RKS Wine: The Tears of Christ (Lacryma Christi)

I can’t think of many wines that have differing legends about them. I have heard a few in Naples on my last visit there and that is when Lucifer fell from heaven Christ was sad and cried tears that landed on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius producing miraculous wines. Lacryma Christi is from the Campanian region of Italy and is primarily made from the white grapes Di Volpe and Verdeca and the red grapes Piedirosso (red chicken feet) and Aglianico. While in Naples I have had Lacryma Christi that was some of the smoothest red wine I have encountered. It is a perfect foil for the pizza of Naples a very unique style of pizza that may leave you saying I must return to Naples for more.

That pizza of Naples : Photo Robert Kennedy Stephen

We get so very little of Lacryma Christi here in Ontario it is a special occasion when it does arrive but did the Liquor Control Board of Ontario buyers buy the best on the market?

We try a 2018 Lacryma Christi from Terredora Dipaolo. On the nose smokey red cherry, blackberry, smoked meat and the air of the slopes of Vesuvius.  Very mellow tannins initially but they stiffen up a bit if the wine decants. A very tight and guarded cherry core with red plum. This is a very lean Lacryma Christi which might open up a bit more and evolve to something more charming. But today is today and I feel the Liquor Control Board of Ontario buyers could have done better. This is a decent wine but I have had better.

(Lacryma Christi 2018 del Vesuvio Rosso DOC, Terredora A Dipaolo, Montefusco, Italy, $24.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, 750 mL, 12.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 88/100)

“Giddy Stratospheres” A Joyous Self-Destructive Romp into 2007 London

“Giddy Stratospheres” is a high energy romp into the post punk music scene in London. Yes initially it is a joyous and high energy jump into the post punk music scene in 2007 London. Happy people. Great music and high energy. But reality sets in and perhaps all this energy is fueled by excessive drug use. While in the 1970’s there may have been cannabis and hashish and a bit of mescaline and cocaine this London is awash with all types of powerful snortables that decimate and numb.

The joy and exuberance quickly disintegrate into self destructive and dangerous behaviour. Drugs overtake the music and characters seem to slip closer into self destruction to a great soundtrack but the warning bells ring loudly and clearly.

Lara is into the music scene with her friend Daniel but a blowout night leaves Laura heading to her grandmother’s English countryside funeral. She can’t remember what happened the previous night after snorting all manner of drugs. In fact she is so out of it she is hallucinating her friend Daniel is going with her to the funeral. But Daniel is dead.

At the funeral her relatives are eccentric as Lara is but it is genuine eccentricity as opposed to one fuelled by drugs. She stays with her mother and father who are as eccentric as Lara but not stoned out. Lara seems to detox at her parent’s home and her artistic talents emerge and culminate in an art show of her works.

So the film is a gentle reminder of the destructive path of drug abuse entwined in the club scene. Nothing new for Geezers like me who have seen so many succumb to heroin and even laughing gas. But perhaps a perpetual warning without a Reefer Madness finger wagging in an exaggerated manner.

The film makes its point if indeed drug abuse is its point? A non didactic film like “Trainspotting” but it certainly makes its message clear.

Gloomy and depressing cinematography is as brilliant as the soundtrack. Laura Jean Marsh as Lara is brilliant and captivating and the screenplay gently conveys the message that sex, drugs and rock and roll are not particularly good for your health. Marsh also wrote and directed the film leaving me the impression that she has lived what the film portrays. The film has aromas of Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols and “Drugstore Cowboy”.

Highly entertaining and will keep you guessing what reality is and what is hallucination and fantasy. It is a shame its daring and creativity will never take it into the mainstream. This is why I only watch indie films.

This Brit film is 67 minutes and will be released on digital platforms on September 14th. You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m733pqGxzsw

Poetry Break : “And where did the Cheering Section Go?”

You watch the news
and listen to the government public health information (aka Propaganda)
and there are encouraging voices from physicians, citizens and the media
about getting that vaccination
don’t you find it odd there are no dissenters?
or those that dissent on social media are taken down?
forced vaccinations by any other name
isn’t democracy and sovereignty of your body more than a public relations game?
but you can play the game of incessant harassing COVID testing
representing freedom of choice
remember thalidomide?
what happened to the cheering section for that drug?
five years from now when the fully vaccinated are wandering stupefied with Alzheimer’s
where will the happy people be that gave victory signs (prominently featured on your telescreen) after being vaccinated?

Robert k. Stephen

Surfing the Waves

The more the waves of COVID course the beaches of life
the more power and constraints placed on liberty
all in the name of public good
our elected representatives and their medical lackies turned into sharks
dismembering and attacking those who fail to tow the party line
vilified like the sharks that attack the surfers like the sharks they are?

Robert K. Stephen

Uyghur Muslims In China and Similarities to Canada!

Concentration camps under the mustard gas deception of re-education camps

Canada get ready for mandatory re-education camps for health care workers

Former front line medical “heroes” who refuse vaccination will be “re-educated”

Wasn’t “1984” by George Orwell right on point?

If the Chinese totalitarianism can be replicated in Canada
with a generous helping of Pol Pot Cambodia
why bother holding elections in Canada on September 20th
why not just throw the refuseniks in jail
or send them to Winnipeg to see the light
heroes now villains
the hypocrisy of the politico-medico elite reversing their propaganda
Doug Ford the new Pol Pot?
Who are the traitors to democracy?

Robert K. Stephen

“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog” :Bosco The Arrogant Snob!

It was only a few days after arriving back from Los Angeles when the “Bosco Incident” occurred. Fay had a long Zoom meeting with a book publisher who was interested in discussing her planned book “Our Life With Dillie The Westie” and she required absolute quiet for the call. So Bob took Dillie The Westie and I for a walk at the Wilket Trail near Edwards Gardens, Toronto’s botanical gardens. It was a long walk and Dillie needed a few rests and was limping by the time we returned home. My poor brother has a bit of a problem with arthritis but being a brave trooper and too proud ever to admit to discomfort and pain he tries his best to act years younger than he is. The true spirit of a West Highland Terrier.

Well Fay greets us with a funny smile on her face and says that we have had an incident in the backyard. Bob pulls out his pistol a Glock and is ready for a shootout with the Brothers of Egypt. Not listening to Fay he rushes out to the backyard expecting to see his security detail shredded by a suicide bomber but almost trips over a dog on a leash! He laughs and says what has fate brought us this time!

It is a sad looking King Charles Cavalier that she found outside the gates of Drake’s house. We know Drake and ask his security detail if he can come out and talk with us. And he comes out with a few of his friends from a basketball team called the Toronto Raptors. I am not sure what basketball is but Drake loves it. We ask him if this is a dog he knows and he says no. But he asks us if we want to join him for a BBQ in his backyard that night and we say yes. He says don’t forget to bring Dillie and me. He suggests we check with Gordon Lightfoot next door but Lightfoot did not recognize the dog. He asks us to come over for high tea in a few days and gives us his telephone number.

The dog is a King Charles Cavalier I think or that’s what Bob says. He has no identification tags. One of his legs has been shaved for an intravenous feed as his hind leg has been shaved and there are stitches in it. Bob phones Toronto Animal Control and they have no record of a missing dog. It’s Labour Day so we will take it to Dr. Murray at the animal hospital on Tuesday to see if it has a microchip.

Bosco, as we call this dog, is about the same size as Dillie and I and initially he greets us with joy but when we approach his face for a sniff as all dogs do he emits a low growl. Bob and Fay are not appreciative of that. When Bob takes us for a walk he does that same growl to other dogs that come for a friendly sniff. We will have to wait to take him to Dr. Murray to see if he has a chip and we do so but he has none. A dog without any identity. Foolish owners unless this was an intentional abandonment. Bob leaves his number with Toronto Animal Control but there are no owners looking for this dog.

For the time being we call him Bosco. I give him a serious talking to as we dogs do and warn him to wise up or he will end up in an animal control shelter and based on my experience in Cairo my realism terrifies this little snobby dog thinking he was a purebred and that he was above me. He no longer acts as a King in the house and respects his junior position in the family. He is no Karim and I just can’t feel like we are the rat pack like it was with Karim but I say to Dillie lets give him some time and the wise Westie Dillie agrees.

Bob can’t bear to hand him over to a barren animal shelter a cruel and forbidding place. Bosco soon begins to realize how lucky he is and becomes humbler and more respectful. As far as I am concerned Dillie is the king in this family despite Bosco’s breed says he is a King Charles Cavalier. He is third place here and lucky to be that! He kind of stinks but Dr. Murray says wait a couple of weeks until he heals completely to give him a bath. At least his hair was not matted and covered with fleas like me in Cairo before I was rescued.

“Mutantism on The March” :Chapter 97 The Montreal Kidnapping of James Dentalfloss

On a cold winter morning Montrealer’s awoke to the startling news of the kidnapping of the Scottish Trade Commissioner, Mr. James Dentalfloss. He had been abducted by a group calling itself the Far-Out Liberation League of Quebec (FLQ). Previously this group had restricted itself to bombing mailboxes in the tony English suburb of Westmount but obviously with a kidnapping they were expanding their techniques of terrorism. The FLQ left messages with radio and television stations that Dentalfloss would only be released when all non-Quebecois in Quebec be deported an obviously far out demand. Their demand seemed like a mere political statement more than a genuine ransom demand.

The Jiber sat in his MSQ offices snickering. His men had done well. No clues were discovered by Montreal police, Quebec Provincial Police or the RCMP about the kidnapping. Here was the glorious opportunity he had been waiting for. By planning the kidnapping his goal was to polarize Quebec society forcing people to take sides. Traitors could then be identified. Now all he could hope for was to incite mobs to attack American factories and offices of American corporations in Quebec that were doing business in the province. Manufacture a rampage so that American enterprises were convinced they faced expropriation and nationalization. Then hope the Marines would be called in to protect American interests. His agreement with a very prominent American politician still stood. Sooner or later a conquering army would be his. The entire galaxy would be his.

The governing Quebec Liberal Party was flapping wildly in the wind to catch the “political criminals” responsible for the kidnapping. They had underestimated the resolve of the nationalists. Having to hunt down the radicals who represented what many Quebecers secretly espoused was a risky affair. The Liberals had started the ball rolling on a Francization programme steeped in petit bourgeoisie mysticism and heroism. Metro stations and streets were changed to Riel, Papineau, Cartier and Henri Bourassa but this token strategy failed to appease the flock. The Premier Bob Poorassa had a cabinet full of respectable gentlemen in league with both Canadian and American corporations hence they were infused with the spirit of national unity with many sitting on the boards of Canadian and American companies and hoping to continue that position if and when booted out of politics. They had large share positions in the companies they sat on the boards of and to acquiesce to the demands of rabid nationalists might threaten their little kitty. The Montreal Bourse had already plummeted!

The Quebec Minister of Justice Jerome Porkchopette and Premier Poorassa thundered about the need for law and order and for strict measure to hunt down the terrorists. A no bargain policy was established. The democratic strongmen must show the population they weren’t to be pressured by murderous communists. By God do not antagonize the Americans. Who wanted the Marines in town?

Jiber’s FLQ plants were encouraged to use Marxist language in their FLQ communiques as this would be a perfect frame up of the leftist nationalists and discredit the left. Jiber realized that his followers would support an independent Quebec but not a Marxist one. Jiber sat in an excellent position as he could criticize the ruling Liberal government for not being strict enough with these rebels and he warned the public of the dangers of these violent Marxist elements. In the midst of all this confusion Jiber as Hecklevesque would emerge as a saviour. He would lead the province out of the political quagmire. Once he had the province in is sweaty hands after a nice little coup he would arrange for the torching of a few American manufacturing concerns, assault a few American citizens then ask for American military intervention to quell the anti-American revolution!

“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog” Changes Our Lives

Bob is no longer an unknown writer. He is in high demand. At least twice a week he is on North America talk shows with me and Dillie the Westie at his side. His previous books “Virus # 26,”, “Mutantism on the March” and “Life at Up Up and Away Investment Management International”, which were published in a serialized format on the internet, have been published by Big House Publishers in New York and are1,2 and 3 on the New York Times best seller list. He is writing a screenplay for ABC about “Bosco the Rescue Dog” based on the pitch for a series ABC wanted about me. Disney had entered a merchandising contract with Turner Classic Movies for a series of wines called “Reggie and the Tramp” and Bob receives a 10% cut of gross revenues.

Bob has said to Fay we have more money than we know how to deal with so they have decided to donate 25% of all net revenues received from the Disney Film to the rescue society that brought me from Cairo to Toronto provided Fay gets a seat on their Board of Directors.

But Bob’s success with the Reggie story has caused problems. Due to his wealth, popularity and the death threat by the Brothers of Egypt we have had to move to a swanky new house in the exclusive Bridle Path neighbourhood of Toronto and have become neighbours to a singer called Drake and Gordon Lightfoot. We have high walls around our house and a security detail outside the entrance gate. When Dillie and I go for walks there is a security guard armed to the teeth that walks with us. We kind of get used to it but I think we have lost some of our freedom. For the time being I am not allowed off leash. Dillie and I feel we are in a bit of a medium security prison but this may be the price we paid for being famous. Bob and Fay gave their house to their son Drew on the condition he take care of me and Dillie when Bob and Fay go on vacation which may not be for awhile considering the death threat on Bob’s head. The Muslim Association of Canada has issued a press release saying there is no blasphemy in a dog praying to Allah saying that all creatures big and small have a spiritual side to their being. They also welcomed the movie saying it was an opportune time to have a Muslim dog the hero of a story and an inspiration to all children irrespective of their religion. Even the hardline clerical government of Iran has permitted the film to be distributed in Iran hoping that the film will bring about better understanding and reactions amongst Iran and the United States. This movie is far bigger than anyone thought. There are rumours that Bob may receive the Nobel Peace Prize for literature! I am supposed to not say anything to anyone but Bob will be receiving the Order of Canada in a few months for his book “Reggie The Egyptian Rescue Dog” for fostering a better understanding between Canadian Muslims and the rest of the population of Canada. Bob and Fay have also made sizeable contributions to Canadian First Nations groups to improve water quality in their communities.

What has not changed is the love and care Dillie the Westie and I receive from Bob and Fay. What more could any dog want except perhaps for chunks of cheese that “accidentally” fall on the floor or pieces of meat that mysteriously end up in our bowls from time to time! We dogs are food centric!

This is quite an achievement for a lowly street dog on the edge of a miserable death on the streets of Cairo. And I say proudly and without reservation in my nightly prayers a sincere thanks to Allah for all that he has done for me so there Brothers of Egypt stick THAT UP YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT! You dare touch Bob and I will return to Egypt and lead a pack of street dogs and hunt you down. I may have a comfortable life but you will see I have not lost my street fighting spirit!

“Reggie The Egyptian Rescue Dog ” : The World Premiere of “Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog

Off we all fly to Los Angeles for the world premiere of “Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”. We are staying in a huge Beverly Hills mansion but all the interviews will be at the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles. And security is heavy as Bob has received death threats from an Egyptian terrorist group “Bothers of Egypt” upset at the portrayal of Egyptian society and furious as the fact that I, as a lowly dog, pray to Allah which they call blasphemy. These are the type of small minded men that arrested and executed my original master Anwar for writing articles critical of the Egyptian government for betrayers of the Arab Spring. Hateful. Narrow minded and fanatical they are dangerous scum. Dogs are seen as playthings of the infidels. Most street dogs in Cairo have more morals and decency than these self-appointed guardians of the faith. In this world crazy politics and ideologies make me proud to be a dog but then again there are so many kind humans that helped me Egypt I must not forget that and Bob made that very clear when helping to write the screenplay.

In fact Bob and Fay have had to sell their house and move to the Bridle Path area in Toronto. Our new house is massive and well fortified and will be manned by private security. We have a famous musician on our new street called Drake who I have heard much about in the BBC show “Entertainment” and another older musician called Gordon Lightfoot who I know nothing about other than he his loved by many Canadian Boomers.

Bob, Fay, Dillie the Westie and I attend the interviews along with the crew that worked on the film and the actors that are doing the voice overs. Cameras are popping and questions galore? Then we move to a small suite for interviews with leading networks and publications. I recognize the anchor from BBC America News and romp up to her and give a friendly bark and she pats me. Reggie the former street dog, on the head and gives me a little hug! Then that news anchor from ABC news I see after the BBC news every night and he also gives my head a firm ruffle! Dillie has a big smile on his face like when he goes off-leash. He gets lots of comments how cute and sweet he is and boy he is all groomed and looks like the sharpest and coolest Westie.

The interviewers ask Bob if he has some fear about his safety after the death threats from the Brothers of Egypt. He replies that he is but no one could have foreseen the idiocy of such a group. Bob says the film is really meant for children but it has a deeper meaning of the plight of street dogs of Egypt and the special people there and in Canada that are doing all they can to stop the poisoning and killing of so many dogs in governmentally encouraged culls. Bob says he means no disrespect to Egyptians and Islam by his story but that it has changed his life and the life of me, Fay and Dillie the Westie. So it has been a very long day and dinner is brought to us at our temporary home. We sit and eat by the television and there is yet another story of a black person being gunned down by a white policeman. There is not only madness on the streets of Cairo but on the streets of the United States!

Bob takes Dillie and I for a walk on the grounds of the gated mansion and we are so tired we all head back to bed as tomorrow night is the world premiere of “Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”!

Morning comes strangely to both dogs and humans who are bound by circadian rhythms. We are up at 7 a.m. in Toronto as Dillie the Westie barks to go out and pee and tired Bob lumbers down to take my ageing pal out and me too to keep Dillie company. But 7 a.m. in Toronto time is 4 a.m. here in Los Angeles or “LA” as they call it. Bladders and brains are all mixed up! But we do our business and every human and dog sleeps until 10 a.m. and we are wide awake.

Bob and Fay head downstairs and give us dogs a hug and kind words. And Carmela an older Mexican lady has prepared Mexican homemade dog food for Dillie and I with pork and black beans and it is like nothing we have eaten before. We wag our tails and ask for more with a gentle bark and Carmela obliges. OMG so good and different. The black beans give us some gas but not the runs….thank goodness. Bob and Fay have Huevos Rancheros and tortillas and a big pot of coffee, Dillie and I love the smell of coffee but we only have it when our cleaning lady in Toronto, Paula, comes every second Wednesday. Bob and Fay are green tea drinkers. Dillie bit Paula early on and was banished to the crate every time she comes. But I am good with Paula. These West Highland Terriers can be so possessive and territorial. I am not making any judgement on my brother Dillie a I love him and respect his territoriality.

We spend the morning by the pool with Bob throwing us balls until we are panting and too tired to continue. At 2 p.m. Carmela prepares a Mexican feast of epic proportions. And we get a special homemade Mexican dogfood feast with Pork and Chicken without any beans. Bob and Fay have a drink called Marguerites.

At 4 p.m. we get ready to go to the premiere. As dogs running and playing we are smelling very doggy and receive a quick bath by “dog trainers”. We are primed and ready to go and we head off to a big theatre in LA. There is a red carpet and for security reasons we appear for 15 minutes and go back to the “green Room” to get ready for the film.

We are backstage and ready to go. We meet many big Hollywood stars. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson pick me up and as Rita and Tom are Greek Orthodox like Fay they say come visit us in Greece on our island. Our jet is at our disposal.

There are famous people all over. The film runs and there is quiet then  standing ovations for half an hour. Dillie and I are picked up and the crowd goes wild.

Indications are as we read the critic’s reviews in the L.A. papers next morning this is the Disney hit of the century.

The cast party was a dream for anyone in the Hollywood National Enquirer sphere. We should mention who played our characters in this animated production;

Reggie:  Rick Mercer

Karim: Riz Ahmed

Bob: Rylan Gosling

Fay: Jennifer Aniston

Dillie the Westie: Peter Mansbridge

Anwar: Eduardo San Juan Breña 

Narrator: Mahershala Ali

The party finished at 4 a.m. and on the way home in the limo Bob receives a call from the CEO of Disney that Reggie is charting as a monstrous hit. I am glad for this. But I can digest what this means. As for immediate realities Dillie and I are exhausted and have no energy for a walk but to be put outside for a long pee and bed is all we want!

“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog” :The Making of Disney’s “Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog

The contracts have been signed. Bob as co-producer and screen writer is in Los Angeles Monday-Friday working on the animated production. Dillie the Westie and I miss him and the walks he took us on in the neighbourhood. Fay is more likely to put us out in the backyard which we enjoy but we love catching up with our circle of canine friends and leaving our pea mail to mark our territory.

But Bob is back for the week-ends very tired from the 5 hour flight from Los Angeles and the three hour time difference. But we get a guaranteed walk at the local golf course! It is late autumn and the golf course is closed so we can walk off leash. Many rescue dogs are bolters as they specialize in escaping from humans who have treated them so badly. In fact some 90% of dogs reported missing in Toronto are rescue dogs. I could be mean and say what stupid dogs they are not knowing how lucky they are to be under the care of masters and mistresses but often many of us dogs are guided by instinct and the instinct of a street dog in Egypt is to escape from humans who cause so much suffering.

Bob has written my story but wanted to go to Cairo to speak with rescue societies and animal activists about the life of street dogs in Cairo. He spent some two weeks there learning how close his fictional portrayal of some of my life was accurate. He was quite accurate they say in Egypt but his time there allowed him to fine tune the screenplay. When he returned I could smell the stink of Cairo on him and this terrified me. My mind has been scarred by my time there but I know my story is about the story of many street dogs in Cairo and Alexandria. My story must be told!

Bob told Fay about what he thought were the nightly firecrackers and cheering in Cairo. In a shaky voice he explained that these were not firecrackers but rather soldiers shooting street dogs and those barbaric Egyptians celebrating the death of each animal. I would like to say I hate these barbaric Egyptians but Bob reminds me I survived and came to Canada because of a small group of Egyptians that care about dogs like the policeman that brought me to the animal hospital after the Rottenwhiler took a chunk out of my leg.  And the dedicated animal doctors that rely on medicine sent to them from Canada so dogs can be cured of diseases.

Bob tells Fay he is always debating with the other screenplay writers and producers who want to make the story line sweet and childlike but the story is not so sweet. Bob has had to compromise so as not to frighten the audience many who will be children but he swears this will not be a “Lady and the Tramp” syrupy feature but one with a cutting edge that will educate its viewers of the rough life street dogs face in Egypt. After 8 weeks of being in Los Angeles and two weeks in Cairo Bob has taken it as far as it can go and agrees to have his story transformed into a Disney animated film. This is so good as he is at home with us although he is back a few days a week to supervise the animation and ensure the script is as agreed upon by the producers and writers. And he is also involved with the musical score to sure it sets the right tone and the voice overs are true to the tone oof the film.

In 16 weeks the final version is ready for distribution which means me Bob, Fay and Dillie the Westie are going on a promotional tours. Bob is clearly so very tired but wants to ensure the success of the film not for the money but to accurately portray my life in Cairo and the life of street dogs that live there and to show the dedication of kind souls in Egypt and Canada that work to rescue me and my bothers and sisters. All of us in this household are going to Los Angeles for the film premiere.