“Some people tend to be pessimistic in the ways they explain the causes of a bad event to themselves. This pattern involves blaming themselves for the bad things that happen to them, thinking the effects of whatever happened will last a long time and will affect many different aspects of their lives. Dr, Seligman refers to this attributional style, as it is technically called, as the “It’s my fault, it’s going to last forever, it’s going to affect everything I do” pattern. In the extreme, this pattern reflects a person who is severely depressed, hopeless, and inordinately self pre-occupied. Some people call this mode of thinking catastrophizing. An example of this style night be the reaction “I always knew I was stupid, and this proves it: I can never do anything right, when you experience a failure of some kind.”
Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto Opens Major Andy Warhol Exhibit
| For Immediate Release: July 7, 2021 |
| AGO re-opens with a POP! on July 21Tickets on sale now for the summer blockbuster Pop art exhibition Andy WarholTORONTO — The AGO is re-opening! On July 21, 2021, the Gallery welcomes visitors back with a summer blockbuster, several new exhibitions, a new patio – and a lot of excitement. “After eight months, we are absolutely thrilled to re-open our doors,” says Stephan Jost, the AGO’s Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO. “This time has served as a powerful reminder that art and culture are vital to our collective sense of wellbeing. I can’t wait to welcome our visitors in person again to see great art and reconnect with the ideas that inspire us.” Pending final confirmation from the Province and Toronto Public Health, the Gallery will safely open under the public health regulations of Step 3 of the Ontario Roadmap to Reopen. Preparations have been underway for weeks, with the health and safety of staff members and visitors remaining the top priority. There could be no better way to celebrate this happy moment than with the blockbuster of the summer! Opening on July 21 is the must-see exhibition of the Pop Art phenomenon, Andy Warhol. Tickets are on sale now at ago.ca. Andy Warhol charts four decades of art-making in the life of one of the world’s most famous artists, told through more than 250 artworks including paintings, drawings, photographs, films and installations. Blurring the divide between the art world and popular culture, Warhol (1928 – 1987) funnelled his beliefs and desires into his art, captivating the world with his provocative images and collaborations. Curated at the AGO by Kenneth Brummel, Associate Curator of Modern Art, Andy Warhol is an international collaboration between the AGO, Tate Modern and Museum Ludwig, Cologne. The exhibition features iconic portraits of Elvis, Dolly Parton, Karen Kain, Wayne Gretzky and Elizabeth Taylor, alongside Warhol’s conceptual works and experimental installations. The exhibition debuted at the Tate Modern, curated by Gregor Muir, Director of Collection, International Art, and Fiontán Moran, Assistant Curator. The AGO Community (Members and Annual Passholders) is the first to see Andy Warhol. A Members window runs from July 21 – 25. Annual Passholders are eligible to join Members to see it as of July 24, and the exhibition opens to single-ticket visitors on July 27. There’s no better time to become a Member or Annual Passholder. For more information on how to join the AGO Community, visit tickets.ago.ca. July 21 also marks the opening of several new exhibitions including Ben Woolfitt: Rhythms and Series; Meditation and the Medieval Mind; and Shuvinai Ashoona: Beyond the Visible. For more details about these, in addition to ongoing exhibitions such as the compelling video installation Ragnar Kjartansson: Death is Elsewhere, visit ago.ca/exhibitions. How to Visit The AGO takes safety very seriously, and will strictly adhere to all public health regulations. Everyone entering the Gallery over the age of two must wear a face mask or face covering, and physical distancing will be required. Visitors are encouraged to visit and review our reopening web page for more information and helpful FAQs, and to self-assess before visiting the Gallery. Advance purchase or reservation of a timed ticket is required for all entry to the AGO, including General Admission. A limited number of tickets is available for each 15-minute timeslot in order to help control the flow of visitors. Admission is free for AGO Members, holders of the $35 AGO Annual Pass and all visitors ages 25 and under. Single tickets are $25 per person. Memberships, Annual Passes and single tickets are available at tickets.ago.ca. Following its re-opening week (which begins on a Wednesday), the AGO will resume its regular weekly hours of operation from Tuesday to Sunday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Gallery closes at 5:30 p.m., except on Wednesdays and Fridays, when it’s open until 9 p.m. Free Wednesday Nights return on July 21, with a limited number of free General Admission tickets released on the AGO website each Monday. For more information visit ago.ca. Shop and Dine ShopAGO’s on-site store will re-open to the public on July 21, featuring a curated selection of merchandise available for purchase. Capacity limits and physical distancing measures will be in place. Customers may also shop online at shop.ago.ca, which offers a range of art-inspired books, gifts and jewelry. Online shopping/delivery is available now. AGO Bistro will offer take-out as well as patio dining in a brand new outdoor space at the corner of Dundas and McCaul Streets, starting July 21. For hours and menus, visit ago.ca/ago-bistro. Café AGO, the Espresso Bar in Galleria Italia and the Norma Ridley Members’ Lounge remain temporarily closed. Capacity limits, screening and contact tracing measures will be in place as appropriate. Acknowledgements Andy Warhol is organized by Tate Modern, London, in collaboration with Museum Ludwig, Cologne, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. It is curated by Gregor Muir, Director of Collection, International Art, and Fiontán Moran, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern; and Yilmaz Dziewior, Director, and Stephan Diederich, Curator, Collection of Twentieth-Century Art, Museum Ludwig, Cologne. Curated at Art Gallery of Ontario by Kenneth Brummel, Associate Curator, Modern Art. Signature Partner RBC Supporting Sponsors Bulgari Heffel Fine Art Auction House Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky Generous Support Janet Scott Family Generous Assistance Carol & Morton Rapp Supported by the Government of Canada @AGOToronto | #WarholAGO ABOUT THE AGO Located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists and European masterpieces. The AGO presents wide-ranging exhibitions and programs, including solo exhibitions and acquisitions by diverse and underrepresented artists from around the world. In 2019, the AGO launched a bold new initiative designed to make the museum even more welcoming and accessible with the introduction of free admission for anyone 25 years and under and a $35 annual pass. Visit AGO.ca to learn more. The AGO is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO Members, donors and private-sector partners. |
“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 81 “Anti-American Sentiment Grows in Montreal”
With Squid’s impassioned words the assembled mutants were flushed with rage and ignoring the pleas of Bertie Foonbean rushed out of the hall in a near frenzy, some with tears streaming down their eyes. They marched to the American consulate in Montreal but they were a bit late as a group calling themselves Hecklevesquer’s For Freedom had been there first and were enjoying a bonfire of American flags. The fireman and police were there not arresting but clapping and cheering. The mutants being beaten to the punch went to the nearest McThinalds restaurant and smashed windows and scattered the restaurant’s cat meat all over the street.
Remember Garth Reseudo? He was the Zorollian oppositionist to Redbeard who had been exiled to Earth by Redbeard the despotic Zorollian leader and had exposed the corruption of Rufus Moonhead in California and had been forced to flee to Montreal by Moonhead corruptionists who threatened him with death. He and a group of his passive anarchists numbering in the hundreds had marched to the offices of the American Industrial Company, the company that stood the most to gain from the “sewage plant” construction and decided to stage a mass hunger strike. The Montreal police arrived and in a fit of nationalistic pride offered jugs of gasoline to create a blazing imitation of Detroit in a riot mode but Reseudo declined by saying, “A rampage will accomplish little. It will only bring more hate and repression. I don’t speak for everyone here but we can think of a nonviolent way of confronting American domination. My experience as an anti-war demonstrator in the United States taught me the futility of violence when confronting a vastly superior force of legalized counter violence. Let the world clear the stink of American imperialism. Such a world would be a more peaceful place to live in. Of course, the other great imperialists, the Russians would also need to be neutralized. Any chance of a docile Russian and American response does not seem to be reality. But at least we can fight to end American moral corruption. How can any nation that arms itself with nuclear weapons be morally legitimate? Millions can perish at the push of a button, And yes accidents can happen. These nuclear weapons are supposedly technologically advanced but are primitive and foul. I love the planet Earth and would hate to see it destroyed by such filthy and dirty weapons. The history of my galaxy is replete with horrid tales of nuclear devastation. In The Federation in another universe, we have learnt the truth. So comrade police we stay here until the construction of the missile base is halted. I will stay here and die until this happens.”
Depression Treatment : Is There Magic in Those Magic Mushrooms?
Psychedelic Treatment with Psilocybin Relieves Major Depression, Study Shows
Note: To view and download footage of Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., talking about his research, click here. To view and download footage of a research participant talking about his experience in Johns Hopkins’ psilocybin study, click here.
In a small study of adults with major depression, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that two doses of the psychedelic substance psilocybin, given with supportive psychotherapy, produced rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms, with most participants showing improvement and half of study participants achieving remission through the four-week follow-up.
A compound found in so-called magic mushrooms, psilocybin produces visual and auditory hallucinations and profound changes in consciousness over a few hours after ingestion. In 2016, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers first reported that treatment with psilocybin under psychologically supported conditions significantly relieved existential anxiety and depression in people with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.
Now, the findings from the new study, published Nov. 4 in JAMA Psychiatry, suggest that psilocybin may be effective in the much wider population of patients who suffer from major depression than previously appreciated.
“The magnitude of the effect we saw was about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown for traditional antidepressants on the market,” says Alan Davis, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Because most other depression treatments take weeks or months to work and may have undesirable effects, this could be a game changer if these findings hold up in future ‘gold-standard’ placebo-controlled clinical trials.” The published findings cover only a four-week follow-up in 24 participants, all of whom underwent two five-hour psilocybin sessions under the direction of the researchers.
“Because there are several types of major depressive disorders that may result in variation in how people respond to treatment, I was surprised that most of our study participants found the psilocybin treatment to be effective,” says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., the Oliver Lee McCabe III Professor in the Neuropsychopharmacology of Consciousness at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. He says the major depression treated in the new study may have been different than the “reactive” form of depression in patients they studied in the 2016 cancer trial. Griffiths says his team was encouraged by public health officials to explore psilocybin’s effects in the broader population of those with major depressive disorder because of the much larger potential public health impact.
For the new study, the researchers recruited 24 people with a long-term documented history of depression, most of whom experienced persisting symptoms for approximately two years before enrolling in the study. The average age of participants was 39; 16 were women; and 22 identified themselves as white, one person identified as Asian and one person identified as African American. Participants had to taper off any antidepressants prior to the study with the help of their personal physician to ensure safe exposure to this experimental treatment.
Thirteen participants received the psilocybin treatment immediately after recruitment and after preparation sessions, and 11 participants received the same preparation and treatment after an eight-week delay.
Treatment consisted of two psilocybin doses given by two clinical monitors who provided guidance and reassurance. The doses were given two weeks apart between August 2017 and April 2019 at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Behavioral Biology Research Building. Each treatment session lasted approximately five hours, with the participant lying on a couch wearing eyeshades and headphones that played music, in the presence of the monitors.
All participants were given the GRID-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale – a standard depression assessment tool – upon enrollment, and at one and four weeks following completion of their treatment. On the scale, a score of 24 or more indicates severe depression, 17–23 moderate depression, 8–16 mild depression and 7 or less no depression. At enrollment, participants had an average depression scale rating of 23, but one week and four weeks after treatment, they had an average depression scale score of 8. After treatment, most participants showed a substantial decrease in their symptoms, and almost half were in remission from depression at the follow-up. Participants in the delayed group didn’t show decreases in their symptoms before receiving the psilocybin treatment.
For the entire group of 24 participants, 67% showed a more than 50% reduction in depression symptoms at the one-week follow-up and 71% at the four-week follow-up. Overall, four weeks post-treatment, 54% of participants were considered in remission – meaning they no longer qualified as being depressed.
“I believe this study to be a critically important proof of concept for the medical approval of psilocybin for treatment of depression, a condition I have personally struggled with for decades,” says entrepreneur and philanthropist Tim Ferriss, who supported the funding campaign for this study. “How do we explain the incredible magnitude and durability of effects? Treatment research with moderate to high doses of psychedelics may uncover entirely new paradigms for understanding and improving mood and mind. This is a taste of things to come from Johns Hopkins.”
The researchers say they will follow the participants for a year after the study to see how long the antidepressant effects of the psilocybin treatment last, and will report their findings in a later publication.
Griffiths, whose research with psilocybin, begun in the early 2000s, was initially viewed by some with skepticism and concern, says he is gratified by Johns Hopkins’ support and heartened by the dozens of startups and research labs that have followed suit with their own research. He says numerous companies are now actively working to develop marketable forms of psilocybin and related psychedelic substances.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 17 million people in the U.S. and 300 million people worldwide have experienced major depression.
Other authors on the study include Frederick Barrett, Darrick May, Mary Cosimano, Nathan Sepeda, Matthew Johnson and Patrick Finan, all of Johns Hopkins.
The study was supported by philanthropic donors The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Tim Ferriss, Matt Mullenweg, Craig Nerenberg, Blake Mycoskie and Dave Morin; as well as by grants from the Riverstyx Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32DA007209, R01DA003889, K23DA035915).
Conflicts of interest disclosed to JAMA Psychiatry include the following: Johnson serves as a consultant and/or advisory board member for AWAKN Life Sciences Inc., Beckley Psychedelics Ltd., Entheogen Biomedical Corp., Field Trip Psychedelics Inc., Mind Medicine, Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. and Silo Pharma, Inc.
Related Stories:
- Johns Hopkins Launches Center for Psychedelic Research
- Research Story Tip: Psychedelic Drug Psilocybin Tamps Down Brain’s Ego Center
- Research Story Tip: What Motivates People to Use Psychedelics? New Criteria May Help Provide the Answer
On the Web:
- Hallucinogenic Drug Psilocybin Eases Existential Anxiety in People with Life-Threatening Cancer
- Visit the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
- Dome magazine article on psilocybin treatment for major depression
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CLICK TO TWEETTwo doses of the “magic mushroom” chemical psilocybin relieves symptoms for people with major depression for at least a month @JHPsychedelicsCLICK TO TWEETHalf of study participants no longer considered to be in throes of major depression one month after psychedelic psilocybin treatment @JHPsychedelics
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” Mutantism on the March” Chapter 80 “The Mutant Hater United States Challenged”
Squid was outraged at the news of the construction of the secret missile base aka sewage plant. The St. Lawrence River encircling the Island of Montreal had been stinking shit for years with Montreal dumping its untreated sewage into it so why the sudden change of heart. It was a sham. Squid had hollowed out Mont Royal to make it his home and it was quite comfortable thank you. Squid had firsthand knowledge of American inspired genocide in Nicaragua and Columbia and the horrific napalm and Agent Orange drops by the Americans in Vietnam. Squid had no desire to see Canada dragged into such a blatant and sinful ruse of domination. In a perverse sense he felt vindicated as the Quebeckers were now receiving the same ills they had served upon the local indigenous population. But now was not the time for petty feuds.
The local chapter of the United Mutations were adamant in resisting this militaristic rape of Montreal and the most vocal amongst them were the Canadian war veterans who had seen war and many had been its victims. Conventional war was butchery but nuclear war was more appalling as a push of a few buttons could wipe out the human race. Bert Foonbean was distraught and at a mutant rally protesting the sham sewage plant he said, “We face a grave and potentially deadly situation. The American and Canadian military and corporate elite have concocted an evil potion of death and deception in their covert attempts to construct a secret nuclear missile base inside Mont Royal. All it takes is one mistake and the world can be wiped out. Who is better qualified to speak than the victims of the last atomic bombast than the Hiroshima Mutant Society. This morning they have sent us a message of solidarity in support of our struggle against what they call, “insensitive barbarian leaders who have no actual conception of the potent power of atomic war that will create a huge group of survivors inevitably transformed by radiation into mutants.”
Of course we all know in a few minutes the peaceful island of Hiroshima was transformed into a living hell and the effects of this American barbarity created legions of radiation mutants most of which died by radiation poisoning. What was dropped on his island by mass murder scientists is but a firecracker to what “humanitarian technology” had since developed.
The construction of this base threatens humanity. One new nuclear base is one too many. We should be demolishing them not constructing additional ones.
It is up to mutants to overthrow those who have given their consent to this death plant, this gas chamber of humanity. The whole world, if it would be fortunate to survive would be a world of mutants after a nuclear war. Of course I am not gaffing mutants just the manner in which they would be created. Any sane person knows that the billions spent on the war machine benefit the military industrial complex and with this wasted money so much suffering could be eliminated but this death industry is profitable for so many. Isn’t that disgusting? But that is a sick world for you. The big industrialists that benefit from the murder by Yankees in Vietnam and Cambodia will reap further profits from this missile base. They have the levers of political power that brainwashes our schoolchildren. The establishment criticizes the crimes of Hitler yet their actions are ten times worse. The mere fact that the military industrial complex profit from war makes them criminals like the Canadian and American government that supports them. These scum profit from war which makes them criminals as the government that supports them and rewards them with government contracts. These people are two faced profit mongers who cater to their own selfish and greedy needs. To them it is a matter of profit and balance sheets. Mutants in the developing world are aware of this lie and reality structure thrust upon them by Yankee and Soviet propaganda. Do they realize they will fry in a nuclear attack?
Once again let me say me must stop this construction. A battle won against the United States, the largest and most powerful mutant hater, would be a boast to the international mutant movement. Let us show this bandit of a nation we will not tolerate its imperialistic crimes.”
“Mutantism on The March”: Chapter 80 “The Mutant Hater United States Challenged”
Squid was outraged at the news of the construction of the secret missile base aka sewage plant. The St. Lawrence River encircling the Island of Montreal had been stinking shit for years with Montreal dumping its untreated sewage into it so why the sudden change of heart. It was a sham. Squid had hollowed out Mont Royal to make it his home and it was quite comfortable thank you. Squid had firsthand knowledge of American inspired genocide in Nicaragua and Columbia and the horrific napalm and Agent Orange drops by the Americans in Vietnam. Squid had no desire to see Canada dragged into such a blatant and sinful ruse of domination. In a perverse sense he felt vindicated as the Quebeckers were now receiving the same ills they had served upon the local indigenous population. But now was not the time for petty feuds.
The local chapter of the United Mutations were adamant in resisting this militaristic rape of Montreal and the most vocal amongst them were the Canadian war veterans who had seen war and many had been its victims. Conventional war was butchery but nuclear war was more appalling as a push of a few buttons could wipe out the human race. Bert Foonbean was distraught and at a mutant rally protesting the sham sewage plant he said, “We face a grave and potentially deadly situation. The American and Canadian military and corporate elite have concocted an evil potion of death and deception in their covert attempts to construct a secret nuclear missile base inside Mont Royal. All it takes is one mistake and the world can be wiped out. Who is better qualified to speak than the victims of the last atomic bombast than the Hiroshima Mutant Society. This morning they have sent us a message of solidarity in support of our struggle against what they call, “insensitive barbarian leaders who have no actual conception of the potent power of atomic war that will create a huge group of survivors inevitably transformed by radiation into mutants.”
Of course we all know in a few minutes the peaceful island of Hiroshima was transformed into a living hell and the effects of this American barbarity created legions of radiation mutants most of which died by radiation poisoning. What was dropped on this island by mass murder scientists is but a firecracker to what “humanitarian technology” had since developed.
The construction of this base threatens humanity. One new nuclear base is one too many. We should be demolishing them not constructing additional ones.
It is up to mutants to overthrow those who have given their consent to this death plant, this gas chamber of humanity. The whole world, if it would be fortunate to survive would be a world of mutants after a nuclear war. Of course I am not gaffing mutants just the manner in which they would be created. Any sane person knows that the billions spent on the war machine benefit the military industrial complex and with this wasted money so much suffering could be eliminated but this death industry is profitable for so many. Isn’t that disgusting? But that is a sick world for you. The big industrialists that benefit from the murder by Yankees in Vietnam and Cambodia will reap further profits from this missile base. They have the levers of political power that brainwashes our schoolchildren. The establishment criticizes the crimes of Hitler yet their actions are ten times worse. The mere fact that the military industrial complex profit from war makes them criminals like the Canadian and American government that supports them. These scum profit from war which makes them criminals as the government that supports them and rewards them with government contracts. These people are two faced profit mongers who cater to their own selfish and greedy needs. To them it is a matter of profit and balance sheets. Mutants in the developing world are aware of this lie and reality structure thrust upon them by Yankee and Soviet propaganda. Do they realize they will fry in a nuclear attack?
Once again let me say me must stop this construction. A battle won against the United States, the largest and most powerful mutant hater, would be a boost to the international mutant movement. Let us show this bandit of a nation we will not tolerate its imperialistic crimes.”
RKS Wine: The Rosé Stereotype: Neutrality in a Battle Zone of Taste
The Rosé stereotype is that it is a summer wine. Rosé is an all-season wine that suits many dishes and is good for sipping in January as it is in July. Think of the comparison to Champagne with someone saying it is a wine for special occasions only. But there is one advantage to Rosé in the summer and that is the heat of summer and red wine are often not great companions unless food is involved. If you are hot and sweaty do you want a glass of Malbec? Rosé has an attraction for red wine drinkers in the summer and white wine drinkers who are not wholly in the red wine camp when they drink Rosé. It is like a neutral country in a war.
British Columbia and Ontario both make quality Rosé. So let’s try one from Sandhill in the Okanagan. It is salmon coloured. As for aromatics watermelon, raspberry, red cherry with a bit of tomato vine. On the palate it has a good grip to it meaning to some degree it has substance and personality unlike so many Rosé wines. On the palate cactus pear, rhubarb and watermelon. It has a moderately long finish. I would venture to say its personality suits wild caught salmon with its stronger and meatier flavour than farm raised salmon. Also a go with field tomato salad with extra Virgin Olive Oil and shredded basil.
It is a blend of 65% Gamay and 35% Merlot.
An example that one of British Columbia’s strengths is its ability to produce world class wines.
(Sandhill 2020 Rosé, British Columbia VQA, $21.95, Sandhill, Kelowna, British Columbia, $21.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 19532, 750 mL, 12.6%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 93/100).
While I have been impressed with Mayhem and Meyer Family Vineyards Rosé from the Okanagan in British Columbia let us not forget that Niagara in Ontario can lift some heavy weights with its Rosé wine. One consistent Ontario winner is Pink Twisted from Flat Rock Cellars in Niagara. A great tasting area at the winery and a great view of the vineyards subject to various micro terroirs that differ by hundreds of feet. Their “specialities” are Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. There is no Pinot Noir in this blend but Gamay, Gewurztraminer and Riesling.
Can I say “mid pinkish” in color meaning not dark pink nor light pink! On the nose watermelon, cherry, strawberry, ruby grapefruit with a nice little twisted bit of tomato sauce and I refer to that good stuff you make with onions, garlic, field tomatoes and rosemary, basil and oregano from your garden with a heavy dash of this Rosé. There is some acidity to the wine most likely due to that tricky Ontario Riesling. But it is under control with the Gewurztraminer and Gamay. The acidity makes it a good match for foods like the tomato sauce I mentioned or a fresh field tomato salad I described above but with some crumbled feta to better match the acidity. My thoughts are that the acidity makes it a better match for acidic foods particularly tomatoes. My thought is that with Ontario Riesling you play with fire and in my camp it is easy to get burnt. However in this case the Gewurtz and Gamay puts harness on the acidity and sharpness of Niagara Riesling. The end result is a good Rosé. Niagara Riesling in my book is out of control with bitterness and excessive tartness but this blend tames if not welcomes the beast!
(Flat Rock Twisted Rosé 2020, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Flat Rock Cellars, Jordan, Ontario, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 39974, 750 mL, 11.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 90/100).
“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 79 “Is Montreal to Become Home for an American Nuclear Base?”
One chilly fall afternoon a class of engineering students from Montreal’s McSwill University were surveying the City’s Mont Royal with sophisticated hollowmeters they had developed for a project. This sophisticated device allowed one to determine the thickness of any mass which would also determine if there were any hollow areas in the mass. They discovered great hollow spaces in the mountain. The mountain was not solid! Experts soon rushed to the area to carry out more sophisticated tests and their results verified the work of the McSwill engineers.
News quickly spread to Washington and the Pentagon Hawks were jumping for joy. What a grand plan they had. Before making any commitments and with the blessing of the Canadian government they dispatched a corps of army engineers to check on the findings of the northern bush leaguers. You could never trust those Canadians. The hollow area was ideal for the construction of an American nuclear missile base in the heart of a solid mountain within a teeming metropolis in a “neutral country”. Dr. Strangelove could not have asked for more. Involve Canada in the nuclear game and you had an instant ally. Now the Canadians would be blackmailed in acquiescing to an American defence strategy. Their survival would depend on it.
When the Canadian armed forces brass heard about the project they were delighted. For the self-made generals from Moncton, Gander and Halifax and the graduates of the Piss Point Military Academy in Cornwall, Ontario it was a chance for the real big time. Their childhood adulation of fireworks had never died. A meeting was arranged between the American and Canadian military. Even US General Nabalm from Burlington, Vermont who had been wounded in action in Vietnam (syphilis) directing the boys to great defeats was at the meeting. Both of the army teams forged an agreement and the Canadian Prime Minister Poster Pesterboy gave his approval to this top-secret deal. Construction plans were soon underway. The front was to tell all who asked a gigantic sewage plan was being constructed which made good sense as Montreal had been dumping all its untreated sewage in the St. Lawrence River for years. The Montreal Mayor Jean Droolpoop was initially outraged but after he gave serious thought to the construction tender contracts he would take a cut of he switched his dissenting mind.
Well one of Jiber’s men in Washington, well connected of course, spilt the beans on the secret deal to the Canadian media. A political hurricane ravaged the country. Quebec City politicians were sputtering with so much rage at a volume never heard.
The Parliament of Canada was non-plussed and vowed to continue with the sewage plant after “contractual commitments” simply had to be honoured. The clean environment was a priority. Ontario munition and armament manufacturers, having great influence in the Canadian government, also had made their wallets fat servicing American war supply needs in Vietnam were putting on a lobbying effort in Ottawa to pursue construction of the sewage plant. Quebec politicians did not share the joy this sewage plant had created for many. They had no desire to see Montreal and Quebec basted to pieces because of the worst kept secret of the “sewage plant”. A political showdown was inevitable.
RKS Wine: Penniless Pensioner Visits Bordeaux
The Penniless Pensioner is reluctant to travel this year wishing to wait until the dust settles from COVID-19. The Penniless Pensioner quite frankly has told me his pension income from his Canadian Pension Plan puts him below the poverty line. So he can’t really travel until he wins the lottery and he can’t afford more than $15 for a bottle of wine and he isn’t interested in tasteless rotgut so he’s willing to have me snoop around for him. So at times with so many penniless pensioners in Canada I feel I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.
So when I told him I found a Bordeaux for $13.95 at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario his eyes lit up as he was not a neuro surgeon, cardiologist or a captain of industry as those were the people he thought could afford Bordeaux wines. Well there are many small producers in Bordeaux and there are some bargain basement prices to be had. But what of the quality he asked? My reply was that one of the best wines I had this year was a $14.95 Italian wine from Campania. But I cautioned him simply because a wine is from Bordeaux does not guarantee quality.
In this case we have a simple Bordeaux Blanc called a 2019 Château Haut-Garriga. It is made entirely from the Semillon grape.
On the nose it shows little flashiness, depth or complexity. Simple aromas of pear, apple with a faint bit of pineapple. On the palate it is simple light and refreshing. A bit of grapefruit, lime with a subtle minerality. There are no flaws in the wine. It just is a simple nondescript wine. The Penniless Pensioner is holding his annual pickle ball tournament in his backyard with his buddies and he told me it will be a hot and humid day where red wine is out and a simple refreshing white is a must. He has one here! And his guests not being terribly savvy may just think he has won the lottery as he is serving a wine with a Château in its name. The Penniless Pensioner is a crafty fellow. In fact he was once a successful corporate lawyer who made an unfortunate mistake of investing his money with a guy named Bernie Madoff. Accordingly at the end of the line of a Ponzi scheme he lost it all.
More about the Penniless Pensioner to follow.
(Château Haut-Garriga Bordeaux Blanc 2019, Vignobles C. Barreau, Gironde, France, $13.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 18789, 750 mL, 12%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 86/100).
“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 78 “The Nationalist Enslavement of Quebec Continues”
Jiber’s crew was ecstatic with Jiber’s words and they applauded wildly as finally the months of boredom would be terminated and like pirates there would be action. Soon they would return home to Zortixia to vindicate those who had expelled them from their homeland. Jiber did add, “However not all of you must act as crusading Quebec nationalists. Some of us should be vicious Canadians and Americans convincing Quebeckers they are surrounded by mean and greedy neighbours only too ready to jump on their throats if given the chance. Those of us who portray nationalists must masquerade as the great protectors. One strong man will appear in a messianic fashion who will persuade to lead the Quebecois down the yellow brick road to nationalistic freedom. I as René Hecklevesque will be that St. Joseph Oratory saviour!
And so it progressed according to plans. The crewmembers that ventured to Washington and other American urban centres did very well for themselves. Three of them were serving on the staff of American senators who were openly Canadian annexionists. One even became a coffee boy for the White House Staff. One became a McThinald’s sales manager for their restaurants in Canada. Those remaining in Quebec were pushing nationalism in the organizations they joined mocking the English and new immigrants as a threat to “national survival”. The immigrants, or Allophones as they were referred to were to be treated as backstabbers and fifth columnists. While Quebec media types followed the Jiber path Western Canada was calling for executions of Quebec seditionists. The rise to power by the Jiber nationalists was facilitated by the usual pigheadedness of the rest of Canada who, ever since the days of Dumont, Louis Riel and company had done the utmost to silence the French minorities within their boundaries. And as Jiber predicted it wasn’t long before the Quebecois became increasingly paranoid of the hungry pack of Canadian nationalists salivating madness. Their hostility was the spark required to light the bonfires of nationalistic recruitment. In Quebec new parties and associations mushroomed under separatist and nationalistic banners.
Jiber’s first mate assuming the fictious name of Bourgblot, was instrumental in forming the RINTINTIN, a group who eyed separation as the salvation for the province of Quebec. Increasingly strong movements were gaining strength in the USA favouring annexation of Quebec as it was the only water that might extinguish the growing fire of communism in Quebec. Of course the communists in Quebec would certainly confiscate or nationalize American property in Quebec. That was against American law and democracy! A high point was reached when three senile and red hating American senators drafted an unsuccessful bill clamouring for the annexation of Quebec. Reaction to this was red hot In Quebec. Ottawa was dutifully silent fearing any comment would aggravate its “wonderful and mutually affectionate relationship the United States”. Jiber, alias Hecklevesque, was busily at work and there was one incident that rocketed him into the public eye.
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