RKS Film: “JonBenét’s Tricycle”; Compelling and Chilling

Many of us may remember the murder of JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder Colorado years ago. The murder has not been solved and as we progress through the documentary there is a strong assumption made the crime scene was contaminated by inept police not used to investigating murders in Boulder. Then a spat between a plea bargain obsessed District Attorney and Boulder police did nothing to advance the investigation. DNA testing was also bungled.

So we start this documentary focusing on ephemera collector Andrew Novick who has JonBenét’s tricycle and in addition has a garage full of ephemera. We are challenged as to whether Novick is a hoarder or a pop culture “collector”. That is a discussion you may wish to delve into.

The documentary moves beyond the quirky ephemera collector Andrew Novick to a more critical analysis of a bungled murder investigation. Psychics and paranormal personalities add their often chilling and accurate observations of the death of 6 year old JonBenét.

The documentary examines pop culture’s obsession with tragedy and horror and challenges you about what you think about this. Psychics are used to determine what they feel about the trike and they are nibling around the edge. Their observations are accurate if not a bit fuzzy.

It is amazing how JonBenét’s trike as an image of pop culture in America has spawned a rich and sick tale of tabloid trash.

The end result is no conclusions and of course no convictions despite a parade of suspicious characters.

The documentary is provocative, tragic, disgusting, haunting, fascinating, captivating, obscene and outrageous.

Initially you may think this is on the edge of reality but stick with it and enjoy the ride. Officially one supposes the investigation has concluded in an inept fashion but the poor soul of JonBenét deserves an answer and the truth and until then can her soul ascend to where it belongs.

You can catch the tailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2_iwyzpMA8

Andrew Novick is the director of his own film.

Now available on various VOD platforms.

As a closing remark are you drawn in by the name JonBenét Ramsey and the picture of her trike? Answer that question before watching the documentary and you’ll understand the documentary. Very spooky recreations of her riding her trike which Novick rescued from the garbage as well as unopened bag of popcorn. Spooky!

RKS Film Rating 93/100.

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog is Back: Will the Canadians Shine at the Academy Awards?

We had an uneventful flight from Dulles to LAX. Nicole had arranged for a limo to take us to her Malibu home and when we arrived at her spectacular home the housekeeper took us to the beach guest house and then returned with a huge platter of sushi. Nicole, Mr. Urban and their children Faith and Sunday were out at a party but Nicole left us a note welcoming us and that she and her family were looking forward to meeting us for breakfast at the main house. We had our sushi and went for an evening walk on the beach. Dylan the Westie hates water with a passion so we stayed a good distance from the water. Oh it is so calming to smell the saltwater and hear the waves! Thank goodness there are no saltwater crocodiles in Malibu!

We were so very tired we were in bed sound asleep by 10 p.m. which is 1 a.m. Toronto time. We awoke to a beautiful sunny day. Nicole gave us a call and we headed up to the main house for breakfast. It was great seeing Nicole again! Mr. Urban is a friendly guy and her children Faith and Sunday are well mannered and right after breakfast the children take us to the grounds to chase tennis balls. The humans chat away drinking tea. Nicole tells us we have a press conference at a nearby hotel at three with me, Dylan the Westie, Mr. Gordon Lightfoot, Martin Malivoire, Russell Crowe and Nicole. I have been in so many of these media scrums they rarely excite me. The usual questions. Been there done that! Word is out about our Presidential Medal of Honour. At the entrance of the hotel there are hundreds of children wanting to see me and Dylan the Westie. Nicole’s management team hands out pictures of me and Dylan the Westie with our paw prints on them! Nicole is a very smart lady and has a great head for business.

Nicole has invited Mr. Gordon Lightfoot, Martin Malivoire and Russell Crowe for dinner in a private dining room in nearby ritzy restaurant. And yes Mr. Gordon Lightfoot starts the evening off by singing “Paco A Girl’s Best Friend” and then Mr. Urban and Mr. Gordon Lightfoot sing and play “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” like never heard before. They had been rehearsing that a few days earlier. Mr. Gordon Lightfoot and Mr. Urban are going to collaborate on Mr. Urban’s new album!

We have a quiet breakfast in our beach house prepared by Nicole’s housekeeper. We have another walk on the beach and poor Bob gets a sunburn so his face looks like a cherry! We all have a short nap and prepare for the big night. Bob and Fay look really snazzy and Fay has her make-up and hair done by a well-known Hollywood make-up artist. Dylan the Westie and I have a bath and a good brush. We dogs decided we want to wear our Hamilton Tiger Cats jersey to give Hamilton a big shout out to the huge audience watching the Oscars.

Nicole looks smashing! We hop into the limo and go to something called the Red Carpet which is jammed full of movie stars, models and celebrities. Fay is holding me and Bob is holding Dylan the Westie. Many ask Bob about the Hamilton Tiger Cats jersey not surprising as they know little about Canadian football.

Bob takes us for a walk just before the televised event begins and we are surrounded by eager fans wishing us the best.

The lights dim and we are live!

We hold our breath as the nominees for best song are announced. And the winner is…….Gordon Lightfoot for “Paco A Girl’s Best Friend”! Mr. Gordon Lightfoot grabs me and takes me on the stage. He has 90 seconds to speak to the world. “I would like to thank the Academy. I would not be here without the inspiration that Reggie has given me. A street dog from Cairo who has conquered the hearts of millions. “Paco a Girl’s Best Friend” is my biggest hit ever. Reggie I love you!” He then hoists me up over his head to thunderous applause.

Then it is the best special effects award. And the winner is Martin Malivoire for “A Dog Saved My Life”! Canada is cleaning up! That special effects fight between me and the saltwater crocodile was a masterpiece said Variety Magazine.

Then for best supporting actor…” And the winners are Dylan the Westie and Rick Mercer.” We Canadians are red hot!

Is it my turn next? And the winner for best actor is Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog and Russell Crowe. This is unreal. Wake me up please! Russell says, “Thank you Academy members. I was doing Reggie’s voice and there was such a range of emotions trying to portray them was perhaps the most difficult job in my career. Reggie is super intelligent and at times I thought he was a human. After working with him for 4 months I know he is embarrassed and very shy but both of us thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

And the winner for Best Actress is Nicole Kidman for “A Dog Saved My Life”. The crowd erupts but there is a stir. Why is Nicole walking up the stairs in the wrong direction? What is the matter? Nicole has come to get us and she puts a double leash and takes Dylan the Westie and I to the stage. We sit at her feet. Nicole speaks, “I have had a close working relationship with Reggie and his pal Dylan the Westie. At Reggie’s screen test I knew this was the dog for the film. Obedient and he acted like he understood the human language and knowing him I think he understands us humans sometimes better than we know ourselves. Reggie and Dylan you have done yourselves proud. A very special thanks to my husband and two children here tonight for being without me as we filmed for 4 months in Darwin.”

The crowd is up on its feet chanting “REGGIE. DYLAN. NICOLE.”

What a party afterwards! Dylan the Westie and I feel like movie stars. No wait. WE ARE MOVIE STARS! We meet so many famous people. Robert de Niro wants to have us visit him in New York. Countless offers are made for film projects and Bob collected some 65 business cards. It is all a blur. Then the room goes silent and an announcement is made to watch the screens in the room. God bless his soul it is our friend Joe Biden who congratulates everyone in the room and gives a special shout out to “my good friends” Dylan and Reggie. This stuns most of the people in the room not knowing that two dogs are good friends of the American President.

At two in the morning the limo comes to take us back to Malibu. Dylan the Westie and I are so exhausted when we get back home Bob and Fay had to carry two sleeping dogs back to their doggie beds with a presidential seal on them.

We have a farewell breakfast and drive off to Palm Springs for a few days rest. Before we leave Bob and Fay invite Nicole and her family to our Toronto home for Canadian Thanksgiving. Joe and Jill Biden have also been invited. This may work!

Golf and Your Mental Game: The Wisdom and Cowardice of Fear

Suppose you are 200 yards from the green and over the creek you must go to reach it. You will need an awesome shot. The carrot is being dangled! You are fearful if you don’t have enough distance in the creek you go. If you come in too fast and low you’ll skid off the green into the sand trap. You can look at the situation two ways. Fear has set in as you have doubts as to your ability to softly land on the green. Could this be all your experience supercomputing in your head telling you the odds are you won’t make it over the creek? Is this your golf wisdom kicking in? Or could it simply be cowardice and the unwillingness to face a challenge. I suppose it depends on your mindset. Are you a prisoner of your fear or are you wise because your past experience leans toward your inability to clear the creek? That shot may lead to your wisdom kicking in and laying up. Is this cowardice or wisdom? Make your decision and live with it. At least in this situation you felt you had a chance. Where will your mindset lead you?

On the other hand there is a situation where a slice on the tee over some very tall trees will land you on the green. But you need a spectacular and highly unlikely shot to clear those trees. In this case you realize although you enjoy the challenge the odds of making such a shot are virtually impossible so fear may be leading to wisdom. The risk is so great it could be seen as stupid trying to make such a shot

Then there is the situation where your score has tanked and you have nothing to lose by trying to make that impossible shot. Through your desperation you are going to challenge yourself and add to your golf memory bank which will be data you can rely on in the future.

All this points to the mental nature of a golf game. You are going to have to continually evaluate your skill against the risk and probabilities. Are you now seeing how much of a mental and emotional game golf can be!

Ontario Conservative Party and COVID Doublespeak

Have you noticed the new term in government press releases?
Activities are no longer prohibited but they are “paused”
Tiny Tim is tiptoeing through the flowers
hoping that the smell of incessant governmental emergency orders
acrid as they may be will be muffled by the sweet smelling flowers

Robert K. Stephen

So Inspired!

This morning I am so proud to be a Canadian
Our Prime Minister Trudeau received the vax on the telescreen
Making the reticent so keen
Smiling with thumbs up!
So brave with no grimace

He’ll show those anti-vaxxers the politically correct course of action!
The man is a beacon of courage and inspiration
Yes I can see it now a rush for the booster
like a headless rooster
inspired by a great statesman
I feel like I have eaten too much bran!

Robert K. Stephen

Golf and Your Mental Game: Self Compassion and Acceptance: Fear and Loathing on the Golf Course

In a perfect world you make a bad shot and you accept it then you move on with a clear head and attitude to your next shot. Moving on to that next shot not suffering mentally takes practice and discipline. Unfortunately, many golfers I encountered as a golf Marshall have difficulty accepting a bad shot particularly if they have had a string of bad shots. Then a negativity storm starts brewing in the golfer’s head. Sort of like that priest in the Da Vinci Code who self flagellates! I have seen many golfers criticize themselves out loud for being stupid by trying to get that extra long drive over the creek but ending up in the creek. It is almost as if there is a bad case of self loathing, anger, frustration and the inability to detach the mind from the bad shot. The mind refuses to back down and face the fact a bad shot has been made and accept it non-judgementally. I say try and accept that shot then offer yourself some self compassion. You are far from perfect. You are entitled to bad shots as that is part of the game of golf. What good does beating up yourself do? It increases your suffering to the point you start disliking yourself and even demeaning yourself. This is more than “keeping a stiff upper lip” but accepting the negative and forgiving yourself. So if you end up in the creek accept what you can’t change and if necessary forgive yourself.

RKS Wines: Two Sisters 2015 Cabernet Franc From Niagara

Given the veritable lunacy of travelling outside of Canada these days our sights were directed 2 hours away from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL). My past experiences there have been unpleasant. However, after three trips there during the plague I have come to like NOTL. Not its main street but what lies behind that Walt Disney façade. It is quite a charming place to visit if you stay away from the crowds. You are close to many wineries and during COVID Niagara Falls was actually deserted and you felt you had the Falls all to yourself. Although Niagara Falls as a town is tawdry and cheap. NOTL is aristocratic and grand in comparison.

I passed by many wineries I recognize by name and product. Some I don’t like. Two Sisters which looks like a high-end Napa winery caught my eye. I tried their Merlot recently and it was the best Ontario Merlot I have had. Ontario Merlot on the whole is rather spotty but somehow Two Sisters made it spectacular.

Cabernet Franc is one of Ontario’s signature grapes. It does well in Lake Erie North Shore, Prince Edward County and in Niagara. What can Two Sisters do with it?

In colour a dark ruby red. As for aromas raging black cherry, cranberry, milk chocolate and Quebec raisin pie. On the palate if you are expecting soft and mellow you won’t find it in this wine. There are tannins but a delayed release so as to speak but they are broad based and gentle. The wine is firm and stands tall and proud and tough. Quite frankly it wants to take no hostages but will quietly surrender itself to wine drinkers willing to test the waters with what is an out of character Ontario Cabernet Franc. But that is not a criticism. Its palate is powerful and assertive with black cherry, muted chili pepper and black currant. At 7 years of age I venture to say it is just hitting its stride and I foresee improvement in the bottle over the next five years. Quite remarkable for a Cabernet Franc from Ontario. Ontario Proud.

Its power suggests a good match with game such as venison or a marinated Lac Brome duck breast. Beef in a peppercorn sauce will do quite nicely. For vegheads a mushroom Wellington or a mushroom ragout in a red wine sauce over homemade Polenta. Their ritzy restaurant Kitchen 76 suggests this would suit a truffle pizza. Agreed.

Winemaker Adam Pearce is a genius as the wine has been aged 34 months in French oak and the oak is beautifully integrated into the wine. Now the price of $75.80 might be best suited for a corporate lawyer on Bay Street or perhaps a neurologist or cardiologist who has a jazzy cellar. This is a trophy wine for sure or perhaps for us common folk a rare treat which will not disappoint.

(Two Sisters 2015 Cabernet Franc, VQA Niagara River, Two Sisters Vineyard, Niagara- on- the- Lake, $75.80, 750 mL, 14.5%, Robert K. Stephen Rating 94/100).

Buy direct from the winery at https://www.twosistersvineyards.com/

WINE DRINKER PROFILE: A collector willing to cellar for the next 3-5 years. Must have deep pockets. A commoner would enjoy as a rare treat.

Ontario Goes to Modified Lock-Down

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario Temporarily Moving to Modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen

Time-limited measures needed to preserve hospital capacity as province continues to accelerate booster dose rollout

January 03, 2022

Office of the Premier

Table of Contents

  1. Content
  2. Quick Facts
  3. Additional Resources
  4. Related Topics

TORONTO — In response to recent trends that show an alarming increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is temporarily moving the province into Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen with modifications that take into account the province’s successful vaccination efforts. These time-limited measures will help blunt transmission and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed as the province continues to accelerate its booster dose rollout. As part of the province’s response to the Omicron variant, starting January 5, students will pivot to remote learning with free emergency child care planned for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.

“As we continue with our provincial vaccine booster efforts, we must look at every option to slow the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Putting these targeted and time-limited measures in place will give us more opportunity to deliver vaccines to all Ontarians and ensure everyone has maximum protection against this virus.”

Unlike other variants throughout the pandemic, evolving data is showing that while the Omicron variant is less severe, its high transmissibility has resulted in a larger number of hospital admissions relative to ICU admissions. Staff absenteeism is also expected to rise and affect operations in workplaces across Ontario due to Omicron infection and exposure, including in hospitals and schools. Real-world experience and evidence in Ontario reveal that approximately one per cent of Omicron cases require hospital care. The rapid rise of Omicron cases, which may soon number in the hundreds of thousands, could result in the province’s hospital capacity becoming overwhelmed if further action isn’t taken to curb transmission. When one in 100 cases goes to hospital, it means that with this rapid increase in transmission the number of new cases requiring hospitalization will also rapidly increase daily. For example, 50,000 cases per day would mean 500 hospital admissions per day, which is greater than the peak daily hospitalizations of 265 per day from last spring, when hospitals were under significant strain during the third wave of the pandemic.

In response, the province will return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

These measures include:

  • Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
  • Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
  • Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
  • Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to the social gathering limits.
  • Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent capacity. For shopping malls physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted and food courts will be required to close.
  • Personal care services permitted at 50 per cent capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
  • Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
  • Public libraries limited to 50 per cent capacity.
  • Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
  • Restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
  • Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
  • Closing museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy, where applicable, limited to 50 per cent capacity.
  • Closing indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy limited to 50 per cent capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50 per cent capacity.
  • Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
  • All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.
  • School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.
  • During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.

Please view the regulation for the full list of mandatory public health and workplace safety measures.

In addition, on January 5, 2022 the Chief Medical Officer of Health will reinstate Directive 2 for hospitals and regulated health professionals, instructing hospitals to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures in order to preserve critical care and human resource capacity.

In recognition of the impact the Omicron variant and additional public health measures have on small businesses, the government is expanding the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program. Eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity will receive rebate payments for a portion of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to these measures. Eligible businesses required to reduce capacity to 50 per cent, such as smaller retail stores, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 50 per cent of their costs, while businesses required to close for indoor activities, such as restaurants and gyms, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 100 per cent of their costs. A full list of eligible business types will be made available when applications for the program open later this month. To improve cash flows for Ontario businesses, effective January 1, 2022, the government is also providing up to $7.5 billion for a six-month interest- and penalty-free period for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes, supporting businesses now and providing the flexibility they will need for long-term planning.

The government is also exploring options for providing further targeted and necessary supports for businesses and workers impacted by the province’s move into a modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, including grants. The government will also continue to call on the federal government to come to table and help us support Ontario businesses and Ontario workers by allowing eligible businesses to defer HST and to enhance supports available to workers affected by current public health measures.

“As cases continue to rise at a rapid rate and evidence on the Omicron variant evolves, additional time-limited measures are needed to help limit transmission as Team Ontario continues to get booster doses into arms,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While this was not an easy decision, these measures will help preserve hospital bed capacity and prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.”

“Children will continue to receive live virtual learning during this period, led by their teacher, with full access to school-based academic and mental health supports,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “We will continue to work closely with the Chief Medical Officer of Health to keep our communities safe and ensure that Ontario students get back to in-person learning as soon as possible.”

As of January 2, more than 3.7 million booster doses have been administered across the province. The government is focusing all efforts to speed up booster doses, including employer-led vaccination clinics and expanded GO-VAXX mobile clinics. To date, over 4,300 Ontarians have registered through the Ontario COVID-19 Volunteer Portal and the Health Workforce Matching Portal and have answered the province’s call to arms to businesses, volunteers and retired health professionals to help further boost capacity to administer vaccines and get more boosters into arms sooner.

The province is also continuing to urge the federal government to approve COVID-19 antivirals to support Canada’s pandemic response.

“While the risks for severe illness are lower with Omicron than with the previous variants of concern, it is far more transmissible and hospitalizations are expected to continue to increase placing greater pressure on our health system,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “It is difficult but necessary to apply additional public health and workplace safety measures to help stop the spread of the virus and protect our health system capacity. Please follow all public measures and get vaccinated with your first, second or booster dose if you have not done already.”

Quick Facts

  • As of January 2, 2022, more than 27 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with more than 90 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 and over having received at least one dose and more than 88 per cent having received at least a second dose. More than 43 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received their first dose and over 3.7 million booster doses have been administered including to 47 per cent of individuals aged 50 and over and more than 31 per cent of individuals aged 18 and over.
  • In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario updated its COVID-19 testing and isolation guidelines on December 30, 2021. These updates follow recent changes in other jurisdictions in Canada and the United Kingdom to ensure publicly funded testing and case and contact management resources are available for the highest-risk settings and to protect the most vulnerable and help keep critical services running.
  • The Ontario government is amending O. Reg. 263/20 (Rules for Areas at Step 2) under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) to apply additional or modify public health and workplace safety measures, and amending O.Reg. 363/20 (Steps of Reopening) to move Ontario to the amended Step Two, effective Wednesday, January 5th.

Additional Resources

The Imprisonment of Ontario Long Term Care Residents: Time for Habeas Corpus?

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario Taking Further Action to Keep Long-Term Care Residents Safe

Additional measures being put in place to protect residents and staff against Omicron variant

December 28, 2021

Long-Term Care

Table of Contents

  1. Content
  2. Quick Facts
  3. Additional Resources
  4. Related Topics

TORONTO — In response to the evolving Omicron situation, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is taking further actions to protect the health and safety of residents, staff and caregivers in long-term care homes.

The following temporary measures at long-term care homes will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, December 30, 2021:

  • Access to long-term care homes by general visitors will be paused. Designated caregivers may continue to enter long-term care homes.
  • Day absences for all residents for social purposes will be paused.

“We know that long-term care residents face an increased risk of COVID-19. Given the high community infection rates we’re seeing with the Omicron variant, the time for more action is now,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of Long-Term Care. “In addition to the steps we’ve already taken, these new temporary measures will help keep residents safe and help critical staff remain on the job.”

The government will closely monitor the situation in long-term care homes and continue to adjust measures as necessary to keep residents and staff safe.

Earlier this month, the government put in place policies in long-term care homes designed to optimize safety for residents and staff, including the requirement that all general visitors need to be fully vaccinated to enter a home. The province is also requiring all staff caring for a resident with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 to wear a fit-tested, seal-checked N95 respirator. However, the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant will likely mean staff being exposed to or contracting COVID-19 in the community and more outbreaks in long-term care homes. This means that it is imperative to keep COVID-19 out of homes wherever possible and prevent spread within homes, with the most important objective being the prevention of severe outcomes for residents and staff.

“I understand that these new, temporary measures will impact residents’ ability to have close contact with many of their friends and family members,” said Minister Phillips. “We must remain vigilant against the Omicron variant to protect long-term care residents and staff.”

“We know these measures are difficult for residents and families, but we must stand strong to protect our most vulnerable, which includes residents of long-term care homes,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “I encourage everyone to get their booster shot as soon as possible so we can keep everyone safe with the added layer of protection that the vaccine provides.”

The COVID-19 vaccine remains the single best protection against COVID-19 and variants. Every eligible Ontarian is strongly recommended to get vaccinated or receive their booster as soon as possible.

Golf and Your Mental Game: Are You a Walking Zombie?

Are you a golfer that starts analyzing your next shot as soon as your shot has landed? Are you mulling that over as you walk up to the ball? Have you become a walking zombie clued out to your surroundings? If so is your single minded focus doing you any good? Are you on auto pilot?

Wouldn’t a more mindful approach be to be aware of your environment instead of that businesslike attitude of approach and hit repetitively. Are you out to be a golf machine or to enjoy your surroundings and enjoy the space that you are in? Your choice.

A couple of good examples might be walking your dog. Do you trudge along with a busy mind with that voice in your head planning, criticizing and analyzing so you can’t be really awake and taking in the environment you are in. Do you wash the dishes with your mind elsewhere?

Mindfulness has a major component of being in the present moment and for a golfer that means being part of the golf course and its beauty and character. As you approach the ball notice the forest, the stream and the beautiful greenery about you. If you do aren’t you taking the pressure off that is present if the only thing you are thinking about is your next shot? As one famous golfer said don’t even think about your next shot until you arrive at your ball. Save your mental energy by thinking of more than hitting the next shot. By being aware of your surroundings then deciding how to make the next shot when you get to the ball you just might find you are more relaxed and better able to concentrate on that next shot.