Reggie The Egyptian Rescue Dog is Back: Why Do (some) Humans Hate Us Dogs?

In Egypt I was cursed, kicked, spat on and shot at. In human eyes I am a simple beast. Why was I thrown out in the street like an old rag? Why did animal control try to shoot and poison me? I can say you are mean fucking bastards. You are lowlife scum and yes you are.

I mean as a dog we are companions to humans and in Egypt guardians of the tombs of the pharaohs! I have the blood of the ancient pharaohs in me but I was treated as some low life scum. You know all we dogs want is to be cared for and if I can be sappy, to be loved.

When I have to go out and pee at 5 in the morning and bark to wake up Bob to take me out that is care and love. And to be taken up in the cold winter to snuggle under the covers that is love. So simple. So very simple but ignored all over the world not only in Egypt but in Canada and the United States.

What have we dogs done to deserve such abusive treatment? We are in your control and you hold our destiny in your hands. We are needing your love and compassion so why do some of you treat us so very badly? By doing so you show us and other caring humans you are not above the animal kingdom. You are scavengers and scum.

So why do you hate us you humans. Is it because we are animals you think are stupid? Excuse me humans. Those of you who abuse us are stupid and cruel. May the curse of the pharaohs visit your house! Those who abuse us are weak and seeking to exhibit power over us dogs.

But listen to me! There are those humans that love us dearly and treat us as a best friend and a precious soul. There are some of those in Egypt that are dedicated and caring so please I am not singling out Egyptians as canine killers. This sub strata of humanity lives throughout the world. For goodness sake in China, Vietnam and the Philippines we are treated as meat.

“My Life as a Golf Marshall” :The Beginning of The End

The beginning of the golf season may be riddled with April frost delays but that is the beginning and the golf hormones are raging. The frost delays creep back in late October and early November. Yes it is like the end of a life of a spawning salmon. Tee-Off times can be delayed anywhere from an hour to 4 hours. The desperation of golfers in the parking lot is evident. No golfer wants to end the season in disgrace and with self loathing. So they pace up and down the parking lot looking like addicts needing a fix of the golf drug. Chugging Tim Horton’s coffee and dreaming of redemption on a final game before winter forces them to head south assuming they can afford it.

At some point you would think that reality will set in. That the golfers will realize just how mediocre they are and one or thirty games will not change that but then again this golf addiction knows no end. There is no overdose or liver damage just self-loathing about the last game or the games before that.

A golf addict lives on hope based on the fix of a golf game. There is no overdose death There is only winter as a Naloxone kit.

I see these poor wretches pacing the parking lot waiting hours for their last mainline injection of golf. As a Marshall I am above this pathetic display but thank goodness Monday is looking good for my game! I am above all this shit. I think I am.

RKS Film: Looking for a New Christmas Classic? “See You Next Christmas”

I am sure you have a favourite Christmas classic. Is it National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation”? “Home Alone”? “A Christmas Carol”? “White Christmas”? “It’s a Wonderful Life”?

Looking for something new? Might you find it in “See You Next Christmas”?

Annie (Christine Weatherup) and Tom Clark (Vin Vescio) hold their annual Christmas party “Clarkmas” in the film over a seven-year period. Annie’s cousin Natalie (Elizabeth Guest) starts a relationship each year at Clarkmas with Logan (A J Meijer) but it never quite develops into a serious relationship until year seven of Clarkmas where it looks like the sporadic relationship is over until it is suprsingly deepened on New Year’s Eve. Yes romance can be slow to develop.

You might want to classify the film as a romantic comedy but it has more serious angles to it particularly how having children changes one’s life and the changing attendees at Clarkmas…lot’s of children!

Can I take a guess this will not be a Christmas classic? But as such classics go it may be 40 years before we find out. In the meantime a lighthearted look at the evolution of relationships and of the great Clarkmas!

The film will be released on various digital platforms on November 9th.

If you would like to see the trailer https://www.dropbox.com/s/7bv4ty3n7qfvxgt/See%20You%20Next%20Christmas%20Trailer%20-%20UHD%20SDR%20-%20ProRes%20422HQ%20-%20LtRt%20-%2020210629.mov?dl=0

This 99-minute film was written and directed by Christine Weatherup.

RKS Wine: The Forgotten Home of Malbec and Don’t Toss Those Green Tomatoes!

Mention the grape Malbec and the rubberneckers will be gawking at Argentina ignoring that Malbec began its journey from its home in Cahors in Southwest France to Argentina in the 1830’s. Argentina gets most of the praise for Malbec and it is rare that one encounters a Malbec from Cahors. In the Malbec game the Argentinians seemed to have beaten the French.

So let’s go back to Malbec’s roots in Cahors with a Château Haute-Borie. On the nose blackberry, black cherry, Christmas cake and vanilla. On the palate surprisingly smooth and light on the tannins given Cahors reputation for strong willed and tannic Malbecs. There is no shouting and bravado on the palate. It is very discrete and dignified. One might call it a softie! There are notes of blackberry and cassis with an airy and lighthearted finish. Such a contrast from the lush and plush Argentinian Malbecs.

You might as well drink by the end of 2022. I do not think it will improve with ageing.

This would suit a green tomato pasta from those unripened tomatoes that didn’t survive our latest frosts. My goodness don’t throw them out. Try this highly seasonal and bizarre sounding dish. Here is the recipe https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/farfalle-green-tomatoes-black-olives-and-basil

(Château Haute-Borie 2018, AOC Cahors, SCEA Sigaud, Soturac , France, $ 14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 20421, 750 mL, 14%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100)

RKS Wine: Chasing the Lower Priced Bordeaux

Bordeaux wines can be a rich man’s game. You pay a pile of dough for the “first growths” which if you are made of money go ahead. Are some of these wines in the $1,000 range worth it or is the purchaser a billionaire thinking the more you pay the higher the quality?

Part of the fun of chasing the Bordeaux’s in the $20 and under range is the hope you can find a winner. A steal so what is in your mouth is as “good” as what the spacemen billionaires swill and swallow and eventually piss out!

We start with a 2108 Château Haut Claribes for $17 that even a poor Amazon employee can afford. Just because you take the bus to work instead of rocketing around like Uncle Jeff doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a well-made wine. Black cherry in colour verging towards purple. On the nose creamy and lush with black cherry, blueberries and some milk chocolate. You can feel the tannins on this one but they are on the gentle side. On the palate the lush and plush Merlot simply can’t rocket my palate like Branson/Bezos. A respectable wine for sure but a brilliant steal? No. The hunt continues.

A rather high alcohol content of 15% for a Bordeaux red. If I recall Trumpian tariffs on European wine kicked in at wines less than 15%. Juice up your wine and avoid punitive tariffs?

(Château Haut Claribes 2018 Bordeaux Supérieur, Domaines Fontana, Gensac, France, $17, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 21404, 15%, 750mL, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 90/100).

Ontario’s Bill 27’s Toothless Disconnect from Work Policy

The idea that an employee can disconnect from work is not new as I first heard about this type of legislation in France a few years ago

There is no doubt in the proposed legislation that it is intended the Employment Standards Act of Ontario will be amended to include the text below this article.

However there is no need to submit it for governmental approval. There is nothing stating that the policy must be reasonable.

There is nothing preventing an employer from setting forth its policy then adding exceptions stating for example that it will not apply to employees negotiating to bring on new business for the employer or matters crucially important for the employer. A policy peppered with exceptions can be said to be toothless particularly in a non-unionised workforce. Just think of the myriad of exceptions an employer could use to disconnect itself from the spirit of the proposed legislation. Perhaps there will be regulations passed that prevent an employer from in effect opting out through exceptions?

I bring my experience as a lawyer where on many a mega deal I was working until 1 a.m. on “big strategic deals”. On the Blackberry at 2 a.m. with colleagues in Boston working on the same deal. Missing family occasions. Had I not gone the extra mile I would have been tossed out like dirty dishwater. Foolish or caught in the survival trap?

So before you clap with joy this proposed legislation is full of holes like a car riddled with bullets in yet another Toronto drive by shooting.

As having worked briefly for the Ontario government and with lobbyists the proposed legislation and regulations will be closely analyzed and commented upon and perhaps given some meaningful teeth. I can imagine the megacorps and law firms will craft what they can to ensure they escape the bite of tightened legislative provisions!

 This article does not constitute legal advice but is a matter of opinion and is  provided for informational purposes only.

PART VII.0.1 WRITTEN POLICY ON DISCONNECTING FROM WORK Interpretation 21.1.1 In this Part, “disconnecting from work” means not engaging in work-related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls or the sending or reviewing of other messages, so as to be free from the performance of work. Written policy on disconnecting from work 21.1.2 (1) An employer that, on January 1 of any year, employs 25 or more employees shall, before March 1 of that year, ensure it has a written policy in place for all employees with respect to disconnecting from work that includes the date the policy was prepared and the date any changes were made to the policy. Copy of policy (2) An employer shall provide a copy of the written policy with respect to disconnecting from work to each of the employer’s employees within 30 days of preparing the policy or, if an existing written policy is changed, within 30 days of the changes being made. Same (3) An employer shall provide a copy of the written policy with respect to disconnecting from work that applies to a new employee within 30 days of the day the employee becomes an employee of the employer. Prescribed information (4) A written policy required under subsection (1) shall contain such information as may be prescribed. Transition (5) Despite subsection (1), an employer shall, (a) have until the date that is six months after the day the Working for Workers Act, 2021 receives Royal Assent instead of March 1 to comply with the requirements of subsection (1); and (b) determine whether it employs 25 employees or more as of the January 1 immediately preceding the date described in clause (a).

RKS Film: “Isaac”: Almost Fine Until Lust Blows Up

I watched “Isaac” a Spanish film that leaves me wondering what the message is? In fact I have been ruminating all day what to say about the film. Perhaps that is a supreme compliment to the film that can’t be sliced and diced and simplified into a few descriptive lines. The distributor of the film Breaking Glass Pictures of Philadelphia has a line of international LGBTQ films it distributes but I struggle with the assumption that this is an LGBTQ film. At best it is a film dealing with a set complicated inter-personal relationships that has an element to it of LGBTQ. Coming out of the closet for an LGBTQ is difficult. In this film coming out is fuelled by lust as opposed to any intellectual decision making.

Nacho and his wife Marta are successful lawyers in Barcelona with Marta being from an upper crust family. Marta can’t conceive and adoption is unthinkable for her upper-class parents who favour a discrete surrogate adoption illegal in Spain.

Denis is an unsuccessful illustrator living with his wife Carmen. Denis would dearly love to open a restaurant but is short of cash. He needs some cash so he approaches his adolescent friend Nacho totally out of the blue for a loan.

Despite surrogacy parenthood being illegal in Spain Denis and Nacho and their respective spouses enter into a surrogacy contract where Carmen will bear a child for Nacho and Marta. Somewhat of a business deal. Denis will get enough cash to open his restaurant. A selfish prig?

But flashing back to the past Nacho and Denis were homosexual hotties back in high school days. While there are no gay vibes in their relationships with their wives Nacho and Denis suddenly go at it like eager horny beavers. And rather publicly. Nacho is being groomed for political office so such a tryst would be political suicide!

Lust rules the day and explodes just about everything in a seemingly “normal” Spanish relationship.

So my take on the film is that coming out of the closet can be dictated by lust and while liberating can be destructive to many around those that are coming out. Coming out can be a sort of destructive self liberation. Is it based on uncontrollable lust? But again can this describe heterosexual relationships?

The film was based on a play by Antonio Hernádez and is directed by Angeles Hernandez and Mr. Miyagi.

“Isaac” will be available on DVD and VOD platforms including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Vimeo and through local cable and satellite providers on November 16. You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stGy6ZV4l4Q

RKS Wines: Should Portugal’s Douro Be Looking Over Its Shoulder to the Surging Alentejano?

In terms of the volume of Portuguese wines coming into Canada the Douro, leads the pack. The Douro produces top quality wines but since the grapes used in their winemaking are largely indigenous one might say their excellence is predictable. On the other hand the region in second place, Alentejano, produces excellent wines as well but adds a twist by including internationally recognized grapes in its red blends such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet adding some excitement and unpredictability to their wines. The same applies to the wines of the Lisbon region. Now you might like predictable excellence and applaud the use of indigenous grapes or you might find it boring always knowing what is in your glass. Whatever your preference over the years Alentejano has been gathering traction in Canada. Is it the excitement factor? That there is even a second place with Portuguese imports is a mini-miracle considering the Liquor Control Board’s irrational fear of disturbing money makers. LCBO where are wines from the Tejo, Bairrada, Algarve, Lisboa and the Dão?

Setting aside the polemics how is the Coutada Velha Signature 2019 from the Alentejano? On the nose it is inviting and enticing. There is a certain note of creaminess on the nose along with blueberry, black cherry, cactus pear, freshly rolled Cohiba cigars and fat ripe strawberries. On the palate the tannins are relatively mild. There are notes of cherry pie, roasted Portuguese almonds, rhubarb pie and raspberry galette. The finish is short. Although the wine has been aged in French oak for 8 months it is subtly entwined in the wine.

I would say great to drink on its own but it would match duck, beef or a vegetarian Putanesca sauce over pasta.

Immediately accessible and delicious. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragonez and Trincadera. Ready to drink now but it will hold until 2025. Competitive pricing!

(Coutada Velha Signature 2019, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Ravasqueira, Arriolos, Portugal, $15.95,Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 11152,750 mL 13.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100).

RKS Wine: Crasto A Classic Douro Red

I will admit I have a soft spot for Quinta do Crasto perched above the Douro River in Portugal. Going out in the fields and trying grapes on the vine and then trying to trace them in the wine. Eating lunch with the field workers which you often do as a journalist visiting a quinta (estate) and the food is simple but well prepared and tasty. No special gastronomical treatment for visiting journalists to a quinta except perhaps for an evening meal.

Crasto is a red blend from the Douro that is a perennial favourite at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. I recall its quality as being high. But do not convince popularity with quality. There are some popular wines at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario that I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. I suppose we should check out this Crasto which is a blend of classic Douro grapes Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca.

The wine is purplish in colour. A big hit of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry and a twist of black licorice. On the plate the tannins are moderate. This full- bodied wine is dry with notes of blueberry pie, blueberries, cassis and plum preserves. This is one simple but an excellent and pure wine. Neither rustic nor elegant let’s say it has the highest pedigree.

As for food excellent with Portuguese ox as so many Douro reds are. But a dearth of Portuguese ox in Canada means beef will have to do preferably rare to medium rare. We have a surplus of wild boar in Canada and I’d love to make a Tuscan Wild Boar Stew with a Saskatchewan wild boar. And speaking of game this would suit venison or some Moose Burgers. For vegheads Mushroom Ragout over Polenta and using this wine to make the ragout sauce will make it a very rich dish that would match perfectly!

Given its moderate tannins this wine could age well up to 2027.

(Crasto 2019 Douro DOC, Quinta do Crasto, Sabrosa, Portugal, $18.95, LCBO # 81588, 14%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 92/100)

Reggie The Egyptian Rescue Dog Is Back: “We Rescue Dogs Are All Hurting”

You have been reading about my adventures and thank you for so doing. These adventures are perhaps the most amazing that ever have been experienced by any dog let alone a rescue dog. Winning a Nobel Prize for literature, hanging out with Drake, Mr. Gordon Lightfoot, President Biden and his wife, being on national television networks and meeting the Pope and the Ayatollah of Iran. I am glad that I took a break because all this was getting a bit too exhausting. But you know I cherish most is the love that Fay and Bob give me, a big bowl of kibble, a bowl of cold and clean water and a walk. Of course, that piece of toast I get in the morning or a chunk of cheese at home are so good despite the gourmet dog food I ate on the road.

Experiencing all these wonderful adventures has been amazing and I lead a happy life but deep in my soul there is a bit of hurt. I have managed it best by accepting it and moving on. Had I not it would have gnawed me to pieces. But every once and awhile it surfaces that they took Anwar away and executed him for writing “treasonous articles”. I cry to myself but pick myself up and realize I have an important job to do and that is protecting my masters Bob and Fay and Dillie the Westie. I would defend them with my life. I have a deep sense of loyalty. I also want to help my brothers and sisters languishing in unsafe conditions.

So yes I am well adjusted with an occasional bad memory but have patience or pity that many rescue dogs have internalised their pain and it eats them up with self pity and anger. They growl, snap and act up in the worst fashion. Some are so hurt and damaged no amount of training can overcome the terrible trauma they have suffered through neglect or punishment. I can only hope you have compassion in your heart for these poor dogs after all it is humans that have caused the pain. Frustration and anger will do no good. My dearest hope is that with enough love, patience and training they will trust humans again. There are only a few rotten apple humans out there. I know that at Snookies Rescue Society who rescued me from Egypt there are often 150 applicants for each dog so I know there are many humans with big hearts that will not let us dogs down. Bob and Fay’s philanthropic organization “Reggie’s Dogs” helps Snookies and the foreign shelters they deal with and funds other rescue societies throughout Canada. Throw all the money you can at the problem which is what we need now but what about the problem of human abuse that simply stays there and will always create a continual stream of abandoned dogs? You have to change attitudes and hearts of people. Reggie’s Dogs has funded a hugely expensive pilot project in Cairo requiring anyone purchasing a dog to provide a “Certificate of Caring” attesting to the fact that the person(s) in whose name the dog will be registered has taken a 7-hour course in dog management and owner obligations. Whether this will work who knows. But I will leave you for the moment and say that humans are our worst enemies but can be our best friends.

Now I want to journey back in time and tell you the rest of my stories. Please join me.