“Black Jesus”: A complicated story: Toronto Hot Docs

It is hard not to hear on the television these days about thousands of migrants from Africa, Syria, Libya and many other countries making a desperate sea voyage to land on the shores of Italy, Spain or Greece. Often they are portrayed as victims of wars and civil strife but the truth may be most are young men looking for economic security thinking they are heading to the land of milk and honey where it doesn’t exist instead they are stuck in overcrowded camps with an endless wait to get recognized by the United Nations or “host governments” so they can obtain residency permits or even citizenship on humanitarian grounds.

In “Black Jesus” I am not a passive observer having spent two months on an Aegean Island in a town where there was an overcrowded refugee camp. Hundreds of mostly young men were seen wandering the streets with very little to do but hang out in parks and beaches. The once welcoming locals told me they were becoming increasingly frustrated with the swamping of their town with migrants receiving an EU stipend more than many of the locals were making. The local small hospital was overrun by migrants with communicable diseases. One woman at the camp had been raped multiple times by enlightened migrant men. At best there was resignation amongst the locals they were hostage to EU rules that required admission of “refugees” at the point of entry. The migrants were spooking the tourists in this town and that is very serious considering the local economy is feasting from May until September on tourism dollars and it is famine after that.

So before you take a dig as the Sicilians in this documentary as racists and bigots I can tell you taking sides in this situation is complicated!

The plot in the documentary is simple. The town of Siculiana in Sicily is a small coastal town with a population of 5,000 that swells in the summer as expats from the EU and North America return in the summer to swell the population to 15,000. Agriculture is shrivelling with so many people having left the island. There are few opportunities for youth. Quite frankly it is in its death throes as its youth leave looking for opportunities elsewhere.

This tight knit community is a host town for migrants some of which are fleeing civil strife but most are young men seeking salvation in the land of milk and honey. Some of the locals treat them as fellow “brothers” as if you know the history of Sicily it is a mix of Greeks, Arabs and many other groups. In fact if you know Sicilian cuisine it has a heavy Arabic streak in it. But there are those citizens who feel threatened by a wave of migrants and demonstrate about being taken over. One merchant expresses no overt hostility to the migrants but says he must protect his family and if it is a matter of them and us my family comes first. Yet there are a group of Grannies who seem divided some noting that Sicilians are a group of migrants as are these black migrants yet others who are afraid of the blacks.

But Siculiana has a black Christ in its main church that fascinate the black migrants who note the locals worship a wooden black but fail to respect real black people.

The town has its May 3^rd feast to honour its black Christ and several of the migrants ask the local priest if they can join the townspeople in carrying the black Christ in an out of the church and he agrees to put forward their suggestion to the organizing committee for the Festival and they agree.

So 4 black migrants carry Christ with the locals. Do they earn the respect of locals. Yes,many are impressed but some note the “Zulus” were clumsy in the procession.

The local “reception centre” was closed in October of 2019 and the Salvini government wants to refuse any more migrants from entering Italy and shuts migrant centres leaving thousands of young men as potential troops for the Mafia to flood the streets as they can’t be exiled but they can’t be minded by the state. Now could the answer be for this dying Italian town to incorporate the migrants into its economy and save it from a slow death? Put another way if you can’t beat em join em?

As one citizen says the solution is to make the migrant’s homeland such that there are not thousands that want to flee. Sounds easy but overly simplistic.

As one who has experienced this migrant influx and the disruption it creates I must say the solution is not Prime Minister Trudeau welcoming 15,000 Syrian “migrants” to Canada but somehow fixing the situation in their country of exile that threatens the cultural and security sovereignty of countries facing surges of “migrants”. Even the term of “migrants” needs some honest introspection. Where does the word “refugee” or “illegal” fit into reality?

Don’t flog me for this but could it be that these “migrants” are not “refugees” but young men looking for the land of milk and honey based on economic grounds rather than political ones?

To buy tickets for this 2020 92 minute film see https://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=141637~367cbc04-eb03-453a-90f8-88ca48c4cf79&epguid=9759e3f1-085c-4e15-88c2-e02a8ee1f1d1&

This Italian German documentary had English subtitles. Available for viewing 29April-9May.

Only available in Canada.

“Faceless”: Disturbing documentary but not surprising: Toronto Hot Docs

On July 1^st 1997 the United Kingdom’s lease on Hong Kong (HK) expired and political control was handed over to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The PRC and the UK agreed the way of life in HK was to remain unchanged for 50 years with a democratically elected local government, free speech and an independent judiciary. The PRC began a legislative whittling down of democracy basically stripping away democratic rights. Then in 2019 a proposed Extradition Bill that would make extradition from HK to the PRC easy sparked over 800 demonstrations and over 10,000 protestors arrested. The majority of the arrests were students but lawyers, activists, academics and politicians were also “rounded up” and once one is extradited to China the prosecution success rate is 99.9%.

Why is this documentary called “Faceless”? Demonstrators covered their faces to avoid being “recognized”. The PRC has the most advanced AI surveillance system in the world surprisingly assisted by Google. As one of the featured protestors said he hoped that one day we can greet each other unmasked. Unmasking will be the victory sought and the protest and resistance must continue. We must see that day.

The resistance is seen through 4 protestors. The Daughter of a policeman. The Believer who is a Christian. The Artist, a lesbian, who believes art can serve as a weapon of protest. The Student. Well there are also The Parents who are the older generation helping out the young protestors and The Navigators tracking police movements.

I will not tell you their stories lest I ruin the film but their beliefs are tested and they go through emotional experiences that transform the character they had at the outset of the protests.

The amount of people involved and the police brutality is shocking. Well not really considering the police are the control of the PRC. I have never seen so much teargas, water cannons and beatings. Carrie Lam the CEO of HK at the time is a laughable stoolie.

Coming back to reality did anyone really believe these courageous protestors ever have a chance against the PRC that always saw HK as a proper part of China. While the people of China in many respects are just like you and me but their political regime as recently seen by the imprisonment of two Canadians on trumped up spying charges and the alleged genocide (politely referred to by the PRC as re-education) of Chinese Uighur Muslims has a nasty side to it. You might even want to call China an imperialist power. Has the PRC become what it so bitterly criticized the United States of being?

PRC’s next prize will be Taiwan. Will it be enough to bring the United States into a war with the PRC?

This will show as a World Premiere at Toronto Hot Docs and will be available from April 29- May 9 only viewable to those in Canada. You can buy tickets here https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

This 82-minute 2021 HK, USA and Canadian film is directed by Jennifer Ngo. In Chinese with English subtitles.

You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4oZhxoy2TY

“Wuhan Wuhan”; Just like us: Toronto Hot Docs Festival

I will admit throughout this “Wuhan Wuhan” documentary I had a few flashbacks to that smirking ex-President of the United States Trump with his sneering comments about “The Chinese Virus”, “The Wuhan Virus” or “The Kung Flu” directing hatred toward the Chinese trying to deflect from his incompetence in managing COVID-19. Is it any wonder in North America Asian hate crimes are on the rise?

The documentary focuses on both a strained daily lockdown life and the dire situation in Wuhan Hospital # 5 for the most serious COVID-19 cases and the Fangcang Temporary Hospital a convention centre turned into a temporary hospital in February 2020 when case counts were high.

We’ve all heard of the terrible struggles Chinese medical teams facing a disease they knew little about and short of PPE and hospital beds. Be prepared to see many sick people some convinced they would die, a makeshift memorial outside Wuhan Hospital # 5 for frontline workers killed by COVID, bodies placed in body bags, terrified patients yet note the dogged determination of doctors, nurses and psychologists.

One physician confides he had asked his good friend to make sure his daughter is taken care of if he doesn’t “make it”.

Hear one psychologist say all COVID patients need psychological therapy including the psychologists. Watch volunteer hairdressers cut hair of frontline staff to prevent or reduce the chances of an infection and to make PPE more comfortable. See bizarre scenes of COVID patients dancing and doing group exercises. Watch an endless cascade of anxiety and doubt.

But somehow they pull through with their dedication and even a wry sense of humour to the point since June 2020 there have not been any further outbreaks in Wuhan that by official statistics showing there were 50,008 cases with 2,574 deaths.

Then there is the side story of volunteer medical driver Yin and his pregnant Xu showing how everyday life for the Chinese in Wuhan can be so that a simplistic task of buying a crib becomes exceedingly difficult. I can relate to this as it took four months last summer to buy a new fridge! Yin says he can’t stand being in lockdown so his volunteer driving is his therapy. Xu eventually is rushed to the hospital giving birth to a healthy girl Chuning meaning Peaceful Hubei. Yes life goes on in spite of a pandemic.

Unlike many documentaries this is one where there is an instant connection as we are all going through this pandemic together and like Trump it will be defeated. And it shows yes Chinese are human beings all politics being put aside. The anger many of us felt for the inappropriate comments of a buffoon President must have been amplified in China.

While this is a gripping documentary it is a testament to the courage and determination of front-line workers of Wuhan. But as many of us have been through lockdowns or shelter at home and are sick and tired of COVID this documentary is perhaps one you just can’t handle. I hope you’ll overcome any COVID fatigue you have and go along for a familiar ride but one that occurred in China. The similarities to many cities in North America and Europe are, of course, staring you right in the eye.

The documentary streams virtually from April 29^th to May 9^th and you can purchase tickets at https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

This 2021 90-minute Chinese, American and Canadian film is in Chinese with English subtitles. Yung Chang is the director and is a Chinese Canadian.

“Mutantism on The March”: Chapter 52 “Squid Heads Back to Montreal”

It had been centuries since Squid had been back in Montreal but his home in the caves of Mount Royal had remained undisturbed. Needless to say it needed a good spring cleaning but everything was exactly as he had left it. It definitely required some modernizing! But its environs had changed dramatically. No longer was Mount Royal the domain of fox, bear and deer. They had been replaced by a park and an artificial lake called Beaver Lake. There was a road right through Mount Royal and the once glorious view of the St. Lawrence River was obfuscated by skyscrapers of a bustling city called Montreal. The foot of the mountain was full of luxury homes in an area called Westmount and full of buildings belonging to McSwill University including the Royal Pictoria Hospital. No doubt the mutants lived in the dirty fumes of the city below.

Squid needed some re-education about the history of his former home so he dropped into the Redpath Library at McSwill University to catch up. When he tired of his reading he would drop down below to the student lounge and chat with the students drinking coffee from coffee machines. After several days lightbulbs in the student’s heads would flash making the connection that this was the Squid involved in Columbia and Nicaragua. The leftists enthusiastically supported his past actions but the small number of Marxist-Leninists , most of which were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) informants, called him a bourgeoisie toadie siding with the colonialist Tarzan and mythical Santa Claus. The student lounge crowd mostly sided with Squid calling the Marxist-Leninist faction a bunch of roosters who crowed a lot but never did anything but criticize. The students were fascinated by Squid’s recounting tales of Jacques Cartaway in the 1500’s in the area. One Master’s student Charles Doyoun, delighted Squid by filling him in recounting the histories of certain insurance and railway companies and the role they had in the formation of Canada. Munching on May Easts and sipping poor quality coffee he portrayed a terrible story of swindle and exploitation of Chinese in the building of Canada’s railroads. Times had been good for the railway men and government, although at the time it was difficult to distinguish between the two. What was good for the railways was good for the government. The excuse of the government for greasing its own pockets and that the railway men was that a railway would create a nation. As the aboriginals had been killed off or placed in reservations there was no stopping the railway men! Swindle the West, the Maritimes for the benefit of Montreal and Toronto interests. The bank accounts of the politicians and railway men were fattened and later glorified in history books and to hell with the workers who died by the hundreds but they were Chinese so who cared. What a shame Doyoun mused that these swindlers and opportunistic businessmen were glorified in school history curriculums. No surprise to Squid as those Scots and Brits were like their early ancestors. After dealing with the Indians they subjected the French-Canadians.

The fate of the aboriginals was to be hounded off the island of Montreal into reservations to be resettled far away from the white man and his guilt, if he had any. Many lived in a huge slum called Fognawagna lacking proper medical, education and decent housing. They languished in a tax-free environment peddling moonshine, dope and cigarettes. Occasionally they were visited around election time by various politicians who would don a headdress and smoke a peace pipe in a photo-op opportunity. During the summer tourist season many Americans would flock to Fognawagna to snap away with their cameras as the dejected residents danced a few war dances like they had seen on Hollywood Westerns. Souvenirs would be sold and the Yankees would head off in the blazing summer heat with skis on their cars looking for skiing opportunities. The once proud inhabitants of the area had been excluded from political, economic and social affairs by a series of “protective measures” enacted by The Great White Father Incorporated. Perhaps they faced a better chance with spears and arrows. The white man had butchered the vocal aboriginal mutants and all that remained was silent desperation.

“Mutantism on the March” Chapter 51 “ More Trouble Headed to Earth”

The story of Ergot’s adventure reached the first page of the Zortixian daily;

Bluebeard Our Hero ?

Although reports are vague and somewhat inconsistent at this moment we Zortixians have much to be grateful for. Late last night a man calling himself Bluebeard slipped into the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre along with a few of his “crew”. We are not quite sure where this Bluebeard came from due to yesterday’s wildcat strike of the Zortixian Space Monitors. After he accomplished his brave deed he fled the scene thinking victory was his. Our reporter on the scene did see the mysterious attacker whom his companions called “Bluebeard”. He was in a rush to escape probably fearing some retaliation from the Zortixian authorities. The Zortixian Defence Force arrived too late to question this Bluebeard as his craft had already departed. The Defence Force inspected the premises and startling evidence was recovered, a plot that may have spelled disaster for the planet.

Certain documents were found hidden in the basement revealing the real Zortixian doctors had been kidnapped and murdered years ago and replaced by North Wertian impostors. Readers are aware North Wertia, a non-Federation planet, is a dire enemy of Zortixians and have often threated us with annihilation all because its president banged his space boot on the table at a peace conference and our delegation had a laughing fit infuriating the president.

The North Wertian impostors through their use of plastic surgery replicated the murdered Zortixian doctors and adopted their mannerisms and memories so that their families never gave a thought they were dealing with impostors.

The North Wertians were attempting to infiltrate the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre and other similar centres to brainwash the helpless inmates and transform them into mindless attackers to paralyze key Zortixian defence capabilities to facilitate the penetration of Zortixia by North Wertian forces. All the impostors were killed by the inmates at the suggestion of this Bluebeard. They were beaten to death by spoons and all 36 died before Zortixian Defence Force troops arrived. The patients thought the Zortixian Defence Force was going to retaliate against them. One inmate mentioned the North Wertian doctors had been giving them “experimental drugs” which investigators determined was the last step to turn the inmates to mindless attackers. And considering these impostors worked in 26 Zortixian mental rehabilitation centres they would have been a force to contend with.

Whomever this Bluebeard was we thank him for possibly saving many Zortixian lives. Professor Gladbags a patient at the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre and a former teacher of Earth Studies, told us that Bluebeard was a famous Earthling pirate that had long ago died.

A small powerful bomb was found in the basement. Unnamed sources have a theory Bluebeard was planning to blow-up the Centre but realizing the North Wertians were already dead and not wishing to harm the inmates did not detonate the bomb. It seems likely that Bluebeard had a score to settle with North Wertia. Frizzy the Smicket Boy said at a news conference that (cont’d on page 3)

While the Zortixians were celebrating their good luck Redbeard was literally tearing his beard off. Ergot was a long way from Zortixia but his feeble mind had failed to remind him to set the timer on the bomb he had hidden in the Centre! Redbeard would be furious so rather than face his wrath he persuaded his crew to join him on a voyage to Earth to see if they could locate Spiritaki Jiber and form a conquering army to finally bring Zortixia to its knees. Eno was excited as perhaps he could find Bluebeard and carry out brilliant acts of piracy with him. However he missed reading the footnote stating Bluebeard was dead. They eventually reached Earth but with a bad landing the craft was damaged but they had landed near the famous German Touselberger shipyards and sailed away in a reconstructed pirate ship that had been turned into a brothel. They ejected the sex workers and clients, set sail and off they went. The next day the ship owner was delighted as the insurance company money would pay off his debts. Lids Insurance Company of London was not thrilled.

All commercial and private flights from India and Pakistan suspended by Canada

Government of Canada suspends flights from India and Pakistan

From: Transport Canada

News release

April 22, 2021 Ottawa

With a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for travellers, Canada has some of the strictest travel and border measures in the world.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, and the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, announced new rules for some international travel.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has been monitoring case data, and through mandatory testing upon entry into Canada, has detected a disproportionally higher number of cases among individuals travelling on flights originating from India and Pakistan. Given the high number of cases, the Government of Canada has taken additional measures:

Transport Canada has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to suspend all commercial and private passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days, effective 23:30 EDT April 22, 2021.
The Minister of Transport will amend the Interim Order Respecting Certain Requirements for Civil Aviation Due to COVID-19, which means for passengers who depart India or Pakistan to Canada after 23:30 EDT April 22, 2021, via an indirect route, they will need to obtain a negative COVID-19 pre-departure test from a third country before continuing their journey to Canada.
These measures will help manage the elevated risk of imported cases of COVID-19 and variants of concern into Canada during a time of increasing pressure on our health care system.

Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is guided by the latest science. Over the past few months, the Government of Canada introduced enhanced testing requirements for travellers arriving in Canada. These requirements include mandatory submission of contact, travel and quarantine information via ArriveCAN, pre-departure (air) or pre-arrival (land) testing, on-arrival testing and again later during 14-day mandatory quarantine period.

The Government of Canada also put in place more stringent criteria for suitable quarantine plans and a mandatory hotel stopover for travellers arriving by air while they await the results of their on-arrival test before completing the rest of their mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Quotes

“The pandemic continues to create an unprecedented crisis in the global aviation industry, and our government continues to take action to protect the health and safety of Canadians. That is why Transport Canada has issued a notice to air operators to temporarily suspend passenger flights from India and Pakistan—where there is an elevated number of passengers arriving with cases of COVID-19.”
The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport

“Throughout this pandemic, we have adapted our response to emerging science with one goal in mind: protecting Canadians. This is what we are doing again today. We have established some of the strongest border measures in the world, to test, screen, and quarantine incoming travellers. With the current pressure on hospitals and health care workers, we also need to reduce our contacts and avoid crowded places more than ever.”
The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Health

“As COVID-19 continues to cause unprecedented public safety challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to keep our borders strong and Canadians safe and healthy. These new measures complement those we already have in place and will play a critical role in controlling COVID-19 and variants of concern.”
The Honourable Bill Blair
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

“As we have shown since the onset of the pandemic, our government will never hesitate to take decisive action to protect the health and safety of Canadians. At this difficult moment, we thank those planning to come to Canada for their patience and understanding, in particular travellers from India and Pakistan who want start a new life here. We look forward to welcoming affected travellers to Canada once it is safe to do so.”
The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

“We’re moving forward with these additional travel restrictions to protect Canadians in all provinces and territories from the continued spread of COVID-19 and its variants. Since the beginning of this unprecedented pandemic, the health and safety of Canadians has been our number one priority – this will not change. As we continue to engage with provincial and territorial partners to distribute vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible, we will also work to ensure that we are preventing the spread and introduction of new variants of the virus into Canada.”
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Quick facts

Canada is now experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 cases accelerated by many factors, including variants of concern, as well as emerging variants of interest. Many provinces are experiencing an increasing number of cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions surpassing previous records. These trends emphasize the importance of maintaining strong public health and border measures that reduce the risk of importation of cases.
The NOTAM, which advises air operators of the suspension of passenger flights arriving in Canada from India and Pakistan, is a temporary measure for 30 days while the government assesses the evolving situation and determines appropriate measures going forward.
To ensure aviation safety and reduce operational interruptions, flights from India or Pakistan that are already in transit (in the air) at the time of the publication of the NOTAM will be allowed to proceed to Canada.
All passenger flights and business aviation flights will be captured by the NOTAM. Cargo only operations, medical transfers or military flights will not be included.
From February 22 to April 19, 2021, the Public Health Agency of Canada received Day 1 test results for 274,822 travellers (air and land travel) of which 1.4% or 3,732 tested positive for COVID 19.

Associated links

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 50 “Eno Ergot Screws Up”

It so happened Eno Ergot was out on Lake Ballatin when he spied a vessel carrying the Anemic International delegates on their party cruise. By their strange non-Zorollian clothing Ergot believed they were alien invaders launching a deadly attack on his beloved Zorollia. It was time to attack so sails were hoisted and Ergot was basking in anticipation of how proud his uncle Redbeard would be that he smashed a surprise attack. The Anemic International delegates were delighted seeing this strange watercraft approach them thinking it was entertainment. The gaily dressed attackers scaled the ship shouting “Ahoy Matie” and “Shiver me timbers” brandishing swords. The security detail eventually pushed off the attackers but 6 of the Anemic International delegates were killed and 16 slashed. Ergot was thrilled with his courageous mission and eagerly trotted off to Uncle Redbeard to tell him about the glorious mission he had just returned from.

Redbeard was in a fury and ready to personally strangle his nephew. Eno entered the room with joy blurting out the details of his heroic mission. Redbeard listened with mock rapture having certain final plans for Eno in mind. He said to Eno, “You have done well my nephew and helped save the planet from great harm. You are now a new hero to the planet. But before we pin a medal on you I must advise you that now we are soon to be under enemy attack. At this very moment there are missiles aimed at us hidden in the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre. Our secret agents on Zortixia have advised us an attack on Zorollia is imminent. We must work quickly to destroy these missiles so I am sending you as the new hero to the nation to destroy these missiles. Take your men with you and be prepared to depart shortly. All Zorollian markings will be removed from your spacecraft to confuse our enemies.”

This was a dastardly trick and no more than an intentional suicide mission to rid Redbeard of the incompetent Ergot nephew of his. There was a Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre but there were no missiles. Undoubtedly the whole band of incompetents would be blasted out of the sky long before they penetrated the Zortixian atmosphere. Thus Redbeard would be free forever from Ergot. A brilliant plan but about the carnage caused to the Anemic International delegates? This was going to require a tall tale to escape.

Ergot and his crew puffed up from the glorious attack had them thinking of enormous pensions and medals of bravery galore. Without further ado they were flying off to their suicide mission to the snickers of Redbeard. Well fate can be unpredictable as due to a wildcat strike of Zortixian space monitors Ergot’s ship slipped into Zortixian airspace unnoticed. They landed in the woods behind the Centre. Eno with a miniature but extremely powerful bomb slipped through the doors of the Centre along with several of his men not raising any suspicion as he and his crew were dressed like Zortixians. He found the basement and planted the bomb in a garbage container. Well the results of the raid were astonishing especially to the unwitting Redbeard. He had actually helped the Zortixians to discover an enemy plot even more heinous than Ergot’s suicide mission! The story is a bit confusing so let us glean the details from the front page of the Zortixian Daily.

“Mutantism on the March”: Chapter 49 “Eno Ergot Emerges”

Spiritaki Jiber (aka Jiber Junior) had precious little time to act when he heard that one of his cadre had ben captured by Frizzy the Smicket Boy chief of the Zortixian Defence Academy. Frizzy would not be afraid to bash about his prisoner unlike the soft Zortixians. If only Jiber had not sped off to Earth Frizzy missed an opportunity to catch an enemy of Zortixia. Jiber did contact his friend Eno Ergot before he fled. Ergot quite frankly was a total idiot but he was the nephew of Redbeard the leader of the Zorollian Opposite Party hence could be a valuable contact. Jiber had suggested to Eno that perhaps one day they could rendezvous on Earth and form a conquering army comprised of deluded earthlings. This army could be used to conquer the entire Federation and bring fame and glory to Eno and Jiber. Eno, a man easily led into adventure, agreed but no date was set. It might be soon as Eno’s mischief on Zorollia had angered his uncle Redbeard and had resulted in increasingly stiff reprimands.

Eno was possessed with Earth mania consuming the limited literature on this unknown planet. He was fascinated with one particular pirate called Bluebeard who shared a similar name to Redbeard his uncle. His thirst for knowledge was somewhat abated when he read an essay by William Montenez Junior from the planet of Zortixia entitled “Notorious and Bloodthirsty Characters of the Planet Earth: How to Avoid Similar Historical Situations”. It contained a detailed essay on the pirate Bluebeard and the type of sailing vessel he used on his missions of plunder. After spending hours looking at Bluebeard’s ship he began constructing a replica with the help of his friends at the Zorollian Engineering Academy. The first two sank upon launching but the third try was lucky and he could be seen sailing it on the Zorollian capital’s city lake, Lake Ballatin, manned by a crew of recently freed convicts. Redbeard was delighted to see his nephew had finally settled down to a proper life. Anyways this weird vessel took the Zorollian minds off their dismal state of affairs.

Redbeard, the sole Opposite Party brute in power, had been facing pressure from the other Federation leaders regarding the conditions of Zorollian detention centres particularly the conditions facing political prisoners. What was a little torture now and then? Being a benevolent leader, he extended an invitation to Anemic International to investigate for themselves the conditions in Zorollian detention centres.

Very quickly new detention centres were constructed, the prisoners clothed in the latest fashion and fed enormous healthy meals so they would appear with glowing complexions. The worst outspoken prisoners were removed to unnamed prisons not on the formal inspection list. Paid Opposite Party members were to assume the role of detainees so as to create an impression of decent Zorollian detention life. The Anemic International delegation arrived on Zorollia and spent a week investigating. They had their suspicions of a hoax but without concrete evidence they could only prepare a vague report. On their last day they were invited to a lavish cruise on the beautiful Lake Ballatin near the capital city where Stogy Fish caviar and enormous quantities of muga berry liquor were consumed.

“Generation Utoya” Why? Toronto Hot Docs

You may remember that horrific day in July of 2011 when Anders Breivik killed 69 people, most of them young adults, at a summer camp on the tiny Norwegian island of Utoya which is 25 kilometres west of Oslo. He also planted a bomb in a governmental building in Oslo that killed 8. The killings and bombings were a shock but also the fact that such an event could occur in Norway. While we are somewhat accustomed to deranged killers in The United States, Norway is a country where such things aren’t supposed to happen. So again you are asking why.

Breivik wrote a rambling manifesto before the killing posting his upcoming mission expressing his hatred for liberals allowing the Muslimification of Norway. The young adults were members of the AUF (Norwegian Workers Youth League). Although Breivik admitted to the killings he never agreed they were criminal acts.

The documentary also causes one to wonder why the mass killings occurred in Nova Scotia last April. Why?

Can we blame it on insanity? Or hatred? On extremism? Or is it a lethal combination of all three. As for Breivik perhaps that deserves a documentary itself. But this documentary deals with the survivors of the Utoya killings.

The common denominator of the survivors was terror and disbelief.

One of the 4 women featured suffers from anxiety and panic attacks with PTSD. You can be assured she isn’t the only victim of mental distress. She feels guilt for having survived. All are fearful of extremism.

One woman becomes deputy mayor of Oslo and another Ina, becomes the leader of the AUF both becoming political activists trying to change a damaged world. Was their foray into politics spurred by Utoya? Ina says we must speak out against intolerance and xenophobia. She also makes an interesting comment about how freedom of speech can be dangerous. Even seemingly rock-solid Ina suffers from panic attacks.

One would have thought this may have been a wake-up call for Norwegians that even in Norway extremism can take hold and in fact anti-Muslim sentiment has only grown in Norway. You may share my view that it demeans the death of so many innocent people.

And you think it can’t happen in Canada? Well it already has as the killings in Nova Scotia and at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal not to mention the van attack in Toronto illustrate. As recent events in Washington show extremism is thriving in the United States. Is extremism a historical imperative? It has been around for centuries and Utoya is but an example.

The film is available virtually and tickets can be purchased at the Hot Docs website https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

The film is 99 minutes and in Norwegian with English subtitles. You can see between April 29-May 9 and once you start streaming you have 48 hours to watch. Hot Docs films are only available in Canada.

“Dark Blossom”: Welcome to the Goth World: Toronto Hot Docs

“Dark Blossom” may be one of the most artistic documentaries I have seen is some time. It’s not a documentary that is preoccupied with plot but almost serves an excuse to present a richly crafted cinematography all you can eat Bellagio buffet. Yes you get the sense you are watching a film you might see at an art museum crossed with a horror movie, music video and a fashion show. Visually stunning.

Director and cinematographer of this Danish film Frigge Fri graduated from the Fatamorgana school of art photography. Most of her short career has consisted as acting as a cinematographer and has directed a score of music videos. “Dark Blossom” is her first feature-length documentary film directorial debut. To be frank this documentary is not heading for a big commercial success but if you agree with me cinema can be an art film this documentary is for you.

You’ll be exposed to Goth culture where fashion and image are extremely vital. You’ll be introduced to three Goths basically ill at ease with society and find a sense of community in the Goth world.

Josephine grew up with divorced parents in a small Danish town and just could not fit in at school and found refuge and meaning in the Goth community.

Nightmare is Josephine’s friend and was subject to bullying and exclusion at school while Jay lives in a strict religious family which tries to exclude him from the evils of the world.

All three find sanctuary, creativity and meaning in their Goth world. As director Fri states, “Josephine, “Nightmare” and Jay all have a strong creative vein and they use it to express the darkness each of them carry around. And precisely the channelling of for example loneliness, anxiety and lack of understanding from their surroundings, I find to be a huge inspiration and I have also become fascinated by their unstoppable access to express their inner demons through creativity.”

The documentary is 90 minutes in length and is in Danish, English, Urdu and German with English subtitles. It is having its international premiere at Hot Docs. You can see the film from 29April to 9May and buy tickets at the Hot Docs website https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival  . It can only be watched from within Canada.

You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFZ3vdmhVII