“Mutantism on the March” : Chapter 108 Dr. Zodiac Remembers His Encounters at the River Styx

The lightbulb flashed in Zodiac’s head something akin the attack of the mutant killer ants happening below his window in the streets of Montreal. He recalled many years ago being on the banks of the River Styx where he was weaponless in the face of a killer insect beast and the only object nearby was a duck egg which he hurled at the beast which then shrivelled and died. And the cure for the bite which he remembered from Turkish mythology was to drink a solution of crushed fisheyes and hashish. Would it work here? Well it was worth a try so he burst into the kitchen of The Ritz Marlton demanding all fish eyes be placed in a blender. He asked the night manager to open his safety deposit box and took out his 7 kilos of his private hash stash. The kitchen staff was confused but quickly hustled into action when Dr. Zodiac threw a pile of gold coins on a prep table. Seafood restaurants and suppliers were called and kilos of fisheyes quickly arrived. Eggs were hustled up by the hundreds as well but they were chicken and not duck eggs.

Dr. Zodiac rushed into the street with a box of eggs and threw them at the ants which when hit let out a scream of agony then shrivelled and died. Witnesses saw the effect of the egg on beast and rushed out to gather supplies of eggs which they pelted the killer ants with. The word spread through the media the power of eggs against the invaders and soon most of them had been terminated with extreme prejudice. However the human casualty toll was enormous. Mutants began the manufacture of the fisheyes and hashish solution which were placed in vials and a supply of hypodermic needles was secured to inject the antidote to killer ant bites. Mafia dealers were raided and police confiscated their hashish supplies. Fish wholesalers supplied huge quantities of fisheyes. In a matter of hours mutants and civilians co-operated to prepare thousands of doses of the antidote. But for many it was too late with 700 fatalities and 2,658 were in hospitals and countless more lying in the street had antidote administered by mutant volunteers. The mutants had saved Montreal! So much goodwill was created by their efforts to mitigate what could have been a massive tragedy.

Meanwhile Jiber was tracked down at the Altitude 737 Bar in Place Ville Marie watching the destruction of his killer ants and his dream of conquering the galaxy. Jiber was broken repeating, “It’s mine. It’s all mine!” Frizzy the Smicket Boy burst into the bar and handcuffed the babbling Jiber and transported him back to Zortixia to be tried for crimes against galactic inhabitants.

RKS Wine: Can We Be Friends with the Okanagan’s Frind?

As far as Okanagan, British Columbia wineries go they seem to be able to do no wrong. But the day will come one day! Until then all of us should enjoy the wines produced from these stellar wineries. Yes we have covered Crescent Hill, Oak Bay, St. Hubertis, Stag’s Hollow, Meyer Family Vineyards and Mayhem Wines all with resounding success.

There now is a new Okanagan Winery on my radar called Frind. Why not dig in and hope for the Okanagan’s hot streak to continue?

We start with a Frind “Big Red” which I presume is a blend but of what the label fails to reveal. It is blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon as I dig into their internet site which really I or you should not have to do.

On the nose black cherry, chocolate, tobacco leaf, blueberry and cherry pie. On the palate the tannins are moderate. But as for flavours on the palate nothing jumps out and captures my imagination to get metaphors and similes flowing in my description of this wine. Some rather weak-kneed cherry and blueberry but the Okanagan wow factor simply isn’t there. Has my Okanagan red hot streak been cooled down? NO sir. That streak has been too hot and consistent to be brought tumbling down by a single wine. And one wine should not frame an entire winery and its products. Tasting wine is a bit like golf. I have been hitting the 70’s a few times this year but today was a golfing disaster which I blame on heavy traffic, soggy fairways and rough and rushing down to take my first swing on the first tee and dribbling it a few yards. From then on it was struggle with what could go wrong went wrong. I asked my starter friend to simply rip up my scorecard after the game and he obliged. Ignorance is bliss. But enough about me what about this wine? It really threw me with some overripe grape sweetness on the palate. Somewhat like a nasty slice heading into the woods. The wine is a combination of an overly sweet California Cabernet Sauvignon with an anemic Niagara Merlot. The nose passes muster but on the palate a ho hum wine and being a great fan of the Okanagan that hurts.

(Frind Estate Winery 2018 Big Red, BC VQA Okanagan Valley, Frind Estate Winery, West Kelowna, British Columbia, $24.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 19931, 750 mL, 13.25%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 87/100).

Let’s move on to a Frind 2018 Chardonnay. The Okanagan can certainly produce some “ooh” and “ahh” Chards that rival Burgundian ones.

This Frind has a light gold colour. On the nose apple, pear, tangerine, mango and a tad of pineapple. On the palate this would seem to be fermented and aged in stainless steel. It is very clean with guava, peach with a bit of almond paste. The acidity is muted but it is there and I would say this is a foodie wine. As my better half says I can’t remember what I ate yesterday but I do remember a winter squash and spinach pasta bake which despite my laborious efforts was not a keeper recipe but I wonder if I had used organic butternut squash it would have been a hit. Over the years I have noticed organic pumpkins, sweet potatoes and squash are actually sweet and brightly coloured and more flavour packed. Here is the recipe and if you can find organic butternut squash or pumpkin give it a try https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/10/winter-squash-and-spinach-pasta-bake/

So I would say to you dear reader this is a foodie wine. There is no sense in ageing it. A rather bland wine not up to premium Okanagan standards.

(Frind 2018 Chardonnay, VQA British Columbia, Frind Estate Winery, West Kelowna, British Columbia, $29.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 19930, 750 mL, 13.90%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 87/100).

Passage of the Day from the Late Rebecca Wasserman-Hone Credited With Putting Burgundy Wines on the Map in America

“A wine is not to be discussed, it is to be drunk and give happiness and joy and a nice feeling to people. Sounds of appreciation are weightier than words. We grade by ‘oohs’ and ‘mmms’, six being the ultimate accolade.”

The Importance of Wine Tourism

Please refer to https://www.bkwinetours.com/ and to https://www.bkwine.com/

Photo is of the Douro Valley in Portugal (Robert K. Stephen)

RKS Films: “La Forêt de Mon Pere” (Into Dad’s Woods): The 2021 Canadian European Union Film Festival

“La Forêt de Mon Pere” is a Belgian film exploring the difficult and painful effects of mental illness on a family.

Jimmy (Alban Lenoir) is married with a wife and three children including 15-year-old Gina (Léonie Souchaud). Initially Jimmy seems eccentric as we first encounter him sitting up in a tree in the forest with his daughter Gina. He is inciteful and very attuned with the forest. A regular likeable guy. But his behaviour becomes more eccentric and indicative of some serious mental illness so his wife takes Jimmy to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and for what she thinks is a rest. It may well be she has committed him.

The short rest turns into days and his wife Carole (Ludwine Sagnier) and children miss him but there are no indications he will be returning soon. It would seem Jimmy is psychotic. Witness the cruelty and rigidity of this psychiatric institution where visits and interactions are restricted presumably for the “patient’s good”. The institution likes to keep Jimmy highly sedated so as Gina and her boy pal Nico break into the institution to rescue him Jimmy is so heavily sedated he is going nowhere.

At this point Gina realizes the extent of her father’s illness and breaks into sobs.

Jimmy did show up one afternoon at home to the delight of his family and on the spur of the moment decides to go on a two-day family vacation but increases the speed of the car the family is in then says he is going to kill them all which he does not as his family sings him a song that calms him down. Upon returning home the police are waiting for Jimmy to forcibly take him back not even having the decency to let his family say good-bye.

Mental illness can be cruel to its sufferer but it can be sometimes even crueller to the family and community.

While all indications Jimmy is lost in the forest of his mind Gina retains hope that he will return.

The acting is spot on with a solid cast. An impressive and sensitive effort of novice feature film director Vero Cratzborn. This 2019 ninety-minute Belgian film is in French with English subtitles, The 2021 Canadian European Union Film Festival is virtual and runs from November 12-28. You can check out the Festival’s website at https://www.cfi-icf.ca/euff

“Chasing Unicorns”: Canadian 2021 European Union Film Festival”

The 2021 Canadian European Union Film Festival goes virtual this year which means Canadian’s coast to coast can all attend.

“Chasing Unicorns” is both a satirical and comedic journey on the attempts of Estonians Õie (Liisa Pulk) and Tõnu (Henrik Kalmet) to create a start up that will make them wealthy. Given that there are over 500 start ups in Estonia and that Skype was an Estonian start up anything seems possible.

Õie is a former CFO of an Estonian bicycle helmet manufacturing plant. She has just been promoted to CFO but sexually harassed by her CEO she quits and pairs up with Tõnu a repeat start up failure in an attempt to create an algorithm that will create a self drive bicycle. The only initial capital they have, besides their dreams and ambitions, is € 2,500 from Õie’s father.

The framework of the film sets the 5 factors for a start-up that will make its creators wealthy;

Idea
Prototype
Investors
Bigger Investors
Exit (selling your start up and making a fortune)

The film follows the steps that Õie and Tõnu follow and the characters they encounter are often bigger than life if not caricatures. Bankers, venture capitalists, investors, lawyers and all manner of hustlers all looking for a cut on the big payoff day.

Their initial sales manager Norris is a bit of a comical character full of hot air and bravado but essentially an incompetent but he provides comic relief.

As they climb up the chain of success the investors and venture capitalists become more ruthless and less comedic. Off they head to San Francisco and the Silicon Valley to realize their Muskian dreams. They do find an organized sales manager in San Francisco that wants a huge fee of $450,000 to promote their deal and bring investors in. He needs the money to rebuild his heliport at his Aspen winter home!

While some of the characters they run into are greedy and ruthless some are bigger than life deserving of a hearty laugh.

Then they get a $20,000,000 offer to buy their company and they accept but having shoddy legal representation they agree to a 4 times liquidation preference meaning investors are paid off 4 times their initial investment leaving them with nothing or less than nothing as they have a €3,600 legal bill to pay. Was all this for nothing?

For Õie not really as she has made contacts and receives lucrative offers to stay with the lead venture capitalist to head up their Estonian office and from an Estonian bank to turn the now bankrupt bicycle helmet factory into a powerful international manufacturing enterprise. But there is Tõnu who has moved on to a new start up being creating a robotic dog.

What is Õie going to select as her future option? Given her taste for possibilities of fabulous wealth and her drive and ambition I think I know where she is heading. And her father’s €2,500 investment in their company is now rewarded with a $250,000 payout.

If you think Estonia is bush league in film production you are dead wrong. This is an eye-opening biting sarcastic and educational look at the life of an Estonian start up. It is highly professional, creative and well acted.

It is a 2019 film directed by Rain Rannu with a great Estonian classical, traditional and hip-hop soundtrack. Thoroughly enjoyable and with a perspective and sese of humour you will not find in an American film.

The 2021 European Film Festival runs from November 12-28^th. You can check out the website at https://www.cfi-icf.ca/euff

“My Life as a Golf Marshall” :So You Want to Become a Golf Marshall? Do You Have the Right Stuff?

Now if you look on the internet about being a golf Marshall the conclusion of aggravated golfers would be you have to be white, retired, overbearing and ill mannered. Pardon me what a load of bullshit! Do not let a few angry and pissed off golfers create an impression of negativity. I see so few internet-based comments thanking the Marshall for the critical function of keeping the pace going in a non-confrontational and polite way. In seven months of Marshalling, I have not received any negative comments. In fact, the comments have been all positive thanking me for my efforts to keep the pace at an acceptable level that make the golfing experience enjoyable.

Getting hired was easy. Submit a resume that shows in some way you have handled complicated situations and have good problem-solving abilities if you have no past Marshalling experience it helps to communicate that you are a golfer and know the course you are going to Marshall at well. In my case I have been golfing since I was 6 years old and had been playing the course I Marshall at for some 35 years. Between you and me if there was ever a professional event held at my course I would be the caddy of choice because I know, or I thought I knew, every angle and strategic approach to every hole.

So before you apply can I give you a bit of a primer on the skills and personality you’ll need to succeed and ENJOY your Marshalling experience?

You are a golfer: You are a golfer who loves the game. You have a good idea what a Marshall does. However you’d like to learn more and would welcome a training session on course so you can gain a better idea of what is expected of you.
You know the course: It helps if you know the course. All the Marshalls at my course have played the course for years. Knowing the course well is an asset as you may be asked by golfers new to the course how they should play the hole. Of course the more times you have played the hole theoretically the more astute your advice will be.
You have a desire to learn: No one is born a golf Marshall. Perhaps the only experience you have is being asked to speed up or phoning the Pro-Shop to complain about a jam up. Wait for the Marshall to arrive and explain the situation. You’ll pick up experience in your training session(s) and on the course as you see the type of problems you encounter. Dealing with the week-end pot heads and boozers and the often-clueless juniors. You’ll also learn from golfers and fellow Marshalls what they have encountered and how they deal with it.
You will have to follow the chain of command: I hate to say this you are on the low end of the golf club power structure. If you are paid at all the groundskeepers, garbage collectors and toilet cleaners are making more than you. And as a Marshall you’ll realize you have the best overall picture what is happening on the course but on the other hand you can’t be everywhere at once and occasionally the Pro-Shop will receive a complaint about slow play far away from where you are. That’s kind of like a slap in your face but treat it simply as another source of intel and even if you are in the middle of fixing up a jam elsewhere the Pro-Shop calls the shots as illogical as that may be. They are higher up in the power structure than a Marshall is. So it is best to say “Yes Master” and clean up what they but not you see as a priority.
You have a thick skin: If you do get gaff from a golfer simply smile and say you will try and address the problem. If you are subject to racist slurs like “Shove your fucking white head your ass” recognize these racists for the idiots that they are and report it to the Pro-Shop to deal with. Do not show hostility or anger lest you offend the “patrons” however big these assholes are.
You love chatting with golfers: Aside from hustling golfers along to the Gods of Pace you are a bit of an ambassador at a cocktail party saying hello and exchanging pleasantries. Establishing a human connection will pay dividends if you must hustle the people you have established a relationship with. My job starts as soon as I get out of the car and head to the course. As an introvert what has overcome me. “How was your game today?” “Are you looking forward to your game? “Suddenly Mr. Introvert has been transformed into Mr. Extrovert! But there are some golfers who really aren’t interested in chatting so you should be able to pick up on that and move on.
You realize there is some paperwork involved: For me it is an hourly recording of 9- and 18-hole times, course condition reports and interactions with golfers. This is the tool that management determines the pace and what you have done to get it running smoothly.
You are prepared to be thrown off track: Don’t assume that your role is solely on the course. On occasion you may be asked to ferry late golfers to their group, take first aid supplies to an injured golfer or take handicapped golfers to their car.
You realize you are part of a team: There are groundskeepers, starters, maintenance staff, Pro-Shop employees and cart girls you need to keep good relations with. They are valuable sources about learning about how a golf course operates. They are also human beings that like chatting with you about their concerns. In fact the cart lady and I had a chat about her Serbian place of birth which I had visited and she was so thrilled I get a bag of peanuts each day she is on the course.
Try and maintain your sense of being treated with respect: While it is not a good idea to criticize golfers if the starter tells you “To get your ass up here now” or a maintenance worker calls you an idiot for zipping down a hill on your cart this is unacceptable behaviour but it must be treated in a non-confrontational fashion and as you are a retired white man that should have his head up your ass you made it to retirement being able to handle unpleasant situations.
Show a sense of humour and show empathy and compassion: I will say it becomes easy to see a forlorn golfer and when I see this I will often say “Here is a Marshall blessed golf ball or tee and it will bring you luck!” One golfer I said this to came up to me and profusely thanked me for giving him a Marshall blessed ball saying he had then picked up his game with three pars and two birdies and could I bless a box of balls for him. A young lady I gave a pink ball which I said had to be used on the short par three 15^th gushed to me she scored the first birdie in her life with it. On Halloween I plan to give out candy to golfers. Small gestures can go a very long way! And yes it shows yet again a golf Marshall can make life better!
You are not in it for the money: I can’t say why you are interested in a job that pays miserably low wages if any. All the Marshalls at my course joke about the “wages” but enjoy the “free golf” which at my course is not really free as your salary of minimum wage is half minimum wage plus a round of golf for each shift included as a taxable benefit of your salary. In effect if you don’t play your “free golf” you are losing money.

RKS Films: “The Dance”

This 2021 Irish documentary perhaps has done wonders with a person that had little tolerance for improvisational dance. That person is me.

The documentary directed by Pat Collins in a very hands-off fashion chronicles the creation and rehearsal of an Irish production of improvisational dance by Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan and his dance troupe of 12 international dancers and seven musicians from the European classical collective stargaze with Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley. They have 8 weeks to prepare for a new production to be shown at the Dublin Theatre Festival.

Choreographer Keegan-Dolan makes it clear to the musicians and dancers he has no goal in mind that he demands from the dancers and musicians. The production will be from their creativity. He cobbles together a series of independent numbers into a coherent production inspiring and listening and then advising as opposed to directing which for him is true improvisational dance.

At times it is painful for less than an ardent supporter of improvisational dance to see the seemingly bizarre twitching’s that resemble more of a movement disorder than dance. Throughout the rehearsal footage I am getting a bit impatient and feeling somewhat justified improvisational dance is simply silly and overdone free form. I will freely admit while not awed overjoyed with what I see I gradually start to appreciate the skills, dedication and determination of the dancers and musicians. However as a writer and poet I begin to see this improvisational dance is an art form that may surpass film where there is a script, a ballet which is pre choregraphed by a director or a classical concert where the musicians are reading a sheet of music. The improvisational dancers have a blank slate and create a work of art that I might say I am a bit cool about. But my opinion about improvisational dance begins to change when I see the bits of opening night with the proper lighting and costuming. Keegan-Dolan and his musicians and dancers clearly have created a masterpiece of which I would gladly see. Oh my I am starting to blush!

Alright the documentary has moved me from detractor of modern dance to one who appreciates it. I can’t believe what I am about to say perhaps I even like it. Keegan-Dolan and director Pat Collins have either messed up my mind or straightened me out but one thing is that I can’t go back to my dislike of improvisational dance. I have moved forward but to where I am not sure. If such a documentary can lead this horse to water and make it drink does that not speak to its power?

It recently premiered at the BFI 2021 London Film Festival and will no doubt show up virtually or actually at your doorstep. You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/568064286/c62d7dd267

RKS Wine: Porthead Alert! Warre’s Warrior Finest Reserve Port

Attending Port Wine Day years ago in Porto in Portugal I recall a French marketing guru saying Port is a luxury product at a discount price. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate description. Why is this so? I think Portheads are less in abundance than Potheads and given there are now more cannabis stores in Toronto than Liquor Stores perhaps that truism is staring us in the face.

So what about this Warrior Port? Who are the Portuguese attacking here? Perhaps your tastebuds?

An intense black cherry colour. A massive nose of blueberry and blackberry assaulting your olfactory senses like a tidal wave taking no hostages. You will never get this intensity in a red table wine. On the palate this is a Ferrari of a wine unless we are back to “Ford vs. Ferrari” in which case we might say a “Ford of a Wine” however given the state of Ford vehicles these days that would be an inappropriate statement! I wonder if Matt Damon drinks Port?

Sorry for veering off the racetrack but on the palate a huge wallop of “spirit infused” grape and not the spirit fortifying the Port but the spirit of the dedicated wine making team that put this gem together. For excellence and intensity, the Warrior can only lead to one conclusion that it is out to capture your tastebuds.

Yes a decade ago I was one of those wine drinkers who really never gave much thought to Port until in 2013 I was invited to Portugal to taste this magical liquid and well the rest is history. I am now a knight in the Confrairia do Vinho do Porto. Yes that is the Order of Port Brotherhood. Unfortunately I have yet to find the right castle in Portugal. But I am working on it!

Now as legend goes consume Port with old gizzards in the club with a cigar and blue cheese. I dislike blue cheese although I am an old man who loves freshly rolled Cohibas which I simply can’t find in Toronto so I say based on the wonderful people from Sogrape in Portugal who took me to the restaurant at the Bolsa (old Stock Exchange) in Porto for rare Portuguese ox with Port and let me tell you forget the blue cheese and cigars and pair this with a rare Prime Rib! Little did I suspect I would be enthroned as a knight in the Confrairia at the Bolsa a few years later! My job is to uphold the dignity of Port. Easy Peasy here my friends. I have had a 125-year-old Port which still had decades to go. I would say if you like Port this will last into 2035 with ease. Given I am an old man I have been building a Port corner in my wine cellar for my children and grandchildren.

Please don’t be like me and wait too long to appreciate Port. The English upper classes used to buy “pipes of Port” for their grandchildren to consume when they reached the age of majority. I am up to 40 bottles ready for future progeny. Should I be sad about this? No. My duty as a knight in the Confrairia will hopefully be passed on to the budding future generations as I lie in the special section of heaven allotted for the knights that lived and supported Port.

(Warre’s Warrior Port Finest Reserve, Symington Family Estates, Villa Nova Gaia, Portugal, $19.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 197202, 750 mL, 20%, Robert K. Stephen a Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 94/100).

BACKGROUNDER Proposed Bill 27 In Ontario Changing Employer-Employee Relationships

Working for Workers Act, 2021

October 25, 2021

Labour, Training and Skills Development

The Ontario government is introducing legislative changes today that would, if passed, make the province the best place for people to work, live and raise a family.

Today, the government will introduce the Working for Workers Act, 2021 that would, if passed:

Require employers with 25 or more employees to have a written policy about employees disconnecting from their job at the end of the workday to help employees spend more time with their families. Learn more.
Ban the use of non-compete agreements that prevent people from exploring other work opportunities in order to make it easier for workers to advance in their careers. Learn more.
Help remove barriers, such as Canadian experience requirements, for internationally trained individuals to get licenced in a regulated profession and get access to jobs that match their qualifications and skills. Learn more.
Require recruiters and temporary help agencies to have a licence to operate in the province to help protect vulnerable employees from being exploited. Learn more.
Require business owners to allow delivery workers to use a company’s washroom if they are delivering or picking up items. This supports the delivery drivers, couriers and truck drivers who have kept our essential supplies and economy going throughout the pandemic. Learn more.
Allow surpluses in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Insurance Fund to be distributed over certain levels to businesses, helping them cope with the impacts of COVID-19. Learn more.
Enable the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to work with entities, like the Canada Revenue Agency, to streamline remittances for businesses, enabling a way to give them an efficient one-stop-shop for submitting premiums and payroll deductions. Learn more.
Allow the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to collect information related to the agri-food workforce to ensure the government can enhance the coordination of services such as vaccination and testing, and respond to issues that may arise.

Additional Resources

Ontario Creating a Better Future for Workers