to the local charitable Santa inviting him in for a hot chocolate and some cookies. Before he leaves, he is asked by Holly to adjust a decoration up on a ladder and he does so then takes a terrible tumble becoming unconscious and leaving a trail of blood. Holly and Nick believe he is dead and given that Holly has dissed this Santa they believe they will be charged with murder. So they haul the body upstairs and eventually to the attic.
Parents and in laws arrive for Christmas Eve dinner as Holly and Nick try to drag the dead Santa around so the snooping parents will not discover him in their house tour which after 5 bottles of wine seems unstoppable.
There is a lot of tension in the film like “Christmas Carol”, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, National Lampoon’s” A “Christmas Vacation” or “Home Alone” yet it is not filled with sentimentality like ”It’s a Wonderful Life”: or “ A Christmas Carol”.
Will it be a Christmas Classic? That may take years to determine. In the meantime worth a view. The parents played by Cynthia D. Perry, James Lee Fronck, Lisa Panagopoulos and Paul Van Scott are priceless.
The film was released on December 3rd in theatres and on demand.
This 83-minute film was written and directed by The Ro Bros.
On occasion a film is not so easily described. I might fall short by calling it a romantic comedy as amongst all the characters romance has failed. Given the high divorce rate in North America added to couples still married and living in misery humans never seem to renounce romance completely. The film makes it quite clear romance is fluid. One can fall out and into romance even with the same partner.
In “Are You Happy Now” Adam (Josh Ruben) is in a relationship with Gina (Ismenia Mendes) that eventually progresses to marriage seemingly for the reason of making each other happy. They both seem to fall in an and out of love and as the credits role at the conclusion of the film one might query are they in or out of love? I rather enjoy these uncertain endings.
As Alanis Morissette sang “Jagged Little Pill” I would borrow on that and call this a “Jagged Little Film” because it is not linear and smooth and may throw you for a loop now and then.
There is the the issue of mental illness. Adam has spent a couple of weeks in a “mental centre” as he has suffered from depression and impulsiveness. He has low self esteem claiming everything he does is a “fuck up”. Gina may be mentally scarred from the divorce of her parents vowing she would never get married calling marriage the biggest Ponzi scheme ever! In fact when Gina and Adam get married Gina’s father gives a $2,800 cheque as a gift payable in 20 years to see just how long their marriage lasts.
There is also familial dysfunctionality involved. Adam’s friend Walter and Adam himself have what one can only call abusive older brothers. Both confront their brothers and regain some self dignity.
Other issues dealt with are loneliness, jealousy, fear of relationship commitment, respect, compromise, being able to express emotions, honesty, friendship, reconciliation and the death oof a loved one.
One must not forget a few comedic moments most involving chickens and one strange 7-year-old prone to public belching.
So is it a good movie? It is well directed and produced and I will say as it is not a simplistic linear movie. I enjoyed it.
The movie was released on digital platforms on December 7th.
The 95-minute film was written and directed by first time filmmaker David Beinstein and you can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/640986051
Canada’s Entertainment Capital Rings in 2022 with the Ultimate Line-up of 10+ Live Music Events, including Blue Rodeo Concert at the Scotiabank Convention Centre
(Niagara Falls, ON) Niagara Falls is the place to be on New Year’s Eve for an unforgettable countdown to 2022 with the ultimate line-up of live music events, shows and dining experiences across the city. Music lovers planning a memorable New Year’s Eve can experience multiple live shows plus the year-round attractions and award-winning culinary scene during their visit to Niagara Falls, Ontario’s most iconic location.
Canada’s entertainment capital offers up a spectacular setting plus a diverse line-up of New Year’s Eve celebrations from major concert events, dinner dance parties, Brazilian Carnival and DJ parties, and lively performances in bars and lounges to intimate award-winning dining with live musicians as well as the memorable ambiance of New Year’s Eve dinner at one of the famous Niagara Falls restaurants with breathtaking views of the Falls.
“Niagara Falls is Canada’s entertainment capital and an internationally renowned New Year’s Eve destination and we’re thrilled to welcome visitors back to ring in 2022 with the most exciting lineup of memorable options to celebrate,” said Janice Thomson, President and CEO of Niagara Falls Tourism.
NEW YEAR’S EVE 2021
INDOOR CONCERT EVENT
Blue Rodeo, Serena Ryder, Crown Lands (Scotiabank Convention Centre)
Celebrate 2022 with iconic Canadian artists Blue Rodeo and special guests Serena Ryder and Crown Lands (Juno Awards’ 2021 Breakthrough Group of the Year). Blue Rodeo’s first new album in five years – Many A Mile – is being released on December 3rd and this New Year’s Eve concert kicks off their 2022 National Tour!
Ring in the New Year in style at the Hilton Fallsview Hotel & Suites! You’ll be treated to a four-course dinner, champagne toast and late-night buffet, plus live music by Sandy Vine & the Midnights
Tickets start at $149/person
Hotel packages available
Call to reserve 1-888-370-0700
SHOWS
Greg Frewin New Year’s Eve Gala & Show
A spectacular evening featuring a performance by international grand champion of magic Greg Frewin followed by dancing to a popular live dance band to ring in the New Year.
RESTAURANTS WITH LIVE MUSIC FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE DINING
Celebrate New Year’s Eve with a memorable meal at one of Niagara Fall’s finest restaurants, featuring live music:
Find all live music, events, and dining experiences in Niagara Falls on New Year’s Eve here
Live music events on New Year’s Eve are part of Niagara Falls Music Live from December 27, 2021 to January 1, 2022. Niagara Falls is celebrating the return of live music in a big way with more than 75 performances at 20 venues over 6 nights. From concerts in theatres and convention centres to intimate performances at restaurants and bars, the city will be showcasing talented local, Ontario and Canadian artists in Ontario’s most iconic location. Concerts include live performances by Chantal Kreviazuk, Tyler Shaw, David Wilcox, The Trews, Jim Cuddy, Great Lake Swimmers, Spoons and more!
Niagara Falls Music Live is presented by Niagara Falls Tourism in partnership with the Tourism Partnership of Niagara and funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
Robert K. Stephen and Fotini Stephen: Toronto: December 7, 2021: Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario has mounted an exhibit entitled “Picasso: Painting the Blue Period” which will continue until January 16, 2022. There are over 100 artworks on display covering Picasso’s Blue Period (1901-1904). Picasso was a very young man in his late teens and early twenties during the Blue Period painting both in Barcelona and Paris. Why the Blue? Quite simple he favoured the colour blue during this period.
In this Blue Period you’ll see Picasso’s work reflect social and political events and that he borrowed or was influenced by other artists such as El Greco, Edgar Degas and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. So it is not simply nature or flowers in a bowl depicted but rather poverty, social unrest gender inequality and war. You may be more familiar with Picasso’s cubes, triangles and odd geometric patterns of his later works, But the Blue Period reflects a less abstract approach by Picasso. I have seen many of his works in Barcelona, Paris and in the United States but at the AGO we are presented with a wealth of paintings you might only see at the Musée national Picasso-Paris. Put bluntly grab this exhibit now as you might never see such a powerful and focussed collection assembled in Canada again.
The exhibition is the first exhibition in Canada to focus on Picasso’s early years
Picasso is seen during the Blue Period as a “painter of modern life” with his representations of street scenes, café-concerts and sex workers. Perhaps one of the most striking pictures is “Crouching Beggarwoman” painted in 1902 Barcelona which reflects his social activism as an artist. Here was an artist that painted disease ravaged prostitutes, beggars and the poor and oppressed.
There are also a few paintings from Picasso’s Rose Period (1905-1906) where he was in a small village Gósol in the Spanish countryside and was moved to painting with warm terracotta hues. There are also two Spanish master paintings by El Greco whom many claim had an influence on Picasso.
This is a rich exhibit and almost too overwhelming to take in on one visit. We think it is necessary for it to settle in and go for another viewing in a couple of weeks
In addition to the exhibit there are also talks, courses and events.
The exhibition is important for aficionados of Picasso wanting to focus on the early works of an artist that would emerge as one of the world’s most renowned painters.
The AGO is one of the largest art museums in North America attracting close to one million visitors annually and its collection of more than 120,000 works of art.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 